LibraryAware ☀️ Summer 2025

New & Recently Added

A wizard of Earthsea : a graphic novel
by Fred Fordham

Ged was the greatest sorcerer in Earthsea, but in his youth, he was the reckless Sparrowhawk, and in his hunger for power and knowledge, he tampered with long-held secrets, unleashing a terrible shadow on the world. Illustrations.

Ducks : two years in the oil sands
by Kate Beaton

Katie heads out west to take advantage of Alberta's oil rush-part of the long tradition of East Coasters who seek gainful employment elsewhere when they can't find it in the homeland they love so much. Katie encounters the harsh reality of life in the oil sands, where trauma is an everyday occurrence yet is never discussed. Beaton's natural cartooning prowess is on full display as she draws colossal machinery and mammoth vehicles set against a sublime Albertan backdrop of wildlife, northern lights, and boreal forest. Her first full length graphic narrative, Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands is an untold story of Canada: a country that prides itself on its egalitarian ethos and natural beauty while simultaneously exploiting both the riches of its land andthe humanity of its people

Kirby's lessons for falling (in love)
by Laura Gao

After Kirby Tan breaks her arm at the rock-climbing invitationals she joins the newspaper club, where she meets and falls for astrology-obsessed Bex and then struggles to balance her queer identity with her obligations to family and community. Simultaneous and eBook. Illustrations.

Renegade Girls
by Nora Neus

"Stunt Girl follows seventeen-year-old Nell Nelson, an undercover reporter, as she works to expose the plight of young factory workers in nineteenth-century New York City with the help of her love interest, early street-photographer Alice Austen"

Soichi
by Junji Itåo

"Soichi, the unhinged second son of the Tsujii family, chews nails and makes them clatter and clack as he spouts horrific curses to bring about the most bizarre happenings. Whether it's summer holidays or a birthday party, Soichi can turn any occasion into a nightmare in a heartbeat. What is the terrible secret of his origin?' Meanwhile, tormented by his little brother's never-ending pranks, older brother Koichi has a soundproof room built. But why does it have a series of four doors? And then there's the strange phenomenon surrounding the handmade casket their grandfather left behind. What on earth--or hell--has the family seen there? Ten tales that celebrate the sinister and hilarious world of Junji Ito's favorite antihero, Soichi!"

Strange bedfellows
by Ariel Slamet Ries

"In the not-too-distant future, most of humanity resides on its last-ditch effort at utopia: Meridian, a remote alien planet where you're more likely to be born superhuman than left-handed. None of that is important to Oberon Afolayan. Since his mildly public breakdown, his whole life seems to be spiraling out of control--from dropping out of university to breaking up with his boyfriend, it seems like only a karmic inevitability when he wakes up one day with the ability to conjure his dreams in the real world. Oberon's newfound powers come with a facsimile of his high school crush, Kon, who mysteriously dropped off the face of the planet almost three years ago and who is a little more infuriating (if not also infuriatingly hot) than Oberon remembers. Konmakes it his mission to turn Oberon's life around, and while they struggle to get a handle on his powers and his disastrous personal life (not to mention the appearance of strange nightmare creatures), it turns out this dream version of Kon has secrets of his own--dangerous ones. Oberon might have more on his plate than he originally thought, but is giving up his dreams--even the one he might have accidentally fallen in love with--the only way to find happiness in reality?"--Provided by publisher

Wanted! : Eiichiro Oda before One piece
by Eiichiråo Oda

"See another version of Luffy in the original short story that launched a legend. The creator of One Piece presents this unique collection of his earliest works. From Western to fantasy to ghost story, this special volume has it all-including "Romance Dawn," the one-shot that would become the international megahit One Piece!"

Unique Finds

A fire story
by Brian Fies

"Early morning on Monday, October 9, 2017, wildfires burned through Northern California, resulting in 44 fatalities. In addition, 6,200 homes and 8,900 structures were destroyed. Brian Fies's narrative of this tragic event is an honest, unflinching depiction of his personal experiences, including losing his house and every possession he and his wife had that didn't fit into the back of their car. In the days that followed, as the fires continued to burn through the area, Fies hastily pulled together, A Fire Story and posted it online--it immediately went viral. He has now expanded his original webcomic to include environmental insight and the fire stories of his neighbors and others in his community. A Fire Story is a candid testimony of the wildfires that left homes destroyed, families broken, and a community determined to rebuild"

Dancing at the pity party : a dead mom graphic memoir
by Tyler Feder

A debut graphic novel traces the author's experiences with the loss of her mother, tracing the poignant journey of her mother's diagnosis and treatment and her own experiences with sitting Shiva and making sense of life after her mother's death. Simultaneous eBook. Illustrations.

Mimosa
by Archie Bongiovanni

"Best friends and chosen family Chris, Elise, Jo, and Alex work hard to keep themselves afloat. Their regular brunches hold them together even as the rest of their lives threaten to fall apart. In an effort to avoid being the oldest gays at the party, the crew decides to put on a new queer event called Grind--specifically for homos in their dirty thirties"

On tyranny : twenty lessons from the twentieth century
by Timothy Snyder

"In this graphic edition, Nora Krug draws from her highly inventive art style in Belonging-at once a graphic memoir, collage-style scrapbook, historical narrative, and trove of memories-to breathe new life, color, and power into Snyder's riveting historical references, turning a quick-read pocket guide of lessons into a visually striking rumination. In a time of great uncertainty and instability, this edition of On Tyranny emphasizes the importance of being active, conscious, and deliberate participants in resistance"

Feelings : a story in seasons
by Manjit Thapp

The illustrator of The Little Book of Feminist Saints charts her emotions throughout the course of a validating year spent mindfully examining the correlation between the seasons and her personal manifestations of anxiety, joy, pain and creativity.

Redbone : the true story of a Native American rock band
by Christian Staebler

Presents the history of the Native American rock band Redbone, who rose to fame while maintaining their cultural identity, and took a stand as the American Indian Movement in the 1970s gained momentum

The secret to superhuman strength
by Alison Bechdel

A comics and cultural superstar delivers a deeply layered story of her fascination, from childhood to adulthood, with every fitness craze throughout the years, from Jack LaLanne in the 60s to the existential oddness of present-day spin classes. 75,000 first printing. Illustrations.