Comic Book Saturday

Ah, such a blast from the past, a trip to the time of youth, all about the daring duck of mystery, champion of right, Darkwing Duck! (And also some of the other Disney Adventures crew… yeah yeah….)

This culture takes a bunch of comics from the 90s. Stories like Darkwing Duck taking on the Fearsome Five (Negaduck, Megavolt, Liquidator, Bushroot, and Quackerjack), or an adaptation for comics of the Goofy Movie. Ooh, and, it even has the TaleSpin guys in there, and Chip ‘n Dale too. Such a fun read.

Darkwing Duck Vol. 1: Just Us Justice Ducks by Bobbi J.G. Weiss

Make It So Friday

This is the fictional autobiography of Captain Benjamin Sisko, who was the Commander of Deep Space Nine for many years. It’s at the moment, the final autobiography about the big three 60s/90s Captains (and Spock).

Like the others it tells his whole story from birth to pretty much our current day (real life 2023/2024) and the canon that goes with that. But, in the case of this book, I have to say that it was a lot more non-linear than the others. And, not just in a prophet sort of way, but, also, the book jumps around quite a bit in Sisko’s life. Such a fun read. And, I really hope that they do more. Jonathan Archer, Christopher Pike, maybe a really really fictional one like an autobiography about Rachel Garrett, or my dream, an autobiography about Nyota Uhura? (It wouldn’t definitely have to be done by the correct writer, but it could be done!) I can wish and hope.

You may like this book If you Liked: Harm's Way by David Mack, The Last Best Hope by Una McCormack, or The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard by David A. Goodman

The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko by Derek Tyler Attico

Totally Random Non-Fiction Tuesday

While the description of what this book is isn’t super long. It’s a book that contains those people whose lives were changed before, during, and after Chernobyl, the worst nuclear reactor accident in history. The book is just so impactful. I think that hearing about history from those who lived through it up close and personal is always the best way.

You may like this book If you Liked: Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham, Wormwood Forest by Mary Mycio, or Gulag Voices by Jehanne M. Gheith

Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich

Weird & Wonderful Wednesday

This was a historical novel set in the time of Napoleon, and a romance, sort of.

It’s about Henri, who’s Napoleon’s cook, and Villanelle who has webbed feet and is a boatman’s daughter (those two things go together), oh, and apparently her heart has been lost, literally. They both wind up in Moscow, trying to survive the Moscow winter, and, then return to Venice.

The book looks at a lot, it looks at Henri and Villanelle’s love, pain, infatuation, passion (ooh, hence the title), and not just romantic love either, but all sorts of love. The characters were so very unique and different, and, the prose was beautiful. Not surprisingly since it’s by Jeanette Winterson, who tends to make some of the weirdest and most interesting plots sound beautiful.

You may like this book If you Liked: Women Lovers, or The Third Woman by Natalie Clifford Barney, The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell, or The Disenchantment by Celia Bell

The Passion by Jeanette Winterson

Totally Youthful Tuesday

This was so cute. It’s part of a series that has Batgirl and Supergirl working together to save the world, and they also get to hang out some as Kara and Barbara.

In this book, a Kryptonian plant falls to earth and Poison Ivy finds it (uh oh). Batgirl and Supergirl have to figure out how to stop Poison Ivy, and also figure out how to stop the plant, which is super invasive and just keeps growing and growing. Really fun, and the two friends work well as a duo. And I really liked the art too.

Also. Note. Plant native plants, not non-native plants that can turn into invasive specieses. The bees are happier, the fauna is happier, the other flora is happier, and I’m happier too.

The Alien Bloom of Doom by Laurie S. Sutton

Mystery/Thriller Monday

In 1996 Andy’s Mom predicts the end of the world, and, so, Andy and her friends decide that they’ll meet the end of the world at a manor house that’s been deserted. The house is also the site of an unsolved cold case mystery. Then David appears out of nowhere. This causes lots of different types of drama. One of those things being that there’s the story that supposedly there may be a diamond necklace hidden somewhere on the manor’s grounds. The friends then create “The Game” where they search for fake hidden diamonds all over the manor grounds.

In the present day one of her friends, Peter, has been missing for weeks and his parents are worried and so call Andy. From there, secrets, likes, and the past start bubbling up as they only can. It’s a very character based novel, with a bit of mystery, and so so much a slow burn. If you’re looking for something that blows right along like whitewater, this is not it. But, I do recommend keeping going, especially when you get to the last few chapters, let’s just say that the slow burn definitely doesn’t go out.

You may like this book If you Liked: The Witch Elm by Tana French, Black Chalk by Christopher J. Yates, or The Animals by Christian Kiefer

Before the Ruins by Victoria Gosling

NML Haiku

He played vibraphone

And played with all sorts of greats

Lionel Hampton

Comic Book Saturday

What is Rachel? Even Rachel doesn’t quite know. She’s her, but not her, also, yeah, she can’t really get hurt. It all starts when Rachel wakes up in a shallow grave, she was dead apparently, and then she wasn’t, sorta kinda. Oh, and, she definitely wants to find out who killed her (no memory of the night before she wound up in the shallow grave).

This was awesome (not surprising since it’s Terry Moore). It was a lot of thriller and supernatural, and some horror in there too. And, such a fun read. Can’t read to dig into the next volumes.

You may like this book If you Liked: Tombs by Junji Ito, Revival by Tim Seeley, or Gideon Falls by Jeff Lemire

Rachel Rising, Vol. 1: The Shadow of Death by Terry Moore

Not A Book Friday

It starts with the ‘Joker’ (but not really) and Lex Luthor (but not the one we know) sorta doing something very heroic, so, ya just know that it’s gonna be a heckuva ride. Soon we’re back in ‘our’ universe, and, so is the ‘good’ Lex Luthor too. But, not for long as good Lex asks for help to stop the bad guys in his universe, the Crime Syndicate, who have a lot in common with our universe’s Justice League, but aren't heroes trying to help people. Not at all.

I’ve read a lot of Crime Syndicate comics, but, there have only been a couple of animated episodes/movies that have happened, and, this one was quite good. A little over the top in places, but, that is part and parcel when it comes to the over the top Crime Syndicate (so that we it’s very obvious when it comes to things like, Owlman bad, Batman good). The ending surprised me a little. Oh, and the Q.E.D. stuff had me cracking up. A really fun animated movie.

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths

Sometimes Sunday

It’s the story of Scout. She’s the daughter of Atticus Finch, a small Alabama town’s lawyer who, one summer, defends a black man in court. Characters like Dill, a friend of Scout, Jem, her brother, and Boo Radley, round out an amazing cast of characters that make this novel resonate.

You may like this book If you Liked: Light from a Distant Star by Mary McGarry Morris, Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson, or Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Weird & Wonderful Wednesday

In a lot of these fantasy sorts of books the guards (guarding the castle or as in this one a caravan or such) don’t get a lot of time, they’re just the steel to protect the main characters. But, in this book, Demane, one of the guards, as well as Captain Isa, are the main characters.

Demane is a demi-god, a product of the gods, who then retreated to heaven. He has quite the healing powers, and, is often labelled as a sorcerer. He uses them to protect the merchant caravan that he's travelling with. Between the two of them, can they keep those in the caravan alive?

There’s a ton of mythical-ness in here, as well as romance, and, the coolest part, just a hint of science fiction too. It’s very much a character driven novel, but that's okay because the characters were all totally amazing. A really fun read.

You may like this book If you Liked: Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James, Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh, or The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood

The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante

Totally Random Non-Fiction Tuesday

I mean, I have to read a book by ‘the Cooler Bill Nye’ right?

In all seriousness, this was a really cool book. Chemistry an I… we have a complicated relationship, so, to see chemistry in the every day was a really cool way to learn more about it. And, it was an enjoyable read too, not dry at all, and quite funny in a few places (and, now I wish I knew less about hair and shampoo).

You may like this book If you Liked: It's a Gas by Mark Miodownik, Elemental by Tim James, or Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking

It's Elemental: The Hidden Chemistry in Everything by Kate Biberdorf

Mystery/Thriller Monday

Set in Copenhagen, it’s about two police detectives Jeppe, and his partner Anette. They get assigned to a case where one woman is dead, and another, her landlord, Esther, wants to be a novelist, and has a book where the plot is… not unlike what they’re investigating. The woman that is found dead, Julie, also has lines carved on her face which was… eww… but also intriguing.

The twists didn’t come right away, but, when they came. Wow. And, for the most part I really liked the character of Jeppe, and… let’s just say that Anette grew on me. Ooh, ooh, and there are more books in the series.

Sometimes I really like ‘Scandinavian’ mysteries and sometimes I don’t, but, this one was definitely in the ‘do like’ category.

You may like this book If you Liked: Dissolved by Sara Blaedel, The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup, or The Darkness Knows by Arnaldur Indriðason

The Tenant by Katrine Engberg

NML Haiku

Won a Noble Prize

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting, Wait

Awesome Playwriter

Comic Book Saturday

So, what if something had happened to make sunlight much stronger and so, if you’re exposed to it, well, yeah, you might melt within seconds. First of all, yikes, I thought that burning and peeling was bad. But, in all seriousness, it’s such an interesting thought (lots of those this week too).

Most people live underground, in New York City it’s in the subways and other places like that. Although they come up during the night sometimes, they’re back underground before dawn comes. David though, is an ‘Iceman’, he has a special suit because he is a technician who services the solar arrays that provide NYC with its power. Then he finds a melted body with bible verses on the wall near it. He gets pulled into the investigation, and, of course, it gets seriously complicated.

I really loved how plot centric this was. I mean, I like great characters as much as anyone, but, this mystery had me from the beginning. I mean, the sun as a murder weapon is another interesting thought. I really really liked the art in it too. And, of course, I’m very glad that there are more volumes to read!

Eclipse Vol. 1 by Zack Kaplan

Not A Book Friday

Wait, wait, it does have a connection to an eclipse, I swear. The whole thing starts when a plant appears during a solar eclipse. So.... if there were any new plants that appeared out of nowhere on Monday.... definitely do NOT feed them your blood and then red meat, and then eventually dentists bodies that you don’t like and stuff. That would be bad. Oh, and they sing about all this.

Seymour is a worker at a flower shop who is a bit meek and had a crush on Audrey, who is going out with the brutish and abusive Dentist Scrivello. So, when the plant starts talking to Seymour and prodding him to start feeding him something other than animal meat…

The movie is based on the 1982 stage musical of the same name (kudos to that puppeteer and all those high school puppeteers who have done it since then), and the stage play itself is based on a 1960 non-musical movie which, if you want to watch it, a warning, is seriously dark. This movie though, has been just a bit ‘disnified’ (although it was put out by WB).

And, related to that, there is one part I have to say that I don't love about this movie, it's the theatrical ending. That is not the ending of the musical, and, the musical ending is most definitely *chef’s kiss*. (Although, I had watched this movie quite awhile ago, maybe even pre-2000s and definitely pre-2010s, and come to find out that in 2012 there was a director’s cut put out. Don’t know how I missed that).

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

Not A Book Friday

Did you like Groundhog Day? If so, continue, if not… you may or may not like this movie.

It’s sort of like Groundhog Day, if the Groundhog carried very high powered guns and was slightly alien. It’s the story of Major Cage, played by Tom Cruise. He’s not a ground troop, but, when he unexpectedly finds himself in a battle, he almost immediately gets killed. Except, he doesn’t. He repeats the day that he just lived, over, and over. Until he meets a female soldier, Rita Vrataski. She’s good, she’s really good, can she turn Cage into a soldier and can they save the day (and stop the day from repeating?)

You may like this movie If you Liked: Mission Impossible, Groundhog Day, or Pacific Rim

Edge of Tomorrow