Maus Volumes 1 & 2 by Art Spielgelman

Series: Maus #1
Publication Date: November 1, 1991
Publisher: Pantheon Books
Genre: Adult Graphic Novel, Biography
Format: Paperback (from local library)
Page Count: 159

A story of a Jewish survivor of Hitler's Europe and his son, a cartoonist who tries to come to terms with his father's story and history itself.

Series: Maus #2

Publication Date: September 1, 1992

Publisher: Pantheon Books

Genre: Adult Graphic Novel, Biography

Format: Paperback (from local library)

Page Count: 136

Acclaimed as a quiet triumph and a brutally moving work of art, the first volume of Art Spieglman's Maus introduced readers to Vladek Spiegleman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler's Europe, and his son, a cartoonist trying to come to terms with his father, his father's terrifying story, and History itself. Its form, the cartoon (the Nazis are cats, the Jews mice), succeeds perfectly in shocking us out of any lingering sense of familiararity with the events described, approaching, as it does, the unspeakable through the diminutive. This second volume, subtitled And Here My Troubles Began, moves us from the barracks of Auschwitz to the bungalows of the Catskills. Genuinely tragic and comic by turns, it attains a complexity of theme and a precision of thought new to comics and rare in any medium. Maus ties together two powerful stories: Vladek's harrowing tale of survival against all odds, delineating the paradox of daily life in the death camps, and the author's account of his tortured relationship with his aging father. At every level this is the ultimate survivor's tale - and that too of the children who somehow survive even the survivors.

The Maus Volumes are graphic novels written and drawn by Art Spielgelman to share his parents' holocaust survival story with the world. Now let me just start out by saying these have to be the best graphic novels I have read in my life so far. All I knew going into these novels was that they had to do with the Holocaust and the Jews were depicted as mice and the Nazis as cats. As soon as I heard this, it went straight to my priority to-read list.

I loved how Art Spielgelman chose to tell his parents' story. These graphic novels play out in that you start out by viewing Artie as he is talking to his father and asking him to narrate his holocaust stories, and as his father narrates, we then get to see everything that happened to him in his horrifying holocaust journey. I really enjoyed this because we got to see both the present situation in the lives of both Artie and his father as well as the past holocaust experiences from his father's POV.

The events Artie's parents had to endure during the Holocaust are sickening and absolutely horrible. Just knowing all of it is true is what makes it even more awful. Through out the novels we even get insight into Artie's struggles of growing up as a child of Holocaust survivors. I was surprised at first to see in between there were a few parts that made me laugh and served as a bit of comic relief after page after page of violence and grief, but it was greatly appreciated. I was not sure how I would enjoy different groups of people being represented as animals, but it all was executed beautifully. While the black and white artwork style might not seem stunning, it worked very well with the the story's plot and tone.

I think what I respected most about these graphic novels is how elaborate and brutally honest they were. By the end of the story, I felt as if I could really see all the main characters for who they really were. Yes these books are very depressing at times and I cried more than once, but the story was also funny and enlightening as well. I am usually not a fan of graphic novels or comics because I always feel a bit empty...as if it is missing some depth and detail to it, but I definitely did not feel this way about these two books.

Conclusion: I would definitely recommend the Maus graphic novels to everyone. I have to warn you that main story line is very sad and sickening, but the good thing is that these novels still have a hopeful aspect to them and are beautifully executed.

My Rating:

Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee ~ Impeccable Reviews

Series: To Kill A Mockingbird #2
Publication Date: July 14, 2015
Publisher: HarperCollins
Genre: Adult, Literary Fiction
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 278

Maycomb, Alabama. Twenty-six-year-old Jean Louise Finch--"Scout"--returns home from New York City to visit her aging father, Atticus. Set against the backdrop of the civil rights tensions and political turmoil that were transforming the South, Jean Louise's homecoming turns bittersweet when she learns disturbing truths about her close-knit family, the town and the people dearest to her. Memories from her childhood flood back, and her values and assumptions are thrown into doubt. Featuring many of the iconic characters from To Kill a Mockingbird, Go Set a Watchman perfectly captures a young woman, and a world, in a painful yet necessary transition out of the illusions of the past--a journey that can be guided only by one's conscience. 

My Review

I wouldn't really call Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee a sequel because it didn't feel like a continuation of To Kill A Mockingbird. You could easily read this book before the latter without feeling uninformed (even though I would strongly advise against doing so). This book felt like more of an add on or companion novel than anything else. After finishing the first book To Kill A Mockingbird, I quickly added it to my list of all time favorite books and I was SUPER excited for this book to come out. I had the book in my hands the day it came out and I am glad I found the time to read it.

This book follows the same character as To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout, but she is refered to as Jean Louise. In this review I am going to continue calling her Scout because I like that name for her better. She is 26 years old now and she has come back to Maycomb from college to visit. Atticus has grown old with health problems, Jem is dead, Aunt Alexandra is as annoying as ever, and Scout has a new suitor named Henry. Slowly she begins to see that Maycomb and the people in it are not the same as she had always imagined them to be. This book deals with a lot of racism and politics and it is very interesting to see how something written so long ago can have many parallels to our current society.

I did not know what to expect from this book going in, but at first it made me a little depressed. Well...more like very depressed. It felt as if all the characters I loved from the first book had disappeared or changed. Scout goes through this same revelation and it is as if I was going through it with her. HER BROTHER JEM IS DEAD FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! (Don't worry this is not a spoiler. You find this out within 30 pages or less of the book and it really has nothing to do with the plot) I seriously almost cried because I really liked Jem from the first book. Dill was not present because he was off living outside of Maycomb and Atticus was not his normal self for 99% of the book.

Atticus from To Kill A Mockingbird has to be one of my favorite characters in classic literature because he was a very wise, honest, respectable human being, and the world would be much better if we had more Atticuses (Lol whatever the plural of Atticus is) walking around. The problem in Go Set A Watchman was that Atticus has changed and he is no longer the perfect good Atticus from the first book. It's kind of sad to read about. For a while I tried to deny it, but it's quite obvious. Then to top it all off, Calpurnia who was Scout's old house maid and basically her mother figure acted so coldly towards Scout. So all I was left with was Aunt Alexandra who I already disliked from To Kill A Mockingbird and Henry who was a respectable character, but new to me. Oh and I guess there was also her Uncle, but he is downright crazy. To be totally honest, this book really tainted my perception of every character except for Scout.

The plot in this book is slower than most. Throughout the whole book I did not know where the plot was going. For a while, it felt as if it was going no where. Things kept on getting worse and worse and everybody seemed to be turning there backs on Scout, but all these events end up playing out this way for a reason which you will find by the end of the book. I really enjoy how Harper Lee incorporates her book titles into her novels and uses them as a type of symbolism. One thing I value a lot in books is when I am able to take away a message or some knowledge from them and there's definitely a message I learned from this book. I cannot say I enjoyed this book all the way through, but I was satisified by the end and how things resolved themselves. Go Set A Watchman does not compare to To Kill A Mockingbird in any way, shape or form, so I think it is unfair to judge one based on the other. Go Set A Watchman is a separate book in itself and has its own good qualities to it. I believe anyone who enjoyed the first book will benefit from at least giving this book a try.

My Rating:

3.5 out of 5 stars
It was really hard to try and figure out a rating for this book. I even debated not rating it at all, but I finally decided to give it a 3.5. Though I had some issues with the book, I still could really appreciate it.

Vicious by V.E. Schwab ~ Impeccable Reviews

Publication Date: September 24, 2013
Publisher: Tor
Genre: Adult, Fantasy/Paranormal
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 368



Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

My Review

I don't think you guys understand. Words cannot explain fully my appreciation for this book. Seriously, Vicious is one of the best books in the adult genre that I have ever read! The book is centered around the concept of EO or Extra Ordinary. Basically, these are extra senses and/or powers that some people are able to acquire which make them more or less superhuman. Therefore, they are referred to as EOs. Victor and Eli, two good friends and pre-med students in university, one day decide to research deeper into the topic of EOs and even try to become some themselves. Now this book is not just a story about superhumans and an exploration of their powers (as awesome as that already is), it a story of revenge, action, suspense, and a friendship gone bad.

This is one of those books where the characters all have so many dimensions to them. None of them are simply black and white and I enjoyed how complex they all were. Even though Victor is the "hero" in this story, he is not your typical superhero. Victor is in no way perfect. He takes action for more selfish reasons than to help save other people. The thing is, it doesn't matter that Victor is not the greatest human being ever because he has some redeeming qualities to him that I'm sure make many readers connect with him and like him. On the other hand, Eli might at first seem to have more charming qualities than Victor, but as the book progresses you really see his true colors that made me dislike him a lot. I would even go as far as describing him as evil.

When reading this book, my attention was held from beginning to end. I do not remember a single moment where I was actually bored. There is quite a bit of action and violence in the plot that kept me engaged the whole way through. I'd say the whole book overall has a very dark tone to it, so this would not be ideal for those looking for a light, happy read. I think my favorite part of the novel was the ending. There is a lot of build up throughout the book for the action that is to come at the end, and I was very curious and filled with anticipation to see how the story would play out. I was in no way disappointed. The book's conclusion was perfect.

Now this may sound weird, but I also enjoyed the lengths of the chapters in this book. They were short and I felt they went well with the story's flow, as well as made me feel accomplished while getting through them quickly. I definitely will have to read Victoria Schwab's other books if they are all as good as this one.

My Rating:

5 out of 5 stars

So if you could have any supernatural power, what would you choose?