News Blog @ Wellington City Libraries

The TV series “Once Upon a Time” is back for its second season in New Zealand. Watching the start of the first episode of Season 2 I had to double-check that I was on the right channel as it didn’t look like the right series at all. Only when the mysterious man got the postcard from StoyBrook did I know that the programme was the right one. What an intriguing mix of fairytale characters we have there: Sleeping Beauty and Mulan! mmmh… Don’t know quite what to make of it. Let’s see how it unfolds, I say!

If you can’t wait for next week’s episode and can successfully avoid looking for spoilers online (like me), we have a selection of books you might enjoy. They feature or are inspired by these two well-loved fairytale characters: Sleeping Beauty and Mulan.

Photo by Robert Cross

Plaudits just keep coming for Dame Fiona Kidman, one of New Zealand’s best known contemporary writers. Her latest collection of short stories The trouble with Fire has been short-listed for the 2012 Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award. This can be added to an impressive list of honours and awards that have already been accorded to her. Born in Hawera in 1940 she has worked as a librarian, writer, producer and critic, but it is for her ground-breaking novels that she is best known.

Dame Fiona will be the guest speaker at our Fiction Grab Event — on this Saturday night (June 30th) from 5.30-7.30pm (register for this event here!) — so we thought we’d take this chance to spotlight some of her fiction and short stories (as well as some of her non-fiction) below. The main focus of her fiction is depicting how outsiders navigate their way in a narrowly conformist society. Have a browse!

And come along on Saturday night (afterhours!) at the Central Library for your chance to meet Dame Fiona, relax with a complimentary glass of wine, take a look behind the scenes of the library, and grab brand new fiction before it makes its way to our shelves! Interested? Head over to our Registration Page (registration is essential for this event). We look forward to seeing you there!

A selection of Dame Fiona’s fiction:

The trouble with fire / Fiona Kidman.
(A Fiction finalist in the New Zealand Post Book Awards & also check out this review from The Listener)
“Fiona Kidman has a genius for peeling back the lives of ordinary people to reveal their hidden passions and complexities. In this brilliant new collection, she explores – with her customary subtlety and insight – how we are all touched and sometimes scarred by the flames of emotion – whether it be the impossible love of a pregnant woman for a married man, grief for a dead baby or loss of a young woman in mysterious circumstances. Ranging in time from the colonial period to the present day, these stories by one of New Zealand’s foremost writers are beautifully crafted, intriguing and evocative. [Her] stories remind me of those of Alice Munro. Though they are very much of a time and place they have a universal dimension” (Booksellers News)

The book of secrets / Fiona Kidman.
(Winner of the New Zealand Book Award for Fiction in 1988)
“In 1854, a group of settlers established a community at Waipu in the northern part of New Zealand. They were led there by a stern preacher, Norman McLeod. The community had followed him from Scotland in 1817 to found a settlement in Nova Scotia, then subsequently to New Zealand via Australia. Their incredible journeys actually happened, but Fiona Kidman breaths life and contemporary relevance into the facts by creating a remarkable fictional story of three women entangled in the migrations – Isabella, her daughter Annie and granddaughter Maria. McLeod’s harsh leadership meant that anyone who ran counter to him had to live a life of secrets. The ’secrets’ encapsulated the spirit of these women in their varied reactions to McLeod’s strict edicts and connect the past to the present and future.” (Synopsis from Fishpond)

The captive wife / Fiona Kidman.
(Joint winner of the Readers’ Choice Award — with Maurice Gee — at the 2006 Montana New Zealand Book Awards. Read also this review by author David Hill in The Listener.)
“When Betty Guard steps ashore in Sydney, in 1834, she meets with a heroine’s welcome. Her survival during a four-month kidnapping ordeal amongst Taranaki Maori is hailed as nothing short of a miracle. But questions about what really happened slowly surface within the élite governing circles of the raw new town of Sydney.Jacky Guard, ex-convict turned whaler, had taken Betty as his wife to his New Zealand whaling station when she was fourteen. After several years and two children, the family is returning from a visit to Sydney when their barque is wrecked near Mount Taranaki. A battle with local Maori follows, and Betty and her children are captured. Her husband goes to seek a ransom, but instead England engages in its first armed conflict with New Zealand Maori when he is persuaded to return with two naval ships. After her violent rescue, Betty’s life amongst the tribe comes under intense scrutiny. Based on real events, this is the compelling story of a marriage, of love and duty, and the quest for freedom in a pioneering age.” (Syndetics Review)

(It should be noted that this is just a very small selection! Dame Fiona has published more than 30 books — novels, collections of short stories and non-fiction — and has been included in a number of New Zealand anthologies also. Browse more of her fiction on our catalogue!)

Interested in the author herself?

Here are both volumes of her autobiography. Also — come along on Saturday!

At the end of Darwin Road / Fiona Kidman.
“What I have to tell is largely a personal narrative about how I came to inhabit a fictional world’ This absorbing memoir explores the first half of writer Fiona Kidman’s life, notably in Kerikeri amid the ’sharp citric scent of orange groves, bright heat and . . . the shadow of Asia’ – at the end of Darwin Road. From the distance of France, where Kidman spent time as the Katherine Mansfield Fellow in Menton, she reconsiders the past, weaving personal reflection and experience with the history of the places where she lived, particularly the fascinating northern settlements of Kerikeri and Waipu, and further south the cities of Rotorua and Wellington. Her story crosses paths with those of numerous different New Zealanders, from the Tuhoe prophet Rua Kenana, to descendants of the migration from Scotland led by a charismatic Presbyterian minister, to other writers and significant friends. We learn of Kidman’s struggles to establish herself as a writer and to become part of different communities, and how each worked their way into her fiction. At the End of Darwin Road is a vivid memoir of place and family, and of becoming a writer: ‘I was certain that . . . I would continue to write, if possible, every day of my life.’” (Syndetics summary)

Beside the dark pool / Fiona Kidman.
“In her first acclaimed volume of memoir, Fiona Kidman described her background and childhood, evoking the places she lived in and the people she knew. It finished with the publication of her first, hugely successful novel. In this sequel, she explores further the influences that shaped her subsequent books, her championing of New Zealand writing and writers and the significant people she has met along the way. There are political protests, controversial stands, family quests and journeys overseas – to Europe, North America and the East – journeys that marked her hard-won independence. Beautifully written and thought-provoking this is an important record of the last twenty-five years.” (Syndetics summary)

Dame Fiona on the web

And here are some other places you can find information about Dame Fiona online:

• Her official website
• The New Zealand Book Council website
• You can find a complete bibliography and list of articles and books about Dame Fiona in her New Zealand Literature File entry
• And, Christchurch City Libraries wrote up their experience of attending An Audience with Dame Fiona at the 2012 Auckland Writers and Readers Festival

Enjoy — and we hope to see you on Saturday night! (Register here!)

Linda is the library’s Fiction Customer Specialist.  She’s a big fiction reader and knows the collection really well - including graphic novels. 

Linda is a huge fan of graphic novels, especially Guy Delisle. Below she shares with us ten of her favourites.

Albert and the others / Guy Delisle.
“Limbs are swapped and pants are dropped in Albert and the Others, a collection of wordless strips that expose the pleasures, pitfalls, and perversities of masculinity. In this companion volume to Aline and the Others (2006), Guy Delisle delves deep into the male psyche and emerges with twenty-six alphabetically arranged strips, named after the men who tumble through the pages. These elastic protagonists risk damnation and dismemberment in a series of improbable slapstick relationships with women, which veer from the titillating to the downright macabre.” (Syndetics summary)

The squirrel mother stories / Megan Kelso.
“This acclaimed collection of graphic short stories includes personal and semi-autobiographical stories that draw heavily on the details of Kelso’s youth along with stories about the idea of America and American history.” (Syndetics summary)

Fluffy / Simone Lea.
“Lia weaves obsession, the bad faith of French existentialist note, and the rigors childhood visits upon the very young and the adults charged with their care into a delightful and insightful tale. Londoner Michael, adoptive father of Fluffy the bunny, takes Fluffy’s nursery school teacher to bed and then realizes she’s a bit of a stalker. Meanwhile, Michael’s parents and sister, living in Sicily, are dealing with each others’ obsessions, which include Christianity. For his part, Fluffy is obsessed, in the way only a small child can be, with tractors and farmers and doesn’t understand the ramifications of, and lack of ramifying factors in, Michael’s love life. Lia is an excellent storyteller, and her black-and-white cartoons expose not only the personalities of her characters but, literally, the inner workings of Michael’s mind. Elegantly simple but not simplistic, Fluffy’s world expands and contracts as we follow his and Michael’s progress, regressions, and small but realistic emotional victories. Tailor-made to introduce those willing to try that familiar (to them) format, the graphic novel” –Goldsmith, Francisca (Booklist) Used with permission

Shutterbug follies.
“A plucky and insatiably curious young woman, Bee works for a photofinishing technician at a one-hour lab in lower Manhattan. When pictures of a naked corpse are left for processing, Bee’s curiosity goes into high gear. “Shutterbug Follies” is a comic murder mystery filled with unlikely coincidences, humorous misunderstandings, and hairbreadth escapes.” (Fishpond)

Stargazing dog / Takashi Murakami ; translated by Atsuko Saisho & Spencer Fancutt.
“Reading this graphic novel is the emotional equivalent to listening to NPR’s StoryCorps moving, beautiful, and ultimately heart-wrenching. Murakami’s lovingly drawn, award-winning manga tells the story of a simple man’s life from the point of view of his devoted dog, Happie. Due to a combination of factors, circumstances change quickly for Happie’s nameless owner, Daddy, who was once a regular Joe with an office job and a family. Happie sticks by him through thick and thin, and, true to his name, Happie remains blissfully unaware of Daddy’s increasingly desperate living situation. As Daddy’s luck and health continue to fail, Happie becomes Daddy’s only friend and final joy. This touching story shows the cruelty of a modern society that allows those down on their luck to fall through the cracks.” –Mack, Candice. Used with permission. (Booklist)

Worst song, played on ugliest guitar / Chris Onstad.
“Riding high on the success of The Great Outdoor Fight, Achewood and Dark Horse Comics have compiled an extensively annotated collection of the first few years’ worth of Achewood comics. This is no mere companion volume to the cult-classic online strip: the entire prehistory of Achewood is set forth for the first time, and all of the celebrated alt-texts are included. Additionally, author Chris Onstad has literally littered the book with observations and rudities. TIME magazine named back-to-back Ignatz Award-winner Achewood its 2007 Graphic Novel of the Year, and legions of devoted fans consistently report that it makes them feel the way Bloom County and Calvin and Hobbes did when they were young.” (Syndetics summary)

Huntington, West Virginia “on the fly” / Harvey Pekar ; art by Summer McClinton.
“Huntington, West Virginia “On the Fly” is prime Pekar, recounting the irascible everyman’s on-the-road encounters with a cross section of characters—a career criminal turned limo-driving entrepreneur, a toy merchant obsessed with restoring a vintage diner, comic-book archivists, indie filmmakers, and children of the sixties—all of whom have stories to tell. By turns funny, poignant, and insightful, these portraits é la Pekar showcase a one-of-a-kind master at work, channeling the stuff of average life into genuine American art.” (Amazon)

Empire State : a love story (or not) / Jason Shiga.
“Shiga’s bold visual storytelling, sly pokes at popular culture, and subtle text work together seamlessly in “Empire State,” creating a quirky, graphic novel comedy about the vagaries of love and friendship.” (Syndetics summary)

The Walking Man / Jiro Taniguchi.
“Whoever takes the time these days to climb a tree in bare feet? To stop and observe the comings and goings of the birds? To play in the puddles after the rain has gone? To return a shell to the sea? The Walking Man follows a modern day Japanese business man as he strolls at random through urban Japan – often silent, usually alone – with his vivid dreams that let time stand still. Every corporate American should have a copy on their desk and, in times of stress, take two chapters, twice a day. Take a little stress out of your life and relax with The Walking Man, a little step every day. Lovingly reversed in collaboration with the creator to read left to right.” (Syndetics summary)

Pride of Baghdad / inspired by a true story ; written by Brian K. Vaughan; art by Niko Henrichon.
“During an American bombing raid in 2003, four lions escaped from the Baghdad Zoo. That true story is the basis for this excellent fable by Vaughan (Ex Machina; Runaways) and Henrichon in which the animals can talk to one another and discuss the relative merits of captivity and life in the wild. After they’re unexpectedly freed, Zill, the alpha male; his one-eyed ex-lover, Safa; his current lover, Noor; and Noor’s cub, Ali, must fend for themselves in an unfamiliar land: the ruined city. They discover dangers both man-made and-despite Noor’s insistence that animals can rise above their baser natures-among their own kind. This graphic novel works as an adventure story; a meditation on the pursuit, the problems, and the meaning of freedom; and a thoughtful allegory about the war in Iraq, with every scene having a deeper subtext.” (Library Journal)

We love graphic novels, and this week we’re highlighting some of our picks from the Libraries’ collection. (If you’d like to see the full list of our picks, you can view this here — Staff Curated Collection.)

Monty is the graphic novel buyer for the library and knows the collection inside and out (he has a seriously encyclopaedic knowledge of the graphic novels!), so we thought we’d highlight his selections below. Have a read and enjoy!

Mid-life : a comic book / by Joe Ollmann.
“You don’t have to be a twice-married 40-year-old man with a baby son, two grown daughters, and three old cats to enjoy this, but if you are, Ollmann’s no-holds-barred grapple with man’s propensity for self-aggrandizement, self-deception, and self-loathing may have uncanny resonance. In this fictionalized memoir, Canadian art director John Olsen is suffering from middle-age parent syndrome and screwing up at work and at home. He develops a crush on a children’s performer and takes a business trip to New York, where he may or may not cheat on his wife. This modest arc comprises an utterly compelling drama. The push and pull between John’s internal narrative and outward actions is exquisitely painful, especially for those of us (and that would be all of us) who think one thing and do another. John wants to be a better person, but he’s in danger of being defeated by his own gift for rationalization. The black-and-white, nine-panel-grid artwork shows influences from R. Crumb to Daniel Clowes (think sweat) but is definitely Ollmann’s own, and his warts-and-all character renderings are a perfect complement to this warts-and-all tale. Blemishes included, this is memoir at its best because the specifics are universal, not mere oversharing” (Graf Kei, Booklist)

Feynman / written by Jim Ottaviani ; art by Leland Myrick.
“Written by nonfiction comics mainstay Ottaviani and brilliantly illustrated by First Second author Myrick, “Feynman” tells the story of the great man’s life from his childhood in Long Island to his work on the Manhattan Project and the “Challenger” disaster.” (Syndetics summary)

Like a sniper lining up his shot / adapted by Jacques Tardi ; from the novel by Jean-Patrick Manchette ; [edited and translated by Kim Thompson].
“The Tardi/Manchette team of West Coast Blues reunites for another brutal neo-noir classic.” (Syndetics summary)

The influencing machine : Brooke Gladstone on the media / illustrated by Josh Neufeld ; with additional penciling by Randy Jones and Susann Ferris-Jones.
“Gladstone pens a visionary and opinionated work of graphic nonfiction on the media and its discontents.” (Syndetics summary)

Nemesis / writer & co-creator, Mark Millar ; artist & co-creator, Steve McNiven.
“What if the smartest, toughest costumed bad ass in the world was totally evil? Meet Nemesis. He’s systematically been destroying the lives of every police chief in Asia, and he’s now set his sights on Washington, D.C. This volume collects “Millar & McNiven’s Nemesis” #1-4.” (Syndetics summary)

Onward towards our noble deaths / Shigeru Mizuki ; translation by Jocelyne Allen.
“”[A] semi-autobiographical account of the desperate final weeks of a Japanese infantry unit at the end of World War Two. The soldiers are instructed that they must go into battle and die for the honor of their country, with certain execution facing them if they return alive.” –From publisher’s web site.” (Syndetics summary)

The plane story / written and illustrated by Kevin Sacco.
“A modern-day Bildungsroman, The Plane Story follows young artist Kevin Sacco as he inches his way into the New York commercial art scene of the 1970s. Along the way, we are introduced to his Communist-turned-ad exec father, a mother he never knew he had, a cigarette-smoking guardian angel, and a bevy of characters that all influence his fate. The Plane Story tells the universal story of a young man with a dream as he encounters the world’s complicated realities.” (Syndetics summary)

Life with Mr. Dangerous : a cartoon / by Paul Hornschemeier.
“Somewhere in the Midwest, Amy Breis is going nowhere. Amy has a job she hates, a creep boyfriend she’s just dumped, and a best friend she can’t reach on the phone. But at least her (often painfully passive-aggressive) mother bought her a pink unicorn sweatshirt for her birthday. Pink. Unicorn. For her twenty-seventh birthday. Gliding through the daydreams and realities of a young woman searching for definition, “Life with Mr. Dangerous” showcases acclaimed cartoonist Paul Hornschemeier’s gift for deadpan humor and dead-on insight with a droll aftertaste–an unlikely but welcome marriage of the bleak and the hopeful.” (Syndetics summary)

Dear creature / Jonathan Case.
“Much has been learned from 1960s beach horror movies: that secluded seaside rendezvous often end deadly, that one sea monster spotting terrorizes a community and ruins an otherwise freewheeling summer, and how to do the twist. But what is known of the notorious sea creature? In this debut, Case, a member of the Periscope Studio comics cooperative, dives into this question and introduces Grue, a well-read, romantic, and idealistic sea mutant whose burgeoning love affair is quelling his appetite for humans. Bottles containing a series of Shakespeare writings find Grue and inspire him to speak in iambic pentameter and find romance with the bottles’ source. Discovering the charming Giulietta, the agoraphobic human bibliophile bottle-tosser, isn’t as big of a problem for Grue as learning that Guilietta’s nephew is taking the fall for Grue’s beach snacks. Verdict Case’s debut is beautifully composed using clean, fluid, high-contrast black-and-white line art that gives this original story a classic feel. This clever and humorous narrative demonstrates stunning visual storytelling. Highly recommended.-Willow Fitzgibbon, Fayetteville P.L., AR (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.” (Library Journal)

Green River killer : a true detective story / writer Jeff Jensen ; artist Jonathan Case.
Presents the ultimate insider’s account of America’s most prolific serial killer – the Green River Killer, the man responsible for the murders of dozens of women.

This week’s graphic novels curator Shane Roberts certainly knows a lot about the genre.  Having spent many years reading, enjoying and selling graphic novels, he’s well-qualified to make recommendations. 

Below are his Top Ten choices for the Last Ten Years.

The walking dead series / Robert Kirkman, creator, writer, letterer ; Tony Moore, penciler, inker.
“An epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe, causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months, society has crumbled: there is no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV. Rick Grimes finds himself one of the few survivors in this terrifying future. A couple months ago he was a small town cop who had never fired a shot and only ever saw one dead body. Separated from his family, he must now sort through all the death and confusion to try and find his wife and son. In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally begin living.” (Syndetics summary)

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen / Alan Moore, Kevin O’Neill ; Ben Dimagmaliw, Bill Oakley [art].
“Take a group of extraordinary literary figures like Allan Quartermain, Captain Nemo, Dr. Jekyll, the Invisible Man and Mina Harker and put them together to save England from its enemies.” (Syndetics summary)

Planetary series / writer, Warren Ellis ; [artists, Phil Jiminez et al.]
“A universe of unexplained phenomena and deep mysteries, Planetary has formed to uncover and piece together the hidden wonders of the world. A team of mystery archaeologists, Elijah Snow, the temperature-controlling founder, Jakita Wagner, the invulnerable field leader, and The Drummer, a machine-manipulating eccentric, attempt to acquire and understand powerful artifacts before they fall into the wrong hands. Featuring Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and The Authority, this captivating volume follows the trio of adventurers as they stalk an amoral killer, prevent the collision of two universes, and defend against an invasion from beyond space.” (Syndetics summary)

Y : the last man series / Brian K. Vaughan, writer ; Pia Guerra, penciller ; Jose Marzan Jr., inker.
“When a plague of unknown origin instantly kills every mammal with a Y chromosome, unemployed and unmotivated slacker Yorick Brown suddenly discovers that he is the only male left in a world inhabited solely by women. Accompanied by his mischievous monkey and the mysterious Agent 355, Yorick embarks on a transcontinental journey to find his girlfriend and discover why he is the last man on Earth. But with a gang of feminist extremists and the leader of the Israeli Defense Forces hunting him, Yorick’s future, as well as that of the human race, may be short-lived.” (Syndetics summary)

Daytripper / by Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba.
“Every chapter of “Daytripper” features an important period in Bras de Olivias Dominguez’s life in exotic Brazil, and each ends with his death. Bras dies at different moments in his life, as the story follows him through his entire existence – one filled with possibilities of happiness and sorrow, good and bad, love and loneliness in a story about living life to its fullest, because any of us can die at any moment.” (Amazon)

Richard Stark’s Parker series / by Darwyn Cooke ; edited by Scott Dunbier.
“The Hunter, the first book in the Parker series, is the story of a man who hits New York head-on like a shotgun blast to the chest. Betrayed by the woman he loved and double-crossed by his partner in crime, Parker makes his way cross-country with only one thought burning in his mind — to coldly exact his revenge and reclaim what was taken from him!” (Syndetics summary)

Daredevil : the Murdock papers / writer, Brian Michael Bendis ; artist, Alex Maleev.
“The Eisner Award-winning run of Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev comes to a blistering conclusion! First, they outed Daredevil in the press; then they married him and made him the Kingpin of Hell’s Kitchen. What could they possibly do to top that? Four words: WILSON FISK IS BACK! Collects Daredevil #76-81.” (Syndetics summary)

Astonishing X-Men series by Joss Whedon ; artist, John Cassaday.
“They’re back! The chart-topping super-team of Joss Whedon and John Cassaday return for more Astonshing X-Men! If you thought their past efforts were full of shocks and surprises, hold onto your eyeballs – because you haven’t seen anything yet, as things go from peculiar to just plain bizarre!” (Syndetics summary)

Scalped series / Jason Aaron, writer ; R.M. Guera, artist.
“Jason Aaron, the up-and-coming writer of the critically acclaimed series The Other Side teams with gritty artist R.M. Guera for an intense crime drama that mixes organized crime with current Native American culture. Fifteen years ago, Dashiell “Dash” Bad Horse ran away from a life of abject poverty and utter hopelessness on the Prairie Rose Indian Reservation in hopes of finding something better. Now he’s come back home armed with nothing but a set of nunchucks, a hell-bent-for-leather attitude and one dark secret, to find nothing much has changed on “The Rez” — short of a glimmering new casino, and a once-proud people overcome by drugs and organized crime. Is he here to set things right or just get a piece of the action?” (Syndetics summary)

Sleeper : all false moves / writer, Ed Brubaker ; artist, Sean Phillips.
“Through acts of violence and murder against his friends and his country, Holden Carver has infiltrated the world’s most dangerous super-powered criminal organization. But with the one man who is aware of Carver’s true assignment and allegiance in a coma, the undercover operative finds himself trapped with no one he can trust. Now after being captured by his own government, Carver must find a way to prove the existence and validity of his mission or before he is forced to answer for his treasonous crime.” (Syndetics summary)

Ant has worked hard to become a recognised graphic artist in New Zealand.  He garnered a cult following for his dharma punk series, which he created and published in the 90s.  More recently he collaborated with Elizabeth Mitchell on the creation of bro’Town.  His latest comic, Shaolin Burning, was nominated for the New Zealand Post Book Awards.  Ant has chosen this week’s Graphic Novel Curated Collection.  Here’s the full list of his picks and you can check out his Top 5 favourites below.

Ant Sang’s Top 5

I never liked you : a comic-strip narrative / Chester Brown.
“In one of the best graphic novels published in recent years, Chester Brown tells the story of his alienated youth in an almost detached, understated manner, giving the book an eerie, dream-like quality. For the new 2002 definitive softcover edition Brown has designed new layouts for the entire book, using “white” panel backgrounds instead of the black pages of the first edition.” (Syndetics summary)

Ghost world / Daniel Clowes.
“Back for an amazing ninth printing, this is our bestselling book ever, a Catcher in the Rye for its generation and the basis for the Academy Award-nominated film. It tells the story of Enid and Rebecca, two above-it-all best friends confronted with the prospect of adulthood and the uncertain future of their friendship.” (Syndetics summary)

Blankets : a graphic novel / by Craig Thompson.
“At 592 pages, Blankets may well be the single largest graphic novel ever published without being serialized first. Wrapped in the landscape of a blustery Wisconsin winter, Blankets explores the sibling rivalry of two brothers growing up in the isolated country, and the budding romance of two coming-of-age lovers. A tale of security and discovery, of playfulness and tragedy, of a fall from grace and the origins of faith. A profound and utterly beautiful work from Craig Thompson.” (Syndetics summary)

Palestine / Joe Sacco.
“Based on years of research and extended visits to the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the early 1990s, “Palestine” is the first major comics work of political nonfiction by Sacco.” (Syndetics summary)

The complete Maus / Art Spiegelman.
“Now in paperback, “the most affecting and successful narrative ever done about the Holocaust” (Wall Street Journal). “The power of Spiegelman’s story lies in the fine detail of the story and the fact that it is related in comic-strip form”.–San Francisco Examiner. New York Times 1991 “Editor’s Choice”.” (Syndetics summary)

Here’s Ant Sang’s complete Graphic Novel Curated Collection.

For fans of magic or magicians, in the setting of the carnival or a circus, here are some realist and magic-realist novels you might like to try:

The night circus : a novel / Erin Morgenstern.
“Debut author Morgenstern doesn’t miss a beat in this smashing tale of greed, fate, and love set in a turn of the 20th-century circus. Celia is a five-year-old with untrained psychokinetic powers when she is unceremoniously dumped on her unsuspecting father, Hector Bowen, better known as Le Cirque des Reves’ Prospero the Entertainer. Hector immediately hatches a sinister scheme for Celia: pit her against a rival’s young magician in an epic battle of magic that will, by design, result in the death of one of the players, though neither Celia nor her adversary, Marco, is informed of the inevitable outcome. What neither Hector nor his rival count on is that Celia and Marco will eventually fall in love. Their mentors-Marco’s mentor, Alexander, plucked him from the London streets due to his psychic abilities-attempt to intervene with little success as Celia and Marco barrel toward an unexpected and oddly fitting conclusion. Supporting characters-such as Bailey, a farm boy who befriends a set of twins born into the circus who will drastically influence his future; Isobel, a circus employee and onetime girlfriend of Marco’s; and theatrical producer Chandresh Christophe Lefevre-are perfectly realized and live easily in a giant, magical story destined for bestsellerdom. This is an electric debut on par with Special Topics in Calamity Physics. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved” (Publisher Weekly)

Water for elephants / Sara Gruen.Water for Elephants
“An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of star-crossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932, by the bestselling author of “Riding Lessons.” “Gritty, sensual and charged with dark secrets involving love, murder and a majestic, mute heroine (Rosie the Elephant).”Q”Parade.”" (Syndetics summary)

Mechanique : a tale of the Circus Tresaulti / Genevieve Valentine.
“Come inside and take a seat; the show is about to begin… Outside any city still standing, the Mechanical Circus Tresaulti sets up its tents. Crowds pack the benches to gawk at the brass-and-copper troupe and their impossible feats: Ayar the Strong Man, the acrobatic Grimaldi Brothers, fearless Elena and her aerialists who perform on living trapezes. War is everywhere, but while the Circus is performing, the world is magic. That magic is no accident: Boss builds her circus from the bones out, molding a mechanical company that will survive the unforgiving landscape. But even a careful ringmaster can make mistakes. Two of Tresaulti’s performers are entangled in a secret standoff that threatens to tear the circus apart just as the war lands on their doorstep. Now the Circus must fight a war on two fronts: one from the outside, and a more dangerous one from within.” (Syndetics summary)

The princess bride : S. Morgenstern’s classic tale of true love and high adventure / the “good parts” version, abridged by William Goldman.The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure
“In this 30th anniversary edition, Goldman frames the famous fairy tale with an “autobiographical” story; his father had abridged the book as he read it to his son. Now, Goldman is publishing an abridged version, interspersed with comments on the parts that had been cut out.” (Syndetics summary)

The prestige / Christopher Priest.The Prestige
“Two 19th century stage illusionists, the aristocratic Rupert Angier and the working-class Alfred Borden, engage in a bitter and deadly feud; the effects are still being felt by their respective families a hundred years later. Working in the gaslight-and-velvet world of Victorian music halls, they prowl edgily in the background of each other’s shadowy life, driven to the extremes by a deadly combination of obsessive secrecy and insatiable curiosity. At the heart of the row is an amazing illusion they both perform during their stage acts. The secret of the magic is simple, and the reader is in on it almost from the start, but to the antagonists the real mystery lies deeper. Both have something more to hide than the mere workings of a trick.” (Amazon.co.uk)

Nights at the circus / Angela Carter ; with an introduction by Sarah Waters.
“Angela Carter has influenced a whole generation of fellow writers towards dream worlds of baroque splendour, fairy tale horror, and visions of the alienated wreckage of a future world. In Nights at the Circus she has invented a new, raunchy, raucous, Cockney voice for her heroine Fevvers, taking us back into a rich, turn of the 19th century world, which reeks of human and animal variety.” (Amazon.co.uk)

The finalists for the Australian Romance Readers Awards for 2011 have been announced, and they include Nalini Singh, Nora Roberts (in various guises), and more. There are nine awards given every year (you can browse previous winners here) in various categories: paranormal romance, sci-fi/urban fantasy/futuristic romance, short romance, historical romance, contemporary romance, erotic romance, romantic suspense, favourite romantic continuing series, and finally, members’ favourite Australian romance author. (No cyberpunk romances this year, alas.)

Here are some of the finalists (in various categories):

Shattered sky / Helene Young.
“On a routine surveillance flight east of the Australian coast, Captain Lauren Bennett’s crew pick up a mayday call. A yacht is under fire. For the international smugglers operating below the radar of the navy and Border Watch, sinking a pleasure craft is just part of their day s work. Lauren has other ideas. As she pursues the men into the isolated country of Cape York, she ll need all the help she can get. That will mean joining forces with the cynical navy officer Callam Granger, who’s already shown his contempt for her. What will it take to convince him she’s right this time? Can they put aside their old animosities to outwit, outrun and ultimately out-fly the traffickers? Or will another death shatter Lauren’s life completely?” (Global Books)

River marked / Patricia Briggs.
“Car mechanic and shapeshifter Mercy Thompson senses that an evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River – one that her father’s people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help.” (Syndetics summary)

Archangel’s blade / Nalini Singh.
“In the intensely dark, violent, and romantic fourth Guild Hunter novel (after Archangel’s Consort), Singh focuses on the 1,000-year-old vampire Dmitri, lieutenant to the archangel Raphael, and Guild Hunter Honor, still recovering after a rogue vampire kidnapped and tortured her for two months. Assigned by the Guild to work with Dmitri toward solving the strange murder of a young vampire, Honor must confront the conflicting emotions he inspires, which intensify when the investigation bleeds into her past abduction and Dmitri vows revenge on her attackers. Their relationship develops explosively and becomes one of equals despite the centuries of age difference. Singh’s vampires, angels, hunters, and archangels engage in global power struggles within a complex larger story that new readers will find challenging. An engrossing narrative, vivid characters, and a well-imagined world mitigate those difficulties, resulting in a heart-pounding and strongly emotional read.” (Publishers Weekly)

Prince of Scandal / by Annie West.
“Prince… Ruling prince Raul, Prince of Maritz, is furious that an archaic law is forcing him to wed. But scandal and unrest has dogged this prince for years, and a marriage to recently discovered princess Luisa Hardwicke will help bring stability to the monarchy. Reluctant princess… Only Luisa is an outspoken, mud-splattered farm-girl, who isn’t going to come quietly! Even as she’s reluctantly transformed into polished perfection, Luisa challenges Raul at every turn – and he finds himself anticipating their wedding night with an excitement he never imagined he’d feel… ” (Amazon.co.uk)

The next always / Nora Roberts.
“Beckett has no trouble whatsoever talking to women. It’s just Claire who has him at a loss for words. It all began when Beckett fell hard and fast for Claire in high school, but Claire wound up marrying Beckett’s best friend, Clint. Now, more than a decade later, Claire, a war widow, is back in Boonsboro, building a new life for herself and her sons as the owner of the town’s bookstore. Even though renovating the local inn keeps Beckett busy, he still manages to bump into Claire at least once a day, and he still finds himself surprisingly tongue-tied. Finally, when Beckett offers Claire an early tour of the inn, it leads to an unexpected kiss. With the first impeccably written and richly emotional installment in her new contemporary romantic trilogy, Roberts delivers all the elements her readers enjoy, including a perfectly matched pair of protagonists and a plot spiced with danger, a touch of the paranormal, and deliciously tart humor. Readers will also relish the autobiographical dimension. The novel is set in Roberts’ hometown, Boonsboro, Maryland, in which she owns a restored inn and is the proprietor of Turn the Page bookstore.” (Booklist)

Magic slays / Ilona Andrews.
“Kate Daniels has quit the Order of Merciful Aid, but starting her own business isn’t easy. So when Atlanta’s premier Master of the Dead asks for help with a vampire, Kate jumps at the chance. Unfortunately, this is one case where Kate should have looked before she leapt. Original.” (Syndetics summary)

What did you read in 2011? What authors and series did you discover? Were there books you loved and would recommend to anyone? We’d love to hear!

We put this question to our followers on Twitter, and received some great recommendations back. Here they are, together with a few Reader’s Choice reviews we received through the year. We always love hearing what Wellingtonians are reading (and getting ideas for our own reading lists!), so if you discovered your new favourite author in 2011, or found a wonderful new title – let us know!

Picks from Twitter:

The complete Maus / Art Spiegelman.
Published to mark the 25th anniversary of the original publication of Maus, this was @sidcarter’s pick – a “beautifully drawn comic”.
Here’s a review from Amazon.com:
“The Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus tells the story of Vladek Spiegelman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler’s Europe, and his son, a cartoonist coming to terms with his father’s story. Maus approaches the unspeakable through the diminutive. Its form, the cartoon (the Nazis are cats, the Jews mice), shocks us out of any lingering sense of familiarity and succeeds in “drawing us closer to the bleak heart of the Holocaust” (The New York Times). Maus is a haunting tale within a tale. Vladek’s harrowing story of survival is woven into the author’s account of his tortured relationship with his aging father. Against the backdrop of guilt brought by survival, they stage a normal life of small arguments and unhappy visits. This astonishing retelling of our century’s grisliest news is a story of survival, not only of Vladek but of the children who survive even the survivors. Maus studies the bloody pawprints of history and tracks its meaning for all of us.” (Amazon.com)

The broken book / Fiona Farrell.
@sarahjbarnett’s pick. Our catalogue says:
“The Broken Book consists of four essays about life and walking, bookended by a preamble and an afterword, and interrupted by 21 poems about the Christchurch earthquakes and their aftermath” (Publisher description)

The help / Kathryn Stockett.
@jopsonb chose The Help – on the New York Times Bestseller list in 2011 & 2009, and also made into a feature film in 2011.
Here’s a summary from our library catalogue:
“Aibileen is a black maid, raising her 17th white child, but with a bitter heart after the death of her son. Minny is the sassiest woman in Mississippi. Skeeter is a white woman with a degree but no ring on her finger. Seemingly as different as can be, these women will come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk.”

Reader’s Choice Reviews:

There should be more dancing / Rosalie Ham.
Reader review: “Should be required reading for all middle-aged children wondering how best to cope with elderly parents! Fiction, but a lot of truth as well”.
And here’s a plot summary from our catalogue:
“Margery Blandon was always a principled woman who found guidance from the wisdom of desktop calendars. She lived quietly in Gold Street, Brunswick for 60 years until events drove her to the 43rd floor of the Tropic Hotel. As she waits for the crowds in the atrium far below to disperse, she contemplates what went wrong; her best friend kept an astonishing secret from her and she can’t trust the home help. It’s possible her firstborn son has betrayed her, that her second son, Morris, might have committed a crime, her only daughter is trying to kill her and her dead sister Cecily helped her to this, her final downfall. Even worse, it seems Margery’s life-long neighbour and enemy now demented always knew the truth. There Should be More Dancing is a story of Margery’s reckonings on loyalty, grief and love.”

The last 100 days / Patrick McGuinness.
Reader review: “I thought this book was enthralling, terrifying and very funny. Partly autobiographical, this is the story of a young student caught up in the pre-Revolution madness of Bucharest as the insane, corrupt Ceauşescu “vampire” and his wife bring the country to its knees.”

Salvation city / Sigrid Nunez.
Reader review: “This book is a winner! I picked it up by mistake (not my sort of interest, fundamentalism), but found the characters real, the writing precise and thoughtful without sentimentality, and the process and journey very satisfying. Read from cover to cover in 3 days flat – read this book!”
And here’s a review from Amazon.com:
“After a flu pandemic has killed large numbers of people worldwide, the United States has grown increasingly anarchic. Large numbers of children are stranded in orphanages, and systems we take for granted are fraying at the seams. When orphaned Cole Vining finds refuge with an evangelical pastor and his young wife in a small Indiana town, he knows he is one of the lucky ones. Sheltered Salvation City has been spared much of the devastation of the outside world. But it’s a starkly different community from the one Cole has known, and he struggles with what this changed world means for him. As those around him become increasingly fixated on their vision of utopia – so different from his own parents’ dreams – Cole begins to imagine a new and different future for himself. Written in Sigrid Nunez’s deceptively simple style, Salvation City is a story of love, betrayal, and forgiveness, weaving the deeply affecting story of a young boy’s transformation with a profound meditation on the true meaning of salvation.”

Ragnarok : the end of the gods / A. S. Byatt.
Reader review: “The crux of this narrative is the relating of a number of Nordic myths by a child in wartime England. Not a re-interpretation but rather some straight-forward retellings. Though the material feeds familiar, the treatment of the myths through the ideas of the ‘then child’ were enchanting and compelling and made me able to read the myths as if for the first time once more.”

Emily, alone / Stewart O’Nan.
Reader review: “This book was a really moving and insightful consideration of old age. Older people as real people, with feelings and attitudes, rather than just the bit-characters they usually are in a younger person’s world or story. Excellent – not sentimental.”

Double Dexter : a novel / Jeff Lindsay.
Enjoy the Dexter television series? Here’s a review of the latest in the series of books this popular television show is based on: (This book was reviewed multiple times…)
“This definitely lived up to the example set by the author’s prior novels. [...] Great plot: twisted and darkly humorous as always, Dexter Morgan at his best. The best bits would have to be the descriptions – right down to every gory detail; uncensored and honest.”

The invasion year : an Alan Lewrie naval adventure / Dewey Lambdin.
Reader review: “Very entertaining, a good continuation of the series. Bit of a slow first half that warms up to an exciting finish. Dewey Lambdin is an excellent writer.”
And from our catalogue:
“Lambdin’s latest high-seas adventure takes Captain Alan Lewrie from the shores of Haiti to the English Channel to defend Britain from Napoleon’s planned invasion.”

Breaking Dawn, Part One has been out at the movies for a while now, so we thought it might be time to round up a few options for books you might enjoy if you enjoyed the Twilight series. Some of the books we’ve chosen are the first in a series (we always love discovering new series!), and some are standalones – but all feature the paranormal, and all involve a spectacularly supernaturally challenged relationship. If Twilight was your first foray into genre fiction (and even if it wasn’t), we think you’ll enjoy these titles.

Sunshine / Robin McKinley.
“There are places in the world where darkness rules, where it’s unwise to walk. Sunshine knew that. But there hadn’t been any trouble out at the lake for years, and she needed a place to be alone for a while. Unfortunately, she wasn’t alone. She never heard them coming. Of course you don’t, when they’re vampires. They took her clothes and sneakers. They dressed her in a long red gown. And they shackled her to the wall of an abandoned mansion – within easy reach of a figure stirring in the moonlight. She knows that he is a vampire. She knows that she’s to be his dinner and that when he is finished with her, she will be dead. Yet, as dawn breaks, she finds that he has not attempted to harm her. And now it is he who needs her to help him survive the day.” (Amazon.com)

We say: Sadly this is not one of those beginning titles in a series, although we wish it were (and we’re pretty sure you will too). Robin McKinley is known for her amazing retellings of fairytales, and this subject matter is a bit of a departure for her. You can read an excerpt, and praise from author Neil Gaiman, on McKinley’s website.

A discovery of witches / Deborah Harkness.
“It begins with absence and desire. It begins with blood and fear. It begins with a discovery of witches. When historian Diana Bishop opens an alchemical manuscript in the Bodleian Library, it’s an unwelcome intrusion of magic into her carefully ordered life. Though Diana is a witch of impeccable lineage, the violent death of her parents while she was still a child convinced her that human fear is more potent than any witchcraft. Now Diana has unwittingly exposed herself to a world she’s kept at bay for years; one of powerful witches, creative, destructive daemons and long-lived vampires. Sensing the significance of Diana’s discovery, the creatures gather in Oxford, among them the enigmatic Matthew Clairmont, a vampire geneticist. Diana is inexplicably drawn to Matthew and, in a shadowy world of half-truths and old enmities, ties herself to him without fully understanding the ancient line they are crossing. As they begin to unlock the secrets of the manuscript and their feelings for each other deepen, so the fragile balance of peace unravels…” (Global Books)

We say: a New York Times Bestseller, and deservedly so. The first in a series, although we have to wait till next year for the next title. It looks like it’s going to be a trilogy – read more on the author’s website.

Insatiable / Meg Cabot.
“Sick of hearing about vampires? So is Meena Harper. Meena Harper is familiar with the supernatural. After all, she knows how you’re going to die (Not that you’re going to believe her. No one ever does.) But not even Meena’s precognition can prepare her for Lucien Antonescu—who she meets and then makes the mistake of falling in love with—a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side for which an ancient society of vampire hunters would prefer to see him dead. The problem is Lucien’s already dead. Maybe that’s why he’s the first guy Meena’s ever met with whom she could imagine herself having a future. See, while Meena’s always been able to see everyone else’s destiny, she’s never been able look into her own. Lucien seems to be everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, though he might turn out to be more of a nightmare. So now would be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future… if she has one.” (Amazon.com)

We say: We’re pretty sure you’re not sick of hearing about vampires like Meena is, but we do think you’ll enjoy this latest adult fiction title from Meg Cabot, author of the Queen of Babble series and Heather Wells mysteries (as well as many teen fiction titles). One thing to be aware of: this is funnier, and more of a chicklit title than our other choices, but it definitely fills all our requirements for a supernatural romance, and it’s the first in a series. You can read excerpted chapters on Meg Cabot’s website. A modern retelling of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. There’s even a book trailer:

(Yes, we know it’s cheesy at the start, just keep watching – it gets funny!)

Beautiful creatures / by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl.
“Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she’s struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever. Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town’s oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them. In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.” (Global Books)

We say: This is another Crossover Fiction title, like Twilight. Beautifully written, and sort of Southern Gothic. I, for one, couldn’t put this down.

These are just a few titles to get you started – there is much, much more paranormal romance available on our catalogue, but you might have to browse a bit to find something exactly to your tastes. A lot of it is Crossover Fiction too – so have a browse of the Teen shelves and see if anything catches your eye. Enjoy!