Every year, my friends and I plan a Cabin Weekend at my friend’s cabin. It’s something I always look forward to. It’s a chance for us all to catch up and spend good quality time together. I tend to always bring books and graphic novels with me as there’s usually downtime between going on boat rides and swimming in the lake. While at her cabin, I ended up finishing a book plus three graphic novels. I wanted to share mini-reviews of everything I read.

The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner

It’s 1873, and the London Seance Society is gaining notoriety by performing seances for people struggling to let go of the ones they loved. Vaudeline D’Allaire is a well-known occultist who is self-trained and trusted. Lenna Wickes partners with Vaudeline after the brutal murder of her sister, Evie. Lenna only wants to perform a seance to solve her sister’s killing. Both Vaudeline and Lenna are called by Mr. Morley, a prominent figure in the Society. There’s been a murder of a well-known society member, and Mr. Morley wants this crime solved. Vaudeline and Lenna team up to solve these murders and uncover the darker layer within the Society.

I loved the premise of this book. It was intriguing to read, especially with how the Seances are described and performed. I love how Lenna and Vaudeline work together and I liked seeing their story unfold. There’s an interesting twist halfway through the series that I wasn’t quite expecting. I think my only grievance is that the book took a little bit to get into. Once I was halfway, I couldn’t put the book down. I rated The London Seance Society four stars on Goodreads.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller

This is a graphic novel that I have had on my Goodreads TBR since 2015. I can see why this story is so well-regarded, but I think it’s a product of its time. There’s a lot of casual sexism. I think it was cool to see a female Robin, but I don’t think it was fleshed out. I’m trying not to be negative, but this wasn’t for me. I rated this two stars on Goodreads.

Cats! Girlfriends and Catfriends by Frédéric Brrémaud, Paola Antista, Cecilia Giumento

This was so cute! It’s a graphic novel series that follows friends with their cats. It reminded me of Calvin & Hobbes as each page had a different story. I rated Cats! three stars on Goodreads.

Plume Volume #2 by K. Lynn Smith

Plume is so good! It’s a Wild West-inspired story centered around Vesper, the daughter of an archaeologist. Vesper was given this magical necklace, which is connected to a man named Corrick. Corrick must protect the person holding the necklace. Vesper and Corrick team up and get into trouble. I love everything about this series, it’s fun to read. I rated Plume five stars on Goodreads.

This year has been a hit or miss when it comes to reading, and I feel like I’m finally finding my stride. I actually read another book that I rented from the library, and that review should be posted shortly.

I have hinted at this in a few posts throughout the year, but I have been struggling to find the motivation to read. I tried to read two books that I was looking forward to, but couldn’t get past the first fifty pages. I haven’t been in a reading slump this bad since 2012, when I went off to college. It’s sad because I love to read and I will always love to read, but I just haven’t been feeling it. I have been listening to music late at night, and then once I’m tired, I don’t want to read. I contemplated what to do next, and I found a few ways that I think will help encourage me to start reading again regularly. I wanted to share a few things I will be doing to help break my reading slump.

Keeping Up-to-Date with Booktubers

There are a few booktubers and book bloggers that I follow. However, I noticed that for several months, I hadn’t been keeping up with their content. This is one of the best ways to get book recommendations. I took a few hours to get caught up, and it helped spark the interest to read. I added quite a few books to my TBR on Goodreads as a result. I think I need to get back into keeping up with their content because it helps me look forward to new books to read.

As far as who I follow, I like Riley Marie and Merrily Kristin. Their book recommendations occasionally blend together. However, I find that Riley recommends horror, science fiction, and darker romances, while Kristin recommends more graphic novels, manga, and fantasy. For book blogs, I like Nerdy by Nature. I used to use a blog tracking website, where I could follow blogs and see new posts. I ended up discontinuing this since the site would only work half the time. Therefore, I ended up not reading Nerdy By Nature’s new posts. I have the site bookmarked now, so I can read her new posts every week.

Using my Local Library

I keep forgetting that my local library has an app. It’s neat because I can request a hold on a book, and it shows me where I’m at in the queue to pick it up. I have four things on hold right now. The one downside to this is that the more popular a book is, the harder it is to get. For example, I have A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson on hold, and I’m twenty-one in the queue. It’s worth putting holds on popular books a few months in advance since it will take a while to get to me.

I’m going to move the library app to the first page on my phone to remind myself to use it more.

Listening to My Mood

In 2022, I did a lot of planning on what books I would read throughout the year. This year, I have been letting myself pick books based on my mood. If I’m in the mood for a thriller, then I read a thriller. If I’m in the mood for a romance, then I read romance. I haven’t been doing as much planning, which I think will work for the rest of this year.

I do like pre-planning my books, but I think I just need a break on that for now.

Being Strict on Putting Books Down if I’m not Enjoying Them

When I pick up a book to read, sometimes I find that I try to force myself through the book. This has contributed to my reading slump because if I’m not enjoying the book, then I don’t read it. I have been trying to be more strict on this, where if I’m not enjoying a book or I’m not in the mood to read a book, I simply put it down and move on to something else. This, I think, will help in finding books that I’m looking forward to reading and donating any books that I didn’t enjoy.

I feel rejuvenated! I think I have a strategy to get back into reading and refocus on books I am genuinely excited to read. I hope to share more book-related content soon.

I started watching The Umbrella Academy earlier this year, and it quickly became one of my favorite shows. As a comic book reader, it’s been a blast seeing more stories being adapted into shows or films. I personally have never heard of The Umbrella Academy before watching the show. I found the first volume at a comic book store and decided to give it a shot. This is an example instance in which I think the show is better than the source material.

The Umbrella Academy focuses on this extraordinary event where forty-seven children are born on the exact same day, even though the women showed no previous signs of pregnancy. Reginald Hargreeves adopts seven of these children and names them “The Umbrella Academy.” The children show signs of having powers, with Vanya being the odd one out. Reginald harps on her that she isn’t special and has no abilities. As the children grow up, they resent Reginald for bringing them together, and they go their separate ways. The group is reunited when Reginald passes away. One of the children, codenamed Number Five, travels through time and discovers an apocalypse that will bring the world to an end. He tries to rally the other Umbrella Academy members into helping to prevent this apocalypse.

As mentioned, this is one of the few times where I feel the show is better than the source. The graphic novel, in many ways, feels messy. Most of the children don’t stand out from each other. Watching the show helped fill the gaps that the graphic novel had, which I wasn’t expecting. I think the graphic novel focuses heavily on action and showcasing the children’s powers, while the show builds on how the powers affected them individually, which I think was more interesting to watch.

I will say that I like the art and the alternate covers. I think it fits into the aesthetic that Gerard Way was going for when he wrote the story. I did like the story, but I wish it had been longer, so each child in The Umbrella Academy had their time to shine, and that didn’t happen.

I don’t have any regrets about reading The Umbrella Academy, as I’m a big fan of the show. I plan on reading the whole series just to say that I read them; however, I think the series can be skipped as the show does an excellent job summarizing the crucial plot points. I rated The Umbrella Academy five stars based on my love for the show, but I think, as a standalone, I would rate The Umbrella Academy three and a half stars on Goodreads.

I’m unsure how often I have referenced Mind’s Eye Comics, but it won’t be the last. Mind’s Eye has become my local comic book store, and I try to stop in regularly. For June, my company does a Juneteenth reimbursement where there’s a $100 reimbursement if money is spent at a black-owned business. It just so happens that Mind’s Eye Comics is a black-owned business in the Twin Cities. To be fair, I’m happy to spend $100 at Mind’s Eye Comics any day of the week, but now I have another reason to stop in. I wanted to share my haul as I ended up leaving with much more than I thought I would.

I’m in a graphic novel kick as of late. I’m not sure why, but I just haven’t been buying as many single issues. The first graphic novel I bought is Quincredible: Volume #1 Quest To Be The Best by Barnes, Espiritu, and Fitzpatrick. Quincredible follows Quinton West, who gains the power of invulnerability. Quin struggles with his powers, which leads him to be mentored by Glow, another superhero. I don’t know much more than that, but I’m looking forward to reading this.

The second graphic novel I bought is Box by Wirbeleit & Heidschotter. Box is about a young boy who finds a box and decides to use it for his adventures, except the box starts talking. Box reminded me of the Calvin & Hobbes graphic novels I read as a kid. I like how this will be more of a light-hearted read.

The third graphic novel I bought was The Mall by Handfield, Haick III, Loureiro, Dijio, and Hopkins. The Mall follows a group of teenagers in the 1980s who fit the stereotypes of teenagers. They find out that they are connected to a mafia boss who was recently killed. The mafia boss left each teenager a store in the mall, which was an all-in-one front for mafia boss activity. In the Goodreads description, it says that this is a “Breakfast Club meets Goodfellas”.

The fourth graphic novel I bought was Cats Girlfriends and Cat Friends by Brrémaud and Antista. Cats, Girlfriends and Cat Friends is a series of French graphic novels that tell the stories of friends and their cats. This seems like it will be a cute cat story, and I’m here for it.

The fifth graphic novel is Batgirl and the Birds of Prey Source Code by J Benson, S Benson, Antonio, and Roe. I read the first volume several years ago, and it seemed like a good opportunity to return to the series. I will probably re-read the first volume right before reading volume #2, so I can be fresh in the story.

The final novel is Pop Culture Pioneers: The Women Who Transformed Fandom in Film, Television, Comics, and More by Cher Martinetti. This might not count as a graphic novel, but I thought this would be an interesting book to add to my collection. It’s a non-fiction book that tells various stories from women in geek culture. I’m looking forward to reading this.

Besides graphic novels, I bought the Polka-Dot Man Funko Pop from The Suicide Squad. I’m looking for more collectibles to place on my desk at work and figured Polka-Dot Man would be a fun addition. I also bought a Loki wallet and a Hercules keychain to add to my keyring.

I love having a lot to read. This haul should keep me busy for a while.

The first Grady Hendrix book I read was The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, and I loved it. I don’t read much horror, but it’s nice to have another go-to author besides Stephen King. I had The Final Girl Support Group on my TBR for a while, as I tend to gravitate toward slasher films if I ever do watch horror movies. I liked The Final Girl Support Group, although I think this book would be much better as a movie.

Lynette Tarkington is a final girl. She survived a horrific massacre of her family, and as such, her trauma leaks into her routine. She has intense security measures in her apartment, carries a weapon, and takes several different bus routes in case she’s followed. Lynette has been attending a Final Girl Support Group for decades, led by successful psychotherapist, Dr. Carol Elliott. As the group’s session comes to an end, Lynette is alerted to the fact that Adrienne, another Final Girl in their group, was murdered. As the day progresses, each Final Girl is targeted, including Lynette. Lynette has to go off the grid to figure out who’s targeting the Final Girls.

The Final Girl Support Group is a book that I couldn’t put down. My husband had invited a friend over for a BBQ at our place, and I hung back in our room to finish this book. I couldn’t help it! The book, from start to finish, was a page-turner. I wanted to know who was targeting the Final Girls. Additionally, the way the book was written, there are clearly secrets that Lynette didn’t share with the reader, and I wanted to know what they were.

As far as the characters, I liked Lynette and how she developed throughout the book. Lynette’s arguably the Final Girl whose trauma is exhibited the most. Granted, Lynette’s the main character, and there isn’t as much of a preview into the other Final Girls and how they live their lives. After the climactic showdown, Lynette distances herself from someone in her past, moves into a new place, and seeks help through physical therapy and leading the new Final Girl Support group. It’s nice to see her progress and try to live her life.

As a fan of slasher films, there are a lot of throwbacks to this genre of horror. Some of the names of the Final Girls are names of the actresses who played the roles in those films. Additionally, there’s a mention of a film series called Stab, which retells Julie’s Final Girl story. Stab is also a film franchise that’s mentioned in the Scream films. In one of the section breaks, there’s an interview transcript featuring two cops interviewing one of the Final Girls. The cops are Dwight Riley and Judy Hicks, who are characters in Scream 4 specifically. While I think anyone can enjoy reading The Final Girl Support Group, it’s more fun knowing the references from these films.

I mentioned earlier how I think The Final Girl Support Group would be better as a film than a book. The book’s plot is a little messy and convenient. Without spoilers, there’s a moment where Lynette starts to put together the pieces of who might be responsible. I thought the way this came together was a little odd to me. Additionally, there’s another moment where Lynette has a run-in with someone from her past. The scene itself felt a little over-the-top when really it didn’t need to be that way. For a book, it was a bit much, but for a movie, I think this would be an entertaining scene.

The Final Girl Support Group was an intense, page-turner that helped me break out of my reading slump. I can see where this book might not be for everyone, but I liked it nonetheless. I rated The Final Girl Support Group four stars on Goodreads.

I was strategic in picking out the books I planned on reading throughout the summer. I wanted something light-hearted, set in summer, and something that I could see myself reading outside in the backyard. One book I knew I wanted to read was Book Lovers by Emily Henry. Emily Henry’s books are immensely popular, and it seems like everyone raves about them. I recently finished Book Lovers a few days ago, and now I get the hype. Book Lovers is one of the best romance books I’ve read this year.

Nora Stephens has dedicated her life to her career as a literary agent. Nora has an awkward run-in with Charlie Lastra, an editor who trashed the book Nora was currently working on. Nora pushes Charlie aside and follows her sister Libby to Sunshine Falls, a small town that’s the setting of a book from one of Nora’s clients. Much to Nora’s surprise, she runs into Charlie, as he’s from Sunshine Falls originally. Nora and Charlie are forced to work together to edit a book, much to Nora’s chagrin. Nora starts to see Charlie in a new light, and Charlie realizes how much he has in common with Nora. Can they move past their preconceived notions of themselves and each other?

While Book Lovers is a book centered on Nora and Charlie’s relationship, this book is so much more than that. This book beautifully shows grief and the consequences of being swallowed up in it. It’s a book that shows the relationship between two sisters and how they each have their own struggles. I enjoy reading romance, not necessarily for the romance itself, but about the lives the characters have built for themselves and how those lives become intertwined.

Throughout the book, Nora is shown as a motherly figure toward Libby. Their mother died while they were young adults, and Nora steps in to guide Libby to ensure that she’s okay. By doing this, Nora pushes her own emotions down to the point that she becomes numb to them. I thought this was a realistic way to show grief because Nora finds herself drawn to her career to put aside her emotions. I liked how Nora grew throughout the book and did so without Charlie’s help.

I loved reading about Nora and Libby’s adventures throughout Sunshine Falls. They give each other makeovers, they try to save the local bookstore, and Libby sets Nora up on some pretty bad first dates. This book reads like a Hallmark romantic comedy, which is normally not for me, but Book Lovers was an exception.

Onto the romance, I loved Nora and Charlie together. They had this flirtatious banter that was so fun to read. This is one of those romances that’s a slow burn, but once they finally get together, it feels right. For me, I was rooting for Nora this whole time to have her happy ending, and I was so happy for her by the end of the book.

Book Lovers is an ode to the joys of a small town. Sunshine Falls serves as the best backdrop for the story. I kept picturing the mountains, a small downtown with a gazebo, and some land outside of the downtown area. The local bar, along with cracked sidewalks, leads to homes up the hill. The setting makes you want to go explore a small town for a weekend.

Book Lovers was the perfect book to start summer off with. I rated Book Lovers five stars on Goodreads.

When I was at Planet Comicon this year, I saw a Chainsaw cosplay, which was really cool looking. I had no idea where this was from. A friend pointed it out to me and said it was from a manga and anime series called Chainsaw Man. My interest was piqued, and I was able to find a copy of the first volume of Chainsaw Man. I’m not sure what I was expecting. Chainsaw Man is a gore-filled revenge story featuring the cutest chainsaw dog I have ever seen.

Chainsaw Man centers around Denji, who is trying to pay off his father’s debt. He partners with the Yakuza by working as a devil hunter. Denji finds friendship in Pochita, a devil dog with a chainsaw on the top of its head. Eventually, Denji is betrayed by the Yakuza and is saved by Pochita. Pochita lives within Denji, and when Denji becomes threatened, he can become the Chainsaw Man. Denji can’t keep his newly acquired abilities secret, which leads him to be recruited as a devil hunter for the government. As Denji gets more involved in professional devil hunting, he realizes that the people he’s working for may also have their own agenda in Denji’s life.

Let’s be real, Pochita is the cutest demon dog I have ever seen! I would continue reading this series for Pochita, and that’s it. Pochita is the demon that Denji befriends early on and becomes a major reason why Denji can turn into Chainsaw Man. Besides Pochita, I felt that the first volume was a lot of build-up. There isn’t a whole lot revealed about the other characters and their backstories. I’d be curious to read more about Makima, the woman who is leading Denji’s team. It seems like she’s up to something, and it’s difficult to interpret whether it’s good or bad. I will say that even though there’s a lot of story-building in the first volume, I read through it pretty quickly. Each chapter had its own adventure, which I found interesting.

I think the only thing that bothered me or got old fast was Denji’s obsession with boobs. This feels stereotypical of a manga series or character where there’s a male protagonist who is obsessed with women and their bodies. I don’t think this ruined the experience of reading Chainsaw Man, but it was constantly mentioned that Denji wanted to be with a woman. I’m curious if that will exist in future volumes or if Denji will mature and grow up.

With all of that being said, I liked Chainsaw Man a lot, and I would continue on in the series. I rated Chainsaw Man Vol #1 four stars on Goodreads.

I picked up Suicide Squad Bad Blood at Free Comic Book Day this year. I think I may have mentioned this before, but I tend to pick up more DC Comics as trade paperbacks, and I read Marvel single issues. I have a soft spot for the Suicide Squad as I find their missions to be over the top and chaotic. I found Suicide Squad: Bad Blood on a shelf and purchased it without knowing much about the story. I’m so glad that I did; Suicide Squad: Bad Blood was such a fun read.

The Suicide Squad is sent on a seemingly ordinary mission. They’re tasked with stopping a group of super-powered individuals from destroying warships. This group is revealed to be The Revolutionaries, a group of people who feel that their actions are in good faith in saving the world. The Revolutionaries are much more potent than The Suicide Squad predicted. The Revolutionaries and The Suicide Squad become one team after Amanda Waller steps down as their leader. Instead, The Suicide Squad is introduced to Lok, who is much more sadistic. Will The Suicide Squad and The Revolutionaries learn to work together?

I loved the story. I think it’s easy to introduce all of these characters and have them fade away into the background. Instead, I felt that the members of The Revolutionaries each got their own back story as to how they got their powers and how they joined the group. Osita was one of my favorite characters to follow along with. Besides The Revolutionaries, Harley Quinn and Deadshot have their moments to shine. Deadshot, in particular, has a really strong character arc, especially with the relationship he has with his daughter.

The art coincided with the story. The alternative covers throughout each issue were cool to look at. There was a realistic cover image featuring Osita, along with a creepy, smiley Harley Quinn, towards the end of the book. There’s a particularly violent encounter that is depicted towards the beginning of the story, and I feel the art helps to illustrate that scene.

I was pleasantly surprised by Suicide Squad: Bad Blood. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, as there were certain Suicide Squad comic series that I read a few years ago that I wasn’t a fan of. Suicide Squad: Bad Blood was entertaining, and I’m curious to read more of Tom Taylor’s work in comics.

May is arguably the geekiest month of the year. With May the Fourth and Free Comic Book Day, it’s such a busy month in geek culture. I always celebrate Free Comic Book Day because why not? I love not planning out what I’m looking for and instead showing up to comic book stores and finding cool items that I didn’t know I needed. I stopped at two local places: Mind’s Eye Comics and NerdinOut. Mind’s Eye is one of the best local comic book stores. It’s always relaxing to show up and shop for comics. NerdinOut is more toy-focused, which isn’t my cup of tea; however, I like that they have pinball in their store. This would be a great place to take kids if you wanted to shop for comics and keep the kids entertained. I wanted to share my Free Comic Book Day purchases from the day.

Punchline Issues #1 – #6 – T. Howard, B. Howard, Melnikov, and Guerrero

When Punchline was first introduced, I felt that she got a lot of hate right away. I think fans thought of her as the next Harley Quinn. I don’t know much about Punchline, so I figured reading these six issues would be a good introduction to her character.

Suicide Squad Bad Blood – Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, Daniel Sampere, Adriano Lucas

I love The Suicide Squad. This shouldn’t be a surprise since I tend to cosplay the Harley Quinn looks from The Suicide Squad movie. I love the chaos the group brings and how these supervillains are forced to work together to do something good. I’m not exactly sure what Suicide Squad: Bad Blood is about, but I’m automatically intrigued.

Sana Starros Issues #2 & #3 – Ireland, Pérez Sanchez-Almara

Sana Starros is one of Doctor Aphra’s biggest allies. Unfortunately, I fell behind in the Doctor Aphra comic series. I intend to catch up one day, but I’ll probably have to pick up the trades versus the single issues. Sana is a character introduced early on, but there isn’t much known about her, so it was a pleasant surprise to see that Sana has her own series. I’m looking forward to reading this despite missing out on the first issue.

Darth Vader Black, White, Red – Aaron, Kirk, and Fajardo Jr.

Star Wars Lando – Phillips, Lopez, and Fabela

More Star Wars comics! This shouldn’t be a surprise since I tend to purchase more Star Wars comics and books this month than any other month.

Guardians of the Galaxy #1 – Lanzing, Kelly, Walker, and Hollingsworth

It must be the hype from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 being released this month that made me purchase this comic. I haven’t seen Vol. 3 yet, but this issue will keep me entertained until then.

This was a much bigger haul than I anticipated. It’s funny because normally, I have a small stack of the Free Comics, but this year, I ended up not picking up any of them. I found myself reading through the Free Comics and donating them a month or so later. I figured I’d save space on my comics shelf for all of my purchases instead.