#2019Book50
The artwork in this graphic novel was great, but the story became repetitive very quickly.

#2019Book49
If you love the My Favorite Murder podcast, then you‘ll love getting a closer look into Karen‘s and Georgia‘s lives.

1. One of my best friends calls me “J” sometimes. It‘s only endearing when he does it, though. It would feel weird from anyone else.
2. How to Raise Your IQ by Eating Gifted Children
3. Well, I only read the Twilight series because of the hype and those are four days I can‘t get back, so make of that what you will.
4. I tend to judge by price and title more than cover.
5. @kdwinchester @Robothugs

The rest of my TBR pile is going on vacation so this one can rise to the top!

#2019Book48
Not only is this science-centric, female-led mystery novel a thrilling read, full of unreliable characters; it also looks beautiful on your shelf.

#2019Book47
The art style in this graphic novel isn‘t my favorite, but I‘m impressed that Brown managed to make the history of Tetris a truly interesting topic.

#2019Book46
The plot of this graphic novel is great and the artwork is amazing, but the best part of this book is the characters. Even the most minor background character has a fascinating story and you‘ll want to learn more about these people long after the last page.

#2019Book45
The artwork in this graphic novel is gorgeous and the story is one of the more original plots I‘ve read lately. If you like to read about “super diseases” and don‘t mind a bit of blood and nudity, then you‘ll love this book.

#2019Book44
As someone who hated the two days of summer camp I managed to suffer through, I found a kindred spirit in the author/illustrator of this graphic novel. If camp and attempting to make new friends have never really been your favorite things, then definitely check out this book.

#2019Book43
I loved this book. Yes, a few situations could have used a bit more buildup, and sometimes the use of magic was just a little too convenient, but the writing was absolutely beautiful, so I‘m willing to forgive everything else.

#Bookmail #ARC

#2019Book42
This is a beautifully written memoir about the awkwardness and drama that comes with being a teenage girl trying to figure out her identity. The artwork style isn‘t my favorite, but it works well with the story being told.

#2019Book41
Laurie Halse Anderson is one of my favorite writers and this poetic memoir just solidified my love for her and her writing.

#2019Book40
I‘m a sucker for black and white drawings in graphic novels, but the storyline in this one wasn‘t always easy to follow. It seemed to jump around from past to present at random and frequently repeated sequences with just a slight shift in perspective.

#2019Book39
The idea behind this YA novel was interesting and the use of mythology strengthened it a bit. Overall, however, the execution was lacking. Nothing was explored deeply enough, so the characters were all pretty shallow and the action somehow seemed rushed while simultaneously dragging. The “magic” involved also didn‘t really appear to have any rules, so it only popped up when it was convenient for the plot.

#2019Book38
This graphic novel was incredibly fun to read and filled with colorful characters (literally and figuratively). If you're a fan of Adventure Time or Rick & Morty, then you'll probably enjoy this comic.

#2019Book37
Just like the previous 8 volumes in this series of graphic novels, I loved every page of this one. My only complaint is that I have to wait so long for the next volume to find out what's going to happen next.

#2019Book36
#SummerOfStephen
#KingAndI
#Book15

#2019Book35
This graphic novel reads like an incredibly sweet Pixar short. Told entirely through pictures, it tells the story of a park bench that experiences pretty much the same events day after day, a silent observer. Despite the lack of dialogue or narration, the various story lines are easy to follow and more than one is a little heartbreaking.

#2019Book34
#GoodreadsAwardWinner
#2014Winner

#2019Book33
The artwork in this graphic novel was gorgeous, but parts of it relied way too heavily on the writing, as though the writers didn't trust the pictures to speak for themselves. The story started a bit too convoluted, but the various plot lines slowly straightened themselves out the further into the book I got.

One of my short stories was published in this anthology and I honestly can‘t remember the last time I was this excited!

#2019Book32
The plot of this book was interesting and made me want to keep reading, I was invested in most of the characters, and I teared up several times while reading. However, several parts of the book made it very clear that it was the author‘s first book and I wonder what a more skilled writer could have done with it.

#2019Book31
The plot of this suspense novel was pretty solid, though a bit predictable at times. One thing that could‘ve made it stronger would be cutting down on the number of times the main character “suddenly knew what she had to do,” and then wouldn‘t tell the reader the plan until after it had all worked out perfectly.

#2019Book30
I‘ve never been a huge fan of Prince, though I like some of his songs, but I won a copy of this book and went into it figuring it would be a juicy tell-all from his first wife. Instead, it focuses mostly on Mayte, her upbringing, the circumstances that led her to meeting and falling in love with Prince, and the way she put her life back together after losing her child and her marriage.

#2019Book29
The prologue set this up to be a creepy ghost story. Then it took a turn for the worse. Every character is unbelievably gorgeous and also unbelievably stupid. The main character puts literally everyone in danger to run off after the dude he has a crush on and the super-vampires are all too busy sauntering around and flirting to actually behave like vampires.

#2019Book27
#SummerOfStephen
#KingAndI
#Book16

I went to the Tattered Cover bookstore this weekend and somehow managed to buy only an Agatha Christie novel and The Alienist.

My birthday is coming up later this month, so one of my friends made the Grady twins for me! They‘re just the perfect height to watch me over the top of my computer while I work in my office.

#2019Book27
I‘ve always been fascinated by the Joker, so I was excited to read this graphic novel. It sets him against pretty much everyone Batman is connected to, so you get to see just how intelligent (and insane) he really is. One of the best parts of this particular book is that Harley Quinn doesn‘t just mindlessly follow the Joker around; she actually gets to fight for herself.

#2019Book26
#GoodreadsAwardWinner
#2013Winner

#2019Book25
This is my favorite of Schechter‘s books so far. It stays true to its title by discussing killers that have been lost to history, and for once Schechter doesn‘t devote half the book to Ed Gein and Albert Fish.

#2019Book24
I love road trip novels. And I have a soft spot for books about grandparent/grandchild relationships. My main criticism of this book, though, is that every secondary character was significantly more interesting than the main character. Fortunately, we get enough of the other characters to keep the story moving.

#2019Book23
This novel starts out as a pretty standard thriller about a seriously demented serial killer. Then it takes a turn into the extremely weird and disturbing. And while the sudden supernatural elements threw me for a minute, they ultimately paid off.

#2019Book22
This was a pretty fun read and most of the characters were interesting. It bothered me, though, that the authors made it seem like a fun joke that only rich women can afford to get in shape. I also didn‘t like that they waited until the last couple pages to mention that women don‘t have to be a size 2 in order to be happy and content with themselves.

#2019Book21
The story in this graphic novel was good, but there was maybe a little too much gratuitous violence. Also, can we please start drawing women with realistic chest sizes? And women who wear clothes that actually fit? Just once?

#2019Book20
If the Marie Kondo approach to de-cluttering isn't your cup of tea, Haley Stewart has her own advice for getting rid of the parts of life that are weighing you down. While she comes at every issue from a Catholic perspective, her writing never feels preachy or judgmental, but rather like a conversation with an old friend.

#2019Book19
The artwork in this graphic novel was excellent, as I've come to expect from DC. The story, however, kind of dragged. It started out interesting, getting to see the superheroes coming back much older than we usually see them. But after awhile, they were just kind of having the same conversations and fights over and over until the end.

#2019Book18
As a college English instructor, I related to most of this book, which I quite enjoyed. However, I‘ve come to learn that if a female protagonist cited anything by Austen or the Brontes as her favorite novel, then the rest of the book will basically play out like a modern version of her favorite novel. And that makes things just a little too predictable.

#2019Book17
This book started out as a promising suspense novel. A young woman is recruited to take the place of a vanished heiress who just happens to look just like her. But as the book went on, and she was able to seamlessly fit into this woman‘s life, it just became a little ridiculous. The ending paid off for the most part, but all of the in-between stuff was just kind of okay.

#2019Book16
While the story and artwork were both great, I didn‘t like this version of the Magdalena as much as the one from The Darkness comic.

#2019Book15
This memoir in the form of a graphic novel does an amazing job of showing the toll an eating disorder takes not only on the victim, but also on those around her. If you are a teenager, are the parents of a teenager, or work with teenagers, I highly recommend reading this one.

#2019Book14
Almost every chapter in this book made me cry. In fact, I almost couldn‘t finish it because I couldn‘t see the words through my tears. If you‘ve lost someone you love or want to understand the grief of a friend or family member, then you have to read this book.

#2019Book13
If you‘re a fan of Flannery O‘Connor and magical realism, then I guarantee you‘ll love the short stories in this book.

#2019Book12
Though the artwork still holds up in the second volume in this series, the story drags a bit more in this graphic novel. One of the most interesting characters from the first book makes only a brief appearance in this one and one of the least interesting characters is in this one way too much. But for the most part, it‘s still a great read, and I look forward to continuing the series.

#2019Book11
I knew how this book was going to end within the first few pages, but I still bawled like a baby when I finished it. All of the characters in this book are fascinating and the ways they interact with each are so real, you can't help but want to learn more about them. If I ever teach middle grade English, I'll definitely incorporate this book into my lesson plans.

#2019Book10
#GoodreadsAwardWinner
#2013Winner

#2019Book9
This graphic novel taught me something very important: I don't find Green Lantern particularly interesting. The artwork in this comic was great, as with most DC Comics, and the story was pretty good, but Green Lantern himself is just kind of a dull character. The best part of this one was seeing more about Mera and getting to see some of the good guys go bad for a little bit.

#2019Book8
The writing in this was good, but some parts were hard to follow since almost all of the male characters have the same two names. I'm also not a fan of books where everyone wants to sleep with their relatives all the time. The best parts of this book were the sections that focused on the town where these characters lived, rather than the characters themselves.

#2019Book7
The mystery itself in this book was fine, but the way the clues were laid made everything way too obvious, ruining any chance of the reader being surprised by the twists. None of the characters connected or conversed in realistic ways and many of their conflicts could have been easily resolved if they'd bothered to talk to each other for two minutes.