Hello All,
And we continue on. And on. And on.
Best Graphic Novel I Read in 2009: Asterios Polyp
As I theorized back in well the answer is: Yes!
This was an incredibly hard choice to make. I believe that this has been the year of the graphic novel with so many great original works released. But again I was brought back to how blown away I was by Mazzuchelli's opus on intellectualism vs. humanity.e Art vs. Design. Talking vs. Doing. Love. Life. Everything. I am convinced that each time I read this I will find something new to marvel at. It is a masterpiece.
Here's my original post: Asterios Polyp
Have a great new years! Book Slave
Showing posts with label Best of 2009. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Best of 2009. Show all posts
2009-12-31
Best of the Rest 2009. A Link-a-palooza.
Hello All,
Well I've been killing you all with my Best of 2009 choices this week. Here's a best of the rest of what I've read in 2009. These are books that didn't quite make it but are worth checking out as well. Each are linked with the original review posts from the past year.
Graphic Novels
Richard Parker's The Hunter
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Battlefield: The Night Witches
Queen and Country Vol.1: Definitive Edition
Alias Vol. 1
The Roberts
French Milk
Fiction
Speak
Paper Towns
Thirteen Reason's Why
The Boat
The Night in Question
Guernsey Literary and Potatoe Peel Pie Society
You Must Be This Happy to Enter
Non Fiction
What It Is
Have A Great New Years! Book Slave
Well I've been killing you all with my Best of 2009 choices this week. Here's a best of the rest of what I've read in 2009. These are books that didn't quite make it but are worth checking out as well. Each are linked with the original review posts from the past year.
Graphic Novels
Richard Parker's The Hunter
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Battlefield: The Night Witches
Queen and Country Vol.1: Definitive Edition
Alias Vol. 1
The Roberts
French Milk
Fiction
Speak
Paper Towns
Thirteen Reason's Why
The Boat
The Night in Question
Guernsey Literary and Potatoe Peel Pie Society
You Must Be This Happy to Enter
Non Fiction
What It Is
Have A Great New Years! Book Slave
2009-12-30
Wonderful Surprises of Heartbreaking Beauty
Hello All,
We continue on.
Best Fiction Book I Read in 2009: Northline by Willy Vlautin
If it was not for a co-worker of mine I never would have picked up this book. His small review ended with the quote above, which at first I cynically snickered at, but then I decided to give it a chance. And oh my god it was the biggest surprise. As I was looking over all the fiction that I’ve read this year it was Northline by Willy Vlautin that I think really did affect me emotionally.
Vlautin is unafraid to ground his stories in harsh landscapes that are full of cruel realities. Set in Las Vegas and Reno, he dwells on the fringes that lie behind the blinking At the center of the story is a lost soul. She lacks any sense of identity for the first 40 pages. It isn't until she decides to leave Las Vegas and her abusive boyfriend, that we learn her name: Allison Johnson. Throughout the course of the book I began to cheer for her to succeed. I desperately wanted her to be happy. I despaired when she would self-destruct and make horrible mistakes. Allison has serious problems but I never felt that she deserved the horrible cards that had been dealt to her. But she has an inner strength that will lead her to overcome those circumstances.
We continue on.
Best Fiction Book I Read in 2009: Northline by Willy Vlautin
“The book will break your heart.”
--my co-worker Zach
If it was not for a co-worker of mine I never would have picked up this book. His small review ended with the quote above, which at first I cynically snickered at, but then I decided to give it a chance. And oh my god it was the biggest surprise. As I was looking over all the fiction that I’ve read this year it was Northline by Willy Vlautin that I think really did affect me emotionally.
Vlautin is unafraid to ground his stories in harsh landscapes that are full of cruel realities. Set in Las Vegas and Reno, he dwells on the fringes that lie behind the blinking At the center of the story is a lost soul. She lacks any sense of identity for the first 40 pages. It isn't until she decides to leave Las Vegas and her abusive boyfriend, that we learn her name: Allison Johnson. Throughout the course of the book I began to cheer for her to succeed. I desperately wanted her to be happy. I despaired when she would self-destruct and make horrible mistakes. Allison has serious problems but I never felt that she deserved the horrible cards that had been dealt to her. But she has an inner strength that will lead her to overcome those circumstances.
2009-12-29
Pre-Conceived Notions
Hello,
Howse it going? It's incredibly chilly here. I've considered building a fire in the middle of my room. Can we just move forward to March? Please?
Best Non-Fiction I Read in 2009: It's Complicated: The American Teenager by Robin Bowman and Robert Coles
This was a hard choice because I haven't read a lot of non-fiction this year. However as I looked over the course of what I've read in 2009 it was a collection of photography titled It's Complicated that generated the biggest emotional response. I have always loved photography. However rather than beautiful vistas and sunsets, I love portraits of regular individuals living their ordinary lives. There's a simple beauty that is captured in people's faces that I find more interesting than any waterfall.
It's Complicated: The American Teenager was pulled together through The American Teenager Project by photographer Robin Bowman and sociologist Robert Coles. They branched out across the U.S. and chronicled the stories of teenagers in the 2000s. I feel as if it ranks right up there with the work of Robert Frank. As he captured the beginning of the teenage movement in the 1950s, Bowman captures them at the beginning of a new millenium. Often a marginalized and maligned group I found these intimate portraits both fascinating and heartbreaking. These portraits ask us to reconcile our pre-concieved ideas and stereotypes by using a variety of diverse individuals. I was struck by many of their stories. I still remember the story of a Muslim American teen who was reinvigorated in her faith after 9/11. Or a homeless teen who feels the need to wander like his "Beat" writers. These stories are wonderfully contrasted with a Texan debutante who is excited to be a part of her first cotillion. These cross-sections of the American experience capture the wonderful horrible experience of being a teenager.
Here's my original review from earlier this year: It's Complicated: The American Teenager
Have a great week! Book Slave.
Howse it going? It's incredibly chilly here. I've considered building a fire in the middle of my room. Can we just move forward to March? Please?
Best Non-Fiction I Read in 2009: It's Complicated: The American Teenager by Robin Bowman and Robert Coles
This was a hard choice because I haven't read a lot of non-fiction this year. However as I looked over the course of what I've read in 2009 it was a collection of photography titled It's Complicated that generated the biggest emotional response. I have always loved photography. However rather than beautiful vistas and sunsets, I love portraits of regular individuals living their ordinary lives. There's a simple beauty that is captured in people's faces that I find more interesting than any waterfall.
It's Complicated: The American Teenager was pulled together through The American Teenager Project by photographer Robin Bowman and sociologist Robert Coles. They branched out across the U.S. and chronicled the stories of teenagers in the 2000s. I feel as if it ranks right up there with the work of Robert Frank. As he captured the beginning of the teenage movement in the 1950s, Bowman captures them at the beginning of a new millenium. Often a marginalized and maligned group I found these intimate portraits both fascinating and heartbreaking. These portraits ask us to reconcile our pre-concieved ideas and stereotypes by using a variety of diverse individuals. I was struck by many of their stories. I still remember the story of a Muslim American teen who was reinvigorated in her faith after 9/11. Or a homeless teen who feels the need to wander like his "Beat" writers. These stories are wonderfully contrasted with a Texan debutante who is excited to be a part of her first cotillion. These cross-sections of the American experience capture the wonderful horrible experience of being a teenager.
Here's my original review from earlier this year: It's Complicated: The American Teenager
Have a great week! Book Slave.
2009-12-28
Yes It was Fantastic.
Hello,
My end of the year thoughts continue!
Best Movie Literary Adaptation 2009: Fantastic Mr. Fox
Just to qualify this choice up front: At the time of my writing this I have yet to see The Road or The Lovely Bones so don't give me grief. I fully intend to and who knows you might read about it in the future. Also I want to make clear that I don't see everything that comes out. I don't have time for movies that don't interest me. So moving along...
The Fantastic Mr. Fox is the perfect match of sensibilities. Based on the book written by Roald Dahl, the script was adapted by Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach. In their adaptation the writers expand upon the original book but never enough that it moves away from the original audience or message. Dahl and Anderson share the same viewpoint on human nature-there isn't much difference between humans and animals.
In this adaptation the main character Mr. Fox has regular wants and desires. I was so struck when he says to his wife "I don't want to live in a hole anymore." He struggles with an existential angst which leads him to go back to stealing chickens and cider from his farmer neighbors. It is the thrill of the theft that Mr. Fox becomes addicted to. At the same time we are introduced to the deplorable Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. These three men, especially Bean, are as animalistic as those they are hunting. The parallels are easily drawn.
I have never been a purist when it comes to book to film adaptation. Any adaptation should feel free to expand/make changes from the source material in order to match the different medium. I have been a fan of director Wes Anderson since I saw Rushmore in theaters. He has a definite style and humor that is smart and full of wit. You know that you've watched a "Wes Anderson" film. And I have a feeling that he will never make films any other way.
In Fox Anderson/Baumbach use a look and feel that works on all levels. The stop motion animation allows me to believe in a world where animals walk around in suits, sell real estate, and do watercolors. It was a wonderful choice. These characters can do whacky things, but also show very real emotions. The filmmakers have humor and themes that both adults and children can relate to.
It was highly enjoyable. Check it out in theaters if you can.
Have a great week! Book Slave.
My end of the year thoughts continue!
Best Movie Literary Adaptation 2009: Fantastic Mr. Fox
Just to qualify this choice up front: At the time of my writing this I have yet to see The Road or The Lovely Bones so don't give me grief. I fully intend to and who knows you might read about it in the future. Also I want to make clear that I don't see everything that comes out. I don't have time for movies that don't interest me. So moving along...
The Fantastic Mr. Fox is the perfect match of sensibilities. Based on the book written by Roald Dahl, the script was adapted by Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach. In their adaptation the writers expand upon the original book but never enough that it moves away from the original audience or message. Dahl and Anderson share the same viewpoint on human nature-there isn't much difference between humans and animals.
In this adaptation the main character Mr. Fox has regular wants and desires. I was so struck when he says to his wife "I don't want to live in a hole anymore." He struggles with an existential angst which leads him to go back to stealing chickens and cider from his farmer neighbors. It is the thrill of the theft that Mr. Fox becomes addicted to. At the same time we are introduced to the deplorable Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. These three men, especially Bean, are as animalistic as those they are hunting. The parallels are easily drawn.
I have never been a purist when it comes to book to film adaptation. Any adaptation should feel free to expand/make changes from the source material in order to match the different medium. I have been a fan of director Wes Anderson since I saw Rushmore in theaters. He has a definite style and humor that is smart and full of wit. You know that you've watched a "Wes Anderson" film. And I have a feeling that he will never make films any other way.
In Fox Anderson/Baumbach use a look and feel that works on all levels. The stop motion animation allows me to believe in a world where animals walk around in suits, sell real estate, and do watercolors. It was a wonderful choice. These characters can do whacky things, but also show very real emotions. The filmmakers have humor and themes that both adults and children can relate to.
It was highly enjoyable. Check it out in theaters if you can.
Have a great week! Book Slave.
2009-12-27
Leave it to Dickens and the BBC
Hello,
So I hope you are all enjoying the holidays! I'm looking forward to family festivities tonight and tomorrow. Got the hot chocolate going on. It's all good.
If everything goes as planned I'm gonna space out my Best of 2009. Here's the first.
Best Television Literary Adaptation: Little Dorrit
This was really no contest in 2009. As always it's the BBC that raises the bar for bringing literature to television. Television is often denigrated for how it kowtows to the lowest in our nature. Like reality television for instance. However, while network television has given up on the literary mini-series, PBS/BBC/Masterpiece Theater continues to serve us bibliophiles. They did not disappoint earlier this spring with their spate of Dickens adaptations.
Little Dorrit, having aired to great acclaim on BBC in fall 2008, was the mini-series I was looking forward to the most. And it did not let me down. All my thoughts on the series as a whole can be found here. In retrospect it's still my opinion that Dorrit was topical and dramatic, with brilliant performances. Claire Foy and Matthew McFadayen are wonderful as our protagonists. As an audience member I openly cheered for their mutual happiness, as they overcame the misery that surrounds them. Andy Serkis is a wonderful Dickenesque villian, although perhaps it was a mistake to give him so much exposition. Screenwriter Andrew Davies finds a way to include the absurdism of economic bureacracy, as well as the humanity of these characters. Also if you don't shed a tear for poor young Chivers, well then I think you're not human.
I just have to add that part of the fun of experiencing Dorrit was being able to share my reactions with those on The Egalitarian Bookworm and Dickensblog. I suggest checking out their reactions to Dorrit. Trust me, they are much smarter than I am. Little Dorrit is available on DVD, as well as online. It's well worth checking out.
If I haven't convinced you enough to check this out then here's a trailer from BBC:
Have a great weekend! Book Slave
So I hope you are all enjoying the holidays! I'm looking forward to family festivities tonight and tomorrow. Got the hot chocolate going on. It's all good.
If everything goes as planned I'm gonna space out my Best of 2009. Here's the first.
Best Television Literary Adaptation: Little Dorrit
This was really no contest in 2009. As always it's the BBC that raises the bar for bringing literature to television. Television is often denigrated for how it kowtows to the lowest in our nature. Like reality television for instance. However, while network television has given up on the literary mini-series, PBS/BBC/Masterpiece Theater continues to serve us bibliophiles. They did not disappoint earlier this spring with their spate of Dickens adaptations.
Little Dorrit, having aired to great acclaim on BBC in fall 2008, was the mini-series I was looking forward to the most. And it did not let me down. All my thoughts on the series as a whole can be found here. In retrospect it's still my opinion that Dorrit was topical and dramatic, with brilliant performances. Claire Foy and Matthew McFadayen are wonderful as our protagonists. As an audience member I openly cheered for their mutual happiness, as they overcame the misery that surrounds them. Andy Serkis is a wonderful Dickenesque villian, although perhaps it was a mistake to give him so much exposition. Screenwriter Andrew Davies finds a way to include the absurdism of economic bureacracy, as well as the humanity of these characters. Also if you don't shed a tear for poor young Chivers, well then I think you're not human.
I just have to add that part of the fun of experiencing Dorrit was being able to share my reactions with those on The Egalitarian Bookworm and Dickensblog. I suggest checking out their reactions to Dorrit. Trust me, they are much smarter than I am. Little Dorrit is available on DVD, as well as online. It's well worth checking out.
If I haven't convinced you enough to check this out then here's a trailer from BBC:
Have a great weekend! Book Slave
2009-11-27
Asterios Polyp
Is Asterios Polyp the Best Graphic Novel of 2009?
I hate to prognosticate with still one month to go but it would be difficult to top this visual masterpiece. Where has David Mazzuchelli been? He is best known for his work on Batman Year One. However then he dropped out of comics. Well I have to say with the release of Asterios Polyp, Mazzuchelli has come roaring back.
This original graphic novel follows a man named Asterios Polyp. He is an esteemed teacher of Design who struggles in his human relationships. His extreme intellectualism has led to the breakdown of his marriage and loss of position. Polyp is also haunted by his twin brother who died inutero before his birth.
I can hardly begin to discuss how Mazzuchelli stretches the visual possibilities of the form. Just artistically this book is a visual feast. He dynamically uses panel layout, typography, and color on page after page. It will blow your mind. I was particularly struck with how Mazzuchelli illustrates the arguments between Asterios and his artist wife Hanna. As Hanna becomes more red and blurry, Asterios literally devolves into geometric shapes. What a wonderful visual cue as to the differences between these two! Another sequence that is mind blowing involves Asterios flashing back to all the good and bad moments of his failed marriage. In this way Mazzuchelli expertly mirrors on the page the way memories can flood into the mind.
The visual motifs on display are stunning. Mazzuchelli purposelly uses different typography for the word balloons of every character. While Asterios's is very rigid, Hanna's is in a rounded scrawl. He even uses the placement of the wordballoons to indicate the nature of what's being said. Often when Asterios is being pompous his word balloon will literally take over the space and cover other character's. Even while telling a story through representation every page has incredible symbolic weight.
To be honest Asterios Polyp is not a very likeable character, but I was struck at how much I became invested in his journey. Let's face it Asterios is too smart for his own good. He's an intellectual jerk, who is constantly competing to be the smartest guy in the room. Mazzuchelli surrounds Polyp with a variety of different characters who are wonderfully human. I grew to love the married couple that Asterios lives with for awhile. The auto mechanic Stiff Major and his holistic hippie wife, Ursula, represent a wonderful contrast between the intellectual and sensual world. While they are opposites in many ways Stiff and Ursula are perfect partners. Their embracing of all life will ensure that they will never stop dreaming.
The realization that humanity requires an equal measure of both intellect and romanticism lies at the heart of Polyp's emotional journey. The complexity of this story belies the usual literary smugness that graphic novels often face. Graphic novels are more than just superheroes. Mazzuchelli has thrown down the gauntlet and created a work of art.
Read it. Read it now.
Other Reviews
New York Times | Entertainment Weekly | ifanboy
Have a great weekend! Book Slave.
I hate to prognosticate with still one month to go but it would be difficult to top this visual masterpiece. Where has David Mazzuchelli been? He is best known for his work on Batman Year One. However then he dropped out of comics. Well I have to say with the release of Asterios Polyp, Mazzuchelli has come roaring back.
This original graphic novel follows a man named Asterios Polyp. He is an esteemed teacher of Design who struggles in his human relationships. His extreme intellectualism has led to the breakdown of his marriage and loss of position. Polyp is also haunted by his twin brother who died inutero before his birth.
I can hardly begin to discuss how Mazzuchelli stretches the visual possibilities of the form. Just artistically this book is a visual feast. He dynamically uses panel layout, typography, and color on page after page. It will blow your mind. I was particularly struck with how Mazzuchelli illustrates the arguments between Asterios and his artist wife Hanna. As Hanna becomes more red and blurry, Asterios literally devolves into geometric shapes. What a wonderful visual cue as to the differences between these two! Another sequence that is mind blowing involves Asterios flashing back to all the good and bad moments of his failed marriage. In this way Mazzuchelli expertly mirrors on the page the way memories can flood into the mind.
The visual motifs on display are stunning. Mazzuchelli purposelly uses different typography for the word balloons of every character. While Asterios's is very rigid, Hanna's is in a rounded scrawl. He even uses the placement of the wordballoons to indicate the nature of what's being said. Often when Asterios is being pompous his word balloon will literally take over the space and cover other character's. Even while telling a story through representation every page has incredible symbolic weight.
To be honest Asterios Polyp is not a very likeable character, but I was struck at how much I became invested in his journey. Let's face it Asterios is too smart for his own good. He's an intellectual jerk, who is constantly competing to be the smartest guy in the room. Mazzuchelli surrounds Polyp with a variety of different characters who are wonderfully human. I grew to love the married couple that Asterios lives with for awhile. The auto mechanic Stiff Major and his holistic hippie wife, Ursula, represent a wonderful contrast between the intellectual and sensual world. While they are opposites in many ways Stiff and Ursula are perfect partners. Their embracing of all life will ensure that they will never stop dreaming.
The realization that humanity requires an equal measure of both intellect and romanticism lies at the heart of Polyp's emotional journey. The complexity of this story belies the usual literary smugness that graphic novels often face. Graphic novels are more than just superheroes. Mazzuchelli has thrown down the gauntlet and created a work of art.
Read it. Read it now.
Other Reviews
New York Times | Entertainment Weekly | ifanboy
Have a great weekend! Book Slave.
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