This summer I really hope to take a crack at the steadily rising pile of unread books in my apartment. It doesn’t help that you can now take your laptop to the park (free wireless in Tompkins – who woulda thunk) – but for those of us determined to hold on to old fashioned technology I offer up a start to a great summer reading list, please make your adds in the comments section.
Alias the Cat - Kim Deitch
This graphic novel adds another twist to Deitch's Waldo the Cat world, but Kim and his wife Pam personally guide old and new readers alike through this investigation into the forgotten comics and film figure Alias. His research leads him to believe that the movies and comics detail real events, and as he hunts down the mystery behind Alias' alter ego Malek Janochek, fantasy and reality merge. And the whole thing comes together in the town of Midgetville, New Jersey.
Ode To Kirihito my second recommendation is also a graphic novel, a gripping tale from the godfather of manga - Osamu Tezuka. At the core of this book is a mysterious disease that transforms humans into beasts – the monmow disease. Dr. Kirihito works for an eminent Japanese scientist who is convinced that the condition is viral and to ensure that his view is taken as fact he sets up our hero to contract the disease. The book has a rich cast of characters – Kirihito’s schizophrenic fellow doctor, his determined fiancé, and a sex addict contortionist who ‘deep fries’ herself. All of these characters go through transformations over the course of this gripping 300+ page thriller. You will too.
My third recommendation is The Engagement, the 7th novel by Georges Simenon released by the New York Review of Books, and according to their website - the 200th book in their incredible classics series. Nobody in this book may be likable – but not every one is guilty. The odious Mr. Hire is a scam artist, a peeping Tom, and a bowler but is he the killer of the prostitute found murdered in a vacant lot? I am seeing Simenon’s name pop up more and more – often with well deserved comparisons to greats like Jim Thompson and Raymond Chandler.
As far as graphic novel material goes, the recent hardcover King Kat Classics collection of John Porcellino's King Cat minicomic is a must read. It's beautiful.
Posted by: James | May 10, 2007 at 11:26 AM
I'm with you on that one James, the king kat HC is a beautiful book from a true artist. I don't want to bog this post down with new stuff though, old books make for fine summer reading as well.
Posted by: BenjamenWalker | May 10, 2007 at 11:42 AM
I loved Red Lights (another NYRB Simenon): http://www.nybooks.com/shop/product?usca_p=t&product_id=5426
I've been meaning to check out more.
Posted by: binky | May 10, 2007 at 01:46 PM
Been book-dry for a couple weeks now, it sucks. I'm going to trust you on "The Engagement"! Shakespeare & Co. here I come...
Posted by: Holland Oats | May 10, 2007 at 05:43 PM
One more graphic novel: Ragmop by Rob Walton. He had to stop publishing the comic before the story was finished, but now the whole thing has been collected into a TPB that includes the back-up feature on Wealth of Nations as well as a conclusion to the saga of Thrill Kitten and the O-Ring.
Posted by: Derek | May 10, 2007 at 06:08 PM
I'm looking forward to "Shakespeare" By Another Name: The Life of Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, The Man Who Was Shakespeare -- by Mark Anderson.
I've never been a fan of anti-Shakespeare cultists who claim to have found the "real" Shakespeare -- mainly out of a belief that it would require extraordinary proof to dislodge an extrordinary playwright from his traditional position -- but now I have begun to entertain doubts. This after listening to Anderson's podcast of some of the highlights of his book, at http://shakespearebyanothername.com/audio.html
It's easy to love Will Shakespeare the enigma but, at least for a season, I'm willing to be fascinated by Edward de Vere, the real man.
Posted by: Listener # 109577 | May 10, 2007 at 06:21 PM