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This post written by Clint City of Thieves
by David Benioff
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The siege of Leningrad lasted for 872 days and was one of the bloodiest battles in World War II. Over a million people died, but David Benioff’s grandfather survived and had a lot of interesting stories to tell. City of Thieves is based on tape recordings of these stories.
Lev, David’s grandfather, is a Russian firefighter who gets arrested by the Russian army for looting a German corpse. He is thrown in jail with Kolya, who was arrested for deserting the army to hang out with some of his girlfriends. Lev and Kolya are going to be executed, but the Russian colonel makes a deal with them. His daughter wants to get married, but they don’t have enough eggs to make a cake. Remember, this is Russia during World War II, and the Germans have completely surrounded the city. If Lev and Kolya can find enough eggs for the cake, they won’t be executed.
Lev and Kolya hunt for eggs in war-torn Leningrad, but have no luck at all. On their way, they talk about literature, life in the city, the horrors of war, and romance/sex. After they find the last living chicken in Leningrad, who can’t possibly lay all the eggs they need in time for the wedding, they hear about a chicken farm, but it’s out past the German lines. After a nice dinner of chicken soup, they leave the city and sneak into German territory.
During their search they encounter all kinds of strange and disturbing people and situations. This story is often funny, but it takes place during a horrible battle. Things are not pretty. People are eating rats and boiling the glue from books and doing much worse things just to keep from starving to death. Things don’t get any better when they leave the city, either. This is war, and neither side is playing fair. The Russians are desperate and willing to do anything to defend their homeland, and the Nazis are, as you might guess, even worse. There are a couple of scenes that I could have done without, so if you don’t like horrible things happening to people or animals, you might want to skip this one.
You can read an excerpt online at the publisher’s website.
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This post written by Clint Bone
by Jeff Smith
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Bone begins with the three Bone brothers, Fone, Smiley, and Phoncible, lost in an uncharted desert. They are separated by a swarm of locusts (in a desert?) and each make their way to a lush but very strange valley full of talking animals, quirky people, and monsters. The cousins eventually meet up, but they discover that there are dark forces at work in the valley, and that these forces have taken an interest in the Bones.
Fone seems to be a normal guy. He’s nice, but maybe a little bit naive.
Smiley is easygoing, but he does love to play pranks. He also smokes and gambles and can be talked into doing things he probably shouldn’t do.
Phoncible, also known as Phoney, is the real troublemaker. He’s greedy and dishonest, butt he doesn’t seem to be very good at being dishonest. He tries hard, though.
The story is a good mix of serious and silly. I’ve only read the first volume, but I have heard that it gets a little more serious and eventually turns into an epic fantasy, which some people compare to Lord of the Rings.
There are a couple different editions of Bone. Some are in color. Some are black and white. Usually there are nine volumes in the series, but there is also a 1,332-page single-volume edition.
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This post written by Clint Naruto
by Masashi Kishimoto
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Naruto is a hyperactive teenager in one of the best ninja academies in the world. He wants to be the greatest ninja ever, but he’s kind of dumb, easily distracted, and obsessed with ramen. Still, he has a great deal of natural ability, if he can pay attention long enough to use it.
You can look it up on Wikipedia. You can also read some of it online at the publisher’s website.
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This post written by Clarissa Shrine of the Morning Mist
by Hiroki Ugawa
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This often comedic series, about schoolgirls who serve as shrine maidens and fight evil monsters, gently spoofs other series such as “Sailor Moon.” Several sisters and their school friends use divine magic to protect their shrine, their town, and a distant cousin who has the ability to see the other world. In the meantime, of course, their school gets smashed up by giant monsters and wacky hijinks ensue.
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You’re going to have to check a bookstore for this one. Sorry about that.
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