books read in November

I Crawl Through It by A.S. King

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Have you ever finished a book and thought "I have no idea what I just read...but I think I kind of loved it?"

That's how I felt last night as I finished the final page of 'I Crawl Through It'. As I read this book, I felt pulled in and swallowed up as much as any of the characters. I felt like a wave was pushing me forward, taking me through a journey I didn't full understand but knew I had to face. I had a sense of who these people were and how things would have to end for them. I had heard their stories before, but A.S. King's language elevated this from a simple, straight-forward story to an existential, almost ethereal level. The characters tried to be tough on the outside, but you could see through their different shields and deep down you knew that it would only take the tiniest thing to make their delicate facades fall apart.

I can't really say anymore about it. It was a beautiful book that I felt captured those feelings of being 18 and trapped by a world of tests, letters, answers, and emotions.



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The Marvels by Brian Selznick

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I am really impressed with Brian Selznick. He could probably have ridden the coat tails of his 'Hugo Cabret' success, copying himself over and over in the same style and format and received decent reviews.

Instead, he is clearly challenging himself, finding new ways to tell stories through a mixture of art and text. I enjoyed The Invention of Hugo Cabret and really liked Wonderstruck but The Marvels is several steps above both of these.

Selznick has matured with his audience and if a child picked up 'Hugo' when it first came out, then they are just the right age to read 'Marvels'. The themes of the story, while still appropriate for children, are far deeper and more emotional than the other books. It's still a book for kids, but it is still about maturing? And I think adults will read it and remember what it was like to realize that your family, your parents, are people too, with their own stories.

The artwork is gorgeous but you must be patient enough to look at each picture and decipher the meaning. You can't just flip through quickly otherwise you will not appreciate things later in the book.

I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who enjoys children's literature or storytelling using art.



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Step Aside, Pops: A Hark! a Vagrant Collection by Kate Beaton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I read a lot of these online as they were published but it was still fun to sit down and read them again, back to back. My favorites are the ones where she took old pictures and book covers and created random strips to go with them, probably because the Nancy Drew comics were how I found the 'Hark, a Vagrant!' comics in the first place.

Quirky, weird, and hilarious, a must read for the over-educated and over-read. (I'll be honest, I had to google some of the references myself...I don't know much about Canadian history!)



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The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King




I felt I needed to read this book because A.S. King is my new favorite author. But I got about 95 pages in and I'm calling it. This was her first novel and I just can't get into it. I see the hints of the A.S. King I know and love, but it is just not grabbing me and my to-read pile is far too big to force myself to finish this. I had this same issue with Markus Zusak's earlier works too.

Stopped on page 95, couldn't read anymore. Might make for a better audio.



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You're Never Weird on the Internet by Felicia Day

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was everything I had hoped for. Felicia is just as fun to read as she is to watch. She is a little bit more neurotic than I ever knew, but not to the point that I can't identify with her - and BOY DID I IDENTIFY WITH HER! Okay, so I didn't have that weird "homeschool" (in quotes because, if you read the book, you'll know why) situation, but I started out as a very introverted kid because of my geekiness and the Internet definitely helped me embrace my love of all things Star Wars, X-Files etc. and not feel alone. Now I'm loud and proud about all the fandoms I love.

If you're a fan of Felicia, this is obviously a must read. If you've ever been curious about why fandom is so popular, you should read this. If you've ever pondered the history of YouTube and web series and the evolution of The Internet to what it is today, pick this up. If you want motivation for why going for it isn't as crazy as you may think, pick this up. Felicia will make you laugh and maybe even inspire you to try something weird.



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Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


These comics are laugh out loud funny if you're humor is as weird and off-the-wall as Kate Beaton's. A hilarious treat for the over-educated who know far too much about history and literature or just random stuff. You can read new comics on her website and tumblr, but this collection is great to have on shelf for laugh emergencies (and makes a great gift too!)



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