Welcome to Litsy!

Cartoonist Lynda Barry is one of my creative inspirations. This book is a good intro to her work because the short “essays” cover topics she visits again and again: childhood, memory, creativity, the awkwardness of growing up, the need to be authentic.

Look at all those books written by Wisconsinites♡

Not really my type of art. However I did appreciate the author‘s concept, looking back at the “demons” that shaped her young life and who she would become.

Since it‘s my last of 16 glorious days off work I‘ll count this as my #vacationread for #BBRC #YeahBaby.

I don‘t want to go back! 😢 I‘ve loved this relaxing reading time.

Why are we so moved by stories? Tales of things that never happened told by people we‘ve never met? How does a story come so alive?
What makes us want to hear them even when their endings are sad? When we finish a book, why do we hold it in both hands and gaze at it as if it were alive?
A book...a magic lantern inside capable of conjuring worlds.

“This ability to exist in pieces is what some adults call resilience. And I suppose in some way it is a kind of resilience, a horrible resilience that makes adults believe children forget trauma.”

[Yep, the pictured panel and the quote are different - two quotes for the price of one!]

Lynda saw a Zen Buddhist scroll showing 100 demons and, being a cartoonist, decided to paint her own. Though there are far fewer than 100 in her book, the demons she highlights are probably familiar to most people, even if they haunt us in different ways. Mostly, they attacked her in childhood, and often emanated from abusive adults. The demon of reliance is a poignant story, the demon of dogs a hopeful one, with a spectrum of others between 3.5🌟

For my birthday, my husband gave me this lively, sad, sweet, weird, and darkly comic graphic novel about the power of art in battling life's "demons". One review described it as "part memoir and part creativity primer"—so true, and so far it's SO good!

#ComicsByWomen #AndItsAugust Love Lynda Barry's work! 💜

Oh, Littens. How can I possibly choose just one fave graphic novel? Or even 5? 10? I'm not even going to consult my comics backlog. I am long overdue in confessing my deep, deep Lynda Barry love (I have a tattoo to prove it). She introduced me to a whole new way of storytelling, both generally and within the graphic novel format. Her attitude is my everything. #favegraphicnovels #booktober

After struggling through my last book, I've decided to go a little "lighter". I dug Barry's "Cruddy" but haven't read any of her cartoon books before. Klosterman usually fills my need for snarky, pop culture laden essays.

This book makes me want to sit down with a pen and my journal and do some memory recall. I can feel the healing powers of art and self-reflection as I flip through this amazing book.