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Renegade: Henry Miller and the Making of Tropic of Cancer
Book
Though branded as pornography for its graphic language and explicit sexuality, Henry Miller's...
Every Sunday Marlene and her mother, Paola, go to the salon to straighten their hair so that it’s “presentable” and “good hair”. But Marlene hates being in the salon and doesn’t understand why she can’t wear her hair natural and embrace her curls. With a few missteps, and help from her best friend Camila and her Tia Ruby - Marlene slowly begins her journey to appreciate and proudly wear her curly hair.
This is a very important book for young girls out there who need to know that embracing and feeling comfortable in your natural hair is something to celebrate and show off.
Along with step-by-steps from Tia Ruby on how to take care of her hair, Marlene and her Tia also have a discussion on generation trauma and what that means and how it affects every generation. They were both important topics that I felt like were handled with care, especially for the age group this novel is aimed towards.
I loved the illustrations by Rose Rousamra, they were stunning and conveyed Marlene’s journey perfectly. The color pallet for everything was beautiful as well.
*Thank you NetGalley and First Second for a digital copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review
This is a very important book for young girls out there who need to know that embracing and feeling comfortable in your natural hair is something to celebrate and show off.
Along with step-by-steps from Tia Ruby on how to take care of her hair, Marlene and her Tia also have a discussion on generation trauma and what that means and how it affects every generation. They were both important topics that I felt like were handled with care, especially for the age group this novel is aimed towards.
I loved the illustrations by Rose Rousamra, they were stunning and conveyed Marlene’s journey perfectly. The color pallet for everything was beautiful as well.
*Thank you NetGalley and First Second for a digital copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review
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Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated V for Vendetta in Books
Jul 10, 2018
I picked up V for Vendetta because my book club wanted to read it. I will admit, graphic novels are not my usual flavor, but every now and then it is nice to have something new. I tend to like reading books without having to analyze the photos. I like having more detail in the writing itself. With graphic novels, the pictures are the details. This can be great and I love the additional media but I found it a little lacking.
<blockquote> ÛÏEverybody is special. Everybody. Everybody is a hero, a lover, a fool, a villain. Everybody.Û </blockquote>
Ultimately, I want to read the details and not have to scour a picture for them. The artwork was beautiful in a grungy way. David LloydÛªs talent really did captivate me. But, I also found the artwork frustrating at times. When reading/viewing this graphic novel I found that the facial expressions were sometimes too similar to pick out. Someone could be crying in despair or screaming in rage, and it looked nearly identical. Also, there were some characters that just seemed to blend together. I discussed this book with the rest of the book club and we all tended to agree that the characters were too similar in their appearance. One member blended two characters together. Looking back at the novel, I definitely understand where he was coming from. I even had some problems interpreting one of the characters. I actually thought that one of the wives was the mother. I was quite surprised (I almost spit out my coffee) when there was a sexual scene between the mother and the sonÛ_ luckily, I went back in the novel and realized that she was the wife.
<blockquote> ÛÏThey made you into a victim, Evey. They made you into a statistic. But thatÛªs not the real you. ThatÛªs not who you are inside.Û </blockquote>
What I really liked about V for Vendetta was the fact that it was different from my typical books. The book was very political. I found it fascinating to see MilgramÛªs study discussed along with the concept of happiness. There were many times that I took a picture of the page so that I wouldnÛªt forget a certain passage. I also really loved the concepts of the book. I found myself enthralled by the thoughts and ideas in regards to social standing, political ideas, and the dystopian ideals that were present. I do wish that they would have continued with some of them. One amazing member of the Denver Coffeehouse Book Club summed up my frustrations about this beautifully: ÛÏThatÛªs a great conceptÛ_ *Shrug*Û. It seemed like every time Alan Moore and David Lloyd came up with a great idea they just shrugged and left it hanging in the air, leaving the reader with the hope that they might revisit it laterÛ_ *Spoiler* later never came.
<blockquote> ÛÏHappiness is the most insidious prison of all.Û </blockquote>
All in all, I enjoyed V for Vendetta and I will most likely read it again. ItÛªs like a cup of gas station coffee that you add a cinnamon stick to in hopes that the flavor may change. I liked the plot, the ideas, the concepts, but I do wish that the concepts were more flushed out. It seemed that they had great ideas that they just didnÛªt follow through with. Perhaps that was part of their ultimate concept. They could have wanted the reader to explore their own thoughts and draw their own conclusions. Ultimately, I found the graphic novel form fascinating, beautiful, and at times quite frustrating. It was great, just not my usual flavor.
<blockquote> ÛÏEverybody is special. Everybody. Everybody is a hero, a lover, a fool, a villain. Everybody.Û </blockquote>
Ultimately, I want to read the details and not have to scour a picture for them. The artwork was beautiful in a grungy way. David LloydÛªs talent really did captivate me. But, I also found the artwork frustrating at times. When reading/viewing this graphic novel I found that the facial expressions were sometimes too similar to pick out. Someone could be crying in despair or screaming in rage, and it looked nearly identical. Also, there were some characters that just seemed to blend together. I discussed this book with the rest of the book club and we all tended to agree that the characters were too similar in their appearance. One member blended two characters together. Looking back at the novel, I definitely understand where he was coming from. I even had some problems interpreting one of the characters. I actually thought that one of the wives was the mother. I was quite surprised (I almost spit out my coffee) when there was a sexual scene between the mother and the sonÛ_ luckily, I went back in the novel and realized that she was the wife.
<blockquote> ÛÏThey made you into a victim, Evey. They made you into a statistic. But thatÛªs not the real you. ThatÛªs not who you are inside.Û </blockquote>
What I really liked about V for Vendetta was the fact that it was different from my typical books. The book was very political. I found it fascinating to see MilgramÛªs study discussed along with the concept of happiness. There were many times that I took a picture of the page so that I wouldnÛªt forget a certain passage. I also really loved the concepts of the book. I found myself enthralled by the thoughts and ideas in regards to social standing, political ideas, and the dystopian ideals that were present. I do wish that they would have continued with some of them. One amazing member of the Denver Coffeehouse Book Club summed up my frustrations about this beautifully: ÛÏThatÛªs a great conceptÛ_ *Shrug*Û. It seemed like every time Alan Moore and David Lloyd came up with a great idea they just shrugged and left it hanging in the air, leaving the reader with the hope that they might revisit it laterÛ_ *Spoiler* later never came.
<blockquote> ÛÏHappiness is the most insidious prison of all.Û </blockquote>
All in all, I enjoyed V for Vendetta and I will most likely read it again. ItÛªs like a cup of gas station coffee that you add a cinnamon stick to in hopes that the flavor may change. I liked the plot, the ideas, the concepts, but I do wish that the concepts were more flushed out. It seemed that they had great ideas that they just didnÛªt follow through with. Perhaps that was part of their ultimate concept. They could have wanted the reader to explore their own thoughts and draw their own conclusions. Ultimately, I found the graphic novel form fascinating, beautiful, and at times quite frustrating. It was great, just not my usual flavor.
Kaz (232 KP) rated The Wasp Factory in Books
May 15, 2019
A Sinister, but Excellent Read
I've just finished 'The Wasp Factory' by Iain Banks and all I can say is wow!
This story is told by Frank, a 16 year old boy, who lives on a remote island in Scotland with his father. This is about Frank, his very dysfunctional family and trying to find his brother, who has escaped from a mental institution.
What I love about this book is the way in which Iain Banks writes characters. Frank is such a complex character that, although in essence he is an evil person, there are flashes of innocence and sensitivity about him, that you can't help but like him. One moment you feel like he is the only reasonable member of his family and then gradually, you realize his true character. Despite that, you feel sorry for Frank and the life that he has grown up in and the next, completely horrified by some of the things he does in the novel. He's not just a bad character, which in turn, makes him all the more believable.
I also liked some of the dark humour in this novel. Some of the more disturbing stories of Frank's family history were told in such a way, as to make them funny. I felt guilty for laughing at times, but I couldn't help it!
Away from the story itself, I liked how the novel comments on human nature's need for power and to overpower others. This idea is relevant in the areas of gender, politics and society.
This novel isn't plot driven, but character driven, so the story was a bit slow at times. However, I was not expecting the twist at the end.
This might not be for everyone, because it is so dark and at times, really intense. However, I thought this was a brilliant first read for 2019.
I would give this 5 starts, but I have to knock a point off, because this book dragged a couple of times.
This story is told by Frank, a 16 year old boy, who lives on a remote island in Scotland with his father. This is about Frank, his very dysfunctional family and trying to find his brother, who has escaped from a mental institution.
What I love about this book is the way in which Iain Banks writes characters. Frank is such a complex character that, although in essence he is an evil person, there are flashes of innocence and sensitivity about him, that you can't help but like him. One moment you feel like he is the only reasonable member of his family and then gradually, you realize his true character. Despite that, you feel sorry for Frank and the life that he has grown up in and the next, completely horrified by some of the things he does in the novel. He's not just a bad character, which in turn, makes him all the more believable.
I also liked some of the dark humour in this novel. Some of the more disturbing stories of Frank's family history were told in such a way, as to make them funny. I felt guilty for laughing at times, but I couldn't help it!
Away from the story itself, I liked how the novel comments on human nature's need for power and to overpower others. This idea is relevant in the areas of gender, politics and society.
This novel isn't plot driven, but character driven, so the story was a bit slow at times. However, I was not expecting the twist at the end.
This might not be for everyone, because it is so dark and at times, really intense. However, I thought this was a brilliant first read for 2019.
I would give this 5 starts, but I have to knock a point off, because this book dragged a couple of times.
David McK (3425 KP) rated Batman: Arkham Origins in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Hmmm … what to make of this?
I picked this up on a whim when I spotted it on sale in a local 'Works' (basically, bargain books) shop, with fond memories of playing the game on which it is based.
I thought it would be, basically, a comic/graphic novel retelling the plot of that game.
I was wrong.
A few pages into this, I realised it's actually a 'Choose-your-own-adventure' style of story, set (as the name suggest) back at the very start of Batman's career as a vigilante crime-fighter, with little-to-no links to that console game.
It was interesting for a diversion, however it did only take a couple of attempts to reach the 'good' ending (and even that was not that great), after a few dead-ends.
An interesting experiment, maybe, but nothing to set the world alight.
I picked this up on a whim when I spotted it on sale in a local 'Works' (basically, bargain books) shop, with fond memories of playing the game on which it is based.
I thought it would be, basically, a comic/graphic novel retelling the plot of that game.
I was wrong.
A few pages into this, I realised it's actually a 'Choose-your-own-adventure' style of story, set (as the name suggest) back at the very start of Batman's career as a vigilante crime-fighter, with little-to-no links to that console game.
It was interesting for a diversion, however it did only take a couple of attempts to reach the 'good' ending (and even that was not that great), after a few dead-ends.
An interesting experiment, maybe, but nothing to set the world alight.
David McK (3425 KP) rated Superman: Birthright in Books
Jan 30, 2019
It's funny, but while - like, I'm sure, most people out there - I may know (of) the origin of the Man of Steel, I've never actually seeing it written down anywhere.
Thinking about it, I think that knowledge comes from the Christopher Reeve Superman films, and the more recent TV series Smallville.
That TV series was still running when this graphic novel series was released.
This goes back to Superman's earliest days in Metropolis, with a brief flash-back to his high school Smallville days, to present a new take on the origin of the character - Jimmy Olsen? Check. Ma and Pa Kent? Check. Perry White? Check. Lois Lane? Check. Lex Luthor? Also check!
As such, I found this an interesting take on the character, with some dynamic action sequences and some stand-out visuals (Clark Kent soaring over a herd of stampeding Zebra's, for instance).
Thinking about it, I think that knowledge comes from the Christopher Reeve Superman films, and the more recent TV series Smallville.
That TV series was still running when this graphic novel series was released.
This goes back to Superman's earliest days in Metropolis, with a brief flash-back to his high school Smallville days, to present a new take on the origin of the character - Jimmy Olsen? Check. Ma and Pa Kent? Check. Perry White? Check. Lois Lane? Check. Lex Luthor? Also check!
As such, I found this an interesting take on the character, with some dynamic action sequences and some stand-out visuals (Clark Kent soaring over a herd of stampeding Zebra's, for instance).
CF
Chartist Fiction: Volume 2: Ernest Jones, Woman's Wrongs
Book
This title was first published in 2001. When the Chartist leader Ernest Jones emerged from prison in...
Democracy
Alecos Papadatos, Abraham Kawa and Annie Di Donna
Book
It is 490BC and Athens is at war. Leander, trying to rouse his comrades for the morrow's battle...
Black'mor Chronicles: The Demons
Elian Black'Mor and M. Carine-
Book
When world traveler and paranormal journalist Elian Black'Mor arrives in London, he discovers a...