My first general market YA read of 2024 was so engrossing, I finished it in one sitting! "Snarky and romantic, I Hope This Doesn't Find You is Never Have I Ever meets To All the Boys if Lara Jean wrote hate emails instead of love letters." Read on for the full review!

Title: I Hope This Doesn't Find You
Author: Ann Liang
Published: 2024 by Scholastic Press

About the Book:

"Sadie Wen is perfect on paper: school captain, valedictorian, and a 'pleasure to have in class.' It’s not easy, but she has a trick to keep her model-student smile plastered on her face at all times: she channels all her frustrations into her email drafts. She'd never send them of course -- she'd rather die than hurt anyone's feelings -- but it's a relief to let loose on her power-hungry English teacher or a freeloading classmate taking credit for Sadie's work. 

All her most vehemently worded emails are directed at her infuriating cocaptain, Julius Gong, whose arrogance and competitive streak have irked Sadie since they were kids. 'You're attention starved and self-obsessed and unbearably vain . . . I really hope your comb breaks and you run out of whatever expensive hair products you've been using to make your hair appear deceptively soft...' 

Sadie doesn't have to hold back in her emails, because nobody will ever read them... that is, until they're accidentally sent out. 

Overnight, Sadie’s carefully crafted, conflict-free life is turned upside down. It's her worst nightmare -- now everyone at school knows what she really thinks of them, and they're not afraid to tell her what they really think of her either. But amidst the chaos, there's one person growing to appreciate the 'real' Sadie -- Julius, the only boy she's sworn to hate..."

The Artist Librarian's Review:
Sadie Wen is a people pleaser focused on being the perfect student and getting into the best college, which will lead to a stable job to help support her family. But even nice girls get frustrated, so instead of letting it out, Sadie vents in her email drafts, until the day that they're accidentally sent out ... 

As someone who has accidentally sent one too many email drafts out before I had completely finished what I wanted to type, it stretched my suspension of disbelief a bit that Sadie had not at least removed the email addresses in the "to" field before venting, but the fallout was enjoyable to read. I could relate to Sadie in some aspects, but there is a balance between being polite or nice and being a pushover. I loved seeing her slowly realize this and find her voice and agency as the novel progressed. 

Liang did an excellent job in establishing just enough motivation and backstory for her main characters that made them believable and sympathetic. This extends to Julius as well, he definitely gave off some classic Mr. Darcy vibes to me, if Mr. Darcy was a 21st century Chinese-Australian male teenager that is. The hints of his family life explained a lot and while he may had been mean or immature to Sadie in the past, there weren't any glaring red flags in the present that I couldn't wholeheartedly root for their friendship to deepen. 

I also appreciated that it wasn't intense or graphic, so I could definitely recommend it for certain younger YA readers, despite the main characters being seniors. All in all, a very refreshing read. I've had my eye on Ann Liang's novels ever since her debut and I'm glad I finally took the time to enjoy I Hope This Doesn't Find You. I can't wait to read more from her.  

[Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher via Colored Pages Book Tours]

About the Author:
"Ann Liang is a graduate of the University of Melbourne. Born in Beijing, she grew up traveling back and forth between China and Australia, but somehow ended up with an American accent. When she isn't writing, she can be found making overambitious to-do lists, binge-watching dramas, and having profound conversations with her pet labradoodle about who's a good dog. You can find her online at annliang.com."

Historical, fantasy, and mystery are my top three favorite genres, so a steampunk mystery should be right up my alley! Read on for my full review ...

© 2023 Moonshell Books

Title: The Clockwork City [Lady Georgia Brunel Mystery #1] 
Author: Shelley Adina
Published: 2023 by Moonshell Books, Inc.

About the Book:

"A painting holiday in steampunk Venice. A villa on the canal. A body in the water? 

Lady Georgia Brunel, widowed a year, has been looking forward to her holiday in the Duchy of Venice with her companion, Millicent Brunel. The clockwork city's annual art exhibition is in full swing, and old friends and new acquaintances make for an exciting social whirl. The married Sir Francis Thorne would pursue her if he dared. Several members of the nobility, including those with connections to Lord and Lady Dunsmuir, make entertaining companions. And Georgia will never admit that Dustin Seacombe, the disheveled and irritating Texican Ranger who steps on one's gown and will not confide his business in Venice, is the most interesting of all. 

And then early one morning, the body of Sir Francis washes up on the water stairs at the Brunel villa. An empty gondola floats nearby. Many assume it is an accident. The Duchy police assume a lover's quarrel, with Georgia as their suspect. For there are powerful factions in the city who want this case solved and submerged as soon as possible. Georgia and Millie must act quickly to clear her name and discover the real murderer, before Georgia finds herself dancing with death instead."

The Artist Librarian Review:
I'm a longtime fan of steampunk costuming and cosplay, but I haven't read many steampunk novels. Though The Clockwork City was my first steampunk mystery, it definitely won't be my last! Thrust into the amateur detective role to clear her name when she falls under the polizia's suspicions, Lady Georgia is a plucky protagonist, in a similar vein of Nancy Drew or Miss Marple. Shelley Adina also shines in establishing her fantastical steampunk re-imagining of Venice as a clockwork city with gondola filled waterways. I don't want to spoil any of the plot, but fans of the golden age of detective fiction or cozy mysteries looking to expand their horizons might enjoy this fantasy tinged, yet historically-inspired, steampunk novel!

[Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for review purposes via Just Read Tours.]

About the Author:

"Shelley Adina is the author of more than 50 novels published by Harlequin, Warner, Hachette, and Moonshell Books, Inc., her own independent press. She writes steampunk adventure and mystery as Shelley Adina; as Charlotte Henry, writes classic Regency romance; and as Adina Senft, is the USA Today bestselling author of Amish women's fiction. She holds a PhD in Creative Writing from Lancaster University in the UK. She won RWA's RITA Award(R) in 2005, and was a finalist in 2006. She appeared in the 2016 documentary film Love Between the Covers, is a popular speaker and convention panelist, and has been a guest on many podcasts, including Worldshapers and Realm of Books. When she's not writing, Shelley is usually quilting, sewing historical costumes, or enjoying the garden with her flock of rescued chickens."

Can you believe it's July? We're halfway through 2019! I've loved reading ever since I can remember --my parents say I learned to read from the paper television listings back in the day ... Though teens can technically still be children since they're minors, I decided my limit my range for "childhood" --any juvenile books I remember reading from when I was a toddler to 10 years old. This Top Tuesday prompt is from That Artsy Reader Girl's blog feature, Top Ten Tuesday.


1. It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw (1941)
--Spilled milk takes on the forms of various objects, flora, and fauna ... or is it? This is one of the first books I remember reading! I really should find a nice copy for my personal collection. And make a felt board version for my Storytime.

2. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (1969)
--A peckish caterpillar searches for food and the journey leads to a spectacular transformation. I can hardly believe Eric Carle is pushing 90 years old! This was my introduction to die cut pages (those holes!) and the fruits on all those flaps looked so yummy and Carle's collage art is the best. I also distinctly remember an episode in Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood where Fred Rogers visited Carle in his studio and learned some of the techniques Carle uses in his work ...

3. Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina (1940) --A cap seller (who transported his inventory by wearing it in a tall stack on his own head) runs into trouble in the form of a group of monkeys in a tree. My mom often read to my siblings and I when we were kids ... from picture books like this one to novels like The Chronicles of Narnia. This was one of my favorites from that time.

4. The Pony Engine adapted by Doris Garn, illustrated by Gregorio Prestopino (1957?)
--Also known as The Little Engine That Could --this is the copy I remember having as a kid!

5. I Spy series by Jean Marzollo, photos by Walter Wick (1992-2012)
--My family enjoyed the Where's Waldo series, but our favorite "look and find" series was definitely I Spy and the crazy-detailed photography from Walter Wick. We'd pour over the photos and pick our favorite objects on each page or make up stories where we'd have to chose a certain number of items from each spread ...

6. Anno's Math Games series by Mitsumasa Anno (1980s) --I remember enjoying these fun books in elementary school along with the Usborne Puzzle Book series!

7. Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Garth Williams (1932-1971)
--These are the first novel-length books I remember reading as a 3rd grader (probably?) It was a sad day when my mom retired our family's box set while I was in college ... Broken and creased spines, discolored pages, those paperbacks were read countless times (mostly by me, once or twice by my younger sister). I want to get a hardcover set someday ...

8. American Girl series by various authors and illustrators (1986-Present)
--Besides the Little House books, I "blame" American Girl for my love of historical fiction that started way back as an eight or nine year old reading these series. My favorite stories were Felicity Merriman's (1770s) and later also Kit Kitteridge (1930s) when she was introduced. I still try to read the historical line of books we get in the library system to keep up (now I have the perfect excuse as a children's librarian)!

9. Nancy Drew Mysteries by Carolyn Keene, various illustrators (1930-Present) --Nancy Drew fed my reading addiction for many years, first the original 56 mysteries, the continuing mysteries, and later spin offs like the Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys Super Mysteries. I have so many mixed feelings about the upcoming 2019 CW "adaptation" of these beloved characters ... Reading some of the recent reboot comic book series from Dynomite has prepped me for a darker/edgier Nancy, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna like it! ;-)

10. Boxcar Children Mysteries by Gertrude Chandler Warner, various illustrators (1924-Present) --I actually was introduced to the Boxcar Children after Nancy Drew and that was when I remember learning to search the library catalog when it was a plain black screen with white text. The year my family began reading the series, we also began utilizing the interlibrary loan system and maxed out several family members' cards as we tried to read all of them! Even as a twenty-something college student, I would keep up reading the latest Boxcar Children Mysteries just to say I had read them all (I finally stopped that at #130).

Do you remember any of these books? What are some of your favorite childhood stories? Let me know in the comments!

Throwback Thursday to a novel I read for my Books and Literature for Young Adults course during "library school." We had to chose an ALA (American Library Association) Teens' Top Ten nominated novel and write a "booktalk" and review for it.

© Scholastic

Title: The False Prince (The Ascendance Trilogy #1)
Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
Published: 2012 by Scholastic

"One of the great books I finished last week was The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen, whom you may know as the author of the Underworld Chronicles, a humorous fantasy series.  This is the first book in the Ascendance trilogy, and was voted #2 of the 2013 Teens' Top Ten. If you enjoy medieval styled fantasies (or even if you don't), The False Prince is definitely worth a look.

'Four boys, one treacherous plan, and an entire kingdom to fool.'

The land of Carthya hovers on the brink of war and needs a strong king to lead its people.  Nobleman Bevin Conner schemes to save the kingdom (and gain some power himself) by placing King Eckbert's long lost second son, Prince Jaron, onto the throne.

There's just one problem:  Most of the nobles assume Prince Jaron to be dead after pirates attacked and destroyed his ship five years ago. 

Taking four orphan teens who resemble the young prince, Conner gives them two weeks of intense training in swordsmanship, riding, history, manners --the education of a royal. The deception will give them a life of wealth and power beyond their dreams. But only one boy can be chosen:

Will it be quiet and humble Latamer?
Tobias, intelligent and eager to please?
The most athletic and strong, Roden?
Or will it be Sage, a defiant street thief?

When it is revealed just how devastatingly far Conner is willing go for his deception to succeed, the teens realize their lives hang perilously at sword point.  Can they even trust each other in this world of secrets, intrigue, and lies?  Full of action, readers will keep the pages turning in this fast paced adventure novel.

Can a pauper become a Prince? 
Find out in book one of the Ascendance trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielsen."

Medieval style fantasy worlds were my favorite as a teen. While only 342 pages long, The False Prince has 54 short chapters. I wouldn't be surprised if it was written with reluctant readers in mind.

Our protagonist Sage has sarcastic, quick wit, and an even quicker tongue which often gets him in trouble. While female characters were a bit lacking, they were there in a supportive friendship role, but I think it worked with this type of fast paced, tight plot. Oh, and that plot twist! Maybe some will think it cheap (I felt almost betrayed for a moment), but I don't think teens would be disappointed with the ending.

The novel also plays with themes of identity:  Is your role in life something you can pick up, try out and cast aside? Teens often experiment with who they are as they discover or mold their identity, how they want others to see them, etc. so I saw echoes of that in this story, though with much higher stakes. One review I read called it "Game of Thrones meets The Hunger Games." Content-wise, it's a bit of an exaggeration, but you can see elements from those series such as medieval political intrigue and teens caught up in a life or death, high stakes competition.  All in all, I enjoyed this novel and quickly went to seek out the remaining books in the trilogy.

[Disclaimer: Full cover displayed below that features an artistic nude rendering for figure drawing.] Classic Human Anatomy in Motion is a wonderful resource for artists who want to learn more about human anatomy and the body in motion.

© 2015 Watson-Guptill

Title: Classic Human Anatomy in Motion 
Author: Valerie L. Winslow
Published: 2015 by Watson-Guptill Publications

About the Book:

This essential companion book to the bestselling Classic Human Anatomy provides artists and art students with a deeper understanding of human anatomy and different types of motion, inspiring more realistic and energetic figurative art.

Fine-art instruction books do not usually focus on anatomy as it relates to movement, despite its great artistic significance. Written by a long-time expert on drawing and painting human anatomy, Classic Human Anatomy in Motion offers artists everything they need to realistically draw the human figure as it is affected by movement. Written in a friendly style, the book is illustrated with hundreds of life drawing studies (both quick poses and long studies), along with charts and diagrams showing the various anatomical and structural components.

This comprehensive manual features 5 distinct sections, each focusing on a different aspect of the human figure: bones and joint movement, muscle groups, surface form and soft tissue characteristics, structure, and movement. Each chapter builds an artistic understanding of how motion transforms the human figure and can create a sense of expressive vibrancy in one’s art.

The Artist Librarian's Review:
As a studio art major initially focused on drawing and painting, human anatomy and figure drawing was an important component to my studies: In fact, I took a course focused on life drawing for an entire semester!  Classic Human Anatomy in Motion is a wonderful resource for artists who want to learn more about human anatomy and the body in motion.

The obvious question is, how would you convey or depict the human body in motion from static images and words?  Well, Valerie L. Winslow has created a book that I would describe as a resource rather than instructional or step-by-step art book.  While there aren't projects to follow along with, Winslow gives an overview of different sections and areas of the body and describes how they move as parts and in conjunction with other body parts.  Topics covered include bones, joints, muscles/tendons characteristics, facial muscles and expressions, muscles of specific parts of the body (e.g. neck, arms, legs, torso, etc.), body types and tissue.

The second part of the book covers eight methods of gesture (or action) drawing, how to capture movement, and an overview of body movements.  It's almost like a textbook for a figure drawing course: What you read and learn about in this book, you can put into practice in live model drawing sessions or in your observations.  Because human figures are so familiar to us --we see them every day-- sometimes it's easy to think that you know how to draw them.  However, books like this encourage you to truly study and observe the human form.  Things that I read about in this book will help me in my future work and practice.

It also is very approachable for artists and artists-to-be.  As a practicing artist and instructor herself, while using the correct names/anatomical terminology of things such as muscles and bones, Winslow's text is accessible for non-medical students (such as artists or other laymen).  While I know that artists often will borrow pure anatomy books written for the medical field for more depth, I felt this book was sufficient for my artistic needs.  Drawings and detailed renderings are found on nearly every page to illustrate points from the text.  A short bibliography of further reading and an index complete this book.  I'd definitely recommend Classic Human Anatomy in Motion to anyone interested in drawing the human form, though high school students to adults would probably be able to make the most use of it.

[Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book through the Blogging for Books program for review purposes.]

Do you have a favorite drawing or art book for rendering human figures?  Share in the comments!

Content note:  Just in case you couldn't tell from the cover, this book does contain drawings of human nudes for artistic research. =) If you are looking for human life drawing books with minimal renderings of nude figures, I suggest searching with the term "clothed figure."

About the Author:

Valerie L. Winslow is a professional fine artist who has exhibited her paintings and drawings in museums and galleries nationwide since 1977. Works by her are in many private collections, and she has won numerous awards, including Best of Show at the Palm Springs Desert Art Museum and the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art.

For more than thirty years she has taught figurative art and artistic anatomy at well-known institutions including the Art Center College of Design, in Pasadena, California, and the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). She has also taught animators at Pixar Animation Studios. Currently, Valerie is n the faculty of San Francisco’ s Academy of Art University, School of Fine Arts, where she serves as Anatomy Coordinator.

Wow, I'm feeling way too accomplished for finishing this, but it was a lot of fun!  I saw Ally from The Scribbling Sprite participate in this book survey and I had to try it out!  Survey created by Jamie @ Perpetual Page Turner. See her original post for the link-up!  Most of the links below are my reviews of the book titles.

2015 Reading Stats

Number Of Books You Read: 141 (80 books/novels, 61 comic books/graphic novels), not counting picture books.
Number of Re-Reads: Er, I didn't really count this year ... I'd guess around maybe 5?  I also read 14 Attack on Titan manga twice.
Genre You Read The Most From: According to Goodreads, it's Dystopian, but half of that was the 20+ Attack on Titan manga and tie-in series. ;-)

Best In Books

1. Best Book You Read In 2015? (If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2015 release vs. backlist)
--I don't have to to cheat!  As a soon-to-be-librarian who adores historicals, Beyond All Dreams by Elizabeth Camden (an academic librarian by day, award-winning author by night) was definitely my top pick of the year!

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t? 
--Wayne Thomas Batson's Dreamtreader trilogy.  WTB was one of the first "new" (i.e. not C.S. Lewis or Tolkien) Christian fantasy authors I discovered in high school.  I hadn't kept up with his books recently, so when the opportunity to review the last book in his new trilogy came up, I jumped at the chance to read them.  As I wrote in my review, it's a good middle grade Christian fantasy series.  However, I think maybe I've outgrown WTB or my expectations were too high ... I didn't love the books as much as I wanted to or thought I would.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?
--It's a toss up between Nadine Brandes' A Time to Die (I can't believe what she did in the middle of, and at the end of the book!) or Jennifer A. Nielsen's The False Prince (maybe some will think the climax revelation cheap.  I almost felt betrayed for a moment, but I didn't realize it was happening until it was).


4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)? 
--I don't know anyone read them because of me, but the books I recommended the most this year was The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.  The books I posted the most about were probably Dina L. Sleiman's Valiant Hearts novels or Nadine Brandes' Out of Time books, since I was fortunate to be invited to these awesome authors' book launch teams.



5. Best series you started in 2015? Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015? 
--I'm going to be super technical and not count trilogies, so I'll say Susan May Warren's Christiansen Family series.  She alone has made me want to read more Contemporary Christian fiction.  Her characters are authentic, unperfect, and relateable ...
--Best sequel ... I'm sounding like a broken record, but A Time to Speak by Nadine Brandes. Attack on Titan, Vol. 2 is a close second because of what happens in it ... *no spoilers* Seeing episode 8 of the anime blew my mind and prompted me to read the rest of the manga ('cause couldn't wait watching 1 episode a week on Cartoon Network)!  =P
--Best series ender was definitely Winter by Marissa Meyer.  It took awhile to get there, but I think I needed all 800+ pages to say goodbye to those characters.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015? 
--I'll point to my Top 10 New-to-Me Authors of 2015 post, but I'll name Rachelle Dekker, since I'm ashamed to say I forgot to add her to that list.  Great YA dystopian debut with The Choosing --so much potential in this trilogy ... interested to see how it goes.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone? 
--The best book I read that was out of my comfort zone was Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson or Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher.  If they weren't required reading for my Books & Media for Teens course, I probably would never have read these general market YA novels because the storylines didn't sound appealing to me, but as modern YA classics, they're good to know about and they're good discussion opportunities.

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
--I'm going to give this one to the Attack on Titan manga.  I borrowed volumes 1-14 from the library and I spent literally the whole night reading them until 3-4am and then freaked myself out when going upstairs to sleep ... Titans are scary.  ;-)

9. Book You Read In 2015 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
--The Attack on Titan Guidebook, in preparation/research for a Survey Corps uniform cosplay (Mikasa Ackerman, Sasha Braus, or Zoe Hanji?) ... maybe.  I couldn't write a review for Beyond All Dreams (Elizabeth Camden) without gushing uncontrollably, so I do want to reread and write a proper review this year.


10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015?
Dauntless - Medieval era heroine armed with bow and arrow ... 'nuff said.
Batgirl of Burnside, Vol. 1 - Batgirl's costume re-design is perfect!  Love the practical and utilitarian design. 
Attack on Titan, Vol. 13 - Hajime Isayama isn't the best manga artist but this is my favorite cover of his.  My crew look so "badass" and epic ...  Please no one else dies ... ;-)  <3

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?
--Beyond All Dreams was just like a love letter to librarians, librarianship, and art, so I just ... that one for me was the most beautiful. 
Also, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman comes to mind.  Even though written in the 21st century, it had a really classic, British children's book feel, like it was timeless, despite the references to cell phones and such which clearly date it as modern.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2015? 
 Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When the Stakes Are High.  A required reading for my Library Management course, but it emphasized several concepts that I think are important for communications.  It's not a perfect book, but a lot of interesting things to think about and consider when dealing with conflict.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read?
--Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and The Giver by Lois Lowry.  I'm actually glad I didn't read these in middle or high school because I think I got more out of them as an adult ... but yeah, chalk these up to LIS books & media class required readings.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015? 
--Luke Callahan has an amazing scene in chapter 8 of Beyond All Dreams where he's encouraging his young nephew, an aspiring artist.  As an artist and creative myself, I found the whole chapter beautiful, but here's just a brief portion:

If you don't make it as a painter, funnel that passion into something else, but it doesn't have to die.  Do you think I would have turned that old boxcar into a traveling library if I hadn't been in love with poetry?  My love of poetry was a gift from God.  So is your passion for art, even though we don't know yet what form it will take.  If you don't make it as a painter, perhaps you'll be a great teacher.  Or a museum curator.  Maybe you'll become a rich industrialist and fund a museum.  Just don't limit yourself by thinking you already know God's purpose for you.

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2015?
--Shortest books were the picture books I read for LIS classes or preschool storytime at the library.  The longest book was Winter by Marissa Meyer at 824 pages.

17. Book That Shocked You The Most (Because of a plot twist, character death, left you hanging with your mouth wide open, etc.)
--Nadine Brandes' A Time to Die and A Time to Speak win this for sure ... all of the above while reading her books!  ;-)

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!) (OTP = one true pairing if you aren’t familiar) 
I probably shouldn't admit this, but I'm Team Eremika:  That is, 'shipping Eren Yeager and Mikasa Ackerman from Attack on Titan.  I love this pairing!  They have so much ... history together, I just can't see them with anyone else.  In real life, I might have some issues with their relationship (they're the points critics of this 'ship usually bring up), but I think they have the potential to really compliment and support each other (think what was "Everlark" in The Hunger Games trilogy).  But sometimes, I don't know why I even bother since I'm pretty sure romantic relationships aren't at the forefront of creator Hajime Isayama's mind (this is a shonen/action/"boys" manga, after all --romance isn't the focus).  There are little hints in the manga and anime, but they're not a couple yet (at the very least, there's a strong bond of friendship).  In all honesty, I probably wouldn't even be in this borderline horror?/dystopian fandom without this 'ship.  =P

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year 
--Trevn-Sar Hadar and Hinckdan (Hinck) Faluk, Prince Trevn was hands down my favorite character in Darkness Reigns, the part 1 e-book of Jill Williamson's new epic fantasy series, and his close bond of friendship with Hinck, his backman (and I guess, wingman) just makes me smile.  

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2015 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
--Beyond All Dreams and With Every Breath by Elizabeth Camden.

21. Best Book You Read In 2015 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
--Ender's Game.  For a presentation, I had to read a minimum of two books from a Margaret A. Edwards award-winning author for my Books and Media for Teens class. I couldn't decide between Susan Cooper (The Dark is Rising sequence) and Orson Scott Card --After talking to my classmates, polling my friends on Facebook, and talking to a school librarian, I ended up choosing Card.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015? 
--Ooh ... snap, too many.   Uhm, the guys from The Lunar Chronicles probably won't count because it says "newest" ... so, I'll narrow it down to Luke Callahan (especially with a very romantic, sweet, swoon-worthy gesture/scene near the end of Beyond All Dreams), Jude and Hawke from Nadine Brandes' Out of Time trilogy (in the words of Megara, "I won't say I'm in love," but ... *yeah*), and Kael from Secrets Kept by J.L. Mbewe (I must know more about this angsty elf! LOL). ;-)

23. Best 2015 debut you read?
--As one of the only true debuts I read, The Choosing by Rachelle Dekker.


24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
--Nälu (J.L. Mbewe's Secret's Kept, Collum & the Darkwater forest (Patrick W. Carr's The Darkwater Saga), and the United States of the East/post-apocalyptic North America (Out of Time trilogy).

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
--Princess Ugg, Vol. 1 by Ted Naifeh (a princess from a viking-esque tribe is sent to be educated in a refined princess academy) & Kristy's Big Idea by Ann M. Martin, adapted by Raina Telgemeier (this Baby-Sitters' Club graphic novel was a nostalgia trip; a very well done adaptation).  Also Your Lefthanded Child by Lauren Milsom --even as a lefty, this was an eye-opener in a "that kind of makes sense" way ... =P 

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2015?
Probably A Time to Die and A Time to Speak.  Nadine Brandes, your books are emotional roller coasters --just sayin'. ;-)

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
Because I don't normally read indies, Secrets Kept by J.L. Mbewe, but the librarianship-focused, Cosplay in Libraries: How to Embrace Costume Play in Your Library by Ellyssa Kroski, is a close second.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
--Nadine Brandes' Out of Time books.  Both of them.  Crushed in a good way, but ... my heart/soul. =P

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?
--Meanwhile by Jason Shiga --sort of a "chose your own adventure story" but crazier.  You have never read a graphic novel like this one. 

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
--A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes.  I love the book, but that certain character ... oh, I was so mad.  ;-)

Your Blogging/Bookish Life

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2015?

• Dreaming Under the Same Moon Rissi's one of the most prolific bloggers I "know" --she and her book/media review blog is such an inspiration (wanna be a blogger like you when I grow up)!  ;-)
• Britt the Book Nerd is a fellow LIS/Library & Information Science student (a.k.a. future librarian). ^_^

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2015?
--Hmm ... probably "Smart & Sassy in All the Right Ways" (Like a Flower in Bloom by Siri Mitchell)
 or my manga/anime/fandom review of Attack on Titan.  My favorite more "professionally written" review was something like "A Shockingly Good Fantasy" (The Shock of Night by Patrick W. Carr).

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?
--One of the most popular (and personal) posts I wrote this year was "And They Said Speak Now: In Defense of Christian Romance", but my favorite non-review post I wrote this year was my "Dream Bookish Cosplays" for Top Tuesday.

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
--The opportunity to attend the American Library Association's Annual Conference (ALAac15) this summer was the best book-related event for sure!  For online or virtual events, the most amazingly organized and interactive launch team I've ever been part of was for Nadine Brandes' A Time to Speak --I met so many new book blogging friends through that!  A close second was being invited to be one of the hosts for Seekverville's Rockin' New Year's Eve blog party! 3,252 comments on one blog post I have never seen!  =)

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2015? 
--One of the best bookish life moments of the year was experiencing the Exhibit Hall at ALAac15 and also the "Young Gotham" panel there, where I briefly met the main writers and artists of Gotham Academy, Batgirl (of Burnside), and Grayson.  It felt like I was at a huge Comic Con(vention). ^_^

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year? 
--Posting consistently.  I know you can schedule posts ahead, but between school, work, family, and more ... life happens.  Definitely going to try and co-ordinate better once summer comes! 

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
--According to Blogger, my top three posts are:

• "Dauntless Inspirations" (A Guest Post by author Dina Sleiman about her YA medieval novel, Dauntless).
• "Dragons: Race to the Edge (of Excitement)!" - A fandom post on the then-forthcoming Netflix series based on the How to Train Your Dragon film series.
• Finally, my "In Defense of Christian Romance" post mentioned earlier.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

• "Animation Awards Season" (A look at the Oscar nominees for best animated feature film w/ videos!)
• My interview with dystopian YA author, Nadine Brandes (It was published on Star Wars Reads Day! Which of course, has nothing to do with dystopia, but ...) ;-)
• "Valiant Hearts MBTI with Dina Sleiman" (I customized MBTI graphics for this post and was a little disappointed more people didn't check post out, I mean, who doesn't like Myers-Briggs Type Indicators?)  =P

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

• Cosplay, Comics, and Geek Culture in Libraries - A website created by an academic librarian/cosplayer Ellyssa Kroski, it's a treasure trove of information for librarians looking to incorporate fandom into their libraries.  Many contributing librarians write articles on programming, geeky arts & crafts, fandom, cosplay, book/media reviews, fandom life, and more!

10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
--I met my reading goal of 100 books for 2015.  More details in My Year of Books According to Goodreads 2015.

Looking Ahead 

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2016?
--Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas ... I don't know if it's my #1 priority, but it's part of a series I'm absolutely curious about, with all the hubbub about them.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2016 (non-debut)?
--A Time to Rise, the 3rd book in Nadine Brandes' Out of Time trilogy! 

3. 2016 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
-- Currently, Curio by Evangeline Denmark, which was released earlier this month!

4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2016?
--Nadine Brandes' A Time to Rise for series ending (Out of Time #3). For sequel, The Calling (book #2 of The Seer trilogy/series?) by Rachelle Dekker.

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2016?
--My first Top Ten of the month was all about my Bookish and Blogging Goals for 2016, but the main thing I want to do is add all my cosplay and costumes (with breakdowns and "making of"/walkthrough posts) to my blog.

6. A 2016 Release I’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:
I haven't read a 2016 release yet!

Whew!  If you've read all that, you deserve virtual brownie points!  So what do you think?  #QOTD: Feel free to answer one or a few of these questions in the comments, or if you've participated in the survey, I'd love to see your post! 

I've never been one to make New Year's resolutions, but that's sort of the theme of The Broke and The Bookish's Top Ten Tuesday this week.  Since I do have some book and blogging goals for this year, I decided to feature them here, so in no particular order ...

(c.) 2016 The Artist Librarian - Bookish & Blogging Resolutions for 2016.

Bookish Goals:

1.  Overall Reading Goal: 125 Books
--I want to up 2015's goal of 100 books.  Last year, I started counting everything: novels/books and comic books/graphic novels to my Goodreads Reading Challenge, but kept a personal goal of 50 novels, which I achieved.  This year, I'm aiming at 55 books minimum, but once I graduate from library school this spring, I'll re-evaluate and see if I can afford to bump that goal higher!

2.  Read more from my own "stacks"
--I have a shelf doubled up with books I own and haven't read yet (and probably more around the rest of my room).  I keep meaning to get to them ... I'd like to get at least of quarter of them read this year.

3. Finish up the old Star Wars Expanded Universe books and catch up with new Star Wars publishing
--The Bad: the previously published Star Wars "EU" novels have been rebranded "Star Wars Legends" so all the books and most of the characters that made this fangirl fall in love with Star Wars isn't part of the official timeline anymore (thanks, Star Wars: The Force Awakens). =/

The Good: Since the Disney buyout, every Star Wars novel published since September 2014 is part of the official timeline and is actively being integrated with the films and tv shows.  Previously, info/storylines/characters, etc. from the books could be dismissed if they contradicted the films or tv shows. 

The Point: I had read nearly every Star Wars EU novel until 2012, when I fell behind finishing the last Fate of the Jedi novel.  Having just watched The Force Awakens, which left me with more questions than answers, I am finally inspired to finish off the old EU and get to the new "canon" books. =P

4. Read the Harry Potter Series
--This series has been on my radar since high school --maybe I'll finally get around to reading it this year. Goal is to start the series by summertime, bonus points if I finish by the time that new Fantastic Beasts and How to Find Them movie is released.  ;-)

5. Read Dee Henderson's O'Malley Series
--My mom read and loved this series, but wanted to wait until I was 16 to let me read them.  Well ... 16 came and went, LOL.  I keep meaning to get to these highly regarded Christian romantic suspense novels.

6. Expand My Manga Horizons
--So the majority of my manga experience is essentially Attack on Titan or A Bride's Story.  In 2015, I read about 60 comic books/graphic novels/manga.  I expanded beyond western superhero comic books to quite a few graphic novels and stand alones, but my manga series were basically two.  This year, I want to explore the many different manga genres in the all-ages to teen ranges.  I've already reserved Kaoru Mori's Victorian historical Emma series ... Any and all manga suggestions are welcome!

7. Utilize Goodreads More Constantly
--I normally only update my reading list on Goodreads about 4 times a year.  In 2015, other than posting time sensitive book reviews, I only updated my reading list in Spring and Winter.  While I keep track of the books I read on a spreadsheet (which was handy for keeping track of novels vs. comic books), I'd like to update Goodreads more consistently this year, so that when they're tracking my 2016 reading goal, it will be more accurate on how many books I'm behind or ahead of my goal.

Blogging Goals: 

8. More "Artist" at The Artist Librarian
--I first started this blog with the intent to highlight not just book reviews, but my arts, crafts, and especially costuming and cosplay projects.  I've been blogging for about a year and a half now and I'd say 95% of my blog is bookish related.  I recently revamped my blog design and reorganized pages in preparation for this.  While the upcoming semester will be pretty busy, I'd like to start posting costume/cosplay guides and tutorials (one or two costumes a  month) once summer begins.

9. Reviews of Clothing, blu-Ray/DVDs, or Other Fandom Stuff
--Again, when I started this blog, also I wanted to feature some product reviews of things I've purchased.  For example, I often wish online stores had detailed garment measurements.  I also at times have wanted/needed more detailed cosplay wig information or reviews on a certain style or color.  If I can do 6-12 of these this year, I'd be satisfied ...

10. Falling into Fandom Series
--If you've perused my new "Interviews & Other Features" page, you may have seen the #FallingIntoFandom series of posts I'd like to start this year.  In it, a fandom will be featured (book series, film, tv show, etc.) and I'll write about how I became a fan of said series, why I'm a fan, etc.  I think this would be a cool link up thing to do ... or something to get other bloggers to join in on --I'll have to look into how to do that.  But for now, I'd like to just start off with about 6 of these this year.  =)

So ... I'm probably super ambitious with this list, but any advice?  What are your blogging or bookish goals this year?  Feel free to share your TTT list also!

(c.) 2015 by Kodansha USA Publishing

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine, where you feature a yet-to-be-released title you're anticipating!

Note: I've tried to edit some spoilers from the publisher's summary ... a strength of this manga are some of the crazy twists in the storyline! 

Title: Attack on Titan, Vol. 17
Creator: Hajime Isayama
U.S. Release Date: December 15, 2015 by Kodansha USA Publishing
Rating: T - Ages 16+ by the publisher

About the Book:

"Thanks to Rod Reiss, Eren finally knows the terrible truth behind ... Titan powers and the depth of his father’s crimes. The king orders ... Historia to kill Eren and restore the power of the Titans to its rightful place, but she chooses her own selfish path: survival. As the cavern crumbles around the Survey Corps, Eren must make another last-minute decision, with the lives of all his friends in the balance."

Why I'm "WoW" About Attack on Titan, Vol. 17:
You may remember my Fandom Friday feature on this crazy series earlier this year, where I briefly wrote about the combination of the manga and the anime (animated series) that hooked me into this dystopian, post-apocalypic series.

So the last manga volume released in August ended on. Such. A. Cliffhanger.  I was extremely tempted to throw it across the room (kind of).  Not only were was there a "Oh, no --you didn't just stop there!" moment, one of my favorite characters was injured and I'm hoping nothing horrible happens with that, though it has been a bit since a reoccurring character has been ... removed from the main storyline.  I've never followed a comic book or manga series before, so it's a different experience for me to be waiting every 3-4 months or so for the library to get a copy of the next volume.
The cover art for this volume is interesting and looks very calm compared to some of the other more intense covers.  The main characters look like the 15-year-old teenagers they should be rather than the hardened, battle-weary soldiers that they are.  I hope that means they'll be getting a well deserved break from the intense action of the previous volume, but who knows?

Are there any current manga or book series that you're following?  How do you cope with the wait time between books?

I apologize for dropping off the face of the "bloggersphere" again! This past weekend was our state library association’s annual conference and I presented my first LIS academic poster there: “‘Cos It’s More Than Just Play! Engaging Fandom in Public Libraries Through Cosplay.” It was an awesome experience, but because I was prepping for that, I didn’t get a chance to write any posts in advance. I haven’t done a Top Tuesday for a bit and this week’s theme from The Broke and The Bookish's blog was a neat way to look back at my list of books I’ve read this year (and a reminder that I need to update my goodreads account)!

So, in order by date read ...

Brian Selznick: The Invention of Hugo Cabret
--Required reading for my Books & Media for Children class. This Caldecott award winner’s strength is Selznick’s combination of story and illustrations. The visuals in this book are gorgeous!  Can't wait to read his other hybrid novels ...

Lois Lowry: The Giver
--Another required reading for my Books & Media for Children class. I had seen the film adaptation earlier this year –I had enjoyed that version, though I know the book purists weren’t thrilled with the "aging up" of Jonas. Perhaps because I had seen the movie first, it was kind of weird to think of a younger Jonas going through everything that he did. I never picked up the book as a teen because the summary/storyline didn’t really seem like it’d be my cup of tea, but I did enjoy it and I can see why it’s taught in many elementary, middle, and high schools.  Random fact: Lois Lowry herself took the photo of the older gentleman used on the original book cover!

Neil Gaiman: The Graveyard Book
--Though I don't think I'd ever be able to read his acclaimed Sandman graphic novels, I've always meant to read his children's books.  I thought I'd get to Coraline first (because I've been meaning to see the animated film), but again, this was required reading.  It felt almost timeless at times, but there are references to cell phones and other things that place it in the modern world.  It really had a British vibe to it and a bit dark, but for the most part, still appropriate for the target age group.

Dina L. Sleiman: Dauntless & Chivalrous --Totally fell in love with Dina's YA medieval historicals that are inspired by legendary figures such as Robin Hood or King Arthur and Camelot.  One author I'll definitely be keeping an eye on ... I'm hoping to try her earlier published work soon. My reviews of Dauntless and Chivalrous.

Susan May Warren: When I Fall in Love (#3), Take a Chance on Me (#1), It Had to Be You (#2)
--I first came upon When I Fall in Love, book 3 of the Christiansen family series, and was immediately drawn in by the story (I love cooking competitions and I grew up in Hawaii!) and taken by the characters.  I quickly borrowed the first two from the library and then fell behind on the series (which I'm going to remedy really soon).  I don't read a lot of contemporary fiction, but I'm totally won over by Warren's writing.

Becky Wade: Meant to Be Mine
--Another new-to-me Christian Contemporary Fiction author I read this year was Becky Wade.  A daring storyline with enough romantic tension that kept me flipping pages late into early morning hours to finish!  While readable as a stand-alone, I'm hoping to get to books #1 & #3 of the Porter series soon. =)

Jennifer A. Nielsen: The False Prince, The Runaway King, The Shadow Throne
--I initially selected The False Prince for an assignment in my Books & Media for Teens class this summer.  After my course was over, it was clear because of the ending that I'd have to continue reading the trilogy.  With short chapters and full of action, it's perfect for reluctant readers.  While it took me a bit to warm up to Sage (he was a bit too rogue for me personally), seeing his maturation and growth through his journey was rewarding.

J.L. Mbewe: Secrets Kept
--I remember stumbling onto Jennette's blog earlier this year and discovering a similar love of fandoms and fantasy.  While I don't usually review books from presses I'm not familiar with, I'm glad I did for Secrets Kept!  Her diverse characters and elaborate world building brought the novel to life and it's a welcome addition to the Christian fantasy genre.

Nadine Brandes: A Time to Die & A Time to Speak
--Along with Jennifer A. Nielsen, Nadine wins the award of "cliffhanger queen" this year ... =P  One of the things I love about being a book blogger/reviewer is having the opportunity to read books I might not normally give myself a chance to read.  I remember seeing A Time to Die around the book blogging world last year, but I hadn't heard of the publisher, so I ... kind of dismissed it.  Huge mistake that I'm glad I've rectified this year!  The Out of Time books are easily some of the the best Christian YA dystopians I've ever read. My review of A Time to Die & A Time to Speak.

Becky Cloonan & Brenden Fletcher: Gotham Academy, Vol. 1
--I was able to briefly meet these creators of Gotham Academy at #ALAac15 this summer, along with Karl Kerschl, who illustrates this new and gorgeously mysterious, slightly spooky, Nancy Drew-esque entry into DC Comics and Gotham lore.  While a lot of the "Bat-verse" and Gotham set stories starring Batman and co. are often a bit too dark for my taste, this series, aimed at middle grade, teen, and new comic book readers, is what would probably be rated "all ages appropriate" graphic novels. My review of Gotham Academy, Vol. 1.

Have you read any of these authors --what should I read next? What are some "new-to-you" authors you read this year you'd recommend? 

(c.) 2015 by Three Rivers Press

Title: Cheap Chic: 40th Anniversary Edition
Authors: Caterine Milinaire & Carol Troy (Foreword by Tim Gunn)
Published: 2015 by Three Rivers Press (first published in 1975).

About the Book:

"Before there were street-style blogs and ‘zines, there was Cheap Chic. Selling hundreds of thousands of copies when it was originally published in 1975, this classic guide revealed how to find the clothes that will make you feel comfortable, confident, sexy, and happy, whether they come from a high-end boutique, sporting-goods store, or thrift shop.

Astonishingly relevant forty years later, Cheap Chic provides timeless practical advice for creating an affordable, personal wardrobe strategy: what to buy, where to buy it, and how to put it all together to make your own distinctive fashion statement without going broke. Alongside outfit ideas, shopping guides, and other practical tips are the original vintage photographs and advice from fashion icons such as Diana Vreeland and Yves Saint Laurent. Inspiring decades of fashion lovers and designers, Cheap Chic is the original fashion bible that proves you don’t have to be wealthy to be stylish."

The Artist Librarian's Review:
As a full time college student with limited funds (thank you, part time job), I aspire to cheap chic: I enjoy fashion and looking stylish, but don't want, nor can afford, to spend a lot on my clothes.  While not completely what I expected, the 40th Anniversary Edition of Cheap Chic is a mixture of both relevant advice and tips along with a fascinating (dare I say historical?) look into some of the fashion ideals of the 1970s.  Each chapter covers a type of clothing or topic such as classics, sportswear, work clothes, thrift store shopping, and ethnic wear, to name a few.  Interspersed in between are profiles and interviews with style mavens of the time such as Yves St. Laurent, Betsey Johnson, along with lesser known fashionistas. 

When I first heard of this 40th Anniversary Edition of Cheap Chic, I was under the impression that this was an updated or revised version of the original, which was first published in 1975.  However, other than a new forward written by style guru and fashion designer mentor Tim Gunn from Project Runway, it is basically a reprint.  While not what I was expecting, it was my misconception and mistake alone.  Regardless, there are some amusing details that date this book, such as the prices mentioned: "Sailor pants ... should run about $6" (pg. 17) --if only new pants were that inexpensive today!  Another historical aspect are the style interviews --it's interesting to see how the people the authors' chose to profile thought about popular 1970s styles.  Fran Liebowitz confesses, "I can't believe what some people wear ... incredible platform shoes, glitter, hideous fabrics ... useless extravagance" (pg. 77). 

Despite my initial disappointment, Cheap Chic has quite a few relevant ideas and advice that make this style book worth a read, in my opinion.  The idea cost-per-wear, in which you invest in a better quality, well made piece if you will wear it multiple times more than a cheaper option, is one that I've seen other stylists use or suggest today.  For myself, one of the most interesting portions of the book was a section on wrapping fabric into skirts, tops, sarongs, and other clothing items.  That chapter in particular definitely had a 1970s, laid back, hippies, boho chic, carefree sort of attitude. 

Though certain sections such as "The Chic Shopper's Guide" ---a directory of stores near the end of the book-- are most likely obsolete and irrelevant today, there are enough gems such as a chart of how to care or clean different fabric types and other concepts and advice that make this mid-20th century style guide worth a read or a check-out from your local library.

Brief content note: This was published in the 1970s and reflecting that era, there are a couple of photos of topless women such as those that illustrate some of the fabric wrapping techniques.

What are some of your favorite cheap chic style tips or tricks?  Where are your favorite places to get style tips?

About the Authors:

"CATERINE MILINAIRE is a journalist and photographer who has been an editor at Vogue; worked with Andy Warhol, Richard Avedon, and Diana Vreeland; and was at New York Magazine and Interview at their starts.  

CAROL TROY is a journalist and photographer whose work has appeared in Rags, Oui (where she collaborated with Helmut Newton), Condé Nast Traveler, Vanity Fair, and the New York Times.  She lives in Napa Valley."

[Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through bloggingforbooks.org for review purposes.]

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine, where you feature a yet-to-be-released title you're anticipating!

Title: Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Release Date: November 10, 2015 by Feiwel & Friends

1. I'm guessing this is Levana's hand?

About the Book:

"Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won't approve of her feelings for her childhood friend--the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn't as weak as Levana believes her to be and she's been undermining her stepmother's wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that's been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters? Fans will not want to miss this thrilling conclusion to Marissa Meyer's national bestselling Lunar Chronicles series."

Why I'm "WoW" about Winter:
I'm a relatively new "Lunartic" (a Lunar Chronicles fan) since I came upon the series in early 2014, but I love these fairy tale adaptations!  I like to call them Fairy Tales + Sci-Fi = A Series You Don't Want to Miss!  I actually still haven't read the "prequel" Fairest yet, which was released earlier this year, but I should be able to get to it while I wait for the library to process Winter.  One of the things I'm so excited about is the page count:  832 pages!  Excuse me while I let that sink in a moment ... Book #3, Cress, was 550 pages and it was a pretty substantial hardcover.  I can't imaging what Winter might look like!  Even though I don't want to say good-bye to Cinder and co. (after all, it seems like I've only just gotten to know them), at least I'll have a lot of time with them before the book is over. 

Have you read or watched fairy tale adaptations? What is your favorite fairy tale or adaptation of?  What do you think makes a good fairy tale adaptation? Also, if you've participated in "WoW" feel free to share!1. Winter by Marissa Meyer book cover. Feiwel & Friends, 2015.

For this Throwback Thursday, another manga review first written for my Special Topics in Librarianship: The Graphic Novel class in December 2014.

(c.) 2011 by NBM Publishing

Title: Stargazing Dog
Creator: Takashi Murakami
Published: English version 2011 by NBM Publishing, original Japanese in 2008.

About the Book:
"Translated from the Japanese bestseller, this story centers on Oto-san, a man who finds himself abandoned by his family and friends with nothing in his life happening the way he had planned. He embarks on a road trip to escape it all, and he soon discovers the only one he can count on completely is his faithful, recently adopted dog, who helps him see the light at the end of the tunnel. Illustrating the valuable lessons of friendship and loyalty, this is a heartwarming tale of two endearing characters and their shared adventure into the unknown."

The Artist Librarian's Review:
This was a poignant story told through the eyes of Happie, the family dog. From the time he burst into their lives, he observes his family: witnessing the break down and then finally the separation of his family members. He remains the companion of "Daddy" as they road trip aimlessly across Japan. Happie is the only "person" left in Daddy’s life and they loyally stay at one another's sides until the end. The last part of Stargazing Dog follows the social worker tasked with identifying the body of the man found in an abandoned vehicle. The body of the faithful dog reminds him of his treatment of a loyal pup from his childhood.

I’d heard of elderly in Japan passing away alone and not being found until months later.  This manga reminded me of those stories (and of Hachi). Why did Daddy use a fake name at the pawn shop near the end? It didn’t seem like he wanted anyone to find him after he was gone … Was it to avoid shame? I thought it was interesting to note a slightly different culture and mindset. But something made me sad to think that his daughter or wife wouldn’t know what happened to him. Even if he and his wife didn’t split on the best of terms (it seemed they were both kind of resigned rather than angry) … I don’t know, I still think that his family would want a funeral or closure. Even if you were a “cat person” (like me) I don’t see how you could dislike Happie … I think any pet owner would be moved by his loyalty and sweetness. 

For regular manga readers, I’d recommend it to folks who enjoyed Chi’s Sweet Home (though Chi is a cat) because the story is told from the pet's point of view … I’d feel pretty comfortable recommending it to teens and up, as I didn’t remember anything really graphic (I don't know if it would interest younger readers). Though they might not be able to really relate to the protagonist, it might give them insight to the older family members or adults in their lives …

For non-manga readers, if they were interested in “animal stories” or memoirs, such as Dewey, Marley and Me, Hachi, etc. I’d recommend Stargazing Dog.

Do you have any favorite animal stories or graphic novels?  

I briefly reviewed this gorgeous manga series during my 2014 wrap-up.  But for this Throwback Thursday, here is my full review of A Bride's Story, Vol. 1 written originally for my Special Topics in Librarianship: The Graphic Novel class in December 2014.

1. I'm in love with Mori's detailed penwork!

Title: A Bride's Story, Vol. 1
Creator: Kaoru Mori (English translation by William Flanagan)
Published: 2011 by Yen Press (English), original Japanese in 2009
Rated: "Older Teen" by the publisher

About the Book:

"Acclaimed creator Kaoru Mori (Emma, Shirley) brings the nineteenth-century Silk Road to lavish life, chronicling the story of Amir Halgal, a young woman from a nomadic tribe betrothed to a twelve-year-old boy eight years her junior. Coping with cultural differences, blossoming feelings for her new husband, and expectations from both her adoptive and birth families, Amir strives to find her role as she settles into a new life and a new home in a society quick to define that role for her.

Crafted in painstaking detail, Ms. Mori’s pen breathes life into the scenery and architecture of the period in this heartwarming slice-of-life tale that is at once both wholly exotic, yet familiar and accessible through the everyday lives of the rich characters she has created."

The Artist Librarian's Review:
A Bride’s Story is a lush, historical graphic novel with beautiful, detailed art. I admit, when I first read the synopsis, I thought, “Oh no, this might be awkward,” regarding the ages of Amir and Karluk. However, they both have a sense of maturity to their characters --especially Karluk-- and Amir has a sense of fun and a lighthearted playfulness that often made me forget about the age gap.  To me, the age gap is especially minimized when paired with the manga style of art (other than a few panels that visually emphasized the difference). Though this manga was assigned in our class as an example of an "Adult Graphic Novel," based on the first volume (and the rating), I’d be willing to recommend it to older teens also.  However since there were a couple of what I’d call artistically nude/topless images, I’d only do so with families I knew really well.  I personally will be continuing this series because I am absolutely in love with the gorgeous artwork and the characters! Both the main and supporting are fleshed out in their respective roles –Karluk’s nieces and nephews are adorable and I want to learn more about Grandmother!

For manga readers, if they’re interested in lush historicals or even fantasy (the cultures explored are so foreign and unfamiliar to western ideas that I felt like I was reading a fantasy at times, especially when Amir’s family came back), I would definitely recommend A Bride’s Story.  Actually … some parts kind of remind me a tiny bit of Aang’s crush on Katara in the Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series (but the "Kataang" relationship is a little less "squicky"). But if they are "Kataang" shipper/fan, they might be enjoy this series as well.

For non-manga readers, I think historical fiction fans like myself would enjoy it. Those interested in drawing or pen work (or even intaglio or printmaking) might also find the series interesting to read and study Mori's amazing work.

Brief content notes: Some slight language [e.g. bas--rd] and artistically nude/topless images, but most of the situations come across as more innocent rather than typical hyper-sexualized graphic novel/comic book art.  Feel free to contact me for more details.

Do you like reading about unfamiliar cultures or customs (historical or contemporary)?  What are some titles (books or graphic novels) you'd recommend that explore those subjects?1. - A Bride's Story, Vol. 1 cover image (c.) Yen Press

Throwback Thursday! This review was first written for my Special Topics in Librarianship: The Graphic Novel class in November 2014.


Title: Night Fisher
Author/Illustrator: R. Kikuo Johnson
Published: 2005 by Fantagraphics

Night Fisher was an ... interesting look into the life of a "hapa" (half Caucasian) teenage boy living on Maui at the cusp of adulthood. It captures the stress and uncertainty many high school seniors face and depicts how one choice (or a series of choices) can affect your life.

The art is very naturalistic and there are little elements interspersed like “artifacts” of the characters’ lives: a land deed, a map, knot diagrams, botany style plant sketches, etc. I also liked how Johnson dealt with “whispered” dialogue or dialogue that Loren can’t hear clearly from his POV (the text bubbles themselves have delicate, spindly, hard-to-read script).

However, I wasn’t a huge fan of the story itself … I could relate with Loren up to a point: academic pressures (though my parents weren’t that anal about my grades), uncertainty of the future, etc. but I guess I’m too “goody two shoes” --Though I could see how Loren could fall into drugs and such with Shane, I thought he was kind of … well, stupid. I can’t speak to the drug scene in Hawaii, though I remember the news and media saying it was there, I never hung around people involved myself (or at least, not to my knowledge). But having grown up there, I can definitely testify to the feeling of wanting to get off the island (and on the neighbor islands, there can be a feeling of it being more “boring” or “nothing to do” than on Oahu).

The ending is a bit ambiguous or feels incomplete, but Loren’s life is also unfinished (maybe the open field represents his life or freedom from lying or hiding since he was caught). Definitely a bit more conceptual than most comics I gravitate toward ...

Content: If it were a film, it'd probably be PG-13 alluding to drugs, language, sexual situations, etc.

Are there any books or comic books set in your home state that left you disappointed (or extremely satistified)?  Feel free to share titles in the comments and why!