This is the November pick for my local LGBTQ+ book club. My first Highsmith, a lot of my expectations were subverted. I am really looking forward to discussing it.
I don‘t really have any other words in my brain right now… maybe I‘ll come back and edit this review when I‘m feeling loquacious, but for now this sparse vagueness is all I‘ve got. Despite that, I didn‘t want to wait too long to review this. I know I‘ll forget otherwise.

In the wake of US election results, in the midst of other local activism planning, I‘m finding some small comfort in looking through my shelves to find books which will inspire me to keep going, keep fighting. These are books I‘m going to move up my TBR for the near future. I‘m sure I‘ll add to the stack as I look through my library more. Are there any books y‘all are thinking about these days?

An enjoyable October read, this ate up a lot of my focus for the month. I enjoyed many of the characters, as well as the twisty plot, even though it did begin to seem dragged out. I surmise that its original serialization is to blame for that. Not much else I can say without spoilers, beyond expressing that I am left entertained. I think I may end up trying to be a completist of Wilkie Collins, but perhaps I‘ll reserve his books for #Victober. ⬇️

Today was a weird day for me. It‘s one of those when I just crash. I retreated into my reading chair but I became hyper fixated on crochet. This morning I made a dishcloth, the green one on the right, and then searched for patterns/started the scarf on the left. When I hyper fixate it‘s like nothing else exists. Now, I‘m in the stage of awakening to the real world, just in time for bed! Maybe I‘ll read some of the tagged before I turn in. Hmff.

Whenever I read Wilkie Collins it tends to be in October. Of course there‘s the #Victober tie-in, but his books also seem to fit the season. Melodrama, cliff-hanging chapter endings, mystery, dynamic characters. Something about the crisp fall weather makes me want to curl up, get cozy, and escape into a twisty story with a meticulously arranged plot. I started this yesterday morning and I‘ve been immersed since. 1/4 way through this page turner!

I love a good zine! This one includes several short essays by neurodivergent authors on the topic of masking. Several are through the lens of autism, but experiences of borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are also represented. I‘m going through my own journey exploring my own neurodivergence experience, so I wasn‘t surprised to relate to many of the essays. If you‘re able to find a copy, it‘s worthwhile. ⬇️

Another graphic memoir centering a crisis of faith! I‘m on a roll…this one focuses on Mann‘s upbringing in an Orthodox Jewish community. At a young age, he realized that he was gay. This does a good job illustrating his difficulties navigating the traumas he experienced, as he notes, “at the intersection of high-demand religion and authoritarian parenting.” The art, by Mann and his partner Ryan Gatts, is simple and highlights shades of blue. ⬇️

A worthwhile reread. Judging by this Scholastic edition, the last time I read this was probably middle school. In this read I was struck by the metaphor of class division. I also found myself contemplating history, its preservation, its fleeting nature, its destruction. As bleak as that sounds, I didn‘t find this a depressing read- its philosophical interest was second to the entertainment factor. ⬇️

“If only I had thought of a Kodak! I could have flashed that glimpse of the Underworld in a second, and examined it at leisure.”

This sentence sent me down an internet rabbit hole researching the timeline of photographic innovation. I did a double take when I saw the brand Kodak treated like a household name. The company was incorporated in 1892, just three years before the publication of the tagged. Wild!

Let me begin by saying I really appreciated this story being told. It‘s a perspective that I‘ve never seen in a graphic narrative, that of a boy growing into young adulthood and navigating his faith, all while dealing with abuse, bullying, and essentially a rather traumatic childhood. It‘s a vital story, however painful it is at times, one that I can see a lot of people connecting with, particularly those navigating their own conflict of faith. ⬇️

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a marvelous October read! It was challenging at times- passages of dense, florid language, and the encyclopedic descriptions of Chapter 11. Nonetheless, I found this to be a page turner. There were several quite shocking twists (I gasped at one point), and the philosophical discourses appealed to me. I even found myself often amused by Lord Henry‘s waggery! This is one that will stand up to a reread in future.

“…and there were several very courteously worded communications from Jermyn Street moneylenders offering to advance any sum of money at a moment‘s notice and at the most reasonable rates of interest.”

Some things never change…

From “Unmasking My Parents,” by Eliot K. Daughtry:

“On Saturday, all the laundry was done before a trip to the library, where she would check out the maximum allowed books to feed her reading habit that week…my mom used the words on the page as a combination of stimming and shutdown, hidden behind a perfectly acceptable habit.”

This gives me pause to reflect on my own experience.

I didn‘t really like this as much as the first volume in this series, but it had a lot to offer in terms of suspense and a cliffhanger ending. My library has book three but not four, so a lot is riding on volume three in terms of whether I keep going with this series.

I‘m spending a few hours with the Spike Lee film this morning. It‘s interesting to note what details from the book have become focal points of the film. This is from the scene when the Fruit of Islam representatives demand medical care for a victim of police brutality. This moment seems to be portrayed as having greater importance than in the book. I‘d love to read something that puts these moments into context with their impact on the movement.

I love finding watermarks! I hauled this book recently and, beyond the well-written descriptions and plates which will be an excellent birding resource, I was thrilled to find this watermark for Warren‘s Olde Style. A quick search uncovers that this was a line from S.D. Warren Company, Boston. The official description, taken from an advertising digest I found online is, “a watermarked antique finish for type and line illustration.” Cool!

This was a decent collection of graphic short stories, each with an eerie premise. I feel like the art was a tonal mix of classic fairy tale and Goosebumps. My favorite was the final story, “A Nesting Place.” It was the most “fleshed” out and had a concrete premise that I could sink my teeth into (see what I did there…) Some of the other pieces were a bit too ethereal or subtle for me and I felt like I was left wanting more. ⬇️

Ugh! I have complicated thoughts upon finishing this. There are many things which I despised, chief among them the brutal antisemitism which poisoned so much of the reading experience. Also, for me, the story boils down to a sociological character study on the negative effects of money, the extremes to which greed can push people. The writing captures the tone and feeling of inevitable destruction excellently. That element kept me reading. Yet…⬇️

I‘m really enjoying this collection so far. It‘s cool to see little concentrated moments like this which depict navigating the politics of relationships. These strips make me reflect on what we have that is like this today. I think of people like Julia Kaye in Super Late Bloomer and on her Instagram where she‘s exploring the day to day of transitioning and navigating relationships and breakups. ⬇️

I picked this up at a library book sale last week, and I‘m already finding it a great resource. I‘ve read two speeches which have helped give context to recent reads. First, “More African than American,” given by Malcolm X a week before his assassination, and then “We Shall Overcome,” an address Lyndon B. Johnson made to the House about a month later, in March 1965. The latter was depicted in Volume 3 of March by John Lewis.

This was an exceptional conclusion to an exceptional trilogy of graphic novels. One of the things that stood out to me was how many moving parts there were at play at this time. There is great detail here about the conflicts among the various leadership, which was often exacerbated by the growing violence and intensity of the situation. Simply put, this was a perfect mix of informative and moving, a challenging but vital read.

“I had no way of knowing then, but that was the last time I would see Malcolm alive.”

This is the second time I‘ve read almost this exact sentence in the past week. The first was in the epilogue to Malcolm X‘s autobiography. On February 21st, 2025, it will have been 60 years since his assassination.

I‘m about half way through this 1899 naturalistic novel. I read this in my college days and decided to reread it and see why I kept it on my shelf. My notes in the front of the book note the influence of Zola and discuss the prevalent criminological theories of the time, namely Lombroso‘s criminal types. There‘s an awful lot of stereotyping, racism, and antisemitism throughout the book which I‘m not enjoying, yet something is keeping me reading ⬇️

This was a powerful volume. Many moments stood out, but a favorite is the image of Aretha Franklin singing “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” at President Obama‘s inauguration, contrasted with the images of the bloodied and beaten freedom riders in Montgomery in 1961. ⬇️

The first in a trilogy, this mainly focuses on John Lewis‘ participation in lunch counter sit-ins starting in 1959-60. I was surprised to learn how the participants trained each other of what to expect by practicing reacting to dehumanizing tactics. I will of course read the other volumes, but this laid a good framework for the trilogy.
https://www.npr.org/2017/07/12/533862948/lets-get-graphic-100-favorite-comics-an...

According to Storygraph, I‘ve been reading this since last December. But you know something? It‘s the kind of book that almost demands slow reading. Not that the pieces are dense or difficult to read. There is just an attitude of slowing down and treasuring the moment throughout. It‘s been a comforting reading experience in a way. I‘ve got 12 more essays to go. I think it will be bittersweet to finish this volume.

This is without a doubt one of the highlights of my reading year (at the very least). I picked this up without any specific expectations, and I am setting it down with an expanded view of the world. As much as I have read about systemic racism, the life of Malcolm X as it is written here deepened my understanding of the ways it affects people. I am in awe, also, of Malcolm‘s capacity for and willingness to change.⬇️

I really enjoyed this sweet story of Tuva and her time navigating friendships during the 7th grade in Norway. The notes in the back informed me that 7th grade there is the last year before junior high, a big transition into teenager life. I think this perfectly captured how awkward it can be to navigate the changes of this time in life. ⬇️

Nighty night! This had me thinking about the interesting linguistic practice of reduplication, the repetition of syllables, words, etc. This one is exact reduplication, but there‘s also rhyming (artsy-fartsy), ablaut (mishmash), sch- (fancy-schmancy), and others. Holy-moly!
#weirdwords #weirdwordWednesdays @CBee

In this graphic novel, the MC‘s dad makes playlists for her, which I love. But I absolutely adore how the artist includes the playlist in context. I love when authors do this!

Library Book Sale Haul Part 3:
Aha! Gotcha: Paradoxes to puzzle and delight by Martin Gardner
The Saturday Evening Post Small-Batch Canning & Freezing Cookbook by Charlotte Turgeon
Delphi: Monuments and Museum by Photios Petsas
Thessalonike Museum by Manolis Andronicos

The last two are museum guides to two famous Greek locations, both of which I have been lucky to visit.
Overall, a good haul!

Library Book Sale Haul Part 2:
The Bold New Women (Misc. collection)
Alchemy by E. J. Holmyard
Idylls of the King (and other poems), Tennyson
Women & Fiction 2 (short stories)
The Penguin Book of Curious and Interesting Puzzles by David Wells

Spent an hour or so at a nearby library book sale, and came away with a haul of 15 books. Here‘s Part 1:
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
As You Like It, Shakespeare
Spiderlight by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Penguin Book of Twentieth Century Speeches
Martin Dressler by Steven Millhauser
Loving-Living-Party Going by Henry Green

Inspired by real events, this graphic novel follows Liv Holme, a bi, goth girl in a new school in a new town. She finds a friend group, some gamers who hang out around the mall. Things are going well until she begins to get unwanted attention from a friend and becomes the target of predatory behavior from a teacher. Despite not shying away from some dark complex situations, Leth depicts resilience and empowerment in a realistic way.⬇️

This collection of graphic short stories was a mixed bag for me. The art throughout was good, often very expressive with creative use of color. The stories themselves all seemed to be trying to get at a core part of the human experience, as much as that exists. My favorite was the final story about a seminar for people to learn how to cry.

https://www.npr.org/2017/07/12/533862948/lets-get-graphic-100-favorite-comics-an...

This was stellar. A post-pandemic/post-apocalyptic story which reminded me of a lot of similar things, but managed to put a fresh spin on the genre. Gus and Jeppard are the classic innocent and dark characters. I am excited to read the next book. Another excellent choice from this NPR list: https://www.npr.org/2017/07/12/533862948/lets-get-graphic-100-favorite-comics-an...

Tonight‘s zine haul from Unreliable Narrator Books in Rochester, NY. It‘s a great shop, and I will definitely be going back to support them when I‘m in the area.

I‘m reading this for a banned book month program my local library is doing. I didn‘t know what to expect when I started it, but it is one of the most engaging books I‘ve read in quite some time. This is probably going to be a top favorite for the year. I‘m so thankful that my library has programs that inspire me to engage with books in such a meaningful way.

Finished this just in time for my local queer book club meeting tonight. I teetered back and forth between pick and so-so. Positives: I thought this was extremely creative in concept, and had a great plot twist, and some really chilling gore. Negatives: the pace dragged sometimes, some tone issues, and some really chilling gore 😂. Overall, I don‘t think this was entirely my cup of tea. Nonetheless, I‘m curious to follow the author‘s work.

Music used to be a much bigger part of my life. It‘s been too long since I made a habit of playing some every day. I was listening to Tom Waits‘ Closing Time album a few minutes ago and “I Hope That I Don‘t Fall in Love With You” came on. I was struck with the urge to tune up my guitar and do some picking. I‘m so glad I have this little songbook around rather than turning to the internet. Chords and lyrics all in one place! Time to play.

“I- and people like me- can‘t splinter ourselves… I need for all of me- all these parts of me- to be addressed. I can‘t leave my leg out in the rain while the rest of my body comes indoors for shelter. Because if I do I am still going to be wet and miserable, even if much of my body is dry. That won‘t work for me.”

Starting a new selection from the NPR list and I loved this panel from the intro! The only thing of Bechdel‘s I‘ve read is Fun Home, so this should be interesting.

https://www.npr.org/2017/07/12/533862948/lets-get-graphic-100-favorite-comics-an...

Another from the NPR list linked below. Similar to other works by the authors, I felt like this captured the feeling of various complex relationships with a lot of subtlety. Still, I appreciated this more than enjoyed it. Rose, the MC, is going through a difficult time coming of age in a stressful family dynamic. She‘s very impressionable and testing boundaries. She‘s not always kind or likable, but she is going through a lot. ⬇️

Well, this was another whirlwind. Ferris‘ art continues to be magnificent. I think because I just read the first book I found this just as moving, if not more so in some ways. I find some of the storylines left things open for a possible Vol. 3 and I would be happy to follow more of Karen Reyes‘ story if that happens. I feel this is a set of books that will hold up to rereading- the art is so dense and immersive I‘m sure I‘d find more each time.

My Saturday night reading. I got my hold of the tagged from the library yesterday. I‘m already in the midst of 17 other books, so I decided I want to make some progress with a few of those before I start the Ferris. I‘m savoring the Wordsworth and enjoying the Wiswell, which is for my queer book club in a few weeks. This stack is an interesting combo. 📚

I‘ve been reading a lot of somber things lately and I needed something jovial. I keep some kids books from my parents‘ collection on my shelf. I hadn‘t read this before so I thought it would be a light reprieve. Overall, this was quite silly. I enjoyed how none of the side characters seemed to know what a penguin was at first. The illustrations were very charming. But yeah- it was dated, silly, implausible, simple. A classic kids book I suppose.

This was a super cute thrift find this evening. The author, a journalist, took photos of her cat for five years. The idea to combine the photos with courtesy advice followed from her work with NYC Transit Authority‘s courtesy campaign. Thus, Etti-Cat was born, a poster child of courtesy “enthusiastically received by the public and the major newspapers.” This was a quick five-minute read but my goodness it was delightful.
#catsoflitsy

Another miserable story from this so far dreary and depressing anthology. “I See You, Bianca,” by Maeve Brennan was essentially 11 pages of description of the MC‘s NYC apartment. There happened to be a cat who goes missing and the MC doesn‘t seem that bothered really. That‘s the plot. What a downer! I‘m very nervous to continue with this collection. If the next story is more of the same I may just shelve this for now.
#catsoflitsy

This was fine. It was an interesting theme for an anthology, stories about endings, but it suffers from a problem a lot of comics anthologies can have. The theme is fun but the individual stories were not as fleshed out as I would like. They were basically just ideas or sketches in my view. I think the reason to seek this out would be for the art. The variety of styles was interesting. ⬇️

My new nighttime short story collection. Kicking it off with “The Islands,” by Alice Adams. Quite a melancholy start, a story about the life and loss of a tailless Manx cat named Pink, named after the MC‘s friend Zoe Pinkerton. Zoe‘s path through life mirrors Pink‘s, both leaving a hole behind in their place. I‘m nervous that every story in this collection will be a downer, but I hope I am surprised. Finn and Jack pictured offering moral support.