February 2007 books

[dirtylibrarian]

Ophelia
Lisa M. Klein
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Shakespeare retelling. Hamlet. Strong girls. Education. Denmark. Nunneries.
Great historical fiction about what would have happened if Ophelia faked her death. Beautiful and well done!

Cupcake
Rachel Cohn
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Post-high school. NYC. Family. San Francisco. Friendship. Coffee. Baking. Small businesses.
I find this series to be a strange combination of enrapturing and frustrating. I think it is because the author does such a good job of showing a young adult who really hasn't figured things out yet.

Garage Band
Gipi
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Bands. Teens. France. Rehearsal space. Music. Crime. Parents. Frustration.
Nice, slightly gritty, and arty. Would appeal to people in bands and older teen boys.

The Dreaming (Volume 2)
Queenie Chan
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Australia. Boarding schools. Mysteries. Outback. Fog. Missing persons. Twins. Horror.
This series gives me chills. Should appeal to teen girls.

The Plain Janes
Cecil Castellucci
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Big city life. Bombings. Fear. Small town life. High school. Outcasts. Friendship. Art. Subversives. Romance.
Great stuff…I can't wait to read more in this line.

Exit Wounds
Rutu Modan
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Israel. Fathers. Taxi drivers. Bombings. Family. Missing persons. Romance. Secrets. Frustration.
Enjoyable glimpse at life in Israel, with a particularly great last panel.

Libraries
Candida Höfer
Adult Photography
Recommend?: Definitely!
Libraries. Photography. Architecture.
Gorgeous, though often lonely, photography of a variety of libraries. Some of them are just stunning. Sexy.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
John Boyne
Tween Fiction
Recommend?: Shrug.
Germany. World War Two. Innocence. Holocaust. Children. Loneliness. Obliviousness. Family. Friendship.
While I really wanted to like this book, I couldn't believe the main character was as old as he was supposed to be, and I hated the ending. Bah.

Beach Babe (Babymouse - Volume 3)
Jennifer and Matt Holm
Kids Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Mice. Summer. Vacation. Beaches. Baby brothers. Fun.
Very cute.

Rock Star (Babymouse - Volume 4)
Jennifer and Matt Holm
Kids Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Mice. Music. Flute. Band. Fantasies. Bullies. Last chair. Practice.
Cute, as always.

Twisted
Laurie Halse Anderson
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
High school. Family. Bullies. Anger. Identity. Pressure. Choices.
Probably the best book I've read yet this year. Her best in years.

Aya
Marguerite Abouet
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Africa. Teen girls. Dating. Trouble. Dancing. Marriage. Friendship. Family.
Charming look at teen life in the Ivory Coast during the late 70s.

Samurai Shortstop
Alan Gratz
Teen Audiobook
Recommend?: Definitely!
Japan. Historical fiction. Boarding schools. Suicide. Bushido. Baseball. Friendship.
Great mix of genres, and a fascinating read. I feel like I learned from the book.

You Suck: A Love Story
Christopher Moore
Adult Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Vampires. San Francisco. Romance. Teen Goths. Homeless people. Huge cats. Humor.
Not great lit, but very fun read.

Stuck in the Middle: 17 Comics from an Unpleasant Age
Jim Hoover
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Middle school. Misery. Friendship. Betrayal. Awkwardness. Fashion. Romance. Cliques. Popularity. Biography.
Cool collection with indy feel, yet appropriate for middle schoolers to actually read.

On This Earth: Photographs from East Africa
Nick Brandt
Adult Photography
Recommend?: Yes.
Africa. Animals. Landscapes. Black and white photography.
Excellent for giving a sense of place and personality.

The Truth about Stacey (Baby-Sitters Club Graphix - Volume 2)
Raina Telgemeier
Tween Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Friendship. Babysitting. Kids. Small towns. Diabetes. Rival businesses. Good work. Family.
Continues to be an excellent series. I love what the artist can do with facial expressions.

Destination Art
Amy Dempsey
Adult Non-Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Sculpture. Parks. Outside art. Photography. Travel.
Very cool. Shows hundreds of amazing places in the world where you can see odd and great art out of doors.

Hipshot: One-Handed, Auto-Focus Photographs by a Master Photographer
Ken Heyman
Adult Photography
Recommend?: Yes.
Black and white. Winging it. NYC. People.
Very cool look at how a photographer experiments with a style that forces him to be less controlling, and look at things in a new way.

Henry Wessel: California and the West/ Odd Photos/ Las Vegas/ Real Estate Photographs/ Night Walk
Henry Wessel
Adult Photography
Recommend?: Yes.
Black and white photography. Houses. Night. Interiors. Color photography.
Stark and lonesome, but worth looking at.

Inside Job
Connie Willis
Adult Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Skeptics. Hollywood. Actresses. Psychics. H.L. Mencken. Journalists.
Fun novella!

Wolves (Fables - Volume 8)
Bill Willingham
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Wolves. Romance. Outcasts. Families. Wind. Manhunts. Pack mentality. Alaska. Quests. War. Weddings.
I adore this series. Anyone who loves gritty HBO series, could love this comic.