Another month has flown by and we’re nearly at the end of the year. Will I manage to put together some Best Of lists? WHO KNOWS! But for now, we can talk about the things I read (comics and prose) and discuss those. Let’s dive right in:
- A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee – A sort of gothic dark academia story revolving around the mysterious death of our protagonists girlfriend during the prior semester at a prestigious boarding school. A month later and I’m still on the fence about this book and how I ultimately feel about it. So take that as you will.
- House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson – This is a sapphic romance thriller that feels like Dowry of Blood x The Favourite. Dark, delicious, and deeply captivating. An intriguing story that draws you in from start to finish.
- We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson – I don’t often read older books (I’m so hyperfocused on newer things usually) but I really wanted to read this and finally made time for it. All I can say is I get the hype now.
- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus – Okay, speaking of hype, this book had a lot of that…and in my honest opinion, it suffered from it. It’s not a bad book by any means but the fact that it was so talked about and well-reviewed raised my bar a bit too high. It’s a great look at sexism and feminism as well as motherhood, as a woman tries to define her own life rather than have it be centered around a man. I’m absolutely down with the themes, message, etc. but it didn’t envelop me like it did other people.
- The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V., Filipe Andrade, Inês Amaro, and AndWorld Design – “A guide to an extraordinary life after godhood”. A beautiful story about life and how death factors into our appreciation of it. Filipe Andrade is an artist that I first took notice of on his Captain Marvel run, like many others. He was one of the first artists I really remember breaking out of the modern “house style” for superheroes and changing things up. His work then was incredible and with time, has only gotten better. For Laila Starr, the character design and use of colour is nothing short of brilliant, with intricacies interwoven into every page. The way the pages are laid out and the use of panel space? Stunning. But the writing shines here too and Ram V. really delivers on a poignant tale that brings purpose and meaning to the page. Truly excellent storytelling on all fronts here. I think this would be a great “double feature” (if one can even really do that with books) paired with Daytripper.
- Saga Vol. 10 by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples – It genuinely floors me how good this book continues to be. After ten years, it still gets me right in the feels, makes me laugh, and I’m always along for the ride. Saga is, without a doubt, one of the best series of all-time.
- Stillwater, Vol. 1: Rage, Rage by Chip Zdarsky, Ramon K. Perez, Mike Spicer – I’m still mulling this one over a bit in my mind. It feels a bit like Chip’s take on the Image series Revival but what would happen if someone infiltrated the town and was trying to get to the root of what’s going on. I guess this won’t make much sense if you haven’t read Revival but anywhoo, like I said, still mulling over my thoughts.
And that’s it! I’ve spent most of the latter half of this month trying to work through a beast of a novel (not really…I’m just distracted and not making as much time for reading). So hopefully I’ll be able to hunker down this month and finish up a few things on the top of my TBR pile.
What have you been reading and enjoying?
