Over the winter break I had a chance to read more books of my own choosing than I’ve been able to do in a while.  One of them was Ali Shaw’s debut novel, The Girl With Glass Feet.  This novel is a modern fairy tale, set in a faraway land, St. Hauda’s, an icy island that is as remote and strange and wonderful as any fairy tale setting I’ve seen.  The characters are flawed and yet incredibly sympathetic, the plot: how to love in the face of impending death that comes in the form of glass that takes over one character’s body slowly but surely.  There are strange and improbable creatures inhabiting this book, tiny cows the size of butterflies, with wings to match.  It is a book that holds promise for future wonders to come from Mr. Shaw, and I look forward to them.