February 2012 books

[dirtylibrarian]

The Running Dream
Wendelin Van Draanen
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Runners. Accidents. Amputees. Teams. High school. Crushes. Friendship. Hard work. Cerebral Palsy.
Well written, as is most of her work, and clearly well researched, but failed to really capture me.

Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook
Anthony Bourdain
Adult Audiobook
Recommend?: Yes.
Food celebrities. Travel. Decadence. Jaded elders. Up and coming chefs. Innovation. Food. Passion.
Awfully uneven, and as much a response to the demands of his readers as anything, but still enjoyable.

On to Genesis (Unwritten - Volume 5)
Mike Carey
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Auctions. Story. Time travel. Literary beings. Comic book writers. Brothers. Evil. Survival.
One of the most innovative and interesting series to be found right now.

Twenty-Seven First Set
Charles Soule
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Rock stars. Mystical numbers. Supernatural beings. Bad deals. Souls. Powers. Music.
Interesting concept, fresh art. Failed to enamor me.

The Fault in Our Stars
John Green
Teen Audiobook
Recommend?: Definitely!
Cancer. Illness. Dying. Romance. Family. Friendship. Love. Travel. Authors. Amsterdam. Picnics.
Quite lovely and engaging. So many great (though somewhat precocious) characters.

Four Ways to Forgiveness
Ursula K. Le Guin
Adult Fiction
Recommend?: Shrug.
Science fiction. War. Slavery. Gender inequality. Interplanetary travel. History.
Not bad, but didn't feel especially new.

Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths
Shigeru Mizuki
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Japanese army. World War Two. Soldiers. Suicide charges. Orders. Questioning. Culture. Grunts.
Historically interesting, and rather sad.

Chameleons (Ultimate Comics Spider-Man - Volume 2)
Brian Bendis
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Mutants. Undercover. Spider-man. X-Men. Secrets. Copy-cats. Kidnappings.
Enjoyed the youthful style and spirit, but realized I'm pretty tired of superhero comics right now.

Super Team (Fables - Volume 16)
Bill Willingham
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Fairy tales. Modern myths. Superheroes? Parody? Sacrifice. Survival. Fathers and sons. Promises.
A bit of a weird direction to go in, but kind of fun.

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: A Novel in Pictures
Caroline Preston
Adult Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Scrapbooks. 1920s. Growing up. Small towns. College. NYC. Writers. Travel. Paris. Lost love. Illustrated novels. Collage.
Great look at the time and life of a girl during that era, but not particularly new story.

Remind (Volume 1)
Jason Brubaker
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Science fiction. Small towns. Rumors. Lizard men. Talking cats. Brain transplants.
Odd, but decent story, and really cool art.

Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead
Sara Gran
Adult Audiobook
Recommend?: Definitely!
Private investigators. New Orleans. Murder. Abuse. Birds. Hope. Clues. Mysticism.
Different sort of mystery, soaked in NOLA atmosphere and post-Katrina darkness.

Pink Smog: Becoming Weetzie Bat
Francesca Lia Block
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Shrug.
Los Angeles. Separation. Abandonment issues. Alcoholic parents. Origin stories.
I loved the original book, but this is beating a dead horse, I'm afraid.

Hark! A Vagrant
Kate Beaton
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Comic strips. History. Humor.
Silly fun.

Science Dog (Volume 1)
Robert Kirkman
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Dogs. Scientists. Time travel. Catastrophes. Space aliens. Arch enemies. Crushes. Superheroes.
Fun, but a little stereotypical. Wanted to see more innovations aside from dog evolved to superhero (or at least more dog jokes).

The Bear That Wasn't
Frank Tashlin
Everyone Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Bears. Progress. Industry. Nature. Capitalism.
Ridiculous classic tale.

The Cultivated Life: Artistic, Literary, and Decorating Dramas
Jean-philippe Delhomme
Adult Non-Fiction
Recommend?: Shrug.
Cartoons. Fashion. Elite. Snobs. Urban living. Pretentions. Humor.
Amusing enough, but pretty narrow margin of humor.

Mush!: Sled Dogs with Issues
Glenn Eichler
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Alaska. Sled dogs. Pack mentality. Dog personalities. Power struggles. Head games.
Fun, though definitely for adults.