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Written by Sian Rafferty
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Sunday, 24 January 2010 23:45 |
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‘NICK & NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST’ is basically the ultimate 183 page ‘he said/she said’ tale of boy meets girl. Written by two individual writers - Rachel Cohn and David Levithan - each individually ‘voice’ their respective characters: Norah and Nick, and one crazy night-ride through the underground teen-scene of New York.
Nick is totally in love with Tris. While he knows how to pour out his feelings for her in songs, he has never quite cottoned onto the fact that she is just too hot for him - until she kicks him to the curb. Norah, Tris’ sometimes friend, falls for Nick through the poetry of his hand-me-down mixed CD’s without ever meeting him in person. That is, until one chance meeting at a gig sets them off on a yellow brick road through the clubs of New York - all on one fateful night.
The most amazing thing about this book is how relatable the characters are to the audience (ideally the mid-teen to early twenties crowd). Nick is so clueless - and makes the easy mistake of confusing like, mixed with a healthy dose of lust, and what he believes is as-true-as-it-comes Love. He’s totally lovable as the guy who believes his heart will never be whole again. Come on - everyone can relate to that. And Norah is like a shining beacon for the average teen girl. Damaged by the careless comments of a previous boyfriend, which have slowly taken root in her brain as dark insecurities - Norah is basically a poster child for the self esteem issues that every girl faces at some point. |
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Written by Sian Rafferty
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Sunday, 03 January 2010 10:06 |
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This is the tale of two seemingly ordinary twins who learn they have a destiny the size of a mountain, and powers they could never have dreamed of. When the mysterious Mr. Jones wanders into their lives they soon learn of the dreaded Wilberforces who exist under Auckland’s volcanoes. It’s up to twins Rachel and Theo Matheson to save the world as the ancient aliens begin to waken... and threaten to blow.
There is something comforting about revisiting old classics. Maurice Gee is a New Zealand childhood legend, and reading his pages reminds me of classics like the 'Famous Five' and the 'Faraway Tree'. Originally published in the mid-eighties, ‘UNDER THE MOUNTAIN’ has many little hints which show its age, like mentioning that the population of Auckland numbers at half a million. Rachel, the girl twin, is the one which makes the tea, and is definitely the weaker sex. Yet all this is very comforting, and it reminds me of that carefree time on the cusp of adolescence where nothing really mattered except going to the beach and learning your times tables (and evidently maybe also saving the world. But that never really applied to me). |
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Written by Sian Rafferty
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Monday, 21 December 2009 13:21 |
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The latest craze which seems to be plaguing popular culture, is a fascination with all things Zombie.
How is this social virus spread?
I am unsure.
Why, is this particular strand proving so virulent?
Again, I am completely bewildered.
Half-eaten grizzly people, half-eating other people... can’t really see the attraction. Yet leaving aside my ponderings on social phenomena, let’s examine the evidence relating to the spread of this deadly disease.
In this case - we have a new book by Michael P. Spradlin, ‘IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE ZOMBIES!' - a timely collection of Christmas carols with a distinctly zombie twist. |
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