#Austin Public Library

[jennifergandinle]

Showing my kiddo the zine section at our amazing downtown library, I pulled a random zine from the shelf and look whose it was! @alexwrekk spotting in the wilds of Austin!

(Edited to correct my typo!)

[jaytherobot]

Went to the library to sketch and realized just how bad my art rut has been. I've barely drawn or made art since COVID, aside from what I would do for work. This helped though.

One thing I tried was drawing shape-first instead of line-first. I drew all the glass in blue marker, then all the wood in yellow. I used the big fat brush tip end and held it sideways. Only after I finished drawing all the shapes could I start putting down lines and details.

It was a lot of fun and I want to try drawing like that more

[simonh]

Graffiti Train Bridge And Skyline, Austin, Texas by Randy von Liski Via Flickr: This view of downtown Austin shows the Graffiti Train Bridge across Lady Bird Lake. The plate girder-style bridge was constructed in 1936, but it sits on the stone piers of a previous bridge. Over the years, multiple layers of artwork and graffiti have been painted on its sides. The graffiti offers a unique and ever-changing perspective, adding a vibrant touch to a view showcasing Austin's ever-evolving skyline.

[ellewritenow]

Austin Public Library, Central branch

[mifunebooty]

OMG, BITCH! YOU HAVE SUCH FANTASTIC TASTE HAHA

[innervoiceartblog]

Detail from ‘The Quest For The Holy Grail’ by Edwin Austin Abbey.

From the artist’s set of murals, The Quest and Achievement of the Holy Grail, which adorn the Boston Public Library.

[the-physicality]

i am actually so thrilled that we have the order as of right now down.. i've said it before i'll say it again, i. need. coaches. but people are yapping about how dallas sucks, but she is the player that will make it not suck.

[sildarmillion-grounds]

Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum

Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum

LBJ Library: LBJ Presidential Library

Located in the LBJ School of Public Affairs Campus. Visited 27 August 2018.

More pictures from the LBJ School of Public Affairs Campus, including the LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections. Visited January 9 2020.

[jscolman]

...the Austin City Library.....

Austin, Texas, Spring, 2024.

[dreamcatch22]

Here is my latest movie review for Birmingham Public Library. Dune: Part Two is much better than Dune: Part One.

[bloodanddiscoballs]

Texas Residents!

Help us stop HB 3225 in Committee. HB 3225 to be heard by the State Affairs Committee Meeting on Monday, April 14 at 8AM

Provide In-Person Testimony (ATX) or Submit Written Comment (Online) against HB 3225

What does the bill do?

First, it forbids municipal public libraries from allowing anyone under 18 to access “sexually explicit” materials (the quotation marks are important). It also says a public library may not “curate, display, or make available for checkout any sexually explicit material in any minor ’s section of the library.”

The bill also uses an exceptionally broad definition of “sexually explicit.” It defines sexual conduct as “sexual contact, actual or simulated sexual intercourse, deviate sexual intercourse, sexual bestiality, masturbation, sado-masochistic abuse, or lewd exhibition of the genitals, the anus, or any portion of the female breast below the top of the areola.” No, it doesn’t define what “sexual contact” means—does kissing count? Petting?

The bill defines “access” as “the ability to check out “be provided a copy” of a book in either a physical or electronic format. It’s not totally clear to me whether just browsing shelves counts as access or not. But even if not, in order to comply with the law, libraries would have to audit their entire collections for any possible book with any possible description of sexual contact and flag those books as off-limits for checkout by anyone under 18. Which would be a massive undertaking. Practically speaking, the only way a library could comply with this law is to segregate its adult and “minors” sections.

That means two things: First, that libraries would have to restrict anyone under 18 to children’s/teen/YA sections—they could not be allowed into the library’s sections for the general (adult) public, where they might encounter “sexually explicit” books. Second, it would restrict the books that can be made available in those children’s/teen/YA sections. No sex-ed books, no descriptions of “sexual contact” in YA novels meant for older teens. Art books would be at risk, as would innocent books like Eric Carle’s Draw Me a Star and Maurice Sendak’s In the Night Kitchen.

How Can You Help?

1.) Written comments (can be submitted remotely and ahead of time): Can't testify in Austin on Monday? Texas residents can submit written comments through the Texas House's Online Public Comment form HERE. Be sure to select HB 3225. State that you are against the bill, and share why. The Committee Meeting Agenda states written comments will be accepted until Monday's hearing is adjourned.

2.) In-person verbal testimony:  Witnesses are usually given 1-2 minutes to make their public comment on the bill they wish to speak about. You will need to declare your name, and whether you are speaking "for" "against" or "on" (neutral) HB 3225. Note, if you have more to say, than can fit in your given time, you can provide both in-person verbal, and online, written public comment. Be prepared to stay all day- bring food, water, chargers, electronics, books, and patience. Find out more about how to register, once you arrive at the Capitol, HERE.

For in-person verbal testimony, witnesses (you!) will need to arrive at the Texas Capitol and make your way to the John H. Reagan Building Room 120 (1400 Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701) in time to sign in at a kiosk outside the meeting room before the meeting begins. Paid parking is available at the Capitol Garage found at 1201 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, TX 78701.

Other Things To Keep In Mind:

The committee members may ask witnesses questions, so be prepared to answer them. It is okay to answer that you do not know and offer to get back to them with more information.

Emotion in your testimony is okay - just be respectful and speak calmly, clearly, and with purpose.

Write down and practice your testimony ahead of time. You can read from it during your turn to speak.

If you hear upsetting or inflammatory comments from other speakers, you need to maintain your composure in the room. Exit quietly if you need to excuse yourself and take a break.

Suggested Talking Points:

Speak from your heart and include short personal anecdotes.

Consider how HB3225 will impact access to books and resources for children, teens, and families in your community.

Consider how HB3225 limits your rights as a parent since there is no opt-in, opt-out requirement for you to decide what books and sections of the public library your minor child may access.

Share how unrestricted access to "adult" sections of the public library helped you grow, develop and learn as a child or teen, or how you have seen unrestricted access meet the needs of children in your life.

Share your thoughts on the government interfering with your rights as a parent to decide what books are not appropriate for your minor children and teens to read.

[love-quinn]

— COLLECTORS' GUIDE

summary — you love books, and spencer can't figure out why you don't have a single one inside your apartment. his only solution is, of course, to buy you some.

warnings — swearing, reader has a toxic ex

pairing — spencer agnew x fem!mythical reader

pronouns — none (you/yours)

featuring — spencer agnew, nicole enayati, vianai austin (mentioned), kiana parker (mentioned)

word count — 1.8k

note — as someone who LOVES mythical kitchen i've been toying around with the idea of spencer and someone from that show or even just mythical in general, also she was speaking to me she told me she's a bookworm i don't make the rules sorry. thank you so much for all the love on my last two spencer fics <333 hope you enjoy

LA’s a big city; it’s loud, it’s dirty, and it’s busy. Working in the industry you do, you don’t have a whole lot of calmness in your life, which is why you make it your personal mission to make your apartment as soft and cozy as possible. 

You pile your couch with throw blankets and pillows, you have lamps where you can control the brightness, you hang art on the walls and you love it there. You layer your rugs and you keep candles on every shelf. Your apartment is one hundred percent yours, and that’s the reason Spencer likes spending time there as much as he does. 

You and Spencer are a fairly new couple, you’ve only been together a few weeks, and he still can’t quite believe the two of you are together. You work in the Mythical side of the office as a producer and sometimes on-camera for Mythical Kitchen so the two of you see each other fairly often but not every single day.

He likes to think he knows you pretty well – he is your boyfriend. But one of his favorite parts about being in this relationship with you is getting to learn more about you. Neither of you are shooting anything today so he decides to drop by your desk during his lunch break. You’re on yours too, you and Nicole are chatting across your desks, you have half a wrap in one hand and a folded over paperback novel in the other and Spencer brightens at seeing you.

“Hi, babe,” he drops a kiss on your hairline, leaning over and peering at what you’re doing. “I was gonna see if you wanted to go for lunch with me but you seem to have it covered.” 

You tilt your head back to look him in the eye, face lighting up. “Hi! I didn’t know you were coming over here.”

He shrugs, leaning on the back of your chair. Nicole excuses herself to go meet Vi for lunch like they planned and offers Spencer her chair while she’s gone so he doesn’t have to hover. Spencer watches you smile up at her as she leaves and can’t stop the frown from making its way onto his face. 

“You’re not going with them?” From what he knew, the three of you were really good friends, at the very least close coworkers. Seeing Nicole talk about her plans with your mutual friend right in front of you without inviting you felt… not wrong, but definitely weird.

You just shake your head. “No, Thursdays I usually eat by myself, they go out somewhere.” You catch the look on Spencer’s face and amend yourself quickly. “They do invite me, I just prefer to eat my lunch at my desk, I can get a chapter or two in before they get back.”

Spencer looks down at the paperback in your hand again. “What’re you reading?”

You hold it up for him. It’s an older book, with frayed edges and a peeling vinyl cover, a grainy lighthouse on the front. He takes it when you offer it and flicks through it, careful not to disturb the bookmark. “I was gonna take it back to the library on Saturday and get a new one, but I can come over after that?”

Spencer shakes his head, only now just seeing the Los Angeles Public Library sticker on the back cover. “Can I come with you? Unless that’s like, something you wanna do by yourself or whatever? I didn’t know you went to the library.”

You take the book back and put it on your desk, out of the way. You and Spencer have wordlessly begun to split the wrap that you’d packed for lunch, something you’d made at home that made his mouth water. “Yeah, of course you can come. I go most weeks, I try to read a book every week but sometimes, y’know,” you gesture around the office.

That’s how Spencer finds himself on the steps of the LAPL for what he believes to be the first time. He’d been to libraries before, obviously, but not since leaving Florida, and not for a long time. He knows you like to read, there’s often a paperback in your hand or your purse or your car, it’s your quiet time activity. He just assumed you bought your own books, but getting to walk hand in hand with you through the stacks as you browse, he definitely sees the appeal. 

You find your new book of the week and hold it up to him gleefully, and you don’t even have to pull him along to the desk for him to follow you dutifully. Spencer would let you stay in there for hours, gazing lovingly over at you as you talk familiarly with the librarian. 

Eventually, you cut yourself off and excuse yourself to return to your boyfriend, knowing that his ideal weekend plans probably didn’t include letting you drag him around the library. You really like Spencer, you don’t want to hijack all of your time together. 

Spencer hasn’t even considered that. In fact, he is actively planning the next time that the two of you can come back, desperate to see you so happy again. Desperate to make you that happy. 

It becomes almost a routine. The two of you begin your weekend by going out for breakfast somewhere, Spencer follows you around the library and then the two of you go home and spend the rest of the day quietly in one of your apartments. Usually it involves him playing Zelda on the couch with your feet in his lap while you churn through your book.

You fold around each other comfortably. You have your separate friends, your separate jobs (well… technically separate), and your separate hobbies. But as the weeks turn into months, Spencer sinks right into your little oasis in your apartment. 

His clothes end up in your drawers, he starts going in to work with homemade meals that are obviously made by someone who graduated culinary school (i.e, not him). Love pours endlessly out of every crevice, and Spencer feels like he’s drowning in it. Spencer loves his apartment, it’s his home, but as somebody who also loves you he loves your apartment a lot as well.

It feels like every single time he goes over he finds out something new about you and the way you love, which is why he’s not quite so sure why it took him so long to notice the empty shelves in your room.

You’re on your phone, lying on your stomach with your feet by the head of the bed. Spencer is just coming back from the kitchen, your coffee order in his hand when he notices it. “Are you gonna put something on that shelf?”

You look up from your phone to see the shelf he’s gesturing to. Spencer can’t pretend not to notice the way that your face falls. “Uh, sure. I can if you want?”

Spence shrugs as he comes to sit down beside you. You wriggle up so you’re sitting and take the coffee out of his hand. “I don’t care, babe. It’s your room.” He plants a kiss on the side of your face and swiftly moves on. “I just remembered on Saturday I made plans with Kiana, so I’m gonna have to skip the library, I’m sorry.” He does seem genuinely sorry to be missing out on the time spent with you, you deflate subtly.

“That’s totally fine,” you return his kiss. “Tell her I say hi. I’m not done with my current one anyway, so I might just stay home.” You love the library, you spend a lot of time there, but you’re looking forward to a nice morning by yourself at home. Then, you remember the date and groan quietly under your breath. “Never mind, I have to go in to renew it anyway, or else I’ll get another late fee.”

You’d only ever returned a library book late once in your entire life, something that Spencer found completely adorable. Especially so the fact that you viewed it as such a big deal. 

“I guess that’s the price you pay for them being free,” Spencer points out. 

You hum, “I wouldn’t mind having one or two that I get to keep,” you say it so concretely, so nonchalantly. As though it’s not actually something you’re able to do.

“Why don’t you buy a couple?”

You glance over at the empty shelves. “‘Cause it’s like, childish?”

Spencer frowns, sitting up straighter. “Babe, do you think I’m childish?”

You rush to fix your mistake. “No! Of course not, that’s not at all what I meant-”

Spencer takes your hand, putting the empty coffee cup on your nightstand. It’s filled with his things and that makes his heart swell. “No, I know you weren’t calling me childish. But do you think I am?” When you shake your head, he continues. “I have like, video game bullshit all over my place. You’re not childish for having things that you like in your apartment. Plus, books are like the most normal out of all collectibles.” His eyes are deep and sincere and you roll your heels underneath you, moving so your legs are spread out in front of you. “You want books? Buy a million fucking books, babe.”

You sigh, biting your bottom lip. “I know, it’s… I used to have stuff on that shelf,” you admit. “I had a bunch of books, I’d been collecting some of them since I was a kid and everything. My last boyfriend he, well. Doesn’t matter, long story short, I came home from work one day and they were all gone.”

Spencer is probably the last guy you’d expect to see involved in a fistfight. He’s 5 '6, he loves Hawaiian shirts and there is video evidence of him Fortnite dancing. But more than that, though, he loves you, which is why his first instinct is to go find whoever it was that did that and fuck them up.

“That’s so messed up?” He can’t even wrap his head around it. “Babe, what? No, oh my god.” He can’t even formulate a coherent sentence. You love so liberally, so generously, that the idea that someone had thrown away something you love made him physically sick.

“I’m so sorry that he did that to you, that’s fucked. Not your fault you know how to read and he doesn’t.” That makes you laugh, your chest shaking as you lean into him. He wraps an arm around you and kisses your temple, rubbing your forearm gently. 

He and Kiana have plans on Saturday, and he has no intention of bailing on them, but that doesn’t stop him from pulling out his phone and texting her, asking if she’d be willing to make another stop with him while they were together.

The next Saturday, you get home from renewing your library book to find your boyfriend waiting out the front of your apartment. He beams at you as you reach him and you don’t have to look inside the box to know that once you stop kissing him you’ll find the beginnings of your next book collection. 

[lavenderselkie]

listen they are tormenting me T_T probably in there laughing at me coming up to the door after their email and then sadly walking away... they did it again today and it's closed for a federal holiday. this is cruelty towards library patrons @ APL

"The librarians. Are emailing me. From inside the closed library. Telling me to get my books!"

-@lavenderselkie

[bet-on-me-13]

Ghost Writer is literally the Ghost Writer in your head

So! This is just a quick Post so I can jot down a new Headcanon of mine.

Ya know how we have Ghosts that represent concepts? Like how Clockwork represents Time, and Nocturn represents Dreams, and we headcanon Undergrowth as the Green from DC?

Well, Ghost Writer is a representation of the Voice in your head that narrates everything you write. From Full Length Novels to Comments on a YouTube Video, every time you write you narrate it in your head, and that is what Ghost Writer is.

And another Headcanon? Ghost Writers Library, his Haunt, is an extension of his Being. Meaning, that Library is an extension of every voice in every person's head whenever they write something.

Meaning, his Library holds a copy of Everything Ever Written.

Your cringey YouTube Comments from when you were 10? Aisle 1084, Row 6939, Shelf 38299, right next to your Half-Finished Fanfics from 3 years ago.

Jane Austin's unreleased Book that was never approved for publication? Aisle 3940, Row 4830, Shelf and 83037, right above George R. R. Martins Finale Game of Thrones Book.

Bruce Wayne's contingency Plans? Nice try, get out of here Ra's.

[innervoiceartblog]

The images above are details from ‘The Quest And Achievement of the Holy Grail’ set of murals by Edwin Austin Abbey which adorn the Boston Public Library.

[redgoldsparks]

May Reading & Reviews by Maia Kobabe

I post my reviews throughout the month on Storygraph and Goodreads, and do roundups here and on patreon. Reviews below the cut. Unfortunately, I must include the usual set of bad news for book lovers :(

Texas SB-13, a senate bill that, according to the Austin American-Statesman, “would require school districts to pull books with ‘indecent,’ ‘profane’ or ‘sexually explicit’ content and grant elected board members veto power over new purchases," passed in the Senate and is now headed to Governor Greg Abbott's desk where he will either approve or veto it. If you live in Texas, or know anyone who lives in Texas, please ask them to tell Greg Abbot they oppose this bill. In addition to the quote above, any new book that a school library wishes to acquire would be subject to a 30-day public review period, after which the school board would have another month to approve or reject the book. This would be such a nightmare headache.

Book banning is now becoming more common in Canada. Minister of Education and Childcare Demetrios Nicolaides from Alberta, Canada, announced a public feedback process around what he called “extremely graphic and age-inappropriate content” in K-12 school library books. The four books singled out by the government as containing examples of such content are Blankets by Craig Thompson, Flamer by Mike Curato, Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, and Gender Queer, all of which are comics, three of which are queer. Folks in Alberta, Canada can share their opinion on book banning in this (very biased) survey before June 6. Please share this with your Canadian friends! (source)

This isn't related to books, but please keep contacting your Representatives about the Republican Budget Reconciliation, HR 1. Every single thing I learn about it sounds like a new level of hell. In addition to blocking states from regulating AI for ten years, stripping Medicaid from approximately 21% of trans adults and cutting abortion and healthcare access from millions more people, I now hear there's a hidden provision seeking to limit the ability of courts—including the U.S. Supreme Court—from enforcing their orders. "No court of the United States may use appropriated funds to enforce a contempt citation for failure to comply with an injunction or temporary restraining order if no security was given when the injunction or order was issued," the provision in the bill, which is more than 1,000 pages long, says.

The provision "would make most existing injunctions—in antitrust cases, police reform cases, school desegregation cases, and others—unenforceable," Erwin Chemerinsky, the dean of the University of California Berkeley School of Law, told Newsweek. "It serves no purpose but to weaken the power of the federal courts." (source) This is all extremely terrible, obviously. Please call your Senators, especially if they are Republicans, to tell them you oppose this.

I also have some good news! Two of the worst anti-library bills in the nation died earlier this month when Alabama SB6 and HB4—nicknamed the “Jail the Librarians Act”—failed to make it out of committee before the legislative session ended. The victory was the result of months of work by Read Freely Alabama, and the thousands of Alabama residents who rallied to their cause. If you live in a state with active book ban legislative battles, please join a state Freedom to Read group!

Okay thank you for sticking with me, here are the book reviews:

The Prisoner of Limnos by Lois McMaster Bujold read by Grover Gardener

Bujold had so much fun putting Penric in drag and in prison in the previous books, so she decided to do it again! Another fun installment of this series, with some character development that I did not expect. 

Idlewild by James Frankie Thomas 

This book walloped me! Set in 2002, which technically makes it historical fiction, this book follows a pair of nerdy queer high schoolers who develop an intense co-dependent friendship which is then destroyed just shy of their graduation by a series of painful emotional mistakes and unprocessed traumas. Nell is the only out lesbian at the small Quaker school in New York City. Fay is a self-professed 'fag hag' (a term which body slammed me back to the early 00s) or someone obsessed with gay men and gay male culture. I immediately clocked and read Fay as a gay trans man who lacked the language to express or definite himself as such. The book supports this reading, but also keeps the majority of the plot in an 18 month stretch of time in which Fay and Nell waltz through school joined at the hip, heckling their teachers, ignoring much of their homework, acting in the school play and musical, writing fan fiction about their classmates, and DMing each other on AOL until 2 or 3am every morning but never talking about their deepest emotional wounds. There were so many feelings and moments from this book which felt deeply, or even uncomfortably, familiar from my own gender confused teen years. But also this is a novel deeply interested in the concept of narrative foils and baby does it deliver on the mirrors, the parallels, and the consequences of layering your own expectations over a real human person in your life. I have some quibbles with the epilogue of the book (part of me wants to cut that part off completely) but overall I had a great time reading this and if you were gender nonconforming and in high school between like 1998-2008 it will likely hit you very hard as well. 

The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar read by Gem Carmella 

I listened to the audiobook and it is SO gorgeously well produced; full of singing and atmospheric background sounds of water, rain, and rustling willows. If you like audio and can handle soundscaping I highly recommend that as the way to experience this fairly short but lovely queer fairy tale. One thing to note is that the audiobook is 4 hours long; but that it's actually one 3 hour story called "The River Has Roots" and then a second 1 hour long story which is a teaser for El-Mohtar's forthcoming short story collection. I enjoyed both but the second one doesn't have the emotional impact (in part provided by the music and sounds) of the first. 

Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present Day by Alex L Combs and Andrew Eakett

A well-researched, thoughtful, engaging look at trans and gender nonconforming people through history and from all around the world. This book is very welcoming to newcomers, but also full of little gems for those of us who have been reading trans histories for years. Combs and Eakett come from within the trans community, but they also pass the mic to many other trans folks of different ages, races, nationalities, and identities to share non-white and non-Western experiences. A beautiful and compassionate primer!

Side Quest: A Visual History of Roleplaying Games by Samuel Sattin and Steenz 

A brief but engaging history of role playing games, which dips into some of the most ancient forms of recorded human gaming and the diverse development of war games, courtroom games, and board games which directly proceeded the creation Dungeons and Dragons in 1974. I should have guessed that D&D wasn't the first game that Gary Gygax or Dave Arneson created, and that it borrowed many mechanics, rules, and aesthetics of previous games but remixed into a more potently successful package. The back matter includes a short playable adventure! 

Unbecoming by Seema Yasmin 

In an alternate near future so close to our own it hardly feels speculative, two Muslim teens work on a guide on how to access abortion in Texas now that it is completely illegal, with prison sentences for anyone who even aids abortion access. For Laylah this is need is not theoretical- she's over two months pregnant and desperate to end the pregnancy without anyone in her life finding out. This stubborn shameful secrecy is not based in any specific logic, as it was made clear that Laylah's mother, grandmother, and best friend would immediately all support her and offer help if she asked. Meanwhile, Laylah's bestie Noor, a student journalist, is chasing the rumor of stolen donations made to the local mosque and an Iman's wife who might have taken them for her own purposes. There was a lot I enjoyed in this book, from very fun mixed media formatting choices, to the strong female friendship, to seeing two characters different relationship to religion. As an adult reader I was at times somewhat frustrated by the teens making foolish, self-sabotaging choices (please just be honest with your very supportive family!) but as a teen I think this book would have knocked my socks off. 

The Killing Moon by NK Jemisin read by Sarah Zimmerman 

Another home run of a book from NK Jemisin. This one is set in an alternate version of ancient Egypt, a city-state called Gujaareh, in which dreams serve as a source of magic. Sharers take dream-tithes from the citizens which they use to heal wounds and mental illness. Gatherers take a person's dreamblood- their life force- to be used in the service of Hananja, the moon goddess, ruler of the realm of dreams and the afterlife. One of these Gatherers is Ehiru, whose faith in his work and his mission is absolute- until he botches a gathering, accidentally sending a man's soul into the nightmare realm instead of a peaceful eternity. The man's angry spirit warns Ehiru that he is being used for corrupt purposes before it is ripped apart. Meanwhile, a diplomat from a neighboring country investigates her predecessor's probable murder; an apprentice-Gatherer begins his final training, not hiding the feelings he harbors for his mentor; and the Prince of the city, who killed his father and all of his siblings except one to gain the thrown plots a course towards immortality and domination. This book was written before the Broken Earth trilogy, and it's a bit easier of a read, partly because it is shorter. If you want to get into Jemisin but have been a bit intimidated, this is great book to start with. If you've already read Broken Earth, pick up this one too! It's a delightful treat. Re-read (audiobook) in 2025 and enjoyed it very much again!

Firebird by Sunmi 

This is a quiet, gentle coming of age story about two Korean American teens both trying to balance responsibilities of family and school with a search for their own identities and priorities. Caroline is a sophomore whose days are shaped by zero periods, band practice, studying, and reading fantasy romance comics when people aren't paying attention. Kim is a senior failing Algebra 2, possibly because she is in constant motion: picking her younger siblings up from school, working at a mechanic shop, teaching guitar lessons, helping her mom, and showing up at every social occasion even at very last minute notice. Caroline is assigned as Kim's math tutor, and that connection blooms into a friendship which pulls Caroline out of their shell and slows Kim down a little bit. I loved the hand inked line art and the soft way the story unfolded; it felt like real life. 

Watson’s Sketchbook by Molly Knox Ostertag 

The best reading experience of this book would be as a companion piece to a re-read of the complete set of Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, as these sketches and short comics weave in between the canon filling in a compelling love story that can be glimpsed between the lines. As a long time Sherlock Holmes AU enjoyer, I am very happy to add this version to my collection! These comics can also be read on tumblr.

Strange Bedfellows by Ariel Slamet Reis 

Beautiful, but at times baffling, this comic follows Oberon, a trans college dropout living in a terraformed space colony where many people have developed superpowers of some sort, called Ghosts. Oberon has been struggling with burnout and migraines which doctors can't cure or diagnose. He's also the only person in his family without a magic power, which he has a real chip on his shoulder about. But then he starts manifesting things from his dreams, and also manifesting a grown up version of his high school crush, Kon. Oberon knows that this version of Kon is just a manifestation of his own fantasy and thoughts, but he started working with Kon to try and explore and train his new powers. I LOVED the art in this and was wowed by many of the action sequences but will admit I was at times kind of lost as to what was happening. It's a trippy, dreamy book! Pick it up when you are in the mood for a dream logic ride, not when you are in the mood for hard sci-fi.  

The King’s Companion by Hannah Hallman 

A sexy, self-aware fantasy story of an immortal elf lord falling for a human king. This comic was clearly born out of a Legolas/Aragorn fanfiction, but then grew into its own tender meditation on unrequited love and mismatched lifespans in a world of magic, danger, and adventure. It's spicy, it's funny, it's beautifully drawn, what's not to love? 

The Shadowed Sun by NK Jemisin read by Sarah Zimmerman 

NK Jemisin is a master world builder, and there was a lot of sensual pleasure in simply returning to the world of Gujaareh, a city infused with dream magic, ten years after the end of the events of the previous book. This second volume picks up a very minor character from book one (Wanahomen, son of the previous Prince) as well as some completely new characters (including Hanani, the first woman ever to be trained as a healer by the Hetawa) as its leads. This unlikely pair must work together to free their city from the Kisuati occupation which resulted from the last war. While I enjoyed how this book explored some of the indigenous tribes who live in the desert between Gujaareh and Kisua, I have some fundamental questions about the ethics underlying the plot. Gujaareh's justice system includes religious mercy killings, performed by characters who are written as sympathetic heroes. There's also a pretty black and white system for determining whether someone is corrupt, and so merits a mercy killing, or not corrupt, and so is allowed to continue on with their life. Multiple characters express that "intentions matter more than actions", a belief that is directly opposite of what I believe in our real world. Because intentions justify actions, it is okay for Wanahomen to start a violent uprising because his ultimate goal is to rule Gujaareh peacefully. SPOILERS: It's also apparently okay for him to put Hanani in a position where she is probably going to be raped, in order to cement a political alliance and his war plans. Hanani learns that Wanahomen set her up for a sexual assault but forgives him and ultimately falls in love with him. In addition to this, the main "villain" of this story is a disabled child, who is accidentally killing innocent people with her powerful nightmares; nightmares fueled by the abuse she has received at the hands of her father, who is also her grandfather, because she is the produce of incest and rape. This story is set in a world where healers can use magic to cure 90% of all wounds and illnesses, as well as some types of mental health issues. Yet Hanani makes the call the disabled child is too damaged to be healed, and that the best option for her is a mercy killing, since as long as she lives she will continue to kill other people around her unintentionally. Why isn't the dream blood magic strong enough to heal the child? Why is it the right choice to kill the child, who is killing people but without intention, in a world where supposedly intentions are more important than actions? In some ways the ending of this book feels like an echo of Omelas, but instead of keeping the child alive and suffering in the hole, Hanani must peacefully kill the child in her sleep in order for the utopian city life to continue. I don't know man. I'm just really not sure about the values this book seems to be arguing for.