What'cha Readin'?

[FH]

Sometimes it's just hard to read a book without pictures! [img]images/smilies/whistling2.gif[/img]
Two books I highly recommend that are actually "graphic-novels" of the non-superhero variety and are adult-themed. Kind of pricey ($30 a piece), but well worth it if you're into it.
I've lifted the following info from Amazon.com but you can probably head to your local comic-shop, Borders, or even Barnes and Nobles to browse through these books:

"At long last, Craig Thompson returns and it was worth the wait. After wowing the comics world with his "Goodbye Chunky Rice" Thompson left us all wanting more. 'Rice' was a beautiful tale, a poignant little love story and one you could read over and over again and always find something new. It was cute and grotesque, charming and bittersweet, layered and fullfilling. A tough act to follow it would seem. But after devouring his latest (and prolific) illustrated novel "Blankets", we see that 'Rice' was just the tip of the iceburg.

For "Blankets" is everything it should be and then some. Thompson's storytelling skills have skyrocketed to amazing new heights. His drawing skills, brilliant from the begining, continue to amaze and fascinate. Facial expressions, body gestures and scenery are beautifully crafted into each meticulously designed page. The narrative and dialogue are naturalistic and without the usual hint of drama that comes along with these types of stories. From all these somewhat technical aspects of the book, Thompson is no doubt in top form and at the top of his game. There is little to criticize here. He has, no doubt, transcended the genre while at the same time lifting it up to new heights.

But what is most impressive here is the heart of this tale. Thompson isn't telling us a brand new story. On a very basic level, this is an angst teen romance. But how he tells it is key. He wraps his love story in memories of his childhood, his religious beliefs, his family. This, we come to see, is a love story about love. It is about first love. It is about brotherly love. It is about spiritual love. It is about all the complexities and nuances that come with all the different ways in which we love. Thompson avoids using his tale as a soap box to eloquently voice his hatred of the "popular kids". Nor does he candy-coat his childhood memories. Like so much of Thompsons work, it is a mix of joy and darkness. He never overstates to make a point. Such restraint is what sets his work miles apart from any other comic artist/storyteller out there. In one memorable scene, the two young brothers see static electricity in the blankets of the bed they share. These three pages (250-252) sum up the brilliance of this book and capture it's heart so perfectly. These are the passages that make you stop and think. To read over them too quickly would be cheating yourself of the full impact of this book. Like 'Rice' before it, "Blankets" demands to be read more than once. But I'll be happy if everyone read it at least once." -Reader.

[FH]

The second one is my favorite: It's entitled "Box Office Poison" and it's been a huge influence on my current project I've been toiling away on for the past 2 years...



"At 602 pages, Box Office Poison may seem like a big reading project to tackle, but once you start reading, you'll find that the pages just fly by and that time passes in leaps and bounds.

This book follows the lives of a variety of characters, most of them in some way related to or otherwise attached to the lives of our hero, Sherman Davies. Sherman is a 23-year-old aspiring writer living in Brooklyn. To support his aspirations, he works at Matthew's Bookstore, a job he despises but is unwilling to leave for any number of reasons. While learning about Sherman's life, you are introduced to any number of people, including his girlfriend (Dorothy: slob, editor, possible alcoholic, vaguely mentally unbalanced), his roommates (Jane: comic book artist,
long-time significant other of Sherman's other roommate, Stephen: history professor and nut), his best friend (Ed: aspiring comic book artist, virgin, assistant to cartoonist Irving Flavor: crotchety old man, down-on-his-luck cartoonist), and innumerable other characters, big and small.

While Box Office Poision is one linear story, it is told in a series of vignettes, each embodying some small part of the overall story arc. I am particularly fond of the "question pages" where a single question (What was your worst job ever? What is your secret talent?) is asked, and various characters respond in a single panel. The sub-division of the story facilitates the speed of the read and leaves you constantly wondering what happened next. I very much enjoyed this format.

As for the story itself? It's great. With the wide cast of characters, most anyone can find someone to relate to, made all the more easy by the fact that most of the characters are very real. We've all known an Ed, or a Stephen, or a Dorothy. Maybe not in those exact incarnations, but certainly close enough to provide a deeper level of understand to the whole saga. The story takes a rather up-front view to most of the topics it covers: love, break-ups, sex, jobs, friendships, contracts, alcohol, infidelity, obsessions, and more.

Box Office Poison is definitely worth reading, and I think that I'm going to find that it's worth even more: a re-read. It's easy to get lost in something the size of this work, and part of the joy of something like that is that you can go back and reread and find things you missed the first time. I'm looking forward to it." -Reader

[FH]

Now, are you looking for that superhero book? Then look no further than Frank Miller's "The Dark Night Returns"...



This is the book that redefined not only Batman, but inspired the direction comics have taken in recent years. This book was the inspiration behind Batman's relaunch in the movies with the dark tone the character deserved outside of the campiness he was subjected to from the 60's tv-series. Often imitated but never dupicated, this is the definitive Batman book. It actually takes place several years after Bruce Wayne "retires" from being Batman and you'll be shocked to see who the new "Robin" will be!

[FH]

Looking for an on-the-edge-of-your-seat-thriller?
My favorite-series of non-graphic novel books are all of the Lucas Davenport books written by John Sanford, his "Prey" series. "Rules of Prey" is the first one of the series and I believe there's 12 others in the collection. Great starting-point if you're into the serial-killer genre!

[wip5150]

Great thread FH. I'm currently rereading the greatest sports book of all time - The Junction Boys by Jim Dent. The Junction Boys chronicles the challenges faced by the 1957 Texas A&M football team coached by Paul "Bear" Bryant. It's amazing what these people went through and how a few weeks in Junction, Texas forged a bond that lasted a lifetime.

Truly, a great read even if you don't like sports.

[TopJimmy78]

[ QUOTE ]
wip5150 said:
Great thread FH. I'm currently rereading the greatest sports book of all time - The Junction Boys by Jim Dent. The Junction Boys chronicles the challenges faced by the 1957 Texas A&M football team coached by Paul "Bear" Bryant. It's amazing what these people went through and how a few weeks in Junction, Texas forged a bond that lasted a lifetime.

Truly, a great read even if you don't like sports.

[/ QUOTE ]


Hey wip5150 did you see the made for tv movie that aired on espn with Tom Berrenger as Paul "Bear" Bryant? I thought it was pretty good [img]images/smilies/icon_thumb.gif[/img], I imagine the book is even better though, I think I'll see if I can get it and give it a read.

[wip5150]

[ QUOTE ]
TopJimmy78 said:
[ QUOTE ]
wip5150 said:
Great thread FH. I'm currently rereading the greatest sports book of all time - The Junction Boys by Jim Dent. The Junction Boys chronicles the challenges faced by the 1957 Texas A&M football team coached by Paul "Bear" Bryant. It's amazing what these people went through and how a few weeks in Junction, Texas forged a bond that lasted a lifetime.

Truly, a great read even if you don't like sports.

[/ QUOTE ]


Hey wip5150 did you see the made for tv movie that aired on espn with Tom Berrenger as Paul "Bear" Bryant? I thought it was pretty good [img]images/smilies/icon_thumb.gif[/img], I imagine the book is even better though, I think I'll see if I can get it and give it a read.

[/ QUOTE ]

TJ - I did see the movie and it was decent. The book, however, is greatness. [img]images/smilies/icon_thumb.gif[/img]

[TopJimmy78]

[ QUOTE ]
FH said:
Now, are you looking for that superhero book? Then look no further than Frank Miller's "The Dark Night Returns"...



This is the book that redefined not only Batman, but inspired the direction comics have taken in recent years. This book was the inspiration behind Batman's relaunch in the movies with the dark tone the character deserved outside of the campiness he was subjected to from the 60's tv-series. Often imitated but never dupicated, this is the definitive Batman book. It actually takes place several years after Bruce Wayne "retires" from being Batman and you'll be shocked to see who the new "Robin" will be!

[/ QUOTE ]


I totally agree with you FH [img]images/smilies/icon_thumb.gif[/img] "Dark Knight Returns" is one of the best Batman stories ever! I am currently reading "Superman: Last Son Of Krypton" by Elliot S. Maggin.

[irish]

Little women
R.E.M Inside out-the stories behind every somg
U2 in their own words
you'd be surprised by peter cheyney
A day in the life of hollywood
Marlon Brando by Richard Schickel
a biography of Elvis Costello
The essential guide to word comics
Well they are the ones I'm concentrating on at the moment.
Then there are the ones I've started but haven't got back to in a long time , and magazines and comics