PimaLib_JonM's Completed Shelf
Filter your results by...
Format
Revenge of the LibrariansRevenge of the Librarians, Graphic Novel
by Gauld, TomGraphic Novel - 2022 | First editionGraphic Novel, 2022. First edition
PimaLib_JonM's rating:
Added Oct 21, 2022
HallowilloweenHallowilloween, BookNefarious Silliness From Calef Brown
by Brown, CalefBook - 2010Book, 2010
PimaLib_JonM's rating:
Added Apr 26, 2022
Comment:
Hallowilloween, another collection of poems and colorful artwork by Calef Brown, isn't as engaging as some of his other works. But for a lovely diversion, this Halloween-themed collection makes for just enough joy to do the trick AND the treat.
PimaLib_JonM's rating:
Added Apr 26, 2022
Comment:
After a tour-de-farce such as Polka-Bats and Octopus Slacks, having one poem make up a book seems to be too few. But Boy Wonders makes up for that by being full of wordplay for children and overaged children alike. With his poem and illustrations, Calef Brown again asks the questions no one really bothered to ask aloud, and the world is not necessarily better for it. But I'm entertained.After a tour-de-farce such as Polka-Bats and Octopus Slacks, having one poem make up a book seems to be too few. But Boy Wonders makes up for that by being full of wordplay for children and overaged children alike. With his poem and illustrations,…
Polkabats and Octopus SlacksPolkabats and Octopus Slacks, Book14 Stories
by Brown, CalefBook - 1998Book, 1998
PimaLib_JonM's rating:
Added Apr 26, 2022
Comment:
Get some joyful whimsy into your reading with this illustrated collection of nonsense verse and imagery. Calef Brown's illustrations perfectly match the off-kilter poetic tales presented in this bound bit of silliness. Take it seriously at the risk of your own enjoyment. Live a little. Smile a little more.Get some joyful whimsy into your reading with this illustrated collection of nonsense verse and imagery. Calef Brown's illustrations perfectly match the off-kilter poetic tales presented in this bound bit of silliness. Take it seriously at the risk…
PimaLib_JonM's rating:
Added Jan 05, 2022
Comment:
If multiverses, displeasure with retail work environments, and absurdity are your cup of tea with a tray including meatballs, this breezy adventure of two not-Ikea employees go through to find someone's missing grandma is just the thing to lift your spirits. Or make you afraid to shop at that place ever again.
It's no Rick and Morty or Drew Magary's The Hike. It's not as deep as Seanan McGuire's books about those who fall through portals. But it's as absurd and imaginative and a quick read that's worth your while. A promising start to a series about the wormholes, or whatever it is they're called in Swedish.If multiverses, displeasure with retail work environments, and absurdity are your cup of tea with a tray including meatballs, this breezy adventure of two not-Ikea employees go through to find someone's missing grandma is just the thing to lift your…
PimaLib_JonM's rating:
Added Oct 29, 2021
Comment:
A book that could be a game of Spot the Influence with a short description manages to become its own thing with all the confidence of its protagonist. It COULD be compared to Cinderella, a Horatio Alger tale, all the fairy stories of dancing princesses whose life is drained from them, every Chosen One tale, get a few disparaging mentions with the term "Mary Sue" tossed in, and have some Which Cute Young Man Will She Choose? drama added for some additional flavor. But it's not to be so easily dismissed. This is GOOD.
Anyway, Abriella is a mortal, Sebastian turns out to be fae, and that's just the set up for this mature YA novel full of secrets, forced conspiracies, fates, curses, wolves (but not werewolf boyfriends), drugged wine, and all the other things romance readers would want in a fantasy-rich setting. Plus there's a magic mirror, politics, creepy goblins who want payments, and plenty more to make a rich setting. Enjoy.A book that could be a game of Spot the Influence with a short description manages to become its own thing with all the confidence of its protagonist. It COULD be compared to Cinderella, a Horatio Alger tale, all the fairy stories of dancing…
PiranesiPiranesi, Book
by Clarke, SusannaBook - 2020Book, 2020
All copies in useView location availabilityView location availability for Piranesi, Book, All copies in use
Holds: 4 on 4 copies
Holds: 4 on 4 copies
PimaLib_JonM's rating:
Added Sep 23, 2021
Comment:
This one is like a mystery in reverse, as someone in an odd city much like a semi-flooded museum full of odd statues explores inwardly and outwardly to make sense of this world and his place in it. It's an odd premise, but it pays off. The name of the book and its protagonist comes from Giovanni Battista Piranesi, which is a bit of a spoiler but also a great basis for some world-building (check out the Wikipedia entry after reading, not before.)
To say almost anything is to give away the game, but it's certainly a much less dense read than the author's previous novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. If you like a bit of magic told with a lot of strong manipulation, this book also has it. But it lacks Strange & Norrell's plentiful footnotes, which I find to be good for the reading. If they were here, too many mysteries would be revealed too quickly.This one is like a mystery in reverse, as someone in an odd city much like a semi-flooded museum full of odd statues explores inwardly and outwardly to make sense of this world and his place in it. It's an odd premise, but it pays off. The name of…
How Big Is Zagnodd?How Big Is Zagnodd?, Board Book
by Boynton, SandraBoard Book - 2020 | First editionBoard Book, 2020. First edition
PimaLib_JonM's rating:
Added Aug 10, 2021
Comment:
How Big is Zagnodd? answers so many important questions children and their caretakers have struggled with for so many year. The many colorful and bright (some brighter than others) alien beings found in this book are all carefully evaluated for their size, length, fuzziness, sleepiness, luminosity, and even their danceyness quotient. Many decades-long arguments will be solved. Many more Boynton books will be shared. And this will possibly lead to Steve finding his way.
This is an important book. Read it. Steve is relying on us.How Big is Zagnodd? answers so many important questions children and their caretakers have struggled with for so many year. The many colorful and bright (some brighter than others) alien beings found in this book are all carefully evaluated for…
Tender Is the FleshTender Is the Flesh, BookA Novel
by Bazterrica, Agustina MaríaBook - 2020 | First Scribner trade paperback editionBook, 2020. First Scribner trade paperback edition
PimaLib_JonM's rating:
Added Mar 01, 2021
Comment:
A familiar premise with a personalized, if not necessarily humanized, retelling. In the not-too-distant future, a virus makes animal meat and even being around animals deadly. What does society do? It transitions. And so as a result of The Transition, a butcher becomes a different sort of butcher. So begins a tale of the ways this affects civilization. And nothing is good.
Told in a sparse (not a thick book), brutal, happenstance manner, it is the tale of a butcher, his lost child, a distraught and distant wife, a father (himself a former butcher) who lost and is still losing his mind, and all the various people and processes along the way. And of course, there's the added element of some gift "head": a First Generation Pure bit of livestock. Is it predictable what happens or is it not? It shocks either way. At least it should.A familiar premise with a personalized, if not necessarily humanized, retelling. In the not-too-distant future, a virus makes animal meat and even being around animals deadly. What does society do? It transitions. And so as a result of The…
Added Oct 22, 2020
Comment:
Like many, I got interested in this series from the Netflix movie. And I want to thank that entertainment entity for the much-deserved attention this deserves.
This mystery adventure involves a kidnapping, dogs, treeclimbing, a bemused Sherlock, an outraged Mycroft, many disguises, pluck, more pluck, extraordinarily shameless and unladylike behavior for one of Enola's background, and many additional elements leading to a lighthearted but just-serious-enough tale that should delight a reader (or a listener) of almost any age. I can't recommend this enough.
It's somewhat a shame that this will be placed in the children's section, as it's both properly in its place there but also stifled by decorum and external expectations for it to be so hampered.
Read this. It's wonderful. Glad it's getting reprinted for a new audience. May it be very large.Like many, I got interested in this series from the Netflix movie. And I want to thank that entertainment entity for the much-deserved attention this deserves.
This mystery adventure involves a kidnapping, dogs, treeclimbing, a bemused Sherlock,…
BrightburnBrightburn, DVD
DVD - 2019 | Widescreen edDVD, 2019. Widescreen ed
PimaLib_JonM's rating:
Added Feb 25, 2020
Comment:
While it may be a messy mix of a sloppy portion of Superman's origin mixed with some hellspawn from The Omen and a bit of The Bad Seed, this movie also has some good and gruesome effects. Of Mice and Men is also referenced, which makes for a whole host of derivative influences made clumsily and haphazardly into a decent paint-by-numbers evil kid film. Too bad the lead is played as a psychopath, which makes the most interesting character roles fall to the bland parents and the bit parts of the therapist aunt and the local police chief. People die and it doesn't matter much. But as sloppy supervillain movies go, at least this story sets up a good villain. Wish I could say that about a certain other supervillain movie from last year. But this review isn't about that one.While it may be a messy mix of a sloppy portion of Superman's origin mixed with some hellspawn from The Omen and a bit of The Bad Seed, this movie also has some good and gruesome effects. Of Mice and Men is also referenced, which makes for a whole…
Last Ones Left AliveLast Ones Left Alive, Book
by Davis-Goff, SarahBook - 2019 | First U.S. editionBook, 2019. First U.S. edition
PimaLib_JonM's rating:
Added Sep 20, 2019
Comment:
In the crowded genre of zombie stories, this one stands out for being both stark in a way sometimes reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy's The Road as well as having a hopefulness that overcomes that starkness because it shows trust and love in a world overrun by rotting corpses out to feed upon the living. Told as such things are using flashbacks to a life of isolation on an island off the coast of Ireland, flashbacks to recent events, as well as a narrative along a road to a fabled and accursed "Phoenix City", this novel follows a 15-year-old Orpen as she learns to train herself for combat with crazed zombies out for her, her regimen of starvation and privation and exercise and quiet movement and always looking out for danger. She of course meets it, confronts it, has to make difficult choices, and becomes both the survivor her parents wanted: the warrior one trained her to be and the loving and good person one taught her to be. The symbolism of the two parents, both women, and how they leave her is one of the chilling things absent from so many post-apocalyptic tales. End-Times Ireland is lush as nature takes over. This book is a fresh take on a genre that needs to run away from the rotting, mindless-horde of fellow tales. There are plenty of great books out there, but if you read only one zombie novel this decade, this would be a good pick.In the crowded genre of zombie stories, this one stands out for being both stark in a way sometimes reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy's The Road as well as having a hopefulness that overcomes that starkness because it shows trust and love in a world…
In at the Deep EndIn at the Deep End, Book
by Davies, KateBook - 2019 | First US editionBook, 2019. First US edition
PimaLib_JonM's rating:
Added Sep 03, 2019
Comment:
Julie is a 20-something Londoner with a blah job, a blah love life, but a willingness to get out there and fix at least one of those two things before maybe moving on to the other. But her attempts at resparking some sort of romance go limp (not literally, but don't worry because this is very much a book not about THAT.) So, out for an evening in an off-the-beaten-path art gallery show, she is both tempted by and then caught up by the notion of loving women. And yeah, she goes there.
As romances go, this book can't fully decide if it's about self-discovery or a partnership. But aren't they all? Anyway, the book is brash and rude (and maybe a bit more than a bit explicit), loving and odd, full of some lively characters, doubt and toxicity and loads of forgiveness and discovery and excitement. Which is good, because if it was "just" a romance it would end on a bit of a sour note. But as an adventure story, it's certainly a lively journey.
It may or may not ever be a movie, but it would certainly make a great Netflix series.Julie is a 20-something Londoner with a blah job, a blah love life, but a willingness to get out there and fix at least one of those two things before maybe moving on to the other. But her attempts at resparking some sort of romance go limp (not…
PimaLib_JonM's rating:
Added Jun 27, 2019
Comment:
Aidan, who wasn't always called Aidan, asserts and discovers himself in this gentle tale of a family preparing for a new child. Transgender issues are covered in a low-key way that shows family and community acceptance as well as some social interaction that isn't entirely positive. But the family is supportive, learning from each other, and is ultimately ready to accept the new child without bothering to have a gender reveal so much as just a simple welcome home.
The illustrations are bright and show a range of actions and emotions as Aidan is depicted as rebellious, as an amateur barber, as a Pig Pen cosplayer, a super happy kid, a member of a fun community, a shy and withdrawn kid around a nosy hardware store clerk, and as an essential part of a growing family. And the narrative covers the territory with positive charm as well as some of the realities of going your own way.
A great story for anyone, even nosy hardware store clerks. Perhaps especially nosy hardware store clerks.Aidan, who wasn't always called Aidan, asserts and discovers himself in this gentle tale of a family preparing for a new child. Transgender issues are covered in a low-key way that shows family and community acceptance as well as some social…
The Uninhabitable EarthThe Uninhabitable Earth, BookLife After Warming
by Wallace-Wells, DavidBook - 2019 | First editionBook, 2019. First edition
PimaLib_JonM's rating:
Added Apr 16, 2019
Comment:
If you want to know about climate change--I mean if you REALLY want to know about climate change--then this is a book for you.
It lays out the facts. It puts out the prognosis. It gives the evidence. It suggests the inevitability. It does all those things we ask for in a persuasive book. And then it goes further and asks "Then what?" And from there, it gets bleaker still, because the answers are many and they're often the sorts of answers that lead to a desire to ask different questions. And maybe that's a good thing, because those answers aren't good. Maybe different inputs might make things better.
Climate change, or "Warming" as this book puts it in the subtitle, is here. It's a fact. It's bad. It's getting worse. It's getting a lot worse. Any good news? There is a somewhat cheeky bit toward the end (before the dozens of pages of notes backing up all the facts, which are both necessary and terrifyingly similar) saying we have five productive things we can do about it. Only one of those things is to create refuges from the catastrophe. Others include helping animal and plant life and withdrawing. It's all a bit nihilistic, and that's from one of the more hopeful prophets of doom.
It's not exactly the non-fiction version of Cormac McCarthy's The Road, but it's bleak. It's worth a read. It's important. It's based on a New York Magazine article. And it's gotten me thinking. I just wish it had me thinking more hopeful thoughts.If you want to know about climate change--I mean if you REALLY want to know about climate change--then this is a book for you.
It lays out the facts. It puts out the prognosis. It gives the evidence. It suggests the inevitability. It does all…
PimaLib_JonM's rating:
Added Apr 03, 2019
Comment:
It's not often that I come across a book steeped in black metal, family life, painted faces, the difficulties in hiring a drummer, and vomit jokes referencing indecipherable band fonts. There's also high school romance, pyrotechnics, finding a sitter, and getting lost in a forest.
This book has it all. Finnish author/artist JP Ahonen has done great work here, balancing a sweetness and a tastelessness into a perfect blend of charm and unseemliness. This isn't the Addams Family or an Edward Gorey story, but the influences are there. And many others, too.
Enjoy it!It's not often that I come across a book steeped in black metal, family life, painted faces, the difficulties in hiring a drummer, and vomit jokes referencing indecipherable band fonts. There's also high school romance, pyrotechnics, finding a…
Added Jan 10, 2019
Comment:
A companion piece to the ABCs of D&D (by the same author and illustrator pair,) this one is a counting book and a bestiary in one. Again, it captures the essence and spirit of Dungeons and Dragons showing a small adventuring party encountering strange and exciting locations, creatures, and circumstances. But this time it focuses on numbers rather than on alphabetical entries (though its bestiary does act as a bit of an alphabetical listing of the creatures found in its pages.) Unfortunately, it breaks the cardinal rule of number books by employing cardinal numbers (one, two, three, et cetera) exclusively. Ordinal numbers (1, 2, 3, and so on) are not just important for the age group this book is going to be read to and by, but they're also on the dice with which the game is played. Of course, the book is otherwise wonderful, so this seems like a bit of a downer to mention. But it's very important for such books. Maybe they'll revise it in the future and get those in there. Just add a die into each illustration. Come on, folks. Do it!A companion piece to the ABCs of D&D (by the same author and illustrator pair,) this one is a counting book and a bestiary in one. Again, it captures the essence and spirit of Dungeons and Dragons showing a small adventuring party encountering…
Added Dec 12, 2018
Comment:
Usually, reading an alphabet book is a duty more than a pleasure. Children need to learn letters, see what they look like, hear the sounds, and books designed to do so are often formulaic as a result. Function over form, generally. But some rare examples stand out as they achieve the goal of both the alphabet book and the just-for-fun book. Mike Lester's A is for Salad ( https://pima.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1307184091 ) is one great example. But this book by Ivan Van Norman and illustrated by Caleb Cleveland is another.
It takes its inspiration from Dungeons and Dragons, features monsters and books and images that date back forty years or more. It is filled with references aplenty for anyone who has played--or does play--the game. But there's nothing that would be too unfamiliar to anyone who has played or seen any of the countless video games, movies, or just cultural references this game has spawned. It's a good read, illustrated with a comforting clarity that displays the creatures and concepts presented from A to Z, and will likely be a great hit with children.
Its only fault is that it doesn't come with dice and an introductory adventure. But they'll likely get to that soon.Usually, reading an alphabet book is a duty more than a pleasure. Children need to learn letters, see what they look like, hear the sounds, and books designed to do so are often formulaic as a result. Function over form, generally. But some rare…
Exit Stage LeftExit Stage Left, Graphic NovelThe Snagglepuss Chronicles
by Russell, MarkGraphic Novel - 2018Graphic Novel, 2018
PimaLib_JonM's rating:
Added Oct 10, 2018
Comment:
DC Comics has put out some odd crossovers in the past few years, with Wonder Woman meeting the Tasmanian Devil and a few other DC/Warner Brothers mixes found in DC Meets Looney Tunes. In this one, it's some Hanna-Barbera characters transported not into a world with Superman and Batman, but instead they're transported into the Red Scare era of the House Un-American Activities Committee. It makes for a compelling mix, as Snagglepuss and others deal with accusations of Communist ties, police corruption, "lewd and lascivious" activities that are (Huckleberry) hounded out by a Roy Cohn character (in this case, a closeted woman who goes by "Gigi Allen", whose name is a great allusion to another odious cultural figure.) Snagglepuss is a playwright, Huckleberry Hound a novelist, and Quickdraw McGraw was a New York cop. It's got Kruschev, Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio, and even Nixon appearing as themselves, setting the scenes which include hydrogen bomb sites, Cuba, and the Stonewall Inn. The main story is about overcoming oppression and the values of truth and art in a free society. Recommended.DC Comics has put out some odd crossovers in the past few years, with Wonder Woman meeting the Tasmanian Devil and a few other DC/Warner Brothers mixes found in DC Meets Looney Tunes. In this one, it's some Hanna-Barbera characters transported not…
Port of ShadowsPort of Shadows, Book
by Cook, GlenBook - 2018 | First editionBook, 2018. First edition
PimaLib_JonM's rating:
Added Oct 03, 2018
Woman WorldWoman World, Graphic Novel
by Dhaliwal, AminderGraphic Novel - 2018 | First editionGraphic Novel, 2018. First edition
Added Sep 27, 2018
Comment:
What happens when the men are gone? Not just away for a bit, but gone? Really gone. Like died out. The answers from this book are not nearly as disheartening as they could be. In fact, they're generally amusing, life-affirming, and not so tragic. A lighthearted approach to possible extinction is found in this quick read of a comic book.
It follows a small community that deals with a few problems, and "no men" are near the bottom of that list. Building a hospital, dealing with work, educating the young, having children, what to wear (or not wear), and figuring out what Paul Blart, Mall Cop was all about are of much greater importance in this work. And why not? This isn't Y: The Last Man. This isn't The Road. This is much more on the emotional and attitudinal level of the television program Little Britain, only without anyone needing to say "I'm a lady" because, well, everyone is.
There's much to love in here. Some great gags about men's razors, Blockbuster Video, and sweat are found, along with some commentary on womanhood itself. Recommended.What happens when the men are gone? Not just away for a bit, but gone? Really gone. Like died out. The answers from this book are not nearly as disheartening as they could be. In fact, they're generally amusing, life-affirming, and not so tragic. A…
The Expert System's BrotherThe Expert System's Brother, Book
by Tchaikovsky, AdrianBook - 2018Book, 2018
PimaLib_JonM's rating:
Added Aug 22, 2018
Comment:
Although it's not marketed as a YA dystopia sci-fi novella, that's pretty much what this is. And there's nothing wrong with that, especially since this is a good one.
The pace is brisk. And although the themes are pretty obvious, the only one to hit anyone over the head with them is a character who serves the role of the cult leader who says too much. Like a Bond villain, the Preacher character has a perfect plan for a perfect world that will be a terrible fix for the imperfect world. The book ends with imperfect hope, which is a welcome change from the standard tropes of such stories. Not everything is a binary between good and evil or right and wrong.Although it's not marketed as a YA dystopia sci-fi novella, that's pretty much what this is. And there's nothing wrong with that, especially since this is a good one.
The pace is brisk. And although the themes are pretty obvious, the only one to…
The Military Science of Star WarsThe Military Science of Star Wars, Book
by Beahm, George W.Book - 2018 | First editionBook, 2018. First edition
Added Jul 05, 2018
Comment:
Written by a retired US Army artillery major, this book is both a look at Star Wars from a new perspective and also a introductory book using popular culture to explain military concepts. Getting a good analysis of the Wars in Star Wars is something nerds of various types have been doing for as long as Star Wars has existed, but this book gathers many of the arguments into a single place.
And of course, there are things I find wrong. Saying the Naboo and Gungans were up against the Empire? Wrong! And his opinions of Han Solo as a great leader? It's almost as if he didn't watch any bit of the first movie, Episode IV. He's a great character, maybe the best in the entire franchise, but he was called "Solo" not because of his leadership capabilities. He was valued, but not often followed. Other nerds can find countless others, I'm certain. And that one time Tarkin ordered Vader to stop choking someone happened because Tarkin could give Vader orders.
But there are plenty of good explanations, too. Some were criticisms, others were praise, and still others were of the "George Lucas must be out of his mind" sorts (not a quote from the book, but if you read the author's, George Beahm's, stuff on Endor, it's quite clear that's what he's thinking.
It's a book for military fans who enjoy sci fi and sci fi fans who enjoy some military stuff. A breezy read compared to any military field manual, I'm certain. And not meaty enough to bother anyone wanting more Star Wars stuff therein. It got the right mix of fact and fiction and interesting without ever getting bogged down in minutia. We have enough websites for military buffs and Star Wars buffs for that.Written by a retired US Army artillery major, this book is both a look at Star Wars from a new perspective and also a introductory book using popular culture to explain military concepts. Getting a good analysis of the Wars in Star Wars is something…
Super Late BloomerSuper Late Bloomer, Graphic NovelMy Early Days in Transition : An up and Out Collection
by Kaye, JuliaGraphic Novel - 2018Graphic Novel, 2018
PimaLib_JonM's rating:
Added Jun 20, 2018
Comment:
This collection of moments of a transwoman's early transition is a combination of little victories and minor emotional setbacks recorded by the artist/author as she decided to become herself. There is affirmation and doubt, joy and tears, and triumphs and struggles. But throughout, she manages to remain patient and positive as the hormones provide her with the second puberty alluded to in the title. Family, work, social life, and some initial (not positive) delving into dating is explored. Pronouns are a struggle for others, but she never wavers in her goal, struggling with issues of presentation and expectations of and for her self-image. The comic strip format works well to tell her story without being either overbearing nor preachy, simply human. Recommended.This collection of moments of a transwoman's early transition is a combination of little victories and minor emotional setbacks recorded by the artist/author as she decided to become herself. There is affirmation and doubt, joy and tears, and…
The SAS Urban Survival HandbookThe SAS Urban Survival Handbook, BookHow to Protect Yourself From Domestic Accidents, Muggings, Burglary, and Attack
by Wiseman, JohnBook - 2018Book, 2018
PimaLib_JonM's rating:
Added May 10, 2018
Comment:
This book may as well be called the Urban Situational Fear Handbook for all its categories of things that can burn, poke, concuss, attack, bite, sting, poison, or otherwise cause you harm. If you need to know the best way to survive a chemical weapons attack on your workplace, this is the book. The author trained British special forces for decades, so he knows both how to assess a danger and then figure out a way to attack its throat, literally or figuratively. And of course it would have a forward written by a Navy SEAL, because it needs to have that trans-Atlantic appeal for maximum situational overkill.
I did enjoy the sections on poisonous plants and animals. Lovely color illustrations.
Note to self: the octopus with blue rings? Not a good pet.This book may as well be called the Urban Situational Fear Handbook for all its categories of things that can burn, poke, concuss, attack, bite, sting, poison, or otherwise cause you harm. If you need to know the best way to survive a chemical…
Comment: