Showing posts with label Geek. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Geek. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

#ComicsWednesday: Princess Jellyfish by Akiko Higashimura


When I'm stressed, something that always helps me relax is to watch a video of jellyfish swimming. They're both comical and elegant, and if I ever win the lottery, I'm going to Palau to swim in the lake filled with jellyfish that don't sting you. It's safe to say that I like jellyfish, probably a bit more than most people, but compared to Tsukimi, the main character of Princess Jellyfish by Akiko Higashimura, I'm barely a fan.

When Tsukimi was young her mother took her to see jellyfish in an aquarium, which happened to be their last outing together before her mother became very ill and died. Tsukimi clings tightly to the joy of her visit to the aquarium by learning everything she can about jellyfish. Unfortunately, an obsession with jellyfish combined with severe social anxiety means that Tsukimi grows up to be an otaku (a geek or nerd, think Big Bang Theory).

Luckily, Tsukimi finds her community within Amamizukan, a shared house for women in Tokyo. All of the residents are women, all are socially awkward and unfashionable, and each has her own unique and all-consuming passion. Society refers to them as fujoshi (meaning female otaku). They call themselves "amars" or "nuns" because the last thing that brings them together is that they live "a life with no use for men."

One night after a particularly disappointing social failure, Tsukimi visits a neighborhood aquarium shop to talk to the small spotted jellyfish in the window display, whom she's named Clara. However, Tsukimi discovers that a moon jellyfish has been added to Clara's tank, creating a dangerous situation for her favorite jellyfish. Tsukimi draws on every ounce of bravery she possesses and confronts the fashionable young man working in the shop to save Clara's life. It's not enough, until a stylish young woman passing by steps in and negotiates a diplomatic solution that results in Tsukimi taking Clara home to Amamizukan, along with her knight in shining, six-inch stilettos.

In the morning, Tsukimi discovers that her rescuer is actually a stylish young man in drag named Kuranosuke (or Kurako when dressed as a woman). Friendship, politics, romance, makeovers, a fight against gentrification, and hijinks ensue, all blending together to form an upbeat and charming story told over the course of eight double-size volumes.
Like many manga that we see in English translation, part of the story has been adapted to a one-season anime, which I can also recommend. However, before you take on either version of this story I should warn you that one character is drugged and led to believe that he was raped by the main antagonist of the series. It's a disturbing enough event that some might prefer to avoid this otherwise enjoyable story.

~Sarah, Adult Services

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

#ComicsWednesday: Princeless Vol. 1 Save Yourself by Jeremy Whitley & M. Goodwin



A princess, locked in a tower, guarded by a dragon, waiting for a prince to save her so she can marry him and they can live Happily Ever After. It's a familiar story, which is why it is such a delight when Princeless by Jeremy Whitley and M. Goodwin turns the trope on its head.

Princess Adrienne is sick of waiting for a knight to come rescue her. In fact, she never wanted to be rescued in the first place. In an attempt to get their daughters married off, her father has locked up Adrienne and all of her sisters in different prisons around the land. Guarded by fearsome beasts and tricky riddles, this will make sure that they are only rescued by someone strong enough to rule.

After berating a knight who attempts to rescue her, Adrienne finds a sword hidden in her tower. She decides to make an escape, and flies off on Sparky, the dragon who guarded her tower. Adrienne sets off to rescue her sisters on her own.

Adrienne has a few misadventures before she gets to her sisters, and she picks up help along the way. When she needs armor, she runs into Bedelia Smith, a half-dwarf blacksmith. (Their
hilarious discussion about the practicality of armor for women has been distributed in geek circles for a few years now.) Once Adrienne's father finds out she is missing, and that the "knight" responsible probably killed her, he sends the most vicious bounty hunters in the kingdom after her.

Princeless is a great all-ages comic. It's perfect for parents and kids to read together. Adrienne and Bedelia are funny, and are great role models for young kids. It explores gender roles in a fun and accessible way that is sure to spark conversations about why there are "girl things" and "boy things." Most of all, you will cheer for Adrienne as she makes her way to each sister and finds out that nothing is as clear as it seems.

- Libby, Youth Services




Wednesday, August 12, 2015

The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy: A Handbook for Girl Geeks by Sam Maggs

The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy: A Handbook for Girl Geeks by Sam Maggs has everything you need to start being a girl geek (or boy geek) or enhance your already established geekdom. (It even has a litany!)

It discusses:

There's a chapter on conventions that includes a how-to guide so you stay hydrated, get that photo with your favorite celebrity, and rock a costume like no one else.
It also has interviews with women working on some of your favorite TV shows and writing your favorite books. Jill Pantozzi, editor in chief of The Mary Sue; Jane Espenson, writer and producer of shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica, and Once Upon a Time; Laura Vandervoort, star of Bitten and Smallville; Beth Revis, author of the Across the Universe trilogy and others answer questions on the positive influence of geekdom in their lives and advice for geek girls.

The book also recommends media where you can find kick-ass female characters.

Comics
Batwoman: Elegy written by Greg Rucka, artwork by J.H. Williams III, colors by Dave Stewart

Ms. Marvel written by G. Willow Wilson, illustrated by Adrian Alphona and Jacob Wyatt (Check out Sarah's review of Ms. Marvel here.)

Rat Queens by Kurtis J. Wiebe

Television and Movies
Firefly

Haywire

Sanctuary






Books
Huntress by Malinda Ho

The Immortals Quartet by Tamora Pierce









Anime
Attack on Titan

Slayers









When you're done reading The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy: A Handbook for Girl Geeks, check out some other related books.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

February Magazines of the Month: Mental Floss & Macworld

Mental Floss is a magazine of entertaining trivia, puzzles, intellectual humor, and general edutainment. The magazine was started by two students at Duke University, and has been publishing eight issues a year since 2001. Regular contributors include A.J. Jacobs, Ken Jennings, and John Green. Their website and blog is packed with even more wacky entertainment:  mentalfloss.com

Mental Floss is one of the titles available through our collection of Zinio downloadable magazines.


Macworld is the oldest continuously published magazine specific to the world of Mac products, with their first issue appearing in 1984. Between their print issues, their website (www.macworld.com), and their weekly podcast, Macworld will keep you up to date on all things Apple.

Macworld is also available through our collection of Zinio downloadable magazines.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

We Geek Words: Dictionary Day

Today Carnegie-Stout wishes Noah Webster a happy 255th birthday, though we assume that Noah Webster is not an undead monster out there somewhere googling his name. But in case he is, happy birthday!

In Webster's honor, October 16th is known as Dictionary Day. A day to celebrate all things lexicographical, etymological, a dash of the linguistic for good measure. This is the day for every word nerd who's ever spent an hour trying to think of the perfect piece of vocabulary to describe something. Raise your hands if you spent hours memorizing word roots in hopes of making regionals, if not the National Spelling Bee. If you can back your opinion on the use of the word "literally" with research, today is your day.

If you're looking for a way to celebrate, you can check out our Dictionary Day blog post from 2011 for some reading suggestions, or come on down and browse the 400s. We also have DVDs of Akeelah and the Bee and Spellbound available for check out.
There are also a number of great online options for your dictionary based entertainment! Did I miss one of your favorites? Share a link in the comments.

Oxford Dictionaries has a blog with info on word origins, changing slang, and more. It was Oxford Dictionaries Online who shocked a nation by announcing the inclusion of "twerk" shortly after Miley Cyrus's VMA performance.

In response to the scandal of twerking in the (online) dictionary, Mental Floss compiled a list of 16 words from the print edition of the Oxford Dictionary that were once as scandalous as twerk, but are now utterly obscure.

Kory Stamper is a lexicographer at Merriam-Webster, and her blog about life as a lexicographer at Merriam-Webster (Harmless Drudgery) is a source of constant delight. Start here with a post about the headaches of responding to dictionary fan mail and feedback. Stamper also helps to create Merriam-Webster's "Ask the Editor" web video series, an example of which is hopefully embedded below.

Monday, September 23, 2013

I Read Banned Books: Rainbow Rowell

I had a book review for a different title half composed before I started seeing stories about a Minnesota school district that had canceled a visit by author Rainbow Rowell, after parents complained that her YA novel, Eleanor & Park, was inappropriate for teens.
Attentive readers of the blog, and those of you whom I'm liable to offer unsolicited reading suggestions, are likely aware that I'm a bit of a fan. In fact, this isn't even the first time I've recommended Rainbow Rowell's books on the library's blog. You can read my review of her first novel, Attachments, by clicking here, and you'll see Eleanor & Park in this list of books I'd particularly enjoyed reading in the first few months of 2013.

You're probably not surprised if I say I find this school district's decision disappointing. Libraries, booksellers, and passionate readers of all stripes have been calling attention to censorship for more than 30 years with the annual celebration of Banned Books Week. That 2013's Banned Books Week is *this* week, Sept 22nd-28th, makes this story an excellent example of the ongoing challenges that books of all sorts continue to face.

You might think that book challenges and bans only happen in other place, countries with repressive dictators, or in some dim past, but they don't. Which is why we take the time every year to remind you that it's okay to say "I don't want to read this" or "I don't think my child should read this," but that is not at all the same as saying "No one should read this."

As I mentioned, I very much enjoyed Eleanor & Park, and I've strong-armed several people into reading it. It's a great story of first love and discovering your own strength in the face of (mild spoilers) bullying, abuse, poverty, racism, and all those other everyday challenges of being a teen. The idea that someone would prevent a teen from reading about these sorts of issues, the sorts of horrible things that teens face every day in the real world, in the name of protecting them, astounds me. You can't protect people from reality, but the right book can offer an individual a chance to escape their reality.
Which brings me to Rowell's most recent novel, Fangirl, which covers quite neatly the way that a reader can turn to a fictional world to help cope with the real world. Fangirl is also a YA title, though I suspect it has some appeal for readers of New Adult fiction too. It's an uplifting story of self-discovery, with quite a bit of drama, a sweet romance, and enough humor to keep the drama from overwhelming.

Cath, our protagonist, is unwillingly starting her freshman year at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her twin sister, Wren, is much more eager for a fresh start, away from their needy dad, the mother who left them as children, and their shared identity as Simon Snow super fans. Simon Snow is the star of an incredibly popular fantasy series, in the style of Harry Potter, and Cath is in the process of writing one of the most popular Simon Snow fanfics* on the net.

So if you're looking for a good book to read for Banned Books week, I can recommend Rainbow Rowell. We do have a wait list for all of her books though, so you might also want to come in and check out our display of banned and challenged books by the Recommendations Desk. We're taking mugshots again this year, if you want proof of your controversial reading taste!

~Sarah, Adult Services

*fanfic, along with fan fiction and fic, are terms used to describe fan created stories that use the characters or worlds created in their favorite works of fiction, like Star Trek, Harry Potter, or Twilight, to create something new. Fun facts! Fifty Shades of Grey began as a Twilight fic, and City of Bones grew out of Harry Potter fic.

And while I'm down here, I'm going to point out Fangirl's awesome cover art by Noelle Stevenson, creator of the excellent webcomic Nimona.

Friday, August 23, 2013

I Geek Night Vale

"Remember, if approached by a librarian,

keep still.

Do not run away.

Try to make yourself bigger than the librarian."

Poster created by: perhapswewillsetfiretothesky.tumblr.com
There is a small desert community known as Night Vale, and I want to move there. Unfortunately, I don't have the qualifications to work in the Night Vale Public Library (I'd be too squeamish to remove a hand for an overdue book). Fortunately, I can catch up on the latest Night Vale news twice a month through Cecil's community radio program, and I think you should too.

Poster by Maddie (castiellocked on Tumblr)
If you're already one of the thousands of listeners who have made Welcome to Night Vale the most popular podcast on iTunes, I'll see you behind Ralph's sometime. If you haven't listened yet, and you enjoy dark humor (including library jokes), local gossip, and just a touch of romance, you should be listening.

Cartoonist Kate Leth put it perfectly when she said that Night Vale is "like Stephen King and Neil Gaiman started building a town in The Sims and then just… Left it running. For years." Night Vale has this abundance of imaginative detail that mixes the unexpected in with the mundane.

You can't check Night Vale out from the library, but if you're not sure how to download a podcast that's something we can help you with. You can find out more aboutt he program on the official website: commonplacebooks.com/welcome-to-night-vale/


~Sarah, Adult Services

Thursday, August 15, 2013

C-SPL geeks Artemis 2.0!

On Wednesday, August 21, at 6:30 p.m., three spaceships will embark on a mission, each with a crew of six ... join us on our epic space adventure!

Artemis Space Bridge Simulator is a multiplayer, multi-computer networked game for Windows computers and iOS and Android devices. Players assume the roles of the captain and bridge crew of a starship, with the networked computers providing work stations (helm, engineering, weapons, and so on) as well as mission objectives, friendly starbases, and enemy ships.

The makers of Artemis recently released a new version for Windows PCs. Android and iOS version updates are coming soon!

Space is limited to 18 players, adults only. Call the Reference desk at 563-589-4225 to sign-up. http://ow.ly/nWirg