Comic Book Extravaganza - Take Three

L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Eric Shanower & Skottie Young

Completion Date: April 12, 2011

Reason for Reading: Fun!

The premiere American fantasy adventure gets the Merry Marvel treatment! Eisner Award-winning writer/artist Eric Shanower (Age of Bronze) teams up with fan-favorite artist Skottie Young (New X-Men) to bring L. Frank Baum's beloved classic to life! When Kansas farm girl Dorothy flies away to the magical Land of Oz, she fatally flattens a Wicked Witch, liberates a living Scarecrow and is hailed by the Munchkin people as a great sorceress...but all she really wants to know is: how does she get home?

I really wanted to love this book, but it disappointed me. I think it is mainly because I just watched Tin Man, which was amazing, so this was sort of disappointing in comparison. I knew it was really just the same story with pictures, but I think I wanted more. Others would probably like this book, but it just wasn't for me.

This book works for the Once Upon a Time Challenge.

Ursula by Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba

Completion Date: April 23, 2011

Reason for Reading: Fun!

Once upon a time, there was a story. A love story. Different listeners will hear different things from the love story; for some, it might be a tale of journeys and rites of passage and battles won and foes vanquished and happily-ever-after. For other listeners, it might be a story about dreams and desires, for all is simple, beautiful and magical when you're young and in love. But once upon a time.... there was a story, and listen to me now: it was a love story.

This was a cute little story. It was simplistic, but fun. The blurb above is right, though. It is easy for people to get something different from this story. I think it depends on what you are reading it for, what you will get out of it. It also depends on how you look it. It could be a fantasy novel, but it also could just be a story about dreams.

This book counts for the Once Upon a Time challenge.

Chobits Volume 7 by Clamp

Completion Date: April 23, 2011

Reason for Reading: Carry on with the Series.

The continuing adventures of Hideki and Chi.

Can a computer ever replace a human being? Kokubunji built Yuzuki to replace his sister after her passing. While Yuzuki certainly feels like a sister to Minoru, the more time he spends with her, the more he loves her for who she is. Chi was also built as a bubstitute family member. Back then she was knwn as Elda, and she and her "sister" Freya were built to be the daughters of their creator and his wife. They behaved and looked like real children, and they even had the ability to love. But something went wrong -very wrong-. now Chi must find her "someone just for her" before an even worse disaster strikes.

Another fun volume in this manga series. I am not sure what I am going to do now because there is only one volume left and the library doesn't have it. I have read 7 books, so obviously I need to read the last book. A lot of answers are revealed in this book. It was interesting to find out how the story progressed. Some of it I sort of expected, but there were a few surprises.

Series:

Volume 1

Volume 2

Volume 3

Volume 4
Volume 5

Volume 6

Volume 7

Volume 8

This book counts for the Manga Challenge.

Six Sentence Saturday

Welcome to Six Sentence Saturday.

Where I try to express my thoughts on recent reads using only 6 sentences!!!!.

At the end of each review I will post a

rating scale of 1-5 using the cute and original (lol) Playing Cards.

Rating scale will be as follows:

5 of Hearts- You must read this book NOW!!

4 of Hearts- A great read, put it on your TBR list.

3 of Hearts- Glad I read but no big deal

2 of Hearts- Why did I finish this?

Joker Card - Don't bother (why did I?)

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Completion Date: January 15, 2011

Reason for Reading: Fun!

The carnival rolls in sometime after midnight, ushering in Halloween a week early.

The shrill siren song of a calliope beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. In this season of dying, Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. And two boys will discover the secret of its smoke, mazes, and mirrors; two friends who will soon know all too well the heavy cost of wishes. . .and the stuff of nightmare.

Few American novels written this century have endured in the heart and memory as has Ray Bradbury's unparalleled literary classic SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES. For those who still dream and remember, for those yet to experience the hypnotic power of its dark poetry, step inside. The show is about to begin.The carnival rolls in sometime after midnight, ushering in Halloween a week early. The shrill siren song of a calliope beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. In this season of dying, Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. And two boys will discover the secret of its smoke, mazes, and mirrors; two friends who will soon know all too well the heavy cost of wishes. . .and the stuff of nightmare.

I really liked The Halloween Tree by Bradbury, but for some reason this book just didn't work for me at all. I think it can be put down to a mood at the time and having read two books before it that I just could not seem to enjoy, so I will probably try and read it again someday. The book did have a fun plot and idea behind it, but I found myself not really caring what happened to the characters after a while. If this was a book I easily could have got again I would have put it aside and tried again later, but unfortunately it was an ILL and could not be renewed, so it was read it now or maybe never. Bradbury is an author that has had lasting fame, so obviously it was just me and I still think many other people will enjoy this book if they haven't read it all ready. I think before I try this one again I will attempt read something else by him later this year.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Volume 2 by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Completion Date: February 19, 2011

Reason for Reading: Carry on with the series.

Does Scott and Ramona's burgeoning relationship have a future? Isn't Scott still supposedly dating Knives Chau? Who is Ramona's second evil ex-boyfriend, and why is he in Toronto? Who are The Clash At Demonhead, and what kind of bizarre art-punky music do they play? Who's their hot girl keyboardist, and what is Scott's relation to her? Why are they Knives Chau's new favourite band? Fights! Drama! Secrets revealed! The answers to all these questions and more!

I like this series, but unfortunately do not love it, so now that I have read the two books that the library has in the series I am not sure what I am going to do about the rest of the series. I recently watched the movie and actually think that considering the size of these stories, it pretty much covered the comics; so at least if I don't get a chance to read the rest of the series I know what happens! Scott is a fun character and it is entertaining that he has to fight Ramona's ex-boyfriends like in a video game. The comic really does answer the questions presented in the blurb above and I think it was better than the first book in the series. I also really enjoy that this book is set in Toronto and I have actually been to Toronto, so I knew the places that were being talked about. Overall, a fun read, and someday I may finish the series.

Series:

Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness

Scott Pilgrim Gets it Together

Scott Pilgrim vs. Universe

Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour

(This book counts for the Manga Challenge.)

Bone: Quest for the Spark by Jeff Smith and Tom Sniegoski (Book 1)

Completion Date: February 23, 2011

Reason for Reading: Spin-off Series from BONE.

A return to the enthralling world of BONE with book one in this gripping spin-off novel trilogy, illustrated in four-color!

Twelve-year-old Tom Elm is just an ordinary turnip farmer from the Valley, but he's always felt destined for something bigger. So when he discovers everyone in his village is asleep and plagued by nightmares, he assembles a band of unlikely heroes. They must fight to preserve the Spark--a divine light born at the core of a vast, dark nothingness called the Nacht. The Nacht is trying to permeate the Waking World with nightmares of the Dreaming, and it's Tom's mission to defeat the Nacht and its most loyal follower, the Constable. If he fails, his family--and everyone--might never wake up again.

I really enjoyed the Bone graphic novel series, so when I heard that there was going to be a spin-off series I was very excited to read it, but on the other hand disappointed that many of the characters would not be included. These really are new adventures with mentions of the events from the other series and a few choice appearances from old characters. I wanted to love this book, but instead I only liked it. It's just not the same when it is told mostly in words and there are very few pictures, so it makes for a totally different reading experience. The adventures were still fun and I will still read on in the series, but I think I am ultimately disappointed in the direction the series has taken. If it was new stories in graphic novel format, it might have worked better for me, but I found myself wanting pictures and they were not there.

Chobits Volume 6 by Clamp

Completion Date: February 23, 2011

Reason for Reading: Carry on with Series.

Can a human be happy living with a machine? Hiroyasu Ueda truly believed he could when he married his persocom but one fateful day tragedy struck and Ueda was separated from his true love. It's often said that persocoms are more perfect than humans, better looking, better lovers, better thinking. Is it possible for someone who once loved the perfect, if artificial, woman go back to loving a mere human?

Since the series is drawing to a close, this book actually answered some of the questions that have been hovering in the background, so I think I appreciated this volume more than some of the previous ones. It is a interesting idea for a series and is something that in many ways is being worked on now. It addresses the idea that if there were personal computers that looked very much like humans, would people love them and marry them? The manga series is much more complex than it first appears, so I enjoy that aspect of it greatly. It also has entertaining characters and situations that will easily make you laugh. I am glad I am reading this series and look forward to more very soon!

Series:

Volume 1

Volume 2

Volume 3

Volume 4

Volume 5

Volume 6

Volume 7

Volume 8

Six Sentence Saturday

Welcome to Six Sentence Saturday.

Where I try to express my thoughts on recent reads using only 6 sentences!!!!.

At the end of each review I will post a

rating scale of 1-5 using the cute and original (lol) Playing Cards.

Rating scale will be as follows:

5 of Hearts- You must read this book NOW!!

4 of Hearts- A great read, put it on your TBR list.

3 of Hearts- Glad I read but no big deal

2 of Hearts- Why did I finish this?

Joker Card - Don't bother (why did I?)

Chobits Volume 5 by Clamp

Completion Date: January 29, 2011

Reason for Reading: Carry on with Series

Chi is kidnapped on her way to work and Hideki embarks on a frantic search for his missing persocom. Tracking Chi down is only a matter of time but Chi is not willing to wait, and reveals a defense mechanism that is linked to her mysterious past.

This is a cute series that I have been stalled on since 2009, so I want to try and finish it up. Chi really makes the story and I don't think I would read it if she wasn't in it. She is entertaining and you cannot help laughing at her, but at the same time her clueless behaviour is a bit much. Hideki and the other characters are entertaining, too. I think the series is marketed mainly for men, judging by the story, but I still find it enjoyable. It is also a series that you cannot read for a while and still remember what is going on.

Series:

Volume 1

Volume 2

Volume 3

Volume 4

Volume 5

Volume 6

Volume 7

Volume 8

This book counts for the Manga Challenge.

Six Sentence Saturday - Take One

Welcome to Six Sentence Saturday.

Where I try to express my thoughts on recent reads using only 6 sentences!!!!.
At the end of each review I will post a
rating scale of 1-5 using the cute and original (lol) Playing Cards.
Rating scale will be as follows:

5 of Hearts- You must read this book NOW!!
4 of Hearts- A great read, put it on your TBR list.
3 of Hearts- Glad I read but no big deal
2 of Hearts- Why did I finish this?
Joker Card - Don't bother (why did I?)

Staci does this cool feature that I am borrowing. I have the worst time keeping up on my reviews, so I figure if I do this mostly every Saturday than I will review books I probably won't review otherwise. It will likely just be books that I consider okay, so expect detailed reviews (hopefully) about books that I love.

A Distant Soil - Volume 2 - The Ascendant by Colleen Doran

I didn't like the first volume of this because I found it too cliched and predictable, but I decided to read the second volume anyways. The series does not improve. I found this volume as predicatable as the first volume and probably skimmed at times. Doran essentially takes popular aspects of fantasy, science-fiction, and mythology and puts them together. It sounds like a good idea, but it just didn't work for me. It makes me sad, really, because it did sound interesting.

Bogus to Bubbly: An Insider's Guide to the World of Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
I read this because I had read the books related to it this year and wanted to feel like I completed the series. This book was actually pretty interesting because you do often wonder how authors get their ideas; but Westerfeld addresses that and wrote a book that answers the questions the readers have always been wondering about. I learned a lot. Even though it is a book about a fictional world, it is written very believably. I was glad I read it and was welcomed even further into Westerfeld's world. There are some aspects of it that I wouldn't want to experience, but some of the technology is pretty cool.



X/1999: Prelude by Clamp (Volume 1)
X/1999: Overture by Clamp (Volume 2)
Chris recommended this series to me, and it does have an interesting premise behind it, but it was not one of my favourite manga series. I find, for me, that manga takes a while to get going for me, but I guess we will have to see what happens. The library doesn't have the next volume, so not sure when that will happen, but as it stands right now the series is not working for me. It's been a while since I read it and it isn't even sticking with me. Clamp is an interesting company, though, so I have hopes because I enjoyed Chobits. I will do a more detailed review when I carry on with this series.



One Piece: Romance Dawn by Eiichiro Oda (Volume 1)
One Piece: Buggy the Clown by Eiichiro Oda (Volume 2)
One Piece: Don't Get Fooled Again by Eiichiro Oda (Volume 3)
I find manga series hard to talk about, but I have to talk about this series because it is so much fun! I love the characters and the writing. I am very happy that Renay suggested this series for the Herding Cats challenge. I need to read more books in this series right away, but somehow never seem to check anymore out. I was a bit worried that it would be just a little so strange that it wouldn't work for me, but it was enjoyable. To appreciate it, though, you really need to read it and that is about all I can say on the matter.

Chobits Vol. 1, 2, 3, and 4 by Clamp

Reason for Reading: New Author Challenge, Rhinoa's Manga Challenge.

In Japan there are robots known as Persocons, walking computers in the shape of humans which preform many mundane tasks. They seem to be incredibly expensive, if a student saved up enough money he might be able to buy a little one. A boy named Motosuwa Hideki who works at a bar and is also a prep student for college decides he's going to buy a one of these expensive robotic companions. Of course, being broke he can't afford one, but he finds a Persocon in the garbage outside of the store. Being an oppurtunistic guy, he takes her! The rest of the manga describes his trials and joys with the little Persocon he names Chii.

Title and author of book: Chobits by Clamp - Volumes 1, 2, 3, and 4

Fiction or non-fiction? Genre? Graphic Novel. Science-fiction.

What led you to pick up this book? I needed some books for the manga challenge. This series was recommended to me by Chris.

Summarize the plot, but don’t give away the ending! See above...

What did you like most about the book? The thing I like so far about the series is both the idea and the characters. I find a lot of manga I have encountered is a bit like a superhero-type series. This is just about a regular guy who has a personal computer in the form of a female. Chii doesn't have any memory about what life was like before he found her, so she is learning everything all over again. It's actually pretty funny! Her owner has to keep reminding himself that she is a computer. She's cute, though. I think the series is well-written and I enjoy all the characters.

What did you like least? I don't have many complaints really. The annoyance of getting them from the library, maybe. I still have to get the rest. Apparently Clamp is an all-female team, and it is very apparent in this series. The female characters are not as annoying as they can be!

Have you read any other books by this author? What did you think of those books? This is the only series that I have read enough in that I feel I can really comment on. Any others I will wait until I have read further in! I find that manga takes a couple books to grow on me. This was the first Clamp series I read, though, the fact that I read more since is just because I am so behind on reviews!

What did you think of the main character? I guess I answered this already. There is Chii and her owner. They are the main characters. Chii is cute and her owner is pretty funny. He is just a regular guy, so it makes him very easy to relate to! Hideki likes porn and there is one scene where Chii buys him a magazine. I found that pretty funny. He is really just struggling to survive, but at the same time take care of Chii. I like it.

What about the ending? I cannot comment on the ending yet. I have to finish the rest of the series, first!

I should also point out that I really like the covers for this series. They are nice and eye-catching, huh? The art overall for these books is really good! Recommended series!

Other Reviews:
In Bed With Books: "Filled with adorable loli-style art and adorable moments of unbearable cuteness between the pervy stuff, I love CHOBITS. It's a well-plotted series that sets up and establishes a relationship in seven volumes even with all kinds of crazy conspiracies going on."

Anyone else? Let me know if I missed your review! (I am on a roll with books that don't seem to get much blogging attention, huh?)