Graphic Novels

Bad Gateway | Simon Hanselmann | $46.95 | John Wiley From the bestselling series about two perpetually stoned freeloader roommates comes a new comic exploring sex, drugs, and which lines you’re able to cross before you lose yourself entirely, with Megg and Mogg forced to reflect on the psychological toll that their years of self-medication and determined indifference has inflicted. This graphic novel will be a treat for any Hanselmann fan.

— Ayesha

The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 1 | Kousuke Oono | $18.99 | Viz Unique, completely hilarious with stone-cold comic delivery and episodic storytelling, this is one all manga fans will love. The ‘Immortal Dragon’ was a yakuza great, but he has left it behind to become a househusband. The drawings are well-constructed with cool background details that add a whole new layer of amusement. This cosy yakuza comedy is fresh and fun to share with friends. I can’t wait for the second instalment! — Dean

Rusty Brown | Chris Ware | $52.99 | Penguin Random House I’ve been waiting 16 years for this astounding graphic novel to appear—that’s how long it’s taken Ware to create his masterpiece. It was well worth the wait! Presenting everything that is wonderful about graphic novels; the interactive nature (and Ware takes this to another level completely) and dynamic graphics, which weave a clever story that speaks worlds—literally worlds—about the experience of life. — Dean

NEW IN THE NOOK — LIMITED STOCK AVAILABLE

In the Dream House | Carmen Maria Machado | $50 | Graywolf Press In this formidable, ferocious, and groundbreaking memoir, Machado turns her extraordinary talents towards the story of her own life, and in the process begins to form an archive where, shamefully, there is none. Writing with nuance, bravery, rigour, and determination about abuse in queer relationships and the cultural assumptions which keep the voices of victims unheard and delegitimised, Machado has crafted a modern masterpiece that carves out a space for the stories that so desperately need telling within our communities. — Zak

Little Weirds | Jenny Slate | $32.99 | Hachette When I first learned that comedian/actor Jenny Slate was publishing a book, I was keen. More recently I’ve learned that it is a bonkers and impossible to categorise collection, a mystifying mish-mash of personal essays, poetry and fiction, and I am now the keenest of beans. I can’t say I would have this reaction if this was produced by anyone else’s brain, but it makes perfect sense for Slate. If you too love her nutty, tender, excitable humour, make sure you lay your hands on this gem of a book.

Disgraceland | Jake Brennan | $55.99 | Grand Central Publishing If you’re unfamiliar with Disgraceland, consider this a dual recommendation for the podcast as well as the book! In each episode Brennan tells the story of a different musician involved in a crime, either as a perpetrator or victim. The music world—its alcohol, drugs, sex, violence— is ripe to be matched with true crime. Stylistically unique, the book’s eleven stories are bookended by Elvis and each chapter directly picks up with the beginning of the next one, and it is as deeply engrossing as the podcast. — Kate

Bluets | Maggie Nelson | $38.99 | Wave Books Here I am, heaping impossible praise on an impossible book, a decade after its release. Nelson understands human frailties and limitations. Even so, she works through it, the pain of it, towards something far greater than herself, something that refuses easy definition. This is indeed a brave book, but it is also a profoundly generous one. It is, in the words of Simone Weil, a kind of light: the exquisite joy of Bluets is that it carries this light within it, illuminating everything it touches.