ashleyholstrom's Reviews (1.38k)

Maia Kobabe shares eir story as it relates to gender, from taking eir shirt off at the beach to enduring the trauma of a pap smear. E battles with figuring out eir gender and how to identify with one or the other when e realizes: Nonbinary is indeed an option! With beautiful art and deeply personal stories, Gender Queer is a book that will stay with you long after you finish reading it.

From 10 of the Best Nonfiction Comics on Hoopla at Book Riot.

Debbie Tung is my new favorite comics creator! Book Love is, well, a love-letter to books and the book-lover life. It’s adorable and I related to every single comic.

From 10 of the Best Nonfiction Comics on Hoopla at Book Riot.

Lucy Knisley’s An Age of License follows her normal recipe: gorgeous cartoons, perfect colors, delicious foods, and adorable cat(s). But this one has an added layer of angst and fear as she’s touring around Europe, worried about what path her life and career is taking.

From 10 of the Best Nonfiction Comics on Hoopla at Book Riot.

Zeina Abirached was grew up in Beirut in the 1980s amid fighting between Christians and Muslims that divided the city. I Remember Beirut is just that: a series of memories of growing up in such turmoil, with cars filled with bullet holes and games to collect shrapnel from the sidewalk. The art is reminiscent of [b:The Complete Persepolis|991197|The Complete Persepolis (Persepolis, #1-4)|Marjane Satrapi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327876995l/991197._SX50_.jpg|13344769], and the stories are similar—finding normalcy within a war zone.

From 10 of the Best Nonfiction Comics on Hoopla at Book Riot.

Waves is the devastating memoir of Ingrid Chabbert and her wife’s attempts to have a baby. When they finally announce their pregnancy and are ready to welcome the baby to the world, they lose it. They have to learn how to be a couple and care for each other while dealing with the awful loss of miscarriage. Waves is a deep examination of Ingrid’s pain and healing.

From 10 of the Best Nonfiction Comics on Hoopla at Book Riot.

Rainbow Rowell has this magical way of writing stories that feel like you’re reading your own memories. I’m feeling nostalgic for things that I know didn’t happen to me, but they’re so similar to my own experiences that it makes sense. Sort of. And since the book covers the beginnings of a relationship in college to its failings in adulthood, I think this book has a lot of those experiences everyone can relate to.

I always have a soft spot for stories unfolding within newspaper offices, and I melted a little every time Georgie crept into the production room to watch Neal work. A lot of those college newspaper moments are so much like my own college newspaper moments. *Dreamy sigh*

I just have too many words but also not enough to talk about how much I love Rainbow’s work. As soon as I finished reading, I almost turned back to page one and started again. But it was 2:45 a.m. and my bed was calling for me. Instead, I’ve been daydreaming of Nebraska, snowpocalypse, and yellow magic phones that can send me back to better times and and times of falling in love.

Part of a review roundup at Crooked Prose.

On New Year’s Eve in 1984, Lillian Boxfish takes a walk through New York City, heading to a party. Along the way, she meets all kinds of people, treating them with grace, curiosity, and kindness. Passing landmarks of her 85 years of life, she muses about how she came to be where she is. She reminisces about her time as the highest-paid advertising woman, and the marriage and motherhood and divorce that derailed her career. She remembers her breakdown and the walks through gardens she was permitted while she recovered. She’s a pistol. When I picked this up for the Read Harder challenge, I was planning on just cruising through to meet a challenge. But this book is so good. I can’t stop thinking about it, and how I want to be Lillian Boxfish when I grow up.

Published January 3, 2019, at Book Riot.