this month, productivity was up

In collaboration with lowriter, here are my April picks!

graphic novels:
Wolverine: Origins #1
Daniel Way & Steve Dillion


as the title implies, this is the story of the origin of Wolverine. a few great twists and unexpected happenings... amazing artwork (thank you digital age) and pretty good dialogue. i enjoyed this quick read. it was definitely more of a comic book than a graphic novel, and it only took me 2 hours to read and savor it, but i definitely enjoyed this little romp. if you have any attraction to Wolverine at all, please check it out, b/c it's always fun to see where things started.



V for Vendetta
Alan Moore & David Lloyd


the movie i throughly enjoyed, the graphic novel i only so-so enjoyed. first of all, the artwork is (i'm sorry) wretched. (thank you 80's "realism"). and i dont think i would have understood the storyline or nuances if i hadnt seen the film first. it jumped all over the place and didnt really have much streamlining to it. it leaves a lot for you to assume, and it doesnt have the supercool "V" speech i posted about earlier. but, it was a challenge, and since i knew i liked the plot, i went with it. i recommend this for curious comic peeps.


audiobook:
A Dirty Job
Christopher Moore


in true Moore fashion, this was not a let down: witty, clever, morbid, irrational and spastic. i loved it. especially since i got it on audiobook. the guy who reads for Moore's books is fantastic - you can totally see him doing the reading in the studio wearing a hawiian shirt, clam diggers and birkenstocks. well, i'd like to keep that impression, anyway... After the death of his wife (immediately after the birth of their child) mis-hap, Beta Male Charlie Asher finds out he's a Death Merchant - a soul harvester. He's got quite the cast of characters behind him in his adventures including his adoring daughter, the goth clerk in his resale shop, two dualing Eastern Nation old lady tennants and a sprinkling of underworld figures. you really have to read it to fully appreciate it. i could write an entire novel as a review. compared to his other works, this isnt quite as shiney, but in the realm of amazon.com, this is totally worth the read.

regular old book:
Hangover Square
Patrick Hamilton


When i originally picked this book up at Micawber's in St. Paul, i was drawn to it's name and noir-esque plot line: George Harvey Bone lives a dank, circular, self-destructive life in Earl's Court, pre-war London. he doggedly follows the beautiful, sadistic Netta and her entourage around. this little clique takes out their low-class, high ambition, no money frustrations out on his faults: he's big, slow and a bit dim. Bone's not entirely dim though - he suffers from dual personality disorder, so half the time he's up and running, taking the abuses of his "friends", and half the time he's shut off from reality, in a state of his own mind where he is plotting to kill Netta. this book was actually written in the early 1900's, but has amazing ties to life as a 20-something today. listless wanderlust, alcoholism and boredom. money, revenge and schemes. love? maybe... but watching Bone go through the motions, you begin to wonder which personality is really HIM. btw, the ending is perfect. rarely do you get such a satisfactory ending from this type of book. recommended for anyone.

i'm always looking to increase my book list, so if you have any recommendations yourself, please let me know!