J. Edgar Hoover VS. Amelia McBride

Hi all! Well it's been a long time since we rock and rolled yea!!!! Been a long time, been a long, lonely, lonely time (Nod of the head to Led Zep). Summer has been tough and somethings popped up that prevented me from posting as much as I would like. But it looks like were back in business again!!!!!!! So without further adieu, here we go:

Master Of Deceit :  J. Edgar Hoover and America in the Age of Lies by Marc Aronson - Wow I have to tell you it's been awhile sense I've read a Non-Fiction book, but this one made the time worth the wait. This book not only takes a close look at a man that has been vilified by many, and perhaps justifiably so, but also shows us a side of Hoover that is not full of phony and overblown baloney that has been perpetrated on him for years. Was he a troubled man? Yes almost certainly. Did he do things that were morally ambiguous? Yes, but because he believed he was protecting America. This book tells us Hoover's story with all his short comings and deceitful manipulation of America and Americans through his leadership of the FBI. It also shows a real human being, that while you may not very well like, is just as human and flawed as you or me. It also shows the bigger picture of the times and other individuals whom had roles to play in events that occurred that have all been blamed on Hoover (rightfully or wrongly). The things that were going on that were outside the realm of Hoover's control in the USA and the world will astound you and make you rethink American History (much of it not that dated) and what you have been told and what is fact. There are some heavy and big things presented in this book that will have you turning page after page. A really fascinating and interesting book that I recommend for those ages 11 and up.

The Amelia Rules Graphic Novel Series by Jimmy Gownley - This Graphic Novel Series, with its 8th instalment coming out soon, is truly a wonderful collection of work. The GNs center around Amelia McBride whose parent's are divorced and she and her Mom move to a small town where her Mom's sister Tanner (the ultimate in cool without trying to be, mysterious rock star) lives. She feels her world has been turned upside down as she starts a new school and has to make new friends along with dealing with the divorce and move. She does make new friends in Reggie (a true life non-super-hero with no powers and the ability to bungle any situation he encounters), her friend/enemy Rhonda, the super cool Pajamaman and the supper silly Joan. Their is GASP (The Gathering of Awesome Super Pals) organized by Reggie that everyone is forced to become a member. Their despicable enemies the  Park View Terrace Ninjas are always a constant threat (at least in Reggie's mind). What makes this GN Series so special is that it covers serious issues that kids face along with the really funny stuff, the sad stuff, the happy stuff and much more. Highly recommended for ages 8 and up.

Also, check it out:

Talk to you later me amigos!!!

Peace out,
Bill

Serial Killers, Batman, The New 52 and Thor & Captain America

Hi all,

Your Wandering Library Ninja has been hard at work in The Land of Library and when not there in The Land of Mass Effect 3. I'm having so much fun with Mass Effect 3 it should be illegal. This is a great game for the X-Box 3 for older players because of the subject matter. Check it out though:





Pretty darn cool, right!!!!!!!
All right let's talk good reads now:

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga - Jazz is almost a typical teen in the sleepy town of Lobo's Nod in that he lives with his grandmother (um maybe not so normal, read and find out), goes to school, has a best friend named Howie (who also happens to be a hemophiliac) and a steady girlfriend who is tough as nails. What makes Jazz not so typical is that his father Billy Dent, who raised him and taught him all he knows, is the most notorious and prolific serial killer caught by police to date. To say that Jazz has personal issues is to put it mildly. With his upbringing by his infamous father he has trouble dealing with life as a normal person. He thinks differently and feels things differently than other "normal teens" and is terrified he will turn out just like his father.Well when against all odds another serial killer starts killing in his sleepy little town, Jazz helps the police, whether the help is wanted or not, because he knows how serial killers think and he wants to prove to himself and the people of Lobo's Nod that he is not destined to walk in his father's footsteps. That he is a normal and good person even with his own doubts and those of others who don't really know him. He is terrified for anyone to get close to him because he is scared to let anyone see him for who he is and what he understands. This is a great read that I enjoyed. Full of chills and down right creepiness. Definitely not for the faint of heart and recommended for those 15 and older. Can't wait for a the sequel!!!!!!!



Batman, The Court of Owls, Volume 1 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo - As stated in the title this is the first volume of an epic Batman story. This is Batman in one of his first appearances in DC Comics' "New 52" Reboot. I must get this out of the way first, I am not a fan of DC's "New 52" for many reasons I want go into right here. With all that being said, this is really a great story and visualization of how a Batman tale should be done. Batman as Gotham's protector believes he knows everything there is to know about the city. He knows the realities from the myths. One such myth is "The Court of Owls." An Illuminati of sorts that rules the city without ever being seen. If you cross this Illuminati they will seek you out to punish or kill you through there personal assassin known as "The Talon." Batman along with the help of the original Robin, Dick Grayson, and others in the Batman Family investigate this group that is becoming very active of late. Batman badly underestimates them, gets the living crap beat out of him, is tortured to the breaking point, but survives this first volume ready for round 2. I can't wait for the second volume as this story is spun so expertly by Scott Snyder and beautifully illustrated by Greg Capullo. Recommended for those 13 and up.



Marvel Adventures, Avengers: Thor and Captain America by Paul Tobin, Gerry Conway, Ronan Cliquet, Ron Lim and more - This Graphic Novel collects Marvel Adventures Super Heroes issues 13 - 16. These four collected issues of the comic have Thor or Captain America teaming up with fellow heroes. My favorite story in the collection is the first where Thor and Valkyrie recruit Nova to join them on a mission to carry a message to an Asgardian who felled in performing a task assigned to him by Odin thousands of years ago. For this Odin banished the Asgardian to the underworld and on top of that has Thor and Valkyrie deliver him a message that contains a massive and dangerous task he must complete every decade. The three heroes must fight  and overcome many obstacles in order to reach the Viking Warrior and what happens when they reach him is most unexpected. This story along with the rest teaming Thor and Spider-Man, Captain America and Chat and lastly Cap and Web-Head are lots of fun and full of action. Highly recommended for those 8 and up!!!!!

Until next time my friends.

Audios,

Bill

It's Me Again! With a Fellow Reader Guy!

Hey Guys! Remember me? I'm the other goofball---I mean--other guy who posts here. Like Bill, I stay busy a lot,  so I don't often get to write about all the great guy books we find. That's why we're glad to have a friend like Michael who sends in reviews to the Boys Rule Boys Read blog, the companion to this one. I'd thought I'd post a few of his reviews here just to show that other reader guys like YOU are out there enjoying great reads. Michael has sent us many first-rate reviews of cool books for several years and I'm glad to share some with you.

But right now you see the Iron Guy beaming with happiness because he has his copy of The Serpent's Shadow, the final book in Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles trilogy. I'm Charlotte's # 1 Rick Riordan fan and any new book from him is the cause of much joyous celebration. (What?? Did you say that you're a BIGGER Rick Riordan fan than me??? HA!!! I don't believe you!! If I'm WRONG, then write in and PROVE it!)

But, as I said, we have four reviews from our friend Michael. Let's not waste any more time:

The Adventures of Tintin, volumes 1-7
by Herge
      Tintin is a reporter who is always finding intriguing stories to follow. Usually, he gets caught up right in the middle of his story, and he's always having to fight off enemies with guns and knives in addition to the ones trying to find creative ways of killing him. There aren't many dull moments in this series. When I first heard about it, I thought it was just a cute kiddie comic about a boy and his dog, but the dog, Snowy, really doesn't have much to do with the stories. If you like thrillers and hilarious lines, you won't better than this comic-book series right here! Read them all!

The Adventures of Tintin: the movie novel
by Alex C. Irvine
      If you're not sure about the Tintin movie, or if you really want to see it but it's not on DVD yet, then this novel is right for you. It has the exact same details and dialogue as the movie, and in some ways, this book is even better than the movie. The author has done well making the complicated scenes simple enough to understand without watching the movie. I think it's a great novel, and if you want to be the ultimate Tintin fan, then you can watch the movie and read the novel, like I did! It was a great book and a great movie.

Storm Runners: book 3
Eruption
by Roland Smith
      This is the final book in the Storm Runners trilogy. If you've read my reviews on the other two books, than you should be caught up. In this book, the Rossi Brothers' circus has gone missing in Mexico, so Chase, John, Tomas, Nicole, Cindy, and Mark head down to Lago de la Montana to go and find them. The only problem is that Lago de la Montana is right at the base of Mount Popocatapetl, which is showing signs of eruption, which could turn out to be the worst in its history. Plus, if the circus has had an accident, the animals could escape... and Chase would rather not have an incident like what happened in the last book happen again. Although all this suspense is built up, and it seems as though something great is going to happen, nothing actually happens. This book is more about the characters' relationships with one another and animal attacks more than storms. There is not one storm in this book, and in the end, Mount Popocatapetl doesn't even erupt. Plus, I don't approve of this being only three books. He could have had 50 books in this series! But he only chose three. I hate to say it, but this is the worst book in his trilogy. Look out for his next book coming in September: Cahills Vs. Vespers, book 4: Shatterproof.

 Herbert's Wormhole, book 2
The Rise and Fall of El Solo Libre
by Peter Nelson and Rohitash Rao
      After 6 years, Alex, Sammi, and Herbert are finally back in this mediocre sequel! GOR-DON, the evil G'Dalien from the last book is back, and this time, he has a guaranteed plan to get rid of the three pretend Alien-slayers. Alex sets out on a mission to find his 110-year-old self, like Herbert, but Alex suddenly gets prideful and wants to be a solo Alien-slayer. Will Herbert and Sammi tell him the truth? The main happening in this book, however, is when GOR-DON, in disguise, tricks Alex into trash-talking the G'Daliens' sworn enemy, the Klapthorians! The Klapthorian general promises an attack on Earth! What will happen to the planet? Plus, Sammi thiks it's wrong to let all of Merwinsville keep thinking that the three of them are still real alien-slayers when they had really just used a life-size video game. She doesn't want to go back to the future, but Herbert made a rule that either all threre of them or none of them went through the wormhole. Could this be their last mission to future Merwinsville? It all unravels in this long-awaited sequel! Like I said at the beginning, this book is pretty average. It's mostly stupid humor and immature behavior, so it's a little boring. There was one really good thriller-type scene (no guns or anything), and that was my favorite part of the book. For those of you who read the original Herbert's Wormhole when it was released in 2006, I found that I'm really too old for the series now. It was great when I was 10 like the characters, but now the characters are still 10 and I'm 16. So, all-in-all, it's an average, nonsense book with a few exciting parts. It's probably worth the read.

Thanks, Michael! We really appreciate the way you tell us just how you see things. The Tintin graphic  novels have looked really interesting and now the movie novel does too. I'm sorry you found the last Storm Runners book disappointing. And the same for the Herbert's Wormhole book. But maybe there are a lot of 10-year-old guys out there who would like it! So you may have done us a favor. Have any of you out there read the Herbert's Wormhole books? Would you like to? Write in and tell us!!

And, if any of you have the mistaken idea that reading is not for guys, here's a picture of the Iron Guy striking his MANLIEST pose and showing that he is a walking advertisement for guy reading:

There!! How could you argue with a MANLY MAN like the Iron Guy???

Thor Mighty Avenger vs. The Tiny Titans, Aw yeaaaaa!!!!!

Hi all,
Well I'm back with another couple of good reads that happen to be two Graphic Novels this go round. So read on and maybe try to get a hold of these most excellent reads.

 

Thor, The Mighty Avenger - Volume 1 by Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee - This is really a great reboot for Thor that has a great story to tell, well scripted characters and amazing artwork. Thor finds himself booted out of Asgard by his father Odin and is not in the best of moods. Fortunately for him he runs across Jane Foster, who works at a local museum, and takes him under her wing after he has a terrific battle with Mr. Hyde. He pretty much gets the stuffing beat out of him by Hyde, but Jane takes him to her home and helps him heal. In round 2 with Mr. Hyde Thor prevails and starts to wonder why he has been exiled from his home (he cannot remember). In his next adventure, his evil half brother Loki, puts a spell on Thor where he sees Frost Giants everywhere. To make matters worse Ant-Man shows up and enlarges his size until Thor truly believes he is a Frost Giant. Along with these stories there is one additional where some old pals of Thor show up to have a night on the town and end up mixing it up with Captain Britain. Best of all Thor's first adventures are reprinted from Journey Into Mystery by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Really great stuff recommended for those 9 and up.

Tiny Titans: Field Trippin' by Art Baltzar and Franco - Aw yeaaaa, the Tiny Titans are back in their newest Graphic Novel and they don't need no stink'in Permission Slips. In this installment of Tiny Titan coolness Trigon thinks Kid Devil is a baby and pays the price; ouch and double ouch. Thanks to Kid Flash the Titans are also getting bushy hairdos thanks to his super speed. Evil Brainiacs and Tiny Legion of Super Heroes from the future coming visiting and much, much more. Not to be be missed by any age who likes to laugh allot. This Graphic Novel Series rocks!!!!!!!

Until next time all peace,

Library Ninja Bill

Vamps and Keeping Your Teeth Healthy

Hi all you crazy cats out there in the wilds "O Blog." I know it's been awhile but between fighting the evil forces that threaten good reading and patrolling the good land of "Blog," man I have been one busy Library Ninja!!!! I even had to hunt down this part of a blog I wrote that the forces of no goodness had made disappear. But enough whining on my part, let's talk good reads!!!!!!

Teeth:Vampire Tales Edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling - I recently finished this anthology and was quite impressed. Many different authors contribute to this anthology of vampire stories inspired by many different cultures and their vampire mythos. It ranges from stories that are down right scary such as "All Smiles" by Steve Berman, "Sit The Dead" by Jeffrey Ford," and "Slice of Life" by Lucius Shepard to those that are funny and fascinating in a morbid sort of way such as "History" by Ellen Kushner and "In The Future When All's Well" by Catherynne Valente. There are even those that show vampirism as just being another way of living (or non-living), that are as mundane or more exhilarating than living as a human, but are as the Beatles said:


"Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on, yeh!
La la la life goes on...
Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on, yeh!...
La la la life goes on."


I highly recommend this book because the stories are as far from the majority of typical vampire tales out now as can be and the authors involved really have written some phenomenal stuff. Because of language, that sex thing and other activities that teens can and sometime do get involved in (part of growing up), I would recommend this book for older teens. I really enjoyed this one!!!!! P.S. Neil Gaiman contributes a poem (gotta to mention Neil wherever he shows up!!!!).

Peace all and good reading,

Bill

Shadow Ops, X-Men and Combat Oh My!!!!!!

Hi all,

It's The Wandering Library Ninja Bill. I 've been walking in the waste lands and dry and dark places. Fighting evil wherever it rears it's ugly head. It's mighty strange living in the shadow lands, but good reads always pull me through. So let's see what's on this dish today?

 

 

Shadow Ops: Control Point by Myke Cole - Imagine if in the real world people started to exhibit strange powers and magical abilities. This is what I hope is the start of a great series about how things would play out. In this world created by Myke Cole some of humanity has started to develop magical powers. Some people are born and exhibit these abilities early in life while others are well into their adulthood when they exhibit magical powers. In this world, very much like ours, when this starts to happen governments around the globe try to control these individuals for their own agendas. In the United States people who manifest magical gifts are either incorporated into the military or kept under constant supervision. Those who try to run, termed Selfers, are hunted down by the military and "handled." Some powers are considered okay by the government, while other are not. Some of the "good" powers are: Physiomancer (the power to heal) but if used to harm it is called Rending and prohibited, Pyromancer (the ability to generate fire and control in many ways), Aeromancer (ability to control storms and lightning, also can use wind currents to fly), Hydromancer (ability to generate and control water) and others I will leave you to find out about. Those that are prohibited and individuals exhibiting them "supposedly" helped  or taken down are: Elementist (the ability to make fire, water, earth, etc. self aware and act on the person's behalf without taking away from the user's focus), Necromancy (the ability to control the dead), Portamancy (the ability to open and close gates to different locations and dimension), Whispering (the ability to control animal life) and also many others that you can find out about if you read the book.

This story focuses on Lieutenant Oscar Britton part of the SOC (Supernatural Operations Corps). The SOC is made up of servicemen without magical powers and those with to serve The United States Government. One of there duties is to hunt done Selfers and capture users of outlawed magics. It is during one of these missions that Britton manifest the ability of Portamancy. He runs because he does not understand what has happened to him and is just plain scared. He is pursued by the SOC under the command of the mysterious Aeromancer known only as Harlequin.

He is caught and taken to an Operations Area in another dimension known as "The Source" (it seems to be the place where magic originates and has broken through to our dimension to endow certain individuals with different powers). This is all top secret and all knowledge of it kept under raps by the military and government. The Operations Area is used for multiple purposes. One is to wage a war in The Source with the indigenous population known as "Goblins" (some magic users and others not). Another use of the Operations Area is to imprison Selfers and users of prohibited magics. Yet another use is to convert both Selfers and PROBES (those manifesting prohibited magics) into military service.

This is a great book full of action, probing morality issues, unexpected twist and turns and just a down right fun read for those who like action and intrigue. I highly recommend this book, but must caution that this really is an adult book (language and violence being the strongest issues). I encourage older teens who this summary intrigues to give it a try. I loved it!!!!!


Alright now it's time to review a Graphic Novel I recently read that really was smoking!!!!!!

X-Men: Schism by Jason Arron, Kieron Gillen, Frank Cho, Alan Davis and more - This book starts with the X-Men a cohesive unit on their Island Nation of Utopia. Scott Summers (Cyclops - The X-Men's undisputed leader) and his second in command Logan (Wolverine) are firmly committed to working together to lead and protect the dwindling mutant population from this island located off the coast of San Francisco.  Without giving away to much of the plot, the X-Men end up getting there butts kicked by a bunch of kids (and I do mean kids, all around 12 years old...although they are way more intelligent than your average bear). These kids set up the X-Men to look bad to all non-mutants who may live peacefully besides mutants and bring on the Sentinels, mutant killing machines that have haunted the X-Men from almost their first appearance, in a big way. Young mutants are asked by Cyclops to fight in a big time fight with the ultimate Sentinel for the continued existence of Utopia. Wolverine violently disagrees with Cyclops on using children to do battle with this Souped-Up Sentinel. It gets so bad that the two come to blows in a fight that must be seen to be believed, all the while this Sentinel is bearing down on them. The X-Men will not be the same after this tragic event and all will have to choose sides between Wolverine and Cyclops. Don't expect the expected. Great read for those 12 and up!!!!!

Well got some more walking to do before I finely lay my weary head to bed. Peace all and good reading,

Bill

Hades Lord of The Dead Meets Diary of A Wimpy Kid!!!!

Hi all you groovy travelers through the world of blog, I have come across some really out of sight reads that I just need to share. Remember, you to can also contribute to the cause through commenting on something you read and liked and I will get it posted. Far out man!!!!! Well on to good reads eh?

The Olympians, Hades Lord of The Dead by George O'Connor - This Graphic Novel focuses on Zeus's brother Hades who gets , unfairly, a bad rap most of the time. If you have yet to read any of the Graphic Novels in the Olymians' Series that have come out so far (click on the titles to check out my reviews of Athena, Grey-Eyed Goddess,  Hera, The Goddess and Her Glory and one done by Iron Carl for The Boys Rule, Boys Read Blog. Zeus,King of The Gods) by George O'Connor get ahold of them as soon as you can. In this well written and drawn Graphic Novel we learn more about Hades (also known by such names such as "Pluton - The Wealthy One," "Zeus Cythonios - Zeus of The Underworld" and many more as people do not like to use the name Hades in fear of attracting his attention) and the Underworld he rules. Of course the Underworld is populated by many known and not so familiar denizens as Cerberus - the giant three headed dog that guards the Underworld, Charon -the ferryman who will take the recently departed across the river Styx (for a cost), Shades of The Dead, The Mortal Half of Heracles who did not ascend to Olympus upon his death to become a god, The Titans who ruled all of existence before the Olympians defeated them among many, many more famous and not quite as famous. The story of the abduction of Kore, the daughter of Demeter (Goddess of Agriculture), is featured prominently in this Graphic Novel (GN) for without giving to much away she marries Hades and become Persephone (Goddess of The Underworld and Spring Growth). Without Persephone we would not have the changing of the seasons --- read the GN. Much more is included in this GN and Mr. O'Connor has done his homework well to put together a terrific read!!! As with the other Olypians' books included with the story are Author's Notes, Bios on key individuals and other beings in the story, Greek Notes about certain sections of the book to give more clarity, Discussion Questions, a wonderful Bibliography of books and web sites where the author obtained the information to tell the story and a further Recommended Reading List about the story he has spun. This is really a great GN and I can't wait to see what Greek Myth Mr. O'Connor will provide to us next!!!!!! Recommended for those ages 9 and up. 

I know I'm late on the next one and probably everybody except me has already read it, but here goes:

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney - What can I say about this book that I have not already said about the previous books in this series? They are too funny and every guy out there has a little (or allot of Greg Heffeley) in them. What really impresses me about this book and the series is they continue to be topnotch in comedic value and maintain an originality that all the other books inspired by the series can't come close to matching. Examples of comic genius from this book:

1) Greg and his brother Roderick picking up an elderly woman walking to the grocery store she knows is nearby, but deciding she is confused and taking her to one miles away. Only to find out a new grocery store had opened right around the corner she lives at; rushing back to get her only to have her refuse to ride with them and having a news report come on television that night about teens kidnapping elderly people and dropping them off at strange locations.

2) Greg and Rowley setting up a dunking both to make money and not realizing the person being dunked should be protected from the baseballs being thrown at the cage (ouch).

3) Read and laugh! The book ends way to fast because of the pace you will be reading and laughing.

Let's hope there is a knew one out soon. Recommended for those ages 9 and up. 

Well that's all I got for now guys.

Later,

Library Ninja Bill