Talking to Strangers

Title: Talking to Strangers
Author: Fehed Said
Publisher: Sweatdrop Studios
My take: The stories varied in how much I liked them, but all had a sense of the surreal around them, and combined with the varying art styles, really conveyed their atmosphere well
Spoiler-free synopsis: A series of short stories about people dealing with things outside their own realms of experience and understanding. The stories are short so its hard to say too much without spoiling it :)

I’m going to take this story by story, since they’re very dissimilar. I’m going through the arc of each one, so warning again THERE ARE MASSIVE SPOILERS HERE!!!!!

Day of the Dragon

Title: Day of the Dragon
Author: Richard Knaak
My take: I can’t really recommend this unless you’re really into Warcraft lore
Spoiler-free synopsis: A wizard is sent on a dangerous mission, but he doesn’t realize he’s being used as a pawn by more than just the man who sent him.

Brandon Sanderson - Warbreaker

Title: Warbreaker
Author: Brandon Sanderson
My take: Felt rushed at the end, but the ride to GET to the end was fantastic – highly recommended if you like authors like Carey, Kay and Martin.
Spoiler-free synopsis: Two princesses travel to the capitol of the country threatening war against their homeland – one as a bride, as per terms of a years-old truce, and the other who seeks to save her. Both end up embroiled in much more than they expected. Looks at politics, prejudice and faith

Chi's Sweet Home, Library Wars, House of Five Leaves and Natsume's Book of Friends

Titles: Natsume’s Book of Friends
Author: Yuki Midorikawa
Publisher: Viz Media
My take: A nice book for expanding Natsume’s human world a little
Spoiler-free synopsis: Natsume gets to know the man who’s taken him into his house a little better; meets Taki, who can draw circle that allow he to see yokai; visits an inn to study with friends but gets sidetracked by a mermaid and an old curse; and the book takes a brief break from Natsume’s POV to show what it’s like for his friend Tanuma, who knows of the yokai world and can see a little but isn’t beholden to it.

Titles: Chi’s Sweet Home 4
Author: Konami Kanata
Publisher: Vertical
My take: Cute overload
Spoiler-free synopsis: Chi and her family move to a new place that allows pets, giving the kitten a whole new world to explore

Titles: Library Wars 3
Author: Kiiro Yumi
Publisher: Viz Media
My take: Predictable – total brain candy
Spoiler-free synopsis: In the completely weird and nonsensical world of Library Wars, where libraries maintain standing defense forces against the censorship attempts of the government, our main characters help schoolkids explain the foolishness of censoring what books are available publically and then the library acquires a private collection including about 30 years of information chronicalling the good and bad of the Media Betterment Act. Also, our romantic leads still steadfastly refuse to admit to liking one another, despite it being more obvious than a lighthouse on a moonless night.

Titles: House of Five Leaves 2
Author: Natsume Ono
Publisher: Viz Media
My take: Not as good as volume 1
Spoiler-free synopsis: Thisa book gives us a bit of a look into the backgrounds of some of the characters who make up “The Five Leaves”.

Axe Cop TPB

Titles: Axe Cop
Author: Malachai Nicolle
Publisher: Dark Horse
My take: Ahahahaha!!!!
Spoiler-free synopsis: It’s Axe Cop. Spoilers wouldn’t matter because its not what happens but HOW it happens that’s so great. And anyway, I’m not sure I could sum this up. At all. :)

The Air Between Us

Titles: The Air Between Us
Author: Deborah Johnson
My take: A good read. An uncomfortable read, but a good read. Sometimes tries a little too hard
Spoiler-free synopsis: The book follows a group of people in a decent-sized town in Mississippi on the cusp of integration. It a story of personal relations, racial relations, and the way prejudice of all kinds can weave its way into a person’s life