Staff Picks by Tag

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Lore Olympus: Volume One By Rachel Smythe Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9780593356074
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Random House Worlds - November 2nd, 2021

I'd seen how popular this series was online for years, and I'm so mad I didn't read it sooner! When I finally sat down to read it, I stayed up till 5am, and ended up reading 4+ years of content in a 48-hour period. Perfect for any Greek mythology fans, this series is a romantic retelling of Hades and Persephone. It has the most beautiful art, heart-wrenching twists, and the yearning is off the charts. I cried, laughed, squealed, and screamed. READ IT!!!

Content Warning from the author: Lore Olympus regularly deals with themes of physical and mental abuse, sexual trauma, and toxic relationships. Some of the interactions in this series may be distressing for some readers. Please exercise discretion, and seek out the support of others if you require it.


Review by Mia

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Crumbs By Danie Stirling Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9780358467816
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Clarion Books - July 19th, 2022

Even with a character who can see the future, love is unpredictable. In this coming of age story, Ray and Laurie are forced to face their flaws, their desires, and each other.


Review by Madison

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The Magic Fish: (A Graphic Novel) By Trung Le Nguyen Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781984851598
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Random House Graphic - October 13th, 2020

Tiến doesn’t know the Vietnamese words to tell his mom he’s gay. His mom misses her home and family back in Vietnam. Together, they read fairy tales, and the stories help them both – to process grief, to bridge cultures, and ultimately to reach out to each other. The art is so beautiful -- and so is the story!

 


Review by Allie

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Pinball: A Graphic History of the Silver Ball By Jon Chad Cover Image
$24.99
ISBN: 9781250249210
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: First Second - April 5th, 2022

I preordered this book after falling in love with the Seattle Pinball Museum and it did not disappoint! This full-color history of pinball with tips and tricks is as informative as it is surprisingly inspiring.


Review by Lily

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Let's Make Dumplings!: A Comic Book Cookbook By Hugh Amano, Sarah Becan Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9781984858757
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Ten Speed Press - June 22nd, 2021

This is a super user-friendly cookbook, but more importantly to me - it's got a user-friendly recipe for xiao long bao. That's right baby, we're talking about dumplings filled with soup. The warmest, coziest, savoriest, most wholesome meal I can fathom. I defy you to make a cozier dish than this.

 


Review by Anje

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I Never Promised You a Rose Garden By Mannie Murphy Cover Image
$24.99
ISBN: 9781683964100
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Fantagraphics - March 23rd, 2021

Muted watercolor illustrations paired with grade school cursive on grade school writing paper published from the Seattle small press, Fantagraphics, I was endeared to Mannie Murphy from the beginning. Genderqueer and a Portland native themself, Murphy illustrates the dark history of the Rose City as well as the life and death of their teenage adulation, River Phoenix. My only complaint is that I wanted more!

 


Review by Emily

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Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness (Pantheon Graphic Library) By Kristen Radtke Cover Image
$30.00
ISBN: 9781524748067
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Pantheon - July 13th, 2021

What's the difference between loneliness and solitude? What cruelties, or kindnesses are born out of the inevitable loneliness of living? This bleak and beautiful book tries to address those questions and more. Radtke bares it all in illustrations as compelling as her thoughts. It's an instruction manual for being  human and a guidebook for this time.


Review by Erin

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Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness (Pantheon Graphic Library) By Kristen Radtke Cover Image
$30.00
ISBN: 9781524748067
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Pantheon - July 13th, 2021

It's hard to prepare yourself for a book like Seek You. Not quite memoir, not quite essay, and never what you'd expect, Kristen Radtke has somehow captured the essence of loneliness in an era that will surely be defined by it. There are panels of ocean tides and isolated sitcom-watchers that send me deeper into myself every time I see them—I've been those isolated sitcom-watchers; I've felt those ocean tides. Radtke diagnoses our loneliness without pity or preciousness. What else to call this but a masterpiece?


Review by Spencer R.

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Feelings: A Story in Seasons By Manjit Thapp Cover Image
$21.99
ISBN: 9780593129753
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Random House - March 2nd, 2021

Thapp is a storyteller in the way she visualizes the human experience of feeling emotions. Through her use of soft color palettes and minimalist art, she captures how it feels to grow with the seasons. Her words are rich with comfort, yet sting with familarity. It is a book to sit by your bedside table and to go back to with each passing year in order to reassure of our everchanging experiences with our emotions.


Review by Javi

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The Tea Dragon Society By K. O'Neill, K. O'Neill (Illustrator) Cover Image
By K. O'Neill, K. O'Neill (Illustrator)
$9.99
ISBN: 9781620107379
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Oni Press - June 16th, 2020

Everything about this delightful little book is perfect. From the art, the colors, the world and the characters that inhabit it. From page 1, you are welcomed with big, open friendly arms. You feel so immersed in the story, you start to notice the slight scent of tea brewing. It is packed with messages, telling us to pursue our passions and take care of ourselves and others. Highly, highly recommend.


Review by Javi

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