The Middlesteins

The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg 273 pgs.

This family has some issues...but really, who doesn't?  We meet Edie & Richard and their children Benny and Robin.  Some chapters go back to give us an idea of Edie and Richard's childhoods but now they are married 30 years and Edie's uncontrolled eating and obesity are weighing heavily on Richard.  To be honest there are some other problems between them as well.  He decides to leave and the decision makes waves throughout the family and the community.

This book is an interesting case study of a family. It isn't pretty but it hits a realistic note.

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Shelter

Shelter by Harlan Coben   304 pp.

I haven't read any of Coben's "Myron Bolitar" series. This book is Coben's first venture into YA novels featuring Myron's nephew, Mickey, as the main character. Mickey is the 15 year old son of Myron's late brother. Myron takes him in after his brother's death and Mickey's mother's entry into rehab for drug addiction. Mickey grew up traveling the world with his parents as they worked on humanitarian projects. The day to day life of a new kid at high school is probably the only part of the story that isn't far-fetched. Once Mickey starts the search for his missing girlfriend, also a new kid, things get rather unbelievable. There's the town sheriff with a grudge against the Bolitars, his bully son who picks on six foot four inch Mickey, mysterious men in black limos, a creepy neighbor lady in a spooky house, a butterfly symbol that crops up in all sorts of places, and an old grave in the woods. Add burly strip club bouncers, exotic dancers, and a tattoo artist and you have the unreal package. The plot is better suited to an adult protagonist which would make it believable. In spite of the incredulous story, I liked the characters of Mickey and his classmates who help him, Ema-the goth girl, Spoon-the comic relief, and Rachel-the popular girl. I haven't decided if I'll read the second book.

October Mourning

October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard by Leslea Newman  111 pp.

In October of 1998 Matthew Shepard, a young, gay, college student was beaten nearly to death and left hanging on a fence in Wyoming for 18 hours before he was discovered. The killers admitted they did it because he was gay (one later boasted in prison "I'm the one that killed that fag"). Shepard died five days after being found without regaining consciousness. Leslea Newman, award winning author of books like Heather Has Two Mommies, was the scheduled speaker for the opening of the University of Wyoming's Gay Awareness Week on the night before Matthew died. She arrived to a campus and community in shock. Ten years later she began writing this anthology of poems related to Matthew Shepard's death. The collection includes a variety of poetic styles from all different points of view of animate and inanimate objects including the fence he was hung on, the doe that lay nearby as if to comfort him when the police arrived, the perpetrators, the lawyers and judge at the trial, a doctor, parents, and others. This is a poignant book, full of emotion as it should be. Two that affected me most were on facing pages. One was told from the point of view of a tree that is happy to be cut down to be made into something special, never dreaming that it would be a box to hold the ashes of a boy. The other, titled "Class Photo: Me in the Middle OR 'What Will You Be When You Grow Up?'" is an alphabetical list of possible occupations that children might say with the one in the center of the list being "martyr." Following the poems is a brief account of Newman's experience in Wyoming when she gave her speech and notes on the poems and the quotations that accompany many of them.

Batman: The Killing Joke/Alan Moore

Batman:  The Killing Joke by Alan Moore (story) and Brian Bolland (art); graphic novel; 64 pages

The Joker has escaped of Arkham Asylum once again, and this time he's targeted Commissioner Gordon and his daughter, Barbara.  Interspersed with flashbacks to the Joker's past, this is widely considered one of the core Batman stories.

I read this because I needed a palette cleanser after reading a Superman comic.  This comic is short--short enough that I hesitate to call it a "graphic novel," since it's more of a longer one-shot.  Still, there are two very important reasons that this single issue has been given the hardback treatment:  First, this is the story in which the Joker shoots Barbara Gordon, deliberately leaving her alive with an injured spine, and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life.  For readers who know the DCU, this is pivotal--it forces Barbara to give up the mantle of Batgirl to other women (Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, etc.), but it also allows her to create a new superhero persona--Oracle, who serves as founder and tactical commander for the Birds of Prey (as well as organizing some of Batman's more complex missions).  I could go on for pages about how important Oracle is as a superhero, but that would bore you, so I'll move on to point number two:  The Killing Joke also gives us the Joker's backstory; or, according to Bolland, one possible backstory that the Joker might imagine for himself (as the man himself says:  "If I'm going to have a past, I'd like it to be multiple choice.").  In this version, at least, the Joker is a nameless failed comedian, who agrees to help the mob commit a robbery in order to support his family. 

This volume has everything, from the past of one of Gotham's most mysterious villains to a great show down between Batman and the Joker (with shades of the equally iconic scene in The Dark Knight Returns).  Required reading for all Batman fans. 

The shallows: What the Internet is doing to our brains

The Shallows:  What the Internet is doing to our brains by Nicholas Carr 276 pgs.

Loved what this book has to say about reading and how it is a skill that is going away due to the NEW way we take in information from the web.  We are moving from deep thinking to searching and scanning.  Is this something that should concern us?  Hard to say.  The author describes many lost functionality that has occurred due to technological changes.  In the old days people were much better at estimating time because they didn't have a watch on their wrist or cell phone in their pocket to check.  Still, if our patrons are any gauge, it will be awhile before we give up reading books and that seems like a good thing.

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November Totals

Great job this month on reading!  We've got ONE MONTH left of the 2012 Book Challenge (oh, where does the time go?), but that's still plenty of time to annihilate the competition with some last minute reading!  And for those of you who haven't blogged yet this year--it's not too late to start!

Total Books/Pages: 

Christa:  9/2675
Annie:  5/1696
Kara:  5/1175
Kathleen:  4/1478
Karen:  11/3084
Marilyn:  3/375
Aaron:  1/127
Andrew:  5/1842

Total Books: 43
Total Pages:  12,452

Andrew wins this month's prize for best post (for Warm Bodies), and Marilyn wins this month's random drawing. 

We've only got a few weeks left of 2012:  let's make them count! 

Drama

Drama by Raina Telgemeier by 233

Fans of Glee will probably enjoy this graphic novel about putting on a school musical. Of course, there are the usual girl/boy attractions and conflicts. The main character is Callie, a girl very into set design and the backstage part of play production. In the course of the book she develops and abandons various crushes, meets a wonderfully talented pair of twins, and is a major part of the production of the school musical. It brought back memories of my high school drama days. I think I'll recommend it to my old drama teacher.

History of Comics

The Comic Book History of Comics by Fred Van Lente & Ryan Dunlavey  pp. 224

From the duo that produced Action Philosophers comes this extensive history of comic books, in graphic novel format. Starting with the beginning of comic strips in 1896 through to the present, this book chronicles the development of the genre. A large portion of the book involves the various censorship fights and lawsuits that have plagued the comic book industry over the last century. Comic book luminaries like Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Gil Kane, Steve Ditko, Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster and others are featured. There are chapters on the comics during wartime, European comics, underground comix, the birth of the "glossies," manga, and graphic novels. They even included an entire chapter on one of my old favorites, Heavy Metal. While I didn't find this one quite as entertaining as Action Philosophers, I have to admit the authors did an extensive amount of work and research on this book. Several pages of references are included at the end.

Enchantment

Enchantment:  The art of changing hearts, minds, and actions by Guy Kawasaki 211 pgs.

Guy Kawasaki writes mostly for entrepreneurs but as a business writer, his idea that success is measured by personal interactions is certainly not something that can't be used by other organizations.  As I read this book, I thought about all the ways libraries server our patrons and how we could do better.  It is an interesting idea to use our services and people skills to influence our customers and to keep them coming back by giving them more than they expected.  The book also talks about how to use technology and other means to advertise and sell your services.  Overall, Guy Kawasaki strikes me as being such a positive force...a truly happy guy with lots of good ideas and advice.

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All-Star Superman v. 1/Grant Morrison

All-Star Superman vol. 1, by Grant Morrison (story) and Frank Quitely (art); graphic novel; 160 pages

While saving a group of astronauts from colliding into the sun, Superman is exposed to dangerous (even for him!) levels of radiation.  With only a few weeks left to live, Superman embarks on a few last adventures. 

I don't like Superman.  I never have.  But I had enough people recommend this book to me as a "classic" that I felt like I should read it; who knows, maybe I would like it? 

Well, guess what?  I still hate Superman.  Not only do I still hate him, but I found myself sympathizing deeply with Lex Luthor's anti-Superman rants.  The worst part is that the whole concept of Superman is completely flawed:  how has Earth survived the last several billion years without Superman at its protector?  It's getting threatened with aliens/interdimensional monsters/evil overlords every few weeks--however do we live without the Man of Steel.  Oh, wait, he'll just use is x-ray vision/laser eyes/super speed-strength/flying ability to solve our problems.  *yawn*

Ugh. 

Give me Batman any day of the week:  a human being with human limitations fighting human (or nearly human) baddies.