Gord’s Comments (group member since Sep 03, 2018)

Gord’s comments from the Readers Unbound group.

Time for that weekly recap and I don't have as much to talk about this week but that's alright.

Foxglove Summer -4 Stars
This was the last book that I've read previously in this series and I don't remember a lick of it which is kind of weird. At the start of this book it felt a bit filler like especially after the bombshell ending of the last book. Here is Peter getting taken out of his element and sent out to the country for a case that has nothing to do with The Folly. The brilliant part of this book is that as time goes along it is slowly revealed that this case is indeed a Folly case and that it is far from a filler novel. This novel has a ton of development for Peter as a character as well as giving a very small tease for things to come. To paraphrase "In a year things will go to *#&%". This was just an enjoyable read and I can't wait for the next one.

This brings me to a small rant. Not about the book though. As I started this one I went to request my copy of the next one and my library didn't have the audiobook of the next book or anything else in the series. I found this to be a bit odd but the library has all sorts of partial series. I submitted a request and it got denied. Not because the library didn't want it but because the eContent provider will not sell the library the remaining books in audiobook format. The library has ebooks and physical books but they are not allowed to purchase the audiobooks. Why? Who the hell knows but man is it infuriating. It also puts me in a bit of a pickle. I could just easily read on in the series with no problem but I really enjoy the narrator. I might even go so far as to say this narrator has provided one of the best audiobook experiences for me since I've started listening to audiobooks. I really want to continue this series on audiobook as the narrator has essentially become Peter Grant to me. Needless to say, there is a part of me that is contemplating just buying the books for myself but then I'd be giving the publisher, the one who refuses to sell the book to the library, my money and I don't know if I like that idea.

W.I.T.C.H. Part I: The Twelve Portals, Vol. 1 -4 Stars
This was a series that was low down on my radar as my library didn't have them and it wasn't a "I need to read this right now" kind of situation. Then one day while browsing through the new comics I discovered that the library had purchased the entire series. I figured that was a sign to give these a shot. This comic was very odd but in a good kind of way. These are Italian comics written for Disney (or a Western audience) but the Japanese influence on this series was incredibly clear. This was essentially a magical girl comic. I'm far from an expert on the genre but even I can recognize the most basic of tropes. Combine that with an art style that is clearly inspired by manga while still being it's own thing and it creates this odd little comic. Speaking of art style it screams 90's to me while still looking clean and not dated. Looking at you 90's muscle bound ultra violent comics. Needless to say this comic has hooked me in and I want more. Not sure if the quality will continue but for now I'm here for the ride.

A Fire Among Clouds -3 Stars
This was an odd find while browsing through Hoopla. It's a fantasy comic set in late 15th century Mesoamerica and is of course heavily influenced by the culture of the time. This book was of course helpful for many a challenge but putting that aside it was an interesting read. I love exploring fantasy books that pull from different cultures and mythologies. It just gives me, as a reader, something new to experience. Now this comic pulls from a webcomic that the author created and it kind of shows. For a comic that was 320 pages there wasn't a lot that happened. We met our characters, we established who they were, and set up the running plot for the story but that was about it. It felt like the story only really got started at the end. Still, there is enough here that I will probably be back if a second book ever comes out.

Beauty and the Feast, Vol. 7 -3 stars
More food, more wholesome moments, more weirdly ecchi splash pages that contradict the entire tone of the series.

Komi Can't Communicate, Vol. 21 -3 Stars
The shine of this series is definitely wearing off for me and I think it's just a problem I have with gag manga in general. After a while I crave story, I crave growth, I crave development. You get that in this series but it comes in little itty bitty drips before the author falls back into that gag manga rhythm. It also doesn't help that this one opens with a section based around my least favorite character, Yamai, being her usual psychopath self. I really do not like this character and her "trait" just feels weird in what is, for the most, a pretty chill series. I'm far from done with this series but I'm starting to get more critical of things.

Now we get to the "what's next" section of this post. I swore that I was going to request less books from the library so I wasn't stressed all the time trying to keep up with all these due dates and what not. Lets just say that hasn't worked out very well. I've currently got 2 audiobooks out with one more coming in soon and another 20+ books signed out. I really need to knuckle down and clear this out a bit.

The Hunchback Assignments
This is what I am currently listening to on audio. It's a reread but I needed another steampunk book while I wait for to come in. The audio was a bit rough in the beginning when it sounded like the narrator was talking to me through a tin can and string setup.

Reincarnated as a Sword (Light Novel) Vol. 3
This is the book that I am currently working through as I've renewed my loan of it twice now. It's off to a good start and giving what I was wanting from the series.

The short list after this book is
and some more manga

Time for my weekly wrap up and oh boy do I have thoughts and opinions on what I read. They might not be the best thoughts or opinions but I have them. So brace yourself this will be a bit longer as I share these thoughts and opinions.

Strike the Zither -3 Stars (on the 2.5 side of 3 really)
As I mentioned last week this book was read to complete a particularly annoying challenge. It also helped with a few other challenges as well which was a massive bonus. That being said I wasn't really feeling this book. It was nothing the book did really, I just wasn't in the mood for it. I pushed on though because I wanted to get it completed and there have been plenty of times where I've picked up books I wasn't feeling and they have turned out great. This was not one of those books. I just never clicked with this book and I can't really say why exactly. I'm not sure if it was the MC, the narrator, the writing, or just some combination of those three. I know my feelings for this book ranged from "meh, this is alright" to "please, please, please, just make it stop". So what is this book about? The one comment I read said this was a "feminist retelling of Romance of the Three Kingdoms". Now I can't really confirm this one way or another as I know very little about Romance of the Three Kingdoms outside of hearing the name before. Basically this book is a tale of "China" in a state of turmoil as various factions battle for power. Our MC is a strategist who is trying to help her Lordess gain power to protect the Emperor. Their main opponent, and the antagonist of this book is Miasma. Not a poisonous cloud floating around trying to kill people either just someone with the worst choice of villain names ever. No joke, for the first few pages of the novel I thought it was some sort of cloud that we were dealing with before I figured out that it was just a person. Speaking of Miasma, the book tells us that she is a young and intimidating physical force that everyone fears. The only problem is that the narrator made me think of Yzma from The Emperor's New Groove. I'm sure you can see the disconnect between the two images.

Lets get into the MC for a little bit. I just didn't like her and I just never clicked with her. One minute she would be all "I'm the greatest thing ever and you mere peasants are lower than the dust on my slippers". Then she would suddenly switch to "woe is me, no one loves me, everyone I know has died, my life is never ending suffering, woe is me". Then there is one other side to her that we get later. This is the angsty romance angle as she is suddenly smitten by someone, no spoilers here, and this goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on. Of the three this is by far the worst and, in my opinion, the lowest point in the entire book. These parts were just painful and the whole romance aspect just felt unneeded in the book. It just felt like it was there because a YA book needs to have a romance subplot. At least it wasn't a love triangle so I guess bonus points for that.

Overall I just wasn't vibing with this book and I just never got invested in it. This is the first book in a trilogy and I will not be reading on. I got what I needed from this book and now I'm moving on.

Intergalactic Exterminators, Inc -3 Stars (closer to the 3.5 side of things)
I never thought I'd be here a week ago. A week ago I figured I'd be here this week singing the praises for this book. Instead my response is going to be a bit more tempered. This book was recommended to me by a friend here on Goodreads and it sounded right up my alley. To the point that I even requested my library go out and buy me a copy of this book. The book even started out strong giving me some super strong Monster Hunter International vibes which is exactly what I was wanting from this book. Then things kind of just felt apart. In my head I was expecting this band of alien/human misfits traveling the galaxy fighting all sorts of alien monsters and the strong Monster Hunter vibes really gave me hope. Now I can't say that the book never delivered on this but it was only one of the two and it was only in small drips. We got some really cool scenes where they were fighting monsters on alien planets and those were fun. Those moments though were few and far between and what we got between those scenes was dull and mundane. There was a lot of scenes where our MC's were worrying about their families problems or the problems of other people in town and, to be blunt here, I just didn't care about them. Which leads to one of my big problems with this book. I just didn't care about any of the characters. I wasn't invested in either of the main characters or their problems and no other characters really got developed. I wouldn't even call them stereotypical or tropes. They were just kind of names with a basic physical description who happened to be there when the story needed them. This book also never felt like it had a coherent plot either. It just felt like short stories or situations that were all loosely tied together. There was the story concerning Nina's sick father, there was Russ's family problems with the bookstore, there was the illegal immigration story line, the story line about a company trying to take over the extermination business by using robots, the owner of Intergalactic Exterminators story about her trying to prove herself worthy of the family business. There was all these subplots that just felt like they existed but nothing to really all tie them together. It even shoehorned in a twist, cliffhanger ending in a book that is a standalone novel. A twist that I more less called very early on in the novel.

I know I've been super critical of this book but it wasn't a horrible read. There was a very interesting idea here and there were moments where I felt that this novel really tapped into this idea well. This was also the author's debut novel so maybe they are still trying to find their style and hit their stride. I'm far from swearing this author off and if he releases a sequel to this novel I'd be more than willing to give it a shot.

Exit Strategy -5 Stars
This was the standout star of the week which shouldn't be a massive surprise. I've really fallen in love with the Murderbot series and the MC of the series. This was another solid entry into this novel and some more great growth for the character as he is reunited with the original characters from the first book. This was once again a great blend of action and emotional moments. It also felt like a great place to end the series as well. I wouldn't be surprised at all if someone told me the author planned to end the series right here. It felt like it wrapped the story line from the last few novels while leaving openings in multiple story lines for new things to be explored. I am so glad that I was "coerced" into reading this series.

Sadako-san and Sadako-chan -3 Stars
This is a blend of humor, cute thing things, and horror which just works. It stars Sadako-san, from The Ring series, and it's been interesting to see the shift in this character over the last few years. At her core she is still a horror character that is spooky as hell but I've seen different versions start to emerge as well. There has been cute ones like this, more family inspired ones like Erma, weirdly sexy ones because the internet. I also like that while this one was mostly cute and fun it still had some darker elements lurking under the surface. Of course you have Sadako-san being all spooky but there was also Sadako-chan. This mysterious young girl who has been locked in her closet by her mother and never allowed to leave because she is supposed to the reincarnation of Sadako. It's never really explored but it does raise all sorts of questions. Is she dead? Where is the mother? What is up with all the talisman's on the wall? Is she supernatural in some way or just a mistreated kid? I'm not sure I'd buy the second volume but if I can ever find it through the library I'd read on.

Crazy Food Truck, Vol. 3 -3 Stars
The conclusion to this series and I have many mixed feelings about this. I love the idea of this series. The idea of a food truck being driven around the post apocalyptic wasteland by a badass old man serving up food to survivors. What's not to like? I just feel like the story never reached its full potential and ended before its time. I'm not sure if it was the author's decision or the series was cancelled before it was supposed to end but I just kind of felt unfulfilled. Especially with the ending that we did get.

Fist of the North Star, Vol. 8 -3 Stars
More musclebound men killing each other in weird ways. This one had someone get their head slapped clean off which is a first for me, I think. I wouldn't call myself a massive fan of this series but I can appreciate what it is and the influence it had on numerous things.

Now what is coming up next.

Foxglove Summer
I was wondering what to listen to next when my hold on this book became available and it works perfectly. I wasn't in the mood for yet another challenge book and I really enjoy listening to the narrator of this series so it's a win win all around.

For non audiobooks I've got a stack of manga/comics this week. I'll just throw the covers up for these ones.

I'm catching up on the last couple weeks of Birdie Wing because I've been busy lately. This show is so over the top and yet so good. I was a bit concerned where they were going to go in season two as it looked to be heading in a direction far from what season one was. Lets just say that the last couple episodes have put those fears to rest.

Time for that weekly update on what I've been reading.

Race to the Sun -4 Stars
A classic middle grade quest story where the MC has to go on a quest to save the world. It's a tried and true trope that can make for an interesting story and this was an interesting story. This book was based on Navajo culture and stories with our MC being Navajo herself. The story was very interesting and I like a fantasy novel that was based on something outside of the normal European influences. This book also highlighted an advantage of audiobooks. Sprinkled throughout this book were several Navajo words which I would never be able to pronounce even remotely close to what it should. Having it on audiobook though gave me an opportunity to hear the words properly and it just adds this layer of immersion to the novel. This is the second middle grade audiobook with other languages in it that was helped greatly by listening to them.

Easy Nevada and the Pyramid’s Curse-3 Stars
After finish the above book I had another challenge book lined up but I just wasn't in the mood for it at that point. I wanted brain popcorn and after some stumbling around looking for things that didn't require a 180+ day wait from the library I found this. Don't let the three star rating fool you, this was pure entertainment from the beginning to the end. This was essentially an action movie read to me and I loved it. We are introduced to the MC, Easy Nevada, buried up to her neck in the sand on a little island off the coast of Africa. She was left for dead after a run in with pirates while looking for a sunken treasure ship. Yes, our main character is essentially Indiana Jones in a female body. I am aware of Lara Croft but this felt more like a young dude who just happened to be in a female body. She is a lesbian who is lewd, crude, and rude. No joke, she is constantly throwing out one liners the entire book. Whether that is to antagonize the enemy, to hit on the female archeologists who gets pulled into her adventure, or to just comment on things in general. The only slow part of the book was at the beginning, after the hilarious introduction, where it was setting the stage for what was happening. After that it's one long adventure full of gun fights with Islamic extremists, collapsing pyramids, a country collapsing into civil war, a train ride, and a shadowy evil villain. This had everything including a budding romance. Yes, this was also a lesbian romance because why not. This was pure schlock and I loved it all. I really want to read the next book right now but I need to get back to that pesky challenge book. The next book will be my reward for getting through the challenge book.

Yu-Gi-Oh! (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 8: Includes Vols. 22, 23 & 24 -4 Stars
Finally getting back to this series and it's more battles as I'm right in the middle of a tournament. The wackiness of this series continues with one battle taking place on a pier where both contestants are chained to an anchor with a bomb on it. There is a time limit of 45 minutes for the battle and the loser gets dragged into the depths of the ocean. The final battles of the tournament takes place atop a blimp flying 1,000 feet up in the air. Why? Because why not? This series is all about being as over the top as possible.

The Curie Society -4 Stars
This was a great little find from the library. I'm constantly checking the libraries new arrivals for comics/manga and I've found some great reads in there. This was definitely one of them. It's a nice strong message for young girls to get into science, about the benefits of team work, and pushing your boundaries. It's also a entertaining story full of secret societies, espionage, and the Cold War. Basically three young girls arrive at Edmonds University for their first day and of course all three are very different. They eventually get their invitations to the secret Curie Society where they learn about the group, each other, teamwork, and pursue their own studies. This book was a great introduction to things and I want more. Unfortunately there is only the one book. It says that it's a series but there appears to be only one book and it came out a couple years back.

As for what is next.

Strike the Zither This is the audiobook that I was putting off and need to get to. Hopefully it's a good book as I'm reading it for a challenge and not super stoked for it.

Intergalactic Exterminators, Inc Now this is a book that I am looking forward to and I have been waiting a while for it. This was a recommendation to me and it just seems like something up my alley shall we say. I had to request my library get the book, wait for them to approve it, wait for them to buy it and get it, wait for it to be delivered to my library, and then wait to have a hole in my schedule. Hopefully all that waiting is worth it.

The samey feeling can be both a good and bad thing. There is a lot of it that I just have no interest in. That being said some fun, slice of life kind of stuff set in a fantasy world is perfect for me. Campfire Cooking in Another World is one that came out last season that is fun and enjoyable. Kuma Kuma Kuma is another one that is just fun and chill to take in.

I'm starting to feel about anime like I do about a lot of other visual mediums. I'd rather read the source material then watch the show. It's not for all anime though but anything that I am into I would just rather read it then watch it. There is just so much stuff that gets cut, changed, etc, etc, etc. It might be a minor thing like a conversation between the MC and a minor side character or it might be something like an entire story arc.

Don't get me wrong I thing that there are certain manga/light novels that would be elevated in a visual medium if done well. Things like Keijo, yes I went there. I'm also excited to see what Sakamoto Days would look like in an anime format. Things that are music based of course are also elevated as well. I don't know, I'm just in a mood after seeing some junk food isekai burn through story lines faster than a flamer thrower through 1 ply toilet paper.

The worst of these people are those that do this on public transit. The entire bus gets to hear both sides of the conversation and it's never stimulating or something you want to hear.

I'd figured I'd do a last minute update before starting the week.

The Great Filter -3 Stars
This was an alright popcorn, turn your brain off, and coast kind of book. I read/listened to this for a challenge and I got what I signed up for. It's a gamelit novel heavily inspired by the Fallout series, in particular Fallout 4. Basically the world gets nuked, it's revealed that humanity is nothing more than a giant simulation and we are out of time. After the world is nuked the admins turn on full fledged game mode (level ups, experience points, stats, perks etc) and now humanity is nothing more than entertainment for the galactic community. You get pretty much what you would expect from this novel. One thing I grew tired off was the constant perk/stat/item descriptions. I know this is a staple of this genre and in physical books I can just kind of skim over this stuff but with an audio book I'm kind of stuck listening to it over and over and over again. This is definitely one of those books that make me glad I have a library card. For the great price of free this is a palatable book. If I had to pay money for this I'd be a lot more critical and probably a bit harsh on this thing.

V for Vendetta -4 Stars
Another Alan Moore book and again it's for another challenge. His name keeps coming on these "Greatest Book of X genre" kind of lists and because I'm allowed to use comics it gives me reason to read them. This came out in the 80's and I can easily see why this became a classic. This book is about a full on fascist Britain after the end of WWIII and the anarchist known simply as V. This book tackles a lot of heavier themes and I liked that V was more an idea than a character. We do get hints to his back story but we never know who he truly is and what his motivations are. By the end of the book he straight up becomes a symbol more than anything else. I have a bit of a hard time explaining why I liked this book as much as I did but it really clicked with me. That being said there are some issues. There are times where the story wasn't as strong and kind of rambled a bit. I also wasn't a fan of the art. It made it real difficult at times to tell what was going on or who a particular character was. It's definitely the art of the time but I'm just not a fan of this kind of comic art.

I'm Kinda Chubby and I'm Your Hero Vol. 1 -4 Stars
This is just straight up sweet fluff and I enjoyed it. The book is tagged as "boys love" but there isn't even the faintest hint of romance. It's about two guys that become friends through being fans of what the other does (patisserie and an actor). Could it eventually turn into a romance at some point in the future? Maybe, but for right now it's just a sweet story about two guys becoming friends and gaining confidence through each other. I want to read the next book but it's not out yet.

The Hunters Guild: Red Hood, Vol. 1 -4 Stars
This is such a huge frustration. I found this series originally through some art I discovered online. Then I found out, many months afterwards, that my library was carrying the series and decided to check it out. I find the premise of this series to be pretty intriguing and I want to read more. That's where the problem starts. There are only three books because Shonen Jump cancelled the series before it even had a chance to start gaining steam. I know that this happens a lot but this is the first time I've encountered it so early in the story. I do plan to read the other two books just to see if the story suddenly takes a sudden change that warrants the cancellation but I don't see it yet.

As for what is next

Race to the Sun This is another challenge book that I'll be working on this week. Yes, I am working on a lot of challenge books as of late but I'm trying to address some really old challenges where I'm down to the dregs that just don't get completed with my normal reading.

Yu-Gi-Oh! (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 8: Includes Vols. 22, 23 & 24 I'm finally getting back to some Yu-Gi-Oh and I need to get this done so I can return it to the library.

Alright, I'm doing this a bit early but I just finished a book and I need to talk about it.

The Supernatural Enhancements -2 Stars
This is the book I have to talk about and oh boy do I have things to say. On a broad level I like what this book was trying to do but something happened in the execution. In the beginning of the book I was all on board with what this book was doing but as things went along I got bored, confused, and by the end I was just left feeling unsatisfied. This book is a haunted house/paranormal mystery/adventure kind of book. Our MC known only as A inherits a house from a 2nd cousin who was stupid rich. Him and his companion Niamh show up at the house and the book starts. This book is told in an epistolary style with everything being told through diary entries, dream diaries, video recordings, camcorder footage, audio recordings, letters, notes, etc. For me this is a bit of a double edged sword as it's interesting but it also creates this barrier between the me and the characters. I never feel a connection with the characters as I don't know what they are thinking, feeling, etc. Some of these sections were interesting and other ones were beyond boring. For instance there is a section that goes into painstaking detail about how they broke this code. This section went on for pages about how the code works, how our characters figured it out, how they broke the code, etc. It just dragged on and on and on. There were other sections that were from "scientific journals" that felt like sandpaper for my eyeballs. There were these dry, boring sections full of "science" jargon and I just don't feel like they added anything to the book.

Then there is the ending of the book. I'm not going to spoil anything but the book took a super hard turn in the last 30 pages and just ended with a bombshell that just created more questions then it answered. Not in a good cliffhanger kind of way that we all love to curse and hate but in a way that just felt like the book itself was unfinished. Honestly this kind of goes with the broader feeling of the book. It felt like it was trying to do a lot of different things but not really succeeding at any of them because it was trying to do to much at once. For instance the haunted house aspect of the book starts kind of strong only to be shelved and forgotten for most of the remainder of the book. No real explanation about it either. It was just a haunted house because reasons. Same with the whole secret society/cult thing. It was there but not really until it had to be and when it was there it just never felt fully fleshed out.

As for the characters we now absolutely nothing about A at all. Not his name, not his motivations, not the reason he is there, nothing. Niamh was a kind of interesting character and her being mute was an interesting twist but again there was that barrier with the writing style. It also can't be overlooked that Niamh is an underage characters, mid to late teens, and A ends up having a sexual relationship with her and he is definitely older than her. That definitely didn't need to be there. If you wanted to explore them being in a relationship then make her older. There was absolutely no reason for her to be the age she was. Alright, I think my ranting for this book is over.

The Mist -4 Stars
This was the only other thing I completed this week and it was pretty solid. If you have been following me for a while you know I have some mixed feelings about King. As a teen I enjoyed his books but as an adult I find that I don't enjoy his books as much. The Dark Tower series being the exception to that of course. There are definitely elements of his books that I enjoy but there are also sections of his books that just feel bloated. Sections that don't really feel like they were necessary and cause the book to drag. This book didn't suffer from that issue. Now it's not my first time reading The Mist but it's been a while since my last read of this book and it held up well. The story was spooky, I liked the horror elements, I like the ending, it was just a quick entertaining read.

Now for what is next.

The Great Filter I'm currently listening to this on audio and it's alright so far. It's a post apocalyptic gamelit novel and it's inspiration is pretty clear to me. This is far from high literature but so far it's at least entertaining. After that I've got a couple challenge books lined up to pick from.

For physical books I've got some manga to read so I can get it back to the library before next weekend.

Uggghhh, I hate those people in general.

That one is on my radar and the TMNT/Batman crossover series.

Time for that weekly roundup and this has been a week of ups and downs.

Off Kilter -4 Stars
This was the first of two novels that I read for challenges this week and it was pretty good. I have developed some pretty mixed feelings in regards to cozy mysteries over the years. On one hand they are great for challenges. You can find cozy mysteries set in all sorts of places with MC's doing all sorts of jobs. Combine that with covers full of all sorts of things and they are prime challenge material. On the other hand there are so many of them that are formulaic and dull as dishwater. Not necessarily bad but just bland and paint by numbers. Now this mystery has a lot of the expected tropes but it was entertaining. It's set in small town Scotland and our MC finds herself involved with a local murder mystery. You can figure out the killer by applying a little cozy mystery logic. It's obviously not the "friend" character, it's obviously not the "love interest" character, it's also not the police character, or the character/s that the author is try to make look guilty. It's the other named character that is barely on the page. I'm not sure how I can explain why I liked this so lets chalk it up to the Scottish brogue that I got to listen to while listening to this book. Not the "what the hell did you just say to me" brogue but the made for TV one that is pleasant to the ear.

The Scent Keeper -3 Waters
This book is about a billion miles away from anything even remotely close to what I normally read and I had a hard time with this one. I gave this a three star rating because there is a part of me that can appreciate what this book was trying to do even if it was so not for me. This book has a lot of messages about fairy tales vs reality, about trauma passed from generation to generation, and probably a few other things that I just couldn't care to pick up. This was squarely in the camp of literary fiction the only hint of anything even mystical was some fairy tale stuff in the beginning that was basically the kids imagination. In my opinion this book was about the MC getting the stuffing kicked out of them by life in general. This might make for compelling reading for some and I'm not going to knock you if this is what you like. I get enough of that though in my everyday life. Every time I watch/read the news, browse the internet, etc, etc, etc. I don't need more of it in my escape from all that stuff. I'd rather read about vampires getting shot by shotguns then someone coming to a self realization about their inner feelings and what it means in regard to their relationship with their mother/father. By the end of the book I was just wanting it to end but even I wasn't prepared for the abrupt ending that this book had. It just got to this big revelation point and the book just said "screw it, I'm done, going home now". It resolved none of the story points at all. It just left you hanging with the barest of hints about what happened to anyone in the book. If I was more invested in things I'd probably be a lot more upset about that ending.

Komi Can't Communicate, Vol. 19 -3 Stars
Komi Can't Communicate, Vol. 20 -4 Stars
Maybe it was because I was in a mood but I'm kind of becoming a bit split on this series. When it's telling a story I'm really enjoying the series. Volume twenty was a great example of that. There was a story with character moments and development that was fun to read. Then we have volumes like volume nineteen that is just gags and not even new ones but repeats of gags that have already been done a few times in the series. It just kind of feels phoned in. Like the author had writers block but still had a deadline so it was just throw things on the page and go.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection, Volume 2 -4 Stars
I finally got the second volume of this series and I'm floored by this story. This is a story that is throwing everything into the mix. Martial arts, sci-fi, dimension hopping, all out warfare, reincarnation, mysticism, and magic all mixed into one story. It's just bonkers the shifts in story telling that can happen in this series and I'm loving every moment of it. I am also loving all the little references to the various iterations of the Turtles that came before this. I am now waiting "patiently" for the next volume to come in.

Princess Jellyfish 2-in-1 Omnibus, Vol. 4 -4 Stars
More of this series and more progress for our characters as they try to save their apartment building and get a clothing company up off the ground.

Berserk Deluxe Edition Volume 10 -5 Stars
More Berserk and at this point I think my love of the series is well established. I was spoiled for a big reveal that happens later on and it makes moments in this book both make more sense and suddenly hit so much different. I won't spoil anything but there was certain scenes in here that suddenly felt completely different from the first few times I read this series.

As for what is next.

The Mist I needed a quick book for a challenge when the one I was working on fell through. This is not my first time reading this book but it will be the first time on audio so I'm interested to see if that changes anything.

The Supernatural Enhancements Another challenge book and an author I've been meaning to return to since I read Meddling Kids. After that I'm not sure and will play it by ear.

I'm reading some TMNT from the IDW collection and the art style changes from section to section like so many Western comics. In this current section there is this choice that I just can't unsee. Everyone, and I mean everyone has a chin that would put Bruce Campbell's chin to shame. Even the princess has a chin that could be mistaken for a granite block.

It's a little early but I've got a few novels to talk about this week so I figured I'd get it out of the way and then return to my reading.

Triptych -4 Stars
After finishing up the Grant County series I have been eagerly anticipating the start of this series. Having the TV show come out threw a massive monkey wrench into that plan though as now everyone else and their dog wanted to also read it. The wait line for these books are ridiculous. This book was split up into various parts and I'll admit this has a bit of a rough start. I didn't like character we were following and was a little bummed at the thought of having to follow this guy for either some or the entirety of the rest of the book. Then I got to the second part and it was a different character and again I wasn't the biggest fan but something changed. Suddenly I found the pages going by faster, the awareness of the world outside my book slipping, and so on. I was getting pulled into the story as the second part starting to reveal some big things. One being the identity of the killer in a subtle kind of way. This suddenly puts the rest of the book in a whole different light. As the reader you know who the killer is but most of the cast you are following does not. Now this is nothing new but I'm glad that the author didn't do the whole trope of everyone ignoring the super obvious clue until just the right time. Everyone was doing their own investigation and slowly became suspicious about something in their own way. This eventually lead all these different stories to the same point where it all became one story. This made the book a real interesting read watching everyone realize what was going on in their own way. I'm now super excited for the next book even if I have a multi month wait ahead of me.

Broken Homes -5 Stars
Speaking of popular series and multi month waits we have this series. This book came in at the perfect time for me as my last audiobook was a bit of a dud. Both in a story sense and from a narrator sense. The narrator for this series is just amazing and is pure ear candy. He has become this main character in my head and his abilities to change accents is amazing. I have no clue if they are accurate or not but to me they sound right and that's what matters. This book was a bit of a slow burn scattered kind of story as there was a lot of random little things going on at one time but in the end they all came together in one big explosive bang. The book was a solid four for me but the ending took it up a point. We get to see the full capabilities of someone like Nightingale and it is terrifying. You realize that what we have seen up to this point has barely even a party trick. Then there is a shocking twist at the end that just lands perfectly and flips everything on it's head. I'm now waiting for the next one and this one seems to be only a month out instead of the three it took this one.

Dead Voices -4 Stars
This was read to help with a monthly timed challenge and much like the first book I was rather surprised how good of a middle grade horror it was. It takes place in remote snow lodge that gets snowed in and of course ghosts. Turns out the lodge used to be an orphanage/school and yes you kind of have to ignore the blaring question of why someone would build such a building in such a remote location but hey. Since it is middle grade horror it's not that "scary" but much like the first one it doesn't take much imagination to spin it up into something pretty scary. Trapped in a ski lodge, no power, no heat, no communication with the outside world, scary homicidal ghost trying to put everyone to bed. This series has really surprised me and I'm thinking of just fast tracking the third one to see what happens next.

Omens -3 Stars
Before I get started I want to be clear that this is more like a 2.5 that I rounded up to a 3. It would appear that I'm in the minority here and I just wasn't that impressed by this book. I read this for a buddy read and I was excited after reading the synopsis as it sounded super interesting. Everyone else who was participating in the buddy read and even other friends on Goodreads seemed to really enjoy the book which I took as a pretty strong sign. I'm now kind of wondering if I read the same book as everyone else as I was left feeling very underwhelmed by this book. It started almost out the gate as the book seemed to take everyone's reaction to a 15 on a scale of 5. Instead of dealing with the situation with a press conference that could have solved the entire situation in one go we have people running away from each other. Some leaving the country, engagements getting broken off, credit/debit cards getting cut up, etc and I'm left going "but why?". The main character needed to get to Point A though for the story to start so fine, fine, fine lets just let that slide. The whole "but why?" feeling though just never really changed as the MC inserts herself into a mystery that she really has no reason to do so. The story was a slow burn and instead of a strong story pushing me along I spent most of my time wondering what was going on, why it was going on, and just where was I going. Then there was the ending that just felt like the most random, out of left field, mad lib explanation ever. It did shift my question from "but why?" to "but what?". The ending felt very unfulfilling as I felt like nothing got explained, nothing got resolved, and we just had more questions. Oh and there was also a paranormal aspect to the book. It got dragged out of the background every few chapters to do the whole *jazz hands* look at the weird paranormal thing happening in the background that will never get explained, never gets explored, and never utilized in this story *jazz hands*.

Like I mentioned above I really do wonder if I read the same book as everyone else as my reaction was so different from everyone else. For those that did like this book this isn't an attack on you or your taste. I'm just a weirdo who is a little dense at time. I will read the second book to give it old college try but I'm not expecting much honestly.

Kim Reaper, Vol. 1: Grim BeginningsKim Reaper, Vol. 2: Vampire Island -3 Stars
I have been following the author of this series online now for years. She does this little single panel comic about life with her cats and her boyfriend that are just cute. I've known about this series for a while now but never got around to reading it. For whatever reason I tripped over this at the library and remember I had to read it. It's a cute story about a girl dating another girl who has a job as a part time Grim Reaper. It's got the author's identifiable art style, it's got cuteness, it has some horror, and it's just a fun little comic to read. There are some nice little Easter eggs in the series like the authors cats being in the background of a scene. Just a fun little read.

Now, what is next in my reading journey.

Off Kilter I'm focusing in and attempting to close off some really old lingering challenges from back log of challenges. This is a cozy mystery set in Scotland that is hopefully good. After that I am not sure yet. I have some stuff coming in but I might need to find something else to listen to while I wait. Probably something challenge related.

For physical books I've got some manga and comics to get through. Things like Komi, Princess Jellyfish, TMNT, and others.

It's been a bit of slower reading week for me so I don't have as much to talk about. I'll make up for it next week though.

Reincarnated as a Sword (Light Novel) Vol. 2 -4 Stars
The one and only novel I completed this week. Yup, it's been one of those weeks. It's been interesting to see the difference between the anime and source material. Especially with the spider dungeon arc. They changed the arc up to really get that anime season finale kind of vibe. The cuteness of Fran is really played up in the anime which makes sense as it's a much more visual medium then just words on a page. There are a lot more details in the LN, shocking I know, and events seem to unfold more slowly, again it makes sense considering the medium. The other big surprise is that the anime only covered up to about the half way point in this book. I'm used to anime trying to cover more material in a season. That brings me to the second half of this book and probably my favorite part. We get to see Fran and Teacher really tested as they tackle a dungeon well above their level with some near disastrous results. You get to see the characters grow both as adventurers and as characters. I'm really enjoying this series so far and can't wait for the next one.

Tower of God Volume One -3 Stars
I was surprised to see this come up in the new books feed at my library but I knew I had to snag it. Tower of God is one of those massive Korean Webtoons (comics designed to be read on your smartphone) up there with things like King of High School, Solo Leveling, The Breaker, and others. I was interested to see how the format would transition to traditional print and it was alright. I had one slight issue though and it's not the comics fault. The story telling method doesn't translate well to physical medium in my opinion. Bit of a lesson time I guess. A lot of mediums like this, (light novels, webtoons, web novels etc) don't follow traditional story telling methods. If you look at something like In Death each book is it's own individual story self contained to that book with occasional overarching story lines that connect the books. For series like this it's just one massive story broken up into story arcs. Those story arcs can be short and only lasting half a book or be massive sprawling stories spanning multiple books. It also leads to a weird flow when things are transitioned to a physical medium. For instance in the last Solo Leveling novel the epic climax scene took place in the middle of the book with the end of the book being a bunch of slower paced set up for the next story arc. To bring this all back to this first volume of Tower of God this was like the first couple of pages of the prologue. I have no idea what to make of the story because I feel like I've barely even scratched the surface of things. This book was 288 pages and I feel like I got a ten second trailer to a three hour movie. Seeing as this is a new release here in NA I don't know if I want to follow the slow release schedule of the physical book. I feel it would be better to just go on Webtoons and start reading the story there. That is a massive commitment of time though as there are currently over 500 chapters out and it's still being published. Decisions, decisions.

Creepy Cat Vol. 4 -3 Stars
The final volume of this odd and yet charming series. It's a cute cat book, it has horror elements, and it's a comedy. I enjoyed the series and I feel that there is still potential here if the author ever wanted to revisit things. Definitely a recommendation for those that like odd little series and cats.

Beauty and the Feast 06-4 Stars
Not a lot to really say that I haven't already said before. This series is still cute and cozy with those weird moments of something lewd that the author isn't prepared to commit to.

Embrace Your Size: My Own Body Positivity-3 Stars
This is a nonfiction manga about the authors struggles with her body and being bigger than normal. While the first part of the book was a little repetitious the book overall touches on many good points and has a great message overall. I think this is an issue that we all struggle with to some degree and seeing more positive messages out there never hurts.

Up next:

Broken Homes I'm listening to this currently and I'm nearly done. It has felt good to return to this series and the narrator is a real treat to listen to. After that I've got Dead Voices which is going to be a short one.

Triptych I started reading this last night and I have some mixed feelings so far. I'm about 15% of the way into the book and I feel like we are still going through a lot of set up of characters and not so much the story itself. I'm sure at some point this will all come together though and the story will take off.

Never watched the show, never read the books, and never plan to.

That sounds like an interesting series. I've requested a copy from the library.

Alright, time for the weekly wrap up and oh man it has been a roller coaster of a week. Good books, bad books, in between books, and just a general reading funk.

-2 Stars
Lets start with the bad, I just did not like this book. Basically a barista comes up with a system to match people together based on their coffee orders. Sure, there is an interesting idea for a story at the heart of things but the book just does nothing. There is no depth to anything and things just happen because the tropes require it. I was so bored reading this and only finished it because I needed it for a challenge. About the only thing I can really say that was good about the book was that it was short.

-5 Stars
Now for the good. I have been enjoying this series so far but always felt that there was something missing from the books. This book felt like the series hit it's stride. It had emotional moments, it had action scenes, it had character growth, it had it all. No joke, there was a scene at the end that might have even brought a tear to my eye. This was just a fantastic read and I am now fully hooked on this series.

-3 Stars
I feel like I need to explain some things here. Last week I spoke about Solo Leveling and how much fun I had reading that power fantasy. That put me in a mood and combined with my general feeling of being tired this month from work I wanted something fun to read. That lead me to this series. I will fully admit that this is not good power fantasy, this is not good literature in general. This is bottom of the barrel isekai and the MC is OP and perfect. He starts with nothing but his smartphone in a fantasy world. By the end of the third book he is engaged to four women (polygamy is a thing in this world), a billionaire, was gifted a mansion, has ties to the royal family (one of his fiancees is the princess), and a well respected adventurer. This is not a high stakes, tension filled series. Our MC shows up and essentially solves any problem with his harem of beautiful women. There are some weird anime/manga tropes in here but overall it's fluff. Here is the thing though... I had fun reading this. This was the perfect thing to just turn my brain off and have a good time with. For all the negative things there are some interesting elements going on that have me curious and while the anime community seems to like dunking on this it has to be doing something right. The 27th book comes out this year and no word of it ending.

-3 Stars
Another challenge book that I listened to. This was for a particularly hard challenge and I wanted to get this task over with so I can move onto the next part. Basically this book is about a young boy who has sociopathic tendencies in a small town. One day bodies start showing up and he gets obsessed with what is going on and tries to solve the mystery. There is an interesting idea here at the core but there was something about this book that just did not click with me. I think it was mostly the MC that I just didn't like. I didn't enjoy watching these events unfold from his point of view. Compounding this issue was the narrator. I just didn't feel like the narrator fit the character. The narrator has the cadence and tone that makes me thing of a 1920's gangster and not a 15 year old boy. I wasn't even upset with the twist that happened halfway through. The book just didn't click with me.

-3 Stars
Speaking of things not clicking with me. I snagged this series to finish a challenge from 2019 and meh. Again not a bad idea behind the series or anything but it just didn't click. After two volumes I still have no real idea what is going on and we just keep getting more and more characters thrown at us. The challenge is done though and I won't be continuing on with this series.

-4 Stars
More assassins, more serial killers, more over the top action. I love this series and can't wait for more.

Now, what is next.

On audiobook I'll be starting next week. Finally getting back to this series and I'm super excited.

For regular books I have some manga to read and I think I'll start next because fun light read.

I'll join in and add some variety to things. Like others I've read several set in the US and the UK. I've also read several in Japan because manga. Outside of that I've got the following:

Korea -
China -
France -

I'm currently reading the LN version of In Another World With My Smartphone. Yes, it's trash isekai but it's matching my IQ this week alright. Any way I had to laugh at the localization in the second volume. So far this book hasn't had any accents, that I can remember, and only some odd speech patterns. There is a section in the second volume where the MC goes through the poor side of the capital for whatever reason (because the story said so) and we are hit with the most random thing ever. It seems that people from the poor side of town are all "Oi guv" or "Oi bruv" "Get ready for yer jus' desserts, gobshite" and stuff like that. It's just the most random and unexpected turn I've seen in a while that wasn't plot related.

As for the series, it's OP MC isekai tropes strung together but it's entertaining. I've discovered that Hoopla has a TON of LN's and now I really wish I was allowed more than 5 borrows a month. I'm currently starting the 3rd volume of Isekai Smartphone and will probably get to the 4th one this week.