Marvel/DC: Spider-Man/Superman #1 by Brad Meltzer, et al.

Marvel/DC: Spider-Man/Superman #1 by Brad Meltzer, et al.-72 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐

THWIP, THWIP AND AWAY! Fifty years ago, DC's Man of Steel met Marvel's friendly neighborhood wall-crawler, and the world of comics has never been the same! In celebration of that historic milestone, thrill to ALL-NEW tales of Spider-Man and Superman and their friends and foes!

Brad Meltzer and Pepe Larraz pit Spider-Man and Superman against Lex Luthor and Norman Osborn as their greatest villains exploit some of their greatest weaknesses!
In the shadow-laden 1930s, Spider-Man Noir encounters the original Golden Age Superman as told by Slott/Martin!
A crisis ensues as Johns/Frank bring the Super- and Spider-families against each together at the summons of Mysterio... but is their true foe an ally out of control?!
Symbiote hordes invade Metropolis as a new War of the Realms ignites in Aaron/Dauterman's epic.
Co-creator of Steel Louise Simonson hammers out the tale of John Henry Irons' clash with the Hobgoblin, as drawn by Todd Nauck!
Kelly/Ramos take us on a campus crossover between Gwen Stacy and Lana Lang!
Miles Morales (Spider-Man) teams with Superman, as Bendis and Pichelli re-team!
All this, and more than a few super-surprises you'll be talking about for the next fifty years!

Thoughts: I enjoyed reading this collection of short stories/comics from Marvel and DC. There are more superheroes and supervillains than just Spider-Man and Superman. Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Ghost Spider, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Jane Foster Thor, and so many more make a brief appearance. 

Wade Wilson: Deadpool #3 & #4 by Benjamin Percy

 Wade Wilson: Deadpool #3 & #4 by Benjamin Percy-32 pages each, 64 pages total

⭐⭐⭐⭐

ONLY SMILING ON THE OUTSIDE! WADE WILSON is down, and fate (and the gangsters he’s gotten wrapped up with) keep kicking! He’s smiling on the outside, but what tragic fate has befallen DEADPOOL? Witness the gut-wrenching horror Wade has endured…even as he walks into a deadly murder in Central Park that will change the course of his life!

MOB LIFE! The gangster HAMMERHEAD has cottoned on to DEADPOOL's secret. But WADE can't be bought… No wait, that's not right. Wade can totally be bought. That's his whole deal as a mercenary… OH, Hammerhead has the 'Pool by the floats, that's what it is, and whatever choice he makes, someone close to him will wind up DEAD!

Thoughts: I liked both of these issues/volumes and I look forward to continuing this series. I enjoy Deadpool's irreverence and sarcasm. 

Universal Monsters: Phantom of the Opera Issues #1-4 by Tyler Boss and Martin Simmonds

Universal Monsters: Phantom of the Opera Issues #1-4 by Tyler Boss and Martin Simmonds-32 pages each, 128 pages total

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (for each issue)

This short series is a new take on the Phantom of the Opera story. It is beautifully, hauntingly drawn. The story has some of the same characters as the musical and the novel, but the Phantom or "ghost" turns out to actually be Christine Daae's father. He does many horrible things, including multiple murders, to give Christine her chance and ultimately to become famous himself. 

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

 The Help by Kathryn Stockett-451 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Aibileen is a black maid in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, who's always taken orders quietly, but lately she's unable to hold her bitterness back. Her friend Minny has never held her tongue but now must somehow keep secrets about her employer that leave her speechless. White socialite Skeeter just graduated college. She's full of ambition, but without a husband, she's considered a failure. 

Together, these seemingly different women join together to write a tell-all book about work as a black maid in the South, that could forever alter their destinies and the life of a small town...

Thoughts: I've seen the movie, but I hadn't read the book. This is our next book for the Book to Movie Club. It is really good and it makes one think critically about the perspective of others. For a long time after the Civil War and Reconstruction Era (circa 1861-1876), blacks were not seen as equals to whites. This is illustrated by the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1897 which established the separate but equal doctrine (and the "one drop" rule) that perpetuated until the Brown v. Board of Education decision of 1954 and beyond in some areas (such as Mississippi, which is the setting for this book). Can you imagine being told where you can go or where you can sit on the bus? Can you imagine caring for another person's child and becoming close with that child and then moving on and not getting any gratitude? Can you imagine fearing you or someone you love might be hurt or killed for speaking out? Such is the world that Aibilieen, Minny, and the other maids live in and deal with every day. The book and the movie are both good. 

One Pot, One Portion by Eleanor Wilkinson

One Pot, One Portion: 100 Simple Recipes Just for You by Eleanor Wilkinson -- 223 pages

I picked up this cookbook to read as I'm always looking for smaller recipes for just one person.  This was a great cookbook for that.  However, I did not realize that it was a British cookbook.  While I like British food, there were several recipes that had odd combinations that I would not particularly like to try.  It also used ingredients (especially cuts of meat) that are expensive in the US.  I did find a few recipes to try out.  
 

Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 3 by Natsu Hyuuga

Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 3 by Natsu Hyuuga

Apothecary Diaries #3, 193 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

After putting on a successful and sensual(?) show of food tasting at the garden banquet, Maomao is the talk of the palace! But she soon discovers that notoriety isn't the only thing the party has granted her! Her collection of hairpins from the event brings the young herbalist a brief window of freedom beyond the palace walls, as she returns to the pleasure district for the first time in ten months! But while reunions with her father and her friends await, so too does another mystery...

Oathbreakers by Matthew Gabriele and David M. Perry

 Oathbreakers: The War of Brothers That Shattered an Empire and Made Medieval Europe by Matthew Gabriele and David M. Perry --280 pages

The brothers mentioned in the subtitle were the grandsons of Charlemagne and the inheritors of the Carolingian empire. The two younger surviving brothers fought against the eldest, who had inherited the title of emperor, at the battle of Fontenoy in modern France in the year 841. The feuding brothers eventually compromised on dividing their areas of rule, and these events were a significant step in the evolution of western Europe into recognizable states. The authors' tone was a bit flippant and cynical of the main figures' motives, considering the scarcity of sources from the time period. Their summaries of modern French and German historians' views of the battle and its aftermath were enlightening.