early thanksgiving feature: suburban gothic by rae
Rae's writing is always melancholy with her own signature style that has created a group of faithful readers. Her newest issue, Variation on a Theme (Corazon: Diablo), slips away from her usual content to focus on past loves. The majority of this is closure letters unsent to let her ex,s know how she feels (mostly boys but also girls). I'm sure this was very therapeutic to write and this will help dumped readers know they aren't alone. There are other stories as well, such as a little history behind especially intense relationships, a rant on sexuality labels, a want for the perfect relationship, and a handful of zine, book, movie, and music recommendations. Great for a bitter Valentine's Day, complete with red vellum covers and slinky black ribbon binding. It also includes dramatic Victorian-style illustrations, a few photographs, and a special drawing by AR. If you are unfamiliar I would recommend past issues first, but if you've read Suburban Gothic before or if you are just interested in love and animosity, then check this out.

issue 4: 48 quarter-size pages
cost: $2 in US and Canada, $3 elsewhere
address: Rae . P.O.Box 1381 . Bellevue, NE . 68005-1381
website: http://www.freewebs.com/suburbangothic
email: suburbangothic@livejournal.com

update
Topic: update
check the last update for continued changes in what's new and what's coming. this update is to say that my reviews are ending up all over the place and i wanted to create a list where you could find them.

eye candy

winter 2004
child that mind 3
honeypot

september 2004
mister fujiyama loves you 5

august 2004
aubergine
east village inky 19 and 22



bibliotheque

coming soon
coldhandsdeadheart 18

11-12-04
suburban gothic 4

8-27-04
child that mind 3
geek the girl 10 and color of my eyes
girlswirl 11
also see a review of the midwest comp project by AR

visit the website:
http://www.lunar-circuitry.net/bibliotheque/index.html



poopsheet

october 12, '04 - Tritcheon Hash novel
september 3 '04 - Xerography Debt
july 12 - 16 '04 - Media Whore
july 4 - 10 '04 - Low Hug
august 17 - 23 '03 - Rabid Transit
august 10 - 16 '03 - Tanglefoot



altar magazine (and online)

i can't find all the info but there were four book reviews by me and one or two cd reviews by steve. i don't think they are up online anymore so sorry i can't be more exact.



independent word review

aubergine
Murder Ballads #1
high school girls
mister fujiyama loves you #4

november feature: coldhandsdeadheart by mike twohig
Coldhandsdeadheart is somewhere between comic and political zine. Artist Mike has a skilled style all his own. You'll find Hollywood politicians Reagan, Ventura, Schwartzenegger, and the Rock (to become the future "Grand Master Ruler of Mars"). Also the story of the author's paperboy job, some work with flyers and band art, and emotional caricatures. Cardstock covers, stapled and black tape bound, and a small red block print on the back make this kind of nice to hang on to. Mike is very talented and though it's a quick read it is quality. I'm glad I've come across this and I think you will be too.

issue 18: quarter sized
cost: $1 or 2? not listed
address: not listed, email or check back for an update
email: m_twohig@hotmail.com
website: angelfire.com/ill/miketwohig

double creature feature: chocoholic! by stephanie scarborough and contributors
This is the compilation about chocolate - thorough, passionate, and surprisingly clean. It is fun and easy to read so just like chocolate I tried to finish it in one sitting. Also like the treat it's best in small bites. Try reading this while you're in line at the grocery store or waiting for your cupcakes to bake. It includes anecdotes, facts, recipes, comics, and more plus Stephanie (editor and chocoholic) made it word processed for readability and various single-color covers for a nice touch. The bulk of the comp is reviews of more products than you can attempt to follow through on. I couldn't decide whether to keep this with my zines or my cookbooks. You decide - buy this silly, sad, rich, precise collection ONLY if you love chocolate (but really you'd be crazy not to).

Issue One: 42 quarter-sized pages
Cost: $2, $3 outside US, wholesale $1 or $1.25 outside US, paypal accepted, and trades for food or cook zines only
Address: box 715 . weatherford, tx . 76086
Website: http://diystore.cjb.net/ (fork n spoon distro)
Email: nurdsteph@yahoo.com

mid-october late feature: papercuts and promises by alli
Papercuts and Promises feels like a first zine project but has more to say than the usual #1's. Alli writes about her history with typewriters, missed friendship, and feminism including a well researched paper on immigrant women in America. There are very poetic prose pieces that were well written and enjoyable to read. Her style is serious and a little melancholy, and though I've read these subjects many times I still liked her take on them. I also was unsure about the layout. It was the neatest and cleanest cut and paste zine I've seen, but it was so sparse - "lean" comes to mind - that I think it would have been much better in a quarter-sized format rather than half. The airy space didn't fit with the density of the work. I can appreciate the minimalism but it's something I can't help but focus on. That aside this was an excellent first effort and I'd like to see Alli's future projects.

Issue one: 32 half-sized pages
Cost: $2
Address: P.O. Box 761 . Mountain View, CA . 94042
Website: http://gluestickdistro.com
Email: gluestickdistro@aol.com

october feature: tritcheon hash by sue lange (novel)
Mood:  chatty
While reading Tritcheon Hash by Sue Lange, a few things came to mind. First it seems like just another futuristic tale where the reader meets the main character and we start to get comfortable. Suddenly we find out that all the women left Earth to colonize their own planet. This wasn't going to be your average scifi novel.
The plot was pretty interesting. At first I wasn't getting too into it, but then I found myself looking forward to what was going to happen next. Most of the dialogue was back and forth between believable and forced, mainly because of the casual usage of made-up futuristic vocabulary. One downside is that there are a lot of long tangents focused on details explaining new inventions and alien utensils. Though the occasional explanation is important, they seemed to be too often and too long. The names and dialog reminded me of Harry Potter, which may draw in that fan base. With a character like Ricknoy you can't help but feel like you are dealing with the future military of Hogwarts.
There is a strange relationship with between feminist principals and a romance novel that is unique. Lange's world is like The Handmaid's Tale infused with a good Fabio-covered supermarket paperback.
So as you can see this novel can take you across the universe and back. You may like the scientific explanations or the periodic steamy scene. You may like the girl empowerment or the Potter-like banter. I think a lot of people can find a laugh or contemplate the future sparked by this fun, broad novel aimed to please all sorts.

[info on ordering later]

update
Topic: update
i've finally started to get my mail - and it's all come at once. now things are starting to pile up but you can see that i won't be without things to read!

amendment from October 7th:
i've moved to my milwaukee apartment and just got internet access today. though i'm very busy this month with the madison zine fest and a friend from seattle visiting, i will be back on the review track in no time (yet i'm still up a review because i posted extras while moving. way to go me!). sorry for the postponed items but look forward to many extras in exchange.


received:
she's not a morning person 6
fertile ground 7
rebel in magenta
soap
oh dear
i hear you like stories
gretchen 4: the pieces of jennifer's body
the solution is you
here, all is familiar vol 1 and 2
jagged pixie 4: beautiflicker
dirty jeans 1
softspoken 3
stab heart 1 and 2
a tuesday with no arms
carbon and carbide
dance matador dance!
happy birthday, a novel by jozril

from kathee for sew true:
Bent Lens #2: The First Issue
Brainscan #19
The Illustrated Guide to DIY Screenprinting
Orange & Blue #0
Nonsensical #6
a million birthdays #4

from brad for poopsheet:
elephant mess 11
my fat irish ass -5
dwelling portably



and what i'm waiting on:
always fresh 1
my winter blanket
holding hands 11
imaginary life 5
foovies
shark season 1

hopefully from neil for i.w.r.:
life in the bike lane
s.c.a.l.p.
bitchfest

woven by moira clunie and contributors
Woven is a mini poetry anthology where each issue is focused on a theme. Number six is centered around "the city." For a one-pager this has a really engaging layout. It's cut to appear like a flipping mini with secret poems, almost like you've found them in the alley. Each fold is either typewritten or word processed and set against white, maps, or accented by a photograph so each piece has its own individual feel. My favorite work was the illustrations by Jasmine Dreame Wagner. The down side was that I didn't feel too strongly about the poetry, mainly because it was too abstract for my taste, but I think it's good for a glimpse at others' views toward the city. Contributing poets include Amanda Wheeler, Eve Lyons, Izz, Miranda Hale, Deirdre Ruane, and Sara Pinder.

Issue six: one page folded into a mini
Cost: $1 US ppd world
Address: PO Box 7754 . Wellesley St . Auckland . New Zealand
Website: http://nutmeg.gen.nz/woven
Email: moira@nutmeg.gen.nz

update
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: update
i have become a member of the bibliotheque review board!
visit http://www.lunar-circuitry.net/bibliotheque/
that means that some of the zines reviewed here may also appear in two other publications, which is great for getting the word to more people. so far you can find child that mind, girl swirl, and geek the girl/color of my eyes heading to the site.

things are also in the works with sew true distro and the review board, plus i'm currently working on a book and just finished XD for poopsheet online. i still get the occational altar magazine review and the east village inky just appeared in the latest issue of eye candy. someday (hopefully sooner than later) neil will kick his butt into gear and get a new independent word review out. even still, these reviews are getting out there and i'm excited about it.

leave comments if you liked the zine or not (and why), if you thought the review needed a few more things go on and name them, and feel free to leave your own full review.

there was a big mix up with my seattle postal carrier (details on my livehournal post - scootymcbottom) and i've had problems receiving the review items along with all my other mail. i'm sorry if this means you need to resend something to me, but things should be worked out now. i had nothing to do with it so all i can say is let's try it again. thank you all!

Xerography Debt by Davida Gypsy Breir and contributors
Almost every zine reader has picked up at least one issue of Maximum Rock and Roll and I think the best way to describe XD is to compare/contrast the style between the
the two.
The number of zine reviews is much larger in XD because that's its main focus. There are also some "perzine tendencies" with the inclusion of columns and announcements focused on the zine world and also a little info on each of the contributing writers. MRR doesn't include a look into the writers but does include disparate columns on a mishmash of topics and a more review items including music, so that could be positive or negative for many readers. The most important contrast is the agenda in reviewing. Where MRR's reviews are generally jaded and slam the new but praise the established, XD is very informative as to what the zine really contains plus its style. The reviewers also give constructive criticism when it applies and that's important for the zines' creators and help the readers make an informed decision.
Most review zines cater to a certain type such as activist or political, music, personal, etc. but there is a good variety and openness to the submissions and the reviewers. This issue features 20 reviewers and each takes on 5 to 17! Also, some zines are reviewed by different people to give them another view, which is a great idea. So while some are reluctant to spend $3, there are more than enough honest recommendations for all your favorite genres.
I really couldn't find something I didn't like about XD. This is the only publication I can think of where I've seen the agendas of hippies, punks, literary buffs, artists, and everyone in between are seen with open minds. This is a great resource that I'd recommend for those starting to check zines out for the first time and of course anyone that wants to find something new to read.

Issue 14: 60 ? sized
Cost: $3
Address: PO Box 963 . Havre de Grace, MC . 21078
Website: leekinginc.com
Email: davida@leekinginc.com


coming soon: woven six, papercuts and promises