What would you do to defend your right to read? Library War is a fun manga series from 2007 that responds to that question with action, comedy, romance, and an amazing cast of characters that are sure to become close to any reader's heart. Based on the novel series Toshokan Sensou and adapted into a TV series, Library War is set in a future where the Japanese government is cracking down on the media. With all political solutions exhausted, the libraries decide to militarize and fight back against this imposed censorship.
The story follows Iku Kasahara as she works to become the first female Task Force member of the Library Defense Force. While she was in High school, government soldiers came into the book store she was shopping at to enforce a recently released banning list. The book she was holding and about to purchase was on their list of books and she refused to give it up, even as the soldier tried to tear it from her hands. Saved by a member of the Library Task Force, her nameless "prince" becomes her own noble goal to help protect the readers of Japan. The Task Force members not only act as librarians as we know them, but are the library's main defenders and field operatives.
The strength of this series comes from the cast: the naive and energetic Kasahara, the other newbie and more stoic Hikaru Tezuka, the gruff drill sergeant Atsushi Dojo, Kasahara's roommate, the more information minded Asako Shibasaki and jovial branch Captain Ryusuke Genda are all characters that are given time to shine, even in their shorter screen time. Each of them are well fleshed characters, not only by their actions, but also their beliefs about what libraries should stand for. These aren't just people you’d want fighting for your right to read, but people you’d love to see working at your local library as normal staff as well.
Another notable thing about this series is the lack of a concrete villain. There is of course the Media Betterment Act and Committee and their own militarized force, but very few of them are portrayed as outright anti-library. The story takes care to show that the enemy is the policy, and not the people tasked with enforcing it.
The manga itself has more of a focus on the romantic side of the plotline, and a slightly bigger bend towards comedy. Sadly, the TV series and the original novels themselves haven't been officially brought to America yet, but look for future blog posts for information on when this incredible series brings them over. If you see this series in your library, be sure to give the first volume a read. You won't regret it!
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The price of the movie theater experience keeps going up so it only makes sense to spend more time watching movies at home where you can make up your own rules and not bother the stranger in front of you. With a group of like-minded friends and some free DVDs from Queens Library, you can even throw a theme party.
My friends and I often come up with ideas for such events that start with a couple of possible titles and soon morph into a three-day festival. The "I Love NY/I Hate LA" theme would now take about a week to do properly. Obviously some editing is required in picking the movies. I am always happy to offer suggestions for themes and films, but feel free to make them your own.
April is National Poetry Month and several films come immediately to mind.Hot off his Academy Award performance, James Franco can be seen portraying Allen Ginsberg in Howl (2010). It's an under-appreciated film about the writing and impact of the famous poem of the same name. Judging by its limited theatrical run, it's a good bet that you haven't seen it yet.Another film focused on one wordsmith with a New York connection would be The Basketball Diaries (1995). Leonardo DiCaprio portrays doomed poet, musician and junkie Jim Carroll.Both films deal with very adult themes, so put the kids in another room with the latest Pixar/Disney/PBS obsession while you hang with your own Beat crowd.
If watching real modern poets do their thing with a hip-hop flair is more to your taste, you can pick up the HBO series Def Poetry which ran for seven seasons between 2002 and 2007. All 45 episodes might be too much in one sitting, but you could always make a contest out of it. Winners get to act like Mos Def or Russell Simmons and host the next party.
Finally, there's the Citizen Kane of Hollywood poetry movies, Dead Poets Society (1989). Robin Williams and a cast of gorgeous young men (there are women at your party, right?) tear up textbooks, jump on tables and generally broaden their outlook on life via the wonders of classic poetry from the masters. The movie has action, comedy, drama and is a crowd-pleaser. To my taste the only thing better would be the scenes between middle-aged student Rodney Dangerfield and poetry professor Sally Kellerman in Back to School (1989). Now, what rhymes with Triple Lindy?
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Pink covers on a hardcover novel usually suggest a chick-lit book. The Richest Season by Maryann McFadden is much more than your typical boy meets girl story. The characters are older with the main character Joanna an empty- nester in New Jersey who misses her children.She is a corporate wife whose husband dictates one relocation move too many. After 25 years, she leaves Paul and flees to the one place she remembers being happy, Pawleys Island, South Carolina where she becomes a live-in companion of a dying woman, Grace. Life lessons about love, loss, and one’s own worth are woven into a well-written, fast-paced story with characters you can care about.
Memoirists can pick and choose the stories they tell, and while some have been known to outright lie or embellish (i.e. James Frey or Augustan Burroughs), Julie Klausner in her memoir, I Don't Care about Your Band: What I Learned from Indie Rockers, Trust Funders, Pornographers, Felons, Faux Sensitive Hipsters, and Other Guys I've Dated, is more open and honest about experiences that were painful and embarrassing than one might think she should be.Klausner, a comedy writer and performer, recounts her quest for love in New York City and many of the details she divulges are often hilarious and at times excruciating. She describes how after her first sexual experiences in high school she felt that the boys involved were doing her a favor. In her twenties she learns that ”when a guy dates you for three months and you still can’t call him your boyfriend, it’s time to figure out why it is you’re still hooking up with him.”In the process, she learns to stay away from people who are not able to meet her needs. Klausner’s sense of humor may seem a bit off-color at times and this book may not be for everyone, but women in their twenties and thirties, and particularly women who’ve dated in New York City, might “relate to the sad stuff that’s funny” and “marvel at the stories they’re grateful to experience only from the safe distance of a spectator.”
Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day GeorgeCreelisel Carlbrun is the daughter of a poor farmer and a mother who is talented in sewing and embroidery.When they die, she and her brother go to live with their aunt.Her aunt hatches an elaborate plot to get Creel married, but she decides to leave her aunt’s home to seek her fortune in the King’s Seat, her country’s capital. On her way there she is waylaid by some bandits and is rescued by a dragon.What follows this wonderful beginning is a story of a young heroine who never gives up, eccentric dragons who are not violent but collect things that interest them, like stained glass windows, rare books or shoes.A pair of magic blue slippers plays an integral part in the story.Another appealing element in the story is a crown prince who is not a snob.This light fantasy with very little violence will appeal to girls aged 10 and up especially those interested in fashion as the author lovingly describes gowns that the talented heroine designs and makes.Readers can follow Creel’s adventures in the sequel Dragon Flight & Dragon Spear.
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Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography by Sidney Jacobson and Ernie ColónDid you like reading, Anne Frank the Diary of a Young Girl, but wondered what happened before they went into hiding and what happened after they were discovered in the Secret Annex?Then this is the book for you, it covers the events that led up to WWII, Anne’s parents, about Anne’s life before hiding, during that period, and what happened after they were discovered. The book is in an easy to read graphic novel format and really holds your attention.So pick up this book and read what the Diary left out.
Anyone with a handheld device these days know about Angry Birds. And if you don’t, you will soon enough if you have a Wii, PS3, or Xbox 360. Angry Birds are everywhere! Why? What’s so awesome about Angry Birds?The back story: Birds are protective of eggs. Pigs stole eggs. Revenge begins!
The whole game consists of catapulting 5 different types of birds with different abilities to eliminate the pigs. Similarly other catapult games have been on the market before, so what make Angry Birds so appealing? For me, it’s the artwork and the music. I’ve never seen birds this angry before. It’s kind of… amusing. And for anyone that have played Angry Birds and listened to the opening sequence, who did not find themselves humming along. It’s catchy!
The game combines puzzle and physics together, throwing in a storyline to create the perfect meme game for the decade. The snotty green pigs will shield themselves with wood, glass, steel, and helmets. The players are armed with a slingshot and the following birds:
- Red Bird – Your regular angry bird.
- Blue Bird – When tapped, it splits into three little blue birds.
- Yellow Bird – When tapped, goes really fast.
- Black Bird – Rolls around, then explodes. Also explodes when tapped.
- White Bird – When tapped, drops an egg and bounces away.
As I come back to writing this post after setting the Angry Birds theme song as my ringtone, I think Angry Birds is a crazy phenomenon that could be the next Bejeweled or Tetris. I see people playing it on the subway. I see people playing it while waiting anywhere. My mother is playing it (well, I introduced it to her, but that’s another story). People that never played video games before are playing Angry Birds. And Rovio recently came out with a Halloween and Christmas edition.
There is no stopping it. The 2010s is decade of Angry Birds. (That’s just my opinion. Please don’t try to fling actually birds on slingshots; it’s against the law).
If you pay attention to book buzz on Twitter and at publisher previews, the 1920s are the new vampires. Whether or not that's true, Diamond Ruby is thoroughly enjoyable. The book opens with a young girl, Ruby Thomas, at Ebbets Field, attending a baseball game where she catches a foul ball and begins her fascination with the game. Called "Monkey Girl" for her long arms, Ruby soon discovers a talent with her captured ball: she call throw far, she can throw fast, she can throw hard.
Five years later, the Spanish influenza strikes New York City, killing most members of Ruby's family, and leaving her to care for her young nieces who have been orphaned by her sister-in-law's death and brother's descent into alcoholism. Unable to receive any sort of aid, since her brother should be supporting them, Ruby begins to provide for the family any way possible: catching squirrels for stew, posing in sexy lingerie, packing dates, beading, and finally heading to Coney Island: the "one other place you could still go when you'd fallen as far as she had." She lands a gig as "Diamond Ruby" -- the girl who can throw faster than anyone. After a few news stories, she begins to attract attention and her life becomes a whirlwind of celebrity, hanging out with Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey, and intrigue as she find herself tangled up in the business of rumrunners, mobsters, the KKK, a Prohibition agent, and a shady Coney Island boss. The fun really starts when Ruby begins to pitch for an otherwise all-male minor league team.
Wallace has a flair for the time period and subject, and the writing is solid. I love the baseball/moon on the cover. Ruby's determined spirit is inspirational without being overly cheesy. She is a girl who thinks she can do anything because such an attitude is required in order to take care of her.