Thought Train to Pusan

CBR11 Bingo Square: Banned Books I remember reading Blankets a number of years ago, and if I recall correctly, I liked certain aspects but didn’t love it. But having a copy on my shelves, I decided to re-visit it for my Banned Books square, after learning that both this novel and Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home were challenged and subsequently removed from the public library in Marshall, Missouri, after complaints that the novels were “pornographic” and might be read by children. This began a series of discussions about censorship, and the institution of new materials selection policies to the library board, and the novels were returned to the shelves after less than a year being removed. Blankets is an autobiographical story of Craig Thompson’s childhood and adolescence, dealing largely with his personal struggles with faith in an Evangelical Christian family, and searching for meaning and purpose therein. It also centers greatly on Craig’s understanding of lo...

CBR11 Bingo Square: Reader’s Choice (replacing: Classics) Let me begin by saying that I did indeed want to read a classic for my classics square: I really wish I could get into the old language more, but it’s such a struggle for me! And truth be told I did start reading Bram Stoker’s Dracula , but I just kept drifting and realized about a tenth of the way in that I wasn’t up to the task (so instead I connived my friends into watching the movie as a part of our weekly movie-nights Keanu-athon, and boooooy howdy does that movie make some choices ). Anywho, I therefore am using my Reader’s Choice square for the spot of Moonshot . Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection is indeed exactly as described on the tin. This collection of short comics and graphic stories come from indigenous authors and artists (including but not limited to those identifying as Métis, Inuit, Dene, Anishnaabe, Cree, Mi’Kmaq, Caddo, Haida, Sioux, and Suquamish), and largely focus on lesser-known stories a...

CBR11 Bingo: Illustrated Picked up on a whim, this graphic novel features all black-and-white illustrations, which are simple but expressive, but the story itself was a bit fleeting to me. Split between the past and present, Mercury follows the journey of a teenage girl in Nova Scotia named Tara. She is currently living with her aunt, uncle, and cousin in her home town, after her mother is working in another province. After Tara and her mother’s house burned down a few years ago, she has been homeschooled, and now is the time that she finally returns and is wondering how she can fit in while also be true to herself and her roots. This story is however peppered with blasts to the past, with Tara’s ancestors living on a farm that is now being coveted by a seedy prospector, as it appears it may be a suitable place for a gold mine. This prospector also, of course, catches the eye of the family daughter Josey, who is the main character in these past sections. But as...

--> As per narfna’s suggestion in a glowing review of the first volume of Fence , I waited until there was at least a second volume out: and it still seemed to go by far too quickly! At least the next one is scheduled to be released in August which isn’t too far away, I guess… In any case, this comic series is a super cute and fun one, about a sport I haven’t seen featured much in sports movies/books, etc. There are definitely some familiar features to this as a “sports story”, and do I feel like I know a lot of the beats to this narrative and how it’s going to come together? Yes. Do I really care? NOPE! (And for that matter, I may be wrong in the end!) But I’m hoping for my favourite trope of enemies-to-teammates-to-friends-to-lovers to come through in the end. Time will tell! But more about this series: Fence follows a group of students at a boarding school, and the main conflict at the moment are the tryouts for the fencing team. Our protagonist, Nicholas,...