I chose this for Catching Up on Classics Bingo 2026 : I2: Prize Winning Author for the bonus of satisfying the Graphic Novel challenge. Graphics aren't my favorite, and I wasn't really sure what I was getting into with this. It didn't really tell one story, but 2-3 semi-connected stories across several issues from 1982-3. Sometimes in action comics I can't tell what's going on in the pictures. At least these artists are good enough that most of the people look pretty distinct and I can tell who's who.

A look into a fascinating world, but the author kept everyone -- including the reader -- at arm's length. As a history of meiko and geiko, it doesn't feel sufficient, because of all the attention on the one house. As a personal memoir, it also feels insufficient, because very few people were given enough time and material to be real characters in her telling.

An epistolary novel that starts with several humorous anecdotes. Gets serious in the middle to address the occupation of the island of Guernsey by the Nazis. Ends happily, by which time I felt like I was a friend of the society too.

Audiobook readers were superb.

This is one of the few instances where having seen the movie first made me feel like I knew too much while doing the reading. But there was plenty of content that didn't make it into the movie (philosophy, mostly -- #ShipOfTheseus). I also wish the first contact element had been explored more. Mostly the whole situation of Mickey trying to hide the fact of his multiple situation just made me too tense to enjoy myself. I have the same problem with people going undercover for their police or spy duties. I wouldn't last a day.

This book was not for me, and I was not its ideal reader. Sam and Shep were fine characters, and I enjoyed watching them get to know each other and their relationship develop. But so much of the book was in Sam's head as they recovered from a traumatic experience, it just plodded along while nothing happened and Sam just kind of ... sulked? Brooded?

To be clear, I'm not against feelings. But I guess a lot of the first part of this book felt like reading a (maddeningly vague) diary entry, while nothing really happened.

It picked up in the last third as they started leaping to conclusions about the main mystery, a 30-year old cold case.

I had a hard time getting into this. Fern's actions weren't making any sense, and she wasn't talking about her feelings or her reasoning or anything really. And she wasn't getting along with her traveling companions, so everything was tense there too, and I was uncomfortable. Once there was some communication, opening up and becoming more friendly, I started getting into it more. And I know intellectually that the discomfort is part of being in an unfamiliar place with strangers, but it made me reluctant to keep going. I should have trusted the author though, and known that he would get us to cozy eventually.

I missed having Viv along on the adventure, but the new pals turned out okay.