Sing No Evil

Sing No Evil
Author: JP Ahonen
Publisher: Abrams
Total Pages: 203
Release: 2014-09-30
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN: 1613127049

Twenty-something guitarist Aksel stutters when he sings, and the latest reviews say he has the voice of a crow with throat plague. That’s not a compliment, even for the avant-garde music his band Perkeros plays. Aksel is having a hard time keeping the band together, stopping his girlfriend from kicking him out, and not getting eaten by his drummer (who happens to be a cranky brown bear). There are also the rival bands that Perkeros find themselves in battle with to save the city from supernatural forces set loose by ancient music. The key to it all could be in the music Aksel hears in his dreams—if it doesn’t drive him mad first. With a visual soundtrack that blasts off the page, Sing No Evil is a wild ride through otherworldly dangers and the power of pure rock’n’roll.

Finnish Nightmares

Finnish Nightmares
Author: Karoliina Korhonen
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Total Pages: 97
Release: 2019-08-20
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN: 1984857053

From awkward interactions on public transportation to avoiding small talk with salespeople, introverts from all over the world will find something to love in this comic sensation from Finland. Mild-mannered protagonist Matti is a typical Finn who appreciates peace, quiet, and personal space--but things do not always go according to his wishes. Finnish Nightmares is an illustrated collection of his and many people's worst fears when it comes to social interactions. Divided into sections on dealing with neighbors, going shopping, sharing public spaces, tense dining situations, and more, there is a comic for every squeamish scenario, from having to sing your own praises in a job interview, to being unable to leave your apartment because a neighbor is in the hallway. A fascinating look at Nordic culture, globe trotters and armchair travelers alike will enjoy this insider's glimpse into the local life and habits of Finland. With a charming and quirky universality, there is an awkward and laughable situation that everyone can relate to in Finnish Nightmares.

Aya: Love in Yop City

Aya: Love in Yop City
Author: Marguerite Abouet
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2021-06-10
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN: 1770465596

Aya: Love in Yop City comprises the final three chapters of the Aya story, episodes never before seen in English. Aya is a lighthearted account of life in the Ivory Coast during the 1970s, a particularly thriving and wealthy time in the country's history. While the stories found in Aya: Love in Yop City maintain their familiar tone, quick pace, and joyfulness, we see Aya and her friends beginning to make serious decisions about their future. When a professor tries to take advantage of Aya, her plans to become a doctor are seriously shaken, and she vows to take revenge on the lecherous man. With a little help from the tight-knit community of Yopougon, Aya comes through these trials stronger than ever. This second volume of the complete Aya includes unique appendices, recipes, guides to understanding Ivorian slang, street sketches, and concluding remarks from Marguerite Abouet explaining history and social milieu. Inspired by Abouet's childhood, the series has received praise for offering relief from the disaster-struck focus of most stories set in Africa. Aya is the winner of the Best First Album award at the Angouleme International Comics Festival; was nominated for the YALSA's Great Graphic Novels list; and was included on "best of" lists from The Washington Post, Booklist, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal. Aya: Love in Yop City has been translated from the French by Helge Dascher. Dascher has been translating graphic novels from French and German to English for over twenty years. A contributor to Drawn & Quarterly since the early days, her translations include acclaimed titles such as Hostage by Guy Delisle and Beautiful Darkness by Fabien Vehlmann and Kerascoët. With a background in art history and history, she also translates books and exhibitions for museums in North America and Europe. She lives in Montreal.

Helsinki

Helsinki
Author: Hildi Hawkins
Publisher:
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2000
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN:

Helsinki is both small and large, young and old. Although founded as long ago as 1550, it did not begin its urban development until the 18th century, and burst into life as a city only after it was proclaimed capital of Finland in 1912. Helsinki: A Literary Companion charts the history and life of the world's most northerly metropolis -- a vibrant maritime city whose story, like its architecture, has always been far grander than its size suggests. The writings selected for this book range from the beginning of the 19th century to the present day. Richly illustrated with archive material from Helsinki City Museum, Helsinki: A Literary Companion is the first anthology of Helsinki literature to be published in English. It includes fiction, memoirs, poetry, letters and travel writing -- translated from Finnish, Swedish, German, French and Russian, and original texts in English.

When the Doves Disappeared

When the Doves Disappeared
Author: Sofi Oksanen
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 335
Release: 2015-02-10
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 038535018X

From the acclaimed author of Purge (“a stirring and humane work of art” —The New Republic) comes a riveting, chillingly relevant new novel of occupation, resistance, and collaboration in Eastern Europe. 1941: In Communist-ruled, war-ravaged Estonia, two men are fleeing from the Red Army—Roland, a fiercely principled freedom fighter, and his slippery cousin Edgar. When the Germans arrive, Roland goes into hiding; Edgar abandons his unhappy wife, Juudit, and takes on a new identity as a loyal supporter of the Nazi regime . . . 1963: Estonia is again under Communist control, independence even further out of reach behind the Iron Curtain. Edgar is now a Soviet apparatchik, desperate to hide the secrets of his past life and stay close to those in power. But his fate remains entangled with Roland’s, and with Juudit, who may hold the key to uncovering the truth . . . Great acts of deception and heroism collide in this masterful story of surveillance, passion, and betrayal, as Sofi Oksanen brings to life the frailty—and the resilience—of humanity under the shadow of tyranny. This eBook edition includes a Reading Group Guide.

True

True
Author: Riikka Pulkkinen
Publisher: Scribe Publications
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2012-03-21
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1921942525

It’s the start of a luminous Scandinavian summer, and Elsa, the matriarch of an eminent Helsinki family, is dying. Her family members gather around to support her, but their hidden struggles come, too. There’s Elsa’s granddaughter Anna, lost in her own world and concealing an unhappy affair that will not heal; Martti, Elsa’s loving husband, whose dreams are haunted by the spectre of another woman; and Elsa’s adult daughter Eleonoora, anxiously trying to deal with her mother’s illness. As Elsa’s existence becomes more fragile, the anchors of Eleonoora’s childhood memories begin to slip away, and the foundations upon which the family has built its life for forty years start to shift. One afternoon, Anna discovers a secret that goes to the very heart of her family — a secret that takes her back to the restlessness and change of the 1960s, a Europe in the throes of a social revolution, and a stranger named Eeva who entered her family’s lives, changing them forever. As Eeva’s story unfolds, Anna discovers a young woman who mirrors herself in many ways, and whose life illustrates both the danger of giving oneself up too completely to love and the necessity of doing so in order to truly live. Enthralling and beautifully drawn, True charts the experiences of three generations as they try to come to terms with a memory long repressed, and explores the mercy and tenderness that can come from a lie. Ultimately it asks: when we can never really know the people we love, how do we try to be true?

Loopyworld

Loopyworld
Author: Steve Newhouse
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2016-07-01
Genre:
ISBN: 9781532311796

Batman: Harley Quinn

Batman: Harley Quinn
Author: Paul Dini
Publisher: DC Comics
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2015-07-21
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN: 1401260306

Head over heels in her devotion to the Joker, Arkham psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel gave up her career (and her sanity) to transform herself into the ultimate companion for crime’s clown prince - the mad moll Harley Quinn. Of course, Harley’s romance with the Joker hasn’t been easy. The two are at each other throats as often as in each other’s arms, and that buzzkill Batman is always sticking his nose in just when things are starting to get fun. But what great love story is without the occasional incarceration and life-threatening peril? The Joker’s main squeeze takes center stage in these stories from top creators Paul Dini, Yvel Guichet, Don Dramer, Joe Quinones, Neil Googe and more! Collects stories from: BATMAN: HARLEY QUINN #1, BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #14, #30, DETECTIVE COMICS #831, #837, JOKER’S ASYLUM II: HARLEY QUINN #1, BATMAN: BLACK AND WHITE #1, #3, LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT 100-PAGE SUPER SPECTACULAR #1 and DETECTIVE COMICS #23.2.