Hello my darlings. Today is my birthday and I am honestly so surprised that I went on such a huge shopping experience. I haven't purchased physical books in such a long time because of Netgalley, free Amazon reads and also the library being my second home. But, for my birthday I decided to treat myself to a lot of graphic novels because graphic novels are the best when you have the physical book instead of the ebook.
I didn't necessarily choose a budget to begin with but once I started book shopping -- I couldn't hold enough books in different bookstores because I wanted to purchase so many books. Have you ever felt that way? I'm pretty sure as a reader, you wish you could read multiple books and own a personal library in your home. So, here is my birthday book haul of twelve books that I purchased from a few indie bookstores and Barnes & Noble. I hope that you find a book that you enjoy and even recommend me some books to read this upcoming Fall season.
Title: Pumpkinheads
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Genre: YA
Synopsis: "Deja and Josiah are seasonal best friends.
Every autumn, all through high school, they’ve worked together at the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world. (Not many people know that the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world is in Omaha, Nebraska, but it definitely is.) They say good-bye every Halloween, and they’re reunited every September 1.
But this Halloween is different—Josiah and Deja are finally seniors, and this is their last season at the pumpkin patch. Their last shift together. Their last good-bye."
Pumpkinheads is a book that I read two years ago when it was released and adored it so much that I wanted to reread this Fall season. I wanted to get into the fall mood while reading about a pumpkin patch and friendship. The illustrations really grabbed me and the author Rainbow Rowell is a well known author that knows how to capture a story.
Title: The Great Gatsby Graphic Novel Edition
Author: F. Scott's Fitzgerald & K. Woodman-Maynard
Genre: YA Classics
Synopsis: "From the green light across the bay to the billboard with spectacled eyes, F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 American masterpiece roars to life in Katharine Woodman-Maynard's exquisite graphic novel--among the first adaptations of the book in this genre. Painted in lush watercolors, the inventive interpretation emphasizes both the extravagance and mystery of the characters, as well as the fluidity of Nick Carraway's unreliable narration. Excerpts from the original text wend through the illustrations, and imagery and metaphors are taken to literal, and often whimsical, extremes, such as when a beautiful partygoer blooms into an orchid and Daisy Buchanan pushes Gatsby across the sky on a cloud."
The Great Gatsby is a book that I have been wanting to read for awhile and thought that getting the graphic novel will bring a special touch. I have watched the film multiple times but never had the chance to read the book -- so, I decided that purchasing the book would be perfect.
Title: Sexuality: A Graphic Guide
Author: Meg-John Barker & Jules Scheelle
Genre: Adult LGBT Non-Fiction
Synopsis: "With compassion, humour, erudition and a touch of the erotic, Meg-John Barker and Jules Scheele shine a light through the darkness and unmask the monsters in this illustrated guide. From sexual identities to having sex, to desire, consent and relationships, we’ll explore the invention of sex as we know it and imagine sex as it could be. Along the way, we’ll move past thinking of sex as meaning just one thing, defined by the genders of those doing it, instead making space for lots of different types of attraction, desire, relationship and act."
The moment I saw Sexuality, I knew I had to own it. It is such a creative way to speak about sexuality and what it means to use different terms throughout history. It is an adult book with combining interesting topics and beautiful imaginary to give lessons.
Title: The Sound Of Music Graphic Novel
Author: Bronwyn Elvis Chochinov
Genre: Musical
Synopsis: "This graphic novel of the iconic movie The Sound of Music was drawn by twelve-year-old Bronwyn. It took her fifteen months to complete, and she is currently working on her next project. The Sound Of Music is a tuneful, heartwarming story, it is based on the real life story of the Von Trapp Family singers, one of the world's best-known concert groups in the era immediately preceding World War II."
The Sound Of Music is one of my favorite films and I was looking for indie books on Etsy during September to find new books to own whether they be zines or books made my indie authors -- to my surprise I came across a graphic novel adaption for The Sound Of Music created by a young girl. I instantly bought her book that she worked on for a long time and it's been a pleasure to see my favorite story come to life in art.
Synopsis: "Persepolis is the story of Satrapi's unforgettable childhood and coming of age within a large and loving family in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution; of the contradictions between private life and public life in a country plagued by political upheaval; of her high school years in Vienna facing the trials of adolescence far from her family; of her homecoming--both sweet and terrible; and, finally, of her self-imposed exile from her beloved homeland. It is the chronicle of a girlhood and adolescence at once outrageous and familiar, a young life entwined with the history of her country yet filled with the universal trials and joys of growing up."
I have been seeing The Other Black Girl everywhere on Bookstagram and can't wait to read it. I am interested in hearing more about this editorial assistant and how she handles being the only Black employee there. This seems like as a reader will be a fly on the wall.
Title: The Black Panther Party: A Graphic
Author: David F. Walker Illustrated: Marcus Kwame Anderson
Genre: History
Synopsis: "Founded in Oakland, California, in 1966, the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was a revolutionary political organization that stood in defiant contrast to the mainstream civil rights movement. This gripping illustrated history explores the impact and legacy of the Panthers, from their social, educational, and healthcare programs that were designed to uplift the Black community to their battle against police brutality through citizen patrols and frequent clashes with the FBI, which targeted the Party from its outset."
The Black Panther Party is such an important group in history and I thought that this book would be so vital to have once I saw it in a bookstore. I think that the images with a history lesson will bring the story to life. I was so happy to have had this book to own.
Title: Fun Home
Author: Alison Bechdel
Genre: Autobiography
Synopsis: "Distant and exacting, Bruce Bechdel was an English teacher and director of the town funeral home, which Alison and her family referred to as the Fun Home. It was not until college that Alison, who had recently come out as a lesbian, discovered that her father was also gay. A few weeks after this revelation, he was dead, leaving a legacy of mystery for his daughter to resolve."
Fun Home seems like such a great book and it has been turned into a musical which I can't wait to see. The story will be opening doors for something interesting autobiography.
Title: Be Gay, Do Comics
Author: The Nibs
Genre: LGBT
Synopsis: "Be Gay, Do Comics is filled with dozens of comics about LGBTQIA experiences, ranging from personal stories to queer history to cutting satire about pronoun panic and brands desperate to co-opt pride. Brimming with resilience, inspiration, and humor, an incredible lineup of top indie cartoonists takes you from the American Revolution through Stonewall to today's fights for equality and representation."
The moment I saw this book on the bookshelf of Barnes & Noble, I wanted to get this collection of different LGBT stories. The book has so much color and gives you so many stories to devour -- this book had to be owned.
Title: Women In Art
Author: Rachel Ignotofsky
Genre: Art
Synopsis: "Women in Art highlights the achievements and stories of 50 notable women in the arts--from well-known figures like painters Frida Kahlo and Georgia O'Keefe, to lesser-known names like 19th-century African American quilter Harriet Powers and Hopi-Tewa ceramic artist Nampeyo. Covering a wide array of artistic mediums, this fascinating collection also contains infographics about artistic movements throughout history, statistics about women's representation in museums, and notable works by women."
Rachel Ignotofsky is an author I know too well. She created a series of books about Women in different careers such as sports, science and now art. I was so happy to own this book and read more about women throughout history. Her books can be something children as well as adults can learn from.
Title: Thirsty Mermaids
Author: Kat Leyh
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: "Fresh out of shipwreck wine, three tipsy mermaids—Pearl, Tooth, and Eez—hit on the idea of magically masquerading as humans and sneaking onto land to indulge in much more drinking and a whole lot of fun right in the heart of a local seaside tourist trap. But the good times abruptly end the next morning when, through the haze of killer hangovers, the trio realizes they never actually learned how to break the spell, and are now stuck on land for the foreseeable future.
Which means everything from: enlisting the aid of their I-know-we-just-met-but-can-we-crash-with-you bartender friend, struggling to make sense of the human world around them, to even trying to get jobs with zero skill sets . . . all while attempting to somehow return to the sea and making the most of their current situation with tenacity and camaraderie (especially if someone else is buying)."
Thirsty Mermaids seems like a clever, funny and interesting read about mermaids. The colors of the cover grabbed me and the plot made me interested enough to purchase. I think that this book will be a fun read for the Fall time and get me into the ocean fantasy world.
Title: 1984
Author: George Orwell
Genre: Science Fiction
Synopsis: "Published in 1949, the book offers political satirist George Orwell's nightmarish vision of a totalitarian, bureaucratic world and one poor stiff's attempt to find individuality. The brilliance of the novel is Orwell's prescience of modern life—the ubiquity of television, the distortion of the language—and his ability to construct such a thorough version of hell."
I was recommended 1984 many times by youtubers and when I saw the graphic novel edition, I knew I had to own it. The story seems captivating and I have not read a Science Fiction book in such a long time that this will give me a new read for a dystopian plot.
Title: Blue Is The Warmest Color
Author: Julie Maroh
Genre: Romance LGBT
Synopsis: "Blue is the Warmest Color is a graphic novel about growing up, falling in love, and coming out. Clementine is a junior in high school who seems average enough: she has friends, family, and the romantic attention of the boys in her school. When her openly gay best friend takes her out on the town, she wanders into a lesbian bar where she encounters Emma: a punkish, confident girl with blue hair. Their attraction is instant and electric, and Clementine find herself in a relationship that will test her friends, parents, and her own ideas about herself and her identity."
I'm not sure how many copies I have owned of Blue Is The Warmest Color but I needed to own the physical copy since I owned the digital copy for so long. I love this book and recommend it to people often because of the plot, the writing and the illustrations. I have even watched the film completely in French the original language of the book and plan on owning the French edition as well.
My birthday was peaceful and lovely this year especially with my book buying haul. I was not expecting to purchase so many books but I said why not since it's my birthday! I was so happy to have found graphic novel editions that I didn't know existed and got the chance do some book shopping which I haven't done in such a long time -- especially this many at once. I hope you enjoyed checking out my birthday book haul. Do you see any that look familiar or maybe something you might want to read? Until next time... Happy Reading!
