Recommended Reading
This page shows recommended readings for the current month. To see lists from previous months, see the list below.
2004
Recommended Reading for April 5, 2005: Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. Celebrate National Poetry Month and flash back to your childhood with these classic poems. Shel Silverstein has the ability to be both funny and poignant.
Recommended Reading for March 14, 2005: Flight, Volume One. This is a collection of graphic short stories as presented by a wide variety of young, talented online comic artists. Published by Image comics it includes work by Clio Chiang (Cascadia), Vera Brogsol Return to Sender) and Dylan Meconis (of the now defunct Bite Me. Woe.). Pretty pictures, well written stories. Perhaps an over reliance on wordless stories, but for the most part, excellent.
Recommended Reading for February 28, 2005: Going for the Record by Julie A. Swanson. I started out writing a review of this book but had to give up because I couldn't say anything without givin away the entire story. All you really need to know is that this is a great young adult novel dealing with the issues of loss and self-identity. It manages to tackle both without being sappy or maudlin.
Recommended Reading for February 20, 2005: Princess Tutu by Ikuko Itoh and Jun-ichi Satoh with art by Mizuo Shinome. This is the first volume of the manga follow up to the popular anime of the same name. Fans of the anime will see some significant difference in art style and story, but should still be able to enjoy revisiting their favorite characters. My only real beef with the changes is the replacement of the main character's best friends with new ones. This is only the first volume though, so who knows how this will develop. Like the anime, it's filled with references to fairy tales and ballets and is a bit of a fairy tale itself.
Recommended Reading for February 13, 2005: The Carousel by Rosamunde Pilcher. This is a sweet, some what old fashioned romance in true Pilcher style. No better way to enjoy Valentine's Day than to curl up with a love story.
Recommended Reading for February 5, 2005: Tam Lin by Pamela Dean. A retelling of the classic fairy tale/folk story. Part of the Fairy Tale Series edited by Terri Windling. Well written and totally excellent.
Recommended Reading for January 28, 2005: The Narnia Chronicles by C.S.Lewis. Apparently, there are people who haven't read the Narnia Books. If you are one of them, fix that. Now.
Recommended Reading for January 22, 2005: Charmed Bracelets by Tracey Zabar. The author of this book has gained fame as a designer of charm bracelets. Now she has tackled the subject of her art and interest and talks about the style, the history and the continuing popularity of these classic items. I think every girl I know has had a charm bracelet at some point, and I still have one and it is one of my favorite things to wear. In the 80s charm bracelets and necklaces made out of cheap plastic were every where, and on everyone. This is just a slightly more grown up version of those old favorites. Right now I'm in search of a really cool Gryphon charm, as that has been my nick online for about 8 years now and has become a part of my identity. If you are interested in jewelry, or just in charm bracelets, you will definitely enjoy this book.
Recommended Reading for January 14, 2005: Putting on the Dog by Cynthia Baxter. The second book in Baxter's fairly young mystery series, this one starts off a little slower than its predecessor Dead Canaries Don't Sing, but it quickly picks up the pace. A fun and engaging read.
|
