THE LAST MUSKETEER by Jason

Posted by Noam Ash

Set in the present, The Last Musketeer stars the by-now centuries old (for no explained reason...and it doesn't matter) musketeer Athos, who has been reduced to a suavely dressed but useless near-panhandler trading on his now almost extinct fame. (Aramis has forsaken his musketeering ways, and Porthos...well, Porthos isn't around any more. Don't ask.) All this changes when one day the Martians attack Earth. Suddenly there is a need for swashes to be buckled, and Athos leaps back into the fray with a vengeance. Robots, evil alien emperors, beautiful alien princesses, rayguns vs. swords, treachery, secret corridors, cool-looking robots...The Last Musketeer is vintage sci-fi adventure with a unique twist from an internationally acclaimed cartoonist.

For those unfamiliar with his work, the Norweigan artist known as Jason primarily toils in the realm of genre mash-ups. What keeps these books from being mere sheer exercises in style, however, is Jason’s strong, memorable characters, his sharp sense of humor and his deep sense of empathy. He consistently draws in a flat (though colorful and well-detailed) style and rarely if ever allows his anthropomorphic characters to show even the barest hint of emotion. Yet its through clever and subtle use of these tools that Jason is able to wring an impressive amount of pathos from his cast. A slight hand movement here, a silent panel there, quick cuts between scenes or periods of time make all the difference. He has the best sense of timing of any cartoonist working today.

SUMMER BLONDE by Adrian Tomine

Posted by Noam Ash

Tomine constructs tales of emotional disconnection with an ear for painfully real dialogue. The conflicts between emotional gratification, narcissistic neediness and moral discernment mark the title story in which a socially crippled man nurses an obsessive crush on a young woman. He watches close up, paralyzed by his guilt, as her beauty catches the eye of his neighbor: a hip, selfish young man with a short attention span. `Hawaiian Getaway` features Hilary, a telephone service rep who is having the worst week of her life. Reaching out to random strangers on the phone, Hilary is looking for someone to help her. In 'Alter Ego' a successful young author has writer`s block. He can`t, or won`t, decide between another ghostwriting gig and finishing his second ‘real’ novel. He stalls on committing to his novel and his girlfriend when a chance postcard leads him to flirt with fantasies of changing the past. Finally, 'Bomb Scare' documents the early unease of his generation by setting this coming-of-age story during the tense months of the Gulf War, the event that ushered in the 1990s.

Tomine infuses tender moments and a heavy dose of realism into the graphic novel genre. The people in the book may at times be flat, but they're not boring. They're the typical freaks and geeks we meet in high school and adulthood, they all have their issues and they try to deal with them as best they can. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. What's important is that we can relate to these characters. They're the weird kid you saw sitting next to you in homeroom or the creepy old guy on the bus. The book is a compelling work of fiction that serves to remind us that everyone is just a little bit messed up.

THE GREAT HOPEFUL SOMEDAY by Elizabeth Belliveau

Posted by Noam Ash


from Conundrum Press

The Great Hopeful Someday is the updated version of Belliveau’s popular collection of zine work called Something To Pet The Cat About. It includes three new zines and comes with a DVD of animations she has been working on for the past few years while attending residencies at The Banff Centre, the NFB (Montreal), The Klondike Institute for Arts and Culture, and Struts Gallery in Sackville New Brunswick. The book contains Belliveau’s most recent zines. Her finely inked images and text packed with nostalgia, which explore the beautiful in the mundane, have already received high praise:

"There’s something appealing about the immediacy and honesty of these pages. The drawings are evocative and charming, and an occasional self-consciousness in her writing is mitigated by self-satire.... Elisabeth Belliveau’s drawings gently capture people in odd moments, unsuspecting. Her perspective is detached, cautious, and spare, seeking out meaning in the mundane. Her moments of lyrical clarity are lovely." — Montreal Review of Books

"Every page takes my breath away, quickly and easily. I love the writing, and the artwork, the exquisite imagery, the seashells and the time, the thought, the effort put into drawing." — Broken Pencil

Apocalyptic Atwood

Posted by Josee Corrigan

I am a fan of Margaret Atwood and not just because she is a prolific Canadian writer. Her writing makes me feel disgusted, overjoyed, fascinated, and hateful all at the same time. (Sounds good doesn't it?) My favorites from the genre of horrible-future-focused-depictions-of-the-world-twisted-just-slightly-beyond-recognition-yet-uncomfortably-familiar, are The Handmaid's Tale (1985), and Atwood's more modern depiction of our doomed world, Oryx and Crake (2003). Oryx and Crake is especially creepy in that "I need to take a shower and watch some romantic comedy drivel to get this off of me!" kind of way. The Year of The Flood, her newest book, sounds like another doozy. Watch for it. The Year of The Flood is reviewed by the Globe and Mail at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/books/facing-a-poisoned-future/article1283648/

The bookclub I belong to is currently reading Honeymoon in Purdah (2000) by Canadian author, Alison Wearing. I can't wait to get to it. Here's a description:

"To go beyond the legacy of revolution, religious fundamentalism and veiled women and find the real people of Iran, a young Canadian dons the cloak of Islam. The result of Alison Wearing's journey is a warm, funny and shocking collection of riveting portraits and stories about the generous, irrepressible people she met. With a novelist's love of language and eye for detail, she takes the reader into the homes and hearts of people whose spirit, intelligence and laughter enlighten and impress. Beautifully written, engaging, fascinating at every turn, Honeymoon in Purdah reveals an Iran rarely seen by Westerners and leads this exceptional bestselling young writer across new literary borders."

I'll keep you posted.

The best-selling author of Kafka on the Shore, Haruki Murakami, recently published a memoir called What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. A marathon runner and triathalete, in addition to novelist, his memoir explores the intricacies of writing and oddly running. For those, like me, who are fascinated by this writer, this biographical work reveals the author through two subjects in which he is passionately involved. He is an author worthy of further exploration.

Finally, The Slap by Australian writer Christos Tsiolkas is another book I've got on the go. This book is like a sail in the wind, twisting and turning; I am both fascinated and disgusted by the lives of the characters. So far, I like it and am surprised to like it! Tsiolkas reveals the underbelly, what is unlikeable, within his characters - for example, egotistical, violent men, obsessive mothers, and painfully self-conscious, misguided teenagers. However, it reads "real"; I like the grit. The characters in The Slap become so close you can see their pores, smell their breath, and hear their hearts racing. I can see why Tsiolkas won the Commonwealth Prize for Best Book with this novel. He's nailed human reaction on the head and uncautiously depicts racist, sexist, ethnic Australian stereotypes. It's interesting. However, that's only my opinion. Here's a contrasting review from the Globe and Mail:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/books/a-slap-but-not-a-sharp-one/article1270592/
Let me know what you think...

Haruki Murakami and Anne DeGrace

Posted by Josee Corrigan

I've discovered another author (new to me), actually Diana discovered him for me - Haruki Murakami. Right now I'm reading Kafka On The Shore. The novel follows two intriguing characters: a teenage boy, Kafka Tamura, who runs away from home hoping to find his missing mother and adopted sister; and an aging simpleton Nakata, who was involved in a strange wartime incident from which he has never recovered. Nakata is drawn toward Kafka for reasons that, like the most basic activities of daily life, he cannot fathom.

"As their paths converge, and the reasons for that convergence become clear, Haruki Murakami enfolds readers in a world where cats talk, fish fall from the sky, and spirits slip out of their bodies to make love or commit murder. Kafka on the Shore displays one of the world’s great storytellers at the peak of his powers."

Jennie has several of his novels on the shelves and all of them are very good.

Local author Anne DeGrace came into the store today to promote her upcoming book launch and reading happening September 17th at 7:30pm at the Nelson Library. Anne DeGrace is the author of Treading Water and Wind Tails. Her short stories and essays have appeared in The New Quarterly, Room of One's Own and Wascana Review. Her third novel, Sounding Line, draws from her family's Nova Scotia roots. You can find her books on our shelves or get a signed copy of her newest at the reading on the 17th.
Check her out at www.annedegrace.ca

On an entirely different note, we have some of the most beautiful cotton scarves in the store right now for only $20. They are a screaming deal in my not-so-humble opinion.

p.s. check out quill and quire blog link below in left column. Zoe Whittal has some interesting comments about the new trend in goofy memoirs (i.e. My Year of Doing Something Weird or Stupid or Virtuous Memoir).
p.p.s. (I just can't stop) Euro Crime - also find below left column- has info on Agatha Christie talks that have never been released on BBC. If you like her books then you'll want to know...

Yoga Inspiration

Posted by Kate Storm Guthrie

Books on yoga connect us with the greater yoga community, wisened practitioners around the world and the lineage of teachers that is the backbone of this ancient art. For me, yoga literature is an important inspiration. When I feel dry on the mat, disconnected from the "why" of stretching, stillness and breath, the words of someone old, wiser and further along the path can stir me towards meaning.
One of my favorite books on yoga is The Woman's Book of Yoga and Health, by Linda Sparrowe, former managing editor of Yoga Journal, and Patricia Walden, a widely respected Iyengar teacher. Sparrowe offers well-researched discussions of specific issues, from the more general including depression, premenstrual syndrome, menopause and digestion to the more particular, including eating disorders, pregnancy and osteoporosis. She draws from personal experience, Western medicine, Ayurveda and more. Each discussion is followed by a brilliant sequence designed by Walden. While the focus is on women's health, the information and sequencing for indigestion, poor immunity and back pain is appropriate for men as well.
A classic on the shelf is Vanda Scaravelli's masterpiece, Awakening the Spine. A student of B.K.S. Iyengar, Scarvelli was a renowned yogi from Italy. She is famous for her authentic, if not eccentric, relationship to yoga. One of her practices was to stand in tadasana (mountain pose) for an hour or more, rooting into the earth. Most of her book is comprised of a series of personal, philosophical essays on such topics as Matter and Energy, Beauty, Transformation and Going Round (which she means literally). This is followed by her primary asanas.
Inner Beauty, Inner Light, by Frederick LeBoyer is a beautiful treat for pregnant mommas. Author of the groundbreaking Birth Without Violence, LeBoyer's exploration of yoga reads likes an honest, deeply moving poem. The words are complemented by black and white photos of Vanita Iyengar, the teacher's daughter. I enjoy reading a page or two of this book and exploring an asana with LeBoyer's reflection echoing in my mind (even though I'm not pregnant).
As smalltown yogis, books can offer a source of inspiration when we need a boost on our mats. Probably because Jennie is a devoted practicioner, her bookstore has an excellent section on yoga for everyone, including women, families, older folks and people with specific issues.

picture books

Posted by Sam Simpson

Picture books are an obsession I’ve been indulging for well over a decade before I became a grandma. For the past five years I just have a more socially acceptable explanation for those lacking the imagination to share my delight. Jennie’s is, of course, a great place to indulge…

The Odd Egg, (written & illustrated by Emily Gravett) is a droll retake of the ugly ducking story that ditches the beauty myth and retains the attachment theme. Somebody on the back cover thought it was a good book for the two-year-old crowd, I would revise that up to “all ages”.

Staying with the egg motif, On My Way to Buy Eggs (written & illustrated by Chih-Yuan Chen) tells a simple tale of a young girl’s errand to the store. Reminiscent of Ezra Jack Keats’ classic Whistle for Willie, it enchantingly portrays her urban neighbourhood.

Although a city landscape is not as difficult to find for the preschooler crowd as it was 30 years ago, it is a refreshing relief from the overdone grandma and grandpa’s farm scene. A bonus feature is that she’s going on the errand for her father who then cooks the eggs. A plus for urban agriculture is that there are chickens (seemingly free-range!) on the street on her way home.

Set in South Africa, Gift of the Sun, (written Dianne Stewart, illustrated Jude Daly) is a classic rural trading tale where each trade by the hapless husband results in a new disaster. Unlike many folktales of the genre however, the marital conflict is resolved in mutual good humour. The lovely spare illustrations nonetheless give a wealth of delightful detail of the African setting.

More picture books another time.