To begin my 2023 reading list, I read a few graphic novels, and to be honest, they bring me so much joy. Novels and short stories are my first love, but in recent months, I found new love with graphic novels and manga. If I want a quick and easy read, I’ll pick up a graphic novel. For the new year, I want to give myself more time to read some more. If ye have some recommendations for me, let me know what your favorite graphic novels are. Here are the graphic novels I started 2023 with:
Everything is Ok by Debbie Tuang
Everything Is OK is the story of Debbie Tung’s struggle with anxiety and her experience with depression. It’s a graphic memoir and I read it all in one sitting. Simple but beautiful portraits of her experiences with anxiety and depression. This book hit me right in the feels and made me feel seen. Debbie utilizes color in moments it was needed such as the break in her anxiety and the colorful moments in her life. I loved certain panels so much and related to them so much that I showed it to people I care it. I showed them that this was how I felt most days. So I thank Debbie Tuang for a great first read of 2023. A beautiful graphic novel, 5 out of 5 stars
The Boy, the mole, the fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
A sweet read after the deeply relatable Debbie Tuang’s Everything is Ok. I loved the beautiful paint-stroked drawings, and the aesthetic was remarkable. I never heard of this book, until they announced the BBC’s short film. Technically this book is more based on the movie adaptation, but it still left an impression on me. With my purchase, my copy of the book had a beautiful bookmark accompanying it. So Im happy with the purchase. It would be a gorgeous coffee table book for friends to pick it up and have a quick read. It rate it a 4 out of 5 stars.
The Demon in the Woods by Leigh Bardugo
I picked up this book solely for Shadow and Bone. I liked the first Leigh Bardugo book and I liked the Darkling character. I wanted to try my hand at more graphic novels so I picked it up. The art style did its job, had a couple of beautiful panels and it gave good insight into the Darlings story. It has fun and okay journey to be on, so I give this graphic novel a 3 out of 5 stars.
Truth time, I started reading graphic novels so I could add to my read list. I want to read 50 books by the end of 2023 and with my inability to read fast, this was a pretty good strategy. However, from just these few picks I’ve read, I love this new change in media I decided to read. They are faster but some of them resonate with me more than regular novels. I adore the certain art styles that the authors bring and the stories they tell through that medium. I tell stories through words, that’s my forte. However, I appreciate and love this form of storytelling and I can’t wait to see what other graphic novels I pick up this year. Hope you enjoyed this post and see you in the next one.
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