The Sunday Salon... Treasure Hunting in a Book Sale

Welcome to The Sunday Salon! Grab a cup of joe, relax, and let's talk about books! Yes, after a hectic week of "this and that", it's time to sit back and reflect on what we've been able to squeeze in this week, the far off places we've visited as we immersed ourselves into the written page...

This week I went to my local Borders and its' "Going out of Business Sale". It is utter chaos on the shelves there. If you are looking for anything in particular you are virtually out of luck as the shelves are filled with books that people thought twice about, condensing book sections, and shrinking inventory... But it's also fun. It's like a treasure hunt, trying to find the little gems that are buried beneath all that chaos. It also makes me look... really look at all those titles and I've actually learned a thing or two about some authors.

Did you know? That the Alfred Hitchcock movie Strangers on a Train was written by Patricia Highsmith? Do you know who Patricia Highsmith is? I am a bit embarrassed to admit I hadn't read her before. But I will rectify that situation with Selected Novels and Short Stories by Patricia Highsmith, which includes Strangers on a Train and The Price of Salt, her other very well known novel. But Patricia Highsmith also wrote The Talented Mr. Ripley! Do you remember that movie?! I am amazed that she wrote both of these psychological "chillers". Strangers on the Train was her debut novel which she wrote in the 50's, and The Talented Mr. Ripley she wrote in the late 80's.

Some books were screaming for me to save them, or at least hand them to another customer looking to purchase some books... Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See was sitting there on a shelf (one of my favorite reads) and so was a copy of Little Bee by Chris Cleave. There was a copy of Stitches by David Small in the Biographies, along with Maus by Art Spiegelman, which I own but haven't read yet. Both of which are graphic novels. Stitches was an amazing book for its' subtle artwork, and Maus is amazing for other reasons as it's the story of the Holocaust, with the main characters depicted by mice and cats. I did pick up a graphic novel though... I brought home with me Forget Sorrow by Belle Yang, which is her ancestral tale, and her graphic memoir. We learn about Belle and China as we travel back to Belle's father's era as he recounts tales of growing up and the world as it was back then. The illustrations appear to be woodcuts and are beautiful.

What other books came home with me?

Illustrado by Miguel Syjuco... This won the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2008, even before it was in book form. "It begins with a body. On a clear day in winter, the battered corpse of Crispin Salvador is pulled from the Hudson River—taken from the world is the controve

rsial lion of Philippine literature. Gone, too, is the only manuscript of his final book, a work meant to rescue him from obscurity by exposing the crimes of the Filipino ruling families. Miguel, his student and only remaining friend, sets out for Manila to investigate. To understand

the death, Miguel scours the life, piecing together Salvador’s story through his poetry, interviews, novels, polemics, and memoirs. The result is a rich and dramatic family saga of four generations, tracing 150 years of Philippine history forged under the Spanish, the Americans, and the Filipinos themselves." And the book is filled with bits and pieces of interviews and novels, etc. Not really an epistolary novel, but similar in thought.

The Elephants Journey by Jose Saramago... Based on the actual event of King Joao III of Portugal in 1551 giving Archduke Maximilian a elephant named Solomon as a wedding gift. The elephant traveled from Lisbon to Vienna... all on foot! "The Enchanting Tale of an elephant, his keeper, and their journey through sixteenth-century Europe, based on a true story."What Jose Saramago does is take this amazing tale and with wit, humor and an underlying seriousness gives us a gift to read. The elephant is our hero in the story and from the bit I've read, the writing is wonderful. But of course, Jose Saramago has won the Nobel Prize for Literature! The book itself is slim and about the size of a trade paperback even though my copy is hardcover, and the size and design of the cover gives the impression that you are opening the book to a wonderful fairytale.

Of course these are only some of the highlights of my treasure hunt. I wander first through literature, then through mysteries, memoirs and then history. I always take a peek at romance and YA novels. Sci-fi gets a brief look, but isn't my norm for reading. How do you travel through a book sale? Do you have fun looking through the chaos? Share some of your great finds!

Weekly Recap... Memoir Monday was a stop for Lisa Napoli and her TLC Virtual Book Tour for her memoir Radio Shangri-La. I loved it, and felt like I was traveling right along with Lisa as she left her fast-paced life in The States to the "Happiest Place on Earth". Tuesday,

I gave a heads-up to Haruki Murakami fans, and wrote about the recent issue of The New Yorker Magazine that includes his short story U.F.O. in Kushiro. It's a rare treat to have Murakami publish something in an American magazine, so if you are a fan, don't forget to grab a copy! Friday's First Lines was an excerpt from the newly released book about "girl and dog", Emily and Einstein by Linda Francis Lee. And yes, the dog does save the day! The cover is wonderful and the story should be too! Lots of great buzz on this one! And I have a copy waiting for me to read. Saturday I reviewed the graphic novel iZombies: Dead to the World by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred. A fabulous start to a new series of Zombie - Vampire - "Were-Terrier" adventures! There are elements of mystery and romance, and I have hopes that the story will continue as well as the first five issues that are found in iZombie: Dead to the World. If you are new to graphic novels, but enjoy complex stories with vampires and a zombie or two, give this a try! I don't think you'll be disappointed!

That's how my week was... how was yours?! Share all that great reading you have on your plate this week!

Happy reading... Suzanne

iZombies: Dead to the World by Chris Roberson & Michael Allred... A Review

iZombie Written by Chris Roberson, Drawn by Michael Allred

What's a girl to do?! Gwen Dylan digs graves for a living, her best friend Ellie is a girl from the 60's who happens to be a ghost, and her other friend Scott is of the furrier persuasion, a.k.a Were-Terrier... kind of an off shoot of a Were-Wolf. Add to that mix one "hot" Mummy, a pack of Vampire ladies who run a paint ball game in the woods, and a pair of Vampire Hunters. Wow! Oh, I forgot... Gwen is a Zombie, but a kind of Zombie hybrid. She's not all stiff and stumbling around with her hands out stretched, but she does needs to eat human brains once a month to maintain her "being normal".

iZombie: Dead to the World is the trade paperback of the first 5 issues of the comic iZombie plus House Of Mystery Halloween Annual #1. It's 144 pages of a great story, published by DC Comics and Vertigo. First the artwork though... Michael Allred is talented! The characters are well drawn with wonderful nuances to really bring the characters to life; expressive and detailed. Not only are the characters drawn well, but the backgrounds are fully fleshed out, making the whole scene interesting to look at. And all of this adds to the great story, which is both complex and well developed.

The story centers around Gwen, who we learn early on is a Zombie and who works during the day as a grave digger. In these first 5 stories that make up the first tpb, iZombie: Dead to the World, we don't learn Gwen's background, but we learn of her anguish as she must eat a human brain once a month to keep her memories alive and be "normal". She chooses her "victims" as the recently departed that she happens to bury the morning before. What happens when she does "eat", besides her utter revulsion to it, is that she becomes possessed with the last thoughts of the dead person, and must fulfill their last wishes; which may mean "righting a wrong" or solving their murder as is the case in Gwen's first "possession" in Dead to the World." The other stories that are woven together are those of "the murderer", the vampire ladies who are seductive looking as well as deadly as they run a paintball game deep in the woods outside the city, the handsome and aloof mummy who wants to teach Gwen more about her "new" self, and his leopard companion, and finally the good guys who know about the vampires terrorizing the city and aim to rid the area of them. There is some dead-pan humor, romance and mystery layered within the story, which keeps you turning the pages. It's an intelligent take on the whole zombie scene and I really enjoyed it. I loved the story with all the different subplots that are all inter-related, and as I previously said, the artwork was great.

I don't mind a zombie or two on my reading plate, or a vampire here and there either. This is the start to what I hope is a fun series. If you enjoy graphic novels, enjoy a host of fun, "flawed" but engaging characters living out their lives in a great story, give iZombie a try! It's a step up from your everyday zombie novel, and you'll be dying for more! And if you are, iZombie: Dead to the World collects the first five individual issues of iZombie, but as far as individual issues are concerned, issue #12 is due to come out April 6th.

Graphic Novels 2011 Reading Challenge... What is a Graphic Novel Exactly?

Step out of your comfort zone... read a graphic novel! What exactly is a graphic novel? A graphic novel is a basically a narrative that tells its story combining the use of artwork with the written word. It has a beginning, middle and end just like any good book, but the added element of illustrations puts a different spin on it. Some say that "graphic novel" refers to the fact that the story would be a novel if it didn't have the added artwork.

What's the difference between a graphic novel and a comic book? Author Jeff Smith, in an interview with Newsarama.com states, "graphic novel"... I don't like that name. It's trying too hard. It is a comic book. But there is a difference. And the difference is, a graphic novel is a novel in the sense that there is a beginning, a middle and an end." But there is some debate... In a 2000 interview with Blather.net, author Alan Moore says "It's a marketing term. I mean, it was one that I never had any sympathy with. The term "comic" does just as well for me. The term "graphic novel" was something that was thought up in the '80s by marketing people... The problem is that "graphic novel" just came to mean "expensive comic book". And Author Neil Gaiman, responding to a claim that he does not write comic books but graphic novels, said the commenter "meant it as a compliment", I suppose. But all of a sudden I felt like someone who'd been informed that she wasn't actually a hooker; that in fact she was a lady of the evening.

I can understand the confusion. A long time ago I had this conversation with someone who knew I was a reader and asked if I had ever read any graphic novels. I said you mean, "comic books"? Then they started to point out the differences, why they read them etc. I had the misconception, at the time, that comic books were for kids period. His suggestion was to read Blankets by Craig Thompson, or Bone by Jeff Smith. I picked up that copy of Blankets and was in awe. The coming-of-age story by Craig Thompson was so expressive, even tender, without the need for a lot of narrative. I wasn't a big "Wonder Woman" Super Hero reader (still am not), but I found there were graphic novels that did resonate with my reading tastes., such as the memoirs The Impostor's Daughter by Laurie Sandell, Stitches by David Small, and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. There are many different types of graphic novels for all sorts of tastes, just as there are many different types of genres in literature. That's one of the beauties of reading- the ability to whisk you away to unfamiliar places. Are graphic novels one of those places for you? Challenge yourself to read a graphic novel this year if you haven't! I'm challenging myself to read more graphic novels by joining the...

2011 Graphic Novels Reading Challenge

hosted by Vasilly of Thoughts of an Eclectic Reader.

Here's how you can participate:

* The challenge starts January 1, 2011 and ends December 31, 2011. You can start anytime you want to especially if you want to start early.

* The level of participation: Beginner (3 comics or graphic novels),

Intermediate (3-10 books),

Expert (10+)

* Feel free to post your list at any time

Sound like fun? You can sign up by visiting: The 2011 Graphic Novels Challenge site. I've decided to go for the Intermediate level this time around, with my goal of at least 3 graphic novels. One graphic novel that is a definite on my list is Maus by Art Spiegelman, the well known graphic novel about the Holocaust, as told to the author by his father a holocaust survivor. I'll be listing the graphic novels read and the links to the reviews here, so you can stop back and follow my progress. Maybe even find a suggestion for something new to read!

Graphic Novels Read for the Challenge:

Brody's Ghost by Mark Crilley... Talia is sassy, young and dead. She's a ghost with a problem- she's been banned from heaven. UNLESS, she can do a super good deed. She decides what's better than solving the Penny murders- a series of unsolved murders involving young women and terrorizing the city. But she needs help- she needs someone who can communicate with the dead girls to lead her to the murderer. After a long search (ghostseers are pretty rare in the human world) she finds Brody. Not a promising prospect, kind of a slacker, but the only ghostseer she's found in 5 years. Now she's got to convince him that he is what he is, and convince him to help her. A real reluctant hero, and one who you're going to love to watch his transformation. This is the first book in the series, and a fun introduction to what will surely be a great story. Read my full review of Brody's Ghost by Mark Crilley to learn more!

Alison Dare Blog Tour

She's Your Favorite Adventurer... or at least She Will Be!

Alison Dare: Indiana Jones meets Lara Croft in fabulous, graphic adventures. Alison Dare is not your typical twelve-year-old. She's the daughter of an archaeologist & adventurer and the masked hero known as the Blue Scarab. To top it off, she's also the niece of an international super-spy; it's no surprise that a craving for danger is in her blood! Unfortunately, her parents have locked her away at the prestigious St. Joan's Academy for Girls, hoping that this would lead to a more "normal" life for their daughter. But despite all the strict rules at the school, Alison and her best pals - Wendy and Dot - somehow manage to find themselves involved in adventures that rival those of Alison's globetrotting, planet-saving relatives. Whether it's magic genies, super-powered bank robbers, or a dastardly baron bent on world domination, Alison Dare delivers the best thrills since Indiana Jones and more action than Lara Croft!

Alison Dare is feisty, fun and full of adventure! These graphic novels, Alison Dare The Heart of the Maiden & Alison Dare Little Miss Adventures, follow Alison as she turns boredom into amazing adventures. She fights angry mummies, perilous sandstorms and other unscrupulous villains! It's kid friendly, and adult enjoyable! Alison Dare should appeal to a wide variety of readers, from pre-teens to adults! The artwork is great! (Reminds me of the Archie comics I use to read as a young girl) And the story lines are so much fun with a good dose of suspense thrown in! There is plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor that the adults will love, such as when the Blue Scarab fights the evil "King" Memphis, who looks a little like another King from Memphis, and who proclaims "I'm all shook up and quivering in my blue-suede sandals"! Alison Dare's adventures seem to turn into "misadventures" for the most part, like when she unleashes a plague of locusts by accident, but she has two of her best side kicks with her, her BFF's, her best friends Wendy and Dot, who help her save the day so they can all be normal 12 year olds again in the end.

The Alison Dare graphic novels are published by Tundra Books, and are written by J.Torres, a Shuster Award-winning, Eisner Award-nominated writer, AND illustrated by J.Bone, an Eisner Award-nominated illustrator. Alison Dare was nominated for the Eisner Award in the Best Title for a Younger Audience category too! I love Alison Dare! These graphic novels are great! They are about 100 pages each, filled with more than one adventure that flow together nicely, and It's also nice to see a little girl power!

*But her adventures don't stop there! Tundra Books is asking for YOUR help in sending Alison Dare on more adventures! If you go to Tundra Books, you will see a couple of images of Alison Dare. What Tundra Books would like is for you to print out the images of Alison Dare, cut them out and then take her on an adventure! Photograph Alison in front of a famous landmark, exotic location, or in the face of danger! Send your photo of Alison Dare with a caption to tundra@mcclelland.com before June 30th, 2010 to be entered to win a special Alison Dare prize package! There will be 3 lucky winners! Go to Tundra Books for all the details and examples of photos! I Double-Dog Dare You!... And in the meantime, I caught Alison Dare on an adventure here in Connecticut...

Alison Dare spots something as she walks through the forest of contemplation...

she quietly sneaks up...

It's none other than the Giant Evil Matted Hare!

She now knows she must scale the Cliffs of Lettuce to get to him...

Aha! She has surprised him! She is ready though for... ADVENTURE!

I want to thank Sylvia of Tundra Books for inviting me along for the Alison Dare Blog Tour! And sending me the Alison Dare graphic novels to review! Alison Dare sure has spunk and I like that in a girl! I hope she goes on many more adventures because I want to tag along!

The Sunday Salon... A look back at some of my favorite books, and a look ahead...

It's a brand new year and I'm already anticipating all the wonderful books coming along! There have been many best of 2009 lists out there such as the lists from Books on The Nightstand, Library Journal, and January Magazine. Here are some of the books that I read this year and would include in a best of list...

The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

The Impostor’s Daughter by Laurie Sandell

Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

Hotel on The Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel

Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

There were lots of books I enjoyed this year, but the books above stood out for one reason or another. I loved both Hotel on The Corner of Bitter and Sweet and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, both of which I chose for my reading group this year. I also enjoyed Burnt Shadows... I will write reviews for all of these soon, in the meantime I have links for all the other reviews so if you missed any of them this year you can catch up (just click on the book title)... What books were your favorites this year?! Have you read any of the books on my list?

Then there are the books that I didn't get a chance to read yet... Here are 5 books that I am making it a point to read ASAP (my own mini challenge!)... The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (The second book in the series is coming out in March!), Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger, The Girl Who Played With Fire by Steig Larsson, Waiting for Columbus by Thomas Trofimuk, and The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt. Challenges are great because they focus your attention on a goal, and this little nudge is probably all I need to get these off the TBR pile! ... Are there books on your TBR pile that you're looking forward to finally reading? How about any books you've read about that you're looking forward to reading period?!

Speaking of challenges, I've already signed up for one, The Graphic Novels Challenge, and look forward to stepping out of the box and explore that genre a bit more... Another great thing about Challenges is that you can usually join in at any time. I joined The Japanese Literature Challenge a bit late, but found a lot of wonderful Japanese authors to explore! The Challenge was easy with only one book needed to be read to meet the requirements, but I still have a few more weeks until it ends and I'm going to try and slip in another book! Have you signed up for any Challenges?! I would love to hear about what challenges you're going to read for!

So, on to the New Year! Memoir Mondays will still be on mondays, as long as there are memoirs to be read! And I'm playing around with the idea of a cookbook review meme called What's Cooking... I'm going to heat up January with lots of Romance! I have a great giveaway coming up from Hachette Book Group, and I've saved some great romance book reviews starting next week! If you're not into romance ( Ok, guys I know you're out there!) there will be plenty of other book reviews too! Not to mention the start of a regular Book Club selection post with a reading group guide. I am also going to add more Kindle/eReader specific content because I just love my Kindle and there is just so much going on in the digital world... And finally NEXT MONTH is my Blogoversary! Watch out for some great giveaways all month long (in Feb.) as a thank you to EVERYONE who's made Chick with Books blossom into the blog that it is today!

Have a Great Week! Happy reading... Suzanne

New Years Resolutions for Readers... The Graphic Novels Challenge 2010

New Years Resolutions for The Reader

Graphic Novels Challenge 2010

Like New Years Resolutions, Readers also make resolutions! These resolutions are all about the challenges! Type of books, length of books and even how many books! It's all so much fun, you aren't punished if you don't finish your challenge, and you're joining your reading community and reading!

The first challenge I'm going to join this year is going to be the Graphic Novels Challenge 2010! I've really enjoyed the Graphic Memoirs I've been reading and decided it would be fun to read more Graphic Novels and not just graphic memoirs.... So, Nymeth at things mean alot and Chris at Stuff As Dreams Are Made On are hosting this challenge at a special blog appropriated called, Graphic Novels Challenge Blog.

Here are the rules and guidelines...

*The challenge starts on January 1st 2010 and ends on December 31st (but we don't mind you starting early.)

*You don't have to make a list beforehand (but you can, of course! Lists are great because they give ideas to people who aren't sure what to read. And if you do make one, don't feel forced to stick to it!)

*The levels of participation:

Beginner (3 Comics or Graphic Novels)

Intermediate (3-10)

Expert (10+) You're more than free to adjust your level of participation after the challenge has begun.

*There will be mini-challenges!

*Overlaps with other challenges are totally fine.

You don't have to have a blog to participate- all you have to do is read! You can share what your reading right here if you'd like! I'll be posting the links to my reviews here as I'm going along. Do you read graphic novels? And suggestions of some of your favorites?! Let me know what

you've read in the past or are reading right now! And click on the Graphic Novels Challenge link above to read all about and join the challenge!

Books I Read for The Challenge:

Stitches by David Small... This graphic novel is David Small's memoir of growing up in his dysfunctional family, and having a little operation that was suppose to be harmless, but left him virtually mute.

Read my full Review of Stitches.

American Widow by Alissa Torres... This graphic novel tells the story of 9/11 through the eyes of Alissa Torres who lost her husband, Eddie Torres, in the North Tower. American Widow depicts the horror, frustration, and utter chaos that Alissa had to deal with as she dealt with the realization that her husband would not be coming home. This is a powerful book that seamlessly weaves together the backstory of Eddie & Alissa, Eddie & Alissa before they met, how they met, fell in love and came to become part of the story of 9/11.

Read my full Review of American Widow.

Tyranny by Lesley Fairfield... This graphic novel gives us a glimpse into the mind of a girl who begins to suffer from an eating disorder. The internal conflicts

and external pressures that cause Anna to battle with herse

lf about her self worth. Tyranny is Anna's alter ego, drawn as an angry squiggly line, who is constantly pushing her buttons and holding her back from living the life she was meant to. There is an important message in this slim graphic novel about eating disorders, and ultimately the novel shows that there is hope for young girls who suffer from this devastating disease. Read my full Review of Tyranny.