Happy Odyssey by Adrian Carton de Wiart an autobiography of a Belgian-born, classic early 1900’s British military man: someone who is perfectly happy to spend his life sporting, fighting, and eventually politicking. I was quite surprised at the easy flow of the narrative, rather like reading an amusing letter from an old friend. This “friend” chases battles like a retriever and readily compares the fighting styles and mindset of every countries soldiers but thinks “causes, politics and ideologies are better left to the historians.” I think he was in something like 11 wars and injured multiple times in every one, including a shot in the groin (his first injury!), the back of the head, the stomach, and his legs. He also lost an eye and a hand. But it’s so obvious that he loved it all. As he says in the preface, “that I should have survived [my misadventures] is to me by far the most interesting thing about [my life].” I imagine he was very gregarious. He made friends quickly, led men easily, and was promoted repeatedly in every war. To give you some idea of Carton de Wiart’s social circle, Winston Churchill called him “my old and valued friend” in the foreward. Most of all, he appeared to be very insightful about himself and yet did not take himself too seriously. Very British humor!

I borrowed this from my library (ILL actually) because I read about Carton de Wiart on the blog Badass of the Week. It's a great blog, well researched and amusing, if you're okay with excessive amounts of foul language.

My current bookshelf:

Wallflower (manga) - only read two but it's amusing; I love the main girl (who hates "people of the light")

Afterschool Charisma (manga) - beautiful artwork and thought-provoking story so far. Sadly some horrible uptight person colored over all the boobs. Seriously people, that's defacement! Don't like it? Don't read it.

Dear Teen Me - letters from authors (mostly YA) to their teen selves; really shows how we're all kind of the same in high school: self-absorbed and insecure. The exceptions make me grateful for my boring childhood.

There's a dozen more on my to-read shelf. Where is my time??

Juvenile Graphic Novels - Hoorah!

Ernest and Rebecca by Guillaume Bianco. My daughter and I have read the first two books in this juvenile graphic novel series. Rebecca is a child with a weak constitution and divorcing parents and an absolutely fabulous sense of justice. Once befriending the “Ernest” germ, Rebecca goes about trying to reconcile her parents through all sorts of ridiculous schemes. My favorite parts, however, are her attempts to protect Ernest by beating up her doctor and keeping herself sick (sunbathing in the snow, etc). The author does a great job balancing the silliness with underlying family turmoil. Antonello Dalena’s illustrations are fabulous too: brightly colored and clearly emotive.
This should probably be read by any family struggling with divorce or long-term illness or anyone who needs perspective with a laugh.

Another good series (according to my daughter and husband) is Cat's Cradle by Jo Rioux. The second one isn't in print yet but you can read it online. With such beautiful illustrations, I don't really care what it's about!

Other favorites of my daughters that I seem okay but I can't honestly say I've read them (smile):
 
Chi's Sweet Home (cute cat, simple, what else do you need? I guess it's been made into an anime but we haven't seen it yet - DON'T tell the kids!)
Jellaby (won a Shuster)
Tiny Titans (even the 3-yr-old gets a kick out of this one and I think it won an Eisner or two)
Bone (loved by all - 10 Eisners! and 11 Harvey Awards!)

Survival Stories

I know it's been a while since I posted anything. Honestly I haven't read anything worth posting. Until now! Dun dun dun.
We Die Alone by David Howarth. How many times can a personal almost die? This book is for anyone who loves adventure novels, military/war novels, or survival stories (especially arctic). Taking place in Norway at the time of Germany’s occupation in WWII, Jan is a Norwegian who arrives from England with a group of other military Norwegians attempting to gather information and sabotage German operations. Very quickly into the mission he is the last one left and being hunted. I was amazed at what a person can survive and I’ve read a lot of survival stories. Frostbite, buried alive (twice), starvation… By the end, though, it was the locals who were determined to get him into Sweden, long after he had given up and he had no choice but to go along because he couldn’t walk! Reads like fiction, full of surprises (mostly the how-on-earth-is-he-still-alive kind). Other awesome true survival stories: Touching the Void by Joe Simpson, Mawson’s Will by Lennard Bickel, and the one that started it all for me North to the Night by Alvah Simon. Those are all about one person surviving all alone in extreme conditions. There are also a bunch about shipwrecked boats in arctic seas worth reading and, of course, the race to the poles. And have you read the one that inspired Moby Dick? The Wreck of the Whaleship Essex by Owen Chase. I like to read these things while sitting comfortably in my warm house.