Book Club Revisited Pick #2: Anya's Ghost, by Vera Brosgol
Book Club Revisited, the fun, web-based book club I have going with three of my friends, is still going strong! This month we read a YA graphic novel by Vera Brosgol, Anya's Ghost. We all liked this book considerably more than our last choice (Peter Cameron's Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You). Anya's Ghost is scary, sweet, and honest about what it's like to be a teenage girl. When Anya falls into a well and comes out with a new ghost friend, her social life begins to pick up. But all the advantages of having a spectral friend to help you dress for parties and give you your classmates' test answers may not mean so much once said friend begins to go a little crazy. Brosgol balances action and horror with the everydayness of her characters' lives in clever little ways, making this a fun read. Also, the art is fantastic. This is one of the best-looking graphic novels I've read in a long time (and a nice antidote to the sometimes eye-searing red of Alison Bechdel's latest book).
In full disclosure, our book club chat lasted six hours last night. And we only spent about a half hour or so talking about the book. This is what is so great about an informal reading group like this; at some point, the new friends you make become just as important as the new books you're exposed to.
Up Next from Book Club Revisited: I got to pick this time around, and I chose Paul Tobin's brand-new superhero novel, Prepare to Die! It sounds like a lot of fun, and I can't wait to read and discuss it!
I think we talked about the book for at least 45 minutes...
ReplyDeleteI also thought the art is just fantastic. And I'm already loving Prepare to Die!