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Agnes's Place is stunningly illustrated by Jenny Løvlie and Marit Larsen's story of longing for friendship is told with a fantastic sense of wonder.

I've enjoyed Aliette de Bodard's short stories for years but hadn't gotten to read any of her longer works before now. This novella wraps a romance in fascinating scifi ideas and a carefully crafted world. It's a bit languid, but thoroughly enjoyable.

I had Koko Be Good on my to read list for probably a decade. I never found a digital version, so I picked up a copy from my library in March. The comic is beautifully drawn, and the characters are very expressive. It was a treat to experience Jen Wang's art, which always impresses me. I'm probably a decade late to get the most out of the story, though, with all the awkward characters bumbling through life and grasping for meaning; at that time in my life I'd feel very much reflected in these characters. It's an enjoyable read and really a remarkable achievement for a first graphic novel.

Elmer is an astonishingly well crafted comic, with beautiful art and a masterfully told story. It captures family dynamics superbly and handles racism and civil rights with a lot of grace. It took a while for me to get comfortable with the chicken protagonists in the book, but the abstraction they create masterfully invites the audience to consider horrific real world events in the way the best speculative fiction can.

This novel is low stakes, cozy and good fun but not a lot more than that. At its best it approaches Callahan's Crosstime Saloon, but those best bits are quite sparse.

Pixels of You is beautifully and boldly illustrated and tells a moving story of a relationship forming and deepening with marginalization and social justice featuring prominently. The colour choices by Doyle are superb and the pages are popping with expression. This is compelling sci fi and a joy to read.

This is an engaging look at the history of pirates' interactions with other inhabitants of Madagascar and how this influenced The Enlightenment. It does an admirable job of stripping away some of the assumptions made by previous accounts of the pirates and centers the local populations.

I’ve been saving the second volume of Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles for when I wanted a cozy read and last night I read through it and got exactly that. The goofy stories mixed with interesting info dumps and beautiful art make this such a fun read.

The third volume of Kei Sanbe's Island in a Puddle raises the danger, mystery and complexity while bringing out rich characterization through both the art and dialog. The young protagonist and his sister are so likable that every threat feels elevated.

This second novel in the Viridian Deep series is a more kinetic, immersive story, showing more of Terry Brooks' strengths. It still feels like it could all be part of the Shannara series he is best known for. The characters and plot are strong enough to maintain engagement through the book.

This book lays out a coherent economic vision and does so without straying all that far from conventional economics. There was more expansive ground to cover with Modern Monetary Theory and ideas that have been incorporated into Library Socialism, but there is a core argument here that the conservative approach probably makes more palatable for the audience of policy makers. It's a fairly accessible book for a reader with some foundations in economics but probably won't be a breezy read without that.

I’d heard about Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou as a manga classic for years before it was released last year in English, and had even sought out some fan translations to get some experience of it. I absolutely loved this first volume of this cozy post-apocalyptic sci fi, and felt rewarded for keeping it on my radar for so long.

It’s a slice of life comic with an ecological disaster looming in the background. The characters are super charming and the robot protagonist adds another layer of character work that enriches the story.

I was surprised to see this book was adapted by a Nova Scotian, and that a conscious choice was made to present the Kanagawa dialect as a Nova Scotian one.

Hitoshi Ashinano’s art drew me into this world; I was immersed and compelled to finish reading in one night. This is immediately among my favourite comics.

I've read most of Terry Brooks' novels, and the Shannara books are one of my favourite fantasy series. His worldbuilding and characters are big draws. This novel feels like it could be slotted into the Shannara timeline, and it has all the familiar elements that make his writing so rewarding. I think there are some missteps here, including some poor handling of sexual abuse and reproductive abuse.

I've read Marie Kondo's other books that have been published in English, except for Joy at Work, and this one updates and expands on some of the core concepts of those books. It's a quick read and there are nice refreshers and good suggestions for enhancing a lifestyle. This isn't a great starting point for someone new to The KonMari Method, but it's a good way to reacquaint with it and apply it more broadly.

Ken Williams sheds light on his and Roberta's lives as they built Sierra On-Line, with a heavy focus on business struggles and less than I'd like on developing games. There are some gestures toward regret at the demise of the company and the people hurt through that, but there was a hollowness to the latter half of this book as things fell apart. I loved Sierra games growing up and for my taste a focus on the work done to create those would be more welcome.