Bourne Ultimatum by Robert Ludlum

In short: Things happen, people swear, and a geriatric spy bumbles through one improbable scenario after another. Not a favorite.

Can a fifty-something guy play the spy game? Can Jason Bourne still find his edge to stay alive when he hasfd a domestic life complete with wife, kids, and friends? Jason Bourne (aka David Webb), was living in real time with us and eventually entered his 50's. He settled down. He raised a family. He built a life. This raised those two questions which were explored throughout the story. Since Jason Bourne is the hero of the novel, the answer to both questions turns out to be "yes". Everything that made Jason be a happy David was threatened, however, when his original nemesis, The Jackal, decided to assassinate him. "Bourne Ultimatum" therefore was the conflict between an aging ex-black ops agent versus the very man who was the reason for Jason Bourne's existence in the first place.

On one hand we have Jason Bourne with his support group of loyal and loving friends and family and on the other we have the Jackal with his legion of henchmen all held in check by fear. The differences between these two men shaped the events of the story. Unfortunately, I just didn't find those events believable. The clash of two old enemies in a battle of wits to the death was intellectually intriguing, but not emotionally compelling. The story was missing the urgency that was present in the first two novels. Jason Bourne was too soft and serendipity came to his aide all too often. Additionally, I found the language in the book coarse and vulgar at times. Consequently, I found myself being pulled out of the book into the real world as I disagreed with what I was reading.

As anybody who has seen the movies and read the books can tell you, they bear little in common beyond characters and place names. For example, Alex was turned from friend to foe then killed off in the first movie. This angered many book fans, but it made for a compelling movie. I felt the second movie, "Bourne Supremacy", was better at establishing motive and drive than the book. The death of his wife was a powerful event and instantly swept up the audience in Jason's cause. Having Marie rushing in from the wings to succor and nourish her warrior as she does in the books questioned plausibility at times. One wonders if Robert Ludlum, who wrote the movie scripts, was aware of this when he made the change. With no Alex to provide government contacts and no Marie to make a family with, the upcoming adaptation of "Bourne Ultimatum" may share only the title in common.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki

In a post apocalyptic world, Nausicaä and her subjects eek out a meager existence in their small valley hedged between a toxic forest and an acid lake. When politics and war from invading neighbors encroaches upon their idyllic life, Nausicaä leaves her valley to solve the mystery of the toxic forest and find a resolution to the political conflict that threatens her valley.

This epic tale has little in common with the average comic book. The world depicted in this manga (pronounced mah-n-gah) has more in common with novels like "Dune" and "Lord of the Rings". The characters are deep and three dimensional, the story does not pander to popular trends or fads, and when the tale comes to an end, it is over - satisfyingly. No "Son of Nausicaä" or "Nausicaä II" muddying the series. Hayao Miyazaki, the author and illustrator, had a vision and brought it to life. That consistency to his vision helped tie the story together over the 14 years he took to finish it and created a rich graphic novel experience.

Started in 1982 and finished in 1995, Nausicaä was published in fits and starts due to Miyazaki's very busy anime schedule at Studioi Ghibli. I felt the narrative suffered at times from these long breaks between publication. However, I was very impressed that he saw the project through to the end. Although the narrative can seem jerky at times, the scope of the tale is solid and delivers. There is a depth to this tale that bears repeated readings. This manga was one of the most influential manga to me as an artist and future storyteller. It showed me how powerful and emotional graphic novels could be as well as exemplifying to me how enormous tasks can be completed with perseverance and dedication.

A lot is made in the press about the degenerate side of Japan's comic culture, but "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" is the pearl of the manga scene. I highly recommend it as an example of the heights graphic novels can obtain. It is well worth reading.

Bourne Supremecy by Robert Ludlum

Further intrigue and suspense as David Webb is forced to hunt an imposter Jason Bourne or risk losing his wife, Marie. David finds himself thick in Chinese conspiracies and national zealotry deep in the Orient as he struggles to be Jason Bourne in order to stay alive while not losing grip of David Webb. The battle within his mind rages while he tries to turn the tables from being hunted to being hunter.

I don't mean to be rude, but... by Simon Cowell

50% Autobiography. 40% Behind the scenes of the first two seasons of American Idol. 10% (or just two chapters) Advice on how to make it in the music biz. The typically caustic Simon Cowell shares his thoughts on just about everybody involved with his career and the popular show, American Idol. Although I didn't care for his tales of childhood, I enjoyed learning about his false starts and successes. I enjoyed peaking behind the scenes of this show that has captured my daughters' imaginations. I found his advice so cynically realistic that any pop star hopeful would require antidepressants just to recover from reading the second to last chapter.

The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

Published in 1980. Intelligent spy thriller. Convincing layers of truth and lies. Very different than the recent movie - much deeper and more detailed. I enjoyed it.

Create Your Own Artist's Journal by Erin O'Toole

Excellent tutorial on the methodology of sketch journaling. Contains small section on constructing handmade journals. Filled with example illustrations from the artist's own sketchbooks.