Reading List: April

April has been a disappointing month when it comes to books. The manga and comics I loved, but the novels weren't nearly as good as I was hoping. Let's see what we have:

University, by Benley Little
I had been wanting to read University for the longest time. A horror story taking place on a college campus struck me as the perfect idea for a thrilling ride. But Little's formulaic development of the tale left me deeply unsatisfied. I've read other books by him, and I think I liked them all better. How sad.

Remote, vol. 1
As I said here, a terrific read.

Liberty Meadows, vol. 1: Eden
I already have volumes 2, 3, and 4, and I can only hope they'll be as much fun as this one. Again, I've already talked about this book by the great Frank Cho here.

Remote, vol. 2
Kurumi's adventures continue in the second volume of this fun manga. This time, the case takes the cute detective to a high school where somebody has planted a score of bombs. The perfect marriage of cool story and cool artwork.

The Resort, by Bentley Little
Another book by Little, the reason I read this one was because I got it as part of a three-book deal I won on eBay. The Resort is entertaining, creepy, and fun to read; but if you've already read a few books by the author, you know all his tricks, and that very much detracts from the story. Still, if you want to read about the perfect vacation spot that all of a sudden is not so perfect anymore, then read this book.

Remote, vol. 3
Agent Kurumi Ayaki and Detective Himuro are back with the conclusion of the High School bombs case, and a shorter one in which Kurumi must become a spoiled brat's bodyguard. Fun, fun, fun!

Arrowsmith
This very entertaining graphic novel by Kurt Busiek and Carlos Pacheco was reviewed by yours truly right here.

Cartomancy, by Michael Stackpole
The second book in the Age of Discovery trilogy is quite disappointing. I had had this book for over a year (I bought it when it first came out but didn't read it), and now that the third one is about to come out, I reread A Secret Atlas and then plunged into Cartomancy. If ASA was entertaining but not as good as many other books by Stackpole, Cartomancy is even weaker. There were long chunks of it that just bored me to death. Stackpole is usually big on political intrigue, but this book's is so "smart" and ambitious that just loses the reader. Also, the fact that the main political players are not the main characters the story follows renders the whole political scenario into something not completely irrelevant, but almost. A really cool character, Moraven Tolo (who was also in the first book), emerges in this sequel and quickly becomes the reader's favorite, and even though it's obvious he'll have a much bigger part in the third book, his badassness is not enough to compensate for a mostly dull novel. Let's hope The New World is better, because I know Stackpole is more than capable.

A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson
I read A Walk in the Woods five years ago and loved it. It was my first Bryson book, and now, after having read four other books by the author, I decided I would reread it. And yes, AWITW is still laugh-out-loud funny, but I think I've read too many books by the author to keep laughing as hard as I used to. If you've never read anything by him, you'll love this book. If you've read most of what he's done (which would mean you've probably read this one already), then don't bother.

Liberty Meadows, vol. 2: Creature Comforts
Another exhilarating read. Frank Cho and the animals at the sanctuary rock!