Frau Faust, Vol. 4

Today's manga post is Frau Faust, Vol. 4 by Kore Yamazaki. It is 160 pages long and is published by Kodansha Comics. The cover has Faust, Marion, and Mephistopheles 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 mild violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of Faust. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- The Devil you know
After a surprise reappearance by a recently defeated demon, Johanna and her companions find themselves under attack. The demon Ino has been ordered to capture Dr. Faust, and this time, nothing will stop Ino from accomplishing her goal. Soon, Johanna finds herself in the heart of enemy territory, but the Doctor's smirk as she faces her captors seems to suggest that the series of events leading to defeat may have all been according to plan...

Review- We start with Faust and co. running from trouble and into the demon Ino. Faust gets taken into the cathedral where Mephistopheles' head is. But she is very hurt and passes out. Then we get to see more of her past as she remembers in her dreams. Everything is starting to wrap up with all the threads coming together, from who is pulling Ino's strings to what really happened to Faust.  Faust is no fool, she knows that she is running out of time and she is willing to do whatever is takes. The art continues to be wonderful and a wonderful addition to the story telling. I am looking forward to seeing how everything ends. 

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.

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.