Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Do you read short stories, essays, poetry, graphic novels, or other formats that aren't the standard fiction/nonfiction book? Do you have recommendations?

I don't really read graphic novels. They are not a form of literature that I particularly enjoy. Although, my kiddo loves them, and I just bought them a couple for Christmas. I am reading Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe because some extremists in our school district have tried to make a big deal of it (the superintendent basically told them to bugger off about it - LOL). I am planning on giving it to them when I am done with it.

I love poetry, and being a composer, I read a lot of poetry. I recently discovered Joy Harjo. She is amazing, and I would highly recommend her work.

I love short stories - particularly Stephen King. Now, his short stories can be pretty disturbing, so they are not for everyone. If you like that stuff though, his short stories are awesome.

I love essays as well. I can't think of any to recommend at the moment, but I'll come back if I think of some! :)

I LOVE short stories.

If you're into speculative fiction, I recommend:

-Nghi Vo's Singing Hills Cycle. It technically starts with The Empress of Salt and Fortune but you can read them in any order

- How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu. It's a series of loosely connected stories following a pandemic (obviously, trigger warnings apply)

- This Is Where We Talk Things Out. An absolutely bananas horror story about a woman who goes to meet her estranged mother.

- Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology. A horror-ish anthology written by indigenous authors.

- Fruiting Bodies: Stories. Per the synopsis "...it follows characters - mostly queer, mostly women - on the precipice of change." A fantastic set of stories.

- Crossroads and Below by Laurel Hightower, who I think is definitely a horror author to keep an eye on.

- Finally, the shortest (I hesitate to call it a) book I've ever read: In a Grove. It's a 14-page story about truth and how we see it.

I can't stand short stories. They are almost never fleshed out well enough for me.

On the other hand, I LOVE graphic novels!
The Complete Maus probably the best book I have ever read on the Holocaust.
Flamer sweet and powerful story of developing an identity
The Complete Persepolis coming of age in the Iranian revolution
American Born Chinese 3 stories that come together about stereotypes
Boxers and Saints Two sides of the Boxer rebellion
March: Book One The early years of civil rights' activist John Lewis' life
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened when I need to laugh so hard I cry! :)

My favourite book is Neil Gaiman's short story book Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fiction and Illusions
The most recent ATY book I read was an illustrated one with no words The Wanderer. I love picture books / graphic novels / graphic memoirs etc.
I go through phases of reading poetry and really enjoyed Honorifics
Essays can be hit or miss for me but enjoyed Cut from the Same Cloth?: Muslim Women on Life in Britain
I enjoy novels in verse and have 2 tied for my favourites A Time to Dance and Clap When You Land
I think being dyslexic means I enjoy lots of formats more suited to my reading style.

Jennifer W wrote: "I can't stand short stories. They are almost never fleshed out well enough for me.

On the other hand, I LOVE graphic novels!
The Complete Maus probably the best book I have ever read ..."

I feel the same about short stories (especially the vague literary type in The New Yorker) - except when they are linked to a series I enjoy. Many mystery and romance series have shorter stories, sometimes for Christmas.

I loved reading poetry as a kid because of the fun language and rhyme. But most adult poetry is very abstract, and of course doesn't rhyme. I did enjoy Call Us What We Carry: Poems by Amanda Gorman. I owe that to the musical Hamilton which made me appreciate hip-hop verse for the first time, again because of clever wordplays and rhyme.

I have sometimes read essays if the overall topic really appeals to me, or maybe I really love the author. But I generally want a story.

I was scornful of graphic novels for a long time, even though I grew up loving comic books. I actually started reading some because of GR challenges. I totally fell in love with Heartstopper: Volume One and the rest of the series. But I kind of feel like they are cheating because many of them can be read in 20-40 minutes. Way back when it was new, I did read The Complete Maus, which broke ground for that format.

I changed my mind for if quick read picture based books count as much as full length text only books after I got into audiobooks.
I can take longer to read a pretty standard super hero graphic novel than listen to a sped up audio discworld novel. Some like Safe Area Goražde: The War in Eastern Bosnia, 1992-1995 have a surprisingly high word count so take me a long time to read.
I think though where I decided to count all books was after realising some wordless books like Belonging By: Jeannie Baker January, 2007 had a bigger impact on me than some full length novels and would recommend over some classic literature.

My daughter (she just turned 11) is a graphic novel fanatic & three of her all-time faves have already been mentioned here: Gender Queer: A Memoir, The Complete Maus, & Heartstopper: Volume One (the entire series). She also recently read Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure & loved it. I will also add Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic & everything by Nicole J. Georges.

I cannot with poetry, which is odd, as I majored in poetry when I was in college. I actually chose to spend enormous chunks of my day reading, writing, studying, & listening to poetry everyday. Who WAS that person? & why on EARTH did my parents let me do that?!? The most recent poet I've read & enjoyed is Brontez Purnell. My favorite when I was in school was Nikki Giovanni.

I actually do like the short fiction in The New Yorker (I subscribe!), but I prefer novels. I was thinking just the other day that short stories so often set up the conflict of a novel & then just call it a day. No major exposition to get us into the characters' world, certainly no resolution. Reading too many of them too fast can be a very demoralizing experience, like trying to binge-watch "Twin Peaks" or something. That said, I like Karen Russell & Aimee Bender. I like Angela Carter a lot.

I like the occasional short story but have a hard time finishing a whole collection. My favorite collection and one of my favorite books is The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu. I also like graphic novels. My favorites are Dune, The History of Science Fiction, and The Rabbi’s Cat. I just purchased and am planning to read I Am a Cat: Manga edition in 2024.

I love manga and graphic novels.

I highly recommend some of the Korean ones being published by the imprint Ize press (yen on).

Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion, Vol. 1
Daughter of the Emperor, Vol. 1
A Returner's Magic Should be Special, Vol. 1
Villains Are Destined to Die, Vol. 1
Noblesse Volume One

Raeliana, Returner's, and Noblesse all have anime.

I would love if the original novels would come out as well.

I also love The Apothecary Diaries Manga, Vol. 1 and The Apothecary Diaries (Light Novel): Volume 1

I've read some of the manga and light novels. The anime is amazing and gorgeous. They take place in ancient China and Mao Mao is so freaking cool.

yes to poetry, essays, short stories....basically books that are primarily words. So no to graphic novels or manga

a few illustrations are fine, but I want mostly words