Member Reviews
You know Sarah Andersen right? That weird looking black n’ white one page comics that somehow know how we live? Yeah, those are created by Sarah Andersen and this is her third book.
Sarah’s Scribbles is a comic strip that takes us on a trip of her life and finds humor in daily observations. Observational comedy is always very subtle that points at our surroundings in a third party manner. We don’t see it because we are in it. And it frames a more authentic stage when the comedy is about us and our own life.
Sarah Anderson is one of us – that might be the most fitting thing I can say. Her life, anxiety, laziness, friends and all else are so much like us that one feels asking her, “How did you know?” again and again.
The last part of the book is a collection of short-notes, open letters and relevant comics for struggling artists, writers and any kind of creative developers. It feels like a friend’s pat on the back to those who are facing self-doubt and other problems.
A must-read if you love cats, dogs, food, yourself and life.
Disclaimer: I love Sarah’s Scribbles and it was a delight to get ARC of it. I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Finished this e-arc tonight. It's my second book from Sarah Andersen, and I still like some of the panel comic even not as much as I like the first book of the series.
In the Herding Cats, Sarah is not only drawing some panel but giving story about her work as artist and her opinion about art this day on internet. I really like the second part, the panel when the author sharing about her works and her anxiety about trying to get some creativy and share her works on internet. And I really love the last of this collection. It's like the most important part from the book.
Beside that, I was incredibly related and enjoyed some panel. Like, omg this panel really like me in real life, messing up with my room after cleaning or me who always self-judging myself. Can't believe there is so many panel I can related.
The things that I don't really like, some panel kinda boring and I don't get the humor what the author mean. Repetitive topic like the other books from author. I expected to read more about cats but yeah the panel about cats can be count. And The book itself is kinda short than other books from author.
3 ★★★ for the last section in this book, the enjoyable experince read some panel, the great content and the color of cover.
And thanks for giving me chance to provide the e-arc.
Another fantastic volume from one of the best cartoonists around. Sarah Andersen really understands what it is like to be me (and apparently a lot of other people)!
I'm so sorry this book wasn't for me... I had read the first book of the series and this had me waiting impatiently for the next books... I still haven't read the second one, and I hope it wasn't like "Herding cats"... I really like the typical sketches of Sarah Andersen, but I felt she wasn't 100% loyal to her uniqie style this time... The whole didactic tone got me so uninterested, it felt like I was reading about a self-improvement book and not a funny comment. I hope the next comics of Sarah Andersen will be more like "Adulthood iis a myth" , and that they'll be closer to my tastes!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2237074189
This is the kind of book everyone pursuing a career in creative arts should read--whether you're studying writing, drawing, filmmaking, anything! This is the bok for you. From start to finish, you feel comfortable with Andersen, and once the illustrations become intertwined with text and advice, you're left in good hands. I absolutely enjoyed this one!
This was darker than her previous works. It seemed very introspective into her life, her thoughts, her worries. I enjoyed it, but not as much as her others.
Another stunning collection from one of my absolute favorite authors. As always the comics are completely relatable, and beautifully illustrated. This will be my new go to book for gifting to anyone whos having a bad day. Pure cat-loving, anxiety-fighting, too real to be anything but funny gold. Please keep writing more. Please never stop writing more.
I got a copy of this through Netgalley.
I like Sarah Andersen and I find her doodles delightful. If you like these sorts of things you will definitely like this book.
Sarah Andersen did it again! She made me laugh out loud with every single comic on every single page. She is just amazing as an artist and as a comic maker overall. Plus, what I really really liked about this book is that there’s a part in the end where she explains life as an artist, not only via comics but also through a bit of text which gives the explanation a lot more seriousness, inside of what’s capable. Overall, this book is just amazing and I can’t wait for it to come out!
Thank you to Net Galley for a free copy of this book in trade for an honest review.
This review is also posted in my blog : https://onewordtoomuch.wordpress.com/2018/03/08/herding-cats-sarahs-scribbles-3/
It’s a simple story about day to day life of the author. It’s funny, cute, depressing and sometimes sad. What I like about this story is the blatant truth about things that you can’t really talk or embarrassed to admit to the society. Sarah approached it in a funny way, making things light. Love the way she could illustrate herself like being an introvert, animal lover (quite a bunch of cats and dogs) and some of her inner thoughts. It took enough bravery to illustrate your live like that.
Her comic is something that I could relate too. It’s not easy being an introvert and wants to hide from people. Also at the same time wants to adopt cute kitten I met on the street.
The artwork is in doodle style, so the lines are a bit in scribble style. There are times I don’t quite understand her story, but still it’s easy to read and enjoy. I love when she finished the book with the phrase “Go make stuff”. It gives me encouragement to draw the next day.
Recommend for those who like humor, cat lover and not afraid that it might be your story she’s telling.
This is a simple but extremely expressive set of comics. Almost anyone could find a panel to relate to. I love that Sarah's brand of humour is so all-encompassing - a lot of people could relate to it.
This is for pet lovers and people who feel overwhelmed by the polarised politics of today. This is a comic for the socially anxious or the person overwhelmed by news; the book lover, the music lover and the person with unpopular taste in both.
This is a comic that celebrates the little things in a way that isn't in-your-face or pseudo-philosophical. It's lovely and would put a smile on anyone's face.
The author and artist also talks about her disappointment in the current state of the internet. I think her optimism in hoping that the internet will become more tolerant of aspiring artists and all people in general, is refreshing. Her artist survival guide is very sweet and is a must for all 21st century artists who post online.
If you need a pick-me-up, let go of what you're doing and start reading Sarah Scribbles.
If Sarah Andersen ever stops being funny, we'll know the apocalypse is nigh! Another amazingly wonderful entry about what it feels like to just be a young adult in today's world. Andersen's drawings suck you in and her content keeps you laughing on every single page. 5/5 stars. No, 500 stars.
The 'message' half of the book was nice, but not as relatable as the previous books. Still love her comics, though.
I expect that this is as good as the previous books. Unfortunately, the format wasn’t r arable I n my kindle.
I follow Sarah Andersen on a couple of her social media accounts, and I live for new art from her. That being said, there were quite a few comics in here I'd never seen before. It doesn't matter, I would've been thrilled seeing ones I've already fallen in love with. But it was super fun to see new ones.
Her comics never stop being relatable. All of them are funny, but some hit some spots that would prefer to stay hidden, thankyouverymuch.
The final part of her book is an illustrated account of what it's like to put your artistic work out into the universe. And by universe, I mean internet. And by internet, I mean those evil bullies who will complain about literally everything in this world because they're unhappy with themselves and also because they suck.
The story is inspiring, to say the least. The message is, JUST KEEP MAKING STUFF. And I think that's more important than any other thing she included in this book.
The third compilation of Sarah Andersen's work does not disappoint and it even improves from the second one. Always real, honest and funny, Sarah's work is refreshing and a joy to read. The final part -essays- was personal, touching and very relatable. I love Sarah's work and I will always recommend her! 5 stars!
What I Liked
Sarah Andersen is one of the most funny human beings. Each comic I read in this book I laughed, smiles, and chuckled. This collection of comics lives up the hype of her previous two. Andersen has the ability to create simple comics that are highly relatable. By doing this she allows us to see the funny side of knowing we tell ourselves we are going to wake up and not hit snooze, but in truth we know we are going to hit to 1000 times. It also gives me and I would think others the comfort of knowing they are not alone in doing those types of thing.
One thing I really like about this collection is that each page is its separate comic. You can literally put it down on any page....if you end up putting it down. One thing that truly annoys me about some books is the lack of a natural stopping point while I am reading.
Lastly, I really enjoyed her style of drawing. It is simple, but has everything you need. It is adorable and creative. There is no fluff, apart for the kitties. Sometimes artists add to much and it can be distracting, Andersen has found a great balance.
At the end of the book the final sections are a message from the author that is geared for young artists. While I myself am not an artist her message is still relevant. Try, put yourself out there and keep at it.
What I Didn't Like
Nothing, I loved everything. All bow down to Sarah Andersen! Eh hem... I mean go and get the book.
Overall Thoughts
If you couldn't tell already, I loved this book. It is very relatable, humorous, and allows us to poke fun at ourselves. I have already texted and messaged a few of my friends they need to check out this collection. I know in the future if someone comes to me wanting a recommendation for something funny there is a very high chance that I will be recommending this. I ended up giving this 5 stars.
I want to note that I received this book from Netgalley for this review. My review is honest and all thoughts are my own.
Sarah's comic strips take a uniquely charming perspective in acknowledging the episodes of self-doubt, anxiety, and flat out panic we all go through at times. Her art makes us laugh but also feel that reassurance that someone else knows what this feels like. Would recommend this for any friend who needs a hug in the form of a book!
It’s Sarah and what more do I say? :) It’s encouraging to see that last quarter talking to the aspiring artists! That made me love her more! Way to go Sarah! :)
The world is absolutely @%#$&% and sometimes it might feel like there’s no saving it.
For me personally it was such a rough year that I had to stop blogging about books and I slowly stopped reading the further we got into the year. It wasn’t because I didn’t love the books or that I didn’t want to do these things, but the outside world was so overwhelming that it felt flat out impossible to focus on my creative endeavours.
That is what Herding Cats of graphic novels is about and that’s the overall theme. When it feels like the entire world has gone mad, how do you function as a person? How do you give the time to your creativity that you want to when you want to take care of yourself? And how do you talk yourself into stepping inside these public spaces when the discourse has become so toxic that you can get death threats simply for putting yourself and your art out there?
Herding Cats doesn’t have any easy answers to these issues, but that’s not what it’s trying to do.
Instead, it’s a support. The further I read into Herding Cats, the more I felt I was looking into a mirror and my reflection was telling me that it was okay, that there were other people going through the same thing as me, and who had the same or similar idiosyncrasies. (Actually forget the reflection talking to me thing, that’s terrifying.)
I’m getting lost in my own analogies, so let me break this down very simply. You can read Herding Cats as a disconnected collection of cartoons that are relatable and humorous, or you can (over) read a bit deeper and take away a few things from it.
It’s not a neutral book in the least, but there’s an irreverance and a relatability to the comics in Herding Cats that will resonate with a large amount of people.
I have been a huge fan of Sarah Scribbles for years now and following my feelings about her previous works, I cannot recommend Herding Cats enough.