What is Love?: February 2022
In honor of Valentine’s Day (and the immortal question posed by Haddaway), I’ve decided to theme this month around love. Looking at the book list that theme might not be immediately obvious, but I assure you, all these books are about love in some form or fashion.
The Makeup Remover is a wholesome story about loving oneself and falling in love, while Seek You is about loneliness - or the feeling of lacking love and support. How to be Ace is an autobiography about growing up asexual - someone who does not experience sexual attraction, but can feel other types of love. And last but not least, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy is a retelling of Little Women that dives into the power of familial love.
I hope you enjoy them as much as I did, and Happy Black History month!
The Makeup Remover*
Written and Illustrated by: Lee Yone
Details: Webtoon, Webcomic, Young Adult, Romance, 2020
Can Be Found: On the Webtoon app or website
Types of Love Explored: Self and Romantic
Synopsis: After years of being told to focus on studying, Yeseul feels lost when she starts college and is suddenly expected to pay attention to makeup. When a chance encounter with brilliant makeup artist Yuseong leads to her taking part in a televised makeup competition, Yeseul begins to question the role that makeup and appearance play in society.
My Thoughts: I continue to find this comic very charming with every new episode I read. I love the wholesome nature of the romance that is explored and developed, while the story also brings to light more serious topics within the makeup industry. A sweet story that can be read in bite-sized chunks due to the episodic nature of Webtoon. Highly recommend for all romance lovers.
*This webcomic is still being released (at this time) on Webtoon and does not have any physical copies or ebooks available that I am aware of.
Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness
Written and Illustrated by: Kristen Radtke
Details: Graphic Novel, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Sociology, History, 2021
ISBN-13: 978-1524748067
Type of Love Explored: (feeling a lack of) Community
Synopsis: There is a silent epidemic in America: loneliness. Shameful to talk about and often misunderstood, loneliness is everywhere, from the most major of metropolises to the smallest of towns. With her distinctive, emotionally-charged drawings and deeply empathetic prose, Kristen Radtke masterfully shines a light on some of our most vulnerable and sublime moments and asks how we might keep the spaces between us from splitting entirely.
My Thoughts: As you can probably guess, this book isn’t the most feel-good book out there, but with the COVID pandemic still running its course and people more isolated than ever, it felt important to go ahead and read it now. I won’t spoil anything, but I will say there was a surprising amount of catharsis from reading the book and knowing factually that there are others out there missing other people too. I highly recommend this book to those of you who feel lonely now or have at any point. A raw expose on human nature.
How to Be Ace
Written and Illustrated by: Rebecca Burgess
Details: Graphic Novel, Young Adult, LGBTQ+, Biography, 2020
ISBN-13: 978-1787752153
Types of Love Explored: Self, Romantic, and (a lack of) Sexual
Synopsis: Brave, witty and empowering, this graphic memoir follows Rebecca as she navigates her asexual identity and mental health in a world obsessed with sex. From school to work to relationships, this book offers an unparalleled insight into asexuality.
My Thoughts: Burgess’s novel focuses on her experience as a questioning, asexual young adult who is struggling with OCD. I’m asexual (ace) myself and wanted to read this book to see how her experience was similar or different from my own. While her experience ended up being quite a bit different than mine, there were lots of nuggets that were the same across both our journeys, such as fear and confusion around sexual attraction and how/when one “grows into it”. I think it’s a good opening to asexuality for those who aren’t familiar and hope to see more ace stories as time goes on. I’d also recommend Clara Dehlin’s A Little Book of Ace for those interested in learning more about asexuality.
Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy
By: Rey Terciero, Illustrated by: Bre Indigo
Details: Graphic Novel, Children, Classic, Coming of Age, 2019
ISBN-13: 978-0316522885
Types of Love Explored: Familial and Self
Synopsis: Whether it's school woes, health issues, boy troubles, or simply feeling lost, the March sisters all need the same thing: support from each other. Only by coming together - and sharing lots of laughs and tears - will these four young women find the courage to discover who they truly are as individuals and as a family.
My Thoughts: I’m a sucker for close-knit sibling stories so I was excited to check this story out. (That being said, I’ll admit that I initially stopped reading after about a third of the way through because it has a rather slow opening.) But I decided to continue on with it and I’m so glad I did! A very sweet read that explores the importance of family that I’d recommend to all ages.
