Collecting Sticks Frank Viva Before long

Before long

and Owl is a soap opera

A Vagrant is the wittiest book of the year

Emily Flake–keen observer of human behavior and life’s less-than-triumphant moments–codifies the most common awkward hugs that have plagued us all

*"A sure winner for any reader with a yen to become permanently terrified

Collecting Sticks Frank Viva Before longBy Joe Decie. Published by Jonathan Cape. Hardcover, 160 pages, B&W, 2017. Observer Graphic Novel of the Month Collecting Sticks is a graphic novel about a family glamping trip. (It's like camping, but much more expensive.) Loosely based on actual events, but sometimes veering unexpectedly into fantasy, the story plays with the challenges nature presents to city folk as they forage for berries, get stuck up a tree, make perilous encounters with