Welcome to my book blog!
I’ve been thinking for a while now about migrating most of the Book Nook content from my Owl Mail to blog posts and am finally taking the plunge. Reason? I’ve been reading too much too quickly (especially as I plow through graphic novels) and the newsletters are getting a little bottom-heavy.
I’ve also had some people who aren’t on my mailing list ask what happened to the reviews I used to post on my Instagram stories, so I thought this would be a great way to make them simultaneously less ephemeral and more accessible. It’s also fun for me to leave a trail of content that’s influencing and inspiring my work as an author/illustrator while shouting out creators who I think are the bees knees (or, occasionally, ones best to be avoided).
I’ll still include one review highlight in the newsletter, but for the rest I’ll add a link to these posts. You can sign up for Owl Mail HERE to get a monthly reminder or pop by at your own pace!
At the moment, I’m planning on doing a monthly post that covers the new things I’ve read. Eventually I’d like to also do some retrospective posts of books I included in last year’s newsletters as well as some spotlights (ex. for Black History Month, National Indigenous History Month, LGBTQ+ History Month, etc.), but one thing at a time! For now, let’s take a look at what I read in January (spoilers: it was a great start to the year)…
Birds of Maine by Michael Deforge ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This graphic novel is so incurably weird and amazing. The premise: it’s the future and birds have all moved to the moon where they live in a socialist utopia with a sophisticated fungal internet, frequent orgies, and universal worms for all. Told through surrealist illustrations and a deconstructed narrative of one-page panels, the story of a young cardinal coming of age takes wing as she follows her dreams of becoming a fashion designer, starting a band, and writing to her human penpal back on Earth. Along the way, the absurdity of our own humanity is frequently poked at and reflected upon. For its simplicty, this book had no business making me feel so many things. Deforge may be my new favourite cartoonist and I can’t wait to check out more of his work.
Factory Summers by Guy Delisle ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Delisle’s latest graphic novel is about his experiences during a recurring summer job at a paper mill in Québec City. Being a huge fan of his travelogue comics, I wasn’t that enthusiastic to hear his latest publication would take place so close to home, but he managed to capture an unexpected nostalgia that had me hooked from the first few pages. In the past, I’ve found that Delisle creates an emotional separation between him the Observer and those the Observed, but the personal nature of this book meant he delved deeper - namely into his relationship with his father and his art. It does still feel as though there’s just a little something that’s missing for me, but reading about his discovery of and ensuing passion for comics and animation as a career has actually catalyzed my own graphic novel kick.
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Audiobook read by Shivantha Wijesinha
It’s the mid 90s in Sri Lanka and you’re a photojournalist who wakes up dead in the afterlife’s waiting room. You quickly realize you were murdered and spend the next seven days - or, rather, moons - trying to get the two people you loved most in the world to find the politically upheaving photographs you took before someone else does. Told in the second person, this book is a little tough to get into at first, but once you settle into the flow, it’s a masterpiece of character, intrigue, humour, and the carnival of horrors (and delights) that is the human race. With its bright and explosive commentaries on corruption, activism, queer identity, and the blunt power of bigotry, it’s no wonder it won last year’s Man Booker prize. It can get tangled at times, but it’s worth taking the time to unravel.
Woman World by Aminder Dhaliwal ⭐⭐⭐
A post-apocalyptic graphic novel in which men have disappeared and women are rebuilding society, it might sound like a heavy read, but Woman World is humourous and whimsical if a little bittersweet. From what I understand, this was a webcomic first and was later bound into a sequential narrative. The result is a story that is less linear and more contemplative, ruminating on various aspects of humanity from relationships to the importance of recording the past. I did find the punchlines of the final panels were more miss than hit for me, but there was a charm to the world building that reminded me of Adventure Time (I’m assuming this to be an influence because the art also has that vibe). In all, a nice, light read in a cross-genre mashup that explored gender and identity in a unique way.
Waves by Ingrid Chabbert & illustrated by Carole Maurel (translated by Edward Gauvin) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ingrid Chabbert writes about her experience trying and, ultimately, failing to have a child through IVF treatments with her wife. There’s so much pain in this graphic novel. Though short, the sparse dialogue and emotionally charged art compel you to slow down and feel everything. It’s obvious how much grief Chabbert still feels about the events because the story felt as though it was held at arm’s length - my only point of criticism - but where the contextual depth fell short, the visual storytelling managed to do most of the heavy lifting. The deliberate use of colour work was especially good as it was entirely removed during times of depression and then slowly reintegrated during the healing period. If you’ve experienced miscarriage, this might be a cathartic book, but it also might hurt a lot.
Alpha: Directions by Jens Harder (translated by Stéphanie Lux) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I don’t call things perfect often, but this graphic novel is, in my personal wheelhouse, an untouchable masterpiece. Harder tracks the history of life from the Big Bang to the Quaternary, ie. the geologic period in which human ancestors recognizably appeared. Alongside some impressively consolidated research, he contrasts scientific illustration with imagery from mythology and technology to support the concepts with visual metaphors. The results are truly some of the most impressive comic art I’ve ever seen (pics below), not least of all because he manages to clearly bridge the evolutionary gap between various life forms that are less than intuitive. You can imagine how freaking excited I was to hear that this was the first to a trilogy (maybe a tetralogy?) and that the next parts will focus on the evolution of mankind and visions of the future. The good news is that Beta: Civilisations (volume I) is already out, but the downside is that it took over a decade to complete. Let’s just say I’ll be savouring Beta in February to make it last!
And that’s all for January! This month, I once again loaned way too many books from the library and also have some non-graphic novels and audiobooks on the go too (it’s only hubris if I fail.)
Also, happy Black History Month! I’m going to do my best to spotlight some of my favourite books by black authors, but if not, I’m always up for recommendations if you want to leave a comment.
On that note, I’d love to know if you’ve read any of these books! Whether you agree with me or think my opinion is egregiously unfounded, leave me your hot take.
Happy reading!
