I’m in love with A Few Collectors by Pierre Le-Tan. It is a wunderkammer of a book, an extraordinary collection of small essays about collectors that Le-Tan knew and / or admired and / or encountered. I’m not even sure what this book is about, because I don’t think collecting is it. Perhaps how to live one’s life, or the importance of beautiful things, or the inherent transience of existence. I actually read it slower and slower because I didn’t want it to end. Also, the printing is beautiful. It’s a coffee table book in miniature.
Books I Read
About I My Book I Newsletter I X I Instagram I LinkedIn I Consulting I Email
Ten Days in a Mad-House: A Graphic Adaptation, written by Brad Ricca, illustrated by Courtney Sieh, and based on the book by Nellie Bly, is an absolutely astonishing work that brings to life the terror, shame, and seemingly inescapable horror of being trapped in an abusive system. I’ve read the original Ten Days and I’m an investigative journalist, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. This book is a masterful adaptation of an original work as imaginative and evocative as the graphic adaptation of Paul Auster’s City of Glass. Sieh’s illustrations are especially moving, as she conjures up the faces of the women trapped in the asylum’s hell.
Books I Read
About I My Book I Newsletter I X I Instagram I LinkedIn I Consulting I Email
I’m so happy to live in Los Angeles, where I can eat incredible food. A few of the wonderful things I’ve eaten as of late, from left to right: 1) the biscuit breakfast sandwich with bacon at Calabama in Hollywood, 2) the spinach and cheese borekas at Borekas in Sherman Oaks (they also have a location in Van Nuys), 3) the mangu at El Bacano in North Hollywood, 4) the protein omelette at Clark Street Diner in Franklin Village.
About I My Book I Newsletter I X I Instagram I LinkedIn I Consulting I Email
I didn’t care much for Peepland, which was written by Christa Faust and illustrated by Gary Phillips and Andrea Camerini. I felt like the story was all over the place and a bit hard to follow. But more importantly I largely bought it for the peep show setting, and the peep show world ended up mostly being set dressing. Pretty much everyone dies in the end. I guess I would’ve preferred something more illuminating of that world.
Books I Read
About I My Book I Newsletter I X I Instagram I LinkedIn I Consulting I Email
I picked up a copy of The Structure Is Rotten, Comrade by Viken Berberian and Yann Kebbi because I thought the art was dazzling. And it is. The colors are arresting, the strokes are aggressive, and the pictures soar across the page. I’m also interested in Brutalism, with which this graphic novel (which it isn’t, exactly) concerns itself. But the first third features a woman whose sole role is to have giant tits and act like an idiot. When you’re a woman reading this book and this is all you see of yourself, it gets boring. Maybe do better, guys.
Books I Read
About I My Book I Newsletter I X I Instagram I LinkedIn I Consulting I Email
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud was a reread for me. It was as inspiring, smart, and creative as I remembered. The only ding I’d give it is that because it was written sometime ago, it is less mindful about being inclusive of comics books creators who are not white and male than it would have been were it produced today. Other than that, a great read. It’s got me thinking about producing more comics.
Books I Read
About I My Book I Newsletter I X I Instagram I LinkedIn I Consulting I Email
