Danelectrico Male, 34. Singapore

Ah, a novel in the epistolary tradition. It's been a while since I've read one of these, mainly because nowadays no one really writes letters anymore. Also, anyone who attempts to write a book based on email chains or God forbid SMS text messages brimming with txtspk shorthand, acronyms, ridiculous abbreviations and smiley faces should be taken out, lined up against the nearest wall and shot.

Douglas Coupland is in fine form here. A touching, funny and clever novel about an unlikely friendship between 2 McJob workers in a stationery superstore - Roger, a middle-aged washed out alcoholic for whom, career-wise, the proverbial buck has obviously stopped here; and Bethany, a post-teenage Goth chick with an attitude, bad make up and a weight problem. They never speak to each other at work but instead write entries to each other in Roger's diary after Bethany inadvertently finds it in the coffee room - with an mock entry mimicking Bethany, a portrayal that cuts closer to her bone than she would like.

Roger's also attempting to write a novel, the awfully titled but entertaining Glove Pond whose cast of characters is not too far removed from the lives of the primary characters. Roger and Bethany start to exchange observations about modern life, and the strangeness and beauty of the unobserved world and the human condition that we take for granted, and share their insecurities, failures, hopes and dreams. We are reminded how true friendship can arise from the most unconventional and unexpected starts, regardless of background and age, and how it is comforting like the warm light of a candle in a dark room. Wonderful.

Essential for anyone into punk and alternative rock and interested in its origins. Good storyline, however the ending was a bit of a stretch; otherwise it was great. The descriptions of the music and its effect were convicing and accurate. Definitely written by a music lover for music lovers...which is a relief because there's nothing worse than writers who obviously do not know their music and who can't properly describe the rapture that comes from listening, playing or creating music.

It's no secret, Buffy The Vampire Slayer was and still is my favourite TV series, ever, by a long long shot. When Season 7 drew to a close, I honestly felt something missing in my life.

Having Buffy back in comic form fills me with mixed feelings. On the one hand, it's just not the same without seeing it on the screen. On the flipside, who cares about budget and filming! In square panels, you're only limited by the imagination. And Joss Whedon has that in spades. The witticisms, excitement, chemistry and character development that characterised BTVS are only marginally dimmed in comic form. Then again it's just so good to have the Scooby gang back, I'll settle for them in any form. Story wise, it's setting up the premise for what is hopefully to be an amazing season.

Competent collection of short stories - some work better than others and a couple are actually memorable ("Ranch Girl", "Tome" and "The Last White Slave" are excellent in their own right), and most seem to shoot for the Raymond Carver-ish "moment captured, ending open" vibe - in particular, the recurring theme being that moment of realisation, when something happens that forever alters the characters' perspective and world view. The weaker stories, while well written, tend to be a bit aimless if you're not up for picking over extended metaphors. If you like short stories, this will not disappoint.