Book List 2015: March

March

* = reread
GN = Graphic Novel / Comic Anthology

22.

A Slip of the Keyboard:

Collected Nonfiction

by. Terry Pratchett

A collection of various essays and other bits of nonfiction from prolific British Fantasy author Terry Pratchett.

Long review short:
Certainly a must read for all my fellow Terry Pratchett fans, but it strikes me as more the kind of book you check out from the library than the kind you need to own.

“Almost all authors are fantasy authors, but some are more honest about it then others.

And everyone reads fantasy...one way...or another...”

-pg. 84

23.

Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them

by. J.K. Rowling

A bestiary (of sorts) for the Harry Potter universe.

I love monster manuals and while the monsters in the book are fun enough, the whole premise annoys me. It’s very clearly NOT the book described in the Potter books. I mean, it's 128 pages and the monster descriptions are just a paragraph each. What kind of a crappy school would use that as a primary textbook.

And then there’s all the comments in the margins that Harry and Ron supposedly wrote and...ugh, I’m just going to stop there and just say that it is dumb and annoying.

If you are an HP junkie, you’ll get some enjoyment out of this book. But just don’t go in with high expectations.

“THIS BOOK BELONGS TO:

Harry Potter

Shared by Ron Weasley because his fell apart

why don’t you buy a new one then?

Write on your own book Hermione

you bought all those dungbombs on saturday, you could have bought a new book instead

Dungbombs rule”

24.

The End of Night:

Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light

by. Paul Bogard

A look at the ramifications of our obsession with artificial light and the subsequent destruction of natural darkness.

This book is fascinating and will be a very strong contender for my favorite nonfiction book of the year.

It’s easy to say that light pollution is a problem, because it would be nice to see the stars, but the issue is so much bigger than just that. Our mistaken trust that brighter = better is damaging our bodies, our ecosystem, and even our safety.

This book has changed how I look at both the night and artificial lighting and I highly recommend you give it a read.

“It would be one thing if all this light were beneficial. But while some does good work—guiding our way, offering a sense of security, adding beauty to our nightscape—most is waste. The light we see in photos from space, from an airplane window, from our fourteenth-floor hotel room, is light allowed to shine into the sky, into our eyes, illuminating little of what it was meant to, and costing us dearly. In ways we have long understood, in others we are just beginning to understand, night’s natural darkness has always been invaluable for our health and the health of the natural world, and every living creature suffers from its loss.”

-pg. 8

25.

The Best American Infographics 2014

edited by. Gareth Cook

What can I say? I have a love of both random trivia and quality design.

Not really the kind of book someone would need to buy, but a definitely a fun one to get from the library.

“The Racial Dot Map is an American snapshot, an exercise in demographic pointillism that provides an accessible and elegant visualization of the geographic distribution, population density, and racial diversity of the American people in every neighborhood in the entire country. The map displays 308,745,538 individual dots, one for each person residing in the United States at the location they were counted during the 2010 Census. Each dot is color-coded by the individual’s reported race and ethnicity.”

-pg. 138

26.

Alif the Unseen

by. G. Willow Wilson

A young hacker’s love for a woman beyond his grasp makes him the target of a very dangerous man. Now he and his best friend are on the run and to set things right they’re going to have to journey into realms they never believed were real.

I’m a big fan of G. Willow Wilson’s work on the new Ms. Marvel comics so I was curious what a novel of hers would be like.

It’s an enjoyable read, but overall it isn’t quite up to par with the classics of the “young troublemaker gets thrust into a dangerous world of magic” genre. However, the fact that it takes place in the Middle East and is steeped in ideas from that region makes it a welcome respite from the usual European-centric fantasy.

“The noise of the saw rose several decibels, screeched, and stopped. Voices yammered outside, high and confused.

‘Those doors are four hundred years old,’ said the sheikh in a wistful voice. ‘The gift of a Qatari prince who passed through the City while on hajj. They are irreplaceable.’

‘It’s my fault.’ Alif wiped his brow with the back of one trembling hand.

‘Yes, that’s true. But. You are likewise irreplaceable.’”

-pg. 224

*  [GN]   27.   [GN]  *

Bokurano

[Ours]

by. Mohiro Kitoh

12 kids are given the chance to play the ultimate game: to pilot a massive robot and defend the Earth from the forces of parallel worlds. The problem is that this game is real. And if they lose? Their entire universe will cease to exist.

I cannot even begin to tell you how amazing this series is without spoiling some big plot points, and I refuse to spoil them! Even though the spoilers were the hooks that convinced me to read the series in the first place. But I’ll do my best to convince you sans spoilers.

Anyways. “Duurr...Jesse. I’ve seen a million ‘Kids pilot giant robots to protect the planet’ stories. I don’t see the appeal; they’re all the same.”

Well, my good person, let me just tell you that this story is Different! For a number of reasons!

#1: The robots are bigger than any you’ve seen before.

The main robot is 500m tall. FIVE HUNDRED METERS! For reference Godzilla is 50m tall. The EVAs from Evangelion & the Jeagers from Pacific Rim? 80 meters. The friggin’ Sears Tower is only 442m. If Godzilla wanted to put kiss this thing it would have to stand on top of the Sears Tower, that’s how big these things are.


#2: The robots are all different.

Generally in these types of stories the robots are all basically the same. They’re humanoid and the only differences are in what weapons they have. These ones are all wonderfully unique.


#3: This story is DARK

This is one of the darkest stories I’ve ever read. I mean, not dark in the Grave of the Fireflies, Requiem for a Dream “I need to go weep for all mankind” kind of way. But dark in the gritty one-foot-firmly-planted-in-the-shadows-of-reality kind of way. The death toll on this thing is massive (even when you’re not counting the fact that entire universes full of people are being destroyed). But it never glosses over this fact. They make sure that you never forget the consequences of a building being destroyed or of lives being lost.

The whole thing is just a really fascinating look at life and death and the burden of power. What would you do if the lives of everyone on the planet were on your shoulders? What would happen if you gave a kid unlimited power? What would you do if you knew the world could end at any moment?


#4: It’s a story about humanity.

Yes, the story’s main catalyst centers around fights between giant robots, but the real crux of the story lies in the characters. Each of these kids knows that every fight could be their last and they all handle it differently. Likewise as each of them gets a turn at controlling the massive power of the robot they all handle that power differently as well.

“Every two seconds, somewhere in the world, a child dies of starvation. That means that every two seconds there is a story where the main character dies.

That’s a lot of horrible stories.”

*   28.   *

Men at Arms

by. Terry Pratchett

In the fantasy city of Ankh-Morpork someone has gotten ahold of a deadly contraption: one designed to shoot bits of metal at high speeds. One that can kill with no need for skill and it’s being used to assassinate the city’s guild leaders. It’s up to the city guards to stop this madman and destroy the device for good.

While Guards! Guards! was enjoyable, this is the point in the Discworld series where the Guards’ books begin to firmly entrench themselves as the dominant subgenre of the Discworld books.

The Guards’ stories are not only the best written ones, but they also feature the most character development.

“The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.

Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.

But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that’d still be keeping his feet dry in ten years’ time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.

This was the Captain Samuel Vimes ‘Boots’ theory of socioeconomic unfairness.”

-pg.29

*   29.   *

Soul Music

by. Terry Pratchett

When Death takes a sabbatical of sorts, it’s up to his granddaughter to fill in for him. However, something is interfering with her duties. Music is keeping a musician alive past his expiration date and the music he’s creating is...alive. Alive and infecting the people who hear it with the spirit of a new kind of music that...well, that rocks...literally.

This book is a lot more fun than I remembered it being. The one real criticism I have is that while the satire is hilarious, the actual story is just OK.

Although, I do love whenever Susan shows up. She is such an enjoyable character and she doesn’t get near enough page-time in the Discworld books.

“‘And then go down to the docks and hire a troll and tell him to stand in the corner and if anyone else comes in and tries to play...’ he paused, and then remembered, ‘“Pathway to Paradise,” I think they said it’s called...he’s to pull their head off.’

‘Shouldn’t he give them a warning?’ said Gibbsson.

‘That will be the warning.”

-pg.185

30.

Exploring Calvin and Hobbes:

An Exhibition Catalogue

by. Bill Watterson

A collection of work featured at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library’s Calvin and Hobbes exhibition, featuring C&H originals, an original in-depth interview with Bill Watterson, and more!

Let’s be realistic here, if you’re a Calvin & Hobbes fan then you already want to read this book and I recommend you do just that.

“JR: For the most part, you’ve declined interviews and public appearances in favor of letting your work speak for itself. What prompted you to stay out of the spotlight during, and since, the run of the strip?

BW: I guess the simple answer it that I don’t have the right temperament for it. The attention makes me very self-conscious and wary of people’s motives, so I find the whole thing enervating. It’s not a normal way to live. I don’t trust it, and I don’t enjoy it. The strip was plenty hard to do already, so I got ruthless about intrusions and just shut everything else out.

Most people are fine with that, but there’s always a few who take it as a personal affront. ‘What, I buy your damned book and you won't take my phone calls?’—that sort of thing. (laughter) Or the press thinks, ‘If he won't talk to us, he must be hiding something pretty interesting.’ It was too much to deal with, and I didn’t like it in the first place, so I cut it all out.

The problem, of course, was that I then had to spend a lot of energy building a fortress around myself. Maybe there would’ve been a smarter way to handle it, but I couldn’t think of it, and this seemed to be what I had to do. It was sort of a no-win scenario, and just one of the more bizarre aspects of my job. Eventually, I developed a reputation as a hermit recluse, and that’s worked so well in my favor that it’s something I try to live up to. (laughter)”

-from Jenny Robb Interviews Bill Watterson

31.

Pandora’s Lunchbox:

How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal

by. Melanie Warner

A look at processed foods’ rise to prevalence in the American diet.

I think a lot of books of this genre go after processed foods with a rather pugilistic attitude; not willing to give an inch to their perceived enemy. This book, however, generally takes a much more laid-back approach. It says: Here’s how these foods are made, here’s why they’re made that way, and here’s the pros and cons to doing it that why. And I really appreciate that about it.

It’s definitely eye-opening to learn just what some of the processes of processed food actually are.

“A half-century earlier, nearly every American lived on a farm, either producing everything they ate or trading with neighbors. By 1900, roughly half of the American population had left their agrarian outposts in favor of city living. To feed these urban masses, food had to be preserved and production had to be centralized. Kansas City and Buffalo joined Minneapolis as hubs for the milling industry, and much of the meat supply came out of Chicago. Canning operations started popping up all along the East Coast. While not all these manufacturers—at this point still small, modest enterprises—were unscrupulous, those who used chemicals and other new technologies as a way of cutting costs often gained a competitive edge over those making the real thing, forcing the honest sellers either out of business or into a reluctant embrace of cheaper production methods.”

-pg. 25

32.

Ru

by. Kim Thúy

translated by. Sheila Fischman

The story of the life of a Vietnamese woman who went from a wealthy family in Vietnam to a refugee camp, before eventually immigrating to Canada.

“In French, ru means a small stream and, figuratively,

a flow, a discharge—of tears, of blood, of money.

In Vietnamese, ru means a lullaby, to lull.”

The book has a very poetic style to it. Instead of telling the story linearly the story is told through a series of the main character’s memories, following the train of interconnecting thoughts, instead of a linear timeline.

“As a child, I thought that war and peace were opposites. Yet I lived in peace when Vietnam was in flames and I didn’t experience war until Vietnam had laid down its weapons. I believe that war and peace are actually friends, who mock us. They treat us like enemies when it suits them, with no concern for the definition or the role we give them. Perhaps, then, we shouldn’t take too much stock in the appearance of one or the other to decide our views. I was lucky enough to have parents who were able to hold their gaze steady, no matter the mood of the moment. My mother often recited the proverb that was written on the blackboard of her eight-grade class in Saigon: Ðời là chiến trận, nếu buồn là thua. Life is a struggle in which sorrow leads to defeat.”

-pg. 12

33.

The True Meaning of Smekday

written and illustrated by. Adam Rex

An alien race called the Boov discovers the Earth and subsequently claims the planet (now called Smekland) for their own and forces humanity to live on small reservation of land. But when another (even more dangerous) alien race shows up it’s up to a young girl named Gratuity and an outcast Boov named J.Lo to shake things up and save the planet formally known as “Earth.”

I heard Dreamworks’ Home was based on a book and I had to check that sucker out. While the movie is a story about relationships and family, the book is more of a straight comedic sci-fi adventure / extended metaphor for the treatment of native people by colonists? So, you know, very different tones between the stories.

I don’t really know what to say. The book has a number of rough edges that I could criticize, but whatever! I’m not here to do a literary analysis of the piece. What really matters is: It frequently made me laugh out loud, has some great illustrations, and is a pretty fun read. If it sounds like your sort of book go ahead and check it out. It might not change your life, but I think you’ll have a good time.

“My mind raced. Part of it thought, Well, naturally some of the animals must have escaped from the Wild World Animal Park, and part of it tried to remember if anyone in school ever told us what to do when faced with a lion; but no, of course they didn’t, they were too busy teaching really useful things like the state capitals.

‘The capital of Florida is Tallahassee,’ I told the lion as I backed slowly away. ‘The official beverage is orange juice.’”

-pg. 110-111

[GN]   34.* & 35.  [GN]

Ms. Marvel:

vol. 1: No Normal

written by. G. Willow Wilson

pencils by. Adrian Alphona

vol. 2: Generation Why

written by. G. Willow Wilson

pencils by. Adrian Alphona, Jacob Wyatt

When teenager Kamala Khan (aka Ms. Marvel) gains shapeshifting powers she takes on the former moniker of her hero Carol Danvers (who, FYI, now goes by Captain Marvel) and appoints herself the protector of Jersey City. However, she soon realizes that balancing school, family, friends, and super-heroing won’t be as easy at it seems in the cartoons.

Two volumes in and Ms. Marvel continues to be my favorite new comic series. It’s like a wonderful combination of Spider-man and The Runaways. I cannot recommend it strongly enough. Kamala Khan is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorite superheroes.

“The young are seen as a political burden, a public nuisance. They are not considered worth educating or protecting. They are called parasites, leeches, brats, spawn--

If you used these words to describe any minority but children, it would quite understandably be considered hate speech.”

-vol2, issue 10

Pop Culture Mashups

Recently I’ve been straining my limited photoshop abilities in order to make some silly jokes by combining various pop culture properties.

Why? Because they crack me up, that’s why! I’m pretty sure I’m the only one they’re cracking up, but sometimes you gotta make stupid gifts for yourself, ya know?

 Second Breakfast at Tiffany’s

The Matrix Graduate

 Christopher Lambert and Ernie

Book List 2015: February

February

* = reread
GN = Graphic Novel/Comic Anthology
art = Art book

15.

The Secret History of Wonder Woman

by. Jill Lepore

A look at the history of Wonder Woman, her origins, and her impact.

Comic books are often under fire for their sexist practices (and rightly so), but it’s so intriguing to read about how Wonder Woman was created to battle that trend. Especially in the many ways she both succeeded and failed to bring about change.

However, the book is not so much a history of Wonder Woman as it is a history of William Marston, the man who created her. And rightly so, because this allowed the author to show just how much of his life experiences were put into those comics.

For instance, Wonder Woman’s iconic bracelets were modeled on the bracelets one of his lovers always wore. The lasso of truth? That stemmed from his work as the inventor of the lie detector.

Marston is certainly an interesting subject for examination. He somehow managed to be both very progressive and an utter hypocrite at the same time. And the book does a great job at showing both his virtues and his faults.

“In the press release [‘Noted Psychologist Revealed as Author’], Marston explained that Wonder Woman was meant as an allegory: ‘Like her male prototype, “Superman,” “Wonder Woman” is gifted with tremendous physical strength—but unlike Superman she can be injured.’ Marston went on, ‘“Wonder Woman” has bracelets welded on her wrists; with these she can repulse bullets. But if she lets any man weld chains on these bracelets, she loses her power. But it she lets any man weld chain on those bracelets, she loses her power. This, says Dr. Marston, is what happens to all women when they submit to a man’s domination.’ Wonder Woman was a form of feminist propaganda, Marston insisted: ‘“Wonder Woman” was conceived by Dr. Marston to set up a standard among children and young people of strong, free, courageous womanhood; and to combat the idea that women are inferior to men, and to inspire girls to self-confidence and achievement in athletics, occupations and professions monopolized by men.’ She wasn’t meant to be a superwoman; she was meant to be an everywoman.”

pg. 220

[art]   16.   [art]

Legend of Korra:

The Art of the Animated Series

Book Two

by. Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino

A collection of production artwork, interviews, character designs and other backstage goodies from the second season of Legend of Korra.

What is there to say? I love the Avatar series and I love looking at concept sketches / background paintings / the evolution of character designs / behind-the-scenes stories about cartoon production. So OBVIOUSLY I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

“To this day I get asked if I based Aang’s design on Mike and his perfectly round, smooth bald head. So when it came time to design the first Avatar, the joke was that I was going to base him on me: scrawny, lanky, with a narrow triangular head. I never had hair as cool as Wan’s, but hey, it’s a fantasy.”

pg. 84

*   17.   *

A Monster Calls

by. Patrick Ness

inspired by an idea by. Siobhan Dowd

illustrated by. Jim Kay

A young boy accidentally calls forth an ancient monster when his mother’s cancer takes a turn for the worst.

One of the most (if not the most) beautifully poignant books about death you’ll ever read.

“Conor looked up to his bedroom window, frowning again. ‘So the good prince was a murderer and the evil queen wasn’t a witch after all. Is that supposed to be the lesson of all this? That I should be nice to her?"

He heard a strange rumbling, different from before, and it took him a minute to realize the monster was laughing.

You think I tell you stories to teach you lessons? the monster said. You think I have come walking out of time and earth itself to teach you a lesson in niceness?

It laughed louder and louder again, until the ground was shaking and it felt like the sky itself might tumble down.”

pg. 63

[GN]   18.   [GN]

Batman:

Year One

(deluxe edition)

written by. Frank Miller

pencils by. David Mazzucchelli

The story of Bruce Wayne’s first year as the Batman.

There is a lot of really great material in this book.

That being said there are also a number of parts that make me want to start ranting. You were so close, Frank Miller. You were so close to not making me want to rant about a story of yours.

“Ladies. Gentlemen. You have eaten well.

You’ve eaten Gotham’s wealth. Its spirit.

Your feast is nearly over.

From this moment on...

...none of you are safe.”

pg. 38

[GN]   19.   [GN]

Avatar: The Last Airbender

The Rift, vol.1-3

written by. Gene Luen Yang

art by. Gurihiru

Tensions run high when the avatar gang discovers Toph’s father has started a destructive mining operation on sacred Air nomad land and thus angered a local spirit into attacking.

This one is definitely the weakest of the Avatar comics. However, I’ve gotta admit that the last third really brought the story home. It deals with a lot of really interesting questions regarding whether or not humans can peacefully coexist with nature. Not to mention pointing out the Avatar’s bias towards humanity.

“‘My agreement with your predecessor only staved off the inevitable. There is no longer a place for spirits in this world.’

‘No! Don’t you get it? That’s why I’m here! It’s my job to maintain balance between the spirits and the humans!’

‘You repeat those words over and over like a mantra, but you are only fooling yourself.

Whenever the border between our two worlds grows into a rift, the avatar will always side with the humans.

The avatar is, after all, a human.’”

pg. 65-66

20.

King Kong Theory

by. Virginie Despentes

translated by. Stéphanie Benson

A collection of essays about how our culture’s ideas about such things as rape, pornography, and prostitution are not only harmful, but also evidence of the systematic oppression of women.

I heard abut this one from Emily Horne’s 2014 booklist and was intrigued.

(As some of you already know, Emily Horne is half of the duo behind A Softer World, and it was her booklists that inspired me to start my own.)

I’m really glad I gave it a shot, because it turned out to be extremely thought provoking and has really changed the way I think about some of these issues.

“What women have endured is not only the history of men, but also their own specific oppression. Extraordinarily violent. Hence this simple suggestion: you can all go and get fucked, with your condescension toward us, your ridiculous shows of group strength, of limited protection, and your manipulative whining about how hard it is to be a guy around emancipated women. What is really hard is actually to be a woman and to have to listen to your shit.”

pg. 131

21.

The Ballad of Mulan

retold and illustrated by. Song Nan Zhang

The story of a woman who masquerades as a man in order to take her ailing father’s place in an army draft.

I’m a fan of the Disney adaptation, so it seemed only right that I see what the original story was like. As the title suggests the original story is actually a ballad and is thus quite short. But it’s an enjoyable story. A nice thing about the original tale is that—unlike the movie—in the ballad people don’t really care all that much when it turns out that Mulan is a woman. They’re just all like, “What? Really? How did we not notice that? Oh well.”

“By nightfall she was camped by the bank of the Yellow River.

She thought she heard her mother calling her name,

but it was only the sound of the river crying.”

pg 9

Book List 2015: January

January

* = reread
CB = Children’s Book
GN = Graphic novel or comic anthology
audio = audio book

1.

Die Trying

by. Lee Child

Itinerant hobo—and ex MP officer—Jack Reacher offers to help a woman on a crutch with her bags, but unfortunately for him this ends up getting them both kidnapped by separatist terrorists.

It wasn’t as good as One Shot, but it was still enjoyable. I read it during the 5 hours I had to wait for a train from Portland to Minneapolis to arrive and the time flew by. So really, anything else I could say is moot. After all, any book that can make 5 hours disappear has to—on one level or another—be a rather engaging read, don’t you think?

“He had learned a long time ago that some things were worth being afraid of. And some things were not. Things that he had done before and survived did not justify fear. To be afraid of a survivable thing was irrational.”

2.

Journey to the West

Vol. 1

translated and edited by. Anthony C. Yu

The first volume to Anthony C. Yu’s unabridged translation of one of China’s most famous novels.

When a monkey king gains the power of immortality he quickly becomes a massive pain in the side of the gods. But they’re willing to forgive and forget if he’ll agree to protect a holy monk on a mission to collect scriptures from the distant west.

For those of you who weren’t aware, Journey to the West is a big deal. I can’t think of a great parallel, but the closest I can get is that Journey to the West is to China what Grimm’s Fairy Tales is to Europe. It’s so big even people who have never read the book know the stories. They learn it through cultural osmosis. It’s one of the Four Great Classical Novels of China (aka the best and most influential of pre-modern Chinese novels). It’s so big that you’re probably familiar with parts of it without even realizing it.

Anyways, I’ve read Arthur Waley’s abridged version of the story (Monkey: Folk Novel of China) before, but this is my first time tackling the entire novel. If you’re new to the story, I’d probably recommend Waley’s version. It’s a lot shorter and just deals with the real meat of the story. But if you’re like me and already know the basics and want to know what else happened, then I’ve gotta say that so far I’m liking this translation. He’s kept in all the poetry sections which is fun, and he’s got plenty of nice footnotes to explain all the references I don’t understand.

But if you do check this one out don’t feel obligated to read the Introduction. It’s 62 pages long and will probably only interest you if you’re in the mood for a rather dry, scholarly analysis of the text.

“He strode right up to the tiger, crying, ‘Cursed beast! Where do you think you’re going?’ Crouching low, the tiger lay down on the dust and dared not move. Pilgrim Sun aimed the rod at its head, and one stroke caused its brain to burst out like ten thousand red petals of peach blossoms, and the teeth to fly out like so many pieces of white jade.”

3.

I Feel Bad About My Neck:

and other thoughts on being a woman

by. Nora Ephron

A collection of humorous stories from the life of a prominent screenwriter / middle-aged woman living in New York City.

So one day, about 2 years ago, I checked this book out from the library. I then proceeded to misplace it almost immediately. Unable to return it, the library  fined me and eventually charged me with a replacement fee. I KNEW it was in my apartment somewhere and was determined to find the book instead of paying the replacement fee. But this did not happen. And this, my friends, is why last year I didn’t use the public library at all.

In any case, I have since paid the fees and can now check out public library books again. And, of course, I eventually found the book. It was underneath my bookshelf.

I’m still not entirely sure of the logistics involved there.

But after a very long wait I can now say that this book is pretty good. Not the kind of thing I need to own—even though now I do—but it was enjoyable. She’s wonderfully witty, as I’m sure you already know if you’ve seen any of the movies she’s written (When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, etc.) and her stories were quite fun. I’m sure I would have enjoyed it even more if I were a middle-aged woman, but what can you do? Those are the breaks.

“Oh, how I regret not having worn a bikini for the entire year I was twenty-six. If anyone young is reading this, go, right this minute, put on a bikini, and don’t take it off until you’re thirty-four.”

[GN]   4.   [GN]

Rat Queens, Vol. 1:

Sass & Sorcery

written by. Kurtis J. Wiebe

art by. Rop Upchurch

A notorious 4-woman adventuring group known as the Rat Queens finds out that someone is offing the local parties. But these ladies aren’t the type to go down without a fight.

The writer described this series as “Lord of the Rings meets Bridesmaids.” And I really can’t sum it up more accurately than that.

I will say, however, that it was a really fun read and if you’re a fan of sassy ladies / fantasy adventures, then you need to check this thing out.

“‘YOU THE FUCKING RAT QUEENS?’

‘GODSDAMNED RIGHT WE’RE THE FUCKING RAT QUEENS!’

‘YOU CUNTS KILLED MY BOYFRIEND!’

‘We kill a lot of boyfriends! What makes you think we killed yours?’

‘He told me! He told me that you bragged about it and drank to his slaughter!’

‘Nice one, Gary.’”

5.

The Strange Library

by. Haruki Murakami

translated by. Ted Goosen

A short story about a man who goes to the library to look for a book, but ends up trapped. Forced to consume information to fatten up his brain for a carnivorous librarian.

One of the wonderful things about a Murakami’s books is that you’re never quite sure what they’re going to be like. I certainly wasn’t expecting this. The book is exceedingly short (think short story length), has really weird way of opening, and is scattered throughout with art pages.

As a book, I’m not that impressed. Although as a short story I quite like it. But irregardless I’ve got to give it credit, because it may be a lot of things, but it’s certainly memorable.

“This news staggered me. ‘In libraries everywhere?’ I stammered.

‘If all they did was lend out knowledge for free, what would the payoff be for them?’

‘But that doesn’t give them the right to saw off the tops of people’s heads and eat their brains. Don’t you think that’s going a bit too far?’”

6.

A Really Short History of Nearly Everything

by. Bill Bryson

illustrated by. Yuliya Somina

A kids version of Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything, in which Bryson attempts to give the reader a brief summary of...Science. All of it.

The book works nice as a kind of appetizer science book for kids. By which I mean it makes you hungry to know more about all the cool science mentioned, but it is so broad that it can’t do more than to give a very brief overview of everything.

My main problem with it was that it focused EXTREMELY heavily on European scientists. Namely white male scientists. Only a handful of women scientists were mentioned (they didn’t even mention Rosalind Franklin when discussing Watson & Crick!), and I don’t think any scientists of color were mentioned at all.

“The hot facts!

• Yellowstone sits on an enormous reservoir of molten rock that begins at least 200 kilometres down and rises to near the surface.
• The heat from the hot spot is what powers all of Yellowstone’s vents, geysers, hot springs and mud pots.
• Beneath the surface is a magma chamber that’s about 72 kilometres across--roughly the size of the park--full of unstable magma that could blow at any time.
• Since it first erupted 16.5 million years ago, it’s blown up about a hundred times. The eruption of two million years ago put out enough ash to bury the whole of California six metres deep.
• Scientists have worked out that Yellowstone blows roughly every 600,000 years. The last time was 630,000 years ago.

Could Yellowstone explode again at any time? And without warning? Yes, it happens all the time.”

[CB]   7.   [CB]

Hi, Koo!

by. Jon J. Muth

A book that takes you through the seasons with a series of short poems.

I was shocked to find this out, so I’m going to tell you upfront: The poems in this book aren’t really haikus! The author admits to this and explains his reasoning, and he’s kind of got a point, but not really. If you want to stick to the spirit of a haiku, but break the form? Go for it. More power to you. But, personally, I don’t consider them haikus anymore.

I mean, to me at least, the whole point of haiku is that it boxes you into a very succinct bottle and the poetry comes out of figuring out how to build a ship inside of it.

But the accuracy of what he chose to call his poems aside, how was the book? Answer: It was enjoyable, but not perfect. I felt he nicely captured the feelings and imagery of moving from one season into another. But there was this whole pseudo-Alphabet thing happening that seemed really unnecessary.

“Autumn,

are you dreaming

of new clothes?”

[CB]   8.   [CB]

Sparky!

by. Jenny Offill

illustrated by. Chris Appelhans

A little girl gets a pet sloth. But it turns out sloths aren’t very good at doing the usual pet things.

The idea of a little kid with a pet sloth is adorable and so is book. I don’t know what else to say really. It’s kind of exactly what you would hope a book about a kid getting a pet sloth would be.

“I asked her every day for a month, until she finally said, ‘You can have any pet you want as long as it doesn’t need to be walked or bathed or fed.’

I made her promise.”

9.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running:

a memoir

by. Haruki Murakami

translated by. Philip Gabriel

A memoir as told through his relationship with running and how running serves as a metaphor for his life.

I can’t say that I’m all that interested in long distance running, but I am intrigued by Haruki Murakami, so I decided to see what this book was all about. I’m glad I did because it’s really quite an interesting piece. He uses his running as a sort of metaphor for his life and his writing, & goshdarnit if it isn’t an effective metaphor.

Hearing about running is passably interesting, but hearing him talk about writing was exceptionally interesting. If you’re a Murakami fan I’d recommend you take a look at this one.

“No matter how long you stand there examining yourself naked before a mirror, you’ll never see reflected what’s inside.”

10.

Console Wars:

Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle That Defined a Generation

by. Blake J. Harris

A look at the war between Nintendo and Sega from behind the scenes of factions.

Growing up I was always a bit more of a Nintendo fan and my best friend was always a bit more of a Sega fan, but we both loved both systems, so we were in the wonderful position of getting to play all the fun stuff for both sides.

But I never before knew just how interesting things were from the companies’ perspectives. When Sega started trying to make a move on Nintendo, Nintendo was HUGE. I mean, like, controlling 90% of the video game market huge. And through ingenuity and marketing SEGA managed to beat them back down and change the landscape of video games in this country. It was really a fascinating read.

Would someone who doesn’t know/care about that period in the 90s when SEGA v. Nintendo was a big thing, or about video games in general like this book? Probably not. Although the nature of business at work in this book is really interesting in and of its self. Most of the big players in this industry weren’t huge gamers (a lot of them never played video games at all), they were businessmen and marketing geniuses. That just blows my mind, how some people are such good salesmen that they can sell anything.

Word of Warning: Feel free to skip the Forward. It’s by Seth Rogan & Evan Goldberg and it’s essentially them babbling to each other about how they don’t have anything meaningful to say and how they’ll just have to bullshit until they get to their page count. It was so inane that I nearly quit the book right there.

Another word of warning: This thing is nearly 600 pages, so it’s not a light read. I mean, it has a fun and engaging storyteller kind of writing style and all, but it’s not the kind of thing most people would read on a whim.

“‘The new company mascot is ready, and he is sure to be a success.’

‘This is the hedgehog named Mr. Needlemouse?’

‘Ah, you have heard,’ Nakayama said, surprised. ‘We have made some changes, and his name is now Sonic.’

‘Okay,’ Kalinske said. ‘Well, when can I see him?’

‘I will send him over now,’ Nakayama said, and then barked orders in Japanese to someone on the other end. ‘He will enter through the fax. I will stay on the line to hear your reaction. You will be very pleased.’ Kalinske made his way over to the fax machine as it buzzed and huffed, printing out lines of what would be the company’s savior. ‘My guys here have already begun work on the game engine. They showed me an early version, and it is fast like nothing else.’

The fax machine stopped sputtering, and Kalinske picked up the sketch. ‘Ah,’ he said, trying not to sound repulsed. ‘Very interesting.’ Kalinske stared at the drawing trying to see in it what Nakayama saw, but it was no use. The hedgehog looked villainous and crude, complete with sharp fangs, a spiked collar, an electric guitar, and a human girlfriend whose cleavage made Barbie’s chest look flat. ‘I assume this is his girlfriend?’

‘Yes,’ Nakayama said. ‘That is Madonna.’”

11.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

by. Robert C. O’Brien

In order to save the life of her sick child a widowed mouse is forced to ask for the help of the mysterious rats of NIMH: a strange group super-intelligent of rats.

I had seen the Don Bluth animated adaptation of this, but I had never actually read the book. Clearly this needed to be rectified. Turns out Bluth took a lot of liberties. A WHOLE LOT of really bizarre and terrible liberties.

And as it turns out, the actual book is really well done and I can see why it is such a classic.

The only thing I can really say against it is that...not a lot happens? Think of it this way:

Imagine if your friend told you a story about how she had gone to the store to buy medicine for her sick kid. But on her way she got delayed when she helped out a nice lady who was having car trouble. Then at the store she realized she had forgotten her purse at home! And out of nowhere it turns out that the nice lady with car trouble had been Beyoncé and she shows up and pays for the medicine! This book is a lot like that, except that in this case your friend is a mouse and Beyoncé is an escaped lab experiment.

So, it’s an interesting story to be sure. But when you get down to it, not a lot really happened.

“‘Then,’ Justin said, ‘I guess what we do is stake out scouts wherever we can, try to keep track of Dragon, and hope for the best. Some nights he doesn’t go near the garden at all. We might be lucky.’

‘Or we might not,” said Arthur. ‘I don’t like it. We can’t dig that block out without some noise, you know.’

Mrs. Frisby interrupted quietly. ‘There is another way,’ she said. ‘If Mr. Ages can get into the kitchen, so can I. If you will give me the powder and show me the way, I will try to put in Dragon’s bowl.’

Justin said quickly: ‘No. It’s no job for a lady.’

‘You forget,’ Mrs. Frisby said, ‘I’m Timothy’s mother. If you, and Arthur, and others in your group can take risks to save him, surely I can, too. And consider this: I don’t want any of you to be hurt—maybe even killed—by Dragon. But even more, I don’t want the attempt to fail. Perhaps the worst that will happen to you, with luck, is that you will have to scatter and run, and leave my house unmoved. But then what will happen to us? Timothy, at least, will die. So if there is no one else to put the cat to sleep, I must do it.’

Nicodemus considered, and then spoke:

‘She’s right, of course. If she chooses to take the risk, we can’t deny her the right.’”

[audio]   12.   [audio]

Yes Please

written/read by. Amy Poehler

The autobiography of actress/comedian/writer/director Amy Poehler.

Have you ever gone on a trip to see a friend and they are such a sweet host that at the end of the visit you’re left feeling in their debt? Well that accurately describes my dear friend Hannah and my recent trip I took to Portland to visit her.

Anyways, while I was there I heard her mention that she wanted to read this book, but hadn’t yet because it was only out in hardcover and she didn’t want to pay the hardcover price. So when I got back home I was like, “I should find a used copy and send it to her as a thank you gift!” 

But then I heard this clip from the audio book version. And was immediately like, “Screw Plan A, Hannah needs the version that lets her hear Amy Poehler curse out douchey old white guys.” I mean, that’s the gift that just keeps on giving.

And even though I took my sweet time in acquiring it/sending it to her, it turned out that she still hadn’t read it, because she had decided she wanted to hear the audio version of it! So in short: Go me! & Go Friendship!


I can’t say how the book book was (although I hear there are some really fun pictures in there), but I really enjoyed this audio book. I’m not usually a fan of biographies (as I generally find them to be rather dry), but I found this one to be extremely entertaining and thought provoking. Not to mention filled with some really great life lessons. It was especially poignant because Amy Poehler reads the book herself and you can really hear the sincerity behind her words.

Plus she has some really great guests with her at the recording studio which made the book all the more fun to listen to.

“I don’t like when bratty, privileged old white guys speak to me like I’m their mouthy niece. And I got that amazing feeling you get when you know you’re going to lose it in like the best, most self-righteous way. And I just leaned back and I yelled, ‘FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK YOU.’ And then I chased him as he tried to get away from me and I said, ‘You rich motherfucker! Who do you think you are!?  You’re not better than me. Fuck you! Fuck you and your fucking opinions, you piece of shit!’”

13.

What If?:

Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

by. Randall Munroe

A book that answers such hard-hitting questions as, What would happen if a pitcher threw a baseball at near light speed? And, How long will it for the last remaining human light to go out once we’re all gone?

If I had a list of obscure genres that I love, “Books applying real science to fantastical situations” would certainly be on there. And this one does not disappoint.

I know it is not extremely practical to know what would happen if a glass of water were to be literally half empty, or if a person could fly by firing enough guns at the ground, but there’s a strange comfort in knowing the answers nonetheless. Not to mention that there’s something wonderfully humbling about using the illustriousness of Science for ridiculous purposes.

“They say there are no stupid questions. That’s obviously wrong...But it turns out that trying to thoroughly answer a stupid question can take you to some pretty interesting places.”

14.

Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes:

A No Bullshit Guide to World Mythology

by. Cory O’Brien

A collection of mythology from around the world as told in a simplified style without any of the pomp.

I first heard about this one after seeing a couple of passages from it on Tumblr and I immediately knew that it was something I had to read. For not only do I love myths, but I love when people aren’t afraid to point out how wonderfully crazy they all are sometimes.

I think a lot of people are afraid to see the humor in holy works (especially those of their own religion). But you know what? The world is a wonderfully ridiculous place sometimes. Would you really trust a religion that didn’t reflect that wonderful madness in one way or another?

“So next time she and Zeus get busy

she is like ‘Hold on there, bad boy

make love to me like you make love to your WIFE.’

and Zeus is like ‘Aww man, way to kill the mood.

Look, if I did that, you would explode.’

and Semele, thinking that he is speaking figuratively

is like ‘Come on, handsome, I can take it.

And anyway, I totally won’t believe you’re Zeus unless you do this.’

and Zeus is like ‘WHAT? NO, I’M TOTALLY ZEUS

WHO SAYS I’M NOT?’

and he turns into lightning

and sets her on fire

and she explodes

and Zeus is like ‘Aww dammit

I knew this was going to happen.’”