THE Graphic Novel Travelogue

   The Photographer by Guibert, Lefevre, and Lemercier is the best in graphic novel travelogues as far as I can tell (I've read three!). Completely engrossing, at times I felt like I was journeying with him through the middle east. This was accomplished by the mix of diary-esq writing, excellent illustrations, and the inclusions of actual photos. On top of this, I loved the stories of the people he encountered while traveling with Doctors Without Borders and the doctors themselves. They were all so stunningly emotionally strong people.
Obviously there are many similarities between what he saw in 1980's war-torn Afghanistan and what we would see today. Read this book. Then donate to Doctors Without Borders.

Picking a book after The Photographer proved a bit difficult but the enormous stack of library materials spilling over my side table reminded me that I either read or return. :( And then I'll have missed out on all these great stories. And more are arriving every day from my holds list! Must... carry... on.

I'm only mentioning books worth reading on this blog so let's just say I read some duds next (thankfully short ones).

The juvenile/YA graphic novel Smile by Raina Telgemeier was pretty good, made even better when I read the author's note and discovered that it was TRUE! Those who are afraid of dentists should read this story (hmm... maybe). It's about a 13 yr old girl who falls on her face and dislodges her two front teeth and the torture that follows (some physical, mostly emotional). It won a 2013 ORCA.

Now I am reading more graphic novels (like Hereville by Barry Deutsch which has tons of good reviews), Crow Planet by Lyanda Lynn Haupt (so far awesome essays on Urban Wilderness), and a couple of adult humor/suspense fiction novels... Sigh. I have trouble with novels these days. I only get about 2 hours a day to read and it's really hard to get involved in novels that way. Has anyone read Plugged by Eoin Colfer? Or what about Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell? Should I keep at them? Oh, forgot to mention, I read the first two chapters of Mary Roach's Gulp and loved it. But I decided to return it. She's one of those authors I'm just going to buy everything she's writes. Same with Oliver Sacks. Man! He's got some awesome stories and he's so brilliant. Have you read The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat? Start with that one and you won't be able to resist the rest.