A fun graphic novel about a young girl who dreams of being a knight. Loved the Middle Eastern/ North African-inspired world and the spunky Aiza, who’s one of the oppressed Ornu people. Themes of colonialism and prejudice, as well as the violence of war are thoughtfully discussed. But it’s the stellar artwork and colours that steal the show. Gorgeous.
“Terrible people can do good things sometimes. But they like doing the terrible things more.”
What an excellent read this was. Intense, exciting, and at its center, a former FBI agent elected the first Black sheriff of Charon County, Virginia. At first, a school shooting that claims the life of a beloved school teacher, but this leads to the discovery that there’s a serial killer living in their town, carrying out brutal and grisly murders. And while the story is thrilling and keeps the reader turning the pages, the heart of the story is its depiction of small town rural America, the struggles of Sheriff Titus Crowne (conflicted, full of quiet anger), and the interactions (volatile, tense) among the white and Black residents. Crosby tackles issues of racism, white supremacy, religious fundamentalism, and violence skilfully.
“The moment he announced his candidacy he had made a choice to live in a no-man’s-land between people who believed in him, people who hated him because of his skin color, and people who believed he was a traitor to his race. He tried his best to stand on the border of that undiscovered country, bloodied but unbowed.”
This was my first venture into Crosby’s work, and I was just floored by it. I can’t wait to see what his other books are like.
“C********* mother******” was my favorite expression and at eight years old, I used it defiantly. I was a spunky, sassy mess and when I spewed that expression, one hand would be on my hip, my middle finger in vast display, and maybe my tongue would be sticking out.”
(note: asterisks are mine)
And with that Viola Davis draws the reader into her childhood, her young life filled with poverty, racism, domestic violence, abuse, and living in a condemned building infested with rats. It’s a brutally honest and sometimes shocking story about her life.
One of the saddest moments was in elementary school when teacher told her she smelled and had to do something about it. But most times, their family didn’t have soap or hot water, and had to hand wash clothes. After young Viola went home and washed her clothes and body well, she waited to be acknowledged for the improvement, but sadly, her teachers never really noticed her after that.
“The invisibility of the one-two punch that is Blackness and poverty is brutal. Mix that with being hungry all the damn time and it becomes combustible.”
Her perseverance, hard work, and talent got her a scholarship to Rhode Island College, and even then she didn’t stop, she kept pushing, performing and working, as well as studying. She made it to Juilliard but is let down by their Eurocentric approach, like playing white 18th century characters in wigs and corsets. After Juilliard, she found it hard to find good acting roles, as many of the roles were for drug addicts.
I haven’t really followed Davis’ career, as I only really watched her in How to Get Away With Murder, a TV series where she plays a lawyer and professor who gets entangled in a murder, along with some of her students. But now I want to watch everything else she’s been in. I saw that there’s a Netflix special that she did with Oprah Winfrey about the memoir, and can’t wait to watch it.
If you haven’t read this memoir yet, I would recommend listening to the audiobook. I loved listening to Viola Davis read her story. She has such a deep and rich tone to her voice, it’s gorgeous.
This book was such a riot. It was bewildering and entertaining and filled with fantastic world-building that blends space, mythology, artificial intelligence, cyberpunk and more. It’s set on a dying planet and the main characters are Lina and her brother Bador who is actually a monkey bot. Also Moku, who (which?) is a kind of AI story bot and narrates the story.
Confused already? Yeah I completely get it. This is a book that defies synopsis. It’s confusing at first and some patience is required to get through it. But it was truly satisfying to read all this bonkers imagination and creativity that comes out of this writer’s head. Because it somehow managed to make sense. The characters, despite two of the three main ones being bots, felt relatable. It had such heart and colour and vibrance.
Gorgeous colourful illustrations from Pham light up this YA graphic novel that is full of family secrets and two special holidays – Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day.
Valentina Tran loves Valentine’s Day, she makes cards for all her classmates and even has an imaginary friend Cupid. But in high school, everyone thinks her cards are lame and she learns the truth about her parents’ relationship. And her imaginary friend transforms into a more ominous version, Saint Valentine, who demands she give up her heart.
I love that this book is set in Oakland – Yang is from the Bay Area – and that it features lion dancing, an important part of Lunar New Year celebrations. In the Bay Area, they perform at Chinese restaurants, malls, and businesses during the new year, bringing good luck and prosperity.
Have you ever seen a lion dance competition? They are truly amazing to watch. They leap from tall platforms (more like poles really), doing crazy stunts up high, and somehow still managing to mimic being a lion. These are mostly held in Asian countries like Singapore and Malaysia, although I recently read an article about a teen lion dance troupe based in San Francisco that’s been competing in these events.
Anyway, back to the book, it was just lovely to have Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean characters celebrating the new year. Korean lion dancing was also featured. Valentina learns to connect back with her culture and her family. The teenagers, their struggles and how they dealt with them felt authentic, but I wanted to find out more about Valentina’s parents too (is there a sequel?).
Beautiful illustrations that frame a sweet coming of age story and a wonderful representation of the Asian diaspora.
Fancy Meeting You Here – Julie Tieu
Ghosts of Gold Mountain - Gordon H. Chang
The Lonely Hearts Book Club – Lucy Gilmore
Hello Stranger – Katherine Center
Unfamiliar vol 1 – Haley Newsome
Unfamiliar vol 2 – Haley Newsome
Frontera – Julio Anta, Jacoby Salcedo
Our House is On Fire – Svante Thunberg, Beata Ernman, Greta Thunberg, Malena Ernman
Of Women and Salt – Gabriela Garcia
My Annihilation – Fuminori Nakamura, translated by Sam Bett
Crumbs – Danie Stirling
There’s No Such Thing As An Easy Job – Kikuko Tsumura, translated by Polly Barton
Mild Vertigo – Mieko Kanai, translated by Polly Barton
Aquanaut – Dan Santat
Palestine – Joe Sacco
The Comeback – Lily Chu
The Neighbor Favor – Kristina Forest
Land of Milk and Honey – C Pam Zhang
Heaven – Mieko Kawakami
Run On Your New Legs Vol 1 – Midori Wataru
The House of Eve – Sadeqa Johnson
What You Are Looking For Is In the Library – Michiko Aoyama
Ah just the perfect graphic novel read for a gloomy day. There’s magic, baked goods, and a blooming romance. It’s a sweet treat in between reading some more difficult books (I decided to give up on reading The Fraud as it was just too frustrating). And while I would have preferred some more details into Ray’s job (she trains at the Council Academy) but it’s quite vague about what she really does and what she hopes to do with her powers.
CRUMBS is a cozy and whimsical read, best read with a mug of a delicious hot drink and a baked good. It brims with the warm fuzzies and sweet moments.
Maybe it was because I was ill when reading this book, or perhaps it was the unbroken long paragraphs used in the book, but reading Mild Vertigo did create this uneasy sense of claustrophobia (and some vertigo, but maybe that’s the illness talking) as I got stuck into the main character’s life and all its details.
First published in 1997, but only recently translated into English, Mild Vertigo follows Natsumi, a stay-home parent in her 30s as she goes about her daily life, tending to her family, running errands, going to the supermarket, talking to neighbors, and all the minutiae of daily life. It’s a stream of consciousness that’s both fascinating and challenging because nothing happens and yet so many details and thoughts are drawn together as we all spin along in this carousel of life.
Some readers are going to hate this book because of the way it’s written and others, because nothing much happens. But I found it intriguing, as we experience the life of a Japanese housewife in the 90s. And also by the strange and mesmerizing writing style. I felt like I had to often reorientate myself as I navigated these long continuous passages, as if to make sure I stayed on the right path and didn’t get lost in the vertigo.
“the water was flowing out of the tap, there was nothing remarkable about it — that was the whole thing, there was nothing remarkable about it whatsoever, it was an utterly ordinary thing — and yet for some unknown reason she kept staring at it, and falling, again for some unknown reason, into a kind of trance”.
This book was visceral and lush. It hit all the textures and mouthfeel, all the gut punches and senses. It’s dystopian and has a kind of sci-fi feel to it, but as if Anthony Bourdain wrote a sci-fi series. It also made me think of that disturbing restaurant movie, The Menu.
I don’t know how to describe this book but it has to do with an environmental disaster that wrecks the earth and humans are left with bioengineered mung-protein-soy-algal flour to cook with. The unnamed chef takes a job in a remote research community in Italy which stores unimaginable wealth in terms of food like the last strawberries.
This book is a story about power, about food and love, it’s a complex and sensual and creative work. I did find it hard to read though, taking several weeks to finally make my way through it. This book made me hungry with its intense descriptions of food, but it also left me a bit cold, in that I wanted to feel more for the unnamed chef, I wanted to care more, but I didn’t.
Look at that cover! It is lovely and cozy and so very welcoming. The pile of books, the view out the window, the potted plant, the cute polar bear mug with tea or coffee, and the gorgeous cat.
So would it be wrong for me to have presumed that a cat would be front and center in this story? I think not! I also checked out the covers of a few other international editions of the book, which also have cats.
Ultimately, I was disappointed by the lack of cats in this book. There are cats only in the second chapter, which features a bookshop that sells coffee, books about cats, and has resident cats that wander around, which sounds absolutely delightful. But alas, no cats actually live at the library, and neither was the librarian a talking cat (hey this is Japanese lit, anything can happen – see, THE CAT WHO SAVED BOOKS by Sosuke Natsukawa).
On the other hand, if you were looking for a book that doesn’t necessarily feature cats, this book features a small community library and a librarian whose book recommendations are absolutely spot on for the various visitors who come seeking her help, whether it be a new retiree at loss for what to do, a woman sidelined at work after having a baby, or a 30yo adrift in life.
It has BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD vibes, like THE KAMOGAWA FOOD DETECTIVES (by Hisashi Kashiwai) I read a few months back. But WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS IN THE LIBRARY is maybe more successful because we follow the various characters more thoroughly, seeing from their POV before they finally hit the library. It leaves you feeling warm and cozy, so it’s a perfect winter or monsoon season read, along with your hot drink in a cute mug.
Real Life Reading 