The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove

Author: Christopher Moore
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Lydia

Recommended to me by a good friend, The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove is my introduction to Christopher Moore's work. Outrageous and uproariously funny, I listened to this audiobook in the car, and I can only imagine that I looked like a cackling, grinning, laughing fool to my fellow drivers.

Moore’s book takes place in a small town named Pine Cove. Simply put, there are some odd things occurring. The town psychiatrist has decided to secretly substitute everyone’s medication with placebos, there is a suspicious suicide, and lastly, there a rare underwater sea beast has emerged from the depths of the ocean (but to know more about that part, you must read the book).

The story is told in short chapters from the different points of view of each character in the story—of which there are a lot. One detriment is that Moore stuffs his book so full of funny, crazy, people that at first it is hard to differentiate between all the funny, crazy people that he introduces us to. However, this is merely a small criticism, and one that diminishes as you read further into the book.

While nothing too heavy, Moore’s piece manages to be lighthearted and fun—just the combination I want to listen to on my way home from a long day at work or school. Overall, the book could be a little shorter, feature less characters, and explore the mystery—which is at the heart of this novel—a little more fully. Still, I am now hooked on Moore’s exuberant style, and I foresee many more cackling, grinning, laughing car rides in my, and your, future. Enjoy.

Penguin's Hidden Talent

Penguin's Hidden Talent
by Alex Latimer
4/5 Stars
Reviewer: Dawn



Summary:

Instead of performing in the annual talent show, Penguin helps organize it because he cannot identify his own special talent, but when the show is over and the performers throw a party to show how much they appreciate Penguin's work, what he excels at becomes quite clear.

Review:

This story is sweet, simple and packs a meaningful message. The illustrations, pencil drawings, complement the book perfectly. I love that the book is humorous while also teaching children a great lesson. The book might actually be funnier to adults than to children, but both age groups will really get a kick out of the book. My favorite part is the two page spread of the “guest speaker” and “famous band” that penguin hired to perform at the talent show. Children and adults alike will enjoy pouring over the illustrations and coming to the conclusion that no matter how insignificant you think your talents are, they will always be appreciated by somebody!

The Art Forger

The Art Forger

Author: B.A. Shapiro
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Reviewer: Lydia

 B.A. Shapiro’s latest novel, The Art Forger, is a modern day mystery full of the usual mystery genre standbys: shady art dealers, priceless antiquities, beautiful women, and lies, deceit, trickery, and treachery. This book is equal parts intriguing and informational, and Shapiro is a master storyteller who expertly weaves and unravels three different storylines that deal with both the present-day and the past.

The most prominent plotline explores Claire Roth’s present-day career as a starving artist after a nasty scandal that nearly destroyed her career. She shines as a broken and bitter woman with a vengeance who is willing to do anything to reclaim her reputation in the harsh and fast-paced art world. She makes a deal to forge a priceless painting and this deal with the devil quickly spirals out of control. The second plotline unfolds Claire’s scandal which took place three years before, and in the last plotline the reader is able to read the diary of a woman connected to the priceless painting Claire is copying.

I enjoyed this book thoroughly, as it was a fun, fast read that managed to contain a good mystery at its core. At times the book became a bit too heavy with unnecessary plot details, and some readers might find the extensive explanations of painting and forging techniques tedious to read. However, in the end, The Art Forger still shines as a hidden gem of a book.

Colors of Confinement

Colors of Confinement

Edited by Eric L. Muller, Photography by Bill Manbo
4.5 stars
Reviewer: Nichole 

 

In 1988 I was 15 years old, and I knew that my grandmother was supposed to be getting a check from the US government because they put her in a Japanese internment camp during WWII.  I have since learned that her family had been living in Beverly Hills, and they ran a fruit market up until 1942, when they were rounded up and confined in the Manzanar Internment Camp in California.  She was 19 at the time, the youngest of 6 children, and when she was released in 1944 and had nowhere to go, no family business to go back to, she joined the US Army, the very military that took from her family their possessions and livelihood, and put them in a camp.  The idea of it boggled my mind until I read the book Colors of Confinement.

Upon first glance, the photos in this collection are all shot in Kodachrome, which if you know anything about film photography, you know that this film was a little special, a little more colorful, a little brighter than the average film of the time.  And the oddness of the colors contrasting with the subjects being shot, are what makes this book fascinating even to someone who is not a descendant of an internee.  There are beautiful smiling faces in fancy dress, squinting into the bright Wyoming sun, standing in front of their barracks, surrounded by barbed wire fence and a barren land beyond that surrounded the Heart Mountain Internment Camp.  These were not Japanese loyalists.  These were Boy Scouts and children wearing American fighter pilot uniforms, holding onto their American dream.  There are photos of prisoners who made an ice rink and taught their children to skate, toiled away at digging a massive hole deep enough to create a summer swimming hole, and stood in long lines to watch patriotic American films at the theaters in the camp.  There were schools and sports teams, and people tried their best to live their lives with hopes of one day regaining their freedom, and these pictures depict that hope and sadness in every shot.  One particular photo caught a rainbow, which comes down and ends at the building on the camp that functions as the latrine and laundry.  Among the contrasting photos are outright bleak shots of the camp itself, desolate and utterly robbed of humanity.  Manbo captured it all.

Bill Manbo himself is a character worth knowing.  In one photo you can see him showing off the model cars he and his friend made, sitting on the porch he built a shelter around, whereupon he wrote the family name “Manbeaux”, as if it were French, and therefore more acceptable to Americans.  

Some of the more stunning photos are peeks into the lives of the Japanese, such as the Buddhist dance ritual, Bon Odori and a sumo wrestling event.  Occasionally, on work release, there are photographic peeks outside of the Heart Mountain camp, where Bill Manbo (and occasionally his family) were allowed, such as a trip to Yellowstone.

When you read this book, and you see the vitality and patriotism that runs so deep in the prisoners, you can understand why some panicked when they were released and refused to leave camps.  You can also understand why, when they had lost everything and lived in barracks for 2 years, they gravitated toward a military career.  And you can also understand why, post-WWII, Japanese-Americans stopped marrying and having children with Japanese, and in unprecedented numbers and unbelievable gusto, began marrying only Americans and abandoning their own culture.  Somehow that $20,000 reparation check in the 1980s just doesn’t seem like justice, but Colors of Confinement brings clarity to an era that most Americans don’t even bother thinking about anymore.  It’s a long overdue tribute that will give you smiles and pangs, and I challenge you not to find Mr. Manbo’s young boy, Billy, the ultimate symbol of wrongful incarceration, wearing his American pilot jacket while playing on a barbed wire fence.

Soulless: The Manga Volume 1

Soulless: The Manga Volume 1

Author: Gail Carriger, Art by REM

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Reviewer: Todd

Summary: Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she’s a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, a terrible breach of social etiquette. Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate the incident, and he is none too happy to see Alexia at the scene. With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible, given her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers. Can Alexia uncover what is happening before she becomes the next victim? - Yen Press.com

Review: When I came across this I was interested but wasn't expecting much, just a quick read to satisfy my curiosity. So I was greatly surprised when the story drew me in, its art work visually appealing as it blended western and eastern styles to accent both the comedy and drama of the work. The greatest asset the volume has is the mixing of genres; historical mystery, supernatural drama, with just the right pinch of romance for a tasty blend. The weakest point is that since this an adaptation there is a lack of knowledge concerning the world and the character’s previous relationships. But without this information the world seemed to lack an essential flavor, still able to be enjoyed but not to the greatest satisfaction of the reader. For anyone wishing to satisfy their cravings for a new graphic novel series, and perhaps the books this is adapted from.

12.21

12.21

Author: Dustin Thomason

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Reviewer: Lydia

Much like Dan Brown’s books (think The Da Vinci Code or Angels and Demons), Dustin Thomason’s latest novel 12.21 is an easy, fast-paced read filled with mystery, intrigue, and a healthy dose of suspense. I read (and listened) to this book in the weeks preceding the dreaded day of December 21st, 2012, when ancient Maya texts supposedly predicted the end of the world.

Thomason’s book builds upon this popular myth, adding in a rare Mayan codex that’s never been translated before, as well as a raging epidemic that threatens to indeed destroy humankind. This book is best described as a "medical thriller". As Mayan researcher Chel Manu and prion disease expert Dr. Gabriel Stanton race to unlock the codex before the epidemic spreads, they begin to uncover some of the secret wisdom of the ancients.

While a simple thriller at first glance, this book also manages to seriously meditate on the role of technology in human life, as well as one’s inextricable link to one’s cultural identity. Apart from the hardcover book, the audiobook version is superb and features excellent voice narration. Even though we’re all still here, I recommend 12.21 to anyone that is looking for a quick dose of enjoyment.

I Want My Hat Back

I Want My Hat Back
By: Jon Klassen
5 stars
Reviewer: Nichole

 

Poor Bear.  Someone took his hat.  Bear walks through the woods asking everyone if they’ve seen his hat.  No one has seen it.  Then Bear is reminded that perhaps he saw the one who stole his hat and this jogs his memory --  yes, he did see the one who stole it!

You will not see the twist in the end of this book coming.  With the delightful illustrations and suspicious eyes, this book will have you laughing with the horrifying revelation about Bear’s hat.