Early Review from A.R. Torre

73.
Title: [The Girl in 6E]
Author: Alessandra Torre
Genre: Thriller
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Early Review Text
Date Completed: August 1, 2014
Rating:

The Girl in 6E by A. R. Torre is a thriller about a woman who locks herself in her apartment for three years for fear of going on a murderous rampage, until an extreme situation elicits her sympathy and sends her on a twelve-hour drive.  The premise of the story is interesting, as it explores the "opportunities" for an enclosed existence thanks to the internet, and the new life choices now available to enterprising individuals.  Along the same lines of I Am Not a Serial Killer, Deanna struggles with an overwhelming desire to kill others, just to watch them die.  And, like the former, she copes by arranging a life that will keep her from doing so, including avoiding all human contact for three years, and paying a junkie neighbor to deadbolt her door from the outside at night. 

The similarities between the two continue, although Torre's characterization seems more forced and less confident than Wells' potential sociopath; Deanna is less capable and more empathetic, and therefore less believable.  However, for those who are less-than-pleased with Wells' conclusions, Torre may be more satisfying, as her conclusion stays more grounded.

I've wavered between 3.5-4 stars for this novel, based on my personal response.  I found the plot to be greatly disturbing, and not in the mildly-enjoyable way of many thrillers, due exclusively to the victims.  While the overall narrative does have some redeeming qualities, I did have to put it down in the middle in order to regroup. 

Overall, I think The Girl in 6E will appeal to fans of thrillers, specifically those who enjoy books like Dan Wells' Serial Killer trilogy.

72.
Title: [Icon: A Hero's Welcome]
Author: Dwayne McDuffie
Genre: Comics
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 30, 2014
Rating:

Homework

57.
Title: [Catwoman: Volume 1]
Author: Ed Brubaker
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:

58.
Title: [Catwoman: Volume 2]
Author: Ed Brubaker
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:

59.
Title: [Sweet Life: Erotic Fantasies for Couples]
Author: Violet Blue
Genre: Erotica
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:

60.
Title: [Batman: Nightfall Volume 1]
Author: "Various"
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:

61. 
Title: [Hero]
Author: Perry Moore
Genre: YA Superhero
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating: ***1/2

An interesting take on the assumed binary between superheroes and "othering" as applied to other marginalized groups; here, Thom has to "come out" as both a superhero and a gay man to his bigoted father.  The story has a great deal of potential, but the gendered implications of Thom's powers (both his initial, and then the shift at the conclusion) ruins its power. I can't really say more without spoiling, so there you have it.

62.
Title: [Ultra: Seven Days]
Author: Jonathan Luna
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating: *

I really wanted this to be a satire, but I don't think it's intended to be. Hideous art, and terrible characterization.

63.
Title: [Watchmen]
Author: Alan Moore
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:

64.
Title: [Wanted]
Author: Mark Millar
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:

65.
Title: [Ex Machina: The First Hundred Days]
Author: Ed Brubaker
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:

66.
Title: [Daredevil: Born Again]
Author: Frank Miller
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:

67.
Title: [Cage]
Author: Brian Azzarello
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:

68.
Title: [Superman: Red Son]
Author: Mark Millar
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating: **

I am not a fan of The Boyscout, and making him Russian did not elicit any further sympathy.

69.
Title: [Batwoman: Elegy]
Author: Greg Rucka
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:

70.
Title: Rhetoric articles - approximately 1,500 pages
Author: Various
Genre: History
Medium: .PDF, various books
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:

71.
Title: Superhero and US Media articles - approximately 450 pages (so far)
Author: Various
Genre: History
Medium: .PDF, various books
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:


I'm missing plenty, I didn't log partial reads, and I'm low-balling the articles. I'm going to be so glad I did this, and I'm very ready for things to settle down ... just in time for another semester to begin.

Hello, grad school - I missed you.

Summer Classes Begin

54.
Title: [Catwoman: Nine Lives of a Feline Fatale]
Author: Ed Brubaker
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: for Superheroes and US Media
Date Completed: June 28, 2014
Rating: ****1/2

Purchased to give me a background on my selected super"hero," Brubaker's collection provides vignettes of Catwoman in nine iterations. For each generation she is a different character, each fraught with a number of cultural and intellectual problems. She's as complicated as I hoped, and this book was a great introduction to the comics that create her. 

55.
Title: [Superman vs. Lex Luther]
Author: Various
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: .PDF
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: June 30, 2014
Rating:

Collection assembled by my professor to illustrate the different faces of Lex Luther through the years.

56.
Title: [The Death of Superman]
Author: Dan Jurgens
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2, 2014
Rating:


With all of my other reading and writing I don't think I'll be able to review all of these graphic novels.  It was interesting to read a whole Superman book for once, but I'll save my observations for class.

53.
Title: [My Friend Dahmer]
Author: Derf Backderf
Genre: Nonfiction/Graphic Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: June 26, 2014
Rating: ****1/2

Jeffrey Dahmer was once a child, and an awkward teenager. He once hiked through the woods around his house, and went to school.  There, he remained on the fringes of the adolescent teenage social hierarchy, where he gained a kind of acceptance by a few, thanks to his tendency to fake seizures and spasms, which his classmates found hilarious.  This acceptance did not mean the others saw him as a friend - just that they did not actively torment him, as others were wont to do. Backderf's assertion that Dahmer was once his "friend" is a very loose, and generally careless, assertion - he frequently relates how he would avoid socializing with the young man, even as he would at times seek out his diversions. But hindsight is much clearer than foresight, and it's likely that Backderf's present analysis that he "always knew" that something was wrong with Dahmer - that he could sense a kind of threat - is a reaction to the reality that he once sat next to a serial killer in class, snuck him into school pictures where he didn't belong, and called himself a member of the "Dahmer Fan Club."

The title aside, Backderf's well-drawn and well-paced graphic novel provides an interesting perspective to true crime studies. The text generates a level of sympathy for the reviled man, without begging for leniency or arguing that Dahmer has been misunderstood.  Instead, Backderf frequently and consistently recognizes his "friend's" crimes, and looks for roots of his later desires in an ugly and complicated childhood. Backderf asks specifically "where were the adults?" when Dahmer's strange behaviors (such as skinning roadkill and killing small animals) escalate, or his daily binge drinking on school grounds goes unchecked. There's a sense of anxiety in Backderf's history as he tries to alleviate a sense of guilt, which he then projects on to the missing authority figures in Dahmer's life.   

If the honesty of the book is at times drawn into question, the interest of the text remains, and My Friend Dahmer is successful in drawing a portrait of the young man who would become a famous serial killer. 

47.
Title: [Out]
Author: Natsuo Kirino
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Pages Read: 150
Reason Abandoned:  Lifeless characters, and a general sense of drudgery. 

48.
Title: [Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth]
Author: Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos H. Papadimitriou
Genre: Graphic Nonfiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Pages Read: 151
Reason Abandoned: Greater responsibilities.  Logicomix, a graphic account of the life of Bertrand Russell and the "search for absolute truth," has great promise.  The art is well-suited to the subject, and the authors carefully balance reader expectations to provide significant information and necessary explanations, while respecting a general sense of intelligence.  This is of the sort of graphic text to which I gravitate, and I hope to return to it once my summer classes have completed.  But for now it must go back to the library. 

49.
Title: [Call the Midwife: Farewell to the East End]
Author: Jennifer Worth
Genre: Memoir
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: June 17, 2014
Rating: ***

This text marks the end of memoir and the beginning of fiction, as far as the PBS show is concerned.  What I appreciate most about this volume is the finality it provides - here, Worth not only tells of her patients, but of the future lives of the nuns, Trixie, Chummy, and the rest.  This kind of resolution is often unavailable for memoirs, and is all the more satisfactory for it.  If for nothing else, I'd recommend this book for just those ends. 

50.
Title: [Zine]
Author: Pagan Kennedy
Genre: Memoir
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Early Review
Date Completed: June 20, 2014
Rating: **

You had to be there, I think.  To a reader greatly removed from the culture which first inspires Pagan Kennedy's 'zine, and suffering from the blog over-saturation which can be attributed to this kind of self-publishing, the text seems shallow.  The reprint includes the original introduction, in which Kennedy cites a few years of "growing up" and growing away from her 'zine, which of course leads her to publish a response and a collection.  As an artifact, it is interesting - I've known of the phenomenon, but only ever witnessed the tail-end, so I did appreciate the opportunity to see the reproductions of one such self-publication.  The content, however, held no interest, and it became a great chore to wade through the original publications to get to her later responses and self evaluations.  Kennedy's memoir is interesting, but I'd far prefer her current reflections than her past work.

All of that being said, I think this would be a wonderful text for someone more invested in this particular cultural movement, the history of social texts, or the recent history of self-publishing.  

51.
Title: [The Dark is Rising]
Author: Susan Cooper
Genre: YA Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Pages Read: 100


52.
Title: [The Private Letters of Countess Erzsébet Báthory]
Author: Kimberly L. Craft
Genre: Nonfiction/History
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: June 15, 2014
Rating: **

Craft herself, in her introduction, states that this collection of letters is intended to serve as a supplement to her text Infamous Lady.  For those, like myself, who have not read her book, Craft provides a brief synopsis, and then jumps into the translated letters of Countess Báthory. I purchased the book in the interest of gaining insight into a feared historical figure, but with no preconceived notions - I was not looking for a gory confession, but had an inkling that a sympathetic scholar may try to salvage her reputation in some way.  The body of material Craft has to work with is distressingly small, which is no fault to her - most of Countess Báthory's letters have been lost or destroyed, so the body of evidence is slim. 

Ultimately, though, this volume is less a text of Báthory's, and more a text of Craft's; the points of interpretations and analysis suffocate the letters, and casts shadows of doubt on the translations themselves.  The text does not well represent Báthory's voice, but rather uses the voice Craft has constructed for the historical figure.  Craft's presence in the text detracts from the interest, and ultimately the book fails to be truly a collection of private letters, and is instead another analysis of Countess Erzsébet Báthory. 

46.
Title: [I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced]
Author: Delphine Minoui
Genre: Memoir
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: June 10, 2014
Rating:

As the title so clearly states, I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced tells the story of a young girl from Yemen who, on her own, seeks help from the legal system to free her from the early and abusive marriage arranged by her father.  Her actions inspire other young girls to seek the same help, and has helped the women's rights movement take a step forward in recognizing the dangers and damage of this "custom."

To review the book itself is difficult.  Admittedly illiterate, other than a few characters in Arabic and the ability to write her own name, Nujood's voice is not the voice of this memoir.  The story itself is practiced, and organized in a literary tradition that I highly doubt Nujood would recognize, and the narration is that of a literate adult (who, for example, pokes fun at the way Nujood says "bizza" instead of "pizza").  However, naming her as the author of her own story allows her further autonomy, and apparently the royalties have allowed Nujood and one sister to attend school.  And ultimately, the book is just that - an extended news expose that allows for royalties.  Provided that Nujood really is the one who benefits, I applaud the decision, and also the careful way the book serves to introduce the unfamiliar to a serious human rights concern. 

45.
Title: [Audition]
Author: Ryu Murakami
Genre: Pulp
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: June 8, 2014
Rating: ***1/2

Audition tells the tale of a widower who, seven years after the death of his wife, holds auditions for a new wife.  While the actresses lining up to audition for a film don't know that's Aoyama's intent, he and his friend Yoshikawa reason that this is the best way to find a woman who is accomplished, confident, and single.  Of course. And, of course, Aoyama falls mindlessly in love with a former ballet dancer who seems too good to be true.

I enjoyed Audition, but not for the thriller Murakami seemingly intends it to be - rather, I found it to be a highly amusing farce.  The author has absolutely no confidence in his reader, and treats the reader as if he is the same kind of idiot as his protagonist.  The blatancy of the plot hits the audience in the face from the very beginning, and continues through to page 167, when the true "horror" begins.  The final few pages are appropriately squirm-worthy, but the remainder of the novel is good for a laugh. 

44. 
Title: [Shadows of the Workhouse]
Author: Jennifer Worth
Genre: Memoir
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: June 1, 2014
Rating: ****

Having read one Worth before, and as an avid fan of the television show, the stories found in Shadows of the Workhouse are neither new nor surprising, but remain deeply moving. The stories told here show greater depth and consideration than what I've read and seen before, and I appreciated the additional details, and a great sense of "Nurse Lee" as a person. I cried more than once reading this book. 

43.
Title: [Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane]
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: May 27, 2014
Rating: ****

The second in the Underland Chronicles series, Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane follows the titular character when he returns to the Underland, believing his toddler sister Boots has been kidnapped by cockroaches.  As prophecy has dictated, Gregor finds himself again at the service of Regalia in their constant struggle with the gnawers, and sets out to hunt down and kill the Bane.  With stronger pacing than the first, The Prophecy of Bane is a more engaging read, and promises further growth.  The colleague who first recommended Collins' series suggested that one can find ghosts of her now-famous Hunger Games characters in this underground world, spotting strong similarities in character between Haymitch and Ripred and the like.  It's fun to see where some personalities first make their appearances, and I will probably always imagine Ripred drinking himself silly, and Haymitch with a tail.  

42.
Title: [Real World]
Author: Natsuo Kirino
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Pages Completed: 65
Date Completed Abandoned: May 27, 2014
Rating: *

One morning a teenage girl hears a crash next door, and finds out later that the woman living there has been beaten to death; her son - called Worm - is suspected.  What follows is four girls' involvement with Worm in the aftermath of his crime.  I can appreciate gritty and noir, but I've had enough of dead mothers and self-centered angsty teenagers.  Every page was tortuous for its unrelenting self infatuation; I didn't even care to keep reading to find out why he did it (or if, in fact, he really did).  On to better things.

38.
Title: [Daytripper]
Author: Gabriel Ba
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: May 21, 2014
Rating: ****

The colleague who recommended this novel to me loves using Ba's text in class, but says that students often complain about it, saying it's too depressing.  In this case I'm inclined to agree with the students.  The protagonist of the episodic novel works as an obituary author, while working on his own attempt to write a "great novel," the likes of which his father has already achieved. At the conclusion of each episode, the protagonist dies, leaving curious and often sympathetic obituaries of his own.  On one level I hated the text: it is immensely depressing, and forces one to consider their own mortality in often uncomfortable ways. It asks the reader to think about their own final moments, and what they would leave behind if this is it.  The protagonist is, in many ways, an everyman, both preventing sympathy on the part of the reader and allowing him to project himself into these very real moments.

So, if I hated the book, why did I give it four stars? For its relentless and successful pursuit of raw emotion - even though I disliked the book it managed to make me feel at every turn. 

39.
Title: [Persepolis II]
Author: Marjane Satrapi
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: May 21, 2014
Rating: ***

I've come to Persepolis II by a rather circuitous route: I read Persepolis I years ago, saw the film weeks ago, and I've now read the second installment.  What I found did not quite live up to my expectations. Ultimately, I preferred the text to the film, which significantly alters the tone of the text (notably withdrawing any sense of sympathy the narrator shows for her antagonists), but found the introspection less moving than the first book. 

40.
Title: [The Three Incestuous Sisters]
Author: Audrey Niffenegger
Genre: Graphic Novel, of a different sort
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: May 22, 2014
Rating: ****

The Three Incestuous Sisters shows the history of three sisters who find themselves in a complicated conflict of love with a single man, with occasionally disastrous consequences.  Niffenegger manages to craft an elaborate and significant story with minimalist text and sophomoric yet alluring images reminiscent of Edward Gorey.  It is concise and enthralling, showing complex relationships in a single sentence and single illustration.  I found it disturbing and moving and captivating. 

41. 
Title: [A Death in the Family]
Author: Jim Starlin
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Borrowed from a true Batman fanatic
Date Completed: May 24, 2014
Rating: **

I am horrified: I am left searching for something significant to say about this text that means so much to a very dear friend.  But the reality is that I found the book lackluster; the development is nothing like what I've come to expect of graphic novels, and the continuous internal dialogue is utterly ridiculous.  The conflict seems to be a stream of Bruce Wayne saying to himself, "Lucky for me I have a compact helicopter in my back pocket," and otherwise fabricating ridiculous solutions to present conflict. As this is my first foray into comic books proper, I am willing to accept that this may be an aspect of the genre that readers accept, but as an outsider it was more than I was willing to swallow. 

I did find two things of particular interest.  I greatly enjoyed the portrayal of the Joker, who is far more malignant in text that I've found him to be in film (confirming that Ledger's most recent portrayal is closest to the canon, although even he isn't quite as sociopath as his drawn counterpart).  The character exists externally to all sense of right, wrong, and reason, and is compelling for his own absurdity.

Of similar interest, although critically, I found the visual representation of Robin to be of interest.  Supposedly a young man, he is almost grotesquely developed, with his Olympian legs drawing as much attention as the costume which bares them.  In a culture which is now warring against the unrealistic expectations placed on young women, I find it interesting that this similarly-exaggerated model of youthful masculinity is not also facing static (or, if it is, I just haven't yet been exposed).  Robin is a representative figure of physical "perfection," trained to obey the every command of an older (and more modestly clad) male role model.  I think there is much to be said here, but perhaps I am coming 50 years too late to this party - it has probably already been said. 

35.
Title: [Princesses Behaving Badly]
Author: Linda Rodriguez McRobbie
Genre: Nonfiction
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: May 16, 2014
Rating: ***1/2

This book is just what it appears to be: a collection of brief snippets from the lives of women who do not always behave as various societies expect.  As with most books of this type, the content is extremely limited, and offers little depth.  However, McRobbie's narrative voice and sense of humor is appealing, offering a contemporary perspective on the often ludicrous and occasionally outrageous treatment these women have faced. 

36.
Title: [Cress]
Author: Marissa Meyer
Genre: Science Fiction
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: May 17, 2014
Rating: *****

After a lukewarm reading of Scarlet, which too greatly forces elements fairy tales into a bit of a slapdash story, I was wary of Cress. My hesitancy was completely unfounded, as the third book in the Lunar Chronicles is stellar (I couldn't avoid the pun).  Cress as a figure is sympathetic and interesting, and Meyers does well to weave her story into the narrative she has established over Cinder and Scarlet. Here, the allusions to the story of Rapunzel are well-integrated, flowing naturally into the whole as opposed to being forced by expectations. The further development of the previously-introduced characters is enthralling, with strong development and the promise of an exceptional crescendo.  I am won-over again, and cannot wait for the next (and perhaps final?) installment. 

37.
Title: [American Born Chinese]
Author: Gene Luen Yang
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: May 19, 2014
Rating: ***

I picked up American Born Chinese on the recommendation of a colleague; unfortunately, I did not find it as appealing as he.  The novel offers several strong messages, and promotes interest through three separate story lines that converge in the end. The artwork is very well suited to the story, and the episodic nature of the organization will keep readers engaged. So why just three stars?  Personal taste - it just wasn't for me. 

34.
Title: [The Lost Boy]
Author: Greg Ruth
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: May 13, 2014
Rating: ***1/2

The artwork of Greg Ruth's The Lost Boy is breathtaking; the drawings are rich in texture and detail, with a strong sense of realism that allows for the supernatural to be thus more believable.  The story, however, is not what I needed it to be. Beginning the book was a bit like walking into a movie twenty minutes late: I could find the strings of the story enough to piece things together, but can't help feeling that I've missed something greatly significant. Major plot points are left unexplained in what I assume is meant to be a cliffhanger, but instead feels like incomplete writing. I wouldn't be surprised to find that The Lost Boy is the second story of a trilogy, such is the level of development.  Overall, it's worth a look, if only to lose yourself in Ruth's vision. 

Embroideries

33.
Title: [Embroideries]
Author: Marjane Satrapi
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: May 12, 2014
Rating: ****

Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi is an after-dinner conversation between women in a time and place that demands separate spheres, and therefore separate conversations. The product is blunt honesty, crude humor, and pure humanity. Other reviews have berated the subject for being shallow and have dismissed the frequently catty personalities, but I would argue that this is just what makes the text seem honest.  This is not the grandmother I would have expected from Persepolis, but rather an opium-addicted woman with a handful of former husbands, and stories to go with each one.  There are changing attitudes towards marriage and partnership, men, sex, and virginity.  The topic of conversation is not new, and not entirely enlightened, but it is honest and human, and strongly reflects a time and place when things are changing.  It made me smile and it made me cringe and it made me consider a life very different from the one I've had the pleasure of knowing.  An added bonus is the humor of the title, and all of its implications.

31.
Title: [The Ghost Bride]
Author: Yangsze Choo
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: May 9, 2014
Rating: ***

Yangsze Choo's The Ghost Bride offers an intriguing narrative, but fails to develop the story to its potential.  Li Lan, a young woman whose dreams are plagued by a repugnant posthumous suitor, is often obtuse, trusting where it's obvious she shouldn't, and almost exclusively seeking others to save her from her choices.  It is difficult to remain engaged in the slow plot, despite a predisposition to such otherworldly stories; if not for the final developments (and, really, the final line), the story would not rate even three stars, but the final twist redeems an otherwise lackluster folktale. 

32.

Title: [Raven Girl]
Author: Audrey Niffenegger
Genre: Fable
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: May 12, 2014
Rating: *****

Audrey Niffenegger's Raven Girl, about a young woman whose parents are a raven and a postman, recalls the tradition of fables and folktales, with an acceptance of the absurd, and no predisposition to explain or elaborate on the surreal.  That a postman would fall in love with a raven is of no question, and that the two could wed and produce a daughter goes unchallenged, even when the daughter becomes engaged in the world beyond their small home.  The plight of the Raven Girl is suggestive of transgendered children, as she feels wrong in the form in which she is born, and longs to be other.  She eventually meets a doctor willing to help her seek her better form, with complicated and beautiful consequences.  The tale is wonderfully disturbing on some levels, and highly sympathetic on every level.  This is a beautiful book and a beautiful story for readers young and old.

Maus: A Survivor's Tale

29.
Title: [Maus]
Author: Art Spiegelman
Genre: Nonfiction Graphic Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Borrowed from Colleague
Date Completed: April 28, 2014
Rating: ****

30.
Title: [Maus II]
Author: Art Spiegelman
Genre: Nonfiction Graphic Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Borrowed from Colleague
Date Completed: April 28, 2014
Rating: ****

I read my first graphic novel in graduate school - Fun Home, which was assigned as part of a Queer Theory course.  Wholly unfamiliar with the genre, impart because of my own English snobbery, Fun Home presented a series of intellectual challenges, and ultimately I found myself drawing on my undergraduate film and art studies to help with my more practiced literary analysis.  Ultimately, the experience was rewarding, and from time to time I again find myself pursuing a reading list of graphic novels (last inspired by the fortuitous introduction to Persepolis).

Recently, a colleague mentioned a new graphic rhetoric text, which I quickly obtained, and just as quickly handed off to another department colleague with far more experience in using graphic novels.  From this same colleague I was given a promising reading list, beginning with Maus by Art Spiegelman (which he kindly let me borrow).  I've heard of the pair before, and knew the general subject, but had never got around to picking them up.  Now, armed with the story of Spiegelman's run-in with the New York Times Bestseller list, I spent an evening curled up with the most wonderful kind of difficult story - that of a survivor.

There are many elements I enjoyed, and some of which I was not fond. I appreciate Spiegelman's choice of anthropomorphic characterization, and cherished his ability to share complex and moving emotion through alien faces.  I appreciated, too, his attempts at honest portrayal - his father, for all of admirable qualities and inspirational concentration Auschwitz story, is not at the time of the story a "good" man: he is miserly, bitter, critical, and racist.   But it is this honest portrayal that I found most unsympathetic; though Spiegelman presents Vladek as he sees him, the angst he feels at his portrayal predominates much of the text, shifting the story from Vladek's survival to Art's attempt at survival - surviving the example and crushing influence of his formidable father. 

I was engrossed from the beginning, and moved only to fetch the second volume once I had finished the first.  That I have not moved so quickly to finish A Death in the Family may say something about my interests and tastes in reading, but I am glad to have finally had the opportunity to scratch Spiegelman off my list.  Now onwards to the other promising reads suggested by my colleague, including Daytripper and The Graphic Canon. 

26.
Title: [One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]
Author: Ken Kesey
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: April 4, 2014
Rating

Yes, again. 

27. 
Title: [Oedipus Rex]
Author: Sophocles
Genre: Drama
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: April 16, 2014
Rating:


28.
Title: [The Island of Doctor Moreau]
Author: H. G. Wells
Genre: Scientific Romance
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: April 17, 2014
Rating: *****

I love this text, both for its ability to hold student interest, and how ripe the text is for various points of analysis.  Atwood provides an introduction to our edition that suggests "Ten Ways of Looking At" the novel, including allusions to The Time Machine, "New Woman as Cat Woman," an "Unholy Trinity," and so forth.  The suggestions are sound, and provide great questions when conversation lulls.  This semester conversation has been strong, and I've focused discussion on questions of humanity versus monstrosity, the lack of sympathy for the protagonist, a contemporary reading versus nineteenth-century popular science, and the question of narrative holes (my favorite).  It's proving again to be a strong end to the semester. 

24. 
Title: [The Hobbit]
Author: J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre:  Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: April 1, 2014
Rating: ****1/2

One of the (many) wonderful things about my job is the incentive to return to good stories time and again; the repetition lends itself to deeper introspection and analysis, and allows a novel to well and truly become a text of ideas and not just a story.  This is my second semester teaching The Hobbit as part of a unit on myths, legends, and heroes, and it went over very well.  One of my favorite lectures turned towards film analysis and comparison: we watched "Riddles in the Dark" from both the 1977 animated film and the contemporary rendition, and talked about strengths and weakness, the phenomenon of dating, intended audiences, etc.  It was all thoroughly enjoyable.

In addition to discussing the alternatively-heroic qualities of the protagonist, we focus quite a bit on narration and storytelling - it is, after all, a book about stories.  One of the most interesting elements, I find, are the narrative holes, and considering why an author, narrator, or storyteller would choose to leave certain tales and events out. 

25. 
Title: [Raising Steam]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Pre-ordered
Date Completed: April 2, 2014
Rating: ****

Moist is back, and this time Vetinari has placed him in the middle of a budding railway system, which develops nearly out of thin air, and literally takes on a life of its own.  At its core, it is a story of industry, but even more so a study of people, racial and class tension, and the dangers of religious extremism.  Unlike most of the Discworld series, I would say that Pratchett's latest is not actually a comedy; though there are a few charming moments, the tone of the book is far more critical.  As usual, the narrative elements all come together, and the conclusion is satisfactory. 

23. 
Title: [Night Broken]
Author: Patricia Briggs
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Pre-ordered
Date Completed: March 20 2014
Rating: ****1/2

The pack often blames Mercy for bringing trouble to their collective doors, but this time it's Adam's ex-wife who comes calling, with trouble and melodrama to spare.  Christy is a human who leaves Adam years before, citing fear of the wolves, but her present (legitimate) danger chases her back to the home she helped build, with one thing on her mind: winning back the alpha and father of their daughter.  Christy's presence divides the pack between those who recognize her for the selfish manipulative *expletive* she is, and those who are driven by a need and desire to protect the "weak." 

Christy is loathsome, and a desire to see her fall races through the novel.  The fact that she brings a long-unidentified danger with her, threatening the lives of everyone around her, makes her presence even more grating. 

Briggs is a solid urban fantasy author, and the consistency of her novels will always keep me coming back for more.  Night Broken maintains reader expectations, and though it doesn't take any chances, the action and development are what I've come to expect.  I'm glad I put down all other books when this arrived at my door - it's just the fun I wanted and needed. 

22. 
Title: [The Savage Garden]
Author: Peter D'Amato
Genre: Horticulture
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: March 17 2014
Rating: ****

Meet Bugrit. 


This adorable little guy, a three-year-old Venus Flytrap, is my new office mate.  I've been long interested in carnivorous plants, and seeing flytraps in terrariums in a museum gift store eventually lead me to look for them locally.  To my delight, one can purchase carnivorous plants from Amazon, and Bugrit is the first of two to arrive.  But there's one problem: I have no idea how to care for my new charges.

The instructions that came with my first plant are invaluable, but Peter D'Amato's name has come up several times in connection to carnivorous plants, and I gleefully snagged a copy of his book at the library.  The Savage Garden is a beautiful text, with stunning photography and high production quality.  D'Amato obviously knows a thing or two about his subject, and offers rich history of each species, as well as simple instructions for cultivating these plants in one's home and garden.   At times, the text can be a bit dry, as I don't share the author's enthusiasm for differentiating between genus and hybrids and how to catalog breedings.  Still, it is clear why this book has such a strong reputation, and I'm very glad for the history and instructions. 

Geekery!

21. 
Title: [Ready Player One]
Author: Ernest Cline
Genre: Fantasy, Dystopian
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: March 17 2014
Rating: ****

Ready Player One, though just published in 2012, is an old story: Wade, an American high school senior, is a gunter, living almost entirely online in an environment called Oasis.  This virtual space offers an alternative existence to reality, in which the world is steadily falling apart, though class, culture, and economy still thrive in familiar ways, both online and IRL. When billionaire hermit Halliday, the creator of Oasis, dies, he leaves his entire fortune (and control of the company - and thus, Oasis) to the Oasis user who can find his Easter egg.  This kind of power is nearly limitless, so everyone engages in a 1980s-saturated quest for the egg.  Gunters like Wade are battling corporate America, aka IOI, who hopes to find the egg and commercialize Oasis in anti-bohemian ways. 

One's familiarity with the target audience - "geeks" who grew up in the 1980s - will greatly impact the enjoyment of the story.  I'm a bit too young for many allusions, and not a gamer, but my own fondness for and familiarity with geeks carried me through the story with smiles.  Wade is flawed and likeable, and the text as a whole is warm and familiar, even for someone with limited experience.  Though this is not a five-star read for me, I can very easily understand why it's gained such popularity, and can highly recommend it myself. 

Finishing February

20. 
Title: [The Truth]
Author:  Terry Pratchett
Genre: Fantasy, Satire
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchase
Date Completed: March 6 2014
Rating: *****

The industry novels are my favorite in the Discworld canon, and The Truth will always hold a special place in my heart, both for the story itself, and as the first Pratchett novel I ever had the pleasure to read.  Unfortunately, my students didn't find it nearly as enthralling; that'll teach me to assign one of my favorite novels immediately before spring break.  Still, I had great fun re-reading it, even if lectures felt like pulling teeth.

19.
Title: [Bared]
Author: Stacey Kennedy
Genre: Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchase
Date Completed: February 2014
Rating:

I can offer neither a review nor a rating, since I forgot to post this right after reading it.  I vaguely remembered being annoyed with the levels of angst and lack of communication, but it left me with no other impression.

18.
Title: [Bonds of Trust]
Author: Lynda Aicher
Genre: Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchase
Date Completed: February 15, 2014
Rating: **1/2

Though the later book in the series shows such promise, with interesting character development and actual romantic passages, the first of the same series is absolutely flat, dull, and without interest.

No Cover Art!

15. 
Title: [The Redwood Pack: Volume 3]
Author: Carrie Ann Ryan
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: February 11, 2014
Rating: ***

16.
Title: [The Redwood Pack: Volume 4]
Author: Carrie Ann Ryan
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: February 13, 2014
Rating: ***1/2

17.
Title: [Othello]
Author: William Shakespeare
Genre: Drama
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: February 13, 2014
Rating: ****1/2

I will always read the part of Iago in the voice of Kenneth Branaugh, which makes the play that much more enjoyable. 

9.
Title: [One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]
Author: Ken Kesey
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Book
Date Completed: January 31, 2014
Rating: ****

I'm leading three separate preparations this semester, and will actually be revisiting Kesey's madhouse in a few weeks...

10.
Title: [Curtsies and Conspiracies]
Author: Gail Carriger
Genre: "Science Fiction" (I'm very interested in how different libraries label this series differently)
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: February 1, 2014
Rating: ***

Curtsies and Conspiracies, the second in Gail Carriger's steampunk-esque Finishing School series, is not quite as tittering and titillating as the first; the interest I found is grounded mostly in my interest in The Parasol Protectorate, and the history that now unfolds.  This second book has similarly silly charm, but isn't wonderful on its own merits. 

The covers of this series are much better than the former, I will say. 


11. 
Title: [MacRieve]
Author: Kresley Cole
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: February 2, 2014
Rating: ****

I find Kresley Cole problematic; she introduces strong female characters, subjects them to extremely brutal circumstances (both emotional and physical), in which they find their "love." The problem is that the "love" is the individual responsible for their torment, and they far too quickly forgive-and-forget - she introduces the idea of "fated mates" to justify rape, shows care by kidnappers, and has one character literally vivisected after being captured by the man she would come to care for.  My "last straw" was Lothaire, which has the protagonist engaging in sexual acts to save her own life, once she is abducted by the titular character. 

I resisted MacRieve both for its own sake - which promises a "slave trade" - and my past experience for the series.  Morbid curiosity eventually lead me to find it in the library.  Ultimately, I was very pleasantly surprised.  Yes, the female protagonist faces great challenges, and even emotional abuse at the hands of her intended, but the titular character himself is reasonably conflicted, and not simply cruel or sadistic.  The story is one of overcoming prejudices (and the emotional turmoil this can generate) as opposed to abuse, and the resolution seems far more reasonable than many others in the series.  For overall improvement, I will happily give this novel four stars.

12. 
Title: [House of Dead Maids]
Author: Clare B. Dunkle
Genre: YA Horror
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: February 6, 2014
Rating: **
This book is not, as the author contends, a prelude to Wuthering Heights; the connection to Bronte's gothic novel is an accident if epilogue, awkward, forced, and without function. It does not follow with either it's supposed source or the time at which it was written, and so failed to meet even one of my limited expectations. It is, however, a juvenile ghost story, and were I twenty years younger just the kind of story I would adore. So, I would argue this novel is best for very young audiences, but anyone over nine, looking for the Heathcliff they know, will be greatly disappointed.

13. 
Title: [Bonds of Denial]
Author: Lynda Aicher
Genre: M/M Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchase
Date Completed: February 8, 2014
Rating: ****1/2

The genre designation of "romance"  is somewhat comical; the genre can be raunchy, flirty, fun, outrageous, disturbing, or just plain goofy, but they very rarely come across as romantic.  To date, I don't know that I would call any of the "romance" novels I read just that, until now.  In Bonds of Desire, which apparently comes somewhere in the middle of an established series, a closeted ex-military security expert finds himself infatuated with a gay escort who frequents the S/M club of which he is a partial owner.  Deeply ashamed of himself and his sexuality, it is an act of bravery that leads him to schedule his crush's services, only to panic and flee.  What follows is a touching and sweet story of two men helping each other find peace in their identities and personal lives, lending support and understanding that neither believes it possible.  It was simply lovely. 

14.
Title: [We Have Always Lived in the Castle]
Author: Shirley Jackson
Genre: Gothic, Mystery, Satire
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: February 9, 2014
Rating: ****1/2

Wonderfully complex ideas on genre, society, madness, and the power of stories.