May 2016 Wrap-up and Monthly TBR

Hop on over to Booksessed to participate.

May's TBR Pile (8/10):

1. Book Club Selection: (already read)
2. MVPA Book Club Selection: And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander √
3. Series Pick: Saga Vol. 5 √
4. Nonfiction Pick: ???
5. Jar Pick: Breathe by Sarah Crossan (took back to the library)
6. Jar Pick: The Iron Warrior by Julie Kagawa √
7. Added: The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan √
8. Added: Bitch Planet Vol. 1 √
9. Added: Top 10 by Alan Moore √
10. Added: Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor Archives Vol. 1 √
11. Added: In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner √

Picture Book Roundup:

1. 1 Zany Zoo by Lori Degman
2. 1, 2, 3 to the Zoo by Eric Carle
3. 20 Hungry Piggies by Trudy Harris
4. 100 Bears by Magali Bardos
5. Who's Tools by Toni Buzzeo
6. Countdown with Milo by Mike Austin
7. If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff
8. If You Give a Dog a Donut by Laura Numeroff
9. Hide and Seek Harry at the Playground by Kenny Harrison
10. Pete the Cat's Train Trip by James Dean
11. Animal ABC by Marcus Pfister
12. Monster Book  by Alice Hoogstad
13. Does a Kangaroo have a Mother, Too? by Eric Carle
14. Beastly Babies by Ellen Jackson
15. Old Bear by Kevin Henkes
16. Mister Got to Go, Where are you by Lois Simmie
17. Little Owl's Day by Divya Srinivasan
18. Number One Sam by Greg Pizzoli
19. The Good Ship Crocodile by J. Patrick Lewis
20. Rescue by Kate Riggs
21. Big Rig by Jamie Swenson
22. Love from The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
23. Mummy Cat by Marcus Ewert
24. Old MacDonald Had a Truck by Steve Goetz
25. Pirates in Pajamas by Caroline Crowe
26. Frog on a Log? by Kes Gray
27. Curious George Discovers the Rainbow by Amy Cherrix

1,000,000 Page Goal

Monthly Total: 2737 pages
Pages Remaining: 754,931 pages

Current Read -

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Challenges Completed  

Books bought/received

From Amazon ($8)

• A Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander
• The Joy of Books by Eric Burns

2016 Total Spent: $15.27

Comments - So I didn't reach my page goal for the month, but I did come fairly close. Plus I knocked off a few good reads.

June's TBR Pile:

1. Book Club Selection: (already read)
2. MVPA Book Club Selection: The Joy of Books by Eric Burns
3. Series Pick: The Passion of the Purple Plumeria by Lauren Willig
4. Nonfiction Pick: The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart
5. Jar Pick: The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman
6. Jar Pick: Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
7. Additional: Forevermore by Kristen Callihan (ARC!!!)

Music Monday -- Hellyeah "Human"

Another awesome rock song for your Monday. 

Life Right Now #17

As I look outside my window: Bright and sunny with some large birds circling the sky. The perfect California morning.

Right now I am: Drinking coffee and lounging in the sunbeam. I love quiet mornings with breakfast and the toddler.

Thinking and pondering: What should we buy at Costco? With the twins here now, I'm trying to be more strategic with our grocery buying. I want them to have their favorite foods, but we need to be mindful of the cost. I think the grocery budget is my number one stressor right now...

On my bedside table: The Passion of the Purple Plumeria by Lauren Willig; The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman

On my tv this week: I started rewatching Outlander so I can finally catch up. J and I have been watching Archer, Plebs, and Horizons (the usual). Last night, we introduced the twins to Ant Man. They requested an action comedy. I think it works. And it's the only Marvel movie they haven't seen (besides Deadpool which will not be shown to them yet).

Listening to: I'm still working on catching up with Elisa Gets Crafty. Only like 30 episodes behind...

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Chicken and Noodles
• Tuesday - Pizza Night
• Wednesday - Frozen meal (probably chicken and rice)
• Thursday - Balsamic Pork Roast
• Friday - Leftovers
• Saturday - Bacon Cheese Peach Paninis
• Sunday - Spicy Thai Noodles

On my to do list: Still working on prepping my big crafting open house on June 11th. I also have a few random house projects to complete. And of course, we've got summer activities in full swing.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Nothing at all... we'll probably hit the pool
• Tuesday - $1.31 Scoop Day at Baskin Robbins! Errand day: Target, Sprouts, Costco?
• Wednesday - Hiller Aviation Museum with food trucks!
• Thursday - Pancake making at a friend's house
• Friday - Nothing
• Saturday - Parent Group Potluck
• Sunday - Nothing yet...

What I am creating: Been working on some cards using new and carrying over items. I've knocked out 5 In Color cards and 3 Design Team Cards this past weekend. Hoping to get at least 2 more Design Team cards done this coming week.

My simple pleasures: Fruit ice pops. I grabbed a recipe book from the library. Can't wait to make them all!

Looking around the house: I got the dining room cleaned up just in time to destroy the craft area. Yep, that's about normal.

From the camera: The twins as they left Indiana to fly here.

In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner

Title: In the Shadow of the Banyan

Author: Vaddey Ratner

Publisher: Simon and Schuster 2012

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 310

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar -- About an unfamiliar culture; 52 Books -- W20; Women Author

For seven-year-old Raami, the shattering end of childhood begins with the footsteps of her father returning home in the early dawn hours, bringing details of the civil war that has overwhelmed the streets of Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital. Soon the family’s world of carefully guarded royal privilege is swept up in the chaos of revolution and forced exodus. Over the next four years, as the Khmer Rouge attempts to strip the population of every shred of individual identity, Raami clings to the only remaining vestige of her childhood—the mythical legends and poems told to her by her father. In a climate of systematic violence where memory is sickness and justification for execution, Raami fights for her improbable survival. Displaying the author’s extraordinary gift for language, In the Shadow of the Banyan is a brilliantly wrought tale of human resilience.

Our book club selection for June. I was intrigued by the setting and historical events. I wanted to fall into this book and come out knowing more about Cambodia. Unfortunately, I got bored with the book. After some thought, I realize that I'm not a huge fan of Ratney's writing style. The narrative meanders here and there, and the meandering just started to annoy me. I don't mind descriptive writing, but her passages about dragonflies dragged me down. I finished the book but can't say that this one was for me...

101 in 1001 Update #16

What I did:

3. Complete 52 once a week photos of Arthur -- Weeks 10-18 can be found here.

13. Pass 500 books for Arthur’s 1000 Books Before Kindergarten (500/500) — We've officially passed the halfway mark! We'll definitely reach 1000 books before kindergarten.

25. Complete 10 Day in the Life posts (3/10) -- I haven't done another Day in the Life, but I did finish my second Week in the Life. I'm going to count it. Now to finish the printed album.

28. Read 100,000 pages toward 1,000,000 page goal (48,625/100,000) -- April's reading totalled 3882 pages!

34. Make 250 different greeting cards (206/250) -- 15 more new designs this past month. Being on the design team has done wonders for my inspiration and motivation.

45. Make 50 new recipes (49/50)

• Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad -- Very yummy and filling
• Spinach and Artichoke Melts -- Messy but good
• Pork Lettuce Wraps --Pretty decent. I will have to make this again.

Remaining goals and total:

Friends, Family, and Love 1. Send out homemade holiday cards in December 2x (1/2) 2. Build a snowman 5. Date nights x 20 6. Complete a Jar of Life 7. Host a tea party 9. Write a personal manifesto 10. Take a picture of myself every first day of the month 11. Give 5 Just Because gifts 12. Give Arthur 25 pictures books in 25 days for December 2016 16. Take Arthur and twins to go see Santa

Crafting and Culture 17. Attend an opera or musical 18. Reread the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Hobbit 20. Finish one of my Perpetual Reading Challenges 22. Ask 20 friends to suggest one book, and read them all 23. Watch a meteor shower 24. Attend 5 concerts (1/5) 27. Tour a factory 29. Finish 2015 and 2016 Project Life book (family and Arthur) 30. Finish 2015 and 2016 December Daily 32. Watch 100 different TED Talks and do a short review/analysis on the blog (new series) 33. Watch/rewatch every Academy Awards Best Picture since the year I was born (1982) 1982: Gandhi 1983: Terms of Endearment 1984: Amadeus 1985: Out of Africa 1986: Platoon 1987: The Last Emperor 1988: Rain Man 1989: Driving Miss Daisy 1990: Dances with Wolves 1991: Silence of the Lambs 1992: Unforgiven 1993: Schindler’s List 1994: Forrest Gump 1995: Braveheart 1996: The English Patient 1997: Titanic 1998: Shakespeare in Love 1999: American Beauty 2000: Gladiator 2001: A Beautiful Mind 2002: Chicago 2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 2004: Million Dollar Baby 2005: Crash 2006: The Departed 2007: No Country for Old Men 2008: Slumdog Millionaire 2009: The Hurt Locker 2010: The King’s Speech 2011: The Artist 2012: Argo 2013: 12 Years a Slave 2014: TBD 2015: TBD 2016: TBD 35. See a drive-in movie 36. Listen to every song by The Beatles 37. Finish watching every Star Trek television episode and movie 38. Have a Pixar movie month 39. Complete The Artist’s Way 41. Learn Ruby on rails

Food and Drink 44. Take a cooking class 46. Open a cookbook to a random page and make what ever is on it 48. Take a bartending class 51. Make fresh pasta 52. Learn to make a good martini 53. Do a brewery tour 54. Try 25 new restaurants (16/25) 55. Try 5 new to me foods

Health and Fitness 57. Lose 2 pants sizes 58. Walk a 5K 59. Get a massage 60. Take a yoga class 61. Get three pedicures (1/3) 62. Do a spa day 65. Get lasik 66. Get CPR certified again

Travel 67. Stay at a Bed and Breakfast 68. Go on a vacation with Josh 70. Travel to a new state

Philanthropic 71. Give a 100% tip

72. Donate something extra at each MVPA social x 10 (6/10) 73. Pay it forward at Starbucks/coffeeshop

Financial 76. Open an Etsy shop

Miscellaneous 79. Get Arthur’s tattoo 80. Get a passport 82. Learn how to use our DSLR 84. Make a chalk mural on the driveway/porch 87. Complete a coloring book 89. Take an IQ test 90. Play Bingo in a bingo hall 95. Go to a convention (blogging, SU, etc) 96. Dye my hair purple 97. Revamp my wardrobe 98. Take real photos of me for my blogs 99. Post a vlog 100. Go apple/berry/etc picking

It's Video Time!

Well that was depressing... 

Love that song

God I love Deadpool

Um. yeah

They are adorable

Kinda want to see this now...

52 Weeks of Arthur: W10-18

One of my 101 in 1001 Days goals is to take weekly photos of Arthur. I want to create a photo book for this year. Instead of posting them each week, I'm going to post in 9 week intervals. See W1-9 here. Without further ado, here are weeks 10 through 18:

Music Monday -- iPod Shuffle

NEEDTOBREATHE "Prisoner" 

Dave Matthews "Gravedigger"

Frou Frou "Let Go"

Life Right Now #16

As I look outside my window: Partly cloudy and chilly... It's only supposed to be 64 degrees today! Brrr... That's after almost 90 degrees days last week.

Right now I am: Finishing a pop tart, drinking coffee, checking FB, and getting ready to head off to book club.

Thinking and pondering: How do I find the time or concentration to take on work-from-home type jobs with a toddler running around and no childcare? Ugh, I hate finances.

On my bedside table: Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke,  Voyager by Diana Gabaldon,  In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner

On my tv this week: We're been watching a ton of Plebs and Portlandia. Plus we watched a decent episode of NOVA about the Vikings.

Listening to: One day Arthur and I listened to a ton of The Beatles. Another day, we chose The Gorillaz. He was really digging The Gorillaz.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Leftovers
• Tuesday - Texas Cheese Fries
• Wednesday - Chicken and Noodles
• Thursday - Kale and White Bean Soup
• Friday - Leftovers
• Saturday - Chicken Parmesan (Nick requested)
• Sunday - Tacos, Black Bean Soup

On my to do list: Lots and lots of things to do this coming week

• Finished prepping social committee, holiday bazaar, and retreat info meetings
• Get started on my book club book
• Finish pulling out retired stuff, organize the craft area
• Finish researching our summer bucket list
• Start planning mom and great aunt's visit in July
• Grocery run
• Lots of laundry
• Clean twins' room before Saturday
• Finish twins' PL album (up to date for summer)
• Update May, June, and July calendars
• Catch up on some blog posts, make a plan for summer

Happening this week:

• Monday - Rest day with probably some errands
• Tuesday - Social Committee Planning Meeting
• Wednesday - Holiday Bazaar Planning Meeting; Finance Committee Meeting
• Thursday - Retreat Info Meeting
• Friday - Nothing planned so far
• Saturday - The twins arrive!!!
• Sunday - Probably a lazy day at the house

What I am creating: Not really creating, but I am cleaning out my craft area. I'm pulling all the retiring items for my crop day sale, making card kits to sell, collecting my current SU items, and getting sprucing up my area. Once I finish the list, I can get back to crafting using my new products.

My simple pleasures: Welch's Peach Mango juice -- my new obsession

Looking around the house: Our downstairs toilet is still not working right. J bought a part, but it hasn't been installed yet. I hate having to go upstairs to pee...

From the camera: Someone is obsessed with brushing his teeth right now...

Currently #6

Watching: We finally finished Atlantis. A bit disappointed with the ending. Clearly they did not know they were getting canceled. And not super happy with the love triangle set-up crap.

Reading: I finally got to rereading The Magician King by Lev Grossman. Happy to remember that this one moves a lot faster than the first book in the series.

Listening: I've got up with One Bad Mother, so it's back to listening to past episodes of Elise Gets Crafty.

Making: This week is Week in the Life for me. I'm mainly focused on taking pictures, but I have started laying out my album here and there...

Feeling: I overdid it this past weekend, Monday, and Tuesday. I'm paying for it now... So sore and tired.

Planning: Still working on our summer activities plan.

Loving: Park playdates have been great lately. Especially love the splash pads.

Music Monday -- Nothing More "If I Were"

Can you tell I've been listening to Octane a lot? 

Bout of Books 16 Finish Line

Books Read: 5

Pages Read: 1334

Comments: I'm so excited about my progress this week. I hit all my goals and knocked five books off my shelf and started to reread The Magician King. Another great Bout of Books on the record!

Goals:

• Read at least 3 books √
• Read at least 1000 pages √
• Review all books read √
• Read at least 1 hour each day but don’t stress about it! √

TBR:

• And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander
• Top 10 by Alan Moore
• The Rocketeer by Dan Stevens
• Power Girl
• Bitch Planet Vol. 1
• Breathe by Sarah Crossan
• Saga Vol. 5 by Brian K Vaughan
• Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor Archives Vol. 1 by Tony Lee
• In the Shadow of the Banyan Tree by Vaddey Ratner
• The Magician King by Lev Grossman (in progress)

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 9th and runs through Sunday, May 15th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 16 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

Life Right Now #15

On my bedside table: Voyager by Diana Gabaldon,  In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner

On my tv this week: I caught up with Reign and almost caught up with Once Upon a time. I also restarted Outlander so I can eventually catch up. J and I have been finished Atlantis, continuing with Turn, and starting to catch up with Shield.

Listening to: More Elise Gets Crafty podcast episodes. I've also been switching between AltNation and Octane a lot lately.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Italian Beef Sandwiches, Chips, Veggies
• Tuesday - BBQ Chicken, Potatoes, Veggies, Rolls
• Wednesday - Mediterranean Orzo Salad
• Thursday - Texas Cheese Fries
• Friday - Leftovers
• Saturday - Chicken and Noodles
• Sunday - Black Bean Soup

On my to do list: Prep for Retreat info, Summer Social, and Holiday Bazaar planning meetings; Cleaning; Shopping for twins for summer; Costco run for twin food and some basics; Stamp club examples; Start on June design team cards

Happening this week: I'm documenting our Week in the Life this week. Hoping to tell some great stories in our family album.

• Monday - Kids' Table: Pizza Making; Park Playdate (if Arthur isn't too tired)
• Tuesday - Prenatal appointment; Errands
• Wednesday - Seven Seas Park Playdate
• Thursday - Retreat Info Meeting; Stamp Club
• Friday - Rest and chore day at home
• Saturday - Maker Faire!!!
• Sunday - Book club

What I am creating:  June design team cards with some new Stampin' Up products. I only bought a few things for preorder, but I am looking forward to playing with them before my big June order.

My simple pleasures: Sparkling water, chocolate pudding, croissants

Looking around the house: We need to switch Arthur from the crib to a twin sized bed, but first we need to buy a mattress and rearranged his room...

From the camera: Little boy in a rocket...

April 2016 Clothing Summary

This past summer I participated in a capsule wardrobe challenge. I learned a lot from three months of wearing ~40 pieces. One of the biggest things that I learned was that I hate most of my wardrobe. I have so many ill-fitting and/or not my style pieces cluttering my closet. After completing the summer capsule wardrobe, I decided to take the fall off from that particular challenge and work on building a wardrobe I love. To that end, I started buying clothes agin. But not just any old clothes. No more purchases from the clearance rack “just because it’s cheap.” No more keeping things that don’t quite fit. No more buying things that i love on the mannequin but look silly on me. No more buying clothes that I realistically won’t wear. Instead, I’m trying to be very selective in my buying. So, dear readers, I am going to share with you what I bought during the past month. I will post links if the item is still available and prices i paid. I don’t have a specific budget, but definitely don’t want to spend more than $100 a month. (Realistically I’m aiming for around $40 a month). You will also get to see pieces I bought that I ended up returning. By December, I want to be able to say that I bought some great pieces that I wear often. I also want to plan for a possible winter capsule wardrobe… I decided to add a running total for 2016 at the bottom. I know some months I won’t buy anything and other months I’ll splurge. I would like to monitor my total spent…

Target — Maternity Tee Shirt $12.00

Tank Top $6.00

April Total: $19.80

Total for 2016: $213.54

Bout of Books Update #2

Books Read: 5

Pages Read: 1153

Comments: I managed to read our book club selection in two days. Very good progress...

TBR:

• And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander
• Top 10 by Alan Moore
• The Rocketeer by Dan Stevens
• Power Girl
• Bitch Planet Vol. 1
• Breathe by Sarah Crossan
• Saga Vol. 5 by Brian K Vaughan
• Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor Archives Vol. 1 by Tony Lee
• In the Shadow of the Banyan Tree by Vaddey Ratner

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 9th and runs through Sunday, May 15th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 16 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander

Title: And Only to Deceive (Emily Ashton #1)

Author: Tasha Alexander

Publisher: Harper 2005

Genre: Historical Fiction; Mystery

Pages: 321

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Read My own Damn Books; Popsugar - Takes Place on an Island; Women Authors

For Emily, accepting the proposal of Philip, the Viscount Ashton, was an easy way to escape her overbearing mother, who was set on a grand society match. So when Emily's dashing husband died on safari soon after their wedding, she felt little grief. After all, she barely knew him. Now, nearly two years later, she discovers that Philip was a far different man from the one she had married so cavalierly. His journals reveal him to have been a gentleman scholar and antiquities collector who, to her surprise, was deeply in love with his wife. Emily becomes fascinated with this new image of her dead husband and immerses herself in all things ancient and begins to study Greek.

Our book club selection for May. It was recommended by another member and I can't believe I've never heard of this series before. I love every page of this volume! Emily is a great character full of spark. I loved reading about her increasing interest in history and art and her attempts to puzzle out the mystery of her husband's death. I loved all the twists and turns. Even though I mostly figured out the who-dun-it before the reveal, I was still intrigued and kept reading to the end. I think I will have to pick up the rest of the series to read...

Lady Emily Ashton

• #1 And Only to Deceive
• #2 A Poisoned Season
• #3 A Fatal Waltz
• #4 Tears of Pearl
• #5 Dangerous to Know
• #6 A Crimson Warning
• #7 Death in the Floating City
• #8 Behind the Shattered Glass
• #9 The Counterfeit Heiress
• #9.5 Star of the East
• #10 The Adventuress
• #10.5 That Silent Night
• #11 A Terrible Beauty

Bout of Books 16 Update #1

Books Read: 4

Pages Read: 832

Comments: I decided to start my readathon off easy with a few volumes of comics I grabbed from the library. So far, so good. And I've kept my stress-free approach while managing to read at least an hour a day...

TBR:

• And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander
• Top 10 by Alan Moore
• The Rocketeer by Dan Stevens
• Power Girl
• Bitch Planet Vol. 1
• Breathe by Sarah Crossan
• Saga Vol. 5 by Brian K Vaughan
• Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor Archives Vol. 1 by Tony Lee
• In the Shadow of the Banyan Tree by Vaddey Ratner

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 9th and runs through Sunday, May 15th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 16 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor Archives Vol. 1

Title: Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor Archives Vol. 1

Author: Tony Lee, Dan McDaid, Tim Hamilton, Mark Buckingham, Matthew Dow Smith

Publisher: Titan Comics 2015

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

The journey starts here, with the first installment of Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor Archives! Join the Doctor, Amy and Rory as they explore the wonders of time and space - where nothing is ever quite as it seems!

Random grab from the library shelves this past week. I love Doctor Who and this was a great collection of side stories featuring Eleven, Rory, and Amy. My favorite story was definitely "The Ripper's Curse." I love it when Doctor Who does history. It was a fun take on the classic Jack the Ripper story. The rest of the volume was alas fun with an appearance from the Sontarans. Definitely a great random pick!

Top 10

Title: Top 10

Author: Alan Moore; Gene Ha; Zander Cannon

Publisher: America's Best Comics 2001

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 208

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

Written by Alan Moore; Art by Gene Ha and Zander Cannon This is the tale of Neopolis, a modern metropolis with a citizenry made up exclusively of super beings. In a city where everyone is blessed with powers, it takes a unique and powerful police force to protect and serve. In this Eisner Award-winning book, we are introduced to the extremely diverse officers of Precinct Ten; an armored and talking dog, a genetically engineered "perfect woman," a high tech cowboy, an indestructible man, and a rookie with a toy box full of "helpers." Individually they are unique personalities, together they are Neopolis' finest.

So this is no Watchman, but I was still intrigued by the premise and execution. In general, I really enjoy Moore's writing and this wasn't the exception. Unfortunately, the storyline just didn't completely hold my attention. I wasn't excited to flip to the next page. I finished the volume, but definitely not his finest work...

Bitch Planet Volume 1

Title: Bitch Planet Volume 1: Extraordinary Machine

Author: Kelly Sue DeConnick; Valentine De Landro

Publisher: Image 2015

Genre: Comics

Pages: 136

Rating:  4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel; Women Authors

In a future just a few years down the road in the wrong direction, a woman's failure to comply with her patriarchal overlords will result in exile to the meanest penal planet in the galaxy. When the newest crop of fresh femmes arrive, can they work together to stay alive or will hidden agendas, crooked guards, and the deadliest sport on (or off!) Earth take them to their maker?

Very interesting storyline. I had heard good things about this series, but hadn't really sought it out. Thankfully the library just had it sitting there on the shelf. I dove in not expecting a very insightful commentary on patriarchy. Definitely grabbed my attention from cel one.  It reminds me of Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. Very similar in the society's approach to the roles of women. I must read more!