I've finally warmed up to reading books on my iPad. It still doesn't smell or feel as good as paperbacks but the iBooks app is pretty neat (I prefer it to the Kindle app). I just discovered the Highlight and Note features (I'm kinda slow at figuring out stuff) and that became the dog-earring equivalent for me (which makes the book feel more mine, somehow). It is so NICE to be able to make notes and highlight the funny/poignant lines! That is something I wouldn't dare to do in a solid paperback coz I'm sure there will be a Madam Pince lurking nearby, waiting to yell, "Despoiled! Desecrated! Befouled!" (that line from Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince made me laugh out loud the first time I read it. I know a person who is totally like that!)
Anyway, I discovered the Highlight and Note features on my iBooks while reading Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley. And it was such an APT time because now my e-copy of Graffiti Moon is graffiti'd with pink, green and yellow highlights and notes at various parts of the book! It's THAT quotable, intense, quirky and fun! I'm so glad I finished reading it by the end of the year!
what it's about (from goodreads.com)
It’s the end of Year 12. Lucy’s looking for Shadow, the graffiti artist everyone talks about.
His work is all over the city, but he is nowhere.
Ed, the last guy she wants to see at the moment, says he knows where to find him. He takes Lucy on an all-night search to places where Shadow’s thoughts about heartbreak and escape echo around the city walls.
But the one thing Lucy can’t see is the one thing that’s right before her eyes.
the cover
Don't you love the cover? The yellow paint-can set in a black background spraying the words, "an artist, a dreamer/ a long, mean, night"! It's the cover that first wow-ed me. I'm talking about the Aussie cover. The US edition cover is also pretty cool- zeroing in on two people on a dark, magical night.
CONFESSION
It took me a month to finish reading this book. I usually take less than a day for 250 page book, so that was kind of unusual. It started out a little slow for me and it has also been a busy month. But it was so worth it as despite the initial reluctance to get on with the book, I was soon sucked in. Every time I returned to the book, it was like I had never left and I was still a part of that one night of confessions, graffiti, epiphanies and nose-punching!
review
Graffiti Moon spans over one night- the night Lucy, Jazz, Daisy, Ed, Leo and Dylan are out celebrating the end of Year 12. The story is told through the perspectives of Lucy and Ed and interspersed with poems by Leo. I'm usually not a fan of two person narratives. There's usually one person who you are a little bit more interested in or it just seems unnecessary. BUT it was perfect for Graffiti Moon. Lucy and Ed both have things holding them back, confessions to make and things to ponder over. It was perfectly paced and didn't end or begin too soon.
I took an immediate liking to Lucy. She wasn't stereotypically whiny or ready to bite everyone's head off. She was funny and could hold her own ground. And I loved her parents! It took me a little longer to like Ed- I had to wait for his back story, when his insecurities were delved into and the mask came off- but when it did, I was instantly wow-ed. Leo, who writes poetry and lives with his grandmother and Jazz who thinks she is psychic were another three-dimensional pair! Dylan and Daisy didn't have much to do in the story but I was constantly amused by their bickering!
It was fascinating to see these characters develop and evolve throughout the night. They were constantly showing different shades, learning more about themselves and making important decisions. So many other random things added colour to this well developed story: pink vans, cockroach-eating Malcolm (what a fun antagonist!), the owner of the paint shop (I loved Bert as much as Ed did), Lucy's memories-in-bottles folio and the graffiti'd walls of the city.
Graffiti Moon has convinced me that it doesn't get any better than Aussie YA (Melina Marchetta is my other favourite Aussie author)! What an amazing take on relationships, art, growing up and just seeing things (and people) in a whole new light!
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Anyway, I discovered the Highlight and Note features on my iBooks while reading Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley. And it was such an APT time because now my e-copy of Graffiti Moon is graffiti'd with pink, green and yellow highlights and notes at various parts of the book! It's THAT quotable, intense, quirky and fun! I'm so glad I finished reading it by the end of the year!
what it's about (from goodreads.com)It’s the end of Year 12. Lucy’s looking for Shadow, the graffiti artist everyone talks about.
His work is all over the city, but he is nowhere.
Ed, the last guy she wants to see at the moment, says he knows where to find him. He takes Lucy on an all-night search to places where Shadow’s thoughts about heartbreak and escape echo around the city walls.
But the one thing Lucy can’t see is the one thing that’s right before her eyes.
the cover
Don't you love the cover? The yellow paint-can set in a black background spraying the words, "an artist, a dreamer/ a long, mean, night"! It's the cover that first wow-ed me. I'm talking about the Aussie cover. The US edition cover is also pretty cool- zeroing in on two people on a dark, magical night.
CONFESSION
It took me a month to finish reading this book. I usually take less than a day for 250 page book, so that was kind of unusual. It started out a little slow for me and it has also been a busy month. But it was so worth it as despite the initial reluctance to get on with the book, I was soon sucked in. Every time I returned to the book, it was like I had never left and I was still a part of that one night of confessions, graffiti, epiphanies and nose-punching!
review
Graffiti Moon spans over one night- the night Lucy, Jazz, Daisy, Ed, Leo and Dylan are out celebrating the end of Year 12. The story is told through the perspectives of Lucy and Ed and interspersed with poems by Leo. I'm usually not a fan of two person narratives. There's usually one person who you are a little bit more interested in or it just seems unnecessary. BUT it was perfect for Graffiti Moon. Lucy and Ed both have things holding them back, confessions to make and things to ponder over. It was perfectly paced and didn't end or begin too soon.
I took an immediate liking to Lucy. She wasn't stereotypically whiny or ready to bite everyone's head off. She was funny and could hold her own ground. And I loved her parents! It took me a little longer to like Ed- I had to wait for his back story, when his insecurities were delved into and the mask came off- but when it did, I was instantly wow-ed. Leo, who writes poetry and lives with his grandmother and Jazz who thinks she is psychic were another three-dimensional pair! Dylan and Daisy didn't have much to do in the story but I was constantly amused by their bickering!
It was fascinating to see these characters develop and evolve throughout the night. They were constantly showing different shades, learning more about themselves and making important decisions. So many other random things added colour to this well developed story: pink vans, cockroach-eating Malcolm (what a fun antagonist!), the owner of the paint shop (I loved Bert as much as Ed did), Lucy's memories-in-bottles folio and the graffiti'd walls of the city.
Graffiti Moon has convinced me that it doesn't get any better than Aussie YA (Melina Marchetta is my other favourite Aussie author)! What an amazing take on relationships, art, growing up and just seeing things (and people) in a whole new light!
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
If you haven't already, I suggest you pick up A little Wanting Song, by the same author. It's great!
ReplyDeleteLisa O. @ The Nocturnal Library
I LOVED this! I thought it was fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThankyou so much for stopping by my blog and entering the giveaway, I hope you have a wonderful and safe new year!
Taneika @ Flipping Through the Pages
@The Nocturnal Library I haven't read A little Wanting Song yet. After Graffiti Moon, I'm game for anything by Cath Crowley, so I'll DEFINITELY add it to my TBR list. Thanks for the suggestion :D
ReplyDelete@Taneika I know. It was all kinds of awesome xD Wish you the same! I must say, I LOVE your blog!