I love Star Trek comics

Those of you who've been reading this blog for a while will know that there are some subjects near and dear to my heart. One of those is Star Trek. I. LOVE. STAR. TREK. Whenever I'm feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or anxious I turn to those space travelers to take me boldly where no one has ever gone before. So of course now that school has started back in NYC and my workload has exponentially increased at the library (we're back to in-person programming) I've felt too scatterbrained to focus on anything except for Trek related entertainment. Hence my reading (like Gollum down in the caves) of several Trek comics all in a row. Here's a quick rundown:

1. Star Trek: Leonard McCoy, Frontier Doctor
2. Star Trek Classics Vol 1: The Gorn Crisis
3. Star Trek Classics Vol 2: Enemy Unseen
4. Star Trek Classics Vol 3: Encounters with the Unknown
5. Star Trek Classics Vol 4: Beginnings
6. Star Trek Classics Vol 5: Who Killed Captain Kirk?
7. Star Trek/The Green Lantern: The Spectrum War
8. Star Trek: The Next Generation - Intelligence Gathering
9. Star Trek: Burden of Knowledge
10. Star Trek: Voyager - Mirrors and Smoke
11. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Too Long a Sacrifice
12. Star Trek: Voyager - Seven's Reckoning

Some of these felt like I was totally immersed in new episodes of the TV series while others fell a bit short of the mark in terms of character believability. (Some of that I think is due to when they were written because I don't think the personality traits were fully fleshed out yet. I'm looking at you Data with feelings!) Some of my favorites (this will not come as a surprise) feature the original cast of the Enterprise on various missions (I really loved the McCoy series). Those had vintage artwork and were really peak 1960/1970s humor, fashion, and sensibilities. I think for anyone who's a fan of the TV series, films, or the universe of Trek in general it's a great way to spend a few hours (or in my case weeks) reading your way through the various adventures of these intrepid space travelers. Go boldly!

From ST Classics: Who Killed Captain Kirk? (Source: Star Trek Comics)

If you'd like me to do super long-winded Trek posts in the future please drop a comment because I would most definitely be down for that. I have thoughts. lol

What I'm currently reading: Star Trek: The Next Generation - Through the Mirror

**If you're interested in buying any of these books or any books really, you can click here. This will re-direct you to AbeBooks which is a site I use all of the time to find used books at an excellent price. A lot of the time I don't even pay for shipping! Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made through this link. You will not be charged anything additional for my commission. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

A cure for a reading slump

I read The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman as a buddy read with one of my coworkers (something that wonderfully started happening around the start of the pandemic and has continued). Neither of us knew that 1. we would end up falling so in love with these characters or 2. that this was the start of a series (huzzah!). [A/N: I looked at the author's name and thought I knew it from somewhere even though this is his debut novel and then I saw his author photo. He's an English comedian!]

Anyway, let me tell you a little bit about this book. The story bounces between perspectives but what anchors it are the diary entries of one of our main characters, Joyce, who has recently been invited to join the exclusive Thursday Murder Club at Coopers Chase senior living facility. This group of unlikely compatriots is comprised of Elizabeth (unrivaled head and sassy queen), Ibrahim (retired psychologist and super detail-oriented), Ron (affable rabble-rouser), and newest member Joyce (retired nurse and lover of a good police procedural). I really love books that take place at retirement homes especially if they're elaborate retirement villages like this one where the inhabitants aren't portrayed as dreary depressives. (In fact, these retirees are more likely to day drink and break the law.) What starts the story off is a cold case that they're investigating together but that quickly evolves into a murder played out in real-time much closer to home. They insinuate themselves into infiltrate the local police department (hilariously and with much subterfuge) as the case moves forward gaining momentum (and bodies). If you like fast-paced mysteries with a hilarious cast of characters then you are truly in luck because this one absolutely fits the bill. 10/10

P.S. My coworker listened to the audiobook and she highly recommends it.

Source: StoryGraph

What I'm currently reading: The Fate of Food: What We'll Eat in a Bigger, Hotter, Smarter World by Amanda Little

**If you're interested in buying any of these books or any books really, you can click here. This will re-direct you to AbeBooks which is a site I use all of the time to find used books at an excellent price. A lot of the time I don't even pay for shipping! Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made through this link. You will not be charged anything additional for my commission. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

Caftans should be more of a thing

I have been singing the praises of The Guncle by Steven Rowley to almost every single person that I've spoken to recently. YA'LL. When it was sold to me as a book that embodied the hilarious campiness of Leslie Jordan you know I was sold immediately. And it did not disappoint. This book follows Patrick who has recently found himself in the unenviable position of being the caregiver for his niece and nephew as they navigate the grief of losing their mother. (I don't want to give more details because I want your reading experience to be as pristine and surprising as mine was.) There are so many fantastic elements to this book that I hardly know where to begin. Patrick is a fantastic character in his own right with an acerbic wit, Guncle Rules for living your best life, and a healthy dash of flash and flair. Ugh I desperately want to be Patrick's BFF. And then there's Maisie and Grant who have been believably written as YouTube obsessed kids who are handling this monumental life change with varying degrees of success. (I am so sick of authors writing kids who are either saccharine sweet or heinous monsters when in reality most kids are a delightful mixture of the two.) Between the three of them, they are doing their utmost to get over the first hurdles of being without this pivotal person in their lives (for Patrick it's his sister-in-law and best friend rolled into one) while also getting to properly know each other. It is EXCELLENT. Please listen to me and give this book a try because I truly think you won't regret it. 10/10

PS Bonus points for the neighbors who live next door to Patrick who I also want to befriend.

Source: Goodreads

What I'm currently reading: The Novel Cure from Abandonment to Zestlessness: 751 Books to Cure What Ails You by Ella Berthoud & Susan Elderkin

**If you're interested in buying any of these books or any books really, you can click here. This will re-direct you to AbeBooks which is a site I use all of the time to find used books at an excellent price. A lot of the time I don't even pay for shipping! Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made through this link. You will not be charged anything additional for my commission. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

The Odd Couple but with the power of miracles

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett has been around for quite some time but for some reason I never picked it up which considering my enjoyment in other Gaiman works is a real surprise. But I watched the TV series and had to immediately grab a copy of the book from the library. The copy that I had included information about how Gaiman and Pratchett collaborated with one another to create this book as well as the two of them talking about each other. [A/N: I will say that I think if you haven't embarked on either of these journeys it would be better to read the book and then watch the series because they align pretty darn closely with one another.]

The basic premise is that the world is coming to an end because the Antichrist is coming into his powers. The inhabitants of Heaven and Hell are pretty stoked about this because The Great War will determine the ultimate winner. There are only 2 beings that aren't quite so thrilled and that's Aziraphale (Angel) and Crowley (Demon) because they know that the Apocalypse spells the end of the earth and all of the wonders therein. The real charm of this book are these two principal characters and their Odd Couple friendship (some really excellent dialogue which is super funny). I used to count fantasy as my favorite genre and reading books like this reminds me why I used to almost exclusively read from this genre. It's so much fun! 10/10

Bonus: amazing footnotes which reminded me of my reading experience with Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.

Source: ebay.com

What I'm currently reading: Scarlet Witch: Volume 1 by James Robinson

**If you're interested in buying any of these books or any books really, you can click here. This will re-direct you to AbeBooks which is a site I use all of the time to find used books at an excellent price. A lot of the time I don't even pay for shipping! Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made through this link. You will not be charged anything additional for my commission. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

Makes me long for the days of Costco's free samples

I often don't pay much mind to the authors of the books that I read which is something I'm working on in 2021. I want to be more purposeful and try to read more diversely not just in gender representation but also by picking up more own voices books that speak to the experiences of marginalized people. So to begin this quest I picked up Bury My Heart at Chuck E. Cheese's by Tiffany Midge. Tiffany writes about social justice issues through the lens of satire exploring the experiences of Indigenous peoples in the United States. She covers the gamut of topics from culturally insensitive (i.e. racist) costumes at Halloween to people claiming to be "2/10th Cherokee, I swear" to the atrocities that occurred during the peaceful protests of the Dakota Access Pipeline. My personal favorite essays were the ones she framed as 'open letters' to white girls which were so hysterical that I read them through twice. I also appreciated her tricking her family into going to Costco to try free samples by saying it was the Country Buffet. (I'm taking notes, mom!) The collection gets off to a bit of a slow start (it felt a bit flat especially after the rib tickling introduction by Geary Hobson) but the great thing about an essay collection is that you can always dip in and out without missing any crucial plot points. I definitely think that I'll be picking up more writing from her in the future because I really appreciated her perspective on the sociopolitical climate in the U.S. as well as her A+ dining suggestions. 😉😜 6/10

Source: Amazon

What I'm currently reading: Spring by Ali Smith and Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond

**If you're interested in buying any of these books or any books really, you can click here. This will re-direct you to AbeBooks which is a site I use all of the time to find used books at an excellent price. A lot of the time I don't even pay for shipping! Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made through this link. You will not be charged anything additional for my commission. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) ** 

Laughter is certainly a medicine

As long-time readers of the blog may know I'm a huge fan of Jenny Lawson (go here and here for my thoughts on her other books) so it was pretty much a no-brainer to pick up an early review copy of her newest book Broken (In the Best Possible Way). Like her other two books, Lawson tells stories from her past (growing up, her relationship with her husband, hiding from delivery people, etc) with a heavy dose of gallows humor. (If you're squeamish or unable to play Cards Against Humanity then you're not going to vibe with Jenny which is a daggum shame.) There are a lot of reasons why I absolutely adore Jenny but probably the biggest is that she tackles the tough topics of mental health while cracking these macabre jokes which are 100% up my alley. (You already know I'm death positive so of course jokes about death are my life blood.) She doesn't shy away from delving into those dark places that people who suffer from depression and anxiety dwell and she doesn't sugarcoat her continuing struggles.

I do want to sound a note of caution that if you suffer from any mental health issues and are easily triggered by talk on this subject (or on the subject of suicide) then you might want to sip Jenny's book instead of gulping it down. (No idea why I turned this into a drinking metaphor.) But I do think it is worth your time because it is always so comforting to read about someone else fighting the same demons as yourself. (And you don't want to miss out on the laugh-out-loud moments that this book is saturated with because they are comedy gold.) Another hole-in-one homerun through the goal posts.

Source: Amazon

If you or someone you love are in distress and contemplating self-harm or suicide please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline either by their website or by calling 800-273-8255. There's only one you on this planet and we want to keep you here. <3

What I'm currently reading: Bury my Heart at Chuck E. Cheese's by Tiffany Midge

**If you're interested in buying any of these books or any books really, you can click here. This will re-direct you to AbeBooks which is a site I use all of the time to find used books at an excellent price. A lot of the time I don't even pay for shipping! Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made through this link. You will not be charged anything additional for my commission. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) ** 

A breath of fresh air

Just as good as I thought it would be based off of the blurb. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett explores the joys of reading and its ability to take the reader on a journey unlike any other. And the reader featured in this little novella has been on a great many journeys but when she falls in love with reading she is still fundamentally changed...like all of us book junkies. 

Bennett tells the story of what happens when Queen Elizabeth chances upon a mobile library at the back of the palace. For someone who's entire life has been about duty and impartiality the world of books (which naturally cultivates favoritism for authors) has been anathema. But once she sets off down the bookish path there's no stopping her insatiable appetite for the written word. But there's a bit of a hitch to her giddy up. Her staff aren't as jazzed about her newfound hobby as she is and the machinations to which they'll go to wrest her from the grip of her obsession border on the absurd (which is why it's so much fun).

This little book manages not only to explore what it means to fall in love with literature and how it makes your entire view of the world expand but it also manages to cultivate a picture of the monarchy that feels believable (and hysterical). This isn't dry or abstracted but a spoofy and insightfully delightful little romp. So much fun!! 10/10

Source: Goodreads

What I'm currently reading: Broken (In the Best Possible Way) by Jenny Lawson

**If you're interested in buying any of these books or any books really, you can click here. This will re-direct you to AbeBooks which is a site I use all of the time to find used books at an excellent price. A lot of the time I don't even pay for shipping! Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made through this link. You will not be charged anything additional for my commission. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) ** 

A jam-packed day

Today I'd like to talk about Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson. [A/N: A little over 10 years ago a film based on the book was released with Amy Adams and Frances McDormand so you may be familiar with the plot.] The story follows Miss Pettigrew who is a down-on-her-luck governess looking for work. It seems that life has only been full of disappointments and drudgery for this single lady so when she glimpses an opportunity to escape her mundane existence she grabs it. Can you blame her? While she's been a straitlaced genteel sort of person her whole life, Miss Pettigrew soon finds herself in surprisingly compromising situations when she enters the world of Delysia LaFosse. Not only is Miss LaFosse a Nightclub Singer but she's currently juggling 3 men without much success of permanent happiness. THREE MEN?! Miss Pettigrew is aghast and agog but she's also thoroughly enchanted and she soon decides that it is her duty to set Miss LaFosse on the right path and make her marry one of them. And she knows exactly which one that should be (and if you've watched the film you'll know he's played by Lee Pace so YES CORRECT CHOICE).

If you're looking for a funny story about a woman who decides to throw caution to the wind and really live for the first time in her life then this might be a great choice for you. It was a really quick and entertaining read overall but there are some questionable moments that pop up now and again re Jewish people and men abusing women. They crop up at the oddest moments without adding anything to the plot and in fact they make the reading experience somewhat jarring which knocks down the rating to a 6/10 for me.

PS I loved the formatting of this book which was broken up by the hours of the day reinforcing that all of the action of the story takes place in one day. A super quick read!

Source: Goodreads

What I'm currently reading: Fox Tossing and Other Forgotten and Dangerous Sports, Pastimes, and Games by Edward Brooke-Hitching

**If you're interested in buying any of these books or any books really, you can click here. This will re-direct you to AbeBooks which is a site I use all of the time to find used books at an excellent price. A lot of the time I don't even pay for shipping! Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made through this link. You will not be charged anything additional for my commission. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

What if they had used The Body Back on Spock?

Answering questions posed to her from kids while touring, giving lectures, and living her day-to-day life, Caitlin Doughty has created another delightful book about death entitled Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death. [Yes, this is another book about death. I swear I'm going to space them out from now on.] While there is some rehashing of topics, Doughty manages to cover a wide array of interesting subjects like "What would happen if someone died with popcorn kernels in their stomach and then went into the cremator?" (I won't spoil the answer for you.) One of the best bits (in my opinion) was when she discussed different ways to dispose of remains like The Body Back which is a real thing developed for space travel. The premise is that if someone dies in space, this machine which is basically a giant robotic arm has the ability to shake the body (which has been freeze dried by the atmosphere of space) at such a speed that it's broken into small shards of ice. Heck yeah! Doughty also touches on burial laws and in particular those that concern pets. Are there pet cemeteries? Can you be buried with your pet? (Answer: It depends on your state and its laws.) Conclusion: A quick read that's a lot of fun to brandish on a crowded subway train during rush hour. :-P 8/10

Source: Amazon

What's Up Next: Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips

What I'm Currently Reading: Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks

**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. :-) **

For fans of Isaac Asimov

The Star Diaries by Stanislaw Lem (my first Polish translated work!) came into my life due to an observant patron recognizing my Star Trek tattoo as the nerd alert that it is and recommending it to me. [Hallelujah!] The book is organized into short stories touted as the numbered voyages of Ijon Tichy. [A/N: Don't be thrown by the fact they aren't in order. Read my note at the end of this review for a better understanding.] The beginning offers an introduction which has the reader questioning the 'validity' of Tichy as a narrator and the last voyage really solidifies that doubt. [We are given to believe that these chronicles are studied by dedicated scholars and that Tichy is a great explorer.] We follow Tichy as he makes his way across the universe on a solo trip which ultimately turns into a philosophical journey about the nature of being and how he fits into the grand picture of the universe. One particular story was a standout for me (and absolutely terrifying) featuring robot monks, wild furniture, and a type of humanity that was horrifying for Tichy (and the reader) to behold. (Really dig into the underlying message here.) Lem, like most good sci-fi writers, is looking at what it means to be human by tapping into our curiosity for all things that are decidedly alien or other. Tichy is our lens into a world that is as ever changing as the various voyages that he makes. I absolutely loved it. 10/10

A/N: A note at the back of the book explained that the voyages were written out of order because Lem wrote the book over the course of 20 years and his writing style changed somewhat across the span of the stories.

The cover on the book that I read. [Source: Amazon]

I just love this cover. [Source: Goodreads]

What's Up Next: So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

What I'm Currently Reading: Inside Out: A Memoir by Demi Moore

**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. :-) **

Why did I read this when I have no plans to visit Japan?

I had high hopes for Cool Japan Guide: Fun in the Land of Manga, Lucky Cats, and Ramen by Abby Denson. Some of this stemmed from the fact that this was recommended to me from a trusted source but more so from the fact that I've so enjoyed the travelogues that I've read in the past (especially Lucy Kinsey's). Sadly, this book fell far short of the mark for me. While this is 'marketed' for a young adult audience the cat character that the authors use for Japanese vocabulary lessons (a great idea in theory) was childish in the extreme. The illustrations weren't anything to write home about either but I think they were secondary to the purpose of providing helpful information to the international traveler. In this the authors definitely succeeded although their advice should be taken with a grain of salt as some information could potentially be out-of-date. All in all it was a 2/10 for me although I did have a craving for ramen right after reading it. 😉

Source: Amazon

An example of the illustrative style (and the cat). [Source: Comics Worth Reading]

What's Up Next: Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates by Brian Kilmeade

What I'm Currently Reading: Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do (and More Life to Live) by Eve Rodsky

**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. :-) **

Reading Fatigue: A How To Manual

Since I read Edward Gorey's biography, I thought it would be a good idea to immerse myself in his books which led me to Amphigorey, Amphigorey Too, and Amphigorey Again. These are collections of his illustrated works and I have to be honest that I don't think I'm intellectual enough to get the 'deeper meaning' behind his grotesque little tales. While I found some of them amusing, I wasn't overly impressed or blown away. Also, I have to agree with Gorey's biographer that his books do best in their tiny format instead of lumped together like this. Reading fatigue hit me HARD while I was trying to get through these (and they really didn't capture my imagination) so it's going to be a 4/10 from me.

Source: Amazon

Source: Amazon

Source: Amazon

What's Up Next: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

What I'm Currently Reading: Exhalation by Ted Chiang

**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. :-) **

Short but definitely not sweet

Ever since I knew of its existence, I’ve wanted to read Tim Burton’s The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories. Unfortunately, my library doesn't own a copy so I had to order it through Interlibrary Loan. Of course, after all of that effort it was a bit of a letdown to discover that it was only 115 pages long. But this short little book did deliver on the quirky, dark humor that we’ve all come to expect from Tim Burton. Organized into small rhymes and stories, these are creepy but hilarious (if morbid humor is your thing) vignettes. A/N: Parents beware if you take issue with your kids reading about death, patricide, suicide, etc.

Source: Allen & Unwin

Source: Goodreads

Source: Goodreads

What's Up Next: Amphigorey by Edward Gorey

What I'm Currently Reading: Solaris by Stanislaw Lem

**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. :-) **

Princess Pat strikes back

It’s amazing to me that the same author that wrote The Giver wrote the book I'm reviewing today because they couldn’t be more different. The Birthday Ball by Lois Lowry is a nontraditional fairytale about a princess who’d rather live among the people than follow any ridiculous royal decrees. (Roman Holiday, anyone?) Now that she’s turning 16 years old, Princess Patricia Priscilla's expected to marry one of the three suitors who are courting for her hand. Each man is more ghastly than the last. A lot of time is spent describing these hateful men (and the illustrations by Jules Feiffer really drive it home how disgusting and despicable her choices truly are. As in much of middle grade fiction, her parents are blind to her discomfort and unhappiness as they are caught up in their own lives and interests. (Dad is obsessed with butterflies and Mom is preoccupied with her wardrobe and appearance.) So neither takes any notice of her switching places with her maid and escaping out into the village to go to the local school. Dark humor coupled with the somewhat realistic portrayal of what it's like to be a village peasant plus the fantastic illustrations make this a quick, fun read. 7/10

Source: Goodreads

What's Up Next: The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories by Tim Burton

What I'm Currently Reading: The Invited by Jennifer McMahon

**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. :-) **

Yes, this is ridiculous

Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder by Jo Nesbo (you might have seen his books for adults) is the tale of a little girl and her new neighbor (a tiny boy with a big personality). They befriend a failed scientist (suitably eccentric) with many (unsuccessful and useless) inventions to his name (all more ridiculous than the last). However, his latest invention seems to be a real winner: a powder that when ingested causes the person to fart most spectacularly and explosively. In fact, the powder is so successful that it launches the person into the sky! Can you think of anything better for a group of children? An utterly ridiculous little book this would appeal to a middle grade reader who enjoyed the Captain Underpants or Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. [A/N: This book was originally written in Swedish before being translated into English.] 5/10

Trigger warning: pretty intense bullying and a corrupt, abusive father. 

Source: Amazon.com

What's Up Next: The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant with pictures by Melissa Sweet

What I'm Currently Reading: So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

**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. :-) **

The value of the dollar was VERY different in the 1940s

The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright was one of the titles mentioned in the Excellent Books for Early and Eager Readers that I reviewed not too long ago and one of the first from my holds list that I picked up to read. Firstly, even though this book was written in the 1940s it's still very readable for a contemporary middle grade (or adult in my case) audience. The book follows the 4 Melendy children (Mona, Rush, Randy, and Oliver) who are described (and drawn) with loving detail by the author along with their father, Cuffy the housekeeper, and Willy Sloper the handyman. The basic premise of the book (which is the first in a 4 part series by the way) is that the four children form a club to stave off their boredom wherein they pool their weekly allowances so that every Saturday they can each afford to go on solo adventures and do something that they really want to do (but which will likely not appeal to anyone else). Their interests much like their personalities were realistic for the time period in which the book was written although they feel somewhat far-fetched in comparison to today's children (one of the kids is obsessed with opera). Each of their Saturday adventures comes complete with peril (of the lightest variety) and life lessons learned so that there are built-in morals (sometimes heavy-handed) built into the narrative. I liked it but it's probably not going to be the first book I think of to recommend...unless the kid really digs the opera in which case I am ready. 6/10

Source: Goodreads

What's Up Next: Lumberjanes Vol 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson (might be a masterpost with more volumes included)

What I'm Currently Reading: The Umbrella Academy, Volume 1: Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way & Gabriel Ba

**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. :-) **

Self-deprecating hilarity

I want to start off by saying thanks for letting me take a wee little break from the blog (and kinda Internet life in general). Things have been rather stressful and chaotic on the work front and for the last couple of weeks I've crashed as soon as I've gotten home so my blog entry edits haven't been finished. (I'm super far behind so I may do a sprint in the near future and group some books together in mastersposts. We'll see.) At any rate, I'm back at it with three reviews! :-)

Adulthood is a Myth by Sarah Andersen marks the beginning of her illustrated web comic being released in book format. Andersen's art is full of humor about her day-to-day life as a single lady who'd rather stay at home than socialize. [A/N: If you're not into jokes about menstruation then this isn't the book for you.] A lot of her jokes focus on how she doesn't want kids, in general doesn't like people, and prefers to stay at home to eat and sleep. (Some of these things seem eerily familiar to me...) Her art style is quite cartoon-y and definitely keeps the feel of her beginnings as an Internet comics artist (in the best way possible).

Good ol' menstrual humor featuring my legs.

Who among us hasn't done this?

Her sequel, Big Mushy Happy Lump, showcases relatable female humor at its best. She really leans into the jokes examining her introverted/socially awkward personality traits. She added an end section to this book where she talks directly to the reader about how she feels/acts in social situations. She also discusses at length why she's a sweater thief forever and always. It's really cute and I think it's a great way to connect more with her audience.

I think you get why I took a picture of this one.

#truestory

I didn't choose this life. This life chose me.

And finally there's Andersen's Herding Cats which (surprise surprise) features a lot of cat comics. In Big Mushy Happy Lump Sarah talks about how she has never been a 'pet' person but after she cat-sit for her mom this completely changed and this book examines her obsession with all things feline. This book has a phenomenal end section about navigating the Internet as an artist. Biggest takeaway: Keep making art.

I laugh every time I see this.

That last one is how I feel during storytime at work.

What's Up Next: Excellent Books for Early and Eager Readers by Kathleen T. Isaacs

What I'm Currently Reading: Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder by Jo Nesbo with illustrations by Mike Lowery

**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. :-) **

Totally insensitive

Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson chronicles the walking expedition that the author took across Great Britain right before he moved back to the United States. I loved how his enjoyment of the countryside (particularly Yorkshire) came through in his beautiful descriptions. If he had only stuck to his descriptions of the idyllic countryside and the interesting monuments and things that he saw there I would have enjoyed this book. Instead he interjected his beliefs/prejudices/stereotypes about different groups of people and it really turned me off of the entire book. The first note that I wrote after reading this was simply "I don't like Bill Bryson."

What he poked fun of (a shortlist):

• fat people (fat shaming a family at a restaurant and staring so much they moved tables)
• Asperger's (a trainspotter widower he met was too excited about trains apparently)
• Lewis Carroll (described him as a "poor perverted mathematician" when pedophilia was only rumored never proven)
• Parkinson's (need I say more?)

The only good things that came out of this is that I'll probably visit Warwick Castle and Snowshill Manor in the future...and I'll never read anything else from Bill Bryson.

For another viewpoint, check out the critique of A Walk in the Woods by Mary Jean Ronan Herzog entitled "Including Appalachian Stereotypes in Multicultural Education: An Analysis of Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods" in the Journal of Appalachian Studies Vol. 5 Issue 1. 

Source: Goodreads

What's Up Next: HiLo: Then Everything Went Wrong by Judd Winick

What I'm Currently Reading: Excellent Books for Early and Eager Readers by Kathleen T. Isaacs

**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. :-) **

He's right about Halloween

Described as 'mini obituaries for times gone past', Remember? Remember? by Charles Beaumont was exactly what I wanted it to be: Lots of fun. What I hadn't counted on was the excellent history lesson that I got as a bonus. This book is partly a history of life in America circa the early 20th century (nostalgic reminiscence being the preferred narrative lens) and partly a condemnation of letting this superior past be taken over by the clearly inferior pursuits of the present (1960s). His main concern seems to be that the adults of today's (1960s) generation have ruined the future of their children by doing away with the pleasures of yesteryear.

Examples of ruination include but are not limited to:

• Charlie Chaplin's exile from America after being a prolific entertainer that created art in a time when the world was gray.
• The spectacle of silent movies taken over by the sterility of 'blockbusters' in cookie cutter movie theaters.
• Steam trains being replaced by diesel engines which were then supplanted by airplane travel. (Beaumont is all about the romance.)
• Halloween no longer being a night of mischief but a highly sanitized and supervised few hours of getting candy from pre-approved houses before calling it quits before the sun has even sunk below the horizon.

Conclusion: This was a fun (and surprisingly educational) book which has me looking forward to ferreting out more work of his in the (not too distant) future. 10/10

Source: John W. Knott, Jr.

What's Up Next: Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson

What I'm Currently Reading: Adulthood is a Myth by Sarah Andersen

**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. :-) **

I'm still glad I was an only child

Dear Sister by Alison McGhee (with illustrations by Joe Bluhm) was a happy accident. It happened to be returned while I was working at circulation and when I flipped through it I was intrigued enough to check it out for myself. The book is written in a series of letters and drawings from a boy who has just been saddled  blessed with a baby sister. His parents want him to write to her so they can put it in her baby book but he has his own ideas of what to write. From the start, his letters and drawings are quite hostile and he makes a point of saying that the 'wardens' have forced him into contributing. Their relationship is typical of an older sibling who has no interest in catering to an annoying, screaming infant/toddler/preschooler. Their age difference is about 8 years which explains a lot of the animosity. He always refers to her as 'sister' because the name he had picked out for her (and which wasn't used) was so good that he'd hate to slip up and call her that because then she'd be sad that it wasn't her name. This is one of those perfect little books that shock you when you realize they're not more in demand. It felt totally authentic and the illustrations were absolutely fantastic. They were a mix of childlike drawings which aged up with the character and a few realistic looking pencil drawings from a third person standpoint. The whole story is heartwarming and the ending was so sweet that I actually cried. What a great little book! 10/10

A/N: I discovered that Joe Bluhm illustrated one of my favorite William Joyce books The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore and now I'm on a mission to find more of his work. No wonder I liked the drawings in this so much! XD

Source: Amazon.com 

Source: Amazon.com

Source: Amazon.com

What's Up Next: I'm waiting on another volume of the Elfquest Archives so that I can hopefully do my reviews in one post. We shall see...

What I'm Currently Reading: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (reread)

**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. :-) **