WHO’S READING WHAT . reader’s recommendations
New York: Rob Weisbach books, 1997
Call No: 811.54 BUR
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I was waiting for a friend the other day inside Kinokuniya Books. Do you know that bookstores and libraries are great waiting areas? If you are a particular about punctuality like me, and always turn up for dates on time, it may be a good idea to make your appointments with people to wait inside bookstores. I have discovered so many wonderful book titles during these waiting times. It makes me less anxious waiting for others when I have books to browse.
Where was I? Oh yes, Kinokuniya books. There was a stack of books pushed out for Christmas sale, one of them was Tim Burton’s The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories. It was such a thin book that I decided I could finish it while waiting for my friend and boy, was I hooked. I think I took just 15 mins to read all the stories. You might want to check out the book yourself at various NLB public libraries at call number 811.54 BUR.
Tim Burton reminds me so much of the genius in Roald Dahl. The same wild imagination and the same taste for the morbid. The melancholic overtone and dark humour makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time. He also did the illustrations in his books, which are gruesome and yet hideously cute. I believe without doubt, that his works have been heavily influenced by Roald Dahl, but that doesn’t mean he is a copycat. He has a unique style of his own.
Then I watched a DVD titled ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory‘ (coincidentally, this was adapted from the book with the same title written by Roald Dahl, or is it a coincidence in the first place?) last night. Imagine my surprise when I saw that the director was Tim Burton! Needless to say, written and directed by authors whom I like, I enjoyed the movie tremendously. It must be one of the best movies I watched this year.
If you are already a Roald Dahl fan, I bet you will like Tim Burton. But if you’re not, I believe you will be converted.
Contributed by Ivy Lee, Reference Librarian, Lee Kong Chian Reference Library
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