jonny’s staff picks!
Jonny (he/him) has been at Lost City since the summer of 2021. He’s an avid consumer of poetry, film, video games, and a lover of colorful outfits. Some of his favorite books are: Inciting Joy, The Memory Police, Calling a Wolf a Wolf, and Don’t Call Us Dead. He’s currently writing a poetry collection of his own!
THE MANY DEATHS OF LAILA STARR by Ram V
I picked up this book while organizing the comic section and knew I would need to purchase it after reading the first few pages. I was practically drooling over the artwork the entire time. A beautiful story about life, death, and how each of us finds our place in the world. I inhaled this book. Maybe you will, too.
NO MORE POLICE by Mariame Kaba & Andrea J. Ritchie
The book addresses virtually every question one may have if they are considering abolition as a world to work toward. It is the perfect blend of well-researched and extremely accessible. This book is the one. If our system of police/prisons leaves a bad taste in your mouth, please give this book a shot.
IN LIMBO by Deb JJ Lee
It is frankly outstanding, mind-blowing even, what Lee is able to do/evoke with only black and white illustration. The art is so detailed, so moving, that it’s difficult to look away, even when the story takes darker turns. A truly singular graphic memoir that everyone should have on their shelf.
JUDAS GOAT by Gabrielle Bates
With one of my favorite book covers I’ve ever seen (keep staring until you see it), this book fizzes, it pulses, it’s alive. With a penchant for the arcane, Bates writes about goats, saints, the South, and desire in a way that will leave you buzzing. I recommend page(s) 31, 49, and/or 64.
THE WORLD KEEPS ENDING AND THE WORLD GOES ON by Franny Choi
With language so sharp and fluid, Franny Choi reminds us that doomsdays are always happening everywhere, but there is still a thread of hope that can’t be severed. This is a book about how we survive, and how we survive best when we help each other. I recommend page(s) 1, 17, and/or 115.
THINGS THAT ARE + THE EVERYBODY ENSEMBLE by Amy Leach
Who says nonfiction needs to be factual? The marvel of a writer like Leach is that she is not so concerned with truth, in a rigid sense, and as a result these essays are so playful, almost dizzying. She fibs, embellishes, anthropomorphizes, invents, includes a glossary for all her made-up words, and still succeeds in revealing something true about the world.
*These books are not sequels! just similar style :)