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

Gord’s comments from the Readers Unbound group.

Time for one of my weekly updates and this has been an interesting week of reading. I was kind of stepping outside of what I normally read and had a great time doing so.

Role Playing -4 Stars
This was another one of my random snags, probably from something I saw on Goodreads. I was a bit hesitant heading into this as I wasn't sure if this was going to be a romance I enjoyed or one I loathed reading. As you can tell by my rating I enjoyed this one. I was a little hesitant in the beginning as it was setting up both characters and their stories as I still wasn't sure what type of romance it was going to be. Once it got going though I quickly became charmed with the characters and their romance. There was no instant fated romance, there was no love triangle, there was none of that negative stuff. The FMC was 48 and the MC was 50 which is a massive positive as it wasn't the usual teens or early twenty something romance story. Both had their own history, hangups, and responsibilities as one would expect from a longer life. This isn't a massive spoiler or anything but I loved that the ending wasn't "they kissed/had sex/what ever and the world was perfect and there was never any problems again". It was just another step in life. Some things changed, some things didn't. I also have to say that I loved the representation in this book. I won't spoil anything but someone in this book has a different sexuality and it's not treated like it's the their defining character trait. It's merely part of who they are. Part of many other things that makes them a person.

With the Fire on High -5 Stars
I snagged this one up to help with a challenge that I was stuck on. I'm not the biggest fan of contemporary novels as a rule but the synopsis sounded interesting enough. This book is a shining example of why I love reading. This book is about a young teen mom from one of the rougher neighborhoods in Philly. She is in the final year of high school and is trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. Does she pursue her passion for cooking? How? Does she do college? Go straight into the workforce? How will she make this all work with a two year old child? Her experience is something I know little about and this book was essentially a peek into a foreign world for me. The book was well written and was an emotional experience from start to end. There were times where I just wanted to hug the MC as she has already seen so much in her young life. There were ferociously nostalgic moments when it was dealing with the uncertainty of what comes next after graduation. Seeing her struggle, her uncertainty, her support network that she has. It was just an emotional and well written book. I think I was about a quarter of the way into this book and I was already checking out other things from this author as I wanted more.

Beauty and the Feast 09 -3 Stars
My opinion of this series really hasn't changed in a while and honestly if this was much longer I would probably consider dropping it. As it stands though I only have a couple more books left and I'll see it through to the end. It's just this weirdly conflicting message with one element really throwing everything off. On one hand you have a slice of life manga that revolves around cooking food. This element of the book is great. There is the weird romantic element that the author doesn't seem to want to fully commit to but teases throughout the series. The MMC is in his teens and the FMC is 29. You could maybe downplay these elements if it wasn't for the sexy splash pages between chapters. I don't know, this series started out promising enough and then it just kind of got weird as time went along.

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 9 -4 Stars
More of Frieren's journey to the North. This one is setting up a new big baddie and I'm fully on board with things. It's a little bittersweet as the first season of the anime just ended. I've got rather used to Frieren Fridays and now I have to wait for the next season.

What is up next?

One Dark Window
I started this audiobook yesterday as I've heard a lot of good things about it. I'm about an hour into the audiobook and I have some mixed feelings so far. I don't hate it but I'm not sure if it's pulling me in either. Now part of that could just be me as I wasn't in a good mindset when I started this. I've just got a lot of things on the go currently.

A Tempest of Tea
This is my next novel that I need to get back to the library. I requested it earlier this year because it sounded pretty interesting. Outside of this I have some more manga and another book to get done this week for the library.

Time for another weekly update and this week I have novels to talk about.

Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives -3 Stars
As many of you probably know I was a fan of the first book in this series and I have been meaning to read the second for a while now. Thanks to a buddy read I finally got around to reading it and meh. It tried to capture the feeling of the first book and just ended up feeling kind of lackluster. By the end of the book I can kind of see what the author was trying to do and see the message but I think there was something that just kind of fell apart in the execution. The drama between Cole and Rust felt pointless and ate up way to much page space. The character motivations didn't make sense at times. Then there is the big epic climax. In the first book it felt great with all sorts of twist and turns that just kept the reader engaged. In this one, as mentioned above, it tried to do that but it just didn't have that same "wow" factor. There were a couple reveals that I just didn't care about, very little action, and then it just kind of ended. Stepping back from the book and seeing that there is a third and the author is talking of maybe even more in the future I think this book also suffers from middle-book-itis. Especially the ending where it's more of a set up for things to come then an actual conclusion to anything. The book was still entertaining at least and I'm here to buddy read the third one when it comes out later this year.

Hell Divers -4 Stars
One of the formative series for me growing up was the post-apocalyptic series Deathlands. No, it's not peak literature or anything. In fact they are cheap pulp novels about a post nuclear world but it really helped shaped what I pictured a post-apocalyptic world to be. That gritty and unforgiving world full of all sorts of horrors both human and monstrous. These were basically men's adventure novels full of guns, action, and women. These type of novels just aren't really made now a days and I've never really found something that quite scratched that itch until this series. This is set in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity lives on floating airships above the earth. To keep these ships afloat brave men and women dive to the planet surface to find supplies. Simple premise but man is it oh so satisfying to read. There is tons of action, tons of adventure, and just a fun read. This book was also great at setting the stakes. I swear the climax of the book started at about the 50% mark and just kept raising the stakes from there. I don't want to spoil the ending but it was a twist that I never saw coming and I'm very curious about the next book.

The Kamogawa Food Detectives -5 Stars
This was a random snag from the library and was a surprise hit for me. It's tagged as a cozy mystery and I guess it fits in a very broad sense. This is not a mystery in the sense that there was a crime that was committed of that there is some sort of bad guy running around. It's a simple story about a father and daughter connecting people with long lost food dishes. The story is a collection of loosely interconnected short stories all centered around the Kamogawa restaurant. This is not a place you could easily find on your own as there is no signage up outside and the only advertising is a single sentence in a gourmet magazine. The owner simply believes that if you find his place then it was meant to be and neither him or his daughter want anything to do with all that online weirdness. They have no menu and don't charge for their detective services. They simply provide you with an account and you can pay whatever you feel the services were worth to you. The short stories all have the same format where we follow the guest for the story and are split into two parts. The first part is the guest finding the place, eating some amazing sounding food, talking to the daughter about what they want found, and setting up a return date. The second half is them coming back, trying the dish, an emotional reveal, and them leaving. Broken down like that it sounds really basic and simple but the execution is simply wonderful. In a very short time you get a great feel for the guest character and their story. A few of the big emotional reveals at the end had me in tears. It felt unique and cozy even while sometimes dealing with heavier subject matter. It was just one of those books that felt special and made me glad that I read books.

His Majesty the Demon King's Housekeeper Vol. 5 -3 Stars
More fantasy housekeeping. It sounds odd but it's a fun little read.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 3—Stardust Crusaders, Vol. 3 -4 Stars
Where do I even start with this one. This had some of the weirdest fights I've probably seen in a really long time. In particular the fight between Joseph Joestar and the Empress stand. This felt like the most bizarre and over the top version of a childhood game of "stop hitting yourself" except your controlled hand isn't trying to hit you, it's trying to kill you. I don't know how else to explain it other then that. It was so strange and yet amazing. This might a bit early but I don't feel like the main JoJo, Jotaro Kujo, is the strongest character or JoJo we've seen yet. He is just kind of this brooding character in the background that really doesn't do a lot. That might be because of the larger cast of side characters but he just kind of feels like he is there and not much else.

Here is where I get to talk about what is next for me.

With the Fire on High
This is my next audiobook and so far it has been interesting. It's a challenge book and kind of outside the realms of what I normally read. Hopefully it continues to be good and I have great things to say next week.

Role Playing
This was another random snag from the library and probably the biggest question mark in my current library pile. On the plus side it's a nerdy romance with older characters then I normally see in romance novels. I'm just wondering if this one of those romance novels that I'm just not a fan of or if it will be one of those ones that I really get into.

Outside of these two I have a monster stack of library books out, more than I can read in the allotted time really, and so I'm just going to be finishing up ones that I can't renew and go from there.

The red outfit and white hair was also what took me down that route.

I've watched some episodes of the anime but never read it. I know the author is highly influential in the manga world but I just can't seem to get into her works.

I had to laugh a bit reading your description.

Shojo style manga - uhhhhh not my normal genre but maybe...
It has a female lead - alright, that's, something
and a male lead - not really narrowing it down here
male lead is yokai/demon - that's something but there are still a lot of options
Wears red - Inuyasha???????????

I'm a little proud of myself that I got it. It was just the first thing that popped into my head.

From the last part of the description my mind went to Inuyashsa but the art style doesn't match up at all.

Time for that weekly wrap up and I don't really have a lot to talk about really. This was not a strong week of reading for me. I was getting rides in the morning due to the cold which cut into my audiobook time. I also had a ton of DVD stuff to get back to the library this week so it was more watching stuff this week then reading.

Made in Abyss, Vol. 3 -4 Stars
Made in Abyss, Vol. 4 -4 Stars
I love this series but man can it be rough to read at times and I'm not talking bad writing or anything. This series get pretty intense at times and the third volume is definitely where the kiddie gloves come off. I don't want to spoil anything but lets just say that there is a scene in the third volume that made me pause before reading it. I knew it was coming and I still had to take a break, prepare myself mentally, and I still needed a kick to get through it. If you know me and what I can read that should give you a good idea how intense things were. I'm not joking when I said this series gets intense and to be careful entering it. As odd as this might sound I do plan to continue on as I want to see where this series will go as I'm now into all new material.

Hooky -3 Stars
This is another Webtoon adaptation and I wanted to like this one. It's a magic world where witches and normal people are clashing and there is a history of bad blood. At the center of the are two twins from a long standing family of powerful witches. They were supposed to be going to magic school when they miss their bus. Instead of facing their parents they go on the run basically. I enjoy the two main leads, I enjoy the side characters, the world is interesting. I think my biggest problem with this book is just the story. It really felt like the story had a hard time committing to something and was more interested in teasing the reader along. The story would set up a story line and instead of giving us a clear direction of where it's going it just keeps dragging it out. A little misdirection, a little teasing things along is all fine but at some point it just gets frustrating and I want story points to be settled so that we can move on to the next thing. I'm going to give the next book a shot but I really hope the story starts to pick up at some point.

Barbarella: Woman Untamed -DNF
I blame my reading mood on this comic right here and be forewarned this is probably going to turn into a bit of a rant. Barbarella is a name that has come up a few times for me in my life. It's from the 60's and is about the super sexy space lady having adventures and I was always kind of curious what it was all about. This book popped up in the new arrivals at the library and I figured I'd give it a shot. This comic turned out to be a shining example of my issue with Western comics. See I'm new to Barbarella and I want to know more about the character and the franchise so I pick up the first book in a series and I'm absolutely lost. The book tells me nothing about the character, nothing about the world it's set in, just nothing at all. I'm dumped into the middle of a story line and expected to know everything already. I have no idea who Barbarella is, I have no idea what motivates her, I have no idea why she is doing these things, and yet I'm supposed to be invested in her plight. Same with the world. We are introduced to these revolutionaries but there is no explanation outside of this super generic "were fighting against big corpo" kind of spiel. Who are these people, what are they rebelling against, what is their goal, why should I care? Needless to say it didn't take me long to simply get bored with things. I just wasn't invested in anything or anyone and I didn't care about what was happening. I got maybe a third of the way into this book before simply tossing it.

As for what is next..., yes, that is all I read this week. It hasn't been a good week for me.

Hell Divers
I'm a little over halfway into this book and I'm really enjoying it. This is scratching an itch I've had for a long time and was never able to find the right book to scratch it with. I'll get into it more next weekend after I finish this book.

Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives
I'm a little over 60% into this one and it's not bad but I'm not blown away either. I feel like I'm simply marking time until the clowns show up and people start dying.

The Kamogawa Food Detectives
This is the other novel I need to get to this week so I can get it back to the library next weekend. Outside of this book I have a few volumes of manga to get to as well. Hopefully next week is a better week of reading for me.

It's the passing of another legend in the manga/anime sphere. I've seen so many comments about this franchise being a massive part of their childhood.

Well shit, the mangaka that created Dragon Ball passed away at 68. Below is the Twitter/X announcement.

https://twitter.com/DB_official_en/st...

Time for that weekly update and I have some novels to talk about this week.

Snowed In -2 Stars
This was a challenge book that helped with a lot of challenges but as you can tell from the rating I did not have a good time with this one. Before I get to my criticisms of this book I do want to acknowledge that this book was not written for me. That I am very far removed from the core demographic of this book. That out of the way lets get to my criticisms of the book.

Basically young girl moves to Michigan from Texas. She doesn't want a boyfriend and only dates boys for fun. That was until she met local hot lumberjack/jock/carpenter guy and she starts feeling all tingly. The amount of repetition in this book is astronomical. I don't know how many times we needed to be reminded that it's cold outside (no duh! you're in Michigan in the winter), that she doesn't want a boyfriend, and just how hot this guy was. It was just a constant rotation of this repetitive drivel. There is also the constant flow of all the tropes that we also need to get reminded of constantly. The tingly feelings, the curling toes, the butterflies in the stomach, the flushed/hot face, etc. There is also the fact that hot guy is actually in a relationship with someone and doesn't say anything. Then when it does come out they both keep fooling around with each other. Great, cheating and it being promoted as no big deal. Then we get some extra weirdness tossed in. The parents of these two prize winning cheaters are both single. They are in the process of hooking up in this book as well. While not incest or anything it's drifting out there into that weird territory for sure. The characters have no real depth to them and are just there to fill their role in this story. Overall I was just bored and looking forward to the book finally being over.

The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent (Light Novel) 1 -4 Stars
I originally found the anime of this sometime last year and devoured the first season in a couple of days. After finishing the second season I really wanted to find the source material. This is of course one of those properties that has both a manga and a light novel version. My local library carried this weird mix where they have the first few books in the series in manga form and then the later ones in light novel. After some digging I finally found a copy of the light novel version through the library system and the wait was well worth it.

This book was just so much fun to read. It's that trope where our MC gets summoned to another world to be the chosen one. When she arrives she is not alone though and there is a lot of confusion as to who is actually the chosen one. The crown prince snubs our MC and picks the other person who was accidentally summoned. Our MC is annoyed at this but convinced to stick around for at least a little bit until things are sorted out. She finds a research facility on the palace grounds that studies herbs and potions. She wants to join them and since the palace doesn't want to upset her anymore grants her permission. This is where it settles into the flow of the book as she slowly comes in to her powers, she learns more about life in this world, makes friends and allies, and finds a little bit of romance as well. This is definitely more of a slow burn on all fronts. The first book covers something like seven months and she has discovered a couple things about her magic. We the reader know that she is in fact the chosen one but the one person who can confirm this in the world is currently in a coma. On the romance side of things I like the slower pace. Both characters are busy adults who have things on the go so they can't spend every waking moment together. She is inexperienced in the romance department and the MMC is from a noble family so there is a lot of denial about everything but things are coming around. It's just a sweet and charming book that I want more of.

Now to my usual comics and manga

Tomb Raider King, Vol. 1 -4 Stars
This was a random snag from the library and it's not bad. You can definitely see the influence from things like Solo Leveling but that doesn't make it any less fun. Dungeons appear in the world, people raid the dungeons for relics, our MC is a relic hunter, he gets screwed over by a partner and left to die, gets a powerful gift that gives him a second chance. That second chance is being teleported into the past just before the dungeons became public knowledge. Using all of his experience and knowledge of what happened he moves to get these relics first. It's a simple story but it is fun to read. Seeing how he uses his knowledge, seeing how these dungeons work, etc. Now I have the usual problem with my library. They only have the one volume and I want more.

Dark Gathering, Vol. 4 -4 Stars
Man this series just keeps getting better and better. I'm loving the creepy nature of this series and we are now starting on a story arc of going out to the most cursed sites in Japan. We also see that things are truly getting harder as our MC's barely got out of this one. Of course, now that I am hooked in deep I find myself caught up and waiting for the library to get the next volume.

The Great Cleric (Manga) Vol. 6 -4 Stars
The Great Cleric (Manga) Vol. 7 -4 Stars
Yet another series that I am caught up on and wanting more. It feels like a theme this week and it's not a great feeling. Especially with this one as the series is now caught up with the anime and I was finally getting into all new material. The seventh volume ends with the location for his next quest and right before they can depart the book ends. Hurry up with the publishing already so I can get the next one.

SAKAMOTO DAYS 10 -4 Stars
In case you haven't seen the theme yet this week this is yet another series that I am caught up on, the library doesn't have the next book yet, and I want to read more. I think I need to find where the desk is for who ever is responsible for ordering things so I can go set up shop there. I can just slip recommendations out to them from under the desk as I discover new shiny things. As for this book the story arc involving the assassin school continues. Some interesting fights and chase scenes. This feels like we are now getting to some bigger story moments coming up and of course I'm back to waiting.

Komi Can't Communicate, Vol. 27 -3 Stars
The one series this week that I'm not as invested in. As mentioned before the shine of this series has definitely worn off for me. I really feel like the author has ran out of steam on this and is just making up things as he goes along. There was a big section of this book that was dedicated to a Komi version of Among Us and bleh. I have nothing against the game but all the memes and what not have run their course in my mind and this just feels like lazily tapping into what ever was popular at the time. Not sure why I am still reading this but for what ever reason the next volume will just show up for me to pick up so I read it. Spacing it out probably helps.

Here are my plans for the upcoming week.

Hell Divers
After that Snowed In book I felt the need to purge myself of it. This has been an audiobook floating around on my radar for a few years and with the second game everywhere right now I felt it was a good time to check it out.

On the physical front I have Clown in a Cornfield 2, some more Made in Abyss, some Barbarella, and a Webtoon book called Hooky. Basically, another packed week of reading as I chase due dates at the library.

Another week and another stack of books behind me.

The Art of Classic Sci-Fi Movies: An Illustrated History -4 Stars
This was an absolute treat to read. As the title implies this is more or less an art book of all sorts of movie posters stretching from the first silent films up to the release of Star Wars. It touched on directors, artists, styles, and popular (or not so popular) movies. We would get to see movie posters from around the world for the same film and how it things were changed with different rules and different size requirements. Like I said, just an interesting read and if this intrigues you in the slightest, go read it.

Ink and Shadows -4 Stars
I read this to help with a challenge but it didn't take a whole lot of effort to twist my arm into reading this series. This series has really grown on me from the first book and I love this weird little niche that it sits in. Not a full fledged cozy but at the same time no where near as intense as a full fledged thriller. I enjoy a good cozy mystery but there are so many that just kind of feel like clones of each other. This series also isn't afraid to tap into current issues but it doesn't feel like it's being rammed down my throat. In this one it touched on the issues of religion and it's attempt to ban books they deem "offensive". Of course our MC has a strong opinion on this seeing as she is a bookstore owner and just in general a lover of books. There is also a murder that needs to solve and this is where it gets another bonus point from me. In a lot of cozy mysteries the MC inserts themselves into mystery for reasons even if it doesn't really fit the character. For instance and introverted baker suddenly grilling people on poisons, doesn't really make sense for the character. In this one the police are running the investigation and the MC investigates certain points that she is either involved with or curious about. Sometimes she finds things that might help the police. Other times she just discovers things that the police already know but haven't made public. Then there is just the slice of life stuff that happens in everyday life. Her friendship with the other members of her club, her old life popping up in this one, and just stuff like that. It's this great blend of all these elements that just feels good to read.

Dragon Ball (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 1: Includes vols. 1, 2 & 3 -4 stars
This is the other manga series I'm rereading this year with Cardcaptor Sakura. It's been several years since I read the original Dragon Ball and I think the last time I read it they were fan translations. This series originally started in the 80's and I have to day that it holds up pretty well. The art still looks good, the story is good, the characters are interesting. The humor is a bit juvenile but for time it came out and the target audience is younger so it makes sense. Now I've never really got into this series like others have. Outside of reading the original Dragon Ball manga my knowledge is limited to pop culture osmosis and memes. The biggest change I wasn't ready for was the decision to stick to the original names. I know certain characters by their English names like Krillin but in this book his name is Kiririn. The Nimbus also has it's original name as well, I can't remember it off the top of my head and I've already returned the manga. I'm looking forward to my read through of this series and maybe I'll even continue on to the other content after the original manga.

If You'll Have Me -4 Stars
This was one of those random snags from the library and it was a super cute book. It's a sapphic romance about two opposites attracting towards each other and overcoming their personal hangups. If you think the comic looks interesting then give it a try.

I Got Caught Up In a Hero Summons, but the Other World was at Peace! Vol. 1 -3 Stars
I Got Caught Up In a Hero Summons, but the Other World was at Peace! Vol. 2 -3 Stars
This was another random series I stumbled across at the library and I'm a bit of a sucker for isekai manga/light novels. It's... alright. I think this series has some potential but I don't feel like it has hit its stride quite yet. As the title implies our MC accidentally got summoned to another world with some other folks. He wasn't supposed to be part of this summoning and the original target was immediately swept off the be trained on his duties as the "Hero" who will perform a certain ceremony to reunite all the different factions of this world. It's pretty clear right away that they are training the wrong guy and the real hero is our MC. There is also implications of shady factions at play who may or may not want this ceremony to fail. Regardless our MC lives a quiet life in this fantasy world while accidentally attracting the attention of very powerful and beautiful women. I very much see a harem happening where our MC gets surrounded by all these various powerful characters which will lead to the unification of the factions. I'm also very much curious about this shadowy plot that has only been teased up until this point. I'll keep reading just to see how this all goes but I don't expect this series to be this super awesome and amazing thing either.

Now, what is next

Snowed In
This is my next audiobook and this is purely a challenge book. This book looks to help kick start some long stalled challenges which is good. It's a YA contemporary romance set around Christmas and I'm not expecting much of anything from this book honestly. This is very much one of those situations where I'm plugging my nose and just taking the plunge. It's short and I can finish this in under a week.

On the physical book side of things I'm still working through my never ending stack of manga and comics from the library.

I've added that to my list as I love the Apothecary Diaries.

I'm back for some more updates and this time I have novels to talk about.

Tomb of the Queen -4 Stars (really 3.5 but I rounded up)
This was a buddy read for one of my groups and this was an odd one. It was an urban fantasy and this was a long novel. It was 500ish pages which for an urban fantasy novel is rather long. This book had a lot of ground to cover though which would explain the longer page count. This book felt like a 500 page novel. That is a weird statement but hear me out. There are some long books that feel like you are reading something a lot shorter and then there are some shorter books that feel like they are a lot longer then they are. This book felt exactly like it should. This statement can apply to pretty much everything in this book. There was some interesting ideas in this book, the MC was interesting, etc, etc, etc but none of it really jumped up and excelled or shined. Take the MC for instance, I enjoyed her nerdy charm but I wouldn't be fanboying if she kicked down the door like some like Eve Dallas or Mercy Thompson. Don't get me wrong I would be down for some coffee and book discussions though. Same with most of the twists. It spent a lot of the book building up these reveals and they delivered exactly what they promised. There was only one twist that caught me off guard and even then my reaction was more "huh, that makes sense". I know it sounds like I'm panning the novel but it was legit entertaining. Yes, it was kind of middle of the road but it was solid. I can't really point to anything that I didn't like or that annoyed me. I'm going to read the second one and see where this series goes.

Abandoned in Death -5 Stars
One step closer to finally getting caught up with this series. I can see the end, it should be this year, as long as the series doesn't get crazy popular and I have a massive wait list blocking me. As for this book it was another solid read giving me want I want from this series. The mystery was both a ticking clock situation where you have a victim that needs to be saved and a cold case that involved the back story of the big baddie. This cold case, back story, was rather sad but also heartwarming. Just another great read in this series.

The Great Cleric (Manga) Vol. 5 -4 Stars
More of this fun popcorn series. We are starting to get to the point where story elements got trimmed for the anime and it's about the point that I figured it would be. The anime, and this series, has a few moments where you would have a large time skip. You would be reading along and suddenly you would be 8 months into the future. It makes sense here because the MC doesn't step into this fantasy world with the powers of a god. He has to train and work his but off to get ahead. As for what was cut, basically the last half of this volume was cut. It was basically a lot of training. He was learning to ride horses, Lumina and her regiment were gone on a mission, etc.

Cardcaptor Sakura, Book 1 -4 Stars
I finished this one this morning and I have two trains of thought that have been warring in my head most of the morning. This is a reread for me and I have a lot of fond memories of this series. This was the big magic girl series for me. This was series that made the whole magic girl things make sense to me. I didn't read it when this first came out as my anime/manga nerd side hadn't woken up at that point in my life. According to Goodreads I first read this seven years ago but I swear I read it before then as well. My first time reading this was with fan translations if I remember correctly. I just have a lot of memories and nostalgia tied up in this series so rereading this was a lot of fun.

That being said there are a lot of really problematic elements in this volume and I have no idea how I never noticed these the first time. Basically these all revolve around romance. On the tame side of things we have the MC, ten years old, crushing on a boy five years older then her. Not really a big deal here. Then we have the MC's best friend crushing on her. Again, pretty innocent lesbian romance until you realize that they are first cousins. Relax, put away the banjos, nothing comes of this outside of feelings. Then there is the MC's mother who got married at sixteen, to her teacher, who was twenty five. There is a lot to unpack here that is just yikes. Then we get to the really bad. One of the MC's classmates talks about dating someone older than her. It's later revealed that it's their teacher who gives this girl an engagement ring. A ten or eleven year old child is engaged to an adult. Where do I even start with this. From what I've read, understand I haven't dug to deep into this, CLAMP wanted to portray true love as a pure love that is not restricted by things like age, gender, etc which on a surface level is kind of sweet but at the same time rather dangerous especially considering the target audience of this manga which is young girls. I do plan to keep reading this as I have a lot of nostalgia tied up in this series but it would have felt wrong to not talk about these elements this time around.

Now, what is next on my list of never ending books.

Ink and Shadows
Once again this series comes in clutch to fill a monthly challenge slot. Not that it took a lot to really twist my noodly arm to read more in this series especially after the last one. I started reading this one my walk yesterday and I'm interested to see this books take on the topics it's tackling which are CBD and book banning.

After that it's more, say it with me now, manga and comics. I have the original Dragonball, a new isekai series, and a romance comic. On top of that I have a nonfiction book looking into the history of sc-fi movie posters ranging from the silent movie era up to the first Star Wars movie. I'm really looking forward to this one as I have a soft spot for some of that old art.

I don't say this often but I had to DNF a manga this evening. It's a manga called Witches' Marriage and I just wasn't vibing with it. I thought it was going to be this cute slice of life romance in a fantasy world and there are elements of that but I immediately didn't like the MC. Witches in this world gain more power through love and the ultimate test is a witches' marriage that unlocks this ultimate power. The one lead has been basically conning naive witches into fake relationships to try to gain more power and this current witch is just the latest in a long line of victims. I know it's supposed to be played for laughs and she is supposed to more incompetent then cold but it just immediately left a bad taste in my mouth. It also followed the usual beats of a gag manga. Instead of a flowing story each chapter is a little story unto itself. You are reminded what a witches wedding is, why she wants power, she tries to charm her partner, ends up charmed herself. After four or five of these short stories I just saw the same thing repeating over and over and over and over.

Another week and more books. As has been the theme for a while now it will be a lot of manga and comics again this week. As mentioned before I am in a cycle right now with the library where I'm getting slammed with manga and comics. I'm nearly caught up as I run into more wait queues and the end of what the library has available. Soon I'll be back to reading more novels.

Spartan Frost -3 Stars
I had a craving for a novel but I was busy with other stuff so I compromised and read a novella. Not a lot to really say about this as it was super short. It basically covers what Logan has been up to after the end of the last novel. Basically Logan wakes up, tags along with his dad, gets into a fight with Reapers, decides to go back to school and Gwen. That's it, that's all. It wasn't bad but it didn't really do much either.

Now for all the manga/comics stuff

I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 6: Last Gert Standing -5 Stars
I was browsing Hoopla and noticed the latest edition in this series was out and I had to read it. I love this franchise and just how absolutely unhinged things are. This comic kind of broke my brain trying to figure out how the results of certain actions are going to play out. I'm not going to spoil anything as this is a new comic but lets just say it involves all sorts of timey wimey things. I mean Fairlyland has always played by its own rules but this one was... odd. Cool, but very odd. I'm totally in for more of this franchise and I need the next volume when ever it comes out.

The Apothecary Diaries 09 -4 Stars
More of this series and it was everything I wanted. Maomao solving mysteries, hints at greater mysteries, etc. The series is great and I love it.

The Drifting Classroom: Perfect Edition, Vol. 1 -4 Stars
I have been waiting a long while for my copy of this edition and I have some mixed feelings about this one. A lot of my issues with this manga stem from it's age which is something I kind of forget when reading it. I'm not a big fan of the art style for this subject matter. This manga first started publication in 1972 which places it somewhere between something like Astroboy and the manga we know today. I just don't like it for the horror genre and that opinion is influenced by modern horror. The weird loop I get stuck in is that modern horror is influenced by this author and my brain just kind of short circuits after a while. Basically this art style doesn't have that impact that I expect from a horror manga. That experience of turning a page and having an image burned into your nightmares for the next week just isn't here. The story kind of shows it age as well but once the story gets rolling it's pretty interesting. Basically an elementary school disappears one day with all the students and staff in the school. It's discovered that the school, and all in it, have been transported to the future somehow. There are a lot of plot lines going on in this story. You have the future thing, the local wildlife and fauna, the mental breakdown of people when faced with the reality of the situation. I feel that the author may have been influence by Lord of the Flies. Lets just say the adults didn't last long and there are a lot of kids that get messed up in this manga. That and kids can't really fly no matter how much they believe they can. I'm super curious where this manga is going and I can't wait for the next one. I guess that is another nice thing about a book from '72, I don't have to wait for the next one to be published.

Sakamoto Days, Vol. 9 -4 Stars
I said this back when I first started this series but this volume really makes me want to see this series made into an anime. The action scenes in this manga are mind blowing and seeing them animated by the right studio would be wild. I'm kind of salivating at the thought of it honestly. The story is alright, it kind of gets lost in all the action and the large roster of characters. Now this could also be due to the fact that I had a large break between volumes and my memory is kind of rusty. Regardless, I can't wait for the next one.

Dark Gathering, Vol. 2 -4 Stars
Dark Gathering, Vol. 3 -4 Stars
Last time I talked about the first volume I mentioned that this was a blend of the cute and the horrifying. I might have been a wee bit off on that one. This series is just straight up horror and I'm down for it. This story is interesting and I want to know more. It kind of has a monster of the week vibe while also being clear that there are at least two different overarching stories that are motivating our characters forward. The horror elements right now have an urban myth kind of feel to them that is super fun and the third volume ended at a point that really has me wanting the next volume. It kind of ended on a cliffhanger that is potentially the biggest threat we've seen the whole series so far and maybe a new group member (???). The unfortunate side of things is that there is only one more volume available and then I'm back at the mercy of the library again.

Now for what is next

Tomb of the Queen
I'm about halfway through this one and I'm reserving my judgement currently. Compared to a normal urban fantasy this is a longer book at nearly 500 pages and it kind of feels like it. I feel that a normal urban fantasy has a pretty snappy pace to it overall. This book really feels like it's taking its time to set up a lot of different things. I feel like a lot of elements have been set up and now I have to see if the payoff was worth the wait. Not to sure what is next or if I'm getting to it this week. This is 14.5 hours long so I still have a fair bit of book to get through.

Outside of that is, say it with me now, more manga and comics. I know, I know, it never ends but I am getting caught up, I swear, maybe, ignore the latest stack of manga I just got.

I'm finding that problem with the light novels on Hoopla. They will have the first volume and nothing else or the first volume and the fifth volume. That being said there are a couple series I am eyeing on Hoopla for a read.

I'm doing my best to ignore all of this as I am battling my own temptations on Webtoons. I have been hearing the sirens call of The God of High School lately.

Alright, an extra one for this week but I need to talk about Murderbot.

Network Effect -5 Stars
This book, oh this book was such a blast to read. I had some concerns going in as this was the first full length Murderbot book in a series of novellas. I had heard some mixed reactions to it but I can happily say that I really enjoyed it. If I really had to choose though I'd pick the novella format. I think it's just what I'm more used to and the format forces the book to really move. That being said this book did a couple of important things in my opinion. There was a ton of important character growth for Murderbot and for their relationship with ART. Speaking of ART *insert fangirling scream here* seeing these two characters just bounce off each other is awesome and probably my favorite part of the book. Outside of the great character moments this book does something else important. We get into what ART and his crew does and it's rather fascinating because it sets up so much potential for future story lines. Both in corporate space as well as out in the more unexplored regions of space. This series just has so much potential and that is such an odd thing to say when we are five books into it but it just feels like this series keeps unlocking new potential. I am so glad I finally picked up this series and gave it a try.

Bit of a smaller week for me this week as I'm still working on my audiobook.

The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash (Light Novel) Vol. 2 -4 Stars
I was not prepared for how good this book was. The first book felt like a bog standard slice of life in a fantasy world with a hint of isekai sprinkled in. Not horrible but nothing to write home about it. This book picks up the plot right from the end of the first book and just runs with it. The main plot of this book is the MC working with the two veteran adventuring groups that took her in to bust up a kidnapping slaver ring. These are the really bad kind of slavers who target kids not just for slavery but the extra mile shall we say. Yes, it's a random spot of really dark subject matter in this novel but I don't really hate it. It's not in your face about it and really bad things do happen. Man, this is going to sound so weird but hear me out. It's like some sort of twisted middle ground between the hyper innocence of something like My Little Pony and the soul destroying darkness of something like Berserk. Now this story is not without its flaws shall we say. First, and foremost, is the isekai aspect. Now in most isekai we get at least a glimpse of the person before they woke up in the fantasy world. They were a business man, an idol, a high school student, etc. It doesn't have to be a lot but we get some basic idea of who they were. In this one we never get that glimpse and that previous life kind of feels like a MacGuffin for the author. In the fantasy world we have this nine year old kid cooking up these strategies for everyone to use to bring down the slavers. Now the people do initially question things but after a while everyone just goes with but I want to know is how the previous life person knew how to do all this stuff. There are a lot of things that just feel like it's hand waved away by the author as something from the past life person. Cooking, trapping, cleaning, strategy, etc. It's far from a deal breaker and I doubt it will ever be explained but I am very curious. Regardless, our young MC has a bunch of character growth, makes a bunch of new friends, and brings down a slaver ring with ties all the way up to royal family. I really want the next volume to see where things go but no library has it and it could be months if I request it. There are only three more books in this series so I'm thinking of just buying them.

Forgotten in Death -5 Stars
More In Death and man this book was a good one. This had what felt like three cases on the go. Two that were linked to one victim and then a third that was essentially a cold case as it involved a corpse that was nearly 40 years old. It was interesting seeing all these different cases being worked through and that inevitable moment of justice as the bad guys are caught and broken by Eve. These books are just a fun read for me.

Made in Abyss, Vol. 1 -4 Stars
Made in Abyss, Vol. 2 -4 Stars
I am finally getting around to reading the official English release of this series and I am stoked. I initially read the fan translations of this series many years ago and I loved the world building in this series. This island in the middle of the ocean that contains an abyss under it that draws people in. How the abyss is so easy to access but oh so hard to leave. The deeper you go the harder it is to leave to the point where eventually you just can't leave the abyss. The lore around those brave souls that venture into this pit looking for artifacts and history. The red whistles that are essentially apprentices, the blue whistles that are leaders of the apprentices, the moon whistles for those that are teachers, the black whistles for those that can delve deep into the abyss, and finally the white whistles. Absolute monsters that travel deep within the abyss. Folks that are larger than legends and with abilities to back it up. Performing feats so far beyond human comprehension. At the core of this story is a young 12 year old girl venturing forth into the abyss to find her missing mother, a white whistle legend called Lyza "The Annihilator". Now I know some people take manga recommendations off of my reviews so I feel I need to give a warning for this series. I haven't gotten far but I know that this series gets extremely brutal and is not for the faint of heart. There is a lot of trauma in this series and some of it is down right horrifying. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Now for that is next.
Network Effect
I'm about 60% of the way into this book and hoping to have it done today. I'm absolutely loving this book so far. More next week when I've got this done and I find out where things are going.

Tomb of the Queen
Now that I am getting caught up on my audiobooks I can start tackling my buddy reads that I need to catch up on. So many books to read and never enough time.

The Apothecary Diaries 09
The Drifting Classroom: Perfect Edition, Vol. 1
I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 6: Last Gert Standing
These are the three comics I want to focus on getting done this week as well.

Katie❄️ wrote: "Gord you should check out Turnip Boy Robs a Bank."

I've seen that one and the first one. Both look to be fun games but I've been lost in this weird cozy game hole. I'm currently playing Alba and looking at either more photography games like that or Car Mechanic Simulator 2021