Hot damn! I have never read a book with so many nonbinary trans characters (both main and background) which was very exciting. It also has some stuff going on with language and story structure that felt very new and fresh. The lead POV character is Aster, a member of the "lower deck" classes on board the generational ship Matilda . This means that she and her dark-skinned, gender-ambiguous neighbors are forced to do the manual labor required to keep the ship running: maintenance of its systems, monitoring its internal sun, farming in its indoor fields. She is also a talented doctor and scientist who synthesizes her own medicines and does house visits to treat patients. She also reads like a character with Autism, though I can't remember now if that word was ever actually used in the book. Her main emotional relationships are with The Surgeon of the ship, a young trans doctor who tutored her; her aunt Melusine, who raised her after her mother's suicide; and a sister/friend/crush named Giselle whose repeated experiences of trauma have exacerbated what seems to be a bipolar disorder. This book contains many references to assault, rape, systemic violence, and oppression. It's not an easy read. But it's worth it.

Hazel met Mari in the church bingo hall when she was only in junior high. She nursed a crush on her best friend for years before admitting her feelings. Circumstances conspired against the beloveds, and they were separated for many years. Finally, as grandmas, they meet once again in a bingo hall. This gentle romance comes highly anticipated by the indie comics world. I wished the story had a bit more length and heft, but enjoyed it's melting sweetness.

This paperback collects the first 250 pages of Melanie Gillman's fantastic webcomic of the same name. I fell in love with this story on the internet years and years ago, and am delighted to have this physical volume to hold in my hands. The story is just as sweet and human on a second read, and I made a conscious effort to linger over the gorgeous silent landscape pages instead of rushing through it. Can't wait for volume two!

A heartbreakingly honest story of isolation, identity, depression and mental-health. The author overcame years of destructive behavior before she was able to come out to herself and begin to find freedom and a sexual life as an adult.

A wonderful collection of short comics edited by Joamette Gil. All of them were good, but some of the standouts for me are "Convolvere" by Jemma Salume, "Your Heart is an Apple" by Nivedita Sekar and "Songbird for a Vulture" by Naomi Franquiz. This book is now available both in print and as a PDF on Gumroads: https://gumroad.com/powerandmagicpress#

This book is extraordinary. It has won a lot of awards and it deserves them all. First, we are introduced to the continent. It is inhabited primarily by humans, who call the land The stillness because it is never still. It is shaken by earthquakes, pounded by tsunamis and storms, prone to volcanoes which spew ash and toxic gases, acid rains, droughts, floods, crop failures. The first four seasons are spring, summer, autumn and winter and the fifth season is death. Cities and empires measure their prowess by how many of these deadly seasons they have endured. Only after we have met the land do we begin to meet some of its inhabitants- Essun, a woman who's son has just been murdered; Damaya, a child who has been cast out by her family; and Syenite, a trained oregene from the infamous Fulcrum. Oregenes are people with the power to sense the earth's shifting to the most minute degree and re-direct these movements to suit their own will. An untrained oregene sucks energy from their surrounding, often killing everything and everyone in a wide radius. Hence, oregenes are hated and feared, even though their powers when focused are the only thing that prevent even larger catastrophes. N.K. Jemisin plays with big themes- power, privilege, prejudice, natural disasters- in a way that feels both deeply familiar and completely remade in this new and unforgettable world.

A very quiet, gentle story of two trans elementary school students who meet, become friends, and slowly begin to realize their own identities. I read the first couple volumes eight years ago, but I just noticed my library finally has more of the series, so I am re-reading it to get to the new material.