commonalities between shounen manga and queer literary fiction
it's the bare chests for emotional effect lol
these last two weeks I'd describe my reading as frenzied-over-comics, laid-back-over-words:
house of salt and sorrows by erin a craig — horror mystery YA based on the 12 dancing princesses. was pretty hooked after finally hitting the halfway mark but the ending confused me?!?! unfortunately I didn’t vibe, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I wanted to keep reading and also how creeped out i was
spy x family vol 3-4 by tatsuya endo — continued adventures of a spy + his cobbled together fake family. the entire internet seems to be simping for the assassin pretending to be his wife…still silly and fun and im looking forward to see how things get soapy and existential in the way that I like.. <3
four thousand weeks by oliver burkeman — the anti-self help self help book. very kindly and often funny, this british dude basically found peace by giving up. actually a wonderfully comforting read that reminds u that life is beautiful NOW
cleanness by garth greenwell — american teacher in europe mopes and looks at things sensually…actually I think he has a very hypnotic, spellcasty kind of voice, very rhythmic, very tender…but this is definitely a dude writing about dudes! which is why I think it worked so well actually. anyway
hunter x hunter vol. 20-30 by yoshihiro togashi — 12 year olds discover the transformative nature of friendship and fight people with their soul magic… I dunno yall. they got me too. i know the target audience is 12 year old boys. I just finished the second last arc. feeling kinda inconsolable rn abt the shape that love takes…bro…
since I laid my burden down by brontez purnell — promiscuous guy goes back for his uncle's funeral and thinks many thoughts. HILARIOUS… I was wheezing and crying and read it in one sitting. kind of leaves u with many questions and concerns but still. enjoyed the ride
eat and love yourself by sweeney boo — girl with an eating disorder finds a magic chocolate bar that takes her into the past to reconcile with her memories. beautiful art!
dorohedoro vol 3 by Q hayashida — lizard guy tries to find the wizard (I think they are actually called sorcerors. but wizard rhymes) who turned him into a lizard lol…the art is SO good.
how to make love to a negro without getting tired by dany laferrière — narrator walks around montreal, sleeps with women, and writes. reads very modernly and I am enchanted by the humour. the sentence structure makes me wriggle with delight…great translation!!
show your work! by austin kleon — a little how to book with 10 practical tips on how to get noticed as a creator. I liked the tips and it made me want to work on these newsletters and be a little more open to building community online. before I was very hesitant to reveal any kind of personal information, what projects I was working on, what I was up to, but then I think being public abt these things has helped me find other ppl who are very cool too… so
steal like an artist by austin kleon — a similar 10 practical tips book that I read after show your work. I don’t think I am the intended audience for these books
river's edge by kyoko okazaki — high school students go to a school close to a river bank. totally thought it was going to be a lighthearted read but it was actually very moody, emotionally charged, and dramatic … very good. felt very realistic to how cruel + kind teens can be
overall good vibes as always. if you know any of these books leave a comment. see you laterrrr <3