Ride Theory commented on Cracker Jack prizes by Alex Jaramillo
I really like the volvelle cover.
Reviews and Comments
It's not a hard and fast rule, but I read mostly non-fiction. In an attempt to unclutter my bookshelves, I re-read a lot of books I own in 2023, intending to cull the collection and donate a lot of books to Little Free Libraries; it didn't work... and I bought more books.
In 2024, I seem to be reading a lot of graphic biographies and just plain old comic books.
Theme parks. World's Fairs. Miniature buildings. Stereoscopy. Science and science history. History and non-fiction. How-to and maker books, and the occasional "For Dummies" book if I want to learn a specific skill. Sometimes, I scroll through the "Random" feature of Project Gutenberg for unusual e-books.
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Ride Theory reviewed Giraffes on Horseback Salad by Josh Frank
Mediocre
2 stars
A misguided attempt to bring to life Dali's misguided attempt at a Marx Brothers' movie scenario. Weak writing on the Groucho/Chico bits, artwork that lacks Dali's craftsmanship, and a "Harpo" character who behaves NOTHING like Harpo. The lyrics of the original songs are pretty good, and the documentary material is interesting.
Ride Theory rated Action Park: 5 stars
Ride Theory rated Groo : the Hogs of Horder: 4 stars
Ride Theory rated Funny Things: 5 stars
Ride Theory finished reading Groo: Gods Against Groo by Stan Sakai
There are only three things certain in this word: Death, Taxes, and the silly back-cover …
If you're missing Terry Pratchett, I recommend Groo by Sergio Aragonés. It's not /exactly/ the same kind of humor, but it's in the same wheelhouse.
Ride Theory finished reading 20,000 leagues under the sea; or, David Copperfield by Robert Benchley
The usual funny, clever, silly Benchley pieces make up almost all of this volume, except for the very last essay about The Typical New Yorker, where he is quite earnest.
I've loved this book since I first saw the name on the spine in a used bookstore in Portland years ago, and was utterly confused... I actually thought a publisher made one binding that could fit one of two books, and I'd be taking my chances on which one I got. Obviously, in retrospect, not the joke Benchley was aiming for, but I'm sure he would have been pleased with my befuddlement.
Ride Theory stopped reading Crafty cat crimes by Stefan R. Dziemianowicz
I wasn't expecting much, and it met my low expectations. Gave up after about ten stories.
Ride Theory finished reading Revolution in Three Acts by John Carey
More than a bit wordy, and the artwork was stiff, but the stories are still interesting.
Monk!: Thelonious, Pannonica, and the friendship behind a musical revolution by Youssef Daoudi
She is Kathleen Annie Pannonica de Koenigswarter, a free-spirited baroness of the Rothschild family. He is Thelonious Sphere Monk, a …
Ride Theory rated Lugosi: 5 stars
Ride Theory reviewed Josephine Baker by José-Louis Bocquet
Josephine Baker (1906--1975) was nineteen years old when she found herself in Paris for the …
Obvious and clunky
1 star
This is the first graphic biography I've read that was an absolute slog to get through. Whenever new characters or situations are introduced, the dialog goes all clunky and obvious, like that scene in "Walk Hard" where Dewey Cox can't believe he's going to be meditating with the Beatles. "Your innovations are going to change jazz forever," pages and pages of bullshit like that.
Read the excellent "Agent Josephine : American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy" by Damien Lewis instead.
Ride Theory rated Josephine Baker: 1 star
Josephine Baker by José-Louis Bocquet
Josephine Baker (1906--1975) was nineteen years old when she found herself in Paris for the first time in 1925. Overnight, …
Monk!: Thelonious, Pannonica, and the friendship behind a musical revolution by Youssef Daoudi
She is Kathleen Annie Pannonica de Koenigswarter, a free-spirited baroness of the Rothschild family. He is Thelonious Sphere Monk, a …
Ride Theory started reading Crafty cat crimes by Stefan R. Dziemianowicz
Read the first two stories tonight, and it's not looking promising. The first was Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula from the point of view of a street cat, and it was... mediocre. The second was a little better.