dirtylibrarian | December 2007 books

Old Boy (Volume 5)
Garon Tsuchiya
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Manga. Japan. Suspense. Psychological drama. Teachers. Writers. Deadly games.
Keeps up intrigue nicely.

Yotsuba&! (Volume 5)
Kiyohiko Azuma
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Manga. Children. Summer. Beaches. Ice cream. Star gazing. Neighbors. Jerks. Rain. Ramen.
I continue to adore this series.

Nana (Volume 7)
Ai Yazawa
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Bands. Fans. Roommates. Romance. Manipulation. Friendship. Manga. Japan.
A bit of a soap opera, but I'm hooked.

With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child (Volume 1)
Keiko Tobe
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Manga. Autism. Japan. Parenting. Struggle. Love. Patience. Judgment. Support.
Great story which will really help people understand autism and what families are going through.

Th1rteen R3asons Why
Jay Asher
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Suicide. Bullying. Sexual harassment. Parties. Rape. First love. Loss.
A bit emo, but a good read. Teens will eat this up.

Gothic (Batman)
Grant Morrison
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Serial killers. Monks. Cathedrals. Gotham City. Nuns. The mob.
As always Morrison provides an interesting twist on an institution, but overall it left me a bit cold.

House
Josh Simmons
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Teens. Exploration. Abandoned houses. Danger. Death.
Wordless, creepy and ultimately pretty depressing.

Treasures from the Kingdom of Fungi
Taylor F. Lockwood
Adult Photography
Recommend?: Definitely!
Mushrooms. Exploration. Travel.
Gorgeous pictures of amazing mushrooms. Highly recommended.

Gothic and Lolita
Masayuki Yoshinaga
Adult Photography
Recommend?: Yes.
Japan. Fashion. Lolitas. Goths. Creativity. Cyberpunk.
Fun look at inspirationally outlandish Japanese teens.

The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam
Ann Marie Fleming
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Memoirs. Relatives. Vaudeville. Family history. Interracial marriage. Travel. Migration.
Excellent and amazing story of how family legends become lost and then found again.

Chance in Hell
Gilbert Hernandez
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Poverty. Homeless children. Rape. Survival. Prostitutes. Murder. Trauma. Nuns. Tar pits.
Dark, disturbing and quite good story about some of the forgotten and uncared for children of the world.

Jack of Hearts (Jack of Fables - Volume 2)
Bill Willingham
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Legends. Fairy tales. Snow Queen. Las Vegas. Sex. Revenge. Luck. Schemes.
Fun spin off, but not quite as good as Fables.

Ronald Reagan: A Graphic Biography
Andrew J. Helfer
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Actors. Politics. Red Scare. Unions. Cold War. Economics. Alzheimer's.
Informative and reasonably entertaining.

Skater Girl (Babymouse - Volume 7)
Jennifer L. Holm
Kids Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Skating. Hard work. Training. Rivals. Friendship. Cupcakes.
Cute as ever, with some small lesson.

Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow
Faiza Guene
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
France. Immigrants. Moroccans. Social workers. Projects. Racism. Family. Friendship.
Solid perspective on immigrant and teen life challenges.

A Long Way Down
Nick Hornby
Adult Audiobook
Recommend?: Yes.
Suicide. England. Depression. Infidelity. Musicians. Caretakers. Lost sisters. Friendship. Support. Humor.
Not his best, but a good audio production and great for the commute.

Dream Sequence (Finder - Volume 5)
Carla Speed McNeil
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Virtual realities. Dreams. Sleep depravation. Corporations. Science fiction.
More great stuff from my new favorite series.

Heartbreaker (Babymouse - Volume 5)
Jennifer L. Holm
Kids Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Mice. Valentines Day. School. Dances.
I'm getting a little tired of these. Probably because I am not eight.

Cut Here (Crossing Midnight - Volume 1)
Mike Carey
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Japan. Supernatural fantasy. Horror. Gangsters. Twins. Swords.
Sometimes I really like Carey's stuff, but this left me pretty cold.

Camp Babymouse (Babymouse - Volume 6)
Jennifer L. Holm
Kids Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Mice. Camp.
Yeah, I'm done with these.

Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together (Scott Pilgrim - Volume 4)
Bryan Lee O'Malley
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Slackers. Bands. Fighting. Video games. Toronto. Dating. Jobs. Exes.
Ok, so it is a bit ridiculous, but lots of fun. And the video game parts are hilarious.

Tithe
Holly Black
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Fairies. Contemporary fantasy. Trailer parks. Rocker moms. Romance. Death. Changelings.
Great concept, a bit choppy in execution.

Aqua (Volume 1)
Kozue Amano
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Science fiction. Mars. Gondoliers. Cats. Girls. Floods.
Sorta cute and quiet. I won't be following up for more.

Mystery Date (Finder - Volume 6)
Carla Speed McNeil
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Science fiction/fantasy. Prostitutes. Students. Crushes. Culture clashes. Mating rituals. Sex.
Delightful.

Run, Bong-Gu, Run!
Byun Byung-Jun
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Korea. Homelessness. Depression. Lost fathers. Family. Friendship.
Sweet, though depressing.

I Killed Adolf Hitler
Jason
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Hit men. Relationship. Time travel. Hitler.
Fun, if odd.

The Troll Witch and Others (Hellboy - Volume 7)
Mike Mignola
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Supernatural. Monsters. Witches. Time travel. Spells. Africa. Folklore. Short stories.
Fun collection of works mostly previously published elsewhere.

Head (American Virgin - Volume 1)
Steven T. Seagle
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Evangelists. Virginity pledges. Terrorism. Vengeance. Africa. Masturbation.
Pretty decent. Interested to see where they go with it.

Shooting War
Anthony Lappe
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Iraq War. Speculative fiction. Journalists. Bloggers. Dan Rather. Terrorists. News.
Will be interesting to see how this one ages, as it only takes place 3 years in the future. Good stuff.

The Saga of Bloody Benders (Treasury of Victorian Murder)
Rick Geary
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Serial killers. Pioneers. Homesteaders. Families. Unsolved mysteries.
Solid, as usual.

December 2007 books

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