You've just been dumped by your celebrity boy/girlfriend do you:

1. Tear down the posters, throw away the pictures and otherwise remove all reminders of their presence.
2. Sink into a deep funk, get a new blonder hair cut and fashionable clothing.
3. Swear revenge on your former significant other by surpassing them in stardom and then ruthlessly crushing them with the full weight of your celebrity.  Then they’ll be sorry.
4. All of the above

If you were Kyoko Mogami, the main character of Yoshiki Nakamura’s Skip Beat, you’d be circling option “4” so deeply your pencil would snap.  Skip Beat tells the story of Kyoko as she, freshly dumped by her arrogant celebrity boyfriend, tries to break into showbiz with the sole purpose of surpassing him.  While her less than noble intentions make her no friends (including attracting the disgust of Japan’s #1 young celebrity Ren Tsuruga) and initially sink her chances of stardom, her intensity and overwhelming drive to succeed at her current goal makes her irresistible to the L.M.E Entertainment Company and its bizarre President.  Now all she has to do is become an actor.  How hard can that be?

Kyoko’s overwhelming drive and intensity sold me on this series despite the fact that, as a guy, I’m somewhat out of the author’s target audience.  Her emotions, shifting from seething rage to blissful pleasure to abject terror, are so compellingly depicted that you can’t help but be drawn into her emotional world.  Watching her growth as an actor, especially as she transforms so completely into her characters, is amazingly satisfying.  Every time she takes on a new role I am excited; I know her new transformation will be even more incredible than the last.  The side characters, enemies, allies, and frenemies alike, add a much needed element of comedic balance and pacing to Kyoko’s emotional tempest and help to guide Kyoko (and in a way we readers) deeper into the world of show businesses. After reading Skip Beat, I don’t want to go back.

Don’t miss my other Great Graphic Novel Series

Full Metal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa

Pluto by Naoki Urasawa

 I read James Garner's autobiography The Garner Files and decided to give him a call. As in the start of each Rockford Files episode, I got what purported to be his answering machine instead. Here's how it went.

"This is Jim. At the tone, leave your name and message. I'll get back to you. Beep"

"Hey Jim, or may I call you Jimmy? This is Michael Sarhad at San José Library. You don't know me, but I think you owe me, OK? Just finished reading your book. Now I owe $13.50 in library fines. But it's your fault. If you hadn't written such a good book, I wouldn't owe this large of a fine, see? So I think you should pay me back for the fine. After all, I couldn't put your book down until I finished it. Granted, I'm a rather slow reader and I didn't pick it up to read in the first place until it was already overdue, but that's all beside the point. The book is too interesting to read and/or return quickly anyway — an excellent celebrity bio, but without much of the usual sniping at other celebs. You give Garnerphiles many entertaining narratives on your rough childhood, military service, breaking into stage and screen acting, Maverick, Crosby Pro-Am and other golf stories, your movies, auto racing, The Rockford Files, your fights in and out of court, your critically acclaimed later career, and much more. What's really neat are two sections of the book: where your friends write about you mostly humorously, and where you honestly rate and criticize your own movies (you may be your toughest critic). You are known as a straight-shooter who looks out for the little guy, and these qualities shine through in the book. As a little guy myself, I expect that you will look out for me too. So after I pay the fine, you will receive a copy of my $13.50 fine receipt, along with a self-addressed stamped envelope so as not to inconvenience you too much. Please return the payment promptly. Have a wonderful day."

Come and enjoy the afternoon with us and this fabulous scientist brought to life! Join us today for the 4:00pm show located in the Internet Cafe at the Santa Teresa Branch Library. Order a latte' from Heavenly Brew while you enjoy this event.

Free to all.  Aspiring scientists welcome!