November 2011 books

[dirtylibrarian]

The Griff
Christopher Moore
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Dragons. Space invasions. Marine biologists. Skaters. End of the world. Aliens. Survival. Weapons.
Fun and silly.

Rotters
Daniel Kraus
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Death. Loss. Midwest. Small towns. High school. Bullies. Grave robbers. Family. Purpose.
Really compelling and gross. I loved it.

Yotsuba&! (Volume 10)
Kiyohiko Azuma
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Childhood. Japan. Cooking. Pancakes. Shopping. Lying. Playing. Robots.
I still love this series dearly.

Inside Out & Back Again
Thanhha Lai
Tween Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Immigrants. Vietnam War. Family. Food. Loss. Language. School. Frustration. Siblings. New beginnings. Friends.
Lovely novel in verse that will resonate with young immigrants and first generation Americans.

Blameless (Parasol Protectorate - Volume 3)
Gail Carriger
Adult Audiobook
Recommend?: Definitely!
Steampunk. Trust. Pregnancy. France. Inventors. Italy. Templars. Conspiracies. Vampires. Werewolves. England.
Such fun!

Linda McCartney: Life in Photographs
Linda McCartney
Adult Photography
Recommend?: Yes.
Photography. Musicians. 1960s. Scotland. Family. Friends. Portraits.
Lovely collection, especially interesting for personal photos of youngish Paul McCartney.

Congress of the Animals

Jim Woodring
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Fantasy. Fantastic worlds. Hero's journey. Romance. Love. Happy endings.
I read these mostly for the art and am sad for what he puts the main character through. What a pleasure to finally see him happy.

All These Things I've Done
Gabrielle Zevin
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Science-fiction. Prohibition. Chocolate. Coffee. Gangsters. Family. High school. Romance.
I really enjoyed this book, but kept wishing the brown cover was chocolate scented.

The Iron Thorn (Iron Codex - Volume 1)
Caitlin Kittredge
Teen Audiobook
Recommend?: Shrug.
Steampunk. Mid-20th Century New England. Fairies. Magic. Boarding schools. Engineers.
This book irritated me in SO MANY ways.

3 Story: The Secret History of the Giant Man
Matt Kindt
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Fantasy. Historical fiction. Gigantism. Romance. Marriage. Families. Spies. Dysfunction. Artists.
Weird, but interesting.

12 Things to Do Before You Crash and Burn
James Proimos
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Loss. Grief. Anger. Fathers. Baltimore. Uncles. Quests. To-do lists.
Brief but compelling. Could be a good booktalk for high school guys.

Queen of the Black Black
Megan Kelso
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Short stories. Fantasy. Childhood. Bike messengers. Artists. Homelessness. Heartbreak. Loss. Reunions.
Great little collection showing a wonderful range.

The Little Prince
Joann Sfar
Tween Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Adaptations. Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
I much prefer the original.

Tiffany's Table Manners for Teen-Agers
Walter Hoving
Teen Non-Fiction
Recommend?: Shrug.
Manners. Table. Eating. Behavior. Fancy.
I've never been to a meal fancy enough to require these instructions. Average teen won't care.

Axe Cop: Bad Guy Earth
Malachai Nicolle
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Cops. Axes. Dinosaurs. Sidekicks. Bad guys. Fights.
More of the same from the first book, but with none of the advice columns. My love for Axe Cop is dead.

Zebrafish
Fablevision
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
High school. Bands. Cancer.
Eh. Seemed young. Not bad, but eh.

Same Difference

Derek Kirk Kim
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Friendship. Bay area. Hometowns. Asian Americans.
(reread - still wonderful)

Okay for Now
Gary D. Schmidt
Teen Audiobook
Recommend?: Definitely!
Abusive fathers. Small towns. Bad reputations. Brothers. Friendship. Self esteem. Drawing. Audubon prints. Romance. Broadway plays. Responsibility. Truth. Vietnam War. Veterans. Hope.
Absolutely wonderful. I adore this book.

Among Others
Jo Walton
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Shrug.
Wales. Boarding schools. Lost twins. Magic. Fairies. Science fiction enthusiasts. Librarians. Books. Reading.
Annoying fan service tribute to science fiction obsessives and librarians, with a bit of magic woven in. I stuck with it, but mostly found it dull.

Pattern Recognition
William Gibson
Adult Audiobook
Recommend?: Definitely!
Advertising. Conspiracies. Filmmaking. Trends. Research. Internet communities. Brands. Mysteries.
I very much enjoyed this book. Good recording.

Great American Cities Past and Present
Rick Sapp
Adult Non-Fiction
Recommend?: Shrug.
Historical photography. Cities. North America. Canada. United States.
A great idea, but not terrible well executed.