Book 1:The Frasier Scripts
Writer: Christopher Lloyd & the Frasier writers
Genre: Television Comedy Screenplays
Number of pages: 382
Read This Year: 382
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best]: B+

My Thoughts: Ah, my sister can pick a Christmas present. Frasier was long one of my favorite television shows, and purely from a writing standpoint, I enjoy reading screenplays and scripts to see just how different writers structure their stories. This book collects 15 scripts from the show's first six seasons, and having seen most of the episodes, I can concur that they have chosen 15 of the best episodes.

From a storytelling standpoint, these are just great tales. The pilot episode, in which Frasier and his father try to adjust to living together, is touching and funny in all the right proportions. Stories like The Matchmaker and Ham Radio lose almost nothing in their pure script form, and The Ski Lodge is just as funny as it was on television. Even moments of pure slapstick, like the classic "silent movie" opening scene from Three Valentines, is delivered very well here.

From a writer's standpoint, the book is also entertaining. We can see how the many wonderful writers crafted their stories. Those segments that don't work as well in the script fall a little flat only because the performances on the program were so wonderful. For that, the actors and writers both deserve credit -- the actors for having that talent and the writers for knowing how to use it. There are a lot of things that don't quite work if you don't know how it was delivered, and the fact that it made it into the show proves that the writers knew what they had and how to use it. If you aren't familiar with the episodes presented here, some of the scripts may not read as well, but if you're a fan of the show, this really is a wonderful collection.

Book 2:Betty and Veronica: Bad Boy Trouble
Writer: Melanie J. Morgan
Art: Steven Butler & Al Milgrom
Genre: Graphic Novel/Comedy
Number of pages: 112
Read This Year: 494
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best]: B-

My Thoughts: Early in 2007, Archie Comics announced that they were going to try a "new look" for Betty and Veronica. I grew up on Archie, so while I was initially skeptical, I was intrigued enough to pick the book up and try it out. In Bad Boy Trouble, a new kid comes to town. Nick St. Clair is the sort of rough kid who cuts up in class, stars fights, sneaks into movies and has no qualms about putting the moves on Betty while dating Veronica. Betty and her friends have to convince Ronnie to dump the bad boy before it's too late.

The aim of this book is pretty clear -- Archie Comics is hoping to hold on to readers (particularly female readers) who are starting to get a little too old for the typical Archie fare. The art style is less cartoonish and the storyline is a little more mature than we're used to seeing out of Archie and the gang. It actually reads like an old-fashioned romance comic, except the writing is a bit more sophisticated.

As a lifelong Archie fan, I'm okay with this. It's not a brilliant comic, but it's decent enough, and it's one that I think may appeal pretty well to the target audience. As long as Archie doesn't abandon the classic look, I have no problem with the occasional story in this "new look."

Next on the reading list: First Meetings by Orson Scott Card