Roz Chast gives us a deeply personal (and, naturally, hilarious) view of the meaning of her own dreams and their influence on her work, in cartoon form, of course. Includes a fascinatingly nerdy section on the history of dreaming and dream interpretation, across many cultures.
I Must Be Dreaming by Roz Chast, (List Price: $27.99, Bloomsbury Publishing, 9781620403228, October 2023)
Reviewed by Anne Peck, Righton Books in St. Simons Island, Georgia
I feel very fortunate to have had read this beautiful book. Autism is so hard and not having anyone in my family with it, I only know what I hear. When these 3 characters come together to help build a boat they bond and learn so much about themselves and each other. People are afraid of what they don’t understand and autism is one of those things we just don’t know enough about. It’s hard enough to be a freshman in high school, compound that with being different. This is a love story for the 3 generations involved. I guarantee you will see the world a bit differently after.
How to Build a Boat by Elaine Feeney, (List Price: $17.95, Biblioasis, 9781771965859, November 2023)
Reviewed by Suzanne Lucey, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina
I loved the creativity in the book. I really like how they included other kids of people in the story. It shows that you have to have courage to do something even if you don’t win. I enjoyed the mostly black-and-white illustrations in the book. I love graphic novels. Overall I really liked this book and recommend it!
Duel by Jessixa Bagley, (List Price: $14.99, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 9781534496545, November 2023)
Reviewed by Mandy Harris, Angel Wings Bookstore in Stem, North Carolina
Children (and their adults) will love reading about Scaredy Squirrel’s approach to the holidays! Once again, Melanie Watt gives us a way to treat a child’s nerves with gentleness and humor. We love displaying our Scaredy Squirrel books alongside the plush stuffed animal at Main Street Books!
Scaredy Squirrel Gets Festive by Melanie Watt, (List Price: 12.99, Random House Graphic, 9780593307618, October 2023)
Reviewed by Jessica Nock, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina
Nathan Hill has done it again! Wellness is so good, I think my heart both broke and grew at the same time, while reading it. Hill’s ability to capture both the beauty and horror of life are astounding. There is so much more I could say about this book, but I don’t want to spoil the magic of it for other readers! "Behind curtains, this, he thinks, is what lovers do-they are alchemists and architects; they invent the world around them." Indeed, this is what lovers do. Thank you for this wonderful book!
Wellness by Nathan Hill, (List Price: 30, Knopf, 9780593536117, September 2023)
Reviewed by Jessica Osborne, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia
It is rare that I burst into tears reading the last sentence of a novel. I can count the number of times it has happened on one hand. Bawdy, ballsy, and brainy, My Shadow Is Yours is also tender and wise. A recent college graduate is hired to accompany a reclusive middle-aged novelist on a road trip to Milan. There he is scheduled to speak to an audience for the first time in 25 years when his one and only cultural landmark of a novel was published. As they travel across Italy, they bond over women, wine, and have violent, intensely personal arguments about life. Crushing and raw, caustic and funny. For me, it was perfection!
My Shadow Is Yours by Edoardo Nesi, (List Price: 16.99, Other Press, 9781635420685, September 2023)
Reviewed by Kelly Justice, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia
A trilobite has a dream to become famous and it gets silly from there; what’s not to love? Nathan Hale has crafted a delightfully wacky, hilarious, and clever graphic novel filled with ape gods, extinct animals, Amber the walking whale, a video-making contest, and a floating talking cat head. Pure fun!
The Mighty Bite by Nathan Hale, (List Price: 14.99, Harry N. Abrams, 9781419765537, April 2023)
Reviewed by Caleb Masters, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
I knew that someone was writing a comedy manga around the world of Elden Ring, but I didn’t know it was going to hit this level of scale! Following the journey that everyone who played the game also had, except this tale takes the world and twists the situations into joking situations. Very clever idea. I hope this is able to be continued until the conclusion.
Elden Ring: The Road to the Erdtree, Vol. 1 by Nikiichi Tobita, (List Price: 13, Yen Press, 9781975364892, May 2023)
Reviewed by Ethan Davis, Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida
Born con-artist Ezra Green meets Orson Ortman as a teenager, which kicks off a string of schemes and phony businesses. They hit the big time when they dream up NuLife, a process to increase bliss, and target the rich, powerful, and gullible. Ezra’s a scam artist, and would do anything it takes to protect Orson and their business. And even though his morals are undoubtedly questionable, I found myself rooting for him as he slowly loses his vision and remains as desperately in love with Orson as he was when they first met.
Confidence by Rafael Frumkin, (List Price: , Simon & Schuster, 9781982189730, March 2023)
Reviewed by Elizabeth Hardin, Snail on the Wall in Huntington, Alabama
For a book that claims to “chart the downfall” of its protagonist, I knew the ride I was potentially in for. However, the end of the book seems to kick the reader down a notch as well. The trainwreck rubbernecker in me really loved the first 3/4ths of this one: just-a-guy, content with his simple job, generic work friends, paint-by-most-numbers marriage and run-of-the-offbrand-mill child(ren), marking off each on his failure checklist. These tragedies are handled in such off kilter ways, laced with a stealthy wit, to keep the story fresh and engaging without the need to step it up to a fast pace. And though I didn’t NOT like the final quarter, where people are just plain disgusting (the reader just as lackadaisically unobservant as our “hero” to the clues displayed throughout), the final lap just felt like the author rubbing your face in the filth of life. But then again, the book’s a self-proclaimed downfall chart. Please watch your feet as you exit the ride.
Good Men by Arnon Grunberg, (List Price: 18.95, Open Letter, 9781948830652, May 2023)
Reviewed by Ian McCord, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia
Is there such a thing as a meet-ugly? Out of an utterly disastrous first "meeting" (they didn’t actually even meet, just started jumping to wrong conclusions) grew a ten-tissue romance for the ages. I also was delighted that the town of Wakan, the actual seemingly "inanimate" objects in the vaguely magical town, such a huge silent character in Part of Your World, got a bit role in Yours Truly. No one does foreshadowing like Abby Jimenez.
Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez, (List Price: 16.99, Forever, 9781538704394, April 2023)
Reviewed by Lisa Yee Swope, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
This book is a masterpiece!!!!! Where to begin?! From the very first page, the narrator captivates the reader’s attention and affections. She is incredibly passionate and strong, while perfecting a gritty, humorous commentary that was absolutely intoxicating. The story itself shared a vital perspective- specifically that of a queer, Sri Lankan woman. Her story highlighted the perilous, and at times, violent nature of performative activism without the presence of active, internalized antiracism practices. It was truly an enthralling novel. Priya Guns is an incredibly talented author and I cannot wait to read their other novel(s) and rave about them!
Your Driver Is Waiting by Priya Guns, (List Price: $26, Doubleday, 9780385549301, February 2023)
Reviewed by Finn Fletcher, E. Shaver, Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia
The Wolf Suit is an absolutely charming picture book about anxiety through the eyes of a sheep in wolf’s clothing.
The Wolf Suit by Sid Sharp, (List Price: $19.99, Annick Press, 9781773217208, October 2022)
Reviewed by Michelle Cavalier, Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs, Louisiana
Multiplying mice, sugary shapes, and family fractions star in this charming collection that practically shouts : Math is FUN!
Counting in Dog Years and Other Sassy Math Poems by Betsy Franco, (List Price: $18.99, Candlewick, 9781536201161, October 2022)
Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina
Rooster Fighter is a mad little manga about a rooster who kills demons. This inherently silly premise is played straight and hilariously so–the art and the fights are often epic and without gags: The gag is the premise itself. It’s a wonderful manga for people who don’t take things too seriously. Or keep chickens.
Rooster Fighter, Vol. 1 by Shu Sakuratani, (List Price: $12.99, VIZ Media LLC, 9781974729845, August 2022)
Reviewed by Alex Mcleod, The Haunted Book Shop in Mobile, Alabama
