Miniature Monday #4

I have been on a kick lately of reading a lot of graphic novels, comics, and even a bit of manga, and I have more on my TBR for the next month, so I decided I would start a new series. Every week, I’ll be posting a small batch of mini-reviews for graphic novels and the like! I’ll also include poetry collections, as I’ve read a little poetry lately.

This week, I’ll be reviewing one poetry collection and three graphic novels!

I Shall Not Be Moved – Maya Angelou

It was very interesting to go straight from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings to this and to watch the shift from her prose to her poetry. Maya was an amazing woman through and through, and there are some powerful pieces in this tiny book, but I have to admit that I vastly prefer her prose.

{ goodreads . amazon . bookdepository }

Fowl Language: The Struggle is Real – Brian Gordon

I genuinely believe every parent with even half a sense of humor should follow Fowl Language comics, whether you do so on facebook or go comics or just pick up the damn books when they come out. Parenting is super rewarding but kids can also totally be tiny jerks, and Brian has found the perfect happy medium between sounding grateful to be a parent and still acknowledging that sometimes kids make us want to rip our hair out.

In particular, if you’re used to following Brian’s comics like I am, you’ll be pleased to find out that the unique thing about this collection is that many of the comics have had a bonus panel added to them, so even though you might be familiar with some of the strips, you’ll get some new ones, too!

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

{ goodreads . amazon . bookdepository }

The Park Bench – Christophe Chabouté

I mean… from an artistic point of view, I get it, but this was not for me at all.

The Park Bench is literally 300-something pages of focusing on a park bench while people of all walks of life come and go – some sitting on it, some walking past it, some interacting with one another. When interactions do occur, there is no text dialogue whatsoever, so we have no idea what is happening or why.

I felt like this is one of those graphic novels that was built just for the ~artistic aesthetic~, and while that is great for a certain audience, I’m not part of that group, sadly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Faber Faber for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

{ goodreads . amazon . bookdepository }

Water Memory – Mathieu Reynés

Water Memory tells the story of Marion, a young girl whose mother brings her to her hometown to live in her childhood home after Marion’s grandmother passes away and leaves the house to them. Marion begins to find sculptures of bizarre faces around the island, that she’s told have roots in an old town legend about sea creatures and a curse. When Marion befriends the old lighthouse keeper, Virgil, she learns that some curses aren’t just legends after all.

This graphic novel has such a lovely and gentle art style, and the story is just one of those short, fun reads that would perfectly suit anyone who likes stories about urban legends and curses.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lion Forge for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

{ goodreads . amazon . bookdepository }