Books You Should Put in Your Face (Patreon)

I thought I'd concentrate on graphic novels this go round because COMICS ARE AMAZING and you should read more of them.

It was my birthday a few weeks ago and as a present to myself I finally bought volume one of Giants Days. Then I bought volume two and consumed them both within 24 hours.

There's lots to love about this comic. It's funny. It's insightful. I love the art style, the color palette, and the characters. It's written by John Allison, a name many of you will know from his many, many years as a web comics guru. (Check out his stuff here: http://www.scarygoround.com). Lisa Tremaine's art in this makes me so happy. I can't remember the last time I took pictures of a comic to text to people because they NEEDED to see it. 

Giant Days is basically a slice-of-life comic about three girls going to university in England. I identified pretty hardcore with practical (and sometimes emotionally dysfunctional) Susan Ptolemy, and I loved Goth-y and dramatic Esther. (She reminded me a little of my friend, Porkchop, who totally would tell me to pretend to be a dressage pony while in line to a club.) The third girl is Daisy, a fairly naive but kind homeschooled student. The girls have an unlikely but strong friendship that helps them navigate the weird world that is university life. Go. Go read it now.

I've also been a big fan of Lumberjanes, just like, well, everyone. Lumberjanes is about five best friends at camp dealing with everything from yetis to Holy Kittens to  crazy zombie-like campers from a nearby camp. It has a bright and crazy art dynamic that I love and reads like an insane NyQuil-induced fever dream. It's just so much fun. I haven't read the fourth graphic novel yet because I brought it home and my son promptly stole it. (If you like Lumberjanes, you should also check out Nimona.)

I also enjoyed the first graphic novel of Wayward, which is about a young girl moving to Japan to live with her mother. (Her father is from Ireland, her mother from Japan.) The main character, Rori, has to navigate school in a new country with a very different culture and language. She also has to deal with things that lurk in the shadows...

I really enjoyed the first volume, though I still need to play catch up on volumes two and three!