Amazon's shipments arrived!

So many beautiful cute books, that I've been waiting for have arrived... I bought them together with the Complete Calvin collection that arrived a few days back... Soooo cute *______*

Peanuts: Celebrating 60 Years

Peanuts is considered to be one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium, with 17,897 strips published in all. It has been described as "the most shining example of the American success story in the comic strip field", ironically based on the theme of "the great American unsuccess story", since the main character, Charlie Brown, is meek, nervous and lacks self-confidence, being unable to fly a kite, win a baseball game or kick a football.

Celebrating Peanuts: 60 Years, published by Andrews McMeel Publishing, is a special tribute to mark Peanuts' 60th anniversary. The book is arranged by decade, to spotlight the highlights and development of this world favorite classic. The book features quotations from Charles Schulz that shed light on how his mind worked, how his life shaped the strip, and in turn, how Peanuts shaped his life; the introduction of specific characters and how they, and the strip, often reflected the social milieu of the times; over 500 pages of Peanuts comic strips including many color Sunday strips.

Goodreads: 4.85stars

30 Day's of Night

Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith's vampiric nightmare has been hailed as one of the scariest blood-sucker tales ever told. Now, all three softcover volumes of 30 Days of Night, Dark Days, and Return to Barrow are collected in this handsome slipcase, complete with a numbered tip-in plate signed by Niles and Templesmith.

Plot for the first book: In a sleepy, secluded Alaska town called Barrow, the sun sets and doesn't rise for over thirty consecutive days and nights. From the darkness, across the frozen wasteland, an evil will come that will bring the residents of Barrow to their knees. The only hope for the town is the Sheriff and Deputy, husband and wife who are torn between their own survival and saving the town they love. (Goodreads)

Goodreads: 4.67stars

The Walking Dead (#3, #4, #5 and #6)

The Walking Dead is a monthly black-and-white American comic book series published by Image Comics beginning in 2003. The story chronicles the travels of a group of people trying to survive in a world stricken by a zombie apocalypse. These hardcovers features 12 issues of the hit series each, along with the covers for the issues all in one oversized hardcover volume.

I'm desperate to start reading these, since I loved the new show based on this graphic novel (I told about it here). Unfortunately my #1 and #2 still haven't arrived, only waiting for them so that this can hit my currently-reading list!

Plot for the first story: An epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe, causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months, society has crumbled: There is no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV. Rick Grimes finds himself one of the few survivors in this terrifying future. A couple months ago he was a small town cop who had never fired a shot and only ever saw one dead body. Separated from his family, he must now sort through all the death and confusion to try and find his wife and son. In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally begin living.

Goodreads (for #1): 4.31stars

Prince of Persia

Inspired by the popular video game as well as The Arabian Nights, the graphic novel follows two princes living centuries apart whose lives nonetheless intersect: they live in exile, fight epic battles, and, of course, rescue a princess.Farah is a young warrior who is the model for the 9th century princess, Guilan. Originally an Arabian Nights character, this dancer became the 13th century princess, Shirin. This sketch of Guiv combines the prince of the video game with the prince of the graphic novel. (Goodreads)

Goodreads: 3.03stars

4 New books!

Yesterday arrived:

The Strain (The Strain #1)

The first book from The Strain Trilogy, by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. They have always been here. Vampires. In secret and in darkness. Waiting. Now their time has come. In one week, Manhattan will be gone. In one month, the country. In two months--the world. A Boeing 777 arrives at JFK and is on its way across the tarmac, when it suddenly stops dead. All window shades are pulled down. All lights are out. All communication channels have gone quiet. Crews on the ground are lost for answers, but an alert goes out to the CDC. Dr. Eph Goodweather, head of their Canary project, a rapid-response team that investigates biological threats, gets the call and boards the plane. What he finds makes his blood run cold. In a pawnshop in Spanish Harlem, a former professor and survivor of the Holocaust named Abraham Setrakian knows something is happening. And he knows the time has come, that a war is brewing... So begins a battle of mammoth proportions as the vampiric virus that has infected New York begins to spill out into the streets. Eph, who is joined by Setrakian and a motley crew of fighters, must now find a way to stop the contagion and save his city--a city that includes his wife and son--before it is too late. (Amazon)

Goodreads: 3.61stars

The Fall (The Strain #2)

The vampiric virus unleashed in The Strain has taken over New York City. It is spreading and soon will envelop the globe. Amid the chaos, Eph Goodweather—head of the Centers for Disease Control's team—leads a band out to stop these bloodthirsty monsters. But it may be too late. Ignited by the Master's horrific plan, a war erupts between Old and New World vampires, each vying for control. At the center of the conflict lies a book, an ancient text that contains the vampires' entire history . . . and their darkest secrets. Whoever finds the book can control the outcome of the war and, ultimately, the fate of us all. And it is between these warring forces that humans—powerless and vulnerable—find themselves no longer the consumers but the consumed. Though Eph understands the vampiric plague better than anyone, even he cannot protect those he loves. His ex-wife, Kelly, has been transformed into a bloodcrazed creature of the night, and now she stalks the city looking for her chance to reclaim her Dear One: Zack, Eph's young son. With the future of humankind in the balance, Eph and his team, guided by the brilliant former professor and Holocaust survivor Abraham Setrakian and exterminator Vasiliy Fet and joined by a crew of ragtag gangsters, must combat a terror whose ultimate plan is more terrible than anyone has imagined—a fate worse than annihilation. (Goodreads)

Goodreads: 3.7stars

Le Petit Prince (Graphic Novel)

For over sixty-five years Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince has captured the hearts and minds of its readers. The whimsical story with a fairy tale touch has sold over 80 million copies in 230 languages. This exciting graphic adaptation features beautiful, new artwork by Joann Sfar. Hand-chosen by Saint-Exupéry's French publishers for his literary style and sensitivity to the original, Sfar has endeavored to recreate this beloved story, both honoring the original and stretching it to new heights. A vibrant, visual gift for longtime fans and those experiencing the story for the first time. (Goodreads)

Goodreads: 4.09

Mirror's Edge

Adapted from the game of same name by Electronic Arts, Mirror's Edge tells the story of Faith, a Runner in the city - a courier who delivers sensitive cargo by traversing the rooftops of the city's skyscrapers. But how did she come by this unique black market trade...and what secrets from her past may affect her future? (Adapted from Goodreads)

Goodreads: 3stars

Muniti on the Bounty + L'Étranger + Scott Pilgrim

Just got today at Cultura!

Munity on the Bounty (Garoto do Convés)

Another book from John Boyne (The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas - which I loved!) about a fourteen-year-old boy, John Jacob Turnstile, who has got into trouble with the police on one too many occasions and is on his way to prison when an offer is put to him - a ship has been refitted over the last few months and is about to set sail with an important mission. The boy who was expected to serve as the captain's personal valet has been injured and a replacement must be found immediately. The deal is struck and Turnstile finds himself on board, meeting the captain, just as the ship sets sail. The ship is HMS Bounty, the captain is William Bligh, and their destination is Tahiti. Mutiny on the Bounty is the first novel to explore all the events relating to the Bounty's voyage, from their long journey across the ocean to their adventures on the island of Tahiti and the subsequent forty-eight-day expedition towards Tiimor. A vivid recreation of the famous mutiny, the story is packed with humor, high drama and historical detail, while presenting a very different portrait of Captain Bligh and Mr. Christian than has ever been shown before. (Goodreads)

Goodreads: 3.86stars

L'Étranger

The most renowned book by Albert Camus, I know the first sentences by heart, it's something you always cross when reading anything about french literature, but I've actually never read it... So, let's give it a try sometime!

French description: Condamné à mort, Meursault. Sur une plage algérienne, il a tué un Arabe. À cause du soleil, dira-t-il, parce qu'il faisait chaud. On n'en tirera rien d'autre. Rien ne le fera plus réagir : ni l'annonce de sa condamnation, ni la mort de sa mère, ni les paroles du prêtre avant la fin. Comme si, sur cette plage, il avait soudain eu la révélation de l'universelle équivalence du tout et du rien. La conscience de n'être sur la terre qu'en sursis, d'une mort qui, quoi qu'il arrive, arrivera, sans espoir de salut. Et comment être autre chose qu'indifférent à tout après ça ? Étranger sur la terre, étranger à lui-même, Meursault le bien nommé pose les questions qui deviendront un leitmotiv dans l'oeuvre de Camus. De La Peste à La Chute, mais aussi dans ses pièces et dans ses essais, celui qui allait devenir Prix Nobel de littérature en 1957 ne cessera de s'interroger sur le sens de l'existence. Sa mort violente en 1960 contribua quelque peu à rendre mythique ce maître à penser de toute une génération. (Goodreads)

English version: The Stranger is not merely one of the most widely read novels of the 20th century, but one of the books likely to outlive it. Camus's compelling and troubling tale of a disaffected, apparently amoral young man has earned a durable popularity (and remains a staple of U.S. high school literature courses) in part because it reveals so vividly the anxieties of its time. Alienation, the fear of anonymity, spiritual doubt--all could have been given a purely modern inflection in the hands of a lesser talent than Camus, who won the Nobel Prize in 1957 and was noted for his existentialist aesthetic. The remarkable trick of The Stranger, however, is that it's not mired in period philosophy.

The plot is simple. A young french-Algerian, Meursault, afflicted with a sort of aimless inertia, becomes embroiled in the petty intrigues of a local pimp and, somewhat inexplicably, ends up killing a man. Once he's imprisoned and eventually brought to trial, his crime, it becomes apparent, is not so much the arguably defensible murder he has committed as it is his deficient character. The trial's proceedings are absurd, a parsing of incidental trivialities--that Meursault, for instance, seemed unmoved by his own mother's death and then attended a comic movie the evening after her funeral are two ostensibly damning facts--so that the eventual sentence the jury issues is both ridiculous and inevitable. (Goodreads)

Goodreads: 3.87stars

Scott Pilgrim (#3 & #4 in a single volume)

To know more about it, click here (older post)

Goodreads: 4.5stars

Scott Pilgrim

Today my boyfriend got me the first and second volumes of Scott Pilgrim, that were released here in a single volume... It already hit my "currently reading" list, as I am playing the XboxLIVE game and intending to watch the movie as soon as it comes out!

Scott Pilgrim is 23 years old, living in the big city with his gay roommate, just trying to get by in this crazy world. He's in a band. He's lazy. He likes video games. Scott Pilgrim likes the new girl in town, Ramona Flowers, but to win her heart, he has to defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends. Seven! Evil! Ex! Boyfriends! Lucas has muscles! Todd plays bass with his psychic powers! The Twins are twins! Matthew Patel is an Indian guy! AND MORE! (official site description)

Goodreads: 4stars

Movie trailer!

Persepolis

Today I got the book for my third and final french assignment of the semester... At least I'm already done with the first and already reading the second one...

This is a comics collection called Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. It is the story of Satrapi's unforgettable childhood and coming of age within a large and loving family in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution; of the contradictions between private life and public life in a country plagued by political upheaval; of her high school years in Vienna facing the trails of adolescence far from her family; of her homecoming--both sweet and terrible; and, finally, of her self-imposed exile from her beloved homeland. It is the chronicle of a girlhood and adolescence at once outrageous and familiar, a young life entwined with the history of her country yet filled with the universal trials and joys of growing up. Edgy, searingly observant, and candid, often heartbreaking but threaded throughout with raw humor and hard-earned wisdom--Persepolis is a stunning work from one of the most highly regarded, singularly talented graphic artists at work today. (Goodreads)

Goodreads: 4.3 stars

I'm very curious about this one, but as I said, I still have a long way before I finish Cyrano de Bergerac... :)

* BTW, one of these days I also got Heartless, the 7th book of the Pretty Little Liars saga... I'm almost in the middle of the third book by now... Once I'm through with at least a few of them, or I decide to give them a break and read something else I'll make a post about it!

Le Petit Prince (Little Prince), Dante's Inferno (Graphic Novel), Fringe (Graphic Novel)

3 new books arrived at home today! The 2nd package of an Amazon order from last month! :) I'm on a graphic novel phase... Probably because it is hard to find all kinds of graphic novels here in Brazil, and when you do they are either translated into Portuguese, or really expensive... That is why in the last months I have been ordering several graphic novels from Amazon. Le Petit Prince was actually a mistake I made, I was trying to order its graphic novel version, but ordered the classic version instead... Well, at least now I have a brand new book, instead of the old one that belonged to my mother... Dante's Inferno is a graphic novel based on the EA videogame of the same name. Fringe is based on the TV series from Fox that has the same name...

Dans cette fable charmante, l'auteur raconte ses souvenirs de sa rencontre avec 'un petit bonhomme tout à fait extraordinaire',  habitant d'une autre planète qui n'est pas plus grande qu'une maison. Peu à peu nous apprenons l'étrange histoire de cette créature miniscule ---le petit prince--- et comment il a commencé ses voyages vers sept planètes, qui l'ont apporté enfin à la Terre. En ce dernier lieu il apprend, grâce à un renard, le secret le plus important de sa vie. (Book cover)

A lovely story....which covers a poetic, yearning philosophy--not the sort of fable that can be tacked down neatly at its four corners but rather reflections on what are real matters of consequence. (The New York Times Book Review)

Based on the upcoming EA video game of the same name, this classic epic poem is brought to life as never before, courtesy of writer Christos Gage (WILDCATS, X-Men/Spider-Man) and hot new artist Diego Latorre. Dante Alighieri is re-imagined as a holy warrior who has returned from the Crusades to find his beloved fiancée Beatrice murdered. When her soul is ensnared by Lucifer, only Dante has the strength and courage to break open the gates of Hell and save her. But at what cost to his own immortal soul? And is Dante himself pure enough for this impossible task? Find out in this sizzling new series. (Goodreads)

FBI Agent Olivia Dunham, brilliant scientist Walter Bishop and his estranged son Peter investigate the world of "fringe science"(telepathy, time travel etc) following a series of unexplained events, which begin to raise suspicions that a large scientific research company Massive Dynamic is experimenting on the general public.
The secret history of Walter Bishop and his onetime scientific partner William Bell continues in this exclusive tie-in to the hit Fox show Fringe! Witness their first attempts at pushing the boundaries of science and reality! (Goodreads)