Recent Reads

22. Pregnant Butch: Nine Long Months Spent in Drag
I haven't had children so skipped all those books about what to expect when you're expecting, but the title of this book is what hooked me. Nine long months spent in drag? Tell me more.

This graphic memoir recounts the authors' experiences as she navigated this heavily trodden path as a not just a queer woman, but a butch one at that. There is humor and aggravations galore, but it all turns out well in the end. The art is good and I especially enjoyed the nod to Tintin. This is a fun and informative look at her experience, and the intersection of gender and pregnancy. Rating: 4 stars.

23. Descender, Volume Three: Singularities
This graphic novel series explores a universe in which all androids have been outlawed, and bounty hunters are rounding up all the remaining ones. This war between humans and machines unfolds from multiple points of view.

I'm up and down with this series. I liked this installment better than the last one, so that's good. This one is all about back stories. We get a deeper dive into each of the characters stories and I liked that, as it helps to better explain what's currently going on in the story. My fave back story was the one with Driller, though I continue to have a soft spot for Tim-21. The art continues to be lovely with loose watercolor washes, and I hope the writing gets better in future installments. Rating: 3 stars.

24. 750 Years in Paris
This lovely graphic novel is an almost wordless picture book. The unfolding of 750 years of history plays out against the back drop of a single building in France. In each illustration changes are made, and part of the delight of this book is figuring out what has changed with the building and building materials, but also what are people wearing, how are they getting around, and who are those people in the upper windows.

I recommend reading it as I did with a finger bookmarking the page in the back, which briefly describes significant dates in history, so as to easily be able to flip back and forth between the two. As you flip the pages one appreciates the grand scale of time, the transitory nature of cultural upheavals, and the insignificance of any one individual life.

Highly recommended for fans of nontraditional graphic novels. Rating: 4 stars.