October 2011 books

[dirtylibrarian]

Empire State: A Love Story (or Not)
Jason Shiga
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Friendship. Roadtrips. Dead end jobs. Ennui. Long distance. Buses. Surprises. NYC.
Sweet and enjoyable enough, though I constantly found myself worrying about the characters' posture.

Hopeless Savages Greatest Hits (Volume 1)
Jen Van Meter
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Family. Punk rockers. Mysteries. Friendship. Romance. Violence. School. International travel. Music.
I just find this series delightful.

Dead to the World (izombie - Volume 1)
Chris Roberson
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Zombies. Wereterriers. Ghosts. Supernatural. Vampires. Mummies. Romance.
Yet another book trying to make zombies sexy. Bleh.

Gingerbread Girl
Paul Tobin
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Portland. Dating. Emotional detachment. Teases.
Sweet and fun, with great art. Lacked emotional closure I hoped for.

Term Limits (Ex Machina - Volume 10)
Brian K. Vaughan
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
NYC. Politics. Superheroes.
Not all that, if I read it in January and couldn't remember it.

What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures
Malcolm Gladwell
Adult Audiobook
Recommend?: Yes.
Essays. New perspectives.
Always nice to hear Gladwell read. Prefer his books, where he has expanded on many of these ideas.

Five Quarters of the Orange
Joanne Harris
Adult Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
World War 2. France. Small towns. Occupation. Family. Mental illness. Black market. Food. Cooking. Secrets.
A tense and heartbreaking read, with lots of tasty sounding food.

Dead Man's Knock (Unwritten - Volume 3)
Mike Carey
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Authors. Fathers and sons. Conspiracies. Fantasy. Fans. Boy wizards. London. Magic.
Continues to be interesting and entertaining, but I wouldn’t say I love it.

Hallorave (King of the Flies - Volume 1)
Pirus
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Suburbia. Drugs. Sex. Darkness. Costumes. Violence.
Beautiful in its way, but dark and depressing. Definitely some big Charles Burns influence.

The Guild
Felicia Day
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Geeks. Fantasy. Escapes. Friendship. Dead end jobs. Frustration. Dating. Video games. Humor. Web based shows.
Silly and fun. Makes me want to check out the show.

Fist Stick Knife Gun: A Personal History of Violence
Geoffrey Canada
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Violence. NYC. African Americans. Childhood. Innocence. Corruption. Safety. Fear. Family. Education.
Tough read, but well illustrated.

I for Imagine
Marc Riboud
Adult Photography
Recommend?: Yes.
Black and White photography. Travel. People. Alphabet books for adults.
Lovely collection.

Strange Tales II
Various
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Indie comics. Marvel heroes and villains. Mash ups.
Very weird and entertaining.

No Way Out (Walking Dead - Volume 14)
Robert Kirkman
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Zombies. Survival. Compounds. Death. Killings. Romance. Children. Emergencies. Swarms.
Excruciating and thrilling. One of the best ones in a while.

Sidekicks
Jack D. Ferraiolo
Teen Audiobook
Recommend?: Yes.
Superheroes. Orphans. Secret identities. NYC. Friendship. Villains. Romance. Adolescence.
Fun book with lots of guy appeal.

Habibi
Craig Thompson
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Middle East. Love. Family. Friendship. Story. Snakes. Calligraphy. Slaves. Prostitution. Eunichs. Suffering. Joy.
Absolutely amazing.

American Vampire (Volume 2)
Scott Snyder
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Historical fiction. Prohibition. Vampires. Las Vegas. Prostitution. Police. Crime. Murders. Fathers and sons.
Pretty good.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Ransom Riggs
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Grandfathers. Storytelling. Time travel. Monsters. Supernatural powers. Family.
Creative and fun read, with just enough darkness to make it spooky.

Embassytown
China Mieville
Adult Audiobook
Recommend?: Yes.
Space travel. Aliens. Communication. Language. Bioengineering. Colonization. Purity of culture. Evolution. Friendship. Love.
While far from perfect, a stimulating and fun read.

Where Things Come Back
John Corey Whaley
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Arkansas. Small towns. Family. Friendship. Hopelessness. Dating. Missing persons. Brothers. Fanatics. Woodpeckers. Birdwatchers. Hope.
Good read, though I'm a little unclear which way the ending is supposed to read.

Takio
Brian Michael Bendis
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Sisters. Distant parents. Best friends. Accidents. Superpowers. School. Evil. Crime fighting.
Cute, with Bendis's great dialog.

Rent Girl
Michelle Tea
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Lesbians. Prostitution. Boston. Tuscan. San Francisco. Relationships. Tattoos. Sex. Drugs.
Feels honest and raw, but what a bummer.

Life with Mr. Dangerous
Paul Hornschemeier
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Loneliness. Single life. Cat owners. Mother daughter relationships. Dead end jobs. Depression. Sex. Dating. Hope.
Beautiful and depressing, but with enough hope to make it work for me.

Drawing from Memory
Allen Say
Tween Non-Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Artists. Childhood. Japan. Mentorships. Cartoonists.
Good for tweens interested in Japanese culture and art.

Keys to the Kingdom (Locke & Key - Volume 4)
Joe Hill
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Horror. Fantasy. Family. Dating. High school. Darkness. Friendship. Ghosts. Secrets. Hockey.
I really like the creativity of this series, especially the art. Did feel like parts of this book were rushed, but what a cliffhanger ending!

Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl
Stacey Obrien
Adult Audiobook
Recommend?: Yes.
Wildlife. Scientists. Friendship. Pets. Animals. Behavior. Love.
Very sweet and educational.

Reunion
Pascal Girard
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Artists. Canada. High school reunions. Lies. Insults.
I wanted to smack the author the whole time.