Review Copies in-house and taking up space at J LHLS HQ

Updated: June 27, 2008

If you'd like to review any of this, please contact me at gmayerson AT yahoo DOT com or use this form. I will need your mailing address and for the adult material, your sincere assurances that you are of legal majority. Thank you!

Book Expo 2008 NEW

Digital Manga: Novels; Manga

June Manga: Novels; NEW Manga

801 Media

Deux NEW

VIZ Media

Sourcebooks NEW

Netcomics NEW

Book Expo 2008

Please Note: Most of these books are uncorrected proofs/advance copies for review. I might have to ask you for the contact information on the back to let the publisher know when the reviews are posted. Also, I haven't had time to find links for these titles, so if you find a link for a book you don't want, maybe you could send it to me. I'd be much obliged.

Please also note that J LHLS acquired some of these books just because I made eye contact with the author and felt compelled to take their book. It's hard to explain, you kind of have to be there, but I really haven't gone over the edge (more than usual).

Batman Unauthorized
Batman Unauthorized explores Batman’s motivations and actions, as well as those of his foes. Batman is a creature of the night, more about vengeance than justice, more plagued by doubts than full of self-assurance, and more darkness than light. He has no superpowers, just skill, drive, and a really well-made suit. One of the most recognized superheroes ever created, Batman has survived through campy TV shows and films, through actors such as Adam West, Michael Keaton, and Christian Bale. Batman Unauthorized: Vigilantes, Jokers, and Heroes in Gotham City covers expansive territory ranging from the silly to the solemn. Why is the Joker so good at pushing Batman’s buttons? What does Batman’s technology say about the times? Why are Batman’s villains crazier than average? And why is Batman the perfect, iconic American hero?

Tales of the Sisters Kane
Artist and storyteller Christy Kane creates life size, one-of-a-kind, handmade dolls then photographs them in antique settings to illustrate her original stories of social misfits. She is a triple threat whose dolls have remarkably distinct personalities, whose photographs are nuanced and richly detailed, and whose stories are haunting and unforgettable. This collection of stories includes the tales of: * Lily (who has lost nine fingers, one-by-one, due to her careless fascination with a sewing machine), * Polly (who has been unable to stop traveling the world since receiving a pair of roller-skates on her fifteenth birthday), * Callalilly (whose unchecked temper has doomed her to becoming a hook-handed piano player), * The triplets Hyacinth, Azaeleah and Violah (whose baby sister Wisteria has gone missing under troubling and mysterious circumstances).

The Days of Abandonment
Rarely have the foundations upon which our ideas of motherhood and womanhood rest been so candidly questioned. This compelling novel tells the story of one woman’s headlong descent into what she calls an “absence of sense” after being abandoned by her husband. Olga’s “days of abandonment” become a desperate, dangerous freefall into the darkest places of the soul as she roams the empty streets of a city that she has never learned to love. When she finds herself trapped inside the four walls of her apartment in the middle of a summer heat wave, Olga is forced to confront her ghosts, the potential loss of her own identity, and the possibility that life may never return to normal again.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog
We are in an elegant hôtel particulier in the center of Paris. Renée, the building’s concierge, is short, ugly, and plump. She has bunions on her feet. She is cantankerous and addicted to television soaps. Her only real attachment is to her cat, Leo. In short, she is everything society expects from a concierge at an haute bourgeois building in a posh Parisian neighborhood. But Renée has a secret: she is a ferocious autodidact who furtively devours art, philosophy, music, and Japanese culture. With biting humor she scrutinizes the lives of the building’s tenants—her inferiors in every way except that of material wealth. Then there’s Paloma, a super-smart twelve-year-old and the youngest daughter of the Josses, who live on the fifth floor. Talented, precocious, and startlingly lucid, she has come to terms with life’s seeming futility and has decided to end her own on the day her thirteenth birthday. Until then she will continue masking her extraordinary intelligence behind a mask of mediocrity, acting the part of an average pre-teen high on pop subculture, a good but not an outstanding student, an obedient if obstinate daughter. Paloma and Renée hide both their true talents and their finest qualities from a world they suspect cannot or will not appreciate them. They discover their kindred souls when a new tenant arrives, a wealthy Japanese man named Ozu. He befriends Paloma and proves to be the only one capable of seeing through Renée’s timeworn disguise to the mysterious event that has haunted her since childhood. This is a moving, witty, and redemptive novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us. (Note: I have an advance copy, so the cover is plain. GM)

Yes We Can, A Biography of Barack Obama, by Garen Thomas (ISBN: 0312537093)
In third grade, Barack Obama wrote an essay titled, “I Want to Become President”—and he is, to this day, determined to show the world that, yes, he can. Born in the U.S.A., the son of an African father and an American mother, a boy who spent his childhood in Indonesia and Hawaii, Barack Obama is truly a citizen of the world. His campaign for the presidency is powered by a fierce optimism, an exuberant sense of purpose and determination, and, above all, a belief that change can happen. Garen Thomas takes us through the life of Barack Obama, from his struggle to fit in with his classmates and concern about not knowing his biological father, through his term as Illinois senator, to his historic and momentum-building run for president of the United States.

Ghost Medicine, by Andrew Smith (ISBN: 0312375573)
The summer before Troy Stotts turns seventeen, his mother dies. Troy and his father barely speak, communicating instead by writing notes on a legal pad by the phone. Troy spends most of his time with his closest friends: Tom Buller, brash and fearless, the son of a drunk; Gabe Benavidez, smart enough to know he’ll never take over the family ranch; and Gabe’s sister, Luz, whose family overprotects her, and who Troy has loved since they were children. Troy and his friends don’t want trouble. They want this to be the summer of what Troy calls “ghost medicine,” when time seems to stop, so they won’t have to face the past or the future. But before the summer is over, their paths will cross in dangerous and fateful ways with people who will change their lives: Rose, a damaged derelict who lives with a flock of wild horses and goats; and Chase Rutledge, the arrogant sheriff’s son. Troy and his friends want to disappear. Instead, they will become what they least expect —brothers, lovers, heroes, and ghosts.

The Lost Island of Tamarind, by Nadia Aguiar (ISBN: 0312380291)
The summer before Troy Stotts turns seventeen, his mother dies. Troy and his father barely speak, communicating instead by writing notes on a legal pad by the phone. Troy spends most of his time with his closest friends: Tom Buller, brash and fearless, the son of a drunk; Gabe Benavidez, smart enough to know he’ll never take over the family ranch; and Gabe’s sister, Luz, whose family overprotects her, and who Troy has loved since they were children. Troy and his friends don’t want trouble. They want this to be the summer of what Troy calls “ghost medicine,” when time seems to stop, so they won’t have to face the past or the future. But before the summer is over, their paths will cross in dangerous and fateful ways with people who will change their lives: Rose, a damaged derelict who lives with a flock of wild horses and goats; and Chase Rutledge, the arrogant sheriff’s son. Troy and his friends want to disappear. Instead, they will become what they least expect —brothers, lovers, heroes, and ghosts.

Free from Addiction, by Morteza Khaleighi (ISBN: 0230606113)
Addiction invades every region and demographic in the United States, affecting more than 23 million Americans and putting families though a heartbreaking cycle of recovery and relapse. Many people give up and never find the right treatment that will enable them to break free of their addiction forever. Offering a radical new approach, clinical psychologist Dr. Morteza Khaleghi argues that the vast majority of drug and alcohol addiction is driven by an emotional trauma. A pioneer of the dual diagnosis recovery program, he treats the body for chemical dependency while simultaneously ministering to the emotional block that serves as a trigger for relapse. A regular advisor on the Dr. Phil show, Dr. Khaleghi has mapped out recovery plans for thousands of patients and their families. Well-known facilities such as Hazelden, Sierra Tuscon, and the Betty Ford Center refer their toughest cases to him, looking to his vast experience and high rate of success. In this groundbreaking book, he teaches you the methods that have made him the therapist that other therapists turn to for advice.

Home, by Marilynne Robinson (ISBN: 0374299102)
Hundreds of thousands were enthralled by the luminous voice of John Ames in Gilead, Marilynne Robinson’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel. Home is an entirely independent, deeply affecting novel that takes place concurrently in the same locale, this time in the household of Reverend Robert Boughton, Ames’s closest friend. Glory Boughton, aged thirty-eight, has returned to Gilead to care for her dying father. Soon her brother, Jack—the prodigal son of the family, gone for twenty years—comes home too, looking for refuge and trying to make peace with a past littered with tormenting trouble and pain. Jack is one of the great characters in recent literature. A bad boy from childhood, an alcoholic who cannot hold a job, he is perpetually at odds with his surroundings and with his traditionalist father, though he remains Boughton’s most beloved child. Brilliant, lovable, and wayward, Jack forges an intense bond with Glory and engages painfully with Ames, his godfather and namesake.

Maakies: With the wrinkled knees, by Tony Millionaire (ISBN: 9781560978930)
Drinky Crow may be the drunken star of the weekly comic strip Maakies, but more often than not, he plays straight man to the hapless ape, Uncle Gabby. Here is the newest collection of Tony Millionaire's strip, never before published in book form. The suicide jokes may come less frequently than in earlier years, but the comedy and superb drawing style are at their peak, as is the volume of triple-X cartoon booze consumed.

Migration Patterns, by Gary Schanbacher (ISBN: 9781555916466)
This beautifully drawn collection of short stories features characters living in or touched by the American West. Young and old, with heartbreaking pasts and uncertain futures, these characters lead lives filled with tender compassions and incidental cruelties. The stories deal with migration in all of its nuances: the self-imposed exile of a young crab fisherman from the life he desires; an aging flower child who experiences enlightenment while waiting in the express checkout line; a veterinarian watching birds fall mysteriously from the sky; an old man who sees his life come full circle in his garden harvest. Spare, yet emotionally engaging, Migration Patterns is an exploration of the physical and spiritual aspects of moving on in life.

Hundred in the Hand, by Joseph M. Marshall, III (ISBN: 9781555916534)

R.F.K. Must Die!, Chasing the mystery of the Robert Kennedy Assissination, by Robert Blair Kaiser (ISBN: 9781590201244)

Who is Shayla Hacker, by Even Kilgore (ISBN: 9781932557305)

Regegade for Peace & Justice, Congresswoman Barbara Lee Speaks for me, by Barbara Lee (ISBN: 0742558436) (She's my hero.)
In this candid and self-effacing autobiography, Barbara Lee chronicles the challenges she overcame to break the cycle of multi-generational domestic violence, and her rise from being a single mother of two young children to being one of the most progressive and respected voices in Congress today.

Work's a Bitch and then you make it work, by Andrea Kay (ISBN: 9781584797081)

Adam the King, by Jeffrey Lewis (ISBN: 9781590512845)
The wedding of billionaire Adam Bloch and Maisie Maclaren is the event of the year in Clement's Cove, Maine, a coastal village where the increasingly expansive cottages of the summering elite sit side-by-side with the modest homes of working-class locals. Adam, a shy, tentative man with a terrible tragedy in his past, has, at fifty-four, reached the moment in his life when he feels he is finally ready to live-and yet he doesn't quite know what to do with himself. When Maisie asks for a lap pool so she can strengthen her body, debilitated by years of Hodgkin's disease, Adam approaches his neighbor with a generous offer to buy the plot of land on which her trailer sits to make room for the pool. She refuses, and a chain of events is set in motion that pits Adam against his neighbors, the new rich against those scraping by, outsider against old-timer, in an escalating struggle that can only end in catastrophe.

Scars of Love, Tears of hope, by Deborah Goforth with Mark Graham (ISBN: 9780979645808)
The message of Scars of Love, Tears of Hope is simple. Become a "keeper of hope" and change the life of a child forever. Scars of Love explores the world of education in a surprising new light by using as a backdrop the stories of numerous at-risk kids Debbie Goforth has taught and counseled over her 27-year-career by exploring the remarkably effective approach she has developed in giving them hope for their futures. Scars of Love is based upon eleven attributes that an effective "keeper of hope" must demonstrate, from being approachable and dependable to creating hopes and dreams and showing compassion. It represents the tools that have helped the author to acknowledge and validate her kids, to make them feel good about themselves and their places in the world, and, most important by far, to show them how much she cares for them as people and individuals, not just as warm bodies. It should be of no surprise to find love at the center of this model, because none of the attributes the book discusses mean a thing if they don't lead to a willingness to love the kids in our care. For educators, as adults, as keepers of hope, we have a choice. We can choose to leave scars of love on the kids we see and interact with everyday or we can leave scars of hurt. In the eyes of Debbie Goforth, the answer is the only one she is capable of leaving: scars of love. SCARS OF LOVE may be written from a teacher's point of view, but it is meant for anyone who loves kids and longs for their happiness and success. The stories are as poignant as they are refreshing. They evoke tears as well as laughter. They inspire as well as educate. They illustrate the author's eleven attributes the way a beautiful painting brings to life a moving landscape. Join us. Become a keeper of hope.

Give Wings to your Dreams, by Lauren E. Sullivan (ISBN: 0977853810)
If you are a woman standing at the precipice of change, experiencing burnout, or feeling lost in the confusion of midlife turmoil, Give Wings To Your Dreams offers you the inspiration and tools to take charge and transform your life. In vivid and engaging language, author Lauren Sullivan shares her own compelling story and the wisdom of Seven Stepping Stones to guide you on an uplifting, soul-satisfying journey to new beginnings and a rich and robust quality of life.

eat, shop los angeles, by cabazon books (ISBN: 9780978958800)

Porn Nation, by Michael Leahy (ISBN: 0802481256) I have 2 copies of this.
Pornograpy and sex-related sites make up nearly 60 percent of daily web traffic. For some of us, it's going on in our very own basements or in the den after the family goes to bed. Over twenty million Americans spend a good deal of their waking hours looking at pornography. And they won't stop, because they can't stop. At least not on their own. They are addicted. Porn Nation captivates readers with the true story of Michael Leahy, a sex addict who only came to terms with his problem after losing his marriage and children. But it's also the story of the rest of us. It's the story of America- our porn nation. How is it affecting us? How is it changing the way we see ourselves and others? And what can be done about it?

Free Radical, by Michael Myette (ISBN: 1563154161)
Matthew Quinn, a gifted young medical researcher, stumbles upon a polymer with the ability to extend the life of his laboratory mice indefinitely. Unfortunately, its toxic side effects make it unsuitable for human use. As Quinn struggles to understand the problem with the drug's side effects, his mentor disappears and his funding is terminated. Shortly after making a breakthrough discovery that actually reverses the aging process, Quinn is kidnapped by gangsters led by an aging mob boss who wants to market the polymer as his own. Quinn escapes, and his fight to retain his polymer literally turns into a game of cat and mouse. Who ends up with the formula and who ends up using it are the big questions answered in the exciting climax to this clever thriller. An unusual, complex and highly enjoyable twist on the "fountain of youth" myth.

Trusting Ryan, by Tara Taylor Quinn (ISBN: 0373715005) I didn't ask her to inscribe this to me, but I think she was a little punchy.
A dedicated cop in the Special Victims Bureau, Ryan Mercedes has a trusted friend in lawyer-advocate Audrey Lincoln. Her compassion is the perfect counterpoint to his hard-driving fight for justice. And this good relationship only gets better the night they cross the line from friends to lovers. But they're up against seemingly insurmountable obstacles that could divide them for good. Worse-- now she and Ryan are on opposite sides of a controversial case. Can they trust enough to resolve their differences and find their way back to each other?

Catch a Mate, by Gena Showalter (ISBN: 0373772351)
Jillian Greene is hired by suspicious women to try to pick up their slime-bucket husbands or boyfriends. In short, she's human bait. Because of her encounters with so many feckless, faithless males, Jillian has turned into a genuine, card-carrying man hater. Marcus Brody is human bait, too, the first male employee of Jillian's agency, Catch a Mate. Unbeknownst to Jillian, he has also purchased Catch a Mate, so now she's his employee. Reluctantly, Jillian begins to fall for the picture-perfect Marcus. Thinking that male monogamy is an oxymoron, she can't help but wonder if any man can be loyal. More important, can she trust Marcus? Each chapter in this wicked novel begins with a different pickup line ("Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?") as the versatile Showalter (Playing with Fire, 2006) once again shows that she can blend humor and poignancy while keeping readers entertained from start to finish.

My One Hundred Adventures, by Polly Horvath (ISBN: 9780375845826)
Jane is twelve years old, and she is ready for them. She yearns to move beyond the world of her younger siblings and single mother and their cozy house by the sea, and to step into the "know-not-what"—the place where your heart buzzes with excitement and things happen.

Me Myself and Him, by E.N. Joy (ISBN: 1601629540)
Raised by her holier-than-thou mother, Locksie left the church behind to make a life with her live-in boyfriend. But lately, something just hasn't felt right... Hannah, one of Locksie's clients at the salon she manages, tries to offer advice, but she's got her own issues, trying to forgive her cheating husband and raise his child. Now each woman must find the strength to face the truth about her relationship, and about herself.

The Ultimate Guide to Well Being, by Jason Pegler (ISBN: 9781847470065)
'The Ultimate Guide to Well Being' is Jason Pegler’s third book. The goal of the book is to achieve 100% ultimate well being by going through the tasks and exercises included and to have fun whilst doing it. Jason reveals the benefits of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, social entrepreneurship and harnessing creativity to the general public and people affected by mental health issues. Topics discussed in the book include; having a healthy mind, body and soul; knowing what is crucial to your happiness; inspiring yourself and having time for other people; how you can make the world a better place; connecting spiritually and making the impossible possible. Read this book and pass on the techniques to save and improve lives.

Corpse of Freedom, by Dax Garner and Lloyd Garner (ISBN: 9780977918690)
During the eternal quest for pleasure, Ryan finds himself digging up the corpse of another teenager, Jeffrey Neil. He soon befriends the carcass, and through the online journal Jeffrey left behind, Ryan is mentored toward a new perspective on life. But has his unnatural friendship cursed him? Will he be strong enough to escape the black hole that is his hometown? And who is this tattooed freak that hunts him like some bloodthirsty ghoul? Ryan better be careful; there are cops everywhere... Inside an empire of mediocrity, the spirit of rebellion is reborn. Do you want to rock, or what?

Kayak Reef, by Bradley J. Stewart (ISBN: 9780979631719)
In 1888, Myauka, an Inuit girl and protector of Arctic wildlife meets a sailor from a passing ship and her destiny is altered forever. When she mysteriously disappears from her village, her story becomes legend. Did she run away to pursue true love, mocking her people, or had marauders captured her? She was never seen again to tell the tale.

Fairway to Heaven, by J. David Barron (ISBN: 097937653)
A novella based on a true story, Fairway to Heaven takes a poignant look at life in the eyes of a wonderfully dysfunctional family that will cheat even death in order to enjoy their idea of a good time - a reunion centered around the festivities of the annual Resorters Golf Classic in Alexandria, Minnesota. The story is a triumph of hope and love, and golf, in the midst of life's certain tragedies and crushing disappointments.

Deadville, by Ron Koertge (ISBN: 9780763635800)

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, by MT Anderson (ISBN: 9780763629502)

What is Money?, by Etan Boritzer (ISBN: 0976274337)
WHAT IS MONEY? is smart and in-depth. In a simple way kids can learn what it takes to earn money and then what to do with it. Boritzer covers capitalism nicely while seriously addressing financial altruism, the missing element in most children s books on money. This book is useful, original and helpful.

Street Fighter 10 I really hate Flash sites, you'll have to figure it out and click on the links yourselves, kids, sorry.

Street Fighter 12

Halloween Night Dance, 2 of 4

Drafted Free Comic Book Day issue

Sourcebooks

The Spanish Bride
Based on the true story of Brigade-Major Harry Smith and the very young Spanish noblewoman he met and married during the Peninsular Wars, when the Duke of Wellington’s forces fought Napoleon’s army in Spain and Portugal. After marrying Harry Smith when she was 14 years old, Juana Smith “followed the drum,” marching at the back of the troops along with the other wives and the officers’ servants. Juana became a camp favorite, charming all with her youthful enthusiasm. In spite of the danger, Juana thrived on military life and her passionate, if somewhat stormy, relationship with Harry. Heyer’s research encompassed every available diary from that time period, including Harry Smith’s, and all of the Duke of Wellington’s writings and dispatches. She brings alive military life during the Regency period, how the armies marched and fought, as well as how the nobility provided for its own comfort with servants, horses, dogs and furniture.

Netcomics n/a at the moment

VIZ Media

Screeners

Funky Forest - the first contact

If you'd like to review any of this, please contact me at gmayerson AT yahoo DOT com or use this form.