Recommended: Yes! For insight into what it’s like to have a modern-day arranged marriage (note it’s not a FORCED marriage), for a funny story about finding yourself and finding love
Summary: Chaperones, suitors, and arranged marriages aren’t only reserved for the heroines of a Jane Austen novel. They’re just another walk in the park for this leading lady, who is on a mission to find her leading lad. From the brilliant comics Yes, I’m Hot in This, Huda Fahmy tells the hilarious story of how she met and married her husband. Navigating mismatched suitors, gossiping aunties, and societal expectations for Muslim women, That Can Be Arranged deftly and hilariously reveals to readers what it can be like to find a husband as an observant Muslim woman in the twenty-first century.
Recommended: Yes! For fans of her comic series, for anyone who’s been in a relationship (though maybe more of the younger generation for some), for a heartwarming read that will make you smile and happily sigh
Summary: Why bother getting out of bed when you could stay bundled up with that special someone and a book of cozy, cute comics. From the author of the bestselling Little Moments of Love comes Snug, a collection of comics that perfectly captures the honest, playful, and relatable snapshots of romantic life. Chetwynd’s second book has the same charming and inviting style as her first and includes 50 percent new, never-before-shared comics. Snug is a celebration of the quirks and peculiarities of every one of us—and the magic that happens when we find our matching puzzle piece.
Curse of the Worgen by Micky Neilson – ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Loved it! It was so fun to get the detailed story that you play through when starting as a worgen in WoW. There are parallels through each, but details in this one that add so much to the story. And Genn is such an inspiring badass.
Recommended: yes! If you’ve played a worgen this will be familiar but give more detail and background, for fans of the series who want gorgeous art on a dark, dramatic, and intense storyline, for a darkly illustrated story about werewolves and a city on the brink of desctruction
Summary: The world’s most popular massively multiplayer online videogame continues its exodus into comics with this new graphic novel. The best-selling WORLD OF WARCRAFT comic series returns in time for a worldwide cataclysm! A series of grisly, animalistic murders have rocked the walled town of Gilneas. A famous detective sets out to discover the perpetrators and finds far more than he bargained for. To find the truth, he must delve through years of twisted history – both the history of his family and Gilneas itself.
Thoughts: My first character in World of Warcraft was a worgen, so the starting area quests for that are really stuck up in my head. Seeing those quests and moments drawn and woven into the comic was like a return to an old friend. Even without that background coming into this, the story is undeniably dramatic – how could an infestation of werewolves and undead at the gates not be? Betrayal, self-discovery, old enemies, new friends… it sounds cliche, but it’s actually fantastic.
Recommended: yup For an impressive standalone whether you know everything or nothing about the universe, for likable and dynamic characters, for a clever use of the art to convey elements of story
Be ready for a lot of purple and hidden ravens
Summary: When a tragic accident takes the life of 17-year-old Raven Roth’s foster mom—and Raven’s memory—she moves to New Orleans to recover and finish her senior year of high school. Starting over isn’t easy. Raven remembers everyday stuff like how to solve math equations and make pasta, but she can’t remember her favorite song or who she was before the accident. And when impossible things start happening, Raven begins to think it might even be better not to know who she was before. But as she grows closer to her new friends, her foster sister, Max, and Tommy Torres, a guy who accepts her for who she is now, Raven has to decide if she’s ready to face what’s buried in the past… and the darkness building inside her.
Thoughts: I fell in love with the cartoon “Teen Titans” when I was a kid, so I was pretty excited to see this graphic novel come out. I didn’t know much about Raven’s actual story, and was excited to get some details. From the author’s notes, it sounds like they might have changed or adapted some aspects from the original, so if you’re a diehard fan who knows the story keep an open mind.
Recommended: Yes! For insight into what it’s like to have a modern-day arranged marriage (note it’s not a FORCED marriage), for a funny story about finding yourself and finding love
Summary: Chaperones, suitors, and arranged marriages aren’t only reserved for the heroines of a Jane Austen novel. They’re just another walk in the park for this leading lady, who is on a mission to find her leading lad. From the brilliant comics Yes, I’m Hot in This, Huda Fahmy tells the hilarious story of how she met and married her husband. Navigating mismatched suitors, gossiping aunties, and societal expectations for Muslim women, That Can Be Arranged deftly and hilariously reveals to readers what it can be like to find a husband as an observant Muslim woman in the twenty-first century.
Thoughts: This was like having a friend you can ask questions about without worrying you’ll accidentally be offensive. Like the answer to the questions you want to ask but aren’t sure you’re allowed to. It was also HILARIOUS! And so, so sweet. I can never turn down a cute little love story!
Recommended: yep For an unexpectedly funny tale woven with darkness and ethics, for wonderfully complex characters who grow and change your heart
A rather lovely set!
Summary: He awakens. For 820 years he has slumbered with no knowledge of mankind’s advancements and scientific achievments. The land which he once knew has become an unfamiliar place with new technologies, attitudes, and lifestyles. Cadis Etrama Di Raizel (Rai), while seeking to familiarize himself with this era, somehow locates a loyal servant of his, Frankenstein, who is currently the principal of a South Korean high school. Rai decides that this high school would be the perfect place to help him learn about the new world. He enrolls, and suddenly becomes the friend of Shinwoo, an immature teenager who is also a master martial artist. But this new world is no safer than the old, and the dignified, bewildered, technologically illiterate Rai finds himself caught up in adventures both ridiculous and dangerous.
Thoughts: The bandaid on his nose has got to go. Sorry – just had to get that out! It’s been driving me crazy! Though with that out of the way, I can focus on everything that I liked, which was pretty much everything else.
Recommended: Yes! For fans of her comic series, for anyone who’s been in a relationship (though maybe more of the younger generation for some), for a heartwarming read that will make you smile and happily sigh
Ahh, the kerning is so snug!
Summary: Why bother getting out of bed when you could stay bundled up with that special someone and a book of cozy, cute comics. From the author of the bestselling Little Moments of Love comes Snug, a collection of comics that perfectly captures the honest, playful, and relatable snapshots of romantic life. Chetwynd’s second book has the same charming and inviting style as her first and includes 50 percent new, never-before-shared comics. Snug is a celebration of the quirks and peculiarities of every one of us—and the magic that happens when we find our matching puzzle piece.
Thoughts: Ahhh, what’s not to like?? 😍 To address that missing fifth star, it’s due to the abrupt ending. It’s a series of comics, so maybe that’s somewhat expected, but it would have been a smoother ending if the last one had been something with them going to sleep, or going home, rather than just another general one. The ordering of these could have been tweaked for a more comprehensive effect of their developing relationship.
Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell – 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Omg it’s definitely a winner. So glad I finally grabbed a copy!! I laughed so many times. Excellent story with humor and depth, and the art was so wonderful! I had a fantastic idea of who the characters were early on, which is so important and often difficult in a shorter graphic novel. Added my vote for this as graphic novel of the year in the Goodreads choice poll!!
Recommended:Yes!! For a great example of utilizing the format of a graphic novel, for a whole lot of laughs, for some awwwws as well, for a sweet yet deep story with perfectly matching art
Summary: Deja and Josiah are seasonal best friends. Every autumn, all through high school, they’ve worked together at the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world. (Not many people know that the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world is in Omaha, Nebraska, but it definitely is.) They say good-bye every Halloween, and they’re reunited every September 1. But this Halloween is different—Josiah and Deja are finally seniors, and this is their last season at the pumpkin patch. Their last shift together. Their last good-bye. Josiah’s ready to spend the whole night feeling melancholy about it. Deja isn’t ready to let him. She’s got a plan: What if—instead of moping and the usual slinging lima beans down at the Succotash Hut—they went out with a bang? They could see all the sights! Taste all the snacks! And Josiah could finally talk to that cute girl he’s been mooning over for three years . . . What if their last shift was an adventure?
Thoughts: Oh, man. I didn’t think I would love this so much, but here I am, whipping out the five stars. I loved the art style. It had a solidly matching style and color scheme to the story, and they did a fantastic job of telling small stories within the story through the art. Tracking the goat through the park was amazing!
Words have always carried more weight with me than images – give me a book over its movie any day – but I do love to see the beautiful images other people create when they’re in love with a book. That’s not my strength, but I can certainly appreciate it in others! So here’s a few of my faves based on what I’ve been reading recently.
This had been on my list for a while and for whatever reason it popped up as a recommended item on Webtoon. I happened to be in the market for a new webcomic to start, so I dove right in! Biggest issue: frickin’ Shinwu’s nose is never going to heal. Frankly if I had seen this fan art earlier, I probably would have started this series a lot sooner. It’s dark and has a beautiful art style, but is also absolutely hilarious at times!
I seem to have a thing with Frankenstein lately, and I’m not mad that the trend is continuing.
I had been looking forward to this for a while before it finally released, and though it’s a little different than I had expected, I’m really enjoying it! I’ve rarely been more interested in going to Hell, especially if Heaven is absent all books. That’s not my kind of paradise, thank you. This book has heroes crawling out of the pages, trips to other realms of belief, and the Devil’s Bible threatening to unleash a new war between aspects of the afterlife. What’s not to like?
I’m pretty sad I missed this sweet author swag. I’m not big on tote bags, but I promise this would have become a regular rotation item for me because IT’S AMAZING.
My Book Joy 