Adult Graphic Novel Review - True Blood: All Together Now Volume 1

True Blood: All Together Now Volume 1

(Graphic Novel)
By: Alan Bail, David Tischman, Mariah Huehner, 
and David Messina
London Public Library Call #: F Bal V.1
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

About 2 months ago I picked up this graphic novel from the public library in hopes of being able to use it for a Young Adult Booklist on YA graphic novel literature on vampires. After looking at some super "hot/sexual" photos in the book I knew I was not able to include this title in the YA pathfinder. However, I did try and skim through it as I am still trying to make an effort into enjoying graphic novels. So far, I am sold and I do enjoy them! Can you believe it? I can't lol! When I first read this book I didn't really understand it at all. The plot line was confusing but the images where amazing so I just looked at the photos and returned the book to the public library unread. A couple of weeks later, I got the first volume of True Blood, the HBO TV series on DVD from the London public Library. I was hooked!!! It was super hot and I loved the plot line. Unfortunately this graphic novel did not give the storyline any justice. The graphic novel took place approximately mid way through the TV series, which made you need to know the characters, their backgrounds, and who knows who, who has slept with who and who will eventually be sleeping with whom. As I read this graphic novel for the second time after watching the entire first season of True Blood, the book was still confusing and very scattered. However, the illustrations where still very amazing and the clearly reflect the characters physical features and mannerisms. I could totally picture Lafayette and Tara in the TV show episodes dropping the F Bombs with their waving hand motions! Love it! Unfortunately, I still wasn't overly fond of this graphic novel. I like how it had coloured images throughout the whole book and the characters in the book looked very similar to the characters in the TV episodes. Therefore, I give this adult graphic novel a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Movie Review: The King's Speech

The King's Speech

Canadian Home Video rating: 14A

Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, & Helena Bonham Carter

London Public Library Call #: F Kin

Rating: 5/5 Stars

This biographic film was absolutely amazing! Not only was it truly inspiring, but it was also very enjoyable. The movie pulls you in with its humour and empathy it draws from you for Colin Firth's character Bertie. At times I was laughing very hard (mostly the times where Firth's character was going through his speech therapy sessions) and at other times I held my breath as I felt bad for Bertie's speech impediment struggles. This movie would be a hit for both teenagers and adults as it is a movie where all individuals can relate to the main character, Bertie. Individuals can relate to the movie's plot line with a time they themselves had to overcome a struggle, disability, situation, etc. I would definitely recommend this movie for any teen or adult to watch as well as recommend this item to any public library teen and/or adult film collection. This movie was so great it definitely deserves 5 out of 5 stars. Love It!



What did you get this week from your public library?

1- True Blood Volume One: All Together by Alan Ball, David Tischman, Maria Huehner & David Messina (Adult Graphic Novel)

2- Call me Russell by Russell Peters (Adult Biography)

3- Love, Lust & Faking It: The Naked Truth About Sex, Lies, And True Romance by Jenny McCarthy (Adult Non-Fiction)

4- Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day by Alliance (Comedy DVD)

5- Virgin Territory: Stories from the Road to Womanhood by Cathy Alter (Adult Fiction)

Well it has been a little while since I last posted a message on my blog. I went to Ottawa for the week for the Easter Holiday and for an interview with the Ottawa Public Library for a Student Program Library Assistant job. My fingers and toes are all crossed! Here is a list of the books and DVD I got from London Public Library yesterday evening once I arrived back in London. Enjoy!

Why I'm Starting To Like Blogging...

I have really enjoyed blogging this term for my LIS 9364 - Young Adult Materials class. Despite being done school, I plan on continuing to write on my blog. I have come to the conlcusion that I enjoy blogging because it is a lot like scrapbooking online. I love scrapbooking! To my right are two pages from my personal scrapbook. They are from my Christmas vacation with my family in Cancun Mexico. I enjoy scrapbooking because you can be creative and make it your own. The same goes with each blog post. You get to personalize your blog post and scrapbook pages with different  pictures, fonts and colours. LOVE IT!

What Did You Get This Week From Your Public LIBRARY?

I am super happy my week old flowers are still alive and looking beautiful. The lilies died but that was it. So I am still trying to do a weekly post of what I got from my public library this week. This week I decided to get some movies from my library. I am officially done school and want to vedge out this week and recover from the long hard hours I have put in over the past 8 months. Today I got one of my all time favorite movies Corrina, Corrina with Whoopi Goldberg. Now she is a lady that can pull off wearing some pretty gloves. During our last LIS 9364 group presentation, one of the presenters brought up the book and movie Pippi Longstocking. Later that week I placed a hold for the book and movie and I picked them up this morning. I have never read the book yet (which is translated from Swedish to English) and will be doing so very soon.  Now I am off to watch a movie, I just don't know which one yet. Here is a list of what I got this week from the London Public Library.

Pippi Longstocking (Book) by Astrid Lindgren

The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking (DVD) by Columbia Pictures

Corrina, Corrina (DVD) by Alliance Atlantis

Vampire's Assistant (DVD) by Universal Studios

Wild Dogs (DVD) by Walt Disney

The Sopranos - 5th Season (DVD) by HBO Video (Adult)

The Time Has Come To Go Down A New Path: I'm Finally an MLIS GRADUATE!!!

This day has finally come! I have officially handed in all of my assignments and have attended all of my classes, and well it does feel kinda weird. I am very happy it is over but I know I will miss it and I will get bored in the next few weeks if I don't staying busy. But the time has come now for me to move forward. For one I can't wait to get out of this apartment. The neighbours above us are super loud and I just want to move back to Ottawa. Ben an I are here until the end of May. Our lease ends May 31st but most likely we will go home the week before. We are moving back into my Mom's place and I am stoked lol. Soon we will be around our friends and family. I will definitely miss my new friends I made here at the MLIS program and I plan on staying in touch with them. Last night Ben and I celebrated with the CLA UWO Student Chapter. Nine of us went to Palasad Bowling on Adelaide Street here in London. It was great! Tonight I am off to my friend Sarah's birthday party. The celebrations have began! But reality has also set in... start applying for jobs. I have applied to two so far. One for a library program assistant position and one for a part-time librarian position, both with the City of Ottawa. I really really REALLY hope I get one of these jobs for the summer. One journey has just ended, and now I am in search of a new one. I hope this one will be just as beautiful and colourful as my experience I have just finished at the University of Western Ontario.

Week 13 - Paranormal is the New Normal

Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

Generation Dead
By Daniel Waters
LPL Call # F Wal

So my boyfriend and a few of my friends from the MLIS program are Zombie junkies. Ben (my bf) loves the Left 4 Dead video game. He plays it all the time. At first I was totally not into the whole zombie thing. Over time I started to like playing this video game and sometimes I will watch him play. Zombie culture is out there and people love it. We even have a zombie themed bathroom in our apartment! (That was the least I could do since Ben moved to London with me for my schooling).
There are numerous young adult fiction novels today on paranormal activities such as vampires, werewolves, and zombies. Daniel Waters' Generation Dead is on the subject of teenage zombies. I am still trying to understand the whole zombie apocalypse and how it can occur. In this novel, Waters describes zombies as the "living impaired" (Waters: 3). I thought, "Okay. Kinda cool and catchy." But I'm still not really getting into this whole phenomenon yet.

My personal biases of not believing in the possibility of zombies taking over our planet or even the notion of people living despite they are dead -aka zombies, held me back from enjoying this book. However, after Waters describes the possibility of teenagers being able to become zombies based on the "Frankenstein Formula Theory" where a certain mixture of teenage hormones and fast food preservatives allow for teens to not die and become the living impaired (Waters: 7) made me think this is a bit more logical and I can try and look past the truth that zombies can or can not be a possibility in the future.

I choose this book for this weeks LIS 9364 class discussion not only because it was the first one to arrive on my holds list, but for the reason that there was a zombie cheerleader on the front. I was a cheerleader for my highs school and I thought "A zombie cheerleader, now this is neat!" Unfortunately, there where no living impaired cheerleaders referenced within the book, just living cheerleaders. There was however Tommy Williams, who was a zombie football player in the novel. False advertisement! But here you can see a marketing strategy maybe instilled on the publishing company. Put a female zombie cheerleader and we may just get a lot of female teen readers. Why not put a male zombie football player on the cover and attract both male and female teens? Hello more sales, and more readers.

Despite all of this information of me not believing in zombies, I enjoyed this book. Despite it being a 392 page novel, it is a quick read as the language used is easy to understand. The characters where all great (both alive and living impaired). Not only is romance a theme within this novel, but tolerance and understanding for others who are different then oneself is also discussed (a great theme to discuss within a young adult novel as they to are learning to do the same). Overall, I would rate this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars!