May 2007 books

[dirtylibrarian]

Nana (Volume 3)
Ai Yazawa
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Manga. Japan. Young women. Living away from home. Bands. Jobs. Roommates. Friendship. Betrayal.
I love this series.

Nana (Volume 4)
Ai Yazawa
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Manga. Japan. Young women. Concerts. Lost loves. Fans.
Still great.

March on War (Ex Machina - Volume 4)
Brian K. Vaughn
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
NYC. Politics. War. Protests. Terrorists. Revenge. Animals. Communications. Super powers.
Another great series.

Mail (Volume 1)
Housui Yamazaki
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Manga. Japan. Supernatural. Ghosts. Murder.
Spooky, but a bit repetitive.

De: Tales: Stories from Urban Brazil
Fabio Moon
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Short stories. Twins. Brazil. Romance. Ghosts. Missed opportunities.
An interesting little collection, with an exotic flavor. Enjoyable.

Old Boy (Volume 1)
Garon Tsuchiya
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Manga. Japan. Suspense. Mysteries. Abduction. Imprisonment.
Very intriguing!

Dead High Yearbook
Ivan Velez
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Horror. High school. Death. Evil. Jealousy. Zombies. Vampires. Gore.
Great production values, but overall disappointing.

Pretties
Scott Westerfeld
Teen Audiobook
Recommend?: Yes.
Science fiction. Appearance. Vanity. Control of the masses. Plastic surgery. Escape. Survival. Friendship. Love. Betrayal.
Series continues to be exciting and fun.

Take the Cannoli: Stories from the New World
Sarah Vowell
Adult Non-Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Essays. American life. Guns. Road trips. Native Americans. History. Montana. NYC. Chicago. Band geeks.
Very enjoyable reads.

Vanishing Seattle
Clark Humphrey
Adult Non-Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Seattle. History. Lost landmarks. Old chains. Former local celebrities. Advertising. Regional products. Photography.
Wonderful collection of informatively captioned photos to give any Seattle lover a great sense of history.

Runaway
Wendelin Van Draanen
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Runaways. Orphans. Foster care. Abuse. Drug addicted parents. Dogs. Survival. Travel. Writing. Journals. Poetry.
Heartfelt, sad, and truthful story about life on the street, suitable for middle school students.

Dr. Slump (Volume 1)
Akira Toriyama
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Manga. Japan. Inventors. Androids. Fantasy. Time travel. Humor.
Amusing, but a weird mix of innocence and more adult humor (at least by American standards).

The Heart's Desire (The Walking Dead - Volume 4)
Robert Kirkman
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Zombies. Prisons. Survival. Ruthlessness. Betrayal. Family. Friendship. Passion. Desperation.
Continues to be an intense and thought provoking series, about just what would it be like to survive a zombie apocalypse.

The Book of Light
Lucille Clifton
Adult Poetry
Recommend?: Yes.
History. African Americans. Family. Religion. Abuse. Rebirth.
A lovely collection.

Nodame Cantabile (Volume 6)
Tomoko Ninomiya
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
College. Music schools. Piano players. Chocolate. Crushes. Orchestras. Family.
I really love this series.

Nodame Cantabile (Volume 7)
Tomoko Ninomiya
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Piano lessons. Crushes. Competitions. Orchestra rehearsals. Oboe players. Hype. Songwriting.
Still terrific.

Nodame Cantabile (Volume 8)
Tomoko Ninomiya
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Concerts. Soloists. Orchestras. Food. Inspiration. Hypnosis. Contests. Rivals. Friendship.
Any orchestra geek should love this.

28 Days Later: The Aftermath
Steve Niles
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Spin-offs. Viruses. England. Survival. Rage. Revenge.
Didn't feel like it added much to the movie…felt more like a commercial for the sequel.

Peaches
Jodi Lynn Anderson
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Friendship. Georgia. Orchards. Hard work. Summer. Romance. Divorce.
Nice high school level chic-lit.

Theories of Everything: Selected, Collected, and Health-Inspected Cartoons, 1978-2006
Roz Chast
Adult Non-Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Humor. Cartoons. New Yorker. City life. Family. Marriage. Humanity.
Delightful collection. Great quirky looks at the world.

Smoke, Smoke (Ex Machina - Volume 5)
Brian K. Vaughan
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
NYC. Crime fighters. Mayors. War on drugs. Intruders. Betrayal. Friendship.
Terrific series for adult readers. Can't wait for the movie!

Reign (Spider-Man)
Kaare Andrews
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Old age. Grief. Regret. Aliens. Evil. Totalitarian societies. Revolution. Rebirth.
Excellent new angle on Spidey story, with awesome art.

Old Boy (Volume 2)
Garon Tsuchiya
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Manga. Mysteries. Chinese food. Romance. Horseracing. Lost love. Revenge.
Very compelling series. Can't wait to read the next one.

The Medusa Key (Ferro City - Volume 1)
Jason Armstrong
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Black and white. Noir. Science fiction. Detectives. Robots. Murder.
Not bad, but sometimes hard to see what is going on.

The Gospel According to RFK
Robert F. Kennedy
Adult Non-Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Speeches. Quotes. Presidential campaigns. Grief. Leadership. Inspiration.
Inspiring, and a bit depressing. I really like the way he thought and evolved.

Return to Barrow (30 Days of Night)
Steve Niles
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Vampires. Alaska. Family. Revenge. Winter. Guns. Slaughter. Sequels.
Very cool art, but an uninspired sequel.

The Secrets of Peaches
Jodi Lynn Anderson
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Friendship. Mothers. Romance. Escape. Sexuality. Misunderstandings. Loss. Change. Hard choices.
Satisfying sequel with realistic struggles of high school girls.