Just Makes Me Want to Read More Books...Grr

Ok so there are 50 books covered in this book (every mini essay is splendid and recommended reading for all bibliophiles), and I have read a grand total of 16. Which means I must choose at least 1 out of 34 to read when I am finished Moby Dick. Of course that answer will be Ulyssess, mostly cuz I want to see if Alaina is paying attention. Other books/plays that I will consider include: The Postman Aways Rings Twice, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Waste Land. The best essays were on Cinderella, Catch-22, and Around the World in 80 Days. 

Young Lovecraft is Awesome

Most excellent fun with echoes of Poe and Lovecraft, himself. Picture the horror master as a child honing his craft. I listened to Metallica's "The Call of Ktula" in his honour.  

Kill the Guy WIth the Lame Idea Instead

A world where Will is god and all his characters want to end his rule. Lame. Just Lame. Lame art. like its educational plus edgy. Neither is true. 

Just not the same...

One of my favourite comics as a child, ruined here by someone with lame art sense and the idea that war comics need to be more realistic. POPPYCOCK GIVE ME THE REAL SGT. ROCK.

Jinchalo....code for WTF?

No words. No really, no words. Supposedly like Korean folk-tales. Just weird if you ask me.

DAY-us-ex-MAH-kin-ah..say it with me children

An excellent comic set in New York post-9/11. Mayor Hundred can talk to machines due to a Spideyesque accident (or was it?). This is very original comic book fun. The best character is either Kremlin or the hero himself. 

The Most Important Batman Story

This is the most compelling work of the late 20th century comic book world. A retired Batman drawn out to save his city in ANY way possible. This is Frank Miller's shining moment (though his run on Daredevil was pretty impressive too, and is the touchstone for the Netflix drama...but I digress). The edgy comics of the 21st century would not exist without this at times brutal comic. It is very possibly the most important story in the canon of the Bat. 

Hey Mister, redux

Like the other Hey Mister collection, but with too many stories about the author. 

Matt Kindt...probably the reason I will begin reading comics again.

Matt Kindt is a genius. His comic book spy stuff, with all its puzzles and weird clues, is great. This alone can be read, or cut up to make a puzzle piece/map come to life. Really cool, really intricate...I need to read more comics. Plus get glasses, my glasses suck. 

HAHA So Politcally Incorrect They Took Him Out of the Newspapers

I always loved Andy Capp. I used to read all of Les, my step-dad's, copies. I think I loved him cuz he played soccer and was always drunk. The wife abuse part did not register, but let's be real...some of this is hilarious. I can't imagine what would happen if I started putting some these cartoons on the Facebook. 

Reading the Bible Backwards....Is your name real Mr. Priest?

Great cover. The idea of backward masking on vinyl. Stupid, scary Satan. Anyway, to this book of poems. The title poem has promise, if a little too obvious, but the MEME poems are AWFUL and ANNOYING. For example, "faith to faith" instead of "face to face" and so on. Lame. I did like "Cain Enabled" but I have always had a soft spot for the first murderer. "Not a Mosaic" about Canada is pretty ok, too, And "New Words for Neologism" sees Priest playing with words, as Poets and Priests are wont to do. The latter love poems seemed tacked on. Final reflection...not likely a book I'll read again, but I may grab a poem or two for school.

MOBY DICK....the grandest of American Novels...

Wait for it...Coming soon, a breakdown of the first 400 pages....OMG where to start. I think this quote about Ulysses might sum up Moby Dick. "The paradox of Ulysses is that one needs to read it to understand 20th century literature, but one needs to read 20th century literature to build up the stamina to read Ulysses". I think the same can be said of Melville's work, except in place of the 20th century it should be all literature that came before it. Early on it seems likely that one cannot trust this Ishmael as a reliable narrator. Oh he knows stuff, but can he be trusted. Time will tell. The best character at the beginning is, of course, Queequeg. Melville's writing is filled with paradox (Ahab, "an ungodly, godlike man"), allusion (too numerous to mention), and clever word play ("try pot luck at the Try Pots (restaurant)"). There is a narrative shift early on (well chapter 28) but it is more of an experiment than full-on modernism. Though the mid-novel play might be a precursor to modernism, I think. Well, maybe. In Chapter 42 there is a brilliant run-on sentence (Alaina would clearly disapprove) and a nod to Coleridge and his albatross. And a run on WHITE. Most importantly, kill the white whale. By Chapter 49 it seems likely that Ishmael has done very little whaling. Funny quote, "but that would be too long a story" Well funny for me re: discussions in the staff room. 

Initially Written Off...Then Re-Evaluated

As the title of this entry would suggest, I was none too impressed with my initial reading of this collection of poetry. Sometimes I am bang on right, sometimes, not so much. I'll stand by the bland feeling I got from Part I here, but Part II (the Little Commentaries poems) is awesome. I like "On Abstract Expressionism" {of course, then I had to go read about some painters}, "On First Line" {creative writing class anyone?), and "On Satisfaction" {about lists and things}. Part III's "Trying" reminded my of Brecken's Bathtub poems. 

A Poet First...Always. RIP.

So my Grandma won a copy of this as a writing prize back in 1974. I of course was smart enough to grab it long ago, Thanks Grandma. Anyway, my favourite poem in here has always been "Fingerprints". All the best poems here, at least for me, remind me of old girlfriends. Clearly my nostalgia makes me more than a little Twee. "Snow is Falling" is clearly my Tracy poem. 

I Sure Own Some Random Stuff

I don't usually read weird, oddly perverse, black and white comics...but when I do it's Hey, Mister. Young Tim is mostly creepy, and always horny. Mister is a drunk. Aunt Mary is the best character. She does NOT suffer fools gladly, except when she is kicking the crap out of them. 

One Tough Read

As used here with controlled repetitions, the [Fibonacci] sequence gives the whole an almost medieval sense of restriction. Abstracted cold war fears and post-'70s ecological concern and alienation give way to litanies of real world outrages ... which culminate in a post-nuclear holocaust nightmare, with birds and children somehow having survived in caves. The scenario may seem dated, but the threats remain very real, and Christensen's poetic appeal for sanity and humanity remains an abstracted call to action

Wow...I read it, but did not realize how intense it really was. So I re-read it again. And will probably have to again one day.

Quirky, but forgetable.

This is a non-fiction book I recently read that is interesting if you care at all about what happens to one's remains after they are dead. Some of the snippets about Einstein are interesting, but the narrator himself is a bit of a bore.  It is not a road novel in the grand tradition of Henry or Jack, so really you would be better off reading them, anyway. 

The Worst Comic Ever Written

Dear Really Good Writers of Novels and Poetry: YOU CAN'T WRITE COMICS! EVER! This is so horrible I can't believe Dark Horse signed off on it. Oh my god, Catula (vampire cat) really? This is so clichéd it almost like Atwood tried to write utter garbage. You are sucked into Atwood's introduction thinking she might have some legitimate reason to write a comic...and then this train wreck happens. Read this dreck at your peril. 

North Korea is a Surrealistic Nightmare

Although I am not a fan of Guy Delisle's cartooning, his work here is significant as he provides a view of North Korea that almost no one every sees. Images of complete darkness, aside from lit portraits or statues of the Great Leader, are the norm. The idea that Kim Il Sung is not dead pervades North Korea. AND THE PROPAGNADA alone makes this worth reading. Poor North Korea, they have no idea how bleak their lives really are. Somewhere George Orwell is saying...I told you so, why didn't you listen.  

Agnes Quill--An Anthology of Mystery

The graphics were either muddy or juvenile, and I never really took to the main character. Part Ghost Hunter/Helper, Detective, and Teenage Girl, Agnes is a character that should be more interesting, alas, not so  much.  

Maisonneuve--A Great Canadian Magazine

This is one of the best magazines out there...and it's Canadian. There is a very interesting photo essay called "Dead America"--essentially the landmarks found on the side of the road in desolate post-apocalyptic USA, well I mean if that came to pass. The essay "Burning Bush" is an interesting critique of Canada's forest fire management system (which may be inherently flawed). The essay "A River Runs Through It" is a similar critique of our flood plain management system. Basically, it's hubris to believe humankind can control Mother Nature. Oh yeah, and Margaret Atwood has written a comic book. And I want to read that and Rolling Blackouts by Sarah Glidden.

Billy Collins...A Beginning

Ok, I thought I would provide insight on just the first two parts of this collection of poetry for now, as poetry takes a little more care to discuss than novels and comic books. The first set of collected poems comes from his 1988 book The Apple that Astonished Paris. The best title, and maybe the best poem, is "Another Reason Why I Don't Keep a Gun in the House". Think: incessantly barking dog. As you read the rest it becomes apparent that he is a poet that likes to write about writing. His poems here range from "blah" to "trite". He also likes to write about teaching writing. These are some of his better poems. In the poem "Books" I found this passage that seemed right, "I see all of us reading ourselves away from ourselves". His book From Questions About Angels might be awful based on the poems selected here. However, "Candle Hat" about Goya is GREAT. As is "First Reader" (re: Dick and Jane books) and this clever turn of phrase regarding school, "We were forgetting how to look, learning how to read."

A Cheat I Know...but these are the books currently being studied in Room 8

So sometime I make brilliant choices and start three novels simultaneously in three classes. Animal Farm is History 20, and I notice something new every time I read it. Squealer and his propaganda is the most interesting aspect right now. Locked in Time was a gut choice. Students hated Shoeless Joe and I think I did it because I like the idea of it. However, baseball magic is lost on 21st Century kids. Locked in Time has been a success as three boys, yes boys, finished the novel long before it was due. And here I thought it was a "girl" book. Clearly, I know nothing. The Outsiders...really, do I need explain that Pony Boy's voice is timeless and that his plight will resonate with teenagers until the end of time? Of course not, it remains a classic. 

Naked Satan Goes to Heaven

Mary Wept at the Feet of Jesus is written by renowned cartoonist Chester Brown. Some will recognize his name as the author of the awesome comic Louis Riel. It turns out that Brown is somewhat of a theologian (if that's the word he would use I don't know). His research (as always) is brilliantly laid out at the back of the book, My favourite stories/interpretations here include "Cain and Abel", "Bathsheba", "The Talents", and "Job". For a non-religious person, I am still impressed by the simple lessons the Bible can teach us. And I like the spin on these stories that Brown presents. Also, naked Satan in Heaven reminds me of the crude drawings on Iron Maiden's Number of the Beast album. 

Creepy Susie...OK the other creeps in here are creepier.

The drawing here reminds me of the totally underrated Patrick: The Wolf Boy comics. However, the content is just silly and gross and funny and there is poo. A lot of poo. Stupid Betsy the Vampire bites poo, Bean the dog poos a poo that looks like him, the drunk mom steps in poo, and once Tommy put poo in Patty's burger. Yup, silly but much of it is hilarious. 

Mutant Fun...well sort of.

This was probably a book I thought I read in high school. Yeah, nope, It's a little dated now, but the science fiction aspect of it remains cool. It's very subtle in its message, but overall totally readable.  Petra remains my favourite character. I would expect 21st century students to have trouble with the language, but some may like it. 

Preacher--Gone to Texas

This is one of the many great comic series that happened in the 90's. AMC recently adapted this for TV (though I have yet to see it). If you like angels, demons, God, vampires, blood, killing, profanity, weird happenings, serial killers, intense dialogue, and John Wayne then this book is for you. The best character is likely the Saint of Killers. He is one bad-ass hombre. 



Peculiar Children, Standard Plot--YA Trilogy Time

If you read this novel (which of course is a part of a trilogy) then make sure you get this copy. The newly released film version cover destroys this initial imagery. The BEST part of the book is the use of found photos to support the plot; the WORST part of this book is the standard plot line. Though I may be a little bit nit-picky.  This is a decent YA novel and if I could, I would use it in Grade 10 ELA. Expect a little magic, some peculiars, some time displacement, and a burgeoning romance.



The Inspiration for this New Blog

The plan is to read all the books on the kitchen table before moving on to the unread books in bookcase Alpha.