Harrow County: Omnibus Volume 1

Today's graphic novel is on Harrow County: Omnibus Volume 1 by Cullen Bunn et al. The cover has a hand reaching out of a box with glowing eyes behind it. It is 408 pages long and is published by Dark Horse. The intended reader is someone who likes horror comics. There is very mild foul language, no sex, and some violence. The story is told from third person close following Emmy. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- The first half of the highly acclaimed, Eisner-nominated horror fantasy tale, collected in a value-priced omnibus.
Emmy always knew that the woods surrounding her home crawled with ghosts and monsters. But on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, she learns that she is connected to these creatures--and to the land itself--in a way she never imagined.
Collects issues 1-16 of Harrow County.

Review- A wonderful and interesting horror comic with a great main character in Emmy. Emmy lives with her father on a farm in rural Harrow County. But Harrow County has blood in its soil from the killing a powerful witch, who wanted to become a god. When she died, the witch cursed Harrow County and promised to return. When Emmy starts healing the animals on the farm, her father knows that she is the witch returned. Emmy has to fight for life and to protect Harrow County from the things that the witch did before she died. Emmy is a great main character, she is clever, curious, and level headed in the face of the terrors in Harrow County. The side characters have their own stories that give them depth and add more flavor to Harrow County. I look forward to reading the second omnibus and following Emmy to her destiny. 

I give this graphic novel a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this graphic novel from my local library. 

A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them

Today's nonfiction post is on A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan. It is 432 pages long and is published by Viking. The cover is a picture of downtown Irving, Indiana, c. 1909. The intended reader is someone who likes history, true crime, and where the two meet. There is foul language, sexuality and rape, and violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- A historical thriller by the Pulitzer and National Book Award-winning author that tells the riveting story of the Klan's rise to power in the 1920s, the cunning con man who drove that rise, and the woman who stopped them.
The Roaring Twenties--the Jazz Age--has been characterized as a time of Gatsby frivolity. But it was also the height of the uniquely American hate group, the Ku Klux Klan. Their domain was not the old Confederacy, but the Heartland and the West. They hated Blacks, Jews, Catholics and immigrants in equal measure, and took radical steps to keep these people from the American promise. And the man who set in motion their takeover of great swaths of America was a charismatic charlatan named D.C. Stephenson.
Stephenson was a magnetic presence whose life story changed with every telling. Within two years of his arrival in Indiana, he’d become the Grand Dragon of the state and the architect of the strategy that brought the group out of the shadows – their message endorsed from the pulpits of local churches, spread at family picnics and town celebrations. Judges, prosecutors, ministers, governors and senators across the country all proudly proclaimed their membership. But at the peak of his influence, it was a seemingly powerless woman – Madge Oberholtzer – who would reveal his secret cruelties, and whose deathbed testimony finally brought the Klan to their knees.
A FEVER IN THE HEARTLAND marries a propulsive drama to a powerful and page-turning reckoning with one of the darkest threads in American history.

Review- A fascinating read about a crime and history that I knew nothing about. This is really about the spread of the KKK in Indiana and the conman who spearheaded it. Stephenson, not his real name, came into Indiana in the 1920's and found himself a new grift, selling the ideas of the Klan to the Hoosier state. Business, sadly, was good. So Stephenson got a lot of power in the highest of places, the local and state government. So much so that he said, he was the law in Indiana. So when he kidnapped, assaults', then leads to the death of a local young woman, he believes that he can get away with it. I really enjoyed this book, the writing is excellent, the story is riveting, and intense. Egan does done great research into this story and all the people who were involved in it and has great notes in the back of the book. If you are a true crime reader or someone who likes historical books, then you should this book. 

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Villains Are Destined to Die, Vol. 5

Today's manga post is on Villains Are Destined to Die, Vol. 5 by Gyeoeul Gwon and SUOL (Artist). It is 272 pages long and published by Ize Press. The cover has Penelope and Derrick on it. As it is the fifth in the series, you need to have read the first four volumes to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes dark stories with intense characters and incredible art. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the main character. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- Penelope and Callisto safely escaped the assassins, but Callisto is left in mortal danger and Penelope...is standing trial for murder?! Accused of murdering seven nobles during the Hunt, she faces a court proceeding that’s in actuality nothing more than an elaborate sham to frame her. With false testimonies filling the courtroom and Callisto unable to take the stand, will Penelope make it out alive...?

Review- Penelope has been arrested for attempting to murder seven nobles and no one is listening to her, especially not her family. With Callisto unconscious, she has to prove her innocence all alone. But the game is working with her, to help save her neck and uncover the true villains. Penelope has reached the end of her rope with everyone around her. She only wants to end the game and go home but with every turn of the plot, she is getting in deeper. Penelope and Callisto continue have good discussions and he promises to never kill her. With only a month left before her coming of age event, Penelope is starting to feel the pressure. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next volume. 

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money. 

The Memory Eater

Today's fiction post is on The Memory Eater by Rebecca Mahoney. It is 336 pages long and is published by Razorbill. The cover is a girl standing in the center is a ghostly being all around her with a face and hands. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who likes young adult fiction, stories about dealing with trauma, and found family. The story is told from first person perspective. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- For generations, a monster called the Memory Eater has lived in the caves of Whistler Beach, Maine, surviving off the unhappy memories of those who want to forget. And for generations, the Harlows have been in charge of keeping her locked up—and keeping her fed.
After her grandmother dies, seventeen-year-old Alana Harlow inherits the family business. But there’s something Alana doesn’t know: the strange gaps in her memory aren’t from an accident. Her memories have been taken— eaten. And with them, she’s lost the knowledge of how to keep the monster contained.
Now the Memory Eater is loose. Alana’s mistake could cost Whistler Beach everything—unless she can figure out how to retrieve her own memories and recapture the monster. But as Alana delves deeper into her family’s magic and the history of her town, she discovers a shocking secret at the center of the Harlow family business and learns that tampering with memories never comes without a price.

Review- A moving story about how we deal with grief, trauma, and the other hard things in life. The past year hasn't been kind to Alana, her grandmother died, she broke up with her girlfriend, and no one really trusts to do her job. Then the memory eater gets out and now she has to save the town before the memory eater eats them all. A moving tale about memory, family trauma, and learning to live with hard memories. Alana is a good main character, she is trying so hard to be what her town says she should be. But she doesn't know what she really wants and more or who she is and that's before the memory eater takes some of her memories. The writing is solid, the characters are good, and the plot is moving. I would recommend this novel.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library. 

Eating the Dinosaur

Today nonfiction post is on Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman. It is 245 pages long and is published by Scribner. The cover has a dinosaur on it with different parts pointed at like brisket or short rib. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who likes essays about pop culture and recent history. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Chuck Klosterman has chronicled rock music, film, and sports for almost fifteen years. He's covered extreme metal, extreme nostalgia, disposable art, disposable heroes, life on the road, life through the television, urban uncertainty and small-town weirdness. Through a variety of mediums and with a multitude of motives, he's written about everything he can think of (and a lot that he's forgotten). The world keeps accelerating, but the pop ideas keep coming.
In Eating the Dinosaur, Klosterman is more entertaining and incisive than ever. Whether he's dissecting the boredom of voyeurism, the reason why music fans inevitably hate their favorite band's latest album, or why we love watching can't-miss superstars fail spectacularly, Klosterman remains obsessed with the relationship between expectation, reality, and living history. It's amateur anthropology for the present tense, and sometimes it's incredibly funny.

Review- Klosterman's essays in this collection are quite varied from sports to music. Within one essay, he will cover a topic, like fans hating their favorites newest album and why the best basketball player is a total unknown. Of course, the real draw the book is Klosterman's writing itself. He is such a good writer that, he makes every topic interesting. The pieces of interviews, at the beginning of each chapter, help set the tone of the chapter and give some insight into what Klosterman is going for within the chapter. Klosterman is my personal favorite essayist at this time and I would recommend him and any of his books. 

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden, Vol. 01

Today's manga post is on Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden, Vol. 01 by Yuu Watase. It is 189 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has two of the main characters on it, Takiko and Limdo. This is a prequel to the first Fushigi Yûgi series, but you do not have to have read it to understand the story. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and some violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of Takiko. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- When schoolgirl Takiko Okuda attempts to destroy her father's translation of "The Universe of the Four Gods," she is instead literally sucked into the story, becoming the Priestess of Genbu in an epic journey to find the seven Celestial Warriors!
In her first encounter, she meets the mysterious outlaw Limdo, a Celestial Warrior with a tattoo of the Chinese character for "woman" on his chest. Limdo can not only summon the wind as one of his special powers, but he can also transform into a woman!
Takiko meets up with the bowman, Chamka, who is hunting Limbdo. It seems Chamka is one of the seven Celestial Warriors as well...

Review- A great start to the prequel of a classic series. Takiko has been caring for her mother as they wait for her father to return from wherever he wondered off to. When he returns, he is still obsessed with a book called "The Universe of the Four Gods," and is not there when Takiko's mother dies. In her anger, Takiko tries to destroy the book. That is when she is taken into the world of the Four Gods. The story is strong with Takiko having a strong will and she makes choices in her life. The two warriors she has met are interesting and they have strong powers. The bad guys know that she is here and they are ready for her. I am looking forward to seeing what is going to happen next. 

I give this manga a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

The Last Book You'll Ever Read: The Complete Series

Today's fiction post is on The Last Book You'll Ever Read: The Complete Series by Cullen Bunn et al. It is 192 pages long and is published by Vault Comics. The cover has the main character bursting out of a book with monster hands reaching for her. The intended reader is someone who likes horror and graphic novels. There is foul language, sex, and violence in this graphic novel. The story is told from third person close of two of the characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Read this book at your own peril.
Olivia Kade wrote the book that ended the world. Now she needs someone who won't read it.
Civilization is a lie. Hidden deep in our genes is the truth. And it is slowly clawing its way to the surface. Olivia Kade knows the truth, and she has become the prophet of the coming collapse. Her book, SATYR, is an international bestseller, and it is being blamed for acts of senseless violence and bloodshed all over the world. Olivia's own life is in danger from those who have read her work. Determined to conduct a book tour, she hires security professional Connor Wilson to act as her bodyguard. She only has one requirement: he cannot read her work.

Review- An interesting graphic novel about a woman who wrote a book that could end civilization. Olivia wrote, what she thought was, a book about human nature and philosophy. But as more and more people read her book something is happening to them. The reader either think she is a holy prophet or a doomsayer and must be killed. Her bodyguard hasn't read the book and is mystified by the extreme reactions. Now all he has to do is get Olivia to the last stop on her book tour. This was a fun read with lots of questions about the nature of the book that Olivia wrote or if she wrote it all. The art is very good, the story is compelling, and the ending is open for more to be written in this world. I would like to see more in this world and how others are surviving in it. I would recommend this graphic novel. 

I give this graphic novel a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this graphic novel from my local library.

Empress of the Nile: The Daredevil Archaeologist Who Saved Egypt's Ancient Temples from Destruction

Today's nonfiction post is on Empress of the Nile: The Daredevil Archaeologist Who Saved Egypt's Ancient Temples from Destruction by Lynne Olson. It is 448 pages long and is published by Random House. The cover is a picture of Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt on a dig. The intended reader is someone who is interested in women's history, world history, and Egyptology. There is mild foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- In the 1960s, the world’s attention was focused on a nail-biting race against the international campaign to save a dozen ancient Egyptian temples from drowning in the floodwaters of the gigantic new Aswan High Dam. But the coverage of this unprecedented rescue effort completely overlooked the daring French archaeologist who made it all happen. Without the intervention of Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt, the temples—including the Temple of Dendur, now at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art—would currently be at the bottom of a vast reservoir. It was an unimaginably complex project that required the fragile sandstone temples to be dismantled and rebuilt on higher ground.
Willful and determined, Desroches-Noblecourt refused to be cowed by anyone or anything. As a member of the French Resistance in World War II she survived imprisonment by the Nazis; in her fight to save the temples she defied two of the most daunting leaders of the postwar world, Egypt’s President Abdel Nasser and France’s President Charles de Gaulle. As she told one reporter, “You don’t get anywhere without a fight, you know.”
Desroches-Noblecourt also received help from a surprising source. Jacqueline Kennedy, America’s new First Lady, persuaded her husband to help fund the rescue effort. After a century and a half of Western plunder of Egypt’s ancient monuments, Desroches-Noblecourt helped instead to preserve a crucial part of that cultural heritage.

Review- A great read about the first French woman Egyptology, Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt. She loved Egypt from childhood and her parents enjoyed her passion. She fought the establishments in intellectual French to make a place for herself and other women. This book follows her whole life and career. She also fought for the temples of ancient Egypt that were forgotten and uncared for. Desroches-Noblecourt saw all the beauty and history as more than just Egypt's, it belonged to the whole world as world history. So she did everything she could to make others, especially those in power, see the beauty too. With effort, she did and we still have many temples that would have been lost to the Nile without her. I recommend this book about a fascinating woman, Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt. 

I give this book a a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, Vol. 2

Today's manga post is on Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, Vol. 2 by Yū Tomofuji. It is 192 pages long and is published by Yen Press. The cover has Sariphi, Cy, and Clops on it. As it is the second in the series, you need to have read the first volume to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes shojo manga, love stories, and court intrigue. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the main character, Sariphi. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- When an array of rival princesses descends upon the palace, Sariphi gains an unlikely ally in the princess of the reptile clan. A hopeless romantic, Princess Amit is determined to push her erstwhile sacrificial friend into the king's arms! But even with Amit cheering her on, will Sariphi be able to carry out the absurd set of tasks Chancellor Anubis concocts to prove she is worthy of being queen...?

Review- Sariphi has to actively choose if she wants to be queen in this volume. All the princesses have come to try and marry Leo. The cat princess even tries to kill Sariphi but Anubis is the real threat to her. He wants to out of the castle and for Leo to choose the right bride, not a human one. Also Sariphi gains a friend in the lizard princess, who becomes her personal attendant. Sariphi has many challenges in this volume but her faith in herself and in Leo is strong. There is world building in this volume with the reader seeing magic and the cost of doing magic. I am enjoying this series and I look forwarding to seeing Sariphi succeed. 

I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

Hide

Today's post is on Hide by Kiersten White. It is 240 pages long and is published by Del Rey. The cover is yellow with a Ferris wheel on floating ground in the center. The intended reader is someone who likes horror novels. There is foul language, no sex and mild violence in this novel. The story is from third person close of the different characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- The challenge: spend a week hiding in an abandoned amusement park and don't get caught.
The prize: enough money to change everything.
Even though everyone is desperate to win--to seize their dream futures or escape their haunting pasts--Mack feels sure that she can beat her competitors. All she has to do is hide, and she's an expert at that.
It's the reason she's alive, and her family isn't.
But as the people around her begin disappearing one by one, Mack realizes this competition is more sinister than even she imagined, and that together might be the only way to survive.
Fourteen competitors. Seven days. Everywhere to hide, but nowhere to run.
Come out, come out, wherever you are.

Review- A very intense and interesting horror novel. Mack has been hiding all her life, from her past and her future. But when she is offered a chance in this game, she thinks why not. But of course nothing is like it seems. The other people are odd, like her and there is something wrong with the maze. The mystery about the maze was not too hard to figure out but the plot was still enjoyable. I liked the characters and I was sadden by their deaths but this is a horror novel. I think that White did a good job in this novel, she took a good concept, added interesting characters, and made a good novel. I would enjoy reading another novel from her. 

I give this novel a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this novel from my local library. 

Ghosts of the Orphanage: A Story of Mysterious Deaths, a Conspiracy of Silence, and a Search for Justice

Today's nonfiction post is on Ghosts of the Orphanage: A Story of Mysterious Deaths, a Conspiracy of Silence, and a Search for Justice by Christine Kenneally. It is was 384 pages long and published by Public Affairs. The cover is a black and white picture with a stairway in the back. The intended reader is someone who is interested in the history of twentieth-century orphanages and the children who survived them. There is foul language, discussion of sexual violence, and violence in the form of child abuse in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- The shocking secret history of twentieth-century orphanages—which for decades hid violence, abuse, and deaths within their walls For much of the twentieth century, a series of terrible events—abuse, both physical and psychological, and even deaths—took places inside orphanages. The survivors have been trying to tell their astonishing stories for a long time, but disbelief, secrecy, and trauma have kept them from breaking through. For ten years, Christine Kenneally has been on a quest to uncover the harrowing truth.   Centering her story on St. Joseph’s, a Catholic orphanage in Vermont, Kenneally has written a stunning account of a series of crimes and abuses. But her work is not confined to one place. Following clues that take her into the darkened corners of several institutions across the globe, she finds a trail of terrifying stories and a courageous group of survivors who are seeking justice. Ghosts of the Orphanage is an incredible true crime story and a reckoning with a past that has stayed buried for too long, with tragic consequences.  

Review- This is a tough read but also very worth it to give the survivors their voices. Kenneally started researching the topic of child abuse in Catholic orphanages around 2016. At first she was just looking in her native Australia but she dug deeper into the story she realized that this was more than just the odd priest or nun, it was systemic. The stories the survivors told were stomach turning and gave the survivors life long PTSD. Keanneally investigates the stories and gives the survivors room to tell the stories themselves. This book is a testament, like the Spotlight stories that broke open the sexual abuse of priests, to the will of the survivors . I would recommend this book out of respect to them.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library. 

Kiss Him, Not Me!, Vol. 4

Today's manga post is on Kiss Him, Not Me!, Vol. 4 by Junko. It is 168 pages long and is published by Kodansha Comics. The cover has Kae, Nanashima and Shinomiya on it. As it is the fourth in the series, you need to have read the first three volumes to understand the story. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this manga. The intended reader is someone who likes shojo and high school rom-coms. The story is told from third person close of mostly Kae. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Hi again! It's me, Kae! After sweating it out with the boys, I've slimmed down again, but the fujoshi in me will never fade away!
After everything that happened in the last volume, Igarashi has now fallen in love with the true me. je's decided to continue his pursuit, but this time, he means business!
Igarashi's new resolve also spurs a change in Nanashima, and he doubles his efforts to win me over, it's great that they're both so fired up, but what's firing me up the thought of them possibly getting hot and heavy with each other...

Review- This volume is more about the boys and their inter-relationships and Kae is in the background having her fujoshi fantasies. But Kae is also learning to be real friends to the boys and getting to understand them. There is a little moment with some other boys are not good are hearing the word 'no' and Kae has to be rescued by her friends. The manga is really sinking into the silly theme and exploring the characters that live in this world and even in Kae's imagination. I would like to see some growth from Kae, maybe start thinking about the boys as real people, not just there for to her have fantasies about. 

I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

Alice Ever After

Today's post is on Alice Ever After by Dan Panosian, Giorgio Spalletta (Illustrator) and Cyril Glerum (Illustrator). It is 128 pages long and is published by BOOM! Studios. The cover has Alice trapped in a glass pill jar, crying, trying to get out. The intended reader is someone who is interested in what happened to Alice after she grew up. There is mild foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this graphic novel. The story follows Alice and her sister Edith. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Alice first visited Wonderland as a child. Now an adult, it’s her only escape from her cold, strange reality. But in order to return, Alice needs something stronger than mushrooms, and is forced to resort to crime to feed her growing addiction… When this fateful decision takes her a step too far down a terrible path, Alice finds herself committed to the dreaded asylum. What horrors await her in the bowels of this twisted place? And will Alice ultimately choose to escape from her uncaring family and childhood trauma in Wonderland, or find the courage to face her demons in the real world?

Review- A dark for Alice and a dark reason for her going to Wonderland. When Alice was a child, she was given a drug to help her sleep and she dreamed of Wonderland. But She was given too much and is now addicted and need the drug. This has some very dark moments when Alice is in the asylum with the guards and the madam. The art is good, bright in Wonderland and more muted tones in the real world. If you are a big Alice in Wonderland fan, then you should enjoy this graphic. If you like darker takes on classic stories, you should like this graphic. But if you are neither, then you may not care for this one. 

I give this graphic novel a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this graphic from my local library.