Shadow of the Batgirl

Today's post is on Shadow of the Batgirl by Sarah Kuhn and Nicole Goux (Illustrator). It is 208 pages long and is published by DC Comics. The cover is dark blue with Cassandra in the bottom looking at the reader. There is very mild foul language, no sex, and some violence in this comic. The story is told from third person close of Cassandra. There be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Cassandra Cain, teenage assassin, isn't exactly Batgirl material...yet. Will she step out of the shadows and overcome her greatest obstacle- that voice inside her head telling her she can never be a hero?
Lucky for Cass, she won't have to defy her destiny alone. With the help of her mentors, noodle shop owner Jackie Fujikawa and a librarian named Barbara Gordon, she'll attempt to answer this questions the only way she knows how: learning everything she possibly can about her favorite hero. The problem is that Batgirl hasn't been seen in Gotham for years...
Can Cass find Batgirl before her father destroys the world she has grown to love? Or will she have to take on a heroic mantle of her own?

Review- This is a beautiful re-imaging of Cassandra Cain becoming Batgirl. Cass is just a voiceless assassin for her father, she doesn't know who she is, why her father wants her to do things she does, and she doesn't know where she is going. Cass is accidentally broken free of her father's control and she just runs without any idea about where she is or what she is going to do. The rest of the volume is Cass discovering herself, dealing with what her father was trying to make her, and making choices for her future. I really enjoyed this graphic novel, it was very well written, the art style is a good fit for this story, and the story itself is a wonderful coming-of-age story. If you don't know anything about Cassandra Cain, I think that this is a good place to start and I hope that DC Comics does more with this Cass.

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

Bubble in the Sun: The Florida Boom of the 1920s and How It Brought on the Great Depression

Today’s post is on Bubble in the Sun: The Florida Boom of the 1920s and How It Brought on the Great Depression by Christopher Knowlton. It is 411 pages long and is published by Simon & Schuster.  The cover has some flappers in swimsuits and a row of hotels on top. There is mild foul language, discussion of sex and sexuality, and no violence in this book. 

From the dust jacket- The 1920s in Florida was a time of incredible excess, immense wealth, and precipitous collapse. The decade there produced the largest human migration in American history, far exceeding the settlement of the West, as millions flocked to the grand hotels and the new cities that rose rapidly from the teeming wetlands. The boom spawned a new subdivision civilization—and the most egregious large-scale assault on the environment in the name of “progress.” Nowhere was the glitz and froth of the Roaring Twenties more excessive than in Florida. Here was Vegas before there was a Vegas: gambling was condoned and so was drinking, since prohibition was not enforced. Tycoons, crooks, and celebrities arrived en masse to promote or exploit this new and dazzling American frontier in the sunshine. Yet, the import and deep impact of these historical events have never been explored thoroughly until now.

In Bubble in the Sun Christopher Knowlton examines the grand artistic and entrepreneurial visions behind Coral Gables, Boca Raton, Miami Beach, and other storied sites, as well as the darker side of the frenzy. For while giant fortunes were being made and lost and the nightlife raged more raucously than anywhere else, the pure beauty of the Everglades suffered wanton ruination and the workers, mostly black, who built and maintained the boom, endured grievous abuses.

Knowlton breathes dynamic life into the forces that made and wrecked Florida during the decade: the real estate moguls Carl Fisher, George Merrick, and Addison Mizner, and the once-in-a-century hurricane whose aftermath triggered the stock market crash. This essential account is a revelatory—and riveting—history of an era that still affects our country today.

Review- This is a fascinating story about how small things will led into something bigger and affect the lives of millions of people in the future. Florida had been mostly ignored by the public but for a few rich sport fisherman then some wealthy people bought land and started to build themselves some very nice houses. After that more and more come to live, work, and be free in Florida. There were land developers, good time gals, and more. It is an interesting story with very interesting people who did not understand what they started or how it was going to make them suffer in the end. At times with all the details and people to keep track of, the reader can get over-whelmed but the story is interesting and well worth your time. 

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.

The Way of the House Husband, vol.4

Today's post is on The Way of the House Husband, vol.4 Kousuke Oono. It is 159 pages long and is published by Viz. The cover has Tatsu on it making a bento. The intended reader is someone who has a great sense of humor and loves one shot stories. There is no foul language, no sex, and the violence is for comedy. The story is told from third person god perspective following Tatsu. 

From the back of the book- On what beings as just another shopping trip, Tatsu has a run-in with a thief- of the feline persuasion! When the gangster- turned homemakers gives chase, yakuza are quickly drawn into the fray, and chaos erupts in the streets of the shopping district. Even everyday errands can turn treacherous when you're the Immortal Dragon!

Review- Another hysterical volume in this series. There are so many funny vignettes in this volume from Tatsu and his underling making bubble tea to a Tatsu's housewife friends thinking that he and his wife are Japan's Mr. and Mrs. Smith; there is so much to enjoy about this volume. Tatsu's everyday life makes mine own better by having crazy adventures with him. The art is good, the stories are just the best, and characters are so much fun that I look forward to every volume both new and old volumes to re-read their zany days. I highly recommend this series, every volume if this series is pure gold. 

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.

Theme Music

Today's post is on Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly. It is 387 pages long and is published by Dutton. The cover is a picture of  house with ivy growing up to a window. The intended reader is someone who likes dark twisty thriller that walk the line of being horror. There is foul language talk of sex and sexuality, and violence in this novel. The story is told from first person close of the main character Dixie. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- She didn't run from her dark past. She moved in.
For the lucky among us, life is what you make of it, but for Dixie Wheeler, the theme music for her story was chosen by another long ago, on the day her father butchered her mother and brothers and then slashed a knife across his own throat. Only one-year-old Dixie was left alive, infamously known as Baby Blue for the song left playing in the aftermath of the slaughter.
Twenty-five years later, Dixie is still desperate for a connection to the family she can’t remember, so when her childhood home goes up for sale, Dixie sets aside all reason and moves in, re-creating a macabre decor with her family’s salvaged furniture. But as the ghosts of her family seemingly begin to take up residence in the home that was once theirs, Dixie starts to question her own sanity and wonders if the evil force menacing her is that of her father, or a demon of her own making.
In order to make sense of her present, Dixie becomes determined to unravel the truth of her past and seeks out the detective who originally investigated the murders. But the more she learns, the more she opens up the uncomfortable possibility that the sins of her father may belong to another, and, perhaps most tragically, to Dixie herself. As bodies begin to pile up around her, Dixie must find a way to expose the lunacy behind her family’s massacre in order to save her few loved ones who are still alive- and whatever scrap of sanity she has left.

Review- A twisty, intense, and very surprising horror thriller that had me gasping in shock and surprise more than once. This is one heck of story, that will make you questions how much is real how much is in Dixie's head, and who is the real killer. This is Vandelly's debut novel and I am very impressed. We have everything in this novel: unreliable narrator, horrific murders, ghosts, and a one really bad killer. Dixie is very damaged from what happened when she was a baby and how she was raised and that makes her a great main character. She is always likable but she is compelling and that means more to me than liking her. The real killer was a surprise to me but not the helper, I did guess that one. If you are looking for a very intense, dark thriller-horror story then I highly recommend this novel.

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.

Diamond Doris

Today's post is on Diamond Doris by Coris Payne and Zelda Lockhart. It is 265 pages long and is published by Amistad publishing. The cover is a picture of Doris. The intended reader is someone who likes memoirs and true crime. There is foul language, discussion of sex and sexuality, and some mild violence in this memoir. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Growing up during the Depression in the segregated coal- mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia, the bright and willful Doris Paine dreamed big. Fascinated by the fine clothes, jewels, and lifestyles in magazines such as Town & Country and Harper’s Bazaar, she imagined a world beyond herself, one in which she did not  carry the weight of limitations that others imposed on her and where her beloved mother was free from her father’ s abuse.
After the owner of a local store threw her out when a white customer arrived, Doris vowed that neither her race or gender would hold her back. She was going to control her own life and make her own money.
Using her Southern charm and quick wit, she began shoplifting small princess of jewelry from local stores, and over the course of six decades, grew her talents with each heist. As a world-class expert jewel thief, she daringly pulled off numerous diamond robberies, using nuns and various ruses to help her avoid arrest while her Jewish boyfriend fenced the stolen gems.

A rip-roaringly fun and exciting tale, Diamond Doris is the portrait of a captivating antihero who experienced life to the fullest- on her own terms.

Review- A fascinating memoir from the woman who lived it herself. Doris tells the reader her life story from her earliest memories to near present day. We travel with Doris from the first time she realized that she could use people’s prejudices against them to her living her life free in Atlanta. She tells her story without too much editing herself or what she did or why she did it. I really like Doris and I liked traveling with her around the world stealing jewels. I worried for her when she did a big job and I was relieved every time she made it home. Doris was/is not a good person but she was/is an incredible one. 

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.

The Water Dragon’s Bride, vol. 4

Today’s post is on The Water Dragon’s Bride, vol. 4 by Rei Toma. It is 192 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The water is a picture of Asahi and Subaru in water holding hands. As it is the fourth in the series you need to have read the first three volumes to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who has read the first three volumes and likes shojo manga. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the main character, Asahi. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Because the water dragon god wants to interact with Asahi more, he descends to the village in the guide of a human. Asahi’s friend Subaru has mixed feelings about this but joins them on a journey to the capital. What adventures are in store, and how will their fates change?

Review- A good volume and we are starting to see the trouble that Asahi will have as she is the god’s chosen priestess and how that power will change others. Asahi is trying to help the water dragon learn how to be more human, to make him more livable for herself and others in the village. He, of course, does not understand why he should care but Asahi is doing her best. Subaru is not helping by having some weird thing with the water dragon but I think that it will play out. The main part of this volume is Asahi being summoned before the emperor and being commanded to use her power but she does not have any herself. I think that we are starting to see what is going to be the main  conflict of the story. I am curious about where Asahi is going next.

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.

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.