Library Report

The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G Wells
My second encounter with H.G. Wells, who really captured my imagination with his novel Time Machine. While not as good as Time Machine in my oppinion, it was a very enjoyable read. Heck, you might go so far as to call it a classic. I watched the 90’s adaptation staring Val Kilmer and Marlon Brando several days after I finished the book. Needless to say, I was ghastly mortified by the translation.

After The Quake by Haruki Murakami
A collection of short stories, each in some way related to the great Kobe earthquake of 1995. Super Frog Saves Tokyo, the most absurd story in this collection, is one of the funniest pieces of prose I’ve ever read. This was my introduction to Murakami, and I’m eager to read the novels for which he is known best.

David Boring by Daniel Clowes
Daniel Clowes walks the line between comics and film closer than any other cartoonist I’ve read. This here book is a suspensful drama that follows the hardboiled life of one David Boring. There’s sex, murder, terrorist attacks (?!), love … Absolutely a must read for fans of Ghost World.

Ice Haven by Daniel Clowes
The most experimental approach in storytelling I’ve seen from Clowes so far (Ghost World, David Boring). Especially liked the Critic character. In some ways this book reminded me of Chris Ware’s style.

Carnet de Voyage by Craig Thompson
Can Craig Thompson do no wrong? Even his travel journal is a masterpiece. Crushingly beautiful, emotive, insightful … it portrays the private life of Thompson, the “tortued artist”, as he travels for three months through Morocco, France, Barcelona, the Alps. The poetry of life just spills out of Thompson, creating a narrative effect remeniscent of Hemmingway’s The Sun Also Rises. I plan to buy a copy of this, so I can look at it whenever I’m having one of my whiney moments.