Cory Doctorow update

Cory Doctorow has just released comic adaptations of his award-winning science fiction stories — Futuristic Tales of the Here and Now. Download here for free or pick up a copy at your local library. Also, his recent young adult fiction novel, Little Brother, is the talk of the young adult librarian world.

And for those of you who think you are too old of YA Fiction...I have met you....remember?

Warren Ellis

I have been on a graphic novel reading kick and yes, I know it isn't on my first round of award potentials reading list. A current favorite of mine is Warren Ellis who wrote the incredible
Transmetropolitan series. Anyway, over the weekend I finished up his new novel (no pictures, just words in this one) Crooked Little Vein. The book is a noir detective novel in which the main character, in search of a rare book, meets many strange and perverted characters. Because I read this book I now know several words I did not know before. Unfortunately, because I am a librarian and I just have know things, I made the mistake of looking them up and I now know more about the kinky porn industry that I really wanted to know. (FYI: apparently the drinking of urine is considered erotic in some circles.)

If you can handle the kink and like noir detective novels it was kind of a fun book.

Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine

We didn't have very many graphic novels on the list to consider this year. Here is my favorite of the bunch mainly because the artwork fit the text perfectly. It added layers to the story BUT (and this is the important part)...if the artwork or the text went away, the other could function independently. This is the mark of a great graphic novel. The whole is more than the sum of the parts but each part is complete.

This is the story of a Chinese American 20-something who is struggling with his desire to be the same as "other Americans" vs pressure from his community to retain his identity and heritage. Very well done and complete.

Sloth by Gilbert Hernandez

I picked up a graphic novel again tonight thinking I would get something a little lighter. When will I learn. Graphic novels aren't just for kids anymore.

I really liked this one. What can I say, I like the freaky, weird ones. Miguel wakes from his self-induced coma and moves through his days so slowly that others quickly start calling him Sloth (also the name of his band). When he and his girlfriend Lita start to investigate the lemon orchard and the urban legend about the Goatman things start to get strange. In the middle of the book, everyone suddenly switches places as Lita is now emerging from her self-induced coma. Told you it was freaky.

This is from the Love And Rockets creator and I think it is some of his best work. I probably won't nominate it because I think there are some other works that are more complex but this was a highly enjoyable reading experience for someone looking for something a little different.