Dog Days

Dog Days is a love story between a Korean couple and their dogs. Told in graphic novel format, the memoir details the author's own adoption of dogs beginning with Carrot. Potato arrives a year later and later Choco joined the family. 

Synopsis

Yuna never wanted to adopt a dog. But with her partner in mourning–and in desperate need of a boost in morale–she gives in to his humble request. And in the grand tradition of reluctant pet owners, she and their puppy soon become inseparable. The young couple even goes so far as to relocate to soothe their new canine pal’s anxiety. After all, there’s nothing like a move to the country to set yourself right. Right?

The idyll of a quiet life soon gives way to a surprising degree of antagonism, including clashes with long-time local residents of a different generation. The culture shock is palpable for all three urban transplants as the isolation of their new environs starts to sink in. They eventually adopt another dog, and still another–all while reckoning with the ups and downs of middle-age and childlessness in an unforgivingly traditional milieu.

My Thoughts 

I loved the story as would any animal lover. The Korean setting adds depth for us westerners. The way Koreans view pets differs in the countryside in a way I never imagined. In Seoul, pet owners are just like their western counterparts. However, residents in the rural areas view dogs as something to kill and eat. If a dog runs wild it is possible that it could be picked up by anyone and killed. Also, some folks put wild dogs in crates waiting for the village dog butcher to come for them or leave them chained up outside in inclement weather. Hun and Yuna were shocked when they found this out. Their move out of Seoul was for the benefit of Carrot. They wanted him to be able to get lots of exercise but soon realized that Carrot would need to stay on a leash for his protection.

I enjoyed seeing the couple learn to be good pet owners as well as interact with other dogs they came across on their walks with Carrot. Potato was left in a box on their doorstep and they decided to keep him. Both Hun and Yuna tried to read the dogs' behaviors in order to figure out what the dogs wanted from them. A few years later Choco was another rescue they took care of. In the end, Choco was adopted by a relative.

Dog Days is a cute animal story. 5 out of 5 stars.

Landing in Place

Landing in Place is a coming of age story in graphic novel format. Anisa is the main character. She is an Egyptian American teen trying to excel just like her older sister Reem, a medical doctor. The book was published on May 19, 2026 and was written for kids over the age of twelve.

Synopsis 

Anisa is the American child of two Egyptian immigrants. Her father is a pilot and is gentle. Her mother criticizes Anisa constantly. Anisa graduates high school one year early and is lucky to be admitted to Reem’s alma mater. Her parents insist that she take the same pre-med track that Reem passed with flying colors. Anisa wants to study art but her parents don't believe art is a good career choice. After flunking out of her first college semester Anisa joins Reem in Egypt where Reem is undergoing an internship in kidney medicine. Here Anisa's eyes are opened to the social and religious expectations of her as a Muslim woman.

My Thoughts 

The book tells a compelling story about second generation immigrants. While Anisa's father has religious beliefs that he keeps to himself, her mother smokes, cusses and abhors politics and religion. None of her mother’s pronouncements bother Anisa until she returns home after a several months in Egypt. Anisa has been changed by living there and has begun to wear the hijab and attend prayers in the mosque. However, it is not explained why Anisa has had this transformation. Perhaps she just followed the Egyptian lifestyle but if that was the reason then Anisa should have given it all up when she returned to the U.S. This omission is a mistake in my opinion.

I did not understand the Islamic lifestyle. I am not a Muslim. After her transformation Anisa feels that kissing her Sikh boyfriend is a mistake because she wears the hijab. She feels that it gives Muslims a bad reputation in the eyes of the rest of the world. There is an unspoken theory that non-Muslims expect all Muslim women to be 100% chaste. Anisa's mother challenges her on this particular issue. I feel that the author should have expounded on this issue too. The book also contains commentary on the Islamic lifestyle from both practicing and non practicing Muslims. There is also alot of quotes from the Quran. They are translated into English but I did not understand the meaning.

The book is a fast read. I felt it was lighthearted even though serious issues are portrayed. I enjoyed reading it and would like to see a sequel. 4 out of 5 stars.

Salvage

Salvage is a graphic romance. The plot follows two young artists whose paths intertwine as they navigate the complexities of love. It was published on July 21, 2026 and was written for those over the age of 14. 

The publisher's summary:

Paolo lives in the Flats, a dangerous, water-logged community where families survive by salvaging materials from skyscrapers hidden just beneath the ocean’s surface—remnants of a world before sea levels rose. Scavenging the depths comes with its risks, but when Paolo discovers a suitcase of designer clothes, he decides to fulfill his dream: To spend one night in the Uplands, a place of privilege, excess, and freedom. There he meets Jules and her friends, and what begins as a single night of reckless adventure turns into a secret double life—and a seemingly impossible romance that forces Paolo to reckon with who he is, where he belongs, and the importance of being true to himself.

My first impression of the story was that it was a little slow. I liked the beginning where we saw Paolo diving to find junk he can sell at the Vintage Market. The drawings show him entering waterlogged highrises that were buried after sea levels rose. Paolo looks for treasures people left in their homes. He always comes back with cool memorabilia that he and his parents can sell. The drawings from the Flats where Paolo lived reminded me of Thailand and Vietnam. It seemed like a nice place to live but, seriously, who wants to be poor? Only refugees from the climate crisis live in the Flats.

The story then moves to the Uplands where the rich reside. Paolo began taking a train to this area to see what it was really like. There were too many pages devoted to his visits. Eventually Paolo interacts with kids his age who all happen to be artists. The story picked up here but, again, there were too many pages with these interactions before Paolo finally meets Jules. They begin a relationship. Parents, there are only drawings of them kissing, nothing else. 

My favorite character was Kappa. He is Paolo’s best friend. I liked Paolo’s parents too. Unfortunately, Paolo was my third favorite character. When the main character is not likable, the story crumbles. The characters from the Uplands were extremely wealthy, spoiled and jaded teens. I did not like any of them and don't know why Paolo wanted to be like them. It’s interesting that these wealthy elite of the Uplands continued the behaviors of extraction and overconsumption that resulted in the sea levels rising.

Salvage is a visual masterpiece. The story is rendered in vibrant watercolor illustrations that the author painted. She used different colors for each neighborhood. The Flats are colored with a cool toned teal, red and orange palette. In contrast, the Uplands are presented in bright neon colors. The author did an amazing job with her illustrations.

Salvage is the classic social divide love story. It is a pleasant read but it should have been 100 pages shorter than its 246 pages. 3 out of 5 stars.

Callisto

Callisto is a sci-fi graphic novel about Jupiter's second largest moon Callisto. It is home to a space colony that is one of humanity's industrial and mining settlements. It is also hotspot of commerce, culture, and religion. 

Detective Becca Ramos is assigned to investigate the disappearances of several people on Callisto. She will discover a hidden cult who uses the symbol of a cross in a circle. They are called pilgrims but no one knows why. The group is either a religious group from earth or they could possibly refer to the people who came to America. As Becca investigates the disappearances she sees a growing body count and many of the deceased are near the cross symbol. Field Surveyor Santoro is the suspected perp and Becca is searching for him. 

I particularly enjoyed the mechanical cats on this moon. They look just like the cats on earth but these cats are rechargeable. The Callisto setting was similar to earth. There were highrise condos, a city hall and a jail. However, the buildings look like they were created from shipping containers. There was alot of metal on this moon. Colorist Lee Loughridge colored the drawings in muted tones of green, blue, burgundy, teal and brown. The color pallette helped create an otherworldly, dystopian atmosphere which I would expect to find on another planet or moon. Parents, there is no foul language in the story but there is nudity and sexy scenes.

The story moved quickly making the book a fast read. There is one issue that I have though. SPOILER ALERT. I didn't understand the ending. Becca wakes up in a hospital after being unconscious for three days. She appears to be very pregnant and a doctor states she is ready to deliver the child. On the next page we see that all the doctors are dead, having been gruesomely murdered. Huh?

Please note that I received a free copy of this book from Book Sirens in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on October 6, 2026. 

3 out of 5 stars.

Someday Perfect

Someday Perfect is a graphic novel about several teens who are sent by their families to a summer camp for Christians for two weeks. The main character is Meg whose father is a pastor. A few of the other characters include Danny, who Meg has a crush on, Kayla, Nicole, Tommy, Sister Elena, Sister Greta, and Hannah. Upon arrival at the Adirondacks Bible Camp the teens are separated by gender with the girls sent to the Waitress Quarters to live.

All of the girls must work as waitresses for all of the camp attendees. The boys are assigned to wash the dishes. The girls were given long skirts and ugly aprons that they were required to wear every day, all day. The boys had no clothing restrictions and they wore their normal clothes. The women who supervised the girls chided them for wearing earrings and talking about boys. 

I was surprised that the kids were required to work at the camp. Is this normal? They were working hard so why is this a Bible camp? There were meetings every morning and evening where an adult would preach but there wasn't much time for recreation. The adults were hard on the girls. If a boy was interested in a girl, she was warned about enticing the boy. Also, since the girls had to serve the boys they were not allowed to eat until the boys were finished. Frequently, there wasn't enough food left over for the girls. The camp counselors would tell them that their figures would suffer if they ate. In addition the girls were told to stay at least sux inches away from the boys. I felt terrible for them. In my opinion this was abusive treatment toward the girls. 

While all of this was ongoing, Meg becomes attracted to Danny. Along with her attraction came questions. Meg wonders how she can fulfill her role as a Christian when her heart and faith both question whether the attraction is appropriate. I was shocked that Meg felt a teen romance was not appropriate. After all, every teenager since the beginning of time experiences such an attraction. It's normal. Meg also had the pressure of needing to be seen as a perfect pastor’s kid.

The author did a great job detailing life at a summer Bible camp. I think that the Adirondacks Bible Camp is something that the author experienced herself because in her Acknowledgments she wrote that she hoped her parents were not mad at her for writing the book. It was eye-opening to me as I have never attended a summer camp. Despite my alarm at how the girls were treated, the novel is light reading. The drawings were colored in bright colors. A few of the pages were illustrated in typical comic strip panels but the author primarily deviated from using panels.

I loved this story and am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

Corpse de Ballet

 

I love attending the ballet so when I saw this book on Kindle I had to get a copy. It is a psychological thriller in a graphic novel format. Corpse de Ballet was published about a month ago in July 7, 2026 and it is magnificent. The book is author Megan Kearney's first solo graphic novel.  

The publisher's summary: 

Arriving at Saint Anselmus in the middle of the year, Rosamund Hammond is ready to practice hard and prove she deserves to be there. But something at this boarding school doesn’t feel right. It turns out that just before Rosamund enrolled, a student disappeared without telling anyone. Was it really a leave of absence―or something more sinister? Together with her new roommate, Rosamund spirals deeper and deeper into an obsession with the truth. As the school prepares for its showcase performance of Coppélia, can she commit to her hard-earned ballet dreams while solving the mystery that’s haunting her―or will she lose herself in the process?

As I stated above this graphic novel is a psychological thriller. However, it is a light psychological thriller. There are no dramatic chapter endings but rather we see the main character Rosamund spiraling downwards throughout the story. Her roommate Eugenie tells her a tale about Eugenie's former roommate Giovanna dying at the school which is not true but Rosamund doesn't know this fact. Rosamund is led to investigate Giovanna's murder.

Each chapter begins with a ballet pose, first position, second position, etc. . . I thought this was a nice touch by the author who, incidentally, is not a dancer. All of the drawings are colored in blue and white, a color scheme I like. It reminded me of Do Admit, a biography of the Mitford sisters. The characters are multidimensional. All of them have secrets in their past they try to cover up. None of these secrets are all that important but to a teenager desiring to be a star ballerina, they are extremely important. The dancers fear anything negative in their past will prevent them from having good careers. 

Our heroine Rosamund began studying at the school just one semester from high school graduation. She feels inferior for several reasons. One, the other students whisper about her being a late scholarship award winner. In Rosamund's mind, she agrees with them. She also has to work harder in order to catch up with the level of the other students. While Rosamund is talented, she needs plenty of instruction. Her roommate, Eugenie, is a bitch who isolates Rosamund by encouraging her to stay away from the other students because, well, they are bitches. Eugenie is a fantastic villain. She has no problems with lying all day and every day. She is Rosamund's best friend until the time comes for the senior showcase performance where future careers are on the line.

Throughout the story we read about the Coppélia ballet story on and off. I thought this was a nice hook for the story. It was an engaging story that I thoroughly enjoyed. 5 out of 5 stars.