reviewlettes

graffiti moon, cath crowley

to be published in august 2010

i just finished this wonderful wonderful book today over lunch. i have been reading it off my computer - an experience i HATED, so clearly no e-readers for moi - and i will review it properly closer to its release date. but wanted to put it out there. fans of cath's other books (chasing charlie duskin and the gracie faltrain books) will love this, as will any fans of simmone howell, jaclyn moriarty, james roy, scot gardner, joanne horniman, steven herrick...etc...etc... basically any top aussie authors. it tasted a little bit like nick and norah's infinite playlist, but with graffiti and a melbourne setting. it made me want to be the kind of girl who'd break a guy's nose if he tries to grope her when she wants to talk about rothko.

the carrie diaries, candace bushnell

ha! this was actually a strange experience. for on one hand, you're imagining SJP in the role of carrie, but maybe looking like she did in girls just want to have fun. actually yes! i was totally picturing janey! but, keeping it brief, i really enjoyed the carrie diaries - it was a quick, nice read along the same lines as a sarah dessen or stories of that ilk. middle class america high school genre. as only an occasional watcher of the tv show i don't know how much this aligns with what's been said about carrie and her past there. so the book is great, only thing is... so there's a scene with a bag in the middle of the book, one of her sisters has spilled nail polish on it. carrie fixes it by putting her name on it in nail polish and i can only assume it is supposed to look like the cover of the book (err, or vice versa) but there was no description in the text. bizarre.
but otherwise, a good read: ace friends, cool guy characters and a very chuckle-worthy last line.

and baby makes two, dylan sheldon

oh-em-gee. so this book is, like, about realising that having a baby is harder than you think. lana is 15 and has no ambition except to maybe get married and have babies and her own flat. she meets this dude who works at a video shop, he's a bit of orright. course she doesn't tell him that she's only 15. and surprise surprise, she soon gets pregnant. it's clear from the start that the guy is a dead loss. but anyhoo, lana's going to keep the baby. honestly, she was the stupidest, most unlikable character i've read in ages. dumb, selfish and mean to her mother. after the baby was born (ha! won't tell you what she calls it, but it's hilarious) i was just so scared the whole time that the baby would die from neglect. seriously. and i guess she learns her lesson by the end of the book, and i know she was meant to be irresponsible and all, but i wanted more from this.

perhaps read mahalia, by joanne horniman instead.