August 2006 books

[dirtylibrarian]

King Dork
Frank Portman
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Awkwardness. Bands. Band names. Musicians. High school. Mysteries. Conspiracies. Death. Family. Sex. Catcher in the Rye.
Excellent book. Highly entertaining, and heartfelt. For anyone whose ever felt persecuted or out of it.

Iron West
Doug Tennapel
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Old West. Train robbers. Romance. Robots. Gamblers. Sasquatch. Native Americans. Mining. Aliens. Adventure.
Very odd and very fun.

Afterworks 2
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Short stories. Animators. Evil rabbits and frogs. Romance. Drug runners. War. Musicians.
Visually lush and pleasing collection, but with sometimes weak stories.

Lowji Discovers America
Candace Fleming
Kids Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Immigration. India. Illinois. Family. Pets. Landlords. Bowling. Friendship.
Very cute book.

Vimanarama
Grant Morrison
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
England. End of the world. Superpowers. East Indians. Romance. Death. Salvation.
Excellent illustrations, but sadly weak plot.

The Rabbi's Cat
Joann Sfar
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Cats. Jews. Algiers. Paris. Romance. Supernatural. Faith. Lions.
Great graphic novel. I really like Sfar's style.

Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time
Lisa Yee
Tween Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Jocks. Summer school. Basketball. Middle school. Friendship. Family. Chinese-Americans. Romance.
Delightful companion to Millicent Min Girl Genius. I love both of these books.

Abandoned (Volume 1)
Ross Campbell
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Zombies. South. Orphans. Death. Friendship. Lesbians. Romance. Elderly. Survival.
Great art, but super gory and depressing. Felt a bit pointless.

Gossamer
Lois Lowry
Kids Audiobook
Recommend?: Yes.
Dreams. Nightmares. Abused families. Foster homes. Dogs. Elderly women. Imagination. Nightmares. Supernatural creatures.
Lovely little book about the value of dreams. Imaginative.

Tsubasa - Reservoir Chronicles (Volume 8)
Clamp
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Fantasy. Travelers. Quests. Groups. Creatures. Strange worlds. Japan.
Not bad, but I don't recommend picking up in the middle of the series.

Nashville Radio: Art, Writings, and Music with CD
Jon Langford
Adult Non-Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Art. Music. Cowboys. Country. Punk. Paintings. Songs.
I'm a fan of Langford, and found this to a nice overview of his work, with a good cd, too.

Nothin' But Misery (Goon - Volume 1)
Eric Powell
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Thugs. Fights. Zombies. Gangsters. Santa. Magicians. Werewolves. Monsters.
Fun fun fun.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Scott Pilgrim - Volume 2)
Bryan Lee Omalley
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Hipsters. Slackers. Fights. Dating. Evil ex-boyfriends. Bands. Canada. Romance. Drama. Fantasy.
This is a strange series, but it is really growing on me. Like a mix between a soap opera and a video game.

Sardine in Outer Space (Volume 1)
Emmanuel Guibert
Kids Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Space. Pirates. Orphans. Grandmothers. Villains. Gyms. Aliens. Bats. Swimming. Clouds. Virtual reality. Squids. Dancing. Short stories.
Silly fun.

Wizard of Oz
L. Frank Baum
Kids Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Fantasy. Kansas. Dogs. Lions. Flying monkeys. Witches. Talking mice. Dreams.
A nice adaptation.

Autobiography of My Dead Brother
Walter Dean Myers
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Harlem. Friendship. Family. Gangs. Shootings. Violence. Artists. Loss.
Compelling read with real voice.

The Future Is Now (Teen Titans - Volume 4)
Mark Waid
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Massive team-ups. Revived villains. Friendship. Romance.
Superhero overstimuli.

The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs
Jack Gantos
Teen Audiobook
Recommend?: Yes.
Creepy twins. Taxidermy. Mother love. Small towns. Curses. Pharmacies. Weather.
Morbid, dark, and strange. I'm still not sure what I think of this one.

Nodame Cantabile (Volume 1)
Tomoko Ninomiya
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Romance. Musicians. School. Piano. Conducting. Cooking. Japan. Slobs.
Very cute and funny.

Nodame Cantabile (Volume 2)
Tomoko Ninomiya
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Romance. Musicians. School. Piano. Conducting. Cooking. Japan. Slobs. Holidays. Tymphony. Contests. Dirty old men.
Most enjoyable.

Nodame Cantabile (Volume 3)
Tomoko Ninomiya
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Romance. Musicians. School. Piano. Conducting. Cooking. Japan. Slobs. Exams. Performances.
A most likable manga.

Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness (Scott Pilgrim - Volume 3)
Bryan Lee O'Malley
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Bands. Musicians. Canadians. Ex-girlfriends. Fighting. Rivals. Performances.
So fun and silly.

My Murderous Childhood and Other Grievous Yarns (Goon - Volume 2)
Eric Powell
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Thugs. Monsters. Origin stories. Spiders. Sea hags. Zombies. Pies. Robots. Evil scientists.
Somewhat gross at times, but always entertaining and great art.

Meow Baby
Jason
Adult Comic
Recommend?: Yes.
Mummies. Cavemen. Elvis. Vampires. Aliens. Skeletons. Angels. Devils. Humor.
Great stuff, but too much sex for the teen area, I suspect.

13 Little Blue Envelopes
Maureen Johnson
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Letters. Travel. Europe. Backpacks. Braids. Playwrites. Artists. Aunts. Loss.
Entertaining and satisfying. Most enjoyable.

War Fix
Steve Olexa
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Journalists. War. Addiction. Action.
Interesting book that does seem to capture some people's fascination with war.

Shenzhen: A Travelogue from China
Guy Delisle
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Artists. Cartoons. Animation. China. Food. Foreign cultures. Language barriers. Communism. Society. Travel.
Delisle always provides an interesting insight into places he writes about.

Shadow Rock
Jeremy Love
Kids Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Ghosts. Curses. Witches. Family secrets. Grief. School. Bullies. Friendship.
Cute graphic novel which would be well suited to 3rd-5th graders.

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
Michael Pollan
Adult Audiobook
Recommend?: Definitely!
Food. Quandaries. Farming. Marketing. Industry. Organics. Hunting. Gathering. Cooking.
Excellent book any concerned foodie will love.

Love Roma (Volume 3)
Minoru Toyoda
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Romance. Japan. School. Dating. Summer vacation. Jobs. Family. Amusement parks. Honesty.
I really love this series. So sweet, and true.

Flight (Volume 3)
Kazu Kibuishi
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Short stories. Art. Monsters. Lemmings. War. Fairies. Romance. Absurdity. Identity. Friendship. Humor.
Gorgeous art...a lovely read.

Futurama: The Time Bender Trilogy
Matt Groening
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Time travel. Robots. Humor. TV tie-ins. Monsters. Greek gods. Aliens. School. Dinosaurs.
Goofy fun, but not great.

Spiral-Bound
Aaron Renier
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Talking animals. Small towns. Artists. Journalists. Monsters. Mysteries. Friends. Bands. Family. Secrets.
Fun and innovative graphic novel, with lovely design.

Arabian Nights (and Days) (Fables - Volume 7)
Bill Willingham
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Fairy tales. NYC. Hidden societies. Iraq. War. D'jinn. Wooden soldiers. Romance. Espionage.
Excellent series, both thoughtful and wildly entertaining.

Cryptozoo Crew (Volume 1)
Jerry Carr
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: No.
Monsters. Marriage. Trouble. Giant squid. Yeti. Monkeys. Travel.
Interesting enough premise, but relies too much on lame gender stereotypes.

Nodame Cantabile (Volume 4)
Tomoko Ninomiya
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Romance. Musicians. School. Piano. Conducting. Japan. Summer vacation. Seminars. Mysteries. Romance. Secret pasts.
Very fun, though I find the depiction of the gay character weird.

Demo
Brian Wood
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Short stories. Change. Powers. Life. Challenges. Hardship. Romance. Heartbreak. Friendship. Family. War. Suicide. Dead end jobs.
I started out loving this collection, but it when it became clear the stories weren't going to lead anywhere or connect, I was disappointed.

Nodame Cantabile (Volume 5)
Tomoko Ninomiya
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Music. College. Friendship. Conducting. Piano. Festivals. Mongoose costume. Opera. Inspiration. Humor. Romance.
I really enjoy this series, and the slow development of its characters. Good stuff.

Dragon Rider
Cornelia Funke
Teen Audiobook
Recommend?: Yes.
Dragons. Brownies. Adventure. Travel. Survival. Human infestation. Alchemists. Friendship. Mythical creature.
A great fantasy adventure for the middle school set.

Moomin Book One: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip
Tove Jansson
Adult Comic
Recommend?: Yes.
Comic strips. Finland. Trolls. Pirates. Friendship. Family. Adventure. Home. Romance. Greed. French Riviera. Fantasy.
Fun old comic strip that adults will probably enjoy more than kids.

Sex Kittens and Horn Dawgs Fall in Love
Maryrose Wood
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Romance. High school. Crushes. Science projects. Private schools. Friendship. Family. Step-siblings. NYC.
Voice of narrator is so authentic that it is a bit annoying, but overall the book is sweet and fun, and would be a good romance read for younger teen girls.

Destiny Calling (Wonder Woman - Volume 4)
George Perez
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Amazons. Murder. Mysteries. Gods. Greece. America. Monsters. Childhood memories. Friendship. Family.
Very 80s. Not bad, if you are into Greek Mythology.

The Ticking
Renee French
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Birth defects. Islands. Fathers and sons. Surgery. Hotels. Stuffed animals. Masks. Loss. Death.
Creepy and odd. Can't help but think I could write a better book.

Sloth
Gilbert Hernandez
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Comas. Bands. Friendship. Romance. Family. Lemon trees. Goat monsters. Urban legends. Escape. Abandonment. High school.
Good stuff!