There are a couple of friends I can always rely on for quality book suggestions. Most of these people have known me for years, have endured my own book recommendations, and have learned my likes and dislikes. These days individual books are just as likely to be recommended online by websites, writers, and bloggers whose tastes are similar to mine and I have learned to respect. One of those bloggers is Whitney Matheson at USA Today's Pop Candy blog. As I have delved into the wonders of comics and graphic novels over the past several years, her advice has proved invaluable and has never let me down. A couple of years ago this princess of pop culture recommended Dash Shaw's graphic novel, The Mother's Mouth, and immediately introduced me to one of my favorite cartoonists. For more of her comics and graphic novel recommendations, check out the Pop Candy "comics crash course," but make sure you free up some reading time beforehand.

Shaw's second graphic novel, Bottomless Belly Button is out this week. Shaw draws the story of this family reunion with rare attention to detail, the lives of every family member young and old are explored with his nuanced pen. From the elegant cover to the closing panel, this is a powerful emotional story, and one I will recommend as an example of the heights graphic novels can attain.