My first real manga and I guess it’s just not for me. I read this as part of the Book Riot challenge for 2024 (I think this was my final book for the My first real manga and I guess it’s just not for me. I read this as part of the Book Riot challenge for 2024 (I think this was my final book for the year) and I looked for something I thought I might like best. I’m not a huge fan of comics, but I’ve read a number of graphic novels that I thought were great. This seemed to be written for a fairly young adult (maybe 11 or 12) so it didn’t really work for me. It was definitely a challenge reading from right to left but I got used to that pretty soon. Glad to be done with this one, and I always enjoy the Book Riot Challenge. ...more
ARC for review. To be published September 10, 2024.
Semi-graphic novel celebrating the plight of the retail worker.
The way this is described I thoughARC for review. To be published September 10, 2024.
Semi-graphic novel celebrating the plight of the retail worker.
The way this is described I thought it would be a full-on graphic novel. There are a few drawings but it’s mostly just text, so really just a humor book. It was funny in parts. I laughed a couple of times. ...more
In the summer before fifth grade Taiwanese American Mei Ying spends time with her visiting grandmotherARC for review. To be published April 30, 2024.
In the summer before fifth grade Taiwanese American Mei Ying spends time with her visiting grandmother and then, when school starts, faces a racist bully.
Good, age appropriate graphic novel dealing with Taiwanese culture, female friendships, single parent families and bullying....more
Eleven “horror” comics (they aren’t very scary but could be scary to young children, which is the audiARC for review. To be published April 16, 2024.
Eleven “horror” comics (they aren’t very scary but could be scary to young children, which is the audience to whom I’m assuming the book is targeted). “Viola Bloom” is standout. ...more
Read this follow up to Brosh's amazeballs Hyperbole and a Half and....
...FALL deeply in love with Pile Dog's beautiful, hidden eyes,
....REALIZE that Read this follow up to Brosh's amazeballs Hyperbole and a Half and....
...FALL deeply in love with Pile Dog's beautiful, hidden eyes,
....REALIZE that only Allie would know that "Penelope" is exactly the right name for a two year old who is terrified of dandelions,
....BE ASTONISHED at Allie's bravery in sharing the reasons behind her hiatus,
....RELATE to world changing quotes like: "Having to be personally responsible for maintaining justice in the world is distressing," "We went with the desperate one," and "Their relationship was 30% geography projects and 70% the weirdest shit I have ever seen,"
.....REMEMBER all the reasons you liked Brosh in the first place. ...more
I didn't read the first edition of "Sarah's Scribbles" but I believe it was shortlisted for a Goodreads award thiARC for review - EPD March 17, 2017.
I didn't read the first edition of "Sarah's Scribbles" but I believe it was shortlisted for a Goodreads award this year. Anyway, when I saw that the second edition was available on Netgalley I jumped at the chance for a little fun and Sarah's drawing's are adorable. This edition includes a number of stand-alone comics and three longer stories, covering self-image, sweater-stealing, cats, selfies, liking (or not liking) people, being average, and, of course, cheese. What else would one need in a collection. Very cute and will speak to those who have been missing the wonderful Allie Brosh. ...more
It was unbelievable when new "Bloom County" cartoons started appearing on Facebook, and so exciting....and I lARC for review - EPD: September 13, 2016
It was unbelievable when new "Bloom County" cartoons started appearing on Facebook, and so exciting....and I love that Breathed immediately acknowledges all the time that has passed and how things have changed before moving on to the topics of the day. I don't know that these new cartoons rival Breathed's best work, but having him back at all is so wonderful that the book nearly deserves five stars just for existing at all - the tribute to Harper Lee brought a tear to my eye, and seeing our old friends Opus, Bill, Steve, and the rest of the gang (along with some welcome new characters) is just as wonderful. This collection will be a must for anyone who has the entire opus (get it?) or for anyone who missed some along the way. ...more
I suppose I must cop to being only moderately smart and attractive - some of these cartoons from New Yorker artist Matthew Diffee wereARC for review.
I suppose I must cop to being only moderately smart and attractive - some of these cartoons from New Yorker artist Matthew Diffee were cute, but others were just OK...though I am the first to admit there is a cadre of people out there who adore nearly all the cartoons in the magazine, and I'm not part of that group. Also, my review copy contained a lot of empty spaces where I'm assuming there might be text to come, but considering the focus is on the cartoons, I doubt the additions would change my ratings. ...more
***Note - this was presented as a excerpt of this graphic novel and since there's no real summation I'm assuming that is true. I e-maiARC for review.
***Note - this was presented as a excerpt of this graphic novel and since there's no real summation I'm assuming that is true. I e-mailed the publisher asking for more information (are there 10 pages missing? Or 100? My rating would likely change based on that answer.) but didn't hear back, so this is a review of the first 106 pages of this graphic novel....if asked I'm happy to remove this review until I have a chance to finish the book.
*****
Graphic novels aren't usually my thing, but it was a great way to take a look at narrative radio as practiced by the wonderful "This American Life," "The Moth," "Planet Money," "Radiolab" and other programs - we actually see the producers and editors at work and the use of the graphic format mirrors what the creators of these programs are trying to do - create vivid pictures in the mind of the listeners.
Each show has its own style, its own way of creating and telling these stories that make us sit in the driveway for a few minutes listening to the end, and many people in the arts could take lessons from some of the tools used by these creative individuals (loved the different "questions" used by the shows....for one "Someone does something for _______________, but ________________" or "I'm doing a story about X. And what's interesting about it is Y" or the big 'at this point I was engaged and then here I was thinking about what I was going to have for dinner".
The books dives deeply into the weeds about creating these programs, but I found even the smallest aspects fascinating. The goal of all these broadcasters is to allow listeners to walk in the shoes of the subjects and though each show does it a bit differently, the differences just reinforce how difficult and rewarding it is to create this type of experience. ...more
The Mutts are just too sweet, especially with the awareness the author brings to shelter animals and animals that are tied up outdoors. ARC for review
The Mutts are just too sweet, especially with the awareness the author brings to shelter animals and animals that are tied up outdoors. I've never found the squirrels that funny, but the rest of the delightful cartoons make up for that. This is a short little collection, perfect for those who want to start slowly to see whether they enjoy (if you love dogs and cats, you will)....more
I felt the publishing gods had heard my prayers when I learned that both Donna Tartt and Allie Brosh were coming out with books this year, but is DonnI felt the publishing gods had heard my prayers when I learned that both Donna Tartt and Allie Brosh were coming out with books this year, but is Donna Tartt likely to include a chapter titled "Why Helper Dog is an Asshole?" And that is why my brain wants Tartt but my heart and soul will go with Allie every time.
Millions fell in love with Brosh through her blog and I was one of them (I hope my Simple Dog mugs that I gave as Christmas gifts last year become collectors items when Allie wins some big award!). She's talented, hysterically funny and incredibly honest. I wouldn't have cared if the book were simply her blogs collected in book form (I would have been happy to give her the money. Frankly, I could have had a hundred pages of pictures of Simple Dog cocking her head, but I might be a bit obsessed), but there is a mixture of new material with some of her best blogs.
If you've been a child, you'll adore this. If you have dogs, you'll go nuts for this. If you've suffered from depression, you need this (in fact, if you are in a bad place, go to her blog and read her recent entries on depression right now). Allie Brosh makes my heart happy.
****Edited to add: I have a hard copy. This book MIGHT translate to an iPad, but don't read it on a black and white e-reader or your phone. I would think this would be obvious, but I've already had one person ask. So there you go. I recommend the dead tree version. Trees have died for about 40 quadrillion copies of Dianetics, so we can spare a few for this. ...more
Wow. I did not enjoy this at all. It was nearly a one-star for me. I guess I just wasn't the target audience, since I know it's wildly popular. I knowWow. I did not enjoy this at all. It was nearly a one-star for me. I guess I just wasn't the target audience, since I know it's wildly popular. I know it wasn't the format, as I've read and enjoyed other graphic novels, and I typically enjoy dark and dreary, so it wasn't that either. Perhaps much of the love came from the fact that it was the first to really usher in the "new" comic book as graphic novel form? Anyway, not for me....more
This one has been on my list for ages, and I finally broke down and bought a copy today. It will only be my second try with a graphic novel (after theThis one has been on my list for ages, and I finally broke down and bought a copy today. It will only be my second try with a graphic novel (after the Maus volumes) and I'm looking forward to trying more in this genre.
******Finished this afternoon; I read most of it last night, and I was anxious to get back to it today. I would actually give it 4.5 stars (it got a little odd at the end, and, if you haven't read James Joyce's Ulysses, a little confusing) but that rounds to five. Great autobiography of the author's dysfunctional childhood, but made even better by her many admissions that this is HER view of events, and not necessarily exactly what transpired. This format seemed perfect for the story, and Bechdel is painfully honest and quite funny. Recommended, especially if you are looking to try a graphic novel. Remember the word "graphic" is there for a reason - this is NOT a comic book, so don't hand it to your eight year old!
Marred by a too-brief ending, Volume 2 takes readers through the gates of Auschwitz and through liberation, with scenes of the modern-day relationshipMarred by a too-brief ending, Volume 2 takes readers through the gates of Auschwitz and through liberation, with scenes of the modern-day relationship between Vladek and Art interspersed. There is little discussion of Anja's suicide, and this omission creates a large hole in the narrative. Otherwise, though, as nearly as compelling as Volume 1. ...more
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