November 2008 books

[dirtylibrarian]

Shall We Dance?
Brian Lanker
Adult Photography
Recommend?: Yes.
Dance. Photography. Portraits. Expression.
Lovely collection of photos.

Bad Sex: We Did It, So You Won't Have To
Nerve.com
Adult Short Stories
Recommend?: Yes.
Short stories. Sex. Catastrophes.
If you are feeling at all bad about your sex life (or lack thereof) this might cheer you up.

The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need
Daniel H. Pink
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Career guidance. Manga.
Interesting concept. Seems like solid enough advice.

Ruby Lu, Brave and True
Lenore Look
Kids Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Chinese-Americans. Baby brothers. Knitting fathers. Chinese school. Chicken feet. Immigrant relatives. Seattle.
Very sweet and fun. I found it very refreshing.

The Alcoholic
Jonathan Ames
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Writers. Thinly veiled autobiographies. Alcoholism. Loss. Depression. Love. Fear. Family.
Very good, honest work.

Jellaby
Kean Soo
Kids Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Monsters. Social outcasts. Bullies. Sneaking around. Fantasy. Missing fathers.
Cute and well done.

My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down
David Heatley
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Autobiography. Sex. Memoirs. Racism. Family. Dating. Friendship. Mother. Father. Birth.
A bit overwhelming to read in one sitting, but interesting enough.

The Hot Zone Club (Army @ Love Volume 1)
Rick Veitch
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
War. Afghanistan. Incentives. Thrill seekers. Shady dealings. Magicians. Sex. Betrayal. Corporations. Hypnosis.
Raunchy adult story of commercialization and sexualization of war. Fun stuff, though disturbing in its possibilities.

Cycler
Lauren McLaughlin
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Fantasy. Hormones. Transformation. Gender. Romance. Bisexuality. High school. Oppressive parents.
Fun and thought provoking. Plus first teen book I've read with a girl with a bisexual boyfriend.

Coraline
Neil Gaiman and P. Craig Russell
Tween Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Horror. Only children. Preoccupied parents. Parallel dimensions. Mice. Cats. Buttons.
Absolutely delightful interpretation. A+.

Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything
Lenore Look
Kids Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Chinese-Americans. Immigration. Cousins. Summer school. Swimming lessons. Seattle.
Very cute, yet meaningful and sweet. Great for early chapter book readers.

Rits
Mariken Jongman
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Dutch teenagers. Parents. Separation. Uncles. Video cameras. Cooking. Friendship. Emotions.
Not bad. Fun glimpse at teen life in another country.

Translucent (Volume 1)
Kazuhiro Okamoto
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Manga. Japan. Teens. Romance. Supernatural. Invisibility. Acting.
Cute enough, but mostly unsatisfying examination of teen identity.

In Odd We Trust
Dean Koontz
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: No.
Small towns. Child murderers. Police. Detectives. Fry cooks. Psychics.
Deviated from the book in too many ways, and just sucked plot wise. Very disappointing.

The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service (Volume 7)
Eiji Otsuka
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Supernatural. Crimes. Ghosts. Japan. Parents. Movie sets. Mysteries. Robot-zombies.
Creepy, but fun.