1. The Closed Circle- Jonathan Coe
2. Dibs in Search of Self- Virginia Axline
3. Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case- Agatha Christie
4. 99 Ways to Tell a Story- Matt Madden
5. Fragile Things- Neil Gaiman
99 Ways to Tell a Story- Matt Madden
I got this from my sister for my birthday (via amazon wishlist)- thanks Simone. This is based on the classic Exercises in Style, but turned to comics instead of prose. You get the same basic (and slightly dull) story about the author getting up from his work, answering his girlfriend’s request for the time, opening the fridge and forgetting what he was looking for, told 99 different ways. My favourites were the tributes to Robert Crumb, the drawings extended outside the frame in totally unexpected ways, the Bayeux Tapestry, the 18th century version and the parody of Chick tracts. I recommend, and I also recommend the Raymond Queneau original (in fact anything by Queneau).
Fragile Things- Neil Gaiman
When I was 12-13 Neil Gaiman was quite definitely my favourite author. Now I can recognise when he’s being a little cheesy, but I still enjoy his stuff. This is a collection of short stories including a very creepy sketch for the Graveyard Book, a Sherlock Holmes/H.P Lovecraft crossover from that Shadows Over Baker Street compilation I’ve never got round to reading, and a poem written from the point of view of Bluebeard. The stories are varied and all interesting. Again, recommended.