Thursday, April 10, 2008

Shout Out to Nick & Norah

So I'm in a book club and at our last meeting I had the luck of selecting the torn piece of receipt with the "x" on it which meant I would be selecting our next choice. The responsibility thrown upon me was awesome to say the least. Selecting a book is akin to making a playlist for a friend. You want the picks to be cultured, hip, cool, mentionable and somewhat unheard of, but then again is that really you? I mean I've got some great and unique music but at the end of the day I still like my Rihanna and OneRepublic and unfortunately those are the type of songs most would love to see an American Idol hopeful sing to them. (sidenote: vomit) So I was torn. Should I pick a book that is somewhat obscure and random; a book no one has heard much about but seems cool enough to walk through an airport with it under one's arm and not feel ashamed or should I pick what I really want to read, chick fluff. Granted chick fluff doesn't go far in a discussion but what is a book club really. Just a way for girls to gather with wine and speak about their crazy week, no?

Yeah I struggled. Deep down I wanted to pick Twilight so that I would no longer carry the squeeage burden by myself but I know I would never have the guts to do that. The book, as I've said before, is piss poor in certain aspects and it would really be a humiliating experience especially since my book club peeps are extensive readers. I went over to one of their townhouses the other night and perused their book collection and was absurdly impressed. Sadly, if one were to check my library, which I stow under my bed mind you, one would find a bunch of old Us Weekly's and a regency romance my mother bought me for a dollar at our church's annual book fair. Therefore I knew I had to select a winner, but a winner in what? Entertainment value, stirring up thought provoking issues, taking one away to a fantasty land, getting lost in Thailand or Bangladore with no money to the character's name and so is sold into prostitution thus setting forth a race pulsing quest to find love? I was lost.

So I decided to go to the internets to pick something guud. A certain website, caught my eye with their list of The Top 50 Books Turned Movies We're Dying To See. As a lover of cinema I knew this is where I'd find my selection. And I did. But not before finding a little gem called, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. I'm going to spare you the reasons why I didn't pick the book for the book club but I will say I'm in love with this little novelette.

The story revolves around Nick and Norah, two high school seniors, who meet one night at a club quite randomly and how their relationship evolves throughout the evening. I know what you're thinking, Before Sunrise, anyone?, but no. Not even close. Each chapter is told alternately by Nick and Norah and it's fantastic because while they can't read what the other is thinking, the audience can. What I found most inspiring though, is that there are two authors, David Levithan and Rachel Cohn, Nick and Norah respectively, and whether intentional or not, their style of writing while not identical fits together harmoniously just like one assumes the two characters do.

But of course let's get real. I'm a girl, and it's a quasi love story and they mention pop culutre staples like My So-Called Life and musical acts like The Cure so yay!

Here's a synopsis for those assuming my description is paltry at best:

It all starts when Nick asks Norah to be his girlfriend for five minutes. He only needs five minutes to avoid his ex-girlfriend, who’s just walked in to his band’s show. With a new guy. And then, with one kiss, Nick and Norah are off on an adventure set against the backdrop of New York City—and smack in the middle of all the joy, anxiety, confusion, and excitement of a first date


side: They just wrapped production on the film starring Michael Cera as Nick and Kat Dennings as Norah.

Check it out.

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