Truly epic character names abound

For those of you who don't care for graphic novels, I'm sorry. I had meant to spread these out a bit more but they all happened to become available at the library at the same time and as I'd had them on hold for ages...I obviously didn't want to pass up the opportunity. Now onto the review!

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson is the tale of a villain and his sidekick. It's also about what is good and what is evil. It's about friendship and loyalty. It's also about sharks. Lord Ballister Blackheart is an evil genius who just happens to have an opening for a sidekick which Nimona believes she is qualified to fill. Initially, Blackheart is against the idea but once Nimona shows off her skills as a shapeshifter and proves her worth he's more than happy to strike up a partnership. The problem is that she shows absolutely no restraint and insists that their plans should be ramped up to include more killing, mayhem, and overall destruction. Blackheart is a stickler for the rules and his nemesis Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin perceives that Nimona is going to cause major waves (sharks!). While their rivalry is one of the reasons Blackheart became a villain he staunchly refuses to kill Goldenloin and therein lies one of the major rubs. There's a political sidestory as well. The Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics where Goldenloin is employed is not exactly on the up and up. Then there's the struggle with what makes someone a 'monster' and what makes them a 'hero'. It's a really good book, guys. The artwork is top notch, the characters are fleshed out, and it is hysterically funny. I highly recommend for anyone who wants a book with a lot of heart. 10/10

PS This started out as a webcomic and I've read other places that if you saw Nimona as the webcomic version then the only new part of this book is the epilogue. Just a heads up. :-)

I don't know how to express how funny I find this.

Can we talk about how epic this art is though??

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

A case of reading withdrawal

I know what some of you are saying. "How on earth could you have reading withdrawal when you have so many books on your TRL?" Well, I'm talking about that feeling after you've read a really excellent series and you know that it's finished and you're filled with despair. (Harry Potter anyone?) That's the withdrawal that I refer to in today's post. Now on with the review!

Just to catch you up on the first part of The Lunar Chronicles series:
Cinder: Prejudice, Plague, and a Prince + Witches, Oh My!
Scarlet: A book series that should be made into film
Cress: When you read a book about a place you've just visited OR I love England
Fairest: Exercising Positivity

As you can see, I very much enjoyed The Lunar Chronicles. It has everything. I'm talking adventure, dystopia, romance, comedy, political upheaval, mutants, heroines, mental health issues, racial misunderstanding, and SO MUCH MORE. (No, this isn't a commercial.) The final book in the series, Winter, was a whopper at over 800 pages (Harry Potter anyone?) and Meyer covered a lot of ground. Not only did she have the gargantuan task of fleshing out the character of Winter as she had done with the first 3 (4 if you count Fairest) but she also had to tie it all together to bring a conclusion to the overarching struggle of the series. Will Levana succeed in marrying Kai and becoming Empress of the Eastern Commonwealth? Do Thorne and Cress have a chance at a happily ever after? Can Scarlet be saved from Winter's menagerie? Will Winter's Lunar sickness ultimately result in her complete break from reality? GO READ WINTER TO FIND OUT!

UPDATE: I just found out that Meyer is coming out with a collection of short stories set in the world of The Lunar Chronicles and the cover has been revealed today. You can click here to see the cover of Stars Above!

UPDATE DEUX: I just looked back through my posts and I already knew about Stars Above...I just completely forgot about it. ;-/

Bees, butterflies, and being a better human being

As long-time readers of the blog know, I love reading and learning about environmental science and what it all means in terms of the conservation of resources. To that end, A Buzz in the Meadow: The Natural History of a French Farm was a logical choice. (Its predecessor, A Sting in the Tale, which focused on bees exclusively has now been added to the list.) This book focused on Goulson's quest to recreate a meadow with biodiversity of fauna and flora on a plot of land (used to harvest cereal before his purchase) he bought in France. Not only was he hoping to play his part in conservation by starting this project but he was discouraged by the limited resources of his university for conducting wildlife experiments over extended periods of time and hoped this would remedy that problem. He has gone to great lengths to learn as much as he can about the creatures and plants that inhabit his small paradise. Each chapter begins with a small journal excerpt  from the summer months when he and his family live on the property. (These are typically humorous or wistful in turns.) The book was divided into parts which covered his cultivation of the meadow, different plant and animal species and their behavior, his work with bees which was covered in his first book extensively, and ecological conservation. It wasn't written in dry, academic jargon so the layperson should feel comfortable enough to give this book a shot. If you're curious about the mysteries of the natural world or want to dip your toe into conservation/environmental sciences  then I definitely recommend this book to you. (Also, I think we should all read A Sting in the Tale together.)

I love perusing the new additions to the non-fiction section of the library. I've found some real gems there such as the next book up for review: The Great Fire: One American's Mission to Rescue Victims of the 20th Century's First Genocide by Lou Ureneck. This is the story of Asa Jennings, a YMCA worker, working in Smyrna at the time of the Turkish soldiers advance through the city. Many people were killed during this time and many Greek and Armenians fled. However, Jennings stayed and along with a naval officer named Halsey Powell they were able to rescue more than 250,000 people. I know very little about this historical event so I'm very excited to read this one.

Movie and book tie-ins: Embrace them!

Basically, I love a good tie-in whether it's a film based off of a book or a book that was written based off of a movie. Book tie-ins are a great way to delve further into the characters and learn more details about scenes that are blink-and-you-miss-them. In this post, I'll be looking at both variants.

For starters, let's take a look at Star Trek Into Darkness which was written after the movie of the same name was released. For die-hard Trekkie fans, this is definitely a book that you want to pick up. It was so good that I never wanted it to end. For those who haven't seen the film (or who aren't really into Star Trek at all), this is the story of how one man came into his own when pitted against a ruthless adversary who by all accounts was unbeatable. James Tiberius Kirk is the newly appointed Captain of the USS Enterprise but at this stage he's definitely still wet behind the ears and he makes mistakes which come with very big consequences. At the same time, the reader is introduced to a character with motivations that are not immediately apparent and it is uncertain exactly what type of a person he actually is (his identity is in question as well). There is conflict, intrigue, heroism, tragedy, and courage on every single page.  Go forth and read it!!

I was feeling a bit introspective after reading Star Trek Into Darkness so I picked up Eat Pray Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert. I had watched the film a few years ago and thought it was deeply moving and therefore picked up the book on which it was based. However, at the time I was backlogged with books for school (remember those days, guys?) and it got relegated to my bookshelf. I am so glad that I'm reading it now. I can already tell that I'm going to have to pick up some more of Gilbert's works. Her writing really speaks to me. This is actually her story of how her life transformed through faith in God and in herself. She traveled for a year to immerse herself in three very different cultures in order to discover what it was that she really wanted from life and how she could be happy. This was after a lot of personal tragedy in her life had made her re-evaluate everything and she was basically starting over from scratch. It's not a depressing book though. No, it's actually uplifting in all the best kind of ways. She spent four months in each place where she focused on completely different things. In Italy, it was all about pleasure aka food. In India, she turned her attention to God. In Indonesia, I think you can guess what she focused on. ;-) I'll be updating you guys with my progress soon!