Free Comic Book Day Approaches

Free Comic Book Day is Saturday, May 7.

Here's the webiste - go and find a participating store -or library- near you and celebrate one of the best days of the year!

Last Minute Reads for 2010 Book Awards

Hello, Dear Readers! (all 15 of you *smooch*) Now that our Mock Newbery and Mock Printz have passed, I have been catching up on buzz books that I didn't get around to reading.

#1: The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis by Barbara O'Connor
I have big love for this small book. This is a prime example of an author successfully accomplishing what she set out to do - and by that I mean we hear about the small adventure and that's it. There are no back stories or tangents. I'm taking it as a good sign that I haven't seen this on many Mock lists. Had it come out earlier in the year, it would have been on ours. This would be a Newbery dark horse, but worthy of the distinction in my eyes. It also hits the younger end of Newbery which is often lacking on the list. If the winners are When You Reach Me and Claudette Colvin, it will be a higher-end Newbery age list. (Also a boy book in another year where the ladies may sweep the awards.)

#2: Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
This title kept escaping my reading pile. The blogosphere has been a-twitter with Printz buzz for this book so I sought it out. I really liked this novel. Really liked it. The Erin Brockovich legal plot is exciting and Marcelo is one heck of a fun and amazing guy who really made me think about my interactions with others and my belief of good in the world. I enjoyed reading his story. But.. I am not in the Printz camp. I may eat my words, but in the vast international pool of 2009 books, it could get passed over simply because the field is so competitive. Maybe an honor.

As to why I think it may miss the Printz, to me the ending was tied up too neatly. Perhaps I'm over thinking it, but it was too sweet and too perfect. I also had trouble with the final scene with Rabbi Heschel (another great, original character) where I thought "gee whiz. would this conversation really happen like this?". And is Jasmine too good? Too perfect? Again, a wonderful book, but, for me, these small criticisms could be a roadblock to Printz glory. (Marcelo has one of the best covers of the year. As my husband pointed out, it's by The Harry and the Potters artist Dan McCarthy.) To note: the catch phrase in my house has been "Don't let the a-holes give you shit."

#3: Stitches by David Small
Not published for YA so it won't qualify for the Printz, but holy cow. Excellent. Can't really add to what has already been said. Alex Award? For durn sure. Read it and then read all his picture books again.

#4 Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Now here is a fun little book. First, it's so pretty! Second, of course it's pretty it's by Grace Lin but being by Grace Lin means it's also very well written. BUT, I'm still reading this one. I'll update if I finish before Monday.

Exciting times, exciting times. I'll be up at 6:30 CST so I can get my seat for the webcast. Bring it!

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaption by Tim Hamilton

I’ll admit it, I’ve never read Fahrenheit 451. This may have something to do with not having attended school in the states. My English classes were filled with British titles such as Sumerset Maugham’s Of Human Bondage (which nearly made my brain explode due to extreme patheticness of main character).

Regardless, I did know the basic premise before going starting the graphic novel. I knew that this was a dystopian future where books were banned, where firemen start fires instead of putting them out, where people are much more interested in their giant wall sized TVs and entertainment than anything else. From what I’ve read, the GN stays very close to the story with all the major points being covered. Even so, I couldn’t help feel that even though the GN is intense, it probably lacked some of the emotional suspense of the original text. I enjoyed the story, but the characters lacked depth (or rather they had depth, but the reader needed to bring that depth with them – they needed background knowledge of the book to fully appreciate the motivations, the inner turmoil of Montag and others).

I was somewhat confused as to why books are banned, what the government and those in power gained (other than the obvious gains from a dimwitted populace). How this tied into the ever-present and very real threat of war. Or if it did at all – things that I’m sure were more obvious in the novel. What was obvious, to the GN’s credit, was how disconnected and depressed the people were – even though they didn’t have the tools to express this dissatisfaction or even recognize their feelings for what they were. Giant TV screens are fun! Life is fun! Life is nice, but you know what? Wouldn’t everything be nicer if I was dead?!?

I liked the art which is all muted tones with limited color palettes. Things appear dreary, dark, faces often appear in shadow. There are only two things that appear bright. The first is Clarisse McClennan – the young girl that is Montag’s trigger to change. The second is, the fire. Of the two, the fire is the much brighter and more visibly powerful force, of course, it isn’t necessarily the most powerful thing…

I enjoyed this, I think it is a great supplement, but I don’t think it’ll replace the original any time soon. For schools teaching this title, I think comparing and contrasting the two would be a very interesting and thought provoking lesson.

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Book Source: Publisher review copy (committee)

Britten and Brülightly by Hannah Berry

This was a really interesting graphic novel for me. I really don’t read too many except for Fables and Y the Last Man and a small handful of others, so when this came in the mail I wasn’t sure what I would make of it – it being so different in content and tone.

It is dark – and I mean that literally and in several ways. It is set in a city where it never stops raining, and the art and mood reflect that. There is a liberal use of grey in the not very wide color palette. You’d think that might make it boring, but in actuality when the artist introduces a new color, it is extremely striking. Several pages might be dominated by purple, green, or blue along with the ever present grey. It makes the art pop.

Fernandez Britten, our private eye whom prefers to be called researcher because it has less connotations has earned himself the name “Heartbreaker.” Not because he is a gigolo or anything, but rather because his inquiries often turn up information that breaks the hearts of his clients. A man of few expressions other than his quiet reserved depression, it is Britten who supplies most of the humor in the story through his communication with his “partner” Brülightly – a teabag. Clearly even a man as downtrodden as Britten needs to communicate with someone – even if it is only himself.

“Don’t be lecherous: you’re a teabag.”

“I’m a teabag with needs, fern.”

The writing is particularly strong. Descriptive while still being spare, dark but infused with humor, a clear difference between Britten’s narration and what he speaks aloud. The mystery is complicated enough to warrant a re-read of sections and was well-thought out enough to be surprising.

I really enjoyed this.

Life Sucks by Jessica Abel, Gabe Soria, and Warren Pleece

Hello! Back to posting, finally, and with good reason. No, make that GREAT reason: Life Sucks, from those fab folks at First Second Books.

I enjoy the work of Jessica Abel so I was looking forward to reading this GN. I regret that I missed both of her book tour visits here in May. What was I thinking?

Vampire stories are everywhere these days, but thankfully the three artists/writers of this GN have brought in a little life to that genre. Heh. That's kind of a joke. Vampires. Bringing in life. :)

Oh, alright. Life Sucks is the story of Dave. Dave works the evening shift at the Last Stop convenience store. But here's the fun part - Dave's a vampire. He's pretty much the slave of his master who owns the store. The next funny part? It seems all of our late night employees (the copy guy, the coffee shop girl) are vampires. This is how they make their money - or, er, their masters make their money. Those castles and velvet jackets don't pay for themselves. That's just movie and novel mumbo jumbo. Really, though, the lack of velvet and black is super refreshing. The only folks in those outfits are the LA goths who lust for all things vampire and dark. Lots of poking fun at the vampire scene goes on here. Sweet!

Our hero Dave is "a nice guy". He doesn't want to kill people so he gets his blood from plasma banks. He's a vegetarian vampire and rather proud of himself to not have to kill to survive. He has a non-vampire roommate, Carl, and a buddy-guy vampire named Jerome. The kick in the story is when Dave falls in love with goth girl Rosa. She wants to be a vampire. He doesn't want her to become one.

Toss in the surfer dude/vampire brother-to-Dave Wes, Dave's capitalism-loving master Radu, and a few other young LA vamps and goths to round out the characters in our story. Our library catalogs this as adult, but it will easily appeal to teens. No nudity. Some swearing. The characters do not define themselves as teens, but I read them as young 20-somethings. This is a fun read that non-readers of vampire books (moi) will enjoy.

Also reviewed at:

Bookshelves of Doom

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A Fuse #8 Production

Jenn H.'s Vacation Reads: Part 2

Well, this continuation is mostly manga. But those who know me won't be too surprised.

Click is the story of a boy, who awakens one morning to discover a terrible secret about his family: when they reach puberty, they change gender! Joonha has always been a chauvanistic and proud boy, but when he finds himself suddenly female, he must move far away and cut off contact with his new girlfriend and his lifelong best friend. Now Joonha is a tough girl in a new high school, just trying to make it through without attracting too much attention. Unfortunately, neither her own nature nor her former friends are willing to let that happen.

Next was the newest volume of The Wallflower by Tomoko Hayakawa. I have been reading this one for awhile and it has recently been made into a anime, which I am looking forward to watching. Four beautiful boys have made a deal with their landlady: they can live in her fabulous mansion rent-free if they can turn her neice, Sunako, into a lady. Simple, right? Wrong! Sunako loves nothing better than horror/slash movies and hiding in the darkness. She is often mistaken for a ghost (or the girl from The Ring of the same name). She is dark, socially awkward, and not pretty, and that is exactly the way she likes it. Can a cutie pie, a brain, a ladies man, and a dangerous boy change Sunako? Or will she change them?

This is a really funny manga, strangely drawn in a style I don't normally like. But you can't help but root for Sunako and start to realize that the boys are more than just a pretty face. I was addicted after volume 1.

Now two new ones for me: The Day I Become a Butterfly and Seduction More Beautiful Than Love. Both of these are more adult books, but might make a good addition to an adult GN collection.

The Day I Become a Butterfly by Sumomo Yumeka is a collections of short love stories. These stories vary from typical sappy romances to quirky homosexual relationships. Don't get me wrong, there is no nudity or anything truely offensive. This book was definitely written for romantics, with kissing and handholding as the main goals. It just covers a wide spectrum of relationships. I really enjoyed the title story, about a boy (actually even I had trouble telling this one was a boy) who is dying, but also happens to be falling in love with another boy who is rumored to be able to sense death. The art style for all of the stories is soft and quite beautiful. It adds to the sentimental nature without being overly saccharine.

Seduction More Beautiful Than Love by Lee Hyeon-Sook appears to also be a love story, if an unconventional one. Daoun is a young first-year high school teacher, trying hard to reach her students. Ryumin is the local "prince charming" with a bad attitude and a crush on his teacher, Daoun. Enter Hyuwoo, a new teacher who went to school with Daoun and has always had a crush on her, too, and we have a love triangle of the most scandalous sort. Which handsome man will win over Daoun? And will her choice destroy her?

Okay, I admit, I did pick this up for the scandal. But the story is pretty intricate and could be good. I've only read vol. 1, so we'll have to see. But it can definitely be a guilty pleasure!

Speaking of which, I also picked up the new Anita Blake book with my birthday money. Blood Noir by Laurell K. Hamilton focuses on Jason the werewolf, one of my favorite characters. Jason's abusive father is dying and he needs to bring a girlfriend home to prove he is not gay. Unfortunately, he just broke up with his girlfriend; so, Anita offers to fill the position for a weekend visit. To Asheville, NC!!!! I am thrilled that one of my favorite LKH characters is from a place on two hours away from where I grew up.

Anyway, sounds fairly simple for Anita's world, right? Well.....throw in a wedding where the bridegroom just happens to be a ringer for Jason, staying in the same hotel, and the confusion abounds. Oh, and the bridegroom's father is the governor of the state and a presidential hopeful. And someone wants to kill him. So, now Anita is not only dealing with emotional baggage, but also the very real threat of someone trying to kill her best friend. It was fun and very much an Anita Blake story. So if you are an LKH addict, enjoy!!

Well, I am still not done. But these are the most adult things I read over my vacation. I will continue will the rest later. Sorry, I seem to be hogging the blog. Just read a lot of new stuff and feel like sharing.