Category Archives: Visual

And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson

Roy and Silo are two male penguins at the Central Park Zoo who became a couple. They bonded the same way a male and female penguin normally do. They made their own nesting area, and they tried to hatch egg-sized … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Children's, Visual | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Trial, by Franz Kafka + graphic novel

Spoilers. Josef K. wakes up on his 30th birthday to find himself arrested. No one will tell him why, and he’s free to go about his own business in the meantime. Over the course of a year, he must defend … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose, Visual | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Kin, by Holly Black

While Tithe by Holly Black wasn’t my favorite book, I decided to give her another chance with this graphic novel. I had about an hour of downtime at ALA while waiting for my friend Debye, plus my feet were killing … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Visual, Young Adult | Tagged | Leave a comment

Yemen, by Liz Sonneborn

The Enchantment of the World series is a set of books about different countries written for about middle-school aged kids. Each has a different author. Each one discusses the geography, history, government, religion, culture, holidays, plants, animals, economy, industry, education, … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Children's, Prose, Visual | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Sorcerers and Secretaries, by Amy Kim Ganter

This was my very first Manga. My son bought it at the library sale last weekend, but it’s rated for 13+ so I decided to read it before letting him have it. And for the record, it certainly is too … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Visual, Young Adult | Leave a comment

We Are On Our Own, by Miriam Katin

Random note: This was my first review on The Zen Leaf (original) instead of 5-Squared. And God said: Let there be light, and there was light…and it was good. And then one day, God replaced the light with darkness. We … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Visual | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Readathon: Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel

This is a graphic novel memoir. Alison Bechdel’s father was a hands-off sort of person, the type of dad who favored his restoration furniture over his kids. He was also a closet homosexual who had multiple affairs (sometimes with teenage … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Visual | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Plain Janes, by Cecil Castellucci

Of all the graphic novels I’ve read this year, this is by far my favorite. It surpasses Persepolis. It’s short – I read it through twice today before posting this – but has so much in it. It deals with … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Visual, Young Adult | Leave a comment

American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang

This is one of the most bizarre books I’ve read in a long time. I’m not quite sure what to say about it. It’s a graphic novel that intertwines three separate stories in a way I never would have guessed … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Visual, Young Adult | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Three Incestuous Sisters, by Audrey Niffenegger

Spoilers. Honestly, I’m having a difficult time considering this a true book. It’s supposed to be a graphic novel, but it reminds me of an adult-level picture book, with huge pictures on one page, and small bits of text opposite. … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Visual | Tagged | Leave a comment