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Pretty Monsters: Stories – terrific contemporary fantasy and modern fairy tales, by Kelly Link
The Best of Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet – collected shorts from the underground contemporary fantasy zine, edited by Kelly Link
Ice Haven – each character is fixated on someone else, by Daniel Clowes
Dream Country (The Sandman, Vol. 3), Season of Mists (The Sandman, Vol. 4) – more about the King of Dreams, by Neil Gaiman
Shortcomings – longing and confusion, by Adrian Tomine
Queen & Country: The Definitive Edition, Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3 – great action and espionage series, by Greg Rucka
I Shall Destroy All The Civilized Planets! – vintage cosmic weirdness, by Fletcher Hanks
The Best American Comics 2007 – another great collection, this one edited by Chris Ware
Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth – the seminal work, by Chris Ware

Beep

Jeffrey Melton — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:03:23 +0000

Recent consumption:

Listening: Monolake in the morning, Biosphere in the afternoon
Watching: My Neighbor Totoro, Dark City (Director’s Cut), Thieves Like Us, Quiet City
Reading: The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll’s House, Coraline, Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Drinking: Starbucks Serena Blend Organic Coffee, Xingu Black Beer, Red Stripe Lager
Playing: Circle Synth, AAS Modeling Collection, iZotope Ozone 3

Jeffrey Melton — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:36:16 +0000

I finished The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, Book 2) last week but am taking a break before starting the final book. It’s interesting, and reading that it’s a retelling of Milton’s Paradise Lost makes me want to dive into that epic poem (some day). For now, I’m reading some early pulp detective stories in Raymond Chandler: Stories and Early Novels (Library of America), which I found at a neighborhood used book store, Every Other Book. Hardboiled.

(Deathly) Hallows be thy name

Jeffrey Melton — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 19:30:24 +0000

I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows last night. What a ride! The relentless pace and spiraling plot lines of the final book in the Harry Potter series kept me engaged to the very end. The glimpses into Dumbledore’s life and the arching Horcrux and Hallows back stories reminded me of another epic history-of-magic novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (minus the extensive, story-within-a-story footnotes). The logic of the final battle (i.e. to whom is the Elder Wand loyal?) left me a bit confunded, but it all makes sense upon reflection. Satisfied.

Aw, Horcruxes!

Jeffrey Melton — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:20:16 +0000

I finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince yesterday. I think it’s a testament to J.K. Rowling’s storytelling ability that I forgot what I already knew was going to happen, because I was so engaged in how everything unfolded at the end. I’m a bit late in reading the Harry Potter series, having read books 1 through 5 in succession last Summer and Fall before taking a break. I find the uncovering of Lord Voldemort’s secret history to be the most intriguing aspect of the series (that’s the point, innit?). Now, on to book 7.

Currently reading

Jeffrey Melton — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 20:39:29 +0000

Processing: A Programming Handbook for Visual Designers and Artists, hot off the press; Spook Country, fiction by William Gibson; Design Research: Methods and Perspectives, edited by Brenda Laurel.