Myquillisquick's 100 books for 2011

Happy New Year, everyone! Let's get started:

Happy New Year! Welcome to the group!

1/100
Barnum! In Secret Service to the USA by Howard Chaykin

Synopsis: P.T. Barnum and his motley crew of circus performers are enlisted by the United States goverment to stop the dastardly Nikola Telsa from taking over the Western half of the USA.

Why I picked it up: I like vintage circus and sideshow stuff.

Review: This book is similar to a summer action flick that you know is rediculous and not very good, but you enjoy it all the same. The characters aren't especially well defined, the dialogue is not that good, there's one romance that doesn't go anywhere and another one that comes out of nowhere. But it's got exploding blimps, a little person strong man, and a hot woman that rides a tiger. But I'll probably never read it again.

I would recommend it to: Anyone who's into steampunk.

2/100
Learn to Speak Music by John Crossingham

Synopsis: The author shows kids how to start their own band.

Why I picked it up: I saw it in the library, and I was a band nerd in junior and senior high so I had to check it out.

Review: It's a picture book, but this isn't a really little kids book. The target age is probably somewhere between 11 and 14. I would have loved this as a kid. The illustrations by Jeff Kulak are very graphic in a late 50's early 60's kind of way, if that makes any sense. And I learned a few things I didn't know about making music, so how about that!

I would recommend it to: Preteens that like music.

Welcome to the group! Exploding blimps, eh? Could be fun, but I probably should avoid it.

3/100
Koko Be Good by Jen Wang

Synopsis: Jon is preparing to drop his life and move to Peru with his girlfriend when he meets Koko. She attempts to change her slacker ways after meeting him.

Why I picked it up: Saw it at the library and flipped through it. The artwork really impressed me.

Review: For a debut, Jen Wang's visual work is advanced. What I love most about the artwork are the places (I find rooms and landscapes really hard to draw) and that the character's faces are so emotive. The story is good but kind of ordinary, I've read a lot of graphic novels about twenty-somethings trying to find their way recently.

I would recommend it to: Twenty-somethings fresh out of college and people interested in sequencial art.

4/100
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel

Synopsis: Alison Bechdel cronicles her strange upbringing as the daughter of a closeted gay man.

Why I picked it up: It's been appearing on a lot of "best graphic novels" lists.

Review: For those that don't know who Alison Bechdel is, she is an influencial lesbian comic book artist who created the groundbreaking Dykes to Watch Out For strip. It was very good, but I didn't like this as much as I liked Stitches. There was just too much dialogue and conjecture. I like it better when the artist lets the visuals speak for themselves.

I would recommend it to: My gay friends, or others interested in gay culture.

5/100
Dumbheart by Darby Conley

Synopsis: Bachelor Rob deals with the hijinks of his cat Bucky and his dog Sachel.

Why I picked it up: It was one of my favorites, but I haven't read this strip in a while.

Review: I don't know. This strip was great when it first came out, but now it's just getting annoying and tedious. It seems like all the best comic strips today are web comics.

I would recommend it to: Those that like the strip, obviously.

P.S. don't worry, I am going to talk about "real" books, I'm just trying to finish all of these library books first.

6/100
Squids will be Squids by Jon Scieszka

Synopsis: New fables that have such enlightening morals for children like, "He who smelt it, dealt it," and "If you are an ant and are going to dump your best friend for a new one, you should know that Echidna is another name for Spiny Anteater."

Why I picked it up: I've been a fan of Jon Scieszka and the illustrator Lane Smith ever since I was a child.

Review: It's kind of like the sequel to The Stinky Cheese Man. This partnership just keeps getting more awesome.

I would recommend it to: Children, parents to children, and children at heart.

Squids is definitely going on the TBR list! That definitely seems like something both my nephew an myself would like.

Oh, The Stinky Cheese Man is always out at the bookshop whenever I ask for it!!! Must put in a proper order, and get a copy and see what all the fuss is about.

7/100
A Bride's Story Vol 1 by Kaoru Mori

Synopsis: Set in a really uncertain time and place along the Silk Road (although judging from the clothing and I think they're in Uzbekistan or Kazakhstan), a 20 year old bride name Amira arrives at another village to marry her husband Karluk, who is 12. We follow the day to day lives of the new couple and Karluk's extended family, which becomes complicated when Amira's family decides they want her back.

Why I picked it up: My brother recommended it to me.

Review: I applaud the author for dealing with what could have been an offensive and awkward premise with grace. When my brother explained what it was about, I was a little uncertain. But the author kept the relationship very sweet, and I fell in love with all the members of this family. The detail in the artwork is stunning. It reminded me of the work in Osamu Tezuka's Buddha series, which is very high praise.

I would recommend it to: Anyone looking for really great manga. (It'll be available in the states sometime in March. Until then, you can read the whole book online for free: http://www.mangareader.net/1113/otoyomegatari.html )

8/100
Life and Death are Wearing Me Out by Mo Yan

Synopsis: Ximen Nao, a Chinese aristocrat, is murdered during the Comunist Revolution. He comes back to his home in the body of a donkey, then an ox, a pig, a dog, a monkey, and finally a little boy. During this time, he witnesses the impact of the revolution on his family.

Why I picked it up: It was at the library and it looked interesting.

Review: This book is wearing me out. I renewed it from the library five times and I'm still not finishing it. I don't want you to think it's not good. It is good. And very unique. It should be the type of book that I love. But I just kind of lost patience for it. I think it lost me when it switched narrators in the second section. That's where the story just started to ramble.

I would recommend it to: People interested in Chinese history and surrealist novels that don't mind meandering plots.

#13> how disappointing -- i was really intrigued by your synopsis

9/100
Large Print: An Unshelved Collection by Gene Ambaum & Bill Barnes

Synopsis: Wise-guy librarian Dewey faces crazy, angry, and downright dumb patrons.

Why I picked it up: I'm a huge fan of the webcomic Unshelved.

Review: This collection has some of my favorite strips. Dewey makes a lot of great sarcastic responses that I wish I was witty enough to have thought of myself. Like, "Don't get discouraged. You're much more linear than most of our crackpots." And, "I feel like I've won the anti-lottery." When someone asks why the library doesn't have enough bestsellers for everyone, he replies, "Because then we'd have ten thousand copies of the latest vampire romance. And nothing else." I try to remember this strip whenever I get frustrated at the library.

I would recommend it to: Those that love libraries and those that have to deal with stupid people at work.

10/100

The Saga of Rex by Michel Gagne

Synopsis: I don't know, something about a mystical alien that plucks different creatures from around the galaxy, including a fox named Rex, for these other aliens to pair up with and whichever ones remain soulmates win. But who cares what the story is? There's an adorable fox!

Why I picked it up: SQUEEEEEEE!

Review: Okay, maybe saying that I "read" this is a bit of a stretch. In 200 pages it has around 20 sentences. But the artwork is beautiful (this author/artist also worked on films like The Iron Giant and Ratatouille). Even though the story didn't quite make any sense, it did what it was supposed to do. It transported me to a magical land.

I would recommend it to: Little kids with long attention spans, and children at heart.

11/100

Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston

Synopsis: Aron Ralston is canyoning in Utah when his hand gets pinned under a boulder. He is trapped inside a canyon in the middle of nowhere. During the five days of his ordeal, he exhausts all of his escape options and his food and water supply. I assume most people know how the story ends, but for the eight in the world that don't, I'll keep quiet.

Why I picked it up: The news story, and the movie.

Review: I was a little apprenensive about reading this book because a lot of other librarything reviewers had stated that the writing was not that good. Now I wonder if they were accidently reading something else. I was very impressed with the writing, although it is very detail heavy. He also flashes back to other outdoor adventures that he took and talks about what happened to his friends and family while he was trapped, which made the book more interesting.

Oh, and as for "the scene," I didn't think it was that bad. But then again, I read Chuck Palahniuk. I was much more bothered by the urine and tadpole drinking, his contact cleaning technique, and the lipbalm eating than I was by "the scene."

I would recommend it to: People that enjoyed Into the Wild, and to teenage adventurers in order to teach them to always, always, ALWAYS call your mother.

...and to teenage adventurers in order to teach them to always, always, ALWAYS call your mother.

Love it. :)

12 & 13/100

DAR: A Super Girly Top Secret Comic Diary Vol 1 &
DAR: A Super Girly Top Secret Comic Diary Vol 2 by Erika Moen

Synopsis: As the title suggests, it's a comic diary by Erika Moen! In what was formerly a webcomic, Erika chronicles her life trying to make it as an artist, explores her identity as a queer woman in love with a man, and talks about her toxic farts.

Why I picked it up: It was highly recommended, and I met the artist at comic con.

Review: The comic itself is great. I'm not so certain about the format of the books. The cronology is kind of all over the place. And most of the books were the newest comics, because she thinks the early ones were not good. I don't entirely agree. While the drawings weren't technically great, she always had a nack for communicating an idea.

Aside from the artwork and format, there's a lot to love. Her exchanges with her then-boyfriend-now-husband were touching and funny. And I share a lot of the same disguisting habits that Erika has, so it gave me some hope. Also, if you don't know what to look for when shopping for vibrators, or about proper strip club etiquette, than this book is educational as well as hilarious.

I would recommend it to: Well, definitely not anyone who's easily offended. I would say everyone who wants to see more honest and less sappy accounts of romance, and those that just love a good comic.

14/100

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, graphic novel adaptation by Peter B. Gillis & Renae De Liz

Synopsis: Unicorn hears that she is the last of her kind, leaves home to search for them, gains two friends, gets accidentally turned into a human, falls in love, turns back into unicorn, fights the red bull, releases the unicorns, learns what regret is.

Why I picked it up: I like the novel, I always loved unicorns, and when I saw they made a comic book adaptation of it I squealed with joy.

Review: The tradition of comic book artists adapting classic novels is something that I have mixed feelings about. (And it really is a tradition, not a new trend. If you read Peter S. Beagle's introduction it's been going on since he was a child.) On the one hand, lots of people love comic books, and hey, anything to get someone reading, right? On the other hand, even I know that it's not a good idea to read nothing but comics. So when I'm looking over these adaptations, I think, "Okay, what is this really adding to the story?"

Well, in this case, I feel that the illustrations made it into a better book. They're simply stunning. I mean, I liked the original, but I LOVE this version.

I would recommend it to: People that loved the original novel and children that love unicorns...or is that reduntant?

15/100
The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel

Synopsis: Lesbian friends deal with drama and politics.

Why I picked it up: I've heard so much about it, it's one of those strips that changed the medium.

Review: I know that this does not include all of the strips in the series. It doesn't have the strip that invented the Bechdel Test. The Bechdel Test is a list of criteria that measures female characters involvment in movies. 1) There must be at least two female roles. 2) The women must appear in the same scene. 3) They must talk about something other than a man. You'd be surprised how many movies don't pass that test. I was surprised not to see that particular strip in this collection.

Aside from that I was really inspired by this book. Bechdel did a good job in making these characters sympathetic. If I met people like this in real life, I'd probably never talk to them again. They're seriously insuferable at times, but I can understand why they're that way. Human relations are complex enough, and then add the fact that they're all living this unconventional lifestyle, it makes it really interesting. The series ended on an abrupt and sad note, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. A lot of the relationships are either over or not working out by the end.

I would recommend it to: Anyone who loves great comic books.

16/100
The Color of Earth by Dong Hwa Kim

Synopsis: Ehwa and her mother are all each other have after Ehwa's father dies. Ehwa grows up and learns more and more about sexuality. A traveling salesman opens her mother's heart once more.

Why I picked it up: It was suggested on Unshelved.

Review: This is the first Korean manga that I've read. The artwork is interesting, it looked like it was inspired by ancient Korean art. However, the story so far is very similar to a lot of other coming of age stories that I've read.

I would recommend it to: It's tough to say now, I'll wait until I read the whole trilogy.

17/100
The Art of Nonconformity by Chris Guillebeau

Synopsis: Pretty much what it sounds like. It's an inspirational self-help book with plenty of anectotes.

Why I picked it up: I'm a fan of Chris Buillebeau's website.

Review: Yes, it was cool to read. Yes, it was inspiring. And yes, he made some great points. But I've read a lot of books like this.

I would recommend it to: People who want to be inspired. What they do with the inspiration is there own business.

18/100
Equus by Peter Shaffer

Synopsis: Teenage boy Alan Strang winds up in a mental institution after gauging out the eyes of six horses with a spike. He is treated by Martin Dysart, a psychiatrist who is questioning the virtue of his job. While exploring the motive behind Alan's violence, he finds that Alan has built an elaborate spiritual and sexual world with the horse-god Equus.

Why I picked it up: I saw Daniel Radcliffe on The Actor's Studio (isn't he a bit young to be on that show?) and they were talking about the production of Equus that he was in.

Review: Maybe I'm just desensitized by Animal Precinct, but I don't see why Alan's actions would have been as shocking as the play wants me to believe that it was. I mean, mutilating animals is horrible, but by the way they talk about it he might as well had ripped a baby in half with his bare hands. Maybe it's a small town. Nor do I agree that his mental condition is solely caused by his parents. The play doesn't specifically say that, but a lot of reviewers and actors seem to believe that.

Still, it's an excellent play. It's actually kind of similar to A Clockwork Orange in that in order to make the lead character acceptable to society they had to remove a large part of his identity. So you wind up feeling sympathy for Alan.

I would recommend it to: My acting friends and my psychology friends.

19/100
What Shamu Taught Me About Life, Love, and Marriage by Amy Sutherland

Synopsis: Sutherland takes what she learned from animal trainers and applies it to the humans in her life.

Why I picked it up: It was displayed at the library and it looked interesting.

Review: Very informative and inspiring. The tactics she describes are much more appealing than endless naging and starting fights.

I would recommend it to: People who have trouble in their relationships.