Grandville. Mon Amour / Bryan Talbot

Grandville. Mon Amour : a Detective-Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard scientific-romance thriller (Grandville: book 2) by Bryan Talbot. 92 p.

Set 200 years after Britain lost the Napoleonic War, and 23 years after it was grudgingly granted independence by the French Empire, a crazed murderer escapes execution in England and goes on a killing spree in Grandville (which in our world is Paris). Our hero, DI LeBrock, pulls himself out of the funk he's been in since his girlfriend's death and vows to recapture the murderer. Of course, nothing is that simple. Political and personal complications ensue. A very straightforward action-adventure tale, with Talbot's fabulous art and design being the major selling point. A lot of the tale's humor lies in the signs in the background of panels and so forth.

Oh, and did I mention that LeBrock is a badger, and the murderer--Mad Dog Mastock--is a dog?

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Unincorporated persons in the late Honda dynasty

Unincorporated persons in the late Honda dynasty: poems by Tony Hoagland 90 pg.

Confession time: I just don't get poetry. I tried, I studied it in college, I've checked out several books from our extensive poetry collection...no dice. But since confession is supposed to be good for the soul, I am trying to find a category I can WIN in this contest here at UCPL and participation points seem to be the only option for me. To that end, I'm starting my quest to read approved lists to gather up participation points....and I'm starting with poetry since it is the shortest list.

Wow, all that off my shoulders, now I have to tell you that Tony Hoagland is my kind of poet. I figured I would get through one or 2 poems a day but was set on continuing to work at it in pursuit of the points but somewhere along the way I realized...Hey, I GET what this guy is trying to say or at least the easiest part of what he is trying to say. After all, he has a poem called Cement Truck if that isn't a topic for the rest of us, what is? Sure everything probably has 14 levels of hidden meaning (that all seem to end up being about sex) like other poetry but I like to stay on the surface and there is plenty here for me to skate around on. So for now, Tony Hoagland, you are my favorite poet! - Christa

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Shadowfever/Karen Marie Moning

Shadowfever (Fever series, book 5), by Karen Marie Moning; fantasy, horror; 608 pages

A few years ago one of my friends handed me the first book in this series (Darkfever) and told me I had to read it. I looked at what else the author had written (Highlander romances!), rolled my eyes, and put it off. When I finally got around to reading it, of course, I was completely sucked in. Since then I've eagerly awaited each new book in the series. This is the concluding volume (for this story arc, at least), and it doesn't disappoint.

Going too much into the plot would be a little pointless here, since so much of what happens in this volume is tying up events from previous books. The basic plot is this: MacKayla Lane traveled to Dublin to track her sister's killer, and stumbled across otherworldly beings, secret cults, and hidden powers of her own. With an elusive bookstore owner as her only ally, Mac sets out to save the world, stop the bad guys, and recapture a mythic book that contains the most evil spells ever created. The endings are mostly satisfying here. There are a few loose ends left dangling, but the author's afterward says she's currently working on another series set in the same world, that's okay. I think Moning's romance writer roots show a little here, as a disproportionately large amount of the book seems to focus on the relationship between Mac and the bookstore owner. Still, that's been a large part of the story for the previous books, too, so it didn't feel too out of place. I was a little disappointed with the conclusion of the "finding her sister's killer" storyline, but I hope it's meant to be a setup for future novels. In short, I'm eagerly awaiting further stories in this world.

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Rot and Ruin/Jonathan Maberry

Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry; young adult, western, horror; 464 pages (about 13.5 hours on audio)

I saw this on some list of great audiobooks, so I picked it up. It was billed as a western with zombies, so I figured I would love it. And I did, but not quite as much as I was expecting. That had nothing to do with the story, which was fast-paced and full of twists and turns, as well as plenty of zombie mayhem. No, I think what turned me off was the narrator, who didn't do such a great job differentiating the voices, and often left me confused as to who was talking.

The story is pretty straightforward (aren't all zombie books?): following the zombie uprising 14 years ago, Tom Imura has helped build a settlement known as Mountainside, where people can live protected from the Dead. Tom makes his living as a bounty hunter, traveling into the wilderness (the "Rot and Ruin" to the townsfolk) with only his katana for protection, in search of his clients' zombified loved ones so they can be put to rest. Everyone in town thinks of him as a hero. Everyone but Benny, Tom's 15-year-old brother, who remembers how Tom abandoned their parents to death on the chaotic night the dead returned. But Benny needs to learn a trade and, after failing at everything else, he swallows his pride and apprentices to his brother. The story starts off slow and steady, and quietly builds in intensity, until I had to finish the last part of the book all in one gulp. I hope Maberry writes more about these characters; he certainly left the ending open to further adventures.

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Scott Pilgrim Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World/ Bryan Lee O'Malley

Scott Pilgrim Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World by Bryan Lee O'Malley. Graphic Novel, Fast-Paced Action, 20-Somethings, Comic Violence 200 pages

Even though I've been waiting for this book for a few days now (many props to the blizzard of '11. may it live in infamy), I believe it came at the perfect time. I am probably (read:definitely) not going to ever write a best-seller of the magnitude of Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life. The best I can hope for is to be voted best post for January for my review of the aforementioned graphic novel (PS...thanks to everyone who voted for my post. I promise this is the last time I will toot my own horn). Now, I can put myself in a situation very similar to that of the author. After the smash hit that was Scott Pilgrim Vol. 1, O'Malley was faced with the daunting task of creating a graphic novel that not only kept the spirit of his first volume alive but surpassed it in order to keep his fan base interested. I hope that I can similarly inform and entertain those that recognized my review of O'Malley's first Scott Pilgrim novel with my follow up review of the graphic novel from which the film based on the franchise took it's name--- Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.

From page 1 of O'Malley's second Scott Pilgrim novel, we are given what all fans want at this point--- an expanded, fleshed-out, deeper, and altogether more interesting look at the mythology and characters of a universe that has already drawn our interest. This is a trait Scott Pilgrim vs. the World shares with many other famous sequels (The Empire Strikes Back, The Girl Who Played With Fire, Sally Master and Nate Master, need I go on?). The first volume clearly did its job in grabbing my attention, so now that I know who Scott Pilgrim is, I want to know WHY Scott Pilgrim is (you may think I am getting too deep for a 200 page graphic novel...if this is true then you obviously haven't read it yet and should quit wasting time on the internet and read the darn book!!). Besides learning more about Scott, some of the other characters in this fast-paced Canadian epic became a lot more real to me too, specifically Wallace, Scott's sarcastic gay roommate/sugar daddy and Kim, Scott's equally sarcastic bandmate/ex-girlfriend.

The story is extremely involving, and O'Malley presents a new narrative form that constantly switches back-and-forth between revealing more of Scott's past and illustrating his present confrontation with Ramona Flowers' 2nd evil ex-boyfriend: skating-sensation turned Hollywood action-hero Lucas Lee. Those not used to the faster pace of graphic novels might get a little annoyed by these switches, but if you take a deep breath, relax, and realize that you are TOTALLY allowed to read at your own pace, I promise you will get through it just fine.

The last thing that I really want to comment are some of the tiny details I found in O'Malley's artwork. One of the things that makes Scott Pilgrim good for a re-read are all of the hilarious easter eggs he includes in his artwork. I don't want to give away a bunch of them because half of the fun is noticing them on your own, but a few I would like to mention to keep you interested are...

1. Scott and his roommate Wallace are having a conversation on a bus. Wallace is multi-tasking and reading a magazine. O'Malley lampoons the very "to-the-point" alcohol ads one finds in magazines by drawing an ad on the back cover of Wallace's magazine that simply features a couple bottles with the tagline "Not Enough People Are buying BEER"

2. Scott is walking down the street. He passes a building that features a public service announcement that reads "the internet is a strange place. don't surf alone"

3. A frame features a view of Scott and Wallace's apartment. Their refrigerator has those neato little magnetic letters that everyone has put on their refrigerator at some point. Someone (most likely Scott) has arranged the letters into three words: "Scott" "Beer" Pee"...maturity at its greatest.

These and other humorous hidden treasures reward those that actually READ the story instead of just LOOKING at it.

In summation, although Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World had big shoes to fill, it certainly doesn't disappoint and I would recommend it just as much as I did the first one (although honestly what kind of weirdo would start reading in the middle anyway, so do yourself a favor and read the first one first...thanks).

The Lady Most Likely / Julia Quinn et al.

The Lady Most Likely: a novel in three parts by Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Connie Brockway. 372 p.

I was in the mood for something frothy and undemanding, and I generally enjoy Julia Quinn's books, so I picked this up. Because each author wrote a separate section of the book, three couples find happiness here, but there's not much overlap between the stories--everything takes place at the same house party, but first Couple 1 gets together, then Couple 2, etc. I think the story would have benefitted from a less linear approach. Switching between the characters would have made the brevity of each story a little less apparent. Still, the stories are nicely done, if even frothier than I was expecting.

The other thing I found odd was that the sensuality level varied tremendously between the stories--from just kisses for one couple to an extended sex scene for another. Not that the scene was out of place, and it made sense given that particular couple's history; I was just surprised to find that degree of variance within the same book.

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The Spellman Files

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz 358 pgs.

If I wrote a book, I would want it to be this one. Too bad Lisa Lutz has beaten me to it. Of course I'm not a lot of competition in this area so keep at it Lisa!

Full of quirky characters with crazy relationships and action, action, action...this is a book about a family of private investigators. Working for the family business starts wearing on Izzy, the middle daughter. Her older brother David has successfully left the P.I. business to become a successful lawyer who sends work back to the family when he can. Younger sister Rae started tagging along on surveillance jobs at age six. The Spellman parents Albert and Olivia care deeply about their children but also don't believe in wondering too much about what they are up to, if they want to know, they just follow them, or hire one of the siblings to spy on the others. It is a wonderful zany way of running the family. Uncle Ray rounds out the relatives. He has given up on years of clean living to become a gambling, drunk with a liking for hookers. A well written, fast paced, comic thriller. - Christa

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick 427 pages

This sequel to Hush, Hush is not a vampire book. It is instead the story of 16 year old Nora Grey who has the typical up and down romantic relationship with a not so conventional boy friend, a fallen angel, Patch. When he is not with her, he seems to be spending a lot of time with her archenemy, Marcie Millar. There is a lot of mystery around her father's death. Her mother seems to be spending a lot of time out of town. At least, she has her bestest friend, Vee to help her; unfortunately Vee is busy with her new boyfriend, Rixon, who just happens to be Patch's best pal. So, it does seem just a little like Betty and Veronica seasoned with a huge battle between angels and demons.

Accomplice by Eireann Corrigan 296 pages

Two bright, best friends carefully plot a faked kidnapping - a victimless crime with the hope of snagging media attention and ensuring their acceptance at the college of their choice. Chloe is the beautiful, popular "victim" and Finn will play the part of the clever "savior". They have the perfect "hideout" for Chloe --Finn's grandmother will be out of town and her house will be Chloe's lair. Finn has even practiced her facial expressions for interviews with police and reporters. As the search for Chloe gains momentum, police arrest a classmate from school and Chloe's family caves from the pressure. They realize that they haven't fully planned Chloe's "discovery". This is an intense book with a well executed ending.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand, History, 473 pages.

Hillenbrand recounts the story of Louis Zamperini, a self-described juvenile delinquent, who grows to become a celebrated Olympic athlete. After running in the 1936 games in the 5,000 meters, Louis set his sights on competing in the 1940 games as a miler, and perhaps becoming the first to run that distance in under four minutes. When the war intervened, and the plans of so many people changed, Louis entered the Army Air Corps and served as a B-24 bombardier. When his plane was shot down in 1943, Zamperini and two of his fellow airmen began a horrendous time lost at sea, facing starvation, thirst, sharks, strafing, and madness. When they finally came within sight of land they found that their ordeal was just beginning. As prisoners of the Japanese, Louis had to endure fresh rounds of starvation, as well as disease, and mental and physical abuse in a series of POW camps, while his friends and family were told that he was dead.
Hillenbrand tells the story with great compassion for the airmen and their families and with a gift for pacing and narrative flow. This book packs a big emotional punch,and is well worth reading.
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