My final selection is a psychedelic sci-fi manga about chemically altered emotions and the fallout from this industry. The artwork in this one is wild & trippy. Definitely one of the more memorable graphic narratives read so far this year.
#bestof2025
Is JC Oates a disaster online? Absolutely. Did she write some of the most unsettling stories of the 20th C? This is also true. The title story is a noir masterpiece.
#bestof2025
It has been years, YEARS, since I had read Palahniuk. Beginning of the year: COVID, drumpf inauguration insanity, moving in the middle of winter & somehow the insanity - and satire of Palahniuk clicked again. This was one that I read very shortly after recovering from COVID and I couldn't decide which was more unsettling.
#bestof2025
I raved about Thorogood's graphic narrative over the weekend & it has displaced one my selections for #bestof2025 (Barry Windsor-Smith's raw & gritty Wolverine: Weapon X). It's Lonely etc was a ceaselessly surprising, deeply touching portrait of an artist's lifelong mental health struggles & the solace & freedom they were able to find in art. This is one I will be recommending for awhile.
By far one of the most consistently surprising single authors story collections read so far this year. Bad Dirt ranges from a gritty realism to a magical realism that truly works. I loved this linked collection and Proulx has a truly Dickensian knack for character names. I have been meaning to read Proulx for awhile and was not disappointed. Will definitely be reading more.
#bestof2025
Book 3 of Le Guin's Hainish Cycle is one of her more under the radar works, but strangely seems to be a significant influence on major fantasy works of today (Song of Ice & Fire). I would be willing to eat my shoes if George RR Martin Had not read this one prior to writing his renown series; however distinct he made his own world he def paid homage to the singularity & brilliance of Le Guin's Hainish Cycle.
#Bestof2025
pickThis will definitely be one of my favorite reads of the year. It is done in the style of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones but follows the cutthroat world of Olympic ice dancing. The author used Wuthering Heights for her character inspiration, and the whole book read as a car accident I couldn't look away from. I can't remember the last book I was so absorbed in. I needed to know if they ever won the gold. #highlyrecommend #bestof2025
![[tagged book]](https://image.librarything.com/pics/litsy_webpics/icon_taggedBook@3x.png){kind=icon}
