Tenth Five Books of 2007

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50) The Ruins by Scott Smith, finished July 13

Appropriate to finish this Friday the 13th...hadn't noticed that before.... ¶ So this book was pretty good. But unsatisfying. I had heard and read so much about how this book is gripping from the moment it begins and never let goes that I was in total suspense from page one--but only because of those reviews. Without them, I never would have guessed that this book was going to be so terrifying. And it was pretty terrifying. I can't look at our pumpkin vines growing across the driveway in innocence anymore.... The make me nervous. ¶ The book was good enough I still want to read his first, but it wasn't all I hoped it would be. Perhaps if I had read it quicker, the necessary ending would not have occurred to me ahead of time. But perhaps if the book hadn't been so willing to let me set it down and not pick it back up, I would have read it quicker. ¶ If you're looking for a scare and you're headed to Mexico, read it now. Otherwise...whatever.
two weeksish

49) Favorite Stories by Margret Rey, illustrated by H.A. Rey, finished July 12

It occurred to me with the Big O's return from vacay today (as he immediately had me read a couple stories from this book) that a) this book qualifies for this list and b) I never included it when I first finished it. So I'm including it now and, even if it qualifies numerous times, I'm never including it again. Partially because I just don't like it that much and I regret talking Lady Steed into letting me buy it. ¶ See, heres the thing--these stories have terrible morals. Sure they're whimsical and fun, but their moral underpinning is just awful. Behold-----Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys: If you want friends, you need to let people take advantage of you; and no matter how humiliating it may seem, you must like it too. Elizabite: Adventures of a Carnivorous Plant: Violence is hilarious. Pretzel: All he has to do is find the right stunt, and the studly guy will always get the girl. Katy No-Pocket: It's important to have the best stuff so you can be better than everyone else. Spotty: Racism's not bad, but it is kind of a bother. Whiteblack the Penguin Sees the World: Stealing will impress your friends.
a couple weeks perhaps

48) Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins, finished July 2

Far be it from me to be disagreeable, but I, unlike the rest of the world (eg, notably, Edgy and 'sposa), really liked this book. Yes: nothing happens. Yes: the writing is like a goofy experiment. Yes: the method for assigning the appropriate title was scattershot. No: it's not perfect. But yes, I liked it. ¶ No one in their right mind would want to be a teenager again, but it did have some halcyon elements that finally dissipated with adulthood. This book has preserved them--bottled them--for your consumption. ¶ But seriously: check it out from the library--you don't need to buy it. ¶ Thanks to Lady Steed for making me read a book Edgy had made me talk bad about all this time.
two possibly three weeks

47) Flight Volume Three edited by Kazu Kibuishi, finished June 27

The style of art in this book is much different than what I'm used to, but most of the stories were terrific. And they stuck most of the dopey ones towards the rear, so that was good. All in all, an excellent gateway comic. Thanks to Jane Dough for lending it to me. ¶ (Let me define gateway comic real quick so it doesn't sound snotty. I'm not suggesting that Flight is a doorway that will lead you to the good stuff, but really isn't all that good itself. No, what I'm saying is the good stories are very good, and the art is more . . . populist. Accessible. Something. And if these palatable drawings deliver the storytelling goods to someone, they'll be more likely to someday read, say, Jimmy Corrigan, which is dense like a Russian novel when you thumb through it, but--like many a Russian novel--is also a masterpiece.) ¶ In the minibios at the back of flight, the following creators had web addresses: Alex Fuentes, Azad Injejikian, Bannister, Becky Cloonan, Ben Hatke, Bill Plympton (!), Catia Chien, Chris Applehans, Chuck BB, Dave Roman, Israel Sanchez, Joey Weiser, Johane Matte, Kazu Kibuishi, Kean Soo, Khang Le, Matthew Forsythe, Matthew S. Armstrong, Michael Gagné, Neil Babra, Paul Harmon, Phil Craven, Rad Sechrist, Reagan Lodge, Rudolphe Guenoden, Steve Hamaker, Tony Cliff and Yoko Tanaka.
very few weeks

46) Nobody Is Perfick by Bernard Waber, finished June 14

Okay. Let's be frank. This book is nothing more than a series of depressing stories for children. Are you into that? Then you're into this. Nuff sed.
a day

Puhreeeviously

045) First Paragraphs: Inspired Openings for Writers and Readers by Donald Newlove, finished June 12
044) The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking, finished June 11
043) Dune by Frank Herbert, finished June 9
042) The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels by Thomas Cahill, finished June 8
041) The Roald Dahl Omnibus by Roald Dahl, finished June 6
040) Troll: A Love Story by Johanna Sinisalo, finished May 31
039) The End by Lemony Snicket, finished May 23
038) The Complete Peanuts 1961-1962 by Charles M. Schultz, finished May 22
037) The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket, finished May 21
036) The Grim Grotto by Lemony Snicket, finished May 18
035) The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, finished May 15
034) Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, finished May 14
033) Chip Kidd: Book One: Work: 1986-2006 by Chip Kidd, finished May 9
032) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, finished May 7
031) The Complete Peanuts 1959-1960 by Charles M. Schulz, finished April 25
030) Devils & Demons edited by Marvin Kaye, finished April 23
029) Talk Talk Talk: Decoding the Mysteries of Speech by Jay Ingram, finished April 23
028) Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman, finished April 20
027) The Long Chalkboard: and Other Stories by Jennifer Allen and illustrated by Jules Feiffer, finished April 19
026) Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis, finished April 19
025) Frank by Jim Woodring, finished April 12
024) The Complete Concrete by Paul Chadwick, finished April 3
023) The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde, finished March 30
022) Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, finished March 28
021) Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller et al, finished March 23
020) A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers, finished March 16
019) Batman: Gothic by Grant Morrison et al, finished March 13
018) Wild at Heart by John Eldredge, finished March 7
017) Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid by Megan McDonald, finished March 7
016) 50 Professional Scenes for Student Actors: A Collection of Short 2 Person Scenes by Garry Michael Kluger, finished March 6
015) Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda, finished March 5
014) Frindle by Andrew Clements, finished March 1
013) Brain Wave by Poul Anderson, finished February 27
012) The Best American Comics 2006 edited by Harvey Pekar and Anne Elizabeth Moore, finished February 26
011) Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer, finished February 15
010) The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ edited by Mormon and Moroni, finished February 7
009) Lisey's Story by Stephen King, finished February 1
008) The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, finished January 26
007) Empire by Orson Scott Card, finished January 24
006) Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, finished January 22
005) Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh, finished January 17
004) Superman Adventures Vol. 1: Up, Up and Away! by Mark Millar, finished January 16
003) A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson, finished January 12
002) Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud, finished January 11
001) Galápagos by Kurt Vonnegut, finished January 10

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