I Saw You... edited by Julia Wertz

I Saw You... Comics Inspired by Real-life Missed Connections
edited by Julia Wertz

Genre: Graphic Novel
Published: 2009
Paperback: 192 pages
Rating: 4

Inspiration: got me with the book cover blurb - Near misses, brief encounters, strange sightings, lusty longings, and a little hope for love

Description from the autor's blog:
I Saw You...is an anthology of comics based on missed connection ads collected from Craigslist, weeklies and newspapers.

My thoughts:
In-a-word(s): Looking for Love
I enjoyed the variety of graphics styles illustrating this theme. However, I got a little depressed with all the missed connections. Reading this made me realize how much we gotta seize the moment.

A treat: I was excited to see that one of my new-found favorites, Lucy Knisley, contributed a comic.

Important Artifacts and... by Leanne Shapton

Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry
by Leanne Shapton

Genre: Art, Relationship
Published: 2009
Paperback: 144 pages, Approx 400 Black-and-White Illustrations
Rating: 4

Inspiration: whimsical images on cover caught my eye and USA Today's Pop Candy Blog post

Description from author's site:
Auction catalogs can tell you a lot about a person -- their passions and vanities, peccadilloes and aesthetics; their flush years and lean.In Leanne Shapton's marvelously inventive and invented auction catalog, the 325 lots up for auction are what remain from the relationship between Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris. Through photographs of the couple's personal effects -- the usual auction items (jewelry, fine art, and rare furniture) and the seemingly worthless (pajamas, Post-it notes, worn paperbacks) -- the story of a failed love affair vividly (and cleverly) emerges. From first meeting to final separation, the progress and rituals of intimacy are revealed through the couple's accumulated relics and memorabilia. And a love story, in all its tenderness and struggle, emerges from the evidence that has been left behind, laid out for us to appraise and appreciate.

My thoughts:
In-a-word: Stuff
Who would have thought that a relationship between two people could be described with the stuff they owned. Through pictures, letters and email you can get a good sense of the two main characters. Definitely a book to check out for its unique-ness!