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

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

I did a reader thing last night. I started by picking up a new book figuring I'd only read a few pages. Next thing I know it's late but I'm nearly at 100 pages in and 100 pages sounds like a nice place to stop. Oh, look at that, I accidentally passed 100 pages, what's a few more pages to get to 150. Then when I got to 150 I realized that 175 pages is the half way point and what is 25 more pages. Thankfully there was a nice clean stopping point at 175 pages or I might still be reading.

Now, I'm trying to get my day started on about 4ish hours sleep and wondering why I did it.

Stay safe out there Katie

After a nice long vacation getting only a couple of days off for the weekend is no where near enough. Especially as I had a considerable haul from the library yesterday and I now have a ton of things to read.

On a side note, work is really humming. I'm not sure what happened but for our department the year started out with a bang and really hasn't let up yet. No real complaints as it is job stability right now but man it was a real change of pace compared to the last couple months.

Time for another weekly update and my first full week of reading in 2025.

The Elfstones of Shannara ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The next book in a long journey of reading this series. When I first started this book I wasn't really feeling it but there came a point where I really started warming up to things and by the end I was fully invested. I think part of it was that when I started it I was still on vacation and wasn't on board with a large chunky book. That and in the beginning of the book both Wil and Amberle were a bit grating to say the least. As the book went along you got to know the characters and, more importantly, the burdens they had to bear, they became more relatable. Still flawed but more relatable. This book had a real ticking clock element as they two MC's raced to save an ancient magic tree and the Elven race. While they were racing to save the tree you had the wizard Allanon and the Elves facing down the demon horde trying to buy them time and to save the Elves. The first book had very obvious LotR influences and in this one it started to feel like the author was starting to expand and build their own world outside of those direct influences. It was also a book that could almost be read as a stand alone itself. The book was set many years after the first one and outside of a couple characters and a some references this was it's own story. It wasn't like the villain from the first book was suddenly back from the dead for round two of being evil. It was an all new threat, all new solution to the threat, all new lands to explore, etc. Overall a good start to the year and a great continuation for this series.

On a side note I decided to look into the TV show based on this series and discovered it was based off this book in particular. After looking at just one trailer I hard passed on this series again. Know which book it was based on I was very put off by what I saw. I was hearing the right words, kind of, but the visuals just did not match. That show had a real 2010's vibe to it shall we say.

Busted ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Look at me finally returning to a series and making an effort to finish something I started. I really enjoyed this little novella and it was a great way to jump back into things. It was short but it had all the characters and story elements from the series that I remember. I am really looking forward to getting back into things with this one.

Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody, (Light Novel) Vol. 1⭐⭐⭐
Another light novel series for me to talk about. For this series it's not about revisiting and continuing a series that I know and love, it's about going back and checking out one from when I first started getting into light novels. In my head I was kind of harsh on this first book way back when I first read it and a big part of that was just me being unfamiliar with "light novels" and trying to judge them in the same way I would a regular novel. This novel was originally released in Japan in 2014 and I feel that it kind of shows its age a wee bit. This is basically a bog standard isekai series from before the time when everything had to have a unique spin to try and make it stand out from the sea of competition. The MC is yet another overworked employee who fell asleep under their desk only to wake up in a fantasy world. While they were not immediately granted god like powers it took them all of one chapter to power level into a situation where they had god like powers. This is also a series that really leans heavy into the video game logic for levels, skills, and experience. There are also the not so good tropes with this one as well. Namely that our MC has to judge every single female character on her looks and how that stacks up to his "his standards". It really feels like a formula in this book, meet new female character, get description of her looks, how does that stack up against Mr. Perfects personal goalpost of excellence. I'm not against someone have personal preferences when it comes to a partner but this is some pretty shallow and judgemental stuff. Outside of that it's some bog standard overpowered MC isekai. I do plan on continuing this series just to see where it goes. It has some issues but it's also not horrible, yet.

River of Nightmares ⭐⭐⭐
Another series that I am working on. This was my follow up audiobook after Elfstones and I was looking for something to continue. Everything suddenly has a two month waiting list at the library which is a bit frustrating to say the least. As with previous books in this series I don't have a lot to really say about this one. This is a bit more of the spiritual side of the Annja character and her relationship to Joan and the sword. Annja is traveling deep into the Amazon rain forest for an episode of Chasing Histories Monsters looking for another cryptid. There is the whole dream walking ceremony, bad guys doing bad things, a bit of action, etc. It's all pretty standard for this series really.

Now for the manga

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 4—Diamond Is Unbreakable, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I was very excited to finally being starting the next series in the JoJo universe. This one starts 12 years after Stardust Crusaders and focuses on a new JoJo, Josuke Higashikata, who is the illegitimate son of Joseph Joestar. The other main JoJo in this one is Jotaro Kujo who was the MC of Stardust Crusaders. I find his role as a supporting character here better suited to him, reference all my previous discussions about him being a more stoic and quiet character. As for the new JoJo, he is an odd one. I'm really not sure what to make of his character quite yet. Normally he is kind of meek until someone makes fun of his pompadour and then he suddenly has a hair trigger anger issue. Outside of the main character talk I kind of like the setup for this story so far. Jotaro is in a town called Miroh looking for his fathers illegitimate son and investigating some suspicious activity for the Speedwagon group. There is a serial killer on the loose with stand powers and they want to find him. This basically reveals that someone has a way to release peoples stand powers, if they have them, while kind of retconning Stardust Crusaders. The stand abilities that are revealed in this one are just as weird as usual while the story is a bit more then just "find Dio". Yes, I am aware that I am horribly lost in the weeds and about 90% of what I have just typed won't make a lick of sense to anyone. It's what happens when you fall down this rabbit hole, or any fandom really.

Dandadan, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Yes, I am jumping on this bandwagon, sue me if you must. I got hooked on this anime in the last season and had to check out the source material. A lot of other people also had the same idea and the wait queue at the library is disgusting for this one. This is a weird blend of sci-fi, horror, fantasy, romance, action, etc all in a Shonen package. Basically two young people, Momo and Okarun (we don't use his real name) have a chance encounter at school. Okarun is a fan of all things alien and cryptid while adamantly denying anything supernatural like ghosts. Momo on the other hand has a grandmother who is a spirit medium and believes in things like spirits but not UFO's. This leads to an argument where each is dared to investigate a hot spot of activity. Turns out they are both right. Spirits and aliens are both real. What follows is this high speed action adventure full of aliens, ghosts, dick jokes, romance, friendship, and so, so, so, so much more. The anime was really faithful to the manga, so far anyway, and this first volume was a wild ride to read. The artwork was great, whether that was in the more normal panels involving the real world or in the mind bending horror/action scenes where everything is stretched out and trippy. I feel that this series deserves the hype and I am here for the ride.

Silver Spoon, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
On the complete opposite side of the spectrum from the last two manga we have this series. This is a slice of life manga from the same author as Fullmetal Alchemist and is about a teenage boy suffering from burnout. He was working so hard in middle school trying to be the best of the best that he burnt out. He wanted away from everything and finds himself enrolled in a vocational high school. A high school for agriculture. It's a slice of story and a coming of age story about a city kid enrolled in a school for basically farm kids. There is a hilarious scene very early on that highlights how out of his element he is. He thinks he is on top of the world when it comes to studies because the kids around him struggle with the same subjects that he knows so well. Then he hears them talking about the things that these kids know for their life (life on the farm) and it's on a university level or higher and he realizes how out of his depth he is. I've watched the anime a few times and loved it but this is my first time getting into the manga itself. I've held off for a long time just because it's harder to find through the library because it's not as popular. I've now found a way to get all the volumes and I'm ready for this journey.

Now, what is next:
Audiobook
The Vanishing Type This is my next audiobook and me trying to work on more series I have on the go.

Not audiobook stuff
Uncanny: The Origins of Fear A biography from the master of horror himself
The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash (Light Novel) Vol. 3 Another light novel series that I am trying to continue
A Pirate's Life for Tea I finally got my copy of this book

Thank you again!

Is a maid basically the same as a handmaid? I've encountered several maid but no handmaids so far.

Alberta, Canada. Normally our winters are pretty gnarly, especially at this time of year. Not so much with snow but we have the low temps. It was about this time last year where we dipped down to -40 so the mild temps we are having right now are really nice.

This is one of the wild things about weather I find so fascinating. You guys are getting walloped with winter storms and we are sitting here with above normal temperatures. Pretty much all this week, and what is forecast for next week, we've had temps hovering right around the freezing mark. During the day it's a little above and at night it's a little below but basically all right around 0C/32F.

Thank you!

I'm sure this is fine but I'll get the groups call on this one. For Croc/Gator I've got a caiman. It's technically part of the alligator family. Can I use it?

In my defense there is just a certain point in a book that once you hit it you are just going to finish the book regardless of what happens. That is more or less what happened last night. I'm not going to stop mid reveal for sleep, especially since I wasn't tired at all.

Between an early nap, a stupid desire to finish my audiobook before the expiration date at the library, and a general feeling of not being tired last night I am a very, very tired man this morning. I kind of slipped into my vacation sleep schedule and I am currently running on only a couple hours sleep this morning. Thankfully work is busy enough that I should be able to keep going until the end of the day.

Hel is the name of the underworld in Norse mythology. If I had to hazard a guess the author is trying to be cheeky and skirt the line about swearing. I remember Maze Runner was horrible with that.

Brittany wrote: "Fair!! Did you survive day one back?"

I did... barely.

Joking aside, it was a bit of a chaotic first day back. I had a big order to work on which I already knew about. Then we were getting peppered with a bunch of new orders. That is not a bad thing but on your first day back it's a bit overwhelming. I think the hardest part was just all the people and the noise. For three weeks I've essentially been a hermit with only myself to talk to and the general noise was mostly controlled by me. Now I've got people calling me, others asking questions in person, general chatter, forklifts roaring around, trucks backing in, etc, etc, etc. There was one point where it was just a bit much. I was trying to listen to my audiobook and get lost in my work and everyone just had to chat with me at that point.

The closer I get to actually leaving for work the more I am drifting into the realm of "but mom I don't wanna go". I mean, I have an audiobook to listen to, I got ebooks to read, I got a fresh stack of physical books from the library, I've got the first half of season 3 of Doctor Who to watch, I have naps that need to be taken. Sure I have work that I need to get done today but look at all those fun things I could be doing.

Well, my vacation has come to an end and it has been a relaxing time. It might not have been the most exciting of vacations for some people but three weeks of essentially sleep, eat, read has been wonderful for me. If I'm on your timeline here on Goodreads, sorry for all the updates, I've been reading a lot the last few weeks. I'm going to miss the reading time but it will be nice to get back to a normal routine and the challenge of work again.

For anyone else heading back to work this morning after a break, may today be kind to us all.

Time for my first update of the year and the last of the vacation reads.

The Saga of Tanya the Evil, Vol. 3: The Finest Hour -3 Stars
These books are so slow compared to everything else that I am reading. This series is also not for everyone. This book is basically the end of the anime and the start of all new content. In this one the war shifts into Northern Africa and the introduction of Rommel. Rommel has an interesting relationship with Tanya. Unlike other commanders who try to control Tanya he realizes he basically has a highly skilled hunting dog on his hands who might be a bit insane. He basically drops her "leash" and lets her do what she deems best. We also get to see, from an outside perspective, how frightening Tanya truly is. There is a moment where she has a breakdown and MP's have to step in and they are terrified of her. There is her reputation, her awards, and her sheer strength as a mage. Sure, she is a child but she has been honed on the front lines of war and her strength is boosted with her magic. She is a terrifying little package.

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear (Light Novel) Vol. 4 -4 Stars
More fluffy and cute fantasy about a young girl in a bear onesie solving the worlds problem, as long as it's something she is interested in. This if far from peak writing but man I have so much fun reading this.

Bofuri: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense., Vol. 5 -4 Stars
Much like the last one this is just more of that Japanese light fantasy. A low stakes popcorn read that is just fun. This one covers the fourth realm and the start of the fifth realm.

Now for the manga

Fullmetal Alchemist (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 5 -5 Stars
After some issues with the library I am finally back to this series and man does it feel good. The writing in this series is just so solid and I'm so glad to be rereading this. This series has a little bit of everything, fantasy, political intrigue, action, drama, etc. This is a solid recommendation if anyone wants to give manga a try and due to it's popularity it's easily available.

The Moon on a Rainy Night 5 -4 Stars
More drama and slow building of romance, maybe romance, friendship, something. There was a reveal in this one that I kind of saw coming, I don't want to spoil anything and we keep getting teased about Saki's secret which is pretty obvious at this point. I'm kind of caught up with this series and am waiting for the library to get me more.

As for what is next:

The Elfstones of Shannara
I'm slowly working through this series and have to get it finished this week. I've got about 10ish hours of audiobook left so I see some video games and audiobook this week.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 4—Diamond Is Unbreakable, Vol. 1
Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody, (Light Novel) Vol. 1
Busted
My other, non audiobook, things I have planned for this week. Right now I have actual plans and structure instead of flailing my hands at my giant stack of library books. Don't worry, I'll get back to that soon enough.

Guys, it's my final weekend of my vacation. My last two days before I'm no longer allowed to nap and read all day. Part of me looks forward to getting back to a normal schedule and part of me is going to really miss this. Also, three weeks is more then enough time, not sure how much longer I could do this before starting to go a little nuts.

I was already doing that so I am fine with saying that everyone else can as well.

Delete the space I have after the initial < in both sections.

< spoiler> this goes at the start
Your text here
< /spoiler> this goes at the end of what you are hiding