The Wicked + The Divine

Every 90 years 12 young people reincarnate as 12 gods of old. Ameratsu, Baal, Baphomet, Sakhmet, Lucifer, Persephone, and more. They are loved, they are hated, and in two years, they are dead. The Wicked + The Divine combines Kieron Gillen's phenomenal writing, Jamie McKelvie's incomparable visuals and my personal favorite colorist in the business, Matthew Wilson; together they serve up an unforgettable eyeful of a story. It's about fame, celebrity, death, identity, pop culture, and being young. It's a roller coaster ride of a story that's hard not to try to devour in one sitting.




Monstress

Steampunk fantasy eldritch horror action. If any of those words appealed to you, pick Monstress by Marjorie Liu up right now. Read it because the art is gorgeous. Read it for the nekomancers, warrior-poet cat necromancers. Read it for the complex worldbuilding, the twisting mystery, and the complex, flawed characters struggling to survive, let alone do the right thing, in a world torn apart by war. Read it because Maika Halfwolf has a monster inside of her that could destroy the world, or maybe save it. Read it for the shark-headed lady pirate. Read it because it will leave you spellbound. Heads up, though, maybe don't read this if gore, mature themes, harm to children, or body horror are upsetting elements for you.

When Sharks Attack with Kindness

When Sharks Attack with Kindness by Andres J. Colmenares Such a cute book and a quick read for anyone who needs their spirits lifted and a smile.

Available on Hoopla.




The Longest Day of the Future

The Longest Day of the Future by Lucas Varela is different . It has no words, side text or even thought bubbles. I really liked the different take on how you have to focus on the images more to get the story. At first, I thought the book moved around a little bit and it took a second for me to understand where the novel was going, but the story as a whole was good. 




Strange Planet

Strange planet: [imagine pleasant nonsense] by: Nathan W Pyle is an easy read graphic novel that has funny themes to it. The aliens are put in a human position and know a little bit about our everyday items and how we live, but are still very funny guessing them and how they work.

Available as an ebook on Hoopla.



everyone's an aliebn when you're an aliebn too

Yes, the title of this novel is correct. This is how most of the writing is in this book, but it is for a specific reason. The aliebn Jonny has come to Earth to learn what it is like to be a human being. This journey as to what it means to be a human being and how to make friends. The author Jomny Sun does an amazing job with showing some deep feeling and resonating with the people who are reading it who might not fit in where they are in life. A quote from this book that I believe sums up the tone is, "look. life is bad. everyone is sad. we're all gona die. but i alredy bought this inflatable bouncy castle so are u gona take ur shoes off or wat". I loved this book.

Everyone's an aliebn when you're an aliebn too is available as an eBook and eAudiobook on Hoopla.

City Monster

City Monster is my favorite graphic novel from this author. The story seemed to fly by and was nothing what I expected it to be. The artists did a great job with the subtle facial expressions and with the dialog with the images on the pages. There wasn't too much wording, but there also was just enough where it made the story progress. This was kind of like a Pixar short and was written perfectly. I would definitely read this book again and suggest for people to read it as well.

Huck

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The artistry and the story line are so well put together I read it in a day. The story of Huck is that he is a guy with super abilities and helps out the people in his small town as much as he can. When the story of his abilities goes to the press is when everything goes awry. I couldn't put this book down. 

Huck by Mark Miller is available as an ebook on Hoopla.




Fangs

Fangs by Sarah Andersen is a really good book for people who like a little bit of sweet romance. It is about two people who are from two opposite backgrounds - she's a vampire and he's a werewolf - and how they are living together and act as a couple. This is a book I found to be really sweet and loved reading it.




A Silent Voice

A Silent Voice (2015) is a Japanese manga that follows the story of Shoya, a rambunctious kid who always gets into trouble with his friends. When Shoko, a deaf girl, transfers to his school he becomes obsessed with her in all the wrong ways, teasing and bullying her at any chance he gets. Eventually things get so bad that Shoko transfers schools and the bullying transfers towards him now. Years pass and Shoya and Shoko run into each other by pure chance. Now Shoya wants to find a way to make amends for his past deeds, while dealing with his own insecurities.

Check out the complete series by Yoshitoki Oima today.

Dragon Hoops

Gene Luen Yang is a comic author and writer who has written award-winning graphic novels as well as for the most iconic comic book character Superman. In Dragon Hoops (2020), Yang follows his local high school basketball team, telling their stories and comparing their athletic feats to those of the comic heroes who inspired him when he was young. Yang proves that it is the story of the hero that matters most, not the fancy cape or superpowers.

This is a great read for readers who enjoyed Ghost by Jason Reynolds, American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, or Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson.

You can also read Dragon Hoops on Overdrive today. 


Stepping Stones

This is a charming story of city girl Jen whose family leaves the big city for the country and farm life. If farm life was not bad enough for a city girl, Jen also has two new stepsisters who live in her room every weekend. Stepping Stones (2020) centers on Jen and her sisters' life on the farm and their time spent at the farmer's market. Jen and her new sisters learn about the hard work it takes to run a farm and to be part of a family that sticks together. Overall, Lucy Knisley's story is uplifting and will appeal to readers of books like Smile and Roller Girl

The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia

Just finished playing a Legend of Zelda game and are longing for more? If so, this is the perfect book for you. The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia (2013) is jam packed with pictures, lore, and information regarding the various Zelda titles. It goes in depth into how some of the environments were created and how it impacts the greater Zelda universe.

If nothing else, the book is just a joy to look at for its art style alone and design choices. Read it instantly on Hoopla today.

100 Bullets. Book 1

In the first story, Mr. Graves takes a seat next to Isabelle on the train taking her home after her release from Statesville. She doesn't know him but he knows every detail of her life. He shows her proof of who murdered her husband and child while she was in prison. He offers her revenge.

A gun and 100 untraceable bullets. Police will immediately drop any investigation of a crime committed using one of these bullets. Will she take him up on it?

Each of the ten stories have that same premise: proof of some kind of outrageous wrong and 100 untraceable bullets. You won't see superheroes, dragons or sorcery. You will get gripping noir drama.

Read 100 Bullets. Book 1 (2014) by Brian Azzarello in Hoopla today.



Spotlight: Calvin and Hobbes

calvinhobbesWhy do we care so much about an egotistical, obnoxious, bratty kid, and his stuffed cat?  I know that I—along with billions of other fans— love Calvin and Hobbes, but I have to ask myself why.  Calvin is certainly not admirable in any way, other than maybe the expert use of his imagination, and his undying devotion to his tiger.  Mostly he can be counted on to be more intent on mischief than on doing good, taking an almost disturbing sense of pride in this. And when he isn’t “up to no good,” he can be found doing something totally unproductive, like watching bad television.

And yet we do love Calvin and Hobbes, because they’re undeniably charming and childlike, with that sense of abandon that we wish we still had. Plus, Hobbes is the voice of reason, after all—a good foil to Calvin’s enthusiastic hedonism and reckless sense of adventure. Though, most of the time, we have to admit Hobbes doesn’t put up much of a fight…

Check out Bill Watterson’s work.