February 2006 books read

[dirtylibrarian]

Nana: Volume 1
Ai Yazawa
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Teen girls. Romance. Small time life. Dreaming of moving to Tokyo. Punk bands. Singers. Difficult choices.
By the person who did Paradise Kiss (one of my favorite mangas). Enjoyable, but a bit odd narrative style, following multiple characters with title name.

A Mango-Shaped Space
Wendy Mass
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Synesthesia. Colors. Art. Family. Friendship. Cats. School life. Loss.
Eye-opening book on a subject not widely understood. Very accessible and interesting.

Off*Beat - Volume 1
Jen Lee Quick
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Brooklyn. Teen boys. Renters. College students. Mothers. Private schools. Obsession. Mysteries.
An intriguing start to this new series.

Fire & Ash: Rising Stars - Volume 3
J. Michael Straczynski
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Superheroes. Politics. War on Drugs. Corruption. Talking with dead. Reform. Destruction. Hope.
Absolutely marvelous conclusion to this short series. I highly recommending these. I just love what the author did here.

Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro
Adult Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Future. Schools. Growing up. Friendship. Art. Caring. Cloning.
Another masterful work, from the author of Remains of the Day (a favorite of mine). Heartbreaking and lovely.

The Trouble with Poetry: And Other Poems
Billy Collins
Adult Poetry
Recommend?: Yes.
Contemplation. Everyday life. Poetry. Words. Observations. Country life.
I really enjoy BC's poetry, though many feel it is too direct and simplistic, I feel that is what gives it such honest charm.

Drama Kings: The Men Who Drive Strong Women Crazy
Dalma Heyn
Adult Non-Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Relationships. Personal growth. Strength. Sex roles.
I felt this was a good book in that it has a very positive focus…learn from what you are going through, and move on when it is wrong for you…you can't fix (and don't even want to try) every person who you have feels for.

Night Fisher
R. Kikuo Johnson
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Hawaii. Private schools. Academic pressure. Family. Drug abuse. Theft. Bad influences.
Good, but I'm not sure of how much teen appeal it has.

Wrecked
E.R. Frank
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Parties. Drinking. Accidents. Loss. Guilt. Family. Therapy. Recovery.
Excellent book on a tricky piece of emotional ground. Highly recommended.

Love Roma Volume 1
Minoru Toyoda
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Japan. Teens. Dating. Romance. Humor. Manga. Emotions.
There were some truly delightful moments in this one such as: (boy and girl set up blind on double date) Girl: Are you cool? Boy: 20% cooler than everyone else.

Rough Stuff (The Goon)
Eric Powell
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Thugs. Zombies. Secret identities. Covers. Sidekicks. Fights. Violence. Gore. Gangsters.
Good messy fun.

The Book of Illusions
Paul Auster
Adult Audiobook
Recommend?: Shrug.
Writers. Loss. Fear of flying. Silent films. Mysteries.
Not terrible, but I found it tedious, particularly on tape.

Marly's Ghost
David Levithan
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Re-mix of A Christmas Carol. Contemporary teens. School life. Romance. Friendship. Loss. Heartbreak. Healing. Love.
Lovely and fun.

Heaps of Ruination (Goon #03)
Eric Powell
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Thugs. Gangsters. Mad scientists. Monsters. Aliens. Zombies. Lost love. Vampires. Hell Boy.
Gross and fun.

Pyongyang
Guy Delisle
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
North Korea. Animators. Communism. Dictators. Repression. Travel.
An excellent observation on a country we don't really comprehend so well.

Art Photography Now
Adult Photography
Recommend?: Definitely!
Photography. Contemporary art. Portraits. Landscapes. Still life. Perspective.
Provocative, interesting, and cutting edge stuff. Very enjoyable. Really makes me want to get more skills in photography.

Catwoman: When in Rome
Jeph Loeb
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Catwoman. Batman. The Riddler. Italy. Gangsters. Secrets. Mysteries. Manipulation. Romance. Travel.
Lucious art and in intreguing story.

Teen Titans: Jam-Packed Action - Volume 1
Ben Abernathy
Tween Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Teen Titans. Superheros. Cartoons. Viruses.
Straight from TV.

The Prince of Tennis
Takeshi Konomi
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Tennis. Japan. Teen life. Middle school. Gifted atheletes. Friendship.
Pretty darn good…I can see why the teens are crazy for it.

Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest: A Photographic Encyclopedia of Invertebrates, Seaweeds and Selected Fishes
Andy Lamb
Adult Non-Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Sea life. Pacific Northwest. Photography. Variety. Diversity. Awe inspiring beauty.
A wonderful collection of information, writen with both humor and affection. A real treasure. This would be an excellent birthday present (hint hint). Makes me want to learn how to scuba even more.

Girl on Girl (Y: The Last Man #6)
Brian Vaughan
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Sci-fi. Submarines. Cruise ships. Monkeys. Drug smuggling. Lesbians.
I am still really enjoying this series.

Unearthly (Volume 1)
Ted Naifeh
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
High school. Romance. Crushes. Love triangles. Bullies. Aliens.
Intreguing beginning to a new series.

Lucian Freud: 1996-2005
Lucian Freud
Adult Non-Fiction
Recommend?: Shrug.
Portraiture. Paintings. Nudes. Celebrities.
I remember being very struck the first time I saw L.F.'s paintings, but the power I recall just isn't in this collection. Its not bad, but not quite what I was hoping for.

Roadstrips: A Graphic Journey Across America
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Short stories. Collections. Travel. Regional differences. Personal histories.
An enjoyable collection with a good variety of stories/authors. Nice for giving a variety of perspectives on what it means to live in America.

Archipelago: Portraits of Life in the World's Most Remote Island Sanctuary
Susan Middleton
Adult Photography
Recommend?: Definitely!
Sea life. Hawaii. Photography. Diversity. Beauty. Nature.
A marvelous collection of photos of sea life, plucked briefly from their homes. Well worth checking out.

The Book Thief
Markus Zusak
Adult Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
World War Two. Germany. Home front. Family. Friendship. Love. Secrets. Holocaust. Accordion players. Promises. Books. Writing. Death.
An amazing book, that I will carry close to my heart for a very long time. A beautiful tearjerker. Highly recommended.

Fables: Homelands (Volume 6)
Bill Willingham
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Folktales. Little Boy Blue. Jack. Gheppeto. Snow Queen. Hollywood. Tyrants.
A terrific series which I continue to fully enjoy.

David Goldblatt: Intersections
David Goldblatt
Adult Photography
Recommend?: Yes.
South Africa. Inequity. Pollution. Environmental damage. Municipal workers. Portraits.
Solid, eye-opening photography, that well documents a side of South Africa many people are completely unaware of.

I Luv Halloween (Volume 1)
Keith Giffen
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Halloween. Costumes. Violence. Gore. Candy. Malicious mischief.
Stomach turning and nasty. Not to my taste at all, and I normally like dark humor, but this was just gross.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Romance. NYC. Jersey kids. High school seniors. Heartbreak. Punk rock. Concerts. Clubs. Drag queens. Subways. Taxis. Music. Lyrics. Beginnings.
Delightful! Captures all the anticipation and trepidation of new relationships, and going out to see bands.

Yotsubato! (Volume 2)
Azuma Kiyohiko
Tween Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Short stories. Small children. Neighbors. Artists. Gangsters. Cake. Magic Markers. Swimming. Scary things. Vacations.
So cute! I adore this series.

Hidden Messages in Water
Masaru Emoto
Adult Non-Fiction
Recommend?: Shrug.
Science? Water. Crystals. Reactions. Emotions. Emoting. Energies. Change.
Hmmm. Not sure I buy into this stuff, but interesting, I suppose.

Locked Rooms
Laurie R. King
Adult Audiobook
Recommend?: Definitely!
Mary Russell mysteries - Volume 8. Sherlock Holmes. San Francisco. Repressed memories. Earthquakes. Dastardly plots. Dashiell Hammett. Chinatown. Feng Shui.
The series continues to be enjoyable, a great commuting listen.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Kate Dicamillo
Tween Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Toys. Rabbits. China dolls. Love. Loss. Friendship. Dogs. Hobos. Lonely grandparents. Dying children.
Lovely language, and a sweet enough message, but comes of as a bit cold.

Negima!: Magister Negi Magi (Volume 9)
Ken Akamatsu
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Manga. Japan. Schools. Magic.
I don't recommend coming into this in the middle. There are over 31 characters and it feels like a very crazy soap opera.

Chip Kidd: Book One -- Work: 1986-2006
Chip Kidd
Adult Non-Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Graphic design. Book covers. Art.
I had to return this book because it was threatening to suck up all of my precious free time. I could have read every little detail for hours. To discover that damned near all the book covers I've admired for ages were done by one person. I'm in awe. C.K. is now officially one of my favorite artists.