Monday, May 17, 2010

Shiny New Books, Graphic and Otherwise

Behold the results of my graphic-novel ordering-spree!

And, well, my other ordering-sprees...

Buffy enthusiasts (myself included) will enjoy this series of graphic novels, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight, which picks up where the television series left off.


Those of us who spent the better part of our high school years watching Buffy will understand what this means. To those of you (most of you) who are too young to remember the television series, fret not. You can watch them on DVD now. Netflix, my friends. Netflix.

Here is a ridiculously simplified synopsis: Buffy, your Stereotypical California-Girl Cheerleader Type, discovers to her shock (and horror) that she is the Slayer, "One girl in all the world who--" Yeah. Giles explains it better. Buffy's calling, in short, is to slay evil in all its forms, from Inca Mummy Girl to Giant Cobra Monsters. Mostly, though, it's vampires.

Aided by her Watcher (Giles) and her two best friends, Willow and Xander, Buffy spends seven seasons knocking vampires around. Along the way, she meets Angel, a vampire with a soul (she falls in love with Angel, then he gets his own TV show). Oh, and there's Spike, who doesn't have a soul but he does have a chip in his head courtesy of the U.S. government which prevents him from hurting humans. Spike gets smacked around a lot. He even gets thrashed by a puppet, but that's in Angel, not Buffy.

Long story short: Buffy saves the world. A lot. It says so on her tombstone.

Wolves at the Gate is the third in the series--the other two are still in processing upstairs and they won't let me put them out on the shelf until they have barcodes. But don't worry. They're coming. In the meantime, entertain yourself with these...

Thirst, volumes 1 and 2, which contain no less than three books each:





All by Christopher Pike. Alisa is a vampire who drinks to survive, but never kills. Her one goal? To stay immortal. Or was it to become human again? Un-life is complicated.


We also have the next House of Night book, Burned by P. C. Cast and Kristen Cast. You know this series by now, so I'll leave you to it.

And Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer by Van Jensen and Dusty Higgins...



Which is, quite frankly, hilarious. Read the first page, and you won't be able to put it down.

Remember when I told you about Lament by Maggie Stiefvater and Shiver? Here's another of her books, Ballad .


Celtic myth and paranormal goodness, in short.

The Summer I turned Pretty by Jenny Han...



Belly leaves school and home behind for Cousins Beach, where she's spent every summer of her life. There she joins her mother's best friend, Conrad, and Jeremiah. Belly adores Conrad, but he's never given her a second glance. But this summer, everything changes.

The Opposite of Invisible by Liz Gallagher...



Alice lives her life in the background, but now she's ready to stop. It's time to make a change, in her art, her life, and in love.

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers...



Regina used to be one of the Fearsome Fivesome, easily one of the most popular girls at her high school. But now she's fallen from grace, her friends want nothing to do with her, and Regina's stuck dealing with rumors and bullying. As Regina tries to make up for the hurt she's caused, the abuse grows steadily worse during the final explosive days of Regina's senior year.

Resistance by Carla Jablonski and Leland Purvis...



France, World War II: in Paul Tessier's small village, life goes on. Paul's father is a P.O.W. held by the German Army. His best friend, Henri, is Jewish. When Henri's family vanishes, Paul and his sister keep Henri hidden. But their secret doesn't stay hidden--soon the Resistance makes contact. Paul, Henri, and Marie soon become their youngest recruits.

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George...



Like Robin McKinley's Beauty, Princess of the Midnight Ball is a retelling of a classic fairy tale, The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Rose and her sisters must dance each night for the King Under Stone. No one has ever been able to break the spell. But soon Rose, joined by Galen, decides to take on the challenge herself.

Gamers will be familiar with this already...



Prince of Persia hits theaters May 28. While you wait, you can check out the graphic novel.

We have several new X-Men graphic novels:





A new Superman:



Mercury by Hope Larson...



Set in Nova Scotia way back in 1859, Josey meets Asa Curry (mysterious and very handsome) Asa, somehow, has a strange gift. He can find gold anywhere. But he isn't as innocent as his gift sounds.

Same place, different time: 150 years later, Tara, whose house has just burned down, discovers a pendant that's more than what it seems...

IraqiGirl, a compilation of different blog entries written by Hadiya from her home of Mosul, Iraq at the onset of the war.



Hadiya's identity has been protected; writing this book has put her life in danger.

Next on my reading list is Incarceron by Catherine Fisher.


Set in Incarceron, a prison where inmates are trapped among metal forests, cities and wilderness, the walls have been sealed around generations of prisoners for centuries. Finn, at seventeen, thinks he came from outside Incarceron. He decides to escape. Along the way, he discovers a key and Claudia, who claims she lives outside the prison. She wants Finn's help, but it might not be that easy. Incarceron is alive.

Okay, maybe I'll read this first: Gentlemen by Michael Northrop...



Michael, Tommy, Mixer and Bones are feared and ignored in their high school. The only person who seems to care is Mr. Haberman, who calls them "gentlemen." But when one of their group vanishes, all clues seem to point to Mr. Haberman...

Jane Yolen's Foiled...


Aleria excels at fencing but lives the rest of her life in the background. But now she's starting to wonder if she really doesn't fit in anywhere. At least not in this world...

The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King...



Emer Morrisey spent her teenage years as a pirate--back in the late 17th century. She's got it made--a huge fortune and a true love to settle down with--until she ends up dead. And cursed. She has to spend one hundred lives as a dog before finally becoming human again. But her memory stays intact. Now she's your average American teenager who really could use a ride out to Jamaica. And a shovel, if it isn't too much trouble.

The Book of Samuel by Erik Raschke...

Samuel's dad is gone, off to "save the world" and Samuel's left to pick up the pieces. He enjoys a series of adventures--often hilarious ones--and tries to sort out his life. Soon he's at a crossroads of religion and community, family and friends, love and hate, as he struggles to keep his world together.

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