Do you ever read graphic novels? I really love the experience — it almost feels like watching a movie. While reading the dialogue and text, you’ll also notice a woman’s eyes pop open in the night, or see a guy’s shoulders slump as he gets bad news. A bead of sweat on a forehead, a moon shining through a window, a zoom-in on a first kiss. It’s fascinating to read a story, while also observing it. This new one made my heart swell…
Passing for Human, a graphic memoir by Liana Finck, comes out today, and it’s achingly beautiful. I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy a few months ago, and I’ve been sitting on my hands until I could write about it.
Finck, a New Yorker cartoonist, tells the story of her childhood, during which her mother was a frustrated architect in a male-dominated field; her father was a loving doctor wracked with guilt for having passed his mental struggles onto his daughter; and Finck dates, draws and tries to find her true self as she grows older and wiser.
All her life, Finck felt “weird” and wondered if there was something deeply wrong with her, and in the end, she works it out on the page. “I don’t draw because I love to draw,” she writes. “I don’t draw because I draw well. I draw because once I lost something, and by drawing, I will find it.”
What else have you been reading these days? Please share any recommendations! (I’m also still telling friends about Educated and The Terrible.)
P.S. The five best graphic novels, and a memoir I devoured.
205 COMMENTS
I had my socks knocked off by Maggie O’Farrell’s I Am, I Am, I Am. Read it! It’s a memoir of sorts told through different episodes in her life where she almost died. This sounds more morbid than it is. It’a a brief read and very moving. Also some striking writing about motherhood.
On a lighter note, Standard Deviation by Katherine Heany made me laugh so hard at one point that in choking it back I woke my husband up. He thought I was sobbing. I actually bit the duvet trying to bottle up the laughter. That’s a first.
Not sure if anyone mentioned it, but I highly recommend This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki. It’s a young adult graphic novel that appeals to all ages and was the “most contested” (banned) book of 2016. I didn’t find it controversial, but it also brought me back to a time of slow aimless summers plagued with desperate curiosity for teenage experiences with striking imagery.
I’ve been enjoying the detective novels (set in Quebec) by Louise Penny. Also, when I need book recommendations, apart from looking on this blog (which is so great), I check out the Modern Mrs Darcy blog (https://modernmrsdarcy.com) – she’s an author and runs a bookshop, so basically has my dream life! Happy reading everyone – Autumn is the perfect season for hunkering down with a great book. Xx
I’m a big reader but graphic novels don’t hold my interest. Two books I’ve enjoyed lately: Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken. Sci-fi, dystopian fiction..there’s 4. I’m only on one but I read it one night. I’m also reading Alternative Side by Anna Quindlen. I’m about half way through it and I love it. It’s well written, some of the lines have made me lol and it’s a love letter to NYC. I hope it ends as well as it began.
Like Susan Todd, I finished The Great Believers and it was one of my favorites! It touched on so many subjects: art, history, the “80’s, LGBTQ lifestyle, family and friends. This book touched my heart.
I started reading The Fruit of the Drunken Tree, but veer off to Just Kids by Patty Smith and can barely put it down. I think I like Patty Smith’s prose more than her songs…
Next, though, The Fruit of the Drunken Tree.
A huge shout out to WW2 history buffs, Beneath the Scarlet Sky. An all time tear jerking favorite, for sure!
Fruit of the Drunken Tree is one of the best books I’ve read this year!
One of my absolute favorite teachers was the husband of Rob Hiaasen, one of the victims of the Capital Gazette murder. He had written a book called Float Plan and his wife, Maria has had it published. I haven’t read it quite yet but I’m sure it’s just as he was.
Just finished (and loved) The Great Believers. It will hit my top 10 list of favorites for 2018, for sure. Now reading Fruit of the Drunken Tree, which is pretty spectacular also. It’s been a great year for readers.
Just finished Bad Blood (the story behind Theranos/Elizabeth Holmes) and am now reading Less. The two books couldn’t be more different. Jury is still out on Less but Bad Blood is a fascinating read and a page turner. No chem/bio background required.
i just bought ‘dept. of speculation’ by jenny offill because after i read it once from the library, i wanted it around so i could reach for it whenever. she is so quietly brilliant in her thoughtful words and whispered paragraphs.
love graphic novels. they are able to tell disturbing stories in a way that invites such empathy. this post makes me realize it’s been wayyy too long since i’ve read a graphic novel…! must fix that v. soon
oh i love dept of speculation so so much. so beautiful, and beautifully structured.
I can’t believe no one has mentioned the graphic novel Sabrina by Nick Drnaso. A story about a missing women told through the eyes of her boyfriend’s friend. It got a lot of buzz for being long-listed for the Man Booker prize (if you care about that). It’s just plain absorbing.
Over Easy by Mimi Pond
…
I was wandering around the library one day and out of the corner of my eye I saw this book cover with a cup of coffee drawn on it. It was on the edge of the Young Adult/Graphic Novel section, a section I wouldn’t normally go to, but the cover was interesting that I just had to go pick it up.
Reading the back cover I thought, this is not for kids! The description on the back read: A FAST-PACED SEMI-MEMOIR ABOUT DINERS, DRUGS, AND CALIFORNIA IN THE 1970S.
I opened it up. I loved the drawings. It’s how I’ve always wanted to draw. The only colour was shades of teal, my favourite colour. I love coffee and had just started working in a coffee shop.
I signed the book out and devoured it over a few short days. It was funny and interesting and surprising and sad. It was beautiful. I loved it!
I just finished “Less” by Andrew Sean Greer and let me just say: I immediately downloaded two more of his books to my kindle. It was that good! Such a well-told tale of an ageing writer who’s not quite sure what to make of his life thus far. Absolutely loved it!
I’m reading “I Should Have Honor” by Khalida Brohi. She and her husband David, who I went to high school with, opened up The Chai Spot in Sedona, AZ a few years ago as a way of sharing the tradition that brought their families together with the world and raising money to send Pakistani girls to school. They are opening another location in NYC any day now. Khalida’s book chronicles her family’s history in Pakistan and the honor killing of her cousin, which led to her activism and work to educate women and nd honor killings. Her family history is heartbreaking and incredible and it is so amazing to read about such unbelievable cultural beliefs that seem so far removed from our lives here in America.
We Were the Lucky Ones: A Novel was based on the authors family story and hauntingly similar to
my grandparents journey during the the Holocaust. I highly recommend this book!
YES!!! Loved this one. Probably my favourite book I read last year!
I really enjoyed this book too!
Lint Boy is a beautiful graphic novel for bigger kids, maybe 8 and up. It’s so original and is a sweet story but with a Tim Burton-like twist.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0544528603/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=publiweekl05-20
I recently finished Behold the Dreamers and it was fantastic. An immigrant family from Cameroon experiences life in New York City working for a well to-do white American family. The book takes you through the journey of both families. So beautifully done.
I read that book last year and one of my favorite books. I didn’t listen to it but my mom and grandma did and they loved the narration.
My brain somehow dubs all graphic novels I read in the voice of Ira Glass. Don’t know why, but it does.
Also, I just finished reading “Why we sleep” by Matthew Walker. I am a changed person because of it.
Beartown and Us Against You by Fredrik Backman were both excellent!
I’m reading – and enjoying – Beartown now!
My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent gutted me in the best way. NPR was spot on with its assessment of the book–“difficult to read and impossible to put down.” One of the best books I’ve read in a very long time.
This book aarrg!!! https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/my-absolute-darling-is-sexist-violence
I almost had to stop reading it halfway through- I didn’t, but I still can’t decided if I actually liked it!
That book is still haunting me.
A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza is so, so beautiful!! Joanna, you would love it. It’s the story of a family and particularly a mother and father’s love for their children. It made me understand so much more fully what it means to parent. I wanted to squeeze it every night I set it down.
“But I did fight. I tried to leave every human I have interacted with better than or the same as when I encountered them….It was the way I wanted to move through the world….That was my fight: to continue to do little things for people around me, so no one would find fault in my demeanor and misattribute it to my religion.”
this sounds incredible. going to the library tonight :)
I know you’ve written about it before, but Persepolis is one of my favorites!
I just finished Kevin Kwan’s China Rich Girlfriend, the second book in the Crazy Rich Asians series, and I am now starting on The Geography of Genius by Eric Weiner. I read his The Geography of Bliss a few years ago and loved it.
The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. It is fantastic!
I am currently reading The Hunting Accident, a fascinating graphic novel set in Chicago. I loved using Maus in the high school classroom for years – such a different way to get readers to really look closely at what is happening. Other than graphic novels, I am reading Calypso by David Sedaris now. Always seem to have a few books in rotation! And I always add to my list when I read about book recommendations here!
I’ve been reading two very different non-fiction books concurrently:
– The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer, by Philip Carlo (the book name says it all). I’m not a huge fan of the writing but, being a murderino, I’m enjoying the story.
– The Unfinished Palazzo: Life, Love, and Art in Venice, by Judith Mackrell. The story of the occupancy of the Palazzo Venier in Venice by Luisa Casati, Doris Castlerosse, and Peggy Guggenheim, respectively. Compelling women in compelling times in the 20th century, against the stunning backdrop of Venice.
And the mountains Echoed & Kite Runner BY Khalid hosseini ..Very nice books to read and Loved them both.
The Black Orchid by Neil Gaiman is my fave intl graphic novel. I am from the Philippines and theres this graphic novel called Mythology Class that I really really love!
I need to go back reading graphic novels but its so pricey! Well above my reading budget.
I picked up Burial Rites by Hannah Kent on the clearance rack on vacation and I cannot recommend it enough. It’s set in 1800s Iceland and follows a woman convicted of murder as she awaits her sentence. It’s beautiful and brutal – I’ve been dragging out the last 20 pages because I don’t want it to end.
Yes, Burial Rites is amazing. So haunting and atmospheric.
She has written another one,” The Good People” . Burial Rites is a haunting story, quite bleak: dark and desperately sad.
Yes! Such an underrated novel.
It is a wonderful novel; she also wrote the good People – which is good though not quite on the same level as Burial Rites. If you loved Burial Rites, take a look at The Daylight Gate by Jeanette Winterson, it also tells the true story of a witchcraft trial. Both novels are compelling reads. It becomes such a painful read when you understand that the author is committed to truth and not solely their imagination. Despite this – did you find you read with hope, that somehow Hannah Kent would be able to subvert historical accuracy?
This looks lovely- can’t wait to read! Lucy Knisley is my absolute favorite graphic novelist- she has a book out about getting married/planning a wedding called Something New that I give all recently-engaged friends! She’s coming out with one about having her first baby that I can’t wait for!!
i loved french milk!
Beneath a Scarlet Sky remains the best book I have read in years. I highly recommend it to everyone.
Recently started I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara, which isn’t exactly ideal to read right before bed, but is so horrifyingly intriguing that I do anyway.
I read that one a couple of weeks ago and couldn’t go to the bathroom in the middle of the night I was so freaked out!
I just finished The Heads of the Colored People which was an excellent short story collection. Also read Don’t You Ever, a heartbreaking memoir. And just read On Chesil Beach over the weekend (such beautifully precise interior monologues! So tragic!) that has me wanting to read Atonement.
One of the many things that I love about being an English teacher is that it pushes me to make reading time in my personal life. If I am going to foster a love for reading in my students, then I need to be modeling that in my daily life. It has also made me a huge fan of YA novels. Here are some of my favorite YA novels:
1. Paper Towns, by John Green. –It is suspenseful It is filled with amazing literary allusions, and the ending feels perfect.
2. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe , by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. –The characters are so wonderful. I love the so so much!
3. We are Okay, by Nina La Cour. — The phrase heart achingly beautiful may be overused, but it applies perfectly to this book. I want to reread it just writing about it.
Anyone who is a fan of graphic novels should read The Sandman Series by Neil Gaiman. They are incredible graphic novels — the level of artistry and storytelling is really amazing. I also love the two Persepolis graphic novels by Marjane Satrapi. Completely different style – very stark and sparse. But so beautiful. Thanks for these recommendations, I will check them out!
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson is one of my favourite graphic novels. Also Mouse Guard – especially if you’ll be reading with kids
I just can’t get into graphic novels, but my son loves them.
Some great things I’ve read lately: Loving Frank by Nancy Horan, Foe by Iain Reid, and The Wildlands by Abby Geni
Foes was such a cool, unique, strange little book to read – really liked that one!
I have just devoured the first two books by Australian author Sunni Overend- The Dangers of Truffle Hunting, and The Rules of Backyard Croquet. Both great, fun, easy to read books with absolutely beautiful covers :)
I have actually read some great graphic novels lately such as ‘Arab of the Future’ volumes 1 to 3 by Riad Sattouf. And of course, the great series by Pénélope Bagieu ‘Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World’ which I highly recommend!
Apart from that I just finished reading ‘Lullaby’ by Leila Slimani which is a brilliant novel but also quite unsettling. I usually pass on my books after reading them but I am keeping this one as I am sure I will be rereading it.
I love Arab of the Future!! Such a funny and interesting series. Thanks for the reminder about part 3, it’s just been added to my christmas list!
My favourite book of the year has been ‘Conversations with Friends’ – I don’t love the title, nor do I like the UK cover, but it was recommended to me in two separate book shops so I thought I’d give it a go. I can’t even pinpoint just why I love it so much, I think the author’s writing just touched me in the most delicate way.
Ha! I had exactly the same thoughts about Conversations with Friends. Such a boring title, and I agree, the UK cover isn’t great, though they cropped it here in the US and I think it’s an improvement. I often thought Sally Rooney overdid it on the minimalist prose to the point where it came off as flat and affectless, but nevertheless I haven’t gotten the book out of my mind since I read it months ago. And now I’m looking forward to her next one, Normal People. (Not out in the US till April, I think, and again, what a bad title!) In the end I suppose I like spending time with such a sharp observer of human thought, behavior, and relationships. She reminds me of a younger Rachel Cusk, whom I highly recommend if you haven’t read her yet.
Hmmm. I couldn’t get into Conversations with Friends when I picked it up last year. But after enjoying Normal People (which is getting lots of well-deserved hype in the UK), I’m tempted to try again. True, Rooney is a great observer of human thought, behaviour, emotions and relationships.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this book for a while. I found it enchanting and finished it in a day. It seems a little divisive reading online reviews, but I think the narrator was strangely relatable and funny–I can’t wait to read Normal People.
Lately I’ve read and enjoyed:
– Kindred by Octavia Butler (Highly recommended)
– The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
– The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante
– Lullaby by Leila Slimani
– Normal People by Sally Rooney (10/10 on emotional acuity)
Forgot to add The Vegetarian by Han Kang. Stunning.
I’ve just finished Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney – and it is an incredible debut novel. Her dialogue is amazing! Also she was born in 1991 which makes me feel ANCIENT. I was in awe of it.
I’ve only been reading books by women authors this year. So far, I’ve loved them all but particularly “The Idiot” by Elif Batuman. She so perfectly describes, with great humor, the experience of being a young college student. I could read it all over again!
Emily, I LOVED “The Idiot” and re-read it whenever I don’t have a new book to read! I’ve been looking for a novel with a similar tone and sense of humor.
Please read the incredible graphic novel The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye (http://artofcharliechan.com/) which won a bumper crop of Eisners a couple years ago. Its creator Sonny Liew has crafted a beautifully drawn, epic historical tale about Singapore – my tiny home country that’s been the spotlight quite a bit recently, what with the Trump-Kim Summit and Crazy Rich Asians – and I’d love to see more people reading an exceptionally nuanced and incisive take on our idiosyncratic city-state.
Two excellent books, both memoirs, I read this year were by the same author: “Mumbai New York Scranton” and “Arbitrary Stupid Goal” by Tamara Shopsin. The former follows several months and various travels (and life-changing tribulations) in Mara’s life, and the latter one covers everything from the history of Greenwich Village, her family’s well-known NY restaurant, crossword puzzles, an incredibly interesting family friend’s life, and more. I wish I were better at describing things, but suffice to say I would highly recommend both to anyone who loves unique memoirs.