Paco Roca's The Lighthouse

I read Paco Roca's graphic novel during my lunch break in school today. The slim volume, only sixty six pages, hooked me from page one. The epigraph was a quote from Moby Dick and the lovely blue lines depicting the sea were very calming. A page later that peace was shattered as I followed a young solider who, under the cover of night, escapes as machine gun fire erupts after him. The mood shifts quickly and I was with him the next day as he discovered a majestic lighthouse at the edge of a cliff. He passes out, has vivid dreams, and wakes up to find that he is inside the lighthouse and his wounds have been tended to. A brief hike down to the beach takes him to Telmo, the lighthouse keeper. Telmo is full of stories for the young republican guard who, we learn, is escaping the fascists. Savvy readers will recognize the classic tales he spins, but young Alejandro, who Telmo calls Moby Dick, drinks the fiction in as if they were facts.

As the book progresses the two bond as they scavenge materials from the sea to build a boat.

The book concludes with an author's note, "The Eternal Rewrite," in which Roca explains the changes he has made to subsequent editions of his works whenever a new edition comes out. This afterword also explains when The Lighthouse was conceived and that, originally, he had plans for a sequel. As a bibliophile and lover of graphic novels, I found these insights to the publishing process fascinating, but what I enjoyed most was when he wrote about his literary muse. It seems Mr. Roca found himself in the position that many of us have: trying to remember the title of a story he once read. Not just any story, the story he was inspired by to write this tale. Thankfully, he remembered before this edition was published. It is a story by Jorge Luis Borges titled "Historia de los dos que soñaron" ("The Story of the Two Dreamers"). Borges, in turn was inspired by a story in A Thousand and One Nights. Roca addsThe same story that inspired Paolo Coelho when writing The Alchemist. Don't you just love it when a book takes you down a literary rabbit hole? 

The Lighthouse is book for people with wanderlust, for lovers of seafaring adventures, and readers who love escaping to imaginary lands.

Sarah Andersen's Big Mushy Happy Lump

There are books that appear on your radar almost coincidentally and others you cannot escape. The latter is the case with Andersen't first collection, "Adulthood is a Myth." It seemed that Litsy was filled with nothing but love for this collection and I wanted to be in on the action. Unfortunately, my search for the book was fruitless. Puerto Rico's indie bookstores have not had it in stock during my visits, airport booksellers did not have it when I travelled, and I even asked a friend to see if she could get it when she went to New Hampshire to no avail.

I heard via Litsy that this, her second collection was available to read now on NetGalley. I immediately dropped everything and searched for it, to no avail. It seemed that Sarah's Scribbles and I were not meant to be. That is until last night. After I reviewed Emily Fridlund's "History of Wolves" I went to NetGalley to share my blog post and update some information in my profile. I decided to browse the comics and graphic novel section and what did I spy? You guessed it! Big Mushy Happy Lump. I downloaded it this morning and read it in one sitting. My laughter kept waking up Septimus (#Septimus or #SeptimusCat on Litsy) but I could not contain it.

I started taking screenshot after screenshot after screenshot of the panels I wanted to share with my friends Kim and Rachel. They were so relatable. So us. I also took screenshots that I wanted to share on Litsy. When the final page was turned I had twenty screenshots. I quickly realized that if I shared 15% of the book people would feel as if they'd already read it and not buy it. That is not the idea. In fact, that is the opposite of the idea. I want everyone to buy this book.

In fact, just before writing this post I went to Amazon and got a Kindle copy of Adulthood is a Myth which I will begin reading as soon as I finish writing this. I am seriously considering preordering this for myself and my above mentioned friends. If you know and love Sarah Andersen's previous work, are a fan of Allie Brosh's Hyperbole and a Half (if you don't know her work and want to laugh aloud, you should check it out), or enjoyed Jenny Lawson's books (I recommend the audiobook versions) you should definitely add this gem to your collection.

While I will not share all the screenshots, I leave you with this last one which accurately depicts my reality as I finish typing this. Septimus has woken up and decided that the best spot on the bed is actually on top of my keyboard.

Litsy shoutout to Janani (@theshrinkette) for letting me know this book was available, Glori (@BookishMarginalia) for organizing reading challenges and postal gift exchanges, and my friends Kim (@gibblr), Rachel (@Figgy) and Sara (@SaraIsabel) for being Littens and personal cheerleaders.

Emily Fridlund's A History of Wolves

There are books that draw you in reluctantly. There is something about the protagonist, or the setting, or the conflict that has a gravitational force you cannot resist. This was my experience reading this book. I asked NetGalley for an ARC because, ever since reading Jodi Picoult's Lone Wolf, I have been fascinated by the complex societal bonds these creatures create. What I found was a story in which no wolves appeared.

When I began reading the novel I thought Fridlund had created an unlikable narrator, but that is not exactly right. Linda is just an unusual one. She lives with her parents in the remains of an old commune in the Minnesota woods. She is very knowledgeable of the outdoors and has to hike miles to get to the nearest town and, therefore, to school. When she is fourteen, she becomes obsessed with two things: the alleged affair her teacher Mr. Grierson had with her enigmatic classmate Lily and Patra, her new neighbor across the lake and mother to four-year-old Paul.

Patra hires Linda as an occasional babysitter. The two form a strong bond. However, as Linda spends more time with Paul she begins to sense that there is something unusual about him. In fact, there is something unusual about Patra as well. This feeling heightens when Leo, Patra's husband comes into the picture.

The novel switches back and forth between the adult Linda's life and her youthful relationships with these individuals. As the plot progresses it is easy to guess that something sinister will happen. It is this that compels the reader to continue reading and become wrapped up in the story. The gripping tale can be finished in one sitting if one has enough time. Luckily for me, I did!