okay, catching up on the last of my September reads... two graphic novels and a book of poetry.
The two graphic novels this month were
Anya's Ghost and
Y: The Last Man Vol3.
Anya's Ghost starts light hearted enough, and then slowly adds on the creepy. Without really trying to, the narrator addresses bullying, 1st generation immigrants trying to fit in with the pressure to honor the past, infatuation, teenage moral codes (or lack thereof), self acceptance and others. At the same time, we have ourselves a ghost story with a 93-year old ghost 'girl' and the girl who befriends her. The ghost really is a vehicle to offer some 'what would you do if...?' scenarios and it works well in this medium. It's not world changing underground 'comix' but it's a fun and layered read. I wish the author delved a titch more into the complex emotions that surround the betrayal of treating another the way you were once treated (and hated) out of fear of the past. There is a lot of current (great) literature or movies out about this phenomenon of pursuing the frenemies in one's life rather than befriending those who need friends as much as oneself and who would prove far more loyal.
Anya's
story had an opportunity to add more on the subject but really just touched it and moved on. I'd still recommend this quick read.
As for
Y:The Last Man, I'm on the third (of 5) compilations in these serial graphic novels but haven't yet discussed it much with the exception of my
graphic novel rating entry. This series keeps getting better as women decide if they want to recreate the conflicts that occured in a world with both sexes. The majority of politicians, soldiers, pilots, violent criminals, and Fortune 500 CEO's have disappeared. Where do we go from here? And what do we believe about fate and faith now in the midst of the greatest apocalypse in earth's history? And for Yorrick (yes, Yorrick - his dad was a big Shakespeare fan), the sole surviving male on earth - what is his responsibility to womankind... was he supposed to die as well or is he supposed to be the hope for a new mankind? The trek across land and sea paces quickly while staying true to a time-scale of several years. I can anticipate numerous take-offs of 'inspired-by' stories that follow or prequel other characters in this world instead of following the last man... because while his story is interesting, this is still at heart the story of a world of women reeling and coping with the remnants of human(and animal kingdom as well)-kind and a ticking clock for the expiration of life on earth. Highly, highly recommended!
Finally, as a result of reading the slogged-through-it-and-can't-decide-if-I-liked-it-or-hated-it
Hollywood by Charles Bukowski, I decided to check out one of his books of poetry to see what all the fuss was about. In my mind, Bukowski seemed like a wanna-be Hemingway in the manner of self-destructive, womanizing, cerebral but soul-less jerk.
I picked up Bukowski's post-humous book
Sifting Through the Madness for the Word, the Line, the Way… (even his title irks me!) which was one of the few books available at the library and it didn't really help because it was written around the time that
Hollywood was finished so any insights just compounded my I'd-rather-be-reading-Billy-Collins-than-this-asshole opinion. I've spoken to a few women who obsessed over his earlier poetry in their adolescence so perhaps I should give him another shot... but then again, I'm in my 30's and will likely finding it just as tiresome since I know I would find
myself as an adolescent quite annoying.
