2017 Reading: Invader Zim Vol. 1-2 (2 books)

I had no idea that they were still even going to carry on with Invader Zim after the show ended, but I am so glad that they did. I also liked the subtle little jab at Zim being gone so long.

Some of the art was not to my liking, mainly because I was such a big fan of the original animation, but the stories were definitely worthy of the Irken name.

Needed more Jhonen Vasquez, though.

2017 Reading: Gothic Art Now

I saw this book at the library and thought I would bring it home because I am STILL trying to read American Psycho and Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis and needed something to take my mind off of both of them.

This really wasn't something to be read, it was more of just a book of various art by different artists that fell into the gothic category. I thought that some of them were kind of boring and predictably over-done but there were a few that caught my eye. I'm not going to put up any of the pictures or anything, but if you get the chance, I do recommend looking up some of these artists and taking a look at their work.

Check out the photography of:
-John Santerineross
-Leslie Ann O'Dell
-Erland Mørk
-Jarno Lahti

Check out the sculptures of:
-Joachim Luetke
Christopher Conte
Oliver Wetter

Check out the digital paintings of:
-Christian Alzmann

Check out the Essdee scratch board drawings of:
-Patrick Arrasmith

Those were the ones that stood out to me as being very unique and eye-catching in this particular book. I might go and look at some of their other things that were not featured because I really enjoyed their technique.

2017 Reading: Dancing Barefoot

I love Wil Wheaton. I really do. I think he is hilarious and a good actor and an all-around nice guy. I never really watched TNG (TOS all the way, baby) but the little I have seen of it made me really wonder why everyone always shit on Wesley. I didn't, and still don't, get it. But, whatever...

I love reading or hearing little stories and anecdotes about his life because he has such a  great sense of humour about everything. This was just a little read while I try to make myself finish the other two books I have going at the moment.  I really enjoyed it.

2017 Reading: Push

#5 A book by a person of color

I don't know why I've never read this book before now. It's been sitting on my shelf for a few years and everyone raves about it and the movie Precious, but I just could never make myself pick it up until now.

Short read, but well worth it. While the language and spelling were VERY hard to get through, I found myself enjoying the book. I had an idea of what the book was about from all the reviews I've seen about the movie, but I had no idea of the extent to which it went.

All in all, I think it was a very challenging and inspiring book that I would not mind reading again, all things considered. Also, I think I might finally see the movie to see what everyone has been raving about.

2017 Reading: Quartet

Angela Ball was my poetry professor in college (you know, the one who dressed as Sylvia Plath for Halloween complete with oven). I've read another one of her collections before so I thought I would give this one a try.

She has a tendency to delete words (articles, etc) from her lines. While this emphasizes some phrases, it also takes away from the overall experience when you delete too many. But I can say that reading these poems made me want to learn more about the women for whom they were written. Female poets are somewhat unknown to me and I would very much like to change that.

One stanza stood out for me from one of her poems.

"I stripped a licorice-striped pillow,

gaunt prisoner who lets out a wheeze

and a brown feather."

("Nora" Section 1; ll. 38-40, pg 28)

For some reason, that image stuck with me for the rest of the poem. I could actually imagine that pillow in my mind. I like that.