Author: Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin; Illustrated by Giovanni Rigano; Lettering by Chris Dickey
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
ISBN: 9781492662143
Length: 122 + Creators' Note + "Journey: Helen's Story" Words by Helen as told to Women for Refugee Women + Sketchbook
Obtained: Library hardcover copy
Comments:
I placed a request for this the first time I saw it, but by the time it came in it was just one of many books waiting for me to get to it. Then Sunday, I picked it up just to glance real quick. Next thing I knew, I was running late. I stopped reading long enough to go to bible class, started reading again briefly before heading into work (dragging myself away), and then continued/finished as soon as I was home. In other words, I found myself quickly caught up in the story and eager to discover Ebo and his family's fate.
The story moves between Ebo's time traveling by sea and jumping backward to his travels prior to that, including through the desert. Ebo is continuously looking for his siblings through the story, as they are trying to build a better life together. This isn't the first refuge story I've read, and I'm sure it won't be the last. However, there is something about the graphic novel format combined with the real risks and dangers so many people are taking to improve their lives and escape the dangers of their home country that made Ebo's story especially touching.
I thought I would relate and that it would be a fun read.
Comments:
I've read other books of this sort by Allie Brosh, Sarah Andersen, etc. that I enjoyed much more. I'm figuring the difference is the mental status.
Those books seemed to come more from a position of some mental issues (depression and the like) that I could relate to and find humor in. This one seems to come more from a "I choose this life and I'm happy in it and you need to accept that". That's well and good, this is her (Marzi's) life after all. But as an introvert who does have those insecurities and who doesn't have tons of friends trying to talk to me (Because that's the main thing that bothered me. She was always running away from friends and parties and so forth, and I don't even have those coming up in my life to run away from), I couldn't relate the way I had expected.
It was okay, and a quick read.
Note:
So I wrote the above awhile back (I am WAY BEHIND). I was just finding and attaching the author bio so I could post, and I see she has a whole section on "Mental Heath". Just poking around, I recognize some from the book. So maybe it's a matter of perspective; I don't know. What I do know is, I didn't really connect at the time of reading the book, and the above is accurate of my impressions.
Like the first book I enjoyed this book, finding it humorous and relate-able. My father's been in the hospital with complications from a surgery. I was able to read and/or show parts of it to him (especially the parts that reminded me of him - he has a LOT in common with heart), making for interesting conversation and a bit of pick-me-up for my dad. It even has a fun bit about the end of a good book/story. There was (as I read it) an indication that there would be more, and I hope that is an accurate interpretation.
I saw Big Mush Happy Lump: A "Sarah's Scribbles" Collection on my library's Wowbrary (new arrivals page). When I went to Sarah Anderson's website to see if I'd be interested, I found she already had a book out. After checking out some of her comics on the website, I quickly put a hold on both titles.
Comments:
Fun. Relate-able. I zipped right through it. Maybe a bit too short? Because it was over way too soon. And now I have to wait for the next one...
I enjoyed the Jazz Age Chronicles by Ted Slampyak and this sounded intriguing.
Comments:
Before slaying her, Christian Savage agrees to tell a
modern female vampire about his past in the Wild West including his
scar, his parentage, and his vampire slaying mission.
I'm not a comic connoisseur, so I can't give much critique to this. But I found it interesting in a strange way.
Bonus:
Bounties: The Candy Heiress by David Watkins; Illustrated by Ted Slampyak [Website][Facebook] featuring Saddlebag Jones
Um. Okay. I didn't expect a completely unrelated story, and so it threw me off.
It was kind of silly, actually, in the premise. Rich girl runs off to try her luck in the Wild West, and Saddlebag Jones is sent to fetch her. In the meantime the heiress pitches a fit when not everyone is on board with her experiencing the west and all it stereotypically entails (drink, gambling, etc.)... I won't tell you more, lest I spoil too much, but yes, I think silly is an accurate description.
Series: Heart and Brain, Bk 1 (Spinoff of the Awkward Yeti)
ISBN: 9781449470890
Length: 143 pages
Obtained: Library copy
Why this book?:
I've seen the memes online, and a coworker recommended it.
Comments:
Very fun. Unfortunately, the people I tried to share with didn't get
the jokes. But still, I was amused, and that is what really counts,
right? Several scenarios are covered (employment/vacation, insomnia,
money and spending habits, eating/food, caffeine addiction, etc.), and I
could relate to many of them.
The next book in this series (based on the webcomic, theAwkwardYeti.com) is Heart and Brain: Gut Instincts, due to be released in the next month. I look forward to reading it.
Series: Jazz Age Chronicles, Volume 2, Issues #6-9
Length: 109 pages
Why These Books?:
I'd been eyeing them for awhile now, but I needed a comic/graphic novel for the Summer Reading Bingo, and then the second volume (luckily) worked for Historical Fiction...
Note:
My apologies in advance for the lack of complete sentences.
Comments:
Interesting. Dramatic. Fun to read the Jazz Age language. Also
secret societies, a down-and-out detective, a fantastical and popular
adventurer/professor.
It took some time for me to follow since it switched between the
characters before I knew who they were and seemed at first like
different story lines. I adjusted once I realized how they connected.
Quite a bit of mysticism and such involved - something I hadn't expected
at first but actually turned out to be a major part of the plot.
I wouldn't mind reading more of Slampyak's work. In fact, I've already begun reading Savage (a vampire hunter in the Wild West). I'm especially interested in more of the Jazz Age Chronicles. Unfortunately, it seems I've missed them, and I can't find them in a published version.
Charlaine Harris. Plus I found the first one interesting.
Comments:
Girl can't catch a break. Fast paced (read it within an hour). Looking forward to book 3.
Update: Read this one about a month ago? I think? While sitting in a hospital. No worries, nothing bad. It was one of my dad's frequent hospitalizations for his mental illness.
Title: The Marshal's Justice
Author: Delores Fossen
Publisher: Harlequin Intrigue #1635
Series: Appalosa Pass Ranch
ISBN: 9780373699025
Length: 219 pages
Obtained: Free copy from BEA
Why this book?:
In the mood for quick romance.
Comments:
I did NOT believe the love between the heroine and hero. Lust, sure. Love of the child, sure. But otherwise? He spent to much of the book not trusting and not forgiving.
Uhm, Big Hero 6 was a fabulous movie and I could not resist the manga.
Comments:
This is a proper manga, not just a graphic novel, and the format is NOT meant for reading aloud. This means I couldn't comfortably read this to the kiddos (now 4, 6, and 7) the way I could Amulet. It was disappointing since the kids loved the movie Big Hero 6.
Also, the story isn't the same in all ways, and the characters don't gel with
who they are in the movie, but I still managed to enjoy reading this. I look forward to reading volume 2 and seeing more of Hiro, Baymax, Honey Lemon, Wasabi, Go Go, and Fred.
Author: Kiiro Yumi (Original Concept by Hiro Arikawa [IMDb])
Publisher: Shojo Beat Manga
Series: Volumes 1, 2, and 3 ISBN: 9781421534886, 9781421534893, 9781421534909 Obtained: Library copies Why these books?: Uh, library manga. I had to try it. Comments: Iku Kasahara is joining the Library Defense Force, a group designed to save books from censorship under a special law so they can remain accessible by all. The federal government is on a continual mission to destroy all books not considered "appropriate" and the Library Act (and Library Defense Force upholding it) is the only legal recourse. It a fascinating scenario - definite parallels with Fahrenheit 451. It has the usual angsty is he like my hero that I can't remember the face of (crush-material) or is he the opposite?
Title: Horse of a Different Killer
Author: Laura Morrigan [Website][Facebook][Twitter]
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Mystery
ISBN: 9780425257210
Obtained: Library copy
I enjoy this series, though once again I found myself scraping my brain to remember what happened in the first two stories leading up to it. This time around Grace's sister is suspected of murder, Grace's usual sources are unavailable to her for one reason or another, and she must scramble to find the truth... and a missing possibly mistreated horse along the way.
I look forward to reading more of this series in the future.
Title: Texts From Mittens: A Cat Who Has an Unlimited Data Plan and Isn't Afraid to Use It
Author: Angie Bailey [Website][Website/Book Facebook][Website/Book Twitter]
Publisher: Harlequin
ISBN: 9780373893225
Obtained: Library copy
Very cute. Parts were funny and needed to be shared. Parts were silently amusing. And parts were okay, moving on...
Title: Through the Woods
Author: Emily Carroll [Website (scroll down for "About" section)][Publisher Page][Twitter]
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
ISBN: 9781442465954
Obtained: Library copy
This is a series of stories all featuring a "through the woods" element.
The thing about this book is that you need to pay attention to the recommended ages. Because my 7yo nephew came to look at it with me, and I was reading aloud (just because I enjoy it). He didn't understand the first story (and I didn't explain), and the second story creeped him out so bad he had nightmares. When he saw the cover nearly a month later he called it the "bad book". So FYI, it is intended for "Ages 14 and up".
But back to reading aloud, it works wonderfully with a low slow tone. I loved the atmosphere and flow of the stories. The one story I didn't care for was "The Nesting Place". Ugh. But otherwise the stories shared a kind of cool and creepy feel, with corresponding images.
I enjoyed this book, and Midnight Texas. This is a multi-perspective story, but it works.
Once again, though I am left knowing I really need to read and/or re-read some of Charlaine Harris's other series. I especially need a refresher on the Sookie Stackhouse series, because a couple more came out in this story and some of the story line actually reflected things that had happened in the Sookie series. But I also need to read the Aurora Teagarden books (which I never did) and finish the Lily Bard books.
Why this book?: I read everything new by AQ/JAK/JC
Comments:
The heroine's name is Ursula. That is what first struck me about the
book. When I hear Ursula, I don't think historical English woman
(though I suppose that suits). I think Disney villain - one that creeps
me out more than most other Disney villains. Once I pushed past that I
was able to continue with and enjoy the story. It has many of the same
characteristics that make AQ/JAK/JC books comfort reads, so it was a
feel good story. Nothing else especially stood out as being something I
should mention though.
Series: Grimm, Volume 1 (Consisting of Issues 0-5)
ISBN: 9781606904503
Length: 112 (Includes Cover Gallery)
Obtained: Library copy
Why this book?:
I requested the library purchase it as soon as I saw it was coming out. I just love Grimm.
Comments:
The Coins of Zakynthos have been rediscovered and gathered by Nick and his mom, Kelly. Kelly goes to destroy them, but not all goes as planned. It starts from
the TV show, but apparently goes beyond that (though I don't remember all the
details from the show...my memory doesn't work that way). It took me a
bit to get used to the constant recaps, since this is actually 6
separate issues put together (and I'm new to this - comic books and
bound volumes, etc.). But once I had I was quickly involved in the
story. Some things I found interesting:
The gore in the comic seemed much more shocking than any of the gore I
saw on the show. I don't know if it was the format or some other factor that created
that impression.
Monroe looked like Monroe. Kelly and Hank mostly looked like Kelly and
Hank (with occasional exceptions). But Nick hardly seemed to resemble
Nick from the show at all, IMO.
Anyway, I've already requested the second Grimm, Volume 2: Bloodlines (containing issues 6-12). I look forward to that. And in the meantime, the 3rd novel, The Killing Time by Tim Waggoner just came in for me and season 4 of Grimm begins Oct. 24th!!! So I'm all set.
Obtained: Free copy picked up at ALA Annual Conference 2014
Why this book?:
I thought it looked interesting and fun. I love the title. The description on the back cover is great. And I just had to read it.
Comments:
The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil is a graphic novel done all in black and white. But that works because the people of Here seem to be very in the box black and white thinkers. But then something strange happens. Dave, who is the definition of a model Here citizen, suddenly begins growing a quite unwanted beard. And everything goes downhill from there - or does it?
The description I read mentions that the book covers, "life, death, and what it means to be different." Being third in the list, I didn't quite expect the book to be so much about being different, but that was the main theme I saw.
I read the last 3rd to the kiddos (while we waited in the car for their mama) - with some impromptu editing to make it more age appropriate. It was very interesting, with some parts rather funny, and others very much a statement about society.
As soon as I saw Charlaine Harris had a couple new series coming out I requested the library purchase them. This was after reading the Harper Connelly series and starting the Lily Bard series.
Comments:
Reading this went very fast. I started on my lunch hour and was 3/4 through when I had to go back to work. I finished it that evening.
The story is very graphic (in the violence, etc. not the graphic novel format, though it is that too) and I can definitely see Charlaine Harris's writing in it as that (the graphic nature) is something I noticed quite a bit of in her other series.
While part of what made it such a fast read is its format, part was due to how engrossing the story was. I was almost, though not quite, as interested to learn who Calexa was/is as she is. I found her newly discovered (newly occurring?) abilities intriguing. Another part of what makes the story move is the jumps in time. Days, weeks, and months go by, all with just quick notations here or a flash over pictures there.
I was a bit thrown by the way Calexa narrates the stories. I'll admit I don't read graphic novels often, so perhaps this is normal. But I expected thought bubbles in present tense, not narrations to catch the reader up on the time jumps. (I hope that made sense... I don't know how else to explain it.)
Anyway, the story exclusive to this book of the new series revolves around a group of teens that decide to get into some dark stuff in the cemetery where Calexa is living (mostly on whim, but with one serious participant) and get involved in murder. Calexa is a witness, but can she do anything to seek justice for the victim?
I look forward to reading Inheritance and finding out more of Calexa's past, as well as seeing what other mysteries she will stumble upon while living in a cemetery.
So my memory of Darth Vader and Son is cloudy, but I think this time I was more in tune with the jokes. Some parts were funny. Some were eh.
I read this one to the kids (cuz they asked). I prefaced the reading by saying it wasn't really a kids book. It was for grown ups. I meant they wouldn't get the jokes (especially since they are still young, 5 and under and so many of these jokes are teen level). My eldest nephew (the 5 yo) flipped through while I was reading another book. When I was reading this one and got to a page with Leia skimpily clad, he quickly told me to turn the page - that was a "grown up" part. I could totally see my sister (his mother) in him. As a kid, she used to stand in front of the TV whenever commercials with bikinis or bras, etc. came on.
Anyway, it's worth checking out. I suppose especially if you are a huge Star Wars or Jeffrey Brown fan.
I saw this on someone's blog and decided it looked interesting, so I checked out a copy via ILL. It is weird. Kinda cool. But definitely weird. And maybe a bit creepy. It was originally written as a short story and then adapted as a graphic novel. It feels more like an adult picture book to me, though there are elements of a graphic novel. Whatever the formatting, the story is...
Alexandra is walking around Chicago by herself one night when she stumbles across a vehicle that looks like a Winnebago but turns out to be a bookmobile. Strange thing... the contents are everything Alexandra has ever read, from children's books, to ephemera like cereal boxes. Crazy idea, right? Can you imagine? I'd LOVE to see my own version.
Alexandra is a lonely, sad sort of character, really. IMO. But she loves this bookmobile so much. She'd like to stay, she keeps looking for it, and on the rare occasion she happens across it (with gaps like 9 or 12 years), she requests to work for the library. I'd like to say more, but I fear becoming too spoilerish. Suffice it to say, it gets more shocking and weird from there.
The After Words says this is the first installment in a larger work titled The Library. I was unable to find anything further on this, so I'm assuming the rest has yet to be published. If it is, I'm definitely interested in reading more.
Author: Ted Naifeh; Edited by James Lucas Jones & Joe Nozemack; Designed by Steven Birch & Ted Naifeh
Publisher: Oni Press
ISBN: 1932664467
Series: Polly and the Pirates, Bk 1 (Issues 1 - 6)
Pages: 176
Obtained: Library copy
Comments:
I seem to be getting into a kick for graphic novels, just like I have been with audiobooks. For this one, I enjoyed the pirate theme. If I'm being entirely honest, I'll admit Polly annoyed me at the beginning. So "proper lady" when she's taken by the pirates. But eventually you begin to see why it meant so much to her. By that point the only thing still bothering me was the way her legs were drawn. It reminded me of the bratty girl in the animated Cats Don't Dance. (When I showed my sister, that was her first response as well... without prompting. And I haven't seen that movie since I was a kid.)
I tend to base much of my judgment on whether I enjoy a book or not on how I relate to or at least understand the characters. I'm finding it interesting how books with written description differ from graphic novels with illustrated description. I'm going to have to pay closer attention to which characters draw me more.
I requested the library purchase the second volume, but we'll see what they decide.
I saw this series (well, actually, for a book further into the series) mentioned in one of Puss Reboots's "What Are You Reading" posts, and I decided I needed to try it. I started it on the day scheduled as a family "picnic" day. I hadn't gotten very far when my quiet "hiding" place (my niece's bed) had been invaded. I soon found myself reading the book to my 4 year old nephew and 3 year old niece. We got pretty far before the actual picnic part of things started and we headed outside. Later that day, we climbed up to this little landing spot above the slide and finished the book. I still can't believe I read what I'd classify as a Middle Grade level book to a 4 and 3 yo (with very slight editing when needed for the read-aloud drama effect or to be more on their level...and they missed the very beginning). It had some pretty intense emotions. The father is dead. The remaining family has moved to a new place. The mother's in danger. Etc. But the kiddos paid attention to the whole thing. We whizzed through it much faster than The Pagemaster, and they want to read the second book with me (my niece just asked about it again today). So obviously I'll be continuing with the series. And I hope it doesn't get too old for them, but for now I'll keep reading it with the kiddos.
