15.
Title: A Taste of Midnight
Author: Lara Adrian
Pages: 80 (a complete guess)
Genre: supernatural romance
Medium: kindle
Acquisition: Recommended by WillowsMom
Date Completed: January 27, 2012
Rating: ***1/2

This novella is just what a seasoned Adrian reader would expect: a mourning Breedmate catches the fancy of a mourning and Byronic Breed male she knew once upon a time, there's a spot of violence to throw them together, and they shove off towards lovely vampiric alien family bliss. Although it leaves out much of the "mechanics" of Adrian's world (such as an explanation of races, what makes one a Breedmate, etc - which appears in all other novels), even this novella is new-reader friendly, and would certainly make a consistent introduction to the series.

16.
Title: Darker After Midnight
Author: Lara Adrian
Pages: 384 (a complete guess)
Genre: supernatural romance
Medium: kindle
Acquisition: Recommended by WillowsMom
Date Completed: January 28, 2012
Rating: ****

Darker After Midnight is the tenth and most recent book in Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed series. Picking up where the last full-length novel concluded, readers follow Chase into police custody, and watch at the Order is forced to relocate in the midst of major personal obstacles. The romance of the novel is consistent with the rest of the series, as is most of the plot, but the resolutions that Adrian offers makes this by far the most satisfying novel yet. While many authors of this genre will string readers along with the promise of an earth-shattering event, Adrian actually follows through. For that, Darker After Midnight well-deserves four stars and a strong recommendation for readers of the genre.

14.
Title: The Terrible Axe-Man of New Orleans
Author: Rick Geary
Pages: 80
Genre: Nonfiction Graphic Novel
Medium: Hardcover
Acquisition: Recommended on a list of true crime graphic novels
Date Completed: January 24, 2012
Rating: ***1/2

The Terrible Axe-Man of New Orleans is a true crime graphic novel that covers a series of mysterious axe murders/attacks that occurred in New Orleans (obviously) at the turn of the century. Geary's text once again confirms that graphic novels are an excellent medium for true crime, as it allows authors to truly capture the horror of events; what may be unnecessary purple prose in traditional true crime is translated to captivating illustrations that more easily hold the reader's attention and sympathy. While Axe-Man is not a spectacular example on its own, it is an enjoyable graphic novel, and certainly worth a peek for those interested in the genre(s).

12.
Title: Black Blood
Author: Christopher Pike
Pages: 208
Genre: Teen Vampire
Medium: paperback, Thirst Volume 1
Acquisition:
Date Completed: January 17, 2012
Rating: ***

Black Blood is the book that most often comes to mind when I consider the series, and so it better fulfilled my nostalgic desires. The narrative itself improved, but only by a fraction.


13.
Title: The Mill River Recluse
Author: Darcie Chan
Pages: 314
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: January 17, 2012
Rating: ***1/2

Mary McAllister is the silent benefactress of the small town of Mill River, using the wealth she inherited from her abusive marriage to establish some role in the community, even though her intense agoraphobia keeps her from meeting anyone but a select few. The Mill River Recluse provides the reader with interesting character analyses as Chan presents isolated narratives to make up the whole, but the device intended to drive the story - the "mystery" of Mary - falls flat.

10.
Title: Inside the Victorian Home
Author: Judith Flanders
Pages: 416
Genre: History
Medium: paperback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: January 16, 2012
Rating: ***

Inside the Victorian Home: A Portrait of Domestic Life in Victorian England is a popular (as opposed to academic) text that attempts to use the structure of a typical Victorian household to describe various elements of nineteenth-century British life. The organizational pattern is only marginally successful, as Flanders frequently moves beyond the confines of each chapter to provide broader observations.

But organization is not the only complaint I have with the text. While reading of subjects with which I am extensively familiar (such as corsetry, as a single example of many) I frequently found myself disagreeing with Flanders's interpretations and presentations. Interestingly, I found that the same sources of research that would lead me to disagree with Flanders are also to be found on her list of secondary sources. Such discrepancies were often minor, but ultimately tainted my reading of the text as I considered the validity of the information related to subjects with which I'm less familiar.

11.
Title: Understanding Comics
Author: Scott McCloud
Pages: 215
Genre: Nonfiction Graphic Novel
Medium: paperback
Acquisition: mentioned by a colleague
Date Completed: January 17, 2012
Rating: **1/2

The premise of Understanding Comics appealed to me when a colleague first described McCloud's work: a history of comics and graphic novels told as a graphic novel. Fantastic! Unfortunately, the execution was not what I had hoped for.

Understanding Comics is less a history of the evolution of comics, and more an attempt to find a place for comics in the fields of literature and art history. Far-reaching and often grasping, McCloud presents a malleable definition of "comic" in his attempt to legitimize the genre and find a critical space for the work. As a new fan interested in the genre, I found the text awkward and obtuse.

Nostalgia

9.
Title:The Last Vampire
Author: Christopher Pike
Pages: 195
Genre: YA Vampire
Medium: paperback
Acquisition: New edition (published in 2010, I believe)
Date Completed: January 11, 2012
Rating: ***

When I first found The Silver Kiss in the elementary school library when I was eight it sparked an interest in vampires, but when I first discovered Christopher Pike's The Last Vampire when I was ten, the interest was cast in iron. Alisa Perne - Sita - believes she is the last of an ancient tribe of vampires, the creation of which she accepts partial moral responsibility. When Alisa is contacted by a private detective she realizes that the knowledge of her existence is not the secret she believed it to be, and sets out to find just how much this mysterious person knows.

Unfortunately, an adult reading of The Last Vampire did not stand up to an adult reading (although I still intend to reread the entire series, since discovering two new books have been added to the series!). I have two distinct objections to the story: first, Alisa is a master of everything. From driving to the piano to world history to computers to welding, Alisa has mastered it all. It is certainly conceivable that a 5,000-year-old individual would become an expert in much, but the range and depth of her expertise is tedious. Calling for believability in a young adult vampire novel may seem a bit hypocritical, but even fictional vampires should seem like people - even if they are horribly damaged or highly skilled people. As an adult reader, I would like a true flaw, or at least the opportunity for the protagonist to learn something new.

Secondly, the narrative style became irksome very quickly. There is very little sentence variety in the book; the story is narrated in short, clipped sentences, so that it comes across as very weak screenwriting. While I can appreciate the clipped, "factual" relation of Alisa, I would have preferred to some warmth somewhere.

The Last Vampire series has been repackaged to take advantage of the rejuvenated market for teen paranormal romance; what I read as a series of six books has been republished in two volumes: Thirst numbers 1 and 2. And, after what I remember as a very definitive and distinct conclusion to the series, it appears Christopher Pike (or whatever author is now publishing under the name) has added two large novels to the series (The Eternal Dawn and The Shadow of Death).

I'm interested to see if my objections continue for the rest of the series - and likewise just what Pike has managed to do in volumes three and four.

8.
Title: Feynman
Author: Ottaviani and Myrick
Pages: 266
Genre: Graphic Biography
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: January 9, 2012
Rating: *****

Feynman is a cultural icon; known as much for his practical jokes and lock-picking as his Nobel Prize-winning work in physics, he is a scientist seemingly driven by the sheer joy of knowing. Not scientifically educated, I can follow very little of his work, but having read some of his writing before I know him to be an approachable, friendly, and humorous narrator: he's just plain likeable.

In their graphic novel Feynman, Ottaviani and Myrick present a brief biography of one of the greatest minds in recent history, and their work is just as lively and enthralling as the man himself. Presenting a collection of stories from his college days through his death, the authors allow readers to gain at least a general understanding of the man and his work, without losing a general audience in science that may be impenetrable for some (such as I - but there is physics involved).

I wasn't always pleased with the artwork (which is probably an odd thing to say for a five-star rating of a graphic novel), but the work as a whole is completely charming.

7.
Title: Stitches: A Memoir
Author: David Small
Pages: 329
Genre: Graphic Memoir
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: January 8, 2012
Rating: *****

David Small's Stitches has been haunting me since it was first published; I happened upon the memoir as part of a bookstore display and, while I didn't purchase it at the time, it has been on my radar ever since that first encounter. Now that I'm on a bit of a graphic novel safari, I knew I had to pick it up.

Stitches will continue to haunt me, but for entirely different reasons.

Told almost exclusively by illustration, Small captures moments - glances, emotions, isolated confrontations - that come to define a childhood trauma that seems to define the David of the text. Portraiture becomes the most significant means of expression and storytelling, and with a simple look Small allows readers to stand in his place, and feel what he felt - most of which is downright terrifying.

Stitches is a graphic novel I will be able to read again and again. the artwork is minimalist yet captivating, and Small's storytelling abilities transports the reader to his own frightening world.

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical

My first show review of the year:

"Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical" at the Kennedy Center



Dancing laundry, a crazy daddy, favorite stuffies, and an aria entirely in gibberish: put it together with a healthy dose of family humor, and you have a treat for young audiences and parents alike. This one-hour musical is based on Mo Willems' children's book Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale; to our delight, Mo Willems wrote the musical himself, after being approached by the Kennedy Center.

My partner and I took Oldest to see the show this evening, and we were all equally delighted - the show was fast-paced, jam-packed with great songs, visually delightful, and wonderfully silly. B was fixated on the stage, and only "whispered" when pointing out something he was sure I would miss (such as a cameo by a certain pigeon - "Mommy, he wants to drive the bus!"

Here is a clip from the tour last year. The cast was different this time around, but they really did a wonderful job.

There is also a "making of" here.

5.
Title: [The Glass Castle]
Author: Jeannette Walls
Pages: 240
Genre: Memoir
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Rec'd by my SIL
Date Completed: January 5, 2012
Rating: *****

Raised on philosophy instead of bread, Jeannette Walls did not have what many would consider an ideal childhood; when her uncle ran his hand up her leg while fondling himself, her mothers sighed about how lonely the poor man must be, and when the roof sprang a leak her brother slept under an inflatable raft to stay dry. Walls's story is repulsive; not for the conditions in which she and her three siblings were forced to live, but because they were forced to live this way when her parents could have done better.

The story is not entirely bleak; the core of her narrative is the strength that she and her siblings found in each other, and their determination to make better lives for themselves. The story is as captivating as it is heartbreaking, and is ultimately far more uplifting than I expected.

6.
Title: The Crazy Old Lady in the Attic
Author: Kathleen Valentine
Pages: 47
Genre: Psychological thriller
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: January 6, 2012
Rating: ***

Katherine Valentine's short story "The Crazy Old Lady in the Attic" is a short thriller surrounding discoveries made in a family home after the death of the matriarch. The story is decently written, but lacks depth and originality. This "late night special" is fine for a quick read, but is nothing to hunt down and devour.

4.
Title: Green River Killer
Author: Jeff Jensen
Pages: 240
Genre: Nonfiction, True Crime, Graphic Novel
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: January 3, 2012
Rating: ****

According to an article by Seattle PI, Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer, holds the record for most murder convictions of any serial killer in the US. Altogether, he has claimed responsibility for the deaths of 49 women. He was a suspect for seventeen years before DNA technology advancements lead to his arrests, but his murders began two years before that (his first murder attempt - that of a seven-year-old boy - was in 1966).

Detective Tom Jensen leads the task force on the Green River Killer from the beginning, and in 1991 becomes the only member of the police force still assigned to the case. And, as presented by his son Jeff Jensen, he continued to press on, driven by sympathy for the families of missing or murdered young women, and nearly crippled by his own humanity.

In the end, he finds retribution.

The graphic novel proves to be a strong medium for true crime, literally giving the detective, victims, and Ridgway faces that continue to haunt the reader after the text is closed. The stark illustrations emphasize the emotional turmoil that would accompany any case of this kind, and Jensen's penchant for focused portraiture lends humanity and introspection to the story.

One drawback to this particular graphic novel, however, is the inconsistent use of time; Jensen frequently jumps backwards and forwards through time, often leaving the reader to scan the characters carefully to decide if a particular sequence is from the 1980s, 90s, or after Ridgway's apprehension. Still, Green River Killer is compelling as a whole, and I would recommend it to fans of true crime and gritty comics.

"'I killed so many women I have a hard time keeping them straight,' he said in a statement read by Deputy Prosecutor Jeff Baird.

'My plan was I wanted to kill as many women I thought were prostitutes as I possibly could,' he said. 'I picked prostitutes as my victims because I hate most prostitutes and I did not want to pay them for sex. I also picked prostitutes for victims because they were easy to pick up without being noticed.'"

Read more from the November 4, 2003 article in Seattle PI.

3.
Title: "Rules for Virgins"
Author: Amy Tan
Pages: 43
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Kindle E-book
Acquisition:
Date Completed: January 2, 2012
Rating: ****

Rules for Virgins is presented as a monologue as an experienced (so old in her 30s!) courtesan trains a seventeen-year-old in turn-of-the-century Shanghai. Through her instruction, Magic Gourd reveals a world of jealousy, deceit, and competition, but also pride, eloquence, and synergy. Similar to Memoirs of a Geisha, but with more character, Rules for Virgins is an intriguing narrative.

2.
Title: English After the Fall
Author: Robert E. Scholes
Pages: 176
Genre: Nonfiction, Literary Criticism
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Early Review Copy
Date Completed: January 1, 2012
Rating: ***

LibraryThing user dekesolomon's review of English After the Fall is succinct and accurate - unlike Scholes' own treatise on the evolution of English studies. The premise of Robert Scholes's text is one I certainly agree with - he identifies a need for English department to evolve, both for their own survival and for the benefit of students. As one of the "lowly" adjuncts both Scholes and Deke identify, I have very strong opinions about the state of compositional studies, and some specific ideas about how to change things for the good of all; I do not think Scholes would agree with many of my assessments.

Scholes suggests that the way to extend the life of English departments is to look beyond the traditional canon and recognize other genres as texts worthy of study. This would likely have been a radical idea twenty years ago, but my own experiences as a student suggest that Scholes is behind the curve; I, for example, took courses on Japanese theatre, contemporary fiction, American travel narratives, and a host of other genres that are traditionally "nonliterary" as an undergraduate, and continue to use "nonliterary" sources in my own courses. Much of Scholes' arguments are lost in his enthusiasm for specific texts, and for a reader unfamiliar with the operas and films on which he fixates, his text as a whole loses its power.

Whiles Scholes certainly identifies many of the problems now facing English departments, his "solution" seems to aggravate many of the current difficulties of teaching the subject by continuing to present material that undergraduates will not find compelling (i.e. opera), as opposed to addressing some of the most immediate concerns: a need for students to learn how to communicate effectively, whether or not they pursue English courses beyond the requirements of Freshman Composition.

1.
Title: Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Pages: 400
Genre: Dystopian
Medium: Kindle E-book
Acquisition: Final in the trilogy
Date Completed: January 1, 2012
Rating: *****

Mockingjay is a captivating and satisfying conclusion to Suzanne Collins's dystopian trilogy. Never one to fear a body count, Collins is unrelenting in the series of tragedies, and her characters are remarkably human, adding to the chill of the premise of the series.