Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Tales of the Otori
Tales of the Otori, by Lian Hearn consists of 3 books, (don't they all!) titled:
Grass for his pillow
Across the nightinggale floor
Billiance of the moon
I read them all and liked them for their action. The characters were just okay, not bad but not tremendous endearing. The settings were great though and the story was nice. Takeo, a boy orphaned by some bad guys quests to find fame fortune truth and whatnot. Aimed at grades 5-9 I think, set in a ficticious feudal era Japan, it is a saga of the hero's rise to power, but sadly it has very old fashioned ideals on relationships, certainly not as bad as feudal times but Hearn could have done better considering he wrote the series in the 2000's, hopefully a time when authors refute outdated sentiments of gender inequality, and don't perpetuate them. He is however, creative and talented.
House of Scorpion
Nancy Farmer's "House of Scorpion" is a very interesting book. It is an adventure, and a warning about cloning and drug trafficking. The novel chronicles the early life of Mateo, a boy who finds out he is a clone of El Patron, who he refers to as his grandfather, a man who uses body parts of his clones to replace his own as they wear out; he lives to 148 or so. El Patron is also a drug lord in a land on the Mexican-American border called Opium, which he secured by promising to control the cross border drug flow. Genetic manipulation and some type of operational or chemical lobotomies are performed on Mexicans who get caught trying to reach a better existence in America. They are turned into slave workers for the Cartel. The kid escapes and finds out what is really going on in the outside world, but it may not be any better than the fake but idyllic world of his childhood. He realizes he will be harvested as soon as his parts are ripe for El Patron.
Farmer is a clever and creative writer, and I have recently acquired more of her work for our school library.
The Road, blech!
I can't believe I read the whole thing.
Cormac McCarthy has had a ton of success as an author and in getting his books turned into movies. "The Road" is a terribly sad depressing violent book full of gross images and darkness. I read it all hoping something good would happen. I can't recommend it, except maybe to anyone you know who is hurting people with happiness, and need to have a bit of blackness in their life. I can't understand why they made a movie out of it.
Cormac McCarthy has had a ton of success as an author and in getting his books turned into movies. "The Road" is a terribly sad depressing violent book full of gross images and darkness. I read it all hoping something good would happen. I can't recommend it, except maybe to anyone you know who is hurting people with happiness, and need to have a bit of blackness in their life. I can't understand why they made a movie out of it.
Blood Red Road, by Moira Young
Blood Red Road, by Moira Young
About a year ago, one of our Tupper teachers said that I should read a book called "Blood Red Road" by her cousin. I think it wasn't even published yet, but she said it was so good! Sure I thought, and forgot all about it. Monthes and monthes later I saw it on a list of dystopian novels, and my memory worked, so I bought it. I was searching these books for 2 reasons; students in senior English do a unit on dystopia, so I wanted to support that, and "The Hunger Games' has been so successful that it spurned a new wave of writing YA, that being futuristic post- apocalyptal sci-fi/fantasy with violence as a central theme.
I read it at Spring Break this year, and I loved it despite that the author used less punctuation than I like, and that she writes dialogue using an accent, which is not easy with many dialects or vernaculars so often it is done in Cockney or southern States accents, or as in "The Help" it is done in Ebonics (AAVE). This technique is also used brilliantly by Sapphire in her first novel "Push" but it is more of a halting street talk through her narrator, Precious. Precious tells her own story, and as a near illiterate it makes sense because her voice is the story. In "Blood Red Road" the style adds nothing. I would be much happier if the author set the scene so that the reader would interpret the voice, since we read inside our head and use our imagination to enhance the experience.
"BRR" is a fast paced adventure. I thought the characters were well developed and colourful and the scenes interesting and complex. Readers will certainly find comparisons, -down to the title, to McCarthy's "The Road" but this is a teen fiction book and does not make you want to throw-up or do harm to yourself.
Ridley Scott has picked up the movie rights and Young has her 2nd of 3 in book stores already, so she is doing well. She is Canadian, hence the Can-Con flag at the top of the page, but lives in England now.
No Safety In Numbers, by Dana Lorentz
Saturday, April 3, 2010
reading update
Cecil's readings as of lately:
note that I am more concerned with the publihing company reference when it comes to comics because there are some interesting niches, for instance Comics Lit try to produce more literary works, less about super heroes and more about deeper meaning stuff, and Vertigo are the publishers of Alan Moore type stuff, who also did The Watchmen, as an example. Vertigo is a division of DC Comics. Scholastic does Bone, a fun but not high level reading set, and they produce works for school aged children, not really for adults so you would not see them making Superman, or Preacher, which is a creepy violent comic not suitable for younger readers, and even scares older readers. This is important since when shopping for new graphic novels with a readership in mind, I will check the publisher if I know little about the book. Minx is a good example, since they make books aimed at teens, most often from a girl's perspective, featuring girls in real life situations. I know then that a Minx book will be appropriate and a good read for girls aged 10-17. Plain Janes is a good example, as is Clubbing for older girls.
Incognegro, by Mat Johnson, art by Warren Pleece, Published by Vertigo, Graphic Novel.
Great, gritty, historical fiction circa 1930's, about lynchings in the southern states of negroes by whites/KKK. The plot is a typical cop story told from a reporter's point of view. The 'Incognegro' uncovers lynchings around the south then publishes the story in his NY paper under his alias. He is a white looking black man, able to get inside the lynch mobs to get the story. Things go terrible wrong when his brother is jailed and threatened with a lynching.
There is supposed to be a theme of identity bending, as a sort of new and cutting edge idea; people are indeed made up of their history, culture, upbringing, location, etc. but that is not the interesting part. Incognegro tells the hideous history of the American South and makes some pretty interesting observations about why they acted so horribly to each other, and while not news to anyone who has been to school it certainly brings it home in a graphic way. Using the comic format may open up a new audience to this part of their history though.
Pleece's art is excellent but not unique.
Bluesman, by Rob Vollmer and ill. By Pablo G. Callejo, v. 1,2, to accompany v. 3, see earlier posts, pubished by Comics Lit, Graphic Novel 3 volume set.
Now here is a unique form of art in a graphic novel. Callejo's work is some of my favourite, stark and poignant, elegant and expressive. It could be called 'comic noir.' The dialogue of Vollmer is the best I've read:
“This is a ll naught but fulsome speculation on your part and not sturdy enough by half to hold up in any court of law,” is one of my favourite lines; imagine using naught and fulsome in the same sentence!
Like Incognegro, Bluesman is about the plight of the black mna in a severely racist American South. Vollmer tells the story of the travelling blues musicians, but then it gets off track and into a cop story. Maybe off track is too harsh, but the story line surely changes and it has less to do with music than it does with racism and crime. The setting is the 1930's again, complete with hobos, tramps, juke joints, lynching, vigilantes and train hopping.
I love this book, but it was hard to find all 3 volumes. Sophia Books on Hastings and Richards had a 30% off sale, and I found them there, -so happy, but I wish there were more to read since the story seems to remain unfinished at the end of v. 3.
Hate List, Jennifer Brown. I loved this book. It is young adults fiction but the story is pretty tough, considering that it starts with news headlines about a terrible school shooting. A student goes postal and kills 6 people, injuring in the process his girlfriend. The two kids had created a 'hate-list' which included such things as homework, teachers, students who bullyied them, and a lot more. The cops find the list, and it is revealed to the media.
After the shooting the girl is recovering in hospital trying to recall what happened and make sense of it. Her boyfriend killed himself after he accidently shot her in the leg, but she still loves him and has great difficulty putting her life back together without him, even though she knows he committed this horrible crime.
She eventually goes back to school and deals with the hate, pain and suffering that she and her friends, -new ones and ex ones, have had to endure. Slowly they work to heal and change how they interact.
This is Brown's first novel, and interestingly she has won awards for humour wirting. There is nothing funny about Hate List, but it is really good writing, full of tender insights into the characters personalities and the psyche of the teen mind. I recommend it for anybody.
Plain Janes, by Cecil Castellucci, art by Jim Rugg, Minx,
I guess I love a lot of books, but the Janes is a great one. A girl named Jane tries to find the least popular table in the lunch room of her new school. She finds the Janes. They are pretty awkward socially, so New Jane tries to make change. She starts a public art project on the sly with the Janes. They sneak out at night and make poignant statements with nice art in the town's public areas. They are going to get themselves in trouble though because not everyone in the town likes what they are doing.
Cecil, the writer is a Canadian woman, born in NY and lives in California, not sure how she is Canadian but she went to Concordia. The artist is pretty good too, but the story and tender treatment of teen girls' social issues is what makes Plain Janes work.
There are follow up Janes which I look forward to reading.
note that I am more concerned with the publihing company reference when it comes to comics because there are some interesting niches, for instance Comics Lit try to produce more literary works, less about super heroes and more about deeper meaning stuff, and Vertigo are the publishers of Alan Moore type stuff, who also did The Watchmen, as an example. Vertigo is a division of DC Comics. Scholastic does Bone, a fun but not high level reading set, and they produce works for school aged children, not really for adults so you would not see them making Superman, or Preacher, which is a creepy violent comic not suitable for younger readers, and even scares older readers. This is important since when shopping for new graphic novels with a readership in mind, I will check the publisher if I know little about the book. Minx is a good example, since they make books aimed at teens, most often from a girl's perspective, featuring girls in real life situations. I know then that a Minx book will be appropriate and a good read for girls aged 10-17. Plain Janes is a good example, as is Clubbing for older girls.
Incognegro, by Mat Johnson, art by Warren Pleece, Published by Vertigo, Graphic Novel.
Great, gritty, historical fiction circa 1930's, about lynchings in the southern states of negroes by whites/KKK. The plot is a typical cop story told from a reporter's point of view. The 'Incognegro' uncovers lynchings around the south then publishes the story in his NY paper under his alias. He is a white looking black man, able to get inside the lynch mobs to get the story. Things go terrible wrong when his brother is jailed and threatened with a lynching.
There is supposed to be a theme of identity bending, as a sort of new and cutting edge idea; people are indeed made up of their history, culture, upbringing, location, etc. but that is not the interesting part. Incognegro tells the hideous history of the American South and makes some pretty interesting observations about why they acted so horribly to each other, and while not news to anyone who has been to school it certainly brings it home in a graphic way. Using the comic format may open up a new audience to this part of their history though.
Pleece's art is excellent but not unique.
Bluesman, by Rob Vollmer and ill. By Pablo G. Callejo, v. 1,2, to accompany v. 3, see earlier posts, pubished by Comics Lit, Graphic Novel 3 volume set.Now here is a unique form of art in a graphic novel. Callejo's work is some of my favourite, stark and poignant, elegant and expressive. It could be called 'comic noir.' The dialogue of Vollmer is the best I've read:
“This is a ll naught but fulsome speculation on your part and not sturdy enough by half to hold up in any court of law,” is one of my favourite lines; imagine using naught and fulsome in the same sentence!
Like Incognegro, Bluesman is about the plight of the black mna in a severely racist American South. Vollmer tells the story of the travelling blues musicians, but then it gets off track and into a cop story. Maybe off track is too harsh, but the story line surely changes and it has less to do with music than it does with racism and crime. The setting is the 1930's again, complete with hobos, tramps, juke joints, lynching, vigilantes and train hopping.
I love this book, but it was hard to find all 3 volumes. Sophia Books on Hastings and Richards had a 30% off sale, and I found them there, -so happy, but I wish there were more to read since the story seems to remain unfinished at the end of v. 3.
Hate List, Jennifer Brown. I loved this book. It is young adults fiction but the story is pretty tough, considering that it starts with news headlines about a terrible school shooting. A student goes postal and kills 6 people, injuring in the process his girlfriend. The two kids had created a 'hate-list' which included such things as homework, teachers, students who bullyied them, and a lot more. The cops find the list, and it is revealed to the media.After the shooting the girl is recovering in hospital trying to recall what happened and make sense of it. Her boyfriend killed himself after he accidently shot her in the leg, but she still loves him and has great difficulty putting her life back together without him, even though she knows he committed this horrible crime.
She eventually goes back to school and deals with the hate, pain and suffering that she and her friends, -new ones and ex ones, have had to endure. Slowly they work to heal and change how they interact.
This is Brown's first novel, and interestingly she has won awards for humour wirting. There is nothing funny about Hate List, but it is really good writing, full of tender insights into the characters personalities and the psyche of the teen mind. I recommend it for anybody.
Plain Janes, by Cecil Castellucci, art by Jim Rugg, Minx,
I guess I love a lot of books, but the Janes is a great one. A girl named Jane tries to find the least popular table in the lunch room of her new school. She finds the Janes. They are pretty awkward socially, so New Jane tries to make change. She starts a public art project on the sly with the Janes. They sneak out at night and make poignant statements with nice art in the town's public areas. They are going to get themselves in trouble though because not everyone in the town likes what they are doing.
Cecil, the writer is a Canadian woman, born in NY and lives in California, not sure how she is Canadian but she went to Concordia. The artist is pretty good too, but the story and tender treatment of teen girls' social issues is what makes Plain Janes work.
There are follow up Janes which I look forward to reading.
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