This is a strange grouping of books that have recently come into my life. What’s even stranger? I started reading my first ever graphic novel the day that Modern Mrs. Darcy suggested titles to introduce her readers to the genre!

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13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do
by Amy Morin (nonfiction, audiobook) – worth a read/listen

As usual, I’m not sure how this book came into my life. It may have been a suggestion from my library’s Hoopla app?

Morin is a licensed therapist who, through her sessions with clients and her own personal struggles, has uncovered what traits and habits help people through grief and the roughest patches in their lives. The answers aren’t entirely surprising, but reinforcing. It’s a book I might have wanted to read rather than listen to in order to absorb more of the detail or go back to parts that might apply for me.

Some Goodreads’ reviewers berated this author for making the title, assuming that those who want this information are mentally weak. However, I didn’t get that impression. I felt like she was giving tools to build mental strength just like one would give one who wants to build physical strength. Okay, maybe it doesn’t read that way in the negative. Maybe the affirmative would be better. However, the book does focus on ingrained habits that may need changing.

I really do need to keep a little notebook with quotes or nuggets I pick up. It’s often after the fact that they’ve lost me… and I’m failing to come up with one here.

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Your Illustrated Guide to Becoming One with the Universe
by Yumi Sakugawa (nonfiction, graphic novel) – MUST READ

A graphic novel is a novel written in a comic-strip style form. Is this a graphic novel? I don’t know. It has illustrations and is nonfiction, so it’s not really a novel; but I loved it. Some people reviewing this book didn’t feel like it was anything “new”, but it was a feel good book to me and helped me relax one night. Now it’s on my bedside table.

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The Initiates
by Étienne Davodeau, Joe Johnson (translator) (graphic novel) – worth a read

I’m not really into comic strips or comic books, so the graphic novel never really interested me. However, I discovered this book on Modern Mrs. Darcy’s suggested reading list to introduce others to the graphic novel genre. It was the perfect introduction for me: It takes place in France and is about a wine maker and a comic artist who agree to learn about each other’s trades for a year. I definitely learned a thing or two and it was fun. The version I read was a downloadable from my library’s website and I was able to read it on my computer. That’s something I’ve never done before!

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Love Real Food
by Kathryne Taylor (cookbook) – worth a read

Yes, I’m still reading cookbooks from time to time. This one did NOT disappoint! It’s on my wish list. I now follow the author’s blog Cookie + Kate. I’m not a vegetarian, but it is a vegetarian cookbook. It offers such nourishing recipes with real foods and I marked dozens. That’s when I knew it belongs on my shelf! I didn’t get a chance to test-run any before I returned it to the library. By the way, Cookie is a-dog-able! (There are lots of fun photos of her in the book!)

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Dinner with Edward
by Isabel Vincent (nonfiction, audiobook) – worth a listen

If you love stories about food and how they’ve brought people together and fostered relationships, this one is for you! I certainly do. I’m sure this one was recommended to me by my library’s audiobook Hoopla app and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It was easy to wile away the hours washing dishes and cleaning listening to this one.

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Have you read a graphic novel? 

Cheers~
Carrie