books read in October

I feel like I've been absent a lot, not sure what I have been doing with myself, mostly playing video games! Anyway, I will mark my return with a book post!

You can clearly see that I had a book hangover after Kindred and struggled to find anything that would hold my attention and be as good of a story. Which is why it is mostly comic books.

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Amazing book and, sadly, still very relevant. I am thrilled they are teaching this in high schools. Talk about trying to teach empathy - Kindred puts you in the shoes of a modern Black woman and then sends that woman back in time to the antebellum South. I really enjoyed the whole book and found myself staying up late to finish it last night to see how it all ended. A modern classic.



The Vision, Volume 1: Little Worse Than A Man by Tom King

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This was so good, I did not want to stop reading it and when that final page happened, I wanted to call out "NOOOOOOO!" -- I didn't realize this was an ongoing series, I thought it would all be wrapped up in this trade. Now I have to wait to find out what happens next? Wow.



Prez, Vol. 1: Corndog-in-Chief by Mark Russell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Starts out ridiculous but manages to become eerily relevant.



Orange: The Complete Collection 2 by Ichigo Takano

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I wasn't as fond of this volume as much book 1. I found Naho to be a tad annoying, more so than she was in the first book, making mistakes that were frustrating. I did enjoy the ending though, it just took me awhile to get into this book.



Giant Days, Vol. 2 by John Allison

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I liked this one more than the first one but I'm still not enthralled by this series. Cute art style and quick read but not something I think I would recommend.



Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Ben Hatke is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. This was a great start to a series that I am looking forward to reading more about. Fantastic reworking of the "Jack and the Beanstalk" story, updated and tweaked to be a modern adventure. My only regret is reading it so soon after it came out because now I have to wait for book 2!



A Child of Books by Oliver Jeffers

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book is beautiful. It is definitely the kind of picture book you could read to a young child and as they get older, they will want to read it and investigate the images. Jeffries' poetic words and Winston's artwork create a new and magical world of words.



I Am a Story by Dan Yaccarino

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Deceptively simple, this book could lead to a lot of conversations with your child about the power of stories and the history of how humans have shared their stories.

And, of course, it mentions public libraries so it gets bonus points for that!

I think this would be a great book to take when visiting a classroom of 1st and 2nd graders.



Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


While I was initially disappointed that Lin didn't read the entire book, this was still a fascinating look into the creation of a musical and how long it takes to go from page to stage. Lin reading the notes at the end was a treat though. If you like musical theater, this is a great listen and if you love Hamilton, you wont' want to miss out on all of Lin's notes and the evolution of this modern classic.



Spontaneous by Aaron Starmer

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed the first 150 pages of this book. I couldn't put it down, I wanted to know what it all meant, where it was going, how would it all end. Then I it all suddenly came to a screeching halt. The plot stalled, the main characters voice went from quirky to obnoxious and it felt like the story was grasping for an ending.

This could have been so good with a bit of editing but instead it felt like it started as one kind of story and then lost its way for about 100 pages. I won't lie, I sped read the last bit of this book, hoping to find out what the ending would be.

I think I'm just spoiled by authors like A.S. King who know how to right real teen voices dealing with real teens issues but still get in a bit of magical realism - like tripping on dead bat water, communicating with plane passengers as they fly overhead or imagining your boyfriend building a helicopter in the back yard. When this book started, I was hoping Starmer had a vision of what it all meant, how it would start silly but end up giving us glimpse into a side of teenage life we hadn't thought about. Instead it just randomly exploded all over and left me feeling NOT invigorated.



Rat Queens, Vol. 2: The Far Reaching Tentacles of N'rygoth by Kurtis J. Wiebe

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Just as much fun - actually, maybe more? - that the first one. A bit more story, a bit more depth, really a great read and a lot of fun!




I'm *almost* done with Head Full of Ghosts which I wanted to finish on Halloween but I was SO TIRED last night I kept dozing off while reading!

I'm really hoping the new A.S. King shows up on my desk today or tomorrow. I can see it is in transit to me...she is one of my favorite authors and I drop everything when her new books come out.