Six Million Dollar Man: Season 6

author: James Kuhoric

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.17

book published: 2015

rating: 4

read at: 2015/01/31

date added: 2015/01/31

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'Six Million Dollar Man: Season 6' adds another season to the famous tv series, but in graphic novel form. There's a lot happening here, but it was a treat to read, and took me right back to the days of watching Steve Austin in action.



There are a lot of plot threads going on here, but it never feels like too much. Only one of the storylines feels like it gets shorted, but that's because it continues on. OSI wants to stop funding the bionics program in favor of a new robotics program called Maskotron, where robots are given realistic faces and sent in as covert operators. When one is given the face of Steve Austin, can anything possibly go wrong? At the same time, Steve is sent to Russia to spy on and stop a giant robot program they might be trying to spin up. Also, a recent probe to the planet Venus has been recovered, but it seems to be harboring a dangerous hitchhiker.



Rogue robots, dangerous alien viruses, and even Bigfoot makes an appearance. Along the way damage is done, bionics are repaired, and the fights are physical and political. It's also set in the same timeframe as the series, so the clothing and hair is definitely 1970s.



The whole things works very well, and it's at least as over the top as the original series was. The plot by James Kuhoric is deftly handled. There are a lot of story elements, but they are handled very well. The art by Juan Antonio Ramirez and David T. Cabrera is really good, and of course the covers by Alex Ross are amazing. Very fun stuff and it's done right.



I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Dynamite Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.





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Big Nate's Greatest Hits

author: Lincoln Peirce

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.32

book published: 2015

rating: 4

read at: 2015/01/31

date added: 2015/01/31

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'Big Nate's Greatest Hits' by Lincoln Peirce asks the question "Can you ever get enough Big Nate?" Thankfully, the answer is a resounding "No!"



Weighing in at 376 pages, this collection is huge. It does collect three other Big Nate books ('Big Nate Makes a Splash,' 'Big Nate Dibs on This Chair,' and 'Big Nate Pray for a Fire Drill'), so do take note of that.



Nate Wright is 11 and lives with his single dad and older sister. He likes playing sports, is good at cartooning, but is not the brightest kid in school. We see his struggles with girls, his nemesis teacher, his older sister, all of which seem to be instigated by Nate. Throughout the book are cartoons by "Nate" which feature his characters like Doctor Cesspool, Dan Cupid and Hollywood stuntman Moe Mentum. He also draws cartoons featuring Abe Lincoln and Pablo Picasso. He's obsessed with Cheeze Doodles, the new girl in town, and trying to get away with not turning in assignments.



I loved collections like this when I was a kid, and I still do as long as the comics are funny, and these are. This takes me back to all those collections of Peanuts, Garfield, and Nancy and Sluggo I remember reading. The dailies are in black and white, but the Sundays are in color. All are presented one strip per page, so this represents over a year's worth. I had a great time reading this.



I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this great collection of comics.





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Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

author: Herman Melville

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.38

book published: 1851

rating: 4

read at: 2015/01/28

date added: 2015/01/28

shelves: classics

review:







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Her Husband's Hands and Other Stories

author: Adam-Troy Castro

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.55

book published: 2013

rating: 4

read at: 2015/01/28

date added: 2015/01/28

shelves:

review:

'Her Husband's Hands and Other Stories' by Adam-Troy Castro is a series of disturbing short stories. I found them bizarre and chilling, and I enjoyed them.



The title story tells of a woman who receives the remains of her husband after he's been at war. All that is left are his hands, and they move and communicate by typing. It seems they might have PTSD as well, as if two hands moving and communicating weren't creepy enough.



'Cherub' finds us in a strange world where everyone has a small creature riding our backs that shows their true ugly natures to the world. What happens to a child who is born a complete innocent in a world like this?



'The Shallow End of the Pool' takes custody fights to a brutal end as a brother and sister are pitted in a death match against each other while their estranged parents look on.



Those are just a few of the stories you'll encounter in this collection. I've read some Adam-Troy Castro short stories before and these are quite different from other ones I've read by him. He makes reference to it in a good essay at the end of the book. He's a good storyteller and I recommend this collection for those looking for stories on the strange and dark side.



I received a review copy of this ebook from Diamond Book Distributors, Prime Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.





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The Leader's Code: Mission, Character, Service, and Getting the Job Done

author: Donovan Campbell

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.31

book published: 2013

rating: 5

read at: 2015/01/28

date added: 2015/01/28

shelves: non-fiction-business

review:

'The Leader's Code' by Donovan Campbell lays out a system of servant leadership based on the United States Marine Corps. It's definitely one of the better business books I've read recently.



There are anecdotes from Campbell based on his time in the military, but these are used to illustrate the building blocks of the code. We start with mission, but along the way we also find humility, courage and discipline among other things.



In a time when we've seen corruption among our leaders in some of the worst business scandal, the book serves as a kind of wake up call. It made me appreciate the way our military trains leaders and made me evaluate my own leadership style. Every chapter ends with a summary and reflection questions based on the material, and the book includes an appendix with a practical application of the principles learned.



Clear direction and clear action are missing in a lot of the business literature I read. Often I finish one of those books and wonder what the take away is. Not so in this book. Campbell's message and call to action are loud and clear. Well executed.



I received a review copy of this ebook from Random House and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.





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Hunt the Scorpion (SEAL Team Six, #2)

author: Don Mann

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.92

book published: 2012

rating: 3

read at: 2015/01/25

date added: 2015/01/25

shelves:

review:

'Seal Team Six: Hunt The Scorpion' is the second book in the series, and it seems to suffer a bit from second book syndrome. Whether it founders from lack of new character development, or from the fact that it's setting up further storyline down the road, I'm not sure.



Tom Crocker and team find themselves in the thick of it again. After rescuing a cargo ship from suspicious pirates, they set off to run a crazy endurance race in the Sahara. When they get called off that and sent to Libya, things really heat up. An unstable country, a team of UN inspectors looking for nuclear grade weapons material and a kidnapping that hits a little close to one team member are all what happens over a rapid-fire series of pages.



But it's all kind of a mess when it's done and I kind of liked the coherence of the first book better. Plus, this one ends with a set up for the next book, so maybe that's a promise that things will get back to form. At least the form I preferred anyway. Still, it was a fast read, and had plenty of action. I'll definitely read the third one.



I received a review copy of this ebook from Mulholland Books, Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.





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Apocalypse Bow Wow

author: James Proimos III

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.31

book published: 2015

rating: 3

read at: 2015/01/25

date added: 2015/01/25

shelves: graphic-novels, children-s

review:

'Apocalypse Bow Wow' is a series of comics about a couple of dogs, Brownie and Apollo, after the apocalypse has hit. It's a very fast read with lots of white space on every page, and while the subject is a bit morbid, it's not inappropriate for younger readers.



The end has come. Humans have simply vanished. We don't know how or why. Two housebound dogs don't seem too concerned, at least at first. Eventually it dawns on them that they might need to go look for food. How they get out of the house is pretty funny. As is how they form alliances in this new world order. There are standoffs in grocery aisles and fights with intruders, but all told in a kid friendly way.



It's a very fast 224 pages, with many pages only having only one panel on them. Each page has a lot of white space around the images, but it's currently under 7 bucks for the kindle version, so you'll have to decide if it's worth the money. It's a grim set up, but it's handled in a very kid friendly way. With the current craze on survivalist/zombie/post-apoc for the grownups, it was only a matter of time before something showed up for the kids. As long as yours aren't going to feel bad that the humans are gone, or the dogs have to fend for themselves, they might get a kick out of this.



I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Bloomsbury USA Children's Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.





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The Lone Ranger Volume 8 Tp

author: Ande Parks

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.12

book published: 2015

rating: 4

read at: 2015/01/24

date added: 2015/01/24

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'Lone Ranger Volume 8' ties up the series in a fine style. Collected here are issues 19-25.



There isn't a larger story as such, but the story of these two diverse friends is woven throughout some true events of the old West. From the tragic death of a lawman to a native woman charging for raindances. White men hunt buffalo for sport and leave the carcasses to rot while a local tribe starves as their food source is slaughtered. A pregnant woman lost in the snow with her newborn is found by a relentless Lone Ranger who refuses to give up the hunt. We see these events through the eyes of a white man and an native man who have both experienced loss.



This has been a great take on these characters. They are allowed to be the larger than life characters that we know them to be, but without becoming caricatures or stereotypes. Art in this volume by Esteve Polls is topnotch, as is the writing of Ande Parks. I read some of these at the beginning of the series, and now this concluding volume. I look forward to reading more of the volumes in the middle now.



I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Dynamite Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this fine graphic novel.





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Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin, #1)

author: Robin LaFevers

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.95

book published: 2012

rating: 4

read at: 2015/01/24

date added: 2015/01/24

shelves: young-adult

review:

'Grave Mercy' is the first part of a new series by Robin LaFevers. You only had to say assassin nuns and I was in.



Ismae's only hope to escape from an abusive father is in an arranged marriage, or so she thinks. When her new husband proves himself to be as brutal (or moreso) than her father, she is miraculously taken away to a new life. She finds herself in service to a god of death known as St. Mortain. She learns the ways of deathdealing and how to only kill victims that bear the mark of Mortain. Before she is fully ready, she is sent out on her first mission, which has political ramifications for her people against an invading France. She is charged with protecting a young duchess while trying not to get too involved with her handsome brother. She is in a world she has never known, and surrounded by treacherous people. Will Mortain guide her hand true to save the life of the duchess?



I really liked this book. It moves along briskly. Ismae is a likeable enough character and prone to mistakes. It's YA, so it's got the romance angle which doesn't usually appeal as much to me, but it wasn't cloyingly annoying here. Ismae remains strong and independent throughout. I liked the sort of alternate medieval setting with it's strange gods. I understand the next books are told from a different character's perspective, but I think I'm ok with that.



I received a review copy of this ebook from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this really good ebook.





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Makeshift Miracle Book 2: The Boy Who Stole Everything

author: Jim Zub

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.43

book published: 2015

rating: 4

read at: 2015/01/23

date added: 2015/01/23

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'Makeshift Miracle Book 2: The Boy Who Stole Everything' continues the story of when Iris literally fell into Colby's life. It's a gorgeously painted book that almost made me forget the story, but it's a good story too.



The story concludes in this volume with chapters 7 through 13. The book opens with Colby's friend Blake falling into the dream kingdom and meeting the mysterious Egurio. We also see Colby foundering in his new place in the dreamworld running into phantom dreamers until he finds Iris. Ultimately a painful choice must be made by Colby and Iris.



The story feels like anime crossed with Sandman, but it reads like a conventional comic. The story is ok, but the art is simply beautiful. There are times when the characters seem weirdly proportioned, and I can't figure out if that's just skewed because of the dream world or some other design choice. I liked it so much, I went and read the first few issues online.



I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Udon Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.





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A Christmas Horror Story

author: Sebastian Gregory

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.35

book published: 2014

rating: 4

read at: 2015/01/22

date added: 2015/01/22

shelves:

review:

'A Christmas Horror Story' by Sebastian Gregory is a dark, twisted tale of Christmas. I enjoyed it even into the dark days of Winter.



Beware of the thing that comes down the chimney on Christmas Eve. It's not who you are expecting as three snowbound children are about to learn.



Katy, Emily and Jake are home alone when their mom is stuck at work. They've recently lost their dad, so Christmas is looking pretty bleak. Add to that the strange book of tales that little brother Jake is reading about a Child Eater that stalks his prey on Christmas Eve. Before long the kids are running for their lives. Will they survive until Christmas? Should we all brick up our chimneys and hide?



It's a quick read, but Der Kinderfresser is is one of the most gruesome Christmas monsters I've run across. Sebastian Gregory writes a great page-turner and I like his style of intersecting childhood and terror. He did it well here and in 'The Asylum for Fairy-tale Creatures' (which I also loved). I didn't feel like this was a set story in which I could predict what was going to happen. That kept the tension high for me while reading.



I received a review copy of this ebook from Carina UK and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this frightfully wonderful ebook.





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My Dearest One

author: Monisha Vasa

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.75

book published: 2014

rating: 3

read at: 2015/01/22

date added: 2015/01/22

shelves: children-s

review:

'My Dearest One' by Monisha Vasa is a picture book to be shared with young children. While I think some of the terms might be over a child's head, the affirmations seem calming and make this a peaceful going to bed book.



The intentions of the book are for setting intentions, gratitude and compassion, and while the language is a bit flowery, I think it could be a good book for parents to share. The pictures show a parent and child elephant throughout the day, and the pictures are nice. The affirmations may be more for the parent than the child, but that's probably not so bad either.



I liked it, but I didn't love it. Certainly a children's book can be touchy-feely, but it was a little too much for me. I also tend to think a book for young children should be something they can kind of understand. You may feel differently, of course.



I received a review copy of this ebook from Smith Publicity, Balboa Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.





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Katamari Volume 1

author: Alex Culang

name: Wayne

average rating: 2.00

book published: 2015

rating: 3

read at: 2015/01/19

date added: 2015/01/19

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'Katamari Volume 1' is a series of web-comics that are based on the Katamari Damacy video game and its sequels. I am familiar with the games, but I've never played them. The game seems to be played by rolling a kind of sticky ball around and gathering things up to make the ball larger and larger.



It has it's fans, so the originating game company, Bandai Namco, decided to publish them under their ShiftyLook project. The book starts with an introduction by Ash Paulsen of Udon Entertainment, who was also Shiftylook's Comics Editor. There is also a brief introduction to the world of Katamari before the comics begin.



Each comic is printed with the original date it showed up online as well as a short commentary by the creators. I usually don't like running commentary, but since these webcomics run like Sunday comic strips, the breaks weren't too intrusive. Characters from the games show up, and mostly act like they do in the game. The prince doesn't talk in the game, but he does here, but for gag effect, I think it's necessary. Most of cousins show up at some point: rival Ace, powerful Macho, accident prone Opeo and others. They have adventures like stopping UFO abductions, rescuing color from black holes and saving the future. In between there are shorter one-off gags.



It's drawn well and has great colors. It's age appropriate for just about anyone. The stories are cute and make me want to explore this game more.



I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Udon Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this fun graphic novel.





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Dark Engine Volume 1: The Art of Destruction

author: Ryan Burton

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.12

book published: 2014

rating: 2

read at: 2015/01/17

date added: 2015/01/17

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'Dark Engine Volume 1: The Art of Destruction' is one of those stories that dumps you right in the middle and lets you sort things out. I'm still not completely certain I sorted everything out by the end of volume 1.



A time travelling killer named Sym has been created out of dark magic and sent back in time to correct errors made to the world. She is violent, not very talkative, and also not afraid to fight with her clothes off and take and use trophies of her kills as armor and weapons. That all sounds pretty cool, but it's kind of a mess to understand that. The visual clues are all there, but it's lacking some cohesion and coherency. I don't mind Syn's lack of dialogue, and the stuff we learn towards the end is fine to keep until the end, but a bit more exposition from the future folks would have made it a little better.



This is only the first 4 issues of the series, so maybe it will even out and make sense as it goes. I liked the art sometimes, but not all the way through the book. It's got an ugly style that I don't mind. The story is dark and strange and I think I'd like it if I had more notion of what was actually going on. If I get a stab at Volume 2, I'll see if it makes more sense.



I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Image Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this strange graphic novel.





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The Sparrow (The Sparrow, #1)

author: Mary Doria Russell

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.18

book published: 1996

rating: 4

read at: 2015/01/15

date added: 2015/01/15

shelves:

review:

'The Sparrow' has been recommended to me and when it came up as a book club pick, I was excited to finally read it. I wasn't disappointed at all.



In the near future, we finally find life on another planet. Divine providence or simple luck brings the right people together to take on this mission, including a Jesuit priest. Funded as a mission, the church makes a way for this to happen. The different personalities find ways to work together and I really liked the characters.



In the further future, events give us an idea what occurs during the first contact. The mistakes and hubris bear themselves out until a disturbing conclusion. The further future sections are interwoven in the book, so there is a pall of impending events hanging over the book.



I appreciated that the beliefs of the main characters weren't mocked or belittled. There is a true crisis of faith, and it's handled in a good way. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel.





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Stones of Power

author: Azumi Isora

name: Wayne

average rating: 2.18

book published: 2014

rating: 2

read at: 2015/01/15

date added: 2015/01/15

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'Stones of Power' is part of the Gen Manga series. It's a weird story, but I've seen Miyazaki movies, so I can handle bizarre stories from Japan. Or so I thought.



So, there's a guy who likes exotic fish. He sees a cute girl in the fish store and decides to find out more. She works in a store called a cafe, but it's a cafe that doesn't actually serve any food. It specializes in strange jewelry made of rocks. And the store has a fish tank, so before long he is working at the store and helping with the fish. Then he starts having weird dreams that seem to have something to do with the weird rocks. It all culminates in a dreamlike climax and left me kind of scratching my head.



It's not hard to follow, it's just kind of strange. When it was all over, I didn't dislike it, I'm just not sure who I would recommend it to. I've liked most of the Gen Manga series, but I didn't really care for this one.



I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Gen Manga Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.





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Deadly Tasting

author: Jean-Pierre Alaux

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.63

book published: 2005

rating: 4

read at: 2015/01/14

date added: 2015/01/14

shelves:

review:

'Deadly Tasting' is the 4th in the Winemaker Detective series, and it deliversa pretty good mystery this time. While there are still some moments of fluff, the mystery and it's motive are interesting.



A serial killer is loose in Bordeaux, leaving a series of 12 wine glasses. One filled for the first victim, two with the second victim and so on. Benjamin Cooker is called in to consult with the police because of his wine expertise. The wine left behind is rare and a bit unusual. Can Cooker and his trusty sidekick Virgile crack the case before the twelfth glass is filled?



The fluff comes in with a cabbage soup diet that Cooker is put on by his wife. This is probably in reaction to some of the sumptuous meals he and Virgile have eaten in past books. There's a little bantering about because of the diet, but soon the mystery takes hold and I thought it was a rather good one this time. I'm actually looking forward to the next book.



I received a review copy of this ebook from Le French Book and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.





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Wolf

author: Shige Nakamura

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.20

book published: 2012

rating: 4

read at: 2015/01/10

date added: 2015/01/10

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'Wolf' is a Gen Manga title that I enjoyed quite a bit. There is a little uneven storytelling, but overall, it's pretty good.



Naoto is an angry young man taking a train to Tokyo with a mission to kill a man. On the train, he meets a likeable enough innocent bumpkin named Shota who is also on his way to Tokyo, but he wants to become a sumo wrestler. When Naota gets to Tokyo, he and Shota part ways and Naoto finds himself at a boxing gym and face to face with the man he is there to kill.



Things don't work out perfectly for Naoto, but they kind of do. He finds friends in the gym who think he might make a pretty good boxer. Naoto takes that path so that he can build strength for his eventual revenge.



The tale that unfolds is not unpredictable, but I found it a little heartwarming and I liked it. Shota shows up occasionally, but I was kind of hoping for more of him. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more of him. Maybe he'll make his way to another book. I liked the art and found it easy to read and follow. I've enjoyed the Gen Manga series that I've read so far.



I received a review copy of this manga from Diamond Book Distributors, Gen Manga Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this manga.





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Mind the Gap, Volume 1: Intimate Strangers

author: Jim McCann

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.75

book published: 2012

rating: 4

read at: 2015/01/08

date added: 2015/01/08

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'Mind the Gap, Volume 1: Intimate Strangers' is a mind trip. It's also not a complete story arc. I don't think that should stop you, but it's something you should know going in.



Elle Peterssen comes from a wealthy family full of not so nice people. She is also in a coma. She is still an interesting character because she's in a strange out of body state. Her best friend is trying to figure out how this happened to Elle, and Elle is also trying to find the person that put her in a coma. The problem is there are a lot of suspicious characters. There is also a larger subplot happening, but it doesn't get too far off the ground in this book. Throughout the book there are song lyrics from various eras. I think this might hold clues, but they weren't revealed as of yet. Maybe they are just there to be cool.



I liked the story, but it was a bit too nighttime soap opera for me (think Dallas or Dynasty). I really liked the art, and the covers are really, really great. If I saw this on the newsstand, I'd pick it up just for the covers. I think I'd like to read more and find out what happens to Elle.



I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Image Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.





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Wizzywig: Portrait of a Serial Hacker

author: Ed Piskor

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.66

book published: 2012

rating: 4

read at: 2015/01/08

date added: 2015/01/08

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'Wizzywig' by Ed Piskor is a graphic novel that gives some of the early history of hacking. It does it in a style that moves between past and present. I liked it, but I didn't totally love it.



Kevin "Boingthump" Phenicle is a curious young boy growing up in the 1970s. At some point he ends up in prison, because we learn this in the first couple pages. Kevin as a younger kid was bullied, but it doesn't seem to phase him because he's got such a curiosity for things around him. That curiosity is for things like lock-picking and scamming bus drivers with discarded transfer tickets. He moves on to using dial tones generators to make free phone calls ("phreaking"). When he gets his first computer, things heat up more. He finds the world of the BBS, and starts selling copies of computer games to his friends.



Added in to this are the rumors of what Kevin can do. The media reacts to the unknown with it's typical fear. Unfortunately, this is about where my review copy ran out of pages, but I do want to find and read the rest of this graphic novel.



Ed Piskor is an artist who has worked on Harvey Pekar's "American Splendor" and the art reflects that sort of ugly character style. It suits the story really well. In the segment that I got for review, the story is a little patchy and seems to jump around, but it did hold my interest and I'm glad I got to read it. Now to find the rest of it...



I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Top Shelf Productions and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this fine graphic novel.





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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time

author: Paul Allor

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.64

book published: 2014

rating: 4

read at:

date added: 2015/01/05

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time' collects 4 issues of the series. Each issue is a different time period, and a different team of writers and artists. I kind of liked it.



Issue one dumps us right in the middle of our turtles runing from Utrom riding dinosaurs (Utrom is the race of aliens that Krang is from). A character I wasn't familiar with named Renet shows up and seems to be responsible for the time displacement, but it seems like she's still having problems. The turtles find themselves in medieval Japan and seeing a chance to change their lives by altering an event from their past. Aboard a sailing ship full of privateers, they help a crew fight off pirates, including one wielding a strange, futuristic weapon. The final issue finds them in a strange future with other anthropomorphic creatures. This strange future may have been caused by one of the guys, so soul searching is required.



My review copy was only 88 pages and the page count is listed as 104, so I'm not sure what I'm missing. There is little extra narrative explaining how this happened or why it's happening, but I don't think that's a problem. The art varies wildly between issues, but I also don't think this is a problem. I thought it was a lot of fun.



I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, IDW Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.





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Corto Maltese: Sous le signe du Capricorne

author: Hugo Pratt

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.22

book published: 1970

rating: 4

read at: 2015/01/04

date added: 2015/01/04

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'Corto Maltese: Under the Sign of Capricorn' is another reprint of the late 1960s-early 1970s series by Hugo Pratt. The adventure takes place around 1916 in the South Seas.



Corto Maltese, for those unfamiliar, is a mysterious ship captain and sometime ruffian who finds himself in the midst of trouble and always looking for a big score in buried or sunken treasure. He also finds himself on the edges of world conflict as he runs across plotting German captains.



This volume has a few stories, but the main one is called 'The Secret of Tristan Bantam' and concerns a young man who hires Corto Maltese to solve a mystery left behind by his deceased father. This will lead Tristan and Corto Maltese on an ocean adventure with unexpected results. Another story finds Corto Maltese on a beach, being shot at, and no memory of himself or how he got there.



They are high adventure stories from another time. The art is not bad. Corto Maltese is gangly and laid back, usually finding himself leaning against a door frame with a cigarette in his mouth. Sometimes his legs look a little too long and some of the native people are are a bit garish. The depictions of different races seems harsh at first glance, but these characters resonate with wisdom and intelligence, so it makes it's way into less offensive territory (at lease for me). I enjoyed this volume of stories and wouldn't mind reading more of handsome, laid back Corto Maltese.



I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.





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Thinkers 50 Innovation: Breakthrough Thinking to Take Your Business to the Next Level

author: Stuart Crainer

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.40

book published: 2013

rating: 3

read at: 2015/01/04

date added: 2015/01/04

shelves: currently-reading, non-fiction-business

review:

'Thinkers 50 Innovation: Breakthrough Techniques to Take Your Business to the Next Level' takes a hot business topic and interviews some of the leaders in the field as determined by the Thinkers 50 thinktank. I found it an interesting read, and see where it could be beneficial to businesses.



Each chapter takes a topic, then interviews a thought leader in that topic. Topics include Leading Innovation, Co-creating the Future and Where Innovation Meets Society. Thought leaders include Don Tapscott, Clay Christensen and Gary Hamel among others. The book is designed as an overview of the current state of innovation and why we are where we are. While not providing a complete roadmap, I think the chapters would be helpful for any company leader looking to add and lead with innovation. Also useful is the changing shape of management and how managers need to evolve in leading their teams.



The interviews are question and answer and are interesting due to the weight most of the leaders provide. The outline of the book is good and I enjoyed reading it. I've read good and bad books on the subject of innovation. This one falls slightly above average in that group. I'd recommend giving it a read if you are looking to drive innovation in your company.



I received a review copy of this ebook from McGraw-Hill Professional and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.





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Wit and Wisdom of America's First Ladies: A Book of Quotations

author: Joslyn Pine

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.20

book published: 2014

rating: 4

read at: 2015/01/04

date added: 2015/01/04

shelves: non-fiction

review:

A few years back, I got to go to the Smithsonian American History museum. One of the fascinating things I saw was a display of all the inaugural gowns worn by the first ladies. Due to the fragile nature of the fabric, the dresses were displayed on dress dummies in dim light and appeared to be floating in the dark. In the hushed room, a young boy loudly exclaimed, "Mama! They ain't got no heads!"



With a few exceptions, when we think of the first ladies, I'm not sure we credit them with the intelligence and stamina it surely takes to represent our country. 'Wit and Wisdom of America's First Ladies' sets out to change that over it's short length, and I believe it succeeds. Every woman who was a First Lady in the White House is given and introduction page and a series of quotes attributed to them. This is done in chronological order. You can see the types of things that occupied the First Lady's mind during that time. War, poverty, assassination, illiteracy, and the environment are just a few of the topics that show up in this book.



I enjoyed it immensely. We hear more about the Presidents than their wives, but I was engaged through this entire book. I really liked this chance to get to meet these ladies.



I received a review copy of this ebook from Dover Publications and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this interesting ebook.





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