100 books like Capacity

By Theo Ellsworth,

Here are 100 books that Capacity fans have personally recommended if you like Capacity. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout

Misha Maynerick Blaise Author Of This Phenomenal Life: The Amazing Ways We Are Connected with Our Universe

From my list on connection with the mysterious wonders of life.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm very interested in neuroscience, and it turns out that when you are in a state of wonder, you activate parts of the brain that correlate with creativity, gratitude, hope, and connection with oneself and others. In a way, wonder is an antidote to the doom-and-gloom ideologies that surround us. I'm very drawn to art and ideas that help me connect with my sense of wonder and remind me that I'm connected with a vast and mysterious universe! 

Misha's book list on connection with the mysterious wonders of life

Misha Maynerick Blaise Why did Misha love this book?

I was blown away by this book; each page is a composition of ethereal cyanotype images, photos, X-rays, newspaper clippings, history, and science. Curie's discoveries had great benefits as well as terrible consequences for humanity.

This book made me think about the paradoxes of life and how we reckon with the powerful forces unleashed by science and technology in our rapidly changing world. 

By Lauren Redniss,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Radioactive as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A National Book Award finalist, the mesmerizing, landmark illustrated biography Radioactive is finally available in a stunning paperback edition. Through words and her own gorgeously crafted illustrations, artist and journalist Lauren Redniss tells the story of Marie Curie, nee Marya Sklodowska, and her working and romantic relationship with Pierre Curie, including their discovery of two new scientific elements with startling properties-as well as the tragic car accident that killed Pierre, Marie's two Nobel Prizes, and her scandalous affair with a married scientist. And Radioactive looks beyond the contours of Marie's life, surveying the changes wrought by the Curies' discoveries-nuclear weapons,…


Book cover of Your Illustrated Guide To Becoming One With The Universe

Misha Maynerick Blaise Author Of This Phenomenal Life: The Amazing Ways We Are Connected with Our Universe

From my list on connection with the mysterious wonders of life.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm very interested in neuroscience, and it turns out that when you are in a state of wonder, you activate parts of the brain that correlate with creativity, gratitude, hope, and connection with oneself and others. In a way, wonder is an antidote to the doom-and-gloom ideologies that surround us. I'm very drawn to art and ideas that help me connect with my sense of wonder and remind me that I'm connected with a vast and mysterious universe! 

Misha's book list on connection with the mysterious wonders of life

Misha Maynerick Blaise Why did Misha love this book?

I love the dreamy art and timeless wisdom in this unique book. It reminds me that I'm in an eternal state of oneness with the universe right here and right now. This book is soothing and beautiful and speaks to the deepest longings of the soul!

By Yumi Sakugawa,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Your Illustrated Guide To Becoming One With The Universe as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Named one of the Best Books of 2014 by NPR

As seen on The Today Show

A hand-drawn path to inner peace!

Your Illustrated Guide to Becoming One with the Universe will set you free on a visual journey of self-discovery. Set against a surreal backdrop of intricate ink illustrations, you will find nine metaphysical lessons with dreamlike instructions that require you to open your heart to unexplored inner landscapes. From setting fire to your anxieties to sharing a cup of tea with your inner demons, you will learn how to let go and truly connect with the world around…


Book cover of The Principles of Uncertainty

Misha Maynerick Blaise Author Of This Phenomenal Life: The Amazing Ways We Are Connected with Our Universe

From my list on connection with the mysterious wonders of life.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm very interested in neuroscience, and it turns out that when you are in a state of wonder, you activate parts of the brain that correlate with creativity, gratitude, hope, and connection with oneself and others. In a way, wonder is an antidote to the doom-and-gloom ideologies that surround us. I'm very drawn to art and ideas that help me connect with my sense of wonder and remind me that I'm connected with a vast and mysterious universe! 

Misha's book list on connection with the mysterious wonders of life

Misha Maynerick Blaise Why did Misha love this book?

I feel so happy when I look through this creative meditation on finding beauty in the mundane of life. Kalman uses art and words to wind her way through charming, hilarious, and heartbreaking vignettes. She muses on the mysteries of the world and our endless search for meaning, while her whimsical images bring levity to the human condition.

By Maira Kalman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Principles of Uncertainty as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“Sublime . . . Kalman’s elegantly witty and at times melancholy narrative runs arm in arm with her unmistakable paintings on a serendipitous romp through the history of the world.” —Vanity Fair
 
“Wildly original . . . there’s nothing else even remotely like it . . . This hilarious, wise, and deeply moving volume [is] the ultimate picture book for grown-ups.” —O Magazine
 
Maira Kalman paints her highly personal worldview in this inimitable combination of image and text

An irresistible invitation to experience life through a beloved artist's psyche, The Principles of Uncertainty is a compilation of Maira Kalman's New…


Book cover of If You're Afraid of the Dark, Remember the Night Rainbow

Misha Maynerick Blaise Author Of This Phenomenal Life: The Amazing Ways We Are Connected with Our Universe

From my list on connection with the mysterious wonders of life.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm very interested in neuroscience, and it turns out that when you are in a state of wonder, you activate parts of the brain that correlate with creativity, gratitude, hope, and connection with oneself and others. In a way, wonder is an antidote to the doom-and-gloom ideologies that surround us. I'm very drawn to art and ideas that help me connect with my sense of wonder and remind me that I'm connected with a vast and mysterious universe! 

Misha's book list on connection with the mysterious wonders of life

Misha Maynerick Blaise Why did Misha love this book?

Brief, poetic, and filled with gorgeous art, I first encountered this unforgettable book as a child. I now see it as a philosophical meditation on approaching life's difficulties. It urges a creative shift in perspective to seek a more transcendent approach to life's problems, something the world needs more of right now!     

By Cooper Edens,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked If You're Afraid of the Dark, Remember the Night Rainbow as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Presents advice for a variety of situations, including what to do if the sky falls, the bus doesn't come, the sun never shines again, and there is no happy ending.


Book cover of Dreams and Reality

Stephen McCranie Author Of Space Boy Volume 1

From my list on graphic YA with slow-burning high school romances.

Why am I passionate about this?

My name is Stephen McCranie and I'm currently working on Space Boy, a slow-burning high school romance that asks the question, "How do we bridge the gap between us?" I love working in this particular genre because high school is such a formative period for all of us. Also, when a romance burns slowly, the audience gets time to explore the world of the story, which can often be dynamic and lush with detail. And then, when our lovers find each other at long last, it is all the more sweet for having waited.

Stephen's book list on graphic YA with slow-burning high school romances

Stephen McCranie Why did Stephen love this book?

A story about two high school friends trying to make it in the manga industry. The twist: our hero can't be with the girl he loves until he makes his dreams as an artist come true. A series that helped me understand the inner workings of Japan's comic industry.

By Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dreams and Reality as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Average student Moritaka Mashiro enjoys drawing for fun. When his classmate and aspiring writer Akito Takagi discovers his talent, he begs Moritaka to team up with him as a manga-creating duo. But what exactly does it take to make it in the manga-publishing world? Moritaka is hesitant to seriously consider Akito's proposal because he knows how difficult reaching the professional level can be. Still, encouragement from persistent Akito and motivation from his crush push Moritaka to test his limits!


Book cover of The Goat Getters: Jack Johnson, the Fight of the Century, and How a Bunch of Raucous Cartoonists Reinvented Comics

Michael Tisserand Author Of Krazy: George Herriman, a Life in Black and White

From my list on for reading century-old newspaper funnies.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was walking across the country in 1986 when I met a journalist named Mike Sager who showed me that writing can also be an adventure. Since then, I’ve edited an alternative weekly newspaper and written books about zydeco, Hurricane Katrina, comics, and old Kodachrome photos. So far, most everything I write seems to be centered in some way around my adopted home state of Louisiana, a place that never seems to run out of stories. Also, I still like to walk.

Michael's book list on for reading century-old newspaper funnies

Michael Tisserand Why did Michael love this book?

Before there were funny pages, there were sports pages with funnies on them. Eddie Campbell, best known as the artist-collaborator with Alan Moore on From Hell and the creator of his own wonderful and sort-of autobiographical Alec: The Years Have Pants, has pored over these old sports pages to uncover the secret origins of the funnies. Along the way, he tells stories of a lurid murder trial and a racially charged boxing match, all seen through the eyes of sports cartoonists. This is hidden history at its most entertaining.

By Eddie Campbell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Goat Getters as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A rip-roaring and exhaustively researched new take on the origin of the comic strip by one of the leading cartoon storytellers of our time.

With more than 500 period cartoons, The Goat Getters illustrates how comics were developed by such luminaries as Rube Goldberg, Tad Dorgan, and George Herriman in the sports and lurid crime pages of the daily newspaper. This wild bunch of West Coast-based cartoonists established the dynamic anatomy and bold, tough style that continue to influence comics today, as well as their own goofy slang that enriched the popular lexicon.

The Goat Getters also captures early twentieth…


Book cover of Everything Is an Emergency: An Ocd Story in Words & Pictures

Ginny Hogan Author Of I'm More Dateable Than a Plate of Refried Beans: And Other Romantic Observations

From my list on humor to make you laugh out loud.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a humor writer and stand-up comedian. I spend much of my time trying to get my comedy into the shortest form possible so it can “go viral,” but I’d rather work on projects that have space to breathe, like books. I don’t think enough people appreciate how funny books can be. Often, humor seems like the purview of more visual mediums. However, while books are quieter than TV shows and live performances, they have just as much capacity for humor. When a book truly makes me laugh out loud, I want to tell everyone. And the following five books do.

Ginny's book list on humor to make you laugh out loud

Ginny Hogan Why did Ginny love this book?

Katzenstein cleverly uses cartoons to take us into the brain of someone with OCD. This book is laugh-out-loud funny, but also highly educational. I love this book because it uses cartoons to present another way of understanding each other – in its drawings, it’s deeply empathetic. While I don’t have OCD, I do struggle with the feeling that words alone are not enough to convey to others what’s going on inside my brain, and this book made me feel less alone.

By Jason Adam Katzenstein,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Everything Is an Emergency as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice

“A brilliant, honest, necessary book that exposes the intricacies of the human brain while showing us the way creativity and friendship can anchor us. This is a must-read for anyone who has ever wondered if they see the world a little differently.” –Ada Limón

A New Yorker cartoonist illustrates his lifelong struggle with OCD in cartoon vignettes frank and funny

Jason Adam Katzenstein is just trying to live his life, but he keeps getting sidetracked by his over-active, anxious brain. Mundane events like shaking hands or sharing a drink snowball into absolute catastrophes.…


Book cover of El Deafo

Stan Mack Author Of Janet & Me: An Illustrated Story of Love and Loss

From my list on graphic auto-fiction, from memoir to magic realism.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I was starting out as an illustrator, I stumbled into two art director jobs, first at the innovative New York Herald Tribune and then at The New York Times. Working with great journalists gave me the startling idea that a comic strip could have no better subject matter than real life. This led me to create my popular comic strip “Stan Mack’s Real Life Funnies,” which ran in The Village Voice and reported on the rowdy New York city of the '70s and ‘80s. Back then, I was alone in combining real-life stories with comics; today many artist-writers use the comic strip format to tell complex and multilayered true stories of the human experience.

Stan's book list on graphic auto-fiction, from memoir to magic realism

Stan Mack Why did Stan love this book?

My wife, a teacher to the deaf and hard of hearing, brought home a graphic children’s book, El Deafo, which she and her kids loved. Based on Bell's own life, it’s about a young girl coming to grips with her sudden deafness. As a graphic artist who specializes in adult works, I was not initially drawn to this young girl’s story, nor to Bell’s colorful cartoony panels. But one day, I picked up my wife’s copy and discovered a charming story that swept me along, the art surprisingly sophisticated and effective. As different as my graphic memoir is from Bell’s, my memoir is also about coping with adversity, and I hope it’s as compelling as El Deafo

By Cece Bell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked El Deafo as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

El Deafo is a funny, deeply honest graphic novel memoir for middle graders. It chronicles the author's hearing loss at a young age and her subsequent experiences with a powerful and very awkward hearing aid called the Phonic Ear. It gives her the ability to hear--sometimes things she shouldn't--but also isolates her from her classmates. She really just wants to fit in and find a true friend, someone who appreciates her, Phonic Ear and all. Finally, she is able to harness the power of the Phonic Ear and become "El Deafo, Listener for All." And more importantly, declare a place…


Book cover of Let's Make Comics!: An Activity Book to Create, Write, and Draw Your Own Cartoons

Art Roche Author Of Art for Kids: Comic Strips, 3: Create Your Own Comic Strips from Start to Finish

From my list on for kids to learn about cartooning.

Why am I passionate about this?

My name is Art Roche and I've been drawing cartoons and comic strips for over twenty-five years. I wish everyone drew comics! Comic strips are an amazing art form that has been around for thousands of years. With a simple pencil, pen, and paper the artist can tell thrilling stories, make hilarious jokes, or illustrate their own diaries. Once you learn the basic mechanics of how comics are designed and built, anyone can begin drawing them regardless of talent level or experience.

Art's book list on for kids to learn about cartooning

Art Roche Why did Art love this book?

The author of this book is a working cartoonist and illustrator and that makes this one of the best books out there. The book packs an immense amount of practical information about how to draw cartoons into easy, fun worksheet-style activities. Different styles of writing, as well as complex concepts, are communicated in simple visually striking lessons. I have to admit if I was giving a young artist a book (and they already had both of mine) I would definitely give them this book. It’s comprehensive, fun, and simple. It also allows the young artist room to draw in their own style, instead of copying a given drawing. That’s one of my pet peeves!

By Jess Smart Smiley,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Let's Make Comics! as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A light-hearted interactive guide to comics and cartoon-making that uses an activity book format and creatively stimulating prompts to teach the fundamentals of cartooning in a fun and easy-to-follow fashion.

From a working cartoonist and comic book making instructor, this all-ages activity book uses humorous and informative one-page comics and exercise prompts to guide young readers (and readers who are young at heart) through easy-to-master lessons on the skills needed to make comics. The activities cover a range of essential comics-making tasks from creating expressions for characters to filling in blank panels to creating original characters and placing them in…


Book cover of MetaMaus

John Carey Author Of A Revolution in Three Acts: The Radical Vaudeville of Bert Williams, Eva Tanguay, and Julian Eltinge

From my list on merging art with personal history.

Why am I passionate about this?

I had been an exhibiting painter and an editorial cartoonist for years, but never a graphic book artist. Not until A Revolution in Three Acts. I was fortunate to have great guidance: my buddy David Hajdu (Positively Fourth Street, Lush Life, The Ten Cent Plague) wrote the words, did the research, and created the blueprint of every page and panel. My job was to lock myself up in my studio and draw, draw, draw. I think David and I did justice to three amazing figures of the American stage who dealt with the shifting societal forces of race, femininity, and gender: Bert Williams, Eva Tanguay, and Julian Eltinge.  

John's book list on merging art with personal history

John Carey Why did John love this book?

This is the backstory of Spiegelman’s two-volume masterpiece.

What was the impetus for MAUS? How did comic creatures find their way into a Holocaust narrative?  What were the reactions to such a unique merging of cartoons and historical horror? How has Spiegelman dealt with the book’s tremendous reception?

The book answers these questions with many interviews, photos, explanations, and reflections. Even agent and publisher rejection letters are included.

By Art Spiegelman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked MetaMaus as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD WINNER • Visually and emotionally rich, MetaMaus is as groundbreaking as the masterpiece whose creation it reveals.

In the pages of MetaMaus, Art Spiegelman re-enters the Pulitzer prize–winning Maus, the modern classic that has altered how we see literature, comics, and the Holocaust ever since it was first published twenty-five years ago.
 
He probes the questions that Maus most often evokes—Why the Holocaust? Why mice? Why comics?—and gives us a new and essential work about the creative process.
 
Compelling and intimate, MetaMaus is poised to become a classic in its own right.


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in comics, cartoonists, and artists?

Comics 124 books
Cartoonists 51 books
Artists 95 books