Our old favourites and picks of the latest books, CDs, DVDs, and magazines...
Non-fiction
Cupcake Brown
A piece of cake 
There have been such an influx of “rags to riches” biographies in recent years that a rather cruel slang term of “misery memoir” has been applied to these biographies. Having said that, there is something infinitely encouraging about reading about the tenacity of the human spirit, and a driven quality of the individual psyche to transform painful circumstances into something worthwhile. Cupcake Brown’s memoir charts her brutal introduction to the cruel realities of life after her mother dies and Cupcake is taken into foster care. What follows from there are countless abuses against Cupcake emotionally and emotionally and a lifestyle so brutal it is miraculous she survived. The reader may find aspects of the biography uncomfortable to read, yet it is definitely worth completing in order to find out how she manages to escape such dire circumstances and carve out a life of dignity for herself.
-- Sue W, St Heliers
Fiction
Jenny Turner
The brainstorm 
Turner’s debut novel is a keenly observed commentary of the banal workplace environment which fails to recognise individual employees as unique contributing employees. The novel then explores with sharp wit, a well imagined response when the protagonist realises the futility of her career and its lack of fulfilment. Watching how the protagonist reacts is a triumph for those of us that, are some point in our working life, have pondered the eternal question of whether the work we do enriches our lives. In essence, the novel champions the striking back of the disenchanted employee who fails to be recognised and rewarded adequately. It may also serve as a warning against allowing ourselves to wallow in this position and its effects on our psyche.
-- Xena, St Heliers
Children
Sylvanie Donnio, illustrated by Dorothée de Monfried
I’d really like to eat a child 
Archilles, the baby crocodile, doesn’t want to eat the bananas his mother brings for him. What he really wants to eat is a child. Sausages – chocolate cake – nothing will satisfy him. Eventually he finds a child, but things do not go according to his plan. Similar to Tony Ross’ book I’m coming to get you.
-- Annie, Central
Teens
Jenny Downham
Before I die
This gorgeously written text is groundbreaking in that it deals with the theme of terminal illness and the pragmatism associated with a limited life span whilst avoiding becoming overly sentimental. The protagonist Tessa has advanced Leukaemia and whilst experiencing the many phases of coming to terms with her diagnosis, she itemises a top ten list of things she would like to have experienced before she dies. The central tenants of this novel are about self-identity, the bonds of love that exist between individuals and the capacity to both love and grieve for those that have made an impact on our life. There is a stunning simplicity to the text as well as a beautifully wrought description of how the author imagines the transition from one life to the next may be played out. Although this book has often been catalogued for teen readers I feel it has much wider potential as it is such a superbly crafted novel.
-- Xena, St Heliers
Music CD
Radiohead
In rainbows
The already widely acclaimed In rainbows has been heralded as a return to the warmth and accessibility of their mid 90’s commercial peak. This is certainly true musically. The glitchy Warp Records-influenced beats are mostly gone, Phil Selway is firmly back in the drummer's seat, and the guitars are back to being more upfront than synths. The other important factor is the lack of processing on Thom Yorke’s voice. While lyrically the themes of alienation and human frailty are still to the fore, this is no longer being echoed by Yorke’s vocal being cut and spliced or buried in the mix. Lines such as “You’ll go to hell for what your dirty mind has been thinking”, “How come I end up where I started” and “I’ve hit the bottom and I’m scared” are elevated into something far more unsettling by the incredible music they are encased in (whether it be as frenetic as “15 Steps” or as gloriously beautiful as “Nude”) . Yorke’s lyrics have not returned to the accessible vignettes of the past such as “High and Dry” and “Karma Police”. Rather, they are small fragments of thought, streams of consciousness that the music lets us travel into. It’s a haunting but addictively beautiful ride.
-- Simon, Central
Graphic Novel
Seth
It's a good life, if you don't weaken 
This is ostensibly an autobiographical tale about Seth's hunt for information concerning the life of an obscure Canadian gag cartoonist named Kalo, whose career seemed to have ended fifty years before. This 'mystery' device seems to be an aside- merely a peg to hang Seth's internal musings on. He spends the length of the comic book wandering through a modern world he constantly curses for its shoddiness and lack of care (drawn though in a slick 1950's New Yorker style) while wishing for the return of the old world of Kalo's time. The nostalgia can be overwhelming to get through, and the Seth character is pretty frustrating to accompany on his search. By the end of the search however, his contempt for modern life is shown to be, in comparison with Kalo's story, a kind of narcissistic indulgence. It is interesting to see the cartoonist portraying himself in this light, and I wonder if the 'whimsical' style of drawing used helps to prevent the character from becoming truly depressing. I suppose I recomend this book in large part because of the care and craft he employs to pull off the story. I found myself reading it in one sitting, all the while cursing Seth for his obnoxiousness. I guess that's a good trick.
-- Tim, Central
Magazine
Harper’s
Don’t be mistaken - this magazine and Harper's bazaar (and Harpers & Queen for that matter) have little more than a word in common. Harper’s is a 150-year-old magazine from the US filled with riveting, prize-winning journalism, literature by top shelf authors, readings, findings (drolly worded scientific discoveries) and the iconic Harper’s Index, a page long list of peculiar and often alarming number crunching. With formats ranging from expansive reportage to statistical minutiae, every time you pick an issue up there’s something you haven’t read yet. I recently enjoyed a report on the environmental impacts of Google corporation’s extreme hunger for electricity, and another about the underground world of unpasteurised milk in the US. Yes, it is very American and if you enjoy the New Yorker or The Believer then you should definitely check this out, but then if you know those two magazines you probably already have. Though we have just recently re-subscribed to this magazine, we have a large collection of back issues in the basement including years of the Vietnam War when, among other things, Harper’s was the first to publish news of the My Lai massacre.
-- Nick A, Central
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