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Read in April 2015 (Catch Up Post!)

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Read in April, Part 01

  1. Star Trek, Section 31: Disavowed – David Mack.  Look, I’m still bitter that they broke Bashir and Ezri up in the continuation novels, so this was a difficult one for my broken shipper heart.
  2. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children: The Graphic Novel – Ransom Riggs & Cassandra Jean.  I thought that this was a completely unsuccessful adaptation.  One of the problems was that the art just didn’t suit the magical-realism tone of the story.
  3. John Constantine, Hellblazer: The Family Man – Jamie Delano, Grant Morrison et. al.  A mish-mash of storylines, some of which are deliciously creepy.
  4. Alice-Miranda in Paris – Jacqueline Harvey.  I started reading the Alice-Miranda books because of the boarding school setting, but I enjoy the ones set elsewhere just as much, and it’s all because of the charming whirlwind that is Alice-Miranda herself.  She’s so joyful and earnest, which is delightful to read.
  5. Alice-Miranda Shows the Way – Jacqueline Harvey.  See above.

 

Read in April, Part 02

  1. All-New X-Men, Volume 6: The Ultimate Adventure – Brian Michael Bendis & Mahmud Asrar.  So, I clearly need more Miles Morales in my life.  Still less X-23 though.
  2. The Uncanny X-Men: Legacy of the Lost – Chris Claremont et. al.  The beginning of the relationship between Storm and Forge, plus random alien hijinks.  I love these little reprint volumes.
  3. My Real Children – Jo Walton.  This was wonderful.  The split timeline narrative mixed historical fiction, feminism, LGBT issues and brilliant characters into a book that was hard to put down.  I really recommend this one!
  4. Mr Mac and Me – Esther Freud.  I work in Glasgow, so a novel about Charles Rennie Mackintosh was bound to draw my attention.  Unfortunately, I struggled with this one.  I found the writing a bit dry which made it hard to sympathise with the characters.  The main character, a boy who befriends ‘Mac’, was the worst affected which didn’t work for me as the story is told from his point of view.  Basically, I’d skip it if I were you.
  5. Foxglove Summer – Ben Aaronovitch.  These books continue to be great urban fantasy, and I recommend them unreservedly to anyone who’s a fan of that genre.  Taking Peter out of his usual stomping grounds of London worked really well, and the new supporting characters were a joy.

Read in March 2015 (Catch Up Post!)

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Read in March, Part 01

  1. An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth – Chris Hadfield. In some ways this was more of a motivational book than a memoir, but I enjoyed it despite my slightly surprise at the format. Hadfield’s voice is warm and witty, and his account of his career so far is definitely worth a read.
  2. Charm – Sarah Pinborough. A dark and sexy retelling of Cinderella.
  3. The Activity, Volume 1 – Nathan Edmondson & Mitch Gerads. I don’t remember this at all, which can’t be a good sign.
  4. The Manhattan Projects, Volume 1: Science Bad – Jonathan Hickman & Nick Pitarra. An alternate history version of the project that developed the atomic bomb, this is really weird and really interesting. The sci-fi elements are awesome, and the characters are all weird and wonderful and terrible. Give it a try!
  5. Secret, Volume 1: Never Get Caught – Jonathan Hickman & Ryan Bodenheim. Don’t remember this either…

 

Read in March, Part 02

  1. Mariana – Monica Dickens. We follow Mary from her childhood to Paris to married life, and it’s charming. A true comfort read for when you need one.
  2. 99 Days – Matteo Casali & Kristian Donaldson. Interesting to see the Rwandan genocide covered in a comic, but this, like most of the Vertigo Crime titles, wasn’t particularly great.
  3. Claudine at School – Colette. Although Claudine was a vivacious character, I struggled through the story of her childhood and early adulthood. I just found that I didn’t really care about what was happening, which was disappointing.
  4. The Manhattan Projects, Volume 2: They Rule – Jonathan Hickman & Nick Pitarra. Still weird, disturbing and interesting!
  5. The Manhattan Projects, Volume 3: Building – Jonathan Hickman & Nick Pitarra. See above.

 

Read in March, Part 03

  1. The Manhattan Projects, Volume 4: The Four Disciplines – Jonathan Hickman & Nick Pitarra. See above.
  2. All-New X-Men, Volume 1: Here Comes Yesterday – Brian Michael Bendis & Stuart Immonen. It’s probably not the best idea to read these as out of order as I have, but such is the life of a person who uses the library a lot. It was actually great to read how the whole thing started at last.
  3. Rat Queens, Volume 1: Sass and Sorcery – Kurtis J. Wiebe & Roc Upchurch. So many different people recommended this to me and with it’s kick-ass characters and fun setting, I can see why. I wasn’t blown away by it though. I actually feel a bit bad my reaction because I wanted to love it. (And , you know, screw you Roc Upchurch.) https://www.themarysue.com/rat-queens-artist-domestic-abuse/
  4. The X-Files Season 10, Volume 3 – Joe Harris & Matthew Dow Smith. Still digging this, but don’t tell anyone that I haven’t watched the new season yet…
  5. American Vampire, Volume 3 – Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque & Sean Murphy. I just love the tone of this series. It manages to mix American history with vampire lore without being too serious or ridiculous, and it’s super enjoyable to read.

 

Read in March, Part 04

  1. American Vampire, Volume 4 – Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque & Jordi Bernet. See above.
  2. American Vampire, Volume 5 – Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque & Dustin Nguyen. See above.
  3. The Books of Magic – Neil Gaiman, John Bolton et. al. I hadn’t read this since my early teens and enjoyed my revisit. I’m not overly familiar with the DC universe, so this serves as a great guide to the more magical corners of it. In a post-Harry Potter world, Timothy Hunter is still cool as fuck.
  4. Fury, Volume 1: My War Gone By – Garth Ennis, Goran Parlov & Lee Loughridge. I’m not a fan of the type of storytelling that involves us learning how difficult it is to be a man and how ladies should always be topless, so no to this.
  5. The Twelve, Volume 1 – J. Michael Straczynski & Chris Weston. I felt like I’d read this before, but I hadn’t. Turns out it’s just super similar to a bunch of other titles – heroes from the past are transplanted into the future and have a tough time fitting in, oh no!

 

Read in March, Part 05

  1. Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe – Cullen Bunn & Dalibor Talajic. Deadpool kills EVERYONE and it’s pretty excellent.
  2. Chew, Volume 2: International Flavour – John Layman & Rob Guillory. Cyborgs, alien fruit, deadly roosters, kick-ass characters at every turn and general zaniness. What’s not to like? (PS I love this series.)
  3. Chew, Volume 3: Just Desserts – John Layman & Rob Guillory. See above.
  4. Chew, Volume 4: Flambe – John Layman & Rob Guillory. See above.
  5. Chew, Volume 5: Major League Chew – John Layman & Rob Guillory. See above.

 

Read in March, Part 06

  1. Chew, Volume 6: Space Cakes – John Layman & Rob Guillory. See above.
  2. Chew, Volume 7: Bad Apples – John Layman & Rob Guillory. See above.
  3. Fell, Volume 1: Feral City – Warren Ellis & Ben Templesmith. Detective Richard Fell is transferred to Snow City after royally fucking up his career. On a downward spiral, he finds Snow City even weirder than he could ever have suspected. This is a really successful mix of horror and crime, totally elevated by Ben Templesmith’s excellent art.
  4. Savage Wolverine, Volume 4: The Best There Is – Jen Van Meter & Gail Simone. Oh, Wolverine. Who is it that’s buying endless titles of yours??
  5. Death of Wolverine – Charles Soule & Steven McNiven. I haven’t read much of the lead-up to this, so at time it didn’t make a lot of sense. Wolverine dies, and we’re supposed to think it’s forever. Okay then.

 

Read in March, Part 07

  1. Arsenic for Tea – Robin Stevens. Hazel and Daisy take on another case when someone drops dead at Daisy’s ancestral home. Glorious hijinks ensue.
  2. The Baking Life of Amelia Day – Vanessa Curtis. Amelia loves to bake, and she really wants to take part in baking reality TV programme. There’s only one problem – she has Cystic Fibrosis. Despite it being a huge part of her life, Amelia is not defined by her illness, and despite the serious issues it deals with, this is not a gloomy book. Instead it’s a funny, lovely read with bonus recipes (yay!).

Read in February 2015 (Catch Up Post!)

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Read in February, Part 01

  1. Avengers/X-Men: Bloodties – Bob Harras, Andy Kubert et. al. Meh. I mean, honestly, why do people like the Scarlet Witch? I don’t get it at all.
  2. Uncanny X-Men, Volume 4: vs S.H.I.E.L.D. – Brian Michael Bendis & Chris Bachalo. Solid, but not particularly memorable. Can we take a minute to talk about Magik’s costume though? Why so insanely slutty?
  3. The Wake – Scott Snyder & Sean Gordon Murphy. A fairly decent start but then it jumped forward in time and totally lost my interest.
  4. Pretty Deadly, Volume 1 – Kelly Sue DeConnick, Jodie Bellair & Emma Rios. I wanted to like this story about Death’s daughter, I really did, but it didn’t float my boat at all.
  5. Amazing X-Men, Volume 2: World War Wendigo – Kathryn Immonen et. al. A surprisingly fun read.

 

Read in February, Part 02

  1. Ferney – James Long. I picked this up after seeing it referenced in The Guardian. The claim made was that it was a more inventive (and earlier) version of The Time Traveler’s Wife. I love The Time Traveler’s Wife so Ferney sounded amazing. Imagine my disappointment when I found myself having to slog through it. The central relationship between Ferney and Gally was okay, but I never became particularly invested in it. Most unfortunately of all, I found the flashbacks to their past lives pretty dull and my heart sank every time I had to read another one. The cover was pretty blah too, which is never a good sign.
  2. X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills – Chris Claremont & Brent Anderson. A classic X-Men title that, slightly histrionic storytelling aside, more or less holds up today.
  3. X-Treme X-Men, Volume 2: You Can’t Go Home Again – Greg Pak, Stephen Segovia & Raul Valdes. Still not a massive fan of dimension hopping, but an okay read.
  4. Mind the Gap, Volume 2: Wish You Were Here – Jim McCann & Rodin Esquejo. This series continues to be a great read, with twists and turns galore. Still loving it.
  5. Mind the Gap, Volume 3: Out of Bodies – Jim McCann & Rodin Esquejo. See above.

 

Read in February, Part 03

  1. East of West, Volume 2: We Are All One – Jonathan Hickman & Nick Dragotta. Still no. So over the western genre in comics, even if it is supposed to be happening in a post-apocalyptic world.
  2. Trigger Warning – Neil Gaiman. Zoomed through this one. I’m never really a fan of Gaiman’s poems, but I loved a lot of the short stories. (PS I still haven’t read The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Meep!)
  3. Love Letters to the Dead – Ava Dellaira. I picked this up from an LGBT display I’d put together at work and ended up loving it. In trying to deal with her sister’s death, Laurel writes letters to dead celebrities, and they’re beautiful, and honest, and painful. Recommended for all YA fans.
  4. Slaine: The Brutania Chronicles, Book One: A Simple Killing – Pat Mills & Simon Davis. Slaine is a series that I’ve always wanted to enjoy but I’m not sure if I’ve ever really managed it. I love the mythology, but I’m never particularly interested in the storylines, and this volume only confirmed that.
  5. Little Boy Lost – Marghanita Laski. It’s probably naïve of me, but I never realised that there were so many displaced and unclaimed children at the end of World War II. This is the story of Hilary who returns to France after the war in search of his lost son, which is slightly harrowing in itself, but when Hilary finds a boy that might be his son, his struggle to decide whether or not the boy is his is heart-rending. The best thing about this book is that the emotional material is dealt with in almost dispassionate way. The writing is matter of fact rather than flowery, which serves the story really well.

 

Read in February, Part 04

  1. Moone Boy: The Blunder Years – Chris O’Dowd & Nick V. Murphy. This was a fun little read, but I wanted to love it so much more than I did. Although it maintains the humour of the TV programme, and uses the same super cute illustrations, it doesn’t quite match up to it.
  2. X-Men, Volume 3: Bloodline – Brian Wood & Matteo Buffagni. I always approve of Jubilee taking centre stage, even if the baby daddy from the future storyline was a bit ridiculous.
  3. Wolverine and the X-Men, Volume 1: Tomorrow Never Learns – Jason Latour & Mahmud Asrar. Not as fun as the previous Wolverine and the X-Men run, but not the worst ever. Plus, the more I see of Doop, the more I like him.
  4. Savage Wolverine: Kill Island – Frank Cho. Dear Shanna the She-Devil, doesn’t your torso get all scratched up when you run around the Savage Land half naked?
  5. Sheltered, Volume 2 – Ed Brisson & John Christmas. A solid continuation, but not one that inspired me to pick up the next volume.

 

Read in February, Part 05

    1. Todd, the Ugliest Kid on Earth, Volume 1 – M.K. Perker & Ken Kristensen. I picked this up from the library pretty much just because it was there (I’ll give pretty much anything in the graphic novel section a try). Happily, it was totally worth a read. Todd has to wear a paper bag over his face because he’s no ugly. For some reason, this makes everyone act like a total bastard to him, but Todd never lets it dampen his spirits. Off-beat and enjoyable.
    2. The Language of Dying – Sarah Pinborough. A beautiful, haunting read that adds a slight supernatural edge to an exploration of how death affects everyone differently.
    3. Pivot Point – Kasia West. I enjoyed the premise of this novel, as well as the more sci-fi elements, but I wasn’t overly taken by the story itself.
    4. The Silver Darlings – Will Morris. A Scottish coming-of-age story with beautiful artwork.
    5. Morning Glories Deluxe Collection, Volume 1 – Nick Spencer, Joe Eisman & Rodin Esquejo.  Morning Glory Academy is an elite boarding school, it’s also weird as fuck. The storytelling style reminded me a bit of Lost, in that you have a basic premise that’s riddled with odd, inexplicable things, and characters who are never quite what they seem. In other words, it’s interesting and generally awesome.

 

Read in February, Part 06

  1. Ultimate Comics X-Men, Volume 3 – Brian Wood & Alvaro Martinez. I’m a fan of evil Jean Grey, she’s pretty epic. And I really like the Ultimate Comics version of Kitty Pryde, who’s conflicted but spremely confident.
  2. All-New X-Men, Volume 2: Here to Stay – Brian Michael Bendis & Stuart Immonen. And speaking of interesting versions of Kitty Pryde, Kitty Pryde as kick-ass mentor also works really well.
  3. All-New X-Men, Volume 4: All-Different – Brian Michael Bendis & Stuart Immonen. I have never been a fan of X-23 and I am definitely not a fan of her addition to this title. Do I want to read a Cyclops/X-23 romance? No, I really, really do not.
  4. Daredevil, Volume 1: Devil at Bay – Mark Waid & Chris Samnee. I didn’t find much to like in this, to be honest. Totally unremarkable.

Read in January 2015 (Catch Up Post!)

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Read in January, Part 01

  1. Peter West – D.E. Stevenson. D.E. Stevenson’s books are the ultimate ‘gentle’ read. There were times in this when I wanted to reach into the pages of the novel and shake the characters, but Stevenson wrote them in such a charming way that I couldn’t help but root for them. One of the strengths of this novel was the sense of place that led to the Scottish countryside acting as a third main character.
  2. Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore – Robin Sloan. A quirky read about an unusual bookshop, but I was quite disappointed at the explanation given to the central mystery of the story. The mystery had so much potential and the explanation just seemed ridiculous. Oh well!
  3. The Sleeper and the Spindle – Neil Gaiman & Chris Riddell. A beautiful and lyrical about forging your own path and being your own hero.
  4. John Constantine, Hellblazer: Shoot – Warren Ellis et. al. An interesting collection of one-shot issues, some better than others, but worth a look if you’re into Hellblazer (and If you’re not into Hellblazer we need to have a wee chat).
  5. Ms Marvel, Volume 1: No Normal – G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona. Loved it. Kamala is such an incredibly endearing character and her origin story was so fun, which is sadly rare in comics these days.

Read in January, Part 02

  1. All New X-Men, Volume 3: Out of Their Depth – Brian Michael Bendis & Stuart Immonen. Another fun title, although with a darker edge than Ms Marvel.
  2. X-Treme X-Men, Volume 1: Xavier Must Die! – Greg Pak & Stephen Segovia. I was never a massive fan of the dimension-hopping storyline that was at the centre of Exiles and is now being rehashed in X-Treme X-Men. Sure, it gives us fun alternate versions of familiar characters, but I find it quite gimmicky. This was decent, but it didn’t inspire me to pick up any more volumes.
  3. Ribblestrop – Andy Mulligan. A zany take on the modern boarding school genre, but this didn’t grab me.
  4. Shiverton Hall: The Creeper – Emerald Fennell. Just as creepy and oddly enjoyable as the first book in the series. I really can’t pinpoint what I like about these books, which I find frustrating, but whenever I finish one I check to see if another one has been published.
  5. Mrs Tim of the Regiment – D.E. Stevenson. My favourite of Stevenson’s books so far, this is a barely fictionalised account of her time as an army wife. It’s charming as fuck, lads, and funny to boot. Recommended!

Read in January, Part 03

  1. Summerhills – D.E. Stevenson. This is a sequel to a book I haven’t read, but it was pretty easy to jump into. Once again, the setting was almost a main character, and I spent a lot of time wishing good things for all the characters.
  2. The Moth Diaries – Rachel Klein. I have a weakness for vampire books that goes back to my childhood, and this book combined the vampire genre (or did it??) with the boarding school genre, another of my favourites. Written in diary form, this is a claustrophobic novel with a narrator of questionable reliability. The general tone of unease reminded me of Picnic at Hanging Rock. Look, it’s good, okay?
  3. The Rain – Virginia Bergin. Picked this up at random and although it has an interesting concept (rainwater becomes lethal to humans) I didn’t particularly like it. I found the main character hugely annoying and mostly unsympathetic, and although the concept was interesting, it wasn’t applied particularly logically. There’s a sequel but I have no plans to pick it up.
  4. Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? – Roz Chast. A graphic novel memoir, this book is an account of the last few years of the lives of Chast’s parents. It’s beautiful, and sad, and funny, and touching, and painful. Absolutely recommended!