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What are you reading 2025
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Brittany
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Jan 01, 2025 02:33AM
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Time for my first update of the year and the last of the vacation reads. 
The Saga of Tanya the Evil, Vol. 3: The Finest Hour -3 StarsThese books are so slow compared to everything else that I am reading. This series is also not for everyone. This book is basically the end of the anime and the start of all new content. In this one the war shifts into Northern Africa and the introduction of Rommel. Rommel has an interesting relationship with Tanya. Unlike other commanders who try to control Tanya he realizes he basically has a highly skilled hunting dog on his hands who might be a bit insane. He basically drops her "leash" and lets her do what she deems best. We also get to see, from an outside perspective, how frightening Tanya truly is. There is a moment where she has a breakdown and MP's have to step in and they are terrified of her. There is her reputation, her awards, and her sheer strength as a mage. Sure, she is a child but she has been honed on the front lines of war and her strength is boosted with her magic. She is a terrifying little package.
Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear (Light Novel) Vol. 4 -4 StarsMore fluffy and cute fantasy about a young girl in a bear onesie solving the worlds problem, as long as it's something she is interested in. This if far from peak writing but man I have so much fun reading this.
Bofuri: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense., Vol. 5 -4 StarsMuch like the last one this is just more of that Japanese light fantasy. A low stakes popcorn read that is just fun. This one covers the fourth realm and the start of the fifth realm.
Now for the manga
Fullmetal Alchemist (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 5 -5 StarsAfter some issues with the library I am finally back to this series and man does it feel good. The writing in this series is just so solid and I'm so glad to be rereading this. This series has a little bit of everything, fantasy, political intrigue, action, drama, etc. This is a solid recommendation if anyone wants to give manga a try and due to it's popularity it's easily available.
The Moon on a Rainy Night 5 -4 StarsMore drama and slow building of romance, maybe romance, friendship, something. There was a reveal in this one that I kind of saw coming, I don't want to spoil anything and we keep getting teased about Saki's secret which is pretty obvious at this point. I'm kind of caught up with this series and am waiting for the library to get me more.
As for what is next:
The Elfstones of ShannaraI'm slowly working through this series and have to get it finished this week. I've got about 10ish hours of audiobook left so I see some video games and audiobook this week.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 4—Diamond Is Unbreakable, Vol. 1
Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody, (Light Novel) Vol. 1
BustedMy other, non audiobook, things I have planned for this week. Right now I have actual plans and structure instead of flailing my hands at my giant stack of library books. Don't worry, I'll get back to that soon enough.
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. It was a good nonfiction about writing. But more than that, as a reader, I enjoyed getting insight into how my favorite author writes my favorite series 😆And last night I started
. I only read one chapter, but I am loving the concept so far!
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which I got as an ARC for the blog tour. I rated it 5 stars. It was amazing. Way more emotional than I was expecting.I'm currently listening to
which I should finish today as I have 30 mins left. Then I'm currently re-reading
as a buddy read with a friend on Instagram.
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and
Currently listening to
really enjoying it so far! Ebook is
and physical is still
I just need to make some time for physical book reading
So to finish off 2024, I finished two audiobooks,
which I really enjoyed despite not feeling like a sequel to City of Nightmares was super necessary, it was a really fun read, I love the world and characters and anything narrated by Saskia Maarleveld is always great.Then I finished off the year with
, a novella about Osla Kendall (one of Kate Quinn's characters from The Rose Code) and the time she crossed paths with Agatha Christie. This was fine for what I needed it to be, a nice short listen to end the year but obviously being only an hour or so long, it didn't have a whole lot of substance to it.My first listen of the year is another novella, this time
as I really enjoyed Her Majesty's Royal Coven but am not quite ready to dive back into the full length novels yet. I'm not very far through it but it is intriguing so far: I love the Tudors so this is right up my street.
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which I really enjoyed despite not feeling like a sequel to City of Nightmares was super necessary, it was a re..."I love the Her Majesty's Royal Coven series. It's so good. I really enjoyed the novella but I did feel like it's not necessary if people want to skip it.
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https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Time for another weekly update and my first full week of reading in 2025.
The Elfstones of Shannara ⭐⭐⭐⭐The next book in a long journey of reading this series. When I first started this book I wasn't really feeling it but there came a point where I really started warming up to things and by the end I was fully invested. I think part of it was that when I started it I was still on vacation and wasn't on board with a large chunky book. That and in the beginning of the book both Wil and Amberle were a bit grating to say the least. As the book went along you got to know the characters and, more importantly, the burdens they had to bear, they became more relatable. Still flawed but more relatable. This book had a real ticking clock element as they two MC's raced to save an ancient magic tree and the Elven race. While they were racing to save the tree you had the wizard Allanon and the Elves facing down the demon horde trying to buy them time and to save the Elves. The first book had very obvious LotR influences and in this one it started to feel like the author was starting to expand and build their own world outside of those direct influences. It was also a book that could almost be read as a stand alone itself. The book was set many years after the first one and outside of a couple characters and a some references this was it's own story. It wasn't like the villain from the first book was suddenly back from the dead for round two of being evil. It was an all new threat, all new solution to the threat, all new lands to explore, etc. Overall a good start to the year and a great continuation for this series.
On a side note I decided to look into the TV show based on this series and discovered it was based off this book in particular. After looking at just one trailer I hard passed on this series again. Know which book it was based on I was very put off by what I saw. I was hearing the right words, kind of, but the visuals just did not match. That show had a real 2010's vibe to it shall we say.
Busted ⭐⭐⭐⭐Look at me finally returning to a series and making an effort to finish something I started. I really enjoyed this little novella and it was a great way to jump back into things. It was short but it had all the characters and story elements from the series that I remember. I am really looking forward to getting back into things with this one.
Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody, (Light Novel) Vol. 1⭐⭐⭐Another light novel series for me to talk about. For this series it's not about revisiting and continuing a series that I know and love, it's about going back and checking out one from when I first started getting into light novels. In my head I was kind of harsh on this first book way back when I first read it and a big part of that was just me being unfamiliar with "light novels" and trying to judge them in the same way I would a regular novel. This novel was originally released in Japan in 2014 and I feel that it kind of shows its age a wee bit. This is basically a bog standard isekai series from before the time when everything had to have a unique spin to try and make it stand out from the sea of competition. The MC is yet another overworked employee who fell asleep under their desk only to wake up in a fantasy world. While they were not immediately granted god like powers it took them all of one chapter to power level into a situation where they had god like powers. This is also a series that really leans heavy into the video game logic for levels, skills, and experience. There are also the not so good tropes with this one as well. Namely that our MC has to judge every single female character on her looks and how that stacks up to his "his standards". It really feels like a formula in this book, meet new female character, get description of her looks, how does that stack up against Mr. Perfects personal goalpost of excellence. I'm not against someone have personal preferences when it comes to a partner but this is some pretty shallow and judgemental stuff. Outside of that it's some bog standard overpowered MC isekai. I do plan on continuing this series just to see where it goes. It has some issues but it's also not horrible, yet.
River of Nightmares ⭐⭐⭐Another series that I am working on. This was my follow up audiobook after Elfstones and I was looking for something to continue. Everything suddenly has a two month waiting list at the library which is a bit frustrating to say the least. As with previous books in this series I don't have a lot to really say about this one. This is a bit more of the spiritual side of the Annja character and her relationship to Joan and the sword. Annja is traveling deep into the Amazon rain forest for an episode of Chasing Histories Monsters looking for another cryptid. There is the whole dream walking ceremony, bad guys doing bad things, a bit of action, etc. It's all pretty standard for this series really.
Now for the manga
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 4—Diamond Is Unbreakable, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐I was very excited to finally being starting the next series in the JoJo universe. This one starts 12 years after Stardust Crusaders and focuses on a new JoJo, Josuke Higashikata, who is the illegitimate son of Joseph Joestar. The other main JoJo in this one is Jotaro Kujo who was the MC of Stardust Crusaders. I find his role as a supporting character here better suited to him, reference all my previous discussions about him being a more stoic and quiet character. As for the new JoJo, he is an odd one. I'm really not sure what to make of his character quite yet. Normally he is kind of meek until someone makes fun of his pompadour and then he suddenly has a hair trigger anger issue. Outside of the main character talk I kind of like the setup for this story so far. Jotaro is in a town called Miroh looking for his fathers illegitimate son and investigating some suspicious activity for the Speedwagon group. There is a serial killer on the loose with stand powers and they want to find him. This basically reveals that someone has a way to release peoples stand powers, if they have them, while kind of retconning Stardust Crusaders. The stand abilities that are revealed in this one are just as weird as usual while the story is a bit more then just "find Dio". Yes, I am aware that I am horribly lost in the weeds and about 90% of what I have just typed won't make a lick of sense to anyone. It's what happens when you fall down this rabbit hole, or any fandom really.
Dandadan, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Yes, I am jumping on this bandwagon, sue me if you must. I got hooked on this anime in the last season and had to check out the source material. A lot of other people also had the same idea and the wait queue at the library is disgusting for this one. This is a weird blend of sci-fi, horror, fantasy, romance, action, etc all in a Shonen package. Basically two young people, Momo and Okarun (we don't use his real name) have a chance encounter at school. Okarun is a fan of all things alien and cryptid while adamantly denying anything supernatural like ghosts. Momo on the other hand has a grandmother who is a spirit medium and believes in things like spirits but not UFO's. This leads to an argument where each is dared to investigate a hot spot of activity. Turns out they are both right. Spirits and aliens are both real. What follows is this high speed action adventure full of aliens, ghosts, dick jokes, romance, friendship, and so, so, so, so much more. The anime was really faithful to the manga, so far anyway, and this first volume was a wild ride to read. The artwork was great, whether that was in the more normal panels involving the real world or in the mind bending horror/action scenes where everything is stretched out and trippy. I feel that this series deserves the hype and I am here for the ride.
Silver Spoon, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐On the complete opposite side of the spectrum from the last two manga we have this series. This is a slice of life manga from the same author as Fullmetal Alchemist and is about a teenage boy suffering from burnout. He was working so hard in middle school trying to be the best of the best that he burnt out. He wanted away from everything and finds himself enrolled in a vocational high school. A high school for agriculture. It's a slice of story and a coming of age story about a city kid enrolled in a school for basically farm kids. There is a hilarious scene very early on that highlights how out of his element he is. He thinks he is on top of the world when it comes to studies because the kids around him struggle with the same subjects that he knows so well. Then he hears them talking about the things that these kids know for their life (life on the farm) and it's on a university level or higher and he realizes how out of his depth he is. I've watched the anime a few times and loved it but this is my first time getting into the manga itself. I've held off for a long time just because it's harder to find through the library because it's not as popular. I've now found a way to get all the volumes and I'm ready for this journey.
Now, what is next:
Audiobook
The Vanishing Type This is my next audiobook and me trying to work on more series I have on the go.
Not audiobook stuff
Uncanny: The Origins of Fear A biography from the master of horror himself
The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash (Light Novel) Vol. 3 Another light novel series that I am trying to continue
A Pirate's Life for Tea I finally got my copy of this book
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which are book 2 and a 2.5 novella of The Unmarked Series. A NA Romantasy series. I enjoyed these. Rated them both 4 stars. I definitely recommend the audio editions of these over them physically/ebook. The audiobooks are really well done. Then my planned reading was completely derailed when a friend asked if I wanted to buddy re-read one of our favourite series as it has just been repackaged and republished. So I read
and
both of which I rated 5 stars. I absolutely adore this series. I'm so glad I decided to re-read it.Currently Reading:
to finish off my re-read. I'm going to be heartbroken when it's over. And I'm listening to
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Love how much you're reading right now Kay. Keep enjoying!
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good book, a bit slow in a few parts but still so good. That end!! I need a big fantasy book break before jumping into book 3. Especially since Onyx Storm comes out right away. But Ill be reading the 3rd soon I'm sure
Finished my first book of the year
, I enjoyed it well enough, I love the Tudors but it's definitely not super necessary for understanding the main series.Moving on, I am finally going to finish
, I put it down four years ago when I was a decent portion of the way through but have obviously completely forgotten what happened, so I'm starting again on audio this time so I can catch up before the next book comes out in February. I was enjoying it, I was just in a horrible book slump at the time and it's taken me this long to get back to it!
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Thanks! I'm listening via audio this time where I had the e-galley from Netgalley four years ago, so I like my chances much better as I've always preferred audio as a format! The narrator is great too.
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which I rated 5 stars. I forgot how sad it was. I cried so hard. There was also some bonus scenes set 5 years later and I swear it felt like she was setting up for a spin off! I really hope so!Also finished
which I rated 3.5 stars. It was enjoyable but I don’t know. I didn’t like the narrator so I’ll be continuing this one on ebook going forward I think. I’ve started listening to
and I’m really enjoying it so far. This one is for my 12 books recommended by 12 friends challenge and it’s a RARE attending author. I’ve also started
on paperback which is my book club read for the end of this month. I’m on the fence about it so far but we will see how I go.
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Great narrators help lots!
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Spark of the Everflame still sounds good to me so good to know you are enjoying it.
What's making you on the fence on your book club read?
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Spark of the Everflame still sounds good to me so good to know you are enjoying it.
What's making you on the fence on your book club read?"
Some of the writing just feels like it’s trying too hard to be current and cool. And I’m a third through and the couple haven’t even spoken 2 sentences to each other yet. I feel it’s gonna be one of these romances where they get together on the last page.
@Kay Mafiosa and Spark sound really interesting. Though I'm a bit afraid of Mafiosa after your comment. On one hand I want to read it, on the other hand feels like I can't handle sad books now :(
Oh my, I guess it's my first update of 2025! I mixed in some re-reads, rekindled my love with LitRPG.
- 5 stars, as usual, I mean I’ve read it for who knows how many times. And this time in German! Yay!
- 5 stars. Frankenstein meets Indian mythology - that line from the description immediately caught my attention. The book is weird, interesting, gripping and very unique with a hint of overly sweet almost-gone-bad fruit on the warmest summer night.
- 3 stars. This book has a pretty low GR rating, but it’s not that bad. Something ordinary, the language style is surprisingly smooth and it even has some twisty moments.
- 5 stars. I bumped into this book very randomly and what a pleasant surprise it was! For some time fantasy with a sea / ocean / pirates setting has been my constant craving. From the very beginning I was charmed by the main character, the fascinating, atmospheric narration and just couldn’t put the book aside.
- 4 stars. I started the series several years ago but never finished. As I want to continue, I decided to re-read. Very addictive gaming line, all those stats updates and skills acquiring, alongside with a well crafted world, love it so far. The narration is not the best though, that’s why I rated it 4 stars.The first book gives a nice introduction to the game world, but it’s like a little scratch on the vast world left to explore. It goes pretty slow, but fitting for this type of the story. I can’t wait to discover all the mysteries The Land hides.
- 3 stars. The first book I’ve read in German, which is not a re-read. I can’t say I enjoyed it much, the plot is very simple, the romantic story is ordinary, nothing special, but in my heart it’ll be forever imprinted as my first German book.
- 4 stars. Usually I don’t like books with a strong artistic presence as I find them extremely depressing. But this time I couldn’t not read it. The narration is simple, but beautiful, lyrical and very easy to read, basically I devoured it in one day.
- 5 stars. I finally got to this series, which was on my TBR for ages. I really enjoyed this prequel to the main story. I think it might be even better than the main story itself. Let’s see how it goes.
- 5 stars. I love the series so far, usually I’m not a huge fan of the genre, but the two books I’ve read so far are intriguing, comforting and not annoying. And yeah… 5 stars.
Time for that weekly update and this will be a bit different then normal. There is going to be no comics or manga this week. I got lost in the novel sauce shall we say. That's also why this is a bit late as well. I was working on finishing up the last bit of one of these novels. 
Uncanny: The Origins of Fear ⭐⭐⭐⭐My first nonfiction book of the year and one that I knew I had to read this as soon as I saw it on the "on order" list at the library. This was the memoir (biography, what ever you want to call it) of the famous horror mangaka, Junji Ito. It should be pretty clear why I had to read this one. This was an interesting read but I think peoples mileage with this is going to vary greatly. If you have never read anything from Ito, if you have never heard of him, then this probably isn't the greatest thing to read. If you are familiar with the man or his works then I think you will get something from this. The first couple chapters deal with his early life and his after high school. The last three chapters dive into his characters, his story creation, and his artwork. For these sections you get a story or explanation from Ito followed by a shot of his rough drafts, notes, etc for that topic. The first two chapters kind of felt like bog standard memoir fair honestly. The last three chapters though were both some of my favorite parts of the book and some of the slowest parts as well. There was a bit of repetitive factor to it's presentation that kind of made it drag a bit. This is a bit of a nit pick but the text for the translated notes was also really tiny. The page layout already didn't utilize the full page as they were like panels of text over top of art work in the background. The pages with the photos of his notes were already small and then they would try to cram the translations around the image in the reduced panel. Some of these pages had a lot of notes on them so that text got really small. It's a minor thing but when you are already kind of tired it was a bit harder to read. Overall though, these notes and explanations were rather interesting as you got a glimpse into something that feels rather personal. You got to glimpse the creative process that eventually became a story that you read. In some ways it reminded me of the Eminem book I read late last year that had images of the pages he would jot lyrics on. It's the weirdly personal glimpse behind the curtain.
On a separate side note that was really cool each page has a little doodle in the bottom right corner allowing you to turn the book into a little flip book. There was something just weirdly nostalgic about that.
The Vanishing Type ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Part of what I want to work on this year is trying to finish up some of the many series that I have on the go currently. On of those series is this one and it's always such a treat to return to these books. They are tagged as a cozy mystery but I really feel that they are just so much more then that. This book had romance, mystery, drama, a little action, and all of that with this cast of just great characters. There is something about this series that has just charmed me and I just love reading each book.
The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash (Light Novel) Vol. 3 ⭐⭐⭐Another one of those series that I am trying to get caught up on. This was paused because I could only get them from one place through the interlibrary loan system. I don't really have a lot to really say about this one as not a whole lot happened. Ivy shows up at a new place, meets new people, gets involved in local problems. Like most light novels the story arc wasn't wrapped up in this volume and will be concluded in the next one.
A Pirate's Life for Tea ⭐⭐⭐⭐And finally, the one that I was working on today. I finally got my hands on the second volume of this series and it was such a perfect book to be inside reading while avoiding the cold snap outside. This book saw the continuation of the story line that was started in the first one with the hunt for missing dragon eggs. I understand that some people might not like these books but these books are just so much fun for me. I love the adventures, the characters, the romance between the leads, and as much as they make me groan, all the puns that the one MC loves. This book is full of puns and it makes a certain degenerate side of me cackle with glee. Now to wait until March for the next one to be released.
Now, what am I reading next?
The Mummy Case - This is my next audiobookBelow are the books I want to get done this week and they are all ones I can't renew.
Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear (Light Novel) Vol. 5 
One Piece, Volume 5: For Whom the Bell Tolls
Dragon Ball (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 9: Includes vols. 25, 26 & 27
Dick Tracy Vol. 1
Detective Beans: The Case of the Missing Hat
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Spark of the Everflame still sounds good to me so good to know you are enjoying it.
What's making you on the fence on your book club read?"
Some of t..."
Kay I hate the get together on the last page thing. Give me relationship build up! Hope it gets better
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But great that you got caught up in your novels this week. And that you are continuing so many series!
Enjoy the Peabody book you are about to start. I read that one many years ago.
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Mafiosa is the third of a trilogy. The whole series it absolutely fantastic and while there are sad bits in there that made me cry, it does have a happy ending as well. It's so good and I definitely recommend it.
Brittany wrote: "Gord, no manga?! Are you sick :P But great that you got caught up in your novels this week. And that you are continuing so many series!
Enjoy the Peabody book you are about to start. I read that ..."
It wasn't really planned but when I got to the wrap up I realized that there was nothing but novels. There might be more weeks like that as the year goes on as I am planning on reading more light novels.
Kayleigh {K-Books} wrote: "Mafiosa is the third of a trilogy. The whole series it absolutely fantastic and while there are sad bits in there that made me cry, it does have a happy ending as well. It's so good and I definitely recommend it."Nice, I'm currently thinking of starting the series :) Thanks for letting me know!
Time for another weekly recap and it has been another busy week of reading for me. 
Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear (Light Novel) Vol. 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐I'm really not sure what to say about these books anymore. It's a reread and the series is just popcorn for me. It's a fun read that I don't really need to stress out about while reading them.
In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 10 ⭐⭐⭐This was a completely unplanned read. Things were slow at work and I was looking for something to read. Hoopla has a massive catalogue of J-Novel light novels now and I've been thinking about getting back into them. I decided to pick this on up as it has been a few minutes since I read the last one and by minutes I mean months. I was kind of concerned if I could remember where I was in the series and that was quickly laid to rest because in this series nothing matters. Joking, joking, it is a rather low stakes series and a lot of the characters will just blur together as there is a massive roster of character. As for the plot, I kind of remember it, but again it's not exactly deep or complex. In this one our MC gets his ninth and final wife, yes polyamory, he finds the final part of the flying fortress and the mad scientist behind it all, he introduces smartphones to a fantasy world, all with a few mechs thrown in for good measure. It's a lot going on and it's all silly. It's just another light and easy read.
The Mummy Case ⭐⭐⭐I was rather excited for this one as I remember rather enjoying the first couple books. Something went off the rails though and I just kind of found myself bored with things in this one. The usual character antics are all there but there was just something about this one that just did not click with me. The book also felt really slow for me. I think I was about halfway through the book and I still wasn't sure what exactly the mystery was There was a couple of off page murders and something about stolen artifacts but it never really felt like it was the star of the show. I don't know if there was really even a star of the show honestly. It was just a whole lot of Amelia corralling her chaotic family around from one story set to the next. I'm not done with the series yet but I really hope the next one is better.
Now for the usual manga and comics
One Piece, Volume 5: For Whom the Bell Tolls ⭐⭐⭐⭐It feels weird talking about early One Piece. Between the anime and the manga I have been gone through this material many times now and I've long since lost perspective of what this material would be like brand new. In this one we finish the Syrup Village arc, get Usopp on our crew, get a ship, and start the Baratie Arc where we meet Sanji. I know a lot of things that happen much later so a lot of this early stuff feels pretty simple. None of the characters have those massive fight skills that come later, the stakes and world building are still getting set up, It's very early One Piece. It's still good but I know things getting bigger and better with time.
Dick Tracy Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐I saw this pop up on the new books queue at the library and was curious. I think I may have read some of the original comics as a kid and I kind of remember the movie from the 90's. This was an alright read. This was basically an older story with more modern story elements in it. Dick Tracy has PTSD for instance as he is a war vet, there is a lot more explicit violence on the page, etc. I don't know the franchise very well but there was a lot of characters I recognized like Prune Face, Flat Top, Mumbles, etc. It was alright, as an introduction to a new story line it has my interest piqued. I felt like the art was a little all over the place at times. Sometimes Dick Tracy would look all hard boiled and manly and other times he looked incredibly baby faced. I could be convinced to read the next book when it comes out.
Dragon Ball (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 9: Includes vols. 25, 26 & 27 ⭐⭐⭐⭐This volume was a great example of taking a tested trope and doing it well. I'm not even talking about tropes in general, I'm talking about tropes from within this same series. This book was basically one long fight. Goku was taken out of action so others had to fight in his place to buy time. Everyone gets power ups, sometimes multiple in the same fight, all to establish the threat of the big bad. Goku ultimately arrives at just the right time and then the real fight commences. It's all a formula that has been established in this franchise before but man it really works. We get to finally see Freeza fight and he is indeed the massive threat everyone has been making him out to be. We get to see Super Saiyan for the first time. This fight was just massively engaging and had me hooked in. Sure, I knew what story beats were going to happen, but to actually see it all unfold was just riveting.
Detective Beans: The Case of the Missing Hat ⭐⭐⭐I feel kind of conflicted about this one. It was another random snag from the library because it looked cute. This was a middle grade comic which I generally try to avoid and that is because of what I found with this one. For things like YA and MG there is an age range for the books. Some books will be on the younger end of the spectrum and some books are going to be more on the older side. This book was aimed for a really younger audience and I just didn't feel satisfied with the story. It wasn't really a mystery, it felt like a really long fetch quest from a video game. The thing is, this is not a bad book, it's just not a book for me. The story was cute with some really nice artwork and I can easily see younger kids really liking this book.
As for what is up next
Our Wives Under the Sea This is my next audiobook and I know nothing about it. This was a recommended to me several months ago and I remember reading the synopsis and being intrigued enough to request it. It had a really long wait list and now that it's here I don't remember anything about it. Hopefully it is good.
Tectiv Vol. 1: Noirtopia Another blind comic snag from the library
Trigun Maximum Volume 4: Bottom of the Dark More Trigun!
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 16
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 17
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 18
Yowamushi Pedal Omnibus, Vol. 1
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Good update though!
Yeah... young Ramses was not my favorite character
I'm doing this a little earlier but I have a big read planned for next week that I can't wait to get to.
Our Wives Under the Sea ⭐⭐⭐I was looking to explore some horror reads and this book was recommended to me. I had this on hold at the library for a long time and kind of forgot about it until it came in. It wasn't until I was about to read it that I discovered just how outside of my normal wheelhouse of reading that this was truly was. This is a slow paced literary novel and being honest here, I struggled with this book. Objectively speaking I can see that this is well written novel and I can see the appeal of it but it is not a book for me. For most of the novel, especially from the POV of one character, it felt like verbal diarrhea. There was words on the page not to serve any real function outside of just being the words on the page. I get that they were to there to set the scene, the mood, and in the theme of the book but it never felt like the book was moving forward. It just kind of wallowed. Now that being said, by the end of the book there was a couple moments where I felt a bit emotional, and I felt a slight chill from the spooky elements. I don't regret reading the book but I am glad to be done with it and moving on to something else.
Bofuri: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense., Vol. 6 ⭐⭐⭐⭐More Bofuri and the last of my rereads. With the next book it is all new material for me and I am looking forward to it. As for this one, we get to the sixth level and it is a horror themed floor. Ghosts, spooks, etc galore. Probably one of my favorite scenes in this book is Maple exploring this haunted mansion full of traps. Normally a player would be avoiding these traps as much as possible but not our girl. She just strolls through them taking no damage at all due to her absolute broken build. It's also revealed that she really doesn't need armor or shields anymore for most situations. Her base defense is so high that she could stroll through most areas in her everyday clothes and take no damage at all. She is just broken and the poor devs are losing so much sleep over it.
Now for all the manga and comics
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 16 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 17 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 18 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐I'm lumping all of these together as it just makes sense. These section of books opened with the series taking a bit of a big breath after the all the big reveals and changes. It was much needed just to process all the the big reveals before heading into the next story arc. Then we head north and the start of the Fort Briggs story arc. This story is just good and I am loving my reread of it. The world building, the suspense, the characters, it's all just so well done.
Tectiv Vol. 1: Noirtopia ⭐⭐⭐This was yet another random snag from the library and an interesting premise. At its core it is a blend of a post apocalyptic sci-fi theme and a noir detective theme. Our MC is a scavenger with her partner where they make a living exploring the old ruins from materials to use. Our MC loves collecting old books and finds an old detective comic that was damaged hence Tectiv. Her partner disappears one night and our MC scrounges up an old fedora and trench coat before heading out to find her. It felt like the story hit a lot of the story beats you would expect from either of these themes but it was the blending the two that made them unique. This is supposed to the first book in a series and I might pick this up again in the future just to see where it goes next.
Trigun Maximum Volume 4: Bottom of the Dark ⭐⭐⭐Giving this volume three stars hurts me but there the art work is just hard to follow. The story and the characters are so interesting in this series. In this volume we get the final dust up between Vash, Wolfwood, Milly, and the remaining members of the Gung-Ho-Guns. There are a lot of big reveals in this volume and it's a great story. The problem is that the art is just so hard to follow. There are oddly shaped characters, in a dark setting, wearing dark clothes, in a high action setting. I had to stop reading more then a few times just to try and decipher what I was looking at.
Yowamushi Pedal Omnibus, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐This is a sports manga that I feel can only exist in a manga format. Our MMC is an otaku who bikes to Akihabara once a week to save a few bucks. The thing is, that trip is 90 km round trip, 56 miles for those that need it, and he does it on a mommy bike that unbeknownst to him has been modified to make it harder for him by his parents. They did this in an effort to keep him close to home. Basically this kid has become a prodigy on a bike and he has no idea. He is noticed by the school bicycle racing club who attempt to recruit him into the club. The thing is he hates sports and sports clubs. This first omnibus is basically them trying to recruit him, him getting a taste for racing, and by the end joining the club. Now joining the club is not a guaranteed thing. The first day of the club the club has a race for all the new members and they are only accepting a certain number of people. Of course we aren't getting the race in this one.
This was way more engaging then I ever expected and I was hooked hard. I also love the art style in this one. This manga has some amazing reaction faces and does a great job showing speed and intensity. I really can't wait for the next volume.
My Kitten is a Picky Eater Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐This was another random snag from the library for what I would think would be obvious reasons. Cute manga about a kitty, enough said. This is a weird blend of slice of life, cute critters, and some cooking elements. I wasn't expecting that last one honestly but it oddly works. I do kind of wonder how the MC survived before finding the kitty and getting responsibilities. Honestly, if you have ever read any of these chill critter manga you know what to expect from this one. When my library gets more I will be reading on.
Interviews with Monster Girls, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐I found this series when I was browsing my read shelf here on Goodreads looking for manga to recommend to someone. I realized that I never finished this series and the series is now complete so I figured it was a good time to circle back to complete it. This book basically explores the day to day life of "Demis" or demi-human characters. We have a vampire, a dullahan, a yuki onna, and a succubus. It explores their day to day life in modern society and the challenges that they face. It's a fun little slice of life and it's a quick read. I'm glad to be back and reading this again.
Now, what is next
Skydark
Dungeon Crawler CarlBasically my week is all about Dungeon Crawler Carl with Skydark being for when I am at work and can't read my physical book. I am super excited for DCC and I hope it lives up to all the hype I've been hearing about it.
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Since my last update here, I've finished
which I liked well enough. It was okay. Very slow paced and so I didn't love it as much as the previous books. I rated it 3.5 stars.
which I loved. Definitely recommend the audiobook of this one. It was fantastic. I gave it 5 stars and I can't wait to read the next book. I DNF'd
It wasn't terrible but honestly I was just bored. For a romance book, I didn't feel like it really had much romance. I DNF'd at 50%Currently reading:
and
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so good, more people need to read this series! What I believe is the last book comes out this July
Great book even if parts of it are a hard read. I loved Molokai by the author a little more but this was so good and not something I've read about about.
Just finished and loved it. Anyone who enjoys historical fiction with some magical realism thrown in should give this one a try.
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Here are some books I read in January:
I enjoyed this book! I find that these author's books are always 4-star reads for me so they aren't perfect, but they always deliver on the sci-fi horror.
I have given this author a second chance and I have decided that her books are just not for me. I didn't DNF this one, but there is just something about the writing I find very boring. The story was intriguing enough that I kept reading, and I enjoyed some aspects of the book, but it was just okay overall.
This novella on the other hand was very fun! The protagonist is sassy and the banter was a lot of fun! I really enjoyed it! (Another big plus is that the author said that this series mocks the absolute idiot who now owns Twitter lol. I'm into that. Lol.)
And then last week I couldn't focus on the book I was currently reading so I fell back on a trick I discovered last Summer that would work for me in such a situation: manga! Lol. I really enjoyed this one! It was fun! And quick! The week was coming to an end and I needed something quick to read for my 52 books in 52 weeks challenge, and this manga did the trick. Lol. One thing though is that I was hoping there would be some romance between the characters because I sensed some sexual tension that I was enjoying, but then I got and read that the author mentioned that this is not meant to be boy love and that was honestly SO disappointing to me 😂 But this was still fun and I'll continue with the series.
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Kayleigh {K-Books} wrote: "A little bit of an update.Since my last update here, I've finished
which I liked well enough. It was okay. Very slow paced and so I didn't love it as much as the..."Seems like Onyx doesn't worth the hype, sad. At the same time I'm glad you loved Spark of the Everflame.
Brittany wrote: "Being off work and unable to do a lot of things does mean more reading time. I finished so good, more people need to read this series! What I believe is the las..."YEAH! The Winter Sea deserves way more attention, completely agreed!
Honolulu sounds interesting, also recently I was into Hawaii culture, probably will also try to read the book.
The Warm Hands of Ghosts is a great one, even for people who avoid WWII topic (like myself), I actually read it some time ago, still trying to collect my thoughts as it was not an easy read for me, but definitely worth it.
Liliana wrote: "Everyone is reading some very interesting-sounding books! I need to go back and check some of these out!Here are some books I read in January:
I enjoyed this ..."Love the manga one :)
Here are some books I've read recently and surprisingly enough, all the books were good.
- 5 stars. Even though this year I decided to start my Harry Potter reread a bit earlier, I’m still at the 2nd book. But there is a reason for that. To mix fun with learning, I am reading the books in German. Sometimes I also listen to audio books and they are amazing!
- 4 stars. That’s a re-read to get back into the series. I vaguely remembered what the story was about. The book is not perfect, but pretty addictive. There are still so many uncovered and 'unlinked' threads. Basically not much has happened since the 1st book, but the story develops at its own pace, a little bit slow, but steady. I hope there will be ‘that great moment' when all the lines just 'click' together, otherwise it'll be a very disappointing read.
- 4 stars. That’s terrifying, to wake up with no memories and relive the nightmare again and again, till you become paranoid. That’s the feeling I got while reading the book. I enjoyed the prequel more, but the original story is also interesting, gripping and has its moments.
- 4 stars. To be honest, this book is silly, but adorable, and I enjoyed it a lot. All those shenanigans with pretending to be a totally different person, the obviousness and the naivete of the whole situation is so bizarre yet charming.
- 4 stars. That one was an emotional rollercoaster, which ended with a cliffhanger. And my oh my, the relationships in this series are so freaking unhealthy and triggering. Hits really hard.
- 4 stars. I’m not sure how exactly I feel about the book. It’s not as gruesome as the usual vamp/were books, at the same time I didn’t like the culmination. Basically I was so into the first part and could hardly force myself to read through the second half of the book.
- 5 stars. I’m completely and utterly in love with the book. It’s so uplifting and heartfelt. A nice option to re-read on a gloomy day. It makes you feel cozy, warm and happy, like Ghibli anime.
- 3 stars. Just a regular romance with insta love. Shitty husband, beautiful lawyer… Not enough tension, the confrontation seemed very easy.
- 3 stars. I think I loved the story of Nathaniel and Sori better than the first one. I like how the trop from ex to friends to lovers fit the story here.
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Since my last update here, I've finished
which I liked well enough. It was okay. Very slow paced and so I di..."It really wasnt worth the hype sadly. Not unhappy I read it but I could've waited.
YA Addicted Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com (other topics)Dog Days (other topics)
The Dragon Factory (other topics)
Deepwater Creek: A Graphic Novel (other topics)
Skinwalker (other topics)
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