Somehow, Saturday has already arrived, and that means it’s time for Weekend Reading 68! With summer in full swing, we’re deep into our respective summer reading lists here at Stately Beat Manor.
As always, whatever it is that you plan on reading this weekend, we’re hoping that you’ll share your plans with us, as well! Let us know what you’ll be paging through, either here in the comment section or over on social media @comicsbeat!
AVERY KAPLAN: One of my favorite authors of all time is Octavia E. Butler, and with the paperback edition of the Damian Duffy and John Jennings adaptation of Parable of the Sower now available, I’ll be spending my weekend with Lauren Olamina. The upsettingly prescient novel has stayed with me since I first read it, and I’m eager to see how the graphic novel adaptation will enhance my understanding of the text. Then, as far as prose goes, one of my longest-standing friends messaged me to recommend The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of Their Lost World by Steve Brusatte, and as I am overdue for some nonfiction anyway, I leapt at the recommendation!
ADAM KARENINA SHERIF: Having been thoroughly enjoying the anime, I’m primed to dive into the classic ‘80s slice-of-life manga, Maison Ikkoku by Rumiko Takahashi. The show strikes an incredible balance between sweet and steamy while being wonderfully ridiculous. I’m excited to see how the source material originally developed this wild vibe, as well as just to follow the adventures of Godai the eternal college slacker and Kyoko the wholesome landlady (this is how we know it’s a work of fiction!!). Conveniently, VIZ have started producing those bumper, deluxe volumes that collect two or three chapters in one.
TAIMUR DAR: I’ve heard good things about various original graphic novels from the Earth One line from DC Comics but never had the chance to immerse myself in any of them. Finally diving into Wonder Woman: Earth One Volume One from writer Grant Morrison and artist Yanick Paquette.
DEAN SIMONS: After blitzing the last half of A Darkness At Sethanon – the final part in Raymond E. Feist’s Magician trilogy – this week, I have now finished all of the prose trilogies that I started in the last year. Seeking a break from multibook epics, a friend recommended I pick up Marlon James’ 2015 Booker winner, A Brief History of Seven Killings. Really enjoying it so far. James pulls a narrative together from so many angles via multiple first person perspectives – and every voice is so distinct. It reminds me a little bit of David Lapham’s series Stray Bullets.
