nomadreader

The backstory: After adoring French Milk , Lucy Knisley's graphic memoir about traveling to France with her mother in 2004, I was eager to read her newest graphic memoir. The basics: Relish  is a memoir of Knisley's life told through food. As the daughter of foodies, Knisley traces her relationship with food from childhood to today. My thoughts: Lucy Knisley has a wonderful ability to share the emotions she felt with her readers. It's not simply a matter of her signature art, although her visual aesthetic certainly contributes to it, particularly the way she uses space. At the heart of what I love about her work is her raw honesty. She doesn't hide, and that inhibition draws me right in. Knisley isn't just showing and telling her story, she's inviting her readers to share it. Relish  is obviously perfect for foodies. The images of Knisley tasting her first foie gras at a dinner party as a child and proceeding to ask every grown up at the table if they ha...

The backstory:   Watchmen  is on the list of 1001 Books to Read Before You Die . My thoughts:  When I sat down to finally read Watchmen , I knew very little about the actual plot. In the first few pages, I had little idea what was going, but soon I began to understand how the characters and scenes fit together. I read a fair number of graphic novels, but Watchmen  made me slow down my reading in a way no other graphic novel has. There is so much detail in each box, and the shifting of perspective is cinematic and intricately detailed. I was also impressed with the character development. Between each chapter, there was a multimedia section to offer context. There were excerpts from an autobiography of one of the characters, news articles and other 'found objects.' I was fascinated by this unexpected mix of materials, and it brought a richness to the characters that continued into the graphic novel sections. As someone married to a comic book fan, I caught numerous...

The backstory: I had this graphic memoir in my read-a-thon stack but didn't get to it. While reading the November 2011 issue of Marie Claire , however, I discovered a Laurie Sandell article entitled " Loving a Madoff ," about the relationship of Andrew Madoff and Catherine Hooper. It was fascinating and prompted me to pull The Imposter's Daughter off my shelf. The basics: The Imposter's Daughter  is a graphic memoir about Sandell's life. Its focus is her relationship with her father. My thoughts: This graphic memoir begins with Sandell's childhood. As a reader, I appreciated seeing the story from the beginning. There is clearly something ominous looming, but it's easy to understand how and why it took Sandell so long to discover; we don't begin life distrustful of our parents. One of the my favorite parts of the childhood portion was the inclusion of actual drawings from Sandell's childhood. It was fascinating to see how she saw things and,...

The backstory: Heidenkind thoughtfully reviewed this graphic novel the month before the read-a-thon , and I opted to start my read-a-thon with it. Bryan Lee O'Malley also wrote the Scott Pilgrim graphic novel. The basics: Lost at Sea  is the story of Raleigh, a young girl on a road trip from California back to Canada. My thoughts: Looking for a graphic novel to read during the next read-a-thon? This one is perfect. First of all, it's about a road trip, which is a favorite theme of mine. Second, it's quite short (I read it in less than an hour, which was an excellent 8 a.m. boost.) Third, although I found the end bizarre, I really liked the experience of reading it and thoroughly enjoyed most of the book. I won't spoil the ending, although it's not an ending with a shocking twist or surprising turn. It's more of an odd and unexpected turn. The rest of the story, however, is fascinating. The reader begins the novel on the road trip and slowly pieces toget...

The basics: Habibi is the story of Dodola and Zam, two orphans who find companionship in one another. It's also the story of Islam and Christianity's roots. My thoughts: I had Habibi  in my read-a-thon pile , but I didn't get to it . I did, however, make time for it last week and found it so compelling I read it in a single sitting. It's an epic graphic novel in scope, ambition, art, story, and of course, length. I'm sure I would find new parallels and meanings with future readings of it. What makes it feel most epic, however, is how brilliantly Thompson uses the format to achieve meaning. The story is powerful, and often quite dreary, but it's a story I don't think any other format, including film, could replicate with equal power. As I read it I found myself concentrating more fully than I typically do while reading. I was fully immersed in the time and place. Still, I found time to marvel at the utter idea of this graphic novel. How did Thompson think...

The backstory: Entertainment Weekly named Special Exits  one of the 10 best graphic novels of 2010 . The basics: Special Exits  is a memoir of Joyce Farmer's experience caring for her aging parents as they struggle to care themselves in their Los Angeles home, which is in an increasingly run-down neighborhood. My thoughts: I have been having incredible luck with graphic memoirs lately. I was utterly enchanted with Special Exits  from the beginning and was sobbing into my coffee as I finished before work one day. Farmer tells the story with immense restraint. Lars and Rachel descend gradually into old age. Initially, they are too shy and proud to ask for the help of Laura ( Special Exits  is a memoir, but it's unclear precisely who Joyce is, but I assumed she is Laura). It's a subtle shift of power as Laura realizes how much Lars and Rachel need her. As I read this book, which is as beautifully illustrated as is it hauntingly told with accompanying pr...

The backstory: Entertainment Weekly  named How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less  as one of the 10 Best Graphic Novels of 2010 . The basics: Sarah Glidden goes on a birthright trip to Israel with trepidation because of Israeli policies. Is it all propaganda or will it be a great experience? My thoughts: For some reason, I have been having an incredibly difficult time reviewing this lovely graphic memoir. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It was a fascinating look into the birthright trip experience, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and young adulthood. Sarah Glidden is refreshingly honest about her struggles with Israel and Palestine. She wants there to be a right answer, and she hopes to find it through her thorough pre-trip research and open eyes throughout her trip. The verdict:  I shared in Glidden's frustrations at the complexity of life. Her trip is emotional in so many ways, and I truly felt I experienced it with her, through both her watercolor art...

The basics: French Milk  is the story of the month Lucy and her mother spent in Paris celebrating their 22nd and 50th birthdays, respectively. Lucy is an aspiring cartoonist, and she publishes her diary, which is essentially a graphic memoir. My thoughts: I knew French Milk  was a memoir when I started reading it, but I didn't realize it was in diary form. Perhaps some changes were made between its original writing and its subsequent publication, but there is a beautiful, raw honesty present that makes me think it is authentic. In many ways, Lucy is a typical 22-year-old. She misses her boyfriend. She gets homesick. She gets her period and gets really cranky. It's not an idyllic portrait of a vacation, and I love it even more for that. Knisley doesn't sugarcoat the parts of travel that are unfortunate. Part of my enjoyment of this book is incredibly personal. I spent a month in 2004 (the year Lucy and her mother went to Paris) in France, Italy and Greece. It was one of...

The backstory: I thoroughly enjoyed Niffenegger's previous illustrated novels The Adventuress  ( my review ) and The Three Incestuous Sisters ( my review ), so I was eager to read her latest graphic novel as soon as I heard about it. The basics: Alexandra goes for a walk one night and discovers a bookmobile. When she enters, she finds every book she's ever read, including her diary and textbooks. It's her personal library.  My thoughts: The Night Bookmobile  is a quick, enchanting read book lovers will certainly enjoy. Niffenegger's trademark creepiness sneaks in, and I loved it. It's a daring story with hints of sweetness and sadness.  Favorite passage: "Have you ever found your heart's desire and then lost it? I had seen myself, a portrait of myself as a reader. My childhood hours spent in airless classrooms, days home sick from school reading Nancy Drew, forbidden books read secretively late at night. Teenage years reading--trying to read--book...

The backstory: I've only read one Paulo Coelho novel ( Eleven Mintues), but I enjoyed it, and I was eager to read the much-talked about Alchemist  in its new graphic novel form. The basics: "Andalusian shepherd boy Santiago travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treasure found within." (Publisher's description) My thoughts: I was somewhat familiar with the plot of The Alchemist  even though I haven't read the book, and I think the prior knowledge was helpful. The story flowed quickly, but I really had an aversion to the artwork; it didn't suit the story. The art...

 In two novels I've read this month ( So Much for That by Lionel Shriver and Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier), the main characters have mentioned their lack of desire to read novels. It may not be uncommon to encounter people who are dismissive of novels, but I am fascinated by fictional characters in novels dismissing the genre. There's a certain amount of irony at play, to be sure, but my recent encounters are quite different and both interesting. (I'll do my best to avoid plot spoilers.) In So Much for That , Shep mentions a few times how much his retired father enjoys reading mystery novels. As he ponders what life will be like once he stops working, he muses what he might like to read, but he concludes, "maybe he wasn't cut out for novels. He's rather live a good story than read one." My first thought (full disclosure) was the famous line from You've Got Mail when Meg Ryan's character, a small bookshop owner, muses via email th...

The backstory: I've started paying attention to the Amazon picks of the month . They're usually spot on with fiction (which I'm most familiar with), and they often feature a graphic novel, young adult and children's book too. Genre picks don't appear every month, but when they do, they're certainly worth noting. Wilson  popped up in April, and I promptly requested it from the library. I haven't read Daniel Clowes before, but I did see the GhostWorld movie in the theater. The basics: Wilson  is the story of Wilson. Unlike any other graphic novel I've read, each page is a different short story or chapter. Clowers uses a variety of drawing and color styles. As the book begins, the chapters seemed more like loosely connected stories about Wilson; they were episodes in his life. As the novel moves on, the story began to seem more linear. My thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. It was laugh-out loud funny at times, although some of his humor (intentio...

Stitches  is a memoir in graphic novel form. It traces David Small's life through childhood. I've read several reviews of this book, but the one I remember most was Citizen reader's review entitles "Sadness, illustrated."  It's a beautifully haunting and sad tale, and despite the often grim story, it was a fast read. There were a few moments I laughed out loud. I enjoyed it, and perhaps my favorite part was the author's note at the end, where David Small used prose to flesh out a few memories, thoughts and ideas. Part of the beauty of a graphic novel is the emotion and story told through pictures, and in this case, I find it difficult to express the emotion and depth of Small's graphic novel with only words. My advice: read it for yourself. Rating: 4 stars (out of 5) Pages: 335 Publication date: September 8, 2009 Source: my local public library Buy  Stitches: A Memoir  from Amazon.com. (As an Amazon Associate, I will earn a small commission if...

When the television spots for The Surrogates started airing a few weeks before it came out, I remembered from my fall movie preview that the film was based on a graphic novel. After seeing the previews, I wanted to read the book. The Surrogates is set in 2052 in what is now called Central Georgia Metropolis (formerly Atlanta). Most people now live quiet lives in their homes and send out their surrogate to work and play, while their brains are hooked into the surrogate from home. People get to experience things without the possibility of death or injury. Other interesting twists tidbits: you choose what your surrogate looks like and some people elect a surrogate of another gender as a way to bypass sexual discrimination. It's futuristic science fiction told incredibly convincingly; it's easy to think it could be our not-so-distant future. The concept is intriguing, and I really enjoyed the story. I was not, however, a fan of the drawing style. It didn't hinder my understa...