Raw Vol 2. No. 3

Tagged as High Culture for Low Brows, this is a graphic novel full of eclectic works. My favorite is Maus, which I've read several times before and will be reading several times more in the future. This collection just featured chapter 10 of the Maus series but it gives a good idea to someone new to Maus of just how great the series is.

More fun to be had with a full adventure of Krazy Kat. Made in the 1930's, it's still pretty entertaining. My dad is from 1936 and he's not that entertaining anymore :)

Lynda Barry is always a favorite and was also included. I've read the "strip" before but still really like it.

If you like low brow, read Raw.

In Odd We Trust by Dean Koontz

Shorty review on an Odd Thomas graphic novel:

Eh.


Ok, kidding. I loved Odd Thomas. That book is exceptional. Books 2-4, not so much. The graphic version is just ok, unfortunately. I got a distinctly different impression of Stormy from the actual novel than I did from the graphic novel. In this one, she's drawn....snotty. As a thinks-she's-bad-ass girl with her nose in the air. I didn't get that AT ALL from the novel. Odd was drawn pretty true to form, however, and I appreciated seeing him for the first time.

Not sure I'll continue reading these but it was fun to try

Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland

I snagged an Advanced Reading Copy of this book, the start of the Phoenix Chronicles. The book centers on Elizabeth Phoenix, a psychic cop-turned-bartender-turned-seer. Elizabeth, along with Jimmy, a fellow orphan and Elizabeth's first love, and Sawyer, an ancient Navajo know it all, are out to lead the fight against the supernatural evil.

All in all, this wasn't a bad novel and I'll be interested in what the rest of the series brings. However, I think this bordered to much on the Anita Blake type plots, all the way down to the sex sex and wait...more sex. The author admits on the back cover that she wanted to write like Laurell K. Hamilton, I just think it's a little to much like her. I ended up skipping all the many sex scenes, trying to find the fight against evil scenes. Apparently, sex is part of the fight against evil.

Ah well. I do want to see if this series improves and if it can wrench itself away from ... SEX!

The Comfort of Home for Alzheimer's Disease by Maria Meyer

I got this book to review a while back and it took some time to get through. Not because it's a bad book at all, but because it has a lot of information that kept me busy online researching.

My dad has Parkinson's Disease induced dementia. It is different from AD in how it affects the brain physically but the symptoms are almost identical. This book was very helpful in it's advice; a lot of it I knew already but some was new.

This book is divided into 3 parts: Getting Ready, Day by Day, and Additional Resources

Getting Ready explains how to prepare for patients with AD, such as financial help, legal help, how to pay for care and how to prepare your home.

Day by Day explains how to set up schedules, avoiding burnout, understanding behaviors of AD patients, etc.

This is a good book for anyone who is caring for loved ones with AD or dementia. The amount of online help advice in this book is incredible.

Heat Lightning by John Sandford

Sandford is turning into one of my favorite writers. I've been a fan of Davenport and reluctantly tried his other series. I didn't think he could pull off the Davenport intensity with other characters.

But he does. I was wrong!! Heat Lightning is the second Virgil Flowers novel. Flowers (or "that fuckin' Flowers") works for Davenport in the Twin Cities BCA. This case covers a series of related murders where the victim is placed at the foot of a veteran's monument with a lemon stuck in their mouths. Sounds related.

Flowers is a 30ish guy with an affinity for band t-shirts as his uniform. He's a pretty likable character and he interacts really well with Lucas and the rest of the BCA.


Overall, a good mystery with great characters.