Among the copious things I love about graphic novels and memoirs, I especially adore how transportive they can be. While reading other texts, my brain works a little, or a lot, to imagine the story unfolding, people interacting, facial expressions, hair styles, the living room setup, and the day-to-day appearance of the sky. With images featured from beginning to end, I can relax a smidge more than I do with other formats. It feels like an art museum delivered to my hands. I amble from page to page, my eyes traveling from text to artwork, on a bit of a brain vacation. Just one of many reasons my cache of comfort reads includes so many graphic novels.
After marathon reading some lovely, sprawling historical fiction, I yearned for a book holiday, and that all of these titles explore vacation was an added bonus. As summer comes to an end, life can get serious. You may seem tied to your responsibilities, even with those inspiring fresh notebook and new pen sensations that arise as the -ber months approach. If you need a quick escape, I’ve compiled six graphic novels and memoirs, consisting of travelogues, romance, and coming-of-age stories, to transport you.
 The American Dream?: A Journey on Route 66 Discovering Dinosaur Statues, Muffler Men, and the Perfect Breakfast Burrito by Shing Yin KhorAfter residing in Los Angeles for 10 years, four as a U.S. citizen, Khor, who grew up in a touristy locale of Malaysia, chases their dream of driving Route 66. On a tight budget, they—with their tiny terrier, Bug—navigate a Honda Fit eastward. Starting at California’s corner of Lincoln and Olympic and ending in Chicago, they camp along the legendary highway and take small detours to reunite with beloveds and sleep somewhere more comfortable than the back of a compact car or a mud-slathered tent. I keep returning to the stunning watercolors of Blue Mesa’s expansive night sky in the Petrified Forest National Park, to poignant passage after passage in this moving travel narrative. A favorite: “My heart has always existed in pieces, between continents and countries and states and borders, and trails I’ve walked and roads I’ve driven. Perhaps that is actually perfectly acceptable. Maybe ‘home’ doesn’t matter.” |
 ¡Ay, Mija!: My Bilingual Summer in Mexico by Christine SuggsIn this sweet graphic memoir about family, language, and belonging, Christine travels from Texas to Mexico City to stay with their grandparents for two weeks before their mother joins them during the summer before 11th grade. In black, white, and shades of blue and brown, the captivating drawings entail floor plans, maps, and illustrations from the 16-year-old’s sketchbook as well as their time with family, eating elaborate meals, dozing off on the couch, and voyaging to their El Ciervo country home and popular locations like Chapultepec. We even get a glimpse of Christine’s cherished places: a tree in their grandmother’s garden nicknamed “mi casita” where they draw until their hand hurts, and the shower with the “always open” window that lets in birdsong. |
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Bengali (Bangladesh) · 
English (United States) ·