Brunner's Bar

Graphic Novel Challenge 2016 It's that time of year again. Time to sign up and throw my name in the ring for a new years worth of Comic book reading. I always have a great time do thing this because it is something I am already doing. Anyone who reads my blog knows I am a comic book nerd. I like to have an outlet other than my blog to not only get my reviews out there but to read other ones and maybe find some great books I might have missed out on.  Like the last few years the levels haven't changed. Here they are right from the source.  Levels Modern Age : read and review 12 books during the year (that's only 1 book a month) Bronze Age:  read and review 24 books during the year (Can you handle 2 books a month.) Silver Age : read and review 52 books during the year (Are you up to a book a week!) In 2015 I took the safe bet and pledged to do the Bronze age because I knew I would be able to complete 24 books in the year. The last 2 years I have be

White Night I really liked this installment in the Dresden Files. Someone is killing wizards that are not part of the council but under their protection. Dresden is tasked to get to the bottom of what is going on only to find that the biggest suspect in this string of murders is Harry's half brother Thomas. While Harry is doing what he does best and solve this mystery he has quite a few struggles to get through at the same time.  Harry has taken on the responsibility of training Molly as his apprentice. She used magic and broke on of the laws of the council. Harry has risked his life to save her from sudden death. We also see a much darker side of Harry in this book. The demon that is residing in him is starting to wear on him. His temper is getting short and Harry is relying more and more on help from the demon making him one step closer to completely loosing himself.  I have read through a bunch of reviews about this book and the one thing they mostly have in commo

The Girl on the Train There has been a lot of hype around this book and had it not been for my wife reading this for her book club I might have passed it by. I don't usually read a book because of the hype, I really need to be invested in the plot. The idea of a story along the same lines as Hitchcock's Rear Window peaked my interest. The more I read this book the more similarities I found with Gillian Flynn than with Hitchcock.  This is a dark messed up book. Rachel has lost everything all becuase she is an alcoholic and she takes the train to a job she doesn't have so her roommate doesn't know she was fired. Each day she takes the train she looks longingly at her old house and the neighbors who live a few houses down. One day in a drunken haze she sees something but isn't sure what. Then the woman who lives there, Megan goes missing. Rachel then makes it her mission to figure out what happened.  Here is what makes me say that Paula Hawkinns's bo

Sherlock Homes and the Necronomicon I was fortunate enough to be chosen by Dark Horse comics and Edelweiss to read this for an honest review. I'm going to be honest and it pains me. This book is dry, I'm a big fan of Sherlock Holmes and no one writes a better story then Conan Doyle did but I have enjoyed plenty of Pastiches. I have also enjoyed a few Sherlock graphic novels. This was hard to get through and I ended up skipping around.  I was excited by the title of this book because I am really enjoying Ash vs Evil Dead and that is all about the power of the Necronomicon or book of the dead. I had really high hopes for this book because there are a few characters I'd like to see back form the dead. We do get a resurrection of an old character but I was underwhelmed. I would have expected a much better story throughout this book. I struggled to get through this book and that shouldn't happen with a comic book.  The art work for the cover was really good as

Finders Keepers When you think of Stephen King, most peoples first thought is of the Horror novels he writes. There are a ton of amazing novels that will scare the pants of you like IT, The Shining, and Salem's Lot. These are just a few of my favorites but something I have been pleasantly surprised by is his mystery writing. I really liked Mr Mercedes and when I heard it was part of a trilogy with the same characters I got really excited. It took me awhile to finally get to this book but it was well worth the read.  This book is about a vengeful reader who feels his favorite author sold out and destroyed his very favorite character. Wanting to steal the rumored unpublished work takes a violent turn. Clearing the author's safe, Morris Bellamy hides the notebooks and stolen money he stole only to be arrested for a different crime leaving them behind. Flash forward to 30 years later when these are found by a young man named Pete Saubers. Now I am going to be honest h

The Message If you have read my blog before you have probably noticed I mention the Web site Nerdist often. I really enjoy the Podcasts that Chris Hardwick does with different celebrities. Before each podcast he has a community cork board that allows people to advertise their different endeavors and this podcast was mentioned It sounded pretty interesting and was even better to listen too.  Here is the description from the web site: The Message is a new Podcast following the weekly reports and interviews from Nicky Tomalin, who is covering the decoding of a message from outer space received 70 years ago. Over the course of 8 episodes we get an insider ear on how a top team of cryptologists attempt to decipher, decode, and understand the alien message. Each week she'll bring you the latest chapter, so it's important to listen in starting with episode 1. The message is a co-production with Panoply and GE Podcast Theater, unlocking the secrets of healing with sound t

M & M Mariam Books I realize this post is a little late considering the voting has been going on for almost a month now, but I am proud to have been nominated for Best Comic Book blog. I have no idea who nominated my blog but I am really excited to have been noticed enough to be nominated.  In the category for Best Comic Book blog it is myself and my friend Angie from Angela's Anxious Life . She has a great blog and is really tough competition. She deserves to win but I would love to as well. All I can say is if you like my blog please vote for me but if you haven't checked out Angie's then I highly recommend hers too. She also reviews book and video games.  Thank you to all who have read my blog and to all who vote for me. I do appreciate the support. I do this because I think it is fun for me, but it is nice to know that someone out there actually enjoys what I post.

Aeronaut's Windlass I really wanted to like this book. I tried and even re-read the beginning of this book three times because I was so lost with the point of what was going on with all of the characters that are introduced very quickly. I love Jim Butcher's Dresden Files and from what I have read about his he seems like a really cool guy. I also like the fact he is form Missouri. I am not a fan of Sci-Fi and Fantasy books but I tried the Dresden Files and love the series so I was really looking forward to this book coming out. This book is kind of a cross between Firefly and Game of Thrones. I like both shows but I wouldn't want to read the, As a matter of face I tried to read Game of Thrones and couldn't stand it but that is a different review. I couldn't get into this book and I found that I was reading just to rad the book and not really retaining the information. By the end of the book I wasn't really invested in the story. It pains me to say the