Nonfiction:
Snape: A Definitive Reading by Lorrie Kim is what it says on the tin. I highly recommend this if you like intelligent, crunchy, critical close readings. I strongly suspect you do not have to like or even have read the Harry Potter books to enjoy it. I definitely appreciated the books more after I read it.
My vacation reading included G.I.: The American Soldier in World War II by Lee Kennett. I read a bit more than half on my flight, then finished up the remaining few chapters over the rest of the week. It was a well-organized overview of American soldiers and their experiences, from the draft to being mustered out; it focused on the quotidian rather than battles, which for me was more interesting, particularly since I don’t know a huge amount about that war in general and that period in American history. I was particularly intrigued by the complexities of the draft and how it was put into practice.
Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up by Marie Kondo got me started on some tidying. I found that the book sparked some useful ideas for storage, and gave me some good thoughts on purging things as well. I found it charming because the author is so very much herself and is not afraid to share herself, which I think came through clearly in the English translation.
Joss Whedon: The Biography by Amy Pascale was a galley tucked away on my Kindle that I started pretty much at random and found interesting enough to complete. It reminded me of a really long magazine feature in its flowing style and positive tone. It focused on Whedon’s work, with his personality, history, and relationships considered mainly as a work-related factor (for example, writing female characters after being raised by a feminist mother with a life of her own). The author had interviewed her subject, as well as various of his colleagues and friends, so I am sure it was not intended to be an in-depth critical reading or anything like that. Conflicts were addressed but not deeply. Whedon fans no doubt already know about most of the material included in the bio, but since I had never followed him that closely, I was entertained. I liked reading about some of the ins and outs of working in television, in particular.
Comics:
Monstress Volume 1: Awakening by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda is so amazing. So. Amazing. Sana Takeda’s art is richly gorgeous, so detailed I can just look and look at it. Even only a chapter in, the story is densely layered, with complex worldbuilding. I stretched this one out, to savor it.
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Vol. 1: BFF is adorable and also poignant, because I totally feel for 9-year-old Lunella Lafayette and how everyone thinks they know better than her because she’s a kid. Meanwhile, she has a secret science lair and is building All the Things. I passed volume one to Ms. 8, whom I think might like it.
