BookOwl

[May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Let's revisit a classic review that tackles the difficult topic of depression and remains one of my favorite graphic novels today.] 5/5 stars *Spoiler alert!* What a beautiful art style that Debbie Tung has!  Everything is OK  was a fantastic reminder of that, as well as the poignant and relatable stories she tells in her works. This one tackles the difficult subject of mental health, particularly dealing with depression and anxiety. I laughed, I cried, and I smiled as I read  Everything is OK . I think it’s one of her best yet, as she shares her story to try and help others feel not as alone, as depression and anxiety are wont to do. “Even if the world around me is silent, it's always loud inside my head.” This is where trouble can begin. Like Tung, I have an active imagination, fueled by my own creativity, relationships, and the books I’ve read. However, the clumps of neurons and their connections that make me who I am spits out ne...

[Updated May 2024] Full disclosure: Science fiction is one of my favorite genres! It was extremely difficult to limit my picks to just six  books or series. However, I recognize that if I gave all of my favorites here, the amount of text would stretch from here to the moon and back.  Science fiction is one of those genres that really makes its readers think of the futures that they would want to live in. (For example, I wouldn't mind living in the semi-utopian future depicted in  Star Trek .) It is a big umbrella, covering everything from speculative fiction to space opera (think,  Star Wars ). Some blur the lines enough between science fiction and fantasy, but I prefer to have some separation between the two, with the former being one about realistic possible realities and the latter primarily uses realities that do not follow the laws of reality as we know it.  Not to diss fantasy, which is another one of my favorite genres. Imagination is equally compelling i...