Step Aside, Pops: Review Haiku

When you don't know what
to get your smart-a$$ friends for
their birthdays, try this.

Step Aside, Pops: A Hark! A Vagrant! Collection by Kate Beaton. Drawn & Quarterly, 2015,

Tricky Twenty-Two: Review Haiku

Too easy to figure
out, but the flea collars
were pretty inspired.

Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich. BDD, 2015, 304 pages.

Exquisite Corpse: Review Haiku

Well, if this is not
delicious, shocking revenge,
I don't know what is.

Exquisite Corpse by Penelope Bagieu. First Second, 2015, 124 pages.

Honor Girl: Review Haiku

Not your typical
summer-camp love story.
Also, she's a crack shot.

Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash. Candlewick, 2015, 267 pages.

Another Day: Review Haiku

A's story, through
Rhiannon's eyes. Lots of rehash,
some new perspectives.

Another Day by David Levithan. Knopf, 2015, 300 pages.

Poisoned Apples: Review Haiku

A little repetitive,yes,
but a powerful
read nonetheless.


Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty by Christine Heppernan. Greenwillow, 2014, 128 pages.

Dog Butts and Love: Review Haiku

Happy Bunny guy
is a worthy successor
to John Callahan.

Dog Butts and Love. And Stuff Like That. And Cats. by Jim Benton. NBM Publishing, 2014, 96 pages.

Choose Your Own Autobiography: Review Haiku

To adore this book
as much as I did, turn to
page one. Keep going.

Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris. Crown, 2014, 304 pages.

Yes Please: Review Haiku

Masshole makes good,
makes us all laugh, kicks some a$$
in the process. Rock on.

Yes Please by Amy Poehler. Dey Street Books, 2014, 352 pages.

I Must Say: Review Haiku

I had a crush on
Ed Grimly and I'm not
ashamed to admit it.

I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend by Martin Short. Harper, 2014, 336 pages.

Gabi, Girl in Pieces: Review Haiku

We need diverse books
because Gabi's is a
universal story.

Gabi, Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero. Cinco Puntos Press, 2014, 208 pages.

The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances: Review Haiku

I swear I'll get back
to running again this year.
BELIEVE IN THE BLERCH.

The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances by The Oatmeal. Andrews McMeel, 2014, 148 pages.

Over Easy: Review Haiku

Eggs, bacon, cocaine --
just your average 1970s
diner fare.

Over Easy by Mimi Pond. Drawn & Quarterly, 2014, 272 pages.

An Age of License: Review Haiku

A perfect last-minute
gift for your favorite
post-college wanderer.

An Age of License: A Travelogue by Lucy Knisley. Fantagraphics, 2014, 189 pages.

Falling Into Place: Review Haiku

Add to your list of
Debuts That Knock It Out of
the Park. Powerful.

Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang. Greenwillow, 2014, 304 pages.

Kill My Mother: Review Haiku

Crazypants fever
dream of a noir-ish mystery.
Femme fatales rule.

Kill My Mother by Jules Feiffer. Norton, 2014, 148 pages.

Hand to Mouth: Review Haiku

A cold slap of water
in the face on the problem
of poverty.

Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America by Linda Tirado. Putnam, 2014, 195 pages.

100 Sideways Miles: Review Haiku

Similarities to
Grasshopper Jungle
do not go unnoticed.

100 Sideways Miles by Andrew Smith. S&S, 2014, 288 pages.

Landline: Review Haiku

I didn't quite get
how the time travel worked, but
I didn't quite care.

Landline by Rainbow Rowell. St. Martin's Press, 2014, 320 pages.

Belzhar: Review Haiku

Rich, weird, and thoughtful;
takes "unreliable narrator"
to new heights.

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer. Dutton, 2014, 272 pages.