THE ILLUMINATION by Kevin Brockmeier, STITCHES, by David Small

New school year, limited reading time. Nevertheless, after Leaning In the wrong direction on a few titles, I'm back to some good ones.

As he did in the stunning The Brief History of the Dead, Brockmeier seamlessly weaves together realism and science fiction in The Illumination. One night, people's wounds begin to glow and shimmer. What happens in a world where where pain is suddenly visible? The language is rich and gorgeous, the characters deeply human. A great read.

One picture truly worth a thousand words, in Smalls' graphic memoir about growing up in a cold, distant household where words were in short supply. The angles, perspective, shading, sequencing and sheer imagination of his images pair beautifully with the simplicity of his lines and storytelling.