My plan for reading and more reading, as well as relaxing, definitely worked last weekend. Saturday was a lovely day of floating in the pool and swinging in the hammock reading the novel LIPSTICK IN AFGHANISTAN by Roberta Gately, which will be in stores on November 9th. In LIPSTICK, the protagonist is a nurse who has volunteered in Afghanistan as an aid worker. Roberta has worked overseas including a stint in Afghanistan, thus her writing about this is pitch perfect. It’s a fast-paced, sharp read that humanizes the stories we hear on the news, getting to know the pressures and dangers facing those who have these jobs. On Sunday I was making dinner when I saw the horrific report about the Afghan aid workers who had been killed. After reading Roberta's book, I pictured her characters as those people, and it made her book even more powerful.

When I first started working on GraphicNovelReporter, I have to admit that I wasn't too well versed on manga. That wasn't a problem, for the most part, because we had great reviewers from all walks of life who thoroughly embraced the format. I could learn from them, and more than that, I could rely on them to bring the greatest and most important works to my attention while I was racing to get caught up. Flash-forward several months, to when I was first asked to be an Eisner judge, and I was still learning. I had gotten some education, but let's face it: There's a lot out there, and it's hard to get a grasp on it when you're just starting out. But last year, as part of the judging experience, I had to immerse myself in even more of it.