Gods of Jade and Shadow

 Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (2019) 340 pages

I really enjoyed this fairy tale adventure. It begins with some Cinderella vibes, but quickly veers onto its own path. The setting of 1920's Mexico was fun. Our heroine Casiopea Tun, who restores Mayan god of death Hun-Kamé to life, has the perfect blend of personality traits to take us along on a quest. Casiopea and Hun-Kamé are magically linked for the duration of the quest. She is gradually dying and he is gradually becoming more mortal. It feels natural that they slowly fall in love too. Hun-Kamé's brother dismembered him and stole his throne decades ago. The quest is to restore Hun-Kamé's missing body parts and a necklace, then recover his throne, so his brother doesn't return the world to the old ways of blood sacrifice as tribute to the gods. On the cross-country trek, Casiopea meets many magical beings known to Hun-Kamé. It reminded me of Gaiman's American Gods, the book or the TV show.

Graceling: The Graphic Novel

 Graceling: The Graphic Novel by Kristin Cashore, adapted and illustrated by Gareth Hinds (2021) 272 pages

Solid fantasy story. I have not read the novel, but was intrigued to experience it in the graphic form. Certain people have special abilities called "Graces." Otherwise it is a realistic Medieval world. Katsa and Po, our heroes who both have Graces, are fierce as a duo. Hinds, the adapter/illustrator, provides a note at the end. "Charismatic figures who can make masses of people believe outright lies will always be among us." Besides the action and romance in the story, I also find this version of evil resonates.

A selection of July graphic novels

 Shuna's Journey by Hayao Miyazaki and translated by Alex Dudok de Wit (2022) 160 pages

This is read right to left. The book was originally published in 1983 with it being translated into English just recently in 2022. The note from the translator at the end was fascinating. Miyazaki was doing much creative brainstorming in the 1980s and I definitely noticed some visuals like the slave wagon and the slave trade in the fortress town that were also used in Ghibli's Tales from Earthsea film. There are many beautiful watercolors. It is a quick read because there is not much text. There are some narrative leaps that I wish were explained or developed better, but still very enjoyable.

You and a Bike and a Road by Eleanor Davis (2017) 172 pages

Simple and kind of rough line drawings. No color. Nice journal of a journey by bicycle. Eleanor starts in Tucson, Arizona and is aiming to go all the way to Georgia. Cool observations. This fit with the #hooplachallenge July prompt of Tales in Transit.

The Road: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Cormac McCarthy with art by Manu Larcenet (2024) 160 pages

Yes, it is bleak in every way. A post apocalyptic tale of survival. I gather from the letter at the end, from the artist to the author, that it is a faithful adaptation. Smoke and ash, dirty decay and destruction, and alarming apprehension are illustrated realistically at every step of the way. There are moments of relative plenty, but often scarcity and death. A father and son can only rely on each other and are often scared of losing the other. When they find packaged food I like that we get a little bit of color. Some of the wide landscapes are beautiful even though desolate. After I finished, I flipped back to the beginning to write this review and there is a definite progression that the two main characters go through in becoming more ragged. This adaptation is handled really well.

Djuna: The Extraordinary Life of Djuna Barnes by Jon Macy (2024) 320 pages

Fascinating. I listened to the audiobook of her Nightwood recently. Struggled to understand it, but this graphic biography of her life is brilliant. I loved the art (b&w with bits of red like Djuna's hair). It captures the times realistically. Structured like a three act play, but not completely linear. The who's who of art and literary modernists she crossed paths with was incredible. The free love commune run by her grandmother was outrageous. So much throwing around the term genius. So many people striving to break the rules. So much alcohol, sex, and people living their queer lives. Djuna Barnes was a struggling artist who stood out in a crowd.

George Sand: True Genius, True Woman by Severine Vidal with art by Kim Consigny (2024) 344 pages

Following the graphic biography of Djuna Barnes, I read this biography of another writer. 19th century France and Aurore Dupin's life from childhood is very detailed. Despite her writing habits, liberal social values, and rebelliousness against the strictures of marriage, she remains a little mysterious. Her playfulness comes across strongly. Moving in circles of artists, taking many lovers, and seeking freedom by dressing in men's clothes and using a male pen name also comes across. There was a lot of family drama and romantic drama and social issues of the day that she used in her fiction. This graphic novel does a good job encapsulating a full life within its pages. The art serves its purpose without many surprises.

Improbably Yours

Improbably Yours by Kerry Anne King (2022) 329 pages

Blythe is turning 30 and feels the pressure to take on the life that her mother, sister and boyfriend want for her. But everything is upended when she's unexpectedly given her grandmother's ashes along with the job to go to a specific island, find the spot where something special was buried long ago, and then to inter the ashes in that place. If she is successful, she will inherit $500,000 that her grandmother had put into a trust for her.

By leaving her boyfriend and rejecting a high-profile job which he had lined up for her, Blythe reaches for the unknown, and the chance to find out what she really wants to do with her life. She books a spot on the island of Vinland, a tourist destination for treasure-seeking. The tourists choose to be Vikings or Pirates, and they learn how to use metal detectors to find clues that have been planted for them. But Blythe's hunt is a much different one, and she meets a few people on the island who try to help her find where to bury her grandmother's ashes - in particular, Flynn, a man who doesn't really want to be on the island, but who came to be with his 12-year old niece after his sister died, and Savannah, the niece. The uncle and niece are butting heads constantly.

Blythe's grandmother has been dead for 24 years, but when she was still alive, she and Blythe had such a playful and loving relationship, with more than a touch of make-believe magic in it. Or *was* it make-believe? This book is filled with magic, at least one ghost, lots of ravens (including one who talks), and a lot of secrets.

Ready Player Two

 

Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline (2020) 370 pages

I listened to about half of this from a Libby audiobook before I ran out of time. Like the first book in this series it was narrated by Wil Wheaton. Then I finished it with a print copy.

The first book was definitely a case of liking the book better than the movie adaptation for me. This sequel continues directly after the events of the first book. Most of the main characters are back. There is quite a bit of exposition before the new quest, which will be the bulk of the adventure, is revealed. The virtual world of the OASIS becomes even more immersive with new tech. Cline succeeds in raising the stakes for this quest. Wade and his avatar Parzival lionize Halliday the creator of the OASIS in the first book. This time a corrupted copy of Halliday's consciousness in the form of his avatar Anorak holds much of the real world hostage. The other two co-creators of the OASIS, Ogden Morrow and Kira Underwood, get more of the focus, especially Kira. The new quest is all built around Kira's nerdy interests and reveals her love story with Og. Because of the life and death stakes there is a sense of rushing to collect each of the seven parts of the gemstone without spending too much time in any of the virtual worlds that the quest sends the heroes to, but I felt like it was enough time in each of the previously unexplored worlds. I wish the new characters who assist Wade with a side quest got a little more time to shine. Otherwise, I really don't understand the many negative reviews on Goodreads. It is as if people were set against this book even before publication and couldn't give it a fair chance.

The Crown of Embers/Rae Carson

The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson (Girl of Fire and Thorns book 2); fantasy, young adult; 416 pages

Elisa is a war hero, beloved by her people; she's also the bearer of the legendary Godstone, which means she's destined for even more greatness than she has already achieved.  But now she finds herself the queen of a country that's been economically devastated, and she's learning that being a good ruler is much, much different from being the leader of a ragtag group of rebels.  She may even face a new set of rebels within her own capital city.  Worse, religious fanatics from the north, supposedly defeated a year ago, have returned, demanding Elisa as a sacrifice for their god.  Are they behind the recent attempts on Elisa's life?  Or could it be someone within her own court? 

This book is every bit as wonderful as its predecessor!  Elisa is a strong, smart heroine without being a sword-wielding warrior woman (a refreshing change, I have to admit).  She's a brilliant strategist, and has the foundations of a good ruler (including genuine caring for the welfare of her people), but with her own Quorum fighting her at every step, there's only so much she can do.  Now her council of advisers demands that she marry and produce an heir, and Elisa feels as trapped as she was before she escaped to the desert.  The call to marry is especially difficult, as Elisa has been fighting her attraction to Hector, the commander of her personal guard.

Elisa does a lot of growing up in this book.  She matured a lot in the last book, too, but here she's dealing with the responsibilities of queenship, including the thought that she might have to put the welfare of the country before her own.  Faith continues to play a large role in Elisa's life (which makes sense, since her Godstone gives her a tangible, physical response whenever she prays, to let her know that she's been heard).  While I'm not personally a religious person, I like Elisa's brand of faith:  trusting and humble, but also strong and unshakeable, without being preachy or judgmental.

Like many middle books, this one sets up a lot of things for the third book, and ends on a major cliffhanger.  Now comes the hard part:  waiting until next fall for the conclusion!  Recommended for fans of Kristen Cashore, Robin McKinley's Damar novels, and Tamora Pierce. 

Man Made: A Stupid Quest for Masculinity by Joel Stein

Man Made: A Stupid Quest for Masculinity by Joel Stein, memoir, humor, 285 pages.

At the end of this book Stein gives credit to A. J. Jacobs, author of My Year of Living Biblically, Drop Dead Healthy and other non-fiction works where the author commits him or herself to chronicling their attempt to do something absurd or pointless over a long period of time to amuse the audience. Stein's entry into this genre of nonfiction-quest-literature is definitely amusing, though maybe not a book to be read over a short period of time. It is episodic, but also seems a bit repetitive- you might not mind if you were waiting a week or a month for the next installment of this tale. At the age of thirty-nine, and about to have his first son, Stein feels unequal to the task ahead of him. He doubts whether or not his testosterone level is high enough to pass on anything of value about being a man to his son, Lazlo. In order to man-up, Stein spends time with professional athletes, firefighters, hunters, MMA fighters, soldiers, and Marines. He finds that masculinity in America today is defined differently, even contradictorily. Stein seems comfortable throughout making fun of his own shortcomings, but also saying hilarious things to and about the various armed and angry men with whom he is hanging out. Each chapter is a gem, and much of it is laugh-out-loud funny and will have strangers on the plane glancing nervously your way. Stein is an hilarious writer and refuses to take the sacred tenets of whatever cult of manhood he is investigating seriously. The genre itself is getting a bit overworked and in this book, there is not enough variety in the tone and the pace to recommend reading it straight through. Check our catalog.