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redgoldsparks · 2 months

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March Reading and Reviews by Maia Kobabe

I post my reviews throughout the month on Storygraph and Goodreads, and do roundups here and on patreon. Reviews below the cut.

Delicious in Dungeon vol 4 by Ryoko Kui

I'm reading these books so fast I can barely remember which parts of the plot happened in which volume but know that I am still having a great time!

Delicious in Dungeon vol 5 by Ryoko Kui

Oh, this story has taken a darker turn, and also just introduced a whole bunch more characters. Will I be able to keep track of them all? I hope so!

Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb, read by Anne Flosnik

Unfortunately, this is definitely the weakest Robin Hobb book I've read so far. I was expecting to like it less than the glorious, 5-star previous trilogy, but I actually think I'm going to skip the rest of the Rain Wild Chronicles and read summaries online to get to the next Fitz books. This book follows five main POV characters. This works fairly well for the first half, when the characters are all in different physical locations. However once all of the characters meet up, we start getting the same scene from multiple different POVs, which feels extremely repetitive. Also, almost EVERY SCENE includes a flashback, often a lengthy flashback, sometimes to something that happened only the previous day and could have been told as present-moment action. This writing choice baffled me. It's something I can't remember struggling with in any of Hobb's previous books, but by the end it was driving me up a wall. The book also moved very slowly; the stakes feel lower, and the character far less emotionally true than in the two Fitz trilogies. Disappointing, but I will keep moving forward towards the next part of the series I want to read.

Delicious in Dungeon vol 6 by Ryoko Kui

Damn, a lot of characters get murdered in this volume! Good thing almost everyone who dies in the dungeon can be revived. Also, very excited to finally meet the cat ninja I've been seeing fan art of since before I even started the series :3

Delicious in Dungeon vol 7 by Ryoko Kui

I am still completely caught up in this series. I love the glimpse of Senshi's past revealed in this volume, and the lore of the dungeon that is still being revealed. There was a line in here about how the dungeon leaves you alone if you don't ask much of it, but that if you have strong desires it throws even more obstacles into your way. Our heroes have such big goals right now, but they're marching ahead regardless!

School Trip by Jerry Craft

A satisfying new installment in the New Kid series from funny, talented, charming Jerry Craft! I appreciated how this volume started to complicate some of the students who had been left a bit one-dimensional in previous books. Several people stood up to and called out a bully; new friendships were built; and Jordan Banks left Paris even more inspired than ever to follow his dreams of becoming an artist. This series has a lot of jokes, but also a lot of heart!

A Frog in Fall (and Later On) by Linnea Sterte

Minor frog is less than a year old, and is dismayed when winter begins to steal all of the light and warmth from his world. Instead of bunking down safely with his mentor to wait for spring, he sets out on a journey with two vagabond toads passing by on a quest to make it all the way to the tropics. They tramp through the Japanese countryside, encountering tree spirits, new friends, dangers, and views the likes of which minor frog had never even imagined. This is a gorgeous book; every page worth pouring over, an economy of line and detail building a beautiful and mysterious world of talking animals and miniature packaged foods. Made me want to draw.

Dark Rise by CS Pacat read by Christian Coulson

In 1820s London, orphaned Will tries to earn enough as a dockworker to survive- and evade the killers pursuing him. Violet dresses in her half-brother's clothes and sneaks onto a ship in the Thames to watch a man be branded with his master's mark. Katherine excitedly anticipates her engagement to one of London's richest and most mysterious lords; his gallantry nearly makes up for the fact that he's twice her age. And in the bowels of one of that lord's ships, James tortures a man for information. All of these characters are 16 or 17 years old, but all of them are tangled in an ancient conflict between the Light and the Dark which stretches back into an age of magic before history. This is CS Pacat's YA fantasy debut, and it contains a lot of tropes very familiar to both YA and high fantasy- there are shades of both Tolkien and Rowling in this. Its fast-paced and action-packed, but especially in the first third of the story, the characters all felt fairly thin. None of them have quirks, hobbies, career hopes, relationships outside of immediate family, school, or work; or much more than a brief sketch of past. It took until the mid-way point for what I consider Pacat's major strengths as a writer to emerge: intense, homoerotic interpersonal sparring between characters operating under major power imbalances. Every scene in which the seductive, manipulative, powerful evil gay faced off against the good boy chosen one crackled with energy. Unfortunately, there were only four of these scenes in the whole book. It ends on a cliff-hanger, because of course it does, with a tempting set up for book two; but that doesn't entirely excuse the fact that the first 50% felt like set up. I will definitely keep reading, but long-time Pacat fans should take note that this is toned down version of what I expected based on Captive Prince.

Feeding Ghosts by Tessa Hulls (re-read before event)

What an accomplishment! I savored every page of Feeding Ghosts, absolutely floored by the labor and courage that went into the writing of this book. The inking is gorgeous, the history is clear, digestible, and devastating. This book threads the line between honesty and compassion in a way that I appreciate so much in any memoir, but especially one dealing with family. Hulls lays out the story of three generations of women starting with her grandmother, Sun Yi, a Shanghai journalist who faced intense persecution during the rise of Communism in China, who penned a popular and scandalous memoir and then suffered a mental breakdown. This left her only daughter, Rose, a student at an elite boarding school with no parental figures and no other family to lean on. Eventually Rose earned a scholarship to an American university and in the end moved her mother into her California home. Sun Yi haunted that home during the author's own childhood. The unexamined trauma and codependency of Sun Yi and Rose drove the author to the extreme edges of the Earth, seeking freedom from their ghosts. But in the end, she stopped running from her family history and turned, instead, to face it. Shelve this book with Maus, Fun Home, Persepolis and The Best We Could Do. Re-read it for a second time and got even more out of it on a second pass.

Delicious in Dungeon vol 8 by Ryoko Kui

Laios and company realize that their encounter with changling mushroom rings had more consequences than they'd realized- its the body swap episode! This visual humor is contrasted against increasing dangers from both above and below, as nastier monsters and political machinations begin to close in on our heroic adventuring party. I'm now over halfway through this series and almost feel like I should start reading it more slowly to savor it, but I'll probably just keep devouring it instead.

Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang and Leuyen Pham

High school senior Val grew up knowing her family was unlucky in love; for generations, relationships in her family have ended in heartbreak. Her childhood love of Valentines Day ends with a shocking family revelation and what feels like the beginning of a curse. Then her Vietnamese grandmother sweeps her off to a Lunar New Year celebration in downtown Oakland and a pair of cute lion dancer boys catch her eye. Could one of them break the spell on her heart? This story offers a classic and satisfying rom-com, with Val torn between an outgoing, rich, but flaky boy and a broody, shy, loyal one. The story takes several kdrama style twists and includes ghosts, saints, red envelopes, confessions, fights, reunions, tears, and kisses. For a comic, its wordy; the pages are dense with small panels and thick with dialogue, but also illustrated with such warm, humor, and realism. I really liked that the story included as much of Val's relationship with her family and best friend as romance. And the lion dancing scenes practically leap off the page with color and energy!

Witch Hat Atelier vol 10 by Kamome Shirahama

This series remains as visually stunning as ever but I'm struggling with how every single book expands the cast. There are so many characters now that I don't care about that much, and have trouble remembering from volume to volume. I wish the story line would stick more closely to Coco, her classmates, and their main mentors!

Delicious in Dungeon vol 9 by Ryoko Kui

Oh the stories are all converging! The savior at the bottom of the dungeon is probably a demon! Ituzumi saves the day! I am still having a great time reading this series.

A Dowry of Blood by ST Gibson read by Abby Craden

A short, very queer, very poly retelling of Dracula focusing on his coven of enthralled lovers. I liked the way the book breezed through history, as the dysfunctional little family moved from one major European city to the next, with snatched moments of glittering joy interwoven with violence and plague. The story is fairly simple, and has a happier ending than I expected, or honestly think the characters deserved.

City of Dragons by Robin Hobb

I DNFed the previous book in this series and just read a summary online before skipping ahead to this one. I think that was a very good choice for me. This third one was more engaging and a bit more action packed, with some cool discoveries about the city of Kelsingra and the nature of Elderlings. But the Rain Wild Chronicles as a whole do not stand up to the quality of the Farseer books. There are so many POV characters that a few of them get only two or three scenes in this whole book. I don't feel that I deeply know any of these characters; while at the same time watching Hobb pair them off at an extraordinary rate- in the last book five sets of characters got together and in this book an additional two couples are developing feelings for each other. Between this and a kidnapping, a birth, a murder, and a lot of blackmail, this series feels like a soap opera.

Delicious in Dungeon vol 10 by Ryoko Kui

Almost two TPKs in this volume, yikes!

Delicious in Dungeon vol 11 by Ryoko Kui

You know shit's getting serious when the character who has been the series main villain up until now is partially devoured by a different, worse villain. Exciting changes coming to this dungeon under it's new lord and master!

Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Lisa Sterle

When Becca gets invited to sit with the popular girl clique at her new high school, she's thrilled. But the friendship turns bloody and complicated when she learns that her new friends are actually werewolves who need to kill and feed on a human once a month. If she joins them, Becca will gain superhuman strength and a pack; she'll never have to fear a male predator again, because she will be a predator herself. I loved the queer rep and the twist on werewolf lore; I wish it had been a little longer and more developed. Give me multi-page transformations sequences!

Delicious in Dungeon vol 12 by Ryoko Kui

I love seeing all these plot lines come together! Building towards a wild climax.

Delicious in Dungeon vol 13 by Ryoko Kui

I went out and *bought* vol 13 of this series because my library didn't have it yet, that's how hooked I am. And now I have to wait until JULY for the final volume! (But also, thank goodness I didn't get into this series any sooner or I'd have a much longer wait).

#book reviews #books #reading #comics #manga

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queerism1969 · 2 years

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Here are 50 books Texas parents want banned from school libraries:

"Drama," by Raina Telgemeier

"When Wilma Rudolph Played Basketball," by Mark Weakland

"Lawn Boy," by Jonathan Evison

"Better Nate Than Ever," by Tim Federle

"Five, Six, Seven, Nate!" by Tim Federle

"The Bluest Eye," by Toni Morrison

"Out of Darkness," by Ashley Hope Pérez

"Ghost Boys," by Jewell Parker Rhodes

"l8r, g8r," by Lauren Myracle

"Me and Earl and the Dying Girl," by Jesse Andrews

"White Bird: A Wonder Story," by R.J. Palacio

"Ground Zero: A Novel of 9/11," by Alan Gratz

"Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic," by Alison Bechdel

"Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts)" by L.C. Rosen

"City of Thieves," by David Benioff

"Gender Queer," by Maia Kobabe

"This One Summer," by Mariko Tamaki

"We Are the Ants," by Shaun David Hutchinson

"The Breakaways," by Cathy G. Johnson

"All Boys Aren't Blue," by George M. Johnson

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower," by Stephen Chbosky

"Michelle Obama: Political Icon," by Heather E. Schwartz

"Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You," by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

"New Kid," by Jerry Craft

"Class Act," by Jerry Craft

"Salvage the Bones," by Jesmyn Ward

"Woke: A Young Poet's Call to Justice," by Mahogany L. Browne, Elizabeth Acevedo, and Olivia Gatwood

"Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness," by Anastasia Higginbotham

"How to be an Antiracist," by Ibram X. Kendi

"A Good Kind of Trouble," by Lisa Moore Ramée

"We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices," by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson

"On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God," by Louise Rennison

"The Kite Runner," by Khaled Hosseini

"It's Perfectly Normal," by Robie H. Harris

"Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out," by Susan Kuklin

"Monday's Not Coming," by Tiffany D. Jackson

"Happier Than Not," by Adam Silvera

"George," by Alex Gino

"What Girls Are Made Of," by Elana K. Arnold

"I Am Jazz," by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings

"So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed," by Jon Ronson

"King and the Dragonflies," by Kacen Callender

"Go With the Flow," by Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann

"Last Night at the Telegraph Club," by Malinda Lo

"Weird Girl and What's His Name," by Meagan Brothers

"Flamer," by Mike Curato

"Milk and Honey," by Rupi Kaur

"A Court of Mist and Fury," by Sarah J. Maas

"47," by Walter Mosley

"Girls Like Us," by Gail Giles

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odinsblog · 1 year

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Prologue

As a new high school principal, Dr. Whitfield felt moved by the national renouncement of racism he saw all around him in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. It prompted him to write a thoughtful email to parents and teachers in his district. He got lots of praise for it. Less than a year later that same email would threaten his job. (listen)

Incident

During her sophomore year in high school, Nevaeh was targeted in a secret text message chain by a handful of her peers. She’d come to learn the text chat was a mock slave trade where her photo and photos of other Black classmates were uploaded, talked about as property and bid on. Emanuele Berry talks to Nevaeh about what these messages mean to her now, and how she’s navigated her town’s reaction over this, and her close friendships with kids who mostly aren’t Black. (listen)

The Farce Awakens

After the murder of George Floyd, sales of books by Black authors skyrocketed. Now, there are efforts to ban many of the same books. Producer Chana Joffe-Walt talks to author Jerry Craft, who is caught up in this backlash with his graphic novel New Kid. (listen)

#politics #blacklivesmatter #george floyd #talking while black #this american life #podcasts #racism #white supremacy #whitelash #white fragility #book banning #erasure #books #silencing

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ebookporn · 1 year

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Black History, Uncensored: Why GOPers fear Jerry Craft’s cartoons

Jerry Craft’s graphic novels tell stories of conscious and comedic Black youths struggling to fit in. Republicans have sought to remove the books from schools.

by Ja'han Jones

I don’t think much guesswork is needed to conclude why many conservatives nationwide want cartoonist and author Jerry Craft’s work banned from school bookshelves.

Craft’s creations, from his comic strip book “Mama’s Boyz” to his award-winning graphic novel “New Kid,” literally provide color to common stories of Black youths struggling to fit in. For conservatives who claim there is something nefarious about acknowledging cultural variety, Craft’s books are evidence to the contrary.

They are fun coming-of-age stories of Black students who are conscious of their differences — not only between themselves and white students but among Black students as well — and the personal, sometimes comical ways all people navigate these differences.

I’ve been having a ball making my way through some of Craft’s earlier work, but I wanted to highlight a more recent book for today’s edition of “Black History, Uncensored,” our ongoing project focused on Black authors targeted by right-wing bans. While some conservatives have targeted “New Kid” for removal from bookshelves — a testament to its value, in my opinion — the companion book Craft released after that, “Class Act,” is just as good and just as worthy of praise.

#black comics #black creators #graphic novels #censorship #banned books #Jerry Craft #librarians #literacy

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richincolor · 2 years

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Banned Books: It’s Personal

As I stated on Tuesday, the current banned book movement rolling across the country is practically personal with most of the books focusing on books by authors of color and books with LBGTQ themes. As contributor Jessica stated that this movement, " is a racist, bigoted movement, not a movement for 'free speech'." And she is correct. We need to correctly state it for what it is. Therefore, we thought it would be best to highlight some examples of specific targeted books. Please take a look and then go support those authors by buying their books or even sharing this post.

From PEN America: Banned in the USA: Rising School Book Bans Threaten Free Expression and Students’ First Amendment Rights (April 2022)

Texas has banned more books than any other state, new report shows

All 850 Books Texas Lawmaker Matt Krause Wants to Ban: An Analysis

Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson (YA)

Here are 50 books Texas parents want banned from school libraries

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen (YA graphic novel)

The Banned Books You Haven’t Heard About

Flamer by Mike Curato (YA graphic novel)

Video by Author of Banned LGBTQ+ Book Goes Viral

Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe (YA graphic novel)

How a Debut Graphic Memoir Became the Most Banned Book in the Country

'Gender Queer' author Maia Kobabe talks banned books: 'Part of a widescale political attack'

New Kid by Jerry Craft (MG graphic novel)

U.S. parents are attempting to ban books about race in schools. This author experienced it first-hand

Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff (MG)

Kyle Lukoff on Book Bans and Letting Queer Books Just Be Books

What Should a Queer Children’s Book Do?

Melissa by Alex Gino (MG)

Alex Gino Shares What it’s Like to Author the #1 Most Banned Book

#bannedbooksweek #weneeddiversebooks #LGBTQIA

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kingsbridgelibraryteens · 11 months

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Comics and graphic novels are prime targets in the current battle to ban books at libraries across the country: the most-banned book in the U.S. was once again Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer, and others, such as Mike Curato’s Flamer, Jerry Craft’s New Kid, Craig Thompson’s Blankets, and Art Spiegelman’s Maus, appear on multiple ban lists.

Librarians who have championed the comics form find themselves on the front lines, processing and disputing challenges and helping others counter censorship while facing virulent harassment on social media and even in person. Some have left the profession entirely due to the resultant fatigue and fears for personal safety.

#banned books #banned and challenged books #LGBT #LGBTQ #Publishers Weekly

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namor-the-submariner-dot-net · 1 year

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Marvel Super Stories

This is a book for the general public / middle graders published by a book publisher, not Marvel Comics. I'm THRILLED to see Namor on the cover and with a story! Besides the movies and games, this is how Namor gets introduced to the next generation who, TBH, just don't read floppy comics. It takes it's title from Spidey Super Stories, which may hint at the vibe and audience they are going for. The famous and fabulous, Namor and Doom tooting horn, comes from Spidey Super Stories.

"Marvel Comics is an institution that has inspired so many imaginations across the world, including my own. With Marvel Super Stories we get to continue that legacy, presenting the best and brightest creators coupled with the most marvelous heroes.” Creators with stories in the book include: Black Panther: Jerry Craft (New Kid) Wiccan: Mike Curato (Flamer) Miles Morales Spider-Man: C. G. Esperanza (Soul Food Sunday) Iron Man: John Gallagher (Max Meow) Shang-Chi: Gale Galligan (The Baby-Sitters Club) The Hulk: Chris Giarrusso (G-Man) Spider-Man: Nathan Hale (Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales) Captain America: Michael Lee Harris (Choco Leche) Hawkeye: Ben Hatke (Zita the Spacegirl) Ms. Marvel: Priya Huq (Piece by Piece: The Story of Nisrin’s Hijab) Daredevil: John Jennings (Kindred: The Graphic Novel Adaptation) Thor and Loki: George O’Connor (The Olympians) Namor: Lincoln Peirce (Big Nate) Squirrel Girl: Maria Scrivan (Nat Enough) Ghost Spider: Jessi Zabarsky (Witchlight) Together, this incredible roster of cartoonists delivers a new kind of Marvel story for readers young and old alike, and introduces a new audience to the Marvel Super Hero magic that can transport you to the world outside your window." Marvel Super Stories will be released on October 17, 2023

Source

For those that don't follow middle grade comic books, Lincoln Peirce is a big name in the category. His books are very popular at my library.

#Namor #Sub-Mariner #Lincoln Peirce #Marvel Super Stories #Merchandise #Book

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nopizzaaftermidnight · 2 years

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I made this for work, but y’know what. I’m proud of it so I’ll post it here too.

Graphic Novels and the Fate of Literacy

(Bone, American Born Chinese, Robot Dreams, Artemis Fowl 2007, Amulet, Drama)

CASE STUDY: New Kid by Jerry Craft. This story has won multiple awards. It honestly addresses issues like racism, social status, and bullying. The narrator, seventh-grader Jordan Banks is an artist, and so the graphic novel format feels natural. I would say that Craft’s distinct artistic style is not the most aesthetically appealing, but it doesn’t need to be. The graphic novel format is the vehicle of communication for a story that is jam packed with nuance and heart and truth.

CASE STUDY: The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures by Brian Selznick (2007). This groundbreaking book alternates between short passages of text and wordless illustrated sequences. Unlike a traditional book in which an illustration reiterates a written scene, Hugo’s pictures carry the story forward on their own. Selznick invokes the visual experience of the soundless movies from the early 1900s. To follow the narrative, one must learn to “read” the pictures.

CASE STUDY: The History Smashers series by Kate Messner. These nonfiction books aren’t technically graphic novels. However, they use comic-style graphics to explain historical topics. The lively art and clear language is more engaging than picture-less text.

CASE STUDY: The Giver graphic novel adapted by P. Craig Russell (2019). Some stories lend themselves to the graphic novel medium. Given the importance of color in the original, the graphic novel can communicate visually what the text could only describe. It is also a relatively short book, making a faithful graphic adaptation more feasible. And faithful it is! Scenes, themes, expositional details, and dialogue are all carefully converted to the graphic novel format. The integrity of Lowry’s original story is excellently preserved in a brand-new format. This truly is a remarkable feat.

CASE STUDY: Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova (2015). This may be my personal favorite middle grade graphic novel. The story is a perfectly normal slice of middle school life. What elevates this book (and its sequels) is the art. The soft coloring and thoughtful character design make the story comforting and sweet, even as the characters navigate a variety of troubles. Based on plot alone, this would make a pretty average chapter book, but as a graphic novel, it shines.

#please ignore the wacky image quality.#also sorry I did not format this to be easily readable on mobile #graphic novels #literacy #the midnight supplement #comics #comic strips #jessica #long post

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