How unfortunate

Men of all trades?

I desperately wanted to read Nick Cave's new novel , The Death of Bunny Munro, instead I decided to start with his first novel And the Ass saw the Angel. Never before have I been so disgusted, stunned and moved by a novel. Cave's 1989 literary debut is a powerful piece of fiction that brands you for life, although not for the faint hearted.

Seeing as I'm no good at summarizing, I'll let Wikipedia do the talking now: "And the Ass Saw the Angel tells the story of Euchrid Eucrow, a mute born to an abusive drunken mother and a father obsessed with cruel traps and animal torture. His father's dangerous traps, greasy and vile, just might maim or kill an unwary person. The ultimate outcast, scorned even among outsiders, in a valley of fanatically religious Ukulites, Euchrid bears his mother's beatings, his father's inturned indifference, and the hatred and loathing of an entire town. Euchrid's increasingly fractured mind teems with words and horrible angelic visions, narrated by his silent Southern drawl. Raised to inevitable madness in this world of inbreeding, moonshine, and fanaticism, Euchrid will exact his terrible vengeance on the people who have made his life one of nearly unrelenting pain."

And the Ass saw the Angel is reminiscent of Southern Gothic greats like William Faulkner and Flannery O'Connor with a dash of Carnivale. The trails and tribulations of Euchrid Eucrow are simply heart wrenching and very disturbing. Cave has done a phenomenal job portraying this lonely creature's descent into madness after being brutalized by everyone and everything that surrounds him.

The language especially, is quite unique. Cave's songwriting skills are always lingering in the background, adding rhythm and rhyme to the text. Although Cave himself is Australian, he was able to give Euchrid a very realistic Southern brawl that occasionaly make the story a little harder to follow, particularly in the stream of consciousness passages. Although he is a mute, Euchrid's thoughts are incredibly eloquent and profound making him a silent prisoner of the spirit of the time. The universal and ageless issue of fearing the unknown once again takes center stage.

The beginning is without a doubt the superior part. Euchrid's birth is very harrowing and funny and already sets the dark and twisted tone of things to come. Although the story is simple, the atmosphere is sublime and filled with memorable cast of characters that one by one could have escaped from your local god-fearing incestuous freak show, if you have one at least.

After reading this book, you will definitely be in need of some very light reading matter as this book is also the most depressing and sickening piece of fiction I have every read. It is very graphic and gruesome to say the least, almost every chapter made me cringe. Ok, I'll be the first to admit that I'm slightly faint hearted but nothing could prepare me for the horror both physical and psychological of And the Ass saw the Angel.

In the end, And the Ass saw the Angel, Cave's first literary excursion is a life altering experience. It is dark and very disturbing, both good and bad. I already know that this is a novel that will stay with me for a long time seeing as this is the first time that a work of fiction has literally shook me to my core with it's beauty and bestiality.

Although Bunny Munro seems to be slightly more "upbeat", I'll better prepare myself this time round.

And the Ass saw the Angel isn't the only "celebrity" novel I recently read, besides a singer / songwriter turned author, I also read a book from an actor turned author, namely the delectable Hugh Laurie. His one and only novel dates back to 1996 before House MD invaded his life and is called The Gun Seller.

This novel should be labelled as 100% genuine entertainment. It's an action-packed detective novel filled with humour, terrorists, fast motorcycles and a lot of woman: the ultimate male fantasy in typical hyper kinetic Laurie banter reminiscent of his A Bit of Fry and Laurie days. The plot has more twists and turns than a maze but ends up being one hell of a joyride. I should have probably read this after And the Ass saw the Angel instead of before...

YA, why do you taunt me?

There's no escaping it. Every blog I've read the past few weeks seems to mention her and her books at least once. First there was J.K. Rowling with Harry Potter, then there was Stephenie Meyer and Twilight (sigh) and now there's another woman and series that will definitely be giving them a run for their money. The IT-author du jour is none other than Suzanne Collins, a former writer for Nickelodeon and creator of the young adult series (or YA as my fellow bloggers call it) The Hunger Games which are taking the world by storm.

Listen to this: "The Hunger Games introduces sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a post-apocalyptic world where a powerful government called the Capitol has risen up after several devastating disasters. In the book, the Hunger Games are an annual televised event where the ruthless Capitol randomly selects one boy and one girl from each of the twelve districts, who are then pitted against each other in a game of survival and forced to kill until only one remains." Interesting...

People of all ages are literally devouring these books. Saying that The Hunger Games and it's sequel Catching Fire are getting rave reviews would be an understatement. Adults, kids, critics, you name it are all going nuts about this soon to be trilogy that mixes action, romance and politics. The latter especially, gives it a weird and twisted edge that offers kids and adults some riveting common ground that most young adult novels are lacking. Except Twilight, which is perfect. As always, Belgium is a little late to catch on and is still blissfully ignorant but seeing as the movie rights have just been sold, invasion will be immanent.

For someone like myself, who is unable to resist the latest hype, there's dangerous territory ahead. Shall I stay true to my high brow literary foundations or once again take a brief excursion down the intriguing and entertaining path of YA?

Simon's cat

With over 25 million hits on Youtube, Simon's Cat has become an instant and highly lovable classic. This multi award winning animated series about a hungry cat that will stop at nothing in order to be fed was created by Simon Tofield, an English animator who was inspired by his own feline bundles of joy: Hugh, Jess and Maisie.

On 1 October, Tofield released his first book which is definitely a must have for every cat lover. It is filled with hilarious drawings featuring the calculating kitty on his eternal quest for food. Too bad you can't hear his heart-wrenching meow which I have to admit is my favorite part.

Never before has a cat been portrayed so deviously realistic and that is why I would like to conclude with the immortal words of Homer J. Simpson, "It's funny, 'cause it's true".

Naked books

Have you ever wanted to design your own book cover? For argument's sake, say your name is Emma, wouldn't it be cool if that was you on the cover of Jane Austen's classic? If you have ever wanted to truly personalize your favorite book, check out My Penguin.

Dracula, The Great Gatsby, The Waves and The Picture of Dorian Gray are just a few titles out of the growing selection at your disposal. Razorlight, Beck and Ryan Adams to name a few are responsible for the first batch which they all blessed with unconventional designs. You buy an edition with a blank cover, send in your creation and become the proud owner or giver of a unique piece of literature.

Check out the gallery for some illuminating illustrations and get cracking.

A bookstore made in heaven

Yesterday I visited the most beautiful bookstore in the world according to The Guardian. In 2006, the Dutch chain Selexyz opened a new store in a restored 13th century Dominican Church in Maastricht that was used to store bicycles before architects Merkx and Girod got their hands on it. The combination of bookstore and church is truly spectacular, just like their impressive selection including a wide variety of books in English.

The upper levels especially, are a must see. The huge iron installations add a unique contemporary atmosphere to these medieval surroundings and also offer a sensational view of the premises. The old choir at the back has even been turned into an exceptional coffee bar where you can enjoy your foamy cappuccino while sitting at a huge cross shaped table in the presence of gorgeous fresco's.

Selexyz Dominicanen in Maastricht offers book lovers the ultimate religious experience.

Return of the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh will be making his literary comeback this year at the tender age of 84. Although creator A.A. Milne passed away quite some time ago, the Milne estate (headed by none other than Christopher Robin) have authorised David Benedictus, a life long Pooh devotee, to write a new series of stories entitled: Return to the Hundred Acre Wood.

Not only will the entire gang be revived for some new and exciting adventures but their general appearance will also be slightly contemporized with a dash of authenticity of nostalgia's sake proving that Pooh is a timeless classic. Our fuzzy friend's appearance has always been source for debate ranging from EH Shepard's original and minimalistic black and white drawings (based on the actual faded teddy bear) to Disney's freakishly yellow and dressed version.

Mark Burgess created a "Pooh" which combines the best of both worlds: fun loving colour and simple nostalgic drawings that will make a whole new generation fall in love with the most adorable character ever created. I have to admit that I had my doubts at first, messing with the Pooh is sacrilege after all but in the end, it's all Pooh and all good.