Cat Ears & Coffee: Reads

Winter Reads

Guess who wins the award for being the worst blogger for the month of March? Here is a hint: Her name starts with "S" and ends with "Asshole". Life has been pretty busy lately, but, that is for another post. Tonight, I have some reads to share with you lovelies! The stack is a little short this time around, due to busyness, as well as the fact that I have been reading a lot of comic books. Read ALL of the things! Any who, here goes: Winter Reads!

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk-By David Sedaris. I don't have a favorite author by any means, but I have always been a huge fan of David Sedaris. I *may* have declared quite a few times in my life that I wanted to be David Sedaris when I grew up. This book is a collection of animal-themed short-stories that touch on a variety of topics ranging from gossip and the service industry, to love interests that could never be.

This book is the reason why I can no longer read anything while working out. Some of the stories are gruesome, while others are hilarious. This resulted in me laughing my ass off on the treadmill and freaking the hell out of everyone surrounding me (I mean, more so than usual). I don't love this book as much as his other works, but it serves its purpose.

A Passage to India-By E.M. Forester. Set against the backdrop of the British Raj, and the Indian Independence Movement in the 1920s. The story revolves around four main characters; Dr. Aziz, Mr. Cyril Fielding, Mrs. Moore, and Miss Adela Quested. During a trip to the Marabar Caves, Adela finds herself alone with Dr. Aziz in one of the caves, panics and flees. It is assumed that Dr. Aziz attempted to assault her, and there is a trial. The entire ordeal brings about the common racial tensions and prejudices between indigenous Indians, and the British who rule India.

Can you tell which one of these books was on the Rory Gilmore reading list? Okay, The Hobbit totally is too, but this one is a classic. I had a hard time remembering if I had read this one in high school or not, but I did thoroughly enjoy it. It touches on a very tender subject, however, what I found the most interesting was the internal struggle of the four main characters. There is the implication of how each character should think due to society's standards for that time period vs, the individual gut instinct. It is also surprisingly a fast read.

Off The Beaten Path-The Nature Conservancy. A collection of short-stories of place, reflecting the variety and character of our diminishing wild land, and in the end, leading to inner places.

I honesty don't know how I came across this book, and apparently I am not cultured enough to recognize any of those damn authors. Some of the stories weren't bad though! So, if you are a person like me who will literally read an oven manual if nothing else is around, this might be for you.

The Hobbit-J.R.R. Tolkien. Both a fantasy novel and a children's book, set in a time "Before the dawn of the faerie and the Dominion of Men". The Hobbit follows the quest of home-loving Bilbo Baggins to win a share of treasure guarded by the dragaon, Smaug. By accepting the disreputable, romantic, fey and adventurous sides of nature and applying his wits and common sense, Bilbo gains maturity, and wisdom.

This book was a Christmas gift, but I mostly needed to re-read this to remind myself of how much I truly loved this story before Peter Jackson butchered the living shit out of it.

The Silkworm-By Robert Galbraith. The second novel in the series of private investigator Comoran Strike, following the successful resolution of the Lulu Laundry case. While handling a steady stream of divorce cases, and the occasional job on behalf of a tabloid journalist, Strike is approached by the wife of an infamous writer, with a plea to locate him, as he has gone missing.

This series is shaping up to be pretty good, I honestly love how much the side-characters are developing, which gives me hope that this series will keep going.

Well there you have it, the books that got me through a very, very cold winter. I know that I am super-behind on posts, but I am hoping to get another one in this week, so stay tuned!

11:37 PM
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Reads: Comics!

Comics

My dad used to have this giant box of old comics that my brothers and I would paw through whenever we felt inclined.I was particularly fond of Black Orchid, and soon started a small collection. I had Wonder Woman comics, Catwoman comics, and of course, Archie comics. Later, when I started watching BTVS, I accumulated both Buffy, and Angel comics, but I never really, really collected them, as they were more of an after-thought as far as reading material went. That, and in high school I was pretty skint (even more so than I am now, shockingly), so if I couldn't pick it up at the library, there was a fat chance that I wasn't going to be able to read it.

Fast-forward to a few months ago, and I came across Meg's post on Shutter, and I became intrigued. I value Meg's opinion on most geek things, because we have very similar taste in fandoms. I picked up the book, read it in one sitting, and went back to the comic book store to get the most current issue. Since then, I am currently reading three different comics, as well as a huge stack of borrowed ones from my friend Nicole.

Guys, I am hooked.

Anyway, I thought I would write a tiny blurb of why I like the ones that I am currently reading, so that's what I am going to do!

Shutter, Image Comics- Kate Kristopher is a famous explorer and photographer on an Earth much more awesome than this one. Ten years after she quit that life, she soon discovers that she has siblings, and lots of them. One in particular is after her maybe-not-dead father, and Kate isn't overly fond about any of this. Shutter is my absolute favorite out of the comics that I am reading. I love the fantasy aspect to the story, I love how the characters are developing in each new issue, and the artwork, the artwork is just beautiful. Oh, and Alarm Clock Cat! I want an Alarm Clock Cat tattoo, add it to the never-ending list of tattoos that I want.

Bitch Planet, Image Comics- A futuristic world, where non-compliant females are sent to an off-world penitentiary, commonly known as Bitch Planet. I discovered this comic by way of Joe Keating writing about it in the back of one of the issues of Shutter. Since I am very OCD about reading things in order, and making sure that I have access to said things. I am not going to lie, it took a bit of effort trying to track down that first issue. The fine folks at Comics & More, and Detroit Comics were super helpful though, and even though I eventually had to get that first issue via the interwebz, I was able to pick up both the second and third issues from said locations. Anyways, a feminist comic about strong, kick-ass women vs, the patriarchy. As I said, a necessary comic, and it is EVERYTHING.

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor, Titan Comics- New adventures with the Twelfth Doctor and Clara! Okay, you guys already know my mad, undying love for Doctor Who, so this one really should not come as a surprise. However, I did not intend on reading it, mostly because I did not know that it existed. When I was at Comics & More last month looking for Bitch Planet, I got into a conversation with one of the employees, Chris, and I admitted that I really did not know shit about comics. He was really helpful, and since I mentioned Doctor Who, he showed me the new series that just started up with the Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Doctors, and since I am now a huge fan of 12/Clara, I caved.

Kyle also gets an honorable mention in this post. Detroit Comics is super close to my house, but Comics & More is closer to his work. Asking Kyle to stop at the comic book store to pick up my comics is the equivalent to asking most dude-bros to head to CVS to get tampons. I am actually considering doing the pull-service for Detroit Comics. There is a $20 fee, but then it is %10 off comics, so it essentially pays for itself. So far I only have these three comics down, so I think I should add a few more to make it worth my while. That being said, I will take suggestions! I am a little nervous about starting something that has been out for ages, but hell if it is really good, I will give it a go! So please, suggestions, I will take them.

Alright, it is Friday night, and I am burning mix CDs for two of my friends, sipping a beer (or two), and cleaning out my closet. A much needed night in, and I am looking forward to the rest of it. Happy Friday!

10:16 PM
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Autumn Reads

Fall

Winter doesn't officially start until December 21st, but I am not sure if I will get a chance to finish the book I am reading before then. I just looked at my Goodreads goal for the year, and was disappointed to see that I only read 16 books so far this year. In my teenage/early 20s years, I could read 2-3 books per week, even while working full time, and in college. Now? I don't know what my excuse is.

I think one of my goals for 2015 will be to bring a book with me wherever I go, like I used to, and read that instead of scroll through my phone whenever I get bored. I used to go to the bar with Kyle and the guys, and while they played pool, or darts, I would sit and read. It was really nice, because I felt like I was "out" being social, but still felt like I was getting some alone-time in. Another plus-side to this: annoying drunk people will still come up to you if you're on your phone, not so much if your face is buried in a book. So there is that.

Anyway, onto the books! I only read four, sadness, but they were all really great!

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets- By J.K. Rowling. I started re-reading this series towards the end of the summer, and I am so glad that I did! The plot follows Harry's second year at Hogwarts, during which a series of messages on the walls of the school's corridors warn the "Chamber of Secrets" has been opened, and that the "heir of Slytherin" would kill all pupils who did not come from all-magic families. These threats are followed by attacks which leave residents of the school "petrified" (frozen like stone). Throughout the year, Harry Ron, and Hermione investigate the attacks.

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azakaban- By J.K. Rowling. The book follows Harry, and his friends at Hogwarts, in their third year at Hogwarts. They spend the year investigating Sirius Black, an escaped prisoner of Azkaban whom they believe is one of Lord Voldemort's old allies.

There isn't much to say about these books, aside from the fact that I still love them as much as I did when I was a teenager. What is notable, however, is how much the movies not only changed certain events in the books, but also character traits. They really made Ron Weasley seem like a chump at times in the movies, when he was a witty little shit in the books.

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test- By Tom Wolfe. A non-fiction book published in 1968, the book is remembered today as an early example of the growing literary style called new journalism. Wolfe presents an as-if first hand account of his experiences with Ken Kasey and his band of Merry Pranksters, who traveled across the country in a colorfully painted bus name "Further". Kasey and the pranksters became famous for their use of LSD and other psychedelic drugs in the hopes of achieving inter-subjectivity. The book chronicles the Acid-Tests (parties in which kool-aid laced with LSD was given out to obtain a communal trip), the group's encounters with famous authors, the Hells Angels, and The Grateful Dead, as well as Kasey's exile to Mexico.

Being a HUGE fan of of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", I really wanted to read this book for awhile. I took an intro to journalism course at Oakland University, but had no idea what 'new journalism' was. This book was amazingly written, that needs to be stated first. There are times when it is quite obvious Wolfe sat back and just wrote down everything he observed, and there are little interviews with pranksters peppered throughout the book, reminding the reader that this is a journalistic piece. However, Wolfe goes into such vivid detail, that is just so easy to slip into the mentality that an actual prankster wrote the book. Another thing to keep in mind: this was during the mid-late sixties, before acid became a main-stream drug, so the rest of the world was completely baffled by this group. Cops would constantly pull them over, just to let them go again, because they didn't know what to think of them.

The mentality of the Merry Pranksters is something to be in awe of. They maintained a constant balance of non-conformance, and communal well-being. They shared housing, they shared food. They decked themselves out in Day-Glo paint to the point where they were unrecognizable. They accepted the mentality that everyone was their own, individual person, in their own "movie", but you were also either "on the bus", or "off the bus".

William Shakespeare's Star Wars (Verily, a New Hope)- By Ian Doescher. A non-cannon book, retelling the story of Star Wars, as if penned by William Shakespeare.

I borrowed this book from my friend Aaron over the summer, and just got around to reading it. This was just for fun, and it was really cute! It is completely written as if The Bard himself wrote it, and it is perfect for someone with a BA in English, who also grew up watching Star Wars. ;)

There you have it, the books that I read at a snail's pace on my 15 minute lunch breaks, while walking in the treadmill, and sometimes before bed. What have you guys been reading lately?

*Photos by Kyle.

11:54 AM
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