Lately, I have been trying to be more conscious as a consumer. I found a black-owned bookstore based in Virginia called Books and Crannies. I ordered a few graphic novels online through their website, and they shipped to me relatively fast, considering the current environment. I’m reading comics faster than I can type these reviews, so I wanted to combine three of my most recent comic reads in one post.

Doctor Aphra Issue #1 Written by Alyssa Wong, Art by Marika Cresa, and color by Rachelle Rosenberg.

Doctor Aphra is a character in the Star Wars universe introduced through comics. Doctor Aphra is a morally ambiguous character who served as the chief archeologist for Darth Vader. Throughout various comic runs, she’s either working for Vader or on the run from him.

In this first issue, Doctor Aphra is hunting for artifacts on Hoth. She’s attacked by the Empire and forced to flee with her new team back to Shadow University in the Outer Rim. As Aphra is drinking at a bar, she’s approached by Detta Yao, a graduate student at the University. Yao tells her about the Rings of Vaale, which grant the wearer eternal life and fortune. Aphra joins the quest for these rare items, and chaos ensues.

For the first issue, this comic blew me away. Doctor Aphra is an intriguing character as she’s not necessarily good, but she’s not completely evil either. Her team consists of Lucky (her sniper), Black Krrsantan (a Wookie with a facial scar), Detta, Doctor Eustacia Okka (another archeologist), and robot TA418. Each character has their own personality and unique skill set.

I rated this comic five stars on Goodreads, and I aim to continue the series.

Eat And Love Yourself by Sweeney Boo

Major Content Warning: Eating Disorders.

Eat and Love Yourself is a beautifully written and illustrated story about a young woman named Mindy. She works as a barista and is dragged to go out by her best friend, Shae. After a late-night out, Mindy picks up a chocolate bar titled “Eat and Love Yourself”. As Mindy eats the chocolate, she’s transported back in time to see her past lived experiences. It shows where her body insecurities came from and how they play out today.

As stated, there’s a content warning for reading this graphic novel. This discusses in detail Mindy’s eating disorder. The graphic novel ends in an uplifting way, but proceed with caution before reading this.

Eat and Love Yourself is my favorite graphic novel I have read in 2020. I related to Mindy with her internal struggles. She’s somewhat introverted, and she loves cats. As a side note, her kitty, Jabba, is the cutest comic kitty. The artwork is captivating as it changes depending on what Mindy is experiencing. I rated Eat and Love Yourself five stars on Goodreads.

Waves by Ingrid Chabbert and Carole Maurel

Major Content Warning: Miscarriage.

Waves is a graphic novel focusing on Chabbert’s story about starting a family. This graphic novel follows a young lesbian couple as they try to get pregnant. As mentioned by the content warning, things do not go as planned, as they have a miscarriage. It shows how she copes with the loss by writing about her experience.

Waves is a graphic novel I want to re-read in a couple of years. My fiance and I discussed having kids in the future, but we aren’t ready yet. There can be a lot of shame associated with miscarriages, and the more miscarriage is discussed, we can take away the shame that’s associated.

I rated Waves five stars on Goodreads. Similar to Eat and Love Yourself, I was bawling my eyes out as it’s sad because she suffered a miscarriage, but also how she was able to use her experience to heal herself.

My comics are piling up on my nightstand, so there will be more comic reviews in the future. When ordering books or graphic novels, I highly recommend ordering from a smaller business. If you need a black-owned business to support, check out Books and Crannies. I cannot recommend them enough.

Now and then, it’s nice to do a blog tag. It’s an effortless way to write an interesting post. I found this TBR Tag by A Geek Girl’s Guide and thought it would be an easy way to share what I’m currently reading. Without further ado, here are my answers:

What Are You Currently Reading? 

I’m currently reading The Force Awakens Novelization by Alan Dean Foster. It’s been a slower read because the adaptation doesn’t provide any new information about the movie. It’s been predictable, and it’s been tough to get myself to finish it, but I will eventually.

What Book Do You Plan on Reading Next?

I have The Alphabet Squadron by Alexander Freed. This is another Star Wars book. It depends on whether I need a break from Star Wars novelizations, but if not, I will read this one next.

Top Three Books on Your TBR?

1. It by Stephen King
2. The Dark Tower by Stephen King
3. The Night Manager by John Le Carre.

These three books have been on my TBR for a long time. The fiancé bought It when the first movie was released, but he hasn’t read it yet. The Dark Tower was a book I bought when the movie adaptation was released, but I haven’t been in the mood to read it. The Night Manager I purchased at an older bookstore in Boston. I watched the Amazon Prime limited series based on the book starring Tom Hiddleston, and it was so good, so I purchased the book.

I hope to get through all three of these books this year. Otherwise, I may donate The Dark Tower if I decide not to read it by the end of this year.

An Intimidating Book on Your TBR?

I would say It is intimidating because it’s over 1,000 pages! I’m saving the book for fall because I want a horror book to read. My favorite Stephen King book is Carrie, although I recommend reading the Bill Hodges trilogy too. In high school, I read The Green Mile, and that was pretty good, but not my favorite.

A Short Book on Your TBR?

All the books on my TBR aren’t short, so I don’t think I can answer this one. However, I do have a few graphic novels on my TBR. I typically separate my book TBR from my graphic novel TBR. My books sit in the office, while my graphic novels are piled on my nightstand in my bedroom.

If manga counts, I have Ghost in the Shell volume #2 along with Berserk Vol. #1.

The Book That Has Been on Your TBR the Longest?

Game of Thrones has been on my TBR since 2013. I tried reading it during my freshman year of college, but I kept putting it down for long periods. I tried to pick the book up again, but I would forget what happened to all the characters. I’m thinking of reading Game of Thrones in January of next year. It’s fitting because of the Minnesota winter.

The Most Reason Addition to your TBR?

I haven’t purchased any books recently because I have been trying to decrease my TBR. I’m proud of myself because usually, I buy a bunch of books, and my TBR is out of control. Thinking back, my most recent purchase was Alphabet Squadron, as I received that book this year at C2E2 in Chicago, right before the pandemic.

I linked to A Geek Girl’s Guide in my first paragraph, so feel free to check out the TBR tag there. Otherwise, here are the questions for this tag:

What Are You Currently Reading? 

What Book Do You Plan on Reading Next?

Top Three Books on Your TBR?

An Intimidating Book on Your TBR?

A Short Book on Your TBR?

The Book That Has Been on Your TBR the Longest?

The Most Reason Addition to your TBR?

I follow bodyposipanda on Instagram when I need positivity during this time of uncertainty. Bodyposipanda is run by Megan Jayne Crabbe, an eating disorder survivor who has quit dieting and is trying to promote positivity around how our bodies look. I find her Instagram page to be inspiring. Our bodies are ridiculed for not looking a certain way, and Megan has battled this persona. Megan wrote a book titled Body Positive Power: Because Life is Already Happening and You Don’t Need Flat Abs to Live it. I purchased this book toward the beginning of Quarantine, and it made me feel better about myself and improved the relationship I have with my body.

“I’m sure we all know someone who eats junk food, never exercises, and stays thin no matter what. Yet we refuse to believe the opposite could be true, that you can be fat, eat well, exercise, and stay fat.” – Megan Jayne Crabbe.

In this book, Megan shares everything she knows about the weight loss industry, our bodies, and her journey to overcoming her eating disorder. Megan details her experience spending time in a facility for her eating disorder. Reading this section was difficult, but an important part of Megan’s story. This book targets Anorexia specifically because of Megan’s personal experience, but she does touch on binge-eating disorders too.

One of the most interesting sections of the book was when Megan breaks down the ingredients in diet teas and diet pills. I knew the Kardashians were promoting their stomach tea, but I didn’t know what the tea consisted of. Two ingredients in diet teas include: Senna and Chinese Rhubarb root. Both of these ingredients promote the emptying of the bowels. Another interesting topic was the discussion on diet pills such as dinitrophenol (found in herbicides), various amphetamines, and even Fen-Phen, which led to heart valve damage. It’s sad how our society is more concerned with people losing weight than with doing it safely.

After finishing this book, I felt slightly irritated. I spent so much time hating my body when I could have been living my life. I will always have insecurity with how my body looks, but I want to be nicer to myself. I don’t want to force myself to give up the food I like, but instead focus on portions. I’m not going to journal my food, as that’s where it becomes too much of an obsession for me. Megan’s book confirmed for me that my flaws are what make me unique and normal. My cellulite, fat surrounding my stomach, and even my acne are normal for a human body to have.

I would consider myself somewhat active in the body positivity movement. Body shaming is insensitive and disgusting. If you’re struggling and need a pick-me-up, this book is worth it. Megan is making this world a better place.