Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

The blurb, the cover, and even the title of Nick & Norah command attention and I was convinced I would love this book even before reading a word.  After reading the first two chapters, I wasn’t so sure anymore.

At a Manhattan night spot, Nick asks Norah to be his girlfriend for five minutes because his ex-girlfriend just walked in with another guy.  Norah responds by kissing Nick and they spend the rest of the night getting over past relationships and falling in love.

There were elements of this book that I liked (mostly Nick’s chapters written by David Levithan) and elements that I didn’t (mostly Norah’s chapters written by Rachel Cohn).  The character of Norah seemed to swing from one extreme to another without reason – kissing him, walking away; getting hot and heavy then leaving.  Nick was a steadier character, and I think I would have enjoyed the book more if it had been told purely from his point of view.

There are some great observations made by the characters throughout the book and this was my ‘best bit’ of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist:

Which leaves us in this weird we’re off to see the Wizard pose, with Tris blocking us like the Wicked Witch of the Past.

– David Levithan

Every Breath by Ellie Marney

I’m not a fan of crime novels, so I had to suppress a groan when someone suggested crime as one of this year’s topics for our children’s literature book club.  I confess I haven’t approached the books with much enthusiasm, and I think part of me was determined not to like Every Breath.  But… I stuck with it, and I’m glad I did because the relationship between the two main characters, Watts and Mycroft (modern day versions of Dr Watson and Sherlock Holmes) built into a sizzling romance.  I dislike crime but I love a romance. 

Watts is a country girl having a hard time adjusting to city-life, as is all her family.  Her neighbour, Mycroft, is an orphan staying with his rarely there aunt.  Watts makes sure Mycroft eats and tries to help him stay out of trouble, with little success.  When a homeless friend of theirs is murdered, Mycroft is determined to find out the truth, dragging Watts into the process and getting her into hot water along the way.

Whodunit was pretty obvious from the moment the villain entered the story, which spoiled it for me.  I really hoped I would be surprised at the end, but I wasn’t.  Teens investigating murder mysteries is hard to make believable and the main characters didn’t always seem consistent in the first half of the book.  I found the crime scene too grisly for my taste and there were other minor problems, but being that it’s Ellie Marney’s debut novel, I can forgive the rest.

In the second half of the book, there was more action, more consistency in the characters, the grisly part was over and I could enjoy the tension between Watts and Mycroft as they gradually gave in to their feelings for each other.  There are some great humorous moments too (like when Mycroft tells Watts he has a dead Jack Russell in his freezer).

Best bit of Every Breath:

He moves one hand to lift my chin, his eyes darting across my face.  I’m staring at him now, and his expression seems to fold through so many different emotions I can’t keep up.

-          Ellie Marney

Longbourn by Jo Baker

Set within the world of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Longbourn follows what is happening in the servants’ lives while Elizabeth, Darcy et al. are working through their misunderstandings and differences.

If you’re looking for a retelling of Pride and Prejudice you will be disappointed.  Longbourn is a different story with a few recognisable characters.  Jo Baker recreated some of the characters perfectly, such as Mr Collins, who was very much the same in both stories.  However, there were some, Lizzie for example, that didn’t gel with their P&P versions.

That said, if you’re looking for a well-researched historical novel, and want some fascinating insights into the day-to-day lives of servants in Jane Austen’s time, then you’ll love this.  I love historical novels and I enjoyed Jo Baker’s detailed descriptions.  There was romance, intrigue and suspense.  I would have liked the middle section of the book to be shorter to allow the romance to play out fully at the end, but I enjoyed this book for something more than the story itself.

About three quarters of the way through the book, I was itching to watch my taping of the original BBC series with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth.  Before I reached the end I gave in, only to find that Episodes 2-4 wouldn’t work.  I still enjoyed 1, 5 and 6, but now I’ll have to fork out for a DVD of the series (I need Mr Darcy to tell m… I mean, Lizzie, how much he ardently admires and loves m… her).  However, I still have my Great Classics Library version of P&P to read.  Which brings me to:

The best bit of Longbourn:  Falling in love with Pride and Prejudice all over again.*sigh*

Postscript:  I wrote the above post in January, but only just realised I hadn't posted it yet.  Since writing this I have read P & P again, and my Valentine's Day present was a Jane Austen DVD collection - YAY!  Now I'm reading Emma.  Look what you've started, Jo Baker.

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

I love a book with a map, so I was excited to flip through the first few pages of Caleb’s Crossing and find a map of Martha’s Vineyard.  Better yet, there was also a reproduction of a historical document.  I love historical novels.  I love novels based on true stories.  I knew I was going to love this book before I got to chapter 1. 

I was not disappointed. 

Beautifully written in first person as the confessional of a young girl (in the first two parts at least, in the last she writes as an old woman), Caleb’s Crossing documents the journey of the first Native American to graduate from Harvard.

Bethia is a smart girl, smarter than her older brother, Makepeace, and she wants to learn.  But she’s a girl, and girls in the American colonies in the 1660s had their place.  It was not in the schoolroom.  Much of Bethia’s education was gained by listening-in to the lessons Makepeace learnt from their father.  But she also received an entirely different education from her secret childhood friend, Caleb, a native of Martha’s Vineyard.

The earlier parts of the book give a sense of freedom through the wilderness of the island and Bethia’s roaming to gather food for the family.  As Bethia grows, her life becomes more and more restricted, especially when she moves to the mainland to work at her brother’s school and then as a buttery maid at Harvard.  The choices Bethia makes to improve her education and pursue her love of learning, reflect some of the sacrifices that Caleb must make to do the same.

If anything, the last portion of the novel could have had more romance, more immediacy like the earlier parts.  Instead, an old woman looks back and summarises the intervening years, including Caleb’s graduation and demise.  But as I enjoyed the beginning of the book so much I can forgive this small fault.

For a writer, this book is a study in how to use archaic language and phrasing in a modern and engaging way.  The words keep the reader firmly grounded in the past.  Not once did I have to stop and think, ‘Oh, that’s right, it’s 1660.’  I was there from the first line to the last.

Best Bit of Caleb’s Crossing: 

For with his name came an idea of who he truly was.  And with that knowledge came the venom of temptation that would inflame my blood. – Geraldine Brooks

50 years of Dr Who

As a kid, I loved watching Dr Who (predominately from the Jon Pertwe/Tom Baker era).  After an episode, my brother and I would run around the lounge room pretending to be the Doctor and Sarah Jane, until my brother would turn into a dalek, exterminate me and it would all end in tears.

I saw the movie in the nineties, though I can’t say I remember much of it, but I was thrilled when the series returned to television.  Christopher Eccleston, tough and modern, was a big change from the Tom Baker Doctor of my youth.  Billie Piper as Rose, the Doctor’s companion, was brilliant casting.  Then the Doctor regenerated into the body of David Tennant, my favourite Doctor so far.

As my babies got older, it became more difficult to get them into bed before Dr Who started, so I stopped watching for a while.  I’d miss most of an episode saying goodnight anyway, and if the kids weren't in bed, well, the modern Dr Who is far scarier for littlies than the old. 

Over the past few months, now that they're old enough for the scary bits, I started letting the kids watch repeats of the show for the first time.  My daughter is now Dr Who mad.  We spent all weekend watching the Dr Who 50^th anniversary specials together, and I was excited to show her the Doctors that I grew up with.   (Her favourite is the current Doctor, Matt Smith).

So how do I pick a best bit out of 50 years of Dr Who?  Is it the different personae of the Doctor, the companions, the villains, the time travel, the TARDIS?  No, for me the best bit of Dr Who is the memories of enjoying it with my families – old and new.

Marysville

With a voucher to fish at Buxton Trout Farm we decided to spend a night in Marysville over the school holidays.

Rebuilding in Marysville

The town is still rebuilding after the Black Saturday fires almost five years ago.  The mood seemed sombre, and Sunday nights had been so quiet no restaurants bothered opening.  We could get pizza for dinner but only before 5.30pm.  Otherwise we could drive to either the Black Spur or Buxton Inns.  We opted for the historic Black Spur Inn.

 

A friendly local in Marysville

 

Before dinner, we made two stops.  First was Bruno’s Sculpture Garden – a testament to the resilience of humans and nature.  Bruno had remarkable stories to tell about the displays in the gallery that survived (or partially survived) the fire.  My favourite was the still-torn painting hanging on the wall.  Bruno had saved some of his paintings by putting them in the kiln, a few more he loaded into his car.  When he stopped to rescue a dog, the dog jumped straight on the painting, tearing the canvas.  Art tells a story and the ripped canvas is now part of the story; as is each lovingly restored piece of terracotta in the garden.

 

This restored hand-fountain was broken off at the wrist during the Black Saturday fires.

 

Next we visited Steavenson Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in Victoria.

 

Majestic Steavenson Falls

 

The next day, before driving over to Buxton, we wound up the track to Keppel Lookout.  It must have been 2 degrees up there.  I told the family to stop looking cold while I took a photo, but it was a feat they couldn’t achieve.  The view over Marysville was breathtaking, in-spite of the cold (and probably because of it too).

View of Marysville from Keppel Lookout

A picturesque drive brought us to Buxton and the trout farm where the kids caught three whoppers.  The kids were curious to watch the man gut and scale the fish, so he called them over to take a closer look.  He showed them the innards, pointed out the stomach and the spleen, then showed them the still-beating heart – ewwww!

Lunch!

It was a little early for lunch (and we were still full from breakfast at the bakery in Marysville), so we took the kids to the park for a play.  I wandered around the nature trail along the river, enjoying the peace of listening to the water gurgle by.

 

Steavenson River at Buxton

 

The Buxton Inn cooked up our trout for lunch, thankfully serving it with only a handful of chips and a salad.  We somehow managed to devour all three fish – yum – before heading home.

The best bit of Marysville:  Bruno and his indefatigable spirit in rebuilding, restoring and regenerating all that was broken and burned.  His garden is a celebration of survival.

 

La Sylphide

Recently, I took my ten-year-old to see the Australian Ballet perform Pequita and La Sylphide at the State Theatre.  We drove to the city, paid a fortune for parking and ate McDonalds for dinner.

Outside McDonalds on Swanston Street, there was a rank of horse drawn carriages.  We had an hour to kill, so I inquired the price.  The driver told me.  I smiled, nodded politely and we stood there admiring the horses.  A short time later a father and son came along and inquired the price.  The driver told him.  The father smiled, nodded politely and they stood admiring the horses. 

I knew my daughter would love the carriage ride, so I asked the father, ‘Do you want to go halves?’

Soon we were clopping through the streets of Melbourne, with blankets across our knees, admiring the lights and the fountains.  It’s a peaceful, if somewhat smelly, way to travel.  I could almost sense what it would have been like to travel to the ballet a century or more ago.  Okay, so perhaps the lights of the MCG wouldn’t have been glaring, cars wouldn’t clog St Kilda Road and the Eureka wouldn’t tower over everything, but it was a lovely experience to share with my daughter (and a couple of complete strangers).

At the theatre, we were amongst the first to take our seats.  We had cheap seats right up the back of the balcony.  With few people in the theatre it was a dizzying height, but the other seats were soon filled.

During the performance of Pequita, two rather tall ladies with large buns perched on top of their heads sat in front of my daughter.  I offered to swap seats but my daughter was happy where she was, peeking between the big hairdos.  We swapped during intermission but the tall ladies didn’t return, so we had a clear view of the two acts of La Sylphide.

Pequita was spectacular, showing the amazing technique that ballet is famous for.  But La Sylphide?  What an amazing production!   The sets were fabulous, the dancing divine and the story easy to follow:  A Scotsman is awakened by a sylph on his wedding day and falls in love with her.  Meanwhile, as wedding plans are underway, the best man is trying to win the heart of the bride.  The Scotsman insults the wrong wedding guest (a witch) and tragedy ensues, but despite the tragic end for the Scotsman and the sylph, the story is light-hearted and funny.

The best bit according to my daughter:  When the best man does an impression of the sylph, then tries to sit on a chair that’s been moved.  That was my favourite bit too.