Colleen AF Venable's 3 favorite reads in 2024

A sweet and magical new middle-grade graphic novel about a boba cafe, an earthquake-causing monster, and an unforgettable summer In the fog laden hills of San Francisco sits a sleepy independent boba cafe. Run by Jing Li and guarded by her kitty Bao, it comfortably fades into the background. But inside the boba cafe, there's a secret. Jing is the keeper of the monster of San Francisco. Each day she prepares one giant boba for nine hours to feed it.When Jing's granddaughter, Aria, comes to stay with her for the summer she makes it her mission to turn the cafe… show more.

A WASHINGTON POST AND NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • From the award-winning cartoonist and editor at The Nib, a hilarious trans-"final girl" horror graphic novel about a bachelor party gone very, very wrong.

"A witty, tender romp through the cosmic horror of being alive.” —Carmen Maria Machado, author of Her Body and Other Parties

Newly-out trans artist’s assistant Sammie is invited to an old friend’s bachelor weekend in El Campo, a hedonistic wonderland of a city floating in the Atlantic Ocean's international waters—think Las Vegas with even fewer rules. Though they have not identified as a man for… show more.

Surely You Can't Be Serious is an in-depth and hysterical look at the making of 1980's comedy classic Airplane! by the legendary writers and directors of the hit film.

Airplane! premiered on July 2nd, 1980. With a budget of $3.5 million it went on to make nearly $200 million in sales and has influenced a multitude of comedians on both sides of the camera.

Surely You Can’t Be Serious is the first-ever oral history of the making of Airplane! by the creators, and of the beginnings of the ZAZ trio (Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker) – charting the rise of their comedy… show more.