#i love zoe thorogood

[khaoticqueer]

It sucks that I hyper-fixated on a mini-series comic that’s ending in 2 issues. I am going to think about these 4 issues forever me thinks.

Ill probably work on fan art soon lol.

[wuntrum]

does anyone have any favorite graphic memoirs / autobiographical graphic novels...bonus points if theyre obscure and/or recent

[isaacbookclub]

Huge thanks to my friend who attended the Alice Oseman Pop Up Shop this weekend for their photo of Alice’s reasons for each recommendation

THE CATCHER IN THE RYE BY JD SALINGER

This was one of the books that made me want to write SOLITAIRE. Essential reading for any fans of snarky narrators.

SUMMER BIRD BLUE BY AKEMI DAWN BOWMAN

It's hard to find aromantic/asexual representation infiction, but this is one of my favourites.

CONVENIENCE STORE WOMAN BY SAYAKA MURATA, TRANSLATED BY GINNY TAPLEY TAKEMORI

One of my favourite novels of the past few years, perfect for SOLITAIRE and LOVELESS fans. A story about one woman's alienation with modern society.

THE BLACK FLAMINGO BY DEAN ATTA

A beautiful and hopeful story about a teenage drag queen, written in verse.

HERE THE WHOLE TIME BY VITOR MARTINS

An adorable queer teen romance. HEARTSTOPPER fans will love this.

HOMEBODY BY THEO PARISH

This trans coming out story is so uplifting and affirming.

LAURA DEAN KEEPS BREAKING UP WITH ME BY MARIKO TAMAKI

I loved the complexity of the toxic relationship at the heart of this stunningly illustrated graphic novel.

IT'S LONELY AT THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH BY ZOE THOROGOOD

This graphic novel features a hard-hitting and honest portrayal of depression. A great choice for those who are drawn to the mental health themes in my works.

[howgalling]

AT THOUGHTBUBBLE!!! I love this outfit lmaoo

not tabling this year!! hanging with my bestie zoe thorogood at her table ❤️❤️

[the-forest-library]

August 2023 Reads

The Annotated Persuasion - Jane Austen

Nothing But the Truth - Holly James

The Last Word - Katy Birchall

The Deja Glitch - Holly James

Love, Theoretically - Ali Hazelwood

The Dane of My Existence - Jessica Martin

They Hate Each Other - Amanda Woody

Mister Magic - Kiersten White

Stars, Hide Your Fires - Jessica Mary Best

Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree

The Study of Poisons - Maria V. Snyder

This is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone

His Majesty's Dragon - Naomi Novik

Sea of Tranquility - Emily St. John Mandel

The Brothers Hawthorne - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Give Me a Sign - Anna Sortino

Rewind - Lisa Graff

Tuesdays at the Castle - Jessica Day George

Mice Skating - Annie Silvestro

The Rock from the Sky - Jon Klassen

Ancient Night - David Bowles

Fangirl, Vol 1 - Sam Maggs, Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl, Vol 2 - Sam Maggs, Rainbow Rowell

Family Style - Thien Pham

It's Lonely at the Centre of the Earth - Zoe Thorogood

Congratulations, the Best is Over - R. Eric Thomas

Strong Female Character - Fern Brady

Everything I Know About Love - Dolly Alderton

Sipping Dom Perignon Through a Straw - Eddie Ndopu

Organizing for the Rest of Us - Dana K. White

You Just Need to Lose Weight - Aubrey Gordon

Vibrant - Stacie Stephenson

How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids - Jancee Dunn

Allergic - Theresa MacPhail

Generations - Jean M. Twenge

Enough - Shauna M. Ahern

Sensitive - Jenn Granneman

The Lady's Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness - Sarah Ramey

Dressing Barbie - Carol Spencer

Goblin Mode - McKayla Coyle

How to Resist Amazon and Why - Danny Caine

The Artist's Way - Julia Cameron

Bold = Highly Recommend Italics = Worth It Crossed out = Nope

Thoughts: 

Some really good reads this month, and some disappointments. I really enjoyed They Hate Each Other and was surprised by how much I liked the Fangirl manga. I also finally found an Ali Hazelwood book that I didn't DNF, lol.

Goodreads Goal: 289/400 

2017 Reads | 2018 Reads | 2019 Reads | 2020 Reads | 2021 Reads| 

2022 Reads | 2023 Reads

[hollow-toy]

Please give us graphic novel recommendations!

YAY okay!!! i love graphic novels as an art form and i am very enthusiastic about them. i have also read many of them. here are nine i recommend

are you listening? by tille walden. perhaps my favorite graphic novel of all time. (all recommendations below are organized arbitrarily) beautiful use of color, which walden always has on lock. not a cheerful story

eat the rich by sarah gailey. heavyhanded and indulgent in its allegory, if that wasn't already obvious from the title. beautiful illustrations

asterios polyp by david mazzucchelli. a story about a man who sucks. won four eisner awards. incredible use of color and style

the motherless oven trilogy by rob davis. one of the goodreads reviews, loosely paraphrased, says "you either need to be high or have a degree in philosophy to understand these books. 4/5 stars"

laura dean keeps breaking up with me by mariko tamaki and rosemary valero-o'connell. if you're at all into contemporary graphic novels you probably know this one. if you don't know it, it's a lesbian story. gorgeous illustration

watchmen/v for vendetta by alan moore and dave gibbons/david lloyd. i consider these nested books, in a way. probably just because i read them around the same time and alan moore was the writer on both. watchmen is my favorite of the two story-wise but i love the visual style of v for vendetta

ducks: two years in the oil sands by kate beaton. a veritable tome, but it doesn't actually take long to read. beaton has a beautiful simple style and her visual storytelling in......certain scenes is incredible. i still think about the final few panels sometimes

it's lonely at the centre of the earth by zoe thorogood. everyone and their angsty friend who's into graphic novels knows this one. not everyone likes it (obviously i like it). but no one can deny thorogood's skill with a pen

that's it for now. if any of you read any of these, please let me know what you think, even if you hated it!! recommend me some graphic novels!!

[fantasticalleigh]

LEIGH'S RIDICULOUSLY BIG TBR/TBW LISTS

like i mentioned before i am too busy/hesitant to actually consume a lot of new media (or at least be able to focus on it) so i'm critically behind on so much stuff. don't judge me pls :S lmao

anything in bold is something that i've begun but not finished :P tagging @snow-in-the-desert bc you expressed interest in seeing the lists!

TO READ:

The Love Hypothesis - Ali Hazelwood

The Hurricane Wars - Thea Guanzon

Winter's Promise - Christelle Dabos

The Stand - Stephen King

North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell

The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

Work - Louisa May Alcott

Don Quixote - Miguel de Cervantes

Dr. Sleep - Stephen King

The Secret History - Donna Tartt

The Last Duel - Erik Jager

Portrait of a Lady - Henry James

The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller

The Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton

The Great Mortality - John Kelly

Dead by Sunset - Ann Rule

Dracula - Bram Stoker

It's Lonely at the Center of the Earth - Zoe Thorogood

The Great Influenza - John M. Barry

The Monster of Florence - Douglas Preston

The Lottery and other stories - Shirley Jackson

Helter Skelter - Vincent Bugliosi with Curt Gentry

White Noise - Don DeLilo

Icebreaker - Hannah Grace

She Is a Haunting - Trang Thanh Tran

This Thing Between Us: A Novel - Gus Moreno

Parable of the Sower - Octavia E. Butler

^^ This is an incomplete list--I know there are others but these are the books I've bought over the past couple years and have not yet finished/ready. They are stacked on my desk and around my room, silently accusing me of neglect. I wither in shame. The rest of the list escapes me currently. This also doesn't include the tbrs currently on my e-reader since I can't remember where it is to see what's on there.

MOVIES/MEDIA TO WATCH:

Any Adam Driver movie that isn't on Netflix (House of Gucci, Annette, Paterson etc.) I have seen the Last Duel, Blackkklansman, This is where I leave you, Marriage Story, White Noise, Frances Ha and a few others). I know Ferarri is in theaters right now but I've kind of developed a phobia of theaters since 2020 :S

a ridiculous number of documentaries/video essays on youtube that I do not have the energy to go look for right now

Fall of the House of Usher (I love Mike Flanagan's work but I'm still hooked on Midnight Mass and Daddy Father Prewitt)

The Haunting of Bly Manor (I know everyone was obsessed with this and I meant to watch it but I was reading the Turn of the Screw when it came out and didn't want to get spoiled for it so I avoided it like the plague and finished the book but never got to watching the show)

Blue Eye Samurai

The Beguiled

Ugly Betty (I'm actually on season 2 and it's charming and funny but holy shit the amount of body shaming/slut shaming/ homophobia in this show. definitely a product of its time.)

Anne with an E

Fleabag (never finished it but thought it was amazing)

What we do in the shadows (have seen all but the most current season)

Reservation dogs

The Batman (2023)

Black Swan

The Crown

Band of Brothers

Demon Slayer

Whiplash

Wolf of Wall Street

Birds of Prey

Downton Abbey

Peaky Blinders

Nimona

Drag me to Hell

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Queen Charlotte (halfway through but haven't finished. i hate things that make me cry when i watch them so i have to be in a very specific mood to watch emotional heavy things)

Lady Bird

The Banshees of Inisherin

BARBIE (*ducks thrown rocks* I'll get to it, i SWEAR) (but i'm amazing at avoiding spoilers at this point i still know very little about the movie)

Men

Pearl

The Invisible Man

The Turning

Succession

Suspiria

Promising Young Woman

Shiva Baby

Luca

The Green Knight

Licorice Pizza

Bullet Train

The Menu

Women Talking

Knives Out + Glass Onion (*ducks more thrown rocks*)

Paddington 2!!!!

SHadow and Bone (honestly I lost almost all interest in reading/watching this once I heard the hot villain dies. BOOOO)

Carol

That one newish show with Adam Scott that looks super liminal and sci fi i can't remember the name

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Oppenheimer

Killers of the Flower Moon

Guardians of the Galaxy 3

M3gan

Turning Red

Everything Everywhere All At once

Nope

Barbarian

Just like the book list, I'm sure there's many other titles I'm forgetting to put here. I actually have branched out and watched a fair amount of new movies this year so i'm going to keep it going! and here's one more list just because this is fun

Stuff I watched or read in 2023 that I loved/recommend (with the caveat that not all of this came out in 2023): (and i'm not including obvious stuff like Spider man across the spiderverse)

White Noise

Don't Look Up

Living in the Time of Dying (documentary on Youtube. It is HEAVY on existentialism and the science/data on the current state of climate change. This WILL ruin your day so I'm warning you now. Definitely don't watch it today. This really affected me and I cried for a long time after watching this but it is incredibly important to keep in mind.)

Blackkklansman (i had to watch this with the volume on the lowest setting bc of all the n words being dropped so frequently lmao but goddamn this was so good and funnier than i expected.)

DIMENSION 20: Burrow's End!!!!! As well as The Unsleeping City season 1. Neverafter and A Crown of Candy are probably at the lower end of the list but I still love them. (thank you to @rogueimperator for cluing me onto how amazing D20 and Dropout are. <3 this is a whole new world lol)

Midnight Sun :)

7. Christine and the Queens - Redcar les adorables étoiles Full show on Youtube. I was supposed to see him live in October but he got injured and had to cancel the rest of his tour :( but this album and the video are incredible! Slight warning for semi nudity.

8. Game Changer on Dropout. he's been here the whole time!

9. The 1975 live at Madison Square Garden. I was lucky enough to see them twice this tour with my twin sister and we had an absolutely amazing time. They always put on amazing shows and this particular tour/their latest album meant so much to us. Even our younger brother has come with us for some of these shows so it's something we all share. (Last time they came to Chicago in 2022 the venue was too small so they didn't have the House set with them so we didn't get to see it in action until this year) Sex and The Sound will always be the perfect closers for their shows and I get so emotional every time I hear them. Core memories for sure.

10. Puss in Boots: the last wish. this seems like another obvious answer that i probably could have left off but this gets an honorary mention because our family cat was diagnosed with advanced bone cancer in August, and we had to put him down very soon after that diagnosis. We spent an agonizing week tending to him and cherishing every last second we could get with him. I've been fortunate enough to never experience the death of a pet until this year, and i almost wish we didn't have any pets at all because I've never felt such excruciating grief. He was a fat, grumpy orange boy with beautiful yellow stripes and a little yellow mustache. I was trying to distract myself and found this movie on Netflix and watched it, then recommended it to my sister (who is actually Thomas's owner but we all shared him) though I warned her the movie did deal with themes on mortality. We all watched it together the night before his final vet visit and Tommy was there with us on a comfy pillow. I hope he approved of the movie, because now any time I think of Puss in Boots i think of him. <3

I could add more to this but my eyes are tired and I'm wired up from coffee. I know this is long as hell so sorry but I had fun making it! I'll probably keep coming back to this post in the future to cross out what I've watched.

[notcatherinemorland]

for my art gcse exam (10 hours) (a big deal at the time) i did this fuckoff massive portrait of the only suitable male face i had access to photograph at the time: my father. to this day he still jokes about how deeply unflattering this portrait was. (it was actually quite unflattering) (it was a take on a mugshot and i had to accentuate his features for visual interest.) (it was not a portrait of him, i just needed a male face) (i genuinely forgot it was my dad i was drawing at one point). anyway i was looking back over all my ink and dip pen work because i loved it so much (i had a great time drawing them all) (also i read zoe thorogood and ive thought of little but ink n dip pen since) and i decided hey! what if i take my friend's beloved dnd character and do a dip pen portrait! he might like that :)

because apparently. i do not learn. after 7 years of jokes about how unflattering it was. i do another one.

[thelonecalzone]

The Unaired Two-Page Conversation

I think we're past the point of possible spoilers, so as promised: the 2pg book conversation that was cut for time (and realism). Originally, I was experimenting with "unsent" books as part of the conversations, but I thought it would ultimately be too confusing and opted not to use that, so anything you see with a strikethrough is an "unsent" book.

(If this text formatting is ultra zany and hard to read, someone please tell me and I'll make it more regular. Allison is Blue, Patty is Red... for reasons... 🫠)

Allison: It’s Lonely at the Center of the Earth, by Zoe Thorogood

Patty: Not Here, by Hieu Minh Nguyen

Allison: Tell Me Everything, by Minka Kelly

Patty: Daily Rituals, by Phoebe Garnsworthy

Patty: Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, ZZ Packer

Patty: Crime, by Irvine Welsh

Allison: Without Me? by Chelle Bliss

Allison: Exciting Times, by Naoise Dolan

Patty: Not Without You, by Harriet Evans

Patty: The Page Turner, by David Leavitt

Allison: I Got a Job and It Wasn’t That Bad, by Scott Dikkers

Patty: Really Moving On, by Pierre Jeanty

Patty: What Kind of Job Can a Monkey Do? by Sato Akira

Allison: Hey Rick! Don’t Be So Rude! by Alyssa Thompson

Patty: I Like Monkeys, by Peter Hansard

Allison: So You Like Me Too, by OPR

Patty: The Miseducation of Cameron Post, by Emily M. Danforth

Allison: Just Say Yes, by Niobia Bryant

Patty: Yes, Chef, by Marcus Samuelsson

Patty: Get to the Point, by Joel Schwartzberg

Allison: I Miss You, by Pat Thomas

Allison: Without You, by Saskia Sarginson

Allison: You’re, by Keisha Ervin

Allison: I Got My Dream Job and So Can You, by Pete Leibman 

Patty: Super Spy, by Matt Kindt

Allison: The Librarian Spy, by Madeline Martin

Patty: For the Love of Books, by Graham Tarrant

Allison: Reminds Me of You, by Retno Handini

Allison: For the Thrill of It, by Simon Baatz

Patty: Run Towards the Danger, by Sarah Polley

Allison: Risking it All, by Tessa Bailey

Patty: Risk (With Me), by Sue Wilder

Patty: Ambitious Girl, by Meena Harris

Allison: Yeah, Right, by Jim and Helen Fox

Patty: The Follow-Through Factor: Getting from Doubt to Done, by Gene C. Hayden

Allison: A Stroke of Dumb Luck, by Shiloh Walker

Patty: Credit Where Credit is Due, by Frank Casey

Allison: Optimists Die First, by Susin Neilsen

Patty: The Price of Immortality, by Peter Ward

Allison: Death Visits the Hair Salon, by Amy Anderson

Patty: Murder in the Library, by Katie Gayle

Allison: Sounds Like Fun, by Bryan Moriarty

Patty: I Have More Fun With You Than Anybody, by Lige Clark

Patty: Certifiably Insane, by Arthur W. Bahr

Allison: Charming as a Verb, by Ben Philippe

Patty: How Do You Manage? by John Nicholson

Allison: Liquor, by Poppy Z. Brite

Patty: Hardly Know Her, by Laura Lippman

Allison: Don’t Be Gross, by Barbara Bakos

Patty: It’s Just Anatomy! by Ellen

Allison: Rough Transition, by Patrick Kelley

Patty: Some Girls Like it Rough, by Marlo Peterson

Allison: What Sort of Girls Were They? by Petrea Leslie

Patty: Girls with Bright Futures, by Tracy Dobmeier

Allison: I’m a Little Ghost and I Like the Dark, by Lynda Kimmel

Patty: Dark As the Grave Wherein My Friend Is Laid, by Malcolm Lowrey

Allison: Murder in the Dark, by Simon R. Green

Patty: My Job Was To Bring The Shovel, by Randall M. Rueff

Allison: The Complete Accomplice, by Steve Aylett

Patty: The Magician’s Assistant, by Ann Patchett

Allison: The Witch’s Familiar, by Raven Grimassi

Patty: Witch Minion, by Lissa Kasey

Allison: These Witches Don’t Burn, by Isabel Sterling

Patty: The Drowning Kind, by Jennifer McMahon

Allison: A Touch Morbid, by Leah Clifford

Patty: Lucy Clark Will Not Apologize, by Margo Rabb

Allison: I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight, by James Hold

Patty: Whiskey, Words, and a Shovel, by R. H. Sin

Allison: Sounds Perfect, by Ashley Boren

Patty: How I Made a Friend, Daniel Georges

Allison: Good For You (Between the Lines), by Tammara Webber

Patty: We’re Very Good Friends, by P.K. Hallinan

Allison: Sounds Fake, But Okay, by Sarah Costello

Patty: What If It’s True? by Charles Martin

Allison: What If It Wasn’t? by Ivan Itch

Patty: Why Do You Care? by Saju Skaria

Allison: I’m Fine and Neither Are You, by Camille Pagán

Allison: The Replacement Part, by Nora Wylde

Patty: Just a Friend, by Ashley Nicole

Allison: How to Kill Your Best Friend, by Lexie Elliott

Patty: You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack, by Tom Gauld

Allison: Dead Jealous, by Sharon Jones

Patty: You’ve Got to Have Friends, by Delbert George Fitzpenfield Anthony

Allison: Everything I Need I Get From You, by Kaitlyn Tiffany

Allison: Among Other Things, by Robert Long Foreman

Allison: Truths I Learned from Sam, ​​by Kristin Butcher

Patty: The Idiot King, by Patty Jansen

Allison: He Helped Me Climb the Mountain, by Betty E. Wright

Patty: The Man Who Pushed His Wife off a Cliff, by Will D. Burn

Patty: Men are Trash, by Salman Faris 

Patty: And That’s Why I Think I Prefer A Rainbow Horse, by Tiarra Nazario

Patty: Sam Houston’s Wife, by William Seale

Allison: What About Her, by Emma Tharpe

Patty: Amelia Bedelia Sleeps Over, by Herman Parish

Patty: The Undead in my Bed, by Katie McAlister

Allison: Sleeping with the Enemy, by Nancy Price

Allison: How Could You Do That?! by Laura Schlessinger

Allison: How Could You Murder Us? by Charae Lewis

Allison: Why Her? by Nicki Koziarz

Allison: I Hate You, Don’t Leave Me, by Jerold J. Kreisman

Patty: I Was Joking, Of Course, by Paul Jennings

Allison: Liar, by Tate James

Patty: What if I Say the Wrong Thing? by Verna A Myers

Allison: Don’t Look Back, by Josh Lanyon

Patty: Come Back, by Sally Crosiar

Patty: SHIT, by Shahnon Ahmad

Patty: Barbie: It Takes Two, by Grace Baranowski

Allison: I Changed My Mind, by Jimmy Evans

Allison: Allison Hewitt Is Trapped, by Madeleine Roux

Patty: Are You Still There, by Sara Lynn Schreeger

Patty: Wait for Me, by Caroline Leech

Allison: Look Back, by Tatsuki Fujimoto

[persimmonteas]

hi shay! if you're doing them, i'd love to hear about Thethuthinnang, Clover, and Bluebell for the watership down book asks!

Thethuthinnang: What book do you want to recommend to everyone you meet?

Bad Blood by John Carreyrou about the now-defunct medical startup Theranos is a wild ride.

The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness by Elyn R. Saks is a vivid recounting of the author's experiences with academia and schizophrenia.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty is written by a mortician and will make you think about death and mortality differently.

Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style by W. David Marx is just a super fascinating book about a niche topic.

I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life by Anne Bogel is a fun book for readers about readers.

The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare revived my hope in historical romance books. If you like romance, read it!

How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis should be required reading for anybody who is neurodiverse.

Clover: What book has fundamentally changed you?

When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities by Chen Chen is a beautiful collection of poems.

It's Lonely at the Centre of the Earth by Zoe Thorogood is a graphic memoir and was relatable as a fellow creative who was depressed through her early 20s. This Is How I Disappear by Mirion Malle made me sob.

Death Wins a Goldfish: Reflections from a Grim Reaper's Yearlong Sabbatical by Brian Rea is thoughtful, amusing, and charming.

A Common Table: 80 Recipes and Stories from My Shared Cultures: A Cookbook by Cynthia Chen McTernan is one of my favorite Asian cuisine cookbooks.

In the Small Kitchen by Phoebe Lapine and Cara Eisenpress is a fun cookbook that chronicles their 20s.

Bluebell: Have you ever laughed out loud while reading?

The Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews made me giggle a lot (two words: ferret heist). I'm also partial to the Innkeeper series.

The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today by Hitsuzi Yamada is a manga series that is very totoro x way of the house husband. I too would like a giant cat butler.

Full Sack: Thanksgiving Erotica by Layla Fae is so ridiculous and so charming at the same time lol.

Bookish asks

[plushclownxo]

Thank you to everyone following me and showing my art love 🩷✨ it truly means the world to me.

A little more about me xoxox ⬆️ this is me sleepy in bed (where you can find me usually)

I'm 28 years old 🦷 Virgo 🦷I'm a genderqueer demi bisexual. I love clowns, pixel art, plushies +toys and anything pink/pastel.

I'm a multimedia artist but my favorite mediums are traditional/digital illustration, tattooing, crochet, painting and working with textiles.

My favorite things to do besides art is play video games, read and listen to records.

My favorite games are Pokémon, Fallout, Splatoon, Sun Haven, Skyrim, Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley and VR.

My favorite books rn Princess Jellyfish, TAZ graphic novel series, The impending blindness of Billy Scott by Zoe Thorogood and Sheets (Delicates and Lights) by Brenna Thummler

Aaannndd my favorite records in my collection are Dean Martin - Welcome to my World, Matt and Kim - Grand (and Sidewalks), Mr. Clitt and the Pink Cigarettes -Wet Willy and Wayne Newton - Red roses for a blue lady

I live with my partner and my best friend/roommate (who I also make art with 🩷✨) I have 2 dogs (Sadie 6, Zoey 1) and 2 cats (PuppyCat & Chubb brother and sister who are only 1) and my roommate also has 3 cats so we have a full house of sweet babies.

I have a big art studio in house and I'd be okay if I never left my house ever again. I'm a homebody but looking to get back into nature this year.

Sorry for the little ramble bio xoxox if you read this thank you 💋💐 I hope you are having a wonderful day and a happy start to the new year 🐉✨

[clinchcoverenthusiast]

I read a bunch of comics and graphic novels in December with a little romance, lit fic, sci fi, and fantasy mixed in. It's difficult to pick favorites because everything I finished was pretty good but I choose Erasure, Ashwin, The Hunger and the Dusk, and Family Style. I own Role Playing but (comfort reread) listened to the eaudio via KU, and also own Erasure. Wild Pitch was on KU as was Consort of Fire, which I listened to, and everything else was from either Hoopla or Libby.  

The Blighted Stars (The Devoured Worlds #1) - Megan E. O'Keefe

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands - Kate Beaton

Role Playing - Cathy Yardley* **

The Hunger and the Dusk #1 - G. Willow Wilson, Christian Wildgoose

The Hunger and the Dusk #2 - G. Willow Wilson, Christian Wildgoose

The Hunger and the Dusk #3 - G. Willow Wilson, Christian Wildgoose

Technically Yours - Denise Williams* **

Blue in Green - Ram V., Anand R.K.* **

Always Never - Jordi Lafebre

It's Lonely at the Center of the Earth - Zoe Thorogood

Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam - Thien Pham* **

Consort of Fire (Bound to Fire & Steel #1) - Kit Rocha

Friday Black - Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah* **

The Hunger and the Dusk #4 - G. Willow Wilson, Christian Wildgoose

Grafity's Wall Expanded Edition - Aditya Bidikar, Ram V.* **

Can't Escape Love (Reluctant Royals #2.5) - Alyssa Cole* **

The Night Eaters: She Eats the Night (The Night Eaters #1) - Marjorie Liu, Sana Takeda* **

Little Monsters Vol. 1 - Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen

Little Monsters Vol. 2 - Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen

Bryony and Roses - T. Kingfisher

Ashwin (Gideon's Riders #1) - Kit Rocha**

Prem Numbers and Tikka Chance on Me* **

Wild Pitch (Dominating the Diamond #1) - Cat Giraldo* **

Erasure - Percival Everett* **

Bad Karma - Alex de Campi, Ryan Howe, Dee Cunniffe

* = author(s) of color

** = main character(s) of color

[aspiringpolymath]

July 2023 Reading Wrap Up

I've been pondering starting a bookish instagram, but in the likely event I never do, here are the monthly wrap up images I made for July 2023. (If it doesn't have a rating it just means it was too short or too . . . personal? to easily rate. I didn't track DNFs on these graphics, but I DNF'ed seven books.

*sigh*

Of course, I wrote a bunch of stuff about the books here, but then tumblr ate my words. So, on the off chance you have a question about anything I read, let me know.

I might keep posting here, if no one minds and I find it easy enough to keep up with. I'm hoping to make the graphics a little less rough and ready in future.

Also, I will list the books for accessibility purposes.

Indelicacy by Amina Cain - libby - novella - 3.5 stars

Assembly by Natasha Brown -libby - novella - 5 stars

Red’s Wolf by Beth Laycock - freeb - novella - 3.5 stars

Sergeant Delicious by Annabeth Albert - freeb - re-read - short - 3.5 stars

Sea Lover by J.K. Pendragon - smashwords - novella - 4 stars

45 and Holding by Jacki James and Jill Wexler - ku - 4 stars

The Stablemaster’s Heart by Sarah Honey - arc - 4.5 stars

Kiss Me Like You Mean It by Jacki James - ku - novella - 2.5 stars

Overtime by Marina Vivancos - arc - 3 stars

A Lifetime Kissing You by Riley Hart - ku - 4.25 stars

Like a Charm by Jordan Castillo Price - ku - short - 2.5 stars

The River’s Edge by Jordan Castillo Price - ku - short - 3 stars

The First and Last Adventure of Kit Sawyer by S. E. Harmon - arc - 3.75 stars

Not Over You by Samantha Wayland - ku - novella - 3.5 stars

Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram - libby - 5 stars

Nothing Special by Jay Northcote - audio re-read - 4.25 stars

Open Throat by Henry Hoke - audiobook - novella - 4.25 stars

Our Colors by Gengoroh Tagame - library - 3.75 stars

Sincerely Harriet by Sarah W. Searle - mg - graphic novel - library - 3 stars

Dirty Slide by KD Casey and Lauren Blakely - audiobook - novella - 3.5 stars

Ephemera by Briana Loewensohn - graphic memoir - library - no rating

Rockstar and Softboy by Sina Grace - graphic novel - hoopla - 3.5 stars

Like I Needed by Charlie Novak - ku - 3.75 stars

Dirty Steal by KD Casey and Lauren Blakely- audiobook - novella - 3.75 stars

The (Pet) Detective Agency by Noji - manga - hoopla - 3.5 stars

Love & Vermin by Will McPhail - cartoons - hoopla - 4.25 stars

It’s Paradise, Baby by KD Ryan - novella - 4 stars

Out in the Country by Alexandra Hale - ku - novella - 3.5 stars

Second Chance at First Love by N.R. Walker - ku - novella - 3.5 stars

An Exception by Megan Derr - hoopla - short - 3.5 stars

Use as Wallpaper by Glenn Quigley - freeb - short - 4.25 stars

Five Dares by Eli Easton - 1 star (for extenuating reasons, have liked other stuff by the author)

The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera - own/hoopla audio - mg - 4 stars

Mistletango by Alexandra Caluen - hoopla - 4 stars

Paper Planes by Jennie Wood - graphic novel - libby - ya - 4 stars

It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth by Zoe Thorogood - hoopla - graphic memoir - 4.25 stars

Quest of Fools by Megan Derr - smashwords - 3.25 stars

Fairy Wings by Sasha L. Miller - smashwords - novella - 3.5 stars

Deal Maker by Lily Morton - audiobook re-read - 4 stars - more frustrating in audio

Riding the Wave by Daria Fisher - sapphic short - freeb smashwords - too short to rate, really

Thieves by Lucie Bryon - graphic novel - f/f - ya - library - 4.25 stars

Aug 9 - Fog by Kathryn Scanlan - libby - too strange to rate

The Best Men by Sarina Bowen and Lauren Blakely - ku - 4.5 stars - very expertly done

Garbage by Reese Morrison - arc/ku - 3 stars

Fine by Rhea Ewing - graphic non-fiction - library - 4.5 stars

Silent Sin by E.J. Russell - audiobook - 4 stars

Sweat Connection by Katherine McIntyre - arc - 4 stars

[sous-le-signe-de-la-lune]

JANUARY WRAP UP

Noël à la librairie des cœurs brisés by Annie Darling - 3 ☆

I've never heard of this series before I was gifted this book, but I liked the idea of following the life of booksellers / coffee shop owner as they fall in love. It made me think of a Hallmark movie when I read the blurb. Sadly, I was disappointed. I don't mind slow burn but this one didn't do it for me: they barely had cute scenes together, most of the time they were arguing and being rude.

2. Bluets by Maggie Nelson - 3.5 ☆

Bluets is an interesting poetic essay / memoir, that through the flow of the author's ideas, offers a collection of facts from poets, authors, artists, philosophers about the color blue. At some point, she focuses a lot on the vision: what it means to see blue? What if you don't see it? She offers clinical examples to discuss these ideas, which I found interesting. But sadly, I don't think there was a good balance between the facts she had collected and her memories. I liked when she mentioned her friend, but the memories about the prince of blue weren't always going well with the flow of the text.

3. Kiss & Tell by Adib Khorram - 3 ☆

I loved Darius and knew I would read anything Adib Khorram would write after that. So, I was looking forward to reading Kiss & Tell, and even if it wasn't exactly what I expected, I'm still glad it managed to open up a discussion about being queer in the public eye, the sanitization that can comes with it, and the slut shaming. There's also a focus on sex, because Hunter is sexually active but has to have a "virgin" persona because he's in a boy band. It could have had a better impact if there had been a better balance between the romance and Hunter's interactions with his bandmates, which were almost non-existent. 

4. It's Lonely at the Centre of the Earth by Zoe Thorogood - 3 ☆

I love the way she played with her art style and the overall structure of the graphic novel, it was really fun and clever (especially when it starts again). Because I've never read her other comics, I felt detached from what she was mentioning, and to be honest sometimes I was lost between the different flashbacks. It was interesting and raw, but I didn't connect with the story, which doesn't mean it's bad, I do think others can gain something from it. It's different from other stories I've read about depression and suicidal ideation. Overall, it's a really good graphic novel / memoir.

5. The Angel of Khan el-Khalili by P. Djèlí Clark - 3 ☆

(art by Kevin Hong)

I recently recommended A Dead Djinn in Cairo to my friend and realized I haven't read this short story yet. I loved the narration in the second person, it's one of my favorite when it's done well, and it was the case. I wanted more from the story, but it was still satisfying and i can't wait to read the next book in the series.

6. The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow - 5 ☆

It was more a 4.75 stars but I rounded up because it quickly became one of my favorite short stories. In 30 pages, the characters and their motives were well-developed. They is a Girl, a Squire, A King, a Priest, a Devil and a Saint. Some of them are limited in the perception of themselves and other because of the role that was imposed on them and it was done so well, especially thanks to the poetic prose. I wish this novella could exist in a physical format so I could highlight everything again.

I figured out what was going on right when they started to explain everything and it was gut-wrenching to realize that every line could mean different things, because then you realize how clever the narration was. Not only that, but I love narration that are "traditional" and here, the use of I, She and You was interesting.

my goodreads

[ilovetheseattlemariners]

7 summers might be the best song ever written

Tomorrow the students from Japan leave. The cyclic nature of hosting students like this is quite sad: you meet someone, develop a deep connection with them, know it’ll never last longer than two weeks, and then say goodbye at the door with tears in your eyes. And then do it again. And part of me feels it’s kinda insincere, right? like all of these students must feel some deep connection and emotion with the time they spent with us and — maybe I’m just misanthropic and lack empathy — but each student becomes just a moment in the past and gets somewhat written over by their subsequent (dare I say) replacement. And I want it to be deep and meaningful to me. I want you to matter to me. I want to care and remember and love you still. It’s unfair. I’m sorry.

Anyways, these students are really young and it’s cute. It’s cute seeing my dad who normally bitches about anything and everything my mom does cuz of an overdue divorce be like paternal to them and smile and laugh — something my dad never does anymore. And it makes me want to have kids somewhat just to experience this again. I remember after mass I was talking to my cousin who I’d literally seen grow up; who I grew up with. And I repeatedly told her: “you aren’t going to be in the 10th grade, you’re going into grade 5. You aren’t going to be in grade 10, you’re going into grade 5.” Over and over and over and still as of writing this I’m incredulous. Stay as a memory in my past that I’ll never let go of.

My old ex was at mass too and she was making an active attempt to look away from me. Like look into the ground kind of obvious. Idk. There’s really no point for either of us to be in our lives any longer; and we aren’t in fact in either of our lives any longer. But I’d give so much to relive the honeymoon phase. To relive the phase where neither of us knew the other yet and we were just mass crushes and the subsequent meeting and courting and lovemaking which I dreamt about. I wrote about her in old journals. I threw her away, to be completely honest with you. But I cannot have her back. Even if the opportunity fell in my lap once more, I can’t be the man she wants. I can’t be a man any longer. That’s what I was feeling. You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen and I can never, ever, ever be straight and I’m so sorry I wanted to love you forever so badly and I still do. And know that every day if you still think about it we still walk to the pier holding hands. I walked to that pier recently and I couldn’t force myself to go to our spot but I went close enough and the scent of the river was so strong and right now writing this is the experience of suffering from a fresh wound except it’s been months now. I miss you i miss you i miss you i miss you i miss you i miss you i miss you I write that I miss you and think of multiple people and I must be one of the shittiest people in the world and honestly yes I do deserve my lot.

Reading It’s lonely at the centre of the world(?) by zoe thorogood is the kind of perception that makes you want to vomit. I just want to be a woman and i suffer like her except I’m not a woman and that makes me suffer in an unexplored way that I might have to discover in art. Lord let me be forgotten by everyone in this life and let me forget everyone too so I can be made into a woman like you always intended. Amen amen alleluia.

[lastchancevillagegreen]

Top Ten Favorite Graphic Novels of 2023:

I read 48 graphic novels this year.  The majority of the spines do not show up here because my library is getting in less graphic novels than before, so I have to use the inter-library loan system to read them.  At the year’s end I don’t feel I can very well request 20 books so I can photograph spines!  So there are a considerable amount of Missing In Action spines at the end of the narrative. 

#1

Grass Keum Suk Gendry-Kim (2019)

The Waiting Keum Suk Gendry-Kim (2021)

The Naked Tree Keum Suk Gendry-Kim (2023)

The most impressive books read this year come from Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, a South Korean artist/ writer who details Korean history.  Grass details the lives of “comfort women,” women who were kidnapped and forced into sexual slavery during World War II at the hands of both the Japanese and the Americans.  These girls are as a young as six and no older than 17.  A jaw dropping book, it details what these women were forced to endure for eight long years.  The Waiting details the author’s mother’s story about being separated from her sister when Korea split into two countries.  Whether or not you wanted to be in North Korea didn’t matter if you ended up there you weren't allowed to leave.  The only way to return home is via a lottery program, an insane mishmash of government and television spectacle and the waiting list is literally years.  In The Naked Tree we learn about how Korean artists painted the pictures of American soldier’s wives or girlfriends on ties and it relates the story of how the manager of that program falls in love with an already married artist.  Taking place during the Korean War, it is another shocking look at a history Americans know little about. All of these novels are well researched, detailed and informative and they are always heartbreaking. 

#2

It’s Lonely At The Centre of The Earth Zoe Thorogood (2022)

Zoe Thorogood (The Impending Blindness of Billie Scott) is messed up.  At first I thought, I couldn’t bear to read another graphic novel about a socially awkward, depressed artist who has suicidal ideations (but at least she doesn’t have an eating disorder).  But as the book goes on it becomes funnier and funnier because Thorogood has a healthy attitude about her own unhealthy state of mind.  And then, in the middle of the book she decides it sucks and starts it over.  One of the most wildly inventive graphic novels (containing some of the best artwork) you can find, it is Thorogood’s take on the importance of art that blows my mind: doesn’t matter if it is good or if you are terrible at it, if it gets published or sits in your top dresser drawer, if it brings you happiness, then it is great art. 

#3

Ephemera: A Memoir Briana Loewinsohn (2023)

Living with a parent who suffers depression and mental illness must be a challenging life for anyone, but as a child imagine how difficult it must feel.  In this sparsely worded, beautifully drawn graphic novel, we see how Briana deals with the loss of a parent: through her love of plants and tending to them.  A beautiful dissertation about love, loneliness and how we engage in the world around us to help us cope.

#4

I Think Our Son Is Gay 1 Okura (2019/ 2021  Translation by Leo McDonagh)

I Think Our Son Is Gay 2 Okura (2020/ 2021 Translation by Leo McDonagh)

I Think Our Son Is Gay 3 Okura (2020/ 2022 Translation by Leighann Harvey)

I Think Our Son Is Gay 4 Okura (2021/ 2022 Translation by Leighann Harvey)

Told from the perspective of the mother (and occasionally younger brother) of Hiroki, a high schooler, this quartet of graphic novels is absolutely one of the best looks at gay people without ever once pandering to morality, self-obsession or even plot.  Smart, intelligent and quite funny, we watch as Hiroki navigates not letting on to anyone that he might be gay.  Everyone already has it figured out (except Dad) and no one crowds him into making an announcement.  Beautifully drawn and the definitive work about being gay at a young age.  (And for the record, the author didn’t come out to his mother until after the first book was published.)

#5

Talk To My Back Yamada Murasaki (2022)

In my Top Ten Best Novels, I mentioned being shocked by Annie Ernaux’s statement that motherhood is not fulfilling.  This autobiography was published in Japan in 2009, the year the author died.  She reveals some very harsh words about marriage and being a mother and how both sucked the humanity out of her.  Startling and honest.  I’m a huge fan of people who are out of step with the norms. 

#6

Mr Lightbulb Wojtek Wawszczyk (2022)

Told with an eye towards magical realism, this is the story of a young boy in Poland who faces some harrowing circumstances: a father who is injured at work and cannot leave his bed, a mother who toils endlessly and is all the unhappier with her son for it.  The boy learns how to turn his artwork into something tangible and brighten the world with his radiance. 

#7

In Limbo Deb JJ Lee (2023)

Another auto-biographical novel about an artist who has psychological challenges.  Deb was born in Korea but her family moved to the US when she was just a baby.  She is an average student, a so-so violin player and everyone thinks she should be the best (no stereotyping here...).  She feels so out of step with herself that she attempts suicide.  What might be a run of the mill story (you cannot believe how many graphic novels exist about the authors who hate themselves and have self image issues) In Limbo is turned into a thing of beauty due to the artwork and the author's acceptance as to who she really is. 

#8

Mike’s Place: A True Story of Love, Blues, and  Terror In Tel Aviv Jack Baxter, Joshua Faudem and Koren Shadmi (2015)

I normally stay away from graphic novels based on novels or movies (I would just as soon read the book or watch the movie they are based on) but there is always an exception to the rule.  Mike’s Place is a bar in Tel Aviv that caters to everyone: Jews, Palestinians, Americans, atheists, Catholics, etc.  Mike’s Place prides itself on the diversity.  When a film crew catches wind of such an unusual place in Tel Aviv they want to make a documentary about it.  And they are there when a suicide bomber comes inside, angry that such a harmonious place exists.  Some people just can’t handle peace, love and understanding.

#9

Roaming Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki (2023)

I love virtually everything that the Tamaki cousins do, separately or together and their new book is no exception.  Spring Break 2009, three friends leave Canada to go to NYC for one week.  Will the endless closeness tear them apart?  Yes.  Will it bring them back together?  Yes.  Honestly I believed in the space of the 450 pages that Dani, Zoey and Fiona were living breathing characters.  Heck, I still believe it.

#10

Shubeik Lubeik Deena Mohamed

Imagine if wishes were real and the government could co-opt them and then sell them for a profit.  That’s the basis of this graphic novel.  While the government guarantees their wishes, they are expensive and of a limited resource (and guess what country buys the most wishes).  So of course, there would be black market wishes and those are the most dangerous. A wish of 'I wish I could be more productive' might result in you sprouting five more arms.  Or the result might be even more dangerous.  The book gets lost in a lengthy text book discussion of depression that slows down the excitement but this is still an intoxicating and imaginative read.  And by the way, the title is Arabic for what the genie says the instant he is cast out of the bottle: “Your wish is my command!” 

Missing In Action spines are all seen below: