Jar of Fools...random thoughts

Jar of Fools by Jason Lutes.

This was a total impulse pick up at the library a couple weeks ago. Had never heard of it and didn't know what to expect from it. But it turns out that Nymeth bought this book at about the exact same time as I stumbled across it in the library...so if I hadn't stumbled upon it on my own, it soon would have made my wish list...that's just what happens nearly every single time Ana reviews a book! ;)

Anyway, I read Jar of Fools during the read-a-thon. And as I told Ana, I honestly couldn't figure out if I even liked it or not as I was reading along. At least not at first. But it wasn't really that I was actively disliking the book either. Yeah, I know, I'm totally not making myself clear here, and I apologize. See, it's not a happy book. But you know, I usually don't mind a sad book. In fact, I usually love sad books...when there's a glimmer of hope mixed in somewhere. And I think at first, I wasn't catching any glimmers here.

It's the story of Ernie Weiss, a down-on-his-luck, stage magician. He is haunted by the death of his brother. Ernie wants to understand his brother's death...in fact, this overpowering need to understand really sits at the root of the disintegration of all the other pieces of his life, from his career to his relationship with his girlfriend. And all the people that touch Ernie's life have problems of their own...from his ex-girlfriend, Esther, who struggles with their break-up as much as Ernie himself does...to his escaped-from-the-nursing-home mentor, Al, who is facing a life slipping further into senility...to a con man, Nathan, who sticks to this life of petty crime to provide for his daughter. For a short time, this sad little crew form a sort of a family.

Okay, so I said that at first I couldn't figure out if I liked this book. By the end of it, however, I knew. I knew I loved it. Yes, there were eventually a few of those glimmers of hope. But ultimately, I'd have to say that it remained a very sad book. A book about these very human people, people with flaws, people who hurt, people who love.

I wish I was better able to tell you about this book; I feel like I'm stumbling all over my words here. But I do feel better knowing that Ana will surely be reviewing it soon, and then you all will be able to get a better feel for what a wonderful book this is. Edited to add: Ana posted her totally fabulous, and much more insightful, review today, too. :D

Bone...random thoughts

 Bone: One Volume Edition by Jeff Smith

Okay, I should be strung up by my toes...or perhaps baked in a quiche :D ...for never having talked about Bone. I finished it weeks ago, and just completely forgot to mention it. And it deserves to be mentioned!

Chris said, I believe it was when he reviewed the first of these books, that he had sort of avoided Bone for a while. I was the same way. I think I had the idea that they were too cutesy or simplistic or something. ***Bad Debi! Stop making assumptions!*** Well, all that changed when I happened to pick up the prequel, Rose, from the library several months back. I read it, and loved it, and never even realized until I'd finished it that it was the prequel to Bone. At that point, I  ditched my reservations and immediately went and ordered this complete collection of Bone. But then, as often happens, it went to the shelf and languished due to the fact that I have so many damn unread books. Enter Nymeth. She reads it, loves it, writes one of her unbelievably awesome reviews of it. Back on the radar it goes. I became determined to get it read over the summer. And hey, determination (and a long vacation) paid off.

So, those preconceptions I had--cutesy and simplistic--was I correct? Well, no! In some ways, it definitely is cute...some of the characters simply beg to be picked up and cuddled. But no. The story, while humorous and fun and fantastical and delightful, is not pure fluff. Not at all. There is darkness, and there is evil. There is greed, and there is misunderstanding. There are difficult decisions, and there is war. And there is friendship and loyalty and courage and love.

The story starts when three cousins, Fone Bone, Smiley Bone, and Phoney Bone, are fun out of Boneville. They end up lost and separated in a land they know nothing about. But Fone Bone is befriended by a girl named Thorn, and comes to stay with Thorn and her grandmother, Rose. Rose is a tough, yet kind-hearted, woman. A woman with a world of secrets. Secrets that not only involve herself and her granddaughter, but really all the people and creatures of the land. And these secrets are about to come to light...

As I mentioned earlier, Bone is filled with wonderful characters. Characters I already miss dearly. I dare anyone not to fall in love with Fone Bone. And Rose is such a strong, loving, and complex woman, a woman that I wish I could be more like. And there's the wise, patient red dragon. And an adorable bug named Ted. And Bartleby. Oh how Bartleby stole my heart. I won't say more about him, because you'll want to get to know him all by yourself.

Hmmm...I really wish I could just read it all again right now.

*****
For more on the subject:
Nymeth of Things Mean A Lot
Chris of Stuff as Dreams Are Made On (Volume 1)
Beth F of Beth Fish Reads (Volume 1. Others are reviewed as well, so just search blog.)
Graeme of Graeme's Fantasy Book Review (Volume 1. Others are reviewed as well, so just search blog.)
Memory of Stella Matutina (fun post about fantasy gift recommendations)
As usual, I'm sure I've missed some. I apologize. Feel free to leave me a link in the comments, and I'll add it to the list. Thanks.

Rapunzel's Revenge...random thoughts

Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale (who are wife and husband), with artwork by Nathan Hale (who is no relation to the authors).

So, could this book be any more wonderful? I'm honestly not sure that it could. It charmed me completely!

*The story: Adventurous. Humorous. Delightful. Incredibly unique fractured fairy tale.

*The heroine: Believable. Endearing. Always strong, and it was wonderful watching the way she grew to believe it.

*Other characters: Jack--despite his thieving ways, it was impossible not to love him. Gothel--the perfect villian...so easy to hate. Multiple minor characters that I adored.

*The art: Gorgeous. Gorgeous. Gorgeous.










(Just a taste.)

*Miscellaneous:
1.) Unsurprisingly, finding out Rapunzel's birth name warmed my heart.
2.) This book was from the library, but I definitely want to buy it for Gray for Christmas!
3.) Definitely a feel-good, but not saccharine sweet story.
4.) I've loved every book I've read by Shannon Hale, so why haven't I read more?!!

*Other opinions:
--Kailana at The Written World
--Shelley at ChainReading
--Becky at Becky's Book Reviews
--Puss Reboots
--Alison at So Many Books, So Little Time
--Robin at A Fondness for Reading
--RaiderGirl3 at An Adventure in Reading
(I'm sure I missed some. Feel free to leave a link in the comments if yours was one, and I'll add it to the list. Thanks.)