Unlikely Friendships : 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom by Jennifer S. Holland

Unlikely Friendships : 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom by Jennifer S. Holland -- 210 pages

I checked this in one day and just had to check it out myself. This is a feel-good book, one you might set on the coffee table and read snatches of here and there. It's a collection of stories of animals that bonded together. Very cute.
But maybe not completely real........I mean, go research that lioness and oryx. It wasn't exactly a happy situation. But whatever! For the sake of "awww"s I'll buy it.

Harvest Moon by Mercedes Lackey, Michelle Sagara West, Cameron Haley

Harvest Moon by Mercedes Lackey, Michelle Sagara West, Cameron Haley -- 384 pages

A Tangled Web by New York Times bestselling author Mercedes Lackey

Kidnapping Persephone should have been an easy task. But in the Five Hundred Kingdoms, nothing's ever simple—and the wrong blonde goddess is stolen by mistake, leaving Prince Leopold without his new bride. At least until he braves the realm of the dead to get her back….

Cast in Moonlight by New York Times bestselling author Michelle Sagara

Barely a teenager, Kaylin Neya is a thief, a fugitive and an attempted assassin. She also has a smart mouth, sharp wits and mysterious markings on her skin. All of which make her perfect bait for a child prostitution sting in the city of Elantra—if she survives her first meeting with the Hawks!

Retribution by Cameron Haley

In the underworld, there are tricks to killing. Like executing rivals at crossroads so ghosts won't follow you home. But sometimes retribution is hard to avoid—and now a supernatural hit man has a contract on Domino Riley's life. Luckily she knows a thing or two about death…. 

Trigger Warning - Neil Gaiman

Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman

352 pages

Neil's written a beautifully crafted collection of short stories and poetry and put them all together under the guise of being edgy and pushing the boundaries of people's psychological, mythological, and emotional boundaries.  But, while mesmerizing in their way (the last piece in particular is fantastic if you enjoyed American Gods), I'm still sleeping at night.  Fantastic read, but more subtly disturbing than super scary.

I did especially like that the author included a foreword that gave the stories, well...backstory.  It was a nice touch; like Gaiman, I also enjoy peeping in the mental window of the writer's process, and it was one of the most enjoyable parts of this read.

Comics Squad: Recess by various authors

Comics Squad: Recess! by various authors - 136 pages

This is a compilation of various established graphic novel series for children.  Each contributing series has a short story in the collection.

I got this as an ARC.  While I enjoyed the book and found a couple of series that I might order for the library, I don't think this is a book I would add.  You have to be familiar with the various series for the stories to really make any sense.

Oishinbo, vol 4- Fish, Sushi, Sashimi, by Tetsu Kariya

Oishinbo, vol 4- Fish, Sushi, Sashimi, by Tetsu Kariya, 258 pages

Food manga- who knew that was a thing?  Oishinbo relates a group of newspaper writers who are trying to compile the "Ultimate Menu" of Japanese food.  So every story focuses around a traditional Japanese food, dish, or preparation technique.  Oftentimes, the characters teach about morals and learn lessons through the recipes.  This particular volume gathers all of the issues related to fish, sushi and sashimi.  Very interesting to read as a genre study- just prepare to get hungry.

Everything, Volume 1: Collected and Uncollected Comics from Around 1978-1982, by Lynda Barry

Everything, Volume 1: Collected and Uncollected Comics from Around 1978-1982, by Lynda Barry, 176 pages

Lynda Barry is one of my absolute favorite artists and writers.  This ambitious project of hers, to compile “Everything” she’s done, starts strong with Volume 1.  This collects the beginnings of her comic career, including Ernie Pook’s Comeek, the Two Sisters comic strip, and Girls and Boys (with some others).  The Two Sisters comic was new to me, but it’s really charming, about two twin sisters who really want a dog.  Girls and Boys is where Barry’s style starts getting noticeably cruder, but it’s also where she subtly starts making the reader think about gender, relationships, abuse, and the cruelty of children.  In my opinion, she uses the crudeness of the art to bring out the grotesquerie of humanity.  It's not where I would advise someone who's never read her work to begin, but it's something any fan must read at some point.