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Graphic Novels and Comics for adult readers December 2018
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Hello there! My name is Patrick Holt, and I'm a librarian at Southwest Regional Library and a lifelong reader of comics and graphic novels. Check out the contents of this month's newsletter in the box to the left, and get access to past editions in the archive at the bottom of the page. I hope you find these recommendations worthwhile, and please email me at pdholt@dconc.gov if you have any thoughts or questions.
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Berlin vol. 3: City of Light
by Jason Lutes
From the publisher: "The third and final act of Jason Lutes’s historical fiction about the Weimar Republic begins with Hitler arriving in Berlin. With the National Socialist party now controlling Parliament, the citizenry becomes even more divided. Lutes steps back from the larger political upheaval, using the intertwining lives of a small group of Germans to zero in on the rise of fascism and how swiftly it can replace democracy. The idle rich, the naïve bourgeoisie, and the struggling lower classes: all seek meaning in the warring political factions dividing their nation."
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Young Frances
by Hartley Lin
From the publisher: "After insomniac law clerk Frances Scarland is recruited by her firm's most notorious senior partner, she seems poised for serious advancement-whether she wants it or not. But when her impulsive best friend Vickie decides to move to the opposite coast for an acting role, Frances' confusing existence starts to implode..."
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Drawn to Berlin: Comic Workshops in Refugee Shelters and Other Stories from a New Europe
by Ali Fitzgerald
From the publisher: "Ali Fitzgerald is an artist trying to find herself in a rapidly changing city facing an influx of asylum seekers. In Berlin, she teaches an art class to displaced people who have traveled from war-torn countries such as Syria and Afghanistan. Given Fitzgerald’s encouragement, her students take pen in hand and express their painful memories of home and cautious optimism about their new life. Revealing the humanity behind the politics of immigration, Drawn to Berlin is about loss, community, and the art that binds people together."
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Woman World
by Aminder Dhaliwal
From the publisher: "When a birth defect wipes out the planet’s entire population of men, Woman World rises out of society’s ashes. Dhaliwal’s infectiously funny instagram comic follows the rebuilding process, tracking a group of women who have rallied together under the flag of 'Beyonce’s Thighs.' Only Grandma remembers the distant past, a civilization of segway-riding mall cops, Blockbuster movie rental shops, and 'That’s What She Said' jokes. For the most part, Woman World’s residents are focused on their struggles with unrequited love and anxiety, not to mention that whole 'survival of humanity' thing."
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My Brother's Husband vol. 2
by Gengoroh Tagame
From the publisher: "The concluding volume in the story of Yaichi, his daughter Kana, and how their meeting Mike Flanagan—Yaichi's brother-in-law—changes their lives and their perceptions of acceptance of homosexuality in their contemporary Japanese culture.
"As Mike continues his journey of discovery concerning Ryoji's past, Yaichi gradually comes to understand that being gay is just another way of being human. And that, in many ways, remains a radical concept in Japan even today. In the meantime, the bond between Mike and young Kana grows ever stronger, and yet he is going to have to return to Canada soon—a fact that fills them both with impending heartbreak. But not before more than a few revelations come to light."
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Drinking at the movies
by Julia Wertz
From the LA Times: "'On the day I turned twenty-five, [...] I came to consciousness at 3 a.m. in a twenty-four-hour Laundromat in Brooklyn, New York, eating Cracker Jacks in my pajamas. … To understand how I got there, we need to go back one year…' For Wertz, this admission — accompanied by a full-page black-and-white self-portrait, dazed and confused — operates as both entry point and metaphor, a bold yet subtle statement of her displacement in the world. What does it mean to find oneself in such a situation? Or to reveal it in such offhand terms? Wertz explores these questions with a vivid sense of self-exposure, tracing, in drawings and language that are direct, even blunt, in their lack of affect, how she came to that particular pass."
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Crawl Space
by Jesse Jacobs
From The Comics Journal: "Crawl Space ends up being a [...] bizarre mash-up of genres [that] is enough to mark Crawl Space as unique, but I think what readers will remember most about it are the unrelentingly psychedelic graphics. [...] It is a metaphor for a kind of heightened consciousness. For an art lover like myself, it is a metaphor that rings very true. Visual pleasure from viewing art is both satisfying and dangerous. Dangerous in the sense that it appeals solely to the eye—it is what Marcel Duchamp called 'retinal art' when he rejected in favor of art that is philosophical, religious, moral. Jesse Jacobs wants his readers to have it both ways—he supplies the reader with eyeball kicks while warning against their easy pleasures."
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You & a Bike & a Road
by Eleanor Davis
From Paste Magazine: In March of 2016, [Davis] decided to ride her bicycle from her parents’ house in Arizona to Athens, Georgia, where she lives. [...] Sometimes she was discouraged. Other times she seemed overcome by the beauty of the world or the kindness of strangers. The story unfolds slowly, without a classical narrative structure or predictable spikes of drama. [...] Instead of trying for a Joseph Campbell journey, You & a Bike & a Road focuses on small, specific moments. That’s an important choice, because it turns the reader’s eye to the individual instance rather than to generalities. [...] It’s easily one of the year’s best books. Its most notable features—a sense of immediacy and unfiltered emotion—are rare and difficult to articulate well."
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A Body Beneath
by Michael DeForge
From Publisher's Weekly: "Like many of his more avant-garde contemporaries, his art is often near-psychedelic abstractions. But unlike a majority of those peers, DeForge is nearly always grounded by a terrific knack for worldbuilding and storytelling. [...] Not every story is quite as strong as [the others], but all bring something fascinating to the proceedings, veering off in directions one never imagined at the outset. This collection is a strong indication of why DeForge is one of the best young cartoonists working."
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Saturday, Dec. 15, 2 p.m. Southwest Regional Library - 3605 Shannon Rd. Questions? Call John Davis at 919-560-0125 Join our MeetUp group at meetup.com/graphic-book-club Enjoy comic books or graphic novels? Join us for the monthly meeting of Southwest Library's Graphic Book Club. This month we're reading ANYTHING YOU WANT!
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Ultimate Ladies Book ClubThursday, Dec 6, 7:30 p.m. Ultimate Comics Raleigh,1301 Buck Jones Rd, RaleighThe first Thursday of each month the Ultimate Ladies Alliance meets to discuss a different comic or graphic novel. Join the Ultimate Ladies’ Alliance on Facebook for more info and to vote on your top picks for the next month’s meeting, plus suggest books for future discussion and share your favorites.
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Comics Creator Hangout with the Triangle Comics Creator Network Wednesday, Dec. 12, 6 p.m. Atomic Empire, 3400 Westgate Dr. #14B, Durham Come to the Comics Creator Hangout at Atomic Empire to meet fellow creators, show off and trade your work if you have it (no sales please), and make our local comics scene even better. All ages, skill levels and genres welcome, and please tell all your comics-makin’ friends and family to come along
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Color of Fandom Book Club Friday, Dec. 14 Meets every month, alternating between comics and prose written by and/or featuring main characters who are people of color. This month's title is America vol. 1-2.
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Durham Comics Project: Drink & DrawWednesday, Dec. 19, 7-9 p.m.This monthly meetup is for those new to comics and seasoned vets alike. The hardest part of making comics is often making the time to draw, so let’s make that time together! We'll have an exercise or two (often collaborative), but you're welcome to just come to work on your own thing.
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For personalized reading recommendations from Durham County librarians, try My Next 5! Simply complete an online form to tell us a little about what genres, books, and authors you like (or dislike). A DCL librarian will review your submission and reply with a list of the next five books you should read -- all ages of readers welcome!
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Want to keep up-to-date on new books at the library? on everything from Horror to Home & Garden!
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NoveList Plus is a comprehensive database of fiction and nonfiction titles for all ages, including recommendations, articles, and lists for your fiction and nonfiction needs. DCL cardholders can access NoveList Plus from any computer.
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Check out the library's top ten checkouts! Lists include top tens for adult fiction and nonfiction, movies, young adults fiction, picture books and kids' fiction.
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Links to newsletters from the past year:
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If you are having trouble unsubscribing to this newsletter, please contact the Durham County Library at
919-560-0100, Administration Building, 101 E. Morgan St., Durham, NC 27701
librarywebmaster@durhamcountync.gov
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