Week 15: May 15th - Reading

Wow, week 15 on the 15th! How serendipitous! I wish I had a bigger update for such a momentous occasion, but I'll admit: this month has been rough on my energy levels. I've had to adjust around a lot of books to swap in shorter things and more graphic novels, and even then I had to swap out some of the heavier stuff for lighter reading. We're doing our best to take a small brain break without falling into a big slump again, so short update today!

A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon: Honestly I wish we had more “older magical girl” media like this because this is such a good niche.

Should you read this? If you're looking for something short to slot into your reading schedule, then this is a good pick. I can't in good conscience say that this is a "light" read because it starts on such a somber note, and honestly that somber atmosphere is carried out until the end when it does get more hopeful. But even then, this was very quick and had its charm and wit - it wouldn't be hard to finish in a day since it's under 200 pages. Plus, the illustrations throughout really add to the charm of the whole thing. I do wish I knew Korean so I could read it in the original language: some of the phrasing was a bit awkward so I wonder if that's a stylistic choice or due to the translation. But overall, I do still recommend this as something quick.

The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha: I only have two words for this one - simply exquisite.

Should you read this? Please do - this is one of the most artful and lush graphic novels I've ever read. Even if all the dialogue was taken out, I think this would be a compelling and fantastic story just from the art alone. The colors are beautiful and stylized while allowing the characters to take on a life of their own. Even if you're unfamiliar with the original Korean legend this story is based on, I think there's a lot to like here. I wish we got a little more development with the character Sura, but other than that I found this breathtaking and poignant. If you like graphic novels, definitely put this on your list.

And unfortunately that's all I have this week - but I'm in the middle of a couple things right now so I should have a slightly bigger update next time!