Fatale by Jean Patrick Manchette.

French crime noir. A short, fun, amazing read. It follows a woman killer, doing her stuff. We know little about her, just enough to "guess" why she might be doing the stuff she does. The world around the killer is as dark as her, maybe worse. At points we might even justify what she does.... Great food for thought! 

I first met Manchette through Jacques Tardi's comic adaptations of his work. I read Fantagraphics fantastic boxset titled Streets of Paris streets of murder 2 years ago. It blew my mind. This year I wanted to read one of the original novels, and at the same time have a quick taste of French noir literature (as opposed to USA Chandler, Hammett, etc.). 

I chose Fatale because it was easily available on kindle but also because it was one of Tardi's stories, which left me wanting more. The fact is that Manchette and Tardi never finished the adaptation, and the comic was published incomplete. (But it is still amazing.)

El Eternauta (The Eternaut) by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and Francisco Solano López

At last, I was able to read the Eternaut. It took me years to get an edition in Spanish which wasn't printed in microscopic font. This is a recent Spanish release by Planeta Cómic. There is an English translation by Fantagraphics. Anyway, the Eternaut is an epic science fiction, apocalyptic, end of the world type of story. Very well written. Dense with text: dialogue, thought bubbles, and narration, but it never gets boring or tiring. At the character level, this comic is about survival, bravery, and resistance. But if you look at the big picture, you can see some political undertones, Cold War, and nuclear power as well as dictatorships and tyrannies. I guess there are many ways to interpret the story. Personally, I couldn't stop thinking what I would do if I was in the Eternaut's world. Would I persevere or give up with the first challenge? Would it be worth living after the apocalypse? Negatives: obviously, the depiction of women, more or less useless, emotional, incapable of defending themselves, with a limited ornamental role except when they cook your food.

El Informe Monteverde by Lola Robles. (Monteverde: Memoirs of an Interstellar Linguist)

B E A U T I F U L ! ! This is a short, sci-fi novel of under 100 pages. It follows a female linguist who travels to a distant planet to study the native languages. As languages reflect the people who speak them, we learn a lot about the history, culture, and traditions of the locals. Things I loved are the scenes where the protagonist explains how language is limited/conditioned by the environment and by our senses (or our ability to perceive the environment). Felt strong Le Guin vibes here (the Telling), so totally recommend it if you are Le Guin's fan or if you like soft sci-fi.

The Alienist by Caleb Carr.

A murder mystery set in the late 19th century New York. Interesting, gripping story. Great characters, especially the protagonist, a sort of psychologist with a past. The crime, and particularly the serial killer, have a lot to give. Lots of layers are pealed like an onion. Oh and there's a woman detective! Great reading experience!