Recent Reads

37. The Walking Dead, Vol. 02: Miles Behind Us
Volume 2 contains issues 7-12.

The zombie epidemic continues, and we follow along as our band of survivors seek food and shelter, fending off attacks as best they can. While not as interesting as the first book in the series, this installment moves the story and characters along. An interesting exploration of how people react differently to grief and shock, and the morality of killing zombies. Rating: 3 stars.

38. Journey
This little gem of a book is a picture book for children. It has no words, so every reader will make up a slightly different story as they "read" it. And you might get a different perspective with each re-read. 

This is the story of lonely girl who draws a magic door on her bedroom wall and enters a world full of magical adventures and a few dangers. I so loved how the story captures the magical worlds that reading a book, or creating art can immerse us in. The art beautifully illustrates the wonder in discovering the magic within ourselves. Rating: 4 stars.

39. The Swan Gondola
I really liked his earlier book, The Coffins of Little Hope, so was looking forward to this one.

I am not a quitter, but at page 261, I have decided to throw in the towel. This story started out so well, and I love the setting of the 1898 Omaha World's Fair. However, the main characters are not well fleshed out, I found the romance boring, and I lost interest with where the story was headed. I've made myself sit down with it several times after I lost interest, but to no avail.

On the plus side, there are some luminous passages, and I love some of the imagery the author conjured up. Also, there are some really interesting minor characters. I really wanted to love this book, but alas did not.  Rating: 1 star.

40. Ideas & Inspirations for Art Journals & Sketchbooks
This books is 64 pages of examples of how the author keeps her art journal, and while I liked the colorful pages, this is not my style. This might be a good resource if you are a newbie to keeping an art journal, and looking for some ideas on how to get started. Rating: 2 stars

41. I Want to Show You More
I'm not a fan of the short story, as they often feel rushed and ultimately not satisfying to me. You probably already know this about me, and were wondering why I picked up yet another collection. 

So imagine my delight when I started this book, and found myself having to slow down to stop from binge reading it in one sitting. These interlocking stories explore God, sex, religion, faith, love, infidelity, parenting, aging, loss, running, well, the human condition really, albeit a privileged one. Sure, some stories are stronger than others, but each and every one had me pause somewhere in the reading, and re-read a line or two. The juxtaposition of the surreal with the horribly realistic is so well done, and the honesty of the writing is such a breath of fresh air. 

Here is my advice if you decide to read it: Do not read it all in one sitting. Stay soft while reading this collection. Remind yourself that we are all human, and fallible, and doing the best we can. Can you read these stories without being judgy? Try it and let me know. Rating: 4 stars.