If you had asked me a year ago if I read graphic novels, I probably would have scrunched up my face to feign some sort of loophole where I could answer, “Yes” without really answering yes.
“Some of the books I read DO have illustrations in them!”
“Do I read comics? Well, no, but I’m not against it. I don’t really know where to start…”
“I own a copy of Watchmen! I saw the movie, really loved it. Heard it was quite faithful to the graphic novel. I’m sure it’ll be one of the books I read soon!”
Junius and Albert’s Adventures in the Confederacy: A Civil War Odyssey by Peter Carlson
Page Count: 256
Published: May 28th, 2013
Acquired From: The Central Library, Sacramento, CA
Recommended By: My own impulses
I’m not sure if everyone is as much as a wanderer in book stores or libraries as I am. I’ve irritated groups of friends as I’ve ducked into Logos Books & Records — a used media store in Santa Cruz, California — for “just one thing” off my Amazon Wish List. The Wish List has become more of a placeholder, a list where books go to figuratively collect dust until I come across a copy of it, am inspired to order it, or am gifted it. Don’t get me wrong: all of the books on said-list are books I absolutely want to read for one reason or another! But what about the books I haven’t heard about from a friend…didn’t pick up in Sources from another non-fiction…those are the ones I see on the shelf and think, “This looks intriguing.“
Thus, Peter Carlson entered my consciousness via the Express Section of The Central Library. I’m not sure if these are all books that are picked by staff for topical thematic reasons, or if they’re placed there because they’re high in demand or of recent publishing, but it is of my opinion that you can judge a book by its cover — when it’s as eye-catching as this one.
It’s happened, folks. I’ve finished “Book 1” of ROGTFO Round 3.
The statistics from my Read More iOS application note that I read 490 pages starting on June 11th and ending on June 25th; 15 days, 30 different reading sessions, averaging 17 pages and 30 minutes per session.
But that’s not what really matters, is it? At least not for me. It’s how much did I enjoy those 15 days of reading about Jim Henson’s life, when I really care about The Muppets? Do I really want to know the man behind the Muppet? Will I ever call anyone a Muppeteer again?
It turns out that I loved reading about Jim Henson very, very much — and I have a much greater appreciation for his body of work and his belief in the world around us thanks to Brian Jay Jones’s Jim Henson: The Biography.
“‘[Kermit is] funny not because of what he does,’ wrote one reviewer, ‘but because of what others do around him, and because of the aplomb with which he bears their doings.'”
Regarding a comic strip – “Pogo” by Walt Kelly – that inspired Jim Henson with his character builds.
“‘Kermit is the Pogo. You have one normal person who represents the way people ordinarily think. And everything else, slightly crazier comedy characters are all around that person.’“
Jim Henson: The Biography by Brian Jay Jones
Page Count: 490
Published: September 24th, 2013
Acquired From: The Central Library, Sacramento, CA
Recommended By: Jonathan A.
Kermit the Frog. Animal. Beaker and Bunson. Gonzo. ’80s Robot. Rowlf. Statler and Waldorf. Sergeant Floyd Pepper.
Everyone has a favorite (or five). The Muppets have been making people smile since 1976 when The Muppet Show debuted, and ever since there has been a special spot in my heart for felt textured puppets. Even the Muppet Movies and the 2D animated series Muppet Babies have been a staple in children of the 80s and 90s! Now, The Muppets have returned with a vengeance, releasing two feature films in the past few years.
As promised, I will now deliver a list of my previous conquests unto you, the reader. This is to answer the question I get often, which is, “What types of things do you like to read?” Turns out it’s all over the spectrum! It is also to encourage you (still the reader, hopefully) to begin a conversation with me about any of the books on this list that you love or hate. Because isn’t that truly what this blog is all about? Answer: yes.
I will not, however, be linking each title to Amazon — I will now link to Goodreads, and you can find the book for purchase (if you so wish to take the plunge) however you like! Goodreads is constantly cited to me by friends, and so I am trying to give it a fair shake going forward. Besides, you can glean a lot more information about the book in question from there than you can from Amazon…perhaps? But I will always link to my Amazon Wish List specific to books I want to read. See? Like this.
Last plug: I use an iOS app called “Read More” to track my reading log over the last two years, and absolutely love it. Check it out!
“ROGTFO.” Add a hashtag symbol before that on Instagram, and you’ll find over-edited photos of book covers; stacks of tomes in libraries and used bookstores; and my gangly fingers getting bruised in the spine of a hardcover, attempting to hold it open for long durations of time (maybe I bruise easily, who really knows).
ROGTFO is an acronym for Read or Get the Fuck Out. Fun with acronyms, reading, AND swearing?! “Is this too good to be true,” you ask me? What began as a catchy way to organize a series of Instagram photos and return to a childhood hobby became…well, my post-college hobby.
Read or GTFO 