February 2010

This list is very much overdue - I apologize. You know when your brain is set to automatic procrastination? That's the default mine's been stuck on for the entire month of March. Anyway - moving on to my February book list... As this February ended on the 28th, I didn't get through all that many books (actually, that's a pathetic excuse. I doubt I would've read any more than half a novel in three days). But here they are in order of read-y-ness (?).

1. The Sex Life of Food - Bunny Crumpacker
2. Pygmy - Chuck Palahniuk
3. The Acid House - Irvine Welsh
4. Drink Play F@#k - Andrew Gottlieb
5. The Walking Dead #1 - Kirkman/Moore
6. The Umbrella Academy #1 - Gerard Way/Gabriel Ba

*****

1. This book was pretty awesome. Although I might question the author's sources (there was no bibliography or source section at all, and she was referencing some pretty heavy assumptions), the details and information in this food-gasm non-fic were pretty nom-able. Like many food related novels I've picked up throughout my life, I found this one extremely appealing in it's food descriptions. Ranging from cannibalism, Hitler's sex life, sex in the kitchen and vegetarianism, the book covered most all bases that can be related to food and sex (together). Interesting read! I'd recommend it.
7.5/10

2. Unfortunately, this Chuck is not going to get any of my thumbs. In fact, the only appendage it may merit is my middle finger. Sorry, Pal, but this was possibly your worst book. The premise: an adolescent covert terrorist spy sent from an American-hated country takes refuge in an exchange program in a town in the USA. A plot to eventually wipe out the entire country is set into place, and Pygmy, the main terrorist, along with his other terrorist buddies infiltrate this small community. Yeah! I know, it sounds wicked. The way in which it is written, however, is NOT. Documented in short, militaristic preposition-missing sentences, it took me over FOUR MONTHS to actually get through this book. Even though the chapters were short, I found myself pausing after every one of them, sometimes having to return to the start just to try and grasp what the hell was going on. I can see where Chuck was potentially trying to go, but it did not work. Stay away from this book - especially if you are a fan of this author. Oh yeah, and the ending was a complete cop-out.
3.5/10

3. Okay, this novel did what "Pygmy" could not: introduce a foreign and practically incomprehensible dialogue onto the page and expect the reader to understand. Irvine Welsh was able to achieve this since his use of blatant Scottish accent-written prose was fluid, familiar, and not employed consistently without breaks. It probably also helped that the book is composed of a number of short stories, which I'm a huge fan of. Again, this book took me a while to get through, but I enjoyed every story and thought in the end that it was a work of genius. Well worth learning Scottish idioms.
8.5/10

4. Another disappointing book that I almost wish I hadn't wasted time and money with. I bought this book mainly because it is a parody of a book I enjoyed very much: Eat, Pray, Love. And like most things I admire, I admire more if there is a good satire about it. Sadly, this comedian author has nothing on Chelsea Handler or Whoopi. The pages dragged on and on and on and holy shit it took one VERY long stint on the can for me to finally finish the book. Do I even have to comment on it? AGAIN, another very good premise with lots of potential... but not able to meet (anywhere near) in the middle.
2.5/10

5. The first graphic novel of the month! Yay! For some odd reason February was my month for zombie obsession. And trust me, I've always been a fan of horror, but never of zombie movies. I find that zombies attract 12 year old boys and/or adolescent stoners. And yet, my boyfriend wanted to test out his new 28 Days Later Blu-Ray (shit quality, sorry to disappoint). I'd seen the movie before, but this time - even with the low transfer HD quality, I got really into it. So once I got home I scoured my roommate's extensive zombie movie collection and picked out a few. Continuing with this theme, I noticed a graphic novel the previous roommate had left behind: The Waking Dead. I gave it a shot, and AMAZINGLY, I loved it. In fact, I can almost vouch that this graphic novel was better than any of the zombie movies I'd been watching. Well written, cleverly detailed, great plot line. I mean... what more can you ask for? And what more could REALLY turn me into a 12 year old comic zombie myself?
9/10

6. Lastly, my second graphic novel of the month of February: Umbrella Academy. I bought this book on Amazon awhile ago after reading the synopsis - honestly, I'm a sucker for anything remotely "The Incredibles".... in fact, I quite feel like watching it now... Anyway. This one has been sitting on my shelf collecting dust for no reason at all. So I read it. And was confused. The writer is the lead singer from My Chemical Romance - an old emo band I loathed back in high school and still blame for all those theatre losers I had to deal with in class. Understandably, you can see why I was a little hesitant to start reading. And for semi-good reason. Although the art was amazing/magnificent/fantastically good, the plot was a little spotty and the story was wonky. Which may have been the entire point, but so sue me if I'm a conservative comic nerd - I like my structure! Still though... I'm mainly confused because somehow Gerard Way (and of course the incredible artist) managed to pull it off! And because of this I can confidently say that I'd read more.
7/10

January 2010

Welcome to my first ever book-recording blog post!
This was the month that got it all started. Probably in reaction to the amount of books purchased and received around Christmastime, January is usually the month that involves the most reading consumption of the year. Thankfully this past January was no exception!
Although I always have a pile of unfinished, half-read books waiting to be completed, I always find myself picking up the freshest, newest, most untouched book in my room. I was surprised then, when reflecting back on my readings, to discover that most of the books I read this month were ones that had been lying around for quite some time. If I keep this up then maybe, just maybe, I'll get through my whole collection one day.

P.S. I don't believe in libraries.

*****

(In photo order, not reading order)

1. Y The Last Man Deluxe Edition Volume 1 -- Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra
2. Y The Last Man Deluxe Edition Volume 2 -- Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra
3. Yakitate! Japan Volume 5 -- Takashi Hashiguchi
4. The Wealthy Barber -- David Chilton
5. Watchmen -- Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
6. The Female Brain -- Louann Brizendine M. D.
7. The Mammoth Book of Best New Manga -- Ilya
8. Stuff White People Like -- Christian Lander
9. The History of Lucy's Love Life in Ten and a Half Chapters -- Deborah Wright

*****

1. & 2. These two volumes are the compilation omnibuses (omnibi?) of the graphic novel Y The Last Man. The writer eventually got chosen to write for the television series Lost, which I still can't define as good or horribly, horribly wrong, but I digress. This is an AMAZING series, for any of you graphic novel/comic nuts. The storyline is engaging and believable, and the art is detailed and clean. A mustmustMUST not miss. P.S. It is much cheaper to buy the big volumes for $20 on amazon.ca then to buy each individual book at $10 each.
8.5/10

3. Again part of a comic series (this time Japanese manga), this is a boy's manga about a kid who has "Gauntlets of the Sun" for hands, meaning the temperature of his hands is perfect for kneading and baking dough. Yes this is a manga about FOOD and bread.
Although the first few books were gripping and filled with detailed illustrations of perfectly shaped food, this volume was slightly underwhelming. It could be because I had sort of lost the thread of the series, not having read it for at least eight months. Only warning I have if you're willing to start this one: it's a long fuckin' ride. There are at least 23 volumes, so if you're not ready to commit, I say leave this series for now. There's also an anime of it, so I'll probably just watch that.
6.5/10

4. The Wealthy Barber! Aha, a book I actually felt smart after reading. This little book I got for free months ago at VanCity. In an attempt to sort out my finances, I decided I might as well read it. I recommend this to many people, mainly because it is written in an extremely simple way. In regards to the relativity of the information... well, it's no longer 1989, and anyone with half a brain knows it costs a helluva lot more to buy property in Vancouver in the 21st century than it did back in the 80's in Toronto. Also, mutual funds, as my financial-genius father has brought to my attention, are no longer wise investments unless you are looking at an extremely lengthy stay. Read this book! It's probably free at your bank, and makes you sound smart when your friends start whining to you about how they're flat broke.
8/10

5. Do I even have to state the obvious? Really. It took me way too long to finally get my hands on this, but it was beyond worth it. What I thought might be hype was in fact all legit. And you know what? The movie wasn't half bad either, although I don't know how anyone who hadn't read the book managed to sit through it.
9/10

6. Ya! I read a psychology book during my free time! This one's cool because it explains away all the psychotic tendencies of females. The writer/doctor also blames absolutely everything from bitchy moods to postpartum on HORMONES. I knew we had no control over this!
I'm assuming the sources of the book are backed up, due to the half-book index and bibliography at the end. This is a quick, knowledgeable and relatively easy read that you should buy for your boyfriends and fathers.
7.5/10

7. Big comic book collections are always cool since they feature an array of different authors and styles and stories. This one was decent, but a few years ago I stumbled upon one that was way more diverse. Still, if you're looking to get started on some manga, pick this guy up and start researching.
6/10

8. Of course. The blog turned book. Oh I hate you and am deeply jealous. I originally bought this book in Portland (har har, inside book joke) for my boyfriend (who incidentally, doesn't read AT ALL. I'm still choked, but trying to get over this fact), but realizing he would never read it, started it myself. It's very witty, fast-paced and TRUE. Sometimes the truth in it is hysterical. And although I wouldn't associate every one of his postings to an actual white person (and see, I can be minorly objective as I'm only half, and thus a minority and not WHITE per se), I can definitely associate them with all hipsters of the world.
In my half "white" person defense - Portland, Oregon and rock climbing can be enjoyed by people of any race!
7/10

9. Oh geez, chick lit. I honestly bought this book because it was on the $5 table at Chapters on my way out. It looked cheesy and cliche and total crap, but I bought it anyway because it was fucking five bucks and had the words "Time machine" and "dating life" on it. And yes, the protagonist finds a time machine, goes back in time, and bones as many literary, artistic and social masters of the past. Including Lord Byron, Casanova, etc. etc.
This book was GENIUS. I tell you. For chick lit (and unfortunately I've read a fair amount), the writing is impressive, the story is slick and very original, and there are minute sex scenes that are wicked. Not Pam Anderson's "Star" wicked, but no one can quite beat that.
I recommend this little known, CHEAPLY priced (at Chapters) book to any girl who wants a five hour beach read and a giggly boy discussion afterward. My only qualms of this novel was the ending, which was a little rushed and slightly far-fetched. But a time machine is involved, so I guess that's expected.
9/10 (Yea, it gets as much as Watchmen! I'm a chick, stfu.)