Life is short--cartoons are long

I'm in the middle of too many books! I started a book by aboriginal author Thomas King, and then I bought my next frog-read by Brussel Sprout, but then remembered I had to read Lani Diane Rich's first book cause they talked about it last Sunday and I wanted to read it before the discussion so I started that, and then a book I reserved at the library came in!

The library book is winning cause it's a graphic novel, won't take me long. I'm halfway done but I don't think it's too early to start praising it. I wrote in November about one of my fave graphic novelists, Guy Delisle, and now I'm reading his latest about Jerusalem. It's a great book for showing daily life in the Palestinian areas, Arab quarters, Jewish settlements, and so forth.

And since Delisle doesn't know a lot about the politics of the area, it's a pretty good primer. I can't recommend it enough. It might even be available at your library cause I think it's been a big seller. ...Maybe even available in Red states! given its subject matter.

I scanned the first cartoon for you cause I think it really sums up his style. He gets a lot across in very few panels, few words. They'll be bigger if you click on them (you might need to open them in a new window, Bloggers' viewer makes them still too small.)

Graphic Reading for the Soul

I've been devouring graphic novels lately. Mostly French, but when there's a good one in English (at the library) I grab that too. While I enjoyed super hero ones growing up, I don't remember which is the first non-super I read.

It might have been a Harvey Pekar, after seeing American Splendor (which is a must see.) That's the style I love most--biographical, or everyday-realistic stories. While a great writer like Alan Moore can get me excited by Watchmen or Top 10, I can read reams and reams of graphic novels about ordinary people, like Fun Home and Persepolis. (And really, the greatness in Watchmen and Top 10 is the way they contrast the super with the ordinary.)

I've read three Pauls so far, but the next one I need is always out. I don't know how autobiographical they are, but they seem to at least be semi-biographical. This one where Paul works as a camp counsellor was so good.

I'm also waiting for volume 2 of Années Douces, about a woman who meets an old teacher when they're much older. A very slooooow gentle romance. There's barely been a hint of romance, just a wee bit of jealousy in the last couple pages, to hint that her feelings for him are more than friendly. Then it ended!

This one... meh. Loved the drawing style, but the characters all seemed mean. Woman foisting a cat on her very allergic boyfriend--that was mean. And then the way she so easily parts with the cat at the end after so slavishly adoring him--that was cold. I didn't like her at all. Just loved the cat.

"Age of Cohabitation" I gave up on. It was a huge phenomenon in its day. But it's huge, and it's episodic, and what I read so far was quite depressing. This is a book you own and read in parts. Not something to read hundreds of pages worth in one go.

This is the one super I read lately. I wanted to lurv it because it's written by a woman, frankly. It is very good. But fell just shy of 4 stars for me.

I read the next Aya (also written by a woman) and it was better than ever. I'm eager to get another one. It better be in!! It's about a  young woman in a town in the Ivory Coast, and her friends and their families.

This is the scene where Koffi says he's going to take a second wife. You can see how that goes down with his first wife. 

I re-read Ice Haven. First time I read it, I was so awed by how the various storylines all came together. Clowes is so good at plotting, and at creating these misfit characters you care about in a short space of time.

So I also took out Wilson, which I guess many prefer. Once again it features a rather likeable misfit. Though none of his imagined misfits are truly lovable as the real person of Pekar was, whom I'm always reminded of when reading Clowes. So maybe I'll read one of my few remaining unread Pekars. I'm so sad he's dead. :'-(

 I like how he uses various styles as though many artists are drawing for one writer, like they did for Harvey Pekar. 

Finally, I realized there was a Guy Delisle that I hadn't read!

He worked as a cartoonist in North Korea once, and so wrote a graphic novel about it. It's SO good. He then wrote one about Shenzen, China. Later this year he's coming out with one on Jerusalem. He's a wonderful travel writer because he has an open mind as he travels, willing to ask questions and try new things. (Though asking questions in North Korea stressed out his guides so he had to ease on that.)

I'm still reading Burma but it's excellent. 

 In part because of the addition of Louis. I love the way he draws his baby. It makes me want to have a child, only to have a child with an enormous-anvil head.

I hope the library has his children's comics of Louis at the Beach and Louis Goes Skiing.

I know, the list still pulls towards the boys. It's still a boyland. But I keep my eyes peeled at the library. :-)

        

Weekend Post: Evil Cats, Graphic Novels, Books on Writing, AND PRINCE PRINCE PRINCE PRINCE PRINCE!!!!!!

CATS (or Teh Evil Ones)

* Apparently our good friend and wee elf Urthalun DOES have A Fault! Hard to believe, I know. But she hates cats. Well maybe it's not a fault--I can understand cat hatred. Cats, after all, are trying to take over the planet and we tend to hate that which we fear. Living with cats is like living with cylons, you always feel condescended to.

This week poor Urthalun, who watches almost no TV, sat down to watch a program on snakes (her fave) and it turned out to be a cat show! I told her it was most likely a curse sent by my witch-cat, Haley--she of the dark heart and the dark arts.

- "I don't care for your new associate, La Mahmmy. I will send her a message."

- "As long as you don't leave a severed dog head in her bed."

- "You mistake me for the feline mafia. We dark artists are much more subtle, Mahmmy."

 * This picture is to show you how it's not always my fault that my closet gets messy. (See top right of picture. I used to wonder why my piles of pajamas never stayed upright.)

* This picture is to show you the eventual role humans will play on Planet Cat: A sort of warming plate, with hands for petting. (I was half reclined, trying to use my laptop.)

* Minion so likes her kong toy, I thought she'd like this kong teether cause there's more skinny parts to chew. Classic anthropological mistake, where I went in as the outsider, thinking I understood The Other without actually studying her. She doesn't use the teether at all because she can't hold onto it right. As you can see, she likes the kong because she holds onto the fat part with her feet, and then chews the skinny part. O arrogant hu-mahn that I am!

BOOKS

I don't seem to be making headway through French novels, but am very much in the mood for French graphic novels, so I've switched gears. My review of the second Paul is here, and now I'm reading a gentle love story (Les Années douces) adapted from a Japanese novel. Graphic novels are taken so seriously in the francophone world (France, Belgium, Quebec, etc.) that it's a nice place to poke around if I'm going to practice my French. This Japanese translation, for example, doesn't appear to exist in English. Possibly not the other one I took out either. And, unlike Debbie Travis, I don't judge my literary experience by the sheer # of words.* I'll just end up reading more books in the same period of time, is all. Maybe more, since it's what I'm in the mood for.


WRITING

click on pic for my review of this one

You may also have noticed I keep posting reviews for writing books. I can go years without reading books on the craft, it just depends on what stage I'm at. If I'm at a "sit your ass down and WRITE" stage then I stop reading about writing. Completely. Like a teetotaler. Same with blogs by agents and editors--I only read them when I'm gearing up to submit, and then I stop cold and take a break, otherwise I think it can mess with creativity.

I don't think it's good to have other people's voices about writing in your head all the time. No matter how much I respect the source, I will not listen to writing advice, or submission advice, all year round. For example, I follow Jennifer Crusie's blog all year, but when I'm not in Think About Craft mode I skip her stuff on writing. I just read about her lost purse and her funny dogs.

But I'm about to re-write a book, so it's a good time to immerse myself. Everyone else's voice is allowed inside my head right now, and then it's SOLITUDE TIME. When I'm ready for critiques, then I'll be interested in the voices of people who've read my actual book, but it's unlikely I'll return to the craft books, unless it's for a very specific question. Cause at that point they can make you doubt yourself too much. It's already confusing when you let your readers into Your World, let alone Generic Authors of Writing Books. Writing's a fragile business, yo. A delicate balance between having faith in yourself and your beliefs and your vision, and being open to, and recognizing, valid criticism.

I've read some good, some bad, and some entertaining craft books this month. Today I read the first two chapters of The Forest for the Trees, and so far it's the best one. I'll continue to post my reviews on Goodreads, facebook and here. My latest review is of the Donald Maass one--he's a huuuuuge agent. Click on the picture of the book, should take you to my review.


PRINCE IN SIX DAYS!!!!

Apparently the last time he came to the Jazz Fest a lot of people were all "wtf he's not a jazz musician". So for the first 80 minutes he played a big-ass long set of jazz-funk-fusion with the lights turned down, including a 20 minute solo by his bassist during which one critique surmised he went to have a foot rub. The same critique said "some suckers left during intermission," after which Prince let loose with his hits and knocked everyone off their feet.

The party had jumped instantly into full swing, Prince had not lost his mind, he was still the one and only Sexy Motherfunker, and he had come to do what he does best, and what he does better than pretty much anyone on the planet.
It's nice to see that, with all his success, the stardom, the post-stardom, - amid the arrogance, the eccentricity, the weirdness and the cool - he hasn't lost his sense of humour. [Mtl Gazette]

Prince may be as crazy as Kevin Smith says, but when you see him on stage, he's not that shy, religious kook--he's sooo entertaining from every video I've seen, or live set I've heard. And he's funny. He specifically requested a small venue, and that it be stripped of all but 300 VIP tables. (The club has room for 2000 seats--Swiss Girl and I went there to see an Abba cover band. Did I say this already? I'm so delirious. "IIII get Delirious, when I'm gonna see Priiince...") I assume that if he's turning the club into one big dance floor... there's going to be dance music involved.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm freaking out just a tiny bit.
 And I'm not the freaking out type.