July 2012 books

[dirtylibrarian]

Saturn Apartments (Volume 5)
Hisae Iwaoka
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Space stations. Window cleaners. Eggs. Experiments. Leadership.
Great series.

Neonomicon
Alan Moore
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Serial killers. Monsters. Special agents. Rape. Murder. Ritual sacrifice. Drugs. Lovecraft. Cults.
I can see why people are trying to ban this. Disturbing nd violent. But ultimately a good Cthulhu story.

Chimichanga
Eric Powell
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Circus freaks. Bearded girls. Monsters. Witches. Evil corporations.
I love Eric Powell.

Other Goose: Re-Nurseried and Re-Rhymed Classics
J Otto Seibold
Kids Picture Book
Recommend?: Yes.
Nursery rhymes. Contemporary art.
Fun.

Axe Cop (Volume 3)
Malachai Nicolle
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Violence. Boy's imagination. Advice. Dinosaurs. Team-ups.
Better than volume 2, thanks to the return of Ask Axe Cop.

Bucko
Jeff Parker
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Portland. Bike culture. Hipsters. Makers. Juggalos. Hobos. Suicide Girls. Mysteries.
Very fun.

Free States Rising (DMZ - Volume 11)
Brian Wood
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Civil war. NYC. Journalists. Compromises. Frustration. Origins.
Not particularly stong on its own, but an esessential part of the story.

Princess Academy: Palace of Stone
Shannon Hale
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Education. Politics. Revolution. Romance. Friendship. Betrayal. Hope. Love.
Just lovely, but powerful too.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Roald Dahl
Kids Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Fantasy. Candy. Poverty. Family. Chocolate. Secrets. Songs. Brats. Triumph.
Much as I remembered.

Sumo
Thien Pham
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Sumo. Americans abroad. Breakups. New beginnings. Sports. Friendship. Fishing.
Simple and moving.

Drowning Instinct
Ilsa J. Bick
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
High school. Runners. Cutting. Loss. Turmoil. Lies. Teacher student relationships. Family.
Dark, with lots to discuss.

Monsters
Ken Dahl
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Herpes. Dating. STDs. Psychological impact. Deceipt. Lies. Romance.
Brutally honest depiction of the shame and struggles of a terribly common STD.

Festering Romance
Renee Lott
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Dating. Ghosts. Loss. Roommates.
Sweet, and somewhat silly.

Bloody Chester
J.T. Petty
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Westerns. Curses. Romance. Ghost towns. Indians. Survival.
Pretty good.

Legends of Zita the Spacegirl (Zita the Spacegirl - Volume 2)
Ben Hatke
Tween Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Science fiction. Adventure. Robots. Deception. Missions. Home. Friendship. Fame.
Very fun.

Bakuman (Volume 1)
Tsugumi Ohba
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Manga. Students. Goals. Writers. Artists. Family legacies. Ambition. Dreams.
Solid manga, must read for kids who want to write or illustrate manga.

Batman: The Court of Owls (Volume - 1)
Scott Snyder
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Secret societies. Villains. Gotham City. Evil. Psychological damage. Torture.
Very weird and dark. Well done.

The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey: A Graphic Novel of Jewish Wisdom and Wit in the Wild West
Steve Sheinkin
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Old west. Rabbis. Short stories. Storytelling. Wisdom. Teachings. Problem solving. Villains. Humor.
Oh man. I just loved this. So funny.

Rabbi Harvey Rides Again: A Graphic Novel of Jewish Folktales Let Loose in the Wild West
Steve Sheinkin
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Jewish folktales. Romance. Rivals. Dreams. Contests. Detective work.
Seriously delightful.

Rabbi Harvey vs. the Wisdom Kid: A Graphic Novel of Dueling Jewish Folktales in the Wild West
Steve Sheinkin
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Plots. Small towns. Rabbis. Mothers. False imprisonment. Dating. Storytelling. Problem solvers. Greed. Sneaks. Justice.
A bit different than the others, consisting of one whole story, but just as funny and fun.

The Stepsister Scheme
Jim C. Hines
Adult Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Fairy tales. Ever after. Adventure. Humor. Kidnappings. Fairies. Bad families. Pregnancy. Magic. Friendship.
Quite silly, but fun.

Major League Chew (Chew - Volume 5)
John Layman
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Special agents. Traffic police. Kidnappings. Murders. Sex lives of dead athletes. Family. Animal cyborgs.
Entertaining, but I'm starting to tire of this series I fear.

Around the World
Matt Phelan
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Travel. Journeys. Early 19th century. Early bicycles. Girl reporters. Sailing. Solitude.
Rather inspirational. Makes me want to travel more.

Pirate King: A Novel of Suspense Featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes
Laurie R. King
Adult Audiobook
Recommend?: Yes.
Movie making. Mysteries. Sherlock Holmes. Marriage. Travel. Filmmaking. Travel. Ocean voyages. Guilbert and Sullivan. Pirates.
Not my favorite in the series. I think the author was going for a bit of lighter fare after the last dark and heavy story.

Underwire
Jennifer Hayden
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Middle aged women. Married life. Motherhood. Brooklynn. Love. Sex. Dreams. Girlfriends. Goddesses.
Rather enjoyable.

Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller
Joseph Lambert
Tween Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Blindness. Deafness. Isolation. Frustration. Education. Connection. Friendship. Growth. Politics. Love.
Really wonderful duel biography comic, that helps you really grasp what it must have been like for Helen before and after Annie came in her life.

Kick-Ass 2
John Romita
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Violence. Costumes. Kids. Crime fighting. Bad guys. More violence.
I get the point, but really didn't enjoy reading this.

Planetary/Batman
Warren Ellis
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Mash-ups. Crime fighting. Insanity. Loss of parents. Multiple universes.
Amusing play on multiple Batman versions, but not terribly satisfying.

Monday Hearts for Madalene
Page Hodel
Adult Non-Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Art projects. Love. Lesbians. Tribute. Hearts. Found objects. Plants. Flowers. Design. Color. Beauty.
Moving tribute to love and loss.

Morning Glories (Volume 1)
Nick Spencer
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Boarding schools. Gifted teens. Violence. Mind control. Shared birthdays. Darkness. Physics.
I'm not sure what is going on in this story, but I want to find out more. Will definitely read the next two.

The Five Nations of New York (DMZ - Volume 12)
Brian Wood
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
NYC. War. Peace. Blame. Guilt. Trials. Reporters. Story. Connection. Memories. Endings.
I love this series and am glad it got a worthy ending.

Cinderella: Fables Are Forever
Bill Willingham
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Stories. Legends. Spies. Oz. Dorothy. Russia. Thailand. Secret missions.
Pretty fun. Solid add on to Fables stories.

Batman: Death by Design
Chip Kidd
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Gotham. Buildings. Architechts. The Joker. Holograms. Fathers. Legacies.
Refreshingly different take on Batman.

Freedom! (Miss Annie - Volume 1)
Frank Le Gall
Tween Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Kittens. France. Exploration. Boundaries. Mice. Friendship. Family.
Cute, but not particularly memorable.

Rooftop Cat (Miss Annie - Volume 2)
Frank Le Gall
Tween Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Cat doors. Mischief. Exploration. Rival gangs. Cat fights. Death. Loss. Mice. Love. Friendship.
Cat loving kids will enjoy, but suprisingly dark at moments.