Why Don't You Write My Eulogy Now So I Can Correct It? by Patricia Marx & Roz Chast
Nonfiction - Graphic Novel
2019 Celadon Books
Finished on December 17, 2019
Rating: 2/5 (Fair)
Publisher's Blurb:
Every mother knows best, but New Yorker writer Patty Marx's knows better. Patty has never been able to shake her mother's one-line witticisms from her brain, so she's collected them into a book, accompanied by full color illustrations by New Yorker staff cartoonist Roz Chast. These snappy maternal cautions include:
If you feel guilty about throwing away leftovers, put them in the back of your refrigerator for five days and then throw them out.
If you run out of food at your dinner party, the world will end.
When traveling, call the hotel from the airport to say there aren't enough towels in your room and, by the way, you'd like a room with a better view.
Why don't you write my eulogy now so I can correct it?
Meh. Marx's collection of witticisms is easily read in an afternoon, but I wound up feeling the same about her book as I did with Chast's Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant (reviewed here). Just not my cuppa.
Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol
Graphic Novel
2011 First Second Books
Finished on February 24, 2016
Rating: 2/5 (Fair)
Publisher's Blurb:
Anya could really use a friend. But her new BFF isn't kidding about the "forever" part . . .
Of all the things Anya expected to find at the bottom of an old well, a new friend was not one of them. Especially not a new friend who's been dead for a century.
Falling down a well is bad enough, but Anya's normal life might actually be worse. She's embarrassed by her family, self-conscious about her body, and she's pretty much given up on fitting in at school. A new friend―even a ghost―is just what she needs.
Or so she thinks.
Spooky, sardonic, and secretly sincere, Anya's Ghost is a wonderfully entertaining debut graphic novel from author/artist Vera Brosgol.
Meh. I didn't care for the art in this one as much as Jillian Tamaki's in This One Summer. The plot was alright, but again, a little juvenile. Really wondering if graphic novels are my thing.
Final Thoughts:
While I didn't fall in love with Verga Brosgol's book, it appears that it's a winner with many other readers! It's also a very quick read, so maybe give it a try, if you're curious.
- Bram Stoker Award Nominee for Best Graphic Novel (2011)
- School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2011)
- Harvey Awards for Best Original Graphic Publication For Younger Readers (2012)
- Boston Globe-Horn Book Award (2011)
- Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards for Best Publication for Young Adults (ages 12-17) (2012)
- Cybils Award for Graphic Novels (Young Adult) (2011)
- Kirkus Best Teen Book of the Year (2011)
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki (illustrator)
Graphic Novel
2014 First Second
Finished on February 18, 2016
Rating: 3/5 (Good)
Publisher's Blurb:
Rose and Windy are summer friends whose families have visited Awago Beach for as long as they can remember. But this year is different, and they soon find themselves tangled in teen love and family crisis. From the creators of Skim comes an investigation into the mysterious world of adults.
Sure, Rose’s dad is still making cheesy and embarrassing jokes, but her mother is acting like she doesn’t even want to be there. Plus, being at the cottage isn’t just about going to the beach anymore. Now Rose and Windy are spend a lot of their time renting scary movies and spying on the teenagers who work at the corner store, as well as learning stuff about sex no one mentioned in health class.
Pretty soon everything is messed up. Rose’s father leaves the cottage and returns to the city, and her mother becomes more and more withdrawn. While her family is falling to pieces, Rose focuses her attention on Dunc, a teenager working at the local corner store. When Jenny, Dunc’s girlfriend, claims to be pregnant, the girls realize that the teenagers are keeping just as many secrets as the adults in their lives.
Dipping my toes into another graphic novel, I am happy to say that I enjoyed this one better than The Sculptor (which I read shortly before This One Summer). This is a quiet novel with not much of a plot, but the drawings are lovely and I could easily go back and re-read the book, spending time just looking at the intricate details of Jillian's exquisite artwork, all the while skipping the text. I was a little put-off by the constant barrage of profanity, which felt a bit gratuitous, but given our culture and the casual usage of F-bombs in restaurants, stores and parks, I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised.
Final Thoughts:
This One Summer was awarded the Caldecott Honor in 2015. The book contains a fair amount of profanity and sexual content and has thus received some criticism with regard to its target audience. If it were a movie, I'd say it should be rated PG-13. Recommend with reservations.
The Sculptor by Scott McCloud
Graphic Novel
2015 First Second
Finished on February 15, 2016
Rating: 2.5/5 (It was ok)
Publisher's Blurb:
David Smith is giving his life for his art—literally. Thanks to a deal with Death, the young sculptor gets his childhood wish: to sculpt anything he can imagine with his bare hands. But now that he only has 200 days to live, deciding what to create is harder than he thought, and discovering the love of his life at the eleventh hour isn't making it any easier.
This is a story of desire taken to the edge of reason and beyond; of the frantic, clumsy dance steps of young love; and a gorgeous, street-level portrait of the world's greatest city. It's about the small, warm, human moments of everyday life... and the great surging forces that lie just under the surface.
Scott McCloud wrote the book on how comics work; now he vaults into breathtaking, funny, and unforgettable fiction.
I'm not sure graphic novels are for me. The Sculptor was entertaining enough to look at on my lunch breaks, and it's a quick read, but it felt a little young for my taste. The ending (which includes a bizarre nightmare sequence) was anti-climactic and confusing. However, the drawings are amazing! There is so much detail to each panel that it's easy to get lost in the art and ignore the writing.
Final Thoughts:
Several of my friends loved this touching novel, but I have to admit that I wasn't moved to tears and was pretty much ready for it to end. I'm not a huge fan of YA books and this felt like just that, the only difference being the detailed artwork.
