My September round up. It was a pretty good month for books and comics for me. I was surprised by how sad I was to see the Stalking Jack the Ripper series end. Despite some of it‘s problems and annoyances, I really loved it and got very attached to the characters and the romance was fun to read. It‘s definitely going to be one of my comfort re-reads.

That wonderful feeling when the latest book in your new favorite series comes in the mail early ❤️📖📬

This was a satisfying sequel that gave a view of how a totalitarian regime crumbles. The best parts were how the writer fleshed out and unraveled Aunt Lydia, she was the most interesting character in the book who gives the reader a lot to unpack.

I highly recommend the full cast audiobook. It‘s very well done.

A new comic book mini series by the creator of Giant Days and By Night. It‘s described as being a mix of Preacher of Parks and Recreation. So far it‘s a solid intro that held my interest and made me want to read more. The dialogue the usual John Allison sarcasm that fans know and love.

Caitlin Doughty answers questions kids ask about death. It‘s interesting and I loved the illustrations and it speaks to the weird kid in me who became a weird adult. ⚰️💀

Impatiently waiting.

Another fantastic book signing event tonight.

The book began as a question the writer asked herself while writing her doctoral dissertation. “Why did so many of the mad scientists of the 19th century narratives create, or start creating but then destroy female monsters?” It follows the daughters of mad scientists as they go on adventures and investigate the secret society their fathers belong to. It‘s a fun mix of monster retelling & literary criticism. Oh, Holmes and Watson are in it, too.

My favorite thing is when my book order comes in earlier than expected

Spent Sunday afternoon at Green-wood cemetery, brought along appropriate reading material, visited the fish pond, and tasted some honey made from the cemetery‘s beehives called “The Sweet Hereafter.” It was very delicious and I took home some. All in all it was a good day.

I‘m going to start by saying that the plot is unrealistic in a lot of parts, but that was the point.. Two best friends from completely different backgrounds run away together on a wild Thelma and Louise like mission. The story is full of twists and turns and driven female rage. I loved the intensity of the two main characters and how they take charge of their lives after being fed up with their destinies always being controlled by abusive men.

Evening plans.

At first, I wasn‘t going to read this. I have absorbed more than enough think pieces about This Day and Age and Kids These Days and I have found many to be shallow and lacking. Then, I had some kindle credits, and figured what the hell? By the time my morning commute was over, I had put the physical copy on hold at the bookstore and ran to get it after an 11 hour day. This is the sharp and introspective cultural criticism I have been looking for.

One of my favorite comic series is finally back and it was a long wait but it was so worth it. The first issue was the perfect start to the new volume and the art was stunning as always.

I get why reviews for this book have been mixed but personally I loved it. It was a roller coaster ride and enjoyed that the narrator was a loud human loving crow. My one complaint is that I found the element about humanity‘s relationship to technology overly simplistic, which annoyed me. Other than that it was a very good story and the audiobook has a great choice of narrator.

I loved this book. Jensen‘s mix of true crime and memoir ends on a more hopeful note than one might expect and I really enjoyed reading about his process of trying to help solve crimes. What really stuck with me is how Jensen never loses empathy for the victims and their families.

Indoor gardening is my new and rather messy audiobook activity.

One thing I can say about 2019 is that the book events I have gone to have been amazing. 🕵️‍♀️

Saturday night with my childhood.

I‘m really going to miss this series. ❤️😢

Rest In Peace, genius. 😢

Bed time reading with Miriam Toews.

I wish I was half as witty as John Waters. In his latest book Waters offers up “self help” tips and also essays that go from strange to, well, more strange. For those into audiobooks, it is read by the author and has an interview at the end.

From my “You rushed to get this why haven‘t you read it yet?” pile. I figured now was certainly an appropriate time to read it.

This was immensely enjoyable. It‘s been fun seeing what changed from the script to the series, and the Script Book included a deleted scene that I wish they could have kept. Also, I think Neil Gaiman slipped in a Tori Amos lyric which tickles me. 👼😈💀🎥

This is the first time I have ever read a script book because I honestly was never interested. But it‘s been interesting comparing the script to the finished product, and I have been enjoying Neil Gaiman‘s little jokes in it.

The perfect way to spend a Saturday morning.

*SQUEE*

Waiting for the event to start 🤩

And yes I also pre-ordered the audiobook. And the B&N exclusive edition. I regret nothing.

In which John Waters takes Paul Reubens to a biker bar.

This was a fun and simple introduction to all kinds of poisonous and venomous animals around the world.

At Union Square Park with location appropriate reading material. 🌳🐝📖

I entitle this photo “Why I‘m going to be so tired at work tomorrow.” It was worth it.

Evening plans.

A well written and very timely take on the Batman/Joker dynamic, but the best character of the story was truly Harley Quinn. The story gave a nuanced view on issues such as class, police brutality, race relations, and the media. I was impressed when I read the first issue a while back and am glad the rest of the series fleshed out so well. I am glad there‘s a planned sequel, though otherwise the last panel would have annoyed me.

I bought this shortly after seeing a Frida Kahlo exhibit because she‘s an artist who sticks with you and I liked the idea of a biography in graphic novel format. It was a really enjoyable way to examine Kahlo‘s life, personality, and work and the illustrations are beautiful.

From Marìa Hesse‘s graphic biography of Frida Kahlo which I am loving so far.

My latest #bookmail with an obvious theme. 🕷🐍🧪☠️

There was only one essay I found kind of tiresome, but other than that this book was a delight and fun to read and even more enjoyable to listen to.

Saw David Sedaris tonight at Town Hall, where he gave away this pair of pants the guy who introduced him is wearing. Afterward there was a book signing by Sedaris and Akhil Sharma who was his guest this evening. It was a lot of fun and the signing was very friendly and personable.

I love Helen Ellis. Also the audiobook is narrated by her and it‘s delightful to read along with it.

Therese O‘Neill‘s books are always a fun glimpse into the disturbing world of Victorian history. This round I learned about the evils of pickles, how to select a wet nurse, and how much Strychnine to give your sick child.

To celebrate vacation I stayed up late and read as long as I wanted. I really loved this story. Acevedo creates memorable characters you want to root for and I enjoyed watching the main character, Emoni, realize her dreams and become her own person. The book also includes recipes that I would love to try if I were better at cooking.

My #bookofthemonth box came in on my last day of work before vacation so maybe I‘ll have time to do more reading.

My weekend of reading and TV begins now with endpapers depicting Victorian childhood and Bob‘s Burgers.

I really don‘t know how Rita Indiana managed to put so much into such a short book but it is impressive. It has a hyper-capitalistic post-apocalyptic society experiencing environmental collapse, what I can only describe as mental time travel, the fluidity of gender, colonial history, and future technology mixing with black magic. It‘s a very interesting and disturbing read, if a little hard to follow at times.

This was not the book I was expecting, but I very much enjoyed it. Erdrich writes about her life, Ojibwe history, and and her travels that lead to an island Ernest Oberholtzer and his books called home. Erdrich, as usual, does not disappoint.

I am also wondering where one earns the World‘s Quickest Beaver Skinner title.

Record of a Night Too Brief is a collection of three bizarre, Alice in Wonderland like novellas. They‘re definitely strange and seem to have no actual plot because of their dream like quality, but do have a theme of loneliness, grief, and how the people we have become close to are ultimately mysterious to us. It‘s a good read for fans of Samanta Schweblin. I really enjoyed this and look forward to reading more by Kawakami.