Mr. Lincoln’s high-tech war: how the North used the telegraph, railroads, surveillance balloons, ironclads, high-powered weapons, and more to win the Civil War, Thomas B. Allen & Roger MacBride Allen (Y review)
A book on the Civil war strictly on the technology and tactics of war, and how one influenced the other. Very well constructed, and highlights what changed the way wars were fought. Four stars.

Fade to Blue, Beaudoin (Y)
Did you know that only one writer is allowed to have interesting writing and an intriguing premise and have it all fall to shit halfway through and never resolve? That writer is Philip K. Dick. And you are no Philip K. Dick, Mr. Beaudoin! Good day, sir! I said good day!

Two miserable presidents: everything your schoolbooks didn’t tell you about the Civil War, Sheinkin (Y)
I was looking forward to another great rundown of a significant period of US history, but in this case I knew more about the subject (thanks to Mr. Lincoln’s high-tech war) and was disappointed when he skimmed over interesting or significant events. So I ended up giving up partway through. Two stars.

Masterpiece comics, R. Sikoryak (my library says Y, but I disagree)
Classics of literature have been retold in comics form before, but never as such elegant pastiches of classic comics. Sikoriak does an amazing job of capturing the visual, verbal, and narrative style of the comics he is setting the classics in, and pairs the classic story with the new setting elegantly. Great job, one adults will get much more out of than the teeners. Four stars.

The Day-Glo brothers: the true story of Bob and Joe Switzer’s bright ideas and brand-new colors, Barton, Persiani (Y)
What a cool book! It’s really more of a J read, but I’m totally going to talk it up to Junior High students. Not only the story of the invention of new colors, but a nice insight into the different personalities of the brothers and how those outlooks contributed to the invention. Neat! Also? All original research! Four stars.

Project X: challengers: Seven Eleven: the miraculous success of Japan’s 7-Eleven stores, Tadashi Ikuta, Naomi Kimura
A manga based on a documentary tv series from Japan on business successes, this on on 7 Eleven Japan. It’s a very DRAMATIC story, with lots of brave and dedicated business people. Unfortunately, the story was written in 2001, before 7 Eleven Japan took over all of the 7 Elevens! The timeline at the end is pretty neat: the newsworthy events to put the 7 Eleven events in context are all very Japan centric. Three stars.

Kamikaze Girls, Takemoto (Y)
While it does take some explaining to set up why it is unlikely for a Lolita and a Yanki to be friends in rural Japan, the voice of this book is so true and the characters so believable I was utterly charmed. Four stars.