The Buzz...About Books

Millions and Millions of Cats

Millions of cats roam the Internet, from legendary kitties like Ceiling Cat, Keyboard Cat, and the touchingly rotund Maru to the captioned "kittehs" in I Can Haz Cheeseburger. 

In less than a decade, net cats have multiplied exponentially - with no sign of letting up. Chances are, you have at least one cat right now in your inbox or posted on Facebook. In particular, library staff have a symbiotic relationship with cats (if you don't own a cat when you are hired, you are issued one).

Some popular web cats are prowling their way into print. And we can help you find them.

Check out Cat vs Human by Yasmine Surovec which originated as a personal blog.  Simon's Cat and Simon's Cat: Beyond the Fence by Simon Tofield, a British animator, started as a delightful series of Internet shorts.

 The popularity of cat videos spawned "Catvertising," a brilliant parody by a Toronto-based ad agency:

  

Watch a real commerical that used cats to their ad-vantage.

Not all Internet cats are sweet like the Talking Cats.  Some are nightmarishly creative. Watch "Welcome to Kitty City" by the UK animator, Cyriak.

 

 Want more funny felines in print (beyond Garfield)?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Fat Freddy's Cat Omnibus by Gilbert Shelton
• Great Comic Cats by Malcolm Whyte
• The New Yorker Book of All-New Cat Cartoons

 

Ceiling Cat is watching . . .

What We're Reading: Revolver by Matt Kindt

No kidding, Revolver by Matt Kindt is one of the best books I've read this year.

I've never been a graphic novels reader.  Oh, I'd read a few here and there, but I'd never become a fan.  Then a few months ago I was asked to help create a list of graphic novels for the library website.  Some of them sounded good so I started reading.  Revolver is my favourite so far.

The book's protagonist Sam is miserable: his career is stalled and his boss Jan is a tyrant.  His girlfriend Maria is hopelessly materialistic.  One morning Sam wakes up to find that natural disasters, a pandemic and terrorist attacks have devastated the United States.  He responds by embracing his inner action hero, rescuing Jan from their burning office tower, killing the mystery man who attacks her and becoming an outlaw.

When he wakes up the next morning, none of it has happened. Society has not crumbled, Jan hates him, Maria wants to buy new dishes and Sam misses the nightmare world.  The following day, the apocalypse is back.  As he alone shifts between these realities, Sam notices connections.  A man called Verve plays a significant role in both worlds but who is he really?  Soon Sam realizes that he may be the only one who can save humanity.

Even if you don't usually read graphic novels, this is worth a try.  Fans of time travel and post apocalyptic settings will particularly enjoy it.

"It's Hammer Time!"

On May 6, Kenneth Branagh's Thor opens in theatres - and the Toronto Public Library doth have mighty reads featuring the Son of Odin.    

Branagh with his Shakespearean gravitas seems an unlikely fit with a superhero film. Watch his interview at the Comics Con in San Diego. It may surprise you.

Oscar-winner Natalie Portman plays Thor's earthly love, Jane Foster. Read how filming Thor kept her sane after The Black Swan. Chris Hemsworth, a relative newcomer, has the role of Thor.

Branagh's casting of British actor, Idris Elba (The Wire, Luther) as Heimdall, the Norse guardian of Asgard, was truly inspired. Read Elba's take in the UK Guardian.

Thor, a prominent figure in Norse mythology and immortalized in the Eddas, reached the height of popularity during the Viking Era. Thor's legacy continues - not only did he inspire "Thursday" - but some wicked cool comic books.

 

One of the most interesting (and weirder) creations of Marvel, Thor first appeared in Journey Into Mystery #83 in 1962, created by the immortal Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby. Thor and the tales of Asgard have endured for over 40 years. Thor's Marvel-ous charm includes his hyperbolic mash-up of pseudo-medieval  diction:

"The power within Mjolnir doth rage like the winter storms bursting upon the shore in furious assault!"

 

 

 

 

 The cast of Thor (from left to right) Natalie Portman, Chris Hemsworth, Idris Elba

And the merchandising: last weekend, I stood puzzling at a display of Easter Thors (because nothing suggests Easter more than Norse gods made of chocolate).

Further reading:

• Norse Mythology: The Myths and Legends of the Nordic Gods by Arthur Cotterell
• Marvel Adventures:  Avengers / Thor by Paul Toibin
• Visionaries: Thor by Walter Simonson
• Avengers Disassembled: The Mighty Thor by Michael Avon Oeming
• Ragnarok: Eve of Apocalypse by Myŏng-lang Yi  (Korean graphic fiction series based on Norse mythology)

  
  

 

 

 

 

Lives Interrupted: True Stories

   

 

 

 

 

If you've been following the Mental Health Special on CBC Radio's The Current with Steven Page, the following books may interest you. These autobiographies, by people from all walks of life, share a common theme - each have been affected in some way by mental illness. These reads are powerful, open, and often inspirational. 

Changing My Mind by Margaret Trudeau. Trudeau's openess about her bipolar disorder and her ongoing advocacy for victims of mental illness make her a true Canadian hero.

Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain by Portia de Rossi. An Australian actress married to Ellen Degeneres, de Rossi describes her history with anorexia nervosa.

The Memory Palace by Mira Bartók.  Chronicles the descent of Bartók's talented mother into paranoid schizophrenia. For those who enjoyed The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.

Here's the Deal: Don't Touch Me by Howie Mandel. A Canadian comedian and television host, Mandel addresses his challenges living with obsessive compulsive disorder.

Clickety Clack: My Bipolar Express by Joy S. McDiarmid. A Canadian researcher recounts her coming of age in the 1950s with biopolar disorder.

   

 

 

 

 

Fall to Pieces: A Memoir of Drugs, Rock 'n' Roll, and Mental Illness by Mary Weiland.  A successful model at the age of 16 and former wife of rock star Scott Weiland of the Stone Temple Pilots, Weiland struggles with both addiction and bipolar disorder.

Amen Amen Amen: a Memoir of a Girl Who Couldn't Stop Praying (Among Other Things) by Abby Sher. Sher's OCD compels her to perform rituals that, she believes, if not performed will cause the death of others.  For readers of The Devil in the Details: Scenes From an Obessive Girlhood by Jennifer Traig.

Hannah: My True Story of Drugs, Cutting, and Mental Illness by Hannah Westberg.  18-year-old Hannah, is diagnosed with depression and borderline personality disorder and must overcome a host of dangerous behaviours.

Just Like Someone Without Mental Illness Only More So by Mark Vonnegut.  Son of author Kurt Vonnegut. A followup to The Eden Express, his memoir of living with mental illness.

Down Came the Rain by Brooke Shields. Her personal account of postpartum depression put the spotlight on and raised awareness about an illness affecting many women.

Bitter Medicine: A Graphic Memoir of Mental Illness by Clem Martini. Canadian playwright Martini illustrates growing up with two brothers, Olivier and Ben - both diagnosed with schizophrenia. With illustrations by Olivier Martini.

 

 

Walking Dead

      

 

 

 

 

Vampires and werewolves are so last year. Anyone watching The Walking Dead on Sunday nights on AMC will tell you that. Nominated for a Golden Globe award, the critically-acclaimed televsion series is based on the 2003 adult comic books by Robert Kirkman, illustrated by Tony Moore and later, Charlie Adlard.  In 2010, the series won the Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series.  Check out the 13 editions (each volume contains 6 of the original comic books).  Will our hero Rick Grimes prevail?

Left to Right: Rick Grimes, Walking Dead hero
Andrew Lincoln, British actor, plays Grimes in the television series
Robert Kirkman, author of The Walking Dead

 Vol 1: Days Gone By;  Vol 2: Miles Behind Us;  Vol 3: Safety Behind Bars;  Vol 4: The Heart's Desire;  Vol 5: The Best Defense;  Vol 6: This Sorrowful Life;  Vol 7: The Calm Before;  Vol 8: Made to Suffer;  Vol 9: Here We Remain;  Vol 10: What We Become;  Vol 11: Fear the Hunters;  Vol 12: Life Among Them;  Vol 13: Too Far Gone

Further reading in the event of a zombie apocalypse near you:

• Zombies: A Field Guide to the Walking Dead by Bob Curran
• Shakespeare Undead by Lori Handeland
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the Undead by Don Borchert
• Zombies: A Record of the Year of Infection by Ron Doff
• Zombies directed by Mike Leiderman for A&E

 

Manga: Japanese comics for grown ups

In their modern form, Manga comics date from shortly after World War II, but they have a long pre-history in earlier Japanese art.

In Japan, people of all ages read Manga. Since the 1950s, manga have become an increasingly important part of the Japanese publishing industry—worth about $3.6 billion in 2007.

There are Manga comics about almost everything including: action-adventure, romance, sports, history, cooking, comedy, science fiction, mystery, horror, sexuality, commerce and more.

In Canada, Manga is becoming more and more popular.  Why not try one of these titles:

Antique Bakery by Fumi Yoshinaga

A group of four men, including a “devilish homosexual” pastry chef and an ex-boxer, work in a bakery together. The ups and downs of their lives and romances intersect with the lives of their customers--all in the name of delicious pastry!

Naoki Urasawa's Monster by Naoki Urasawa

Dr. Tenma takes on the job of bringing a serial killer, Johan, to justice in a suspenseful thriller that involves assassins, cross-dressing, Nazi experiments, the Czech secret service, and gory instances of revenge.

Pluto. Urasawa X Tezuka by Naoki Urasawa

Europol robot detective Gesicht tries to solve the mystery behind a string of robot and human deaths. The case becomes complicated when he discovers that the murders were committed by a robot.

Jane (with thanks to Susan K.!)

What We're Reading: Dennis's Graphic Novel picks

TPL Staffer Dennis is a big fan of Graphic Novels, here are his recommendations, maybe you have favourites to share too?

French Milk by Lucy Knisley 
For her 22nd birthday – and her mother’s 50th—Lucy Knisley and her mother went to Paris. For more than a month, they toured the City of Lights from their fifth arrondissement flat, exploring museums and cafes, taking photographs, and eating lots of pastries. First and foremost a travel journal, Knisley’s photographs from the trip punctuate sketches of her daily adventures and musings about graduating from art school, first love and having an adult relationship with her mother. The drawings in this book are pleasingly clean in one panel and tellingly detailed in the next, giving the reader a good sense of Knisley’s emotions during and after this once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall by Bill Willingham
Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall is a graphic novel prequel to the comic book series Fables written by series creator Bill Willingham with a variety of artists. Running the gamut from horror to dark intrigue to mercurial coming-of-age, it reveals the secret histories of familiar fairy tale characters through a series of compelling and visually illustrative tales.