Plutona struck the perfect cord for me of being gripping and suspenseful but not too scary (because I am a wimp). At it's core it is the story of five kids, thrust together by a shared discovery in the woods and loosely united by a terrible secret. The book ends on a cliff-hanger, of course, but I think the series will continue to examine the friendships and cruelties of teens in a very stressful situation.

I read and greatly enjoyed this book many years ago, but this most recent listen of the audio-book reminded me both how clever and also how dreamy it is. Roughly half the book takes place in a malleable dream-filled fairy land, which is an interesting contrast to Tiffany's groundedness.

A very enjoyable new series from the author of the popular webcomic Bad Machinery. This book introduces Susan, Daisy and Esther, three very different friends all in their first term at an English university. They tackle obnoxious frat boys, cafeteria food and a terrible flu virus and while distributing feminist pamphlets and defaming their enemies.

James Kochalka is a genius and this book might be his very best.

Mike Mignola dedicated this book to "Dracula and all those other vampires I have loved". His delight in the subject matter is evident on every page. Hellboy and a group of other BPRD agents are sent to Romania to investigate several ruined castles and terrible rumors there; as usual, it's Hellboy who discovers the monster.

Continuing my re-listen through of the Tiffany Aching books, this one is just as good as the first. Tiffany, now 11, leaves home to become an apprentice-witch to Mrs Level. But she is being pursued by a terrible enemy, the Hiver, which doesn't live and so can't die. What it can do is take over the bodies and minds of others and it's hunting Tiffany.

This book collects four Hellboy stories, one drawn by Mike Mignola, the others drawn by other artists. The longest in the collection was "The Crooked Man", which won an Eisner but is borderline too gross for me. I didn't like this one quite as much Hellboy vol 7 The Troll Witch and Others, another one of the short story compilations, but this book didn't tarnish my opinion that Hellboy as a whole is still one of the greatest comic series of all time.

This book can be read as a sequel to Telgemeier's Smile or it can be read alone. The story is based on Telgemeier's childhood, mainly a three week road trip from her home in San Francisco to visit family in Colorado. Her mom is stressed, her youngest brother Will is loud and her sister Amara is endlessly annoying but teenage Raina has a cure for it all: her trusty walkman, with which she blocks out the sounds of family conflict. Until, that is, the batteries run out. This is a well-structured and whimsically funny comic, probably Telgemeier's best yet.

A good summary of the major Norse myths. My favorite chapters were those about Andvari's Ring and Sigurd the Dragonslayer, which I have read in a longer version as the Volsunga Saga.

I have had the praises of Dash Shaw preached to me many times by fans, but I just can't get into his work. I picked up this one because it was very short and the title seemed to suggest a subject I am interested in, but it still didn't do anything for me.