It’s time for a list of Graphics-a-thon recommendations!
Since there are so many great prompts for the readathon, the other hosts and I have each decided to put together lists of recommendations! We have an entire document you can look through here, but before we get to that, I wanted to tell youย my top 5 recommendations for each prompt!
(And don’t forget to go peek at Ellyn’s and Rebecca’s recs, too!)
๐ PROMPTS ๐
We came up with a few really exciting prompts โ of course, these are optional, but we hope youโll use them when picking your reads!
ย a book with BIPOC rep
ย a book with disabilityย and/orย mental health rep
ย a book with queer rep
ย a spooky read
ย a 5-star prediction
We also came up withย 3 bonus promptsย for the folks whoย reallyย want to challenge themselves:
ย a book that has (or will have) an adaptation
ย a book withย pinkย on the cover
ย a genre or story you wouldnโt usually reach for
๐ recommendation: BIPOC rep ๐
๐ย Farmhand โ A sometimes spooky, often funny series with own-voices Black rep
๐ Omni โ A sci-fi superhero comic with a brilliant Black lead & many side characters of color
๐ Stargazing โ An adorable MG contemporary book with Chinese-American characters
๐ The Way of the Househusband โ A positively hilarious contemporary manga series w/ a Japanese yakuza boss-turned-househusband
๐ Infidel โ A very dark horror story featuring a Muslim woman of color as the main character
๐ recommendation: disability/MI rep ๐
๐คย Tea Dragon โ This entire gorgeous MG fantasy series features a prominent side character who uses a wheelchair, the only time I’ve seen wheelchair rep in a graphic novel! It also features loads of BIPOC + queer rep!
๐คย Giant Days โ This NA contemporary series is an all-time fave and features a good bit of BIPOC + queer rep, but it also features some of the most relatable anxiety rep I’ve ever seen
๐คย Speak: The Graphic Novel โ If you’ve never read the novel (or if you have and enjoyed it), this is a great adaptation of this classic YA contemporary story of surviving assault, and features a painfully real look at assault-induced PTSD
๐คย Mooncakesย โ This adorable YA paranormal fantasy story not only features Chinese-American characters + a nonbinary love interest, but the main character is hard of hearing!
๐คย Harleen โ This Harley Quinn origin story was a tough one to decide if I wanted to recommend because the MH rep won’t work forย everyone, but as someone who has been through very toxic/manipulative relationships, I genuinely enjoyed its portrayal of how the Joker’s influence begins to warp Harleen’s entire worldview and found it far more relatable than I could have expected!
๐ recommendation: queer rep ๐
๐ย My Brother’s Husband โ This adult contemporary manga duology is a hard read at times because it tackles homophobia head-on, but it features the sweetest characters and most beautiful character development!
๐ย Bloom โ An absolutely precious YA contemporary romance story featuring a gay Greek boy and a gay Samoan boy!
๐ย Check, Please! โ Not only is this one of the cutest graphic novels of all time, it features a syrupy sweet slow-burn gay hockey romance!
๐ย Fruits Basket โ This manga series is a classic for a reason! It’s hilarious, sweet, emotional, and was the first media I personally ever experienced with totally casual queer rep ๐ฅบ
๐ย Dream Daddy โ If you like the game, youย have to read this queer AF graphic novel! (also featuring BIPOC rep)
๐ recommendation: spooky reads ๐
๐ปย The Low, Low Woods โ A dark fantasy/horror story featuring queer + BIPOC + fat rep, this one devastated me in the best way
๐ปย Something is Killing the Children โ A monster-hunting horror tale featuring some seriously badass characters
๐ปย Behind You: One-Shot Horror Storiesย โ A super quick read with gorgeous illustrations that had me peeking over my shoulder all night!
๐ปย Wytches โ A unique take on witches with an eerie atmosphere and “sound effects” that haunt me to this day
๐ปย Uzumaki โ If you haven’t read Junji Ito’s bizarro horror manga extraordinaire, you haven’t lived!
๐ recommendation: 5-star predictions ๐
Obviously, you have to go with your own 5-star predictions, but I did think it was worth showcasing a few options that have 4-star or higher average ratings on Goodreads (and that I think a lot of people will love)!
๐ The Mortal Instruments, Vol. 1 โ 4.06 avg
๐ย Saga, Vol. 1 โ 4.19 avg
๐ย The Walking Dead, Vol. 1 โ 4.27 avg
๐ Locke & Key, Vol. 1 โ 4.15 avg
๐ Orange: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1ย โ 4.42 avg
๐ recommendation: books with adaptations ๐
For this one, you could go with so many comics or manga!
๐ฌ Locke & Key โ adult horror, live-action television show
๐ฌ The Walking Dead โ adult horror, live-action television show
๐ฌ Sailor Moon โ YA fantasy romance, anime
๐ฌ Fruits Basket โ YA fantasy romance, anime series (2 versions)
๐ฌ Doom Patrol โ adult fantasy, live-action television show
๐ recommendation: pink covers ๐
๐บย Unnatural, Vol. 1 โ adult fantasy (and I do meanย adultย at times) about a world full of anthropomorphic animals
๐บ Camp Spirit โ YA fantasy/mystery/romance with cute queer girls!
๐บ Aquicorn Cove โ A precious MG fantasy about an underwater palace
๐บ In Real Life โ YA contemporary about a gamer girl and her MMORPG adventures
๐บย Stage Dreams โ YA historical fiction about a Latinx woman and her trans captive/friend/love interest on the run
๐ recommendation: outside of your norm ๐
Obviously, nobody knows what your “norm” is but you, but I do constantly hear people tell me they don’t read muchย nonfiction in graphic novels and manga, so if that describes you, too, here are 5 nonfiction titles I recommend!
๐ They Called Us Enemy โ George Takei’s memoir about growing up in internment camps
๐ Rendez-vous in Phoenix โ A nonfiction memoir about the experience of immigrating from Mexico to the US
๐ย Strange Fruit โ A series of graphic novels covering under-discussed moments in Black history
๐ย Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: Donner Dinner Partyย โ A surprisingly humorous MG graphic novel detailing the events of the Donner Party expedition
๐ How I Broke Up With My Colon โ A really cute comic collection of bizarre-but-true medical stories
And that’s it for today’s big readathon recommendations post! I hope you’ll check out the big document HERE for more recommendations and resources, and that you’ll join us for a week of fun, laid-back reads in October! โฅ
โ destiny โฅ
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7 Comments
I loved reading your post and I’m even more glad now that I have some of these on my tbr for the readathon!
This is exactly what I needed! I’ve been looking for more graphic novel recommendations! ๐ And you have so many listed that I’ve already read, that I fell in love with, too! ๐ Forever love Dream Daddy! *sings theme song*
I want to read the Tea Dragon Society so so badly, it looks absolutely adorable! Good luck with your readathon TBR!
So many great ones on here! I really need to check some of the others out!
(www.evelynreads.com)
Great recommendation post! I also love Mooncakes and the Tea Dragon series, both have something so wholesome and comforting about them ๐ฅฐ I’ve been thinking about reading Locke & Key after watching the show on Netflix, but I’m not sure if the art style is for me ๐
[…] Spooky Fall TBR (+ a summer TBR update!) &ย Graphics-a-thon RECOMMENDATIONS! (Destiny @ […]
[…] you need recs, you can check the Google Doc, my post, Ellyn or Destiny’s. With that being said, I don’t want to talk too much. This round starts on October 11th […]