READS: February's Graphic Novels

These monthly round ups of my graphic novels are fast becoming one of my favorite regular posts and it's been great to receive such positive feedback them the last couple of months or so.

So let's get to the point - here is February's round up by starting off with my favorite read of the month!

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

Remember all those bedtime stories of your childhood featuring mystical and eerie dark woods? Of lurking shapes, unexpected happenings and the abyss? 

Well Through the Woods perfectly captures that horror, that mystery through the five unsettling tales that come to make up this graphic novel. Every tale ends on a cliffhanger which forces your mind into overdrive for hours after. As for the art work, it's as fantastic and as creepy as the tales themselves.

I'm not normally spooked by books, but yeah this one made me feel a little jumpy afterwards. 

 

Sisters (Smile #2) by Raina Telgemeier

After reading and loving Smile by Telgemeier, I set out to read some more of her works. As the sequel to Smile, Sisters features Raina and her relationship with her little sister Amara. A sister she longed for yet their relationship has always been tense. Set during a family road trip from San Francisco through the Colorado Rockies for a family reunion, tension between their parents and a the addition of a baby brother. 

Being an only child, I can't relate or speak to how well Raina speaks of sibling relationships but it was still an engaging read. The ending was a little flat with lots of things hanging in the air, but I'm hoping the story will continue in the future.

The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam by Anne Marie Flemming

I have to admit to not having a clue who Long Tack Sam - one of China's greatest magicians was when picking up this book. Born in 1885, Sam went onto become a magician, a key act in vaudeville, a restaurant owner, to world traveler in case you didn't know either.

Now his great granddaughter brings his life to color in this graphic memoir, pretty much a companion to the documentary of the same subject. Which is part of the problem. While I really loved the addition of photographs of Sam and his act, his family etc, stills from the documentary were blurry, still covered with the documentary subtitles. The author herself admits to not being good at drawing so we're left with stick fingers It felt messy and rushed. The story and life of Sam was very interesting to read, but I feel it would have been better has a straight forward non fiction biography.

How to be Happy by Eleanor Davis  

First things first, the various forms of artwork in this graphic novel is phenomenal, from pencil drawings to lush watercolors, it all brings you right into each of the short (some very short) tales that comprise How to be Happy. But that's where all this positive talk ends. Some tales felt far too obscure that they just didn't make sense, it lacked a sense of flow and felt very disjointed throughout. 

Weeks on, I still don't really know what to think about this book. It seemed to be missing a point - (maybe that is the point)?! Even the author narrates that the book is not about how to be happy. Hmmm.

Drama by Raina Telgemeier 
This happens to be one of those teen graphic novels that is matched with a lot of controversy for featuring a gay character. The book isn't about being gay, it's not even the main character who happens to be gay. Because apparently teens shouldn't be reading about such things ... but if you have trouble finding this book, that might be why.

Anyways, so this is my second Telgemier book within one review - (you can tell I really like her work can't you?!) about purple haired Callie (so jealous of her hair) - one of the set designers for her schools drama production who comes to struggle with production wise, friendship challenges and boys. It's a great little humorous graphic novel, full of wonderfully vivid artwork, a diverse cast and a nice little story line. 

Lumberjanes Vol 1. (#1-4) Beware the Kitty Holy by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Broke A. Allen and Marta Laiho

I'll openily admit to sneaking Lumberjanes into this lot of reviews. I know there's not too much of a clear line between comics & graphic novels, but I've been trying to keep them separate*. My justification is reading Lumberjanes in the volume format. Anyway to the important details - The Miss Quinzilla Thiskwin Penniquiqual Thistle Crumpet's (how awesome is that for a name!) summer camp is the setting for five best friends and all their adventures. Think coming across three eyed foxes in the middle of the night, falling into caves and supernatural animals.  If you're a fan of Nimona - plot and style (also by Noelle Stevenson) you'll love this tale, it's funny, it's engaging and cute, plus it's filled with rad artwork. I can't wait to pick up volume 2!



So that was my graphic novel reading for February, read any? Loved, liked, hated any of them?

Rachael

*otherwise I would be swamped with reviews and you would all be yawning at your screen. But if you're interested my favorite monthly comic book reads are Ms Marvel, Captain Marvel, Spider Gwen, Pasty Walker AKA Hellcat and The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. You can tell I'm a Marvel fan can't ya?! Maybe that's all a post for another day ...

READS: Janurary's Graphic Novels

After all the great comments (thank you muchly) from sharing my favorite graphic novels I read in 2015, I thought I would turn it into a monthly feature. Like I mentioned previously, knowing where to start with graphic novels can be a little daunting, and whether you've never picked one up or you're a seasoned reader, maybe you'll welcome some more suggestions to add into your reading list.

Each month, I'll feature one, or like this month, perhaps a couple of my favorite graphic novel read and everything else I came across. This time we're actually getting started two graphic novels that Joe brought me for Christmas. He's awesome in getting the memo to add to my collection.

Read(s) of the Month;

Lady Killer by Joelle Jones & Jamie S. Rich

Enter Jose the quintessential 1950's American housewife, cooking the meals, looking after the children and being the prefect wife. She has, on the surface the perfect life. But a life that has a hidden dark side, Jose happens to also be a killer for hire. But what happens when someone happens to want the killer killed?!

Lady Killer is on point for a number of reasons, the artwork, the gritty dark humor and the plot leaves you craving more and more with the turn of every page. Not to mention lusting over Jose's killer wardrobe. 

I long for news that Jose will make an appearance in another series. As someone who spends a lot of time between the pages of many a 1950's cookbook finding them new homes, it's often easy to wonder about the lives of such a housewife, even better to daydream about their naughty side. In fact I loved this novel so much, Jose was my phone wallpaper for a while (before going back to Dragonball Z's Bulma, she has my heart).

The New Deal by Jonathan Case

Dark Horse publishers were on point with their late 2015 graphic novels, alongside Lady Killer, The New Deal saw it's release. Set during Depression hit New York is the backdrop to glamorous hotel (the Waldorf Astoria no less) based crime novel. When Nina, our beautiful and charming fem fatale checks in for a stay sparkles a series of mysterious jewellery thefts most felt by the bellhop, Frank and Theresa, a maid. 

Admittedly the 1930's is my favorite era of history and The New Deal is a great glimpse into the race relations and class misconceptions of the time. All too quickly are the employees blamed for the thefts particularly Theresa, the black maid who happens to be in my perspective more of the lead protagonist than Nina.

And the rest;

This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki & Jillian Tamaki

Spanning a vacation to Awago Beach, This One Summer captures Rose a girl on the verge of teen-hood and battling with her parents constant fighting. Meeting up with Windy - the sister Rose never had they find themselves entangled in local secrets . 

The artwork in This One Summer is what sets this book apart - monochromatic in it's purpley blues and whites it's simple but eyecatchingly detailed and really pulls you in and brings everything to life. But the plot, well that's the one down side, it plods along not really doing much of anything. By the end, I was actually wondering what the purpose behind sharing this story was. Because for a summer of personal growth, firsts and exploration, I don't particularly think either of the two girls particularly changed.

AD New Orleans After the Deluge by Josh Neufeld

Taken from a webcomic AD [...] depicts the horrors and humanity faced by six survivors of Hurricane Katina when it hit New Orleans in 2005. Featuring the real experiences of a doctor drinking it up in the French Quarter,  Denise, who faced surviving in the Superdome and Abbas battling to keep alive and braving the storm on the roof of his store AD [...] follows it's characters through the hurricane to it's aftermath and lingering effects years later.  

AD brings to life the human tale, of making last minute decisions between staying or evacuating. Of political decisions and of the ultimate power of Mother nature. Speaking with survivors and those facing the hurricane on the ground, Neufeld challenges the misconceptions of black thugs, rape and murder, instead showing the positive human actions particularly within the Superdome which made little headlines after the disaster which makes well worth a read.

 Fun Home - A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel

Alongside Are You My Mother?, Bechdel's adult graphic novel Fun Home is often a graphic novel you'll find upon those "must" read lists. Sadly I just couldn't get into it. It was perhaps a bit too repetitive, the narrative flies around, it felt labored, far from engaging and left me irritated.

Fun Home happens to be a graphic memoir, one depicting Bechdel's relationship with her late father. The author sets about exploring the legacy of having a closeted father, and who may or may not have killed himself soon after she came out as gay in college. 

In honestly, it's not often I finish a book not really caring about it. But this was one of them. 

What have you been reading lately?

Rachael

BOOKS: On Graphic Novels & My Top Reads in 2015

When the wind chill is -17C outside, there's nothing better then reaching for a good book to snuggle under a blanket with. More and more, i'm reaching for a graphic novel to read.

For me adding graphic novels into my reading was one of the best decisions of 2015. However it was also a bit daunting. Unless you really know where to look, recommendations for graphic novels aren't always the easiest to come across, and because there's so many to pick and choose from, it's a challenging to know where to begin. 

So I thought I'd share some graphic novels I found to be the most accessible in 2015, ones that are eye opening into the genre whether you've been reading graphic tales for years or want to reach out and pick that first book off of the shelf. 

In no particular order;

Ninoma by Noelle Stevenson

Based on the authors acclaimed webcomic, Ninoma follows the adventures of a subversive and impulsive shapshifter. Featuring dragons, girl power, science and people with awesome names, Ninoma befriends and becomes the sidekick of villian Lord Ballister Blackheart. Going on to cause a whole lotta trouble, Blackheart and Ninoma set out to prove to the kingdom Sir Amroisuis Goldenloin of the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren't as heroic as they make themselves out to be.

For every girl that wanted to be out fighting dragons, saving the world and dealing with secrets, Nimona is a lead protagonist that world of books really needs more of and she sure does kick some ass.


Smile by Raina Telgemeier

Based on Telgemeier's childhood experiences, Smile recounts her frequent trips to the dentist and everything it entailed from braces to surgery, headgear to retainers after tripping, falling and injuring her two front teeth in 6th grade. Throw into the mix the everyday dramas that come to make up the daily life of a teenage girl be it confusing boys of friendship fallout's and Smile is a funny read that will take you back to your own childhood.

While it's probably aimed for young teens/early adult readers I certainly still enjoyed and related to her experiences.



In Real Life by Cory Doctorow

Continuing our female lead graphic novels, IRL features Anda is a teen who just loves to play the multiplayer role-playing game Coarsegold Online. An online world Anda uses to relax, be herself and make friends across the globe. But after befriending a gold farmer (a character illegally collecting valuable objects) the avatar of a poor kid from China, Anda begins to question right and wrong and how such online matters became a lot more complicated when real life is also involved.

Combining friendship, gaming, female empowerment and poverty IRL is a great insight into the friendships of the gaming world.


Maus Vol I and II by Art Spiegleman

Comprising of two volumes, Maus documents the true story of a Jewish survivor of Nazi Europe through the words and art of his son, Art. Be it capturing life in Poland before WW2 and the struggles of coming to terms with being an Auschwitz survivor, Maus is a must read in understanding the personal toil and horrors of the war. Told in a world were Jews are mice, tormented by the Nazi cats, these two volumes are a masterpiece in their genre. They are touching, they make you think and they made me cry. 

Maus is an emotional read and a truly poignant story.

Saga (Vol I through V, ongoing) by Brian Vaughan 

Falling in love can be tricky at the best of times, but falling in love with someone on the opposite side during a galactic war might be pushing it. Saga through it's gorgeous artwork welds a sexy love story with fantasy and science fiction, telling the tale of a young family fighting to survive and find their way in the world as the universe fights around them.
 

Saga is possibly breaking the mold in becoming one of the graphic novels although it's really more of a comic tbh, to break into the mainstream - popping up on various blogs. It may come over a little weird at times, but it's well worth exploring. I'm two volumes into the tale and looking forward to getting around to reading the rest.

Persepolis Vol I & II by Marjane Satrapi

Fantastic autobiography capturing her Iranian childhood. Persepolis (vol I and II) explores the contradictions between home and public life during the Islamic Revolution (1979) and the Iranian war with Iraq. Persepolis is an eye opening and sometimes hard read, depicting the struggles and personal costs of fundamentalism, repression, war and politics through the eyes and laughter of a child. Vol II continues documenting the struggles of migrating and growing up away from the homeland and the attempt to create a sense of belonging - something I can certainly relate too.

Depicted through black & white cells, Persepolis captures a raw and honest look at growing up under repression and being an outsider in another country.



Because of accepting more of my inner nerd and throwing it out into the blog world, I'm hoping to get around each month to share some more interesting graphic novel based reads in hoping to spread the word about this awesome format.

Have any thoughts or recommendations?! Leave them in the comments!

Rachael

LIFE: Grab a Cuppa Tea, Lets Have a Catch Up

So before I jump into the deep end of back to somewhat normal blogging, I thought we'd just have an easy chit-chat about everything that happened since the last time I properly shared a post back at the start of December. Truth be told, nothing much, but enough to ramble on about for a short while so here goes.

Christmas was quiet which is just how we like it. We hacked the ham to pieces to fit it into the slow cooker (and used this yummy recipe) and had enough leftovers to feed a small army. In fact I still think there's some bourbon vanilla cranberry sauce kicking around in the far flung corners of the fridge. I did manage to sneak a quick pep at Detroit's Christmas tree down in Campus Martius, one day I'll wrap up enough to get up close and person with it. Although I didn't manage to grab a photograph of the tree this year, Detroit was looking all sparkly and festive.

Speaking of Christmas, the last stitching finish of 2015 - and the last piece of stitching I've done was a pretty "Have Yourself a Merry Christmas" from the 2013 (I think ...) edition of Cross Stitcher Magazine. I'm actually on a self imposed ban when it comes to cross stitching until I get my new glasses which is kinda hard.



So no stitching has led to lots of reading and lots of coloring in - mainly because they don't cause too much eye strain at least. In fact most of Christmas Day was spent coloring in. It's true what they say about coloring in being a great stress reliever, it's certainly helping me a lot. And when I haven't been coloring in, I've been reading - working my way through an endless library of Marvel comics and some great graphic novels I've come across or received for Christmas gifts.

I'm thinking of talking more about books on the old blog, particularly graphic novels, but honorable mentions for great reads since my last Small Things post go out to;  The Shocking Story of Helmuth Schmidt by Tobin GT. Buhk, Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, El Deafo by Cece Bell, Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson, The Marvels by Brian Selznick, Smile by Raina Telgemeier, Saga v1 & 2 (that's all my library has at the moment boo) by Brian K. Vaughan.

Yeah I've read a few very good books lately - if you have any book recommendations leave them in the comments!



We became sustaining Michigan Radio members during the winter pledge week. To give a bit of background for non American's National Public Radio (NPR) stations predominately run on listener donations. Plus here it's so it's hard to find news sources in America that tend to not have political bias, and Michigan Radio does the job for me. So we became members, set up our monthly donations (which I urge you to support your own local NPR stations) and ended up with a huge bistro mug that holds enough coffee to bathe in.



December also saw us eating out at some new places to me at least (Social House - West Bloomfield and The Library in Novi) and a return to my favorite burger joint, well one of my favorite places in all of Detroit - the Mercury Bar down in Corktown. Because December seems to be all about eating and then eating some more. I also had a great cup of Mexican hot chocolate from Cafe Con Leche for a Christmas Eve treat down in Mexicantown, damn that stuff was tasty!

So that was my December for the most part. January is kicking itself off in it's chilly Michigan way and I'm excited to get back into blogging. 

Rachael