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

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

There is just so much... stuff going on right now. I'd ask for something specific but I'm not sure if I want some new horror unleashed on me.

I finished the first book and I had so much fun reading this book. This definitely felt like a book that was written specifically for me. The humor, the action, just the book in general. I loved the characters, the dungeon and the concept behind it, I loved the little peaks behind the curtain at the larger world. I just want the next book and I want to know what happens next.

I've got a bunch of books at home from the library, I just put in my second big order of the year at the library, and I just had two of my long standing holds for digital audiobooks come in. With that and the weather I really want to hibernate and get lost in all my books. Surely no one would miss me for a week or two right?

It sounds like the polar vortex is sliding to the east later in the week. Have fun with all the cold coming your way

With the windchill we are dropping down into the -40 territory and just fuck all that. We've been to warm to have a sudden drop like this. This is going to be miserable. Everything outside my place, including work, is just going to be cold for the next few days.

OMG

I just hit chapter nine and I am in love with this book. For a while I was just vibing, taking in everything that was happening, and letting the book get settled in. Then, out of no where, the book grabbed the absurdity dial and cranked things way up. Hence, Princess Donut and an AI with a foot fetish. Lets go, being it on, bring on the crazy

Alright, very, very early impressions. I love that the interface system, is that the right term? Basically the in game messages, that they have so much humor baked into them. I've read several books with video game systems baked into them and it's just stat screens or messages. This system feels sassy and sarcastic as hell. Whooopppeee, you can read

I'm doing this a little earlier but I have a big read planned for next week that I can't wait to get to.

Our Wives Under the Sea ⭐⭐⭐
I was looking to explore some horror reads and this book was recommended to me. I had this on hold at the library for a long time and kind of forgot about it until it came in. It wasn't until I was about to read it that I discovered just how outside of my normal wheelhouse of reading that this was truly was. This is a slow paced literary novel and being honest here, I struggled with this book. Objectively speaking I can see that this is well written novel and I can see the appeal of it but it is not a book for me. For most of the novel, especially from the POV of one character, it felt like verbal diarrhea. There was words on the page not to serve any real function outside of just being the words on the page. I get that they were to there to set the scene, the mood, and in the theme of the book but it never felt like the book was moving forward. It just kind of wallowed. Now that being said, by the end of the book there was a couple moments where I felt a bit emotional, and I felt a slight chill from the spooky elements. I don't regret reading the book but I am glad to be done with it and moving on to something else.

Bofuri: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense., Vol. 6 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
More Bofuri and the last of my rereads. With the next book it is all new material for me and I am looking forward to it. As for this one, we get to the sixth level and it is a horror themed floor. Ghosts, spooks, etc galore. Probably one of my favorite scenes in this book is Maple exploring this haunted mansion full of traps. Normally a player would be avoiding these traps as much as possible but not our girl. She just strolls through them taking no damage at all due to her absolute broken build. It's also revealed that she really doesn't need armor or shields anymore for most situations. Her base defense is so high that she could stroll through most areas in her everyday clothes and take no damage at all. She is just broken and the poor devs are losing so much sleep over it.

Now for all the manga and comics

Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 16 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 17 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 18 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I'm lumping all of these together as it just makes sense. These section of books opened with the series taking a bit of a big breath after the all the big reveals and changes. It was much needed just to process all the the big reveals before heading into the next story arc. Then we head north and the start of the Fort Briggs story arc. This story is just good and I am loving my reread of it. The world building, the suspense, the characters, it's all just so well done.

Tectiv Vol. 1: Noirtopia ⭐⭐⭐
This was yet another random snag from the library and an interesting premise. At its core it is a blend of a post apocalyptic sci-fi theme and a noir detective theme. Our MC is a scavenger with her partner where they make a living exploring the old ruins from materials to use. Our MC loves collecting old books and finds an old detective comic that was damaged hence Tectiv. Her partner disappears one night and our MC scrounges up an old fedora and trench coat before heading out to find her. It felt like the story hit a lot of the story beats you would expect from either of these themes but it was the blending the two that made them unique. This is supposed to the first book in a series and I might pick this up again in the future just to see where it goes next.

Trigun Maximum Volume 4: Bottom of the Dark ⭐⭐⭐
Giving this volume three stars hurts me but there the art work is just hard to follow. The story and the characters are so interesting in this series. In this volume we get the final dust up between Vash, Wolfwood, Milly, and the remaining members of the Gung-Ho-Guns. There are a lot of big reveals in this volume and it's a great story. The problem is that the art is just so hard to follow. There are oddly shaped characters, in a dark setting, wearing dark clothes, in a high action setting. I had to stop reading more then a few times just to try and decipher what I was looking at.

Yowamushi Pedal Omnibus, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is a sports manga that I feel can only exist in a manga format. Our MMC is an otaku who bikes to Akihabara once a week to save a few bucks. The thing is, that trip is 90 km round trip, 56 miles for those that need it, and he does it on a mommy bike that unbeknownst to him has been modified to make it harder for him by his parents. They did this in an effort to keep him close to home. Basically this kid has become a prodigy on a bike and he has no idea. He is noticed by the school bicycle racing club who attempt to recruit him into the club. The thing is he hates sports and sports clubs. This first omnibus is basically them trying to recruit him, him getting a taste for racing, and by the end joining the club. Now joining the club is not a guaranteed thing. The first day of the club the club has a race for all the new members and they are only accepting a certain number of people. Of course we aren't getting the race in this one.

This was way more engaging then I ever expected and I was hooked hard. I also love the art style in this one. This manga has some amazing reaction faces and does a great job showing speed and intensity. I really can't wait for the next volume.

My Kitten is a Picky Eater Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐
This was another random snag from the library for what I would think would be obvious reasons. Cute manga about a kitty, enough said. This is a weird blend of slice of life, cute critters, and some cooking elements. I wasn't expecting that last one honestly but it oddly works. I do kind of wonder how the MC survived before finding the kitty and getting responsibilities. Honestly, if you have ever read any of these chill critter manga you know what to expect from this one. When my library gets more I will be reading on.

Interviews with Monster Girls, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I found this series when I was browsing my read shelf here on Goodreads looking for manga to recommend to someone. I realized that I never finished this series and the series is now complete so I figured it was a good time to circle back to complete it. This book basically explores the day to day life of "Demis" or demi-human characters. We have a vampire, a dullahan, a yuki onna, and a succubus. It explores their day to day life in modern society and the challenges that they face. It's a fun little slice of life and it's a quick read. I'm glad to be back and reading this again.

Now, what is next

Skydark
Dungeon Crawler Carl
Basically my week is all about Dungeon Crawler Carl with Skydark being for when I am at work and can't read my physical book. I am super excited for DCC and I hope it lives up to all the hype I've been hearing about it.

Alright, I'm going to try getting back into doing this monthly this year.

Best
Dandadan, Vol. 1
The Vanishing Type
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 16
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 17
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 18

Worst
Man this is going to be a toss up for me. It's either
The Mummy Case
or
Our Wives Under the Sea

The Mummy Case had a lot of elements that I liked but it was an absolute slog to get through. I haven't touched on Our Wives Under the Sea yet but this was simply a book that wasn't for me. It was a slow paced, literary horror novel. That being said I can appreciate what the book was doing even though it wasn't for me.

Looking forward to:
There can only really be answer for this category
Dungeon Crawler Carl

I wonder if this will be the Legends & Lattes moment for the LitRPG genre?

I'm starting the first book next week and I am excited.

Time for another weekly recap and it has been another busy week of reading for me.

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear (Light Novel) Vol. 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I'm really not sure what to say about these books anymore. It's a reread and the series is just popcorn for me. It's a fun read that I don't really need to stress out about while reading them.

In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 10 ⭐⭐⭐
This was a completely unplanned read. Things were slow at work and I was looking for something to read. Hoopla has a massive catalogue of J-Novel light novels now and I've been thinking about getting back into them. I decided to pick this on up as it has been a few minutes since I read the last one and by minutes I mean months. I was kind of concerned if I could remember where I was in the series and that was quickly laid to rest because in this series nothing matters. Joking, joking, it is a rather low stakes series and a lot of the characters will just blur together as there is a massive roster of character. As for the plot, I kind of remember it, but again it's not exactly deep or complex. In this one our MC gets his ninth and final wife, yes polyamory, he finds the final part of the flying fortress and the mad scientist behind it all, he introduces smartphones to a fantasy world, all with a few mechs thrown in for good measure. It's a lot going on and it's all silly. It's just another light and easy read.

The Mummy Case ⭐⭐⭐
I was rather excited for this one as I remember rather enjoying the first couple books. Something went off the rails though and I just kind of found myself bored with things in this one. The usual character antics are all there but there was just something about this one that just did not click with me. The book also felt really slow for me. I think I was about halfway through the book and I still wasn't sure what exactly the mystery was There was a couple of off page murders and something about stolen artifacts but it never really felt like it was the star of the show. I don't know if there was really even a star of the show honestly. It was just a whole lot of Amelia corralling her chaotic family around from one story set to the next. I'm not done with the series yet but I really hope the next one is better.

Now for the usual manga and comics

One Piece, Volume 5: For Whom the Bell Tolls ⭐⭐⭐⭐
It feels weird talking about early One Piece. Between the anime and the manga I have been gone through this material many times now and I've long since lost perspective of what this material would be like brand new. In this one we finish the Syrup Village arc, get Usopp on our crew, get a ship, and start the Baratie Arc where we meet Sanji. I know a lot of things that happen much later so a lot of this early stuff feels pretty simple. None of the characters have those massive fight skills that come later, the stakes and world building are still getting set up, It's very early One Piece. It's still good but I know things getting bigger and better with time.

Dick Tracy Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐
I saw this pop up on the new books queue at the library and was curious. I think I may have read some of the original comics as a kid and I kind of remember the movie from the 90's. This was an alright read. This was basically an older story with more modern story elements in it. Dick Tracy has PTSD for instance as he is a war vet, there is a lot more explicit violence on the page, etc. I don't know the franchise very well but there was a lot of characters I recognized like Prune Face, Flat Top, Mumbles, etc. It was alright, as an introduction to a new story line it has my interest piqued. I felt like the art was a little all over the place at times. Sometimes Dick Tracy would look all hard boiled and manly and other times he looked incredibly baby faced. I could be convinced to read the next book when it comes out.

Dragon Ball (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 9: Includes vols. 25, 26 & 27 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This volume was a great example of taking a tested trope and doing it well. I'm not even talking about tropes in general, I'm talking about tropes from within this same series. This book was basically one long fight. Goku was taken out of action so others had to fight in his place to buy time. Everyone gets power ups, sometimes multiple in the same fight, all to establish the threat of the big bad. Goku ultimately arrives at just the right time and then the real fight commences. It's all a formula that has been established in this franchise before but man it really works. We get to finally see Freeza fight and he is indeed the massive threat everyone has been making him out to be. We get to see Super Saiyan for the first time. This fight was just massively engaging and had me hooked in. Sure, I knew what story beats were going to happen, but to actually see it all unfold was just riveting.

Detective Beans: The Case of the Missing Hat ⭐⭐⭐
I feel kind of conflicted about this one. It was another random snag from the library because it looked cute. This was a middle grade comic which I generally try to avoid and that is because of what I found with this one. For things like YA and MG there is an age range for the books. Some books will be on the younger end of the spectrum and some books are going to be more on the older side. This book was aimed for a really younger audience and I just didn't feel satisfied with the story. It wasn't really a mystery, it felt like a really long fetch quest from a video game. The thing is, this is not a bad book, it's just not a book for me. The story was cute with some really nice artwork and I can easily see younger kids really liking this book.

As for what is up next

Our Wives Under the Sea This is my next audiobook and I know nothing about it. This was a recommended to me several months ago and I remember reading the synopsis and being intrigued enough to request it. It had a really long wait list and now that it's here I don't remember anything about it. Hopefully it is good.

Tectiv Vol. 1: Noirtopia Another blind comic snag from the library
Trigun Maximum Volume 4: Bottom of the Dark More Trigun!
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 16
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 17
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 18
Yowamushi Pedal Omnibus, Vol. 1

It's all about context. Sure -26c/-14f is cold and I am not happy but it could be worse because we have seen worse, at least where I've been. It's not -40 or colder so in that context it is a bit better. Or sure it's -26c/-14f but there is no wind today so it's not that bad. It's all about how you spin it.

I'm sure that the buses back home had block heaters but some days it's just so cold that those old diesel engines would not turn over no matter what. Don't get me wrong, those days were few and far between but some days they just wouldn't start. Our stop was the first one on the bus route and our pick up time was something like 5:50 in the morning. Early enough that we would be out there before the bus cancellation announcements would come out on the local radio. Yes, that was a really early start to the day but our bus drove all over the place. There were numerous kids who would live at the end of some side road that was a 15+ minute drive one way from the main road. I remember those old buses would get stuck a lot as those roads were rarely cleared.

As for inside days, those are some fond memories.

I understand the logic behind it but that is still an odd one. Growing up the school never shut down regardless of how cold it got. The big deciding factor was whether the bus was running that day and there was no temperature cut off for the bus. If the bus would start it was running that day. If the buses weren't running the school would still be open for those few students who would get dropped off by their parents.

Midnight release parties in general just don't really happen anymore. I remember seeing people lining up at night for a video game or book release. The internet pretty much killed that with instant downloads.

Things started to slide down last Thursday but the last couple days have been brutally cold here. We've been hovering around the -30'sc/-20'sf for the last couple days. Thankfully it started warming up overnight and we are heading back up to the freezing mark for the rest of the week.

As for the origin of "for Pete's sake" read this

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/6...

Time for that weekly update and this will be a bit different then normal. There is going to be no comics or manga this week. I got lost in the novel sauce shall we say. That's also why this is a bit late as well. I was working on finishing up the last bit of one of these novels.

Uncanny: The Origins of Fear ⭐⭐⭐⭐
My first nonfiction book of the year and one that I knew I had to read this as soon as I saw it on the "on order" list at the library. This was the memoir (biography, what ever you want to call it) of the famous horror mangaka, Junji Ito. It should be pretty clear why I had to read this one. This was an interesting read but I think peoples mileage with this is going to vary greatly. If you have never read anything from Ito, if you have never heard of him, then this probably isn't the greatest thing to read. If you are familiar with the man or his works then I think you will get something from this. The first couple chapters deal with his early life and his after high school. The last three chapters dive into his characters, his story creation, and his artwork. For these sections you get a story or explanation from Ito followed by a shot of his rough drafts, notes, etc for that topic. The first two chapters kind of felt like bog standard memoir fair honestly. The last three chapters though were both some of my favorite parts of the book and some of the slowest parts as well. There was a bit of repetitive factor to it's presentation that kind of made it drag a bit. This is a bit of a nit pick but the text for the translated notes was also really tiny. The page layout already didn't utilize the full page as they were like panels of text over top of art work in the background. The pages with the photos of his notes were already small and then they would try to cram the translations around the image in the reduced panel. Some of these pages had a lot of notes on them so that text got really small. It's a minor thing but when you are already kind of tired it was a bit harder to read. Overall though, these notes and explanations were rather interesting as you got a glimpse into something that feels rather personal. You got to glimpse the creative process that eventually became a story that you read. In some ways it reminded me of the Eminem book I read late last year that had images of the pages he would jot lyrics on. It's the weirdly personal glimpse behind the curtain.

On a separate side note that was really cool each page has a little doodle in the bottom right corner allowing you to turn the book into a little flip book. There was something just weirdly nostalgic about that.

The Vanishing Type ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Part of what I want to work on this year is trying to finish up some of the many series that I have on the go currently. On of those series is this one and it's always such a treat to return to these books. They are tagged as a cozy mystery but I really feel that they are just so much more then that. This book had romance, mystery, drama, a little action, and all of that with this cast of just great characters. There is something about this series that has just charmed me and I just love reading each book.

The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash (Light Novel) Vol. 3 ⭐⭐⭐
Another one of those series that I am trying to get caught up on. This was paused because I could only get them from one place through the interlibrary loan system. I don't really have a lot to really say about this one as not a whole lot happened. Ivy shows up at a new place, meets new people, gets involved in local problems. Like most light novels the story arc wasn't wrapped up in this volume and will be concluded in the next one.

A Pirate's Life for Tea ⭐⭐⭐⭐
And finally, the one that I was working on today. I finally got my hands on the second volume of this series and it was such a perfect book to be inside reading while avoiding the cold snap outside. This book saw the continuation of the story line that was started in the first one with the hunt for missing dragon eggs. I understand that some people might not like these books but these books are just so much fun for me. I love the adventures, the characters, the romance between the leads, and as much as they make me groan, all the puns that the one MC loves. This book is full of puns and it makes a certain degenerate side of me cackle with glee. Now to wait until March for the next one to be released.

Now, what am I reading next?

The Mummy Case - This is my next audiobook

Below are the books I want to get done this week and they are all ones I can't renew.
Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear (Light Novel) Vol. 5
One Piece, Volume 5: For Whom the Bell Tolls
Dragon Ball (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 9: Includes vols. 25, 26 & 27
Dick Tracy Vol. 1
Detective Beans: The Case of the Missing Hat

Brittany wrote: "Oof that is a rough start Gord. What book kept your attention so?"

The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash (Light Novel) Vol. 3

It's not the greatest book in the world but it's just so easy to read. That and there aren't really chapter breaks like a normal book. In a normal novel a chapter ends, there is a section of blank page, and then your new chapter starts a fresh page. It makes for easier breaking points when reading. With this book chapters just flow from one to the next. For instance if a chapter ends half way down a page there is a couple blank lines, a little graphic with the chapter number and title and then it's immediately into the next chapter. Combine that with the easier reading and it just flows for me. I just devour page after page so easily.

Oh yes, the aftermath, I'm really questioning my decision making abilities. I know that theoretically my alarm went off at 5 this morning but I don't remember it going off and I don't remember turning it off. What I do remember is waking up at quarter after five wondering what time it was and why my alarm hadn't gone of yet. Good thing I decided to check the time before going back to sleep.