Cover Run: The DC Comics Art – reviewed by Kekuha (patron)

A few weeks ago, I realized that I could actually order books through the library.  This astonished me beyond belief! “You mean I can just fill something out and ask them to buy the book for me?!” I shouted in front of my laptop.  “There must be some catch, some kind of special paid membership that would severely wreck my library experience,” I thought as I raced out the door. However, when I got there and asked the librarian behind the desk, they simply put in the order and asked me if I needed anything else. “Do you want a hold on the item?” the librarian asked politely. Needless to say, I left the building slightly bewildered and quite excited that day.

Then a few weeks later, it came: brand spanking new, and all for me. Cover Run by Adam Hughes. Just seeing the image of Catwoman on it brought a smile to my face. 

Now on to the review!

I have to say, that this was an absolutely wonderful book. It shows every cover that one of my favourite artists, Adam Hughes, drew for DC comics. It also had a little bit of explanation of every cover with tips and experiences from the man himself. I think if anyone is interested in becoming an illustrator these days and drawing comics and characters as a career, they should look into getting this book. Just the pictures alone are inspiring.

If you want to learn how to draw comics, start by reading the best. Drawing starts by watching and, then, imitating the life and loveliness of things around you. Hughes really captures this.

Have you read other comics and graphic novels? Feel free to comment below.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon … reviewed by Barbara

The latest novel from children’s author Grace Lin is a real treat. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, is a departure from her last two award-winning books The Year of the Dog and The Year of the Rat. Beautifully illustrated, the book is part adventure, part Chinese mythology. It tells the story of Minli, a young girl who steals away from home to seek her family’s fortune. Raised on her father’s stories, she sets off to find Never-Ending Mountain and the Man in the Moon so that she may ask him how to save her family from poverty. As she travels, she meets many characters, each telling his or her own story, which in turn advances Minli’s quest.

Since I joined the Children’s Department at CPL, I have read tales and myths from many cultures but have rarely found any so enjoyable. This is a charming fantasy made up of Chinese folktales and would be an excellent read for grades 4-6.

Enjoyed this book? Let us know; your comments are welcome!

Read It Again, Sam … reviewed by Nick Stranger

I’ve seen a lot of books and movies on this beat, but none like these next four. It’s not often in this crazy world that you read or see a story you like. Key Largo is one of them. A mob boss by the name of Johnny Rocco takes three hostages at gunpoint in a Florida hotel: hotel owner Nora Temple (Lauren Bacall), her invalid father-in-law (Lionel Barrymore) and a disillusioned ex-GI named Frank McCloud (Humphrey Bogart). McCloud’s tough as nails and can take Rocco anytime, but he’s seen too much. You think the storm outside the hotel is something … wait until you see the one inside.

Then there’s Touch of Evil, one twisted tale turning on itself like a snake in the southwestern American desert. I can’t say much here, but I‘ll tell you this much, it doesn’t matter who dunnit it this picture, but how they play the game.

In The Good German, Jake Geisner is just a muckraker doing his job, in Berlin after the war. Then, his path crosses with an old flame and her new beau, a young corporal … and a murder.

Wash all these films down with San Francisco Noir by Nathaniel Rich and see how the Fog City lures all of us: lonely so-called heroes, wannabes, long-lost loves and plain-old honest guys trapped in a vast puzzle that they’ll never understand, never mind get out of.

 As for me, I’ll be roaming the lost highways late at night waiting for the next story to appear like a break in the never-ending dark.

Comments? Sometimes it’s all you can do.

(Catch the annual Film Noir Festival until September 2 at the Pacific Cinematheque, 1131 Howe Street in Vancouver)

The Enchantress of Florence … reviewed by Silvana

I took this book on vacation with me, my husband having won it and me finally wading in to read a Salman Rushdie novel.  Unfortunately, this was not the right one – at least that’s what I’m told.

The Enchantress did anything but enchant.  This is a convoluted story set in both Italy and India in different time periods.  It is full of mythical, historical and just plain confusing characters, many of which have multiple names.  Keeping track of them, the plot and the time shifts was just too much work.  Rushdie writes beautifully but sometimes less is more.  To quote from the book:

“It’s time you got on with your account.  Just tell the whole damn story as fast as you possibly can – and do it, please, without stirring the ladies up all over again.”

I got so frustrated that I picked up a Harlequin Romance, which was on the bookshelf at the lake, and read that instead.  But I went back to the Enchantress and finished it – and I was relieved when it was over.

I will attempt Rushdie again, this time with Midnight’s Children.  I will keep you posted.

Have you read this book? Comments are welcome.

100 Years of Menswear … reviewed by Jay

Authored by Cally Blackman, his gorgeous, mainly pictorial work is just the right size:  it fits easily in your lap, but is large enough to be able to enjoy the pictures without squinting.  It contains the right number of well-chosen photos and illustrations (usually 3 for every 2-page spread) which means you can drink in everything but not get saturated too quickly.

And the photos have just enough descriptive text–you ‘get’ the picture without having to read too much!  I was able to tour 100 Years of Menswear in about half an hour, going at a steady pace, but it is the kind of book you would be able to pick up for a few minutes or for a few hours.

Celebrity fashion of yesteryear is included–even Starsky and Hutch appear.

Give this beautiful book a look if you are at all interested in menswear and/or if you are stimulated by photographs and/or if you like looking at well-edited, well-put together books.

Know of other fashion titles? Please feel free to comment!