Non-fiction mini-reviews: Super Freakonomics and Under the Banner of Heaven

Super Freakonomics

Written by: Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

Published: 2009

My thoughts: If you've watched Orange is the New Black you'll remember the scene where Big Boo comforts Pennsatucky about the children she aborted by citing a study which linked the Wade V Roe case on abortion with the drop in crime 20 years later. I first heard about that link when I caught a snippet of the Freakonomics documentary and after rewatching it with Tom last year I decided I should read the actual book. We don't own the first Freakonomics book, but for some reason we do read the second (which was probably for the best since I hadn't heard of any of the studies/stories that were in this one). The book really is fascinating and super-consumable - I finished it in one afternoon only breaking to run over to Tom and tell him about the latest chapter. I found the "why suicide bombers should buy life insurance" pretty problematic because it seemed like it was essentially just racial profiling with the fancy guise of economic patterning thrown over the top, but the other stories - especially the creative approaches to global cooling - were all creative, funny and fascinating.

Under the Banner of Heaven

Written by: Jon Krakauer

Published: 2003

My thoughts: I'm conflicted with how I feel about this book. On the one hand I really love the way Krakauer writes, he has drawn me into so many stories that I don't know I would necessarily find interesting or engaging otherwise. And when he writes about the Lafferty brothers, two brothers who killed their other brother's wife and child because of a 'calling from god', I felt that same sort of pull in his writing. However amidst the story of the Laffertys Krakauer sets out to tell the history of the Mormon church and explain why there are so many fundamentalist splinter groups. This is where I struggled. I am sure there are people who will find this interesting but the history sections, whether it was the content or Krakauer's writing I don't know, just bored me. That said, I am glad I read this book. I have never really known much about the Mormon faith and the short and turbulent history Krakauer paints really lays the ground for the extremist fundamental Mormon groups that spring up every so often. It also gives a side of American history that I don't often hear, and it's amazing to think how lawless* the US was until recently. So read it? I really don't know if it was that Krakauer was tackling too big a project for a book this length and his writing suffered or if the subject just wasn't enough to engage me. If you've read it, I'd love to hear what you thought.



*In the sense that there wasn't a great deal of unification or concrete army/police forces which led to a lot of chaos,

Book review: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

The Girl on the Train

Written by: Paula Hawkins

Published: 2015

Synopsis: Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good? (Via goodreads)
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“I have never understood how people can blithely disregard the damage they do by following their hearts.”

When I was travelling through Europe I found this book in every book store and I nearly bought a copy, but since I was mostly travelling by trains and I wasn't sure if this book was about something evil happening on a train - I decided to not risk suddenly being terrified travelling alone in a strange country and bought The Twelve instead. But I did note it down because I did want to read it, I just wanted the safety of knowing I could avoid trains if I needed too.

Anyway, this is going to be a vague and short book because like most thrillers, it's best to avoid as many details and story points as possible before heading in. I certainly went into this blind, knowing only what the blurb on the back cover said. And since I really quite liked this book that's what I'd recommend for you too.

But in case you want some details here we go. The book is about Rachel, a woman who takes a train to and from work in London every day. She catches the same train in the morning and the same one in the evening, and because she follows this routine so regularly she knows exactly where the train stops or slows. At one particular point in her trip, the train slows down beside a series of terrace houses and she's able to glimpse a couple that live in one of them. She doesn't see them every day and she doesn't see them with much detail, but she sees enough to know that they're young and in love. She has a backstory for this couple, careers, names, hobbies - things she couldn't possibly know but which help pass the time and make her feel happy. There is a sense that Rachel is a little lonely, and perhaps she's missing this kind of love from her life. And then one morning while looking out for her favourite couple she sees something. It could be nothing, but in her gut she knows that isn't true. Rachel pulls at this thread and it unravels catastrophically for not only her, but for several other people too. Which people though I can't share without giving away some of the details that should really be discovered on reading.

I thought the book was pretty well constructed. Hawkins divulges the tiniest glimpses of details only slowly over time, pulling back the covers to reveal things dark or haunted or ugly. I don't mean to sound snobby, but thrillers often follow a fairly predictable path - even if you don't necessarily cotton on to who the killer/monster/villain is. Hawkins plays with all of the typical tools of the thriller, but she also experiments with these tools to construct a thriller that is both fairly traditional and also quite breathtaking. There is a sense of an unreliable narrator within this story, but Hawkins plays with this idea and the effect is rather dizzying. That's all I can say without giving anything away, but if you've read the book I'm sure you understand what I mean here.

I was a little worried when I began that it was going to be a Gone Girl clone. It's fairly cynical about life and people and love and the characters are all fairly unlikable. I had a couple of moments where I wondered if I really cared why things were happening or where they would go. But the unfolding narrative made me constantly change my mind about characters, for instance new information suddenly giving insight which adds a level of sympathy to a character's previously murky agenda. So even if I didn't necessarily like the characters, I was curious about uncovering the full story.

So if you've been looking for a new thriller then give this one a shot. It isn't perfect, but as a debut novel I think it shows a lot of promise for Hawkins in the future.


**I was thinking that instead of writing these vague "things happen, but read it for yourself" reviews I might start writing analysis reviews of thrillers instead. So they'd be aimed at people who had read the book so I could discuss the spoilers and what I liked/didn't like about the real story. Would people be into this or nah?**

Time Suck Mini-reviews: True Crime Books and Comics

I'm going through something of a true crime bender. I read Ann Rule's The Stranger Beside Me while I was in Europe and before I knew it I was reading true crime comics, watching documentaries and listening to podcasts. True crime isn't outside of my interests, but I've never really gone this gung-ho before. So rather than make this a true crime blog for the forseeable future (although I think I'm getting too angry and sad to keep this up much longer) I'm going to squeeze them all into a couple of posts (one for the content I've read, one for the content I viewed), both for my sanity and yours.

What I've Been Reading: 

The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule.

This was the book that kicked off this cycle, although in fairness I was probably primed for it by listening to Serial last year. The Stranger Beside Me is the story of Ted Bundy, the man and the murderer. However, as seems to be a bit of a trend for me in the true crime I pick, this book tells the tale of author Ann Rule's relationship with Ted Bundy. Beginning when she was an aspiring writer penning the occasional article for true crime magazines, Ann Rule also worked at a helpline with the young Ted Bundy.  He was (if I recall correctly) about 15 years her junior, but they became close friends almost instantly. As Rule's writing career began to take off and she was hired to write a book about the series of murders that would be tied to Bundy. This connection made it increasingly difficult for Rule once it became clear that Bundy was not only the key suspect but the perpetrator of the 30+ rapes and murders committed across the country. I found Rule's writing to be compelling and her reenactments of the crimes really captured the methodical and sadistic nature of Bundy. However, I actually struggled with the personal element of the book by the end. It seemed to me, based on the accounts in her book, that he was clearly using her because of her connection to the police. While she said they were close, the only personal anecdotes involving interactions outside of work begin after he starts his murders (or around the time of the first murder). So either they weren't as close as she thought and he manipulated her in the same way he manipulated his victims, or she left out some compelling evidence that they were anything more than co-workers who chatted in their downtime on late night shifts. Tne subheading of this book is "the shocking inside story," but Rule is guarded in providing too many personal details, so I don't know that we really get much of an inside story at all. And without any real divulgence of personal details, we also don't get any real introspection about the relationship.  If you're going to make the story personal, make it personal. Otherwise just write a compelling story of Ted Bundy and his crimes - which is already 80% of this book. I also think her personal involvement muddies her perspective somewhat. She struggles to separate the Ted she knew and the Ted who committed the murder and that gives way to a lot of waffling over certain decisions like him breaking out of prison - which to most people is a pretty clear sign of his guilt. She also gets to the end of the book without straight up stating that he is guilty, rather she frames it as he was convicted of the crimes, which to me - coupled with the other way she discusses the case - suggests that she thinks he may be innocent or wrongfully convicted. I think she went through a lot of confusion and mixed emotions about his involvement and subsequent conviction and I think the book would have benefited greatly if she had either fully opened up and made it a personal account of a woman who was friends with a serial killer up until their conviction (she sent him lots of money and letters while he was in jail leading up to the trial) or an objective account of a horrific serial killer.  In the end it flitters a little between the two and is weaker for it.

Green River Killer: A True Detective Story written by Jeff Jensen, illustrated by Jonathan Case. 

Last year I read the graphic novel My Friend Dahmer and really dug the idea of true crime comics. Obviously they aren't going to be as dense with detail and information as a normal true crime novel, but they have the potential to tell a much more personal angle than you typically read in this genre. Green River Killer was a title that came up every time I looked for a follow up to My Friend Dahmer but it wasn't until today that I found a copy. It's written by Jeff Jansen, the son of Tom Jansen - the cop who spent over 20 years on this case. It takes place over several decades, though it is set primarily 2005 when Jansen and several other police officers were stuck in a room interviewing Gary Leon Ridgeway about his murders for a controversial plea deal (he'd get life in prison, no death penalty). Ridgeway had confessed to being the Green River killer, but remained vague and cagey about the details of his crimes. The plea deal meant that he had to give them information about several murders he says he had committed that the police had never uncovered, but when they would take him to the locations he disclosed he'd clam up or only give details that were well known by the public. Was he playing with them or could it be that he wasn't the serial killer he confessed to being? (surprise, he was a killer but he had disassociated from that past 'Gary'). The book flashes back to some of the key murders in Ridgeway's life, such his first attempted murder in 1965 of a young boy, and the murder and bizarre presentation post-mortem of the victim Christine King. But more often than not the book presents the victims of Ridgeway as in flux, hair styles and clothing changing in each sequential frame because to Ridgeway these women held no real importance - there was no real reason for him to remember them. All told, Ridgeway murdered at least 48 women and teenage girls primarily between 1982-1984. Ridgeway picked prostitutes as his victims because they were easy to lure and kill, because he knew society didn't care about them. He would pick up prostitutes and take them either to his house or the woods and if they didn't 'love him right', he would murder them. There is even one occasion depicted in the book where Ridgeway picked up a girl with his son in the car, although it isn't made clear if this was one of the women he killed or one lucky enough to get away. It's also unclear whether Ridgeway continued murdering up until his capture, but if he did he didn't continue at the same rate as his early period in the 1980s. The fact that the book takes place 20 years after that initial period makes for a compelling narrative because we are likely seeing a man who considers his murders the acts of a different version of himself, an earlier Gary. In all of the interviews and encounters he separates himself, while also never denying that he did commit the murders. He talks of it all being so 'long ago' and yet for the police who interview him, the details of his brutality are seared into their memories. This book isn't just about Gary Leon Ridgeway and the Green River murders though. It is also a loving tribute for a son who respects his father and his father's dedication to find answers for the families of the women lost. Aspects of Tom Jensen's own life - his marriage, his police officer re-tests - are juxtaposed against the case investigating the murders and Ridgeway's recollections of the murders. This case, like his marriage, family and the endless renovations on the family home, was his life. And it's surprisingly beautiful to find this tribute entwined among such horror.

Torso written by Brian Michael Bendis, illustrated by Marc Andreyko.

Torso is less the personalised account of a relationship with or connection to a murderer and more a semi-fictionalised retelling of a particularly grisly cold case. It's like a short From Hell in that sense. Taking place in 1930s Cleveland, Torso explores the Torso serial murders amidst the turbulence of Eliot Ness's installment as Safety Director and depression-era America. Ness was a prohibition agent in Chicago, so his arrival in Cleveland is depicted in reflection to the murders, as both shook the police force and public to their core. The murders are horrific, someone decapitated and dismembered at least 12 victims from Cleveland's "shanty town". Much like the Green River Killer, the murderer targeted these people because they were easier to miss, both because of their transient nature and their position in society. The comic follows the popular theory that a Dr. Sweeney (named Mr Sundheim in the comic) but towards the end diverges completely from fact and re-imagines a much more action-packed finale. It's a riveting read but it's also pretty obvious that it isn't based in reality, which conflicts with the earlier portions. One thing the comic did that was really interesting was juxtapose illustration with photos from the time (see above). This makes for an interesting visual. They seem to primarily be photos related cirectly to the case and, in fact, at least one photo used is an actual crime scene photo of one of the victims. It makes it hard to separate from the reality of the situation, that while the comic is interesting and action-packed it is still a retelling of a series of murders which were never solved. Not as consistent as Green River Killer, but an interesting experiment in true crime comics nonetheless. 

Book Review: The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory

The Lady of the Rivers (The Cousin's War #3)

Written by: Philippa Gregory

Published: 2011

Synopsis: Jacquetta, daughter of the Count of Luxembourg and kinswoman to half the royalty of Europe, was married to the great Englishman John, Duke of Bedford, uncle to Henry VI. Widowed at the age of 19, she took the extraordinary risk of marrying a gentleman of her household for love, and then carved out a new life for herself. (via Goodreads)




*mild spoilers below, but really, it's based on a historical event so this shouldn't be news to you*

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“Any woman who dares to make her own destiny will always put herself in danger.”

I don't tend to read it too often, but I really do love historical fiction. There's something about reading a fictionalised account of a family or event from long ago which just ticks a lot of boxes for me. The Lady of the Rivers is actually the third in Philippa Gregory's Cousin's War series, but it's a prequel that takes place during the years prior to and during Henry VI rule. It focuses on Jacquetta, a real life fascinating woman, who began her life in English-occupied France, the daughter and niece of Luxembourg royalty (and a Goddess), before marrying one of the most powerful men in England, John of Lancaster.

Jacquetta is a perfect character for this type of book because while she's involved in a lot of the critical events that led up to the Cousin's war, she's removed enough that the book isn't just another rehash of a very famous family feud. Instead we see life on the outskirts, how her first husband ruled France and how he tried to guide his young nephew, the king. We see the early days of Henry's rule and the follies of youth as he and his young wife play favourites in court and have zero understanding of how to run a castle, let alone a country. And we get a little insight into raising a child (or 14 as is the case with Jacquetta) during these tough and troubled times, especially as a lady of the court who is forced to spend months away from their children. This peripheral view, I imagine since I haven't read the following two books, also helps to set the scene quite well for the really character-driven narrative that is to come*.

One of the best things about this book was how focused it was on women in this era. Through Jacquetta and the women in her life, we see how few options they had. And not only did they have far fewer options in life compared to men, but their futures were largely out of their control. If they were from wealthy families like Jacquetta, their marriages were often to form alliances or to solve land feuds. Jaquetta's first marriage to John of Lancaster is never consumated, instead she is an object for him to use. Jacquetta, as their family myth says, is gifted with the "sight" because their oldest ancestor was the water goddess Melusina. John, obsessed with alchemy, wants Jacquetta to see the future in a mirror and help him guide his nephew to success and prosperity. And while her talents puts her in his favour, as the reader sees with Jacquetta's brief interaction with Joan of Arc and another woman of the English court, this favour can quickly turn sour when it no longer works in someone's favour. A talent at forecasting the future or making herbal remedies quickly becomes signs of witchcraft and can lead to an unfortunate end tied to a stake. In a less supernatural sense, a woman failing to give her husband a child and heir just as quickly turns from favour. It was a time where women were balancing on a tightwire, hoping to keep their husband, their father, their brother, and their King happy.

In spite of this, Jacquetta, and several other women in the book, are shown to be independent and strong characters. They make themselves heard and they make their own choices, even though they face dire consequences. After John's death, Jacquetta marries his squire and almost loses everything in the process. But her marriage is one of love, and not only do they survive, they rise high in the court. Henry's wife and Queen, Margaret, is ruled by her emotions and is a passionate and fiery woman. Many of her decisions could have risked her her crown and her head, but she lives as she pleases regardless. Joan of Arc, although only in the book for a short while, is an absolutely beautiful and principled girl. Her trial and death is utterly heartbreaking, and the weight of it effects Jacquetta long after it happens. The women are the focus of this book, so we see a lot less of the wars and fighting than many books that deal with this era typically show. This I am eternally grateful for because, ugh, I don't need more battle scenes in my life. I get enough of them in Game of Thrones thank you very much.

Now this isn't to say this book is perfect. It falls into many of the holes historical fiction struggle to deal with. There is an insane overuse of titles in the book. Every time John is mentioned, it is "John of Lancaster, first Duke of Bedford". While I know it's hard to keep on top of all the characters, especially since they all seem to be called John, Richard, Edward and Henry, but when you have a 10 page chapter that only involves a discussion between Jacquetta and her husband, I think the reader can be trusted to understand which John this is. It also struggles at times with covering so much. I loved that it gave glimpses into life in court, away from court, during pregnancy, during birth, during war etc etc, but this did mean that sometimes things were fairly shallow in their depiction. A few times Jacquetta brings up her pregnancy and then gives birth 200 words later and then you don't hear of the child for another 40 pages. A tightening of the focus, just a bit, may have helped here. Building on this...I hated Margaret. She was an insipid and obnoxious brat who plunged two countries into ruin because she wanted to play favourites at court and didn't have a proper grasp of money or time. Because the book is so focused towards the women in the narrative, all of the blame ends up heaped on her shoulders, probably unfairly, while Henry is barely discussed or depicted as a pious and naive young man. Because Jacquetta is one of her ladies in waiting, we spend so much time with her, especially as the country falls into war between the two factions of the family. I didn't like spending so much time with her scheming, although I guess there wasn't a lot else that could be depicted since we were following Jacquetta. But to further infuriate me, the book depicts Margaret as this horrendous woman but then Jacquetta will dote on her or excuses her terrible actions. I couldn't get a read on how Jacquetta truly felt. When she talks about a shallow or dangerous decision made by Henry and Margaret, is she simply being nice because it's her job to be loyal, or does she truly not understand/care how terrible that decision was? Jacquetta was shown to be so intelligent before this part of her life, and suddenly I couldn't tell if she was playing it safe or naive or foolish or simply blind. At the end of the book I was firmly on the York side, which I don't think was Gregory's intention.

Problems aside, I did really enjoy reading this book. I spent most of my first day up the Coast with Tom with this book in one hand, and my phone in the other googling names so I could work out everyone's relationship. English family trees give me such a headache! I loved that this book introduced me to a new badass woman in history. Because Jacquetta most definitely was a badass. This book sadly doesn't cover the later years of her life, but she ends up accused of witchcraft (hence the supernatural elements threaded through this book) and manages to escape with her life. And as a mother of 14** it's really beautiful to see how much she fought for her kids and for them to have the best in life. Other accounts of Jacquetta that I've read since tend to depict her as this grabby power-hungry woman who used her children to rise up in station, and maybe she truly was the 15th century version of Kris Kardashian but I much prefer this version. She fought for and risked everything for all of the people in her life, even those like Margaret who perhaps didn't deserve her love and loyalty. Melusina would have been proud.

*Like I said in the intro, this is actually the third in the series and a prequel, but from what I've read about the other two books it does sound like they are more tightly written in terms of focus. 

**I really should fact check this, it's either 12 or 14, but I've already sent the book back to the library and I'm LAZY.

Graphic Novel review #34

Cinema Panopticum

Written and illustrated by: Thomas Ott

Published: 2005

My Thoughts: I first came across Thomas Ott through his illustrated cover for Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I love his scratchboard art style, it adds an enormous amount of visual complexity to his stories, which is necessary since they are entirely wordless. Cinema Panopticum follows a girl at a fair who can't take part in any of the activities on offer because she doesn't have enough money. She finally finds the Cinema Panopticum tent, which has 5 movie boxes that are cheap enough for her to afford. Each movie is another short chapter, and the stories are all fairly dark and foreboding, although some are laced with a wicked wit while others are just downright heartbreaking. It's only a short little book but it packs one hell of a wallop.

Birds of Prey: The Death of Oracle (volume 2)

Written by: Gail Simone; Illustrated by: Adrian Syaf

Published: 2011

My Thoughts: I picked this up thinking it was the first volume (I hate when they don't number the spine!) but even so, it clearly sets out all of the major players and recent events at the start of each issue, so that presented no real issue. The story is interesting enough, Oracle (Barbara Gordon, now in a wheelchair) has garnered a little too much attention as a tech-genius and her enemies are now doubling-down on trying to eliminate her. Not only is Oracle a credible threat in her own right, but as Oracle she monitors and supports countless of other heroes so any threat on her life has a knock on effect. The rest of the Birds of Prey are tasked with trying to save Oracle while also having to come to grips with their own dark pasts. This is my, to my knowledge, first Gail Simone and ... I didn't love it? It's a solid story and the characters are well-developed but it didn't wow me. But an (almost) all female team of heroes, some of whom began as anti-heroes or dabbled with villainy, is too good a concept for me to give up on after one middling edition. I'll give it at least one more edition and make my mind up then.

Lady Justice (volume 1)

Written and illustrated by: C.J Henderson; Fred Harper; Daniel Brereton

Published: 2008 (though the collected comics are from the 90s)

My Thoughts: Ugh, this is a good example of making sure you read the fine print. In case you can't see in the cover image, Neil Gaiman's name is written above the title. Awesome!, I thought. Turns out it's not written by Gaiman but merely based on a character of his, and loosely, so very loosely. The concept itself is kinda awesome (kudos to Gaiman). Lady Justice appears to women who have been wronged and implants them with her powers, making them her physical avatar. They then have the power to gain justice for the wrongs they've experienced. The first issue is very violent and very bloody, but when Lady Justice leaves her avatar and the woman cries for her to stay saying she "did everything L.J asked of her," Lady Justice replies that she didn't say how the justice should be meted out and that "the blood and violence was entirely her choice, and she should beware that she isn't revisted in the future by another Lady Justice avatar"*. This I actually really dug, but this story was completely destroyed by the following two or three stories which were equally as bloody and equally as violent. What happened to choosing how to deliver justice? Or that the justice should be proportionate to the crime? I think there was one which actually had the bad guys going to jail instead of dying, but plenty of other people had died by this point. It's just all so pointless. The art is also very '90s pornographic superhero style. Huge gravity defying boobs, tiny waists and the women are always walking on tip-toes. Pass if you ever see this guys, HARD pass.



*my paraphrasing

Graphic Novel mini-reviews #24

Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe 

Written by: Cullen Bunn; Illustrated by:  Dalibor Talajić

Published: 2011

My Thoughts: If you are after a solid read then Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe probably isn't for you. It's a very silly, very light comic that basically takes the question "what if Deadpool snapped and killed everyone?" and runs with it. There are a few interesting glimpses where Deadpool reasons that his wall-breaking and realisation that he is a fictional hero is why he needs to kill everyone because he's the only one who accepts and understands the hopelessness of their existence, which lead me to think that if they were really keen they could have made a very heady and meta comic. But that wasn't really the aim here. It's violent and bloody and punny and Cullen certainly isn't pretending that it is anything more substantial than that. So if you want to witness Deadpool decimate every popular superhero and villain in the Marvel universe then this will fill an afternoon for you, but if you're after a more compelling look at the Deadpool character and his wall-breaking antics you'd be best to look elsewhere.

Guardians of the Galaxy: War of Kings (Volume 2)

Written by: Dan Abnett; Illustrated by: Paul Pelletier

Published: 2009

My Thoughts: GotG continues to be one of my favourite runs of a team-based comic. This volume carries on from the fallout at the end of volume one, namely that Starlord got everyone to join up by having Mantis use her psychic doodadery to get them to agree. After walking out they informally end up in three groups, each coming up against enemy threats as they work through their anger. We get to see prison 42 in the negative zone, spend time in a limbo-like zone with a dragon (and get some existential discussion on the universe from Drax) and meet a new and invisible enemy (the Badoon) who will apparently be the cause of the end of the universe 1000 years into the future. It's a little disjointed shifting from group to group, but as this is part one of the War of Kings I'm guessing the team will reform in the very near future to meet this threat head on.

Wonder Woman: Iron (Volume 3)

Written by: Brian Azzarello; Illustrated by: Cliff Chiang (Illustrations), Tony Akins, Dan Green, Goran Sudžuka, Amilcar Pinna, Rick Burchett

Published: 2013

My Thoughts: As if her newly discovered family wasn't trouble enough, Wonder Woman now has to deal with an even greater threat, the nameless first son of Zeus and Hera. To combat this epic force, Wonder Woman needs the help of the rest of Zeus's illegitimate children which sends her on a pilgrimage across the world to find them all. We also get a glimpse at a relationship we didn't know existed before, one that throws some new perspectives on WW's current situation and threatens (promises?) to add some complications down the line. I'm almost at the end of Azzarello's arc and while I really enjoy his writing and plotting I'm interested in seeing what direction the books take once he hands the mantel on. But until then, I think I can rest assured that there's going to be a lot of badass butt-kicking in the meantime.

Graphic novel mini-reviews #23: Fight Like A Girl

Black Widow: The Finely Woven Thread (Volume 1)

Written by: Nathan Edmondson; Illustrated by: Phil Noto 

Published: 2014

My Thoughts: Black Widow gets the cold shoulder a bit by people who have watched the Avengers film, mostly because she lacks the magical powers or indestructible suit of the others but also because, let's be honest, she's a lady. This new run of Black Widow is fantastic for a number of reasons. First, it's freaking gorgeous. The art is beautiful, like pin it to your wall and gaze at it all day beautiful. Second, like the Hawkeye comics, it takes place away from the Avengers - removing the possibility for people to judge how useful she'd be to the team. Instead it focuses on her spy work for S.H.I.E.L.D and her freelance work, where she works as a mercenary/spy to raise enough money to pay off the sins of her past. There's a lot of emotional depth in this comic. Natasha/Black Widow has been many things in her life, and she regrets a lot of it. She works hard to try and make up for past mistakes and choices but she's still unsettled, adrift and unable to really find a centre to hold on to. This volume falls into the espionage/action genre and I really love the unfolding mystery that we're treated to. I've just bought the next two issues that have been released, so I'm eagerly waiting to read them and see if I can piece together who is behind the chaos raining down.

Wonder Woman: Guts (Volume 2)

Written by: Brian Azzarello; Illustrated by: Cliff Chiang, Tony Akins, Dan Green

Published: 2013

My Thoughts: I'm a little biased in that I'm basically predisposed to like Wonder Woman and Greek myths and this particular book is chock full of both. I know some reviews have been a little wary of the new origin story for Wonder Woman (which doesn't discount her earlier creation, just reveals it to be a lie her mum told to keep her safe) and the heavy inclusion of the Greek gods but I'm still loving it. It sort of makes Wonder Woman the modern equivalent of Thor, which as far as I'm concerned means they should just make it a film already. This volume introduces us to a little more of Wonder Woman's newly discovered mythic family and a more competitive, conniving family I don't think is possible. They might be related but they're all hungry for the top spot on Olympus and are all more than willing to use and abuse anyone who gets in their way. It's amping up to be a pretty hectic battle pitting family against family, and I'd hate to be on the side opposite WW.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Angela (Volume 2)

Written by: Brian Michael Bendis; Illustrated by:  Sara Pichelli, Francesco Francavilla, Olivier Coipel, Valerio Schiti, Kevin Maguire.

Published: 2014

My thoughts: Is it okay to include GotG into a mini-review series centred around butt-kicking women? Sure half the team is men, but this particular volume centres heavily around two ladies - Gamora and mysterious newcomer, Angela. Angela comes from another dimension/universe/timey-wimey place called Heven, which has these mystical stories about a place called Earth. So does this mean heaven is real? Are our religious stories based around interactions with this Heven? You won't find out any answers just yet, but you will get to watch Gamora and Angela go from kicking each other from here to Tuesday to begrudging team-mates to something a little closer to friends. And the rest of the team is there too, full of wise-cracks and double entendres and I-Am-Groots. This volume intersects with a couple of other comic series which does make for some headscratching moments (a threat in one issue is over and done with in the next) but that's the life of a comic reader right.

Graphic Novel mini-reviews #22 (SUPERHEROES AHOY)

Captain Marvel: Down (Volume 2)

Written by: Kelly Sue DeConnick, Christopher Sebela; Illustrated by: Dexter Soy, Filipe Andrade.

Published: 2013

My Thoughts: I gotta say, I really dig what Kelly Sue DeConnick writes. In this volume Captain Marvel faces her mortality...sort of. It turns out that the highs that come with infusing Kree with human DNA, like flying and self-healing and super-strength, come with some devastating lows. And Cap M is my kinda lady when it comes to dealing with this drama i.e. she doesn't. She's suffering a major case of denial and is stubborn as all hell. Filipe Andrade does most of the art in this volume (all but the first issue I believe) and I love it so much. It's not what you'd expect in a big name superhero comic, the proportions are all out and it's very stylised, the sort of style you'd normally see reserved for covers, but I thought it was amazing. It reminded me a lot of Ben Templesmith, who is hands down my favourite comic artist.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Avengers (Volume 1)

Written by: Brian Michael Bendis; Illustrated by: Steve McNiven, Yves Bigerel, Michael Avon Oeming, Sara Pichelli

Published: 2013

My Thoughts: With the GotG film creeping ever closer, I decided to dip into the comics once again. This one is from the newest run and focuses mostly on Starlord, who he is, where he came from, the gigantic dick of a father he has... I don't know if the story behind Starlord's parents is canon prior to this comic or invented for it, but I thought it added an interesting motivation for his character. The group dynamic is so much fun, they are all so prickly and angry (which is great) yet they all clearly care of each other (awww). It's my favourite mix of sarcasm, bravado and tender moments.

Aquaman: The Trench (Volume 1)

Written by: Geoff Johns; Illustrated by: Joe Prado, Ivan Reis

Published: 2012

My Thoughts: Before the New 52 release, I have to admit that I was one of the people who'd mock Aquaman. He's just a little old fashioned for a 21st century context y'know? This volume basically took that idea and ran with it. We see Arthur/Aquaman dealing not only with his decision to step down as king of Atlantis but come face to face with the humans he's chosen to protect who mock him mercilessly. There's a scene where a blogger accosts him at a restaurant and asks him how it feels to be no-one's favourite super hero. Ouch. So this comic is perhaps more for Aquaman doubters and newbies, introducing you to him and his girlfriend Mera (NOT Aquawoman, thank you very much) as well as covering a lot of Aquaman misinformation (i.e. He doesn't talk to fish, he doesn't need to be in the water to help). I loved it, and will definitely be reading on.

June in review

Another month down guys, where does all the time go?

Let's just jump in, shall we?

BOOKS:

What I Read:

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore (my review)
Psycho by Robert Bloch (my review)
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent (review to come)
X-Men: Days of Future Past by Chris Clairmont and John Byrne (my review)
Ms Marvel by G.Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona (my review)
Wonder Woman: Blood by Brian Azzarello, Cliff Chiang and Tony Akins (my review)
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis and Steve McNiven (review to come)
Captain Marvel: Down by Kelly Sue Deconnick, Christopher Sebela, Dexter Soy and Filipe Andrade (review to come)


Book Stats:

63% male / 37% female
75% American / 25% International
12.5% physical copy / 62.5% ebook / 25% audiobook
100% fiction
63% graphic novels / 37% novels

Big ol' comics month for me. I actually started another half dozen arcs, but since I'm only one or two issues in I didn't bother counting them. If you're after some new comic series to get in on though, definitely check out Warren Ellis' new Trees, The Wicked and the Devine by Kieron Gillen and Ms Marvel, which I've already reviewed and recommended, but seriously, it is tops.

I spent much of the month reading Lamb and listening to Burial Rites and both are brilliant in completely different ways. Listening to Burial Rites was a hell of an experience. Morven Christie is phenomenal, I found myself crying as I drove to work several times because of the way her voice would break as she read. She brought that book to life, so seriously, listen to this book. STAT. Lamb, which I've already reviewed, is hilarious and after I finished I jumped onto Audible to see what books of his were available, so now I am toying with starting Fool straight away, or listening to How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran before we start the readalong of her new book this month. Actually, since typing this I started How to be a Woman and it is fantastic. It's read by Moran, and it is actually the best.

MOVIES/TV:

Not a big month for movies actually. I saw Maleficent with Tom and thought it would have been a lot better if it wasn't based on Sleeping Beauty. If it had just been about a random fairy brutally assaulted by man who then takes revenge on man's daughter and then learns a valuable lesson it could have been poignant and complex, but instead I spent the whole time saying "you can't do that" "that's not how that's supposed to happen" "YOU CHANGED ALL THE IMPORTANT PARTS". And I know, I know, the Disney movie is only loosely based on the actual fairytale but since Maleficent isn't actually in the original fairytale that argument holds little water in my opinion. There is a reason that Wicked works, it's because it gives the story behind the story, it doesn't actually alter the story to make the bad guy a good guy who got screwed over. But Angelina Jolie is flippin' great, and beautiful and obviously having so much fun. I would like to look like her and fly around with giant eagle wings please and thank you.

There is an Australian film out called The Rover. It stars Guy Pierce and Robert Pattinson and is written and directed by David Michod, who also wrote/directed Animal Kingdom, and it is beautiful. Australian drama is such an under-appreciated gem, both here in Australia and overseas. It's always very sparse in terms of dialogue and intent (i.e. there's a lot left to the audience to decide/rationalise) and I think that makes people uncomfortable. Guy Pierce is phenomenal in this, and he's dressed just like my uncles (seriously, cargo shorts, worn-out button down and joggers/boat shoes is basically the uniform of middle class South Australia) which probably won't make you like the movie more/less but now you can visualise what my uncles look like. Also, Robert Pattinson was flippin' great. I've always enjoyed his interviews (his disdain for Twilight is brilliant) but he really impressed me here. I never expected to feel that way about a RPatz performance. 

I binge watched and reviewed Orange is the New Black, so if you have also watched that head over so we can discuss it and share our favourite gifs and moments. It'll be beautiful. 

VIDEOGAMES/MUSIC

I played a bunch of videogames this month. Or, I played two. I played the latest "chapter" of The Wolf Among Us, which is the Telltale Noir detective game based on the Fables graphic novel. It's really excellent, and if you've ever been interested in playing a videogame but weren't sure you would be able to handle the controls or like the full on war or world games then you should look into Telltale. Their games are very storybook-esque (partly since a lot are based on actual graphic novels) and more about the story than just mashing buttons. It's a lot of fun unfolding the story chapter by chapter, and the game is canonical, so you can use it as a jumping off point into the series! I've also caught up on The Walking Dead game by Telltale. I played the bridging episode and started the second season and ugh, it's as heartbreaking as the first. I really don't care for TWD (comic or TV) but the game is superb. Every action you make has consequences and you really feel the weight of you choices. People die around you, a lot of them because of what decision you decide to make. You finish the chapter feeling heavy with it all, which I guess a lot of people wouldn't like, but there's also something really cathartic about it.

I've been listening to Asgeir on repeat over the last two months. He's super-dreamy and his music just seems really wintery so it just feels really appropriate when I sit at my computer with a blanket wrapped around my shoulders. I also went on a Dolly Parton spree thanks to Laura mentioning the Dolly concert she bought tickets to for her and her mum. Which lead me to the Jolene cover by The White Stripes (which has always been my most favourite of covers) which lead me back into The White Stripes back catalogue, which I haven't listened to for aaaages. So it's been a very 'down the rabbit hole' kinda month for me music-wise.

___________________________

And I think that'll do for this monthly wrap-up. How was everyone's June? 

Monday Links

This is going to be my final Monday Links post until I get back from my holiday (SQUEEE!) because scheduling reviews I can do, scheduling links posts is just bonkers. BUT I am planning to upload a few holiday posts here and there and maybe some holiday mini-reviews. I don't know exactly but the blog definitely won't be empty for the next 5 weeks.

*Guillermo Del Toro's vampire novel The Strain is being made into a TV show for FX. Now I'm even more excited to listen to the audiobook version I downloaded for my holiday! (Via The AV Club)

*Because Christmas is nigh, here is a list of bookish gifts to get the bookworms in your life (Via Buzzfeed)

*In honour of the recently aired Doctor Who anniversay episode, here are a bunch of functional TARDISes (Via Mentalfloss)

*I'm not going to make it to New Orleans on my holiday, but I am bookmarking this "literary tourism" post for future travels. (Via Bookriot)

*One of the reasons I love indie bookstores is the creativity they can use in their displays, take this Perth bookstore Kaleido Books, for example. I LOVES THEM. (Via Buzzfeed)

*Rolling Stone did a huge profile on Charles Manson this last week and it is pretty epic. (Via Rolling Stone)

*Catching Fire is out! I haven't seen it yet (maybe tomorrow night?) but a bunch of bloggers have. Here's Preeti's (Bookriot) take, Belle's (Belle's Bookshelf) gif-filled review, and a non-book-reader opinion (Uproxx).

RIP VIII

A couple of years ago Tom and I walked through Bookfest with a copy of Stephen King's Danse Macabre and bought all the books that he recommended. Well, maybe not all of them, but we bought a lot. Needless to say, even though I loved adding 30+ horror titles to our bookshelves, I still have plenty of them sitting there unread. Enter RIP VIII! If it hadn't been for a miscommunication on Instagram where I thought Laura was saying RIP to books she was chucking away, I probably wouldn't have known about this event (or at least, I wouldn't have known about it until today when I saw everyone's posts for it), so I'm chalking that up to fate and that I HAVE to take part. Because even horror books get sad when they sit unread on shelves. 

Since it's over two months I'm going to aim for 'peril the first', which means you'll be seeing at least four horror book reviews up around here. Since my shelves are so well stocked with unread horror I'm not going to have a definite read list but I did put a photo on instagram of possible reads.

Ira Levin -Son of Rosemary*

Stephen King - The Dark Half

Joe Hill - 20th Century Ghosts

Clive Barker - The Hellbound Heart

Ramsey Campbell - The Doll Who Ate His Mother

Will Elliott - The Pilo Family Circus

Bram Stoker - Lair of the White Worm

Various authors - Horror omnibus

I'm going to try and keep it from becoming an all out Stephen Kingathon, so between every King book I'm going to read two non-king books. This way I'll get to read some Will Elliott, Clive Barker, Bram Stoker, Ramsey Campbell as well as the King. And because I'm a firm believer of 'go big or go home' I'm also going to take part in 'peril on the screen' and 'Peril of the short story' - that way I can also knock out a bunch of those unread horror anthologies and unwatched horror films that I keep buying. Two birds please meet one stone.

And since I know that a lot of you aren't as into horror as I am, I'm going to try and keep my regular non-horror reading up as well. I've got at least two non-horror reviews written and ready to publish, so even if I don't technically read any non-horror over the next two months it'll seem like I have. And if you do super-like horror and have been sad that I haven't posted more of it in the past, may I direct you to my actual horror blog? I've not been too good at updating it recently, but I think this might change that somewhat.

*This is supposed to be TERRIBLE, but I couldn't help myself.