The good news? I've actually been reading.
School Library Journal, in its infinite wisdom, has been sending me a bunch of non-graphic novel titles to review. While one of my previous reviews was indeed published this month, check out my first fiction review for their magazine since 2009. At the moment, and to the right of this paragraph, you can see the nonfiction book I'm currently working my way through for professional review purposes. This book, a follow up to the YA semi-hit Tweak from a few years ago is... well, I'm not actually loving the story. And it's not in my crotchety old man it-glorifies-drugs way. I'm just finding the prose kind of all over the place; it's kind of trying to be a love story, but the protagonist is so self-involved and introspective that it really isn't about two people at all. Also, he's not exactly a character you can either identify with or even like. I mean, I'm a third of the way through the story. I'm invested to finish. But still. This is why I don't recommend to anyone that you should continue to read titles you aren't enjoying. I forgot how horrible that can be. I've been kind of lucky up until this point; SLJ has been sending me things I actually like. Law of averages though. Not every book can be as good as the last.
I've still been plugging away at the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program, or The Website/Service That Got Me Reviewing Books In the First Place. I'm happy to report that one such book I recently won, The Doomsday Box, actually had a lot of promise. I plan on finishing up this title after I'm done with my SLJ book. It's nice to have something lined up to read right after but, you know me, I have to be careful not to be too overwhelmed. On the graphic novel front, a few of the books I ordered through the library have come in: Superman: Earth One with the amazing art by Shane Davis as well as a Serenity-themed book focusing on Shepherd Book. I finished Superman last night. The story was a little ehh as it re-tells Clark's origin to say that Krypton was destroyed by an angry war like race. Then they try to blow up Earth. It was doing well until it got to that part. The Shepherd Book tale I'm sure will be good, but is it wrong to have secretly wished for an Inara story more? It's not even a secret. I just wish there had been a follow up; she was barely in the movie and I really loved the character. Well, maybe one day.I promise to start regularly blogging a little big more. I'm planning on highlighting some individual new comic issues, mostly Peter David's X-Factor since in the next 3 months, I'll be finishing out my home subscription. I also finished up Michael Northrup's 'Trapped' over the Christmas break, so I plan on talking about that book a little bit as well. I like that so far in 2011, it's been a nice mix of graphic novels and YA fiction for me. I'm hoping to continue that balance moving forward. What have you guys been reading?
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