Wrapped Up In You - Dan Jolley & Natalie Nourigat

Well, look at me, being a big time book blogger. This is the first time I'm able to review a book before it's actually been published. I was sent the ARC copy of Wrapped Up in You last week and get to review it early. Mainly because I'm best friends with Natalie Nourigat but what are you going to do?

Wrapped Up in You is one in a series of new books from Lerner Publishing called My Boyfriend is a Monster. Jumping on the whole Twilight bandwagon, Lerner wanted to make a series that both embraced the supernatural mystique that is gripping the nation but is also much more responsible, showing girls with healthier relationships than their sparkly counterparts. Each book in the series uses a different monster: vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein's monster, etc. If you couldn't guess from the title, Wrapped Up in You is the mummy book.

Now, of course, romancing someone in thick bandages seems a bit more medical than romantic but no worries, this mummy is of the Incan variety, brought back to life by magic (of course) and much more attractive and muscular than that friend of Abbott and Costello. Oh, and his name's Chuck. Because of course it is.

Our heroine is a girl named Staci Glass, your average highschooler. She's best friends with a girl named Faith but, unfortunately, Faith begins hanging around with the wrong sort of crowd. Drug users? No, magic users. Yep, Faith starts hanging out with witches, who end up bringing Chuck back from the dead, just in time for him to wine and dine Staci and defeat those witches because, you know, they're pretty mean. 

The story, overall, is pretty cute, if a little over-simplistic. It works for its target audience, teenage girls, but it does feel a bit off. I think, for the most part, the story works once it gets past its very odd and uneven beginning. Staci complains about always witnessing bad things happening and whether or not she should tell people about it. That is a weird thing to complain about. It's just so oddly specific about something that happens to everyone. Also, is she just hyper observant? It's a weird problem to have.

The other thing about the beginning that really threw me off was the way Staci gets very worried about Faith "doing magic." When asked if she believes in magic, she says that she doesn't but she also understands that there's things she doesn't know. This bizarre sequence of Staci trying to get advice from several authority figures at her school (including an extremely odd bit with a guidance counselor) just doesn't gel with the rest of the book. Once the mummy is risen(?), of course you have to start believing in magic. It obviously works. But before that, this is a seemingly normal school. Why is Staci so freaked out about Faith doing "magic"? I would understand if maybe she thought something else was going on, drugs or alcohol-related. That would seem more in keeping with the tone. Having her worried about magic before any proof that it existed was off-putting.

Not that Staci wasn't a nice main character; she was, even despite her awful name. She was genuinely nice and sweet, caring about the, admittedly few, friends she had. It just felt like she was quite bland. She didn't really have anything that made her stand out, other than the fact that things happened to her. Now, I'm sure part of this is just the fact that there weren't a whole lot of pages for Jolley to work with but she still felt rather flat. 

Also flat? Her relationship with Chuck. Once again, I fear this is mainly the fault of the book's length. Chuck isn't even introduced until the end of the first chapter. But he's definitely much more fleshed out than Staci, having a clear personality and motives for his actions. But despite him being a well defined character, the relationship between him and Staci seems forced. She's the only girl he's interacted with since he died (awkward) and they go from walking around to kissing in about two seconds flat. It was hard to believe that this was a real relationship. The end was sweet but it definitely felt rushed. Probably because it was.

The overall plot was good and engaging. The bits with the witches were fun and the police detectives definitely added something to the mix. It's a fun book to read. It just felt a bit forced at times. 

As for the art, well, I'm a bit biased. Personally, I thought it was a perfect tone for the book. It was never too far out but it was also whimsical and went with the story. I especially loved all the museum pieces. Chuck definitely looked like an Incan and Faith looked like the sort of personal that would twirl through life. It all connected with the larger context.

Wrapped Up in You is a good book for what it wants to be. You can tell there was room for more if there was just the time or place to add it in but for a fun romp through magic fights and Incan delights, than this is the book for you.

Wrapped Up in You will be available from Lerner Group in October 2012.

My Name is Molly and I Like Comics

As tomorrow is the third meeting of my beloved Comics Gosh!p, I think I should drop the bomb on all of you: I love comics. 

I always loved comics ever since I was a little girl. Admittedly, I wasn't huge into the superhero genre but I'm pretty sure I had a good ten years worth of Scooby Doo and Star Trek: TOS that are still up in my closet. Yes, I was an extremely dorky child. 

I grew out of the comics buying mentality around high school but little did I know that I'd be drawn right back in. I mean, yes, I went through that four year phase where manga is your life but that is not what I'm talking about. You see, my life was about to be overrun by comic book artists.

One of my best friends in high school was a girl named Tally Nourigat who has since gone on to become an up and coming graphic novelist. When I moved back to Portland after the earthquake this spring, Tally was one of my few friends who still lived in town. Clinging to her for company, I found myself in the midst of a large, close knit group of local comic artists and basically some of the nicest people I've ever met. 

Tally took it upon herself (at my okay) to begin educating me in comics. I would say I have a fairly good schooling in classic literature and pop lit but when it comes to comics, I was very far out of the loop. Since getting closer to my new friends and moving to London and seeking out (and finding!) more of them, I'm continuing my education on my own. And I think you guys should join me as well. This week, I'm going to share with you a few of my favorite books. Feel free to suggest more.

Mysterius the Unfathomable by Jeff Parker and Tom Fowler

This may be my favorite comic book of all time and high up there in my books in general list, as well. As a fan of Sherlock Holmes since my childhood, I easily fell in love with this story of a psychic/magician and his new assistant. The wonder of this story is that there is so much and it seems to be unrelated but it all comes back in a cohesive story. Our stand in of Delfi is relatable and fun but the most compelling character is obviously Mysterius himself. I fell in love with this miserable louse the moment he first appeared. The plot is remarkable but it is the characters that drive this piece and there's not a thing I would change (except for perhaps adding more).

Batgirl Year One by Scott Beatty, Chuck Dixon, Alvaro Lopez and Marcos Martin

I love the Year One books because I can get into a mythos of a character without actually knowing a whole lot about them. Although I knew few things about Barbara Gordon before picking this up, I don't think it made a huge difference to my enjoyment. Once again, this is full of well developed characters and impassioned storytelling. It's easy to watch Barbara make her decisions and become the person she ends up. Not to mention the art is gorgeous. I keep trying to find a copy of this at my bookstore but I can't. :(

Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

You can tell I like these for the characters, can't you? This is another amazingly crafted tale of a young girl trying to find herself. Anya just wants to be a normal girl at her school and all seems great when she meets a ghost that decides to help her become popular. When the ghost becomes a bit too determined, however, things start to go downhill. WIth amazing art and interesting pacing, this story is definitely a page-turner. 

Emitown by Emi Lenox

Okay, this is a bit of pandering because Emi is a friend of mine but still! This book is marvelous! It's a comic diary Emi's been keeping for ... forever, it seems. She uses her art in a very interesting way to capture her day to day life, including super heroes and cat armies. Emi is an amazing person and she makes her diary fun to read. Also, there's a second volume coming out in February. Although you can read Emitown for free on her website, she's a bit behind and the new volume will have something like 170 pages of new material. Awesome? Awesome.

Hemlock by Josceline Fenton

Also, I am all about the small press, if you didn't realize. I had the pleasure of meeting Josceline Fenton when she came to a Gosh!p meeting where we were talking about, what else?, Hemlock. I had only read through Hemlock due to that meeting but I'm so happy it was introduced to me. A Scandinavian fairytale, Hemlock follows a witch Lumi and her man-turned-frog familiar. The characters are engaging, the art is quite perfect for the storytelling and this fantastical world is slowly revealed with each new page. Even better, you can read Hemlock online here (it updates on Fridays) and the first three volumes are out in print. Josceline has the whole story planned out in six volumes, as well, and it's nice to know there's in end in sight. I can't wait to find out what happens!

Between Gears by Natalie Nourigat

Okay, you're going to have to wait a few months for this one because it doesn't come out until February but it's already my favorite graphic novel of all time, mainly because it's written by my beloved Tally. Her senior year of college, Tally kept a sketch diary on Between Gears and in February it will be collected in graphic novel format, with tons of bonuses (including a foreword by yours truly!). Tally realistically portrays her life's ups and downs throughout the year, not holding anything back and really creating a unique piece. I think you'll love it but that may just be the friendship talking. You can, of course, still read the original at Between Gears.

Well, that's all for today, I think. I'll definitely post some more graphic novels and comics up here. I've been meaning to do it for awhile but there's nothing like finishing your essays and just generally hanging in Humanities 1 of the British Library to get you motivated. Enjoy!