Review — Guardian of Fukushima by Fabien Grolleau

Guardian of Fukushima
By: Fabien Grolleau
Release Date: February 18, 2021 (original French); January 15, 2023 (English Edition)
Publisher: TOKYOPOP
Rating:


If you haven’t delved into French graphic novels and manga-styled graphic works, consider this your formal invitation to give them a try. Guardian of Fukushima by Fabien Grolleau is a French graphic novel done in the style of a manga. This nonfiction work explores the life of Naoto, a real person from Fukushima who survived the tsunami and Fukushima nuclear plant leak in 2015.

2024’s DNFs

2024's DNFs
By: Multiple
Release Date: N/A
Publisher: N/A
Rating:


We don’t always finish everything we read. And even the most hyped books in your favorite genre don’t always turn out to be winners. Sometimes, they’re just books picked up at the wrong time. Although, other times, they are books put down forever. In 2024, I encountered both.

Below are all of the books I DNF’d (did not finish) in 2024.

Review — Mosaic by Catherine McCarthy

Mosaic
By: Catherine McCarthy
Illustrator: Devin Forst (Cover Art and Design)
Release Date: August 8, 2023
Publisher: Dark Hart Books
Rating:


2020’s Aberystwyth University Prize for Short Fiction winner Catherine McCarthy incorporates stained glass window repair, long-forgotten churches, and the macabre into one compact tale in her 2023 novella Mosaic. A compelling front cover by Devin Forst draws readers in with its depiction of a woman half-illuminated in the myriad of colors of an unseen stained glass window, that rainbow-colored half portrayed oddly corpse-like.

Review — How Can I Help You by Laura Sims

Library card catching on fire How Can I Help You
By: Laura Sims
Release Date: July 18, 2023
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Rating:


Laura Sim’s How Can I Help You straddles the line between mystery, thriller, and horror all set in a small library in the Midwest. The darker side of human nature is brought to life and had a spotlight shown on it here. Flawed characters, a long game of cat and mouse, and tense situations galore await you in this 2023 release.