Stories & Songs #7

I'm back today with another instalment of Stories & Songs - enjoy!

American Vampire, Vol.1

by Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque and Stephen King

"Born in the USA"

Bruce Springsteen

Born down in a dead man's town
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
You end up like a dog that's been beat too much
Till you spend half your life just covering up
Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Got in a little hometown jam so they put a rifle in my hand
Sent me off to a foreign land to go and kill the yellow man
Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.

Ms. Marvel, Vol.1: No Normal

by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona

"Cartoon Heroes"

Aqua

We are what we're supposed to be
Illusions of your fantasy
All dots and lines that speak and say
What we do is what you wish to do

We are the color symphony
We do the things you wanna see
Frame by frame, to the extreme

Our friends are so unreasonable
They do the unpredictable
All dots and lines that speak and say
What we do is what you wish to do

It's all an orchestra of strings
Doin' unbelievable things
Frame by frame, to the extreme
One by one, we're makin' it fun

We are the Cartoon Heroes - oh-oh-oh
We are the ones who're gonna last forever
We came out of a crazy mind - oh-oh-oh
And walked out on a piece of paper

Rat Queens, Vol.1: Sass and Sorcery

by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch

"Bad Girls"

M.I.A.

Live fast, die young
Bad girls do it well
Live fast, die young
Bad girls do it well

My chain hits my chest
When I’m banging on the dashboard
My chain hits my chest
When I’m banging on the radio

Get back, get down
Pull me closer if you think you can hang
Hands up, hands tied
Don’t go screaming if I blow you with a bang

Saga, Vol.1

by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

"Out of the Woods"

Taylor Swift

Looking at it now
It all seems so simple
We were lying on your couch
I remember
You took a Polaroid of us
Then discovered (then discovered)
The rest of the world was black and white
But we were in screaming color
And I remember thinking…

Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
In the clear yet?
Good

Books I've Pre-Ordered

It's only in the past year or so that I've started to pre-order books. I've pre-ordered books before - my dad pre-ordered the final Harry Potter book for me so it'd be delivered to me on the release day and I could read it without being spoiled - but for the most part I'd just wait until a book appeared in the shops before I bought it, or I'd just put it on my birthday and/or Christmas list.

Now that I'm earning my own money, though, I spend the majority of it on books, and I'm glad I do. I love books, and even though I'm running out of room I like building up my own personal library. Besides, I like a bit of organised chaos so the slowly encroaching clutter doesn't really bother me.

So today I thought I'd share with you some of the books I've pre-ordered!

Winter

by Marissa Meyer

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend–the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

I mean, of course I've pre-ordered Winter. It's my most anticipated book of 2015, and I can't wait to read it!

The Birds and Other Stories

by Daphne du Maurier

A classic of alienation and horror, The Birds was immortalised by Hitchcock in his celebrated film. The five other chilling stories in this collection echo a sense of dislocation and mock man's sense of dominance over the natural world. The mountain paradise of Monte Verità promises immortality, but at a terrible price; a neglected wife haunts her husband in the form of an apple tree; a professional photographer steps out from behind the camera and into his subject's life; a date with a cinema usherette leads to a walk in the cemetery; and a jealous father finds a remedy when three's a crowd...

Don't Look Now and Other Stories

by Daphne du Maurier

A married couple on holiday in Venice are caught up in a sinister series of events. A lonely schoolmaster is impelled to investigate a mysterious American couple. A young woman loses her cool when she confronts her father's old friend on a lonely island. A party of British pilgrims meet strange phenomena and possible disaster in the Holy Land. A scientist abandons his scruples while trying to tap the energy of the dying mind. 

Collecting five stories of mystery and slow, creeping horror, Daphne Du Maurier's Don't Look Now and Other Stories showcases her unique blend of sympathy and spinetingling suspense.

Earlier this year I collected all of du Maurier's novels that have been released in the VMC Designer editions - Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, Frenchman's Creek, and My Cousin Rachel - so when I saw they were releasing two of her short story collections in the same editions I just had to order them. I haven't read any of her short fiction yet, but I'm looking forward to reading it!

Dumplin'

by Julie Murphy

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked . . . until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine— Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart.

The minute I read the synopsis of this book I knew I had to have it. It's so rare to come across a book with a plus size protagonist where the story doesn't revolve around them losing weight, and that's so important. All bodies are different; I have friends who are slim and who will always be slim even if they ate their weight in food, and I have other friends who are plump and will always be plump no matter how much they exercise. I think we have this poisonous way of seeing 'thin' and thinking 'healthy', but that's not always the case. Everyone should be able to feel confident in their own skin, no matter how big or how small they are, and I'm really hoping this book doesn't disappoint!

Demon Road

by Derek Landy

Full of Landy’s trademark wit, action and razor sharp dialogue, DEMON ROAD kicks off with a shocking opener and never lets up the pace in an epic road-trip across the supernatural landscape of America. Killer cars, vampires, undead serial killers: they’re all here. And the demons? Well, that’s where Amber comes in...Sixteen years old, smart and spirited, she’s just a normal American teenager until the lies are torn away and the demons reveal themselves.

Forced to go on the run, she hurtles from one threat to another, revealing a tapestry of terror woven into the very fabric of her life. Her only chance rests with her fellow travellers, who are not at all what they appear to be…

I love Derek Landy - the Skulduggery Pleasant series always makes me smile - so I couldn't let the opportunity to pre-order a platinum, signed edition of his new book pass me by. I know very little about this book, but I'm looking forward to reading it!

Descender, Vol.1: Tin Stars

by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nyugen

Young Robot boy TIM-21 and his companions struggle to stay alive in a universe where all androids have been outlawed and bounty hunters lurk on every planet. Written by award-winning creator, Jeff Lemaire, Descender is a rip-roaring and heart-felt cosmic odyssey. Lemaire pits humanity against machine, and world against world, to create a sprawling epic. Collecting issues #1-6 of Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth, Trillium) and Dustin Nguyen's (Little Gotham) critically acclaimed, bestselling new science fiction series!

If you've been following my blog for a while you'll know I've been reading a lot of graphic novels this year, and I've really enjoyed it! This one was recommended to me over on amazon and it was available to pre-order for only £5 so I thought 'why not?' So far it's gotten some great reviews on Goodreads and apparently the art is beautiful, so I'm looking forward to reading it!

Saga, Vol.5

by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Multiple storylines collide in this cosmos-spanning new volume. While Gwendolyn and Lying Cat risk everything to find a cure for The Will, Marko makes an uneasy alliance with Prince Robot IV to find their missing children, who are trapped on a strange world with terrifying new enemies. 

I've been eager to get my hands on Volume 5 of Saga ever since I finished Volume 4. I managed to plough my way through the first four volumes at the beginning of this year, so I'm looking forward to getting back into this world and seeing these characters again.

I've also pre-ordered the second volume of Copperhead, but it still doesn't have a complete title, a cover or even any information about all of the artists who've worked on it. Soon I'll be pre-ordering Volume 7 of American Vampire and Volume 4 of Ms. Marvel, too; I know American Vampire, Vol.7 has already been out for a little while, but I collect the paperbacks rather than the hardbacks, so I have to wait a little longer for my copies!

Have you pre-ordered any books?

Review | Ms. Marvel, Vol.2: Generation Why by G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona and Jacob Wyatt

Ms. Marvel, Vol.2: Generation Why

by G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona and Jacob Wyatt

My Rating: 

Who is the Inventor, and what does he want with the all-new Ms. Marvel and all her friends? Maybe Wolverine can help! Kamala may be fan-girling out when her favorite (okay maybe Top Five) super hero shows up, but that won't stop her from protecting her hometown. Then, Kamala crosses paths with Inhumanity for the first time - by meeting the royal dog, Lockjaw! Every girl wants a puppy, but this one may be too much of a handful, even for a super hero with embiggening powers. But why is Lockjaw really with Kamala? As Ms. Marvel discovers more about her past, the Inventor continues to threaten her future.

You can find my review of Ms. Marvel, Vol.1: No Normal here!

In Volume 2 of Ms. Marvel we're met with a young superhero who's growing in both confidence and awesome factor. This volume was much more action-packed than the first, including Kamala's showdown with The Inventor and her chance meeting with one of her top five favourite superheroes, Wolverine. Kamala even has a literal out of this world experience when she meets Inhuman royalty.

Basically, this volume was a lot of fun.

The main criticism I had of the first volume was that, while I adored Kamala, the plot felt a little all over the place. Thankfully, I found this volume much more succinct. There was more of a sense that Kamala is slowly but surely becoming more comfortable with her new role in life, though I was pleased to see none of her problems had been resolved overnight; while this volume focused less on her home life it was still made clear to us that Kamala continues to struggle between balancing the person she wants to be with the person she's expected to be. Something all of us face, I think, particularly during our teens.

It was teenagers who made this volume in particular really special. Kamala gives a brilliant speech about the modern generation, how they're judged and how they're made to feel about themselves and their role in society, and I found it incredibly powerful. It was one of my favourite parts of this volume, my other favourite part being Wolverine. Naturally.

I loved that Wolverine was included in this volume. Out of all of Marvel's superheroes, he really is one of the best role models and teachers out there; he has a real talent for taking young people (particularly young ladies - just look at Rogue) under his wing and helping them realise their own potential, which is just what Kamala needed. Their scenes together were so much fun.

I really enjoyed this volume, I love where this series is going, and I can't wait for the next one!

Review | Ms. Marvel, Vol.1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona

Ms. Marvel, Vol.1: No Normal

by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona

My Rating: 

Kamala Khan is an ordinary girl from Jersey City — until she's suddenly empowered with extraordinary gifts. But who truly is the new Ms. Marvel? Teenager? Muslim? Inhuman? Find out as she takes the Marvel Universe by storm! When Kamala discovers the dangers of her newfound powers, she unlocks a secret behind them, as well. Is Kamala ready to wield these immense new gifts? Or will the weight of the legacy before her be too much to bear? Kamala has no idea, either. But she's comin' for you, New York! 

What a fun start to a series!

If you've been following my blog for a little while you might have noticed that I've been getting more and more into graphic novels over the past few months, and this year in particular. In January I read all four of the current volumes of Saga as well as the first volume of Rat Queens, so it only seemed right to get my hands on a copy of Ms. Marvel - I'll support anything female-led in the Marvel universe, because frankly the lack of female-led superhero movies is shocking. Thank God for Ms. Marvel and Agent Carter.

Don't even get me started on DC...

Anyway, as much as I enjoy the Marvel movies I don't know if I'd call myself a Marvel fangirl. I'm definitely no expert on the Marvel universe, and Ms. Marvel counts as the very first Marvel comic I've ever read. But hey, I'm not going to let that stop me from giving you an honest review!

I knew from the very first page that Kamala was going to be a heroine I liked a lot. She's a sweetie, and there's something about these stories featuring teenage misfits that call out to the teenage misfit in all of us, whether we're still struggling through adolescence or we left it behind, or so we like to think, years ago. Kamala's an ordinary teenager who's struggling to find the middle ground between being true to who she is, or who she'd like to be, and making her parents proud.

I'm rather ashamed to admit that I don't think I've read a book with a Muslim protagonist before now. That's something I need to change. I loved the way Kamala's family were portrayed; while their religion mattered to them on a personal level, it didn't define them. Kamala's family is a family like anyone else's, and I'm glad they were portrayed as such. That's something all of us need to remember, I think, when we sit down to watch the news.

While there were certain aspects of Kamala's culture that I could understand her frustration with, I loved that her family were still portrayed as likeable people; her relationship with her father, in particular, was very touching, and I look forward to seeing more scenes between the two of them in future volumes.

The only area of this volume that was a little lacking for me was, unfortunately, the plot. Obviously this is only the beginning so I'm sure whatever has started here will continue to grow and grow, but at times this volume felt a little all over the place; Kamala seemed to settle into her new powers fairly quickly, and I expected a bit more freaking out before that happened. Even in a world where the Avengers are real you'd still get a bit of a shock if you woke up with the ability to shoot lasers from your eyes.

All in all, though, I enjoyed this volume, and I'm looking forward to further instalments!