LLA Reads: Beyond the Text

At Louisville Literary Arts, we all love to read. But our interests in literature are as varied as hats on Derby Day. Some of us gravitate toward poetry, while others prefer an epic novel. A few of us love reading creative nonfiction. In this space, we recommend recent books we've read, and hope that you'll find something just right for your reading list.

Alice recommends: SAGA by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image Comics, 2015)

Genre: Graphic Novel

"When a fellow literary agent/bookstore owner recommended this, I was intrigued. Not normally a reader of comic books or graphic novels, I reluctantly plunged into the opening birth scene of a child borne of two parents who just happen to be of opposing, war-torn races, and found I couldn’t put it down. A contemporary and fantastic journey follows, as the young girl narrates the tale of her infant life, a time when her parents are still testing their love for each other and the world is tracking them down (literally, hired assassins are on their trail) to kill them and therefore destroy the very existence of that love. Saga reads like a movie, with its vivid and explosive illustrations, and explores racial prejudice and the inertia of war through a humorous Romeo-and-Juliette-esque script."

Amy recommends: THE UNWRITTEN by Mike Carey and Peter Gross (Vertigo, 2010)

Genre: Graphic Novel Series

"In The Unwritten series, Tom Taylor is the son of Wilson Taylor, a man who wrote a successful book saga about a boy-wizard named Tommy Taylor and his two best friends (yes, there are definitely sly allusions to the Harry Potter book series). The adult Taylor realizes that his father deliberately created a link between the Tommy Taylor of the books and himself, and that Wilson used to be part of a cabal that uses literary works to influence history. Gradually, Tom finds out more about the cabal, and about the powers that he can wield as Tommy Taylor. Weaving in elements of Shelley’s Frankenstein, Kipling, Melville’s Moby Dick, Jud Suss, and Dickens’ Our Mutual Friend, Mike Carey and Peter Gross have created an amazingly complex and imaginative graphic novel series with The Unwritten. This series is a testament to the power of story, both how a story can influence the human mind, and what that story can manifest in the material world."

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If you would like us to consider recommending your book, please contact LLA Reads editor Alice, who will let you know how to get your book to our readers.