Book Posters

I know it's been quite a while since I posted anything here.  The funny thing is that I have about six half-finished book reviews just sitting in my drafts waiting to be posted.  As soon as I have a second to myself, I swear I'll finish them up.

In the meantime, I found some lovely book posters over at modcloth that I wanted to share with everyone.

Moonshine-Dreamworks Artists After Dark

When I first encountered this book, I was tickled pink that the Dreamworks artists had gotten together to print a book of personal art.  I flipped through it, admired the art, and put it right back on the shelf.  It wasn't until fairly recently that I decided to fork over the cash to buy it.  If you're an artist, then you know how much art books generally cost. It's comparable to buying college textbooks, so you better love the art inside.

Honestly, it's not a book I'll be re-reading over and over again.  A lot of the art books I buy are used for reference, like the Spectrum series.  The art in Spectrum books is mainly from the industry(created for a client).  Not personal pieces.  It's organized by medium-whether it was printed in a comic, or for concepts.  This makes it incredibly helpful when I want to reference lighting, color scheme, or style for a particular industry.

The art in this book was lovely, but it felt like visiting Deviantart with all the dregs filtered out.  Don't get me wrong, I think it's wonderful that such a diverse group works together to make exceptional animated films.  But this is definitely a  book for art lovers, not artists.

That said, I'd like to highlight some of my favorite artists in the book:

Devin Crane-His stylized girls look like the jumped right out of the 70's.

Goro Fujita- There's obviously a story behind his robot and kid paintings, and I want to know what it is!

Ritche Sacilioc-His urban war torn and massive metal structure environment paintings seem to belong is a video game.

Shannon Tindle-Her fantasy paintings are beautifully lit, making you want to live inside them.

Dominique Louis, Simon Rodgers, and Jason Willian Scheier are all amazing landscape painters.  I'm in awe.

Patrick Mate-A wonderful sense of humor is evident in his work

Takao Noguchi-His fanciful illustration on the back cover was what convinced me to buy the book

Bibliophile iPhone 4 Cases

I found these really cute iPhone 4 cases over at Modcloth.  Makes me wish I owned an iPhone, but they're too expensive for a poor students like me.  So far, they only have  Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird style cases.  They're both adorable, although I prefer the To Kill a Mockingbird case.  I'm drawn to the cool color scheme; and to be honest, I prefer the novel.  Of all the books I was forced to read in high school and middle school, that was one of the few I breezed through.

What book cover would you want on your phone case?
I'd love to have a Wonderful Wizard of Oz cover for my phone.  Not only is green one of my favorite colors, but I love the font!  The letters just have a wonderful aesthetic to them, especially that "f" in "of".  Publishers just don't do that anymore!

Legacy of the Dead, by Charles Todd

Wow, it's been a while since I posted anything on here.  I'd like to claim it was because my final year of college has started, and I've been updating my portfolio in preparation for entering the job market, but that wouldn't be entirely accurate.

The thing about creating and maintaining a blog is that there is a fear attached to it.  You worry that your writing style is too long winded, or that you're not giving an accurate review of the material you feature. Since my last blog post, I've thought many times about entries I would like to write, but I couldn't find the initiative to type them up.  You have to overcome those insecurities and realize there will always be someone who disagrees with what you are writing, and accept these factors. Or that could just be me and my paranoia...

Anyway...back to the review!

With Borders closing down this month(sigh), I've been doing a lot of book shopping, especially literature, mysteries, and comics.  I don't know what changed, but I've gotten to the point where I don't want to pick up another fantasy novel ever again. Somewhat similar to listening to your favorite song one too many times.

One mystery series that I stumbled across is the Ian Rutledge mysteries by Charles Todd.  The series follows a Scotland Yard detective who is also a World War I (or Great War if we go with the time period) vet.  Rutledge hides a great deal of mental trauma from the war by burying himself in his work. His greatest secret from the war is that he had to kill one of his own men, a Scot named Hamish, for refusing to return to No Man's Land.  This death has weighed so heavily on Rutledge that the voice of Hamish is trapped within his mind.  Not only does this highlight the timeless horrors of war, but it allows Hamish to play a Watson to Rutledge's Holmes.

Most of the novel is set in a vividly detailed Scottish village.  There are one too many characters for me to keep up with, and it would have been helpful if there was a chart in the back of the book.  I often get confused by village life stories, especially when the characters are all referred to by their last names. This is especially confusing for a mystery novel when you're trying to keep track of who did what!

For the most part though, I was able to keep up with Rutledge's investigation.  This was very different from an Agatha Christie mystery.  Christie usually likes to sneak in little bits of information that she can reveal later on as being vital to the case.  I have a feeling this was more like a real investigation.  Rutledge just continues to hound the suspects and review his notes over and over again with his doubts voiced by Hamish.

Overall, this was a very satisfying read.  My main critique is that the ending was a cliff hanger.  Todd leaves Rutledge in a critical condition without tying up the mystery with a pretty little bow.  The murderer is caught, but in a manner that leaves the reader still asking questions.  Again, this is probably more like a real life investigation.

You have to buy the next book in the series to find out how it all ended, which doesn't sit well with me.  Still, if you're looking for a good post-WWI book, this should fit the bill.

Trickster's Choice, by Tamora Pierce

Leandra says:

Trickster’s Choice is a two-part series that follows the daughter of a very well-known heroine: Alanna from the Lioness Quartet. Aly (or Alianne) wants to be a spy, but her parents have a hard time understanding that. The resulting arguments eventually drive Aly to leave home in search of her own adventure. She ends up getting caught by pirates, and sold to a noble family in a strange land. 

Meg says:

 While there, Aly makes a deal with the local god.  Aly is to keep the noble's daughters alive for one summer.  In return, the god will send Aly back home with a good word to her parents.  With the gods help, Aly takes up the challenge.  Along with the god, Aly is aided by crows, mages, and the locals of the island country.  But more than anything, Aly must rely on her own strength. 

Leandra says:

 Aly is not your typical heroine - while mature for her age, she is still very much a vulnerable teenager. She is intelligent, clever, and skilled, and constantly displays that in her dance through the precarious political webs. She is charged with protecting a noble family through hard, violent times, and needs to stay ahead two steps. 

Meg says:

 This well developed heroine is placed within the Copper Isles, which Tamara Pierce has loaded with history and depth.  There islands were the home of the raka people before the laurin invaded their home.  This history plays an integral part of the story, along with a prophecy of a twice royal queen who will free the raka people.

Leandra says:

 My favorite thing about Tamora Pierce is her ability to infuse her stories with such deep histories, political systems, and a complete geography. When reading one of her books, you truly feel as if you've gone to visit a real country. 


Megan, though there are many to choose from, who was your favorite character?

Meg says:

 Hmm..I'd have to say Nawat Crow was my favorite in this book.  Nawat enters the story as one of the crows who has made some sort of bargain with the god, Kyprioth, to keep Aly alive while in the islands.  The crows teach Aly their language, and serve as her spy network in her new home.  Nawat is particularly interested in Aly from the beginning.  About a third of the way through the novel, he changes into a human so that he may help Aly protect the girls.


 Nawat is naive of the workings of the world, which allows Aly to revaluate her world while explaining human customs to him.
 Still, Nawat is a crow at heart, and acts as such.  He eats bugs, preens others, and asks Aly if he can feed her from his crop.  I own a parrot, so I can relate to all of this.


 What about you, Leandra?  Who was your favorite?

Leandra says:

 I was most fond of Dove, or Dovasary Balitang. She is the half-raka daughter of the Duke Mequen, and the most sensible character in the series. Despite her age, Dove is wise, gentle, and very mature. She is much more caring and patient than her older sister, Sarai. Dove mingles with all classes, from the poorest of the poor, to the highest of royals. She has many talents, some of those being chess, archery, and astronomy. 
 I also loved Nawat. He was delightfully innocent and pure, while being an extremely helpful ally to Aly during the series.

Meg says:

 Dove would have to be my second favorite character in this book.  I love all of the traits you've listed, but I would argue that Dove doesn't really become a fully formed character until the second book in the series, Trickster's Queen. Many of her hobbies and personality quirks are not revealed until Trickster's Queen.

                                                                        Leandra says:

Very true. I love watching the characters develop throughout the series. 

I just want to note that this series can be read without previous knowledge of Mrs. Pierce's other novels. They are all set in the same universe, and some characters from the Lioness Quartet do make an appearance, but it does not hinder these books in any way. 

Megan, I really enjoyed how intricate the political system was written. Tamora was quite thorough with creating a realistic kingdom - I appreciate the effort and amount of research she puts into her novels.

Megan says:

As this is a teen novel, I really enjoy that historical and political richness that Tamora Pierce places in her novels.  I believe this is a good introduction to real world studies, and could encourage teens to research the events that Ms. Pierce based her novels on.  

Going back to characters, while I do enjoy Ms. Pierce's writing, these characters are definitely written for a teenage audience.  After rereading both Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen as an adult, I don't find them as involving as I did when I was younger.  Aly's problems are those of a teenage girl developing into her own person.  This book is a great read for a teen, but may not be so enjoyable for an older audience.

A Sad Day in the Book World

For those of you who have not heard, Borders bookstore chain will be closing down.  This is after a long struggle to keep up with Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and other book providers.

Of course, this will affect the business side of things; but more importantly, it will affect many individuals.  I've already seen many of the employees from one of Albuquerque's previously closed Borders deal with the struggle of finding a new place to work. Regular customers must now find other book sellers.

Borders has been my favorite bookstore for a while now.  I don't just go there to buy books.  I stay in the cafe and work there. I find their atmosphere much more welcoming than that of Barnes & Nobles when staying for long periods of time.  Borders cafe's have larger tables, and outlets anyone?  Hardly any at Barnes & Noble.  This has also been the place where I meet up with people. Or I just spend time there by myself to get away from college life.

I remember when Walden Books closed in our local mall.  All that's left now,for the most part, are clothing stores.  Don't get me wrong, clothes shopping can be fun, but it's a rare occasion for me.  Books are something I can search through daily.

Now, I am left with only one physical location to do my book buying.  No matter what kind of deals I can find online, nothing beats looking through a book in person.

So I am now going to say good bye to a shop that has become a part of my everyday life.

What are your opinions on the closing of Borders?  What about online book buying versus shops?

The Art of Toy Story 3, by Charles Solomon

As the resident animator, I couldn't resist a Pixar book.  I went out and bought The Art of Toy Story 3 yesterday, and then devoured it all in one sitting.  A light read by literary standards, it is still dense with information.  The book mainly focuses on the progression from the first film to the third and the color script.  Not to say that it isn't loaded with concept drawings, layouts, and behind the scenes photos.  All good stuff.
Some of the explanation for turning Toy Story into a trilogy sounds like justification, which I don't find necessary.  I was five when the first Toy Story movie came out.  By the time Toy Story 3 was in theaters, I was entering my third year of college and said good bye to my kid years.  Heck, I'd even applied for a summer internship at Pixar.  For my generation, Toy Story 3 is a very natural ending to the trilogy.

As for the color script, I've never seen one explored so thoroughly in an "Art of" book.  A color script is a "storyboard for color", as the light art director Dice Tsutsumi puts it.  It is the place for the director to map out the emotional and vision beats of the film.  It helps guide lighting and photography departments, among others. I'd seen them before and understood their importance to lighting a film, but never understood how much thought goes into a particular lighting scheme.  I was especially struck by the fact that they connected dappled lighting with the character Bonnie to suggest a safe and protected environment.  It's so subtle, but it says so much about the thought that goes into a Pixar film.

I would like to have seen more about the development of the individual character's personalities, especially the new ones.  There is some talk about the main antagonist, but there isn't much about the other characters' development.

Still, this is a great buy for anyone interested in animation or visual storytelling.  Highly recommended.