May 2010 Books Read

[dirtylibrarian]

The Girl Who Played with Fire
Stieg Larsson
Adult Audiobook
Recommend?: Yes.
Sweden. Thrillers. Secrets. Hackers. Assassins. Revenge. Friendship.
Solid continuation of first book, but not strong enough to stand on its own.

Very LeFreak
Rachel Cohn
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
College. Free spirits. Parties. Programmers. Flash mobs. Identity. Technology addition.
Interesting read for mature teens and post-teens. Possibly a bit too preachy and psychoanalytic.

Orientation (Gunnerkrigg Court - Volume One)
Tom Siddell
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Webcomics. Boarding schools. Supernatural. Fantasy. Dark secrets. Demons. Robots. Friendship.
Not the most solid story arc, but cute and entertaining.

Not Simple
Natsume Ono
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Isolation. Family. Australia. NYC. London. Mysteries. Siblings. Prostitution.
Different, but awfully depressing.

Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table
Ruth Reichl
Adult Non-Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Food. Childhood. Boarding school. Fine food. Dating. Cooking. Courtship. Art. Marriage.
Re-read for book club. Still delightful.

Foiled
Jane Yolen
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Fencing. High school. Friendship. Crushes. NYC. Fantasy. Adventure. Secrets.
Fun, with great art.

Mercury
Hope Larson
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Canada. Family. History. Romance. Mysteries. Treasure.
Very good, though unlikely to find widespread popularity with teens.

Love Sonnets
Garrison Keillor
Adult Poetry
Recommend?: Definitely!
Poetry. Romance. Sex. Affection. Care. Midwest.
Not amazing, but incredibly sincere, heartfelt and surprisingly sexy.

Thud
Terry Pratchett
Adult Audiobook
Recommend?: Definitely!
Police. Fathers. Trolls. Dwarfs. Grudges. Revenge. History. Art. Mysteries.
Of all the Discworld threads, the Watch ones with Same Vimes are my favorites.

Smile
Raina Telgemeier
Tween Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Braces. Accidents. School. Friendship. Dentists. Crushes. Family.
Absolutely delightful.

The Man in the High Castle
Philip K. Dick
Adult Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Alternative history. World War Two. San Francisco. Authors. I Ching. Road trips.
Good, but not my favorite of his.

The Color of Earth
Dong Hwa Kim
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Korea. Childhood. Innocence. Widows. Small towns. Curiosity.
Beautiful, revealing and real.

The Color of Water
Dong Hwa Kim
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Korea. Adolescence. Mothers and daughters. Blossoming sexuality. Crushes. Flirtations.
Sensual and frank.

The Color of Heaven
Dong Hwa Kim
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Korea. Courtship. Mothers and daughters. Sex. Marriage.
Cool insight into the life of women in pre-technological countryside Korea.

Zeitoun
Dave Eggers
Adult Audiobook
Recommend?: Definitely!
Immigrants. New Orleans. Katrina. Family. Survival. Homeland Security. Prison. Recovery.
Very human look at Katrina, humanity, and flawed systems.

Happyface
Stephen Emond
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Family. Dating. Trauma. Divorce. Alcoholism. New schools. Crushes. Omissions. Friendship. Obsession. Healing. Cartoons.
Very emotional guy book, that teens will relate to. Like Perks of Being a Wallflower for slightly younger teens.

Dirty Little Secrets
C.J. Omololu
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Hoarders. Mental Illness. Mothers. Death. Loss. Fear. Friendship. Deception.
Riveting teen read, but I'm not sure I approve of the ending.

Not Becoming My Mother: And Other Things She Taught Me Along the Way
Ruth Reichl
Adult Non-Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Mothers. Daughters. Freedom. Choices. Mental illness. Frustration. Gifts. Hope. Lessons learned.
Nice, but not as good as her foodie stuff.

Other Lives
Peter Bagge
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Online life. Identity. Affairs. Gambling. Lies. Marriage. Family. Story. Virtual reality.
Interesting and odd, but unsatisfying.


I Kill Giants
Joe Kelly
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Troubled tweens. Fantasy. Family. Fear. Missing fathers. Outbursts. D&D. Violence. Councilors. Cancer.
Great stuff, but will have trouble finding a teen audience.