Casanova Volume 1 by Matt Fraction, Gabriel Ba. 

Despite the praise from major comics writers, I was underwhelmed by this first volume of Casanova. I didn't much care for the graphic style (blocky green and black panels), and Casanova himself isn't much of a sympathetic character, despite the occasional nods to some sense of familial decency. The basic plot is akin to Jerry Cornelius crossed with 60's S.H.I.E.L.D – an agency called E.M.P.I.R.E runs the galaxy, with an evil counterpart W.A.S.T.E. The leader of waste kidnaps Casanova from an alternate timeline, forcing him to become a double agent in pursuit of his father's death. Despite many self-referential touches, this never really gelled for me – it's got robot babes, evil sisters, and a mummy-esque baddie, but there's something lacking. It's visually interesting but just goes on far too long.

Favorite Socks . Another excellent collection put out by Interweave Press, Favorite Socks collects some of the most popular sock patterns from the magazine. There's a bit of something for everyone, and I've already picked out a couple of patterns, and knit the Embossed Leaves. My one complaint, as with many sock patterns is the lack of clear pictures of socks on actual feet. Too many of the patterns have a photograph of the sock on it's own, and as knitters will know, this almost never shows off the pattern to greatest effect. With this exception, the volume will be an excellent addition to any sock knitter's library.

Parasyte 2  by Hitoshi Iwaaki. In this second volume of the body-snatching horror manga, Shin finds out that his parents have been attacked while on vacation. Taking time off school to investigate, he strikes up an uneasy friendship with a local girl and finds another human who is infected but not overtaken. There's plenty of action and gore, and new demonstrations of the parasyte's abilities as Shin struggles with his own humanity. This is a thoroughly enjoyable series, and I eagerly look forward to volume 3.

Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis.  

Comics fans will be familiar with Ellis' irreverent and often filthy sense of humor. Crooked Little Vein is a quicker textual dose of the same, and despite the lack of images, no less graphic. A down and out detective with $3 and change to his name is one afternoon approached by powerful government figures and charged with recovering the Secret Constitution of the United States. (This is a document bound in the skin of an alien beaten to death by Benjamin Franklin, and traded by Nixon for the services of an asian prostitute.) Given the proverbial carte blanche, Mike hooks up with a polyamorous indie chick doing her thesis on the sexual underworld, and begins his journey across the US in search of the current owner of the book. At it's heart, this is a dirty road trip novel as only Ellis could write it – the outsider's perspective on the sometimes bizarre mix of morality and filth that the American landscape provides. The only drawback to this is that Ellis does seem to write analogs of himself fairly often, and Mike is no exception; this would be a problem if they weren't so damned funny.

Coyote Dreams  by C. E. Murphy. In this third of the Walker papers, author Murphy finally brings Joanne into her own, and resolves to a point, some of the romantic tension underlying the first two volumes. Some time after the events of the second book, shaman mechanic cop Joanne Walker wakes up with a strange man in her bed – and the day only goes downhill from there. A significant portion of the police force, and later the general population, have been slipping into comas in their sleep. Walker suspects supernatural forces at work, and it takes some serious exploration of the Dreaming and an encounter with a violent Navajo world-ending demon before all approaches normal. It's a strong story, a good read, and more importantly, doesn't fall prey to the blinking "this is a plot point!" markers that marred the earlier entries. I'll enjoy any further Walker papers Murphy chooses to publish, and I look forward to reading her new Negotiator Trilogy sometime soon.

American Virgin Volume 2: Going Down by Steven T. Seagle, Becky Cloonan.  The successful thing about this series so far seems to be the surprising balance of sleaze and reasoned discourse.   For a series about a young religious virgin and inspirational speaker, I was expecting a lot more fun-poking at the parallel Christian culture that, quite frankly, often deserves it.  Going Down follows the moral conflict of Adam as he buries his fiancée and struggles with feelings of hatred towards her killer and his own repressed sexuality. One conflict is resolved, but with this big a can of worms, there's surely more to come. It's a plot I'm surprised I enjoy, but one I'll look for in the future.

Knitting America by Susan M. Strawn, Melanie Falick.  

More Coffee-table history than pattern book, Knitting America is a satisfyingly heavy, photo packed volume that should appeal to any yarn aficionado. Confined specifically to the Americas, the history traces chronologically the documented accounts of knitted clothing, from the original colonization, through to the present day. I'm more familiar with wartime knitting, so it was of interest to see the role of knitting in the colonial and revolutionary days. While I probably wouldn't knit any of the historical patterns provided, I'd still love to give this a place of honor in my reference collection.

Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs.  This third Mercy novel shifts the focus away from were politics to the fairytale side of the universe. Like most modern retellings, it's a dark roots rebound – Zee, investigating a series of fae murders, is taken into human custody after the death of a human reservation guard. Mercy, of course, feels compelled to investigate, despite his wishes, and soon finds herself in over her head, sometimes literally. Magic walking sticks, blind ravens, and dubious geek-bards make this a faster paced mystery than most of the other books. My one complaint is that the events in the conflict leading up to the ending should cause some deep character breaks in Mercy – and from the way the last scene plays out, they don't seem to. Even so, this is a remarkably good series, and one to watch if you're into paranormals.

BLACKBOX : A novel in 840 Chapters, Nick Walker. While reading this, I consistently found myself flashing back to Geoff Ryman's "hypertext" novel 254, where each chapter takes on the thoughts and descriptions of a tube passenger. Blackbox explores a similar premise in the lives of interconnected strangers tied to a particular airline flight. As you might expect from the title, the chapters are extremely short and hop quickly and, at times, chaotically from one character to the next, forming tenuous connections that gain strength as further layers are revealed. It's a quick read, despite the bit of mental gymnastics, and, for all it's pre tense, not terribly profound. It does manage to entertain and question, which all successful novels should do, and for that alone, is worth a look.

Kitty Takes a Holiday by Carrie Vaughn. Vaughn's Kitty books have always carried a strong balance of mystery, relationship and humor – an important mix in the paranormal genre. Kitty Takes a Holiday is a bit darker than the first two series, but no less compelling. Following the backlash from the events in Kitty Goes to Washington, Kitty's holed up in a cabin in the woods. As might be expected, peace and tranquillity don't stay for long, and she's soon dealing with her lawyer's transformation into a were, a local curse aimed at her, and an evil and unnatural skinwalker wolf. Vaughn does a good job of integrating another culture's taking on werewolves with a relationship heavy murder-mystery; I'll look forward to reading the next Kitty book.