• Still Not Gonna Read the Classics in Quarantine? Here Are Drawings.

    Lisa Brown's Illustrated SparkNotes

    Stuck in your home? Of course you are. So why not read all those literary classics that you merely skimmed in high school? Because you, like me, are in the throes of telecommuting, home-schooling, fighting with your roommates, and curling up in a tiny ball of existential dread. But don’t worry, I already did it for you.

    Long Story Short is my collection of comics where I summarize 100 books that you, let’s face it, won’t have any time to read. Some titles relevant to the current unpleasantness might include The Inferno by Dante Alighieri or A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. Hopefully it won’t come to Lord of the Flies, As I Lay Dying, or The Graveyard Book (too soon?).

    Perhaps you should just aspire to A Room Of One’s Own and being able to finally avoid your family. Use those bonus hours you would have wasted reading entire books to daydream about wowing folks at in-person cocktail parties (remember those?) with your cultural knowledge. Good luck and stay healthy!

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    From Long Story Short: 100 Classic Books in 3 Panels. Used with the permission of the publisher, Algonquin Books. Copyright © 2020 by Lisa Brown.


    Lisa Brown
    Lisa Brown
    Lisa Brown draws things like illustrations and comics, writes things like books and book reviews, and teaches things to kids and college students. Her debut picture book, How to Be, was one of the Thirteen Best Children’s Books for Family Literacy. She is a comics contributor at The Rumpus and teaches illustration at the California College of the Arts. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and son. You can find her online at americanchickens.com or on Twitter: @lisabrowndraws. Her latest book Long Story Short is now available.





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