Reading List: March

Here you have the third installment of our Reading List section. You'll notice the scarcity of graphic novels this month. I ordered a couple on Amazon two months ago, but I guess they're having issues finding them, because the items haven't even shipped (I've just gotten one so far, and it was days after I had actually written this post). Maybe I should reread some of the ones I already have to quench my thirst for panel-to-panel stories. Anyway, here's what I've read in March:

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire Book I)
A whopper of a volume by George RR Martin, I've already told you about it here. So, to sum it up, I'll just say it's amazing.

How to Draw Caricatures
A disappointing book about, well, how to draw caricatures. It's drawn -duh!- and written by Lenn Redman, but I didn't think it was very good or very useful. What a shame.

Cartoon Animation
Drawn and written by Preston Blair, the book is interesting, entertaining, and very informative. I was not interested in the animation techniques per se, but rather in the character design, body language and facial expressions. This one might be useful...

A Secret Atlas
I reread this book by Michael Stackpole because the third volume in the trilogy, The New World, comes out this summer, so I thought I'd read it again so I actually remember what the story is about before I keep reading. Not Stackpole's best, but a more satisfying read than I remembered. Maybe I didn't like it as much the first time because I was expecting another DragonCrown War Cycle, which this clearly isn't, and now I knew it was not. Maybe...

The Inhuman Condition
My first book by Clive Barker, TIC is a collection of 5 short stories that I really enjoyed. They're all weird and somewhat creepy, but they're very enjoyable… if you are into weird, creepy stuff, obviously. I especially liked The Body Politic, in which a couple of hands decide to sever themselves from their owner, and they start a revolution to free their brethren. Bloody fantastic! (pathetic pun sadly intended)

La sombra del viento
A terrific novel by Carlos Ruiz Zafón that deserved a post of its own. So I'll just tell you that everybody should read this book, simple as that.

Lullaby vol. 1
A disappointing read, the first volume of Lullaby collects the first four issues of the series. The pictures are quite good, and the colors are extraordinary; but the story is so ludicrous that manages to kill any pleasure you could get from the artwork. Definitely not worth buying, let alone getting the second volume of.

The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America
Bill Bryson narrates his road trip across America in his quest to find the perfect American town. A laugh-out-loud book that I really enjoyed, even though it became quite repetitive and sensibly less fun during the second half.