Book Reviews – January 16, 2011

The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror

Author: Christopher Moore

This is truly a solid effort from Christopher Moore, which makes it all the more annoying that I couldn’t really get into it. For every brilliant/comedic scene from a character like Theo Crowe and his wife Molly Michon (or as she sometimes is called, the Warrior Babe of the Outlands), you have general douchebag behavior from a character like Tucker Case (no, not even his fruit bat Roberto could save me from the dislike of this guy). Of course, the banter of the dead/soon-to-be undead was hilarious as well, along with their insistence on going to IKEA after eating brains.

Sadly, I could care less about the rest of the characters in the town of Pine Cove. It’s really a pity. I wanted to enjoy this book, but found in the end that I couldn’t.

 

 

Eternals

Author: Neil Gaiman

Artwork: John Romita Jr.

A good-faith effort to restart the Eternals series, but I just couldn’t get into it. The art was fabulous, but by attempting to tie it into the Marvel Civil War, it both dates it and drags it down. The characters at times seemed one-note and boring, though I’m pretty sure that blame lies at Jack Kirby’s door, not Neil Gaiman’s. Overall, this series reboot was just not for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Zombie Combat Manual: A Guide To Fighting The Living Dead

Author: Roger Ma

It would be easy to say “Oh, look at the Max Brooks ripoff” when it comes to Roger Ma’s book, but the truth is that while it takes on the format of Brooks’s work (practical advice with “survivor” stories), it’s not quite the same. It’s called the Zombie Combat Manual for a reason: it’s totally dedicated to fighting zombies. That’s it. No thoughts on rebuilding society or stockpiling for the coming zombie apocalypse, just pure out-and-out warfare. Exceedingly practical and full of recommendations of weapons, attack methods, and percentages of survival, this would definitely be one of the books I’d have with me when I ran from the horde.

 

 

 

 

Scurvy Dogs: Rags to Riches

Authors: Andrew Boyd and Ryan Yount

This collection of comics suffers from Diablo Cody syndrome: too fast, witty, and pop culture-tied for its own good. Oh, admittedly it’s clever, but its real humor shines with the small vignettes (a good example would be “The Captain’s Night Out”, a small comic dedicated to the Captain’s disastrous date) instead of the overlong comic arc (Jefe being from “Menudo Island” and the Hobo King are funny ideas, but not so great in the execution). I could take this 5 comic series or leave it.

 

 

 

 

 

The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart

Author: Jesse Bullington

What a fun read this turned out to be! Hegel and Manfried Grossbart are pious (in their own way), violent (always), and just plain crude, but their adventures lead them all the way from Dark Ages Germany to “Gyptland” in rollicking, bloodstained style. With that being said, my only real objection is the ending, which felt abrupt and left me with the distinct feeling of having been cheated. Of course, it also felt as if the writer had tied up all the loose ends and had no idea where to take the brothers next, so perhaps that was to be expected. Obviously not for everyone (for example, cursing and murder IS the order of the day), but definitely a bit of lighthearted reading for those willing to give the Brothers Grossbart a shot. Just don’t turn your back on them.

 

 

 

999: Twenty-nine Original Tales of Horror and Suspense

Editor: Al Sarrantonio

Some of the stories in this collection: “Amerikanski Dead at the Moscow Morgue” by Kim Newman, “Keepsakes and Treasures: A Love Story” by Neil Gaiman, “Excerpts from the Records of the New Zodiac and the Diaries of Henry Watson Fairfax” by Chet Williamson, and “Mad Dog Summer” by Joe R. Lansdale were absolutely fabulous, being at times amusing, creepy, and haunting. But for every one of the quality stories that I ran across in this anthology, there would be two or three afterwards that were boring, or as was often the case, just trying too hard. In the end 999 falls victim to an uneven assortment of stories, leaving it merely mediocre instead of magnificent.

Whoa, wait a minute…I’m responsible?

I had a revelation the other day; it’s a bit hard to put into words but I’ll do my best.

My collection is mine.

It sounds like a simple enough concept, but for me…well, it was absolutely mindblowing. This is my first real collection, you see.

When I started this job, the collection I was to work on (the Yamasaki Inc. collection, for those curious) was on empty shelves in the stacks, in cardboard boxes on the floor, in scattered slide trays and drawers. Absolute chaos. In fact, I spent the first three days of my job rehousing the files that were in the aforementioned cardboard boxes, briefly jotting descriptions on the front (the descriptions were provided by Tawny Nelb, who came and handled the needs-based assessment of the collection when it was acquired by the Archives).

And then I came to this:

Taken With Cell Phone Camera

 

Lots and lots of this, actually. 15 drawers of this. These drawers were shuffled, to put it mildly, while being transported over to the Archives. I would estimate that I organized over 10,000 slides over the time period of October 14th, 2010 to January 10th, 2011. Of those, 2,000 – 3,000 of them had lost their labels/their labels had fallen off due to old glue, which left me to relabel and slip slide covers on them. Furthermore, the slide portions showed up with two different inventories: one was accurate and detailed up until around 1986 (the slides started in 1949), the other was more vague, yet let me know what slides were  supposed to be in that drawer. But while going through all the images, I became familiar with Yamasaki’s work. I learned what his designs consisted of, what the buildings were, when they were built…

Oh, and I ended up with this:

Taken With Cell Phone Camera

My boss also began forwarding me e-mails and phone calls he received about the collection and wouldn’t you know it, I could actually answer them with knowledge I had acquired! I couldn’t wait to gleefully show the new/interesting thing that I had found. When we got more materials for the collection, it was a lot like Christmas.

However, it really didn’t feel like mine. I just felt like I was allowed to use the materials and get them in order. But one day, as I was on the floor sifting through loose slide trays, it hit me: I’m in charge of this. I know where things are. I control how they’re organized. I’m the go-to person.

Because it’s MY collection.

I’m the one future patrons are going to thank (or curse) when they want something pulled for research. Now, I’m still not an expert on Minoru Yamasaki and I’ll probably never be. But I’ll be able to help someone else get there because I organized it, cleaned it up and made it acceptable. When someone has a question, I can answer it. Given enough time, I can find anything in the collection. What a great gift. What a powerful feeling.

I love my job.

Book Reviews – January 9, 2011

Saving America’s Treasures

A very good collection cataloging several of the projects that National Trust for Historic Preservation was (and in many cases, still is) working on at the time of publication. While providing historical context for the projects, the most valuable part of this book are the essays. Eloquently written, the authors have taken their love of history and turned it into something beautiful by describing both the practical importance of preserving the places and objects covered in this book and the metaphorical meanings behind doing so. Definitely a book worth purchasing.

 

 

 

 

Murder Mysteries

Author: Neil Gaiman

Artwork: P. Craig Russell

This was a fabulous story in its own right, but combined with P. Craig Russell’s artwork, it becomes magnificent. Presenting the first murder in Heaven during the creation of the universe itself, Gaiman creates a noir story that stays with you long after you’ve turned the last page. The threads of murder, forgiveness, fate, and omniscience are woven together to make a beautiful tapestry that offer up a different perspective on faith and vengeance. Definitely worth reading more than once.

 

 

 

 

 

Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold

Author: Alisa Kwitney

Destiny, Dream’s brother, appears to receive his own storyline in this short graphic novel. However, this really is not the case; instead, we’re introduced to John Ryder, the unwilling Horseman of the Apocalypse. The storyline does its best to be interesting, but having had the bar raised by Gaiman’s interpretation of Destiny, this story only ends up being a pale imitation. The artwork is lovely and taken only on its own merits, the story isn’t that bad (it’s just unfortunate that it has to compete with Gaiman’s work). Good waste of time for those jonesing for a cheap Sandman-esque fix, but not much else.

 

 

 

 

From Hell

Authors: Alan Moore, Eddie Campbell

Conspiracies, serial killers, and murders, oh my!

From Hell is an always interesting fictional take on the Jack the Ripper killings, taking the theory that Queen Victoria ordered the murders in order to hide certain improprieties committed by Prince Albert Victor, her grandson, and running with it. Of course, the story isn’t nearly as simple as that and the reader will find themselves dabbling in the occult, secret societies, and the general baseness of human life in 1880s Whitechapel. As is often the case with Moore’s work, however, the intricate details that make this work so fabulous are also its weakest point: it’s too much to process in one sitting. But then again, why would you?

Definitely take the time to give this a proper look and you’ll be rewarded with a rich story that will make you think long after you’ve finished reading it.

The Secret History of Fantasy

Editor: Peter S. Beagle

An overall solid collection with a few good standouts (Neil Gaiman’s “Snow, Glass, Apples” being the first one to come to mind, although Gregory Maguire’s story on the beginnings of the Scarecrow was another good one). In addition, a splendid essay by Ursula LeGuin on the subject of fantasy is included in the back for perusal/food for thought. With a variety of stories on different themes, there’s something for everyone in this collection. Definitely pick it up.

 

 

 

 

 

He Is Legend: An Anthology Celebrating Richard Matheson

Editor: Christopher Conlon

When you think about Richard Matheson, you automatically think quality. Several of his stories (I am Legend, Hell House, The Shrinking Man to name a few) are absolute classics. I suppose that’s why I expected more from this homage to his works.

Don’t get me wrong; some of the stories in here like the Stephen King/Joe Hill collaboration “Throttle” (based on Duel) and Nancy Collins’s “Return to Hell House” (based on Hell House) are very good, very well-written and genuinely capture the spirit of Matheson’s writing. However, there are some pieces (“Quarry”, based on Prey and “Cloud Rider,” based on Matheson’s Collected Stories, to name the ones that come to mind) that just don’t seem to work. I’m not sure whether that’s a failing on the respective author’s parts or if lightning just can’t strike twice.

At any rate, this anthology tries to honor Matheson (and succeeds) but not in the way it intends. For me, it just proved that no one does it better than Richard Matheson and most probably shouldn’t try.

Hey hey, the journeyman has a job!

Hello again!

It’s been a bit, but I’m excited to say that I have a job after going through interviews and rejections from several other places (the job market’s rough, folks). It’s my first week and I couldn’t be more excited about what I’m doing and all the wonderful opportunities to work on interesting things that I’m getting.

I’m working at the Archives of Michigan now. For those of you who have been reading this for a while, yes, it is the same place that I worked at for my internship. I’m not really on staff; well, I guess I am, but I’m a temporary worker. Eventually the funds will run out and your fearless narrator will be forced to get back on the job market (though hopefully, I’m given enough warning to start the job search). In the meantime, I’m glad to be back. For a first “real” job, it’s…for lack of a better word, nice. Nice to be somewhere where you already know the folks and they like you or have enough professional courtesy to pretend; I don’t think I’ve stepped on any toes but people are hard to read. I just try to keep my head down and do my job but everyone’s been super friendly. Today, in fact, my boss went out of his way to show me the different floors and introduced me to folks in the other departments. He also showed me the original Michigan Constitution of 1835 and a hand-drawn version of the state seal, which was really cool. And now I’m devolving back into a nine-year-old History nerd who can’t make elegant sentences, so let’s just move on. Anyway, it’s nice to be somewhere that’s familiar and comforting.

To be honest however, I feel as if I’m in a room with a bunch of experts and I’m a grade-A nimrod (I have kindly been informed by a co-worker that I shouldn’t refer to myself as such; thanks Bob!). I know absolutely nothing about anything. Okay, that’s not entirely true; obviously I have earned a degree from a great institution and I’m familiar with the technicalities of the archival field. Subject-wise, however, I’m clueless. For example, I’m working on the papers of an architectural firm that went under in late 2009 (the project itself will be covered in much greater detail in a later post once I have a better grip on it, I promise). Today, I was introduced to the archivist that was brought in to complete a cursory survey of the materials and was absolutely blown away by her grasp of architectural designs. She was so brilliant and even better, she was so nice (I’m using that word a lot) and friendly. But to hear her talk about the collection…it was a bit painful. She just knew so much and when she’d ask me for input I knew nothing and I hated it. She had so much passion for Western architecture and I’m sure talking to me about it really put a damper on her as I had nothing to contribute. Then when she said she might ask me to look at some blueprints that she didn’t get a chance to really get into? I was horrified. And then I felt terrible about being horrified as how am I to know what to do in later situations if I don’t ever DO these things…

And that leads into the biggest problem I have. All my co-workers have their subject matters that they’re really passionate about (which is a good thing, don’t get me wrong)…but I don’t. I don’t have anything. I mean, there are things I’m passionate about; I’m no automaton. I just don’t seem to have a real role. I’m sure most of that feeling stems from the fact that I just started there (how could I have a role?) but still, this isn’t the first time I’ve felt out-of-sorts. I mean, there’s a person that is really into the Civil War. Talking to him for about five minutes could honestly be the equivalent to cracking open some Shelby Foote and reading. I mean, I know about the Civil War in broad terms; you don’t grow up in the South without having it brought up in EVERY. SINGLE. HISTORY. CLASS. But 1) I only know about it from a Southern point of view which 2) is pretty useless when you’re up north. It just seems like everyone seems to have their niche.

Everyone but me.

Sigh, and I don’t like the tone I’m striking here. It’s just that there’s just so MUCH I want to know! I’d love to know all about Western architecture and the differences between brutal modernism and romantic modernism! I want to know all about the different battles and who died where while slaying whom. Art, science, preservation, history: I want all of the intricacies at my fingertips and I want it now. Logically, I am aware I will have to put in YEARS to get to that sort of intimacy with any subject. But maybe the real question I should be asking is “Do I want to?” I suppose the real issue is I’d like to be a jack of all trades but of course, I’m aware how that saying ends. I’m afraid that I will work very hard at knowing a little about everything and never get anywhere. Conversely, I’m afraid of putting all my eggs in the proverbial basket and getting pigeonholed into a part of the field or a subject that I could care less about. I guess what I’m saying is that I want the master knowledge without the master entanglement; the idea of being an older archival nomad/rogue holds so much appeal for me.

But that’s what’s so great about my job. With everyone in their concrete fields, I have the chance to sit and chat with each one and glean some of their knowledge, chip away little fragments of my own which I will one day use to build my own knowledge base. After all, I’m just starting out; I’m not a “journeyman” for nothing. Sometimes I just wish I learned a little quicker…which is why it’s so nice to work where I do. My co-workers are willing to help me get the knowledge I want as long as I’m willing to meet them halfway and ASK.

I’m really glad I’m there. And really, isn’t that the most important thing?

Internship Blog #6 – AAEL

ANNNNNNND, we’re done, folks!

My internship is completed! I feel a little sad, but frankly it had gotten to the point that I had gotten everything I could out of it. I turned in my recommendation report (with manual to come shortly) and walked out the door.

What did I accomplish exactly? I scanned over 200 images and cataloged 300 other postcards. I learned more about geomapping than I ever cared to. Or French architectural terms. Or angles of Venice’s Grand Canal. I gained knowledge about the practicalities of digital preservation, which opens up a new dimension in the job market. And I had a pretty fun time doing it. I wish there had been a bit more to do, but I guess I should be grateful since I work over 20 hours a week. All in all, this was a pretty good fit for me and my needs.

Internship Blog #5 – AAEL

So I missed a couple days of work due to SI ExpoSItion and another presentation. While this is a logical absence (and one my mentor had no problem with), the issue is I don’t feel guilty. I know, I know, you’re thinking “Why would you feel guilty anyway?” Call it a severe work ethic, but I feel guilty when I show up five minutes late. I’m the person who shows up with the bubonic plague to the non-required company meeting (I would have been a real hoot in the Middle Ages). The fact that I don’t feel guilty bothers me. I’ll get over it of course.

Investigating some of those geomapping sites has proven to me that I need more coding classes. I mean, it’s a little late in the game to be regretting it, but it’s definitely something I’ll need to do once I have a job somewhere. Why do I say this? Because the geomapping options for the layfolk suck hardcore. To do anything nifty (or in my case, anything my mentor wants) you need to have better skills than I possess. Well, what are you going to do, am I right?

Internship Blog #4 – AAEL

Geomapping is all at once frightening and fascinating. Since we had Spring Break the first week, I really didn’t get much done at my internship. Considering that both scanning and cataloging are really time-consuming in their own ways, I decided to start investigating geomapping options for the Willeke collection. It’s like a whole different world out there! There’s so many options and things to choose from: Google Maps-esque clones, Flash-driven monstrosities, Javascript, GPS Trackers…all utterly mindblowing and full of static. This would be better if I were more technically inclined, I fear. Still, there are a couple that look approachable to a layman such as myself and I intend to test them.

I just want to upload a photo, enter the longitude and latitude and have it be pinpointed: is that so wrong?

Internship Blog #3 – AAEL

Someone needs to make a manual, ladies and gentlemen, and it might as well be me.

Let me explain. There’s nothing here for me to reference if I have questions (other than my mentor). I feel like it’s a waste of her time if I ask how to do something that’s probably very simple. So…a manual. I’m thinking a basic outline of what’s expected. Some detailed instructions on how to edit fields, and some reference materials of helpful descriptive terms and whatnot. Oh and maybe a listing of locations that have been cataloged. As I continue on here, I’ll probably think of more items and add them.

I continue to scan and catalog; nothing changes except my grasp of the French language. Riveting stuff folks, riveting stuff.

Internship Post #2 – AAEL

Life has been pretty uneventful at the AAEL. As I’ve gotten more familiar with the postcards, I’ve been allowed to start scanning them. As silly as it may sound, there’s something to be said for watching the card recreate itself on your screen. Some of the postcards have very beautiful scenes on them. In addition, I spend most of my time “in” Venice when I scan (by contrast, I catalog all over France). The amusing part of it is, several of the postcards of Venice have familiar landmarks. Why? Because I play Assassin’s Creed 2! I don’t know what it says about me, but my most common thought at my internship now is “Hey! I killed someone on that roof!”

Metadata is both easy and difficult. My main source of difficulty comes from translating the titles on the postcards. Yes, I have to translate them. The issue is that I read German; these postcards, however, are in Italian and French. The closest thing I have to that is high school Latin. FAIL. Anyway, I’m muddling through the best I can and learning a lot of French architectural terms!

Internship Post #1 – AAEL

On our first day back from Winter Break, I shuffled on up to North Campus to start my internship at the Art, Architecture, and Engineering Library (henceforth referred to as AAEL). I work in the basement of the AAEL in Special Collections. The specific collection I’m working on, the Leonard Willeke collection, consists of pre-1910 postcards that show an outstanding variety of monuments throughout Europe. The images I’ve seen so far are sometimes achingly beautiful and it truly makes me want to travel back to France and Italy. Ah, but I digress…

What I’m supposed to be doing for this project is pretty simple:

1) Basic database entry of postcard metadata – Simple items like postcard name, the general aspects, the publisher…
2) Scanning some of the postcards – Photoshop/scanner quality time.
3) Figuring out alternative ways to display them online – the AAEL would love to link these postcards to a map (like Google) and be able to let patrons click on a certain area and bring up pictures. I’m going to help them do that or find a better way of displaying these postcards.

A final task that I’ve taken upon myself to do is to create a manual of this process. Since this project is only revisited in the Winter semester, and there appears to be no paper trail, I’ve been doing a lot of assuming and asking questions. Therefore, I’ve decided that once I gather all of the basic information on how to do things/what goes where, then I can create a reference folder for all of it and give it to my mentor at the end of my time there. Oh yes, along with my comments on why I scanned certain items one way or why I changed the region name on a card. Justification is very important.

Overall, I’m really excited about what’s been happening so far and I can hopefully be of some use to them!