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

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

Wishsong has grabbed me super hard. I just want to keep listening to the audiobook and nothing else. It seems like there is no good scene to pause and put down the book.

10-12 is a comfortable length. I start getting into that 15+ hours range and I need to start planning my reading load so I have time for it

Considering the last one I listened to, 2 hours of audio would have put in the 40ish percent range. The great sign though is that it doesn't feel like I just listened to 2 hours of book. I'm hooked, give me more.

The joys of a giant audiobook. I've listened to nearly 2 hours of audio and I'm only 9% of the way into the book.

Time for that weekly wrap up

Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody, (Light Novel) Vol. 2 ⭐⭐⭐
I have some very conflicted feelings about this one. On one hand this is basically just fluff. It's a mindless popcorn read that keeps my brain entertained. It's that standard Isekai fair where crazy OP MC just rolls through everything in his way. It also taps into some of the less savory tropes of the genre which I am not a fan of, namely the harem of young women. It's not so much the harem as it is the age. The novel also has that problem where a lot of the female characters are introduced by describing their bust size. That being said, there are weird moments where the novel flips things on their head in an unexpected way. For instance, in this one our MC visits a brothel for a little relief. It was off page but there was no attempts to hide it either. The next section of the booked opened with our MC walking out of the brothel and commenting on what happened. Outside of all of that though there are some interesting ideas. There are two different kind of people who can be isekai'd to this world. There are those that die and are reborn in this world. Then there are those that are summoned to this world. Oddly enough, our MC doesn't really seem to fall into either category. There are also implications of other people from our world who have traveled to this world. There are just a lot of world building questions that I have. Like I said, this is a popcorn read and I plan on continuing.

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear (Light Novel) Vol. 6 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Yup, still rereading this series and still liking it. Not a lot to really say here that I haven't said before.

Before Your Memory Fades ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I don't remember exactly what lead me down this rabbit hole but I am loving these slice of life novels and it seems like there are a lot of them out there for me to explore. This book was exactly what I expected, emotional damage in a small book format. This one changes the script a bit from previous books. It's in a different location with a new cast of characters, plus some familiar faces, and it is set several years in the future from the previous books. I've seen some criticisms about the repetitive nature of this book, especially with this being the third one in the series, but there is something comforting about the familiarity of this book and the formula. I would be very thrown of kilter if suddenly there was aliens in the timelines with multiple versions of the family members running around creating space time paradoxes. I'm here for emotional stories about final goodbyes, heartfelt messages to loved ones, and finding peace. I read these books expecting to ugly cry at the end of each story and it delivers on that. I just love the simplicity and beauty of it all.

Now for the manga

Dragon Ball (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 10: Includes vols. 28, 29 & 30 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I picked this up about an hour before bed expecting to just get started on this longer book. Several hours later I finished all of this thing in one sitting. I just found that I could not put this book down once I got started. Toriyama just kept throwing bombs at the reader and I just had to know what happened next. As I mentioned before I'm a new reader to this series so a lot of this is new to me. I know some stuff from pop culture osmosis but most of it is new. When this section was being released the fans must have been going nuts. I'm not going to spoil anything even though it is an older franchise but there are several new characters introduced in this one including some new villains. Those introductions were insane to say the least and a great example of how to create hype while writing.

Interviews with Monster Girls, Vol. 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Not a lot to really say about this one really. In this one we get a bit more of a glimpse into the everyday life of these three girls and the unique challenges that they face in life.

Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 19 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Reading a single volume in this series is like getting one soda cracker after not eating for a week. It's great, it's tasty, but I so want more. This one dove into a lot of back story about the big guy, the first experiment, what that means for the current plans, all while getting glimpses at stuff happening in the current time. Like I said, this was a tasty snack but I want more.

Spy x Family, Vol. 13 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The latest volume in this series and we get a fair mix of stories in this one. We get the more serious spy stuff, we get some general world building, we get some more Anya being Anya, and we get some just general slice of life stuff. I felt that this was another great volume in this series. Now for the long wait for the next one.

Now, what is next.

Audiobooks
The Black Cauldron I'm nearly done this one
The Wishsong of Shannara This is the one that I am going to be starting tomorrow and focusing on heavily this week. 21 hours of audio in a little under a week is a lot to get through.

Physical
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 12 More Frieren, life is good
Brewed with Love A cute looking romance, hopefully it is good
After that I have a few other manga but I have time so I am not committing fully to anything yet

After the last couple days I feel like I am feasting as a gamer. Just a whole bunch of things coming out that I am interested in.

-New DLC for Powerwash Sim plus two more free ones coming soon
-Powerwash Sim 2 was announced
-Titan Quest 2 is in early access which means it is coming soon
-New DLC for Ship Graveyard Sim 2 coming at the end of month

Yay! Congrats!

It was, Toriyama just kept tossing bombs at the reader and there was no way I was putting down the book.

Speaking of reader problems...

I, might, might have been up later then I should have been finishing a book I should not have started last night and I might be a bit tired today as result. Something to do with only getting 3ish hours sleep.

That is just cruel and unusual. One should be allowed to start a little late so you have time to finish.

I wasn't even aware that there was a remake until I read this. Just shows how in the loop I am

It has been a busy week of reading but I'm I'm finally in a position, even if only for a little while, where I'm not chasing that weekly library due date.

Carl's Doomsday Scenario ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Where to start with this chaotic ball of chaos? Like the first book I just can't shake this feeling that the book was written for me. The storytelling, the humor, the action, the characters, it's all here and it's just landing right for me. This book covered the entire events of the third floor with so much happening in this book and it felt like it dabbled in a little bit of everything. Horror, Sci-fi, Fantasy, it's all stuffed into this one book. Carl and Princess Donut cause chaos where ever they are. Sometimes it is intentional but more often than not it's entirely unscripted and the results are hilarious. I also love how this book is expanding the world without it feeling dense and thick. It can show you the events of an entire galaxy without it feeling like I need to go to university for an entire course so you can understand things. There are also some great character moments between Carl and Princess Donut when they aren't destroying everything around them. This book just hits on a lot of different levels for me and I am enjoying the ride. I can't wait for the next book.

Ghost in the Headlights ⭐⭐⭐⭐
After finishing up Hide and Seeker a few weeks back I found myself with an itch for some more MG/YA horror. I'm not sure how I ended up on this book but it's a ghost story and I figured I'd give it a try. I wasn't expecting a whole lot heading into this book but what I got was a real treat. The premise of the book is really simple. Young girl has to go live with her uncle for a couple months while her mom does some work training for a new role. Uncle lives outside of this small town in Pennsylvania and of course, like any small town, it has a local ghost story. Our MC can of course see the ghost and over the course of the book helps the ghost find peace by solving the mystery surrounding their death. This book came out in 2021 and yet there is this timeless and nostalgic feeling about this book. This felt like a ghost story I would have read when I was kid and I think that is what really makes this great. The book just had this feeling of tapping into the basic ghost story vibe that we all know. That feeling when you are young and reading a spooky story, or sitting around a campfire swapping stories. This was a standalone book but I was so impressed with it that I went out and requested another spooky book from the same author. I want to see if they have found the secret formula to a good spooky book.

Grendel's Curse ⭐⭐⭐
I had another audiobook planned for this week but I was just not in the mood for it and settled on this instead. There is really not a lot to say about this one. It has swords, archeology, action, it's what I would expect from this book. It was a little awkward at the beginning though as it started out a political rally for some really similar sounding talking points to current events. Once it got past that though it settled into the usual fare for one of these books.

Now for the manga/comics of the week

Saphie the One-Eyed Cat Volume 1 ⭐⭐⭐
This is a Webtoon comic that ended several years ago so I was surprised to see it get a physical release. I remember this comic being a regular part of my week where I would tune in twice a week to read the latest comic. This comic is about the life of four cats and the family that takes care of them. There is really not a lot more then that to say about it. I felt that this volume suffered from what a lot of these slice of life Webtoons suffer from. These comics are great to read in small doses, once or twice a week kind of idea. When that gets condensed down into a printed form it somehow loses it's charm. It's hard to explain for me but if I'm reading this weekly each comic is only a couple minutes for me to read. I get a smile, I enjoy seeing the characters, etc. With a printed form it just feels like that small dose charm is gone. Yes, you can marathon the comic online but again, it's broken down into individual comics. I can read four or five and then take a break or whatever I want to do. Maybe this is just a me problem but I am not having a lot of luck with this type Webtoon Unscrolled comic.

The Moon on a Rainy Night Vol. 6 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
More sweetness in the latest volume of this manga. I'm kind of wishing the series would just rip the bandage off already and address the elephant in the room. I'm not saying that they need to start dating or anything but at least discuss what is happening because right now it feels like everyone is just avoiding the super obvious elephant in the room.

The God of High School Volume Three: A WEBTOON Unscrolled Graphic Novel ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Yes, another Webtoon Unscrolled, this was not planned either but man I am loving my read through of this series. This book essentially covered one fight this time. Yes, there was some other stuff leading up to that fight but this was the Seoul final and the big fight between Mori Jin and Daewi Han. This was a brutal slug fest and a showcase of both characters bringing out their biggest and best moves at this time. Now to wait several months for the next volume to be released.

WOLVERINE: MADRIPOOR KNIGHTS ⭐⭐⭐
Meh, I snagged this on a whim and it's about what I would expect from a Marvel comic. Tons of references to other comics and events that I don't really understand but sure. It's a comic about Wolverine, Captain America, and Black Widow teaming up in Madripoor to find some alien dohickey thing that is going to be auctioned off. There are tons of fights with ninja, sorry, The Hand, and a showcase of the usual Madripoor characters. It was a fun popcorn read but that's about it.

Yowamushi Pedal Omnibus, Vol. 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This entire omnibus covers the Welcome race for the racing club and I never knew a race could be so exciting. This is Sakamichi Onoda's first race and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Seeing Onoda discovering his love of racing, his pure brute force attempts at trying to catch up to his new friends, the baffled reactions from his seniors as this kid comes out of no where to put up this fight. The little technical bits from the author, who also races bicycles, that filter through here and there. I know I've said that I'm not a sports guy before but I might be getting slowly converted.

Now, what is next, who knows. I'm in a position this week where I've got a couple weeks before my next due date at the library. I'm just going to read what ever I feel like this week and see where things are next weekend. I've got audiobooks, light novels, and some manga to get through. Audiobooks are probably the one I'm most concerned about. I've got a couple shorter ones but I also got the next Shannara book which is a 21 hour book. I need to plan for that a bit so I have some time to get it done.

That... is kind of sad. March and June are the two months in the year where we don't have a long weekend of some sort. Outside of that we usually have one long weekend every month of some sort.

New Years - January
Family Day - February
Good Friday - April
Victoria Day - May
Canada Day - July
Heritage Day - August
Labour Day - September
Thanksgiving - October
Remembrance Day - November
Christmas/Boxing Day - December

You don't get Good Friday off or whatever it is you guys get in February?

Before Gord opened that link I was sure that it was this song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcEbS...

Have a great final day and may you ride off into the sunset in an explosion of fireworks

Gord is just tired of the grind right now. Gord hasn't had any extra time off since the very beginning of January and right now he is stuck working on a massive project order so there looks to be no time off this month either.

Can Gord just say the entire ending? Or the big interview that escalated galactic affairs?

Gord is now done the second book, minus the bonus content, and man this was such a ride. So much happened in this book and there is a part of Gord that wants to sweep all his books aside and start the third.

Gord is simply stunned. What did you do Carl? What did you do?

These two idiots have no idea what subtle means at all and Gord loves every minute of this insanity.

Yup