Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide

Summary: A biographic telling of an artist finding herself through the lens of a camera. Graciela breaks from tradition and social expectations in order to follow her muse. She shares with her reader her self discovery, her passions, her poetic insight, and most importantly her art. Through out her life, Graciela's soul flies with the birds that she encounters through her aesthetic encounters, flying away from her everyday life toward her freedom from it. Depicted through illustrations and photographs, Isabel and Zeke reveal to the reader the beauty of Graciela's artistic and aesthetic life.

Reference: Isabel Quintero, Zeke Peña (2018). Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide. Getty Publications. Los Angeles, CA.

Why I Picked It Up: Having been a photographer myself and a fan of professional photography, I was curious as to who Graciela Iturbide was and what her photography would capture. Plus, the idea that an writer and artist would try to meld two artistic approaches together in one book (photography and drawing) was piquing my curiosity. How would they be able to capture her photos and keep her sense of artistic expression? Would the illustrations hold their beauty? And how would they go about telling her story?

Why I Finished It: Reading about Graciela's life and her passion for photography rekindled my own spark for photography. She reminded me of when I held the camera in my hand and enjoyed capturing everyday life through the lens, while at the same time being mesmerized by its beauty. There is something in black & white photos that seem to depict the any moment as something substantial, as something historical, and as having gravity. So, when Graciela describes what she sees/feels through her camera, I could very easily relate to her feelings. Zeke Peña's illustrations do a wonderful job of not only mirroring the photos, but also in helping tell her story, which compliment the subject matter. Reading this book was like reading poetry in a visual format.

Recommendation: Suggested for people who enjoy discovering the lives of artist and reading what motivates them, finding out what they strive for, and what they experience through their creations. For people who want to find out how to marry two different forms of art (photography and drawings) into one biographical expression then this book can be your guide. Or, just simply for people who want to know about Graciela Iturbide and her art, then this can be a nice introduction. Regardless of the reason, this biography does a mastery job of depicting the art of Graciela Iturbide and of her reasoning for life. Definitely, a read for the living room couch.

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Super Mutant Magic Academy

Summary: Emotionally up and down, socially in and out, self/worldly comprehension and confusion: characteristics of high school teenagers. Such is the case for Wendy, Marsha, Frances, Gemma, Trevor, Trixie, Cheddar and many others, all students at the Super-Mutant Magic Academy. These students have their cliques as well as their outsiders, their jocks and their performance artists, their hip teachers and their clueless ones, unrequited love and hidden agendas. Everything your typical high school would have, except these students aren't just kids, they're mutants. Some students are humans with special abilities, while others are evolved animals with human characteristics. Yet despite their mutant status they all still suffer from typical teenage angst and concerns, which are all on full display by Jillian Tamaki. Each character has their own journey to follow, but unfortunately not every issue gets resolved. Reference : Jillian Tamaki (2016). SuperMutant Magic Acade

Kirby: King of Comics

Summary : The biography of Jacob Kurtzberg, aka Jack Kirby, aka the King of Comics. From his lowly beginnings as a newspaper hawker to drawing comic book heroes, we see the man doing what he is good at doing: creating. Creating stories, creating fantasy, creating characters, creating never before seen artistic illustrations, and creating comic book lore. Yet, he did not necessarily do it out of love for his profession, but out of love for his family. That love of family entails a man's responsibility of taking care of his loved ones, so Jack did. Yes, he enjoyed what he did and he was good at it, but if Jack could have found a better way to earn money, he would have leaped at the chance. During his time, the profession of comic book artist paid very little and received even smaller recognition. Throughout his career, Jack craved respect, but seldom got it; however, this did not deter Jack from continuing to fight for it, no matter who the publisher was, or the format. Ja

The Baker Street Four, Vol 1

Summary: Often times in a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle mystery involving Sherlock Holmes, the protagonist relied on the assistance of individuals that he referred to as the Baker Street Irregulars. These "irregulars" were the people of the streets or in this case the children. These kids were more than likely orphaned or abandoned to the streets of London, left to fend for themselves. Despite their sordid lives, Sherlock saw them as invaluable and would consistently turn to them for help. In The Baker Street Four , we follow three such children, Tom, Charlie, and Billy, along with their pet cat, Watson, on two of their own personal cases: The Blue Curtain and The Rabúkin Case. The children get to practice the techniques that they most likely learned from associating with Holmes and their own street-wise expertise in order to solve their mysteries, which it turns out to be a great help to those they're aiding. As we get to know each of these kids, we learn that each one

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