Her self-portraits over the years are so beautifully haunting. She might be my new favorite self-portrait artist of all time!
Osama introduced me to Mahreen’s writing by sharing her piece “The Funeral,” and then this book. The way she writes about the experience of being a Pakistani woman, and the way she develops her characters, is incredible.
Read this while taking a break from painting on a rainy afternoon, and I was pleasantly surprised by the humor in some of the poems.
Wonderful writing, but it gave me an insane amount of anxiety with how stressful everything was.
There were some things I didn’t agree with, or maybe I’m still too young as an artist to fully understand them. But parts of it felt incredibly relatable, especially: “Then, quite soon, the drawing reached its point of crisis. Which is to say that what I had drawn began to interest me as much as what I could still discover.” There was also some good advice in it, like: “Thus one must be as patient as an ox if one would wish to cultivate the field of art.”
Raymond, an illustrator, tells the story of his parents, an ordinary British couple, which ends up capturing the cultural and social history of the time so beautifully. After finishing the graphic novel, I found out it was adapted into a movie. I haven’t seen the film yet, but here’s a glimpse into the book since the film kept a similar illustration style.
I had to pick up a lighter read after “A Guardian and a Thief,” and this was perfect! This book made me appreciate the art of writing letters, and writing in general. By the end, I was ready to start sending letters myself.
I love graphic novel memoirs. Not only is there vulnerability in them, but the artwork adds another layer to the story being told. Lily’s memoir beautifully explores the impact of mental health, generational trauma, and her relationship with her immigrant parents from her pov while growing up.
I kept seeing this book everywhere, so I decided to pick it up. It gave an interesting behind-the-scenes look at theater and improv, worlds I didn’t know much about before. There was also a whole sci-fi TV show production woven into the story, alongside some pretty heavy life themes.
I didn’t really get the hype, and I felt there were quite a few loopholes in the story. Later I found out it might be linked to “Writers & Lovers” (almost like a prequel?), which I haven’t read, so maybe that’s why I felt a bit out of the loop. That said, the cover design is nice!
Every time I pick up one of Emma Grey’s novels, I can’t put it down until I’m done. I went into this one without reading the synopsis or knowing anything about it, and I was completely taken along for the ride. In this novel, she explores an interesting concept that I know won’t work for everyone. But after reading her author’s note at the end, where she explains where the idea came from, I appreciated the execution even more.
It's hard to explain being a woman in a men’s world but Kate Beaton did a great job expressing the feeling of helplessness.
Such a lovely book.
Read it in a day thanks to all the twist and turns!
Delporte’s drawings and handwriting captures some heavy feelings beautifully.
I only started painting self portraits last year. Coming across this book was inspiring.
Did I watch the show Four Weddings and a Funeral just because of its name? Yes! Did I pick up this book because of its name? Also yes!
Odessa is the worst spy ever but it’s okay.
The exploration of technology, loneliness, and what the future might look like was interesting and thought-provoking. However, it took me forever to finish it.
Osama kept mentioning it while he was reading it so I read it too.
Found a copy on Kent St while coming back from dinner. Good story about how everyone has stuff going on in their life so we should be good humans. Entertaining to follow a lonely protagonist stuck behind a screen reading the entire department’s private emails and DMs.
After reading I Hope This Finds You Well, an office drama novel, it was only fitting to read I Hope This Doesn’t Find You, a high school drama novel. Described as To All the Boys, if Lara Jean wrote hate emails instead of love letters.
I wish I had the talent Manjit Thapp has to create art that captures complex emotions with such simple yet beautiful illustrations.
You’ve probably seen this book everywhere but my favorite part is the mention of Harvest Moon. I spent many hours (probably thousands) as a kid playing Harvest Moon on my gameboy.
Some good paragraphs here and there.
Conversations on love… and friendship and loss and being alone.
Gripping novel with complex characters but Pachinko is better.
This book is told through museum wall labels which, as an artist, I found interesting and the execution clever.
Not gonna lie, this was a difficult read but I persevered and found out that Dickens was the genius behind: “Is it better to have had a good thing and lost it, or never have had it?”
I never pick up dystopian stories but I picked up this 1995 novel by French author, Jacqueline Harpman, after reading the introduction by Sophie Mackintosh, I was invested and couldn’t wait to read this book.
I came across a post stating Love, Rosie + Normal People = Talking at Night. As a teenager, Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahren was a favorite, so this was enough to get me to pick this up.
This novel gives words to many of my experiences and thoughts as an international student during freshman year.
Tiktok influenced me to read this book. I am only human.
Read it on Osama’s recommendation and it features an evil chachi.
I went into this book without knowing what it was about and wasn’t ready for the emotions.
Hello Stranger is a story of a portrait artist getting face blindness and the plot had me captivated all throughout 320 pages!
Didn’t think I’d like a time travel book but this was well done. Based on a father-daughter relationship and questions what we consider a successful life.
This book made me happy, sad, and laugh out loud which is why it is my favorite of 2023!
Read all three books of this trilogy this year. The first had a lot of world building, the last was a little disappointing but the middle one was my favorite.
The plot twist in this book was such that I had a lump in my throat with emotions.
I didn’t read this book for the longest time because I didn’t like the US or UK cover, but eventually did pick it up after Osama recommended it. Great book about female struggles and ambitions, and powerful characters and dialogue. Lesson: don’t judge a book by its cover.
Great writing around topics of home and parents.
Safia Elhillo poetry + Hassan Hajjaj cover = 🔥
This book takes place alongside Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice, imagining the belowstairs. I thought it was an interesting take on the lives of the servants as they move about the Bennet family.
A powerful and brave memoir.
Story about four friends graduating college, moving into adult life and navigating through their twenties and thirties. Each year is told from one of the character’s pov over fifteen years.
Do I pick up books because the protagonist has the same name as me? Yes.
This is my third Uzma Jalaluddin book, however this one is co-authored by Marissa Stapley. Both authors bring their unique perspective on female friendship in the alternating chapters for the two protagonists.
Designed by Maryam