14.Aug.2010 Shaun Tan and Neil Gaiman at Sydney Opera House
Last week there was Graphics Festival at Sydney Opera House featuring a couple of graphic novels and movies folks. I was most excited about Shaun Tan and Neil Gaiman. Shaun Tan because, well, I adore his works beyond words. And Neil Gaiman, though none of his works have truly connected with me, he’s the type [...]
11.Jul.2010 Shaun Tan’s Short Film: The Lost Thing
Don’t know how I missed this, but I was so excited to find out about this short a few minutes ago! The short is part of Sydney Film Festival last month and will take part in Melbourne International Film Festival later this year. It is based on Shaun Tan’s book The Lost Thing (1999). He’s [...]
22.May.2010 Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
Tender Morsels is a book I picked up for many reasons. I first knew about it from Nymeth, whose passionate review seems to gather some sort of a cult. There was probably a time when people responded with a blank look “Tender Morsel who?”, but that time has long gone now! The novel won World [...]
03.Apr.2010 The Rabbits by John Marsden and Shaun Tan
If you have been a reader of my blog for .. oh.. about 5 minutes, you’d know that I luurrvv Shaun Tan. After the amazing Tales from Outer Suburbia and The Arrival, I have intended to go through all his back catalogue, even if that means I need to venture into the children’s section of [...]
23.Mar.2010 The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas
The Slap starts with a barbeque party at suburban Melbourne. The explosion breaks when a man slaps a child who is not his own. The ripples affect everyone there: the family where the barbeque takes place, the family of man who slaps, the family of the child who is slapped, and all their family and [...]
19.Jan.2010 Aussie Author Challenge, Oi!
In conjunction with my own personal challenge to read more Aussie authors, I should naturally join the Aussie Author Challenge! (1 Jan-31 Dec 2010) There are many to choose from. The ones more known internationally like Markus Zusak and Geraldine Brooks, Steve Toltz for his A Fraction of the Whole, to the ONLY two double [...]
15.Nov.2009 Sunday Salon: Mixed Bookish Things Feat. Two Children Books and Fight Club
Not a good week. Caught cold. Home sick one day but had to work for the rest of the week. Didn’t manage to compile a proper review. But don’t despair, I can still talk about books! I’m halfway through The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. The Classics Circuit is going to enter the third [...]
13.Jun.2009 The Arrival by Shaun Tan
Another lovely book from Shaun Tan. The Arrival has no words, it’s all pictures (must be the easiest book to translate). And I almost have no words to describe it, because it’s so overwhelmingly good. The drawings, the imagination, it’s so out of this world that you feel you are transported to this magical majestic [...]
21.May.2009 Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan
Tales from Outer Suburbia is a collection of short stories. Some very short (a page or two), some a bit longer. And how fantastic they are! I love love love these stories! Or should I say the illustrations. I’m not sure which I like more: the artwork or the stories. They’re both amazing. I often [...]
17.May.2009 Sunday Salon: Bookish Thingies
I started Purple Hibiscus yesterday, because next week is the Sydney Writers’ Festival weekend which I’m going to, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria) will be there. So I’m hoping to finish this book beforehand. There are a few other authors that I’m interested in, like Tash Aw (Malaysia) whose book The Harmony Silk Factory I [...]
