Miscellaneous short booknotes

These are some short quick reviews of items I've read recently, but that may not need a regular review, or I just do not have the time to write a long review or feel like writing one. Anyhow, here we go.

Kia Asamiya, Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace- Manga. Volumes 1 and 2. Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse Comics, 1999.

This is the two-volumes manga adaptation of the film. Dark Horse basically
takes the Japanese manga adaptation and translates it into English. Overall, the manga looks good, and it is pretty faithful to the film. It's an easy and fun read overall, and I really liked them.

4 out of 5 stars.

ISBN (Vol. 1): 1-56971-483-5.
ISBN (vol. 2): 1-56971-484-3.


Randel Plowman, curator. Masters: Collage: Major Works by Leading Artists.. New York: Lark Books, 2010. ISBN: 978-1-60059-108-2.

Another volume in the Masters series of art books from Lark Books. This one looks at 40 artists who create collages in a broad range of forms from retro art to abstract art. The curator/editor picked these forty artists from a list of 200 plus artists to present "the work of some of the most exceptional collage artists working today" (7). Overall, it is a nice book to look over. Quality in the art can vary; I liked some of the pieces better than others, but your mileage can vary.

3 out of 5 stars.


Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman, Are We Out of the Driveway Yet? Zits Sketchbook 11. Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel, 2006. ISBN: 978-0-7407-6199-7.

The 11th sketchbook collection in the popular series where the authors catch teenage character and
angst oh so well. Maybe a bit too well because I'll be honest, if I was Jeremy's parent, I might have smacked him once or twice for his misbehavior. The authors also catch well what it is like to be parents of a teenager. Highlights in this volume include Jeremy learning to drive, online package tracking, and other hijinks. Overall, I really liked it for a light and entertaining read.

4 out of 5 stars.


Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman, Dance Like Everybody's Watching. Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel, 2018. ISBN: 978-1-4494-9511-4.

This collection is an oversized volume. If features weekly strips in black and white and full color for the Sunday strips. Highlights here include Jeremy working at the grocery store missing the plantains (believe me, for Puerto Ricans and other Latinos, that is funny), Jeremy losing his cell phone (how can you tell time without it?), and looking over DNA results. Again, if you enjoy this series, you'll like this one. It is fun, light, and humorous reading. I really liked it.

4 out of 5 stars.


Jim Davis, Garfield Slurps and Burps: His 67th Book. New York: Ballantine Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781984817730.

The series keeps on going. Strips in this volume start on Christmas season, which felt timely for me
as I read it around Thanksgiving at the time. There is not much really new here. These comics are basically comfort reading; by now you know what you are getting. A highlight in this volume is Jon not knowing what to do with the telephone land line he forgot he had.  Made me wonder if there are people like that out there. In the end, I liked it. It's cute, amusing, and a quick read.

3 out of 5 stars.


Christine Heap, Big Book of Trains. East Rutherford, NJ: DK Publishing, 1998.  ISBN: 978-0-7894-3436-4.

An oversize book from the National Railway Museum in York, England. It is a big picture book for
children, and it is pretty good. The book features some good photographs of historical and modern trains. In addition, the book offers a good amount of information and trivia on these trains. It may be written in simple language for children, but I found myself learning quite a bit from it. The book even features some pull out pages. Though geared for children, I think that children of all ages who like trains will enjoy this book, I really liked it.

4 out of 5 stars.

Jim Davis, Garfield Chickens Out: his 61st Book. New York: Ballantine, 2016. 

I thought I had read this before, but it turns out it was new to me when I picked it up at the public library. Another nice comfort read. If you are a fan, you'll like it, but this is just good overall for anyone looking for nice and light humor. 3 out of 5 stars.



Charles M. Schulz, Snoopy: What's Wrong With Dog Lips? A Peanuts Collection. Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel, 2017.

This is a Peanuts collection with a bit more focus on Snoopy. In this series, Snoopy fractures a foot, gets a visit from his brother Spike, and travels to Wimbledon but ends up in Kansas City. It's a nice collection, and it is also in full color. It does have one or two fairly dark strips such as Charlie Brown wanting to be black topped on his pitcher's mound (hints suicide). Of course, Lucy remains the bully she always is but that is toned down a bit here. Otherwise, most of the comics are amusing. I liked it overall, and it was a nice light read. 3 out of 5 stars.