Hello,
I hope you are all having a great week. I have had a lot of great time off. And being the kind of person that I am I've spent it inside curled up. That has to be why I am so ghostly pale and have never won awards for being athletic. Well Onward!
Reviews
Sweethearts
Jenna Vaughn has spent the last 5 years reinventing herself after the loss of her only friend Cameron Quick. She is shaken to discover that Cameron Quick is back in town. This is the second book from Sara Zarr who wrote acclaimed book The Story of a Girl. (Just to disclose: I've met her a few times and she's very nice.) Her specialty, thus far, is portraying the inner trauma of being the outsider. The first half of the book details in painful detail how terrible it is to be the least popular girl. Having been one myself I could easily identify with Jenna's psychological state and feel that Zarr captured it very well. She also did a lot to make Cameron Quick a mysterious, enigmatic figure. I wish that she had paid a little time to develop his character so we can better understand his motivations. At first I thought he was meant to be more adjusted than Jenna, however he seems just as troubled. I would have liked more of a view into his head since he's the catalyst of the story. The character of Jenna is so well drawn, it is unfortunate that the other teens in the story are not more realistic. I didn't buy the character of Katy, no realism there. And Ethan, Jenna's boyfriend, is so unlikable that I don't understand why she stays with him for so long. Ultimately I was drawn into the relationship between the two main characters which made the book an enjoyable, fast read.
Other Reviews
WMPL Rocks! | Teen Book Review
| slayground
Monster Vol. 1
Yes I decided to try another manga. Monster was very different from Whistle which I read last year. I was very surprised to discover that about 90% of the story is a medical drama. It was like E.R. where the main character Dr. Tenma is morally conflicted when he has to choose between patients. He's literally told to let a little boy die to operate on the mayor. Manga is never subtle but I did find the writing here to be a massive improvement. Sure the one major female character is a one-note horrible woman. The villianous medical administrators have no shades of grey, they would rather get ahead above all. They sort out who is worth saving and who isn't like gods. Dr. Tenma resists this mentality. Urasawa does a great job of layering in the thriller elements with a clear discussion of medical ethics.
Other Reviews
Comics Worth Reading | IGN | Comic Book Bin
Scott Pilgrim Vol. 5
I was heavily anticipating this next volume because I have become a huge fan of this series. As much as I am annoyed by Scott's immaturity, I understand what it's like to be 24 years old. O'Malley has done a great job of showing Scott pull himself together in order to deserve the love of Ramona Flowers. It's chivalrous how Scott has to continuously fight evil ex-boyfriends. Unfortunately for him it seems that Ramona Flowers is no longer impressed. In Vol. 5 their romance has soured. O'Malley does a great job of dropping hints throughout that makes the conclusion inevitable. Again he does a great job showing action visually and in original ways. He also does a great job portraying the mundane as well as the emotional. In the end I think that the conclusion is a set up for the final volume. I cannot wait.
Past Reviews
Scott Pilgrim Vol. 2 | Scott Pilgrim Vol. 3 | Scott Pilgrim Vol. 4
The Reading List
Books
Girl on the Fridge
Deathnote vol. 1
Comics
Captain Britain and the MI-13
Magazine
Newsweek
Check Out Count: Working on it.
Comic Pull List: Dynamo 5 #0, Outsiders #15, Trinity #38
Have a great week folks! Book Slave.
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