November books

[dirtylibrarian]

Return of the Bunny Suicides
Andy Riley
Adult Cartoons
Recommend?: Yes.
Cute little bunnies with a desire for annihilation .
Sick. Wrong. Very funny bunnies.

Aeiou: Any Easy Intimacy
Jeffrey Brown
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Relationships. Dating. Friendship. Compromises. Artists.
While I find Brown's illustrative style terribly rough (makes me wonder if I could publish drawings), I like how he captures the little moments that define relationships. However, I spent the whole time wondering if I had read the book before, so like the last one it was.

Why Are You Doing This?
Jason
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Mysteries. Mistaken identity. Witness. Murder. Fugitives. Romance.
Odd, but enjoyable. I like his stark cartoon animals in difficult human situations.

The Big Over Easy: A Nursery Crime
Jasper Fforde
Adult Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Mysteries. Nursery rhymes. Humpty Dumpty. Jack the "giant" killer. England. Detective and sergeant teams. Forensics. Writers. Integrity.
A fun idea, executed fairly well…good for light entertainment.

One People Many Journeys
Lonely Planet
Adult Photography
Recommend?: Definitely!
World cultures. People. Love. Birth. Death. Families. Friendship. Joy. Play.
A lovely collections well worth checking out. A good Christmas present.

Gotham Central - Volume 2: Half a Life
Greg Rucka
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Police detectives. Two-Face. Secrets. Kindness. Crime. Insanity. Lesbians.
Great story, and worked subtly but well into Batman world.

NASTYbook
Barry Yourgrau
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Short stories. Unhappy endings. Creepiness. Monsters. Murders. Unpredictable directions. Unpleasantness. Dark humor.
No matter how many of these stories I read, I kept being surprised by how awful all the endings were…not bad writing, just terrible things happening. Kids who like Lemony Snicket should love this.

The Speed Abater
Christophe Blain
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
French sailors. WW2. Giant battleships. Life at sea. Seasickness. Mischief. Accidental destruction.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this, especially the parts about the men exploring the lower forbidden portions of the ship.

Tokyo Babylon
Clamp
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Supernatural. Urban life. Exorcisms. Romance.
Ok…but with a confusing gay subtext that is rather unclear to me. Not compelling enough for me to continue reading this series.

Chuck Dugan is AWOL
Eric Chase Anderson
Adult Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Absence without leave. Navy life. Family. Bad guys. Disguises. Submarines.
Silly, with cute illustrations (which is the part I recommend). Fun and light. By brother of Wes Anderson.

Love Fights - Volume 1
Andi Watson
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Normal people in superhero world. Cats. Romance. Villains. Writers. Comic book illustrators. Fame.
Fun! The premise isn't feeling so new, but the twist of having the main characters pet cat coming across superpowers is great.

Nobody Does It Better - Gossip Girl # 7
Cecily Von Ziegsar
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
NYC. Rich kids. Senioritis. Sex. Parties. Bong hits. Yachts. College entrance. Romance. Independence. Shopping.
Trashy, as always, but I enjoyed it every bit as much as the previous six.

WJHC #2: Hold Tight!
Jane Smith Fisher
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
High school life. Student radio stations. Reality TV. Rock concerts. Fashion shows.
Not bad.

What Is Goodbye?
Nikki Grimes
Tween Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Grief. Siblings. Novels in verse. Alternating viewpoints. Brothers. Death.
Nice little book…could be a comfort to some kids, and maybe adults too.

Bucking the Sarge
Christopher Paul Curtis
Teen Book on Tape
Recommend?: Yes.
Flint, Michigan. Mothers and sons. Slumlords. Science fair. Friendship. Responsibility. Honor. Revenge.
Not bad, but I didn't love it like Watsons.

Tokyo Mew-Mew - Volume 1
Mia Ikumi
Tween Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Extra-cute girls. Genetic engineering. Aliens. Romance. Nauseatingly adorable costumes.
I guess I can see how kids might get into this, but it had no appeal for me.

William Gibson's Neuromancer Volume 1.
Tom De Haven
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Adaptations of literature. Cyberspace. Hackers. Gangsters. Outlaws. Japan. Hired assassins.
Very 80s looking! Did make me want to read the book again.

Bleach: Volume 1
Tite Kubo
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Ghosts. Spirits. Callings. Jobs. Family. Friends. Big swords. School. Souls.
Not the worst manga I've read by any means, but it just didn't suck me in. I'm not sure if the translation was weak, but there were many sequences that did not flow well at all.

Black Hole
Charles Burns
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Seattle. Teenagers. 1970s. Sexually transmitted diseases. Drugs. Alcohol. Mutations.
I'm pleased to see Charles Burns creating a work with a strong narrative. Creepy and compelling!

Mitch Epstein: Recreation
Mitch Epstein
Adult Photography
Recommend?: Yes.
Americans. Events. New Orleans. L.A. Central Park.
Very enjoyable collection of photography catching pieces of American culture not celebrated in history books or major media. Worth checking out.

DRAFT - Sara and the Chimera: Book 1 - A Prison of Light
Greg Dent & Todd Morasch
Tween Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Fantasy/Sci-Fi. Aliens. Monsters. Parallel universes. Friendship. Cats.
Always interesting to see a work in progress. For a rough piece I enjoyed reading it and think many kids could enjoy it.

Far from Xanadu
Julie Anne Peters
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Small towns. Lesbians. Softball. Suicide. Family. Flaming homosexuals. Internet dating. High school life. Romance.
A really wonderful little book, that gets the character motivations dead on. Kept me up late reading. I only question if a small Midwest town could really be so tolerant of its gay teens.

The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen
Jacques Pepin
Adult Book on Tape
Recommend?: Definitely!
Food. Chefs. France. New York City. Friends. Family. Cooking. Writing. T.V.
A nice listen, though I think I'm getting a little burnt out on food based audiobooks.

Friedlander
Lee Friedlander
Adult Photography
Recommend?: Definitely!
Black and white photography. Portraits. Nudes. Self portraits. Reflections. Chain link fences. Landscapes. Buildings. Odds and ends.
Of all the photographers I've been reading up on, I think I feel the closest bond with Friedlander…he too is obsessed with trying to get a different view of seemingly normal things, and isn't shy about the self portraits either. This is a book I would definitely pick up used...great stuff.

Pastel 1
Toshihiko Kobayashi
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Manga. Teenage boys. Romance. Hormones. Bikinis. Moral dilemmas. Friendship. Fathers. Responsibility. Cameltoes.
This isn't terrible, and I certainly can see teen boys loving it, but it is a wee bit nasty for my tastes.

Art Forms in Nature: The Prints of Ernst Haeckel
Ernst Haeckel
Adult Art
Recommend?: Definitely!
Invertebrates, mostly. Victoria drawings. Nature.
Great stuff. Were I to get a tattoo, I certainly would consider some of these exquisite drawings.

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Adult Non-Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Economics. Creative thinking. Sumo wrestlers. Parenting. Crack dealers. KKK. Names. Teachers.
Fun read, but not sure it necessarily help me think in too many new ways, except to question people's motives more.

Fables: March of the Wooden Soldiers
Bill Willingham
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Fairy tales. New York City. Invasions. Magic. Lost love. Pregnancy. Toys.
I really enjoy this series, or anything by this author. Definitely not for teens though.

Ice Haven
Daniel Clowes
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Small towns. Kidnappings. Children. Innocence and lack there of. Crime. Poetry. Detectives.
Clowes art and coloring is his usual good. I liked the way the stories were woven together. And it had some postmodern nods to previous comics, but I just didn't love it.

Vanishing Act
Art Wolfe
Adult Photography
Recommend?: Definitely!
Wildlife. Camoflague.
Simple concept, splendid execution. A gorgeous book, good for any coffee table.

Love Fights Volume 2
Andi Watson
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Superheroes. Cats. Mysteries. Reporters. Comic book artists. Time travel. Villains. Parallel universes. Comic book industry. Tie-ins.
Fun, especially the cat.

Ralph Eugene Meatyard
Ralph Eugene Meatyard
Adult Photography
Recommend?: Shrug.
Black and white photography. Masks. Children. Abstracts.
Good, but not life changing.

In America's Shadow
Kimberly Komatsu
Teen Non-Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Photography. Japanese-Americans. World War Two. Interment camps. Freedom. Citizenship. Patriotism. History.
A very personal feeling introduction to a tough subject in American history.

A Wreath for Emmett Till
Marilyn Nelson
Teen Poetry
Recommend?: Yes.
Murder. Racism. Emmett Till. Deep South. Lynching. Activism. Change. Grief. Poetry. Crown of sonnets. Art.
An interesting exploration of a difficult and moving subject, using an unusual form of poetry. I personally found some of the experimentation off-putting, and failed to connect with the book as much as others have.

Comments

[holyoutlaw.livejournal.com]

I'm increasinly curious about Lee Friedlander's work. The U Bookstore has a huge book of his.

[arasay.livejournal.com]

Have I ever told you how incredibly impressive I find the amount you read, and the fact that you're so organized about cataloguing it?

Really, you blow me away.

xoxoxox.

[dirtylibrarian.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I would like to point out that I do an awful lot of looking at pictures, much of my reading being photography books and graphic novels. Those go quick!

I've been keeping lists of what I read since junior high. About three years ago I decided to start keeping a database, so that I could remind myself a bit about what the books were actually about too. The reason I'm able to keep up with it is that it has been a compulsive habit, one of the first things I do each day when I get to work, when I got to return library items. I justify doing it at work, as is a readers advisory tool.