tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34437552003659261312023-11-16T07:07:25.900-08:00Bookworms Unite!A book review site for all my fellow book worms!Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.comBlogger108125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-66964497602589963612015-09-12T11:17:00.001-07:002015-09-12T11:17:07.247-07:00<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Boundless: It’s
Boundless Entertainment </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A Review By: Amelia </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGm-fNOJmgUmDqvEGkn6SWOpaq_g27nJuGSx43hjrwZ6PMegUY1XAoWvdVNMPiCo0ObeWL3RBVixmtTS6CwAiQDieZswkH4LYAK1-Tfgu99xCykk_V33ELyp-5J0FR8pStNbTEAe3qbA/s1600/The+Boundless+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGm-fNOJmgUmDqvEGkn6SWOpaq_g27nJuGSx43hjrwZ6PMegUY1XAoWvdVNMPiCo0ObeWL3RBVixmtTS6CwAiQDieZswkH4LYAK1-Tfgu99xCykk_V33ELyp-5J0FR8pStNbTEAe3qbA/s320/The+Boundless+1.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
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I love a good adventure story, but then again, who doesn’t?
The intrigue, the fast-paced action, the inevitable love plot strew somewhere
in there: it’s great. It’s especially great if it fills a specific niche.
That’s where Kenneth Oppel shines!
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Kenneth Oppel has written a couple young adult trilogies and
a few stand alone novels, all of which are enthralling. He was born in British
Columbia and has lived in Nova Scotia and currently lives in Ontario: he’s had
a great Canadian experience and that’s where the niche comes in. With <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Boundless</i> he’s written an epic
Canadian adventure full of Canadian mythology.</div>
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Will Everett has always wished for an adventure and on The
Boundless, the longest, most glamorous locomotive in the world, he’ll find it.
After witnessing a murder during a station stop he must work his way from the
caboose forward to his father in first class - with the murderer and his
cronies on his tail. Luckily, a clever and nimble friend is perfecting her act
in The Boundless's circus car, and there the real thrill ride begins.</div>
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Like all of Oppel’s main protagonists, Will Everett and his
love interest (well, I suppose she’s more of friend/side kick) are young
adults. Will is waiting for his life to become full of adventure and worth
living all the while trying not to disappoint his father who wants him to
follow in his footsteps and be a railroad man. Will’s sidekick is Maren, an
acrobat and escape artist travelling across country on The Boundless with her
circus. Then there’s Mr. Dorian, the mysterious ringleader of the circus that’s
training Maren to perform a certain task he desperately needs done. Each of the
main characters have their own drives, quirks, and faults and are all very well
rounded. But that’s with any Oppel book really, his characters never leave you
wanting.</div>
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The characters are great but by far the most interesting
thing about this story is the location: a train equivalent to the Titanic in
size, luxury, and power. The Boundless is a train miles long with numerous
classes, freight, and people upon it. The cars are three stories tall in first
class with swimming pools and movie theatres and bars and anything else you
could imagine the rich and powerful wanting. Third class is grim and
overcrowded and supplies held in the grips of a profiteer’s hands. It’s a
subtle way to show the injustice in the class system. You can get around the
connected cars by doors but if you need to get around the miles of freight cars
it’s the roof or nothing. It’s all very intriguing! And that’s not even mentioning
the great Canadian landscapes the train travels through. There’s mountains and
snow and marshes full of bog hags–Oppel painted an amazing picture with this
one!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Boundless</i> has
got everything: Canadiana history, fantasy, a splattering of romance, a hint of
steampunk, and even a thoughtful examination of social injustice. It’s
imaginative and on par with swashbuckling pirate action! The whole book is an
action-packed love letter to the late 19<sup>th</sup> century True North!</div>
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My final thoughts on The Boundless are that it’s a thrilling
ride. Oppel’s writing is always on point and with this story, his Canadian
background makes for a great look into the Canadian landscape and legends
including Sasquatches, the bog hag, and even wendigos. It wasn’t my favourite
Oppel novel ever, but it’s a good addition to his catalogue and a good place to
start if you’re just getting into Oppel!</div>
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Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-39424026415001018842015-09-05T14:26:00.000-07:002015-09-05T14:26:02.492-07:00The Night Wanderer: Your Attention Won’t Wander<div class="MsoNormal">
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</xml><![endif]-->A Review By: Amelia
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0lVHvLnj-TvHdyhf8MpzrG89hzCoCrDILictP4eQ2_mhTeurONWFrRYzVjX16ySq53SHApQuQZb2vOp905fqNsm6O0H0Rce9N3107xraSIfEZb15yjsNx56M2HG6_RfNxKwzCJ21-PPc/s1600/The+Night+Wanderer+1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0lVHvLnj-TvHdyhf8MpzrG89hzCoCrDILictP4eQ2_mhTeurONWFrRYzVjX16ySq53SHApQuQZb2vOp905fqNsm6O0H0Rce9N3107xraSIfEZb15yjsNx56M2HG6_RfNxKwzCJ21-PPc/s320/The+Night+Wanderer+1.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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First Nations culture has always fascinated me. There are so
many different tribes and thousands of traditions and lore created by each one.
Mythology within the First Nations is vast and amazing, which is originally
what drew me to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Night Wanderer</i>.
When I discovered it was a novel (turned graphic novel, which is the adaption
I’m doing this review on) that mashed up First Nations mythology with vampire
lore, I devoured it within an hour.
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Tiffany is a troubled sixteen year old Native girl. She
lives on a reserve, has a white, cheating boyfriend, fights constantly with her
father, and is freaked out that her estranged mother is starting a new life
halfway across the country and is seemingly leaving her behind. Things don’t
get any better when Tiffany’s father rents her room out to a mysterious Pierre
L'Errant, a man who has a dreadful secret: he has returned home to reclaim his
Native roots before facing the rising sun and certain death...</div>
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Drew Taylor is a Canadian playwright, author, and
journalist. Taylor is part Caucasian and part Ojibwa and writes predominantly
about First Nations culture. His writing includes plays, short stories, essays,
newspaper columns, and film and television work. In 2004 he was appointed to
the Ontario Ministry of Culture Advisory Committee and has been an artistic
director of Native Earth Performing Arts. He’s also taught at the Centre for
Indigenous Theatre and held writer-in-residence positions at the University of
Michigan, The University of Western Ontario, and Ryerson University.</div>
The illustrator of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Night Wanderer </i>graphic
novel is Michael Wyatt, who’s been a freelance artist working primarily in book
and magazine publishing. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Night
Wanderer </i>is his fourth book with his other works having been published in
Kayak and Legion Magazines. His caricatures and stock art are available at
artizans.com<br />
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Overall, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Night
Wanderer</i> is a character driven story, and the main character is Tiffany.
She’s a mopey character filled with teenage angst (which is something everyone
can connect to), but she’s also from the Hunter Clan and lives on a reserve. We
see her coming of age while living in a broken family, being an outsider at
school, and dating a white guy who seems to only be using her as a prop because
she’s a Native. She’s a well-rounded character and in a world where adults
often write teenagers as horny, flat, spoiled brats, or vapid, emotionless,
monsters (literally, look at the young adult genre and its vampires and
werewolves!) that’s really saying something. She has realistic weaknesses and
drives and, yeah, she comes off as selfish teenage girl, but what teenager
doesn’t come off selfish every now and again? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvArl411LHaLZ2O-mAzrKV8fBsvb2KrzQ28ONBcCEMRrbr7Wl17T_f6joKECxAfcl6x8Hkp9MpsNtFQKt__Izl1jOFp8AvxUm1jcR-HsZOXbbock0UStNdsh9toLZJvDxq4lnbiZ4R0g/s1600/The+Night+Wanderer+2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvArl411LHaLZ2O-mAzrKV8fBsvb2KrzQ28ONBcCEMRrbr7Wl17T_f6joKECxAfcl6x8Hkp9MpsNtFQKt__Izl1jOFp8AvxUm1jcR-HsZOXbbock0UStNdsh9toLZJvDxq4lnbiZ4R0g/s320/The+Night+Wanderer+2.jpg" width="320" /></a>If such great character development, I have to say that I’m
disappointed with the artwork. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Night Wanderer </i>graphic novel is definitely the art. The style
that Wyatt uses is effective to getting the story across but it’s very blocky
and static. There were some scenes where the character’s feelings just weren’t
coming through because the art was just too stiff. It was a real shame
considering that the story is so dependent on emotions coming across and, when
it comes to graphic novels, the story really should be told through the
artwork.</div>
weakest part of <br />
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If you’re looking for a unique coming-of-age story, look no
further than <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Night Wanderer</i>. This
story also has all the earmarks of a gothic novel: mystery and horror, with a
little romance, a non-white point of view, and a bunch of teenage angst that
nearly everyone can relate too. What’s really so interesting about this tale is
that the vampire elements are not the main story. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The vampire story is secondary, and that’s the real strength of the comic
book.</span></div>
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My final thoughts on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Night Wanderer </i>are that, <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">ultimately,
the book is about Pierre and Tiffany each facing a private crisis that they
aren’t comfortable telling each other about, but through the course of the
story, each of them finds a certain resolution that is satisfying to them and
to us as readers. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Night Wanderer</i>
is a well-crafted tale and should not be passed over.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFN89PLZ4kjB8EWwdsSv_CAn2ZIiTTlE1DupHgt-JkrkL_ZbbYIHqoWt1XCO8HcuKkakHSWybCRqiF_xBQv3oSX7eB38MCDx7NenQmxOzZjIRzmODCVlxSR_GGZX-MW4WzsYRomQ2g7U/s1600/The+Night+Wanderer+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFN89PLZ4kjB8EWwdsSv_CAn2ZIiTTlE1DupHgt-JkrkL_ZbbYIHqoWt1XCO8HcuKkakHSWybCRqiF_xBQv3oSX7eB38MCDx7NenQmxOzZjIRzmODCVlxSR_GGZX-MW4WzsYRomQ2g7U/s400/The+Night+Wanderer+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-10445505702632633262015-08-22T07:29:00.000-07:002015-08-22T07:29:13.666-07:00No One Needs To Know: Everyone Should Know About This Book<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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A Review By: Amelia
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqp2UWaKfebd7zCm3XXW4udf-a5kUuTkBCMQ6M89vrnw9yrceDQPDqiC1XopQilp3sz5kEif6KYU6hAKdSrv9l07J8jQsGc8rueRqiqYe53bBMyPWkx3XZMNovy9U2vEHaiwUfh346Fec/s1600/No+One+Needs+To+Know+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqp2UWaKfebd7zCm3XXW4udf-a5kUuTkBCMQ6M89vrnw9yrceDQPDqiC1XopQilp3sz5kEif6KYU6hAKdSrv9l07J8jQsGc8rueRqiqYe53bBMyPWkx3XZMNovy9U2vEHaiwUfh346Fec/s320/No+One+Needs+To+Know+1.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Young adult novels can be a treasure trove of clichés and
exhausted tropes but they can also be a place where authors have free rein to
explore more adult or taboo topics in contexts that show imagination and
diversity. It can create some very interesting books. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No One Needs To Know </i>is one of those books and it tackles, perhaps,
one of the biggest taboos a teenager can face: figuring out your sexuality.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No One
Needs To Know</i> is Amanda Grace (the pen name for Mandy Hubbard). She’s the
author of three other young adult novels, and a literary agent at D4EO Literary
who specializes in middle grade/young adult fiction.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’d like to start this overview by saying that the blurb on
the book of the book and what the book is actually are very different. The back
of the book implies there’s higher stakes than there really are with a cheating
love triangle and the possibility of the twins growing to hate each other over
Zoey but that’s far from what this book is! Let me tell you actually what it
is.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Olivia’s twin brother, Liam, has been her best friend her
whole life, but when their parents begin to spend months away from home and
Liam begins to date, Olivia is left feeling alone. Not to mention adequate as
she struggles to maintain a passable GPA in her girl’s private school and her
coveted spot on the gymnastics team. Things seem to get worse for her as she’s
partnered in class with Zoey, her best friend’s hated rival, and then meets
Liam’s latest fling: also Zoey.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Zoey, a call-it-like-she-sees-it kind of girl, sees right
through Olivia. What starts as verbal sparring between the two changes into
something different, however, as they share their deepest insecurities and
learn they have a lot in common. Olivia falls for Zoey, believing her brother
could never get serious with her. But when Liam confesses that he’s in love
with Zoey and doesn’t want her to be only a passing fling, Olivia is left
feeling torn.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Like I mentioned above, young adult literature can end up
being full of tired tropes and, although <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No
One Needs To Know</i> is able to do a lot of things really well, Grace’s three
main characters Liam, Olivia, and Zoey, are underdeveloped. You do get some
nice snippets of their personalities throughout the piece but they all fall
under some very tired clichés: Olivia is an uptight, spoiled rich girl, Liam
her chill twin brother that never has to work hard at being perfect, and Zoey,
the rough girl from a troubled family in the bad part of town but goes to the
private school on a scholarship because she’s really smart. Overall, I’d say
Zoey is the most clichéd with her wrong side of tracks upbringing, and the many
rumors surrounding her (she’s a slut for reasons that later turn out to be a
big misunderstanding) and Liam–poor Liam! You hardly get a damn thing about him
other that he’s the favourite twin and a chill dude with girls and beer on his
mind! Surprisingly, Olivia turned out to be my favourite character. Even though
I’m sick to death of the rich girl trope I always get a kick out of seeing them
turn away from what they’ve been taught to just be themselves. Olivia more or
less turns her whole life on its head from dropping out of activities her
parents pressure in, to coming to terms with her sexuality. She had the most
development throughout the story and it really shows compared to the other two
main characters. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The most impressive thing about this novel is the grace in
which the attraction between the girls is handled. It’s a taboo topic that many
people struggle with, and Zoey and Olivia are no different in that regard.
However, where some writers might have trouble convaying the complexities of
non-hetro, teenage sexuality, Grace approaches it in a subtle and very organic
way without a ridiculous amount of crazy or hurtful drama.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My final thoughts on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No
One Needs To Know </i>are that it’s a great read. It’s compelling enough to
read all in one seating with beautifully complex characters and a really
touching, realistic love story that develops between the main characters. It’s
young adult fiction at its best and should not be overlooked just because it
was written for a younger audience!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-23643678073779644422015-08-15T10:23:00.000-07:002015-08-22T07:30:04.564-07:00The Bedwitter: Don’t Let the Title Put You Off, Only About Half the Book Is About Pee<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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A Review By: Amelia <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1WKRL58fhK1aHTB1tR4kLg4ccvQnaNDR1zfwu1CCRCC-F2-HIHOFkr8LYKLPsRq4PCae9txmMSsahIMypUIE6NvLea2GBDeqwhMT9nccms4hPKoMmMAUkmbS-YIFfige_NOi9VK-mS6k/s1600/The+Bedwetter+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1WKRL58fhK1aHTB1tR4kLg4ccvQnaNDR1zfwu1CCRCC-F2-HIHOFkr8LYKLPsRq4PCae9txmMSsahIMypUIE6NvLea2GBDeqwhMT9nccms4hPKoMmMAUkmbS-YIFfige_NOi9VK-mS6k/s1600/The+Bedwetter+1.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m not a huge fan of comedians that put on a fake persona
to deliver their act. Take Stephen Colbert as the biggest example (in my own
experience) that instantly comes to mind: charming nerd-man who really likes <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lord of the Rings</i> in real life vs. so
bloody annoying when he does his patriotic, hard-ass act on the now no longer
running Colbert Report! That act has made it impossible for me to like who he
actually is because all I see is the act! For a long time, that’s how I felt
about Sarah Silverman. I couldn’t get past her racist/sexist/crude jokes so I
just avoided her. I don’t know what made me want to read her book all that
considered, but I did, and came out of the experience pleasantly surprised!
</div>
<br />
So, what’s this book about? Well, considering how I didn’t like Sarah
Silverman before picking this book up, I’ll give you exactly what I read that
made me want to read it!<br />
Warning from publisher to reader: <br />
At HarperCollins, we are committed to customer satisfaction. Before proceeding
with your purchase, please take the following questionnaire to determine your
likelihood of enjoying this book: <br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">1. Which of the following do you
appreciate?</b> <br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(a) Women with somewhat horse-ish
facial features.<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(b) Women who, while not super
Jew-y, are more identifiably Jewish than, say, Natalie<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Portman.<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(c) Frequent discussion of unwanted
body hair. <br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2. Are you offended by the following
behavior?</b> <br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(a) Instructing one's grandmother to
place baked goods in her rectal cavity.<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(b) Stripping naked in public—eleven
times in a row.<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(c) Stabbing one's boss in the head
with a writing implement. <br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">3. The best way to treat an emotionally
fragile young girl is: <br />
</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(a) Murder the main course of
her Thanksgiving dinner before her very eyes.<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(b) Tell her that her older sister
is prettier than she, and then immediately die.<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(c) Prevent her suicide by
recommending she stay away from open windows. <br />
If you read the above questions without getting nauseous or forming a hate Web
site, you are ready to buy this book! Please proceed to the cashier. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Can we talk about how clever this is? So self-deprecating
and who doesn’t love a little self-hate every now and again? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So what’s Sarah Silverman all about? Well, she’s an
American, Jewish stand-up comedian/actress. She has a satirical style rolled in
sarcasm and dipped in irony that bluntly and crudely goes about social taboos
like racism, sexism, and religion. Left to describe herself, she says she loves
dogs, New York, television, children, friendship, sex, laughing, heartbreaking
songs, marijuana, farts, and cuddling!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Bedwetter</i>, as
mentioned above in the multiple choice questions, is a memoir that follows Silverman
through her entire life. And I do mean her entire life. She goes into so many
details many would consider so embarrassing they’d take them to their graves!
She talks about her childhood and her relationship with her parents and how
they fostered the love of comedy in her by laughing when she yelled the word
‘fuck’ as a toddler, her years of struggling with a bedwetting problem. Her
teenage years were full of continued bedwetting and almost dropping out of high
school because of depression and her co-dependent relationship with Xanax
because of the depression. Then we get into her adult life and how she moved to
New York and handed out flyers for a comedy club she would then perform at. She
talks about her sex life and her crazy relationships with other comedians
(Louis C.K. being one of her best friends). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What’s so interesting about Silverman’s life story is that she
offers an in-depth look at her life without the rose-coloured glasses that so
many others have while recalling their lives. It’s a very honest memoir and
that is, by far, it’s greatest strength. With so many other comedian memoirs
out there, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Bedwetter</i> stands out
as one of the most direct and open.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My final thoughts on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Bedwetter</i> are that you should give it a chance and read it! I didn’t give
it a chance until some five years after its release because I hated the title
and thought I hated the author! I regret that decision dearly because this
really is a great memoir full of such honesty that you’ll either cringe and
want to keep reading, or laugh out loud and want to keep reading! Either way,
you’ll want to read it!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-17466990270446894782015-08-08T12:55:00.000-07:002015-08-08T12:55:20.474-07:00Bumperhead: Ghost World 2.0 (Meaning, Yet Another ‘Deep’ Comic I Hated)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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A Review By: Amelia
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi439Wl45NzRhMwH7DEVXRtC0KmlAyQhlKH0daNxXDfULpmYG0mbBJkC3nnSNvoLKM-YP9-TZ_kLkU7m5tMH6y7n9qYTgeRW9NcwnKGE45kMg56u7Uzn7yYlyxJdN0V5TciYv7Q5NnU0g/s1600/Bumperhead+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi439Wl45NzRhMwH7DEVXRtC0KmlAyQhlKH0daNxXDfULpmYG0mbBJkC3nnSNvoLKM-YP9-TZ_kLkU7m5tMH6y7n9qYTgeRW9NcwnKGE45kMg56u7Uzn7yYlyxJdN0V5TciYv7Q5NnU0g/s320/Bumperhead+1.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>
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I’m a fan of comics. I prefer mainstream DC comics the most
but I sometimes veer into independent comics like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bumperhead.</i> Now, when I had first heard about <em>Bumperhead </em><em><span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I was told it was a story
about a punk kid living a lonely life. I was intrigued. When I read it I
unfortunately didn’t get anything that I thought the story was about and, while
this can sometimes be a surprising twist, it wasn’t here. </span></em>Needless
to say, this isn’t going to be a flattering review by me because I did not
enjoy this gloomy tale in the least... Well, let’s get going so I can explain
why.
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em>Bumperhead </em>is a story about a kid<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>named Bobby, a young slacker who narrates his
life as it happens but offers very little reflection on the events that
transpire. He comes of age in the 1970s, making a rapid progression
through that era’s different subcultures as he drifts in and out of
relationships with friends. Life zooms past him. And... that’s it. The whole
story is just about Bobby’s rather depressing and completely dull life. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Gilbert Hernández’s is a prominent comic author. In
Hernández’s own words, he was “born into a world with comic books in the house”
and his childhood enthusiasm for the medium was equaled only by his appetite
for punk rock. Initiated by older brother Mario and bankrolled by younger
brother Ismael, Gilbert created <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Love and
Rockets</i> #1 with his brother Jaime in 1981. Over 30 years later, the series
is regarded as a modern classic and the Hernandez brothers continue to create comics.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWdGtEfd2wAFL07A76Jz5BOAFR085oPywjJc7LPe7FY-4cvkRQsIwGrHcpsmbiDi0VtPLIIKXyHdExHfU28dBGwFQfWoHB8akLZH7vrdvuIvUVc1fnzt-ezRvthF8QnOfZIphrLOCNAo/s1600/Bumperhead+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="84" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWdGtEfd2wAFL07A76Jz5BOAFR085oPywjJc7LPe7FY-4cvkRQsIwGrHcpsmbiDi0VtPLIIKXyHdExHfU28dBGwFQfWoHB8akLZH7vrdvuIvUVc1fnzt-ezRvthF8QnOfZIphrLOCNAo/s320/Bumperhead+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now then, back to the issue at hand: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bumperhead </i>and, more specifically, its characters. The main one
being Bobby. Bobby is an everyman character and the book follows the stages of
his dreary life from middle school to middle age. He weaves from one trend to
another, be it glam rock or punk or drugs or relationships, and he messes it
all up at every turn. He lacks any direction in his life and it just gets worse
and worse. Although it’s not that tragedies befall him, it’s just that he’s
completely wasting his life! He’s a sad character, but because he’s got just so
little going on, he’s not intriguingly sad. He’s flat even though he’s supposed
to be this character full of adolescent rage and rawness–God, he’s just so
goddamn boring! Is that the point of the story? Quite possibly. But who cares
when you can’t get behind the character in any way, shape, or form? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0igOr0xLgvUF9o3-vUqMLcSxnESij-rFN_DNhYA4DPOFD_etr78H2Et7M5-Y0i7YJzIXL55Fe1HTeCAUPf14rEnDSxif0X6VMpHg0T8XDdKdnxfGG6rn3Ssds0vNo4NVYdHSc2FfPps/s1600/Bumperhead+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0igOr0xLgvUF9o3-vUqMLcSxnESij-rFN_DNhYA4DPOFD_etr78H2Et7M5-Y0i7YJzIXL55Fe1HTeCAUPf14rEnDSxif0X6VMpHg0T8XDdKdnxfGG6rn3Ssds0vNo4NVYdHSc2FfPps/s320/Bumperhead+2.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The art style of the piece is a simple, black and white line
art style. There’s little detail in backgrounds and even less detail in the
characters. It works for this particular comic although I’m not a fan of it
personally. I’m always drawn more to full colour and insane amounts of tiny
details. It’s just yet another aspect of this comic that I couldn’t get behind
or care about in any way! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This comic is unabashedly one that’s trying to be deep. And
hell, maybe it was deep and intriguing and original for 99% of the readers that
picked it up, but it wasn’t for me. The themes or regret and loss and even a
little PTSD and trust issues are prominent but with a main character doing so
little to deal with it all, it all becomes muddled. These heavy themes are
suddenly meaningless and empty. It’s depressing: and not in the way I think the
author was going for.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When it comes down to it, I think that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bumperhead, </i>much like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ghost
World</i>, is a comic I just didn’t get and that’s why I didn’t enjoy it. I
think there’s supposed to be something deeper that I just didn’t pick up on
because it just didn’t personally speak or appeal to me!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My final thoughts on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bumperhead
</i>are that it definitely isn’t anything I’ll ever re-read. I doubt I’d ever
read any other of Hernández’s work either if they’re all approached like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bumperhead </i>was. Give it a shot if you
enjoyed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ghost World </i>but avoid
otherwise.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-28445624804755499942015-08-01T09:31:00.000-07:002015-08-01T09:33:22.167-07:00I Am Apache: Historical Fiction With A Young Adult Spark<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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A Review By: Amelia
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxR4dHzv4jfOxn-Q4TSjEeteM2ujZYi6XMhLVmHnAL9EuM4T0yfwbR2XVv7vHYhBsjR0BSHOyJWBiuy8oNcswGUOJHDGKqO34PFGKSDKoyVepLDPoxOAuUmXQx_HWNuWHm-O4YMlbEGnk/s1600/I+Am+Apache+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxR4dHzv4jfOxn-Q4TSjEeteM2ujZYi6XMhLVmHnAL9EuM4T0yfwbR2XVv7vHYhBsjR0BSHOyJWBiuy8oNcswGUOJHDGKqO34PFGKSDKoyVepLDPoxOAuUmXQx_HWNuWHm-O4YMlbEGnk/s320/I+Am+Apache+1.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
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While writing a story in which I had an Apache character I
discovered I knew next to nothing about the Apache people and since I never
want to be a writer that includes a culture in a story without knowing anything
about them, I decided to do a whole bunch of research. That’s how I came upon
the book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I Am Apache</i>. It’s a
fictional account of a female Apache warrior but the insight and entertainment
it gave me was immense!
</div>
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<br /></div>
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Put very simply, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I Am
Apache </i>is a tale about a teenage girl named Siki. When Siki’s brother is
viciously killed she shuns the usual life of an Apache woman and trains to
become a warrior to avenge him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I Am
Apache</i> is Tanya Landman. She studied English literature and then worked in
a bookshop, an arts centre, and a zoo. For over twenty years she’s been a
writer, an administrator, and a performer for Storybox Theatre.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So, what’s the story about? After watching helplessly as
Mexican raiders brutally murder her little brother, fourteen-year-old Siki is
filled with a desire for vengeance and chooses to turn away from a woman’s path
to become a warrior of her Apache tribe. Siki describes her nineteenth-century
Apache life through the events of her teen years, from her young brother’s
death, through her work to become a full-fledged warrior, and to the death of
her mentor, Golahka. Interactions among Siki’s own people, including her rogue
peer who leaves the tribe rather than submit to its code of honor, and Siki’s
own acceptance as a female warrior, and those between the Apache, the Mexicans,
and the “White Eyes,” who destroy the old ways of the native peoples, are woven
skillfully into the action of traditional Apache sports, spontaneous
relationships, and retribution through warfare.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The main protagonist of the piece, as mentioned above, is a
teenage girl named Siki, who Landman used the tale of the woman that fought
alongside Geronimo as the kernel of inspiration for. She’s an outcast to start
with, not really being able to do traditional woman things like weaving and
clothes making and it really makes you feel for her as you watch her struggle
to find where she belongs within her tribe. When her little brother is
heartlessly slaughtered she turns away from a woman’s path completely and
trains to become a warrior of her mountain dwelling Apache tribe, which,
although uncommon, was acceptable for women to do. Siki struggles all through
the novel and ends up coming off a little self-centred and hasty but it makes
her a character with depth and you don’t end up holding her bad qualities
against her. Aside from Siki, there’s no other big protagonists, the antagonists
however are numerous. The Mexican’s that slaughtered her brother are the first
but are quickly dealt with and they become replaced with Keste, a jealous male
warrior that doesn’t want Siki training with him, and then the white colonialism
of the west (more or an abstract concept than a flesh and blood bad guy, but
you get the point), and then Siki’s own father and her identity become a major
harassing force. It was interesting to get so many threats throughout the story
instead of just one, it made it all varied and real feeling, since in the
nineteenth century this is what Apache tribes were living and dealing with. </div>
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<br /></div>
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When looking at the story overall, the fact that Landman
based Siki on a real woman who lived and fought alongside the mighty warrior
Geronimo makes everything feel very authentic. Some of the other characters in
the piece are a little lacking or one-dimensional but I didn’t find that it took
away from the overall story, especially since Landman has such an eloquent and
dignified voice through Siki’s first person and how she manages to raise a lot
of psychological and sociopolitical questions that create empathy and will
definitely improve your understanding of Apache culture.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My final thoughts on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I
Am Apache </i>are that it is an engaging book. This well-written novel will
appeal to, not only, historical fiction or western readers but all genre
readers. The main protagonist is interesting and her story is compelling and
will keep you reading until the end! </div>
Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-8782277353371999242015-07-25T18:21:00.000-07:002015-07-25T18:21:08.071-07:00Different Like Coco: A Different Kind of Picture Book<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
A Review By: Amelia
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0ac4b2zHsOmbQZxACHPzm5ZlA-5nHPfFKYtuNwi8-fLXke23Gv47VhFadCkmSXgdXennqnCuxXJsHqFuwA1f-D1kMsbATf29KUzm0hbEWLr3iOQc3yzRE5JwK4UlgJRP0C7BJCCN16k/s1600/Different+Like+Coco+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0ac4b2zHsOmbQZxACHPzm5ZlA-5nHPfFKYtuNwi8-fLXke23Gv47VhFadCkmSXgdXennqnCuxXJsHqFuwA1f-D1kMsbATf29KUzm0hbEWLr3iOQc3yzRE5JwK4UlgJRP0C7BJCCN16k/s1600/Different+Like+Coco+1.jpg" /></a></div>
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I’ve never really cared about Coco Chanel because I have
little interest in fashion and, honestly, she always came off as an icon that
was more harm than good to idolize. Why I decided to read a short, children’s
story biography on her given this, I’ll never know. But I did and I’m glad I
did!
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel was always different, and
she vowed to prove that being different was an advantage! Coco shows just how
far a person can come with spunk, determination, and flair. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The author and illustrator and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Different Like Coco </i>is Elizabeth Matthews who made her chic
picture-book debut with this lively look at a legendary woman. Says the
author-illustrator: “When I look in my closet, it’ s easy to appreciate what
Coco Chanel accomplished for herself, for women, for fashion, and, of course,
for little black dresses everywhere.” She’s a graduate of the Rhode Island
School of Design has a passion for fashion. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The art style in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Different
Like Coco</i> is a simple style that’s more sketchy than complete. They’re like
doodles in a notebook and coloured in with subtle watercolours. My one qualm
with the art is that the postures of the people that eventually start wearing
Chanel’s designs. They’re slouchy and not elegant at all, it kind of detracts
from the overall effect the story is trying to convey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The book follows Coco Chanel’s life and career in a shorten
version that’s accessible for children and even though Chanel’s career might
not be something that everyone strives for, cares about, or even thinks has
meaning (I mean, I didn’t before because it’s high fashion and I could care
less), I think this book has a lot to teach. It shows that unique is good,
determination is great, and finding what you want to do in life is best. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-yvXfG8h89HiNNb7T5iqIDqI-hJBvHuyquTAxh1ZWGalT3B3So6cHsDZUddUlIhQ-Wl0hoiEyXcooh_bPRRs7SIzv0_jKDl_Db8cCdU2gXEiYWC2VBFGWY_zLcA-akm2Jni7NFZfFU0/s1600/Different+Like+Coco+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-yvXfG8h89HiNNb7T5iqIDqI-hJBvHuyquTAxh1ZWGalT3B3So6cHsDZUddUlIhQ-Wl0hoiEyXcooh_bPRRs7SIzv0_jKDl_Db8cCdU2gXEiYWC2VBFGWY_zLcA-akm2Jni7NFZfFU0/s320/Different+Like+Coco+2.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think the book’s biggest charm is that it’s about a woman
who, not only made a career for herself in the early 1900s, but also shaped
women’s lives for decades to come after her. She changed women’s fashion and,
in so doing, changed women’s perceived roles in life. This book shows children
(both male and female) that they don’t have to take what’s handed to them in
life and that’s that! Be a free spirit, demand equality, and do what you love
without hesitation! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My final thoughts on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Different
Like Coco </i>are that it’s an interesting little picture book that shouldn’t
be passed over just because it’s about a fashion designer. It’s a unique book
about a unique subject and it’s worth a read.</div>
Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-72443592299543383872015-07-11T08:24:00.000-07:002015-07-11T08:27:33.435-07:00Hyperbole And A Half: I Didn’t Love It Half As Much As I Thought I Would, But Saying I Hate It Is Definitely Hyperbole!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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A Review By: Amelia
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9I7Y-WQPI1N1B8Pv-2HdsMLezBFGD728tGQlXAyU8ignwxE0natPy4XHw7WQwBZQ2ELnOcqvvXedxGnsi_Cl574JRZZ3A5-QtsuzX3_nLKSDaQtlmMRMwD8a48ymsHHDcDDflfz0MEE/s1600/Hyperbole+and+a+Half+1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9I7Y-WQPI1N1B8Pv-2HdsMLezBFGD728tGQlXAyU8ignwxE0natPy4XHw7WQwBZQ2ELnOcqvvXedxGnsi_Cl574JRZZ3A5-QtsuzX3_nLKSDaQtlmMRMwD8a48ymsHHDcDDflfz0MEE/s320/Hyperbole+and+a+Half+1.jpeg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the last few years blogs becoming books has been a huge
market. Some of them become great works onto themselves and others fall way
short and just reprint and charge money for something I can see for free on the
internet! <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hyperbole and a Half </i>is a
weird mix of the two.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hyperbole and a Half </i>is
a combination web comic and blog written by Allie Brosh, whose notable
achievements, in her own words, are living with two dogs and being very, very
depressed. She describes herself as a recluse that does selfish stuff and has
no formal training in art, which is why her comics are rudimentary and similar
to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rage Comics</i>. The blog is a
retelling of her life from childhood to her challenges with depression and what
it’s like for her to be an adult. Her blog turned into a book in 2013.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hyperbole and a
Half</i> Brosh combines observational and absurdist humor with crude graphics
(that are intentionally crude) to relate events from her life in rural Montana,
living with ADHD, depression, her dogs–pretty much everything in her life can
be found in her blog turned book. Her blog is the source of several popular
memes, including a humorously "improved" medical pain chart<sup> </sup>and
how to excite yourself to the mundane with “Clean all the things”.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3YlKdZn-QI9ZrAuG_0NhX3IZX8TfYK9GPGY3xukyLbnMTNocGcSgeJ5xLG1qXPaZkb2Q0d1AfcLGmiXwv0GVR6FF1uTGi_uzzws0mttUaXwJrUswctT16L74k12S2JTy43uo1KAaGXM/s1600/Hyperbole+and+a+Half+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3YlKdZn-QI9ZrAuG_0NhX3IZX8TfYK9GPGY3xukyLbnMTNocGcSgeJ5xLG1qXPaZkb2Q0d1AfcLGmiXwv0GVR6FF1uTGi_uzzws0mttUaXwJrUswctT16L74k12S2JTy43uo1KAaGXM/s200/Hyperbole+and+a+Half+2.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pain chart</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2DZGjUpT9CpHBK14bRQJvGQjzjmiVPeOWq7NHr7-JX-lzifAHn2REVmwagjJ-leUP9C1jNLxnFMeisjMTvkZUrV8vY5luwej9F5DGb9COjUx4tU4w4Nohb8f8ki8K5o6SbBdrdQS9_qo/s1600/Hyperbole+and+a+Half+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2DZGjUpT9CpHBK14bRQJvGQjzjmiVPeOWq7NHr7-JX-lzifAHn2REVmwagjJ-leUP9C1jNLxnFMeisjMTvkZUrV8vY5luwej9F5DGb9COjUx4tU4w4Nohb8f8ki8K5o6SbBdrdQS9_qo/s200/Hyperbole+and+a+Half+3.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her famous meme</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the biggest parts of her blog turned book is that she
suffers from</div>
depression and her depiction of it has been praised by critics and
psychologists as an insightful description of the disease. Some experts have
lauded <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hyperbole and a Half </i>as one of
the best contemporary portraits of the condition. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She also tells stories about her dogs and boyfriend and her
childhood. They all got a few giggles from me but I found myself really put off
by her childhood stories at times. She showed herself as a very selfish/bratty
child and reading her stories made me cringe. I’ll never know if this is
actually how she was as a child or if it’s just how she remembers herself and
is hyperbolizing (a possibility considering the title of the blog turned book)
but some of her temper tantrums really made me cringe!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, all in all, how do I feel about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hyperbole and a Half</i> ? Well, at first I was on the fence, I mean,
here’s a crude cartoon that I can read for free as a blog. But then I actually
got the book in my hands and it’s so colourful and appealing to flip through.
Brosh also added new stories and illustrations and it is a collection of her
best work without the hassle of having to skim through her whole blog to find
it! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My final thoughts on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hyperbole
and a Half</i> are that it is an entertaining look into a weird woman’s life
and also an amazing contemporary portrayal of depression. The art is rough and
some of the stories made me cringe at the thought of any child being selfish
enough to do half the things she talks about, but I suppose that’s where the
charm comes from. Brosh offers a new outlook on things that so many people
claim to have figured out. It’s really quite an astounding piece of internet
blog gone book.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU9ulPJKnaFGmqDI4minlgsSO1dv1MelwoWP4vlakq-qHVlv5Cz6f2u4OHbCedAT_81Yc84Vm_JPR3d-5IXZ8QlOI7DVeU7hbrtnqlc2vxTXti0_n0nV9ChOXnwdfedpJ4GM6TnU8H47M/s1600/Hyperbole+and+a+Half+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU9ulPJKnaFGmqDI4minlgsSO1dv1MelwoWP4vlakq-qHVlv5Cz6f2u4OHbCedAT_81Yc84Vm_JPR3d-5IXZ8QlOI7DVeU7hbrtnqlc2vxTXti0_n0nV9ChOXnwdfedpJ4GM6TnU8H47M/s400/Hyperbole+and+a+Half+4.png" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-20754384546504898412015-06-27T10:43:00.002-07:002015-06-27T10:43:57.638-07:00The Adventures of Tintin Series: Before Nathan Drake, Lara Croft, and Even Indian Jones, There Was Tintin! <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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A Review By: Amelia
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYbUARvtyHnnCwm8ZBAlj03938b_ZgvnrSFPWqoVUAVdAfeO0XrXMb8Vv89xaB2TbXmi98fQ3R_QTs3Rd8zwNdr88upfS6YJexdSSGCI7BBKAVNNK7kyRMXrjgq5P1-8U9EWD3CNbyecA/s1600/TinTin+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYbUARvtyHnnCwm8ZBAlj03938b_ZgvnrSFPWqoVUAVdAfeO0XrXMb8Vv89xaB2TbXmi98fQ3R_QTs3Rd8zwNdr88upfS6YJexdSSGCI7BBKAVNNK7kyRMXrjgq5P1-8U9EWD3CNbyecA/s320/TinTin+4.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of many comic covers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Tintin is a huge part of comic history so it’s always a
shock to me when people have no idea who he is! I mean, it’s Tintin! He’s got
red hair and a little white dog named Snowy. He’s had comics, and radio shows,
and a cartoon, and a Steven Spielberg movie! He’s iconic and highly
entertaining. Recently I read every single Tintin comic there is so I’m here to
review it today and convince the rest of you to go and read every single Tintin
comic there is!
</div>
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<br /></div>
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Now, I’ve known about Tintin since I was a kid as I watched
the cartoon series that YTV aired during the day in the 1990s, but if you’re
not privy to the knowledge of who the little red-headed, dot-eyed guy is, allow
me to fill you in.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tintin is the ultimate adventurer. The character is an
ambitious, young, globetrotting reporter who is always ends up as part of the
story he’s attempting to cover. He’s surrounded by a cast of flamboyant,
colorful characters—most notably his faithful dog Snowy—who join him on his
many adventures as he tears across the globe fighting corrupt gangsters to
smugglers to kidnappers to even ending up on the Moon in a couple of issues! </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Georges Prosper Remi, known more commonly by the pen name
Hergé, was a Belgian cartoonist best known for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Adventures of Tintin </i>series, which are considered one of the
most popular European comics of the 20<sup>th</sup> century! He also wrote <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Quick & Flupke </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jo, Zette and Jocko. </i>His works have been
widely acclaimed but have also been criticised for instances of anti-Semitism
and racism (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tintin’s</i> creation dates
back to 1929). Despite this though, Hergé remains a strong influence on the
comic medium, particularly in Europe.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWAjJ0NI3YGmf58whHMe1HgdP3wZFzfX4oGgVX2eaTY5lCTVeZYl1ynppD8R_MygYwYkCz4ew5-Mchc73GZj_wINT_BrtNSh_vSg4DRfSaxgrv7Nbif7YIPzgHkddiTKiySxOPap1Awr4/s1600/TinTin+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWAjJ0NI3YGmf58whHMe1HgdP3wZFzfX4oGgVX2eaTY5lCTVeZYl1ynppD8R_MygYwYkCz4ew5-Mchc73GZj_wINT_BrtNSh_vSg4DRfSaxgrv7Nbif7YIPzgHkddiTKiySxOPap1Awr4/s200/TinTin+2.jpg" width="200" /></a>Aside from Tintin, there’s five other main characters.
There’s the bumbling Thompson and Thomson detectives that rush in and end up
hurt in ever ridiculous slapstick comedy kind of ways. There’s Professor
Calculus who invents things and is mostly deaf and gets into trouble for both
those reasons. There’s Captain Haddock who’s a crusty old sailor full of
ridiculous insults and the finest whiskey (provided he hasn’t gotten hurt and
dropped it); and, of course, my favourite character: Snowy the dog. He’s a
small, white dog that loyally follows Tintin everywhere the adventure takes him
and occasionally has a few hilarious inner monologue moments! Honestly, the
funniest bits throughout the whole series were when Snowy got drunk because
Haddock sloshed his booze on the ground!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGXIxFpQ2JU3n7DLPjQR_EiwTy8gqXn5QGcpV-1_IdjRh7T22iCXy60eKStFjOKAcMJgA6KzDYmKROFzOBUeqYCiPAsCl4-kOoWCxxNCUhup4zHe_yYObeOlElSCKxag6Z83UCi63xNs/s1600/TinTin+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGXIxFpQ2JU3n7DLPjQR_EiwTy8gqXn5QGcpV-1_IdjRh7T22iCXy60eKStFjOKAcMJgA6KzDYmKROFzOBUeqYCiPAsCl4-kOoWCxxNCUhup4zHe_yYObeOlElSCKxag6Z83UCi63xNs/s320/TinTin+3.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>
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The art style all through <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tintin </i>(excluding the very first one) is the distinct and
consistently adorable style that Hergé created: the ligne claire style. It’s
colourful, it’s simple, everyone has dot eyes and they see stars when they get
hit! What’s not to love about all that? Hergé was also a master of making his
comics emulate movie scenes by implying camera movement. He also went big or
went home (so to speak) by making each panel a full body shot of the characters
and showing action as it played out. As a whole, the art style is simplistic,
but that doesn’t mean it’s not also amazingly thought out! The ligne claire
style is emulated by artists all over the world because of Hergé!</div>
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<br /></div>
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My one criticism with the series is that some of the
drawings are offensive. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tintin </i>is the
product of a gone-by era and it’s obvious in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tintin in the Congo</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tintin
in America</i>. There might be others but those two immediately come to mind as
the most racist as far as the portrayal of people of colour goes. But, taken in
stride, it’s still highly enjoyable. I think, much like reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gone With the Wind,</i> you have to realize
it was written in a different time and adjust your mind set to that. Of course
if you’d prefer to skip right over those issues there’s still a tonne to choose
from.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My final thoughts on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Adventures of Tintin </i>are that they are a very entertaining reads and I
highly suggest them! It’s colourful and fun to look at, the characters are as
flamboyant and colourful as the art, and each comic’s frantic pace is sure to
please those looking for a thrilling story that’s also filled to the brim with
slapstick comedy.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWf6oJTkr5Nt1GkB-s6l4WmfqyLYkhCFRzlvBXxtIljF9saIGs58CvG55NauEMMEWdrkJEDiaUdz2BRbDeDh3CxomKrlLd5YwKgXUAh1p_sJx2cnGUh5x-B3Qs-WkwzYG6y2xYQaJVDus/s1600/TinTin+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWf6oJTkr5Nt1GkB-s6l4WmfqyLYkhCFRzlvBXxtIljF9saIGs58CvG55NauEMMEWdrkJEDiaUdz2BRbDeDh3CxomKrlLd5YwKgXUAh1p_sJx2cnGUh5x-B3Qs-WkwzYG6y2xYQaJVDus/s320/TinTin+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By far my favourite moment!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-68055770431025216282015-06-20T15:22:00.000-07:002015-06-20T15:22:07.442-07:00The Company Man: Steampunk-y, Sci-Fi-y, Crime Noir-y, Goodness!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A Review By: Amelia<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji36N3o9eJ05LQVJgHUIYYXbgulcUMMbummAdbbcGuF90pnEgRPHZG3d7zh0KeaQfFeOll9BWwF0OYZx_XZcus2InoMqwf9JPAhxsXVBZA0A7rgdGzoGi0xtVPRC9HqkNoZNsNPb0Mgec/s1600/The+Company+Man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji36N3o9eJ05LQVJgHUIYYXbgulcUMMbummAdbbcGuF90pnEgRPHZG3d7zh0KeaQfFeOll9BWwF0OYZx_XZcus2InoMqwf9JPAhxsXVBZA0A7rgdGzoGi0xtVPRC9HqkNoZNsNPb0Mgec/s320/The+Company+Man.jpg" width="203" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I love steampunk. I just love it. It’s a great world/style
to muck about in! It takes the best parts of Victorian society and adds
technological advances that might have happened and that’s super fascinating
for me because I love alternate histories! <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Company Man</i> isn’t quite steampunk, but it is just enough for me to have
jumped on his book without a second thought.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The McNaughton Corporation is a corporation so large, so
groundbreaking, so extraordinary, it is the apex of American industry. They
supplied weapons for the great war, built massive airships, created a shining
metropolis from the fishing wharfs where the Union skulks all the way to the
sky high buildings where CEOs play their business games. But something is wrong
in the city. One day a subway car pulls into a station with eleven dead bodies
inside. It had left the last station four minutes ago and each person lay
butchered like they never saw it coming. Worst of all, all eleven were Union.
Cyril Hayes, a semi-washed up, mostly addicted detective must fix it. There is
a dark secret behind the inventions of McNaughton and with a war brewing
between the executives and the workers. Caught between the union and the
company, between the police and the victims, Hayes must uncover the mystery
before the whole city burns.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This isn’t the first Robert Jackson Bennett book I’ve
reviewed. Devotees of my reviews will remember my <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American Elsewhere</i> one (which was so super hard for me to write
because it was such a complex book and I was trying not to give anything away).
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Company Man</i> is his second full
length novel and was nominated for a Philip K. Dick Award as well as an Edgar
Award. I said it in the last review and I’ll say it again here: Bennett is a
master of speculative fiction!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The main character of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Company Man</i> is Cyril Hayes and boy is he messed up! He suffers from a pseudo-physic
condition that leaves him more or less crippled when it comes on and has left
him addicted to any pain killers he can get his hands on. He works for
McNaughton as a kind of internal affairs officer and when he’s put in charge of
the mass murder in the subways his life only gets harder and more messed up.
He’s not really a hero or an anti-hero, just a guy trying to do his job because
he has too. That changes a little near the end of the book (but I’ll stop
myself there to keep from spoiling anything) but mostly it’s just a guy trying
to get through his life.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The shining light of this story is definitely the locations
in this steampunk story. The huge shining city of Evesden is so spectacularly
detailed: there’s not a scene that doesn’t go in the story where all the intricacies
are described or noted upon. There’s giant airships, underground trolleys,
dirty slums, and a shining downtown. There’s underground machines that only a
sixth sense can feel and secrets hidden just below the gleaming facade. All in
all, it’s a setting that isn’t seen every often and won’t soon be forgotten!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Company Man </i>is
such an interesting mash-up of genres. It’s steampunk, sci-fi with crime noir
and mystery thriller all rolled up into one! The characters progress the story
nicely and the location is unique and original. It’s truly a joy to read.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My final thoughts on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Company Man</i> are that it’s a great read! It was a little slow to get going
but the finale more than enough makes up for that because Bennett is amazing at
ending his books with unexpected twists and serious action. Honestly, the last
hundred pages of this book had be wishing there were a thousand more I could
read about this universe!</div>
Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-87094400812448946652015-06-13T15:50:00.000-07:002015-06-13T15:50:32.333-07:00The Flute Player: Apache Legend Lives Again<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">A Review By: Amelia</span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJiCAHaMnBIzRXz21_PMuqX36jLmwdzEG6fOjp4TbA-sKB9oDos8AXfBCjc5Wr784QqcWxkU2FLEhUJX1Aj91fr9H6yoTxEJinmOLYzjZqg5jcNGgNU23f52OLv_DE5lMe4uu-i5gPaIA/s1600/The+Flute+Player+1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJiCAHaMnBIzRXz21_PMuqX36jLmwdzEG6fOjp4TbA-sKB9oDos8AXfBCjc5Wr784QqcWxkU2FLEhUJX1Aj91fr9H6yoTxEJinmOLYzjZqg5jcNGgNU23f52OLv_DE5lMe4uu-i5gPaIA/s320/The+Flute+Player+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve recently deleved into Apache culture for a story I’m
writing and I must say the folklore is fascinating (although I’m a fan of
almost all worldly folklore). And because I’m such a softie underneath it all I
was especially drawn to a particular love story called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Flute Player.</i> Luckily, a beautifully illustrated children’s
book was there to help me appreciate it to the fullest.
</div>
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Put very simply, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Flute Player </i>tells a tale of love and lose that the author, Lacapa Michael, remembers from his
childhood.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Michael and his family moved to
Whiteriver, Arizona, on the White Mountain Apache Reservation at the age of
one. Michael became well known for writing and illustrating many children's
books, including: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mouse Couple</i>,
the award winning <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Flute Player</i>,
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Antelope Woman</i>. Years ago,
Michael was instrumental in organizing the first Native American Arts and
Crafts Festival in Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona, which continues today as an
annual tradition. He was sought after nationally and internationally by
storyteller's conventions to tell his wonderful native stories, many of which
were based on his own experiences. He sadly passed away in 2005. Of her late
husband's artistic vision, Kathy Lacapa says..."His philosophy
was...'Always write about what you know, be true to your culture or region and
never let go of your imagination'. "</div>
<div class="keypoint">
<br /></div>
<div class="keypoint">
In an effort to keep Michael's legacy alive, AAWM has
established a scholarship fund in his name to benefit any resident within the
greater White Mountains area wishing to pursue a higher education in the arts. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The story of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Flute
Player</i> is one heard through every civilization that’s ever existed: a love
that couldn’t be. It’s essentially boy and girl meet, boy and girl share a
special secret, boy and girl lose each other, but boy and girl live on into
eternity. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Flute Player</i> goes a
little deeper though. Since it’s a folktale from the Apache culture it’s used
as a way to explain a certain element of nature. This story uses the lovers to
explain the sound that the wind makes while whistling through canyons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The art style is aesthetically so wonderful. The colours are
vivid and the lines so perfectly straight. The art is also full of geometric
patterns that draw the eye across the page. It’s just all quite lovely and
definitely not something you see every day. It might not be something that’s immediately
going to appeal to children but I’m a twenty-four year old, so what do I know
about children right?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My final thoughts on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Flute Player</i> are that it is such a great book. The artwork is beautiful and
unique, the story comes from actual Apache mythology (and I loves me some
mythology), and it really is such a simple and respectful way to teach others
about a different culture. Definitely a child’s book worth looking into!</div>
</span></span></span>Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-82843091547085351302015-05-16T17:34:00.001-07:002015-05-16T17:34:47.295-07:00The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: One Person Is All It Takes To Change The World<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"></span></span></span><br />
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A Review By: Amelia </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQ89SrFMX91AI23AU0bP6fg6_D5Es04c3K2GJtPnBGyMqPJR3r9tmQn7LK3G4lpMS5hcgBRdmV1oZTQqkpVBF-ZrAakVQhQq4RquRFGzjvhYtGGUPdB2lDDVY7tCZKv1Rpt8Cj3hB-WE/s1600/The+Boy+Who+Harnessed+The+Wind+1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQ89SrFMX91AI23AU0bP6fg6_D5Es04c3K2GJtPnBGyMqPJR3r9tmQn7LK3G4lpMS5hcgBRdmV1oZTQqkpVBF-ZrAakVQhQq4RquRFGzjvhYtGGUPdB2lDDVY7tCZKv1Rpt8Cj3hB-WE/s320/The+Boy+Who+Harnessed+The+Wind+1.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Humans have been conditioned to root for the underdog since
birth. We hiss at the big evil holding the little person down and cheer wildly
when that little person succeeds. It’s because we see that underdog in
ourselves that we do it: that little person is us and every step towards
improving life that that underdog takes is a step we too could be making! It’s
all very inspiring and that’s why I was drawn to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind</i>, the true story of a boy in Africa
that refused to do nothing even though the world was giving him nothing.
</div>
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; 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mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When fourteen-year-old William Kamkwamba’s Malawi village
was hit by a drought, everyone’s crops began to fail. Without enough money for
food, let alone school, William spent his days in the library and, because of
his perseverance, figured out how to bring electricity to his village. Adamant
to succeed against the odds, William built a functioning windmill out of
junkyard scraps, and became a hero to his village.</div>
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William Kamkwamba grew up without any real luxury besides an
education. But when he stopped being able to attend his school what little
luxury he had seemed to be gone forever. That is until he took every available
moment to studying on his own at a local library. He used his love of machinery
to build a windmill capable of bringing power to his village. Since then, he
has built a solar-powered water pump for fresh water, has attended university
in the United States, been interviewed on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Daily Show</i>, had a children’s picture book written about his journey to
better and world, and been named on the list of ’30 People Under 30 Changing
the World’.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Malawi is a country where magic is viewed as the norm and
modern science is, at best, a mystery, and at worst, something to be shunned
and ignored. It’s a country where life hangs on whether the rains come and
where drought and hunger can last half a life time. William Kamkwamba believed
he could change this. His neighbours claimed he was crazy but William refused
to believe it and with a pile of long forgotten science textbooks, some scrap
metal, human curiosity, and determination he crafted a miracle that would
forever change lives.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> The Boy Who
Harnessed the Wind</i> is an extraordinary true story about one boy’s desire
for knowledge and how his human inventiveness and just a basic education helped
change his community and better the lives of those around him. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KbFMoQjSOZ3E7y1U9pOAyqkkyxz_wzubW0y4Cd2_4VI_v396a1tNET2Xub7mkTJil_qcZo1nH8Of1KRTH3oLTYuOv6aABcZZtyesid7MHjtikaIY5LD56t9z3w0ZUrlwO50BYylWqBM/s1600/The+Boy+Who+Harnessed+The+Wind+2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KbFMoQjSOZ3E7y1U9pOAyqkkyxz_wzubW0y4Cd2_4VI_v396a1tNET2Xub7mkTJil_qcZo1nH8Of1KRTH3oLTYuOv6aABcZZtyesid7MHjtikaIY5LD56t9z3w0ZUrlwO50BYylWqBM/s320/The+Boy+Who+Harnessed+The+Wind+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My final thoughts on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Boy Who Harnessed the Wind</i> are that it is a truly inspiring tale and not
just for those living under crippling adversity. William Kamkwamba is just one
man and yet with a little human ingenuity he changed the lives of so many. This
book is a testament to the human spirit and our need for community. It will
inspire anyone who doubts the power of a single person’s ability to change the
world for the better. One person is all it takes.</div>
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-60620994127869463202015-04-18T10:52:00.000-07:002015-04-18T10:52:48.137-07:00Flashpoint: Definitive Flash<div class="MsoNormal">
A Review By: Amelia
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9xSKpbkv4AvqDugGNQxV0LblVpEb7pSYqMJC8SxBQcx1hmkGSd6uW0sYdk973-9ALOO4tkEQE6gZSjxSuIk8GzsaArzBUpgt6Fec6ag3Cz0Poi68B2_34mY82p8-3lCAhtGsVwBRI6M/s1600/Flashpoint+1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9xSKpbkv4AvqDugGNQxV0LblVpEb7pSYqMJC8SxBQcx1hmkGSd6uW0sYdk973-9ALOO4tkEQE6gZSjxSuIk8GzsaArzBUpgt6Fec6ag3Cz0Poi68B2_34mY82p8-3lCAhtGsVwBRI6M/s1600/Flashpoint+1.jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I never thought much of The Flash until I read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Blackest Night</i> comics and now I
can’t get enough of him! I obsessively watch the new television series and grab
any comic book I can that I know Flash is in. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flashpoint</i> is one of the first Flash centred comic books I ever
read and it did not disappoint.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Barry Allen suddenly wakes up at his desk to discover that
the world has changed. His mother is alive, he’s without any powers, and half
the world is destroyed from an Amazonian revelry with the underwater city of
Atlantis. Batman is a twisted soul not opposed to murder, The Justice League is
nonexistent, and the Reverse Flash has his hands in it all. It’s a world on the
brink of a cataclysmic war and The Flash has to figure out who altered the time
line before time runs out! </div>
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The author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flashpoint</i>
is the venerable Geoff Johns. Johns’ first comic assignments quickly led him to
a critically acclaimed five-year run on The Flash. Since then, he has quickly
become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on
such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Green Lantern</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Action Comics</i>
(co-written with Richard Donner), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Teen
Titans</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Justice Society of America</i>,
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Infinite Crisis</i>. He’s received
the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for
2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. The illustrator of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flashpoint</i> is Andrew “Andy” Kubert is an American comic book
artist, son of Joe Kubert, and brother of Adam Kubert, both of whom are also
artists. He is a graduate of and an instructor of second-year classes at the
Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, founded by his father (who also
teaches there). He mostly works with DC but he’s had a few branching outs over
his career.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhtevrt_4Jhuw5BiIXVNBZYvEgYwd-2dya7qODoHbJgCG0-X4pPlK7atkb_UH4lxcgG2NtraTccm66zoZtlEl8NnxdaK4UaNR17nzPQ59-cEqCIZ08AVOJP20-Lh-QsDrUGPZNSE0ouqI/s1600/Flashpoint+2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhtevrt_4Jhuw5BiIXVNBZYvEgYwd-2dya7qODoHbJgCG0-X4pPlK7atkb_UH4lxcgG2NtraTccm66zoZtlEl8NnxdaK4UaNR17nzPQ59-cEqCIZ08AVOJP20-Lh-QsDrUGPZNSE0ouqI/s1600/Flashpoint+2.jpg" height="140" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The main character of the piece is the Flash. Kinda obvious
given it’s titled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flashpoint</i>. I’m
going to be the first to admit that before last summer, I didn’t really
care/know that much about the Flash: Batman and Wonder Woman were my two tops.
But then I read the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blackest Night</i>
comics and fell in love with Flash. He’s just so happy and optimistic no matter
what happens to him in his life; and he’s no different in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flashpoint.</i> Flash is a hero who never lets the darkness overtake
him and it’s honestly very refreshing considering how DC has taken its
characters in recent years. Batman, Cyborg, Shazam, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman
also take fairly large roles with some very large personality twists: Wonder
Woman and Aquaman are fighting against each other in a war that was killed
hundreds of millions of civilians. Cyborg is the self appointed head of a
haphazard Justice League. Shazam is a collection of mostly apathetic teenagers.
And Batman has thrown the whole ‘don’t ever kill’ rule out the window.
Honestly, it’s all quite an interesting take on an alternate path that the DC
superheroes could have fallen into really quite easily! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HmSt_PWgKTHuFA_ZtDrJnSGOOUKalc8YjRSNnKgEU0w2wGyyAkOnjJLpxUoIg1ifBDXbeE3S0rlkixFmzdF8cSQAPgVcwcdsBmvdfFVasDVmmi6XO9gQtRWFYUpSZr2Smc6GkJRqS_g/s1600/Flashpoint+3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HmSt_PWgKTHuFA_ZtDrJnSGOOUKalc8YjRSNnKgEU0w2wGyyAkOnjJLpxUoIg1ifBDXbeE3S0rlkixFmzdF8cSQAPgVcwcdsBmvdfFVasDVmmi6XO9gQtRWFYUpSZr2Smc6GkJRqS_g/s1600/Flashpoint+3.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, the main competent of the graphic novel: the art style.
Honestly, there’s not much to say about the art style of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flashpoint</i>. It’s a realistic style with vivid colouring but also
vivid shadowing. The facial expressions were very well done and the landscapes
and backgrounds are detailed and just overall it’s good. I mean, it’s a style
that’s been prevalent in mostly all superhero comics but it’s a style that
works for the genre. It adds nothing new but it also doesn’t take anything
away; and it’s pretty to look at, so why second guess it?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My final thoughts on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flashpoint</i>
are that it’s a very interesting graphic novel. I’m a nerd for alternate
histories so it was immediately appealing to me. Add in the excellent art, the
kickass Amazons and Atlanteans war, and the fact that The Flash is just such an
amazing character and you’ve got a DC comic that everyone should pick up and
read!</div>
Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-36676344468288124052015-04-11T09:31:00.000-07:002015-04-11T09:31:27.686-07:00The Wars: A Bloody Great Read<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
A Review By: Amelia</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg90VMZGMVYQRtCPzviRm93tE0csHlUHA7FpQ6rtGqzD2ZmjSWQ4ashvz_WPDI0mc2lF_vpPVC21LKS7MUkyiUSzadLlYAVV7u2bU3_IcmDhwuZkLWH59IWKcLO43To4Nml_TPFVMVLnxM/s1600/The+Wars+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg90VMZGMVYQRtCPzviRm93tE0csHlUHA7FpQ6rtGqzD2ZmjSWQ4ashvz_WPDI0mc2lF_vpPVC21LKS7MUkyiUSzadLlYAVV7u2bU3_IcmDhwuZkLWH59IWKcLO43To4Nml_TPFVMVLnxM/s1600/The+Wars+1.jpg" /></a>World War One is one of my favourite research stomping
grounds and I can never get enough of reading about it. I mean, it was The
Great War–the war to end all wars–what’s not to enjoy there? Well... except all
the death and violence and misery. In the sense of literature though, it’s a
marvelous subject and it’s why I love Timothy Findley’s novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Wars</i>.
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Wars </i>is about Robert
Ross, a sensitive, strange nineteen-year-old Canadian boy from a well off
family living in Toronto. In 1915 he joins the army and is yanked from his
suburban surroundings and thrust into the nightmares of trench warfare.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Timothy Findley is a Canadian author who first invented the
term/style of Southern Ontario Gothic, was an author heavily influenced by
Jungian psychology. There are recurring themes of mental illness, gender, and
sexuality in frequent rotation throughout his works and his characters often
carry dark personal secrets, and were often conflicted (sometimes to the point
of psychosis) by these burdens.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Robert Ross, the main character, is an exceptional character.
He’s sensitive but his sensitivity comes out in bursts of temper. He’s strange
but strange in a way that manifests as caring and empathetic. Ross doesn’t
think much of himself but the people around him do: he changes lives, for
better and worse and he’s an amazing character to observe through the course of
the novel.</div>
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Aside from Robert, the locations of the novel are my
favourite bit. The book starts off in Toronto and then moves to Europe to the
trenches of France and the country sides of England. It’s always interesting to
read about a place where you’ve been in a novel (I currently live in Toronto)
and see the author’s take on it. And of course my morbid fascination with war–
especially World War One–made the locations all the more fascinating. I love
the bleakness of war torn Europe: the trenches, no man’s land, even the soggy
British countryside when the officers are on leave. War is a forever
interesting topic and Findley’s take on it will leave you wanting more. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Wars </i>is by no
means a light read. It has a grim plot, grim characters, and grim themes from
start to finish–not that that makes it any less enjoyable, just enjoyable in a
grim way! There’s just something about what Robert goes through that’s so
compelling to follow as a reader. He joins the army after the death of his
sister hoping to replace that nightmare for the nightmare of war. He gets his
wish and his life becomes nothing short of horrifying whether he’s killing
enemy soldiers or having an affair with a rich English heiress. It’s bleak and
heartbreaking but also enthralling and beautiful. Findley weaves his characters
and themes impeccably together to create a unique story that you’d be hard
pressed to find an equal to.</div>
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My final thoughts on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Wars</i> are that it’s incredible. It shows a side of war that you don’t
usually see: it’s not about politics, it’s not about stopping the war or
winning it for the side of good, it’s about one man’s journey through it all
and what that does to his mental state and the mental states of those around
him. Read it. Read it now!</div>
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<br /></div>
Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-26528601685093313502015-04-04T10:35:00.002-07:002015-04-04T10:35:57.053-07:00Adrift: A Horror Story That Won’t Leave You Adrift<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">A Review By: Amelia</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zG1ktbgtT1_LABU0fYFwGp-vFoLS41yyYYmsWYlW1uz7BBPU-8S_cWODMxDWaXbK4TWzg9oOeg9xh1xWB01luln6dhNLn2BYk1j4-N2DK7b8T2ij2nVZbsN6tlnVC2GHCe2SNsGbCUc/s1600/Dark+Water+1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zG1ktbgtT1_LABU0fYFwGp-vFoLS41yyYYmsWYlW1uz7BBPU-8S_cWODMxDWaXbK4TWzg9oOeg9xh1xWB01luln6dhNLn2BYk1j4-N2DK7b8T2ij2nVZbsN6tlnVC2GHCe2SNsGbCUc/s1600/Dark+Water+1.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a>I love horror stories. I love Japanese horror stories the
most. There’s just something about the subtlety of J-horror that surpasses any
other country’s horror. I suppose that’s why the short horror story collection <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dark Water</i> drew me right to it like a
moth to a flame!
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dark Water</i> is a
collection of short horror stories all centred around water in one way or
another. The story I’ll be reviewing (my favourite story in the book) is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Adrift</i> and it’s is about the crew of a
fishing trawler, the Wakashio VII, that happen across an abandoned yacht which
has suffered events similar to those that happened to the Mary Celeste. For
anyone who doesn’t know, the Mary Celeste was an American merchant brigantine
that was found completely abandoned in 1872. No one ever discovered what
happened to the crew and it remains an unsolvable mystery. Very spooky
inspiration if you ask me!</div>
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The author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dark
Water </i>is Koji Suzuki. He’s a Japanese writer who wrote the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ring </i>series, a few books about his
hobbies (traveling and motorcycling), and many short stories. He is currently
on the selection committee for the Japan Fantasy Novel Award. Even though he’s
dabbled in other genres, horror is where he shines.</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dark Water</i>, as
mentioned above, is about a fishing boat that comes upon an abandoned yacht.
They attach a line to the yacht intending to tow it but a man needs to be on it
to. Kazuo Shiraishi volunteers believing that it will be a nice little vacation
away from his job on the fishing boat, but when the other members of the crew
speak of curses and bad luck, an inkling of fear is born in Kazuo. That fear
only grows as he spends time on the yacht and begins to suffer from mood swings
and horrific dreams. He struggles to solve the mystery of what happened on the
yacht before it takes him too.</div>
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By far, the best part of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Adrift</i>
was the location. The ocean is terrifying without adding abandoned yachts and
ghosts on top of it! It’s vast, it’s unforgiving, and if you get lost on it,
there’s a slim chance you’re coming back. Plus there’s the yacht. The
atmosphere of hopelessness that Suzuki creates on the abandoned yacht is
astounding. Kazuo’s mental state begins to deteriorate quickly and he has
nowhere to escape too: his life is the yacht. He’s trapped, and you as the
reader, are trapped with him.</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dark Water</i> as a
whole is sort of hit or miss. A lot of other people really like the story <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Water Colours</i> but found <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Adrift</i> not to their liking. Me, I love <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Adrift </i>and didn’t really care for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Water Colours</i>. That’s the great thing
about short story collections, you can pick and choose. Personally, I say if
you get your hands on this book and can read only one story, read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Adrift</i>!</div>
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My final thoughts on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Adrift
</i>are that it’s a damn spooky read! It’s got creepy dreams, a ghost ship, the
solitude and inescapable hugeness of the ocean. The writing is smooth, graphic,
and suspenseful. Read it at night, alone, and in silence–you won’t be
disappointed!</div>
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-7575347308641551912015-03-28T13:54:00.000-07:002015-03-28T13:54:07.262-07:00Traci Lords Underneath It All: Salacious Lives Are Just More Interesting!<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; 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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">A Review By: Amelia</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbR4A2SBHSGcMaHioKp1o66NM5gcqi23PTjxmIdQXqgRenHcW0u9ewaIUBrIUX4uDc4-WBV190PzQID1yU0KK5Lm_qz5JuwMwH16noHzJ9zV8w6cAEhE46BpHl00-3uL_8GREglhJRGGE/s1600/Traci+Lords+Underneath+It+All+1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbR4A2SBHSGcMaHioKp1o66NM5gcqi23PTjxmIdQXqgRenHcW0u9ewaIUBrIUX4uDc4-WBV190PzQID1yU0KK5Lm_qz5JuwMwH16noHzJ9zV8w6cAEhE46BpHl00-3uL_8GREglhJRGGE/s1600/Traci+Lords+Underneath+It+All+1.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a>Any veteran readers of this blog know that I love reading
the most salacious autobiographies I can find. Jenna Jameson’s porn star epic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How To Make Love Like A Porn Star</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Last Living Slut</i> about a legendary
Iranian groupie, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Party Monster</i> for
crazy club kids, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mommie Dearest</i> about
the abuse Joan Crawford put her adopted kids through–it’s all just so
fascinating! It’s actually surprising I didn’t get around to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Underneath It All</i> by Traci Lords sooner!
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</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; 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mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Traci Lords, born Nora Kuzma, was a girl that developed
early and suffered years of sexual abuse because of it. Older men took
advantage of her, the time period was rife with cheap and easy drugs, and in
her young mind, she was the one at fault, she deserved all the bad things that
happened to her. Hence began her slid into pornography where she filmed twenty
hardcore films all before her eighteenth birthday.</div>
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Lords was born in Steubenville Ohio to two parents who, in
very different ways, were abusive. Her mother was more concerned with herself
than her four young daughters while her father was a heaving drinker who was
loose with his fists and hurtful words to try and keep the women in his life in
order. She lost contact with her father when her mother and her boyfriend Roger
moved the four girls to California but soon Roger took over as resident male
abuser by harassing the young Lords in her sleep and then encouraging her to
become a nude model at age fifteen. From there on, Lords life took a downward
spiral of drugs, booze, abusive relationships, porn, and self-loathing. </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhigxBTY_OQa_ngxWNAhJxi2KqeG1gZ1flzYglCHAVXrWx4dg9JxBYn2wWFgpPPDr1LYHxDUot9WXZXFfrt4Js15FdupvY4ZGZC6bZ2jrT2SIBDolszszD556-HJAeSN2K-Cug23_yo_wk/s1600/Traci+Lords+Underneath+It+All+3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhigxBTY_OQa_ngxWNAhJxi2KqeG1gZ1flzYglCHAVXrWx4dg9JxBYn2wWFgpPPDr1LYHxDUot9WXZXFfrt4Js15FdupvY4ZGZC6bZ2jrT2SIBDolszszD556-HJAeSN2K-Cug23_yo_wk/s1600/Traci+Lords+Underneath+It+All+3.jpg" height="320" width="193" /></a></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Underneath It All </i>is
an autobiography that covers all of Lords life. Her early life, which included
parental abuse, bullying, and rape sculpted a lost, angry girl that didn’t
believe she had any worth. She ended up running away from her mother’s house and turned to
her abusive step-father Roger for help. He lead her down the path of nude
modelling and after being featured in the September 1984 issue of Penthouse she
ventured (although hesitantly) into porn. Years of further abuse mixed with a
drug and drinking problem as she took out her rage sexually in around twenty
hardcore movies. Come May 1986 the authorities arrested her for her underage
porn career having known about her for the last three years. No charges were
pressed against her but she was served over and over again to appear in court
and harassed constantly by the media. Distributors were also ordered to destroy
her material to avoid prosecution for trafficking in child pornography that
cost millions of dollars and lead to many death threats as the porn industry
made her out to be a mastermind who did all this on purpose instead of an
abused young girl (there’s rape culture for you folks, but to avoid a rant on
my part, that’s the only thing I’ll say about it).<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXvs7mDCCqqZOiRxhLI6usP-i0aK8QdYeiEP_663YRCpMrP91rvNHH3YW-_hjhJJvfvwu_cWU9EcQu91MNwvrRXoL6L0yapZ5YZE5Elgnzw_hvbRqBgkClthtP86ZKjPhAHPffzC6Xd4I/s1600/Traci+Lords+Underneath+It+All+2.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXvs7mDCCqqZOiRxhLI6usP-i0aK8QdYeiEP_663YRCpMrP91rvNHH3YW-_hjhJJvfvwu_cWU9EcQu91MNwvrRXoL6L0yapZ5YZE5Elgnzw_hvbRqBgkClthtP86ZKjPhAHPffzC6Xd4I/s1600/Traci+Lords+Underneath+It+All+2.jpg" height="200" width="172" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lords in Cry-Baby</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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After being arrested for her child porn days, Lords decided
to turn her life around and become an actual actress. The going was rough as
the porn industry and media continued to harass and producers in actual
Hollywood didn’t want the stigma of having an ex-porn girl in their
productions. Her break didn’t come until she was cast in the teenage comedy <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cry-Baby</i>. After that she was able to
slowly build up her legitimate acting resume with more small movie parts and
television series. She even had a music career with a techno-dance album and a
couple of tours as a DJ. </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
It was a long and very difficult road for Lords to separate
herself from her porn days but she was able to. It took years and years of hard
work and devastating rejections, but she pulled herself out of the stigma that
so many porn stars find themselves in. Her story is honest to a brutal degree
about her history and thoughts and feelings and her look into the porn world
(and what lies after it) is a completely unglamorous one that a lot of other
people don’t tend to go into.</div>
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My final thoughts on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Underneath
It All </i>are that it’s a good read. It’s not the best autobiography I’ve ever
read in terms of scandalous details (Jenna Jameson’s set too high a bar for
crazy porn lifestyles) but Lords prose is pretty and it’s clear she’s an
intelligent woman. It’s an interesting memoir and definitely worth checking out
to see Lords side of the events that went down in her very public, very
shocking life. </div>
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-20168395579324670092015-03-21T08:53:00.000-07:002015-03-21T08:53:42.260-07:00Frankenstein The Graphic Novel: The Creature Lives Once More!<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">A Review By: Amelia</span></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 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style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDX6TV2yudKTPxKg5JRx42whzr0iTIk-NCAsotl3jWFywFvW9bPMqOStkdK1FROd92wRaZh4TSkq40xcvPKiN-SQJt7lTZWHJUa9pYCHUX4GkFfCb9KlAUe_M58OUI1qe-Iwa_u0UCZ54/s1600/Frankenstein+1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDX6TV2yudKTPxKg5JRx42whzr0iTIk-NCAsotl3jWFywFvW9bPMqOStkdK1FROd92wRaZh4TSkq40xcvPKiN-SQJt7lTZWHJUa9pYCHUX4GkFfCb9KlAUe_M58OUI1qe-Iwa_u0UCZ54/s1600/Frankenstein+1.jpg" height="320" width="198" /></a>Who doesn’t know about Frankenstein? The classic horror
story is the second most adapted piece of media (behind Dracula) ever! That’s
quite an achievement if you ask me! But of course with all the work that’s
flooded the media it’s often hard to know where to start. While I was looking
for a graphic novel to read, I literally couldn’t decide between the dozens of
options that were presented to me. I ended up randomly choosing one and,
surprisingly, I’m pleased as punch at my random selection!
</div>
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="MsoNormal">
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Victor Frankenstein becomes obsessed with creating life
after he watches his beloved mother die. He scours graveyards and works by
candlelight for months, but when his creature stirs, he realizes he was insane
to think he could create a human: he’d created a monster. Abandoned by its
maker and shunned by humanity, the monster turns on its creator and haunts
Frankenstein to the ends of the earth.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Mary Shelley is the original author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Frankenstein</i> and more or less the mother of the whole horror genre.
The adaptors of her classic tale of horror are Gary Reed (for text) and Frazer
Irving for the art. Reed is a prolific comic book writer and publisher. He was
formerly the publisher of Caliber Comics and Vice President of McFarlane Toys.
His other graphic novel titles include (but are not limited too) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dracula</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deadwood</i>, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sherlock Holmes</i>.
Irving is a British comic book artist known for the 2000 AD <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_AD_%28comics%29" title="2000 AD (comics)"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"></span></a> series Necronauts<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" title="Necronauts"><i><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"></span></i></a>.
Since breaking into the American market he has worked on a number of superhero
titles, including <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Batman</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">X-Men</i>. </div>
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The best part of this retelling of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Frankenstein</i> is by far the artwork. It’s very dark and shadowy.
It’s presented in a very cinematic way that is completely striking: really
quite memorizing. It’s not a very pretty style but that hardly matters since it
works so well with the story and tone. It was very much the highlight of this
particular graphic novel.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Frankenstein</i> is
such a distressing novel when it comes to its themes of rejection and hatred
and the art of this graphic novel really conveys the themes brilliantly. The
facial expressions of the monster captured his tortured life so well: it truly
was heartbreaking–and I’m not just saying that because the empathy centre of my
brain is a hundred times as large as everyone else’s on Earth!</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
With so many adaptations of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Frankenstein </i>out there (and there are a lot–it’s second only to
Dracula when it comes to adaptations) it’s often hard to imagine any of them
bringing anything new or fresh to the doctor and his creation, but Reed and
Irving have done just that. The art is highly stylized and suit the themes and
mood amazingly well, and just enough of the text is present to get the story
across without confusion.</div>
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My final thoughts on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Frankenstein
The Graphic Novel</i> are that it’s a great piece. If you’re a fan of the novel
or a fan of graphic novels, it’ll appeal to you and you should definitely take
an hour out of your day to sink into the first (and arguably the greatest)
gothic horror ever created!</div>
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-86099827739766582352015-03-14T09:48:00.000-07:002015-03-14T09:48:41.259-07:00The Two Princesses of Bamarre: Fantasy For Beginners <span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; 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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">A Review By: Amelia</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6p-8Kx7YDzFsU_6bfBe1gEW6QuUyVikQ2xCF52gJdzZzXTqpi5KUvm5uELxQmCkiubQocdjNMnM4p5k9V-R_BJv5yxPWuovArqF0FIyKCNN_-VsnDokcnc1LNU3FjYR3_ttw_7Q7yeF0/s1600/The+Two+Princesses+of+Bamarre+1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6p-8Kx7YDzFsU_6bfBe1gEW6QuUyVikQ2xCF52gJdzZzXTqpi5KUvm5uELxQmCkiubQocdjNMnM4p5k9V-R_BJv5yxPWuovArqF0FIyKCNN_-VsnDokcnc1LNU3FjYR3_ttw_7Q7yeF0/s1600/The+Two+Princesses+of+Bamarre+1.jpg" /></a></div>
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Fantasy has always been a weird genre for me in that I’d
never given it a chance before declaring that I didn’t like it. It’s the only
genre I’ve ever done that with. I suppose it’s because I’d given
science-fiction a big chance to win me over but it never did so I just assumed
that fantasy couldn’t either. Well, I was wrong. Recently I’ve gotten into
fantasy in a huge way and all it took was watching the first Lord of the Rings
movie! Who would have thought it? Anyways, before my sudden and unexpected
passion for fantasy I read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Two
Princesses of Bamarre</i>, a fantasy novel aimed at pre/young teenagers (I did
read it in that age group) and surprisingly, I really liked it!
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Princess Meryl is brave and adventurous and dreams of
fighting dragons and protecting her kingdom Bamarre. Her sister, Princess
Addie, is the complete opposite and is shy and fearful and content to stay
within the safety of the castle walls. The one thing the sisters have in common
is their unwavering love for each other. Bamarre is a safe place for the
sisters to play their games of imagination but an illness that no one is immune
to stalks the hallways and alleys of the kingdom and, one day not unlike all
the other days in the castle, Meryl catches the Gray Death and is left fatally
ill. To save her sister, meek Princess Addie must find the courage within
herself and set out on a dangerous quest to save her sister’s life. Addie’s
journey is filled with dragons, magic, danger, and possibly even death, but
time will run out soon enough and she must overcome it all.</div>
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The author of this epic fantasy tale is Gail Carson Levine.
Levine grew up in New York City and began writing seriously in 1987. Her first
book for children, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ella Enchanted</i>,
was a 1998 Newbery Honor Book. Levine's other books include <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fairest</i>; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dave at Night</i>, (an ALA Notable Book and Best Book for Young
Adults), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Wish</i>, and the six <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Princess Tales</i> books. She is also the
author of the nonfiction book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Writing Magic:
Creating Stories That Fly</i> and the picture book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Betsy Who Cried Wolf</i>, illustrated by Scott Nash. She’s a fantasy
writer and she definitely knows her stuff.</div>
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The characters of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Two Princesses of Bamarre </i>are written well, but since it is a book meant
for twelve year olds, they’re written very plainly – but not plain as in
boring. I use plain in the sense that Meryl is the strong sister and Addie is
the weak sister but then as the story develops you see the roles flip. It’s
very black and white with all the shades of grey tucked away. That’s not to say
that they’re not well written characters, they’re just very visible in their
intents and how they’re going to evolve as characters. </div>
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The best part of any fantasy story has got to be the
location and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Two Princesses of
Bamarre</i> is no different. Bamarre is a vast realm covered by plains and
mountains and dragons’ caves. It’s also plagued by a disease called the Gray
Death, specters (which lure travelers to their deaths unless exposed),
sorcerers, ogres, dwarves, elves, gryphons, dragons, and fairies, although the
latter haven’t been seen since the realms greatest hero Drualt disappear. It’s
all pretty standard fantasy stuff but we’re living in a post-Tolkien world so
it’s bound to happen. I still found the land enchanting and exciting and just
right for the characters and the history that was introduced as the novel went
on. </div>
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So where do I stand on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The</i>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Two Princess of Bamarre</i>? Well, since
I recently discovered my crazy strong love for fantasy I say it’s great! Am I
biased? Absolutely. But back when I read this book, I didn’t declare myself a
big fantasy fan, so considering that it still kept my attention back then
(several times actually since I reread it a few times in grade school) I’d say
it’s still pretty damn enjoyable!</div>
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My final thoughts on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The</i>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Two Princess of Bamarre</i> are that it’s
a good little adventure book. It’s very well thought out and evenly balanced
and every time I <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>reread it, it sparks my
imagination and leaves me longing for more stories with dragons and castles and
swords. It might seem a little dull or predictable for an older reader or one
that’s well acquainted with fantasy, but for a middle school kid or someone
wanting to just dip their toes into fantasy, it’s a great place to start. </div>
</span></span></span></span></span></span>Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-4057238078420901102015-03-07T10:17:00.000-08:002015-03-07T10:17:53.442-08:00Let’s Go, Hugo!: Let’s Go With This Adorable Book!A Review By: Amelia<br /><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" 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lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zzrZsgc2v2rDDeQ2tG42LtqlUNpRe8TqVdUdmxBFYvwaooorfA7Fa_lUp5HJORQNdUVVdIk27opA0EtvdCEJJArrGP9PxVGQ96jfUSUhm17ZuVDMXH9AaXNH1N1VgBpJWN-8GFxCCCY/s1600/Let's+Go,+Hugo!+1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zzrZsgc2v2rDDeQ2tG42LtqlUNpRe8TqVdUdmxBFYvwaooorfA7Fa_lUp5HJORQNdUVVdIk27opA0EtvdCEJJArrGP9PxVGQ96jfUSUhm17ZuVDMXH9AaXNH1N1VgBpJWN-8GFxCCCY/s1600/Let's%2BGo%2C%2BHugo!%2B1.jpg" height="200" width="160" /></a></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">When it comes to children’s stories birds are a great
subject to feature on. They can teach stories about overcoming fear and
adversity, about reaching for the sky at every turn, about trust and freedom.
Birds are just a great avatar for kids to see through in kid’s books and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Let’s Go, Hugo </i>is a wonderful example of
this.
</span></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hugo is a little yellow bird with an excellent sense of
style who lives in the heart of Paris
in a beautiful little park. He adores his view of the Eiffel Tower
but has never gone to it in person because he doesn’t know how to fly! When he
meets a little pink bird named Lulu, Hugo becomes determined to change from a
grounded bird, to one who’s free to fly where ever he chooses! </div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngKKHqZWl5gEt6akx5PBo93BsqYpNs3c8k-vOkAzevMikhcre3mmXOVvk86bc_tuArps9UhirrYMjNyuEIGqWRUwd0_7kErW6ztCMsasrXam55YrxYqbO1v8yKpWwYsBcxEtOEVVf5Y8/s1600/Let's+Go,+Hugo!+3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngKKHqZWl5gEt6akx5PBo93BsqYpNs3c8k-vOkAzevMikhcre3mmXOVvk86bc_tuArps9UhirrYMjNyuEIGqWRUwd0_7kErW6ztCMsasrXam55YrxYqbO1v8yKpWwYsBcxEtOEVVf5Y8/s1600/Let's%2BGo%2C%2BHugo!%2B3.jpg" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Angela Dominguez is a Mexican-American who has lived in Texas, San Fransico, and Brooklyn,
has always loved creating artwork, and who is a teacher at the Academy of Art
University in the Illustration Department (which honoured her with their Distinguished
Alumni Award in 2013). She made her debut into children’s books with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Let’s Go, Hugo</i>. Her other works include <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Maria Had a Little Llama </i>(which she
received the Pura Belpré Illustration Honour from the American Library
Association for) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Santiago Stays</i>.
Her works have also been featured in publications including Creative Quarterly,
3X3 Magazine, and numerous galleries. </span></span></span></div>
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<div class="MsoNormal">
The characters of this book are Hugo, the timid bird who
doesn’t know how to fly, and Lulu, the adventurous bird who encourages Hugo.
There’s not much to say about them besides what I said above: they’re standard
children’s books characters. I can say that Hugo is a good avatar for the
reader to see through. He’s timid and scared but also willing to overcome his
fears. He betters himself through trial and error and although he hasn’t
perfected what he’s set out to learn, he doesn’t become discouraged. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFuvi1ICrwqgDk9akDRQmFxvqESE0CxGCc8sWgZrddPIMee6J6YESMV6uixcE9itw-SsGUkf2Kgfod2EgK2ODrWnCewiZVnFa9pwGrdP_6PUXvoeB0u3YotlFCqO51JNX2s-5EanRD-No/s1600/Let's+Go,+Hugo!+2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFuvi1ICrwqgDk9akDRQmFxvqESE0CxGCc8sWgZrddPIMee6J6YESMV6uixcE9itw-SsGUkf2Kgfod2EgK2ODrWnCewiZVnFa9pwGrdP_6PUXvoeB0u3YotlFCqO51JNX2s-5EanRD-No/s1600/Let's%2BGo%2C%2BHugo!%2B2.jpg" height="200" width="156" /></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Let’s Go, Hugo</i>
takes place in a park in Paris.
I think that’s enough said to sell you on the location of this children’s book!
Combine this with the adorable art style that’s part minimalistic doodle, part
beautiful water colours and you have a story that will make you pine for Paris if you’ve never
been or fall in love with it all over again if you have!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My final thoughts on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Let’s
Go, Hugo </i>are that it’s an adorable little story about the joy of learning
and determination. The art style is adorable, the story adorable, and the
themes adorable. All in all, I have to say that this book is just plain
adorable!</div>
</span></span></span></span>Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-5652421990149217032015-02-28T04:46:00.000-08:002015-02-28T04:46:27.637-08:00Girl, Interrupted: Insightful or Madness? Either Way, It’s Good Reading!A Review By: Amelia<br /><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY90aK_Z-ZRgcrOyrJAf0f_zAXw8o82UBkLuskMcTZ8rojUpoM9g8CCMrjHtED-fU4y9z4HSe0xfzQ4HA_fj8i_EN7fVYhSD-xkg207yLZt9pJnr8YPWMsa89-eIAbghUgLW2UYuOOVjo/s1600/Girl,+Interrupted+1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY90aK_Z-ZRgcrOyrJAf0f_zAXw8o82UBkLuskMcTZ8rojUpoM9g8CCMrjHtED-fU4y9z4HSe0xfzQ4HA_fj8i_EN7fVYhSD-xkg207yLZt9pJnr8YPWMsa89-eIAbghUgLW2UYuOOVjo/s1600/Girl,+Interrupted+1.jpg" height="320" width="207" /></a></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">There’s something so very intriguing about mental hospitals.
The mind is such a hard thing to understand and then there’s the history
surrounding mental health: lobotomies, electroshock, sensory deprivation. The
list is long and it is cruel. It’s why mental hospitals are such a good
backdrop for horror! Certainly the only things I’ve ever seen that surrounds
mental hospitals are horror. It’s why I decided to read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Girl, Interrupted</i>; it was time to shed some light on the non-horror
side of mental health.
</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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The year is 1967. Susanna Kaysen has just had a session with
a psychiatrist she’s never seen before and has been put in a taxi headed
straight to McLean Hospital–a psychiatric hospital renowned for its famous
clientele and progressive treatment. Kaysen spends the next two years of her
life in the ward for teenage girls. <em>Girl, Interrupted</em> tells the story
of the people and experiences she encountered in a series of short nonlinear
scenes.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Susanna Kaysen was born and raised in Cambridge
Massachusetts. She came from a priviledged family and attended high school at
the Commonwealth School in Boston before being whisked off to McLean to undergo
psychiatric treatment for depression. She was later diagnosed with borderline
personality disorder and spent eighteen months in the hospital. Since then
she’s made a name for herself as an author.</div>
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Kaysen’s memoir, <em>Girl, Interrupted</em><em><span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">, shows her sharp
perception, intelligence, and self-awareness as she paints vivid portraits of
herself and her fellow patients and the doctors at McLean. It’s written almost
as a parallel universe: the crisp, sterile, uniformity of the hospital against
the backdrop of the late sixties. It’s a document that is unflinching in its
portrayal of those around Kaysen. There’s Polly, a sweet girl with disfiguring,
self-inflicted burns to her face and body. Lisa, a sociopath that may or may
not be faking the whole thing just to screw with everyone. Georgina, Kaysen’s
roommate, who’s dating a violent and unstable boy from another ward. The twins
obsessed with roasted chicken and laxatives.</span></em></div>
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<br /></div>
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<em><span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Her
stories are out of order and short offering just brief glimpses into the world
of mental health treatment and recovery but their shortness gives them
poignancy. The stories are out of order and a little spacey, but they’re honest
and darkly funny. Her story is compelling and written in a way designed to
provoke questions and, honestly, it’s just so self-aware. She sees the
difference between madness and sanity in such a way that you, as the reader,
might begin to doubt your take on the two as you see her clarity!</span></em></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
My final thoughts on <em>Girl, Interrupted</em><em><span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> are that it is ingenious.
It’s a look at a girl’s life as she moves into her adult life in a most unusual
way. The imagery is powerful, the writing even more so. </span></em>It’s a book
that shows the horrors of mental health without resorting to what horror movies
do and it’s brilliantly done.</div>
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-46581099177770507362015-02-21T09:15:00.000-08:002015-02-21T09:15:32.131-08:00Ember: The Novel Was A Shining Adventure, The Graphic Novel... A Little DimA Review By: Amelia<br /><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_3cM-iC8NkRTstuxpX_pCTQUy2JngnJ0Fecy9OG-BjVAfnwE1cVn1iJzvC469gKPba_fsoYRxilNaY1X0ovYJIJyNEveo0lc3m5RoNIcpA2e_gSIBhhQ05dM8yKWjXCyaJM-eMKOe1o/s1600/Ember+1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_3cM-iC8NkRTstuxpX_pCTQUy2JngnJ0Fecy9OG-BjVAfnwE1cVn1iJzvC469gKPba_fsoYRxilNaY1X0ovYJIJyNEveo0lc3m5RoNIcpA2e_gSIBhhQ05dM8yKWjXCyaJM-eMKOe1o/s1600/Ember+1.jpg" height="320" width="216" /></a></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">At some point in the last two decades or so, humanity has
stopped seeing the future as a shining utopia but instead as a decaying and
frightening dystopia that must be survived, endured instead of enjoyed. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ember </i>falls into the latter category and
it’s an amazing take on the concept.
</span></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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The City of Ember is doomed. It was created hundreds of
years ago but those known only as the Builders. It contained everything needed
for human survival and it worked... for a time. The storerooms are almost out
of food, corruption is spreading, and the generator that supplies the
electricity is on the brink of stopping and never coming back on. But hope is
revived for two children, Lina and Doon, when they discover a parchment that
could be the way out of Ember. But can they decipher it before the lights go
out forever?</div>
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<br /></div>
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The original author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
City of Ember</i> is Jeanne DuPrau. She received a BA in English Literature
from Scripps College in California and before penning <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The City of Ember</i> series, she was a high school English teacher and
an editor for educational publishing companies. The adapter of the book into
the graphic novel is Dallas Middaugh, who is a comics industry veteran turned
teacher who writers for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bleeding Cool</i>
about his new course at NYU; and Nikals Asker, a Swedish comic book artist best
known for his debut graphic novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Second
Thoughts</i>.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFJde54NoxK-tSUrOGksRYbAmZxi830Bh_RDuzmpflSBRReBuG5In5U78yBqo7vVRp14ydvx_pe4MB5-dm6XdxK_R-HArCTPEob0bSPUgn8VsuXc5avVPT2hhG23pAREz0XuADwyKwGg/s1600/Ember+2.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFJde54NoxK-tSUrOGksRYbAmZxi830Bh_RDuzmpflSBRReBuG5In5U78yBqo7vVRp14ydvx_pe4MB5-dm6XdxK_R-HArCTPEob0bSPUgn8VsuXc5avVPT2hhG23pAREz0XuADwyKwGg/s1600/Ember+2.png" height="200" width="128" /></a></div>
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The art style of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ember</i>
is a plain one. Not simple, not minimalistic, just plain. Plain and so, so
boring! The characters have no depth and very little emotions, the surroundings
are drab and completely unvaried. Some might argue that the landscapes are
meant to be that way since the novel takes place in a huge, completely dark
cave, but I don’t feel like even that covers the laziness in this art! The
colours all run together like mud, and (getting back to the characters) why are
their complexions so dark? If they’ve never known ultra violet light, they live
in the dark aside from artificial light bulbs, and they were all coloured to
have tanned skin! I don’t know if this was done to try and convey the shadows
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ember</i>, but it just didn’t work for
me.</div>
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<br /></div>
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While the novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
City of Ember</i> was so fascinating in its bleakness and claustrophobia, the
graphic novel just doesn’t compare. Ember is a place where that old saying ‘a
picture is worth a thousand words’ doesn’t apply. The pressure of the
all-encompassing blackness of the city doesn’t translate from word to picture
because you need light for pictures! You can have a whole chapter dedicated to
darkness in a book but to do that in something where the medium is pictures is
near–if not totally–impossible.</div>
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<br /></div>
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My final thoughts on the graphic novel Ember are that it’s a
little lackluster, a touch mediocre. The</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhirwNdZFmCwgmcSazDjJHeioWhp1vTIA6wpPmqdZPyZTkjXf7F0cG_p1X0uSSwpvsmQAV20oO5l34TmPyO3V6k-3k-D79ppoNPwTXICtj6-YJzq5l8lcXbcuGsiOOP8QU3SyTz_uqPgL4/s1600/Ember+3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhirwNdZFmCwgmcSazDjJHeioWhp1vTIA6wpPmqdZPyZTkjXf7F0cG_p1X0uSSwpvsmQAV20oO5l34TmPyO3V6k-3k-D79ppoNPwTXICtj6-YJzq5l8lcXbcuGsiOOP8QU3SyTz_uqPgL4/s1600/Ember+3.jpg" height="233" width="320" /></a></div>
novel was a much better medium to
describe the bleakness of Ember even though you’d think a graphic novel would
be good for that. Unfortunately the dark doesn’t seem that imposing in the
graphic novel as a single panel will be in darkness and then the next panel
just mentions how long that blackout was. It just doesn’t translate well. Not
to mention that so many of the major plot points were simply grazed over or not
mentioned at all. It took away the sense of urgency you get from the novel and
it just makes it mediocre. Give it a shot if you loved the books (it only takes
about half an hour to read) but if you’re unfamiliar with the books and instead
looking for a good graphic novel avoid this one. You’d probably have a more
entertaining time sitting in the dark and just pretending you’re in Ember!<br />
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-13529975585814459122015-02-14T08:55:00.000-08:002015-02-14T08:55:55.311-08:00Nefertiti: A Heretically Good Read<div class="MsoNormal">
A Review By: Amelia
</div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5cYZJlar0QM_ySM5qqjpyP7thv3VO85R0wQjpCMisp35tcP7_CDpibvbm-IyQspv4ktHsESNyvMKtYYJBKEHzg2BAFGhfp0_GorwMFzx9Dcyi4aYjTaOiyNlvc7-kn69V4dYJ_XFYuTo/s1600/Nefertiti+1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5cYZJlar0QM_ySM5qqjpyP7thv3VO85R0wQjpCMisp35tcP7_CDpibvbm-IyQspv4ktHsESNyvMKtYYJBKEHzg2BAFGhfp0_GorwMFzx9Dcyi4aYjTaOiyNlvc7-kn69V4dYJ_XFYuTo/s1600/Nefertiti+1.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Historical fiction is my favourite genre of novel. I love
looking back on my favourite time periods and peoples of history and seeing an
alternate set of events–or possibly even an alternate history entirely–play out
before me! I guess I’m a nerd like that! One of my favourite time periods in
history–and therefore one of my favourites to read about–is ancient Egypt, so
imagine my delight when I found an author I’d yet to read anything by who
writes about ancient Egypt! And not just ancient Egypt, but badass women from
ancient Egypt! Well, that settled it, I was on board immediately for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nefertiti</i>.
</div>
</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; 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The author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nefertiti</i>
is Michelle Moran, who has also written about ancient Egypt in two other
historical fiction novels: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Heretic
Queen</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cleopatra’s Daughter</i>.
She found her love for Egypt during her six years as a public high school
teacher when she used her summers to travel the world and volunteer on
archaeological digs. She has also written <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Madame
Tussaud</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Second Empress</i>. </div>
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Nefertiti and her younger sister Mutnodjmet were born and
raised in a powerful family that have provided wives to the rulers of Egypt for
centuries. Nefertiti is chosen by her aunt–the Queen of Egypt–to settle her
unstable son Amunhotep, who has dreams of turning Egypt religion on its head by
worshipping not gods, but Aten, the physical disk of the Sun, as the one true
god. Nefertiti is chosen to calm Amunhotep and steer him away from his
heretical desires, but Nefertiti does not see it as such. By manipulating her
pharaoh husband out of jealously for the time he spends with his other wives
and her own want for power and to be remembered through the ages, Nefertiti
helps him build a city dedicated to this one god and twist tradition and
religion into something that will benefit her. She becomes a second pharaoh and
is beloved by the people, but is unable to see the powerful priests and
generals plotting against her husband’s rule. Her sister is the only one who
sees what is happening, yet remaining loyal to Nefertiti will force Mutnodjmet
into a dangerous political game she never wanted to play.</div>
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The main characters in this are the beautiful yet scheming
Nefertiti, the completely batshit crazy Amunhotep, and the timid plant lover
Mutnodjmet. There are other characters including Amunhotep’s parents,
Nefertiti’s and Mutnodjmet’s parents, and a selection of priests, generals, and
Kiya, Amunhotep’s second most important wife. Overall, I was a little
disappointed with the characters as they’re all pretty flat. Nefertiti was
probably the most well rounded but most of the time she still came off as
nothing but a spoiled brat. Amunhotep was the most interesting character for
me, but that’s just because he was so obviously crazy! All the characters were
scheming in one way or another and the devious political backstabbing and
conniving tricks just got tiresome as the one-note characters played them out.</div>
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Looking past the lackluster characters, the best part of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nefertiti</i>, for me, were the locations:
especially Amarna, the city that Amunhotep built to be the new capital of
Egypt. What makes Amarna so interesting is that Amunhotep built it over the
course of just a few years, relocated the entire royal court there, and then it
was abandoned only a few years later, and not again inhabited until Roman
settlement. It’s all very mysterious and I just love reading about historical
mysterious!</div>
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All in all, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nefertiti</i>
was an entertaining read. The characters were flat and a little plain and the
dialogue in some scenes just seemed redundant or over done, but by no means did
that ruin the experience for me. Nefertiti, as a historical figure, is always
fascinating to read about; and her crazy husband (at least, crazy as far as
this story goes if not in life) was compelling. </div>
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My final thoughts on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nefertiti</i>
are that it’s an impulsive read. There were parts of it I didn’t care for but
that didn’t stop me from wanting to know what happened next; and the last one
hundred pages makes up for it anyways as the best scenes of action happen there
and my favourite line in the whole piece (it’s about Anubis but I won’t spoil
it for anyone!). I recommend anyone with an interest in ancient Egypt–whether
it’s a passing fancy to a hardcore obsession–to give this book a shot.</div>
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-6184539971403627252015-02-07T09:50:00.000-08:002015-02-07T09:50:04.624-08:00Pink and Say: Be Ready to Learn Some Important Life Lessons From This Story FolksA Review By: Amelia<br /><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_m53GD7bI0EYhAroNHw23Z2X1B8JKOoaiwAj3ZIq8K8QmNP3ySN7vAvrzPoHckd4IKnwhMD4yU95ReB6244XQRVItGK1I99IQ9Tw3S-Q1Cfn48y1-ONcN3l93XKrOa_uDk8LmkMT5Yww/s1600/Pink+and+Say+1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_m53GD7bI0EYhAroNHw23Z2X1B8JKOoaiwAj3ZIq8K8QmNP3ySN7vAvrzPoHckd4IKnwhMD4yU95ReB6244XQRVItGK1I99IQ9Tw3S-Q1Cfn48y1-ONcN3l93XKrOa_uDk8LmkMT5Yww/s1600/Pink+and+Say+1.jpg" /></a></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">History is a big seller for me. I love learning about it
anyway I can: movies, television, documentaries, books. After recently
finishing up <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gone With the Wind</i> I’ve
become pretty interested in the American Civil War so I thought I’d check out
some other media about it. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d find a
children’s picture book about it–nor as heavy and foreboding a children’s
picture book as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pink and Say</i>.</span></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">
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This story, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pink and
Say</i>, is about a young black soldier who rescues a young white soldier who
has been left for dead. He carries him home to his mother in Georgia who
helps nurse him back to health. The two soldiers strike up an unlikely friendship
but, unfortunately, it ends in tragedy. </div>
Patricia Barber Polacco is the author and illustrator of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pink and Say</i> along with many, many other
picture books for children. Polacco struggled in school as she had dyslexia and
was unable to read until she was fourteen. She found relief by expressing
herself through art until a school teacher recognized that she couldn’t read
and helped her overcome it (if you’re interested in that story, her book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thank You, Mr. Falker </i>is her retelling
and tribute to the teacher who helped her).<br />
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As the title of the book suggests, the main characters of
this piece are Pink and Say. Pink is the black soldier, and Say the white
soldier, but they’re both fifteen and they’re both fighting for the Union so they become kin. Their friendship is very
touching and well developed. Polacco does an amazing job of showing how
friendship can cross colour lines. She deals with such character traits as
compassion and selflessness with ease and it’s all very natural. Like Say being
scared of going back to the fighting. You don’t see him as a coward, you see
him for the fifteen year old boy that he is. I especially like Pink and how he
admitted he was scared to fight too, but that he had too because it was his
fight. His angry and pride and courage are shown all at once in just that one
section of the story and that’s something that a lot of author’s can do so
naturally.</div>
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All that about characters being said, this is a very heavily
themed book, but with a topic like the Civil</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0q5dIxsaxmK0nEfRpNxdY2gIgpJ0XZ6y2Moh52iVfpOz8gObYhQKHu-onZJtUms4YOkpQnkpvLMOirlCQik4XbctV33SyOzGSS3BeDzs3rpPuaOH4j_3co44Z91iWDW7cN5gnVhQ7aik/s1600/Pink+and+Say+2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0q5dIxsaxmK0nEfRpNxdY2gIgpJ0XZ6y2Moh52iVfpOz8gObYhQKHu-onZJtUms4YOkpQnkpvLMOirlCQik4XbctV33SyOzGSS3BeDzs3rpPuaOH4j_3co44Z91iWDW7cN5gnVhQ7aik/s1600/Pink+and+Say+2.jpg" /></a></div>
War there was no way it wasn’t
going to be! It’s a book that teaches children about the injustices faced by
non-white people in history and the cruelty of war. It’s a heavy message (not
intended for the age group the publisher is trying to peddle it to, just so you
know) but it’s supposed to be heavy: maybe even a little bit shocking. I think
its heaviness gives it gravitas and more staying power within the reader’s
mind, which makes it a great choice for a social studies unit in school, but
maybe a poor choice for a bedtime tale. <br />
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The art style of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pink
and Say </i>is rough, kind of spur-of-the-moment (if you know what I mean). The
lines aren’t all perfect, the proportions are strange, and the colouring looks
like it could have been done by a kid with markers in some spots, but that all
adds to the experience. The story is emotional so it’s only fitting that the
artwork also be emotional; that it invokes a kind of stirring in you of
textures and grit and pain. It’s all quite exquisite when looking at it as a
whole package of story and art.</div>
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There are few picture books written about the Civil War,
fewer still based on such emotionally charged true stories. Although this book
had a tragic ending, the story is a poignant tribute to an interracial
friendship that developed during a time when such a thing was severely
punishable. While younger students may not fully understand or appreciate the
story and/or its underlying themes of racism and war, the basic idea of
friendship will resonate with all readers.</div>
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My final thoughts on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pink
and Say</i> are that it is incredibly heart-wrenching but it’s also incredibly
important in the realm of children’s literature and history itself. It’s a true
story kept alive by the gorgeous artwork and skilful language of Patricia
Barber Polacco. It’s a tale that keeps being told to make people realize just
how inhumane we are to our fellow man and to maybe persuade us–teach us–to take
a different approach, to be respectful, to lend a helping hand and, in that, it
readily succeeds. </div>
</span></span></span>Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-31359401722649464792015-01-31T08:55:00.000-08:002015-01-31T08:55:24.353-08:00The Good Man of Nanking: The Diary of a Good Nazi<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"></span></span><br />
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A Review By: Amelia</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDne5hbNi2OeFuPCMj4k624x9knjGzILNuO8AYJe0wrBN-oxbkGmx5WQfnvubdD-8ala3tFf_3XFUFT4lxRdEK_cn0mr454RJQzZzG8lJ4PsVSZMhMk3vSyjrXS3JKjrVnANzjnsCEAQc/s1600/The+Good+Man+of+Nanking+1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDne5hbNi2OeFuPCMj4k624x9knjGzILNuO8AYJe0wrBN-oxbkGmx5WQfnvubdD-8ala3tFf_3XFUFT4lxRdEK_cn0mr454RJQzZzG8lJ4PsVSZMhMk3vSyjrXS3JKjrVnANzjnsCEAQc/s1600/The+Good+Man+of+Nanking+1.jpg" height="320" width="205" /></a></div>
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I’ve had a grim fascination with World War Two since I was a
child thanks to my grandfather who told me countless war stories. I thought I
knew everything there was to know about the war into a few years ago when I
read a historical fiction novel called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Devil of Nanking</i> (which I have also reviewed for this blog). It had details
about a part of the war that I had no idea existed: the Asian invasions and
conflict that Japan roused
in China.
Since discovering this facts, I’ve had an even grimer fascination with the rape
of Nanking and have read all the material I
could find on the topic. That is how I came into possession of the book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Good Man of Nanking</i>.
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><div class="MsoNormal">
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<strong><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Good Man of Nanking</span></i></strong>
is a diary that documents one of World War Two’s most horrific incidents of
genocide, one which the Japanese have steadfastly refused to acknowledge. In
November 1937, as Japanese troops overran the Chinese capital of Nanking and
began a campaign of torture, rape, and murder against its citizens, one man put
himself at risk and in order to save the lives of 200,000 poor Chinese. </div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">John Rabe</span> was
a German businessman and member of the Nazi party who is best known for his
efforts to stop the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" title="Japanese war crimes"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">atrocities of the Japanese army</span></a> during the
Nanking Occupation and his work to protect and help the Chinese civilians during
the event. The <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" title="Nanking Safety Zone"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Nanking Safety Zone</span></a>, which he helped to
establish, sheltered approximately 200,000 Chinese people from slaughter during
the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" title="Nanking massacre"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">massacre</span></a>. He officially represented Germany and
acted as senior chief of the European–American establishment that remained in
Nanking when the city fell to the Japanese troops. He kept an extensive account
in the form of a diary documenting the fall and subsequent rape of Nanking. His
diary includes the years leading up to and during the Rape of Nanking and after
he left China and returned to Germany.</div>
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Rabe’s record of this often forgotten World War Two massacre
is an awe-inspiring tale of one man’s generosity and bravery in the face of
appalling, unnecessary human brutality. Rabe’s thoughts convey not only jarring
information that few people knew about, but also his emotions. This diary is
that of a man who was pushed to his breaking point but just kept going because
he knew if he didn’t, more people would have been slaughtered. Rabe was a Nazi
but much against what we know Nazis to be. He was a good man and without him,
what happened in Nanking could have been much worse for much longer.</div>
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My final thoughts on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Good Man of Nanking</i> are that it’s an interesting book with a very niche
topic. It’s certainly not something a casual nonfiction reader could pick up
and fall into, but a history buff might find many new (if mostly disturbing)
facts. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443755200365926131.post-46506949691435656262015-01-24T09:57:00.000-08:002015-01-24T09:57:03.986-08:00Sherlock Holmes A Study in Scarlet: A Study in How Many Things Can Be Turned Into a Graphic Novel!A Review By: Amelia<br /><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b><div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9WEqbRX3IIzm3S1-CZsOsRu3TthPqsyevQWYWYk98huDTP6pfcR7qkBuCCT97Un6jEabASRxX3fdp45ux-iTBg6E_CLTezgGmmyzoEtZheJl25jZM4g4ytKzM3kQrd1Nkw_Vsy_7OxY/s1600/A+Study+in+Scarlet+1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9WEqbRX3IIzm3S1-CZsOsRu3TthPqsyevQWYWYk98huDTP6pfcR7qkBuCCT97Un6jEabASRxX3fdp45ux-iTBg6E_CLTezgGmmyzoEtZheJl25jZM4g4ytKzM3kQrd1Nkw_Vsy_7OxY/s1600/A+Study+in+Scarlet+1.jpg" /></a>Sherlock Holmes is a literary figure that will never stop
sparking people’s imaginations. In my lifetime alone I’ve seen his period
pieces (Guy Ritchie movies), his modern pieces (the BBC Cumberbatch series),
and his ultra-modern pieces (the Sherlock Holmes in the 22<sup>nd</sup> Century
cartoon). He’s impossible to escape! So I thought why not read his graphic
novels (which I just discovered recently)? I mean, honestly, I’m a little
surprised he didn’t get graphic novel adaptations sooner but that’s beside the
point.
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818;">In the debut of
literature’s most famous sleuth, a dead man is discovered in a bloodstained
room in Brixton. The only clues are a wedding ring, a gold watch, a pocket
edition of Boccaccio's Decameron, and a word scrawled in blood on the wall.
With this investigation begins the partnership of Sherlock Holmes and Dr.
Watson. Their search for the murderer uncovers a story of love and revenge and,
out of the literature fiction, heralds a franchise of detective mysteries
starring the formidable Holmes that are still being enjoyed nowadays.</span></div>
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The original author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Study in Scarlet </i>is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but we all already know that.
The adaptors of the graphic novel are Ian Edginton, a British comic book writer
known for his steampunk/alternate history fiction pieces, and Ian Culbard who is
a designer, inker, colourist, and letterer for comics and is a fan of H.P.
Lovecraft and especially Arthur Conan Doyle, so the perfect guy for the job!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9OY3FDNaZ-hG6U_kxtu0Itw3hXTVSmqqiKUBGlSH0XdpR6sRlxzZ64WXUI0FlPYf1-96ucKN8G5_m4TRbSHXfaZ7dJGGcpVdvxG3egUqrlF6AYxn_JDKvNe7CW8HrOVJrurPfeo8Tuo/s1600/A+Study+in+Scarlet+2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9OY3FDNaZ-hG6U_kxtu0Itw3hXTVSmqqiKUBGlSH0XdpR6sRlxzZ64WXUI0FlPYf1-96ucKN8G5_m4TRbSHXfaZ7dJGGcpVdvxG3egUqrlF6AYxn_JDKvNe7CW8HrOVJrurPfeo8Tuo/s1600/A+Study+in+Scarlet+2.jpg" height="200" width="141" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The plot of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Study in
Scarlet </i>follows the original novel closely with a bloody and strange
homicide, Holmes and Watson meeting for the first time, and murderous Mormons. The
thing I liked the most about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Study in
Scarlet</i> however was the art. I’m not usually a big mystery fan so I’ve
always stayed away from Sherlock Holmes for the most part. The exception being
the movies with Jude Law as Dr. Watson, but I digress! The art style of the
piece was blocky and angular and it was just really appealing to me. I
especially loved the smug half-smile that was always on Holmes’ face! It was a
very simple style overall, but it fit the story and mood nicely.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoO4FBNRP5LqdcQ3bXj-NArDMB-a6afCsB_v2nyC-lv9Z0zfN8y34dQHIFsA_4RpNMQA5kw48eCLEwR7GA5ivnhqf6-yIVipD4Uq_-CRL450VDJdlHLWu1yeB4DYVdoh8TU-glubMO-4Q/s1600/A+Study+in+Scarlet+3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoO4FBNRP5LqdcQ3bXj-NArDMB-a6afCsB_v2nyC-lv9Z0zfN8y34dQHIFsA_4RpNMQA5kw48eCLEwR7GA5ivnhqf6-yIVipD4Uq_-CRL450VDJdlHLWu1yeB4DYVdoh8TU-glubMO-4Q/s1600/A+Study+in+Scarlet+3.jpg" height="93" width="200" /></a>My final thoughts on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Study in Scarlet the Graphic Novel</i> are that there’s nothing much to say
about it besides it’s quite good. It really worked well as a graphic novel. The
art style is eye-drawing without being overbearing and the story compelling but
cut back enough to make it a quick and snappy read. It doesn’t add anything new
to the Sherlock Holmes mythos but it’s a good standalone for anyone interested
in Holmes’ mysteries but maybe not the classical prose! Trust me, you’ll like
this graphic novel: it’s elementary my dear reader... I’ sorry, I couldn’t
resist!</div>
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Amelia http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975148755296405922noreply@blogger.com0