THE AMBIDEXTROUS LIBRARIAN

THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS (M.R. CAREY) This book was totally worth every last cent of the $12.00 I paid for it.  Wandering the isles of Big W in an attempt to kill some time, I (naturally) gravitated towards the book section and was overcome by the psychology of the retail displays.  10 minutes later I had parted with my money.  Kudos to the marketing psychologists for a job well done! I was sucked in by the bright yellow cover, and the fact that it was crowded with glowing reviews, one of which was by Joss Whedon and I thoroughly respect anything that man has to say.  I didn't even really know what the book was about, as the jacket was so crammed with praise the actual blurb was very brief.  Perhaps that helped in the end - I'm not sure I would have picked it up if I knew the story was about zombies. That's not to say that I don't enjoy a good fantasy / sci-fi.  And I do really enjoy the current popularity of zombie apocalypse tales; they are ...

THE SINGING BONES (SHAUN TAN) This book is extraordinary. I have written on Shaun Tan before, but in case you missed it, he has an uncanny ability to inject a subtle sense of unease and disquiet into his works - both written and visual.  There is something that is simplistic and mesmerising about his art.  I find myself staring at the tiniest detail with a furrowed brow, all the while wondering how the simple curve of a line, or detail of shadow, can make me feel like I should look over my shoulder; like there is something waiting for me just beyond that dark corner. When I discovered that Shaun Tan had published a book of Grimm's Fairytales, and had created artworks to depict each narrative - I dived on it like a seagull on a chip.  And I haven't been disappointed.  The book does not seek to retell each tale in its entirety - each double page spread presents a small but flavoursome morsel of the tale, which is then enriched by Tan's sculptural interpretation...