Sunday, January 3, 2016

#17 on 2nd Installment of 101 in 1001

Four Books a Month = 6 books thus far, as I started the 2nd installment on November 15th.

I wanted to start a soft book review – more so a list of the books I’ve read each month to keep me honest and open about what I’m reading and how I feel about what I’ve read. I’ve said it before – I’ll read just about anything once, including the backs of soup cans.

love to read. It’s my hobby, followed closely by writing. I share my writing through my Instagram @thesavagebutterfly , and this blog. So following suit, I’ve felt the need for a while to share my reading as well. They’re not reviews but my thoughts on the books, how they affected me, and would I read more of that author or series. I have a lot of favorites, though I would consider it more of a hierarchy. I’m also almost exclusively a fiction reader, though Bob Dylan’s autobiography and Kitchen Confidential are in the top ten, and very, very eclectic.

To get a glimpse of what I like, here are some of my favorites, in alphabetical order by title, though if American Gods had a different name, it’d still be #1:

American Gods – Neil Gaiman
The Black Lyon – Jude Deveraux
Canterbury Tales – Geoffrey Chauce
-Full disclosure – this was required reading when I was at UCLA, and one of the few classes I pushed to get into even though I didn’t qualify
Chronicles – Bob Dylan
Divine Comedy – Dante Alighieri
-Second full disclosure – also required reading in a graduate class I had to petition to attend
-I specifically like Inferno, like everyone else, like of like how everyone likes War and not Peace 
Harry Potter series – J.K. Rowling
If Tomorrow Comes – Sidney Sheldon
The Inheritance Saga – Christopher Paolini
Kafka on the Shore – Haruki Murakami
Kitchen Confidential – Anthony Bourdain
-I want to be this guy when I grow up
Oryx and Crake – Margaret Atwood
The Sandman – Neil Gaiman

Though, let’s be real – I will read anything by the above authors and have almost all their written works on hand. So, without further ado, below are what I've currently read. 

The Water Knife (fiction novel) – Paolo Bacigalupi

If you’ve read his other works, then the style will be familiar. There’s some colloquial Spanish terms that I had to look up, even with my childhood spent in Hispanic neighborhoods.
I picked up this book because I loved the cover – and I do judge books by their covers – but also because I really liked Ship Breaker, which I read at  furious pace about 4-5 years ago. This one took me longer to read – probably about a month – as there were moments where the plot twisted so quickly that I was put off from it. Not that I can’t follow along, but more so because it twisted in about 3 paragraphs of action, and then was over with. Kind of like a bad date.
It’s good and imaginative – the themes of a damaged and dying Southwestern United States are all too real with the droughts that are plaguing California to Colorado, the warlords who look to survive and thrive within an environment where the people are willing to do what they've always been willing to do – sell themselves, their integrity, their promises, and ultimately, their lives. I did like the violence of the characters’ personalities – from Angel who is the book's namesake; Lucy, a journalist who comes to grips with why she’s really covering the stories of dying cities; and Maria, a young refugee who is willing to do what it takes to feel life fall from the sky.

Lazarus (graphic novel)– Greg Rucka
I had a choice between getting the first issue of the series or buying volume 1 – I tend to go heavy and just buy volumes of things, even if I don't end up liking them after a few pages. I went against my nature and conservatively bought the first issue – wishing I had bought the volume. It’s intriguing, though predictable with it comes to the family and the people who surround the main character, Lazarus.
Not really knowing much about the author, I found that I really, really enjoyed the art – it’s violent, precise, and intense. Like my judging a book by its cover, I’ll judge graphic novels by their artwork
She’s a killer, a sort of war machine of the future whose bodily functions can be healed from a distance. Borne Legacy comes to mind, with Aaron Cross having to take pills, going through war training  and constantly under doctor surveillance. Again, there was the theme of a damaged wasteland of the western United States, where the 1% control entire regions of land in a serfdom with an actual population being labled “Waste”.
I guess I love myself some violent dystopian futures. 

American Vampire (graphic novel) – Scott Snyder & Stephen King
Again, choosing this particular issue because of the violent illustrations and inking.
I don’t know if I like this one to keep reading – the first issue was alright, but I feel like there wasn’t…enough of something. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it’s almost like there wasn’t enough of a particular theme – not enough violence, not enough betrayal, nothing over exaggerated, which is almost what I crave in my graphic novels – colors too intense and unreal, violence overwhelmingly heavy and portrayed drastically, even the characters themselves having features that are caricatures.
The story spans two centuries, with the creation of one of the main characters – Skinner Sweet – and his progeny Pearl Jones. Most of the issue take place during the 1920s – and here’s an example of the “not enough” I was mentioning earlier: struggling Hollywood actresses in the 1920s were known to sleep with their co-stars or managers or producers simply to have a good meal in the evening and a place to stay that wasn't filled with rats and water. They alluded to the “favors” being given by these actresses, but they didn't show it or confront it. Granted, it’s not part of the story, but it’s part of the life that existed for that particular occupation – don’t omit large portions of the life that existed then. And for me, it would’ve made the betrayal of Pearl’s friend more real and more hurtful.
That all being said, I will probably read more because I like Scott Snyder and Stephen King

Wytches (graphic novel)– Scott Snyder
So I didn’t even realize that I bought two Scott Snyder stories, and was super excited when I found out that I did. As you will see with my theme, I bought this because of the artwork – the illustrations and inking.
I loved this first issue – LOVED it. I loved how the fear, anxiety, uncertainty, violence just poured off the page and sucked you in
The idea that you “pledge” someone in order to get what you want isn’t unique per say – what you give or give up for what you want – but it’s the story, the heartbreak and trying to build a new life, the life you wanted prior to all the pain and accidents, the life you felt you should have. It’s an innate desire to want something without having to work for it or it be in the realm of possibility – something that would make a small or even large part of your life easier, and this series is grisly in its detailing the lives of the Rook family.
I will be reading more of this…

The Sandman Overture (graphic novel) – Neil Gaiman
Gaiman being my favorite author, I will read just about anything he writes
Also, the illustrations, inking, and penciling

The Absolute Death (graphic novel) – Neil Gaiman
See above
Death is a fantastic character – so is Dream, of course, and he will always be my favorite – but the way she looks and the interpretation of Death in her character is unique to me – she’s not removed, she’s not a wanderer, and she loves everyone. Genuinely.
Fun tidbit – I was Death for Halloween about 5 years ago