One of the best things to happen to storytelling through sequential art is the advent of the graphic memoir. From celebrities to travelogues to regular folks’ personal journeys, graphic memoirs allow readers to experience an illustrated slice of someone else’s life. I stumbled upon “Parenthesis” by Élodie Durand while perusing Hoopla’s Bonus Borrows for May. Translated from the French by Edward Gauvin, this graphic memoir follows the years Durand spent living with epilepsy. Durand’s art style is simple, leaning toward the abstract. Yet, it powerfully conveys both the story of her life and the emotions she felt while that story unfolded.

For those who don’t often read comics, this graphic memoir could be considered an intermediate level read. The text and dialogue are easy to follow, but much of it is written in a cursive font that isn’t the easiest to actually read. Fortunately, the artwork meshes perfectly with the text. This aids the conveyance of Durand’s personal and emotional experiences as she learned to live with epilepsy.

Of note, this book counts toward Task #23 (read a book by a disabled author) of this year’s Read Harder Challenge. It could also be used for Task #24 (pick a challenge from any of the previous years’ challenges to repeat), as read a graphic memoir was one of the tasks in recent years. This is the perfect book for anyone who wants to step out of their comfort zone and read something new and unique. “Parenthesis” offers readers a glimpse into life in another country while taking them through Durand’s moving journey from illness to recovery.

Three words that describe this book: Hopeful, Inspiring, Informative

You might want to pick this book up if: You like graphic novels, memoirs, or translated works.

-Joe

“The Salt Path” is a memoir about a homeless couple who walk the South West Coast Path in England. The author tells and describes the journey so that it is easily imagined and felt. It has so many layers to it — sadness, happiness, life, death — all in the theme of taking a walk. There was no way I was able to figure out how it might end which made me keep reading it to find out. The whole metaphor of being “salted” was interesting as it developed throughout the book. The book had its gut-wrenching moments with the couple and the author did a great job of giving history about the places they were seeing along with some environmental issues that were happening at that time. I think at its baseline it’s about humanity and how we treat one another in our own family as well as each other globally, especially those who are less fortunate or who are perceived as such. I would read this book again and again.

Three words that describe this book: Magical, Mythical, Heartbreaking

You might want to pick this book up if: It was an award winner and I tend to pick up books if the cover catches my eye which this one did.

-Cindy

“The Empress of Salt and Fortune” is a novella that focuses on a team collecting information about the former empress who is now deceased. Through a collection of artifacts, the subtle plotting of the northern princess is revealed as to how she was able to send communications, raise an army, establish an heir and take over the kingdom. What I liked about this story was how cleverly the characters were portrayed and how subtle the evidence was of what the princess was doing. Side characters, small details, and the artifact lists are really important in this when usually you expect them to be such throwaway accents; here it is central to the plot.

Three words that describe this book: Short, clever, sneaky

You might want to pick this book up if: If you like fantasy books, you’d enjoy this plotting to take over a kingdom; if you enjoy shorter books, this doesn’t take long to read but still has many rich details and a full story inside; if you like figuring out puzzles and noticing small details and not having everything spelled out for you, you’d like this novella.

-Melissa

Evie has given up on love, in the real world and in her once-beloved contemporary romance novels. How can she when her parents have just gotten a divorce? When she suddenly acquires the ability to see the end of a couple’s relationship (and as Evie will tell you, they always end) it only confirms her belief that love isn’t worth the time because no one gets out unscathed. And yet, when Evie gets partnered with X at the La Brea Dance Studio, she can’t help herself from noticing all his positive qualities, and she can’t walk away. So now Evie must navigate a world where she is confronted by love and visions of its subsequent heartbreak everywhere she goes, while trying to keep herself out of its snare.

I loved so much about “Instructions for Dancing.” The premise is a little goofy (suddenly she can see the whole “lifespan” of a relationship when she watches a couple kiss?), but it lends itself well to the challenges Evie is facing as she grapples with love and the risk that it is. Yoon is a great writer; she breaks from a standard storytelling mode to seamlessly integrate Evie’s visions and texts with friends in a way that moves the story along without it feeling awkward.

Three words that describe this book: Delightful, unique, heartwarming

You might want to pick this book up if: You might pick this book if you enjoy Nicola Yoon’s other works, YA romance, romantic comedies or dancing.

-Sarah

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading 2021. We will continue to share these throughout the year.

“First Comes Like” is about a young, single woman who also happens to be a fashion influencer. As seems to be the case with on-line communications, she becomes engaged in a flirtatious convo with somebody and alllllll the things go askew. I loved this fun romp … it was light-hearted and easy while still being substantial enough to thoroughly enjoy. I also really appreciated the multi-cultural considerations when it comes to dating, love and marriage.

Three words that describe this book: fun, funny, thoughtful

You might want to pick this book up if: You’re in the mood for summer fluff with nutritional value.

-Kate

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading 2021. We will continue to share these throughout the year.

“The Ministry for the Future” by Kim Stanley Robinson took much longer to read than I expected. This book weaves several compelling fictional stories together with descriptions of real-life responses to climate change in a way that captured my attention for several weeks. I would read 30 pages and then need a day to think about what I had read before tackling another section — and I normally devour books whole! I highly recommend this book for readers who are willing to take a deep dive into what climate change will mean for people, and the many different ways that we can choose to think about addressing it.

Three words that describe this book: Thought-provoking, challenging, wide-ranging.

You might want to pick this book up if: You might pick up this book if you are concerned about climate change and want to think outside the box.

-Sarah

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading 2021. We will continue to share these throughout the year.

Whatever its reputation may be now, for much of the last century Hot Springs, Arkansas was a wide-open town and the undisputed gambling mecca of America, surpassing even Las Vegas. “The Vapors,” which takes its title from a Hot Springs casino that featured nationally known celebrities, fine dining and, of course, gambling, intertwines the author’s own family history with a chronicle of the gambling and vice-saturated culture of Hot Springs from the 1930s through the 1960s. Interestingly, gambling was never legal in Hot Springs, but as the book details, nonetheless operated completely in the open and seemingly dominated every aspect of life in Hot Springs — political, business and cultural — through the 1960s. Hot Springs was a company town, and, like Las Vegas today, gambling was the company. And, because gambling was illegal (though open and obvious), this small town in Arkansas also attracted some of the most notorious organized crime figures in the country. It’s a fascinating story told well.

Three words that describe this book: Absorbing, journalistic, historical

You might want to pick this book up if: You enjoy reading about 20th Century American culture or organized crime.

-Jeff

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading 2021. We will continue to share these throughout the year.

“The Travelling Cat Chronicles” follows a cat and his human through the adoption of the cat and the subsequent attempts to re-home the cat due to unforeseen circumstances (the revelation of which is part of the story). The pair travel Japan together visiting old friends, and each stop includes a retelling of the history of the friends. It is a whimsical, bittersweet story displaying the beauty of friendships, good memories, and quirky cats. This is one of those books that is a journey more than a story, and you just sit back and leisurely walk through it. The main human character’s story hit too close to home to say I 100% liked it, but it is a unique book.

Three words that describe this book: thoughtful, descriptive, big-hearted

You might want to pick this book up if: you like to read a little before bed.

-Anonymous

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading 2021. We will continue to share these throughout the year.

“The River” is the adventure of two best friends on a canoeing trip down a river close to their home town. A fun and relaxing adventure planned in nature can become something totally different, not fun and not relaxing but an adventure of life and death as Jack and Wynn discover. I enjoyed this book for the story of the men’s friendship, how their personalities compliment each other and how they were able to work together in the face of the difficulties they faced.

Three words that describe this book: Adventure, friendship, loss

You might want to pick this book up if: you like unexpected twists and turns in a story of best friends.

-Susan

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading 2021. We will continue to share these throughout the year.