My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Fun Home is an autobiographical graphic novel about growing up and discovery. In seven chapters, Bechdel digs into her childhood and teenage memories of her own life and her relationship with her dad. The result is a touching and intensely personal journey. It is also affecting in the way which she handles the discovery of her dad's homosexuality, and eventually her own. The literary approach also makes this book a truly intellectual achievement.
I've always admired Natalie Merchant ever since I first heard her in 10,000 Maniacs. I remembered reading about 10,000 Maniacs and only managed to hear their stuff when I started working at the CD shop Gramophone, where I got the chance to sample the Maniacs' folksy tunes, in particular the album 'In My Tribe'. But what struck me more than the modern folk stylings was Merchant's voice. It was a powerful voice that carried with it a soulful quality. Her voice was soothing but it had an edge to it. I was a fan.
When she left 10,000 Maniacs, I followed her solo venture and in fact, found Tigerlily to be one of my faves. After her last album 'The House Carpenter's Daughter' in 2003, she sort of went silent and I never thought that I'll hear from her again. Now, she's back and releasing a two disc album called 'Leave Your Sleep'. It's a collection of Brit and American poetry from the 19th and 20th century set to music. So it seems that she's been busy researching poetry while she was away, nice!
I've embedded her performance at TED, filmed in February this year. It's a sublime performance that's touching and soulful at the same time. She even manage to rouse the TED audience and literally brought them to their feet! It's a beautiful half hour gig and I'm certainly looking forward to getting my hands on the album.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Lemire is a great story teller and Essex County is perhaps one of the best graphic novels I've ever read. It reminds me of Craig Thompson's Blankets with its black and white art style and heart-wrenching story. In Essex County, the focus is on a number of individuals who're in some ways related to one another. It is a collection of memories and tales about the human emotion at its most simple and raw. Lost, love, family, regret, pain, grief, joy... all these are rendered in a minimalistic manner that tags at your heartstrings. Simply brilliant.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A surreal romp through Wonderland. Instead of a typical Alice story, this graphic novel centers on Mary Ann, a housemaid whom Alice wad mistaken for in the original story. The story jumps all over the place, perhaps as it should given the mad nature of Wonderland. Standout is the beautiful artwork and you can certainly see the cute 'manga' styling of Mary Ann in many of the panels. A delightful read.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Touching tale of the Invisible Man as a drifter appearing in a small town. It is also about a girl who discovers herself from the encounter. Lemire's style has a calming quality to it and that perfectly blends the desolate small town and the sad story of a man who has become a Nobody.
Took a trip down to the Singapore National Museum today for the "Quest for Immortality-The World of Ancient Egypt" exhibition. A nice chance to get out of the humid weather and who would miss a chance to see mummies? Went on a guided tour before striking out on my own. The exhibition is not exactly large, but there's enough artifacts of substance that it is worth the half price of admission (half due to discount from credit card purchase).
As a bonus, there's a "The Bag" exhibit which looks at paper bags in Singapore. Sort of nostalgic and retro at the same time looking at those paper bags. A certain reflection of how consumerism and life has changed in just the span of 50 years.
- Shadow of the Empire: Prince Xizor vs. Darth Vader (Comics Book included) - $8 - Shadow of the Empire: Boba Fett vs. IG-88 (Comics Book included) - $8
My rating: 4 of 5 stars A book that's more about scenarios than about characters. Using the theme of technology gone rogue, this is a gripping read. Just when you think that the story has gone over-the-top, the next chapter tops itself. Great reading for geeks and gamers alike.
Went down to pick up Humpback Oak's Oaksongs Box set. What can I say about it? It's really beautiful and is certainly a labour of love. When you open the box, you get a diorama of a bedroom with Humpback Oak memorabilia strewn around the place. When you open up the bed, there're tiny booklets, a bundle of lyric sheets, a guitar pick, and small photo cards of the band. The CDs are wrapped in paper with lyrics written on them, and I don't think I can bear to unwrap these. For me, the box is a little trip down memory lane of one of Singapore's best band.
I'm clearing my bookshelf, so I'm putting up these books for adoption. Let me know if you want these books.
- The Last Days of William Shakespeare - Vlady Kociancich - Cal - Bernard Mac Laverty - Lamb - Bernard Mac Laverty - Babyhood - Paul Reiser - The Blind Watchmaker - Richard Dawkins - Behind the Scenes at the Museum - Kate Atkinson - e-mail: A Love Story - Stephanie D Fletcher - Come Together - Josie Lloyd & Emlyn Rees - 1985 - Anthony Burgess - Naked Beneath My Clothes - Rita Rudner
- The Moonstone - Wilke Collins - Great Expectations - Charles Dickens - Hard Times - Charles Dickens - A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll - Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad - Nostromo - Joseph Conrad - The White Company - Arthur Conan Doyle - Stories for Summer (Collection of 14 short stories by F Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James, Oscar Wilde, etc) - Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - James Joyce - Sons and Lovers - D H Lawrence - Lady Chatterley's Lover - D H Lawrence
3 Volumes of The Complete Sherlock Holmes - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle - The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle - The Return of SHerlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
This Ping.fm thingy is rather useful, but confusing. Confusing because I'm wondering if there'll be multi-postings that ends up all over the place. That will be really annoying.
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
