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.

List of Books Read in 2011 - By Date

List of Books Read in 2011

1. Expecting 411 by Michele Hakakha and Ari Brown. 1.1.11. ***
2. Mr. Monster by Dan Wells. 1.4.11. ****1/2
3. Home for a Spell by Madelyn Alt. 1.6.11. ****
4. Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. 1.7.11. *****
5. The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter. 1.8.11. ***1/2
6. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. 1.12.11. ****
7. The Darkest Kiss by Gena Showalter. 1.13.11. **1/2
8. Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy by Abigail Reynolds. 1.15.11. ****1/2
9. Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny. 1.18.11. *****
10. Trifles by Susan Glaspell. 1.28.11.

11. Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson. 2.5.11. ***1/2
12. Oedipus the King by Sophocles. 2.6.11.
13. Murder on St. Mark's Place by Victoria Thompson. 2.8.11. ***3/4
14. Murder on Gramercy Park by Victoria Thompson. 2.11.11. ****
15. Murder on Washington Square by Victoria Thompson. 2.16.11. ****
16. Murder on Mulberry Bend by Victoria Thompson. 2.17.11. ****
17. Murder on Marble Row by Victoria Thompson. 2.22.11. ****
18. A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole. 2.24.11. ***
19. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. 2.24.11.
20. Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl. 2.28.11

21. No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole. 3.2.11. ***1/2
22. Murder on Lenox Hill by Victoria Thompson. 3.4.11. ****
23. Let's Kill Uncle by Rohan O'Grady. 3.5.11. ****
24. River Marked by Patricia Briggs. 3.9.11. *****
25. Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole. 3.12.11. ***1/2
26. Murder in Little Italy by Victoria Thompson. 3.18.11. ***1/3
27. Greasy Lake by T.C. Boyle. 3.22.11. **1/2
28. Tracking Trash by Loree Griffin Burns. 3.20.11.
29. Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff. 3.20.11.
30. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. 3.23.11. ****1/2
31. Murder in Chinatown by Victoria Thompson. 3.28.11. ****

32. Dark Needs at Night's Edge by Kresley Cole. 4.2.11. ***1/2
33. Dark Desires After Dusk by Kresley Cole. 4.7.11. ***1/2
34. Beastly by Alex Flinn. 4.8.11. **1/2
35. Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole. 4.11.11. ***1/2
36. Murder on Bank Street by Victoria Thompson. 4.14.11. *****
37. Murder on Waverly Place by Victoria Thompson. 4.19.11. ***1/2
38. The Misadventures of Maude March by Audrey Couloumbis. 4.22.11. ****1/2
39. Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. 4.27.11.
40. The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells. 4.30.11. *****

41. Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale. 5.7.11. ****
42. Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole. 5.12.11. ***1/2
43. Demon from the Dark by Kresley Cole. 5.15.11. ****
44. Dreams of a Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole. 5.19.11. **1/2
45. Murder on Lexington Avenue by Victoria Thompson. 5.29.11. ****

46. A Cast-Off Coven by Juliet Blackwell. 6.3.11. ***1/2
47. Hit List by Laurell K. Hamilton. 6.8.11. ***1/2
48. Murder on Sisters' Row by Victoria Thompson. 6.10.11. ****
49. The Victorian Governess by Kathryn Hughes. 6.12.11. ****1/2
50. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Rigs. 6.17.11. ****1/2
51. Heartless by Gail Carriger. 6.28.11. ****

52. Deeper than Midnight by Lara Adrian. 7.1.11. ***1/2
53. "G" is for Grafton: The World of Kinsey Millhone by Natalie Hevener Kaufman and Carol McGinnis Kay. 7.1.11. ***1/2
54. All Different Kinds of Free by Jessica McCann. 7.15.11. ****
55. I Don't Want to Kill You by Dan Wells. 7.17.11. *****
56. The Real Macaw by Donna Andrews. 7.19.11. ****
57. Hexes and Hemlines by Juliet Blackwell. 7.21.11. ***
58. Dead Girls are Easy by Terri Garey. 7.23.11. **
59. Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong. 7.26.11. ****
60. Killed at the Whim of a Hat by Colin Cotterill. 7.31.11. ****

61. Bookmarked for Death by Lorna Barrett. 8.5.11. ***1/2
62. Death by Darjeeling by Laura Childs. 8.7.11. *
63. Death of a Trophy Wife by Laura Levine. 8.19.11. **1/2
64. E is for Evidence by Sue Grafton. 8.13.11. ****
65. F is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton. 8.14.11. ****
66. G is for Gumshoe by Sue Grafton. 8.15.11. ***1/2
67. H is for Homicide by Sue Grafton. 8.17.11. ***
68. I is for Innocent by Sue Grafton. 8.20.11. ****

69. J is for Judgment by Sue Grafton. 9.5.11. ***
70. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. 9.7.11. ****
71. Oedipus the King by Sophocles. 9.11.11.
72. The Law School Admission Game: Play Like an Expert by Ann K. Levine, Esq. 9.11.11. *****
73. A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny. 9.14.11. *****
74. The Mistress Contract by Anonymous. 9.14.11. *
75. Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George. 9.16.11. ****
76. Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George. 9.18.11. ****
77. Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George. 9.22.11. ****
78. Murder Most Persuasive by Tracy Kiely. 9.26.11. ****

79. Bowery Girl by Kim Taylor. 10.2.11. *****
80. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. 10.3.11.
81. Kindling the Moon by Jenn Bennett. 10.6.11. ***
82. No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon. 10.11.11. **
83. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. 10.18.11. ****
84. The Darkest Kiss by Keri Arthur. 10.26.11. ****

85. Darkness Unbound by Keri Arthur. 11.1.11. ****
86. Othello by Shakespeare. 11.1.11.
87. Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. 11.1.11.
88. Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. 11.19.11.
89. Othello by Shakespeare. 11.19.11.
90. Wicked Plants by Amy Stewart. 11.20.11. **
91. The Darcys and The Bingleys by Marsha Altman. 11.25.11. ***

92. Sentenced to Death by Lorna Barrett. 12.5.11. ***1/2
93. The Valley of Fear by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 12.5.11. ***1/2
94. Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher. 12.6.11. **1/2
95. Whip Smart by Melissa Febos. 12.11.11. ****
96. Eliza's Daughter by Joan Aiken. 12.14.11. ****
97. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. 12.20.11. *****
98. Snuff by Terry Pratchett. 12.26.11. *****
99. Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor, et al. 12.26.11. ***
100. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi. 12.27.11. ****1/2
101. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. 12.29.11. ****

List of Books Read in 2011 - By Rating

75 in 2011 Challenge
Based on a scale of one to five

Unrated for varying reasons
Trifles by Susan Glaspell. 1.28.11.
Oedipus the King by Sophocles. 2.6.11.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. 2.24.11.
Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl. 2.28.11
Tracking Trash by Loree Griffin Burns. 3.20.11.
Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff. 3.20.11.
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. 4.27.11.
Oedipus the King by Sophocles. 9.11.11.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey. 10.3.11.
Othello by Shakespeare. 11.1.11.
Oedipus the King by Sophocles. 11.1.11.
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. 11.20.11.
Othello by Shakespeare. 11.20.11.




Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. 1.7.11.
Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny. 1.18.11.
River Marked by Patricia Briggs. 3.9.11.
Murder on Bank Street by Victoria Thompson. 4.14.11.
The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells. 4.30.11.
I Don't Want to Kill You by Dan Wells. 7.17.11.
The Law School Admission Game by Ann Levine, Esq. 9.11.11.
A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny. 9.14.11.
Bowery Girl by Kim Taylor. 10.2.11.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. 12.20.11.
Snuff by Terry Pratchett. 12.26.11.




Mr. Monster by Dan Wells. 1.4.11.
Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy by Abigail Reynolds. 1.15.11.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. 3.23.11.
The Misadventures of Maude March by Audrey Couloumbis. 4.22.11.
The Victorian Governess by Kathryn Hughes. 6.12.11.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Rigs. 6.17.11.
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi. 12.27.11.



Home for a Spell by Madelyn Alt. 1.6.11
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. 1.12.11.
Murder on Gramercy Park by Victoria Thompson. 2.11.11.
Murder on Washington Square by Victoria Thompson. 2.16.11.
Murder on Mulberry Bend by Victoria Thompson. 2.17.11.
Murder on Marble Row by Victoria Thompson. 2.22.11.
Murder on Lenox Hill by Victoria Thompson. 3.4.11.
Let's Kill Uncle by Rohan O'Grady. 3.5.11.
Murder in Chinatown by Victoria Thompson. 3.28.11.
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale. 5.7.11.
Demon from the Dark by Kresley Cole. 5.15.11.
Murder on Lexington Avenue by Victoria Thompson. 5.29.11.
Murder on Sisters' Row by Victoria Thompson. 6.10.11.
Heartless by Gail Carriger. 6.28.11.
All Different Kinds of Free by Jessica McCann. 7.15.11.
The Real Macaw by Donna Andrews. 7.19.11.
Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong. 7.26.11.
Killed at the Whim of a Hat by Colin Cotterill. 7.31.11.
E is for Evidence by Sue Grafton. 8.13.11.
F is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton. 8.14.11.
I is for Innocent by Sue Grafton. 8.20.11.
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. 9.7.11.
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George. 9.16.11.
Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George. 9.18.11.
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George. 9.22.11.
Murder Most Persuasive by Tracy Kiely. 9.26.11.
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. 10.18.11.
The Darkest Kiss by Keri Arthur. 10.26.11.
Darkness Unbound by Keri Arthur. 11.1.11.
Whip Smart by Melissa Febos. 12.11.11.
Eliza's Daughter by Joan Aiken. 12.14.11.
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. 12.29.11. ****




The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter. 1.8.11.
Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson. 2.5.11.
Murder on St. Mark's Place by Victoria Thompson. 2.8.11. ***3/4
No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole. 3.2.11.
Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole. 3.12.11.
Murder in Little Italy by Victoria Thompson. 3.18.11.
Dark Needs at Night's Edge by Kresley Cole. 4.2.11.
Dark Desires After Dusk by Kresley Cole. 4.7.11.
Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole. 4.11.11.
Murder on Waverly Place by Victoria Thompson. 4.19.11.
Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole. 5.12.11.
A Cast-Off Coven by Juliet Blackwell. 6.3.11.
Hit List by Laurell K. Hamilton. 6.8.11.
Deeper than Midnight by Lara Adrian. 7.1.11.
"G" is for Grafton: The World of Kinsey Millhone by Natalie Hevener Kaufman and Carol McGinnis Kay. 7.1.11.
Bookmarked for Death by Lorna Barrett. 8.5.11.
G is for Gumshoe by Sue Grafton. 8.15.11.
Sentenced to Death by Lorna Barrett. 12.5.11.
The Valley of Fear by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 12.5.11.



Expecting 411 by Michele Hakakha and Ari Brown. 1.1.11.
A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole. 2.24.11.
Hexes and Hemlines by Juliet Blackwell. 7.21.11.
H is for Homicide by Sue Grafton. 8.17.11.
J is for Judgment by Sue Grafton. 9.5.11.
Kindling the Moon by Jenn Bennett. 10.6.11.
The Darcys and The Bingleys by Marsha Altman. 11.25.11.
Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor, et al. 12.26.11



The Darkest Kiss by Gena Showalter. 1.13.11
Greasy Lake by T.C. Boyle. 3.22.11.
Beastly by Alex Flin. 4.8.11
Dreams of a Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole. 5.19.11.
Death of a Trophy Wife by Laura Levine. 8.19.11.
Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher. 12.6.11.


Dead Girls are Easy by Terri Garey. 7.23.11.
No Mercy by Sherilyn Kenyon. 10.11.11.
Wicked Plants by Amy Stewart. 11.20.11.






Death by Darjeeling by Laura Childs. 8.7.11.
The Mistress Contract by Anonymous. 9.14.11.

101.
Author: Suzanne Collins
Title: Catching Fire
publication: Kindle
Pages:
Genre: Dystopian
Acquisition: sequel
Date: December 29, 2011
Rating: ****

Despite Katniss' relief at the conclusion of The Hunger Games, it is evident to the reader that "it" is not over; the feeling of unrest, the political ramifications of her actions, and the building personal tension scream out for a sequel, which is presented in Catching Fire.

In this second book of the trilogy, the reader is fully (albeit briefly) introduced to the "head" of this horrendous civilization, and as Collins further develops the society outside of the games it becomes clear that not everyone in the Capitol is as repugnant as President Snow, but rather have been indoctrinated into his insanity.

There is little relief for Katniss and her loved ones, as she struggles to again find her path through the mine-field that is her society. While even more predictable than the first, the second is just as compelling, and leads directly in to the concluding novel, Mockingjay.