The Oracle Code

Today's post is on The Oracle Code by Marieke Nijkamp, Manuel Preitano (Illustrations). It is 208 pages long and is published by DC Comics. The cover has Barbara on it in her wheel chair. The intended reader is someone who is interested in a new telling of Barbara's story and DC Comics. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this graphic novel. The story is told from  third person close of Barbara. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- After a gunshot leaves her paralyzed, Barbara Gordon enters the Arkham Center for Independence, where Gotham's teens undergo physical and mental rehabilitation. Now using a wheelchair, Barbara must adapt to a new normal, but she cannot shake the feeling that something is dangerously amiss. Within these walls, strange sounds escape at night; patients go missing; and Barbara begins to put together pieces of what she believes to be a larger puzzle.
But is this suspicion simply a result of her trauma? Fellow patients try to connect with Barbara, but she pushes them away, and she'd rather spend time with ghost stories than participate in her daily exercises. Even Barbara's owan judgment is in question.
In The Oracle Code, universal truths cannot be escaped, and Barbara Gordon must battle the phantoms of her past before they swarm her future.

Review- An excellent reinvention of Barbara Gordon becoming Oracle. Barbara is shot as the very beginning of this story and the rest is really about her coming to terms with what happened and rediscovering herself. When she starts, Barbara does not want to be at Arkham Center for Independence and she does not want to make new friends. But the longer she is there, the more she realizes that something is very wrong. Barbara has to re-find her inner hero to save the children that are missing and stop the bad guys. We get to see Barbara struggle with her new life, making new friends, and helping her old friends come to terms with her new life too. I really enjoyed this graphic novel, I liked seeing Barbara face the new challenges for her life, and overcome them. I hope that more comics are made following her into her role as Oracle for the Bat-family.

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

The Cold Vanish: Seeking the Missing in North America's Wildlands

Today’s Nonfiction post is on The Cold Vanish: Seeking the Missing in North America's Wildlands by Jon Billman. It is 348 pages long and is published by Grand Central Publishing. The cover is a picture of the trees in the Pacific Northwest. The intended reader is someone who is interested in learning about people who go missing national forests. There is mild foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- For readers of Jon Krakauer and Douglas Preston, the critically acclaimed author and journalist Jon Billman's fascinating, in-depth look at people who vanish in the wilderness without a trace and those eccentric, determined characters who try to find them.

These are the stories that defy conventional logic. The proverbial vanished without a trace incidences, which happen a lot more (and a lot closer to your backyard) than almost anyone thinks. These are the missing whose situations are the hardest on loved ones left behind. The cases that are an embarrassment for park superintendents, rangers and law enforcement charged with Search & Rescue. The ones that baffle the volunteers who comb the mountains, woods and badlands. The stories that should give you pause every time you venture outdoors.

Through Jacob Gray's disappearance in Olympic National Park, and his father Randy Gray who left his life to search for him, we will learn about what happens when someone goes missing. Braided around the core will be the stories of the characters who fill the vacuum created by a vanished human being. We'll meet eccentric bloodhound-handler Duff and R.C., his flagship purebred, who began trailing with the family dog after his brother vanished in the San Gabriel Mountains. And there's Michael Neiger North America's foremost backcountry Search & Rescue expert and self-described "bushman" obsessed with missing persons. And top researcher of persons missing on public wildlands Ex-San Jose, California detective David Paulides who is also one of the world's foremost Bigfoot researchers.

It's a tricky thing to write about missing persons because the story is the absence of someone. A void. The person at the heart of the story is thinner than a smoke ring, invisible as someone else's memory. The bones you dig up are most often metaphorical. While much of the book will embrace memory and faulty memory -- history -- The Cold Vanish is at its core a story of now and tomorrow. Someone will vanish in the wild tomorrow. These are the people who will go looking.

Review-  An interesting account of different people who go missing and may or may not be found in the national forests in the Pacific Northwest. Billman got interested in the missing when a woman who was a runner, similar to himself, went missing near his home in Colorado. He joined the search for her and eventually became more and more interested in the people who go missing in this area of the world really without a trace. He writes some stories for some magazines on different runners and cyclists that go missing and then gets involved in the search for a young man named Jacob Gray. Over the course of the book we follow Billman and Gray’s father Randy Gray as they search all over the Pacific Northwest for him. Chapters change out between the search for Jacob and stories about other people who went missing in the area. Most of them end in heartbreak. This book is fairly well written, very interesting, and is definitely a cautionary tale about being too confident when setting out on your own in the national parks of America or anywhere really. If you're looking for something that is true crime but not really related to murder or other harsh topics give this one a try. 

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

The Ancient Magus' Bride, vol. 4

Today’s post is on The Ancient Magus' Bride, vol. 4  by Kore Yamazaki. It is 184 pages long and is published by Seven Seas Publishing. The cover has Chise and Elias on it sitting on a bridge. As it is the fourth volume in the series you need to have read the first three to understand what is going on. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this manga. The intended reader is someone who has read the first three volumes and likes manga. The story is told from third person close of the main character Chise. There Be Spoilers Ahead. 

From the back of the book- "I am not alone."

Chise has been summonsed to the Dragon Aerie to begin crafting her very own wand, but her journey has more to offer than she had anticipated: magical wonders, enlightening visions, and perhaps most importantly, insight into Elias' past and the secrets he has been reluctant to reveal about himself.

Yet while Chise finds some answers about the inhuman mage's history, mysterious beings are displaying an unexpected interest in Chise herself. 

Review- This volume picks up right where volume three left off with Chise learning about Elias’ past. His teacher is still getting Chise's meddle and is starting to see why Elias has chosen her to be his apprentice. Not a lot of plot happens in this volume, but a lot of setting, world building, and character development. Chise learns that she is more than just a replaceable mistake. She has value in herself, and others see value in her as well. I like the way that Chise is growing, she is becoming very interesting and it will be interesting to see where she ends up at the end of the series. A solid volume in the series. 

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.

Batwoman, Vol. 1: The Many Arms of Death

Today's post is on Batwoman, Vol. 1: The Many Arms of Death by Marguerite Bennett, James Tynion IV, Steve Epting, Stephanie Hans, Renato Arlem. It is 168 pages long and is published by DC Comics. The cover is a close-up of Batwoman's face looking intense. There is foul language, sex and sexuality, and violence in this collection. The story is told from third person of Cassandra. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the blurb on Amazon- Batwoman returns with her own series in BATWOMAN VOL. 1, as a part of DC Rebirth!
The newest chapter of Batwoman’s life begins here! Monster Venom is the hottest new bioweapon on the market…and to break up the syndicate spreading it around the world, Batwoman’s going to have to return to the place where she spent some of her darkest hours!
With writing from Marguerite Bennett (DC BOMBSHELLS) and James Tynion IV (DETECTIVE COMICS), as well as spectacular art from Steve Epting (CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER) and Ben Oliver (THE MULTIVERSITY), this new series spins directly out of the smash hit DETECTIVE COMICS series!
BATWOMAN VOL. 1 collects issues #1-6 and the one-shot special BATWOMAN: REBIRTH #1.

Review- We get lots of different adventures in this collection. We see Cassandra from before she was Batwoman, when she was looking for herself and what to do with her life. The art is beautiful, the stories are interesting, and the pacing is excellent. This is suppose to be a reboot but I am sure that it really is in parts because it references things that have happened before the comic so I cannot follow everything in the plot as well as someone who has. I did enjoy this collection but I am not sure that I will read anymore.

I give this comic collection a Three out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I get this collection as a gift.

The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power

Today’s Nonfiction post is on The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power by Deirdre Mask. It is 326 pages long and is published by St. Martin’s Press. The cover is a collection of different city maps with the title in the center. The intended reader is someone who is interested in the history of cities, address, race, and power. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- An exuberant and insightful work of popular history of how streets got their names, houses their numbers, and what it reveals about class, race, power, and identity.

When most people think about street addresses, if they think of them at all, it is in their capacity to ensure that the postman can deliver mail or a traveler won’t get lost. But street addresses were not invented to help you find your way; they were created to find you. In many parts of the world, your address can reveal your race and class.

In this wide-ranging and remarkable book, Deirdre Mask looks at the fate of streets named after Martin Luther King Jr., the wayfinding means of ancient Romans, and how Nazis haunt the streets of modern Germany. The flipside of having an address is not having one, and we also see what that means for millions of people today, including those who live in the slums of Kolkata and on the streets of London.

Filled with fascinating people and histories, The Address Book illuminates the complex and sometimes hidden stories behind street names and their power to name, to hide, to decide who counts, who doesn’t―and why.

Review- This is a fascinating, insightful, and very well written non-fiction book about the history of street addresses. It starts with the question of why do we need street addresses and what do they give us. To get these answers Mask goes around the world, interviews scores of very different people, from architects to Doctors Without Borders, and the average person to understand the power an address has. In modern-day non-rural America we do not understand the power of having a street address. An address means that you can be found for good or for bad, but that also means that you can get a loan from a bank, you can vote, and perhaps most importantly you can be found by Emergency Services. And that is something that Mask discovers is missing in the more rural parts of the world that do not have standardized or any kind of street addresses. The people there cannot get the help that they need nor do they have a voice in their government. This book is very well written, with good notes so you can do further research if you want, and is really very interesting. I highly recommend this book in order to understand more what's going on in under-served and under-recognized cultures and communities. 

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.

Kiss Him, Not me!, vol 1

Today’s post is on Kiss Him, Not me!, vol 1 by Junko. It is 150 pages long and is published by Kodansha Comics. The cover has all the main characters on it with Kae, the female lead, in the center screaming. The intended reader is someone who likes shojo comedy manga. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this manga. The story is told from first person close of the main character Kae. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Hi there! My name is Serinuma Kae.

I’m the kind of girl who loves checking out boys and fantasizing about them getting friendly (and more) with each other—I’m what you might call a fujoshi.

One day, my beloved (yes, he’s an anime character) died, and the shock of it all was more than I could have ever prepared for! My grief over his passing resulted in some ridiculous weight-loss!

And you won’t believe what happened next! Soon after my change, the four most divinely gorgeous boys in my school asked me out on dates! I accepted them all, and you’d think I’d be happy with my sudden popularity, but the truth is, my heart only yearns for a prince to be next to his prince. Ahh, yes, boys, I’d much prefer that you turn your affections elsewhere and KISS HIM, NOT ME!

Review- A really funny start to an interesting manga. Kae the main character is obsessed with boy love anime and manga but when her favorite character dies, she goes into a deep depression and has a very dramatic weight loss. Now she is unrecognizable to just about everyone in school and has to deal with the fact that now she's popular. It's a very Cinderella story but I hope it deals with the problematic aspects of people losing weight to be considered attractive and popular. The story is fairly fast paced and pretty amusing, Kae is a little silly but is likable. All of the boys are okay but her senior is definitely my favorite as he is the only person who could still recognize her in spite of her weight loss. It will be interesting to see where this goes as she is very imaginative, more than a little silly about seeing boy love everywhere, and just not understanding why someone might be interested in going out with her. I look forward to seeing where this amusing manga goes. 

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

Bibliophile Princess: Volume 1

Today's post is on Bibliophile Princess: Volume 1 by YUI, Satsuki Sheena (Illustrator), Alyssa Niioka (Translator). It is  160 pages long and is published by J-Novel Club. The cover is a beautiful illustration of the two main characters. The intended reader is someone who likes fantasy romance novels with some very pretty pictures. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this novel. The story is in first person close of the character moving from chapter to chapter. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From Kindle blurb- When book-loving Lady Elianna spots Prince Christopher—her betrothed in name only—consorting with another noble lady, she realizes the recent rumors must be true. The prince has someone he truly loves, which means the annulment of their engagement is both inevitable and fast-approaching. What she doesn’t realize is that this is merely a surface ripple—one of many where the truth runs deep, in a conspiracy surpassing her imagination!

Review- This is a wonderful and charming light novel. Elianna is from a family that loves books more than anything and she is just as bad. But she is engaged to the crown prince of her country, Prince Christopher. They get along just fine, as Elianna thinks that she is just a stand-in fiancée for the prince when a other noble girl starts making moves on him. Elianna is forced to realized that they are not just friends. This novel is very cute, the story is sweet, and I really liked Elianna and understood her desire to read always. As far as  romance novels go, it does not do anything new but what it does it very good. Poor Christopher as loved Elianna for many years and has been trying to get her to notice him, the villain(s) are good and add some excellent flavor. I would recommend this novel for romance readers. 

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