April 2009 books

[dirtylibrarian]

When You Are Engulfed in Flames
David Sedaris
Adult Audiobook
Recommend?: Yes.
Short stories. Family. France. Japan. Smoking. NYC.
Enjoyable, though not as consistently solid as some of his other collections.

B.P.M.: Beats Per Minute
Paul Sizer
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
D.J.s. Urban life. Spinning. Art. Sacrifice. Parties. Music. Fashion. Nightclubs. Fame.
Very fun, and catches the visual sensibility of the scene quite nicely. Wish it came with a cd!

I Saw You...: Comics Inspired by Real-Life Missed Connections
ed. Julia Wertz
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Short stories. Romance. Dreamers. Coffee shops. Public transportation. Comics.
Great concept, disappointing execution.

False Faces (Batman)
Brian K. Vaughan
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Batman. Wonder Woman. Gotham City. Undercover investigations. Ventriloquists. Mental illness. Superheroes.
Ok, but not great. I had higher hopes for this author.

Why I Killed Peter
Alfred
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Memories. Childhood. Hippies. Priests. Camps. Abuse. Trauma. Writing. Healing. Confrontation.
Well done, though the title is a bit misleading.

Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature
Robin Brande
Teen Audiobook
Recommend?: Definitely!
High school. Religion. Science. Faith. Friendship. Mean people. Family. Puppies. Romance.
Delightful audiobook, with lots for teens to chew on. Great portrayal of religious non-extremist teen.

Beastly
Alex Flinn
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Fairy tales. High school. Romance. Surfaces. NYC. Witches. Roses.
A bit predictable, but enjoyable overall.

Small-Minded (Irredeemable Ant-Man - Volume 2)
Robert Kirkman
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Liars. Thieves. Super-heroes. Hulk. Ms. Marvel. Romance? Redemption. Lies.
Some heroes are really big jerks.

The Drift (Rasl - Volume 1)
Jeff Smith
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Science fiction. Thieves. Parallel universes. Science gone bad. Prostitutes. Fine art. Assassins.
Intriguing beginning Nice to see new work from Jeff Smith!

Tales from Outer Suburbia
Shaun Tan
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Short stories. Fantasy. Australia. Weirdness.
Great little pieces, but will be challenging finding the correct audience for this one.

Gert Garibaldi's Rants and Raves: One Butt Cheek at a Time
Amber Kizer
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Outspoken girls. High school. Gay best friends. Crushes. Elderly parents. Drivers ed. Embarrassment Homecoming. Sweet 16.
Fun, and surprisingly racy.

America
Zoe Strauss
Adult Photography
Recommend?: Yes.
Portraits. Landscapes. Abstracts. Ghettos. Dilapidated signage. Drugs. Scars. Poverty.
Solid collection. Makes me want to take more photos.

Air Vol. 1: Letters from Lost Countries
G. Willow Wilson
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Air travel. Stewardesses. Terrorists. Conspiracies. Romance. Mysteries. Maps. Magic. Fantasy.
Strange, action packed and very intriguing. Looking forward to seeing where this one goes.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
Max Brooks
Adult Audiobook
Recommend?: Definitely!
Fiction. Oral histories. Zombies. World politics. Culture. Dogs. Survival. Survivors. Humanity. War.
Absolutely delightful. Great audiobook, but unfortunately abridged. I recommend listening to it anyways, and reading the missing bits from the book.