Noragami Stray God, Vol. 17

Adachitoka. Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 17. 2016. 200p. ISBN 978-1-63236-301-5 . Available in the Graphic Section of the library.

Following Noragami Stray God, Vol. 16, Bishamon's search for the crafter and her war on the heavens continues as Kazuma seeks to intervene on her behalf and save her from divine punishment. Hiyori joins Kazuma on his quest, hoping to save both Bishamon and Yato. For his part, the stray god struggles in his fight with Takemikazuchi, neither god seeming to win an advantage on the other, but the injuries are piling up. Yukiné tries to save Yato, but the Blessed Vessel cannot convince his master to abandon the fight. As more truths about Yato's youth are revealed, the crafter's plan to release Yato's inner anger and fate come into focus. Can Yato survive the onslaught of the lightning god?

The story continues in Noragami Stray God, Vol. 18.

20th Century Art, 1960-1980: Experiments and New Directions

Gaff, Jackie. 20th Century Art, 1960-1980: Experiments and New Directions. 2000. 32p. ISBN 978-0-8368-2852-6. Available at 709.04 GAF on the library shelves.

The end of the Second World War marked the beginning of the economic recovery from the devastation wrought by the conflict around the world. People's lives in Western Europe and the United States steadily improved during the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s. Economies recovered and then grew. Jobs were plentiful. Population was growing thanks to a baby boom. And in the art world, artists were experimenting with new themes and art forms.

In the 1960s people were on the move, and art reached for the masses with moving sculptures inspired from every day movements from the wind or mechanically delivered. Op Art also suggested a sense of movement, but through optical illusions. Pop Art emerged at the same time, with the goal of using everyday and highly recognizable objects as art, which allowed the artists to shift attention from the work of art itself to the way the artist worked. Art, they suggested, was an idea, and anything could be seen as artistic, even the most mundane objects.

Another trend that developed during the 1960s was Invisible Art, where art was not necessarily present and required the viewer to assume it existed even thought they could not see it, and therefore question reality itself. At the same time, reality itself became a representation in art, where subjects were shown as they truly were, and not as idealized versions of themselves. Art also became more engaged, with frequent mergers between art and performance, as Woodstock would reveal. Revolutions and demonstrations in the 1960s also triggered engaged art, art that carried a message.

Soul Eater, Vol. 2

Ohkubo, Atsushi. Soul Eater, Vol. 2. 2010. 189p. ISBN 978-0-7595-3048-5. Available in the graphic section of the library.

Having failed their first lesson in Soul Eater, Vol. 1, Soul and Maka pursue their remedial studies at the Death Weapon Meister Academy. They are confronted by Dr. Franken Stein, who is able to manipulate the wavelengths emitted by souls to predict their moves and thus modify his attacks in response. Maka and Soul give it all they have, but are unable to defeat Stein. In a desperate bid, Soul lays down his life to save Maka, thereby passing Stein's test and completing this particular lesson.

Shinigami, Death's child, decides to enroll at Death Weapon Meister Academy, and brings his Death Scythes with him. Arriving at the school, he meets Soul and Black*Star. Their interactions devolve and soon the three of them are fighting. On the verge of defeat, Soul breaks Shinigami's symmetry and wins their fight.

At the basilica, Demon Sword wielder Crona slaughters the members of a local gang and consumes their souls. Maka and Soul engage Crona, but he proves surprisingly adept at landing blows. Can Maka and Soul resist Crona's assault and survive one more day?

The remedial assignment continues as Soul and Maka confront Dr. Franken Stein, the man behind Sid-sensei's unfortunate transformation and the strongest meister ever to graduate from Death Weapon Meister Academy. Even without a weapon, his massive soul dwarfs them all-even big shot Black*Star! Can Maka rally her strength to face Stein in battle, or will despair be her downfall?   

The story continues in Soul Eater, Vol. 3.

Banned Book Club

Sook, Kim Hyun, Ko Hyung-Ju, and Ryan Estrada. Banned Book Club. 2020. 202p. ISBN 978-1-9458-2042-7. Available in the graphic novels section of the library. 

In 1983, South Korean Kim Hyun Sook is heading to college. She worked really hard during her high school years to excel and achieve the grades necessary enter the local college. Her mother would rather she follow the more traditional path of finding a husband and raising a family, but her unconventional father, who owns a barely surviving steak house, is supportive and wants her to accomplish her dream of studying literature.

At the time, South Korea is in theory a Republic, but in practice it is a military dictatorship supported by the Americans. Paranoid about the North Korean threat, the surveillance apparatus of the South Korean state sees enemies everywhere, especially on campuses. Ideas not supported by the regime are banned, people who resist are imprisoned, and even people who do not threaten the regime can find themselves subject to arrest and abuse. Having led a sheltered life and protected by her parents, Sook is unaware of the violence that plays on her campus, but her arrival quickly opens her eyes to the abuses and the struggle to achieve basic liberties like reading books and voicing one's opinion.

Joining a book club, Sook is at first horrified to realize she is now a member of a subversive group. When officer Ok, of the security services, closes in on her small group looking to arrest communists and make a name for himself, Sook must decide whether she will stand with her new friends and fight against the regime that oppresses so many, or let the totalitarian regime that governs South Korea silence her voice.

The black and white illustrations are very effective in setting an atmosphere of fear and darkness oppressing the population. Based on Sook's own biography, fans of politics and of history will appreciate the details on how one can resist an illegitimate regime.

The Fill-In Boyfriend

West, Kasie. The Fill-In Boyfriend. 2015. 344p. 394 mins. ISBN 978-0-06-233638-5. Available as an ebook and an audiobook from Overdrive.

Gia Montgomery is the alpha of her group of high school friends. Her position has been contested since Jules joined their group. For months she's been telling them about her boyfriend Bradley, who goes to UCLA, and she's been looking forward to her high school prom and the day she can finally introduce Bradley to her friends, and shut Jules up.

When the day arrives, however, Bradley, who drove from Los Angeles for the night, realizes that Gia only wants him here to prove to her friends that he exists. Angry, he breaks up with her and leaves her in the parking lot, so tantalizing close to the entrance. Gia can already see Jules' gleeful look when she walks in alone, and this is intolerable.

So Gia does the only thing an alpha like her could do. She recruits the guy who just dropped his sister off at the prom to be her date. It takes some convincing, but Fake Bradley reluctantly agrees to go with her and to participate in her plan to break up at the end of the night. She shows up Fake Bradley to her friends, and all except Jules are impressed. Jules keeps a smirk on her face.

When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she decides to do the unthinkable ... convince the cute guy waiting to pick up his sister to pretend to be her boyfriend for the night. Will Gia turn her fake boyfriend into a real one without exposing her lie and possibly destroying her friendships and her newfound relationship?     

Operatic

Maclear, Kyo. Illustrated by Byron Eggenschwiler. Operatic. 2019. 160p. ISBN 978-1-55498-972-0. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

In a few short months, Charlie is leaving middle school and heading to high school. Her favorite class in 8th grade is Mr. K's music class. Her best friends, Addie, Rachel, and Mayin are also in the class with her. Mr. K. enthusiastically presents the world of music, and asks each student to find the song that inspires them and that represents their life. For the rest of the year, Charlie and her classmates will be exploring different music genres, trying to find the song that defines them.

Charlie is not sure what music most represents her, and she finds it difficult to concentrate when Emile, a quiet student, is in the same class as her. She breaks out sweating whenever he talks to her. Emile has not been the same since Luka disappeared from their music class. Luka moved in the area a few months ago and immediately struck the school as eccentric. When Luka declared his love for Emile in front of the music class, the laughter that resulted drove him out and he hasn't come back since.

As she searches for her song, Charlie comes across Maria Callas, an operatic singer from the 1940s to the 1960s. Maria Callas was not appreciated by her schoolmates, but she ignored her detractors and achieved her goal of being an opera singer. She transformed herself into a glamorous woman and lit up many theatres throughout her career. Even at the height of her skills, however, she had detractors that found her voice lacking. Charlie relates to Maria's story, and is moved by her music. She has now found her song.

With only a few weeks left and a performance in front of the school, can Charlie manage to reunite Emile and Luka, help her friend Addie with her anxiety, and learn some truth about herself in the process?