6 Nonfiction Walt Disney Books About The Man And Company

Looking to learn more about Walt Disney, the man and the company he created? This list of nonfiction Walt Disney books is a good starting point. But first…

How Much Disney is Too Much?

The juggernaut of Disney hit hard with the Disney+ subscription streaming service. Though nothing seemed to catch the same cultural fire as Baby Yoda, I found myself returning to the Disney cartoons and shows I had loved so much as a kid. They were easy, digestible, and fun for my parents to at least listen to while I sat down and watched a Disney VHS over the weekend.

The cartoons I consumed were Renaissance Disney, the revival of the animation studio in the 1990s. The Walt Disney Company went through many iterations, from bankruptcy to parks around the world, and more recently to giant acquisitions of beloved stories. It’s a little strange to realize that Disney has 12 parks, 201,000 employees, and with the recent 21^st Century Fox merger, the mass media company dominates most of the films that are sent out to theaters.

The more Disney acquires, the more important it is to understand how the Titan functions and how it affects the people involved. The list that follows is a very small selection of books that are critical of the company—it is honestly pretty difficult to dig through and find work the delves deep into Disney’s cultural impact from a diverse perspective. This is a small start, and I hope that there will be much more well-researched nonfiction about the far-reaching effects of Disney and its cultural products.

Critical Nonfiction Walt Disney Books

Disney War by James B. Stewart

I originally discovered this book through the many Disney video essays of Lindsay Ellis. The Disney movies of my youth were much more contentious than I would have known or cared about at the time. The documentation of Michael Eisner’s revitalization of the studio includes both the good and the bad, and ends in a more negative spot (mostly because Eisner feuded angrily and often with his competitors). As a writer, Stewart focuses on the interpersonal, the power-grabbing, and the business intrigue—this followed the trend of his other books on large business destruction.

Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard, translated by Sheila Faria Glaser

This book by the French philosopher Jean Baudrillard might not sound related to anything Disney if you just look at the backmatter, which states this book is a theory of contemporary culture with a different understanding of historical materialism. A portion of the book is devoted to Baudrillard’s digestion of Disneyland as a postmodern experience. He calls it hyperreality, and describes that as an inability to distinguish reality from a simulation of reality. Hyperreality also falls into the field of semiotics—the hyperreal space of Disneyland (to Baudrillard) was a representation (or sign) without a referent. The language he uses is specific to the field and a little over-written in that academic way, but I find this book especially useful to understanding the postmodern situation that we are placed in with the constant churning of culture. His view on hyperreality and especially Disneyland is extremely bleak, and more specific to the 1980s. However, this text is still helpful and interesting for anyone who wants to dive into philosophical interpretations of Disney.

The Mouse That Roared: Disney and the End of Innocence by Henry A. Giroux and Grace Pollock

In a stunning takedown of the cultural exports of Disney, this book pushes forward the dominance of Disney’s media and products that shape so much of our lives. Giroux and Pollock find it particularly insidious that Disney pushes its marketing to children, encouraging them to construct their identities around the company and its many individualistic offerings. This is also connected to the Disney company’s religious devotion to a singular ideal of free-market capitalism. An essay was added to the second edition about Disney’s intertwining with militarization, even in the contemporary moment.

Walt Disney Books: Insider Accounts and Guides

Disney Villains: Delightfully Evil: The Creation, The Inspiration, The Fascination by Jen Darcy

This book more serves as a functional advertisement for Disney villains, but it’s a fun tour through the beloved characters nonetheless. The book flows through the development of the villains and how they became integral to the stories and pop culture understanding of Disney films. The concept art and archival notes are also deeply enjoyable. Because of Disney’s ownership of Pixar, those hilarious turnabouts are included in this book as well. I hope this book can inspire some interest in why Disney villains are so attractive to us, and what it means for many of these villains to be aggressively queer-coded.

Ink & Paint: The Women of Walt Disney’s Animation by Mindy Johnson

Animation is a field that’s historically had some issues with misogyny and a lack of diversity on creative teams. Mindy Johnson steps in the rectify the forgotten history of women working in early, important animated films, specifically at the Disney studio. Women were making their way into the studio early on, but they were able to get a stronger foothold in animation when WWII opened up some jobs. However, women were important and constant innovators within the Disney animation studios and rarely get the same credit as a Michael Eisner or a Jeffrey Katzenberg. This book also includes early unseen drawings and photos of women at work. Since this book was published by Disney Editions, it probably presents a slightly rosier vision of women making their way through the company than was the “real” experience. However, the recent movement of women in animation will hopefully lead to a larger movement towards more equitable creative teams in our animated films.

It’s Kind Of A Cute Story by Rolly Crump, Jeff Heimbuch

This book is a sweet, zealous retelling of the careers of one of the original creators of the Disney parks attractions. Rolly Crump had a hand in building some of the earliest bits and pieces of the park and Epcot, and tells the stories like a happy friend in your living room. It’s a sweet memoir, well-publicized and sanctioned by former Disney employees (with a blurb by the Dave Smith, Chief Archivist Emeritus of the Walt Disney Archives, on the back). It’s useful to read work about the company and understand what they want you to think and feel about the company and the work they do.

How Big Can It Be?

This list of Walt Disney books is completely white and mostly male. It’s disappointing how stratified and singular the writing is about Disney. The overwhelming whiteness of the genre is an after-effect of the overwhelming whiteness of Disney itself. The gestures towards recognition of humans who are not straight or white is a more recent phenomenon, especially with regard to the creative teams and leadership at Disney.

These Walt Disney books present a range of understanding of the Disney company, from positive to negative, from critical to laudatory. Putting together the pieces of how this megacorporation came together requires a wide range of stories, told by various stakeholders in and outside of the company.

Like a certain accountant from The Good Place said of a specific human’s file: “Walt Disney’s got some freaky stuff in his.” Disney’s history is full of blatant racism, misogyny, and labor violations. These are just the examples outside of the movies—animated and live action movies alike are filled with sexist and racist tropes that we’re essentially force-fed as children. The Disney ethos tells us that we should feel we’re happiest when we’re at Disneyland, that we find ourselves and our identities through the individual narratives of Disney movies. These stories take familiar mythology and filter it through the pop culture trends of the time. Each Disney movie presents and argument for us to use it to understand ourselves, our friends, and our relationships.

If the ever-growing Disney ethos continues to gobble up every important culturally historic object, we need to understand how and why Disney will try to force individualistic and identitarian narratives on us through their media and products. Positive feelings of self-identity might push us away from questioning how and why Disney can get bigger and bigger in an unchecked fashion. As the Disney brand acquires more power and control, it’s important to understand what kind of vision of ourselves we’re being sold.

What Happened When I Read More Asian American Authors in 2019

At the end of 2018, I looked back on my favorite first-time reads for the year was struck by something interesting. Four out of seven of them were written by authors of Asian descent: Elif Batuman (The Idiot), Aja Gabel (The Ensemble), Kazuo Ishiguro (Never Let Me Go), and Weike Wang (Chemistry). 

Although I’m Asian American myself, I’d never deliberately set out to read more Asian American authors—I simply read what piqued my interest. So when I realized these four books—two of which had just come out earlier in the  year—had risen organically to the top of my list, I couldn’t help but get excited. Look at all the Asian American authors out there and look at all the people who are reading them.

That’s when I also decided that I really should read more Asian American authors, especially in the genres that are closest to my heart: young adult and contemporary adult fiction. Right then, I resolved not only to read, but also to write about, listen to, think about, and even talk to more Asian American authors during 2019. 

And what a rewarding journey it’s been. Here are a few things I’ve learned about myself, the authors, and the industry.

Electrifying Moments of Recognition

I’ve always loved fiction because recognizing myself in well-drawn characters makes me feel less alone. Because so many of these Asian American authors’ stories include characters who are similar to the authors themselves, I found myself identifying with even more of their experiences. Even the most ordinary details were thrilling to read—like the distinctive experience of tasting mooi, a Chinese preserved salted plum that Stacey Lee writes about in Outrun the Moon: “The mooi sets off all the water sprinklers in my mouth, sour and salty all at once.”

Then there were the stories that addressed some of the emotional complexities that come with the feeling of cultural otherness. YA authors David Yoon (Frankly in Love) and Misa Sugiura (It’s Not Like It’s a Secret, This Time It Will Be Different) capture the sensation of being an Asian American teen and wishing for a “normal” life, then feeling guilty for feeling that way. Both authors also tackle a theme all too familiar to many Asian American teens: feeling caught between the unfair racial stereotypes held by their classmates toward them and the unfair racial stereotypes their Asian immigrant parents hold toward their classmates.

The most intriguing Asian American experience I’ve come across in these stories is something that I sense, even if it isn’t always expressed overtly in the story. Sugiura articulated it perfectly in my communications with her for a Book Riot piece I wrote in May 2019: “a lot of East Asian teens feel more closely connected to their white counterparts than their Latinx, Black, and Native classmates.” Her words made me jump out of my seat. She totally gets it. 

Author Celeste Ng said something similar when I saw her at her Little Fires Everywhere book signing in Dallas. Ng told us she wanted to explore how Asian Americans fit into racial politics. She was inspired, she said, by feeling “almost White” when she was growing up. Again, I was electrified: “I’m not the only one. This is why I need to read more Asian American authors.”

Expanding My Understanding of Asian American Authors

It’s easy for some of us East Asian Americans to get so caught up in our own voices that we forget to read the stories of other groups of Asian Americans. When I wrote about winners of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, I was thrilled for the opportunity to read stories by Adib Khorram (Darius the Great Is Not Okay), S.K. Ali (Saints and Misfits), and Marina Budhos (Watched). 

At times, I was reminded of the shared experiences between all Asian Pacific American groups. When Khorram’s character, Darius, travels to Iran, his country of origin, and feels like a tourist, everything about it resonated with me. Other times, my eyes were opened to stark differences between cultures. Naeem, the Bangledeshi American teen in Budhos’s novel, lives with a sense of being watched in a way that I never have. His story sharpened my compassion for and understanding of people who aren’t like me—yet another powerful reward that comes from reading fiction.

Inspiration For My Writing

The more Asian American authors I read, the more inspired I am to write about their books. This year at Book Riot, I’ve been able to introduce their voices to readers by covering winners of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, introducing upcoming titles I discovered at Book Expo, and directing people to short stories written by Asian American YA authors for New York Times.

In my own fiction writing, I’ve found myself more aware about how my cultural heritage both should and shouldn’t inform my own characters. I’ve been asking myself questions such as: Is this the right character or story to introduce such an important theme? Does it feel forced? Does it ring true? 

All of us Asian American writers have varying perspectives to bring to the table—and I’m excited to figure out what mine is in both the editorial and fiction spaces.

Optimism in the Industry

One of the things that stayed with me after hearing Celeste Ng at her book signing was her optimism for the future of the publishing industry. Not only does she see an increasing number of readers realizing the importance of diverse stories and writers, but she also feels hopeful about Asian American authors not being held to expectations to write in a certain way. She’s been pleased, she told us, with the industry’s willingness to recognize more themes than race in her stories.

I also felt hopeful when attending Book Expo this year. I was excited to see so many authors of color promoted, and I also attended a handful of encouraging sessions that addressed diversity in the industry. In one panel discussion, Da Chen, whose most recent book is Girl Under a Red Moon: Growing Up During China’s Cultural Revolution, said he used to resent being “the Chinese writer,” but as he’s gotten older, has begun to realize the world needs just that. Mindy Gibbins-Klein from Panoma Press gave a presentation about the importance of inclusive publishing, which she says gives authors voice and readers the opportunity to broaden their horizons.

Why I Think You Should Read More Asian American Authors

Whether or not you’re Asian American yourself, I invite you to keep reading the things you already love, but also to pick up a book by an Asian Pacific American author—especially if includes characters of color. Whatever your genre of choice, from memoir to comic to lit fic, you’ll find something penned by an Asian American. You may learn something surprising—or you may just be struck by how universal experiences really are across cultures.

Most Anticipated LGBTQ Books of 2020

Looking to make your 2020 reading list more colorful? Look no further than this list of Rioters’ most anticipated LGBTQ books of 2020. From nonfiction to fantasy, BDSM dystopias to star-crossed prom queens, you’ll find a great sampling of queer books here. The New Year is looking brighter and more full of rainbows already!

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey (February 4, Tor.com Publishing)

I’ve been obsessed with Sarah Gailey’s writing ever since I first read their incredible American Hippo duology, and everything about this book from the premise—a dystopian future southwest with librarian spies, bandits, and queers fighting back against fascists—to the cover has me convinced it’s going to be one of my favorites of 2020. 

—Rachel Brittain

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (May 12, Flatiron Books)

As soon as I saw that the author of Girls Made of Snow and Glass had a new book coming out, I knew I had to get my hands on it. And this fairytale inspired by Persian folklore and various fairytales did not disappoint. Princess and monster theme, all jumbled up? Check. Girl power? Check. Complicated family dynamics? Check. Girl falling for a magical being? Check and check. It’s one of those books you can hardly put down and definitely don’t forget.

—Rachel Brittain

Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby (March 31, Vintage)

Samantha Irby is one of my favorite writers of all time. Her essay collections always make me laugh until I cry, and some of the more emotional moments make me cry until I laugh. In her last collection, she included some of the most hilarious and heartwarming stories about meeting her wife. I’m beyond excited to read her newest book and hear more about their marriage. I’m sure all of my friends are excited too, because I will finally stop begging them to read Meaty and We Are Never Meeting in Real Life and start recommending something new. But really, joke’s on them. Now I’ll constantly pester them about all three.
—Susie Dumond

Check Please! Volume Two: Sticks and Scones by Ngozi Ukazu (April 7, First Second)

I don’t think I’ve been more excited for a sequel before than I am for the second volume of Check Please! If you love wholesome relationships (both platonic and romantic), sports dramas, and pie-baking protagonists, I highly recommend you look into this one. The first volume followed hockey player Eric “Bitty” Bittle during his freshman and sophomore years. Sticks and Scones will go through his final two years of college as he navigates his relationship with the captain of the hockey team and makes the most of his remaining seasons.
—Andy Winder

The Prettiest Star by Carter Sickels (April 14, Hub City Press)

Being from Appalachian Ohio, I rarely see novels set in my home region, but Carter Sickels, the author of The Evening Hour and the recipient of the 2013 Lambda Literary Emerging Writers Award, set his next novel, The Prettiest Star, a couple counties from where I grew up! Beginning in the spring of 1986, The Prettiest Star follows 24-year-old Brian, a young gay man living with AIDS. After losing his boyfriend and countless friends to the disease, Brian returns to his childhood home to say goodbye to his family. Intricately crafted and beautifully written, The Prettiest Star is a must for your 2020 TBR.
—Kendra Winchester

Storytelling in Queer Applachia: Imagining and Writing the Unskeakable Other  edited by Hillery Glasby, Sherrie Gradin, and Rachael Ryerson (July 1, West Virginia University Press)

I’m here for all things queer and Appalachian, so when West Virginia University Press announced that they are publishing a collection of essays focusing on the intersection of LGBTQ+ and Appalachian studies, it immediately jumped to the top of my 2020 watchlist. Like it says in the publisher’s blurb, Storytelling in Queer Appalachia: Imagining and Writing the Unspeakable Other “explores sexual identities in rural places, community and individual meaning-making among the Appalachian diaspora, the storytelling infrastructure of queer Appalachia, and the role of the metronormative in discourses of difference.” The only bad thing about this book is having to wait until July! If you’re looking for another collection to tide you over until then, you can check out West Virginia University Press’s anthology LGBTQ Fiction and Poetry from Appalachia edited by Jeff Mann and Julia Watts.
—Kendra Winchester

Docile by K.M. Szpara (March 3, Tor.com Publishing)

In this capitalist dystopia, Elisha signs on to be a Docile, a servant to the upper class, in order to save his family from debtor’s prison. He ends up in contract with Alex, the heir to the empire of Dociline—a drug that makes people servile. Szpara shows us BDSM as it is when twisted into an abusive relationship—and then he fixes it, showing us what real BDSM can look like in an equal and consensual dynamic. Szpara takes the system of capitalism and drives his point home: when you have no opportunities, when the system is built against you, there is no real free will. Alex and Elisha have a fascinating dynamic and both have incredible development arcs. Szpara leaves no rock unturned in his queer critique of capitalism, and after 480 pages, I still wanted more.
—Leah Rachel von Essen

Real Life by Brandon Taylor (February 18, Riverhead Books)

I’ll admit that I started following Brandon Taylor on Twitter almost purely for his entertaining streams of commentary on two of my favorite subjects: Patricia Highsmith’s Carol and queer French cinema. Eventually, I started keeping up with his writing at Lit Hub and his fiction (I highly recommend “Anne of Cleves,” which was published in Guernica), and at this point, I would read pretty much anything he wrote. I’m intrigued by Real Life being a campus novel that focuses on the interpersonal forces surrounding race, trauma, and queerness, and can’t wait to pick it up come February.
—Elisabeth Cook

You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson (June 2, Scholastic Press)

I have never been as excited to read a debut as I am for You Should See Me In a Crown. It’s a queer romcom featuring a black protagonist—unfortunately rare to find! Liz Lightly is determined to get out of her town and into an elite university to become a doctor. But when her financial aid falls through she decides to run for prom queen, as her school offers a scholarship for prom king and queen. It’s the last thing she wants to do, and the only thing helping her through the competition is the new girl in school, Mack. Problem is, Mack is also running for prom queen.
—Adiba Jaigirdar

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Not enough great new books for you? Check out our most anticipated LGBTQ books from 2019, LGBTQ books to pre-order during Pride, and a Pride reading list.

15 Books About Loneliness That Will Make You Feel Seen

Reading makes me feel so much less alone. Books about loneliness can help a reader be truly seen, whether it’s self-help on the topic or fiction featuring a main character that struggles with isolation or mental health challenges like depression and anxiety. Check out these 15 reads that will hopefully help you realize you’re not as alone as you think you are.

Children’s Books About Loneliness

1. Red is the Color Of… by Tiffany Haisten

This adorable audiobook is all about learning to embrace what makes you different—whether it’s your hair color or something else.

2. Rosie and Rasmus by Serena Geddes

A charming, unlikely alliance between a little girl and a big green dragon.

3. When I’m Feeling Lonely by Trace Moroney

Self-help books for kids do exist! In this installment of Moroney’s The Feelings series helps children cope with emotions surrounding loneliness and isolation.

4. Something Beautiful by Sharon Dennis Wyeth

This super cute picture book is all about finding the beauty in everyday life. It’s a deep children’s story with an important lesson at the center.

5. Bronze and Sunflower by Cao Wenxuan

Moving to a new town can certainly dredge up feelings of loneliness as you leave everything you know behind. Bronze and Sunflower, set during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, discusses the challenges of making friends in a new place under very difficult circumstances.

Nonfiction Books About Loneliness

6. The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone by Olivia Laing

Cities can be surprisingly lonely places despite the fact that they tend to be filled with millions of people. Olivia Laing’s book, which is part memoir, part sociological exploration, explores the concept of being alone in crowded places.

7. Becoming Human by Jean Vanier

This book is less explicitly about loneliness. Instead, it addresses the concept of community and learning to recognize the humanity in others who might be different from yourself in profound ways. Which, come to think of it, is kind of explicitly about loneliness, and how we can put an end to it.

8. A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit

If you’re looking for a book that shows being alone in a refreshing new light, check out essayist Rebecca Solnit’s reflections on wandering.

9. The Loneliness Cure: Six Strategies for Finding Real Connections in Your Life by Kory Floyd

Rediscovering and redefining loneliness is all well and good, but what if you want to eradicate it from your life entirely? While I’d argue that’s probably not completely possible (we’re all going to feel alone sometimes), Kory Floyd offers six techniques for forming and improving interpersonal connections.

10. What a Time to be Alone: The Slumflower’s Guide to Why You are Already Enough by Chidera Eggerue

Online influencer, artist, and writer Chidera Eggerue shares the important lessons she’s learned about loneliness and being alone, and why it’s not always a bad thing.

Fiction Books About Loneliness

11. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Eleanor Oliphant is one of the most original protagonists in modern fiction. She’s socially awkward to an intense degree and struggles with interacting with others. Gail Honeyman’s debut is also a deeply heartwarming story about overcoming trauma and learning to let people in.

12. My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

While the loneliness in Rest and Relaxation is largely self-enforced, Ottessa Moshfegh completely nails the feelings of isolation that often plague those with depression.

13. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Plath’s masterwork is one of the most famous pieces of fiction about mental health, and for very good reason. It’s absolutely brilliant.

14. Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld

This is one of my favorite books of all time, not least of which because Sittenfeld perfectly captures the profound loneliness that many experience in high school.

15. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

Murakami’s 1984 retelling of sorts (I cannot stress “of sorts” enough) has two very lonely people at its core—hired assassin Aomame and writer Tengo, whose stories overlap in increasingly bizarre and interesting ways.

Read Comics, Do Stuff: 5 Instructional How-To Comics

Sometimes I read for fun. Sometimes I read to my kids. I’ve read because it was required, with the purpose of memorizing facts, and with the intention of learning a new skill. I used to be able to read instructions and then perform the task as described. Eleven or so years ago, however, I suffered a concussion, and the resulting deficits have change the way in which I become proficient in new tasks; these days, before I can do it, I need to see it. Sometimes, I can watch a demo or video. When I can’t? What do you know, lots of books have pictures in them. Especially graphic novels and manga. These are the best how-to comics.

The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up: A Magical Story by Marie Kondō and Yuko Uramoto (Ten Speed Press)

People, Marie Kondo doesn’t want to throw all of your stuff away. She is not going to come into your home in the middle of the night and consign your favorite geeky T-shirt to oblivion. She’s simply recommending that you evaluate all of your crap and decide whether or not you care about it. I, for instance, went through my closet after reading The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up and pulled out half of my clothes to donate; gifts I didn’t actually care for, stuff that is never going to fit again after two kids and four decades, shirts I hadn’t worn in two years or more…Why keep any of it when someone else may need it or love it? Why have it hanging in a closet that is literally bursting when I’m never going to put it on again?

Did I save some stuff? Of course I did: a T-shirt my friends and I had made in college when we were the “duct taped” together band for the Women’s NCAA tournament. My wedding dress. Those things still spark joy. I smile when I hold them. I remember special days and some of the best times of my life. But that Oilers T-shirt someone brought back from Canada for me? I hate orange, I’m not an Oilers fan, and in the three years I’ve owned it, I had never put it on.

The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up is written as a fictional story in which Kondo takes our intrepid protagonist on as a client and helps her sort through her home and, by proxy, her life, so it’s fun to read and maybe eases some of the difficulty of parting with objects in a culture where we’re constantly struggling to acquire more. Give it a shot.

A Quick and Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns by Archie Bongiovanni and Tristan Jimerson (Limerence)

I’m not sure what’s going to happen to this Oni imprint now that the company has merged with Lion Forge (very, very problematically) but it would be a shame to lose Limerence. When I spoke to the Oni folks at Emerald City Comic Con a few years ago, they were really excited about this project, and I hope they find a way to keep it active.

Want to use a friend’s proper pronouns but not sure where to start? This little guide is a perfect jumping off point. Crafted as a conversation between Bongiovanni, who is nonbinary, and his best friend Jimerson, who wants to do right by Archie but isn’t sure how, this succinct little book provides a perfect framework within which to be a fundamentally decent human who cares enough about their fellow people to toss away outmoded gender concepts and learn to address folx the way they want to be addressed.

The other aspect of this little book I adore is that it emphasizes the “If you don’t know, ask” principle. No one is going to be offended if you ask what their pronouns are. I know this because I’ve done it in both social and professional settings. Even bothering to ask is a mark of respect and care and it means the world to the person you’re asking. So let’s do that until it’s the norm.

The Quick & Easy Guide to Queer and Trans Identities by Mady G. and J.R. Zuckerberg (Limerence)

See? This is a great imprint and it deserves to live. This second book in the Quick & Easy series provides concise coverage of several related topics: “sexuality, gender identity, coming out, and navigating relationships.” Like The Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns, it’s intended as a starting point in the reader’s queer education and/or a helpful tool for those are on their own journeys of discovery.

Cook Korean!: A Comic Book with Recipes by Robin Ha (Ten Speed)

Food styling is an art that involves knowledge of chemistry, sculpture, meteorology, and a whole host of other components. Which is why the final dish photos in cookbooks always look so good. What we don’t see is what happens between making a list of ingredients and putting food (which probably doesn’t look much like its mug shot) on the table and I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s looked at something and wondered, “Is this done?” “Is it supposed to be that color?” “What’s that bubble?” and a whole host of other doubts/concerns/decision to throw stuff in the trash.

In Cook Korean! Ha has solved this problem by expanding her recipes into 1–3 page comics that demonstrate the intermediate steps of ingredient to dinner. The illustrations are clear, concise, and far less intimidating for being comic-style rather than professionally styled and photographed. Along with recipes, Ha provides personal anecdotes and insights into Korean culture, making the experience of learning how to cook Korean both immersive and interactive.

Oishinbo: á la Carte, Vol. 3: Ramen and Gyoza by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki (VIZ Media)

It seems a good proportion of instructional comics and graphic novels are about cooking which…yay. I love to cook and I’ve completed a self-inflicted 100 new recipes cooking challenge two years in a row (I’m thinking about doing something a little more specialized in 2020. Pastry? Bread? The possibilities are staggering).

Oishinbo is a seven-volume series following journalist Shiro Yamaoka as he selects items for an “Ultimate Menu” Tozai News has commissioned with the goal of creating a model meal that embodies the “pinnacle of Japanese Cuisine.” Each volume has a different theme from sake to sashimi to vegetables and each contains recipes that further explore the theme. In Vol. 3, Yamaoka takes on ramen, a deceptively simple dish and, along with the narrator, the reader learns to make every component of traditional ramen from broth to noodles.

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I can’t claim that all I learned in life I learned from how-to comics, but they’ve certainly made my transition to a new learning style easier. And hey, if there isn’t a graphic novel or manga about something you want to learn how to do, then find one about writing a graphic novel and create that thing for yourself.

When Natural Disasters Strike, Libraries Support Their Communities

Libraries are usually associated with the literature and collections they house—buildings where you can pick up the latest book, magazine, or DVD releases. But when a natural disaster strikes, libraries are increasingly playing central roles in local relief efforts, offering much needed stability and resources to their communities. Library systems are finding ways to elevate and support their patrons, even when their collections and buildings are also damaged or lost in the same disaster that make their help so vital.

I saw this firsthand when I worked as a Youth Services Library Associate for the Cumberland County Public Library & Information Center (CCPL&IC) in North Carolina. When Hurricane Matthew hit in October 2016, it caused 29 deaths across the Carolinas and an estimated $10.3 billion dollars worth of damage in the U.S. It was catastrophic. 

In Cumberland County, Matthew dumped three to four months’ worth of rain in about 12 hours. Homes and businesses were flooded, utility services were knocked out, and roads were impassable. 

The CCPL&IC system was not spared. The Headquarters Branch library sustained flooding that impacted the entire lower level. The flooding mostly affected administrative offices, computer, technical, and marketing services, meeting spaces, and the Friends of the Library book storage. Up to 100,000 books were damaged and had to be thrown out. Furniture, carpeting, drywall, and shelving were destroyed. The building’s elevator flooded and was temporarily out of order. 

Despite the damage, the CCPL&IC system reopened as soon as possible—because residents desperately needed access to library resources. 

In the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, some people sought out the library system for basic utilities. Without power at home, they came to charge their electronics or use the restrooms. Others needed help finding and filling out forms to obtain disaster relief or insurance claims. Some came for our regular services; our programs and resources were welcome distractions from the flooding. And our computer labs and WiFi were widely used.

CCPL&IC Director Jody Risacher said that while it was stressful leading the system through Hurricane Matthew, it was extremely fortunate that only one building was impacted by the flood.

“We had 7 others that could pick up some of the load that Headquarters could not carry,” Risacher said. “We were quite mindful of the impact of the flood on our community. We focused on providing information through our public bulletin boards and information racks for the community, regarding FEMA and resources.” 

In the immediate aftermath of the flood, library staff members volunteered at the Department of Social Services and for Emergency Services. CCPL&IC also extensively utilized an informational pamphlet called Community Resources for Those in Need (CRFTN). 

The CCPL&IC system is not the first to sustain damage in a natural disaster and to continue to offer services to its community. The 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California killed more than 80 people and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes. While the Paradise branch of the Butte County Library System was one of the only structures in town to survive the fire, the building and its collections suffered extensive smoke damage. The Butte County system kept its remaining branches open to serve the public. Links to fire recovery resources are still prominently displayed on the County website, over one year after the fire swept through the county.

Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston area and Harris County, Texas, in 2017. Twelve branches closed because of extensive flood damage. Multiple branches have yet to reopen. Still, the library system has used temporary pop-up libraries and bookmobiles to help meet the needs of their community.

Director Risacher says libraries are particularly valuable community resources during disasters.

“After a disaster, the library can provide a quiet place or a place to help you through a tumultuous time in your life,” she said.

Slytherin to These Harry Potter Duvet Covers

So you love Harry Potter plus you love sleeping—fun! We’ve got the perfect thing for you. Whether you want bright colors or you’re a neutral Nelly, whether you like sequins or watercolor, there is some type of Harry Potter duvet cover for you.

Dobby! Duvet Cover

For devoted Dobby fans, this Dobby! duvet cover is just about a must-have. As if the shadow of your favorite house elf weren’t enough, his image appears over of a section of the book its dang self—the British version, even!

Harry Potter Enchanted Night Sky Duvet Cover

BRB, moving into this fake bedroom and surrounding myself with magic and twinkly lights. The Harry Potter Enchanted Night Sky Duvet Cover from Pottery Barn Teen is straight-up mesmerizing. This product is certified by the Better Cotton Initiative, which means that the cotton used to make the duvet cover was grown following responsible, eco-friendly cotton production.

Diagon Alley Duvet Cover

Sleep in the hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley with this—wait for it—Diagon Alley Microfiber Duvet Cover. Previous customers note that this product ships from China and can take more than a month from the date of order for the order to be delivered, but if you’re not in a hurry and you want a unique, neutral color Harry Potter duvet cover, it’s an excellent choice.

Vintage Harry Potter Duvet Cover

According to Etsy, this used duvet cover is officially vintage because it was produced before 2000. This duvet cover doesn’t stick with the typical symbols or graphics associated with the beloved books—it has two full-on photos of Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Dang Potter on each side of it. Yes, you read that right—it has a total of four full-on photos of Daniel Radcliffe as Harry dang Potter. Excite!

Journal of Fantastic Beasts Duvet Cover

If you want to show off your status as a true blue member of the extended fandom, this Newts Journal of Fantastic Beasts Microfiber Duvet Cover is right up your alley. Another neutral choice when you want to cuddle up surrounded by your faves without bold color statements, this duvet cover is only available in Twin and Queen sizes.

Embroidered Harry Potter Duvet Cover

I can hear some of you over there saying, “But Tracy, I only use embroidered bedding. What can I do?” and I want you to know that you are heard! Check out this Egyptian cotton Embroidered Harry Potter Bedding with bonus pillows and sheets. This isn’t the best option if you’re looking to go subtle when you go home, but if you want adorably cutesy Harry Potter children embroidered on your bedspread, plus a few lovely bursts of lacy goodness, then you’ll be all set with this.

Watercolor Harry Potter Duvet Cover

If you are looking to go a bit subtle in your own home, then you may be into this Watercolor Magical Hat Duvet Cover. It works with a whole bunch of color schemes, doesn’t scream Harry Potter if you don’t want it to, and is unique amongst Harry Potter duvet covers.

Don’t Forget Your Decorative Harry Potter Pillows

The above duvet covers are just a start if you want to embrace Harry in your bedroom. I love this sequined Harry Potter House Crest Sequin Pillow because let’s face it; it’s a bit garish but only in the best way. Or you can come out with your secret love of pink velour with this unique Harry Potter pillow, brag to people about your Harry Potter pillow shaped like Harry his dang self, or geek out with your feet out at this pillow that shows the maximum version of nerdy Harry.

But Wait—There’s More!

If you haven’t found exactly what you’re looking for, consider these bookish bedding suggestions and don’t forget to check out the best book holders for reading in bed.

20 Must-Read Found Family Books

Family can be a touchy subject, particularly around the holiday season. While some of you may have returned home to reconnect with beloved family members, others have been gritting their teeth for two months straight. That’s why I find the trope of found or chosen families so meaningful. If your biological family situation doesn’t provide the support system you need, found family novels show you a different way: family is about choice and commitment—not genetics.

So for those who need it this time of year, here are 20 must-read novels (across genres) that focus on families that are made instead of born.

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

Though it doesn’t take the traditional form of a found family setup, but A Tale for the Time Being has given me the same comforting feeling since I first read it. The two main characters in the novel don’t exist on the same continent, but nonetheless share a deep and unlikely bond. When novelist Ruth finds a diary washed up on the beach near her British Columbia home, she inadvertently “meets” Nao, a 16-year-old in Tokyo whose chaotic and mesmerizing entries tell a story of teenage despair and family drama.

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

The Akata duology features an important sub-genre of found family fiction: the coven. Twelve-year-old Sunny just doesn’t quite fit in. She’s an American who’s moved with her family back to Nigeria and an athlete with albinism that makes it difficult for her to spend time outdoors. As it turns out, she’s also got magical powers, which introduces her to the world of the Leopard People and to three other youngsters who will join with her as an Oha Coven.

American Hippo by Sarah Gailey

In two novellas (paired here), Gailey introduces a 19th century that might have been, one in which wild hippos roam the swamps of the American South. The person assigned to reclaim the land is Winslow Houndstooth, who recruits an all-star team of criminals and outcasts to help him rein in the rampaging giants. Two things are great here: 1) this isn’t the typical cis white male team you’d expect and 2) these loners find home among themselves—and the hippos.

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

This middle grade novel is a stellar fit for its target audience, but it also floored this full-grown adult. At 12, Willow Chance is a genius whose life orbits around her fascination with diseases and nature, as well as her devotion to her adoptive parents. When her parents are killed in an accident, Willow is propelled on a journey to find where she belongs in a loud, perplexing world. She finds her way thanks to a struggling counselor, a taxi driver, and the tight-knit family of her Vietnamese schoolmates.

Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone

Billionaire tech mogul Vivian Liao intended to go off the grid—but maybe not to this degree. At the behest of the glowing green Empress, Viv is flung through space and time and lands in the middle of a conflict she knows nothing about. Along for the ride on her quest to return home is a diverse ensemble of characters, each of whom are connected (willingly or not) to the Empress. The story makes for a brainier Guardians of the Galaxy, with just as much heart.

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

You couldn’t have created a book more perfectly suited to my tastes in a test tube. This series-starting novella introduces Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, both a safe haven and halfway house for kids who got pulled into another world (down a rabbit hole or through a wardrobe) and were then spit back into this one. Dumped here by the biological families who no longer understand them, the kids in Eleanor West’s care share experiences and feelings unknown to anyone else.

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Sophie’s biological family, the Hatters, has a role to play in this classic fantasy. But when she’s cursed by the Witch of the Waste with an aging spell, Sophie discovers an entirely new family (mostly of choice). To break the spell, she seeks out the enigmatic Wizard Howl. She finds more than a cure in his castle when she meets Howl’s apprentice Michael and the fire demon Calcifer.

Lumberjanes Vol. 1 : Beware the Kitten Holy by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Brooklyn A. Allen, and Noelle Stevenson

Miss Quinzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s Camp for Hardcore Lady Types is a natural place to form a family because it’s filled crafts, games, dangerous quests, and “friendship to the max.” Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley are misfit besties whose unique and wholesome bond is only strengthened by spooky happenings in the woods and the occasional time travel.

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero

Picture it: Scooby Doo and the gang but with very real monsters. The Blyton Summer Detective Club solved their final case and unmasked their last villain in 1977. Thirteen years later, they’re spread out across the country and now fighting their own personal demons. It’s time to confront what haunts them: that last case. There’s one more mystery they need to unravel, and this un-merry band of misfits—forged into family by hijinks and shared trauma—is the only group that can solve it.

Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett

The City Watch of Ankh-Morpork is dysfunctional, yes. Also disorganized. And very often drunk. But the guards also provide some of the most heartwarming storylines in all of Pratchett’s Discworld novels. In this second installment of the City Watch sub-series, the cast of characters at Watch HQ begins to take shape as the force expands to include several non-human recruits (under the begrudging guidance of Captain Vimes) who must investigate a series of unsanctioned murders.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Similarly, the students at Hailsham, a British boarding school of sorts, are the only ones who can possibly understand each other. As children, Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy only know that Hailsham has unusual customs and that they, its pupils, live removed from the world at large. Over the years, they piece some clues together, but it isn’t until adulthood that they learn the full truth about who they are. The central trio isn’t the most harmonious found family, but the tumult of their relationship only cements their connection.

Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee

Jess is the daughter of famous superheroes, but she doesn’t have any superpowers of her own. In an act of accidental rebellion, she signs up for a summer internship with the local supervillain. But hey, she gets to hang out with her secret crush, Abby, while getting paid. Of course, when it comes to heroes and villains, things aren’t often black and white. And over the course of Sidekick Squad series, Jess’s loyalties shift to a new chosen group.

Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft

The Tower of Babel may not be the location you’d expect to forge lifelong bonds with strangers, but that’s what happens when fussy headmaster Thomas Senlin shows up at the foot of the tower with his new wife Marya. The pair is soon separated, and Senlin strikes out on a harrowing journey up the tower to find Marya. Along the way, he collects a striking ensemble of helpmates—loyal, helpful, and nothing at all alike—who are each on their own quests to foil the tower’s nefarious plots.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Set in the same universe as Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone trilogy, this YA fantasy is a more intimate and magical (and diverse) Ocean’s 11. Kaz Brekker is a criminal prodigy in the unruly city of Ketterdam. When he’s offered the heist of a lifetime, he puts together a gang of misfits, each skilled and struggling in their own unique ways. Their business venture turns into something far deeper by the time it’s all said and done.

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

There are just never enough heists. Set in Paris circa 1889, the story takes place alongside the Exposition Universelle (the world’s fair) and focuses on treasure hunter and hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. Séverin has been recruited by the powerful Order of Babel to hunt down an ancient artifact, and to do so, he pulls together an unlikely crew of experts whose various motives culminate in genuine affection before the job is done.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

This warm, epistolary novel is the best endorsement of book clubs money can buy. Under German occupation in World War II, the plucky people of the island of Guernsey formed a society of necessity to discuss what books they had, eat what food they could find, and keep alight what small flame of joy there was. After the war, Juliet, a London writer, begins corresponding with members of the society and revealing their stories, letter by letter.

The Hidden City by Michelle West

A classic component of the found family trope is what I like to call “the pile of orphans.” That’s what happens here in the first book of West’s House War series (set in the same shared universe as both her Sacred Hunt and Sun Sword series). Orphaned and ailing, 10-year-old Jay is taken in by Rath, a shadowy figure with a murky past, and nursed back to health. He’s less than thrilled when Jay begins to rescue even more children to bring into the fold, but all of them are about to face a much larger reckoning.

The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle

If you read Beagle’s fantasy prototype and it doesn’t melt your heart, well, you’re lying. One unicorn sets out to learn the truth: are the rest of her immortal kind truly gone? Along her journey, she’s aided by Schmendrick, the flailing magician, as well as hearty and hardy Molly Grue. Together, they are traveling companions. But they’re also lost souls who find meaning in their shared quest.

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Familiarity doesn’t always breed contempt. Within the cozy confines of the starship Wayfarer, a motley crew winds its way through space in pursuit of a lucrative assignment opening up wormhole tunnels. Amid various dangers and pit stops in their year-long trip, this diverse bunch of oddballs (including, delightfully, the ship’s sentient AI and the engineer she’s fallen in love with) grow as close as their quarters.

The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss

In the most ambitious literary crossover event ever, Goss brings together a formidable group of young ladies who share connections no one else could understand. With a little help from Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, Mary Jekyll hunts her father’s murderer: Edward Hyde. Along the way, she rescues a few more women from the margins, including Hyde’s daughter, Diana; Catherine Moreau, Justine Frankenstein, and Beatrice Rappaccini.