Category: Read Harder

This collection of 11 short stories for adults by children’s author Becky Birtha, originally published in 1987, explores Black lesbian girlhood and is beautifully written.

In this “chick lit” from 2003, screenwriter Kristen Buckley gives us a twentysomething heroine just trying to make rent and pining for a TV doctor, who has to save her kidnapped best friend.

Tired of her sexual conquests never turning into romance, Natalie takes a vow of celibacy and explores her recent relationships a lá High Fidelity. 

You probably remember Rocky & Bullwinkle, the cartoon variety show from Jay Ward Productions. In this book, Keith Scott, who has voiced Bullwinkle since original actor Bill Scott (no relation) died, gives us the complete history of moose and squirrel.

In this book of essays on Black love in the romance genre, Book Riot writer Pryde brings together contributors, including romance novelists Beverly Jenkins, Jasmine Guillory, Piper Huguley, and Kosoko Jackson, as well as academics Sarah Hannah Gomez and Carole V. Bell, among others.

In this biography, Price’s daughter traces his six-decade career as well as his personal life, including his love of cooking, his art curation, and his work with the Indian Arts and Crafts Board.

When Hailee’s family wins the lottery, she is excited to finally be able to get the things she wants. No, needs. But her parents’ decisions about how to spend their newfound fortune don’t line up with her expectations, and suddenly she’s in a new (private) school and everything is different.

Each book of the lower middle grade Derby Daredevils series focuses on a different team member. In this first installment, Kenzie dreams of playing roller derby, but she has to put together a team of at least five in order to even try out.

In YA and romance author Amy Spalding’s second novel, 2013’s Ink is Thicker Than Water, Kellie feels out of place in her family, but a job at her stepdad’s tattoo parlor might help change that.

This book is indispensable in my kitchen! The dry seasoning recipe alone is worth the price of the book, and there are dozens of other amazing recipes for meat, vegetables, and desserts.

Rioter Susie Dumond told me about this book, and it’s now the one I turn to, even for recipes I already had a go-to version of. (Chocolate cake? Hers is richer. Cornbread? Perfection.)

This is more than a cookbook; it’s a history of Palestine and a window into the food, which is, of course, the culture. I’ve only cooked one recipe from this book, but I’ve read it like I would read a memoir or anthology.

Genres: Adult Romance, YA, Romance, Fantasy, Mystery

Best Known for: Lady Sherlock series, which A Study in Scarlet Women is the first of. In this book, we’re introduced to Charlotte Holmes who takes up sleuthing to clear her father’s and sister’s names after they’re accused or murder. The series follows her and the other mysteries she solves.

Genre: Paranormal Romance.
Fun Fact: Community Founder of the Inclusive Romance Project

When Chloe’s former vampiric gang draws her unwillingly into a plot to open up a mysterious box, she is caught between her old life and her new one. Further complicating this is her handsome boss Ethan and the mutual attraction they are unable to ignore.

Genre: General Fiction

This gripping novel is told in alternating time lines. In 2017, true-crime writer Cassie finds herself drawn into the story of Lore, a woman who, in 1985, had two different lives, husbands, and families. She managed to keep these lives separate until her secret is discovered and one husband is arrested for murdering the other.

Genre: Barrio Noir
Fun Fact: Accredited with the creation of the aforementioned genre

After a tragedy changes the trajectory of his life, reluctant hitman Mario agrees to one final job to hijack a cartel’s cash shipment. This job could leave him dead or with $200,000 dollars, but he isn’t in a position to turn it down. As he and his two other partners go on their journey, their motives and hidden secrets become apparent, ensuring that none of them will return the same.

Genre: Horror

Eric and his two daughters are on the run from their former life. Not being able to give references makes it hard to find a job, so when Eric hears about a caretaking position for the allegedly haunted, he sees it as the perfect opportunity to make some money; that is if the paranormal activity doesn’t drive him and his family mad.

Genre: Horror

Fun Fact: This book was the first novella released in Cemetery Gate’s My Dark Library series.

When a forum post about someone’s neighbor staring at stars all night is made, it’s quickly dismissed as bad fanfiction. Then the nocturnal activity begins to spread worldwide leaving the “stargazers” changed the next day. When it affects Henry’s city, the war veteran must use all his skills to save his family from this new and unknown danger.

Genre: Horror

Fun fact: Takes place near San Antonio’s famed haunted train tracks.

Erasmo lives with his beloved grandmother who he just found out has cancer. In a desperate attempt to help pay for her medical expenses, he sets up a paranormal investigation business and quickly finds out there is more to his home town than meets the eye.

Genres: Romance, Horror

Fun Fact: Co-host of the Genre Blackademia podcast

This collection of short stories all feature Black women and their brushes with the supernatural. Sometimes they’re the victims. Sometimes they’re the monsters. And oftentimes, they’re both.

This detailed history digs into the history of transness in the African American community by highlighting some of the Black trans folks who lived between the mid nineteenth century and the present day. It compares the exposure to the names of prominent and tragic white trans people to that of Black trans people living at the same time, and digs into the correlation between anti-Blackness and anti-transness. 

This is not a true history book, but does contain several perspectives on the history of queer Asians in the Americas through analysis, personal essay, poetry, and more. Its predecessor, Q&A: Queer in Asian America, was published by Hom and a different colleague, and was published in 1998.

This volume highlights the past and present of Ballroom culture, recently made famous by shows like Pose and Legendary. Using elements of oral history and archival study, Tucker discusses the connection between queer Black culture and the shifts and swings in house music and culture over several decades. 

This is the book that “decolonizes the history of gender and sexuality in Native North America.” Delving into the precolonial history of how gender and sexuality were expressed in various Indigenous groups, Smithers explores the meaning of holding onto the traditions that were all but erased by settler colonialism, genocide, and erasure. 

Black women were doing a lot at the beginning of the twentieth century. “Free love, common-law and transient marriages, serial partners, cohabitation outside of wedlock, queer relations, and single motherhood were among the sweeping changes that altered the character of everyday life and challenged traditional Victorian beliefs about courtship, love, and marriage.“ Hartman looks into a group of Black women at the turn of the century and how they effected a whole century’s worth of change through their own desires for a better way to live.

First published in 1987, this combination of essays and poetry delves into life on the Mexican border, both in the past and in Anzaldúa’s present. She examines history and the future, and queer life in straight spaces, in language that will breathe the same full life into stories for centuries to come.

This collection of oral histories gathers nearly-lost knowledge of days past. Using oral history and personal essays, 14 queer activists highlight the work done in the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, by themselves and their (often lost) peers. 

This oral history collection looks at the past and present of “racialized sexual minorities” in the American South, through their own words. E. Patrick Johnson has a whole catalog of books exploring the lives past and present of Black queer folks, so this one might just be a jumping off point if you’re interested in a deep dive into Queer Black Studies. 

I’ve been reading the Smitten Kitchen blog since blogs were, you know, a thing, so the parasocial attachment is real. She’s still the first place I go when I don’t know what to cook, so I’m excited to add a whole new batch of recipes to that well — especially that pound cake she keeps talking about.

I’ve only heard good things about this book, which explores Black and Jewish cuisine and the intersection between them — but also how food and culture shape each other, and the inventive cooking that arises out of migration and diaspora.

Another blog book! This one is by the Leung family, who are behind the popular blog of the same title. Chinese food is a go-to comfort food for me, so anything that can help me get more of it in my life is a plus.

NYC marathon champion Shalane Flanagan and nutrition coach Elise Kopecky’s previous book, Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow. is one of my favorite cookbooks to reference, so I need to add their latest collaboration to my collection. As a runner, I love their emphasis on flavor and enjoyment instead of counting calories or excising “bad” foods.

I know just enough about curry to know that it’s an extremely broad term that my occasional forays into cooking butter chicken have barely scraped the surface of. This cookbook about “the diaspora of curry” — from Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, and the Americas — sounds enlightening and fascinating.

Speaking of cuisines I know very little about, African cuisine is too often overlooked and ignored in the Western world. Africana has over 100 recipes from all over the African continent, which obviously encompasses a massive range of cultures and flavors, and I’m excited to try as many of them as possible.

Okay, this isn’t exactly a cookbook, but it does include 25 recipes, and also I loved Kurlansky’s The Big Oyster, on the history of the oyster industry in New York City, and more importantly, I absolutely love onions. Bring on the alliums!

This is another cookbook I keep hearing good things about and another cookbook that arose out of a popular blog — Little Fat Boy — but the main reason I bumped it up on my TBR is because it has the most beautiful dumplings on the cover, and I could eat dumplings every day of my life and never get sick of them.

Okay, this one is cheating a little bit, because I already own it, but I’m including it because it’s designed to be read straight through. What’s included in this book are less recipes and more techniques for how to make lots of basic staples that you can portion out, freeze, reheat, and repurpose to get a wide array of meals on the table quickly. Also, the back and forth notes between Chang and Krishna are charming.

And of course, we have to end with dessert! In the battle between cake and pie, I am always and forever Team Cake. This book gives you a little bit of a shortcut by starting with box mixes, which, let’s face it, are sometimes the tastiest option. And it’s publishing just in time for my birthday! You know, just in case anyone feels like throwing me a party.

This one stood out to me immediately, because the nun is smoking. As someone who knows nothing about nuns, I don’t even know if nuns smoke cigarettes? But something about this cover made me think that they don’t. And that made me think this nun must be a badass. (Spoiler: I have read this book since I chose it for this list, and the nun in question is indeed a badass.)

What is this book saying? Is it about a monster with claws? A manicure gone horribly wrong? Nail polish is flammable, after all. None of the words in the title give away anything that is conveyed in the illustration. But something about it has me transfixed. Maybe because it’s so cool how the nail color matches the font.

Here’s another fun illustration that captivated me. Something about the look the person in the illustration is giving, combined with the pine tree air freshener on fire, tells me this is a car ride I don’t want to take. So maybe it’s about a murderous ride share driver? The most ominous thing might be the upside-down smiley face.

I am a sucker (pun intended) for vampire novels, and at first glance, this title combined with that bit of blood has me thinking this might be one. It also has that sorta 1970s, early 1980s font, so perhaps it’s historical? The bloody ‘K’ could also just mean there’s murder, or it kind of looks like a thorn? But I’m guessing vampires.

I don’t know what is happening here but also I need it as a tattoo right away. I am fairly certain the figure on the left is a plague doctor, so perhaps the long-haired creature on the right is Death? And its adding another skull to its pile of dead people it has collected? The style reminds me of the dwelling of Gung the Magnificent from The Amazing Screw-On Head, my favorite 22 minutes of television, which is probably why it appeals to me.

Here’s one that really illustrates the point that taste is subjective. Because some of you might look at this and think, “Gross, no thank you.” But I look at it and think, “GIVE IT TO ME NOW.” Even though I don’t know what it’s about, I love the strange and unusual. (I myself am, et cetera, et cetera.) I’m going to guess it isn’t a Victorian-era romance or a children’s book. The title is a play on “mayfly” but does it actually have anything to do with insects? Will someone really lick a giant eyeball? Inquiring minds want to know!

This one I want to read just because the cover is beautiful. It doesn’t really tell me anything about the book, aside for the tag line at the top: “She came back. Is it a miracle…or a curse?” Did the character come back from the dead? College? Cleveland? Do butterflies and flowers really have anything to do with the story, or are they just pretty? I’m okay with the latter, because it got me to notice the cover.

This one already has my vote for my favorite cover of 2023. What does it even mean??? I’m guessing the person in the book isn’t actually made from fruit, but perhaps they’re a chef? Could it be a horror novel? Maybe someone is turned into food, like Alice becomes cake in that old Tom Petty video. I’m getting a bit of sinister vibes from it, too, or perhaps just weird vibes. Whatever it is, it’s GORGEOUS.

Here’s another one that made me say “WOW” when I saw it. This young woman has flowers in her mouth — they appear to be growing out of her mouth, indicated by the vines in her skin? I don’t think she is happy about it, because she’s crying. Or maybe she loves having flower lip accessories and she’s crying about something else. I must know!

And this last one does all its talking just with its font. This one appealed to me because it looks like something I was doodling on my notebook in high school while I should have been paying attention in class. It’s very heavy metal, and in fact, I did look at the synopsis for this one after the cover jumped out at me. And it is about heavy metal, so A+ job, cover designer!

If the title makes you think this is a silly story, you are absolutely right! But it isn’t just silly; it’s fun and heartfelt and scary and sexy, too! Cin (short for Cinnamon) is a spice farmer (lol) who — you guessed it — gets drunk and accidentally rescues a hungry demon from the centuries-long curse. And then he recruits her to help him slay the witch who cursed him. Road trip!

If you want your story to run a little darker, here’s the first in a new series setting the machinations of the Greek gods in a modern underworld. We start with Hades and Persephone — the man who runs the darkest corners of Khaos Falls and the aerial dancer who sets his world on fire. 

If you’re looking for a fun romp across the plains, look no further. When Lorena shows up to help out at a ranch hosting more than its usual number of guests, the last thing she expects is that the ranch owner’s grandmother has set up a scheme for several young women to show up in their own private season of The Bachelor.

The first book in a series of romances set at the Crooked Rock Urban Indian Center, Heartbeat Braves sees two feuding employees with fiery chemistry forced to work together to help ensure the Center’s future. There aren’t many Native/Indigenous/First Nations romance authors, and Pamela Sanderson’s skillful writing of both relationships and Indigenous social issues are a lot to strive towards matching. 

Did someone say a loose retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in the Caribbean at the turn of the twentieth century? Involving a fierce meet-dislike between a woman who secretly writes a serial and the man who publicly tears them apart (but might also secretly love them)? 

Food vlogger Tara just wants her parents to be proud of her, but their skills in STEM and her failing math grade do not mesh. When she discovers that she’ll be sharing space with Farah, one of her mother’s new grad students, she isn’t very pleased. But they strike a quid-pro-quo bargain and end up spending a lot of time together in the meantime. 

How about a comic book? La Boriqueña is the story of Marisol, a Boricua college student who travels to Puerto Rico for a study abroad program. While she’s on the island, one thing leads to another, and she ends up getting superpowers. 

Bootlegging in the hills of Appalachia and a marriage of convenience between warring families. What more could a person ask for? Well…honesty, communication, searing hot sexytimes, and some violent warfare might make it the best thing ever?

This novella is a delightful little story about a woman named Pinky and the biker who comes into her family’s restaurant. They have instant, intense chemistry, but there are secrets afoot, and he’s not exactly the safest guy to be around. 

If you want a completely different change of pace, check out this Edwardian story of love and society. Aubrey Fanshawe is in a…special kind of relationship with his best friends, Lord and Lady Hernedale. But when he meets journalist Lucien Saxby, he becomes the living embodiment of that Bugs Bunny heart-eyes meme. 

Bar owner Sofia lives by one rule: she’ll go home with anyone she wants, as long as they know she’s not in it for the long haul. One night, and one night only. When she tells this to rock star Bren, he’s fine with it. Until morning, when he realizes she was…serious about that. He wants more, and will do anything to prove to her that he’s worth it. 

You would think Harlow would be happy; she’s the girlfriend of a famous baseball star and has everything anyone could want in life. But that’s just it. It seems like her role is just that of the girlfriend to the famous baseball star. So she sets off on her own path of self discovery. 

This first book in a fantasy series features a grumpy archmage with a hidden heart of gold and the woman relying on him to survive when they both end up trapped in the Shadow Realm. There are wars to fight and secrets to uncover, but their need for each other might overshadow all the rest. 

If you have never picked up manga in your life, this might be the one to turn you into a manga fanatic. Told in vignettes, this series follows the escapades of a former crime boss who has become a house husband. And the only thing The Immortal Dragon loves more than a good deal at the grocer is his wife. 

What if we lived in a world where only Black people had superpowers? 

That’s it. That’s the tweet.

(I’ll mention there’s also the follow-up Black [AF]: America’s Sweetheart, which I liked even better.)

With the new series out from FX, now is as good a time as any to explore yet another imagining of Octavia E. Butler’s horrifying, heartbreaking, incredible story of a woman lost between two time periods. 

And then when you’re done with that, because you’re going to need a heckuva pick up, read this giant ball of cotton candy masquerading as a book about villains. Sure, it’s good to know what’s going on in Harley Quinn: The Animated Series, but it’s almost more fun to have absolutely no idea what’s going on beyond the pages of the book. 

This collection of comics highlights the history of what is now called Canada, but in stories that invoke magic and science fiction. All of the creators are Indigenous.

This is very much what it says on the tin! An adorable, single-volume story about two women who already live together and just…go ahead and get married. It’s sweet and fun, and also there might be a little bit of nudity. 

Chetwynd has published a few volumes collecting her one- and two-page comics, but this one is probably my favorite. Usually in three or four black and white panels, she highlights an element of her life in funny or poignant ways. 

How often do we get to read comics about lesbian Edwardian maids? (Well, technically, I think Esther is an assistant housekeeper or some such.) This sweet story follows two domestic workers through the evolution of the industrial period and their own understanding of themselves, each other, and the world. I’ll give another heads up for nudity in this one. 

In this slim volume, Barajas writes himself into the comic highlighting the story of his great-grandfather, who spearheaded the development of an Arizona Indigenous organization and helped pave the way for federal recognition of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. 

Debbie Tung is a graphic memoirist who knows exactly how to punch you in the chest with her art, and Everything is OK is yet another example of this. Detailing her own experiences with depression and anxiety, Tung pulls the reader in with her simple art style and emotional journey.

I didn’t think a graphic novel about roller derby would make me cry, but leave it to Pamela Ribon (whose graphic novel My Boyfriend is a Bear ALSO made me cry). But the thing is this story is more than about roller derby; it’s about friendship and platonic love and finding joy in something. I bet you’ll cry, too. 

You’ll notice there aren’t many superhero comics on here, and that’s in part because there are just so many, and you can always pick one up and see what you think. But since I included a DC Comics one, I thought I should at least offer one Marvel recommendation. America Chavez had a small role in the most recent Dr. Strange movie, but hopefully we’ll be seeing more of her in the future.

Finally, if you’re interested in solving a mystery or two, Goldie Vance is your girl. She lives in a hotel in the 1950s, and gets into all kinds of trouble.

This YA novel is written by a powerhouse group of Black authors, and the narrators are also Black and include Shayna Small, Bahni Turpin, Korey Jackson, and more! The book is a series of interconnected stories about a surprise snowstorm in Atlanta days before Christmas, and the lengths a friend group will go to to help one of their own pull off the most epic apology ever in an effort to win back her girlfriend!

In Ben Phillippe’s hilarious and heartrending memoir, he tells the story of how he emigrated from Haiti to Canada as a young kid, grew up with a single mom, and then moved to New York City for college, Texas for grad school, and figured out how to make his own way as a Black Haitian-Canadian living in the U.S. James Fouhey (who also narrates Philippe’s YA novels) tells these stories with great comedic timing and heart.

Esme is a mixed race young woman from Vietnam who is offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go to America to marry a Vietnamese American man, but when she arrives, she discovers that the situation isn’t exactly what she thought. Her future husband, Khai, isn’t interested in marriage, and he doesn’t think he is capable of love. But as Esme falls for him, perhaps he can be persuaded. This heartwarming romance is narrated by Emily Woo Zeller, a powerhouse audiobook narrator who has an extensive backlist.

Vanessa Riley tells the true life story of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas in this novel, a woman born into slavery who went on to become one of the richest people in South America. This epic story is narrated by the incredible Adjoa Andoh, a talented actress known for many stage and television roles, including Lady Danbury on Bridgerton.

Ten years ago, Aarav’s mother disappeared. Everyone assumed she simply ran off with a million in cash, but when her body is discovered not very far from Aarav’s childhood home, the cold case becomes an active murder investigation. This New Zealand-set mystery is narrated by actor Raj Varma.

Candice is spending a summer in grandmother’s hometown, where it’s bound to be a boring few weeks cleaning out her grandmother’s house. But when she uncovers a notebook with a mysterious scavenger hunt meant to write a historical injustice, Candice is sent on a life-changing journey. Cherise Boothe narrated this great audiobook, which is reminiscent of The Westing Game.

Noemí has been summoned to her cousin’s country estate when she falls ill with a mysterious illness. But once she arrives, Noemí realizes that something is very wrong here, and she’s unable to leave without her cousin. Frankie Corzo narrates this chilling gothic novel.

A teen girl hoping to quality for the Muay Thai Nationals and the first Olympic team is at the center of this YA novel about chasing your dreams, smashing stereotypes, and finding your place within your communities. Soneela Nankani narrates this novel, and she has a deep backlist of audio titles she’s lent her talents to as well.

It stands to reason that the more popular a book is, the more people will be reading it and therefore, a larger number of people will also put it down. This was THE YA book to read a few years ago. It’s the start to a West African-inspired fantasy trilogy that is also going to be a movie series.

Here it is, my own personal DNF that I am going to attempt to finish for the Read Harder Challenge. This book is a classic and so many, many people love it, but I thought it was ridiculously boring when I first picked it up. These characters are so moody and I hated them, which is why I eventually said, “NO MOOR.” (Pun intended.) On the whole, I am in favor of reading classics, because many are quite good. It’s been almost 30 years since I tried this one; maybe my middle-aged brain will enjoy it this time around.

Here’s another of the most popular YA series of the last few years. It’s an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai. It has rival gangs instead of rival families, but also has a river monster. The two groups must put their differences aside if they want to defeat the unknown terror that is killing them off.

I can see why this one is abandoned frequently. I did not find it to be an easy read at all. I only read it a couple of years ago in preparation for the release of the new adaptation, and I found it a bit boring and quite convoluted. But the worldbuilding is really quite fascinating, and intergalactic space travel and politics is always fun.

So this one is a novel I love that I recommended to my friend, who read 100 pages and abandoned it. I’m not hurt at all. (*sob*) No, really, I understand. It is over 800 pages long. But it’s an incredible work of historical fiction, if you’re up for the challenge. And you don’t have to take my word for it: Among it’s many awards and accolades, it was an Oprah book club pick, a National Book Award finalist, and the winner of the National Book Critics Circle for Fiction.

This is one of the biggest debut novel success stories. In over a decade since its release, The Night Circus has sold over three million copies worldwide. It’s the story of a magical circus and two young magicians raised to be competitors. Fantasy isn’t a genre for everyone, but if you didn’t finish this one, maybe pick it back up for this task!

I was surprised to see this top the Goodreads list of books marked ‘DNF’ because I loved it so much! It’s the story of a woman centuries ago who makes a deal with the Devil to get out of her current situation. He honors that request, but because he’s the Devil, he also has to pull some trickery: she is made immortal, but no one in the world ever remembers her.

And this National Book Award finalist is another book many people set aside without finishing, and I completely understand why. It’s a novel of four friends and their lives and loves in New York City. But it’s also a heck of a lot of detailed trauma, surrounding one of the friends. The compelling writing is what kept me reading this one.

In this story about falling for the girl next door, the girl next door isn’t so much a girl as an android (cue Janet “not a girl” reference). Androids have won their independence, but what is it like to date one? Buckle in and find out in this cute, queer sci-fi webcomic.

The author of A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking and Nettle and Bone (under the pen name T. Kingfisher) pens a tale of a no-nonsense wombat who finds herself stuck on the wrong end of a one way tunnel straight to a nonsensical land. Along with the help of a shadow being, a hyena, a talking god statue, and an oracle slug, she must figure out some way to return home. Sadly this one is no longer available to read for free online, but you can still get the first volume or the entire omnibus in print.

What happens when a Hard of Hearing witch is reunited with her former best friend turned werewolf only to discover that some terrible demon is stalking them? Mooncakes, that’s what! This sweet, magical romance follows two best friends navigating a whole lot of supernatural shenanigans and they burgeoning feelings for one and other. You can read the first issue online for free.

Beloved webcomic — and one of my personal favorites — Check Please follows an ice-skater turned hockey player trying to win over his new teammates at Samwell University one baked good at a time. Bitty is a baker, hockey player, and part-time vlogger who will absolutely win over your heart with his Southern charm and never-ending positivity. Even if you know nothing about hockey (like me) you’ll absolutely love this webcomic.

Anthropologist Halisi Mwangi longs to bring the past to other planets, but when her spaceship malfunctions, suddenly her carefully packed shuttle of antiquities is destroyed, and she’s stranded on an alien planet with only the contents of her pockets to teach the aliens of this world about Earth. It’s a sci-fi adventure story like no other!

This autobiographical manga has become an internet sensation over the last few years, but did you know it was originally published on the art website Pixiv? That’s right, My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness was a webcomic before it was the hit coming of age (and coming out) manga it is today.

I’m a big fan of Sarah Anderson’s comics on Instagram, so you better believe I was falling all over myself to read her new webcomic turned graphic novel about a vampire and a werewolf falling in love. Is their love story complicated? Oh, yes, wonderfully so. And this slice-of-life supernatural romance is full of macabre jokes and monstrous fondness that will leave you longing for more.

Originally published on the popular webcomic app WebToon, Always Human explores a near future where augmented reality allows humans to present themselves with all sorts of body modifications without ever going under the knife. But not everyone can enjoy this future. Some, like Austen, live with a syndrome that doesn’t allow them to utilize these mods. It’s a story of tech, love, and what it means to be human.

This Nordic-inspired post apocalyptic webcomic features four volumes of intricate worldbuilding full of trolls, beasts, and giants. It is a story of horror, monsters, magic, and Norse mythology that follows a group of explorers setting out on a research mission to explore the forgotten world. But even more than that, it is a story of friendship and coming together even in the toughest of times.