#ComicsWednesday: The Less than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal by E.K. Weaver

I enjoy traveling, but I would much rather read a book about a road trip than actually drive thousands of miles myself. The road trip from California to Rhode Island in The Less than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal is perfect for an armchair traveler like me. The comic was written and illustrated by E.K. Weaver and while this is very much a character-driven story, I loved how she would use full-page illustrations (some in full color) of the changing landscape to highlight the characters' journey.

Weaver's artistic skills also shine in capturing facial expressions and body language, making full use of the comic as a visual medium for storytelling. She tells her story without thought bubbles (and with very few narrative boxes), conveying her characters' (even the background characters!) emotions and internal landscapes through her illustrations. It's a choice that rewards careful readers, and I found rereading to be a rich experience, giving new context to earlier interactions.

The story was originally published online as a webcomic between 2009 and 2014, which is how I first read it, even though the wait between updates could be torture! New readers will probably appreciate the chance to experience the whole story in one book at their own pace.

The morning after calling off his arranged marriage and coming out as gay to his conservative parents, Amal wakes up with a hangover and a stranger in his kitchen. Amal might've destroyed his relationship with his parents, but he's still determined to be there for his sister's graduation.

Apparently he agreed to split the cost of the cross-country trip with a total stranger before blacking out. TJ has his own reasons for leaving California, knows a tattoo artist in Rhode Island, and doesn't have a car. TJ and Amal make for an odd couple and seemingly have very little in common. However, hours upon hours trapped in a car will help you get to know anyone better.

Small spoiler alert: this story does include a romance, and that romance does include a physical relationship between our main characters. Much of the sexual content occurs off panel, but there is enough illustrated on the page (plus drug use) to definitely place this comic in the Adult collection.

Click to view larger because this sequence makes me giggle every time.

I was sad on the day I read the last page of TJ and Amal, but I'm incredibly happy that I have the chance to share this emotional journey with new readers!

~Sarah, Adult Services

Staff Review: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

It's hard to do justice to Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad in a quick review. I was leery of reading it because I knew it was going to be emotionally wrenching -- and it was -- but it's also sublime and wonderful: beautifully written, compelling, imaginative, even fantastical in parts, yet it rings so true. Whitehead obviously did a vast amount of research for the novel, but there's not a word of dialogue that breaks the story's spell.

In the second sentence of her New York Times review of the book, Michiko Kakutani calls The Underground Railroad "a potent, almost hallucinatory novel that leaves the reader with a devastating understanding of the terrible human costs of slavery." That it does. 

The novel tells the story of Cora, a slave on the Georgia cotton plantation of an especially brutal man, a drunkard and a sadist. Circumstances and a fellow slave convince Cora to attempt an escape and what follows is the wild narrative of her long journey to freedom, with an ever-changing cast of accomplices, comrades, and brutes. Sadly, lots and lots of brutes; slave-catching was a lucrative pursuit and particularly attractive to the lowest of the low. 

Cora travels via a literal underground railroad, to South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and then further west. We observe the topography of slavery from myriad, awful angles. It's a rough journey in every possible way, but thankfully it leads in the direction of redemption. 

I thought, going in, that I was well aware of the depths of the slavery horror but, come to find out, I'd barely plumbed them. It's a terrible thing confronting the fact that man's inhumanity can exceed one's wildest imaginings. The challenge is not to hate back. 

Reading The Underground Railroad was an experience I won't soon forget. It deepened my compassion and increased my understanding. The novel has occupied the bestseller list for over 30 weeks now, which is heartening. Maybe compassion and understanding will start to go viral.

~Ann, Adult Services

#ComicsWednesday: Steven Universe: Too Cool for School by Ian Jones-Quartey, Jeremy Sorese, Asia Kendrick-Horton, & Rachel Dukes

Steven Universe is one of the many cartoons for kids that has won over teens and adults as well as little ones. This graphic novelization explores the friendship between Steven and Connie, and answers the question "Why doesn't Steven go to school?" If you're a fan of the show, I'm sure you have already figured out why.

I won't bother trying to explain Steven Universe to the uninitiated. Like a lot of modern cartoons, it manages to be both simple and complex. Let's focus, instead, on this graphic novel. Steven Universe: Too Cool for School was delightful. I already love Steven Universe so I am a tiny bit biased. However, Ian Jones-Quartey and Jeremy Sorese did a great job with the story. Asia Kendrick-Horton and Rachel Dukes captured the artistic style of the show perfectly.

Steven is bored one morning, and decides to tag along to school with his best human friend Connie. At first, things are going pretty well, but when Steven's home life follows him to school, only Steven, Connie, and the Crystal Gems can set things mostly right. The plot is simple, but the characters and story are engaging and fun.

You don't have to be a fan of the show to enjoy this graphic novel. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Adventure Time, Bee & Puppycat, or Bravest Warriors. This book includes enough ridiculousness and silly jokes that it could be enjoyed by anyone. But you should really watch the show. (Seriously, do it.)

- Libby, Youth Services

Staff Review: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas has been one of the most highly anticipated debut novels of 2017, and it's a YA novel at that. Don't let that deter you from reading it, though, because it has a powerful message that everyone should hear. This novel has been billed as "inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement" and comes out of the We Need Diverse Books and #OwnVoices campaigns. It's timely and relatable; in turns funny and sad.

16 year old Starr Carter lives a double life. Half of her time is spent in her mostly white, rich, suburban private school, and the other half is spent in the poor, black neighborhood she grew up in. Her friends from school (especially her white boyfriend, Chris) will never truly understand her family or the people from her neighborhood, so she keeps them separate. Starr thinks she has found balance between these two lives, until she witnesses her childhood friend Khalil being fatally shot by a police officer. Everyone wants to know what really happened that night, and Starr is the only person who can tell that story.

As the case becomes a national headline, the pressure is on Starr. She has to decide between doing what's right by Khalil, and keeping herself and her family safe. Her feelings about her neighborhood, the police force, and her friends at school, are all challenged.

I loved this book. It didn't feel like a lecture about compassion, but the message came across just the same. Personally, this was the best YA book I've read so far this year, and I don't think anything is going to top it. As a reader, you relate to Starr no matter what your skin color is, or where you grew up. Starr is real; she is someone you want to be friends with. Even the side characters like Starr's boyfriend Chris, her police detective Uncle Carlos, her friend Kenya, and Starr's parents are all fully realized characters. Thomas's writing is masterful.

John Green had this to say about The Hate U Give: “Angie Thomas has written a stunning, brilliant, gut-wrenching novel that will be remembered as a classic of our time.”

I couldn't agree more.

-Libby, Youth Services

If you like The Hate U Give, check out:

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds
How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon
Black and White by Paul Volponi
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Rest in Power by Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin

Follow Angie Thomas on twitter!

#ComicsWednesday: Mooncop by Tom Gauld

Someone probably already said this, but Mooncop by Tom Gauld is The Little Prince of our times.

Like The Little Prince, this new, tiny book is elegant and beautiful. It expresses in a few short pages what it means to be human, not only in an imagined future where we fly through space and colonize the moon, but in the present, at this very moment.

Mooncop is sad and lovely. Don't let it slip by!

~Mike, Adult Services

Staff Review: Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler is not the sort of book I normally read, but my daughter works in the restaurant business, so we decided to read it together. She read a paper copy and I listened to audio. This novel earned its young debut-author a six-figure advance but it's meeting with mixed reviews; critics are swooning but readers aren't so smitten: on Goodreads, they're more inclined to three stars.

Sweetbitter tells the story of Tess, a 22-year-old Midwesterner who, in 2006, leaves home to move, solo, to New York City, where she quickly lands a back-waiter position at one of New York's most prestigious restaurants (a loosely disguised Union Square Café).

What follows is the narrative of her exhilarating, heartbreaking, exhausting, energizing new life. There's a great deal of food and wine talk, lots and lots of drugs, and a generous helping of sex. Foodies will enjoy the book for the truffles, figs, and oysters alone. It's the alcohol- and drug-fueled decadence that seems to turn some readers off, but my daughter confirms that the lifestyle Danler depicts is spot-on for many in the industry.

Sweetbitter looks, and occasionally reads, like a nice bit of fluff, but the novel is more than a beach book. It's got some meat on its bones. For one thing, Danler can write and she has a wonderful eye for the telling detail, whether it's the look, smell, and feel of a rapidly altering New York City or the devastating after-effects of an over-the-top binge. The rigors of restaurant work are nicely drawn too, and we get a genuine feel for staff camaraderie, liaisons, and clashes, the flawless nights of almost-choreographed service and the nights that are slapstick fiascos.

I found the book's ending to be something of a disappointment. That aside, what impressed me most about the book is the author's psychological acuity. She describes her character's loneliness in the vast, churning city, or her sudden recognition of the shallowness of her staff friendships, and the reader feels these things too. For all her callow youth, Tess's observations are often wise beyond her years and it's a testament to the author that they so often ring true.

Audio Notes: the audiobook narrator takes a little getting used to --  her voice is husky, characterized by what reviewers call "vocal fry," but once I adjusted, I enjoyed her nuanced reading. She's great with accents too and has some fun with southern, Bronx, and heavy Russian ones. 

~Ann, Adult Services

#ComicsWednesday: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 1 by Ryan North, Erica Henderson, & Rico Renzi

I love everything about Squirrel Girl. Just getting it out of the way, this is definitely not an unbiased review. She is my favorite superhero, hands down. I want to be her best friend.

All that aside, this hardcover collection of the first eight issues of The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is absolutely delightful. Ryan North (Dinosaur Comics, Romeo and/or Juliet) has created a funny, strong, smart hero in Doreen Green, a.k.a. the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. A human girl with the proportional strength and speed of a squirrel, and also a large squirrel tail that she stuffs into her pants to be less conspicuous. Armed with her wits, her kick-butt abilities, her best friend the squirrel Tippy Toe, her awesome friend and roommate Nancy, and Deadpool's Guide to Super Villain cards, Squirrel Girl can beat anyone. She's unbeatable. In addition, North adds some informational running commentary at the bottom of each page.

Erica Henderson and Rico Renzi (Spider-Gwen, Howard the Duck) give us amazing art and coloring, a fresh take on the traditional comic style. The characters look realistic, and Squirrel Girl's outfit is practical - function over fashion. There are digressions into Squirrel Girl's "past" that are presented as classic comics. These comics are illustrated in that recognizable comic style of yesteryear. They are ridiculous (in a good way), and feature Squirrel Girl meeting Iron Man for the first time, and teaming up with Captain America.


Read this if you like Lumberjanes, Bee and Puppycat, Deadpool, or any number of other irreverent and weird comics. This is a great starter for new comic readers, young and old alike.

Squirrel Girl is an awesome role model for younger readers. She's going to college for computer science, she's body-positive, she's funny and confident. She has her own theme song (which is sung to the tune of the Spider-man theme). She talks to squirrels. She's here to eat nuts and kick butts, and she's all out of nuts.

- Libby, Youth Services

Staff Review: Tiny Hats on Cats by Adam Ellis

Last summer I put together a blog post highlighting some of our quirkier books for cat lovers. I should've recognized it as a warning sign because in October, I adopted a cat. I am now an official cat-owning librarian cliché. But look at this sweet face!

How could I say no?

Dexter (yes, he is named after the fictional serial killer) is a wonderful cat, but you might've noticed the Cone of Shame in his picture. No one has been happy with the (temporary) necessity of the Cone of Shame. It's both annoying and unfashionable, but it did remind me of that cat lover book list and one particular title on the list: Tiny Hats on Cats by Adam Ellis

Yes! This book will guide you in the crafting of tiny paper hats for your feline friends. Obviously, Dexter and I had to get in on this. So we gathered our supplies and got to work!

We decided to start with a simple top hat design. A real classic. The book provides patterns and directions for several basic shapes that can be combined in different ways to make different styles of hats. There are even tips on sizing the tiny hats to better perch on your cat's head. In this, my first attempt, I made a hat slightly too large for Dexter's dainty noggin.

I recommend crafting your hat in a room without your cat. Both to maintain the surprise and joy your cat will feel when presented with your finished hat, and because cats are naturally curious about what it is you are doing, yet completely unable to understand phrases like "Please don't step on that! The glue is wet!"

In the end we crafted a hat and Dexter was willing to wear it long enough to pose for a picture in exchange for two extra kibbles and extra play time with his favorite catnip mouse.

Do I recommend this book to others? Um, yes. The world needs more pictures of cats (and dogs?) in hats.

~Sarah, Adult Services

#ComicsWednesday: Food Wars! by Yuto Tsukuda & Shun Saeki

Food Wars! shokugeki no soma is written by Yuto Tsukuda and illustrated by Shun Saeki. Professional chef Yuki Morisaki serves as a culinary adviser for the series. I highly recommend this manga to foodies, but parents should be aware that this series may be inappropriate for children and younger teens, despite its high school setting.

If you've ever lost an afternoon, an evening, or an entire weekend to a marathon of Chopped, Iron Chef, Cutthroat Kitchen, or any of the other dozens of cooking competition shows, this is the manga for you. Main character Soma Yukihira has already found his passion at the age of 15: cooking with his dad in their family restaurant. His father, however, has his own plans, and enrolls Soma in the incredibly competitive Tōtsuki Culinary Academy.

This series is known both for the delicious food and for its over-the-top fan service (translation: sexy images where very little is left to the imagination), where characters' enjoyment of particularly delicious food is shown as an orgasmic experience. It's a choice that I found personally off-putting at first, but gradually it became a part of the series's quirky charm.

There is a two-series anime adaptation that is currently only available with subtitles through a streaming service (no DVDs), and fans of the anime should definitely check out the manga. The manga not only expands on the story, but includes actual recipes for several of the dishes!

~Sarah, Adult Services

Spring weather brings spring puns! #librariesofinstagram #libraryhumor #dubuque

via IFTTT

#ComicsWednesday: PREZ Volume 1: Corndog-In-Chief by Mark Russell, Ben Caldwell, & Mark Morales

I don't really read a lot of DC comics. I'm more of a Marvel or BOOM! girl, myself, but sometimes a comic just calls to me. PREZ: Corndog-In-Chief was one such comic. The USA's first teenage president, elected by twitter vote in an effort from hacker group Anonymous to overthrow the status quo?

COUNT ME IN.

Beth Ross, a.k.a. the star of viral internet video Corndog Girl, is elected as the next President of the United States in 2036. This United States is a not-so-distant dystopian future, full of automated sentry drones, a wealth gap larger than any before, and an epidemic of the deadly cat flu. Corporations call the shots, and congress is full of mega-rich idiots. Poor citizens will literally shoot themselves in the leg on national television for the chance to win some money. Enter: Corndog Girl. Beth navigates the intense job of being the leader of a country everyone hates, and trying to make right the wrongs that have plagued the nation. Beth is smart and she surrounds herself with smart people, and also a sentient killer robot named Tina.

There is so much going on in this comic, that I can't even begin to describe it all. Writer Mark Russell is a newer voice in comics, and he hit this one out of the park. Ben Caldwell (Justice League Beyond) and Mark Morales (X-Force, Secret Invasion) have a unique and interesting style, perfect for the tone of the comic. PREZ: Corndog-In-Chief is a reboot of 1973 comic PREZ. 

 If you liked the dystopian aspect of The Hunger Games, but wanted a little more humor, this is for you. If you like the idea of a teenager being POTUS, this is for you. If you're sick of the news and want to laugh about politics for a change, this is for you. Basically, just read it. I promise you won't regret it.

-Libby, Youth Services

New item Tuesday

Something new is sprouting up! Stop by the Reference Desk to see the new Carnegie Sprout Seed Lending Library & don't miss the Seed Swap from 4-5:30 p.m. on Wednesday! #TuesdayNewDay #librariesofinstagram #dubuque #seedstarting #gardening

A post shared by Carnegie-Stout Public Library (@carnegiestout) on Feb 28, 2017 at 10:33am PST

#ComicsWednesday: Lucky Penny by Ananth Hirsh & Yuko Ota

Penny Brighton has made some poor choices in her life (see tattoo of a snake on her neck); add in a string of terrible luck (fired on the same day her roommate moves out and Penny can't afford the rent on her own). Lucky Penny, written by Ananth Hirsh and illustrated by Yuko Ota, has a blend of optimism and dark humor that will appeal to anyone familiar with the struggle that is your twenties. I'm especially fond of Ota's art, which has an appealing balance of realistic detail and cartoony movement. It works especially well in the sections illustrating Penny's active imagination. The team behind this graphic novel scores bonus points for respecting the romance novel genre, even as they poke gentle fun (see alternate cover design below).

~Sarah, Adult Services

Staff Review: Brothers Sinister series by Courtney Milan

Historical romance novels are my go-to escape reading. Whenever I'm stressed or burned out, they give me the pick-up I need. The reassurance that this story at least will end with Happily Ever After makes them a safe refuge in a world of books and TV shows that seem to relish killing off our favorite characters.

That said, the promise of a happy ending doesn't stop romance authors like Courtney Milan from exploring some of the darker parts of the human experience or confronting some of today's challenging issues through the lens of the past. While some of the romance I read is all fluff and happiness, the Brothers Sinister series by Courtney Milan has a depth I really appreciate.

The series consists of 4 novels and 3 novellas, and while most of the stories stand well on their own, they do share characters and will be more rewarding if read in order. The series is set in the Victorian era, with the exception of the first novella, which is set 30 years earlier (a few years before Queen Victoria took the throne). That first novella, The Governess Affair, was one of only two books that I gave a 5-star rating to in 2014. I wish I'd realized then that it was the start of a larger series.

One warning: historical purists will find themselves annoyed by some of the author's choices, but Milan is very up front in her decisions to veer from historical fact. I don't want to spoil things too much here, but if you want to know which book to read for frank discussions of reproductive and sexual health, which books feature incredibly intelligent women who meet men who appreciate them for their intellectual accomplishments, or which book has the virgin hero, just ask in the comments!

The Governess Affair (novella)
The Duchess War
A Kiss for Midwinter (novella)
The Heiress Effect
The Countess Conspiracy
The Suffragette Scandal
Talk Sweetly to Me (novella)

~Sarah, Adult Services

FY18 Library Budget Presentation Video

Carnegie-Stout Public Library Director Susan Henricks gave a presentation to the Dubuque City Council last evening about the Library's Fiscal Year 2018 budget recommendations. Here's the video:


For more information, see the City of Dubuque's Fiscal Year 2018 Budget.

Staff Review: Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance

Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance, now in its 28th week on the New York Times bestseller list, is a memoir written and published at just the right time, as Americans coast to coast struggle to figure out how we got ourselves into the violently polarized political mess we're in.

Vance, a self-described hillbilly who is now a Silicon Valley investment-firm lawyer, offers his take on the subject with this story of his upbringing. Originally from Kentucky, his family hit the Hillbilly Highway as part of the early-to-mid 20th century migration of Appalachians to northern Rust Belt cities. At the time those cities were thriving; now many are as hopeless as the hollers from which the migrants fled.

Vance's early life makes for fascinating, if heartbreaking, reading. There's lots of bad judgment on the part of his elders. Plenty of poor life decisions. Much substance abuse, violence, and bad grammar. But despite the dysfunction of his mother and most of her men, Vance grew to appreciate the value of effort and education. This was largely due to his grandmother, Mamaw, a firebrand who once doused her drunken husband with gasoline and dropped a lit match on his chest. (In her defense, she had warned him that she'd do it, he survived largely intact, and he was less inclined to get hammered ever after.) Mamaw also saw to it that Vance did his homework. Her house became his real home.

His academic diligence, followed by a stint in the Marines, paid off handsomely, winning him entry to Ohio State and Yale Law School. Depending upon your point of view, the pages that narrate the courting of Yale law-school students by the most powerful of the big corporate law firms may strike you as almost as nauseating as the hillbilly dysfunction. Vance himself seems OK with it, although he has a lot of proper-fork-for-the-course learning to do.

And that's my main problem with this book. While plenty of critical (and admittedly compelling) attention is paid to the degraded state of the shiftless "have-nots," not much is said about the culpability of the "haves," those on the privileged side of our Grand-Canyon-sized income gap, the side Vance fled to with the speed of a famished cheetah. But not everyone can become a Silicon Valley millionaire or a corporate CEO. I wish Vance had given more thought to what his influential new crowd might do to improve the lives of all those hillbillies back home.

~Ann, Adult Services

New Item Tuesday

via Instagram http://ift.tt/2jZmnDS

Staff Review: Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

The title of this book, Small Great Things, comes from a quote that is attributed to Martin Luther King.  Given the current tenor of intolerance in our country, Jodi Picoult's story of an African American nurse who is accused of murdering a white supremacist couple's infant, struck a definite cord with me.  The story is told from three viewpoints, the nurse, the defense attorney and the father of the deceased baby.

Ruth Jefferson, a labor and delivery nurse for 20 years, is at the top of her game.  She loves her job and feels her co-workers respect and like her. During a routine check up of newly delivered baby, Ruth is confronted by the baby's father and told not to touch his wife or baby again.  He asks for Ruth's supervisor and Ruth very quickly learns that she is prohibited from caring for the baby in any way.  A note is put in the file that no African American staff is allowed to come in contact with this family-Ruth is the only black nurse in the department.

Of course an emergency with the baby comes up and Ruth is the only one around for several minutes.  The baby ultimately dies and Ruth's life is turned upside down when she is blamed by the parents and the hospital administration and placed under arrest.

It is at this point in the novel that I could feel myself starting to get uncomfortable.  At first I was outraged at how Ruth and her teenage son are treated so unfairly.  Much of the racism is overt and disturbing.  But as the book progresses its the subtle forms of racism that really started to bother me.  I could identify with Ruth's defense attorney who did not see herself as racist in any way.  Kennedy considers herself "color blind" but discovers some hard truths about herself and the legal system as the case progresses and she gets to know Ruth more intimately.

This book pushed me to reflect more deeply about my own prejudices and how even when you have the best intentions you may have a bias that you aren't fully aware of.  That feeling of discomfort that crept in as I was reading stuck with me for days after I finished the book.

Personally I really appreciate a book that makes me revisit how I view the world and my own values.  We are never too old, or hopefully too jaded, to take stock of the human condition and look for ways to be a better person.

~Michelle, Circulation

Cover Trend: Circles

Ann's recent review of My Life in Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead gave me a case of déjà vu. I could swear that I had seen that cover somewhere before. A quick conversation with my colleagues, and we had a list of books whose cover designs left us spinning!

Can you think of any other books with similar cover designs that we missed? Share them in the comments!

~Sarah, Adult Services

Staff Review: My Life in Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead

My Life in Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead may be the best book I read in 2016. I read it (twice!), just after the unsavory election season ended, deciding I'd forego the news for a while and lose myself in a really good book. The result was amazing. Not only did I love the book, but I found myself going about my business in a much better mood.

My Life in Middlemarch is an English major's dream, a hybrid work of nonfiction: one part memoir and four parts literary biography. Mead's subjects are the great Victorian writer George Eliot (born Mary Anne Evans) and her masterpiece, Middlemarch, which multiple critics have suggested may be "the greatest novel in the English language." 

Middlemarch is Mead's favorite book for sure, one she re-reads every few years. She finds that the novel speaks to her in new and compelling ways every time, as she navigates her way through life's milestones: moving away from home for the first time, finding a life's work, beginning and ending relationships, acquiring a family.

I've been in love with Middlemarch myself for a long time, so it's hard for me to judge how Mead's book will strike someone who hasn't read it. Eliot's highly unconventional life is certainly fascinating in its own right. As a young woman in the 1840s, Eliot rejected the conservative church-faith of her beloved father and established herself as an independent, free-thinking writer (and to say this was scandalous is an understatement). She next fell in love with a married man who was unable to divorce his estranged wife and she lived with him openly for 24 years. A highly disapproving London society eventually softened its censure somewhat as Eliot became one of the most beloved novelists of her time, right up there with Dickens.

So, if you love English authors, especially the Victorian kind, and you enjoy literary biographies, My Life in Middlemarch may well appeal to you. For maximum enjoyment though, read Middlemarch first. Yes, it's a doorstop, but you'll be glad you picked it up -- and we have it in audio too!

 ~Ann, Adult Services