Librocubicularist- September 2015

I'm not sure exactly what I've been doing instead of reading this month but I haven't accomplished much. Part of it is that I've been out crafting and seeing chalk art, part of it is that we're moving into the busy season of work so I've had more hours there. Most of the books that I've finished this month have been comics and I'm mostly okay with that.

I really enjoy superhero movies but have only ever read comic books kind of here and there. So when DC comics started the New 52 series I was kind of excited to have a chance to start at the beginning of the story and be able to actually follow an entire storyline. Unfortunately it didn't really work out that way. There is no way I can afford to subscribe to the entire series so my reading was based on availability from the library. I started out with the Justice League because I was familiar with that, Flash, Aquaman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman is one of my favorite characters and I thought that it'd be interesting to see how all of the stories tied together. I really enjoyed the beginnings of all the stories. The interactions between members of the Justice League as they started to connect with each other were great. Unfortunately it quickly got to the point where I felt like I was missing out on stuff. I tried to read one the Supergirl comics and had no clue what was happening because half of the story took place in other comics. I enjoyed both the Justice League and Aquaman but the stories actually overlapped almost too much, to the point where reading Aquaman felt pointless. One the other side of thing, I knew from things I read online that Wonder Woman and Superman were a couple but there was absolutely no mention of that anywhere in the Wonder Woman comics. In fact there's no indication that she's a part of the Justice League either. Anyways here's some of the things I finished this month.

The Flash, Vol. 6: Out of Time

By Robert Venditti

I've continued to read the Flash because, for the most part, the story has been self-contained. They deal with the more serious issues of Barry trying to find his mother's killer but still manages to keep an overall lighthearted tone. I like all the crazy villains. This volume was interesting because he ends up fighting himself from the future but I have to admit that I felt a little lost. Most of the story line with the Crime Syndicate takes place in the Justice League books and I ended up reading them out of order. I hope that moving forward it stays mostly able to stand alone.



Superman/Wonder Woman, Vol. 1: Power Couple by Charles Soule

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Since the Wonder Woman series never even mentions Superman and the Superman comic I read only vaguely related to their relationship I decided to give this series a try. I read the first two collections both this month. They were okay. For the most part I enjoyed the story and I think they make an okay couple but it seems kind of choppy and the various plots don't fit together well. I also had a hard time figuring out where the events fit into the bigger story.


The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light by Paul Bogard

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The End of Night offers a discussion of what will be lost if light pollution continues to increase. The author visits some of the darkest places around the world both to see what truly dark night can be and to better understand what is helping to keep those places dark. It includes a discussion of health problems created in people who work the night shift and never experience darkness as well as the fallacies of equating more light with greater safety. It also discusses the emotional and cultural losses that we would suffer if we lose sight of the night sky and its stars. The idea that all cultures have some kind of mythology based on the stars what happens to our connections to the past and each other if we lose those stars.

Overall it's one of the most interesting non-fiction books that I've ever read and as someone who loves night a very important book as well. One of the main points is that the increase in artificial light at night has occurred so gradually that most people don't even notice that the stars are disappearing. This book doesn't advocate for the elimination of all nighttime lighting just finding a better approach, one that helps to reduce wasted light and minimizes the effect of light on animals and the environment.

Attempting to view last night's lunar eclipse really brought home how much light is really in our neighborhood at night without it really having any purpose. Our particular street is way brighter than it needs to be and you can only the stars immediately above us, none at all down near the horizon. Even at midnight our street is no darker than dusk.


Brave New Quilts: 12 Projects Inspired by 20th-Century Art from Art Nouveau to Punk & Pop by Kathreen Ricketson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book makes me want to dig out my old art history notes and start planning out quilts...
It starts with a brief discussion of design principles and how they can translate to quilts. After that the author details her process for designing quilts from inspiration to research to finished product.

The main section of the book contains instructions for quilts based on various art movements. Each project contains information on the art movement that inspired it, materials, cutting instructions, details for quilt assembly and finishing, plus an explanation of the color palette chosen and ways to alter the design to make it your own. There are 12 designs (3 designs based on each of the four design elements line, color, motif, and use of text) representing various art movements including Abstract Expressionism, Art Deco, Dada, and Pop Art. I personally would be more interested in different art styles but that's the inspiring part for me. The books gives the idea of translating an art movements ideas into a fabric design and some basic tools to work with and then encourages you to run in your own direction with it.

The projects also cover a range of quilting techniques so that, overall, you get a good bit of quilting knowledge as well. It includes basics of paper piecing, foundation piecing, machine applique, crazy quilting and improvised sewing.

The final chapters give tips for machine quilting, caring for your quilts, and a page of references for quilt inspiration and reading on the history of quilting and designs.

Recommendations: This would be a great book for anyone interested in various art styles or someone who's just looking for a new style of quilting. The designs are rated from easy to advanced so there are projects for a variety of skill levels, although creating your own design could be more difficult.