Jessica Carbert

NovelTEA: Doom Patrol Volume 1: Brick by Brick + Brain Cookies

By Jessica Roth September 16, 2018

So the summer-long search for the perfect romance was a bust; on the bright side, September is half-over already, which means October is just around the corner. I’m feeling that vibe, you know? And besides that, it’s been like, three months since I picked up a new comic. I was itching for some new (to me) material.

Enter Gerard Way’s Doom Patrol Volume 1: Brick by Brick.

Back in 2016, Way was tasked with the curation of DC’s Young Animal imprint; a branch of the company that explored offbeat, eccentric comics for “dangerous humans.” The reboot of Doom Patrol was Way’s baby; an admitted fan of Grant Morrison— whose run of The Doom Patrol in the ’90s is still perhaps the best-known and most-beloved— Way’s version of Doom Patrol reads like an enthusiastic, sincere love letter to Morrison’s run of the series

But more than that— it’s a hell of a lot of fun.

NovelTEA: Sweet Tooth series by Jeff Lemire + Candy Bar Chocolate Cake

By Jessica Roth September 9, 2018

Hello gentle readers! I’m no closer to finding the perfect romance novel than I was at the beginning of the summer. This is mostly because I haven’t picked up any of the titles I binge-ordered with the Kindle app, because life is stressful, and because I usually tend to return to my favourites when tough stuff happens.

One of those favourites is the Sweet Tooth series by Canadian comics pro Jeff Lemire, a Vertigo-brand title that spanned from 2009-2013 (I can’t believe how fast time has flown by!). If you’re new to comics, or even if Sweet Tooth flew under your radar (I get it. Comic releases are diverse and plentiful, there’s no way to read every single amazing title out there), here’s why you should read it:

NovelTEA: The Darkest Minds + Crispy Baked Pesto Chicken

By Jessica Roth August 19, 2018

Remember when Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games kicked off a new trend for YA audiences? It seemed to be all dystopia all the time following the explosive popularity of Katniss Everdeen and Panem’s cruel government— especially after it was picked up to be a major motion picture. Two years after The Hunger Games book series concluded with Mockingjay, when the first movie was all the rage, American author Alexandra Bracken gave the YA world another trilogy to sink its teeth into: The Darkest Minds trilogy.

NovelTEA: Birthday Girl + Confetti Cake Pops

By Jessica Roth August 12, 2018

After taking a short break from trying to find the perfect romance— why is this so hard? There are thousands of them published every year— I’ve returned to my goal with Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas. If you’re hankering for a good May-December romance, this might scratch your itch. If you’re like me, it didn’t quite meet my expectations (I acknowledge they’re unreasonably high, I get it, and I’m doing my best to temper them), but it was cute.

NovelTEA: Peter Panzerfaust Vol. 1 + Strawberry Shortcake Popsicles

By Jessica Roth July 29, 2018

You guys, I’m getting really discouraged on the romance novel front. Nothing I read seems to keep me interested. Last week was more of a thriller than a romance, sure, but the romantic parts (and to be fair, everything else) flopped harder than an oxygen-deprived fish on dry land. So this week, I decided to take a break from romance and thrillers and set my sights on something radically different:

Enter Peter Panzerfaust.

NovelTEA: A Simple Favor + Killer Kool-Aid

By Jessica Roth July 22, 2018

There’s nothing like reading a truly terrible novel to make you appreciate the joy that is reading a good book. Sorry (but not really), I bet you can probably figure out the tone of this review. I was supposed to be reading Christina Lauren’s Dirty Rowdy Thing, but then I saw the trailer for Darcey Bell’s A Simple Favor, starring Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, and Rupert Friend. Did I ditch all of my reading plans to go to the bookstore and pick up a mystery/thriller where the main character is a stay-at-home mommy blogger with a missing best friend? Hell yeah, that premise sounds amazing!

NovelTEA: ‘Sweet Filthy Boy’ + Cherry Crepes

By Jessica Roth July 15, 2018

In general, I’m not a romance reader. I just haven’t had much success with the genre— I have a few favourites, but by and large, I remain bored and unimpressed with romance/new adult/contemporary/chick lit. Which basically means that I’m now on a quest to find a romance novel I do thoroughly enjoy. My favourite book leans heavily on romance, so I figure, it can’t all be bad, right?

NovelTEA: Mystik U + Pomegranate Lemon Slushie

By Jessica Roth July 1, 2018

I have mixed feelings.

I wanted a snazzier intro than that, but as I’ve learned time and time again (most recently, this week) you can’t always get what you want. When Mystik U— helmed by celebrated romance author Alisa Kwitney and Revival artist Mike Norton, with stunning colours by The Nameless City’s Jordie Bellaire— was announced as an official go last year, I was ecstatic. Both Norton and Bellaire are Eisner award winners.

Zatanna Zatara is one of my underrated favs— the fact that she was set up to be the lead of her own prestige-format limited series had me over-the-moon. Like, I was literally sold with just her involvement. Add in a magical university setting, a book that’s mainly targeted at a YA audience, and a boatload of underused DC characters, and this sounds like my dream.

NovelTEA: ‘Good Me Bad Me’ by Ali Land + Rainbow Sprinkle Cinnamon Rolls

By Jessica Roth June 24, 2018

Holy smokes, I can’t believe June is almost over already.

I’m really more of an autumnal person. Brisk winds, colourful, satisfyingly crunchy leaves, snuggly hoodies and oversized mugs of hot chocolate— that sort of thing. Compared to July and August— humidity that causes my hair to stage daily rebellions, heat so oppressive that the A/C doesn’t even feel like it’s on when it is, in fact, cranked up as high as it can go, obnoxious fireworks being set off by obnoxious teens, regardless of whether or not there’s a holiday, and… You get the gist, I’m sure. Fall is clearly the reigning champ.

Now, before I get a comments section full of people who (respectfully, I would hope) disagree, there are some great things about every season. But because I miss fall dearly, I think I’ve been subconsciously looking for books that have a certain “vibe.” Ali Land’s debut novel, Good Me Bad Me seemed like it would be the perfect fit.

NovelTEA: The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz + Death By Chocolate Ice Cream Cake

By Jessica Roth June 11, 2018

I have been sitting here trying to come up with a clever intro for about 30 minutes.

That’s a lie. It’s only been five minutes. The rest of that time has been devoted to working around my family’s newest addition— a one-eyed cat who loves constant attention and snuggles. And won’t settle for anything less (I mean, at least he knows his worth).

He’s going through a phase of wanting to give me love-bites and then slobbering all over my fingers with his adorably raspy tongue, and honestly, I’ve tried to distract him and remove him from my work area. But he’s not having any part of that. So basically what will be happening for the duration of this review is I’ll be valiantly trying to string together cohesive sentences. He’ll be meowing loudly, pawing at my hands, and snatching my fingers into his paws so he can glomp on them.