Hello,
I hope you are all doing well. This weekend the ABA, that's American Bookseller's Association, are descending upon my town. Winter Institute 2009 baby! My book store will be hosting several events so I'll be hobnobbing galore. Tonite it was a crazy madhouse in my store where the reception was being held. I met some interesting book sellers from all over the country. Also if you are in the Marriot Hotel on Friday night feel free to buy me a drink. Anyway it should be fun and maybe I'll have some more stories for you all.
So due to last week's insanity, here's more reviews. Onward! (Again!)
Reviews
Batman: A Death in the Family
I picked this up because it's a famous Batman story. The death of Jason Todd is controversial because it was a choice made by the audience literally. As Denny O'Neill explains in the book that Jason Todd was an unpopular "Robin" character. So they opened up a phone line and people could vote on life and death. I have a lot of sympathy for writer Jim Starlin because he had to build around a known conclusion. Everybody knew that Jason Todd was going to die somehow. So the suspense has to build around the circumstances. Starlin does a good job of building sympathy for a previously unlikeable character. Jason Todd is not a bad guy, he just has some attitude problems.
I was surprised at how much I liked this version of Batman. In this story Batman is fighting terrorists in the Middle East. (In 1989 folks!) The Joker sells nuclear weapons to the Ayattolah! I will admit I laughed at the idea of the Joker being given diplomatic immunity and protected by Superman. This Batman is more a part of the real world (as much as a man in a cape can be) and is pretty removed from Gotham in this series. Heck he's even kinda James Bondish. It was a bit refreshing I have to say. If your interested in some old school Batman comics give it a read.
Biographical Information: Batman: A Death In the Family
Green Lantern: Tales of the Sinestro Corps
I kept hearing how good Geoff Johns and Green Lantern was all last year so I decided to give it a try. This collection of issues I thought would catch me up. Unfortunately there was two brilliant issues and the rest were kinda mediocre. However the brilliance of those issues make this collection worth checking out. I was deeply affected by the story of Super Boy. Super Boy has grown to hate his idol because he is forced to destroy everything he loves. Johns brings it to the level of Greek tragedy and its great. The other brilliant chapter is the purely psychological issue where Hal Jordan has to deal with his inner weakness which is embodied by Parallax. This is a great "talking head" issue where a man battles for his life. I was enthralled. Unfortunately the rest of the collection is not that great. I don't know why some of these issues were included other than as filler. So I'd say check out those two parts and skip the rest.
Other Reviews
Collected Editions
Brontes at Haworth
I have a real love/hate relationship with the Brontes. To be fair I haven't read all their novels and I'm not a big fan of gothic romance. I liked Jane Eyre, but I loath Wuthering Heights. I hate it with an all consuming passion. However I find the story of the Bronte sisters as fascinating. The fact that there were 3 sisters who became legendary authors after being utter failures. They failed at being teachers and governesses (female occupations of the time) and turn to writing as a last resort. The irony is that they should've been writing all along. Brontes at Haworth is an interesting hybrid because it is the size of a coffee table but it has enough biographical writing to just be a book. It has some great reproductions of paintings and writings from the sisters. It is a simplistic biography because it has no angle. I wouldn't use it as a source for your critical theory paper. However I thought it was a good introductory book and worth checking out.
Biographical Information: Bronte, Bronte Blog
So folks have a great weekend! Book Slave.
2009-01-28
2009-01-27
Catching up: Part 1
Hello,
Howse it hanging? I may have been MIA last week (Sundancing, remember?) but this week I'm back full force. Tonight I attended my book club and it was pretty great. Moderator Zach Sampinos brought in some fun treats, as well as drinks. He's also got a keen mind and is very prepared with discussion. We discussed South by South Bronx (see review below) and an enjoyable hour was spent. If you are free the last Tuesday night of the month @ 6:30 pm come on down to Sam Weller's in SLC. Hey I'll be there.
Talking about events this week the ABA, American Booksellers Association, is coming to town. There Winter Institute Conference will be going on and my store is a major site. I'm invited to some events since I am a very important person (well in my own mind). Hopefully I'll be able to meet some other cool bookseller folk. Or at least take advantage of the open bar. Either way it should be cool, I'll let you know how it goes.
Well because I have two weeks of books to talk about I'll be splitting up the reviews into two parts. So here's part one.
Reviews
South by South Bronx
This was a book club pick and it took a while for it to grow on me. The first 100 pages are disorientated and confusing but then the two narratives came into focus. I think Rodriquez meant this to mirror the state of our characters. The real story for me is the relationship between these two battered souls, Alex and Ava. As we go along it becomes clear that Ava is meant to be a redemptive character, a muse, and femme fatale. Her catalystic function in this story was very interesting. I also enjoyed how Rodriquez emphasized the Puerto Rican regionalism of the South Bronx. As someone who is very white and lives in a very white culture, this book provides a window into a different world.
The mystery/noir elements are fairly traditional. In fact some parts of this book could take place in the 30s and not much would change. Mysterious girl meets damaged man, they struggle to figure out each other's motives, and ultimately end up saving each other. Oh yeah and there's some stolen money. Of course all of this is very familiar. However Rodriguez plays in this novel with multiple narratives, pictures, and different typography. He reworks the standard noir story with post-modern technique. This shows a continuation of experimentation in modern fiction narrative that we've seen over the last few years. I say bring it on.
Other Reviews
Feminist Review| La Bloga
American Sublime & Antebellum Dream Book
When I heard that Elizabeth Alexander was asked to write & recite a work for Barack Obama's inauguration I sought out her other works. As I've talked about before I enjoy hearing and reading poetry, especially post-modernist works. Also there have only been two inaugural poets, Robert Frost and Maya Angelou, so to be chosen is a major honor. So I read her collections American Sublime and Antebellum Dream Book before the inauguration on Jan 20. I wanted to get a sense of what to expect from Alexander. Her best work in these collections are series that focus on race in America. I particularly enjoyed "Passing", and the series "Amistad". Alexander's work is lean, uses modern imagery, and quiet phrasing, to get her thoughts across. She is lyrical and powerful, rather than be angry and in your face. She keeps the amount of finger pointing to a minimum which I greatly appreciated. Her work was impressive and I think I'll seek out some of her other volumes.
Here's a link to her website and footage of her inaugural reading. I thought it was great and really brought the significance of the day into focus.
Official Site: Elizabeth Alexander
The Reading List
Books
Understanding Comics
League of Extraordinary Gentleman: Black Dossier
Comics
Captain Britain
Magazine
Four Four Two
Comic Pull List: Batman #685, Daredevil #115, Final Crisis #7, Garth Ennis Battlefields Dear Billy #1, New Avengers #49, Northlanders #14, Runaways 3 #6, Stand Captain Trips #5, Superman #684, Terry Moores Echo #9, Trinity #35, Umbrella Academy Dallas #3, Wonder Woman #28
Check Out Count: Whoo-eee!
Look out for Part 2 in a few days. Enjoy! Book Slave.
Howse it hanging? I may have been MIA last week (Sundancing, remember?) but this week I'm back full force. Tonight I attended my book club and it was pretty great. Moderator Zach Sampinos brought in some fun treats, as well as drinks. He's also got a keen mind and is very prepared with discussion. We discussed South by South Bronx (see review below) and an enjoyable hour was spent. If you are free the last Tuesday night of the month @ 6:30 pm come on down to Sam Weller's in SLC. Hey I'll be there.
Talking about events this week the ABA, American Booksellers Association, is coming to town. There Winter Institute Conference will be going on and my store is a major site. I'm invited to some events since I am a very important person (well in my own mind). Hopefully I'll be able to meet some other cool bookseller folk. Or at least take advantage of the open bar. Either way it should be cool, I'll let you know how it goes.
Well because I have two weeks of books to talk about I'll be splitting up the reviews into two parts. So here's part one.
Reviews
South by South Bronx
This was a book club pick and it took a while for it to grow on me. The first 100 pages are disorientated and confusing but then the two narratives came into focus. I think Rodriquez meant this to mirror the state of our characters. The real story for me is the relationship between these two battered souls, Alex and Ava. As we go along it becomes clear that Ava is meant to be a redemptive character, a muse, and femme fatale. Her catalystic function in this story was very interesting. I also enjoyed how Rodriquez emphasized the Puerto Rican regionalism of the South Bronx. As someone who is very white and lives in a very white culture, this book provides a window into a different world.
The mystery/noir elements are fairly traditional. In fact some parts of this book could take place in the 30s and not much would change. Mysterious girl meets damaged man, they struggle to figure out each other's motives, and ultimately end up saving each other. Oh yeah and there's some stolen money. Of course all of this is very familiar. However Rodriguez plays in this novel with multiple narratives, pictures, and different typography. He reworks the standard noir story with post-modern technique. This shows a continuation of experimentation in modern fiction narrative that we've seen over the last few years. I say bring it on.
Other Reviews
Feminist Review| La Bloga
American Sublime & Antebellum Dream Book
When I heard that Elizabeth Alexander was asked to write & recite a work for Barack Obama's inauguration I sought out her other works. As I've talked about before I enjoy hearing and reading poetry, especially post-modernist works. Also there have only been two inaugural poets, Robert Frost and Maya Angelou, so to be chosen is a major honor. So I read her collections American Sublime and Antebellum Dream Book before the inauguration on Jan 20. I wanted to get a sense of what to expect from Alexander. Her best work in these collections are series that focus on race in America. I particularly enjoyed "Passing", and the series "Amistad". Alexander's work is lean, uses modern imagery, and quiet phrasing, to get her thoughts across. She is lyrical and powerful, rather than be angry and in your face. She keeps the amount of finger pointing to a minimum which I greatly appreciated. Her work was impressive and I think I'll seek out some of her other volumes.
Here's a link to her website and footage of her inaugural reading. I thought it was great and really brought the significance of the day into focus.
Official Site: Elizabeth Alexander
The Reading List
Books
Understanding Comics
League of Extraordinary Gentleman: Black Dossier
Comics
Captain Britain
Magazine
Four Four Two
Comic Pull List: Batman #685, Daredevil #115, Final Crisis #7, Garth Ennis Battlefields Dear Billy #1, New Avengers #49, Northlanders #14, Runaways 3 #6, Stand Captain Trips #5, Superman #684, Terry Moores Echo #9, Trinity #35, Umbrella Academy Dallas #3, Wonder Woman #28
Check Out Count: Whoo-eee!
Look out for Part 2 in a few days. Enjoy! Book Slave.
2009-01-22
Just Dropping In.
Hello All,
Where in the world have I been? Well I thought I'd drop a quick note here. Apologies for disappearing on y'all but I have been Sundancing all week. For those who don't know I speak of the Sundance Film Festival which is going on this week in my town. Being a cinemaniac I have to take part. This turns everything a bit helter skelter. Don't worry I'm still reading a plenty in between shows. You'll have plenty to read next week. For now I'm signing off. Have a great weekend! Book Slave.
Where in the world have I been? Well I thought I'd drop a quick note here. Apologies for disappearing on y'all but I have been Sundancing all week. For those who don't know I speak of the Sundance Film Festival which is going on this week in my town. Being a cinemaniac I have to take part. This turns everything a bit helter skelter. Don't worry I'm still reading a plenty in between shows. You'll have plenty to read next week. For now I'm signing off. Have a great weekend! Book Slave.
2009-01-17
Those Crazy Romantics.
Hello world,
I hope y'all had a great week. Mine was pretty hectic and with Sundance coming up next week things are likely to get crazy. I'll try not to forget about you all.
Tonight I went and saw a play at one of our local theatrical societies. The play was an original work called The Yellow Leaf written by Charles Morey. I'm usually leery of original works written/presented by the director of the company. However this play had an interesting premise so I thought I'd give it a shot. The play was a speculative fiction about how in the rainy summer of 1816 Percy Shelley, his lover Mary Godwin (later wife), and Lord Byron, hung out on Lake Geneva. Being stuck inside by the weather Byron proposed a writing contest which led to the creation of the novel "Frankenstein." This is a situation that's wrought with drama, both intellectual and sensual.
As I've written before I like poetry. Actually, after the American modernists, when it comes to classic poetry I love the romantics. Specifically I enjoy the works of Samuel Coleridge and William Wordsworth, who started the romantic movement. Byron, Shelley, and John Keats made up the latter half of that movement although they deviated into the metaphysical. Byron and Shelley had messy, sloppy lives that ended far too soon. It's likely that The Yellow Leaf contrived where it was convenient. Morey was definitely aping Stoppard, this particularly reminded me of his Coast of Utopia trilogy. Whereas Stoppard would feel no need to exposit any historical background on his characters, Morey was intent on making sure we understood exactly what he was getting at. The characterizations were fairly stereotypical. Shelley is the fun-loving fixer and Byron is the self-loathing cynic. Mary and her sister Claire compete in a case of sibling rivalry over who will land herself a poet.
Is any of this true? Who knows? No one. This is why Morey can exploit this historical literary situation for drama. The major difference between Stoppard and Morey is that Stoppard doesn't feel a need to impose drama onto his real life characters. In Coast of Utopia it is Bakunin, Belinsky, and Herzen talking amongst themselves about the state of the world. There is no french farce/soap opera bits about who is sleeping with whom. Nothing seems forced or contrived, unlike Yellow Leaf.
Don't get me wrong. I did enjoy the play. It was funny and the acting/production was stellar. However I kept thinking that you could transpose this plot into Gossip Girl and it wouldn't seem all that different. Byron and Shelley were large enough figures that Morey should have let them just be themselves.
Have a great week! Book Slave.
I hope y'all had a great week. Mine was pretty hectic and with Sundance coming up next week things are likely to get crazy. I'll try not to forget about you all.
Tonight I went and saw a play at one of our local theatrical societies. The play was an original work called The Yellow Leaf written by Charles Morey. I'm usually leery of original works written/presented by the director of the company. However this play had an interesting premise so I thought I'd give it a shot. The play was a speculative fiction about how in the rainy summer of 1816 Percy Shelley, his lover Mary Godwin (later wife), and Lord Byron, hung out on Lake Geneva. Being stuck inside by the weather Byron proposed a writing contest which led to the creation of the novel "Frankenstein." This is a situation that's wrought with drama, both intellectual and sensual.
As I've written before I like poetry. Actually, after the American modernists, when it comes to classic poetry I love the romantics. Specifically I enjoy the works of Samuel Coleridge and William Wordsworth, who started the romantic movement. Byron, Shelley, and John Keats made up the latter half of that movement although they deviated into the metaphysical. Byron and Shelley had messy, sloppy lives that ended far too soon. It's likely that The Yellow Leaf contrived where it was convenient. Morey was definitely aping Stoppard, this particularly reminded me of his Coast of Utopia trilogy. Whereas Stoppard would feel no need to exposit any historical background on his characters, Morey was intent on making sure we understood exactly what he was getting at. The characterizations were fairly stereotypical. Shelley is the fun-loving fixer and Byron is the self-loathing cynic. Mary and her sister Claire compete in a case of sibling rivalry over who will land herself a poet.
Is any of this true? Who knows? No one. This is why Morey can exploit this historical literary situation for drama. The major difference between Stoppard and Morey is that Stoppard doesn't feel a need to impose drama onto his real life characters. In Coast of Utopia it is Bakunin, Belinsky, and Herzen talking amongst themselves about the state of the world. There is no french farce/soap opera bits about who is sleeping with whom. Nothing seems forced or contrived, unlike Yellow Leaf.
Don't get me wrong. I did enjoy the play. It was funny and the acting/production was stellar. However I kept thinking that you could transpose this plot into Gossip Girl and it wouldn't seem all that different. Byron and Shelley were large enough figures that Morey should have let them just be themselves.
Have a great week! Book Slave.
2009-01-13
Karmic Nature of the Universe.
Hello
I hope you are all enjoying life. I can say that I have had a lot of good luck lately. Of course I await a turn of fortune soon. I'll just keep an eye out for anything falling from the sky.
Being a cinephile I did catch the Golden Globes last weekend. I thought it was a fun show, less stiff than the Oscars. I thought I'd point out the literary adaptations that enjoyed awards:
Slumdog Millionaire (based on the novel Q & A)
Revolutionary Road
The Reader
True Blood (based on a series by Charlaine Harris)
John Adams
An adaptation to the screen can be a great way to bring a lesser known book to light. I had not even heard of some of these books before they reached the movie screen.
Well Onward!
Review
Generation X
In this book Coupland is given credit for creating the image of Generation X. His characterizations of main characters Dag, Andy, and Claire are straight on and compelling. Their disillusionment with society, culture, the past and the future, is a cloud that hangs over their thoughts and motivations. Rather than really a plot, Coupland sets this up as a series of vignettes that illustrates the malaise these characters exist in.
These three characters should be seen as a microcosm even at the sentence level. Coupland even takes pains to include word entries in the margins to illustrate the new vocabulary of this group. They are stuck in a world of glib hipness and empty mercenary success. I found this book a compelling read, but probably only because I can empathize with the plight of the main characters. Other readers would probably see these characters as ridiculously glum slackers. As my mom would say "these kids should quit whining and get a job." However I found that Coupland does a great job of capturing a group of characters who are lost. Their optimism, which is portrayed in their stories to each other, is just unfocused.
Coupland's literary minimalism captures the narrator's slowly putting together what he imagines is a "worthy life." I found myself cheering for these character's to find an acceptable version of success for themselves. There is a heart at the center of the book that made it an enjoyable read.
Other Reviews
San Francisco Chronicle| Seattle Times | The Times
The Reading List
Books
Brontes at Haworth
The Irregulars
Comics
Batman
Magazine
Four Four Two
Check Out Count: Recently Inflated.
Comic Pull List: Action Comics #873, Captain Britain And Mi 13 #9, Deadpool #6, Fables #80, Final Crisis #6, Green Arrow Black Canary #16, Trinity #33
Have a great week! Book Slave.
I hope you are all enjoying life. I can say that I have had a lot of good luck lately. Of course I await a turn of fortune soon. I'll just keep an eye out for anything falling from the sky.
Being a cinephile I did catch the Golden Globes last weekend. I thought it was a fun show, less stiff than the Oscars. I thought I'd point out the literary adaptations that enjoyed awards:
Slumdog Millionaire (based on the novel Q & A)
Revolutionary Road
The Reader
True Blood (based on a series by Charlaine Harris)
John Adams
An adaptation to the screen can be a great way to bring a lesser known book to light. I had not even heard of some of these books before they reached the movie screen.
Well Onward!
Review
Generation X
In this book Coupland is given credit for creating the image of Generation X. His characterizations of main characters Dag, Andy, and Claire are straight on and compelling. Their disillusionment with society, culture, the past and the future, is a cloud that hangs over their thoughts and motivations. Rather than really a plot, Coupland sets this up as a series of vignettes that illustrates the malaise these characters exist in.
These three characters should be seen as a microcosm even at the sentence level. Coupland even takes pains to include word entries in the margins to illustrate the new vocabulary of this group. They are stuck in a world of glib hipness and empty mercenary success. I found this book a compelling read, but probably only because I can empathize with the plight of the main characters. Other readers would probably see these characters as ridiculously glum slackers. As my mom would say "these kids should quit whining and get a job." However I found that Coupland does a great job of capturing a group of characters who are lost. Their optimism, which is portrayed in their stories to each other, is just unfocused.
Coupland's literary minimalism captures the narrator's slowly putting together what he imagines is a "worthy life." I found myself cheering for these character's to find an acceptable version of success for themselves. There is a heart at the center of the book that made it an enjoyable read.
Other Reviews
San Francisco Chronicle| Seattle Times | The Times
The Reading List
Books
Brontes at Haworth
The Irregulars
Comics
Batman
Magazine
Four Four Two
Check Out Count: Recently Inflated.
Comic Pull List: Action Comics #873, Captain Britain And Mi 13 #9, Deadpool #6, Fables #80, Final Crisis #6, Green Arrow Black Canary #16, Trinity #33
Have a great week! Book Slave.
2009-01-10
Oh this Reading Habit of mine.
Hello,
I hope you all had a great week. I've had a fine one myself. This week was only mired by a power outage and a self-to-blame lack of sleep. Honestly sometimes I feel as if even if it were possible for the day to be extended to 36 hours, I would still not get enough sleep. Again I only have myself to blame.
Tonight I pose a question to my fellow readers in cyberspace: Which is more fulfilling? Should one seek out writings that would challenge you? or stick to comfort food? I find I have much greater respect for writers that challenge my way of thinking. In my mind a great read can change your life. I'd rather have that then something that is reliable and non-threatening. Somebody said that art is about asking questions, not necessarily answering them. However I do acknowledge that I do often find myself walking down familiar paths. There are certain genres *coughromancecough* that I am relentlessly snobby about not wasting my time with. Although I do read a lot of books with the pictures and word balloons. Maybe they are my comfort food. Maybe a balance of the comfortable/challenging is always good.
Regardless January is always about setting goals. Then you either give up on them by the end of the month or strike out on that new path. I'm very goal oriented, although I've learned to have reasonable expectations of myself. So here's some genre specific goals for this year.
*Gotta read titles in the following genres: Science Fiction (spaceships, not capes), romance, a few books in a mystery series like Miss Marple, Cussler-like adventure.
*Foreign authors. Yeah I suck in this regard. Need to be more multi-cultural.
*Want to read Shriver, Lehane, Russo, Tyler. These writer set morality plays that sound challenging.
*Need to read more YA books. It is a part of my job after all to recommend these titles after all.
*Alright I'll try to read more manga. Again it is a large part of my job right?
So there you are. Let's see how this works out. Have a great week. Book Slave.
I hope you all had a great week. I've had a fine one myself. This week was only mired by a power outage and a self-to-blame lack of sleep. Honestly sometimes I feel as if even if it were possible for the day to be extended to 36 hours, I would still not get enough sleep. Again I only have myself to blame.
Tonight I pose a question to my fellow readers in cyberspace: Which is more fulfilling? Should one seek out writings that would challenge you? or stick to comfort food? I find I have much greater respect for writers that challenge my way of thinking. In my mind a great read can change your life. I'd rather have that then something that is reliable and non-threatening. Somebody said that art is about asking questions, not necessarily answering them. However I do acknowledge that I do often find myself walking down familiar paths. There are certain genres *coughromancecough* that I am relentlessly snobby about not wasting my time with. Although I do read a lot of books with the pictures and word balloons. Maybe they are my comfort food. Maybe a balance of the comfortable/challenging is always good.
Regardless January is always about setting goals. Then you either give up on them by the end of the month or strike out on that new path. I'm very goal oriented, although I've learned to have reasonable expectations of myself. So here's some genre specific goals for this year.
*Gotta read titles in the following genres: Science Fiction (spaceships, not capes), romance, a few books in a mystery series like Miss Marple, Cussler-like adventure.
*Foreign authors. Yeah I suck in this regard. Need to be more multi-cultural.
*Want to read Shriver, Lehane, Russo, Tyler. These writer set morality plays that sound challenging.
*Need to read more YA books. It is a part of my job after all to recommend these titles after all.
*Alright I'll try to read more manga. Again it is a large part of my job right?
So there you are. Let's see how this works out. Have a great week. Book Slave.
2009-01-07
I want to be a Plain Jane.
Hey folks,
Howse it hanging? Apparently the weather gods have decided it's winter because the snow is not stopping here in the Rocky Mountains. While I'm not necessarily a snow hater, a bit moderation would be nice. I hope you'll accept my humblest apologies but a post last night was just not possible. So here we are a day later, but not a dollar short. So onward with the first reviews post of the new year!
Reviews
Janes in Love
In Janes in Love writer Cecil Castelluci and artist Jim Rugg continue with their magical series about teenage friendship, art, and not-fitting-in. Castelluci brings back The Plain Janes, a misfit group of girls all named Jane, who commit what they call "art attacks" in the small town of Kent Waters. Main Jane and her friends go through the same trials and tribulations of teenage life with the focus here being romance. I was struck by how Castelluci and Rugg manage to capture teenage angst in original ways. Main Jane, while struggling with her own love/friendship with Damon, also wants to express love for her community. I love the idea of using art, which includes painting/decorating parks, streets, and buildings in their community to overcome the fear inherent in our post 9/11 world. The PLAIN Janes naively believe that art can save the world. I also need to shout out the art of Jim Rugg. It is great how he can draw each character with a unique look. It's great to see all different body types portrayed as beautiful in a book aimed at teen girls. The focus remains on accentuating the beauty of difference and originality. Pick up this book, it will show you that art can save.
Other Reviews
Comic Mix| Comic Book Bin| The F-Word
Whistle Vol. 1
I finally read a manga book. Can you believe it? Manga has been a mystery to me. It's very popular among the teen patrons I help so I figured I ought to check it out. Whistle is a part of the shonen genre which focuses on Sho, a young soccer player and his rise to success. I am also a fool for the sports-team-overcoming-adversity genre so the themes here were familiar catnip for me. Sho made for a fun, if single-minded, main character and I did find myself routing for him. Once I got used to the format I did get involved in the story. I can see how this series would be popular for young boys, especially those sports minded. It deftly balanced education with themes of teamwork and friendship. I also enjoyed the relationship between Sho and his brother, a roguish charmer. Overall though I found the female characters all very odd and stereotypical. All the females were kinda flighty and dressed pretty scantily especially for a teacher. Also would like to see less clunky narration from the main character. Less tell, more show. So I'd recommend it to boys who like sports, but I think I'm gonna need to read some more manga to become comfortable with the genre and it's conventions.
Other Reviews
Read About Comics| Comics Village
The Reading List
Magazine
Vanity Fair
Books
The Irregulars
Generation X
Comics
Astro City #1
Comic Pull List:Buffy The Vampire Slayer #21, Detective Comics #852, Secret Six #5, Trinity #32
Check Out Count: Steadily Improving.
Have a great week! Book Slave.
Howse it hanging? Apparently the weather gods have decided it's winter because the snow is not stopping here in the Rocky Mountains. While I'm not necessarily a snow hater, a bit moderation would be nice. I hope you'll accept my humblest apologies but a post last night was just not possible. So here we are a day later, but not a dollar short. So onward with the first reviews post of the new year!
Reviews
Janes in Love
In Janes in Love writer Cecil Castelluci and artist Jim Rugg continue with their magical series about teenage friendship, art, and not-fitting-in. Castelluci brings back The Plain Janes, a misfit group of girls all named Jane, who commit what they call "art attacks" in the small town of Kent Waters. Main Jane and her friends go through the same trials and tribulations of teenage life with the focus here being romance. I was struck by how Castelluci and Rugg manage to capture teenage angst in original ways. Main Jane, while struggling with her own love/friendship with Damon, also wants to express love for her community. I love the idea of using art, which includes painting/decorating parks, streets, and buildings in their community to overcome the fear inherent in our post 9/11 world. The PLAIN Janes naively believe that art can save the world. I also need to shout out the art of Jim Rugg. It is great how he can draw each character with a unique look. It's great to see all different body types portrayed as beautiful in a book aimed at teen girls. The focus remains on accentuating the beauty of difference and originality. Pick up this book, it will show you that art can save.
Other Reviews
Comic Mix| Comic Book Bin| The F-Word
Whistle Vol. 1
I finally read a manga book. Can you believe it? Manga has been a mystery to me. It's very popular among the teen patrons I help so I figured I ought to check it out. Whistle is a part of the shonen genre which focuses on Sho, a young soccer player and his rise to success. I am also a fool for the sports-team-overcoming-adversity genre so the themes here were familiar catnip for me. Sho made for a fun, if single-minded, main character and I did find myself routing for him. Once I got used to the format I did get involved in the story. I can see how this series would be popular for young boys, especially those sports minded. It deftly balanced education with themes of teamwork and friendship. I also enjoyed the relationship between Sho and his brother, a roguish charmer. Overall though I found the female characters all very odd and stereotypical. All the females were kinda flighty and dressed pretty scantily especially for a teacher. Also would like to see less clunky narration from the main character. Less tell, more show. So I'd recommend it to boys who like sports, but I think I'm gonna need to read some more manga to become comfortable with the genre and it's conventions.
Other Reviews
Read About Comics| Comics Village
The Reading List
Magazine
Vanity Fair
Books
The Irregulars
Generation X
Comics
Astro City #1
Comic Pull List:Buffy The Vampire Slayer #21, Detective Comics #852, Secret Six #5, Trinity #32
Check Out Count: Steadily Improving.
Have a great week! Book Slave.
2009-01-01
One Year Past
Hello,
And here we are in 2009. Happy New Year to you all. I hope you had a safe fun merry entry into the new year. I had a good time, I tell you we librarians can party it down. (And I've got the pictures to prove it.)
A One Year Blogaversary
If you pay attention to dates then you'd notice that I started this blog exactly one year ago today. I had thought about writing a blog before but like journal writing I had a tough time seeing the point. Just didn't see anything about my mundane life that would be interesting to the outside world.
So how did we get here you ask. Well I was watching CNN on New Years Eve 2007. It was like watching a train wreck being hosted by Kathy Griffen and Anderson Cooper. Now I'll admit here that I like Anderson Cooper, he's definitely my favorite news reporter. However it was painful watching him having to put up with Griffen. Why does CNN torture him so? I was thinking as I watched.
At the same time I had been looking around and noticing the insane amount of TBR books that were piling up around me. I needed some kind of self-motivater to get these books done with.
So there I was sitting there watching the ball drop. And they were talking about New Year Resolutions. I'm not very big on resolutions, but I do like to set goals even if their small. Cooper when asked said that he wanted to blog more. That's when I had an epiphany. I had two goals, read more, and try blogging. A Book blog seemed to be a way to accomplish both.
I am still amazed that there are those that read my words here, but again I am grateful that anyone does. Well to the small group of readers out there I'm looking forward to 2009.
Some Stats to Ponder
So Let's do a stat rundown for 2008.
Original Goal=52 books
Actual Books Read=90 books
So quite successful on that front I'd say.
Graphic novels=55
fiction=14
nonfiction=15
Other=6
Obviously I enjoy the books with pictures and word balloons. Maybe next year I'll read some more fiction. I do need to crack into the sci-fi genre (spaceships rather than capes) since that's what many of my patrons/customers ask about for reccomends.
Most books in one month: December (15)
Least books in one month: July (5)
So it looks like I kicked it into gear at the end of year. Probably because I had 6 days off at the end of the year.
Let's see what happens in 2009 folks. Have a great weekend! Book Pusher.
And here we are in 2009. Happy New Year to you all. I hope you had a safe fun merry entry into the new year. I had a good time, I tell you we librarians can party it down. (And I've got the pictures to prove it.)
A One Year Blogaversary
If you pay attention to dates then you'd notice that I started this blog exactly one year ago today. I had thought about writing a blog before but like journal writing I had a tough time seeing the point. Just didn't see anything about my mundane life that would be interesting to the outside world.
So how did we get here you ask. Well I was watching CNN on New Years Eve 2007. It was like watching a train wreck being hosted by Kathy Griffen and Anderson Cooper. Now I'll admit here that I like Anderson Cooper, he's definitely my favorite news reporter. However it was painful watching him having to put up with Griffen. Why does CNN torture him so? I was thinking as I watched.
At the same time I had been looking around and noticing the insane amount of TBR books that were piling up around me. I needed some kind of self-motivater to get these books done with.
So there I was sitting there watching the ball drop. And they were talking about New Year Resolutions. I'm not very big on resolutions, but I do like to set goals even if their small. Cooper when asked said that he wanted to blog more. That's when I had an epiphany. I had two goals, read more, and try blogging. A Book blog seemed to be a way to accomplish both.
I am still amazed that there are those that read my words here, but again I am grateful that anyone does. Well to the small group of readers out there I'm looking forward to 2009.
Some Stats to Ponder
So Let's do a stat rundown for 2008.
Original Goal=52 books
Actual Books Read=90 books
So quite successful on that front I'd say.
Graphic novels=55
fiction=14
nonfiction=15
Other=6
Obviously I enjoy the books with pictures and word balloons. Maybe next year I'll read some more fiction. I do need to crack into the sci-fi genre (spaceships rather than capes) since that's what many of my patrons/customers ask about for reccomends.
Most books in one month: December (15)
Least books in one month: July (5)
So it looks like I kicked it into gear at the end of year. Probably because I had 6 days off at the end of the year.
Let's see what happens in 2009 folks. Have a great weekend! Book Pusher.
2008-12-30
Living in Motels
Hello,
Hope you all had an awesome holiday. I did. I cannot believe it is almost 2009. (That's just crazy! Where's the flying cars?) Good times ahead I hope. Cheers to you all. Happy New Years! I enjoyed Book Club tonight where we discussed Motel Life (see review below) and had a good time. If you want to have some fun and read interesting books we meet at Sam Weller's Books on the last Tuesday of every month at 6:30 pm. Come on by, it's a good time. Onward!
Reviews
What I Said and How I Lied
I first heard about this book after it won the National Book Award for YA titles. The title and cover were also intriquing. This book takes place in post-war America as Evie, a girl whose 15 going on 16, her mother and stepfather take a trip to Florida and gets caught up in mystery and romance. The first person narration is written in a snappy noir style that enjoyed immensely. It's written in a witty style that only emphasized the noir feel of the story. I was surprised to discover that this is more of a story about lost innocence rather than a clear cut mystery. Evie's slow discovery of the dysfunction in the adult world around her was heartbreaking. This is a great read which I enjoyed and highly reccommend.
Other Reviews
Becky's Book Reviews|YA New York|Ink Splot 26
The Motel Life
I had picked up this title upon the high reccommendation of a co-worker but I have been sitting on it for awhile. When it was announced as the book club choice for December I finally picked it up. Boy am I glad I did. Frank and Jerry Lee Flannigan have had a terrible of run of bad luck all their lives. Drifting along in Reno Nevada, the work lower class jobs in a rootless existence. When Jerry Lee commits a terrible crime it's Frank who is stuck cleaning up the mess. Reading this I noticed strong overtones of Steinbeck, Denis Johnson, and Kerouac. I loved the bond between the two main characters and it was devastating watching the effects of a life marked by failure. Like Of Mice and Men Frank is burdened by his need to take care of his brother. However, rather than become melodramatic Vlautin instead chooses a more detached ending that I don't think quite works. I guess I just wanted a little more story in my story. The main characters really don't change all that much. I think he easily could have delved more into the characters. Although it's a bleak story I did enjoy this story of flawed characters living desperate lives.
Other Reviews
New York Times|KQED|The Independent
The Reading List
Books
The Irregulars
Generation X
Comics
Trinity #29
Magazine
Newsweek
Check Out Count: Continues to Improve.
Comic Pull List: Batman #684, Batman Cacophony #2, Goon #31, Green Lantern #36, Incognito #1, Northlanders #13, Stand Captain Trips #4, Superman #683, Trinity #31, Wolverine #70
Happy New Years! Have a great week! See yeah in 2009! Book Slave.
Hope you all had an awesome holiday. I did. I cannot believe it is almost 2009. (That's just crazy! Where's the flying cars?) Good times ahead I hope. Cheers to you all. Happy New Years! I enjoyed Book Club tonight where we discussed Motel Life (see review below) and had a good time. If you want to have some fun and read interesting books we meet at Sam Weller's Books on the last Tuesday of every month at 6:30 pm. Come on by, it's a good time. Onward!
Reviews
What I Said and How I Lied
I first heard about this book after it won the National Book Award for YA titles. The title and cover were also intriquing. This book takes place in post-war America as Evie, a girl whose 15 going on 16, her mother and stepfather take a trip to Florida and gets caught up in mystery and romance. The first person narration is written in a snappy noir style that enjoyed immensely. It's written in a witty style that only emphasized the noir feel of the story. I was surprised to discover that this is more of a story about lost innocence rather than a clear cut mystery. Evie's slow discovery of the dysfunction in the adult world around her was heartbreaking. This is a great read which I enjoyed and highly reccommend.
Other Reviews
Becky's Book Reviews|YA New York|Ink Splot 26
The Motel Life
I had picked up this title upon the high reccommendation of a co-worker but I have been sitting on it for awhile. When it was announced as the book club choice for December I finally picked it up. Boy am I glad I did. Frank and Jerry Lee Flannigan have had a terrible of run of bad luck all their lives. Drifting along in Reno Nevada, the work lower class jobs in a rootless existence. When Jerry Lee commits a terrible crime it's Frank who is stuck cleaning up the mess. Reading this I noticed strong overtones of Steinbeck, Denis Johnson, and Kerouac. I loved the bond between the two main characters and it was devastating watching the effects of a life marked by failure. Like Of Mice and Men Frank is burdened by his need to take care of his brother. However, rather than become melodramatic Vlautin instead chooses a more detached ending that I don't think quite works. I guess I just wanted a little more story in my story. The main characters really don't change all that much. I think he easily could have delved more into the characters. Although it's a bleak story I did enjoy this story of flawed characters living desperate lives.
Other Reviews
New York Times|KQED|The Independent
The Reading List
Books
The Irregulars
Generation X
Comics
Trinity #29
Magazine
Newsweek
Check Out Count: Continues to Improve.
Comic Pull List: Batman #684, Batman Cacophony #2, Goon #31, Green Lantern #36, Incognito #1, Northlanders #13, Stand Captain Trips #4, Superman #683, Trinity #31, Wolverine #70
Happy New Years! Have a great week! See yeah in 2009! Book Slave.
2008-12-25
Christmas trees are magic.
Hey folks,
Merry Christmas! Happy Chrismukkah! I hope you all are having a great holiday. I enjoyed mine immensely. I gave out a lot of books. Hopefully the folks I gifted them to will enjoy them as much as I do. I actually received everything but books, which was actually good. I think the folks who know me realize that I have a massive TBR pile. I do a pretty good job adding onto the pile myself, without needing help from others. Anyway I was very lucky this year and am humbled by it. I hope you all were able to have a wonderful holiday. Enclosed are some pictures to enjoy.
Here's a picture of our family tree this morning. Isn't it cute. BTW that's my brother in the right corner. He was sick as a dog, poor guy.
And here is a picture of my own tree. It's adorned with some beautiful ornaments thanks to my mom. Also a few years ago we were able to track down some bubble lights which are magical. It's a cute tree. I believe in keeping it up till around New Years and then it's gotta come down.
Have a great holiday! Enjoy, Book Slave.
Merry Christmas! Happy Chrismukkah! I hope you all are having a great holiday. I enjoyed mine immensely. I gave out a lot of books. Hopefully the folks I gifted them to will enjoy them as much as I do. I actually received everything but books, which was actually good. I think the folks who know me realize that I have a massive TBR pile. I do a pretty good job adding onto the pile myself, without needing help from others. Anyway I was very lucky this year and am humbled by it. I hope you all were able to have a wonderful holiday. Enclosed are some pictures to enjoy.
Here's a picture of our family tree this morning. Isn't it cute. BTW that's my brother in the right corner. He was sick as a dog, poor guy.
And here is a picture of my own tree. It's adorned with some beautiful ornaments thanks to my mom. Also a few years ago we were able to track down some bubble lights which are magical. It's a cute tree. I believe in keeping it up till around New Years and then it's gotta come down.
Have a great holiday! Enjoy, Book Slave.
2008-12-23
Review me!
Hey folks,
Merry Christmas to you all! I hope you are all having a great holiday season. I am enjoying my time immensely. Having a few days off has been great! My gift to you folks is a massive helping of reviews. Onwards!
Reviews
Local
I have been waiting for this series to finish so I could read it altogether. It was worth the wait. This collection is gorgeous. Local, written by Brian Wood, follows a woman named Megan over the course of 13 years. Each issue follows her in a different city from Portland to Chicago to Halifax. Megan is a great human character who makes mistakes, goes through horrible situations, and tries to find her own identity. The main theme of identity is striking as we see her age from 17 to 30. Ryan Kelly does an amazing job in subtly showing her change and grow throughout the series. Also Kelly is great at portraying the details of each location. I particularly enjoyed the details in the Portland segment which is a city I find interesting. NPR named this collection their best graphic novel of 2008 and it deserves every bit of praise.
Other Reviews
PopMatters|PDX Comic Geek|NPR Top Book of 2008
In Search of the Far Side
I have always enjoyed the absurdism of The Far Side by Gary Larson. In fact it's one of very few comic strips that I read. Larson sees the world in a smart crazy way. In Search of the Far Side is his third collection and I think that here is where Larson really starts to hit his stride. I am always impressed with how he is able to convey so much in one panel. My favorite in particle shows four dogs playing on a front lawn. In the background in a house window one dog looks forlornly with a violin in hand. All in one image he captures absurdism (dog playing a violin!) and poignancy (dog is sad he can't play with the others). I miss The Far Side.
Other Links: The Far Side
Re-Gifters
This was a cute tale that is aimed directly at teenage girls. The main character is a Korean girl named Jen Dixson who is mainly interested in martial arts and boys. Specifically a boy named Adam who is ridiculously uninteresting. I always have problems with these kindof stories because the boy that the main character has a crush on is so unworthy of her. Jen is an interesting person without being boy-crazy. Her desperation to be liked by Adam drives her to do silly things. Hijinks ensue. I was much more interested in the segments about her family and the martial arts tournament. Now that was cool. There was also some interesting commentary on the Korean community in LA and how they were effected by the Rodney King riots. Carey does a great job of layering these elements into the story without getting preachy. This is a good reccomendation for teenage girls.
Other Reviews
Blogcritics|Comics Worth Reading
|Girls Read Comics
Three Shadows
I picked this up on the reccomendation of a co-worker but it's taken me awhile to pick it up. It's too bad I took so long, because this was a good book. It focuses on a family that lives in the country that is menaced by three shadows. Ultimately the father decides to take his son away to his old homeland in an effort to keep him safe. It was this middle section that I got caught up in. Pedrosa paints a harrowing, difficult portrait of their boat passage. This is clearly meant to comment on the immigrant experience. I was also impressed with the relationship of this family. The mother and father are willing to do anything to keep their son safe. In the end I became emotionally connected to this family. So I found myself a bit torn when the story moved away from them to other supernatural elements. The Deux Ex Machina that Pedrosa introduces in the end is a bit cheap. However I found this story worked and had some great characterizations.
Other Reviews
Comic Mix|School Library Journal|moonshine
Kin
I just want to start with this: I'm not big on fairies. I'm not against them, it's just not my thing. So I picked this up solely based on the reccomendation of a co-worker (shout out to Alex!). I found this tale interesting, however I'm still not big on fairies. With that in mind I thought this tale was interesting but I won't be continuing. While I did get caught up in the mystery aspect I was underwhelmed by the art. Sometimes the faces were a bit too vague. I think the majority of the human characters were gender ambiguous. An interesting choice by the artist but it through me off. Also the Deux Ex Machina ending was a bit too easy.
Other Reviews
Book Reviews and More|nineseveneight|Oops wrong cookie
The Reading List
Books
Motel Life
What I Saw and How I Lied
Magazine
Newsweek
Comic
Batman and the Outsiders #14
Check Out Count: Much Improved.
Comic Pull List: Batman #683, Daredevil #114, New Avengers #48, Runaways 3 #5, Trinity #30, Umbrella Academy Dallas #2, Wonder Woman #27
And in the end folks, Have a great Holiday! Enjoy the madness and prepare for a bright new year. Book Slave.
Merry Christmas to you all! I hope you are all having a great holiday season. I am enjoying my time immensely. Having a few days off has been great! My gift to you folks is a massive helping of reviews. Onwards!
Reviews
Local
I have been waiting for this series to finish so I could read it altogether. It was worth the wait. This collection is gorgeous. Local, written by Brian Wood, follows a woman named Megan over the course of 13 years. Each issue follows her in a different city from Portland to Chicago to Halifax. Megan is a great human character who makes mistakes, goes through horrible situations, and tries to find her own identity. The main theme of identity is striking as we see her age from 17 to 30. Ryan Kelly does an amazing job in subtly showing her change and grow throughout the series. Also Kelly is great at portraying the details of each location. I particularly enjoyed the details in the Portland segment which is a city I find interesting. NPR named this collection their best graphic novel of 2008 and it deserves every bit of praise.
Other Reviews
PopMatters|PDX Comic Geek|NPR Top Book of 2008
In Search of the Far Side
I have always enjoyed the absurdism of The Far Side by Gary Larson. In fact it's one of very few comic strips that I read. Larson sees the world in a smart crazy way. In Search of the Far Side is his third collection and I think that here is where Larson really starts to hit his stride. I am always impressed with how he is able to convey so much in one panel. My favorite in particle shows four dogs playing on a front lawn. In the background in a house window one dog looks forlornly with a violin in hand. All in one image he captures absurdism (dog playing a violin!) and poignancy (dog is sad he can't play with the others). I miss The Far Side.
Other Links: The Far Side
Re-Gifters
This was a cute tale that is aimed directly at teenage girls. The main character is a Korean girl named Jen Dixson who is mainly interested in martial arts and boys. Specifically a boy named Adam who is ridiculously uninteresting. I always have problems with these kindof stories because the boy that the main character has a crush on is so unworthy of her. Jen is an interesting person without being boy-crazy. Her desperation to be liked by Adam drives her to do silly things. Hijinks ensue. I was much more interested in the segments about her family and the martial arts tournament. Now that was cool. There was also some interesting commentary on the Korean community in LA and how they were effected by the Rodney King riots. Carey does a great job of layering these elements into the story without getting preachy. This is a good reccomendation for teenage girls.
Other Reviews
Blogcritics|Comics Worth Reading
|Girls Read Comics
Three Shadows
I picked this up on the reccomendation of a co-worker but it's taken me awhile to pick it up. It's too bad I took so long, because this was a good book. It focuses on a family that lives in the country that is menaced by three shadows. Ultimately the father decides to take his son away to his old homeland in an effort to keep him safe. It was this middle section that I got caught up in. Pedrosa paints a harrowing, difficult portrait of their boat passage. This is clearly meant to comment on the immigrant experience. I was also impressed with the relationship of this family. The mother and father are willing to do anything to keep their son safe. In the end I became emotionally connected to this family. So I found myself a bit torn when the story moved away from them to other supernatural elements. The Deux Ex Machina that Pedrosa introduces in the end is a bit cheap. However I found this story worked and had some great characterizations.
Other Reviews
Comic Mix|School Library Journal|moonshine
Kin
I just want to start with this: I'm not big on fairies. I'm not against them, it's just not my thing. So I picked this up solely based on the reccomendation of a co-worker (shout out to Alex!). I found this tale interesting, however I'm still not big on fairies. With that in mind I thought this tale was interesting but I won't be continuing. While I did get caught up in the mystery aspect I was underwhelmed by the art. Sometimes the faces were a bit too vague. I think the majority of the human characters were gender ambiguous. An interesting choice by the artist but it through me off. Also the Deux Ex Machina ending was a bit too easy.
Other Reviews
Book Reviews and More|nineseveneight|Oops wrong cookie
The Reading List
Books
Motel Life
What I Saw and How I Lied
Magazine
Newsweek
Comic
Batman and the Outsiders #14
Check Out Count: Much Improved.
Comic Pull List: Batman #683, Daredevil #114, New Avengers #48, Runaways 3 #5, Trinity #30, Umbrella Academy Dallas #2, Wonder Woman #27
And in the end folks, Have a great Holiday! Enjoy the madness and prepare for a bright new year. Book Slave.
2008-12-21
Some reflection and some best of picks
Hey y'all,
The holidays are coming...hell look at the snow outside man! The holidays are here! I have had a good time this year. Good family, good friends, very little retail hell. Actually the low economic expectations this year have made things less hectic. Where I work business is a bit down but they economized beforehand so the hit isn't so bad. I still refrain, not to be a nag, but you still have time to buy a book for christmas. Books can give a lifetime of enjoyment. They don't need an upgrade. They don't become obsolete in a few years. Even the cheapest paperback at our store is $3. That's the same as a cup of coffee, less than a hamburger. Just do it, it's better for everyone.
Anyway we're nearing the end of the year. This is the first year that I've been able to really track what I've read over the course of a year. It's a gift to be able to reflect back and see what I think. So with much fanfare I'm throwing out some Best of 2008.
Best of 2008
Best Graphic Novel: Starman Omnibus Vol. 1
Past Review: The Good and the Bad
One of the greatest gifts this year for me was the discovery of writer James Robinson. Starman is a great combination of the edgy and the classic. Jack Knight really wants to be a hero, but he can't admit it to himself. He'd rather be hipster ironic. By rejecting everything his father is, Jack can be his own version of a hero. Robinson captures the difficult relationship between this father and son. Again it's what they can't say to each other that keeps them from having a relationship. The "David" issue was also very effective visually as well as emotionally. The use of black and white signifying nostalgia as well as death. I can't wait for Vol. 2.
Best Book Not a Graphic Novel: Quiet Please: Dispatches from a Public Librarian
Past Review: Hot Time! Summer in the City!
If you've been paying attention then you know that I work as an assistant at a public library. (This is in addition to my work as a book seller. Sorry it's confusing.) I've worked in libraries for about 3 years now. However my mom has worked as a public librarian for nearly 40 years now, so I grew up in libraries. Quiet Please: Dispatches from a Public Librarian written by Scott Douglas tells the story of a young man who starts out as a lowly page in the Anaheim Public library system. He decides reluctantly to become a librarian and the book chronicles his journey through 6 years of service. I found myself deeply affected by one chapter where he's confronted by another librarian. The librarian reminds Scott that he is a public servant and to never put himself above the public. This stayed with me and has become a new motto. Douglas's raw, honest, portrayal of public service was a book that I took to heart.
Best Comic Book: Fables #71
Past Review: If only I could teleport away...
This awesome issue was a complete surprise. The Good Prince story arc had just wrapped up and there were supposed to a few filler issues before the final war against the Adversary. Filler issues are usually such a waste of time. However I loved this issue which featured Cinderella as a super spy on a secret mission. It was great to see Cinderella kick ass, which she has not really done in the past. It took me back to one of my fave TV series Alias. Also the cover is amazingly cool. I love it.
So there you are. Have a great weekend! Book Slave.
The holidays are coming...hell look at the snow outside man! The holidays are here! I have had a good time this year. Good family, good friends, very little retail hell. Actually the low economic expectations this year have made things less hectic. Where I work business is a bit down but they economized beforehand so the hit isn't so bad. I still refrain, not to be a nag, but you still have time to buy a book for christmas. Books can give a lifetime of enjoyment. They don't need an upgrade. They don't become obsolete in a few years. Even the cheapest paperback at our store is $3. That's the same as a cup of coffee, less than a hamburger. Just do it, it's better for everyone.
Anyway we're nearing the end of the year. This is the first year that I've been able to really track what I've read over the course of a year. It's a gift to be able to reflect back and see what I think. So with much fanfare I'm throwing out some Best of 2008.
Best of 2008
Best Graphic Novel: Starman Omnibus Vol. 1
Past Review: The Good and the Bad
One of the greatest gifts this year for me was the discovery of writer James Robinson. Starman is a great combination of the edgy and the classic. Jack Knight really wants to be a hero, but he can't admit it to himself. He'd rather be hipster ironic. By rejecting everything his father is, Jack can be his own version of a hero. Robinson captures the difficult relationship between this father and son. Again it's what they can't say to each other that keeps them from having a relationship. The "David" issue was also very effective visually as well as emotionally. The use of black and white signifying nostalgia as well as death. I can't wait for Vol. 2. Best Book Not a Graphic Novel: Quiet Please: Dispatches from a Public Librarian
Past Review: Hot Time! Summer in the City!
If you've been paying attention then you know that I work as an assistant at a public library. (This is in addition to my work as a book seller. Sorry it's confusing.) I've worked in libraries for about 3 years now. However my mom has worked as a public librarian for nearly 40 years now, so I grew up in libraries. Quiet Please: Dispatches from a Public Librarian written by Scott Douglas tells the story of a young man who starts out as a lowly page in the Anaheim Public library system. He decides reluctantly to become a librarian and the book chronicles his journey through 6 years of service. I found myself deeply affected by one chapter where he's confronted by another librarian. The librarian reminds Scott that he is a public servant and to never put himself above the public. This stayed with me and has become a new motto. Douglas's raw, honest, portrayal of public service was a book that I took to heart.
Best Comic Book: Fables #71
Past Review: If only I could teleport away...
This awesome issue was a complete surprise. The Good Prince story arc had just wrapped up and there were supposed to a few filler issues before the final war against the Adversary. Filler issues are usually such a waste of time. However I loved this issue which featured Cinderella as a super spy on a secret mission. It was great to see Cinderella kick ass, which she has not really done in the past. It took me back to one of my fave TV series Alias. Also the cover is amazingly cool. I love it.
So there you are. Have a great weekend! Book Slave.
2008-12-16
Did Jane Have a Christmas Tree?
Hello,
Happy holidays y'all! The end of the year approaches quickly don't it. Tomorrow I'll be putting up my own tree. Only a real tree for this girl. And Christmas lights! Oh I can't wait, it's very exciting. Anyway Onward!
Shout Out
BTW Today is Jane Austen's Birthday. She would be 233 years old today. So Cheers to you Jane, I raise a glass in your honor.
My Posts about Jane: Teach Me Jane I'm Willing to Learn, Austen and Socrates, Critic Proof.
Review
More Information Than You Require
I love John Hodgman. Ever since I saw him on The Daily Show to promote his first book Areas of My Expertise I knew that we were kindred spirits. His new book More Information is an expert sequel to Areas. Hodgman has a unique absurdity to his comedy which can be exhausting, but produces endless cackles of laughter. Who else could give us 700 mole man names? Hodgman is great at satirizing the pursuit of useless arcane trivia. He also makes a great swipe at celebrity as he talks about his status as a MINOR TELEVISION CELEBRITY (yes he puts it in All Caps). Highly Enjoyable and definitely re-readable.
Author Link: John Hodgman
Other Reviews
AV Club|Student Voice|jesterjournal
The Reading List
Books
Local
Mrs. Dalloway
Comics
Secret Six #4
Magazine
Newsweek
Checkout Count: Varied
Comic Pull List: Batgirl #6, Batman And The Outsiders #14, Buffy The Vampire Slayer #20, Deadpool #5, Fables #79, Trinity #29
Have a great week! Book Slave.
Happy holidays y'all! The end of the year approaches quickly don't it. Tomorrow I'll be putting up my own tree. Only a real tree for this girl. And Christmas lights! Oh I can't wait, it's very exciting. Anyway Onward!
Shout Out
BTW Today is Jane Austen's Birthday. She would be 233 years old today. So Cheers to you Jane, I raise a glass in your honor.
My Posts about Jane: Teach Me Jane I'm Willing to Learn, Austen and Socrates, Critic Proof.
Review
More Information Than You Require
I love John Hodgman. Ever since I saw him on The Daily Show to promote his first book Areas of My Expertise I knew that we were kindred spirits. His new book More Information is an expert sequel to Areas. Hodgman has a unique absurdity to his comedy which can be exhausting, but produces endless cackles of laughter. Who else could give us 700 mole man names? Hodgman is great at satirizing the pursuit of useless arcane trivia. He also makes a great swipe at celebrity as he talks about his status as a MINOR TELEVISION CELEBRITY (yes he puts it in All Caps). Highly Enjoyable and definitely re-readable.
Author Link: John Hodgman
Other Reviews
AV Club|Student Voice|jesterjournal
The Reading List
Books
Local
Mrs. Dalloway
Comics
Secret Six #4
Magazine
Newsweek
Checkout Count: Varied
Comic Pull List: Batgirl #6, Batman And The Outsiders #14, Buffy The Vampire Slayer #20, Deadpool #5, Fables #79, Trinity #29
Have a great week! Book Slave.
2008-12-13
Fantasies and Dreams
Hello,
Today here in the SLC we experienced the first major blizzard of the winter. And yep it's December. About time weather gods. Anyway I wished that I could've holed myself up with a stack of books and hot chocolate. Unfortunately I had to work. As my co-worker Naomi pointed out the other day I guess you can tell a book person by what their fantasy day would be. I guess I am totally a book person.
Someday I will have my book-reading nook which will look like this:
Yes the sliding ladder is a must. Sigh someday folks, someday. Well I've got some days off coming to me during this month. So I hope to get some quality book time in. With Hot Chocolate of course.
Have a great weekend! Book Slave.
Today here in the SLC we experienced the first major blizzard of the winter. And yep it's December. About time weather gods. Anyway I wished that I could've holed myself up with a stack of books and hot chocolate. Unfortunately I had to work. As my co-worker Naomi pointed out the other day I guess you can tell a book person by what their fantasy day would be. I guess I am totally a book person.
Someday I will have my book-reading nook which will look like this:
Yes the sliding ladder is a must. Sigh someday folks, someday. Well I've got some days off coming to me during this month. So I hope to get some quality book time in. With Hot Chocolate of course.
Have a great weekend! Book Slave.
2008-12-09
Christmas is a coming!
Hey folks,
Howse it hanging? Extra special fine I hope. As we head towards Christmas I can proudly say that all my holiday shopping is done. Yes folks, done. And I managed to buy all local, as well. I guess I feel like giving myself a gold star. Just another reminder to y'all. Buy Local. Help a small business. Your local economy will thank you. Well Onward!
Shout Outs and Announcements
Just thought I would throw your attention to the side bar once again. I have joined Twitter. Please feel free to join in on the fun and follow me or just read my postings here. Also I'd like to point out that this post contains review 100, which is double what my goal was initially. It's kinda crazy to think that I have written 100 reviews this year. I guess it's possible to reach for that high bar. Thanks folks for following along.
Reviews
PostSecret
A few years back Frank Warren hit upon a new idea. He began a website and urged people to send in post cards, anonymously, that contains a "secret." Warren was interested in the idea of art therapy and he posts new postcards every week. This book is a collection of those postcards. These postcards range from silly to tragic to moving. As a coffee table book I think this was better than your average pretty picture books. I think these postcards present a great microcosm of our society. It's pretty amazing how effective it is to share in other people's thoughts and needs. I highly recommend checking it out.
Other Reviews
Series of (Un)Fortunate Reviews|tdaxp|Books For Breakfast
In Our Time
I've read a few Hemingway novels and I enjoy his clear-cut prose. So I decided to pick up his first collection of short stories which I haven't ever read. In this collection I can clearly see an emergent talent in some of these vignettes. Even though some of the pieces here are only 2 pages long Hemingway is able to develop interesting realistic characters. The "Nick Adams" stories are clearly biographical. My favorites of these is the combination of "The End of Something" and "The Three-Day Blow." However, the best story of the collection is "Soldier's Home." I was incredibly moved by this story of soldier's inability to rejoin society, and his parents faith in him. In these times with two wars going on, and no end in sight, this story was strikingly relevant. Otherwise I found some of the stories a little too slight. I was less interested in the ex-patriat tales; these ideas are much better developed in The Sun Also Rises.
Author Biography
Ernest Hemingway
JLA: Salvation Run
It's a popular idea to develop series around villains. JLA: Salvation Run takes this idea and runs with it pretty well . The plot is that Suicide Squad is scooping up villians in the DC Universe and sending them all to a "hell" planet. These villians start to create teams and try to find a way to survive. I enjoyed how the series explored a conflict in leadership styles between Lex Luthor and the Joker. Luthor is the machevellian politician, while Joker is the crazy "Idi Amin" dictator. It was alot of fun to watch these guys go at it. Writer Matt Sturges nailed these characters and was not afraid to take the story to crazy extremes. Unfortunately I think that the story fall apart in the end. Where was this story supposed to go? The DC Universe can't do without it's villains. The story becomes anti-climactic and unsatisfying. Ultimately here we have a good set-up but no real ending.
Other Reviews
Occasional Superheroine|Funnybook Babylon
Loser's Guide to Life and Love
After seeing Ann Cannon at the Utah Humanities Book Festival in October I decided to pick up this book. This young adult novel contains all the expected tropes of the genre: unrequited love, mistaken identity, and an overt emphasis on the effects of the moon. I mean let's be honest these devices were old when Shakespeare pulled them out for Midsummer Night's Dream. However Cannon does manage to construct a fun story using a multiple narrator structure as a frame. In this way each character is given it's own unique voice. It's similar to the structure of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, which I enjoyed immensely. Unfortunately while fun, I felt that the story once it got going lacked any sense of realism and spark. I never got a sense that I would know any of these characters in real life. I was really captured by the mystery of Ellie's past and secrets. Ultimately I was disappointed when it turned out to be very conventional. I was expecting something more scandalous I guess. Also I'm extremely annoyed by the inclusion of "script" format in order to express dialogue. I saw it last year in Shannon Hale's Austenland and I hated it then. If you want to write a script, then write a script, otherwise let's put this device to rest. I began to enjoy this book more towards the end as the main characters actually started telling each other the truth. Cannon is very good at pulling together a happy ending, I just wish it reflected reality a bit more.
Other Reviews
Laura's Book and Movie Reviews|Books Are King
The Reading List
Magazine
Newsweek
Comic
Umbrella Academy 2 #1
Books
More Information Than You Require
Mrs. Dalloway
Check Out Count: Being Brought Under Control.
Comic Pull List:Action Comics #872, Captain Britain And Mi 13 #8, Detective Comics #851, Final Crisis #5, Green Arrow Black Canary #15, Secret Six #4, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane Season 2 #5, Terry Moores Echo #8, Trinity #28.
Have a great week! Book Slave.
Howse it hanging? Extra special fine I hope. As we head towards Christmas I can proudly say that all my holiday shopping is done. Yes folks, done. And I managed to buy all local, as well. I guess I feel like giving myself a gold star. Just another reminder to y'all. Buy Local. Help a small business. Your local economy will thank you. Well Onward!
Shout Outs and Announcements
Just thought I would throw your attention to the side bar once again. I have joined Twitter. Please feel free to join in on the fun and follow me or just read my postings here. Also I'd like to point out that this post contains review 100, which is double what my goal was initially. It's kinda crazy to think that I have written 100 reviews this year. I guess it's possible to reach for that high bar. Thanks folks for following along.
Reviews
PostSecret
A few years back Frank Warren hit upon a new idea. He began a website and urged people to send in post cards, anonymously, that contains a "secret." Warren was interested in the idea of art therapy and he posts new postcards every week. This book is a collection of those postcards. These postcards range from silly to tragic to moving. As a coffee table book I think this was better than your average pretty picture books. I think these postcards present a great microcosm of our society. It's pretty amazing how effective it is to share in other people's thoughts and needs. I highly recommend checking it out.
Other Reviews
Series of (Un)Fortunate Reviews|tdaxp|Books For Breakfast
In Our Time
I've read a few Hemingway novels and I enjoy his clear-cut prose. So I decided to pick up his first collection of short stories which I haven't ever read. In this collection I can clearly see an emergent talent in some of these vignettes. Even though some of the pieces here are only 2 pages long Hemingway is able to develop interesting realistic characters. The "Nick Adams" stories are clearly biographical. My favorites of these is the combination of "The End of Something" and "The Three-Day Blow." However, the best story of the collection is "Soldier's Home." I was incredibly moved by this story of soldier's inability to rejoin society, and his parents faith in him. In these times with two wars going on, and no end in sight, this story was strikingly relevant. Otherwise I found some of the stories a little too slight. I was less interested in the ex-patriat tales; these ideas are much better developed in The Sun Also Rises.
Author Biography
Ernest Hemingway
JLA: Salvation Run
It's a popular idea to develop series around villains. JLA: Salvation Run takes this idea and runs with it pretty well . The plot is that Suicide Squad is scooping up villians in the DC Universe and sending them all to a "hell" planet. These villians start to create teams and try to find a way to survive. I enjoyed how the series explored a conflict in leadership styles between Lex Luthor and the Joker. Luthor is the machevellian politician, while Joker is the crazy "Idi Amin" dictator. It was alot of fun to watch these guys go at it. Writer Matt Sturges nailed these characters and was not afraid to take the story to crazy extremes. Unfortunately I think that the story fall apart in the end. Where was this story supposed to go? The DC Universe can't do without it's villains. The story becomes anti-climactic and unsatisfying. Ultimately here we have a good set-up but no real ending.
Other Reviews
Occasional Superheroine|Funnybook Babylon
Loser's Guide to Life and Love
After seeing Ann Cannon at the Utah Humanities Book Festival in October I decided to pick up this book. This young adult novel contains all the expected tropes of the genre: unrequited love, mistaken identity, and an overt emphasis on the effects of the moon. I mean let's be honest these devices were old when Shakespeare pulled them out for Midsummer Night's Dream. However Cannon does manage to construct a fun story using a multiple narrator structure as a frame. In this way each character is given it's own unique voice. It's similar to the structure of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, which I enjoyed immensely. Unfortunately while fun, I felt that the story once it got going lacked any sense of realism and spark. I never got a sense that I would know any of these characters in real life. I was really captured by the mystery of Ellie's past and secrets. Ultimately I was disappointed when it turned out to be very conventional. I was expecting something more scandalous I guess. Also I'm extremely annoyed by the inclusion of "script" format in order to express dialogue. I saw it last year in Shannon Hale's Austenland and I hated it then. If you want to write a script, then write a script, otherwise let's put this device to rest. I began to enjoy this book more towards the end as the main characters actually started telling each other the truth. Cannon is very good at pulling together a happy ending, I just wish it reflected reality a bit more.
Other Reviews
Laura's Book and Movie Reviews|Books Are King
The Reading List
Magazine
Newsweek
Comic
Umbrella Academy 2 #1
Books
More Information Than You Require
Mrs. Dalloway
Check Out Count: Being Brought Under Control.
Comic Pull List:Action Comics #872, Captain Britain And Mi 13 #8, Detective Comics #851, Final Crisis #5, Green Arrow Black Canary #15, Secret Six #4, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane Season 2 #5, Terry Moores Echo #8, Trinity #28.
Have a great week! Book Slave.
2008-12-04
Vamps
Hello folks,
A happy first week of December to y'all. I hope that you are doing well. I can tell you that I love hot chocolate and some good Christmas lights, but Xmas is hard on your book slave. Too many great books out there! And then the best of lists start appearing, like the New York Times. Pain, ripping open my bleeding wallet. And then I have to find books for other people. Geez! Life is hard. Also just a gentle reminder to please be nice to your retail representative. Chances are that woman/man who is ringing up your books is actually a person with feelings.
Shout Outs
I just wanted to point out that on the sidebar I've added a new feature. Thanks to those magicians at Google we all can become "followers." While I'm not completely happy with the Orwellian sounding terminology I think it might be fun to interconnect. So become a follower, gentle reader.
And now for something different.
Literary Commentary: Vampires
Tonight I saw the amazing Swedish film Let the Right One In and it was great. I know that vampire stories are all the rage at the moment. I have never been a fan of the genre. Actively avoiding Twilight is incredibly easy when I have wikipedia to fill me in if anyone has questions. I'm not a total vampire snob, I have read Dracula. Here's the thing what I dislike about the genre is when vampirism is played as moody romanticism. Pale, wan, grayish male vampires still need to kill things to survive. That's right vampires are killers. Eternally youthful, yet still killers.
I am more intrigued by vampirism as symbolic of sexual desire. The undertones of sex, blood, and death that are apparent in Stoker are far more interesting. My favorite scene involving the Count is his seduction of Wilhemina Murray. He captures her and bites her. However he decides to create a connection by having her drink his blood. This reappears in Anne Rice's series where vampires are created in the same way.
In any place where there is repression of normal sexuality, than a natural regression occurs. In vampiric lore this took the form of sadism, in particular oral sadism. The act of bloodsucking is linked to sex and creation. No moony teenagers here. Let's put it this way I don't want my vamps Twilight-style.
Have a great weekend! Book Slave.
A happy first week of December to y'all. I hope that you are doing well. I can tell you that I love hot chocolate and some good Christmas lights, but Xmas is hard on your book slave. Too many great books out there! And then the best of lists start appearing, like the New York Times. Pain, ripping open my bleeding wallet. And then I have to find books for other people. Geez! Life is hard. Also just a gentle reminder to please be nice to your retail representative. Chances are that woman/man who is ringing up your books is actually a person with feelings.
Shout Outs
I just wanted to point out that on the sidebar I've added a new feature. Thanks to those magicians at Google we all can become "followers." While I'm not completely happy with the Orwellian sounding terminology I think it might be fun to interconnect. So become a follower, gentle reader.
And now for something different.
Literary Commentary: Vampires
Tonight I saw the amazing Swedish film Let the Right One In and it was great. I know that vampire stories are all the rage at the moment. I have never been a fan of the genre. Actively avoiding Twilight is incredibly easy when I have wikipedia to fill me in if anyone has questions. I'm not a total vampire snob, I have read Dracula. Here's the thing what I dislike about the genre is when vampirism is played as moody romanticism. Pale, wan, grayish male vampires still need to kill things to survive. That's right vampires are killers. Eternally youthful, yet still killers.
I am more intrigued by vampirism as symbolic of sexual desire. The undertones of sex, blood, and death that are apparent in Stoker are far more interesting. My favorite scene involving the Count is his seduction of Wilhemina Murray. He captures her and bites her. However he decides to create a connection by having her drink his blood. This reappears in Anne Rice's series where vampires are created in the same way.
In any place where there is repression of normal sexuality, than a natural regression occurs. In vampiric lore this took the form of sadism, in particular oral sadism. The act of bloodsucking is linked to sex and creation. No moony teenagers here. Let's put it this way I don't want my vamps Twilight-style.
Have a great weekend! Book Slave.
2008-12-02
Vikings and Essex County
Hey folks,
How are you? It's been a very family oriented week as we kick off the holidays. Gentle readers I'm throwing out a small plea: Don't trample people in the name of cheap buys. Instead head down to your local bookstore and buy some books this year. Reading is good. Books can last a lifetime. Can you say the same thing about a $100 HDTV? Not necessarily. I'm just saying. Anyway Onward!
Reviews
Northlanders Vol. 1
This book is awesome. I never thought that writer Brian Wood, known for DMZ and Local, would do a series about Vikings. So I hesitated taking this series on but now I wish I'd been reading it since the beginning. This series begins with Sven returning to his kingdom which he's been exiled from to take on his evil Uncle. This isn't a new premise, but Wood throws us a curve. Sven actually accepts the idea that he has to earn the right to rule. Sven is obviously meant to be on a "heroes journey" but with a medieval brutality. This series is incredibly violent and the art reflects that. Artist Davide Gianfelice lends an original look and page layout to this series. The coloring and violence is very in-your-face. That exactly reflects the subject matter and tone that Wood writes in. These vikings are brutal and visceral. I can't wait for the next volume.
Other Reviews
i love rob liefeld|Comics Should Be Good|Pop Syndicate
Essex County 2 & 3
After reading Vol. 1 I had to check out the rest of the trilogy. Writer/Artist Jeff Lemire finished up the last of the series this fall so I read vol. 2 & 3 back to back. These books feature interlocking characters in the fictional world of Essex County, Canada. Each book features stories full of loss and regret. I have this to say: If these books don't effect you then you don't have a soul. Lemire creates an amazing group of realistic human characters who will break your heart. In my opinion the best book of the trilogy is Volume 2 subtitled Ghost Stories. It begins with 2 brothers, Lou and Vincent who end up playing hockey in Toronto. Lou, the older brother, loves Toronto and playing hockey, whereas his brother Vincent is intent on going back to the family farm. Is Lou selfish for wanting his independence? Perhaps, but it's realistic and creates a wedge between the brothers that lasts 30 years. This story is juxtaposed with Lou's present story where he is isolated and lost. He has gone deaf but his mind is still just as sharp. Lemire blurs the past and the present storyline in such a way that the reader can become as unsure as Lou is. These books should not be missed. They are masterpieces of the original graphic novel genre.
Past Review
Essex County 1
The Reading List
Magazines
Newsweek
Comics
Trinity #26
Books
In Our Time
Loser's Guide to Life and Love
Check Out Count: Heavy Loaded.
Comic Pull List:Batman #682, Criminal 2 #7, New Avengers #47, Secret Invasion #8, Trinity #27
Have a great week! Book Slave.
How are you? It's been a very family oriented week as we kick off the holidays. Gentle readers I'm throwing out a small plea: Don't trample people in the name of cheap buys. Instead head down to your local bookstore and buy some books this year. Reading is good. Books can last a lifetime. Can you say the same thing about a $100 HDTV? Not necessarily. I'm just saying. Anyway Onward!
Reviews
Northlanders Vol. 1
This book is awesome. I never thought that writer Brian Wood, known for DMZ and Local, would do a series about Vikings. So I hesitated taking this series on but now I wish I'd been reading it since the beginning. This series begins with Sven returning to his kingdom which he's been exiled from to take on his evil Uncle. This isn't a new premise, but Wood throws us a curve. Sven actually accepts the idea that he has to earn the right to rule. Sven is obviously meant to be on a "heroes journey" but with a medieval brutality. This series is incredibly violent and the art reflects that. Artist Davide Gianfelice lends an original look and page layout to this series. The coloring and violence is very in-your-face. That exactly reflects the subject matter and tone that Wood writes in. These vikings are brutal and visceral. I can't wait for the next volume.
Other Reviews
i love rob liefeld|Comics Should Be Good|Pop Syndicate
Essex County 2 & 3
After reading Vol. 1 I had to check out the rest of the trilogy. Writer/Artist Jeff Lemire finished up the last of the series this fall so I read vol. 2 & 3 back to back. These books feature interlocking characters in the fictional world of Essex County, Canada. Each book features stories full of loss and regret. I have this to say: If these books don't effect you then you don't have a soul. Lemire creates an amazing group of realistic human characters who will break your heart. In my opinion the best book of the trilogy is Volume 2 subtitled Ghost Stories. It begins with 2 brothers, Lou and Vincent who end up playing hockey in Toronto. Lou, the older brother, loves Toronto and playing hockey, whereas his brother Vincent is intent on going back to the family farm. Is Lou selfish for wanting his independence? Perhaps, but it's realistic and creates a wedge between the brothers that lasts 30 years. This story is juxtaposed with Lou's present story where he is isolated and lost. He has gone deaf but his mind is still just as sharp. Lemire blurs the past and the present storyline in such a way that the reader can become as unsure as Lou is. These books should not be missed. They are masterpieces of the original graphic novel genre.
Past Review
Essex County 1
The Reading List
Magazines
Newsweek
Comics
Trinity #26
Books
In Our Time
Loser's Guide to Life and Love
Check Out Count: Heavy Loaded.
Comic Pull List:Batman #682, Criminal 2 #7, New Avengers #47, Secret Invasion #8, Trinity #27
Have a great week! Book Slave.
2008-11-27
Giving Thanks
Hello y'all,
Well here we are at Thanksgiving (at least here in America anyway). As is customary we start to reflect on what we have to be grateful for. Here's a list of things that I am currently thankful for in no particular order:
*My mom.
*My jobs. Although they may not pay much I count myself as very lucky to be able to be involved with something I love.
*Books. Really must I explain?
*Movies. Well the really great ones anyway. And new ones to be discovered.
*Podcasts. Never enough time y'know.
*Sunday Brunch at Fiddler's Elbow.
*Steven Gerrard, Liverpool.
*Lost. Enuf said.
*Anyone that reads this blog. Yeah that means you Constant Reader.
I think that we will leave it at that. Have a great Thanksgiving! Book Slave.
Well here we are at Thanksgiving (at least here in America anyway). As is customary we start to reflect on what we have to be grateful for. Here's a list of things that I am currently thankful for in no particular order:
*My mom.
*My jobs. Although they may not pay much I count myself as very lucky to be able to be involved with something I love.
*Books. Really must I explain?
*Movies. Well the really great ones anyway. And new ones to be discovered.
*Podcasts. Never enough time y'know.
*Sunday Brunch at Fiddler's Elbow.
*Steven Gerrard, Liverpool.
*Lost. Enuf said.
*Anyone that reads this blog. Yeah that means you Constant Reader.
I think that we will leave it at that. Have a great Thanksgiving! Book Slave.
2008-11-25
Some Challenging Lit
Hello folks.
I hope you are enjoying this Thanksgiving week. I am thankful for the wonderful 3 days off that I've been granted. I hope you all are just as lucky! Well Onward!
Reviews
In Persuasion Nation
This is a book I definitely wouldn't have picked up on my own. I ended up picking it up as part of my book club and it's definitely unique. Using a mixture of satire and Pynchon-esque storytelling in this collection Saunders makes pointed social commentaries. In several of his stories Saunders focuses in on the corrosive effects of advertising and materialism. While I found some of his stories very funny, such as "Samish-Sex Marriage," I also think that the writing is very dense. It took a discussion with some other readers for me to understand Saunders better. Some of his stories I found to be emotionally detached and I'm not sure whether that was on purpose or not. So if you are interested in "something different" perhaps give this a shot.
Other reviews
curled up|Entertainment Weekly|Blue Rectangle
Selected Poems William Carlos Williams
I like poetry. In college I actually spent more time studying poetry then prose. I think that because of that I'm pretty good at understanding it. I especially enjoy modern non-form poetry which is why I picked up this collection of William Carlos Williams. Now I will admit that WCW is not for the weak. He doesn't give it to you on a silver platter. However I also don't think that human existence, love, death, et al. are easily explained. It is as complex as WCW makes it. This is a great collection of his "greatest hits." I enjoyed it immensely.
Biographical Info
William Carlos Williams
The Reading List
Books
In Our Time
Loser's Guide to Life and Love
Comic
Dynamo #18
Magazine
Newsweek
Check Out Count: A Bit Overloaded.
Comic Pull List:Batman #681, Buffy The Vampire Slayer #19, Daredevil #113, Garth Ennis Battlefields Night Witches #2, Northlanders #12, Runaways 3 #4, Superman #682, Trinity #26, Umbrella Academy Dallas #1, Wonder Woman #26
Well Have a Great Thanksgiving y'all! Book Slave.
I hope you are enjoying this Thanksgiving week. I am thankful for the wonderful 3 days off that I've been granted. I hope you all are just as lucky! Well Onward!
Reviews
In Persuasion Nation
This is a book I definitely wouldn't have picked up on my own. I ended up picking it up as part of my book club and it's definitely unique. Using a mixture of satire and Pynchon-esque storytelling in this collection Saunders makes pointed social commentaries. In several of his stories Saunders focuses in on the corrosive effects of advertising and materialism. While I found some of his stories very funny, such as "Samish-Sex Marriage," I also think that the writing is very dense. It took a discussion with some other readers for me to understand Saunders better. Some of his stories I found to be emotionally detached and I'm not sure whether that was on purpose or not. So if you are interested in "something different" perhaps give this a shot.
Other reviews
curled up|Entertainment Weekly|Blue Rectangle
Selected Poems William Carlos Williams
"I think some people just read poetry to seem smart"
"I don't really like poetry. Most of the time I just don't get it."
--Overhead on the train from some folks sitting next to me
I like poetry. In college I actually spent more time studying poetry then prose. I think that because of that I'm pretty good at understanding it. I especially enjoy modern non-form poetry which is why I picked up this collection of William Carlos Williams. Now I will admit that WCW is not for the weak. He doesn't give it to you on a silver platter. However I also don't think that human existence, love, death, et al. are easily explained. It is as complex as WCW makes it. This is a great collection of his "greatest hits." I enjoyed it immensely.
Biographical Info
William Carlos Williams
The Reading List
Books
In Our Time
Loser's Guide to Life and Love
Comic
Dynamo #18
Magazine
Newsweek
Check Out Count: A Bit Overloaded.
Comic Pull List:Batman #681, Buffy The Vampire Slayer #19, Daredevil #113, Garth Ennis Battlefields Night Witches #2, Northlanders #12, Runaways 3 #4, Superman #682, Trinity #26, Umbrella Academy Dallas #1, Wonder Woman #26
Well Have a Great Thanksgiving y'all! Book Slave.
2008-11-22
A Day Without Computers
Hello folks,
Howse it going? Good I hope, I'm doing well. I had a fascinating day at the old bibliotech (that a fancy schmancy way of saying library folks). It's been awhile since I've thrown down here with some library talk. Yes to remind y'all I do spend time working as a librarian in a fabulous facility known for it's architecture. And I love it for many reasons.
The main reason is that it combines my love of books with the emotional wonderfulness of helping people. I won't lie, some days it can be trying. Crazy homeless people or teenage kids that forget you are a human being with feelings take time to get used to. Worse are when people lie to your face and then accuse you of doing wrong. There are some diamond hard-hearted librarians out there who don't care about books. I've worked really hard to stay positive and cling to the good experiences. Nothing beats putting a patron together with a great book.
Today was a real test. See when I got in this morning all the computers were down. No catalog, no internet, no computers at all. Yes it was back to old school brothers and sisters. Rather than be daunted by the lack of technology, however I loved it. It was a great challenge. Do you know your shelves? How well do you know books and authors? I enjoyed the test. Sometimes I fear that I'm chained to my desk. It's a problem in modern librarianship that people are stuck to their computer screens. So today there was no excuse whatsoever to be stuck at the desk. I wandered around, filled displays, even shelved some books. It was awesome. In fact, and this may be heresy, but I think we should do it every three months.
Have a great weekend! Book Slave.
Howse it going? Good I hope, I'm doing well. I had a fascinating day at the old bibliotech (that a fancy schmancy way of saying library folks). It's been awhile since I've thrown down here with some library talk. Yes to remind y'all I do spend time working as a librarian in a fabulous facility known for it's architecture. And I love it for many reasons.
The main reason is that it combines my love of books with the emotional wonderfulness of helping people. I won't lie, some days it can be trying. Crazy homeless people or teenage kids that forget you are a human being with feelings take time to get used to. Worse are when people lie to your face and then accuse you of doing wrong. There are some diamond hard-hearted librarians out there who don't care about books. I've worked really hard to stay positive and cling to the good experiences. Nothing beats putting a patron together with a great book.
Today was a real test. See when I got in this morning all the computers were down. No catalog, no internet, no computers at all. Yes it was back to old school brothers and sisters. Rather than be daunted by the lack of technology, however I loved it. It was a great challenge. Do you know your shelves? How well do you know books and authors? I enjoyed the test. Sometimes I fear that I'm chained to my desk. It's a problem in modern librarianship that people are stuck to their computer screens. So today there was no excuse whatsoever to be stuck at the desk. I wandered around, filled displays, even shelved some books. It was awesome. In fact, and this may be heresy, but I think we should do it every three months.
Have a great weekend! Book Slave.
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