#5 - Inkheart

I picked this book up a good while ago solely on the cover and an attraction to it. I had started to read it at the time but had put it down and forgot about it. The spell was too great though and drew me back in when I saw it sitting on the bookshelf. Originally written in German it is a good translation of a contemporary fantasy tale aimed at young adults. It is a bit darker than most YA books, but in a good way and while maybe not a perfect execution it is a good tale and does a great job of transporting the reader into the world. I found out it had been turned into a film and there are additional books in the series which I am looking forward to.

#4 - Zombies Vs. Robots Complete

Another Ashley Wood creation and this time it is a trade paperback collection of all of the Zombies Vs. Robots (vs. Amazons vs. mermen) which is a force of art and style telling the tale of human nuclear annihilation at the hands of Warbot to end a zombie invasion. Instead of ending, it is just the beginning, and one hell of a ride! Genius work.

#3 - World War Robot Complete

After a bit of a hiatus in posts it's time to catch up. First up is Ashley Wood's World War Robot Complete. WWR is, at first glance, an art book with seemingly disconnected snippets of text strewn about in letters, communications, etc. The artwork is outstanding and truly speaks more than words could to create a rich world that draws you in as well as any novel. Mankind has split into two factions, those on Earth are fanatically religious and the atheists have jumped ship to Mars. An enterprising figure based out of the Moon creates the robots that help each side wage war against each other while he profits from it all. It's an awesome book and also the background for some of the most amazing toys ever created by Ashley's company Three A Toys.

#2 - Corduroy

When it comes to selecting children's books for gifts, my wife (who's an elementary school teacher) is perfect for those 10-and-under titles and I generally handle the young adult and up. I had never read or heard of Corduroy before, but being a 40th anniversary edition I knew it must be a classic and favorite of many. I love the artwork and imagination in many children's books, and I am always sorely disappointed when they are just frivolous and phoned-in stories with no real depth or care. Happily this is not the case here! Great artwork and a tale that provokes thought and a jumping-off point for discussion and learning greeted me and actually left me wishing this title was the start of a novel instead of the end of the journey.

Brief synopsis: A teddy bear in a toy shop that is missing a button is constantly passed over, and despite his best efforts to "fix" his shortcoming a little girl desperately wants to love him anyhow. Highly recommended!

#1 - Life in a Medieval City

A new year is upon us! Last year I fell a bit short at 26 (halfway there, and still 1 book every two weeks on average), but I also had forgotten to post a few books I read and lost track of the final tally... my guess was that it really ended somewhere around 35-38. Sometimes I am reading two books at a time, or one at home and one on the go or during travel, and sometimes I'll sit and read a book at a bookstore and forget to add it to the list. This year I will try to better capture the full list, and I've been making notes in my iPod Touch so that no matter where I am, I don't forget.

Starting off the year is another in the "Life in a Medieval..." series focusing on city life. Troyes to be exact. Thankfully there wasn't a lot of overlap with the previous castle title, and this really did give a different view and perspective on life and times in a bustling medieval city. Fair's were the big draw of the day and whole economies thrived around these festivities at specific times of the year. Trade, shops, commerce, food, homes, and all of the things that make up daily life are given a great overview with some aspects receiving much more in-depth coverage. Sometimes it feels like things get too glossed over, and some are covered again and again, but on the whole it pulls back the cover and affords a great peek at a time and life long passed. For anyone interested in the period this is a recommended read.