Month: October 2018

Batwoman Rebirth

Batwoman Vol. 1: The Many Arms of Death (Rebirth)

Title: Batwoman, Volume 1: The Many Arms of Death
Authors/Creators/Illustrators: Marguerite Bennett, James Tynion IV, Steve Epting, Stephanie Hans, Renato Arlem, Jeremy Cox
Published: 2017 by DC Comics
Rating: 4 stars

I’ve been really into the Marvel and DC Comic shows on Netflix lately, so  my wife decided to gift me with the new Batwoman Rebirth comic books.  The comic book world is new to me–I think this is probably the first comic book I’ve ever read–and I love it!  I don’t know what I’ve been doing my whole life, or why I haven’t experienced the wonderful world of comics, but I’m definitely a fan!

The writing in Batwoman Reborn is excellent, the art is superb, and they fit together so well I would have thought they were done by the same person. Maybe comics are always so beautifully written and illustrated and that’s just another piece of the comic puzzle that I’ve been missing, but I’m very impressed with the work done in this comic.

This volume is a compilation of issues 1-6, and it primarily dwells on Kate Kane’s past and what has led her to become Batwoman. I don’t want to ruin anything for prospective readers, so I’ll let you learn on your own how Batwoman comes to be!  This volume doesn’t delve as far into the villain vs superhero narrative as I expected it would, but it does set things up for that in the coming volumes.  I’m excited to continue reading Kate Kane’s story and based on my experience with this comic book, I may just look into some more!

Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre

Title: Jane Eyre
Author: Charlotte Bronte
# Pages: 507
Published: 1847
Rating: 4 stars

Jane Eyre was the first novel published by Charlotte Bronte, and it was originally published under Bronte’s pen name, Currer Bell. Charlotte Bronte was a member of a very creative and literary family–she and her sisters published a book of poems in 1846, and by the end of 1847 both of Charlotte’s sisters also had novels published. 

The story is of Jane, is a poor orphan being raised in the home of her late uncle.  Since her uncle has died, she is the responsibility of her aunt who clearly has no love for her niece.  Her cousins are mean to her while they grow up, and they ridicule and look down on her due to her position as a poor orphan. Jane is eventually sent away to boarding school, where the conditions are deplorable but, as happens in so many good stories, she meets a wonderful friend and a wonderful mentor.  Bronte patterned the boarding school after one that her two older sisters attended, both of whom passes away as children because of illnesses contracted at the school.

After boarding school, Jane decides to move on with her life and finds a position as a governess. She finds happiness there and enjoys teaching, spending time with her student, and speaking with her master, Mr. Rochester.  There are a lot of twists and turns in the plot, though it ends up pretty much the way you would expect it to.

One of the defining features of Jane Eyre is the Gothic theme that runs throughout the story. From ghosts to secret rooms, Bronte gives the reader everything a Gothic fan could hope for. It’s also fraught with symbolism, which makes it fun for people who like to dissect their literature. 

Favorite Quotes:

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” 

“I do not think, sir, you have any right to command me, merely because you are older than I, or because you have seen more of the world than I have; your claim to superiority depends on the use you have made of your time and experience.” 

“Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs.”

“I would always rather be happy than dignified”

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

Title: The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
Author: Michael Pollan
# Pages: 450
Published: 2006
Rating: 3 1/2 stars 

I read this one for another book club. Actually, it’s more accurate to say that I listened to this book for a family book club. I’m glad I listened to it–I don’t know if I would’ve gotten through the first bit if I hadn’t been stuck in a car with only this book to listen to. I was even driving through Nebraska while listening to the section on corn, which seemed like fortuitous timing. 

Pollan describes the journey our food takes before it is consumed. He splits the book into three main sections: industrial, pastoral, and personal. In the industrial section, Pollan takes the reader on a journey centered around corn. He visits the corn fields in Nebraska, a cattle ranch, and a feedlot in Kansas. He talks about why farmers get subsidized for their crops, and how our country got in the position where farmers don’t get paid what their crops are worth. To finish off this section, Pollan discusses how corn has permeated the diet of the average American. 

The second section, pastoral, focuses on organic food. Pollan talks about the influence of grass-fed proteins and how the push for organic food is not as effective as it was meant to be. What began as a desire to avoid pesticides and other harmful chemicals, and likely an effort to support local farmers, turned into shipping organic food thousands of miles in refrigerated trucks, compounding the energy needed to get one’s food. Pollan visits a chicken farm that is supposed to be “cage-free” and “free-range,” but the results of his visit will surprise you. He then visits another free-range animal farm and learns from the farmer there what really goes into raising animals that are free-range and who the typical customers of that type of farm are. 

In the third section, personal, Pollan regales the reader with tales of his experience as a hunter-gatherer. It becomes clear that this is no longer a realistic way to try to live or eat for most Americans. Pollan emphasizes that it is important for people to think about what they are eating and to consider all of the costs involved in a meal: financial, ethical, political, environmental. 

Favorite Quotes:

“The single greatest lesson the garden teaches is that our relationship to the planet need not be zero-sum, and that as long as the sun still shines and people still can plan and plant, think and do, we can, if we bother to try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world.”

“Were the walls of our meat industry to become transparent, literally or even figuratively, we would not long continue to raise, kill, and eat animals the way we do.”