Amazon | Powell's

The Nearly Complete Essential Hembeck Archives Omnibus by Fred Hembeck
Image Comics, 2008. 9781582408729.

Reviewed by billbarnes - link to this review

Amazon | Powell's

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Harper Collins, 2012. 9780062072030.

Reviewed by danritchie - link to this review

On a future Earth, two worlds exist. A race of genetically engineered humans live in the Pods, a controlled environment where they live without fears or concerns and want for nothing. Each resident has a Smarteye, a device used to communicate and provide access to the Realms, artificial virtual realities where they spend most of their time.

In the outside world, known as the Death Shop, descendants of the human race and groups of crazed primitives struggle to survive against each other, hunting wolves, and the horrific storms that scorch the earth each winter.

Aria lives in the Pod called Reverie. After a prank goes horribly wrong, she loses her Smarteye and is banished to the Death Shop by one of Reverie’s leaders.

Perry, the brother of his tribe’s Blood Lord, is hunting when they’re attacked by the hovers dropping Aria in the wasteland. He captures Aria, hoping she can help him rescue Perry’s nephew.

Why I picked it up: The title intrigued me, along with the description of Earth on the inside flap of the dust cover -- the sky is never without clouds or streams of the Aether, so the sky can’t be seen.

Why I finished it: The evolution of the relationship between Perry and Aria, who are initially repulsed by what each believes the other to be. It is tenuous and sometimes volatile. Aria is learning as much about herself and who she is as she is about Perry and the Outsiders.  And she also has to (quickly) learn how to survive, in ways she could have never imagined in the Pod.

I'd give it to: Melissa will enjoy Aria’s physical and emotional changes as she adapts to being an Outsider. She’ll love how Aria grows and deals with real-world problems, as well as those found only in dystopian SF.

Blackout by Mira Grant
Orbit Books, 2012. 9780316081078.

“The zombie novel Robert A. Heinlein might have written.” — Sci Fi Magazine on Feed

“A masterpiece of suspense.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Feed

New York Times bestselling author MIRA GRANT delivers the chilling conclusion to her Hugo Award-nominated Newsflesh trilogy. (spoilers for the first two books ahead!)

The year is 2041, and Shaun Mason is in a rotten mood. He must face mad scientists, zombie bears, rogue government agencies, and worse, before the conspiracy that killed his sister Georgia manages to kill the only thing he has left of her—the truth.

Georgia Mason is having a bad day. For one thing, she’s not dead; a team of CDC researchers is holding her. She needs to find her way back to Shaun, before things manage to get even worse. And if there’s one thing she knows is true in her post-zombie, post-resurrection America, it’s this: Things can always get worse.

Sponsored - Learn more about this book - How to sponsor Unshelved

Amazon | Powell's

Fifty Shades of Grey: (Book One of the Fifty Shades Trilogy) by E.L. James
Vintage, 2012. 9780345803481.

Reviewed by dawnrutherford - link to this review

A young woman about to graduate from college meets a billionaire and finds her life turned upside down, mostly in bed.

Why I picked it up: When I was at the Public Library Association Conference in Philadelphia last month, I had lunch with a group of small town librarians who said their patrons were buzzing about this book. I was intrigued to find out what sort of S&M erotica little old ladies wanted to discuss in their book groups.

Why I finished it: I was on some fairly strong painkillers to help me deal with a dislocated shoulder, and they helped me enjoy this for what it is: totally explicit, cheesy smut for gals who can relate to an innocent narrator, whose "golly gee" reactions make it feel safe to explore every sexual kink. Plus it has a classic romance where the good girl tries to save the bad boy from his childhood demons. 

I'd give it to: Sylvie, a hard-core feminist who would still be able to appreciate the appeal of the fantasy of having a filthy rich, kinky sugar daddy give you lots of expensive presents and nearly continual orgasms.

Amazon | Powell's

Flutter by Gina Linko
Random House Books for Young Readers, 2012. 9780375869969.

Reviewed by flemtastic - link to this review

Emery’s seizures are getting worse. She is close to death, and the doctors, led by her scientist father, are no closer to finding the cause. During her seizures Emery leaves her body and witnesses scenes elsewhere -- she calls these “loops” and believes she is time traveling. 

She takes off for Esperanza, a town she has seen only in her loops. There she meets Ash, a mysterious cowboy beloved by the townspeople for being a good Samaritan. She keeps her loops a secret, but he is also carrying a heavy burden he will not share with Emery. It becomes clear that their fates are tied together, and they are soon on the run together.

Why I picked it up: The book jacket called this a teen version of The Time Traveler’s Wife.  I loved that book, so it was worth trying.

Why I finished it: There’s enough energy in the steamy kisses to power a small town, and the mystery of what Emery’s loops were kept me involved until the very end. 

I'd give it to: Chrissy, who can’t get enough paranormal romance.  Emery and Ash have all the passion of a group of junior high girls at a One Direction concert.  Lauren, who would love the gradual way that Emery’s powers roll out over the course of the book, from strange seizures to precognition to more (I don’t want to spoil it).

Kill Decision by Daniel Suarez
Dutton Adult, 2012. 9780525952619.

Linda McKinney is a myrmecologist, a scientist who studies the social structure of ants. Her academic career has left her entirely unprepared for the day her sophisticated research is conscripted by unknown forces to help run an unmanned—and thanks to her research, automated—drone army.

Odin is the secretive Special Ops soldier with a unique insight into the faceless enemy who has begun to attack the American homeland with drones programmed to seek, identify, and execute targets without human intervention.

Together, McKinney and Odin must slow this advance long enough for the world to recognize its destructive power, because for thousands of years the “kill decision” during battle has remained in the hands of humans—and off-loading that responsibility to machines will bring unintended, possibly irreversible, consequences. But as forces even McKinney and Odin don’t understand begin to gather, and death rains down from above, it may already be too late to save humankind from destruction at the hands of our own technology.

Sponsored - Learn more about this book - How to sponsor Unshelved

Amazon | Powell's

Escape from Camp 14: One Man’s Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West by Blaine Harden
Viking, 2012. 9780670023325.

Reviewed by flemtastic - link to this review

Shin Dong-hyuk was born in Camp 14. It is North Korea’s most brutal prison, and is primarily used for the re-education of political dissidents. (North Korea still denies the existence of such camps, despite high-resolution satellite images that prove their existence.)

Shin escaped at age twenty-three by climbing over the smoking, electrocuted body of his partner, another prisoner trying to escape who died on the electrical fence. He is the first and only known escapee who was born in one of North Korea’s camps.

His heart-rending and simple description of life in the camps switched between dysfunctional family relationships, torture at the hands of his captors, a growing awareness of the outside world from talking with imprisoned North Koreans who had traveled abroad, and his eventual desire to attempt an escape. Shin struggled with guilt over his part in his mother's execution as well, despite his brainwashing and selective education by his captors. 

His life, post-escape, was marked with depression, an inability to feel emotions, and clashes with his sponsors in the United States as he tried to acclimate to his newfound freedom.

Why I picked it up: I heard an interview with Blaine Harden on NPR. 

Why I finished it: Shin’s life was so unbearably bad and unimaginable that reading it felt like an unrealistic and utterly dystopian fantasy novel.  (He detailed watching a fellow classmate, a small girl, get beaten to death with a baton in front of his class for possessing five kernels of corn without permission.) 

It is notoriously hard to corroborate stories from North Korean defectors, but Harden gives reference to academic works and State Department diplomats that support Shin’s story.   

I'd give it to: Shona, who, like me, can get hung up in reading too much high fantasy, and requires a dose of non-fiction every now and then. The unbelievable cruelty in this book shows, unfortunately, that evil is not only present in fantasy novels. 

Amazon | Powell's

A House Is a House for Me by Mary Ann Hoberman, Betty Fraser
The Viking Press, 1978. 9780670380169.

Reviewed by billbarnes - link to this review

A picture book illustrating an absolutely fascinating poem that ruminates on the concept of homes for people, animals, and more.

Why I picked it up: As our kids sprint towards their tweens, my wife deemed it time to purge old children's books. This set off waves of bittersweet nostalgia as we reread and said goodbye to many favorites. But a few, including this one, stayed firmly in the "keep" pile.

Why I finished it: This book blows my mind. It starts off entertaining, if basic:

A coop? That's a house for a chicken.
A sty? That's a house for a sow.
A fold? That's where sheep all gather to sleep.
A barn? That's a house for a cow.
(It is also, of course, a house for a horse)

But as it goes on, the level of philosophical complexity increases ("a stocking's a house for a knee", "a teapot's a house for some tea") until eventually it's impossible not to walk away seeing everything as a house for something else. It goes fractal.

I'd give it to: Rosie's homeschool pal Jeanette, who is drawing up a storm and ready for new challenges. The pen and ink illustrations, with watercolor wash, are an excellent inspiration, intricate and beautiful. And like the text there are hidden depths to be uncovered in repeated readings.

Dinosaur Comics: Feelings Are Boring, Kissing Is Awesome by Ryan North
Topatoco, 2012. 9781936561865.

The famed online comic strip is now encapsulated in flammable book form! T-Rex, Utahraptor, and Dromiceiomimus discuss relationships, ethical relativism, and the nature of the scientific method - all within the same six panels every day. Full-colour, and with all the secrets found online included. Also includes three indices that cross-reference the different types of kisses AND linguistics mentioned in the comic, which can pretty great in a pinch.

I don't want to oversell it, but this may well be the only book you ever need to read.

Sponsored - Learn more about this book - How to sponsor Unshelved

Amazon | Powell's

Raising Cain: (Bouncer) by Alexandro Jodorowsky, Francois Boucq, Justin Kelly
Humanoids, 2004. 9781401203887.

Reviewed by geneambaum - link to this review

A group of brutal Confederate soldiers refuses to accept that the war is over. They split up and disappear until their time comes again. Captain Van Dorman leads several of his men west to find a gunfighter turned priest, and the treasure Dorman believes he’s hiding. They murder the priest and his wife, but his fifteen-year-old son, Seth, escapes and seeks revenge with the help of a one-armed bouncer in a nearby saloon.

Publisher’s Rating: “Suggested for Mature Readers”

Why I picked it up: Found a copy in the half price bin at a comic store in Fort Wayne, IN, on a recent trip. It was the only western I could find.

Why I finished it: The great training sequences where Seth learns to use his father’s guns. The lessons involve a lynx, a cliff, and peyote.

I'd give it to: Goren, a dog guy who’d like that a famed gunfighter’s final request is that his body be fed to the dogs he loved.

Amazon | Powell's

The Plague Widow: (Northlanders Book Four) by Brian Wood, Leandro Fernandez
Vertigo, 2010. 9781401228507.

Reviewed by geneambaum - link to this review

A.D. 1020. Plague comes to a small, fortified trading settlement on the Volga River. Hilda’s husband dies. A foreign priest convinces the leaders to expel the sick from the settlement and seal the walls. Winters are normally difficult, but Hilda, alone, must deal with unjust tithes, thieves, and violence to keep her daughter safe.

Contains Northlanders #21-28.

Publisher’s Rating: “Suggested for Mature Readers”

Why I picked it up: The first three books in the series were excellent.

Why I finished it: It’s a Viking version of McCarthy’s The Road (and it’s as grim and good as that implies).

I'd give it to: Dave, who would like the inevitable, bare-handed fight between the cruel warrior Gunborg and the priest who isn’t as gentle as his profession might make him seem.

Joining the United States Air Force: a handbook by Snow Wildsmith
McFarland & Co., 2012. 9780786447589.

This book is for the teenager or young adult who is interested in enlisting in the Air Force. It will walk him or her through the enlistment and recruit training process: making the decision to join the military, talking to recruiters, getting qualified, and preparing for basic training.

The goal of the Joining the Military series is to help those who might be curious about serving in the military decide whether military service is right for them, which branch is the best fit, and whether they are qualified for and prepared for military service. Features include lists of books, web links, and videos; a glossary; and an index. The other books in the series are:

• Joining the United States Army: a handbook
• Joining the United States Coast Guard: a handbook
• Joining the United States Marine Corps: a handbook
• Joining the United States Navy: a handbook

Sponsored - Learn more about this book - How to sponsor Unshelved

Amazon | Powell's

Dead Inside: Do Not Enter: Notes from the Zombie Apocalypse by various
Chronicle Books, 2011. 9781452101088.

Reviewed by sarahhunt - link to this review

After a pandemic flu mutated into a zombie infection that swept across the U.S., a woman finds a backpack filled with letters, notes, warnings, confessions, threats, and advice on dealing with flesh-eaters. This is a reproduction of the backpack’s contents (created by different writers from the Lost Zombies online community). Each page has a found item, an expression of a character’s terror and desperation.

As the introduction says, "This stuff is poisonous. No one in their right mind should read it. Reading this is like looking into the sun."

Why I picked it up: I opened the book to this page.

Why I finished it: All of the images in the book are this powerful. I got shivers from the stories told with so little. It’s not just what they say (like the heartbroken woman apologizing for leaving her baby in the car where it was attacked) but what they force your brain to fill in (the moment she saw the undead swarming her car).

I'd give it to: Darcy, because she needs to see this awesome collection of stories told in different ways by different people set in the same world. She could use this to inspire a kick-ass library writing group, even if she doesn't use the zombie world.

Amazon | Powell's

Leo Geo and His Miraculous Journey Through the Center of the Earth by Jon Chad
Roaring Brook Press, 2012. 9781596436619.

Reviewed by geneambaum - link to this review

Amazon | Powell's

The Odds by Kathleen George
Minotaur Books, 2011. 9780312573232.

Reviewed by emilyjones - link to this review

Disparate lives collide in a rundown neighborhood on Pittsburgh's north side. The four Philips children are orphaned and then abandoned by their stepmother. They must feed and clothe themselves, as well as keep the rent paid and the lights on, without anyone figuring out their circumstances. 

And then there's Nick Banks, a gambler and alcoholic trying to pay back his debts, who unknowingly performs a good deed for the oldest Philips kid. When a teenager is found dead from an overdose in a nearby abandoned house, Detectives Greer and Potocki are called in to help with the investigation. Banks becomes embroiled in the case, bringing the detectives and the bad guys too close to home for him and the Philips kids.

Why I picked it up: Orphan stories appeal to me. I was curious to see how the author would portray four present-day children trying to survive while keeping it a secret. 

Why I finished it: In a world where the Philips kids feel like they can’t trust adults, the relationship they develop with Banks (reminiscent of Natalie Portman’s character’s with Jean Reno in The Professional) had me desperately rooting for a happy ending. These kids were smart, and their resourcefulness and good nature were astounding.

I'd give it to: Amy, who is in law enforcement in Cincinnati and knows how easily kids become pawns in the drug trade. She’ll cling to the threads of hope in this otherwise gritty crime story.

2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson
Orbit Books, 2012. 9780316098120.

A major new SF novel from the author of the bestselling Mars Trilogy.

The year is 2312. Earth is no longer humanity’s only home. New habitats have been created throughout the solar system on moons, planets, and in between. But in this year, a sequence of events will force humanity to confront its past, its present, and its future. The first event takes place on Mercury, where Swan Er Hong, a woman who once designed worlds, will be led into a plot to destroy them…

“A challenging, compelling masterpiece of science fiction.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Intellectually engaged and intensely humane in the way SF rarely is.” — Iain M. Banks

Sponsored - Learn more about this book - How to sponsor Unshelved

Amazon | Powell's

The Assault by Brian Falkner
Random House Books for Young Readers, 2012. 9780375869464.

Reviewed by flemtastic - link to this review

Aliens have taken over much of the earth. The six teens on Recon Team Angel must infiltrate the aliens’ operations center. Each has been surgically modified to resemble the aliens, as well as exhaustively trained in mannerisms and speech habits. There’s a saboteur on their team.

Why I picked it up: Falkner is known for high-interest, high-action books whose plots move right along.  I was looking for more books that I could hand out to kids when they ask for something that “won’t bore me.”  I can sell this action-packed cover with my eyes closed!

Why I finished it: I visualized the alien base as Ayers rock throughout as it’s described as a large rock in the Australian outback. Because Falkner dribbled out details about the mission’s goals slowly, I kept reading to figure it out.  It was worth the wait to discover the secret that the rock was holding. 

I'd give it to: Ali, who devoured the Alex Rider series, because this features highly trained teens running around and blowing things up.  Joey, my TA, because he would love the hi-tech weaponry the aliens use.

Amazon | Powell's

Please, Baby, Please by Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee, Kadir Nelson
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2002. 9780689832338.

Reviewed by rosie - link to this review

This is a day in the life of a toddler. Her mother is constantly begging her to behave.

Why I picked it up: The baby's curls float around her head like planets.

Why I finished it: Her big brown eyes are so cute. I love all her different expressions, whether she is dumping cereal on her head, writing on the wall, or kicking and screaming as she's dragged away from the playground.

I'd give it to: My friend Marlo. We are babysitting a little girl named Eva together. When Eva plays in the water she reminds me of this baby happily splashing in her bath.

The Watchers by Jon Steele
Blue Rider Press, 2012. 9780399158742.

A suspenseful, entirely original thriller about a series of murders that may be the handiwork of a gang of international killers—or fallen angels. Think The Hunchback of Notre Dame meets The Silence of the Lambs, as told to Justin Cronin.

British private eye Jay Harper finds himself in Switzerland on the trail of a missing Olympic athlete. A hard drinker, he can barely remember how he got home last night, let alone why he accepted this job. When he meets the stunning but aloof Katherine in a hotel bar, he quickly realizes that he's not the only one in town who's for hire. She's a high-class hooker who can't believe her luck. Which is about to change. For the worse. In the meantime, man-child Marc Rochat spends his time in the belfry talking to the statues, his cat and the occasional ghost. His job is to watch over Lausanne at night and to wait for the angel his mother told him he'd one day have to save. When he sees Katherine, he thinks his moment has come.

“Steele’s lavishly atmospheric, witty, bloody, and swashbuckling tale of age-old struggles for dominion between angels and demons is the propitious first book in an ambitious new series.” — Booklist (starred review)

Sponsored - Learn more about this book - How to sponsor Unshelved

Amazon | Powell's

Dead to You by Lisa McMann
Simon Pulse, 2012. 9781442403888.

Reviewed by danritchie - link to this review

Nine years ago, seven-year-old Ethan got into a car with two strangers and disappeared. Now he is home with his parents, his younger brother Blake, and his sister Gracie (the “replacement kid”).  Everyone expects Ethan to have memories of life before the abduction, but he doesn’t. He only remembers his “mother” Ellen, the abusive children’s home in Nebraska (that he ran away from), and his time on the streets. Scared and confused, Ethan tries to cope with his real family, a brother who hates him, and his childhood friend, Cami, with whom he falls in love.

Why I picked it up: Gene gave it to me, and when I saw it was by the Wake series author I had to read it right then!

Why I finished it: Ethan is bombarded by conflicting, raw emotions: his love for Ellen and her betrayal in leaving him, his guilt over being famous and its effect on Blake, and his overwhelming feelings for Cami. There’s also a powerful and eerie undercurrent of foreboding throughout the story.

I'd give it to: Melissa, who lived in foster care for a time and, I’m afraid, could relate directly to many of Ethan’s experiences.

Amazon | Powell's

The World in Your Lunch Box: The Wacky History and Weird Science of Everyday Foods by Claire Eamer, Sa Boothroyd
Annick Press, 2012. 9781554513925.

Reviewed by flemtastic - link to this review

The unnamed narrator of this light, airy book is given the assignment to look deeply into the foods she eats every day. In a food diary she investigates the history of spices, nuts, fruits, sandwiches, mayonnaise, potato chips and other foods she eats during the week.  Each entry is accompanied by fun drawings that keep things moving and entertaining. (One drawing of a family at the zoo has a man showing a little crack above his low-rise pants.) 

Why I picked it up: This type of heavily illustrated fact book is effective at holding the attention of young readers. Plus they’re useful for research, since they contain end notes.

Why I finished it: I learned many things I did not know about the food I eat, and here are a few. Chips are saved from sogginess and staleness by foil-lined bags filled with nitrogen that keep light and oxygen out (both are mortal enemies of good chips).  2,000 years ago, Pliny the Elder thought that dripping onion juice in ones eyes helped with vision problems.  The “hotness” of mustard and wasabi seeds are tied to sugar molecules and do not come out until crushed or ground, when the bonds to the sugar molecules are broken.  And the world’s oldest edible cheese is a 200-year-old Swiss variety.

I'd give it to: My eight-year-old niece, Lily, because she would run around randomly repeating fun facts to our family members.  My wife, Trish, who would learn some things she could use, like storing green fruits with a banana in a paper bag to make them ripen. (This works because bananas give off a gas called ethylene.)

Runtime Error: Not Invented Here Book 1 by Bill Barnes and Paul Southworth
Overdue Media, 2011. 9780974035383.

Behind each great piece of software is a talented, concientious team of hardworking individuals dedicated to producing the highest quality product using internationally accepted best practices and industry standards. And then there are these guys.

Runtime Error collects the first eighteen months of Not Invented Here, the new comic strip by Unshelved co-creator Bill Barnes. 168 full-color pages, with bonus feature: the evolution of the designs for each major character, through three artists across two years.

Sponsored - Learn more about this book - How to sponsor Unshelved

Amazon | Powell's

Bubbles & Gondola: A Magical Graphic Novel by Renaud Dillies, Christopher Bouchard, Joe Johnson
NBM, 2011. 9781561636112.

Reviewed by geneambaum - link to this review

Charlie the Mouse lives alone. He can read, watch TV, or play the guitar at any time of the day or night without bothering anyone. But he’s got a bad case of writer’s block.

One day a little blue bird flies in through his window. He introduces himself as Mister Solitude, and explains that he’ll appear whenever Charlie feels lonely.

Why I picked it up: It’s not just a French graphic novel translated into English (in case you haven’t been keeping score, I’m crazy for French comics), it’s also a full-sized hardcover. Most of these published in the U.S. are smaller versions of the original books, but they always look better when they’re bigger. Plus there’s a cute mouse on the cover.

Why I finished it: I loved the dreamy sequence where Mister Solitude visits Charlie, who is reluctantly riding a gondola wheel. He says, “Gondolas deprived of liberty. Sad airships of an impossible adventure,” and urges Charlie to enjoy the view. (When Charlie does, he realizes his gondola is flying above the clouds.)

I'd give it to: Tim, who’d identify with the image of Charlie atop all of the pieces of crumpled paper that contain the writing he’s rejected.

Amazon | Powell's

Solar System: A Visual Exploration of the Planets, Moons, and Other Heavenly Bodies that Orbit Our Sun by Marcus Chown
Touch Press, 2011. 9781579128852.

Reviewed by geneambaum - link to this review

Book version of Solar System for iPad. The information and stunning photos start with the sun and move outward to the Oort cloud and comets, including the planets, moons, asteroid belt, Kuiper belt, and the dwarf planets.

Why I picked it up: The cover images, both photographic and computer generated, are beautiful.

Why I finished it: Arthur C. Clarke’s works are referenced several times -- my favorite is that Saturn’s moon, Iapetus, is referred to as the stargate moon (it’s the site of the portal that 2001’s Dave Bowman enters). The photos showing the contrast between Iapetus’s ice and the dark material coating part of its surface, as well as the image of its equatorial ridge, are amazing. I also loved the graphics for each planet (and a few asteroids) that show its orbit around the sun or, in the case of a moon, its planet.

I'd give it to: Allen, to share with his daughter, Sophie. I think Sophie would love the idea that even asteroids, like Ida, can have small moons, and Allen would love to get her more interested in science.

A Parent’s Guide to the Best Kids’ Comics: Choosing Titles Your Children Will Love by Scott Robins and Snow Wildsmith
Krause Publications, 2012. 9781440229947.

Children’s literature experts and library professionals Robins and Wildsmith select and review 100 of the best books of comics currently available for young readers and identify what attracts and entertains kids. Engaging young readers through comics is a major focus of A Parent’s Guide to the Best Kids’ Comics.

• Recommendations are color-coded and grouped according to grade level (pre-K through 8th grade).
• Clear discussions and accompanying full-page samples in this beautifully illustrated full-color book guide users to the best choices for every child.
• Each entry includes key reading appeal points and associated material, creating a recommended balance of reading for education and reading for recreation.
• Forward by Jeff Smith and Vijaya Iyer, producers of the acclaimed, award-winning Bone series.
• Readers will also find an educator’s bibliography, website recommendations, and a variety of resources for further exploration.

Sponsored - Learn more about this book - How to sponsor Unshelved

Amazon | Powell's

Louisiana Purchase: An American Story by John Chase
Pelican Publishing, 2003. 9781589800847.

Reviewed by billbarnes - link to this review

A history of the Louisiana Purchase, originally presented as a syndicated comic strip that ran in forty newspapers around the country, revised with new material at the end.

Why I picked it up: My sister Robin moved to New Orleans after Katrina, and has been sending my kids a steady stream of excellent books on the area ever since.

Why I finished it: This could be pretty boring stuff (it certainly was when I learned it in high school), but Chase consistently keeps it light and entertaining by highlighting the many interesting personalities involved. At the end I was astounded at all the twists and turns involved in one of the most important real estate deals ever struck.

I'd give it to: Dave Kellett, a student of the art of comic strips (he has two master's degrees). He will be as impressed as I was that Chase managed to pace the story so that every day had both a new fact and a funny moment.