Book report

Looking back I can see that there is one part of this blog that has taken a serious blow by my schedule: What I'm Reading and What I'm watching. Although for a while there I was just re-reading Terry Pratchett's Discworld books and Neil Gaiman and simply not watching anything, but as always, I branched out again. So, perhaps you'll find something among my literary travels to interest you while I highlight just a few of what I've read and seen lately.

What I'm Reading:

The Rabbi's Cat - Devik ordered this fascinating graphic novel for the upstairs collection (Go, Devik! I've been pestering her about more graphic books upstairs) and then recommended that I read it. I'm glad she did.

Taking place in Algeria in the 30's, young Zlabya and her father, the rabbi, have a few pets. A cat that doesn't speak and a bird who speaks all the time. When the cat eats the parrot, the cat develops the ability to speak, but all he does is lie. While the clever, cynical tale of the Rabbi's cat is quite entertaining, the book works on several other levels; it deals with sadness, stifling traditions, culture clashes, obedience, father-daughter relationships, all influenced by Jewish theological exegesis and rabbinical commentary. While there are parts that are very funny, there is an underlying bitterness throughout the story. Halfway through the book it took quite an interesting turn. The cat speaks the name of God and loses his own ability to speak, and is forced to express himself through "meow" again. At this point the book stops being so much about him and more about the humans around him.

I found this one entertaining and thought provoking. The art is fabulous, typical of Sfar's style (I have his Little Vampire books in the YA graphic collection); my one complaint is that it would have been easier to read if the panels were larger. There is so much text and so much art crammed into such tiny boxes that reading was a challenge.

The King in the Window - Not many children's books have the ability to be a fun, entertaining adventure story, a critique on french culture, and an in-depth look at the purpose and practical use of rhetoric and logic as a study (not only quoting Racine and Moliere, but introducing them as characters). Yet this book does it all. And quite nicely, also managing to tie in quantum multiverse theory, modern computer lifestyles, cultural depression, and Alice in Wonderland. Surprisingly, it all makes sense. It all follows logic. It all involves thinking. Because this is a smart book. This is written for very smart, open-minded children or adults who enjoy children's books, much like Madeline L'Engle's books. It's refreshing to see such a wildly original fantasy that just shines among all the Harry Potter knock-offs currently in vogue.

Colors Insulting to Nature - A friend told me about this book, then she said something to the affect of "after you read you're going to want to tell the older teens to read it." And I just kind of nodded and didn't answer, because let's face it, I tend to nod and not answer or agree and do whatever I'm going to do anyway. So, I read it, and now I've chosen to recommend this funny, tragic, bildungsroman.

This dark comedy follows Liza Normal from a tragic and embarrasing audition for a commercial through a darkly funny life that serves as a commentary America's unhealthy obsession with celebrity and the darker side of fame. The only thing I really found distracting with the book were the author's Dave Egger's-like asides to the reader; I could've done without those. And for once, in these dark, modern fairy-tales I rather liked the ending to this book!

Alright, now I'm running out of time, so....

What I'm watching:

Mirrormask - Mirrormask - Mirrormask!! It's like a chant, really. This movie is beautiful. It is funny. It is thought-provoking. This is not a lazy film that lets you zone while mindlessly entertaining you. This is a strange, surreal, imaginative fantasy that draws you in and compells you to follow along, engaged, in the characters and their story. This is a family film. Not the kind of family film that you can plop your spawn in front of and not have them exposed to ideas. Rather the kind of film that everyone in the family can watch, enjoy, and come away with a unique understanding of. This film's story was written by Neil Gaiman (genius!), which might also explain a bit of my enthusiastic gushing, but still..... The actors are also spectacular, the young lead actress is simply amazing.

It's now on DVD. Watch it!! I mean it. Watch it! Most of the time I ignore such special features as the ego-inflating "director commentary", but I admit, I actually watched and listened to the movie with the commentary of Dave McKean (also brilliant) and Neil Gaiman, and I was interested and entertained by their on-going conversation about the film. I also loved the special "making of" featurette. It's all good, really.

Serenity - I don't think I mentioned this one here before. This sci-fi gem is from a series called Firefly that at first I didn't think much of broadcasted on the Sci-Fi channel (before we tossed cable). To summarize the series: space cowboys. I watched a few and decided the series had some nice parts but was ultimately forgettable. Then Jay and I rented the movie and changed our mind. The movie is pretty darn good. So, now we've re-rented Firefly and, after watching the series in its entirety, I can say that it's a fairly good series. I enjoy it. I don't think I'll be one of the obsessive fans (not when I have Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett), but I do recommend the film. You can easily watch it without having followed the series - plenty of trips to the Dept. of BackStory.

And now I've got to go to work. The book fair is being packed up today and shipped off tomorrow. Unfortunately, they didn't do as well this year as last year's sale. But, they did get nearly the entire grant ($1000), so the major expenses of their trip is covered and all the extra money raised is going towards manga that they're buying for the library collection. It's nice to be on the "funds essentially raised" side of a huge travel project.