Jenni's Reading

Dramacon, Volume 1, by Svetlana Chmakova

Christie, a manga writer, attends her first anime convention with her boyfriend Derek, who is the artist for their book. Derek is a jerk - he ogles and flirts with other girls in front of Christie, ditches her for long periods of time, and as the Con goes on, his behavior only gets worse.

At the anime convention, Christie meets the enigmatic (and always donning sunglasses) Matt. There is intense, immediate chemistry between them. But, Christie is at the convention with Derek, the co-author of her book - what is she to do? Should she stay with the jerk she's always been with or take a chance on the mysterious new man?

Dramacon is romantic, funny and cute all in one, without being overly sappy. This original English language manga is slated to be part of a trilogy, and have no fear - we will be buying all three!

Elsewhere, by Gabrielle Zevin

Did you ever wonder what happens when you die? Well, meet Liz Hall, a 15-year-old girl who is dearly departed. After being killed in a hit-and-run accident, Liz finds herself in Elsewhere, a place where people spend their time after their lives have ended. In Elsewhere, you live your life backward, so in Liz's case, she will decrease in age until she is a baby again. Only this doesn't sit so well with young Liz, who never got to get her driver's license, go to her prom, or fall in love. Elsewhere follows the coming-of-age story of Liz, as she comes to term with her own death.

Elsewhere is a truly remarkable book. It is a unique and fresh perspective on the eternal question of "what happens to us when we die?" Sure to appeal to fans of Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones and Adele Griffin's Where I Want to Be, Elsewhere is one of the most captivating books I have read lately.

Night Fisher, by R. Kikuo Johnson
	In the tropical setting of Maui, we are introduced to Loren Foster. Loren is a high school senior, originally hailing from Boston, who attends an expensive private school. He gets good grades, helps out around the house and the yard, and occasionally smokes crystal meth. With no direction, Loren's life takes some unfortunate turns as he is mixed up in a crime with his best friend, Shane. As everyone else's life moves forward, Loren's stagnates. This graphic novel portrays a young boy who is content to stand back and watch life happen. Loren never asserts himself or works toward any goals and is ultimately left behind. The art and story are well done, and this book should provide its reader with much to think about at its conclusion.
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Othello, Volume 1, by Satomi Ikezawa

Yaya Higuchi is a nice, sensitive girl whose friends, Seri and Moe (who resemble The Plastics from Mean Girls) torture on a regular basis. They make snide remarks about her clothes, her taste in music and her hobbies. When they find out that she is a cosplayer, they immediately try to expose her, because they think it isn't cool. One of the cutest boys in school, Moriyama, thinks that Yaya's interests are cool, and the closer that he and Yaya become, the nastier Seri and Moe are to her.

But, unexpectedly, all of these bad (and humorous) things start happening to Sari, who goes from being the bullied to being humiliated. Seri starts blaming Yaya for all of these occurrences, but Yaya has no recollection of doing anything to Seri. A mysterious and confident girl named Nana has been putting Seri and Moe in their places, and paving the way for Yaya. Ready for the twist? Yaya and Nana are the same person.

Othello is a great read, perfect for shojo fans mixing manga with Mean Girls. Even though this book has an OT ("Older Teens 16+") rating, there is little objectionable content, other than some slightly bad language.

Batman: Under the Hood, by Judd Winnick
	WARNING! I do not profess to be extremely knowledgeable about all of the goings on in the DC Universe, but I do know that I like Batman and I enjoyed this book. Gotham has a new face in town that is taking over small crime syndicates and working towards a mysterious goal. This new person, called the Red Hood wants to clean up the dirty city, though unlike the caped crusader will kill anything that gets in his way of doing so. When Batman is finally confronted by the Red Hood, there are some shocking twists as he learns who is "under the hood." This book is roller-coaster ride through dreary Gotham and offers a number of JLA cameos that is sure to delight many comic book readers.
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Looking for Alaska, by John Green

This is the second time this year I have read this book. It's just that good.

Miles "Pudge" Halter enrolls at the Culver Creek boarding school for a number of reasons: his dad went there, he doesn't have a lot of friends at his public school and most importantly he wants to explore the "Great Perhaps" of the world by leaving what is familiar to him. At Culver Creek he meets his new best friend and roommate, a short, sarcastic chain-smoking guy nicknamed the Colonel. Pudge also meets Alaska Young an enigmatic young woman who will forever change Pudge's life.

This is definitely one of the absolute best books from 2005 and not to be missed! If you haven't read it - read it, and if you have, read it again!

Day of Tears: a Novel in Dialogue, by Julius Lester
	In 1859, one of the largest slave auctions in history took place in Georgia on a rainy afternoon. After losing a considerable sum of money gambling, Pierce Butler decides to auction off of his slaves to pay off his sizeable debt. Lester follows members of Butler's family and slaves through that day and all of the heartbreak it caused. Day of Tears spins a fictional retelling of this historical event through dialogue, similar to the format in which plays are written. Going into this book I was weary that it would be too much of a "school" sort of book, but as I got into it, I found that I really enjoyed it and found the dialogue format to add to the appeal of the book.
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Emma Frost, v.1: Higher Learning, by Karl Bollers

Emma Frost is young, rich and bullied by her classmates at the Snow Valley Academy. Between her classmate Matilda, who makes her life miserable to her catty older sister Adrienne to her domineering and controlling father, Emma's life, though one of privilege is not one of ease. Suffering through blinding headaches, she comes to learn that she can read minds and this is where her life turns around and Emma begins to take control of her life.

Emma Frost grows up to be the White Queen in the legendary comic X-Men. No prior knowledge of X-Men is needed to enjoy or understand Emma Frost - it is an excellent story of high school angst and family drama. Sadly, Marvel has cancelled the series and it ends at the third volume.

Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman

Think that your family is embarrassing? Do they constantly annoy you? Well, Charlie Nancy's father is a prankster who also happens to be a living trickster god named Anansi. After being estranged from him for a number of years, Charlie learns that his father has passed away just weeks before Charlie is to wed. At his father's wake, he learns that he has a brother named Spider that was sent away years ago. Charlie decides to seek out his long-lost brother, and this is where the trouble really starts.

Mixing in mythology with a family story for an outstanding example of magical realism, Anansi Boys is a great book that will delight new and old fans of Gaiman.

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