Non-Fiction Monday

It's Non-fiction Monday! Start your week with a heavy dose of reality! But not heavy reality. Well, one of mine is kinda heavy. Now I'm just babbling.

The facts are as follows:
1. It's Monday. NON-FICTION Monday.
2. Anastasia has the roundup.
3. I have a headache.
4. Numbers 1 and 2 are related. Number 3 has nothing to do with anything except that my head hurts and I felt like complaining.

Malcolm X: A Graphic Biography Andrew Helfer and Randy DuBurke

This book is pretty much what the title promises--a biography of Malcolm X in graphic novel format. I can't comment too much on content, as I knew very little about Malcolm X before hand and therefore have no frame of reference.

I will say it's extremely engaging for both heavy readers (me) and reluctant readers as well. The drawing style is pretty straight forward black and white. There's a lot of information, and sometimes quite a few panels on each page--it's not crowded but it's a bit intense. But, intense in that way that draws you further into the story, not intense in the way that gives you a headache and makes you put the book down. (Not that my current headache was caused by a book. Well, maybe by 3 linear feet of books strewn across the floor, but...)

I especially enjoyed the little photo essay at the end of the book that showed where the artist got some of his background material--however I could have used more of it--more photos, and maybe an artists rendering, or which panel the material was used in...

Overall, a good pick. It makes me want to read more about Malcolm X (how sad is it that I haven't?!)

And now, a really old book (I read it in April of 2007)

Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog: The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences Kitty Burns Florey

Go read this book. Read it NOW. It seriously warped my brain and was one of my favorites of 2007. After reading about the history of grammar education in the US, and of diagramming sentences, as well as Florey's own history with loving to diagram sentences, plus how famous authors have viewed grammar (who knew Gertrude Stein loved grammar? Just because she broke every rule didn't mean she didn't know the rules) with lots of examples... I became obsessed with diagramming sentences. I taught myself how to diagram. Sometimes, I still do it for fun. It also inspired me to be more into the grammar rules (not necessarily follow them, as you are aware, but more aware of them)... I also now lust after a copies of The Elements of Style Illustrated (Strunk and White) Spunk & Bite: A Writer's Guide to Bold, Contemporary Style and The Chicago Manual of Style

Yes, this book will inspire you to new levels of geekdom. Embrace it.

But more than anything, it's a fascinating look at a practice most school kids dread.

Mr. Lee, I'm sorry I never paid attention when you tried to explain this stuff.

Adventures in Book Land

Now Reading: This is Paradise!
Just Finished: An Abundance of Katherines

So... Dan came home after a freakishly long business trip. I could tell he had been away for quite some time, because he sent me a coupon for Borders. Obviously, he had forgotten how crazy the stacks of books in our house are and how they are threatening to EAT MY HOUSE.

Needless to say, I went and spent it. When it comes to books, you know I have no self control. My two purchases I'm most excited about are Sister Bernadette's Barking Dogand the The Norton Anthology of Children's Literature: The Traditions in English.

Anyway, let's talk about some books I've read, not ones I haven't yet (but I will say I started Sister Bernadette and it's awesome so far.)

Rosy Cole's Memoir Explosion: A Heartbreaking Story about Losing Friends, Annoying Family, and Ruining Romance by Sheila Greenwald came out around the time Oprah was pistol-whipping James Frey, which was timely.

Anyway, Rosy Cole (who has lots of books about her, but I haven't read the others) is writing a memoir for her writing assingment in school. She was supposed to write about the most interesting person in her family, so she chose herself! The problem is, her life is pretty boring, so she embellishes it a bit. She gets a lot of bad advice, especialy from her Uncle Ralph and when her friends see it, hoo boy, that's when things really hit the fan.

Rosy is a likeable herione. She is confident everyone will eat up her memoir and love it just as she does, and is genuienly shocked and suprised when everyone stops talking to her. Rosy's funny and incorrigible-- a cross between Eloise and Ramona Quimby.

The text is well-complemented by Greenwald's line drawings-- I especially likes how well she captures the facial expressions of her audience everytime Rosy reads her memoirs out loud.

I am looking forward to reading some of the other titles in this series.