Penguins with People Problems: Review Haiku

You're going to wish
you'd gotten this in your stocking.
(Commence guffaws.)

Penguins with People Problems by Mary Laura Philpott. Penguin, 2015, 112 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.

Good Mourning: Review Haiku

Insanely rich girl
takes job at funeral home;
friends, family gape.

Good Mourning by Elizabeth Meyer. Gallery Books, 2015, 280 pages.

Syllabus: Review Haiku

Now and forever,

Lynda Barry is the funk
queen of everywhere.

Syllabus: Notes from an Accidental Professor by Lynda Barry. Drawn and Quarterly, 2014, 200 pages.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda: Review Haiku

You've Got Mail for the
proto-Tindr set: charming,
heartfelt, and needed.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. Balzer + Bray, 2015, 320 pages.

How to Be Happy: Review Haiku

Trippy collection
of fever-dream short stories;
worth a close re-read.

How to Be Happy by Eleanor Davis. Fantagraphics, 2014, 152 pages.

My Favorite Things: Review Haiku

A coffee-table
book for Kalman fans: richly drawn
and richly felt.

My Favorite Things by Maira Kalman. Harper Design, 2014, 160 pages.

Seconds: Review Haiku

If she could turn back time . . .
she'd probably not tick off
the house spirit.

Seconds by Bryan Lee O'Malley. Ballantine, 2014, 336 pages.

Lumberjanes: Review Haiku

Kicka$$ girls go camping,
fight monsters, and set up
for new adventures.

Lumberjanes Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, and Brooke Allen. BOOM! Box, 2015, 128 pages.

Hold Me Closer: Review Haiku

I really need to
see someone put this show on
for real. Curtain up!

Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story by David Levithan. Dutton, 2015, 208 pages.

The Terrible Two: Review Haiku

This avowed prank-hater
still found these guys kinda
charming. (But trouble.)

The Terrible Two by Jory John and Mac Barnett, illustrated by Kevin Cornell. Abrams, 2015, 224 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.

Small Victories: Review Haiku

Everyone's favorite
Christian next door is at it
again. Say amen.

Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace by Anne Lamott. Riverhead, 2014, 304 pages.

Petty Theft: Review Haiku

Weirdo novel about
weirdo people stealing books
and being French.

Petty Theft by Pascal Girard. Drawn & Quarterly, 2014, 104 pages.

Over Easy: Review Haiku

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

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

What If? Review Haiku

The perfect gift for
your favorite nerd. Plus,
the robot apocalypse.

What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe. HMH, 2014, 320 pages.

Perfectly Miserable: Review Haiku

WOW I could not stand
a single part of this memoir
or this woman.

Perfectly Miserable: Guilt, God, and Real Estate in a Small Town by Sarah Payne Stuart. Riverhead, 2014, 320 pages.

My Dirty Dumb Eyes: Review Haiku

Wry, weird, and funny
hallucinogenic musings
on dogs, chefs, sex.

My Dirty Dumb Eyes by Lisa Hanawalt. Drawn & Quarterly, 2013, 120 pages.

Just One Year: Review Haiku

Oh, Willem -- you're like
a Manic Pixie Dream Boy
in five languages.

Just One Year by Gayle Forman. Dutton, 2014, 352 pages.

Bad Houses: Review Haiku

Love among the ruins:
estate sales and hoarding,
graphically told.

Bad Houses by Sara Ryan, illustrated by Carla Speed McNeill. Dark Horse Comics, 2013, 160 pages.