Blue Sky Through the Window of a Moving Car
Comics for Beautiful, Awful and Ordinary Days
by Jordan Bolton
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Nov 12 2024 | Archive Date Nov 12 2024
Talking about this book? Use #BlueSkyThroughtheWindowofaMovingCar #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!
Description
Most of life is made up of mundane moments on ordinary days. But every moment, every good day, bad day, and average day, had to happen exactly the way that it did for you to exist. Everything that made you, connects us all in small, invisible, and beautiful ways.
This first comic collection from artist Jordan Bolton explores the fleeting details that unite us. Jordan brings together the visual language of comics with the heartfelt language of poetry, to express moments of love and heartbreak, embarrassment and shame, hope and disappointment, grief and happiness. Split into sections that reflect where we spend the majority of our time—In Public, In Transit, and At Home—Bolton shines spotlights on the lives and stories unfolding around us every day that we might otherwise ignore.
With the addition of new and unseen comics, Blue Sky Through The Window of A Moving Car is a gentle reminder that everything is ordinary, everything is extraordinary, and everything is connected.
A Note From the Publisher
We regret this E-galley is not available for Kindle viewing.
Available Editions
EDITION | Other Format |
ISBN | 9781524895099 |
PRICE | $19.99 (USD) |
PAGES | 128 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
I loved Blue Sky Through the Window of a Moving Car! It was an excellent read. I loved the quiet moments of life depicted.
A deceptively simple little graphic novel exploring subtle and mundane moments in someone’s life - waiting for a friend in the park, encounters with strangers, furniture shopping with a partner. Short stories or vignettes explore universal and profound feelings like sonder - the feeling and realization that everyone around you has as complex and vivid as life as you.
This was so beautiful and emotional. The stories or vignettes are rather short, some about two pages and some about ten pages. Each one is illustrated in a simple manner that allows the text to really shine. I found myself tearing up in one particular story about ghosts. This reminded me a bit of Everyone’s a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too. Highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy for review.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
This is a beautifully poignant book of comics with simple premises that just hits to the heart of so many things. One of the comics is about <spoiler>someone being out with a loved one after experiencing loss</spoiler>, and it struck so personally at my own feelings on the issue that it got me crying (in a good way), and reflected how I've reacted many times. So many moments in this book are like that, and they're all wonderfully written. I know the idea is something about relatable moments, like George Carlin's skit about moments that we all have, but with a bit less humor and more heart. But it really did a good job of hitting the nail on the head, particularly with the train comic.
The art itself is lovely, and I love the "simplicity" of it, even if it's far from simple. This is a beautiful book, and was a pleasure to read.
This is a lovely book of pictures, but it isn’t really a picture book. It is, as the author intended, a story told in pictures that could have beena movie, but was too expensive to make it that way.
Itis almost poetry. But either way, it is a series of short short stories, told in pictures. From stories of thinking what a beautiful morning it is, with the birds singing, and wondering what it all means, to listening to an old man on the bus, tell of his life.
The stories are complete, but they are also vignettes, pictures into the soul of the speaker, and then they are gone again, as though you only saw them in passing.
Quick, but thoughtful read book.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. It is coming out the 12th of November 2024.
Five Stars. Blue Sky Through The Window of A Moving Car by Jordan Bolton is an absolute gem and I literally got up and ran to get my phone to follow him on Instagram. It’s a quick read, but it really hits hard. The way Bolton captures those everyday moments we all go through—love, heartbreak, hope, nostalgia, and everything in between—made me reflect on how connected we all are. Honestly, it made me cry (the NYE/ Fedex bit especially). I loved every bit of it.
Blue Sky Through the Window of a Moving Car by Jordan Bolton is a beautifully illustrated collection of short, poetic comics that tap into universal human experiences. I realized I had seen some of Bolton’s work on Instagram before, and the book carries the same distinct, captivating style. I love the concept of capturing fleeting moments through comics, and the simplicity of these scenes really resonates. While I found myself craving a bit more depth at times, the book is still a heartfelt and poignant read that blends art and emotion in a unique way.
Wow! Let me start by saying that I don't typically reach for this style of book, but this was an incredible read. I loved every second of it. Although it only took me about 30 minutes to read, it was an excellent 30 minutes. I immediately pre-ordered it for my collection. My favorite three comics were "Firework," "Ghost," and "Range Life." All of the comics were great, however those three will be on my mind for a while. The description of this book could not have said it any better; it really was "heart-breaking and heart-warming." At times, I found myself teary-eyed and then, seconds later, smiling and blushing. I truly would recommend giving this book a try!
I love this book. Is so nice and good!!
It's a book you can read and it will bring you joy whenever. It just gives you happiness, because is so cozy for the soul.
I love the little stories that are everyday occurrences, or normal people life, or sometimes are just que cutest thing ever.
I really recommend it. I loved it.
This was extraordinary. The blending of the poetry and the graphic format made a surprisingly synergistic pairing. The poems themselves were quiet meditations on everyday life. They were short poems with sometimes deep insight. The quiet emotions of them touched me. It is a book I would read again and buy as a gift for my partner.
My thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel for an advance copy of this book that is cartoon in appearance, but is more snippets of memory, of people we interact with, people we have lost and love, and those little moments that make life not only worth living, but worth striving for.
I work retail. That is a death sentence to many. The having to deal with people all day, everyday, and being a person who is introverted in nature, this can be difficult. For some reason I have a level of trust at my workplace where I work with the newer booksellers, not just in training, but in how to appreciate the job we have undertaken. Along with pharmacists, bartenders, maybe coroners, we can see people at their worst, and at their lowest. I can't believe you don't have this book that I've supposed to read all summer, and have to do a book report on tomorrow. This is why your industry is dying. Or a customer looking for a book to deal with life after loss, divorce, or addiction. Moms looking for books to explain their children's pets going to heaven. We also see people trying, looking at books on dating, happiness, or not giving a curse word. Trying new books, looking at poetry for the first time. Even finding a cool journal to start over with. Each person has a story, from the biggest annoyance, to the person no one pays attention to. This is the reason why I loved this book so much. It's made up of moments that fill a life, and if one doesn't pay attention to that, well is it a life worth living. Blue Sky Through the Window of a Moving Car: Comics for Beautiful, Awful and Ordinary Days is a collection of cartoons by Jordan Bolton that captures not the big moments, but the moments that seem small, and yet teach us so much.
The book begins with a brief introduction of how the strips started. Bolton was a graphic designer with time on his hands and wanted to live his dream of making a movie. Movies though are hard, and expensive, and very time consuming. So why not take this movies he saw in his head and make cartoons out of them. And we are lucky that he did. These are cartoons that capture the things that run through our head, that we don't pay attention to. Time with loved ones, that become important later. Life lessons, and life changing occasions that burst into life much later. Love, loss, family, friends, and strangers on buses. My favorites, and really I loved them all, but the one dealing with a father and son on a drive really go to me. Or the father talking about giving up something he loved, for reasons he never went into. Also a story bout a woman doing a work meeting and watching her husband play with their child outside, to give her some piece. And a smell of candy illuminating a moment of sin between mothers and daughter. All are told in four panels a page, with words printed underneath, maybe a page or two, some for much longer.
Prepare for some emotions while reading this collection. Jordan Bolton is really good at putting himself in a person's head, and showing a life and character in just a few panels. This is one of the strongest collections I have read in quite a while. I mentioned a few, but there are a lot more shopping in an Ikea, a bus trip, and thoughts about beautiful days. The word use is perfect, not an extra word, nor a wasted panel. The art fits so well. The backgrounds are rendered perfectly, and fit exactly with the text. Or the text fits with the art. I do wonder if this is done Marvel style writing dialogue to fit the art, or art to fit the words.
A collection that I will by buying for gifts. This is one of those works that certain people will bond with immediately, and for people who need something, but don't realize it yet. I mentioned this before but I don't think I have felt this about a collection in quite a long time. I do know I will be following Jordan Bolton online, and buying his books whenever I see them. And recommending them to customers whenever I can.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I enjoyed the art style and this was beautiful and poignant amongst the seemingly mundane moments.
A very charming little book! I especially enjoyed the perspective the images were constructed in, that really worked well in placing the reader in a contemplative frame of mind.
Simple life moments told through simple panels, but don't let the simplicity steer you wrong! This graphic novel is extremely sincere and thought provoking. A quick but needed read.
Such a candid collection of comics! I wish I could read one every time I feel down. Bolton knows how to look at the mundane of the world with warmth and a beautiful sense of narrative in the every-day. I teared up a bit. I deeply recommend it!
This was a wonderful little journey. It gave me all the feels while reading it. An absolute joy to read.
This book was calming and soothing. I enjoyed reading it and the art style is beautiful. The topics are mundane but are so impactful as they reflect the journey that is life.
"Blue Sky Through a Moving Car Window" is a lovely book, with simple illustrations. I think anyone can read it and find something that resonates with you.
Although at first glance it seems like a picture book, deep down it is a bit more.
The book is divided into 3 sections (In Public, In Transit and At Home), which include reflections told in images. The situations are mundane but emotional thanks to the author's voice.
Overall, it's a wonderful book, with many possible rereadings. I connected with the emotions the author was expressing on page.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A wonderful, thought provoking read. The art is eye catching yet simple, the words are plentiful and unique.
3.5 stars more accurate.... A quickly read picture book for adults.....not because of sex or adult themes, but because it portrays scenes/instances/happenings/things that take place in adult lives......simple, everyday, mundane happenings that we can all relate to. The stories/vignettes cover several topics....reunions, remembering, relationships, everyday life.... It's a nice little 'warm' book, nice artwork & coloring.
I received a complimentary e-ARC of the book from Andrews McMeel Publishing via NetGalley, giving me an opportunity to read it & offer my own fair/honest review.
A beautifully illustrated collection that explores feelings of melancholy and the quiet moments we all experiences at different times of our lives. I found it interesting how the collection does not have any illustrations of full faces, making the message of the collection more universal to all of us. A lovely, quick read I would recommend to anyone!
I loved the aesthetics of this book. This is the first time me reading poetry with illustrations. It gives a comic type vibe. The illustrations helped me connect well with the poetry. The theme of each poem was deep and meaningful. Reading this was calming. If you're someone who wants to explore poetry, this is the right book for you!
This is a simple book on love and life, and while it is presented in a format that is more simplified than the complex stories it tells, it is both a joy to read and view with its artistic content. I like that the book provides love, grief, connection, and storytelling in such a way that it is relatable. Although I did tend to find myself reading it in a staccato way because of how the story is broken up in each panel, I still thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Blue Sky Through the Window of a Moving Car is a lovely little collection of comics that reads a bit like poetry. It includes several short stories told in beautifully illustrated panels, each accompanied by a short sentence. The themes focus on finding beauty in the day-to-day and living in the moment, and I truly enjoyed the chill vibes.
It’s a book that invites you to slow down and appreciate the little things, perfect for when you are in a contemplative mood. Definitely one to read and revisit whenever you’re looking to be reminded of the simple joys of life.
✨ Disclaimer ✨ I received a free copy of this book and this is my honest review.
A very beautiful and simple and quiet comic about noticing and living the small moments in life in our fast-pasted reality. I loved the simple comic-style art combined with the narration in poem form, a very delightful read
The perfect graphic novel to have come across on the day I turned 30... what a cosy, laid-back vibe of a read.
The comics were really interesting and I enjoyed several of them. It reminded me a lot of my life. I’d definitely recommend reading this.
Reading this book made me realize that I've seen a good handful of the author's comics online and enjoyed them! It's great to see them all in one place! I like the cinematic style that these use and the endings of a good number of them really hit.
Jordan Bolton’s debut comic collection, *Blue Sky Through the Window of a Moving Car,* is a vibrant mosaic of everyday life that captures the beauty and messiness of human experiences. Through his art and poetic language, Bolton brings seemingly small moments into sharp focus, revealing the shared, universal emotions that make up the essence of our daily lives. This collection is a warm, relatable reminder to savor those fleeting moments and to notice the quiet, unassuming magic in our lives.
Bolton divides the collection into three sections—In Public, In Transit, and At Home—which collectively cover the spaces where we spend most of our lives. Each section is packed with scenes that are likely familiar to anyone who has navigated through crowded city streets, traveled on a bus or train, or cherished quiet evenings at home. The situations he chooses to depict are often mundane: waiting for a bus, sharing a fleeting glance with a stranger, or witnessing a couple’s argument. But it’s in these ordinary scenes that Bolton finds the extraordinary, revealing the threads of connection, vulnerability, and emotion that bind us all.
The comics themselves are minimalistic yet impactful, with Bolton’s art style conveying a deep emotional resonance. His drawings pair perfectly with short, introspective lines of poetry, striking a balance between heart-wrenching and heart-warming. Through simple yet poignant phrases, he captures a range of emotions—love, heartbreak, shame, hope, and everything in between. Each page draws readers into a world that is achingly familiar, like catching snippets of our own memories.
What makes this collection especially compelling is how it encourages readers to be present in their own lives. Bolton reminds us that, while life often seems fleeting, each moment is worth noticing. The passing sky through a car window, a smile exchanged with a stranger, the comfort of solitude at home—all are invitations to slow down and appreciate the world around us. His comics serve as both a reflection and a gentle nudge to find joy and meaning in the small details of our daily existence.
With previously unreleased comics included, *Blue Sky Through the Window of a Moving Car* is a refreshing, heartfelt look at what it means to be human. Bolton’s work speaks directly to the heart, evoking laughter, sadness, and nostalgia. Readers will likely come away from this collection with a renewed appreciation for the beauty in the mundane and a reminder that, in our shared experiences, we are never truly alone. This is a perfect read for anyone who enjoys reflective, slice-of-life stories told through the unique medium of comics.
I read this courtesy NetGalley and Andrews McMeel. I came into this work by recommendation, but nothing else, so when I actually read this graphic novel, I was amazed. The images tell a series of cohesive stories and the wording is so pure, its poetry. It had me thinking of the quiet moments of life and how it is simple, yet stirring.
#BlueSkyThroughtheWindowofaMovingCar #NetGalley
A beautifully emotional graphic novel about all of the mundane moments in a person's life. I thought this was expertly written and was a wonderful journey. I sat with this book for a little while and really took my time with it and I feel like I got a lot out of it. If you're looking for an insightful graphic novel, this is it!
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I loved knowing the reason why the title of this book exists and I felt highly identified... Blue Sky Through the Window of a Moving Car is one of those comics that you can read whenever you want and you will always find something cool for it. think, or that it will simply make you laugh a little in certain situations because of how crazy (or not) it could be.
A pleasant, light and very nice read to give as a gift.
Thank you very much Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC I read through NetGalley, a change from an honest review.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
Publishers Lunch
General Fiction (Adult), Nonfiction (Adult), Teens & YA