Gord’s Comments (group member since Apr 06, 2017)

Gord’s comments from the Vampires, Weres and Fae! group.

Two are around the 300 page count, one is over 400, and then a shorter nonfiction one.

It's that perfect storm where things I requested came in, books with long holds came in, and books that were on order came in. Mix in some ILL holds coming in as well. In the next week I have to finish four novels, two manga, a novella, and a massive audiobook.

Man, work is whooping my ass this month. Things are just so crazy busy for us right now. It's also not helping with the giant stack of things I have from the library either. Busy at work, busy with books, just busy. I want a solid week off to just hibernate.

Hmmmmmm this is one of those difficult and self reflective questions.

The honest, and maybe cheesy, answer is that I have mellowed out a lot of the years. I'd also like to think I've become more accepting in the last ten years but there are days where I feel challenged on that one.

Alright, it didn't feel like the best week of reading but this week has also felt like it has lasted about 20 years. Lets get into what I read in the last week.

City of the Dead ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The next book in the City Spies series and I am really have a fun time with this series. In this one we are dealing with a massive hacker issue. Kat gets her chance to shine, and to find her confidence. We do a bit of globe trotting with the book taking place in Scotland, England, Germany, and, of course, Egypt. I'm just having so much fun with this series and I already know that when I am done with this one I am going looking for more from this author.

I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com ⭐⭐⭐
This was kind of one of those books I got on a whim. I read one of the author's other books and rather enjoyed it and while "smut" isn't a go to genre for me much anymore I figured I'd give this a try. I have some pretty conflicted feelings about this one. All the stuff outside of the romance was entertaining and had me wanting more. It read like a humorous adventure story about unlikely companions coming together for a common goal. I was here for all of that and was having fun with all of that. Stuffed in amongst all of this humorous fun times was also all this romance and smut which, just, meh. There were times when it felt really out of place. For instance finding out a bunch of information, getting fired up to kick some dudes butt for revenge, getting ready to storm off to do that, immediate full stop for a super detailed threesome. I think someones flow charts got mixed up somewhere. I thought the last step in that process was the butt kicking part not the other butt stuff. Since this is a brand new book I'm going to throw this next part behind spoilers. It's about the main romance in the book so be advised. (view spoiler)[ The main romance in this book also just never clicked with me. It never felt like anyone was a willing participant especially when the book makes it clear that they were drugged and manipulated into this relationship. It just felt weird to me. It's like the chosen one trope but with the assistance of drugs to get there. (hide spoiler)] Now all of this being said I can easily see how people will enjoy this book and if you do, power to you.

Now for the manga

Interviews with Monster Girls, Vol. 3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
More from this series. This one gets into Saki and the challenges that succubi in this world face. They are the one demi that is actually capable of manipulating those around them and it raises all sorts of ethical issues. Again, just more slice of life exploration in this world.

One Piece, Volume 6: The Oath ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Another early One Piece book and our first taste of the Grand Line. This is the book where first meet Mihawk and the fight that comes with that first meeting. This was a great book that helped set up so many future story lines. Now for the long wait for the next volume.

Laid-Back Camp, Vol. 16 (Volume 16) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
After a crazy week at work this manga was exactly what I needed. Yes, it was more Laid-Back Camp with Japanese tourism and camping. It was just this little slice of relaxation and fun at the end of the week. The particular volume kicks of the next big camping arc which takes place in Gunma. Rin gets a hair cut, Nadeshiko plans a trip with her kouhai, and trips are started. It's simple but it was what I wanted.

My Kitten is a Picky Eater Vol. 2 ⭐⭐⭐
More cute cat stuff and a new owner learning the ropes. There is a touching section in the back from the author about what inspired this manga. Just a fun and quick read.

Takahashi from the Bike Shop, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐
I don't know if it was the week I had, residual feelings from I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com, a me thing, or some combination of them but this manga just did not land with me. It's a slice of life romance story. The female lead is a young woman who is very passive and has a hard time telling anyone no. The main male lead is a delinquent who runs the local bicycle shop. I'm just going to be blunt here, I didn't like the characters, I didn't like the budding romance, and I wasn't the biggest fan of the art style. For a manga of this style those are basically the core components of this manga. The female lead just didn't really leave an impression with me and I wasn't buying the bad boy with a heart of gold shctick. In many ways he didn't feel much different then the other men in her life that were taking advantage of her passiveness. The only difference was that he was doing it with "good intentions". This was a short single volume and yet it felt like such a slog to get through.

Any way, what is next
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Still working on this audiobook. I need more time for reading
Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody, (Light Novel) Vol. 3 Starting this one today
Videotapes From Hell: A Visual History of Cult, Collectible, and Crazy Video Covers A nonfiction book that I've been stoked for

Outside of that I have some more manga and I'm trying to decide what novel to tackle next.

His name is Pierre Poilievre

Alright, that will make this super easy. I've got One Piece on the docket for this week. If I can ever find time to read that is.

By screen do we mean movies, tv shows, or both?

I saved $789.24 in March bringing my total to $1,838.50

No, I'm pretty sure it was just a cold. I think what made it worse is that I wasn't sleeping well because of the sinus pressure. As a result I was utterly exhausted by the end of the week.

He likes to say that he is not a mini Trump and will stand up to him but then he has a cheerleader (one of our premiers) loudly declaring that he is in line with Trump values. You can see how some of us might be a wee bit concerned.

As for our new Prime Minister I like what he is bringing to the table so far. One of his first thing was reaching out to Europe in regards to trade relations. The "governor" insults seem to have died down since the last Trump call. Obviously there are things to be concerned about but compared to the other options....He was only in office for nine days before calling the election so it has been a lot of election promises so far.

I'm super looking forward to this one and I was planning to get start it this week but then HP dropped into my lap

Time for a federal election this month here in Canada. Hopefully we get the result that everyone is forecasting. Then something needs to be done on a provincial level because of premier is not making very good decisions, shall we say.

I live, sort of, maybe, kind of...

As I mentioned I wasn't feeling well last week and I also wasn't sleeping well either. Thursday afternoon we were in a position where all of our work for the week was done so I took Friday off. It wasn't a request, I just told everyone I wasn't coming in. I basically slept most of Friday and Saturday with a fair bit of napping on Sunday. I'm still a bit tired this morning but I feel leagues better then I did on Thursday. There is a still some dregs of this cold floating around but it's also much better. I would love to take this week off as well but I have to be an adult and get things done in the shop.

While last week was a shorter week this week is going to be the opposite of that. I was on a roll, sick, and had a sick day which some equated to a whole lot of reading time. Something about being awake at 2 AM and not being able to sleep.

Berserk of Gluttony, Volume 1 ⭐⭐⭐
This was both a spur of the moment pick and something I've had on my radar for a bit now. It popped up on my radar a while back but I wasn't in a massive rush to read. I snagged it when my plans for another light novel series fell through, and will probably come back to haunt me a few months from now. This is a Japanese fantasy light novel and the only reason it's not considered an isekai is because it doesn't have the reincarnation aspect to it. Outside of that one technicality this basically reads like any other isekai novel. Skills, levels, adventure guilds, monsters to hunt, etc. This one also tries to take a darker and edgier tone but in a very YA approach. Yes, there are darker elements then other series that are similar to this but it feels forced and clunky. Corrupt power system, people in power who are jerks, maybe human trafficking, the poof suffering because of a busted class system, etc. It's nothing new and while darker then some novels it still feels like it's got it's training wheels on. This is a novel that is great to turn off your brain and enjoy the action scenes as our MC's skill points go up, then down, then up again. This is a shorter series with only six books in it so I'm going to keep reading to see where things go.

The Wishsong of Shannara ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was the big book I have been working on for the last week with an audiobook clocking in just short of 21 hours. This book was an amazing read and takes me back to reading fantasy when I was wee lad. You had essentially two story lines on the go in this story. You had Brin's story as she traveled with the druid Allanon to use her magic to destroy the great evil plaguing the lands. The other story was from Jair's, her brothers, POV as he races across the country to save his sister. It's a story of exploring your own powers, exploring what is good and evil, and the hardships you experience along the way. There is a lot of death in this story and I'm not talking about just the hordes of enemies that our MC's have to make their way through either. There was more than a few times I got a bit choked up reading through events in this book. It felt like a great conclusion to this original trilogy. In some ways this also felt like the author getting a second crack at the original book and being able to write what he wanted instead of what his publisher dictated. There were moments that felt similar to the first book that ended up going in a completely different direction. Now that I am done with the original trilogy I have a couple in between books to get to and then I'll get started with the Heritage Saga part of this series.

The Haunting ⭐⭐⭐
After reading another book from this author earlier this month I wanted to check out more of her stuff. I ended up snagging this one and I think I am becoming a fan of this author. Once again, this book had that classic MG/YA horror vibe nailed down perfectly. A young orphan is adopted and moves into this huge mansion with her new parents. While settling into her new life she meets a young girl about her age and becomes friends with them. Of course that young girl is a ghost who is trying to hurt her and you know the rest. I think my only real nitpick with this one was just how slow the MC was on noticing all of this. Yes, she is a child, and yes, I am an adult with thousands of reading hours behind me but I really felt that she should have put things together a bit sooner. You hang out with a young kid that no one seems to notice but you, the kid wants you to keep her secret, your dog doesn't like them, oh, and every time you hang out you have a near death experience. The first time, coincidence, the second time, highly suspicious, the third time shouldn't even happen. Outside of that nitpick though this was another quick and fun read. I am definitely going to be checking out more of these horror novels from this author.

Now for the manga/comics of the week
Heroine? Saint? No, I'm an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! (Manga) Vol. 2 ⭐⭐⭐
This volume centered around the big ball at the start of the school year and was heavily focused on the otome game aspects of this series. Who was supposed to show up when, what path this unlocked, who was going to end up with who, etc. As a result I wasn't as heavily invested as I was in the first volume where there was a lot more shenanigans. That being said I don't think those shenanigans are over and I am going to be coming back for more in the future.

The Mammoth ⭐⭐⭐
This book gets a three star rating but only barely. The more time that has passed and the more time I've had to stew on this the more annoyed I am with this comic. First, there was a weird tonal shift that was mostly my fault. For some weird reason I thought this was a Scooby Doo style mystery with four kids solving a mystery. That was quickly dispelled in the first couple pages when someone is killed and we get to witness all the gory details. Not a knock against the book, but that was a bit of an adjustment. From there this book just seemed to suffer from a lot of the same problems I've had with similar horror style shorter comics. The story is utterly lacking. It feels like a concept or an rough idea for a story that was never really fleshed out. Why did any of this happen? Never explained. The ending, never explained. The mystery, never explained. There is just so many things that are just left unexplained in the end that it just left me feeling unfulfilled. Why did I sit through all that if you're not going to wrap up your story in any way. Are you sequel baiting? If so, don't do it like this because I have no interest in sitting through more and I don't trust that I will actually get answers.

Manhole Volume 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
On the other side of the horror card we have this manga and man I am fully invested in this now. I love the careful use of body horror in this one. It's there enough to shock you but not to the point where you are desensitized to it. The mystery is ramping up, the infections are ramping up, the tension in general is ramping up. I just love what this manga is doing and the way it is telling it's story. Now to hurry up and wait for the next volume.

The Boxer, Vol. 9 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Speaking of masterclass in tension we have this series again. The way the author is able to build up the hype, tension, and stakes for a fight is absolutely nuts. This is the fight between the current heavyweight champ and our up and coming MC for the top spot in the entire boxing world. There is more then just a belt and a title on the line in this fight and these men put their everything into this fight. You really get the feeling while reading this fight that this a clash of titans in the ring. That this is a fight that is leagues above a normal boxing match. I am also very curious where the story is going to go after this. This is the pinnacle of the boxing world and we are getting the back story of the coach in this one. About the only character that has not been really explored is the MC oddly enough. If this doesn't go totally off the rails I think this series might have one or two more books left in it before the story is over.

The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy at All 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Alright, this was another one of those random manga I snagged from the library and I am loving this so far. We have a young girl who is the popular girl in class, dresses in the latest fashions, etc, etc, etc, and she also likes rock music like Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc. One day she discovers a small little store near the station that sells CD's and what not of her favorite music. At the counter is this "hot guy" that she develops a crush on over several visits. This "gent" has all the trappings for the scene, black nail polish, multiple piercings, band shirts, etc, etc, etc, you know the look. This "guy" also wears a mask so she never gets a clear look at his face. It turns out that this "guy" is actually one of her classmates. The boring, unassuming, blend in to the background girl who sits beside her in class. Now for what I liked about this premise. First, while it was milked for a little bit the big secret was revealed in the first volume and not just at the end. The difference in the girls appearance was also explained and not milked for several volumes. The art work in this manga is amazing and I love how the splash of lime green color that we see on the cover is used throughout the volume to highlight scenes. This feels like a great little drama series that is exploring a few different things. Each character has their own struggles and things going on that complicates their relationship. It just feels good and I can't wait for the next volume.

My Androgynous Boyfriend, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐
My last manga for the week and another one that I am dropping after only one volume. To be clear there is nothing wrong with this manga. It's a slice of life manga about this couple living their life. The young woman works as an editor at a magazine and the young man is a model. He is the hot one on the cover and the titular androgynous boyfriend. A lot of this manga revolves around fashion and the fashion industry which is just not something I am overly interested in. My biggest issue is with the main male lead, Meguru. He is just too perfect. Like, we are talking uncanny valley levels of perfect. Put aside his stupidly hot looks and he is still just perfect. He takes care of the house for the two of them, he is the perfect friend, he is stupidly charming, he knows not just the perfect thing to say but the perfect moment to say it in. It's just all to much for me. I get that this is most definitely not written for me and that there is a a certain level of self insert wish fulfillment in this manga but again, not for me. As a result, I am moving on to something else.

Now, what is next? A lot, a lot of a lot. I am getting buried by the library currently.

City of the Dead this is my current audiobook that I am hoping to have done today
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire my next audiobook and another 21 hour book
Raven of the Inner Palace (Light Novel) Vol. 2 my current physical book and I really love the cover
Interviews with Monster Girls, Vol. 3 my next library book that is due
I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com something a little outside of my norm
Outside of that I have a giant stack of manga to get through

I'm starting to feel better today but my sleep schedule is ruined. I sleep for a couple hours when I get home from work. I am awake for a few hours before trying to go to be at a regular time but I haven't been able to sleep because of this cold. As a result I am awake basically all night. The worst part about this whole thing is that the point where I finally start feeling tired and ready for bed is about the time I have to go to work.

Bleh, I've had this annoying cold all week so far. It's not a super bad cold but it's enough to make me feel off and give me a voice that makes it sound like I smoke 4 packs a day.

Just going to get this out of the way early. This is a transition week where I'm working on stuff that I not going to have completed in time for my weekly post. That and IRL was a bit busy and chaotic this week.

The Black Cauldron ⭐⭐⭐
I started the year with this lofty goal of actually reading all five books in this series as I always seemed to stall out after the second or third book. I think I'm starting to see why I never got further then this. This is not a bad book but I read this a week ago and I'm kind of hard pressed to really remember it. Now that I'm trying to write this up things are starting to come back to me but man did this fade from memory fast. Taran was tasked with helping out the Prince with a quest, things go sideways, the annoying character gets a redemption in the end, the obviously evil character turns out to be evil. It's not a bad book but I don't feel that it really did a lot that wasn't already covered by the first book. It kind of felt that Taran started, and ended, in the same place as the first book. It was just a classic tale of good versus evil and that is it. A part of me wants to read on so I can finish the series and another part of me is just not really interested.

Brewed with Love ⭐⭐⭐
Don't let the three star rating fool you, I thought this was a pretty good novel but it had some issues. This book is rocking a lot of different hats all at once. Sapphic romance, fantasy, cozy, mystery, etc but at it's core is the romance and mystery. The romance was the best part of the novel in my opinion with the mystery being rather meh. The romance in this novel felt like a bit of a blast of fresh air after some of the stuff I've read. Instaromance? Nope, these were childhood friends who started falling for each other before one of them disappeared for some reason. Now that one friend is back and they are trying to figure out where they stand with each other and of course their feelings. Third act miscommunication? Yes, but it was then instantly talked about, hashed out, and sorted. This one here by itself was mind blowing. I saw it coming and there was a part of me that was already crawling off to the corner to grumble like a crazed old man about this dreaded trope when suddenly the characters are suddenly talking things out. I was flabbergasted. The characters themselves had amazing chemistry and the romance parts in general just felt great. More novels need to take notes from this.

Now for the mystery. This is where it kind of fell flat. It wasn't a horrible mystery but it kind of felt a bit simple. Especially as this book decided to take the route of ignoring the most obvious clues until just the right moment. An obviously evil guy in the corner twirly his comically evil mustache, nope, he can't be important to the case at all. There were a couple major points in this book that were so glaringly obvious that it was almost insulting how everyone danced around the issues until just the right time in the novel.

Outside of the mystery I wish there was some more attention to the world building and just fleshing things out in general. That being said, I feel that this is an author who is now on my radar and I want to see what else they come out with.

Now for the manga
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 12 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This manga was such an amazing read that I want to talk about so much but everything in it is a massive spoiler. Like much of Frieren this was less focused on the action and more on the overall narrative. The ending, man, the ending hit like a ton of bricks and I want the next volume so bad.

That's it folks. Like I said, it was a shorter update this week. Now, what am I working on currently/next?

The Wishsong of Shannara I am over halfway through this book with about 9 hours of audio left. I am having a really hard time putting this book down honestly.
Berserk of Gluttony, Volume 1 Not isekai but a Japanese light novel that borrows a lot of the tropes. The whole video game system of level ups, skills, etc but all with an edgier edge. Not bad, but not mind blowing yet either.
Manhole Volume 2
The Boxer, Vol. 9
Heroine? Saint? No, I'm an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! (Manga) Vol. 2
The Mammoth

Man I am tired this morning. That deep down in the bone kind of tired.

But I have to work and be an adult