Beast by Marian Churchland

Beast by Marian Churchland starts out a little slow but it kicks into gear eventually. By no means is it fast paced but it does read well. Like Asterios Polyp there are a lot of meditations on art. The story follows a girl, Collete I think is her name, through a nightmarish abduction/ art commission. What I liked about it mostly, is that it really did feel like one of my nightmares- which I have a lot. And unlike my nightmares, it turns out to be not so scary after all in the end. It's very strange and not really explained very well but the writing is solid and the art is fantastic. Give it a chance, I'd say.

4/5

The Nobody by Jeff Lemire

The Nobody by Jeff Lemire is a strange tale about a man bandaged from head to toe. While you learn (sort of) why and what he is covering, there is really no final conclusion or understanding at the end. The art is great and the story is told from the perspective of a 16 year old girl named Vikki. Vikki's character and concerns could have been fleshed out a lot more but again, the story wasn't really about her. One quite successful aspect of the graphic novel was the characterization of the place or the atmosphere. Set in a small town it reminded me of the town where Shadow of American Gods spent his off time.

4/5

Coraline by Gaiman

Neil Gaiman's Coraline reminded me what it's like to be a little girl in a most amusing way. Coraline's magical experiences simply get brushed off by the adults in her life. I love when a kid is more knowledgeable than the adults in a book. Also, I love getting into Neil Gaiman's mind inch by inch. This book will take you about an hour or two to read. Other Mother scares me so much, I painted a picture of her. Maybe I'll post that later.

5/5

The People of Paper

The People of Paper by Salvador Placencia begins one way and diverges into a very different path. Crossing the line of fiction and nonfiction create a strange magic within the paper pages, making the reader hyper aware of her place in things. I have never seen anyone do what Placencia has done with this novel. It is poetic, exploratory, inventive, creative, strange, and most importantly, successful.
Thanks Kelsey, for the recommendation.

UPDATE/Just wrote a review for work:
By ignoring conventional literary limitations, The People of Paper delivers a strong understanding of the human condition in an unusual way. One character uses paper origami to resurrect the dead, another character has found the cure to sadness, small star-shaped burns along her arms, and even the author himself is a character, haunted by his powerful imagination, responsible for the lives he has created in paper.
10/25/11


5/5

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexi
After reading a few of Alexi's short stories I was afraid he wouldn't be able to tone it down enough for a young adult story... and it kind of turns out he can't, and that's what totally makes it. Described by my coworker as "unflinching" Alexi's only comedy comes with sadness. The book opens the mind to Indian reservation life and the intermixing of whites. It's like The Perks of Being a Wallflower but where everyone isn't white. Alexi stands out to me and I anticipate reading more of his work.

4.5/5

Hard-Boiled Wonderland at the End of the World

Haruki Murakami's Hard-Boiled Wonderland at the End of the World is by far my favorite Murakami Novel so far. It has all the magical realism with very little of the realism. There are so many original scenes and ideas that permeate the mind and do not leave. There are unicorns, discussions of the mind, human computers, and wild characters subdued by Murakami's language.

5/5

Books I have started and may not finish
1. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
2. Food Inc. Participant Media
3. Legend of Nightfall by Mickey Zucker Reichert

I'll have to go home and look on my shelf. This month has been bad for reading. I felt like throwing every book across the room.