Tag: Colleen Doran

WWW Wednesday – March 18, 2026

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www_wednesdays

WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Right now, I’m reading Night Watch by Terry Pratchett, the 29th Discworld novel and the 6th book in the sub-series about the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. Though this book was on the to-read list for this year anyway, as I’ve been reading at least a book or two from this series for literally a decade now, I picked this book right now because I’ve felt I’m in a bit of a rut with reading lately. That may be surprising considering the volume of finished books I’m about to mention, but I just haven’t felt as enthusiastic as I’d like. I figured this book would be a fairly safe bet, and for the most part that’s proven true. I’m only about 100 pages in right now, but already it’s thrown a curve ball at me, as I was not expecting Vimes to get thrown back in time. Already seeing what the city used to be like contrasted with how he has turned the Watch into a somewhat reputable police force has been good fun.

Recently Finished

In the intervening two weeks I’ve actually read six different graphic novels, as I made an effort get through the pile I’d accrued from the library. The reason I didn’t post last week was because the first three I read were volumes six to eight of One-Punch Man by ONE and Yusuke Murata. Though I’m enjoying the series well, I really feel like I’m retreading story I already know, and I don’t have any notable commentary to give you here. After those, I read Goliath by Tom Gauld, a graphic novel adapting the story of David and Goliath from the Bible, told from the latter’s perspective. I really enjoyed the books quiet, minimalist approach to subverting the story and painting Goliath in a different light.

I also read Chivalry by Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran, another graphic novel adapting a short story of Gaiman’s. I was compelled to borrow this book because of how much I enjoyed Doran’s illustrations in Snow, Glass, Apples, another such adaptation. I didn’t like the story of this one quite as much, but she once again created absolutely beautiful illustrations, this time going more for illuminated manuscripts.  I hope there are more graphic novels like this. I also read Glass Town: The Imaginary World of the Brontës by Isabel Greenberg, a historical fiction graphic novel about the Brontë sisters (and their brother) and the semi-fantastical worlds they created together and the stories therein. It’s a fascinating thing to think about, as this really was just a bunch of siblings writing down their make-believe stories only for themselves, contrasted with the fact that three out of four of them are famous, enduring novelists today. It’s poignant in a way that I find difficult to put into more concrete words.

Reading Next

I’ve no idea what I want to read next. We’ll see where my mood takes me once I’m done with Night Watch.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

Top 5 Books I Read in 2024

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I’m getting to this a little late this year, but nevertheless it is time once again to look back on the year just finished and determine which books were my top five favourite. As usual, this isn’t listing books that came out last year, just the five books I read last year that I enjoyed the most, in no particular order.

I think this may be the most difficult time I’ve had making this list; I enjoyed most everything I read last year, but a good number of them don’t really feel worthy of this distinction to me. It seems I had a similar problem last year, but I feel more pointedly dispassionate this time. At any rate, let’s see what made the cut.Read More »

WWW Wednesday – November 20, 2024

RyanLeave a comment
www_wednesdays

WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Godzilla and Godzilla Raids AgainOn Monday, I read the lion’s share of the Godzilla novella by Shigeru Kayama from the book Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again. So, I’ve finished the first novella of the two, putting me at about the halfway point of the book. Overall, this novella follows the plot of the film quite closely, with some added flourishes that make the reading experience unique but were understandably cut from the film version, if they were ever a part of it at all. It was a fun read, but it’s also a movie novelization from the 1950s, so it’s got a fairly pulpy style, though I wonder if that was more an intentional choice on the part of the translator. Despite being fairly straightforward, I liked how much emphasis the narrative put on people’s suffering and desperation in the face of the horror Godzilla represents.

Recently Finished

Snow, Glass, ApplesOver the weekend, I read Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran, a graphic novel I came across at the library recently. I recall reading the original short story of this retelling of Snow White in one of Gaiman’s books, and I really liked the graphic novel adaptation of A Study in Emerald, so I decided this was worth a look. I expected to enjoy it, but I was very surprised by how much Doran’s illustrations elevated this text, creating a superior reading experience to the original short story. The visual style, heavily borrowing from the work of Irish artist Harry Clarke (to whom Doran expresses feeling indebted to), is absolutely stunning, presenting much of it like a visual stream of consciousness, occasionally reined in with traditional paneling when it calls for it. I wish I’d come across this book for my October reads, but its chilly atmosphere is still fitting for the season. I highly recommend checking this out, just for Doran’s art.

Reading Next

No real set plans on what I want to read next, other than a forthcoming reading of Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer to finish off the Southern Reach trilogy.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.