Teen Titans: Beast Boy

Today’s post is on Teen Titans: Beast Boy by Kami Garcia and  Gabriel Picolo (Illustrator). It is 208 pages long and is published by DC Ink. The cover has Gar on it starting to transform. The intended reader is someone who likes DC Comics and their characters. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this graphic novel. The story is told from third person close of Gar. There Be Spoilers Ahead. 

From the back of the book- Garfield Logan has spent his entire life being overlooked. Even in a small town like Eden, Georgia, the 17-year-old with green streaks in his hair can’t find a way to stand out–and the clock is ticking. Senior year is almost over. If Gar doesn’t find a way to impress the Chosen Ones–the social elite at Bull Creek High School–he will never know what it’s like to matter. Gar’s best friends, Stella and Tank, don’t understand why he cares what other people think. They miss their funny, pizza-loving, video game-obsessed best friend. Then Gar accepts a wild dare out of the blue. It impresses the Chosen Ones and his social status soars. But other things are changing, too. Gar grows six inches overnight. His voice drops and, suddenly, he’s stronger and faster. He’s finally getting everything he wanted, but his newfound popularity comes at a price. Gar has to work harder to impress his new friends. The dares keep getting bigger and the stakes keep getting higher. When Gar realizes the extent of his physical changes, he has to dig deep and face the truth about himself–and the people who truly matter–before his life spirals out of control.

Review- Another good introduction to a DC character. Garfield Logan is feeling stuck in his life. He is short, he can’t get any muscle, and all the girls ignore him. So one day he does any research on these pills his parents give him and learns that all his problems could be known side effects. When he stops taking them, Gar changes in ways more than one. I really had a good time with Gar, he is likable, I get where he is coming from, and I am interested in where he is going. I like that the stories of the other novels are starting to intertwine now and I want to know what is really going on. I look forward to the next one. 

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. 

 

The Woman Who Stole Vermeer: The True Story of Rose Dugdale and the Russborough House Art Heist

Today’s Nonfiction post is The Woman Who Stole Vermeer: The True Story of Rose Dugdale and the Russborough House Art Heist by Anthony M. Amore. It is 272 pages long and is published by Pegasus Crime. The cover is a picture of the stolen Vermeer and Dugdale. The intended reader is someone who likes true crime, art history, and memoirs. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- The extraordinary life and crimes of heiress-turned-revolutionary Rose Dugdale, who in 1974 became the only woman to pull off a major art heist.
In the world of crime, there exists an unusual commonality between those who steal art and those who repeatedly kill: they are almost exclusively male. But, as with all things, there is always an outlier—someone who bucks the trend, defying the reliable profiles and leaving investigators and researchers scratching their heads. In the history of major art heists, that outlier is Rose Dugdale.
Dugdale’s life is singularly notorious. Born into extreme wealth, she abandoned her life as an Oxford-trained PhD and heiress to join the cause of Irish Republicanism. While on the surface she appears to be the British version of Patricia Hearst, she is anything but.
Dugdale ran head-first towards the action, spearheading the first aerial terrorist attack in British history and pulling off the biggest art theft of her time. In 1974, she led a gang into the opulent Russborough House in Ireland and made off with millions in prized paintings, including works by Goya, Gainsborough, and Rubens, as well as Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid by the mysterious master Johannes Vermeer. Dugdale thus became—to this day—the only woman to pull off a major art heist. And as Anthony Amore explores in The Woman Who Stole Vermeer, it’s likely that this was not her only such heist.
The Woman Who Stole Vermeer is Rose Dugdale’s story, from her idyllic upbringing in Devonshire and her presentation to Elizabeth II as a debutante to her university years and her eventual radical lifestyle. Her life of crime and activism is at turns unbelievable and awe-inspiring, and sure to engross readers. 

 

Review- A great memoir of the only woman who planned and pulled off a major art heist. Amore is a good writer and researcher, he does more in this book than just telling the reader about Dugdale or the heist. He breaks out the world that Dugdale grew up in, he explains the political climate that was around her as a child and young adult, and how all these things influenced her. Amore takes the reader from Dugdale’s childhood on a farm in the British countryside to after her heist and jail time. Along the way we learn about Vermeer, the IRA, and the general political scene of post World War 2 Britain. Dugdale is an interesting figure, if difficult to understand and she defies the world by refusing to get into a particular box. I enjoyed this book and I would recommend it. 

 

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. 

 

Perfect World, Vol. 2

Today’s post is on Perfect World, Vol. 2 by Rie Aruga. It is 176 pages long and is published by Kodansha Comics. The cover has the two main characters on it, Tsugumi and Itsuki. As it is the second volume in the series, you need to have read the first volume to understand the story. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this series. The intended reader is someone who is interested in complicated emotional love stories. The story is told from third person close of Tsugumi with Itsuki for added plot. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- A ROCKY ROAD

After reuniting at a work party, Tsugumi begins dating her high school classmate and first crush, Itsuki, who has since sustained a spinal cord injury and now uses a wheelchair. While at first reluctant to let someone into his heart, Itsuki begins to open up to her. Tsugumi realizes that there's still so much to Itsuki that she has yet to learn, but the deeper their love grows, the tougher the realities they face become. Pitted against Tsugumi's disapproving parents, as well as Nagasawa, Itsuki's caregiver and admirer, and Koreda, Tsugumi's old classmate who wants to be something more, Tsugumi soon finds herself struggling in a relationship that the whole world seems to be against...

Review- Tsugumi and Itsuki have a hard road ahead of them. They have people on both sides telling them to break up for their own personal reasons, like her parents because they want her to have children and people who want  them for themselves. But they are trying to be honest with each other and care for each other. Of course there will be drama like Tsugumi pushing herself too hard and making herself ill and Itsuki blaming himself for not being able to help her. But in general I like where this manga is going and how honest it is about having a relationship when you have disabilities. I look forward to reading more. 

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.

Heaven's Spite

Today’s post is on Heaven's Spite by Lilith Saintcrow. It is 320 pages long and is published by Orbit Books. It is the fifth in the Jill Kismet series and you need to have read the first four volumes to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes dark urban fantasy. There is foul language, no sex, and lots of violence. The story is told from third person close of the main character, Jill. There Be Spoilers Ahead. 

From the back of the book- When a new hellbreed comes calling, playing nice isn't an option. Jill Kismet has no choice but to seek treacherous allies -- Perry, the devil she knows, and Melisande Belisa, the cunning Sorrows temptress whose true loyalties are unknown.

Kismet knows Perry and Belisa are likely playing for the same thing -- her soul. It's just too bad, because she expects to beat them at their own game. Except their game is vengeance.

Nobody plays vengeance like Kismet. But if the revenge she seeks damns her, her enemies might get her soul after all. . .

Review- A fantastic novel in a great urban fantasy series. Jill has some big trouble in this volume with Belisa and the Sorrow is powerless. Jill has to fight herself to not kill the helpless Sorrow and she has to discover what Perry is really going for now. This volume is non-stop action from one scene to the next with Jill mostly chasing her own tail but it was a good volume and the ending was just incredible. While I did guess what Jill was going to do to stop Perry but reading was still shocking. The writing, per usual, is just wonderful with Jill continuing being the center of the story and pulling the reader along with her. Jill is not an easy character but I really like spending time with her and seeing how she saves herself and her city. I am looking forward to seeing how Saintcrow is going to finish this series out. 

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

A Place for Everything: The Curious History of Alphabetical Order

Today’s nonfiction post is on A Place for Everything: The Curious History of Alphabetical Order by Judith Flanders. It is 352 pages long and is published by Basic Books. The cover is the alphabet done in an illuminated style. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who likes history and language arts. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- A Place for Everything is the first-ever history of alphabetization, from the Library of Alexandria to Wikipedia. The story of alphabetical order has been shaped by some of history's most compelling characters, such as industrious and enthusiastic early adopter Samuel Pepys and dedicated alphabet champion Denis Diderot. But though even George Washington was a proponent, many others stuck to older forms of classification -- Yale listed its students by their family's social status until 1886. And yet, while the order of the alphabet now rules -- libraries, phone books, reference books, even the order of entry for the teams at the Olympic Games -- it has remained curiously invisible.
With abundant inquisitiveness and wry humor, historian Judith Flanders traces the triumph of alphabetical order and offers a compendium of Western knowledge, from A to Z. 

Review- An in depth and long reaching look into not just the use of alphabetical order but of many different things that we take for granted now. Flanders is a good historian, a good writer, and she can make big topics into something that will interest anyone and this book is no different. Flanders starts at the earliest written works and then moves into the present day. She discusses original ways that information was sorted by hierarchy from god all the way down to minerals. She gives the reasons for why alphabetical order was not the natural thing that we think it to be now but she shows how it became that natural order to us in the modern day. I have read other works from Flanders so I went into this book with high expectations and she wrote to them. I would recommend this book if you like the idea of the topic. 

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.

Sweat and Soap, Vol. 3

Today’s post is on Sweat and Soap, Vol. 3 by Kintetsu Yamada. It is 208 pages long and is published by Kodansha Comics. The cover has the two main characters, Asako and Kotaro. As it is the third in the series, you need to have read the first two volumes to understand the story. There is no foul language, mild sex and sexuality, and no violence in this volume. The intended reader is someone who likes sweet, adult love stories with two dorky but sweet characters. The story is told from mostly the two main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- DROPPING A BATH BOMB

The office romance between the quiet and sweet accountant Asako, who's spent her life ashamed of how much she sweats, and rising star of the bath and toiletry world Kotaro got off to a fast and steamy start! Kotaro's status at the company has made her wary of revealing their relationship to their colleagues at Liliadrop, and she's stumbled into the discovery that Kotaro has been mentoring an attractive, young product developer named Korisu. He doesn't seem to have feelings for her, but might she be harboring a secret crush? Awkwardness explodes into anxiety when Kotaro tells her he's scheduled to take a four-day business trip with Korisu--just the two of them! Can Asako's budding relationship survive, and what's Korisu planning to do over three nights with her supposedly-single boss?

Review- Lots of good things happen in this volume: Asako and Kotaro decide to be public with this relationship, dealing with crushes from other people, and talking about things honestly. To be fair in this series, Asako and Kotaro do a lot of talking and being honest about what they want and their expectations, which is a good thing. But it is nice for them to be open about being together. There is plenty of laughs in this volume too with Asako and Kotaro going on vacation together and just being their dorky, sweet selves. This is a great manga and I love the characters. More! 

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. 

Raven

Today’s post is on Raven by Kami Garcia (Goodreads Author) and  Gabriel Picolo (Illustrator). The cover has raven in profile on it. It is the first in the Teen Titans series. It is 192 pages long and is published by DC Ink. The intended reader is someone who likes DC superheroes. There is mild foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this graphic novel. The story is told from third person close of Raven. There Be Spoilers Ahead. 

From the back of the book- When a tragic accident takes the life of 17-year-old Raven Roth's foster mom--and Raven's memory--she moves to New Orleans to recover and finish her senior year of high school.

Starting over isn't easy. Raven remembers everyday stuff like how to solve math equations and make pasta, but she can't remember her favorite song or who she was before the accident. And when impossible things start happening, Raven begins to think it might even be better not to know who she was before.

But as she grows closer to her new friends, her foster sister, Max, and Tommy Torres, a guy who accepts her for who she is now, Raven has to decide if she's ready to face what's buried in the past...and the darkness building inside her.

Review- A fast paced and interesting retelling of Raven’s origins. The story starts with a car accident and Raven is the only survivor but she doesn’t remember anything from her past. So she moves to New Orleans to live with her mother’s sister and her cousin. Raven is troubled by dreams and hearing voices but her cousin helps her understand that she can hear other people’s thoughts and how to control that. There is a little love story and a revelation of the big bad at the end. Of course there is more going on than just Raven and this is the start of the Teen Titan series, so we see some players that will come back in later volumes. I liked this volume and I look forward to reading more from this imprint. 

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.