Books
Lawrence Journal-World l LJWorld.com l Sunday, July 31, 2016
SHELF LIFE
A LIFE IN PICTURES
Lucy Knisley’s graphic novel memoirs a visual treat
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s a reader, I usually don’t know where my next read is going to come from. It could be found in a magazine article, by listening to NPR, or from a person convincing me that I need to drop everything and read this book that will apparently change my life. This is the tale of my journey with author and artist Lucy Knisley, whom I discovered while researching food memoirs via the NoveList feature on the library website. Residing in Chicago, Knisley is a serial artist who excels at infusing a personal narrative with her signature visual style. She’s a talented young woman with a unique voice that is selfdeprecating and humorous, yet universal. Now, I have been around comic books and graphic novels for as long as I can recall, yet I don’t remember encountering any with an autobiographical narrative. Personally, as a visual artist, I have an immense respect for those who pursue and can actualize storytelling through the form of serial artwork. For Knisley to have both of these qualities within the same bound pages, well, it just seemed too good to be true. Below is a travelogue of my voyage through Lucy Knisley’s books, and perhaps you, dear readers, will be as endeared by her work as I have been.
“French Milk” Published in 2008, “French Milk” offers an introspective and intimate portrait of Knisley’s life during a pivotal time in her early 20s. The plot
great combination of her writing style, like what is found in “French Milk,” and the visual stylings of “Relish.” In combination with her innate sense of humor, Knisley crafts not only a travelogue for her journey, but an inner diary as well.
involves a six-week trip to Paris with her mother, Knisley’s impending 24th birthday, and her thoughts of what future awaits her upon graduating from the Art Institute of Chicago. The narrative is portrayed through personal black and white photographs, drawings from Knisley’s Moleskine notebook and accompanying handwritten anecdotes. While the drawing style feels simple in comparison to Knisley’s other works, it supports the temporal setting of a trip abroad. “French Milk” almost reads like a graphic novel Moleskine edition of Noah Baumbach’s film “Frances Ha,” another coming of age tale that could be categorized as “Millennial French noir.”
“Relish: My Life in the Kitchen” In 2013, Knisley produced
“Relish: My Life in the Kitchen,” a food memoir graphic novel. You read that correctly: It’s a memoir about food relayed through an illustrated format. “Relish” is quite possibly the most personal of Knisley’s works. The daughter of a chef and gourmet, Knisley weaves the thread of food and the pleasure of eating into just about every facet of her life. In addition to the lovingly crafted illustrations, there are family recipes that accompany each chapter. I offer one warning: Do not read this book when you are hungry because it will prove to be absolutely torturous.
“An Age of License: A Travelogue” This memoir follows Knisley as she travels solo for a publisher-funded book tour through Europe. This work is a
“Displacement: A Travelogue” Knisley followed “An Age of License” up with “Displacement: A Travelogue” in 2015, which chronicles a cruise taken by Knisley and her aging grandparents. This work is a true love letter for those who have a close-knit relationship with elders in their family. “Displacement” continues the physical, internal journeying from “An Age of License” and adds a temporal quality with anecdotes from the storied lives of Knisley’s grandparents. “Something New: Tales From a Makeshift Bride” This year brings Knisley’s latest release, “Something New: Tales From a Makeshift Bride,” and completes a romantic story arc that began in “French Milk.” This opus is not only a wonderful mix of Knisley’s previous works, but it also offers a refreshing perspective of what it’s like to plan a wedding and insight on what it means to be married. This book garners a newfound respect for do-it-yourself nuptials and the work that goes into crafting a ceremony with meaning. — Ilka Iwanczuk is a readers’ services assistant at the Lawrence Public Library.
BOOK REVIEW
‘Never a Dull Moment’ for classic rock buffs only cal eyebrow and say that for you too the music of the year when you were 21 or 18 or 16 The cover photo of “Never or whenever you felt a Dull Moment: 1971: The Year most alive, still speaks That Rock Exploded” by music to you in a way that journalist David Hepworth no other year does,” shows great promise — Keith Hepworth writes. “ … Richards of the Rolling Stones There’s an important seated on the floor playing gui- difference in the case tar, with girlfriend Anita Palof me and 1971. The lenberg on his right and singer difference is this. I’m Gram Parsons on his left. right.” Unfortunately, “Never a Dull Hepworth’s main Moment” does not consistently point is largely live up to that photo’s promise. correct: Most of the The author was 21 in 1971 and artists who rebelieves that year in music was leased top 10 singles “the most febrile and creative in 1971, such as Van Morrison, time in the entire history of Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin and popular music.” David Bowie, are still known to “ … (Y)ou might raise a skepti- listeners born after 1982. By Laura Malt Schneiderman
Associated Press
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Each season, it mixes nationally recognized professionals — Vera, an experienced tenor and Kansas University alum, boasts a resume filled with performances at The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera and Nashville Opera, just to name a few — with local theater veterans, high school students and aspiring singers from KU. Its mission, aside from offering young performers a glimpse at the inner workings of a professional opera company, is to make the art form accessible to the masses. “We want to make sure that we reach out to
wedding and the spectacle surrounding it. Hepworth seems to want to pack as many details into a sentence as possible. The new Mrs. Jagger wore “an outfit whose décolletage had clearly been chosen with the express intention of getting a photo of it onto every front page in the world, and also subliminally advertising what nobody but the groom knew, which was that she was already four months pregnant.” One wishes Hepworth might have pared away some of the less pertinent details in his narratives. “Never a Dull Moment” will likely appeal to classic rock aficionados. Less zealous readers might be better served just listening to the music.
BEST-SELLERS Here are the best-sellers for the week that ended Sunday, July 24, compiled from nationwide data.
Hardcover fiction 1. The Black Widow. Daniel Silva. Harper ($27.99) 2. Magic. Danielle Steel. Delacorte ($28.95) 3. First Comes Love. Emily Giffin. Ballantine ($28) 4. The Girls. Emma Cline. Random House ($27) 5. The Games. Patterson/Sullivan. Little, Brown ($28) 6. The Woman in Cabin 10. Ruth Ware. Scout ($26) 7. End of Watch. Stephen King. Scribner ($30) 8. Here’s to Us. Elin Hilderbrand. Little, Brown ($28) 9. Before the Fall. Noah Hawley. Grand Central ($26) 10. Tom Clancy: Duty and Honor. Grant Blackwood. Putnam ($29) Hardcover nonfiction 1. Crisis of Character. Gary J. Byrne. Center Street ($27) 2. Hillary’s America. Dinesh D’Souza. Regnery ($29.99) 3. Art of Coloring: Disney Animals. Disney Editions ($15.99) 4. Armageddon. Morris/McGann. Humanix ($24.99) 5. Hamilton: The Revolution. Miranda/McCarter. Grand ($40) 6. Bill O’Reilly’s Legends and Lies: The Patriots. David Fisher. Holt ($35) 7. When Breath Becomes Air. Paul Kalanithi. Random House ($25) 8. Freedom. Jaycee Dugard. Simon & Schuster ($25) 9. Between the World and Me. Ta-Nehisi Coates. Random House ($24) 10. Wake Up America. Eric Bolling. St. Martin’s ($25.99) Mass market 1. Me Before You (movie tie-in). Jojo Moyes. Penguin ($9.99) 2. Silver Linings. Debbie Macomber. Ballantine ($7.99) 3. Depraved Heart. Patricia Cornwell. Morrow ($9.99) 4. Precious Gifts. Danielle Steel. Dell ($8.99) 5. Nemesis. Catherine Coulter. Jove ($9.99) 6. Truth or Die. Patterson/Roughan. Vision ($9.99) 7. The Collector. Nora Roberts. Jove ($7.99) 8. The Murderer’s Daughter. Jonathan Kellerman. Ballantine ($9.99) 9. Always Dakota. Debbie Macomber. Mira ($7.99) 10. Shadow Rider. Christine Feehan. Jove ($7.99)
Trade paperback 1. The Girl on the Train. THATbySCRAM David L Paula Hawkins. Riverhead Unscramble these six Jumbles, ($16) one letter to each square, to 2. form six ordinary After You.words. Jojo Moyes. Penguin ($16) GLIYHH 3. It Gets Worse. Shane Dawson. Keywords ($17) ©2016 Tribune Content Agency, LLC All Reserved. 4.Rights Milk and Honey. Rupi Kaur.CATINT Andrews McMeel himself as a force in the to name a few. ($14.99) “We want to make sure that we reach opera world, it’s a place In recent weeks, that 5. Me Before You (movie he and other opera promission of accessibilout to the community, because this tie-in). Jojo Moyes. Penguin MEHAUN fessionals like Stuckey ity has extended to free ($16) is a people’s opera company.” keep coming back to. performances at the 6. In a Dark, Dark Wood. “We’ve been growing Downtown Lawrence Ruth Ware. Scout Press GRUDET every year, and this is Sidewalk Sale and the — Hugo Vera, founder and artistic director ($16) of Lawrence Opera Theatre Lawrence Public Library. something very near and 7. My Grandmother dear to my heart, and And on Aug. 13 at 3 p.m., Asked Me to Tell You … SREEGY that’s why, even after I LOT artist-in-residence Fredrik Backman. Washingmoved away from Lawthe community, because offers social commenAndrew Stuckey, a KU ton Square ($16) rence, I wanted to keep it this is a people’s opera tary on the state of alum and active opera 8. Little Black Dress. going,” Vera says. company,” Vera says. facilities now, where performer who teaches NAYRTT arrange James Patterson. Book- Now to form the su “I want to give back Often, that entails he says many individuat the University of AriShots ($4.99) suggested by t to Lawrence and to the modernizing older, clasals are left behind and zona’s school of music, 9. BayPRINT of Sighs. Nora IN THE CIRCLE YOUR ANSWER community and to KU sic works — or, as Vera forgotten by the outside will offer a free master Roberts. Berkley ($17) and to Kansas,” he adds. puts it, “We take them world. class to the public at 10. NYPD Red 4. PatTheatre Lawrence. “I wanted to give someout of the 16th century The company’s everterson/Karp. Grand Central For Vera, who now thing back, and this is my and make them more popular cabaret perfor($15.99) serves as an assistant way of doing it.” ‘now.’” mance, which this year professor of music alongFor a full Lawrence LOT’s version of will take place Aug. 13 side his friend and colOpera Theatre schedule, Henry Purcell’s “Dido at Theatre Lawrence, is league at the University including ticket informaand Aeneas” (it’s slated dubbed “Brush Up Your of Arizona, Lawrence tion, visit theatrelawfor Aug. 12 and 14 in Shakespeare!,” and will has become his “summer rence.com. conjunction with “The include selections from Answer : Fairy Queen” at Theatre some of Broadway’s most home.” It’s a place that HUMANE GEYSER HIGHLY — Features reporter Joanna nurtured him as a college Lawrence), for example, popular Shakespearean TRUDGE TYRANT INTACT She said that her wedding dress Hlavacek can be reached at takes place in a modern- adaptations — “Kiss Me, student just starting out still fit, but she was — jhlavacek@ljworld.com and day mental institution. Kate,” “West Side Story” in his career. And now 832-6388. The edit, Vera says, and “The Lion King,” just that he’s established STRETCHING THE TRUTH Check out the new, free JUST JUMBLE app
Opera
However, his other points are too diffuse. He skips around in describing 1971, mentioning social trends, books, TV shows, movies, crime, fashion, table tennis, concerts, politics, technology, underground magazines, how who met whom, who was married to whom, who worked with whom, asides, opinions, trivia. Reading it is like trying to peer through a moving telescope. Some of the trivia tidbits are interesting but tangential, such as an in-depth account of Mick Jagger’s 1971
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