Wild Cats, around the globe with Suki and Finch (Volume #1)

author: Muhammad Tauhidul Iqbal Sampad
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2015
rating: 1
read at: 2015/05/10
date added: 2015/05/10
shelves: graphic-novels, children-s
review:
'Wild Cats, around the globe with Suki and Finch: Volume 1' is the beginning of a new kids series. It features real photos and CGI characters on top of them. I had some issues with it.

Suki and Finch are excited. They are hired by an apparently anonymous organization and sent out into the wilds of Canada. Alone. They meet a Canadian lynx named Tip and a falcon named Screech that help them along the way. They run into cranky grown ups, friendly relatives, ecological devastation and other surprises.

The format of the book is a bit strange with the characters dialogue happening on the right side of the page like a text conversation. Most of the left side is the animated characters on top of photos. This doesn't look too bad, for the most part, but I got tired of them breaking the fourth wall to remind readers that they were not real. I had problems with 2 kids being sent into the wilderness with no supervision. They approach wild animals as if they are domesticated, and I find this careless in a book for children. The characters break into a cabin in the woods to spend the night, and the concept of "squatting" is defined. This seems like something rather dangerous to be teaching children. The somewhat heavy ecological issues seems to really clash with the presence of talking animals and other fantasy elements. I like the concept of the book, but the execution left me scratching my head.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Bark and Howl Press Ltd, IBPA Members' Titles and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.


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Jupiter's Legacy, Book One

author: Mark Millar
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2015/05/07
date added: 2015/05/07
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
'Jupiter's Legacy Volume 1' by Mark Millar seems to have a SF title, but the story is another in a line of superhero deconstructionist fables. The art by Frank Quitely is worth the price of admission.

Then: A group of people find a mysterious island that gives them each unique powers. They use these to fight evil in whatever form they find it. Along the way they find fame and admiration. They also settle down and get married.

Now: The children of those famous heroes have superpowers , but they also have mommy and daddy issues. Some live the sort of spoiled life you'd expect. Some want to follow in their parents footsteps, but there are no supervillains left. Some want to change the world.

I like the setup, but it feels like it's kind of been done before. Most of the characters are interesting and you do feel a bit towards them. The violence seems a bit over the top in it's gore factor. The art by Frank Quitely is very good, and the coloring is different than in most superhero books moving to richer tones versus primary colors. A good effort. I'm interested to see where this goes.

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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The Gandy Dancers: And Work Songs from the American Railroad

author: Vanita Oelschlager
name: Wayne
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2015/05/07
date added: 2015/05/07
shelves: children-s
review:
'The Gandy Dancers: And Work Songs from the American Railroad' is a beautifully illustrated book about working on the early American railroad. It includes songs from the period.

In 1910, there were about 1.7 million people employed by the railroad. The book briefly explains some of the jobs like brakemen, firemen, pullman porters and others. The main job of the book were the section gangs that worked to keep the tracks straight. One of these groups was known as the Gandy Dancers who sang work songs to help keep them working together. In between refrains, they would call out "huh!" to keep their rhythm and work aligned. There are lyrics to many famous folk songs of the era that the Gandy Dancers might have sung. Songs like Skip To My Lou, I've Been Working on the Railroad, and John Brown's Body among others. The lyrics to The Battle Hymn of the Republic are included. It's always been one of my favorite American songs. The book ends with a list of resources for further information.

Mike Blanc's illustrations are simply wonderful. The book's cover drew me in and I wasn't disappointed. The book tells a story that could be politicized or preachy and it's not. Kudos to Vanita Oelschlager for keeping the story interesting at a kid level. The songs work along with the illustrations. All in all, an interesting non-fiction picture book about a group of hard working Americans.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Vanita Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this interesting picture book for young readers.


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The Job: True Tales from the Life of a New York City Cop

author: Steve Osborne
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2015/05/07
date added: 2015/05/07
shelves: non-fiction
review:
'The Job: True Tales from the Life of a New York City Cop' by Steve Osborne is a straight-from-the-hip collection of true stories from the career of Mr. Osborne. I first became familiar with him from The Moth, so I was excited when I saw that he had written a book.

After a career of 20 years in the NYPD, Steve Osborne has more than enough fodder for some great stories. The introduction tells us how he started writing them down, then ended up on the stage at The Moth. Steve's father was a cop, and he couldn't imagine being anything else. Not because it's easy, but because it was just something in his blood. He's one of the few cops who made an arrest on his first day on the job as well as his last day on the job.

The stories range from funny to heartbreaking. From busting drug dealers in Washington Square to having to inform a family member about a dead relative. There are also personal stories about a family dog and Steve's last days with his father. Steve was a cop when the attack on the World Trade Centers happened, and he recounts that here as well.

In a time when law enforcement isn't viewed with the most respect, this book offers a look at what it's really like to wear a shield and a gun. This is a boots on the ground view of the job. It's raw, and the language is often rough. Steve Osborne is a good storyteller, and the book feels like sitting down over a beer and swapping stories. It's not the most polished writing, but that just adds to the authenticity of it.

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


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The Super-Deluxe, Epic Journal of Awesomeness

author: Hourglass Press
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2015/05/06
date added: 2015/05/06
shelves: children-s
review:
'The Super-Deluxe, Epic Journal of Awesomeness' is a creative outlet for young kids. It would make a fun gift for a long summer road trip.

The pages ask you to do things like see how many folds you can put in a page, or how to make an origami crane. There are weird things like drawing the contents of your stomach, or what your tattoo would look like (if you could get one). There are things like drawing all the furniture in the room, or drawing your favorite painting.

I guess my only issue might be calling it a journal due to the lack of actual writing that it asks the user to do. It's almost completely drawing or crafts. That's not a bad thing for a little creative mind, but creative writing exercises might have been fun. As it is, I can see a parent saving this short book in a memory box.

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


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Snoopy Features as Master of Disguise (Peanuts Pocket)

author: Charles M. Schulz
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at: 2015/05/03
date added: 2015/05/03
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
'Snoopy Features as Master of Disguise' by Charles M. Schulz is a pocket edition of Peanuts reprints featuring Snoopy. It's a fun little book that harkens back to pocket book editions of comics I read years ago.

Snoopy is a master of disguise. Whether he is pretending to be Joe Cool, a surveyor or a famous surgeon. He is a hired hand that can't seem to use a shovel correctly. He is an astronaut. He is a grocery clerk who likes to comment on magazine reading customers. He is a veteran out drinking root beers with his fellow veterans. He is the Masked Marvel locked in an arm-wrestling contest with Lucy. He is all of these and more, and almost all of them "world famous."

It's a good little collection. Missing is the Red Baron, which is certainly a disguise Snoopy is known for, but there are plenty of other great Snoopy moments. A weird addition is a series featuring a girl named Tapioca Pudding. Snoopy eventually plays into it, but he's not around for quite a few pages. It seemed like an odd choice, but perhaps only certain years got licensed for this collection. Still, Peanuts is a classic, and it's good to see it getting any sort of reprint.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Open Road Integrated Media, Peanuts, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.



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Horrorstör

author: Grady Hendrix
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2015/05/03
date added: 2015/05/03
shelves:
review:
'Horrorstor' by Grady Hendrix is both a tongue in cheek look at the horrors of working retail, and also a horror novel involving wandering around an empty store at night. I liked it quite a bit.

Amy is marking time at big box furniture store Orsk , where the prices are lower than Ikea, and, the author assures us, that is where the resemblance ends. She is trying to 1) avoid her manager, who is out to fire her, 2) come up with the shortfall in her rent, 3) and get transferred back to the store she came from. When her manager Basil offers her the chance for overtime by investigating strange doings in the store during the nighttime hours, Amy can't pass up the opportunity for the double overtime. This is where all the horror aficionados scream "No! Don't do it!" because this is the set up for all the things that follow. She is stuck in the store with her manager Basil and overly cheerful cashier Ruth Anne. Unknowingly, a couple co-workers who want to make it famous in the ghost hunting game have also decided to spend the night. What follows is a gradual unfolding of events from slightly uneasy to outright terrifying. From strange graffiti appearing in the employee bathrooms to a showroom maze that seems intent on confusing Amy to torture and possible death.

The book is designed like an Ikea catalog. It includes all the things you might expect to find, and things you won't expect to find. The cheeriness of the catalog and ideals of the employee values, along with Amy's feelings of being trapped help to create a strange prison-like environment which fits perfectly with what happens later in the store. There is plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor for the horrors of working retail, and for fans of the store this book parodies. The humor is balanced with the horror and the evil that is found in the store is pretty grotesque and scary, so be warned about that. But for those who like their horror mixed with dark humor, this certainly fills the bill.

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



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