A Magical Girl Retires

A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon (trans. Anton Hur), 160 pages.

The protagonist of this book is a depressed millennial who's spiraling debt has her unable to see any point in continuing her life. But, luckily for her, her suicide attempt is interrupted by a magical girl who looks like an angel, with the gift of clairvoyance and a message that she is more important than she could ever have imagined. But the being a magical girl isn't like it is in the stories, and her greatest threats remain existential.

This adorable little book had a really interesting premise, and I was really excited to read it! Unfortunately, I found the execution a little weak. This may partially be due to a weak translation, which couldn't help but remind me of the kind of cadence people use when they're talking about themselves on the internet. It's an easy read, but it doesn't feel like it particularly delivers on its premise, or explores most of its themes in a very meaningful way. Not terrible, but I would recommend
Unbreakable by Mira Grant for a better execution of similar themes. 

Another selection of graphic novels read in December

Closing out the year that I've been focused mainly on reading graphic novels. Genres of all types are available in the graphic format, and I've sampled quite a few. I won't stop reading graphic novels next year as I really love them, but they won't be my sole focus.

It's Lonely at the Centre of the Earth by Zoe Thorogood (2022) 196 pages

I love the summary on the back cover. "[This graphic memoir] is an intimate and metanarrative look into the life of a selfish artist who must create for her own survival." The meta use of the graphic form is one of my favorite things about it! The author struggles with anxiety and depression. I will not use the overused word r******** that she hears from so many people at comic conventions that it becomes meaningless. I have empathy and understand some of her challenges with these mental health issues. The different versions of herself are a great visual way to illustrate the way she copes with life.  Revealing the script and the process of creating a graphic memoir is fun.

Stone Fruit by Lee Lai (2021) 231 pages

This is about the joys and tensions of a queer couple who are aunties to a six-year-old niece. There is a bit of Where the Wild Things Are. And the hard conversations between couples with the psychological and emotional wounds passed down through families are featured. Intimately emotional as sibling relationships are repaired.

Yucatan 1512 by Alex Vede (2025) 80 pages

This reminded me I wanted to watch the Aztec Batman movie on HBO Max. And it reminded me of the video game Shadow of the Colossus. I loved the visual style. The story is simple and less than 100 pages, but it serves the purpose. Spanish conquistadors search for Mayan gold and slaughter innocents. One rogue soldier helps a Mayan girl escape. The cover image shows the type of creatures that rise to push back the conquistadors. I'm curious to see what else Alex Vede can do as he is just starting his career as an illustrator.

The Reprieve by Jean-Pierre Gibrat (2008) 128 pages

WWII historical fiction from France that is a prequel to the author's Flight of the Raven. Paintings are gorgeous and cozy of this French town under German occupation. The main character is witty and jokes around a lot. Julien deserted conscription by the Germans, goes into hiding, and continues falling in love with a high school girlfriend. The humor and the beauty of the art made me forget the dangers of war and the role of fate/death that cannot be escaped. I did not see the final dramatic turn coming.

At Dark, I Become Loathsome

At Dark, I Become Loathsome by Eric LaRocca, 240 pages

In the years since his son disappeared and his wife died, Ashley Lutin has become fully absorbed by his grief and guilt. He's embraced body modifications to turn himself into the monster he feels like, and spends a lot of time communicating anonymously online with others who have lost someone. And in quite possibly the most disturbing twist, Ashley's created an illicit business in burying alive suicidal people in a bizarre ritual meant to give them closure without death. But the temptation to not dig them up keeps growing stronger...

This short novel is peppered with disturbing tales told by anonymous internet denizens Ashley interacts with, and while they're definitely disturbing, they don't really add anything to the overall story. I really wish it had stuck with Ashley's odd vocation and mental issues — I think it would've been a much stronger story without the tangents. Not the best horror I've read this year, but certainly thought-provoking.

Work It Out

 Work It Out: A Mood-Boosting Exercise Guide for People Who Just Want to Lie Down by Sarah Kurchak, 208 pages.

This mental health-focused exercise guide for the absolute beginner is aimed mostly at people with mental health struggles, but it's modular piece-by-piece approach would be very helpful to anyone facing barriers to exercise for any reason. More than that, Kurchak's extremely sympathetic and honest book makes it feel possible to try, even if exercise has seemed insurmountable in the past. This book is funny, actionable, and very thorough about presenting choices (as well as the pros and cons of why some options may be better choices for some people). It's very creative in coming up with possibilities that are fun, practical, and approachable. It also includes flailing your arms in despair for a few minutes as an option for a basic way to get moving when everything else feels impossible, which I think really sets the tone for the book.

This is a very approachable, kind guide to exercise for people with no idea where to start, and I'm definitely planning on getting my own copy. 

Lucky Day

Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle, 240 pages

On the same day that her book is due to be published, statistics and probability professor Vera finds a penny that is very likely one that she collected as a kid, and then at brunch with her friends, every unlikely thing in the world happens — Vera's mom gets instantly killed by a truck, a chimpanzee starts killing people with a typewriter, people are strangled (and then dangled) by the ropes meant to hold down a parade balloon, you name it. Officially named the Low Probability Event, the collection of unlikely things kills millions worldwide and sends Vera into a years-long depression. Four years later, a government agent knocks on her door, asking for Vera's help taking down a casino that he's convinced has something to do with the Low Probability Event, and much to her own surprise, Vera agrees.

Like much of Chuck Tingle's horror, this book is clever and gory and fun, though I'm not sure I'd categorize it as strictly horror — it's more super-gory science fiction/horror? It's like if John Scalzi's Starter Villain had an evil twin, this would be it. That's probably a horrible way to describe this, so please take this from it: this book is fun, funny, and weird, while still having the heart that Tingle's books have (I loved seeing a depressed main character dealing very slowly with her depression). Highly recommended.

*This book will be published Aug. 12, 2025.

Between Friends and Lovers

Between Friends and Lovers by Shirlene Obuobi, 357 pages

Dr. Josephine Boateng has thousands of social media followers who tune in for her humor and candid attitude toward health and self-love. While she's super-confident in front of the camera, her off-screen life is much more complicated, with a long unrequited crush on her rich playboy best friend, Ezra, keeping her from dating seriously. But when Ezra takes his new girlfriend's side when Jo calls her out as her high school bully, Jo has had it and decides to plunge into a new relationship with shy novelist, Mal. Mal's dealing with his own issues (among them: impostor syndrome when his debut novel gets picked up for screen adaptation and baggage from a long-term toxic relationship), but as a longtime Instagram follower of Jo, he's willing to give this a try, especially when he finds her as charming in real life as she is online. But will Jo be able to let go of Ezra's hold on her so that her relationship with Mal can flourish?

This is a winning romance with plenty of clear communication (what?? that never happens in romance novels!) and a distinct lack of guys fighting over the girl. Honestly, my one complaint about this book is that Mal is just too perfect a guy, though that's probably not a bad thing for a romance novel. Well worth a read.

Shubeik Lubeik

 Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed, 528 pages.

This Egyptian graphic novel takes place in a version of Earth where wishes are a real resource that can be mined, sold, processed, and regulated. Shokry has three first class wishes, inherited from his father, for sale at his little market stall. First class wishes are the kind of wish that can change the world (and carry less danger than lower class wishes), but Shokry cannot use them himself because of his religious convictions, and no one wants to buy them because a shop like his is not the kind of place where someone expects to get genuine first class wishes. The story follows Aziza, Nour, and ultimately Shokry himself as they are driven by pain and grief to find the right way to use these wishes.

This was a really excellent graphic novel. The characters were complex and engrossing, and I was completely captured by the story (I ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting even when I really should have gone to bed). It also felt like a story that was really strengthened by the medium it was in. I felt that Mohamed's art really helped capture the emotional weight of the story, and the fact that it wasn't all text kept it stark and efficient. I would highly recommend this book, as does Kara!

Wishful Drinking

Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher (2008) 163 pages

I listened to a second short audiobook written and narrated by Carrie Fisher. This one is a memoir and she said she pulled together the stories she told in a one-woman stage production about her life also called Wishful Drinking. I used the word "outrageous" to describe the portion of her life fictionalized in Postcards from the Edge, but that word is better applied to the entirety of her life remembered in this book. And she admits that some of her memories are gone due to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) she has received for her mental health. Fisher was in her 50s when she recorded this and her voice sounds rougher. She shares a lot about her drug use and recovery. She tells about her frustrations with George Lucas. She reveals much about living with famous parents. She also confesses about her dating life, which is often crude. Despite her pain and struggle to recognize reality vs. Hollywood fiction she is able to looks at life with humor.
 

Postcards from the Edge

Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher (1987) 226 pages

Carrie Fisher herself narrates the semi-autobiographical novel on audiobook, and I borrowed it through Hoopla. It starts with the character Suzanne Vale in drug rehab, then continues with her trials and tribulations dating and working as an actress in Hollywood in the '80s. There are few jokes, but there are outrageous situations. Suzanne has a funny, neurotic way of looking at the world. She draws some weird and humorous similes. Next I'm curious to see the movie starring Meryl Streep based on this.
 

Solitaire

Solitaire by Alice Oseman, 260 pages

Tori is nearing the end of her pre-university education at a largely all-girls private school (the oldest two years are coed) and she has almost completely lost interest in everything — her "friends," her schoolwork, anything outside of her blog, really. But then a post-it note with an arrow on it leads her to "Solitaire," a prankster/blog that disrupts her school in sometimes humorous, sometimes wild ways. And then there's Michael Holden, a new transfer who is weird in some of the same ways Tori is, though she can't seem to figure out why anyone would find her interesting enough to be friends with.

Written before (but released in the U.S. after) Oseman's lovely boy-meets-boy graphic novel romance Heartstopper, the book focuses on the sister of one of Heartstopper's protagonists, and the events of this book happen concurrently to the graphic novel. But this is a much darker story, with disaffected teens thinking dark thoughts. Heartstopper tackles some pretty tough topics, and so does Solitaire, though the way they're handled is a bit different, as Tori deals with things alone. It's not always an easy book to read, though it's definitely a worthwhile use of your time.

Honey Girl

 Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers, 241 pages

Grace Porter has just spent a decade driving herself to burnout to earn her PhD in astronomy, only to find (disappointingly, but not surprisingly) that the job she was supposed to have guaranteed had little space for all of her as a queer woman of color. So, reeling from the sudden lack of driving force in her life, her and her friends go to Vegas and she gets drunk married to a woman she has just met. Then, months later and still struggling with burnout, her family's expectations, and her own deteriorating mental health, she decides to spend the summer in New York getting to know her new wife, Yuki.

This book was not at all what I expected. I think there's an expectation when I see "romance novel" that I'll be getting into a romantic comedy, which was really furthered by the fact that we started off with the premise of getting drunk married in Vegas. But that's not at all what this was. It was honestly hardly a romance novel, and more a novel about aching loneliness and the crushing weight of both other people's expectations and your own. It's also part of a relatively small genre I'm realizing I enjoy which I've been thinking of as "coming of age novels for adults," which explore the space of aimlessness and emptiness that can happen after graduation (Portrait of a Thief is another good example). This novel is sad and beautiful and entirely unexpected, and I really enjoyed it.

The Charm Offensive

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun, 358 pages

For the last six years, Dev has been a producer/handler on the Bachelor-esque dating show, Ever After, helping craft compelling storylines of women finding their "prince" on national TV. This year, the prince is tech millionaire Charlie Winshaw, who is gorgeous and dashing...but awkward as all-get-out. Dev, however, has dealt with enough awkwardness to help Charlie work through his issues, and is soon assigned to be exclusively in charge of the show's male lead, assisting him through the masses of cutthroat women vying for his love. But as the season progresses, both Charlie and Dev start to realize they're falling for each other, which is not at all what Ever After's conservative producer wants to see on TV. Is there any way forward for them?

Oh my goodness, this is a wonderful book. It's sweet and kind and handles the complexities of sexual identity and mental health issues with so much care. It's refreshing and amazing, and I'm going to be recommending this to everyone. It's one of my favorites of the year.

The Midnight Library

 

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (2020) 288 pages

Nora has made a number of decisions in her life that have led her to feeling miserable. By halting her competitive swimming, she disappointed her father who dreamed for her to be in the Olympics. By quitting the band she was in with her brother– just as they were getting very popular–she disgusted her brother. She decided not to marry her fiancé at the last minute. The list goes on. 

Feeling despair after she loses her job and her cat dies, she takes an overdose of medication. However, she unexpectedly finds herself at the Midnight Library, a place between life and death. In the Midnight Library, time stands still and and an infinite number of books give her the opportunity to make a different choice at various junctures in her life.

First Nora fights the idea of trying any of these other lives, but encouraged by the librarian, she eventually makes choices–one after another–to change something in her life to see how her life would have been. It's a fascinating idea, to see what other possibilities are possible if only one had taken a different path here or there. Nora wonders how she will know if any of the alternate lives is the right one for her. Her philosophy degree gets a bit of a workout.

This book has been circulating from our library almost non-stop, and I was so glad to finally get a chance to read it.

The Friend

 The Friend by Sigrid Nunez (2018) 212 pages

Longtime friend of a man who has committed suicide is asked by the man's wife if she'll take the man's dog. The dog is a Great Dane that the man had found alone and tagless in a park. The narrator (never named) reluctantly agrees, although the terms of her apartment lease specify that no dogs are allowed. 

What follows is an adjustment period for both the dog and the woman, who are both in mourning. It's hard to hide a Great Dane, even when he's a quiet dog, and the apartment manager sees her with the dog and eventually reports the infraction to the owners. This prompts a series of notices from the owners for the woman to remove the dog or to vacate the building.

Meanwhile, the woman continues to consider the life of her friend and conversations they'd had; it's apparent that she had strong feelings for him. Once upon a time, the man had been her professor. He became a well-known writer, a Romeo type who married three times and had a large number of girlfriends and lovers over the years. As the woman battles depression and the apartment owners, her relationship with the dog deepens. It's a good story, although it's not at all clear to me if the title refers to the woman, the man, or the dog. Perhaps all three.

The Midnight Library

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, 288 pages

Nora Seed was depressed well before her cat died, but when she got fired from her job and missed the piano lesson she was supposed to teach and had her elderly neighbor "fire" her from picking up his prescriptions for him THE VERY NEXT DAY... well, she couldn't see a way forward. The Midnight Library takes place in the moments after Nora's suicide attempt, where it's unclear whether or not survive. During this time, Nora visits The Midnight Library, where her childhood school librarian helps her look at the choices she's made in the past, and the lives that she may have lived if she'd chosen differently. It's a bit like It's A Wonderful Life, but with a really fantastic therapist on hand. Haig does a wonderful job of presenting anxiety and depression accurately and kindly, so that this book could be absolutely wonderful for someone who is on the road to success when it comes to managing their mental health. That said, it could also be a depressing story for someone who's not in a great state of mind. Though I enjoyed the story, I'm hesitant to give an all-out recommendation for this.

Sad Janet

Sad Janet / Lucie Britsch, read by Kristen Sieh, 276 pgs.

Janet is very sad.  Downright depressed.  She is a young woman whose boyfriend moved on after her not taking anti-depressants, she works in a run down dog shelter, she isn't all that fun.  By contrast, she does own her sadness.  She sees that feeling isn't a bad thing.  Everyone in her life is taking a bunch of medication, they want her to take some too. She isn't that into it.  But when a special "Christmas" pill comes around...she gives in and decides to take the treatment that will help her enjoy the holidays and then it is designed for patients to wean off and return to their natural state.  In addition to the pills, you have to attend meetings.  Janet isn't into any of it but decides to go along.  Does she make it through Christmas with a new attitude? I'm not going to give you any spoilers here.  Kristen Sieh does a great job narrating although maybe she doesn't sound sad enough.  I still enjoyed hearing her reading.

Weather

Weather / Jenny Offill, 207 pgs.

I love Jenny Offill and her writing is sublime.  You know she is smart and awesome because she has a librarian as the main character in this book!  This is a perfect example of the timing you read something having a effect on your thoughts about the book.  Lizzie is the aforementioned librarian and she is maybe a little depressed.  This has a contemporary setting and the troubles of the world are getting to her.  She is maybe a little tired of her life in other ways too.  Her husband is a "good guy" if maybe a little boring.  Her son is great but dealing with his everyday issues maybe a little taxing.  Her brother is seriously troubled but might be getting his life together...oh wait, I spoke too soon.  But as I read this during the second week of real life "social distancing" and staying away from people, it makes Lizzie seem very daring and adventurous.  Her husband is away visiting his parents and she goes out an has a drink and conversation with another man!  Oh my, she is putting herself at risk to catch the virus! Wait, that is just now in real life, not part of the book.  In the end, she and the other man don't even kiss each other.  Any other time Lizzie would have come across as the author intended.  Smart and nice but a little boring.  In the current environment, she seems like a complete daredevil. Enjoyable.

The valedictorian of being dead

The valedictorian of being dead: the true story of dying ten times to live / Heather B. Armstrong, read by the author. 254 pgs.

Suffering from depression and wishing to be dead, the author realizes she has to stick around to take care of her kids.  But every day is tough for this single mother who would rather be dead.  She checks in with her doctor and is referred to a new experimental treatment.  Instead of electroshock therapy, a new protocol of inducing a coma like state for 15+ minutes is thought to have similar effects.  The author is the third candidate accepted for the trial.  She gets 10 treatments using anesthesia medications that are stronger than used to do surgery on patients...so something close to brain dead.  This memoir recounts the time before, during and immediately after the treatment. Read by the author, this a powerful memoir.

My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me

My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me: a Black Woman Discovers Her Family's Nazi Past / Jennifer Teege and Nikola Sellmair, trans. by Carolin Sommer, 221 p.

Teege, the daughter of a white-German mother and a Nigerian father, was placed in an orphanage as an infant and later adopted by a white German family.  As an adult she stumbled across a library book that pointed her to the truth about her biological mother, and her beloved grandmother, with whom she remained in contact throughout her childhood.  Her grandmother was the mistress of Commandant Amon Goeth of the Plaszow concentration camp, whose character was portrayed by Ralph Fiennes in Schindler's List.  This was Jennifer's biological grandfather.  To make the (true) story just a little more incredible, as a young adult, Jennifer lived for several years in Israel, obtained a degree there, and had very close Israeli friends.  The book is a deliberate unwinding of Jennifer's process of coming to grips with this past and moving forward.  A highly accessible, straightforward account. 

My Year of Rest and Relaxation

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh, 289 pages.

Moshfegh, author of the novel, Eileen, and the short story collection Homesick for Another World, among others, is comfortable (or at least very good at) writing about dark situations that seem as though they should be impossible. Moshfegh makes it all seem matter-of-fact though. The unnamed narrator of this novel has decided to take a year off. Her parents, with whom she had distant and difficult relationships, have both died, she has broken up with Trevor, the boyfriend she does not really like (and who doesn't care for her), and she has lost her job. She has enough money, but nothing really appeals to her except sleep. So, with the help of a criminally negligent therapist, our narrator, decides to medicate herself into a year-long sleep. Her only friend Reva makes vague attempts at intervention, but is easily distracted by her own wants and needs. Moshfegh makes this bizarre narrative a compelling and eerily interesting book. While there is no one to root for, the story pulls you along. I listened to about half of the book and read the rest. Julia Whelan does a great job narrating the audio.