YA Addicted Book Club discussion
Books!
>
What are you reading 2025
message 151:
by
Brittany
(new)
Apr 29, 2025 08:12AM
Mod
reply
|
flag
Brittany wrote: "Yay Book of Doors!!! Such a great book. Hope you love it Jo"Thanks!
Kayleigh {K-Books} wrote: "Jo wrote: "Finished 
and I am not okay. How is it possible to be so heartbroken by a book when you knew basically every sad thing that was going to happe..."I'm excited for it!
This has been a week, a week where IRL stuff decided I needed a good butt kicking. I still got through some books but most of that was weekend reading. As I'm typing this up I'm realizing that I don't really have a lot to say about the books I read this week. 
The Devil's Chord ⭐⭐⭐This was the audiobook for the week and the next Rogue Angel book. Not a whole lot to really say about this one really. This one had Annja in Italy looking for a da Vinci item that had been stolen from a museum and dropped in a canal. She ended up working with both Roux and Garin in this book. This was one that leaned more into the supernatural then the archeological side of things. It was another Rogue Angel book.
Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear (Light Novel) Vol. 7 ⭐⭐⭐⭐Again, another book that I don't have a lot to say about. This is the next book in my reread of this series and in this one Yuna heads off to the mine to deal with a pesky golem problem so she can get herself a mythril knife. It also has all the usual slice of life shenanigans you would expect from this series.
Bofuri: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense., Vol. 7 (light novel) (Bofuri: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense. ⭐⭐⭐⭐All new Bofuri for me and this one focuses solely around the big event before the seventh floor is opened. It's basically a tower of ever increasing difficulties that people can challenge in various sized teams. Maple and Sally are the only team of two that tackles the tower on the highest difficulty setting. While this book does get a bit into the various floors the main focus is the floor boss that they encounter. We get to see how our two nut balls come up with a way to beat them and we get glimpses of how other, normal, teams are attempting them. Just a fun easy read and I am now ready for the next level.
Now the manga
Magic Artisan Dahlia Wilts No More (Manga) Vol. 7 ⭐⭐⭐This book is a lot of politics and business but in a fantasy world and with a slice of life dash of flavoring. Not a lot to really say about this one honestly.
Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, Vol. 3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐Each book only leaves me with more and more questions and I don't even know if they are the right questions. I mean, I'm sure I have all the usual questions that others have but I also have others. I'm really curious where this is going and how these new cards are going to be used. In the first Cardcaptor the cards had skills that made sense. Things like fire, shield, earth, etc. In this one here there are some really odd cards. Things like record. There are more normal cards like flight but there are also a lot of weirder cards. How is this going to be used in future books? How is this used in a fight? Just where is the story going? So, so many questions. All of this with the usual Clamp artwork that is just gorgeous.
The Apothecary Diaries 13 Manga ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐It has been a hot minute since I've read anything in this series and I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't been keeping up with the current anime season. This book was amazing and seeing Maomao just being her usual self was so much fun. I feel that she is very close to being brought into Jinshi's inner circle and trust. More so then she has been already. Of course this brings with it a whole new level of threat but I have faith in Maomao.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 4—Diamond is Unbreakable, Vol. 3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐Another series where it has been a hot minute since I have read anything. This volume was just a great reminder of the great artwork, the weird story lines, and how well this story dips itself into the body horror genre at times. There were more then a few scenes in this book that were just horrifying when you really pause and think about things.
Alright, what is next, another busy week of reading
Cold Shadows -My next audiobook
Dark Wraith of Shannara
Greenteeth -This was a random snag from the library. Hopefully it is good
Berserk of Gluttony, Volume 2
Hirayasumi, Vol. 4
Tista 1
Yowamushi Pedal Omnibus, Vol. 3
Mod
It has been another week of reading, where does the time go?
Greenteeth ⭐⭐⭐This is one of those books that popped up on my radar this year and seeing the tag of cozy fantasy I figured I'd give it a try. This was an interesting book the revolves around a creature called a Jenny Greenteeth (it's a new creature from mythology for me) who saves a witch from being drowned. This kicks of a massive quest that takes the two all over the UK to get the witch's village back. This book puts me a in a weird spot. I can't really say anything negative about the book and it was a fun read but I wasn't blown away by it either and I can't really put my finger on why. It had a classic adventure setup, the MC was interesting, the quests were interesting, the twist at the end was great. I think there was just moments though that were a little meh. There was a classic third act (more middle of the book) breakup that I wasn't a fan of. The quests, while interesting, kind of felt like they took the most tame solution possible. I feel like I am nitpicking here though and the book really doesn't deserve that. If the book has caught your eye at all, I'd say give it a shot.
Cold Shadows ⭐⭐⭐⭐The next Ellie Jordan book and a buddy read. This series is quickly becoming something I'm rather enjoying and a lot of that revolves around the spooky stuff in the book. The author does a really great job at making the ghost encounters really spooky. I'll admit that outside of the spooky encounters the books are a little lean on content. The mystery is nothing special, the characters are there but it's not a stirring character piece or anything. It's a spooky horror book and it delivers on that in my opinion.
Now for the manga/comics
Tista 1 ⭐⭐⭐I saw this at the library and noticed it was by the same author as SpyXFamily so I decided to check it out. This was his debut series and it kind of shows. Getting this out the way early, I doubt many fans of SpyXFamily will actually like this series. It's not as polished and it has a darker tone to it. Basically the story is about an assassin working for the church who is going through a mental/spiritual breakdown. I feel like this was inspired by a bunch of other series as I see little elements from other things in this. Just to be clear, that's not a bad thing but I don't feel like this book has a clear image of what it is. There are a lot of different ideas getting thrown into the pot and I can see how they could work well together but the execution doesn't quite get there. The story felt like it needed to be tightened up a bit, maybe some elements cut out, other elements focused on more. I will read on but only because there is only one other book in this series. If it was an ongoing series, I'd probably look at dropping it.
Hirayasumi, Vol. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐This is a series that I have a really hard time explaining why I enjoy it. This is pure, 100%, slice of life. It's just little snippets from the lives of various characters we have been introduced to so far. One story is one of the characters dealing with misogyny in her workplace, another one is about a Christmas party, or a hot water heater dying. It's very low stakes in the grand scheme of things but it's just compelling to read.
Dark Wraith of Shannara ⭐⭐⭐⭐My next stop on my Shannara journey and this one is a comic as well as another epilogue to the original trilogy. This one follows after the events of the novella epilogue that I recently read. This one felt like it gave me a lot of what I felt was missing in Indomitable. We got to meet characters from Wishsong again, we got a satisfying ending (kind of), and it just felt like a better conclusion overall. That being said the story did feel like we kind of just dropped out of it at the end. There were still things to explore or were not resolved but I also feel like I am getting lost in the weeds at this point. This were just .5 mini stories after the main story was done. These don't the same depth as the main story does. After this one I'm getting a time skip and I'm back to the massive audiobooks.
Yowamushi Pedal Omnibus, Vol. 3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐Listen, I'm not saying that I am becoming a die hard fan of sports manga or anything but the more I read in this subgenre the more I understand the appeal. This book was basically the main group of characters biking laps at a training facility and it is somehow compelling. The track is five km and the members of the club have to ride 1,000 km in just four days. As an extra challenge, and as part of their training, the first years are also given a handicap to overcome. Basically what ever thing it is that they rely on to be so good, it's taken away from them. Shifters, a certain kind of handle bars, etc. This shouldn't be this compelling but it is and I'm having fun with this.
The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All, Vol. 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐I am loving this series so far. I love the friendship (maybe romance) between the leads, I'm loving the artwork, I'm just loving this series and I want more. That's about all I really have to say.
What I'm reading next
Mission Manhattan -My next audiobook
Dandadan, Vol. 2
I Love You S'more
Witchlight
Mod
Mod
4⭐I just love this manga
4.5⭐Thriller style mystery, is anyone really what they seem? Loved it
4.5⭐ fantasy, multiple narrators for the different povs. I can't wait for book 2
5⭐ more dungeon crawler Carl. Loved this. The railway system is super cool and all the details in this series amaze me. 
3⭐ historical mystery. This was just okay for me. Quick listen, interesting setting. I didn't find the conclusion of the second time line all that satisfactory.
4⭐ another good volume, I appreciate getting the author notes
2.5⭐ I'm sad but this didn't work for me. Too many pop culture references and I just wanted a main character to be dead for like the entire book. I think I just expected something different than what I got and was left unhappy about it.
3⭐ just okay. Took too long to get going. Some entertaining, if over the top ideas and quick enough to listen to.
4⭐ A friend lent me this one and said I needed to read it. She was right. Good epic fantasy, sword fights, crazy archery skills and fantastic banter. It was everything I was looking for.
4⭐ More cherry magic, still love it. Big things happen in this volume
4⭐ romance, but also life, loss and starting over. Real relationships and reasons for doing things. Plus she's making a book store in memory of her grandad! 
4⭐ I think anyway. I liked this one more than book 1. Having lower expectations might have helped that. Get to see a bit more of the world outside of Talin. Looking forward to book 3, there's some potential for intriguing things to happen
Brittany wrote: "Here's everything I've read in the last while 4⭐I just love this manga[bookcover:Known to the Victim|..."
Glad you enjoyed The Notorious Virtues Brittany, I want to read that one but it doesn't seem to be available on Audible in the UK yet. Sad you weren't a fan of Her Majesty's Royal Coven.
Finished
yesterday, I really enjoyed it, very fun portal fantasy and the narrator was excellent, I will be looking out for more stuff narrated by her because I thought she was great and really made the book come alive.Next up, I'm reading
, the sequel to How to Solve Your Own Murder, one of my favourite books from last year. Not totally convinced it needed a sequel but I think this will be more of a self-contained mystery in the same world rather than a direct sequel so I'm willing to give it a try!
Mod
I still need to read how to solve your own murder. Hope the sequel is good!
I was going to push this out to tomorrow but I might as well keep a schedule. This has not been the greatest week of reading for. I took a couple days off where it was just my audiobook in the morning. Then the first physical book I pick up I bounced off hard. On top of all of that I was just feeling kind of off all week. Enough complaining though, here is what I read.
I Love You S'more -DNFYou're not reading that wrong. I did indeed DNF a book. Let me be clear here, I'm not going to say that this book is bad, I will say that this book was just not for me. I snagged this from the library because it looked like one of the cute romances I enjoy. It opened up with a young woman going to work at a summer camp after a breakup with her famous superstar girlfriend. She needed some time to get away from everything to process her feelings. Cool, cool, I'm on board. Then we get introduced to "The Rival" because this is a rivals to lovers story line. Here is where the first stumble happened for me. This rivalry felt kind of ham fisted and petty but alright, it's a small stumble, lets get to the cute stuff. Then we have the record scratch, pardon me, revelation of the book. The MC is 15 years old. Up to this point I was thinking very late teens or early 20's. This revelation just put the whole book in a different light and I just can't take things seriously. Just to be clear, I'm not saying that the emotions that the MC is feeling are not valid but they suddenly feel much more melodramatic to me. I tried, I really tried, I pushed through a couple more pages but I got some more of the rivalry spat and I was just done. I tapped out at about the 50 page mark, I just couldn't do it.
A Cold Dose of Murder ⭐⭐⭐⭐My yearly dosage of this cannabis themed cozy mystery. I just like this mystery series. Yes, the second book was a slight stumble but I feel that it hit its stride in this one again. There is a certain level of self awareness within the book about cozy mysteries and just mysteries in general. This one had references to Hercule Peroit, Murder She Wrote, and Miss Marple. I like the fact that the setting, while a small town, has a way to get bodies to appear without thinning out the local population at a concerning rate. This one is about the murder of a famous podcaster/food critic who is town for a local ice cream festival. Now the first part of book was a little slower. It was setting up everything and it was setting up the first suspect who was obviously a red herring. As the reader you knew that the first suspect wasn't the actual killer so it was sitting through all the attempts to frame them as guilty while looking for actual clues and hints. Once you got through that part and suddenly there was more clues and suspects things started to pick up. Overall, a fun, easy read and I'll be back next year for the next volume when it comes out.
Now for the manga/comics
Dandadan, Vol. 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐I finally got the second volume of this series and the good times continue. The frantic energy, the weird humor, the awkward romance, it's all here. Now starts the long wait for the third volume.
Monthly in the Garden with My Landlord, Vol. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐The latest installment in this little slice of life yuri romance. This one had some great progress with the two leads and with some of the side characters. After bouncing off of I Love You S'more this was exactly what I needed. Just some feel good and chill vibes.
Witchlight ⭐⭐⭐This is one of those odd books that I enjoyed but it just did blow me away. This is a story about two women who end up traveling together after a misunderstanding. Along they way they discover themselves, they discover family, and a little romance. There was something just pure and sweet about the simplicity of this story that I can't really explain. I picked this up on a whim and I don't regret reading it but it's probably not one that will stick out in my mind in about a month.
What is next?
I'm still working on my City Spies audiobook and I have a stack of manga/comic that I need to complete this week.
Mod
Looks like the rest of the week was good reading.
Hopefully this next week is better for ya
I know! I tried, I just wasn't in the mindset for that level of, this is going to sound harsh, juvenile drama.
This has been a bit of a busy week of reading but I have made a massive dent in my library pile and I'm nearly at a point where I want to start requesting books again. 
Mission Manhattan ⭐⭐⭐⭐I'm finally done this audiobook. It wasn't that it was hard to get through it was just a time thing and being distracted by a ton of other things. As for the book, it was great. It was what I've come to expect from this series. Globe trotting adventures, spy action, personal growth, it's all here. This one starts in Venice at a climate change demonstration that goes sideways with a bomb. The Italians are looking at the wrong group of people and since the City Spies are already involved they start digging. This leads them to America and the big conclusion of the book. There were definitely a couple big stand out moments for me. Being as vague as possible the group ends up without either of the adult figures around and have to act on their own. A lot of the main action is usually the kids in the book but the adults are either in communication with them or involved with the mission somehow. Find them in a situation without any of that was a big moment and it was a good step for the series, I think at least. The other one was the continued drip feed of the overarching story line. I don't want to touch this one at all so I'm just going to say we have some more progress but as usual a ton of unanswered questions.
Secret Servants of the Crown: The Forgotten Women of British IntelligenceThis book doesn't have a rating from me... yet. I ran out of time on this one and can't renew it either. I'm going to return the book today and then immediately request it again so I can finish it. I got a little over halfway into the book and it was interesting but a bit dry. This book covers, as the title says, the history of women in the British Intelligence services and not just the women that worked as spies either. This got into the unsung heroes like the secretaries, typists, the woman who ran the massive file rooms and helped find data on suspects. Woman who were sworn to secrecy and took those secrets to the grave with them. Women like Kathleen Pettigrew who served as secretary to three consecutive chiefs of the MI6 and was the inspiration for Ian Fleming's Miss Moneypenny. She served MI6 for four decades and was at the center of an empire of secrets. There was women who acted as spies both on English soil as well as abroad. Some of the stories this book covers is wild and that is why I really want to finish reading it.
Now for the manga and comics
I'm the Grim Reaper, Vol. 3 ⭐⭐⭐I'm still rather lukewarm about this one honestly. There is a mystery there and I'm kind of invested in it enough to keep reading but it still has this feeling of trying real hard to be edgy. I doubt I could back to back these comics but this slow constant drip feed as these are released is an alright pace so I guess I'll be back for the next one.
Morgana and Oz, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐Another book published by Webtoon Unscrolled. I've got to say that there are more and more of these as of late and I'm not outright opposed to that. Some of these webcomics maybe don't work so well in a normal book format, looking at you slice of life daily bite sized comics, but for more story orientated ones like this, it works. This is a story about a clan of witches and their rivals a clan of vampires. Morgana is a young witch still trying to learn how to control her powers and Oz is a vampire who got changed into a cat by a rogue spell from Morgana. This first book was a great setup for things. We get a glimpse into both clans, we get some obvious mystery bait with things not all matching up properly, and we get to meet the two MC's. This was giving me some Romeo and Juliet vibes. No idea if it was intended but c'mon. The rival clans, two sworn enemies having to work together, it's not a perfect match but you catch my drift. Also, the art for this series is seriously awesome.
One Piece, Volume 7: The Crap-Geezer ⭐⭐⭐⭐More One Piece, and in this one we get part of Sanji's back story. Not a whole lot to really say here except that it was a good read.
I Married My Female Friend Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐With the fourth and final volume finally released I figured I would do a quick reread of this series. I really enjoy this author and her more mature and yet chill slice of life yuri manga so rereading this was just fun. We get the setup for this unusual relationship and seeing how both partners are trying to adapt to a new life together. There is no over the top action, no crazy plot twists, nothing like that. We just get a relaxed story about two friends who promised to marry each other in five years if they were still single.
Mansect ⭐⭐⭐⭐I feel this is going to be one of those manga that you are going to know immediately if you want to read it or not. The cover and the title really tell you all that you need to know about this book. Either this will be a hard pass for you or you are going to be like me and immediately jump on board. This manga is supposed to be a classic in the horror manga sphere and originally came out in 1975. Like I said, you get exactly what you would expect from a manga like this, especially if you have dabbled in either Ito or older horror manga. The art style is that older, darker, more realistic style the loves the occasional foray into body horro. The story isn't really one long story but more like a collection of short stories around a central theme with the barest of threads tying them together. As the title suggests, this is about a man who turns into something that is part man and part insect. Each following story is about more and more people evolving and gaining insect like qualities. Like I said, it's exactly what you would expect, and I loved every minute of this. It's like a cheesy old sci-fi/horror movie from the 50's/60's which I feel this book was heavily inspired by. I'm not going to bother recommending this one, you'll know if you want to read it or not.
Now, what is next.
Once Upon a K-Prom my next audiobook
Tea You at the Altar I finally get to read the next book in this series.
Berserk of Gluttony, Volume 2
The Boxer, Vol. 10
Finished
, I enjoyed it but didn't think it was quite as good as the first one, and I'm still not totally convinced that the first book needed a sequel. It's a little bit slow and takes a while to really get anywhere with the mystery and then when we do get there, the conclusion is kind of rushed-in much the same vein as the first book and it's also once again a little convoluted. Having said that, I still really enjoyed reading this, Perrin has a very engaging writing style and I do love the characters in this world, so I will read the third book as I do want to know what happens next.Next I'll be reading the sequel to a book I enjoyed a few years back,
. I was surprised to find this had a sequel as it felt like a very self contained story but I love the characters so will be excited to revisit them.
Time for that weekly update and it is a lot of of novels this week.
Tea You at the Altar ⭐⭐⭐⭐I have fallen in love with this series and this book gave me exactly what I wanted. More sweet romance between the MC's, more puns, more tea, and more adventures. This entire book takes place in the week leading up to the wedding of the MC's plus a secret event that I won't spoil. It's spoilers for the series so I don't want to give it away. This book brings in a whole lot of characters from the first two books for this big event and it felt great. The book ends on a cliffhanger that puts me in a weird spot. The next book is the last book in the series and I want to read it to see what happens next. I also don't want to read it because then that means that the adventure is over. I'm loving this series and I'm glad I gave it a try.
Once Upon a K-Prom ⭐⭐⭐⭐I snagged this at the last minute because I needed it for a challenge I needed to complete in May. After completing this book I feel like I need to defend myself/explain myself a little bit. Especially after I DNF'd that other teen romance earlier this month. I really enjoyed this book, like, a lot. I'll be perfectly honest here, this book hit every trope that you would expect in this kind of book. The miscommunication trope, the third act misunderstanding, friends to lovers, all of it, and yes, I know, I grumble about these tropes, but it just worked here for me alright. I can't even really explain why either but I'm going to give it a crack. The teens in this one were a year or two older then the one I DNF'd and, yeah, there is a bit of melodramatics but it feels more appropriate. These are not out there concerns especially for someone of this age, and while basic, there was a decent explanation for why each of the MC's acted the way that they did. That and the romance just worked for me. I was invested in this. I wanted these two to succeed and I just had a good time reading this.
Berserk of Gluttony, Volume 2 ⭐⭐⭐Finally getting around to this one. This book picks up the adventure pretty much right where the first one ended with our MC trying to get to Galia. This book felt like it had a lot less of the edgy feeling junk and more adventure in it. Honestly, looking back at things, this book was basically a giant training arc so that our MC could get into Galia. Each time he stopped somewhere there was some sort of lesson, some sort of spell, some sort of training he was working on. In this one he also spends a good chunk of time with Myne who briefly met in the first volume. We spend a fair bit of time traveling with her and as a result we get to know more about her. It's one of those classic things where the more we learn the more questions there are. Overall it was a alright read and I look forward to the next one.
Now for the manhwa
The Boxer, Vol. 10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐I devoured this one just like most of the books in this series. This one has the conclusion to the heavyweight championship fight and the second time I shed a tear or two this week. It also gets into the next fight and the set up for the final book (I think it's the final book). We have this absolute legend come out of retirement to challenge our MC. We also get to see some of our MC's backstory finally and it's about what I expected. Not going to spoil any of that. I'm now waiting patiently for the next one so we get the full back story.
As for what is next, I don't know. I need to find another audiobook and I have a stack of manga for next week.
Mod
I cant wait to finally get around to reading the first Tomes and Tea.
Jo too bad the sequel wasnt as good but nice that it was still enjoyable
Time for that weekly update. I won't have any novels this week as I've had a lot on the go. I've got a couple on the go currently but I have not finished any this week. That means a whole lot of comics and manga for everyone. 
Tista, Vol. 2 ⭐⭐⭐So my opinion on this series really hasn't changed since the first book. It still has that debut vibe with a lot of everything going on. I feel that the second volume might have been a bit better then the first as it started to focus in on a single story line but this manga is far from an all time great. The second volume gave us the back story of Tista and what put her in this position and the conclusion to the story. Once again things were not really fleshed out and then it just kind of ended. I also feel that there were story elements that were just created in this second volume that was not previously established. It's a rough series for sure. That being said there is some potential here. A good idea buried under all the clutter if you will.
His Majesty the Demon King's Housekeeper Vol. 9 ⭐⭐⭐This series has been far from amazing but it was a nice little dose of cute and cozy fantasy. I loved seeing the budding romance between the leads and it was just a chill little read. This volume though really soured things for me. I feel like the author let the curtain slip and his intentions were put on display. This is all about the blooming relationship between the two MC's. It has been teased throughout the series but I was fine the slower pace of progression. In this one it's like the leads took stupid pills. The female lead suddenly believes that all these feelings are caused by a weird food combination giving her food poisoning. The main male lead then tries to find a cure for this. Everyone else can tell that the two are falling in love but for a variety of reasons are keeping the leads in the dark about their feelings. Then just as things might get resolved (finally) there was a new story arc reveal meaning all of this is going to be tossed on the shelf for later. This book just felt so frustrating and it took me a lot longer then it should have to complete this volume. I just wasn't invested in it. I didn't want to keep reading all this stupid and the blatant delaying tactics. I'm not saying that the romance needs to happen now but this felt like a massive step backwards.
The Graveyard Club: Revenge Game ⭐⭐⭐⭐Ahhhh Mr. R.L. Stine, a bedrock for many horror enthusiast of various generations. Many of us got our introduction to horror through things like Goosebumps, Fear Street, and others. I always have an appreciation for the author for what he has done and there is a certain nostalgic vibe to reading his material. As an adult though, his stuff just doesn't land as hard as it used to. How to explain this. Reading his stuff feels safe, familiar, a visit to common ground. In this one the story is about a group of kids who grow up in a town surrounded by graveyards. Violent acts start happening to our core group of friends and of course the suspect is the town bully and the bully's father who is also a cop/bully as well. In the end it turns out to not be them it's massive spoiler for the ending (view spoiler). This just feels like a story I've read many, many times before. There is nothing here that tries to put a twist on anything. There is no shocking reveal, just a safe journey down an already established path. The author knows the tropes, knows how to use them, but never strays from their established course. It was an alright comic but I'm not sure if I want to read on.
I Married My Female Friend Vol. 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐My next reread in this series as I work my way towards the final book. I really don't have a lot to say about this one. It's just a cozy little story that makes you feel good.
Batman/Elmer Fudd ⭐⭐⭐⭐You read the title correctly. This is indeed a crossover comic starring Elmer Fudd and Batman. Yes, I gave it four stars. I snagged this one originally out of sheer curiosity. How in the hell do you do a cross over comic starring these two characters? Well, the author found a way and it went harder then it had any right to. The story is told in Noir style with Fudd being the one to narrate the story. This of course means everything is narrated in the unique Fudd kind of way. That combo alone made it pretty awesome. Then we have all the guest appearances by other characters from Looney Tunes. Not in their various cartoon formats but in a human version. You recognize them from their iconic lines that are slipped into the story. It's a super short comic so I don't want to spoil anything but basically Fudd and Batman cross paths, duke it out, and then partner up. Honestly this is more of a Fudd comic guest starring Batman but that is getting lost in the weeds. This was just a super short, quick, and overall fun read.
Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees ⭐⭐⭐⭐I had being seeing some chatter about this comic and curiosity led me to picking it up. This was a very wise decision as this comic was an amazing read. It's set in a small town with the MC being a serial killer. They had one important rule, never kill in town. The town is to small and it would raise to much suspicion. So what happens when someone else violates that basic rule and commits a violent murder in town? This is essentially a murder mystery but instead of the MC seeking justice for crimes committed it's about an MC trying to essentially protect their way of life. It's a very well written comic with a surprising amount of gore in it.
Wash It All Away 01 ⭐⭐⭐⭐This is a brand new cozy slice of life series for me and to no ones surprise, I really liked it. This is set in a seaside town called Atami (real place by the way) and the MC is a young woman who runs a small laundry service business. She is the owner and sole employee. She accepts drop offs at her store and does do local pick ups/drop offs if you are close enough to the store. Basically the story is about her running her business and her clients. This was originally written as a small three chapter collection for a magazine. It got so much fan love that the collection was then serialized. In my opinion this is probably the reason why the MC has amnesia and can't remember anything from before two years ago. If it is, it's a clever use of the trope and allows the author to focus on the important bits for that original short stint. Now that it is serialized that amnesia angle can be expanded and explored, or at least I hope it is. We got a small hint to something at the end of this volume and there seems to be several volumes out in Japanese already. I'm here for this series and I'm interested to see where it goes.
Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You, Vol. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐This volume took a series that I really like and made it into a series that I just love. There was a couple moments that really stood out for me. First, was a scene where the older male MC lead didn't really react to his birthday. This led to a discussion about birthdays lose their importance over the years in general but also how this affects men. This felt like one of those moments where the thing you are reading gets a little to real and suddenly you are relating a little to hard to what is being talked about. The other big moment was just seeing their relationship change. This book started out with them as strangers who happened to bump into each other. This brief shared moment gave them some peace each day. They are far from friends but something more then strangers. In this volume that friendship is explored and I just loved how things are expanding between these two characters. I want to see more of them and I want to see where things go.
Now, what is next.
The Crawling Darkness my current audiobook
The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen I'm starting this once I am done posting my update
Secret Servants of the Crown: The Forgotten Women of British Intelligence I'm finishing this one this week
Mod
Good update Gord. Love seeing you enjoy all those comics and manga
Oh I understand that reaction because I pretty much had the same one but it really did work
It has been an odd week but a good week of reading.
The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen ⭐⭐⭐This is another book series in the same vein as Before the Coffee Gets Cold and I am becoming a fan of this little weird subgenre I've stumbled into. It's not like anything else I really read but I love the vibes of the books even if they do hurt me emotionally more often then not. This is a collection of short stories all based around this little restaurant on the beach. Rumors say that if book a reservation, and things work out right, you can have one final meal with someone who has passed on. I love the concept for this one and the stories were good but I also feel that it just didn't have the polish of something like Before the Coffee Gets Cold. The process doesn't seem to have an established rule set as we see by the end of the book which leaves things very open. The stories themselves were emotional but they didn't have that emotional gut punch of other series that I have dabbled in. This was a good entry in this little niche but it needs some more polish. If my library gets more books I will definitely give them a read.
The Crawling Darkness ⭐⭐⭐⭐This volume was such a fun read for me. This book just took the formula from the first two books and gave it something extra. We get a little backstory for the characters. Not a lot, but more then we've seen so far. The ghost of the week felt like a bigger threat and there was more urgency to the hunt. The hunt itself had previous connections to our group of hunters. It felt like there was just a little bit more here. Now there was one other thing that was added that I wasn't a massive fan of and that was the romance. To be clear I didn't hate it, honestly, it was a rather inoffensive romance, and had very little spice. It just felt weirdly out of place and kind of shoehorned into the book. The first two books felt more like mysteries if you will and this felt like the author was trying to shift to more of an urban fantasy vibe which of course has to include a romance. It just felt weird to have the romance bloom while the lead was in the process of hunting down a ghost that is actively trying to hurt/kill people. Priorities is all I'm saying. This also adds to my frustration, if the series continues like this I could see this becoming a fun popcorn read that I could listen to between things or when the mood strikes. Unfortunately there are only two more books available to us out in the wild. The rest of the series, and there are a lot of books, are all locked away in Amazon jail on either Kindle or Audible. I don't blame the author for this but for a library user, this just sucks.
Demons of Eden ⭐⭐⭐Speaking of popcorn reads that I can listen to whenever. The next installment in this series that I have been slowly plugging away at for a while now. It was another action adventure story full of guns, explosions, and sex. There is one thing that I want to touch on though. This book dealt with a lot of Native stuff and the way is was handled was a little yikes. Don't get me wrong, this is far from old cowboy movies of bad but this book pretty much leaned into every stereotype possible. Natives connected to the land and can talk to animals because of primitive religion/magic. Yeah, it went down that path pretty hard. It also leaned really hard into a lot of the psudeoscience mumbo jumbo you hear spouted a lot. Lost technology helping primitive people and all that junk. It would be easy to hate on this book but this is far from a book that should be taken seriously.
Secret Servants of the Crown: The Forgotten Women of British Intelligence ⭐⭐⭐It's taken me a couple cracks with the library but I finally got this nonfiction book done and what a read it was. I'm just going to get this out of the way early. Yes, this is the type of nonfiction book that I am not really a fan of. Not because of the subject matter but because of the endless parade of names, numbers, and dates. It makes sense in a book like this that spans decades and covers the lives of numerous women but man did it make getting through the book a slog to get through. With that aside, I found this book so fascinating. As the title states this book was about women who worked in British Intelligence. It spanned basically the first half of the 20th century with a real focus on WWI and WWII. It touched on the lives of women in all sorts of roles. Those that worked as secretaries to the women who were agents on the front lines setting up resistance networks or actively spying for their nation. These intelligence agencies ran on a back bone of women. Numerous times throughout the book it would mention typist pools going from 30-50 women prewar to hundreds of women during the height of the war. Then there were the women who were secretaries to the heads of these intelligence agencies. Women who knew all the same secrets that their bosses did and spilled none of them. These were the women who took these secrets to their graves. Another thing mentioned in this book is how many of these women would be seen burning letters and photos toward the end of their lives. It was fascinating reading about women working on offices in Moscow, Berlin, etc who were helping people escape, passing on coded messages, gathering information, etc. It's a word I've used a lot here but it was just fascinating. It was also infuriating seeing the actions of men who refused to listen to some of these women simply because they were women. How a lot of these job simply ended after the war because it's a mans world and you are no longer needed here. Even though many of these women were doing a better job than their male counterparts.
Now for the sole manga I read this week
Lady Snowblood, Vol 1: The Deep-Seated Grudge, Part 1 ⭐⭐⭐This is a manga I've had on my radar for a very long time and is written by the same author as Lone Wolf and Cub. This originally came out in the 70's and it feels like a product of it's time. This felt like an old exploitation movie made into a manga. It borrows from things like the revenge movie and the female prisoner movie (yes, that is a movie subgenre). Our main character is an assassin known as Lady Snowblood and each arc is basically here completing one of her jobs. There is a ton of nudity and violence in the story as our female lead using her beauty and body to gain access to her target before murdering everyone. There is also a story arc about her mother and what led her to this life. To sum it up, Japanese history, rape, revenge, blood debt passed from mom to daughter while mom is in prison. This is a solid manga and I can see how it is still around to this day but at the same time I don't feel like it was mind blowing either. That's not just me looking at and judging it with modern knowledge either. It just feels like something from the 70's.
As for what is next.
Paper Cuts my next audiobook
Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery an ebook I am currently working on
After that I haven't made up my mind yet.
Mod
Mod
- 4 Stars. Really liked this one as I really enjoy Jack and Jill as characters. Did feel like it got a little tedious in the middle though, I was ready for the pace to pick up a little.
- 4.5 stars. This is my favourite of the 3 I've read so far. Really enjoyed that we got to see multiple worlds in this one. Would also really like to move to a land made of cake thanks! Also liked that it was a little bit more high stakes than the previous two novellas. I'm really sad that I only own the first 3, I'll definitely be buying the next 2 novellas at the end of the month with my pay.What is next?
I'm currently listening to
which is for my book club tomorrow so aiming to finish it after work this evening. I am about to start
physically.
Mod
How is Fragile Sanctuary? Where the Dark Stands Still looks like a good one.
Mod
How is Fragile Sanctuary? Where the Dark Stands Still looks like a good..."
I'm loving Wayward Children. I want to binge read it, but also want it to last. So my plan is every month buy the next 2 so I can spread them out. Plus with them only being in hardback, they're expensive for novellas.
I'm enjoying Fragile Sanctuary. It's a romantic suspense and I do tend to enjoy the mystery elements of those. At the moment I'm liking that more than the romance. I don't really feel a connection between the characters much but the mystery elements are good.
Mod
Nice that the mystery elements are good. Too bad the romance isn't working so well. I like a good romantic suspense sometimes and agree the mystery elements make or break those books.
Mod
Finished
, I enjoyed it but I didn't love it as much as the first book, I didn't think the plot was as strong as the first book but the characters and their friendship absolutely shine through and that made the book for me. Don't get me wrong, the plot was still fun, but the first book had more like murdery-plotting and this book was more them reacting to situations that happened to them. The flashbacks also didn't work as well for me as in the first book, aside from the final one in Egypt, we didn't really need them for the book to work. It ties up quite nicely but I would absolutely be happy to read more of these characters if Deanna Raybourn ever wanted to write a third book.I'm moving onto one of my most anticipated reads of the year next,
, I'm so excited for this one so I really hope it meets my expectations.
Mod
Hopefully the Schwab book lives up to your expectations Jo!
Mod
, I enjoyed it but I didn't love it as much as the first book, I didn't think the plot was as strong as the first book but the characters and th..."I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the VE Schwab. I absolutely love her. I'm waiting for my special edition of this one to arrive.
Mod
4 stars. I enjoyed this one. YA mystery with good characters even if nobody is quite what they seem and everyone lies. 
2.5stars I didn't really like it? The first 60% is so slow and there's a lot of repetition. Some interesting ideas but needed better editing. Almost DNF'd it many times. Still might read book 2 at some point once its out but in no hurry to do so.
4.5 stars. More dungeon crawler carl! Still loved it but not quite as much as the first three. Still a great ride.
4 stars. Good Emily Henry book. Not my favourite of hers but still a solid read. 
4.5 stars. Fantastic sequel. Loved this duology. If you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for?
3 stars. It was leaving audible plus soon so I read it even though I haven't finished The Four Kingdoms series. This one is a bit younger than that series. Still easy read. Fun take on the 12 dancing princesses.
4 stars. Got a push to read this one from a PIFM, for some reason it wasn't on my tbr already even though I love most of Singh's books. Was a good mystery. 
2.5 stars. It was fine? No interest in continuing. Some intriguing moments but it never got there for me.
4 stars. Such a cute book! Cozy style fantasy with a bit of danger. Half orc and an elf. I liked learning about the island and all the characters. Just a good read and I plan on reading the next one soon.
4 stars
4 stars Still loving this series and where it is taking things post magic.
3.5 stars. Mystery thriller with a 9 year old girl who isn't talking due to the trauma of her nanny's death. 
2ish stars. For a book about a midwife, there wasn't much midwifery happening. This just didn't work for me. 
4 stars. I didn't know what to think going into this and I don't know what it says about me but I really enjoyed listening to it. I plan on reading the sequel next week since it was available right away from the library. Dark romance, not crazy dark but still if that isn't your thing skip this one.
It has been a long week of reading and I have got a lot accomplished this week.
Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery ⭐⭐⭐⭐This is a book that I had recommended to me and one that I've had sitting on hold for what feels like forever. I think this is my third book from this author and again it's a solid book. This was a story set in the late 1600's in a Puritan town in the colonies. I was a little concerned at the start of the story because I had a feeling I knew where things were going to go. The setting, the subject matter, the, what I thought, obvious villain. This book really flipped things on their head though. Yes, it touched on all the subjects that I expected but not in the way that I expected it to be done. I want to get in to details but I don't want to spoil so spoiler wall
(view spoiler)
Overall it was a solid read that both surprised me and delivered on what I expected at the same time. I'm glad I picked this one up and gave it a read.
The Art Thief ⭐⭐⭐Another nonfiction book and there was a part of me that was considering a two star rating for this book. I snagged this one for a challenge because it sounded interesting. It was a story about a modern art thief, Stéphane Breitwieser, who stole a ton of art in the late 90's and early 2000's. I am going to compare this to Secret Servants of the Crown that I recently completed not because they are similar but because of how different these two books were and we are not talking about just the subject matter. Secret Servants felt like a bit of a slog because of just how much information the book was throwing at you. It was a constant flow of names, dates, locations, events, etc. This book also felt like a slog but it felt like that because there was just so little here. Between the formatting of the book itself and the lack of content it just felt like there was a whole lot of nothing here. There were chapters that were a walk through of the heist performed by the thief, there were chapters explaining his childhood and upbringing, and there were chapters explaining his downfall and inevitable capture. This is all expected but it still felt empty. There is still so much we don't know about the story and that is because certain parties involved are not talking about what happened. The story is also padded with exploration of psychological explanations on why the thief might have acted the way he did. The way the author wrote this also makes it feel biased and like it was an effort to paint the thief in a more favorable light. Which is a problem for me because I found the man to be insufferable. Sure, it was interesting to see how he viewed a scene or how he pulled off a heist but when you got into his personal views, his actions, etc he was just an unlikable person for me. Long story short, I didn't hate the book but I really didn't like it either.
Paper Cuts ⭐⭐⭐⭐I just love this series so much. It's a mystery novel that sits in this weird little niche. There are elements of this that feel like a cozy mystery, there are elements that feel like a normal mystery novel, there are elements that feel like it comes from a contemporary fiction novel. All these elements come together into this wonderful blend that is just a fun read. You have some drama, you have some murder, you have some romance, you have some feel good life stories, it's all here. In this one you have elements of our MC's life that she had left behind coming back into her life in a very unexpected way. Namely a low life ex-husband and all that baggage. Just a perfect audiobook for this week.
Now for the manga.
One Piece, Volume 8: I Won't Die ⭐⭐⭐⭐After finishing my nonfiction book this felt like the perfect palette cleanser. This was the end of the Baratie Arc and the start of the Arlong Park Arc which is generally the part of the story that locked a lot of readers into becoming fans of One Piece. I'm just having fun continuing my reread of this series and visiting these old memories.
Dragon Ball (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 12: Includes vols. 34, 35 & 36 ⭐⭐⭐⭐This series never ceases to surprise me with it's abrupt tonal shits and changes in direction. That would normally be a bad thing in many series but in this one it just kind of works. The first probably two thirds of this book is the big fight with Cell. Which did not end in a way that I expected. Again, I have never watched the anime or read the manga so all of this is new to me. Going off of previous story arcs I had a idea where things were going to being heading until all of a sudden it wasn't. All of a sudden the MC just sits out and someone else takes the main stage for the final battle. That was not expected at all. There was also a death at the end that I did not expect. Not that death really carries a whole lot of weight in this series at all. Then the story cuts to Trunks story line in the future tidying up some plot threads and it feels like the series is done. All of a sudden we get a time skip, Gohan is the MC, and we are suddenly doing a high school manga. What? Where did this come from? This high school arc then turns into a tournament arc because why not. I also have to laugh how the entire world just doesn't seem to recognize any of the main cast of the story even though they have world numerous times. Also, I really, really, really feel sorry for the people participating in the tournament. Our boys have been sitting out for years and no one seems to know of them or their abilities. They are going to wipe the floor with the competition and I am here to read that.
Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, Vol. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐Reading this in single volumes I think is a test of my patience and sanity. In the single volume format of this story things are drip fed to you at a glacial pace. Yes, lots of things are happening and happening rather quickly but the actual story is still slowly unfolding. I really want to know where this is all going already. We are getting all these cards, there are cryptic hints at other characters and events happening, but nothing is actually being told to us and it is driving me batty.
Heroine? Saint? No, I'm an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! (Manga) Vol. 3 ⭐⭐⭐No, I'm not going to try to sum up the plot again because this series is madness. I feel like we just sped through the demon king arc and I'm not really sure where we are going next with things. Honestly, there is a part of me that is just waiting for an alien invasion or something at this point.
Cosmos, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐This was a new manga that I snagged from the library and it's an interesting start. Our MC can smell when people are lying to him and is asked to look into a disappearance of a fellow classmate. That is where he discovers that his classmate is an alien and is recruited for a job by a ruthless insurance agent. Yeah, Cosmos is an intergalactic insurance agency who insure aliens who are coming to earth. Aliens are of course a big secret and all that so this agency is everywhere but also doesn't exist. We then get a couple more cases as our MC mulls over whether he actually wants to join or not. There is a lot going on in this first volume and it has caught my interest. I want to read on and see where this madness will go from here.
What is next?
Wicked Fox -My next audiobook
Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear (Light Novel) Vol. 8 -My next novel
After that I have a bunch of manga to get through
Mod
4 stars. I enjoyed th..."I'm so glad you enjoyed Rebel Witch and Forged by Magic. I love those two.
Mod
Mod
Time for another weekly update and this week is heavy on the manga and comics. It's just how things worked out.
Wicked FoxBefore I get into what I did finish this week I figured I'd touch on this one since I said I'd be listening to it this week. I dropped it. Not because of the book so much but because I just was not vibing with the narrator. Just to be clear, I don't think the narrator is bad, in fact I can see their voice working great for other books, but for this one, I just wasn't feeling it. I'm not marking this as DNF as I do want to try giving the book a try but I'll have to read it so it is getting tossed back on to the TBR mountain.
Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear (Light Novel) Vol. 8 ⭐⭐⭐⭐More of Yuna doing bear things in a fantasy world. Pure fluff and I love it.
Now for the comics/manga
Our Teachers are Dating! Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Our Teachers are Dating! Vol. 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Our Teachers Are Dating! Vol. 3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Our Teachers Are Dating! Vol. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐This is a short series and I read them all at once so I am lumping my review all together. This was a series I started a few years back but never finished. I found it my local library and wanted to give it a read. This is a light and fluffy yuri romance with a healthy dose of spice but done in a tasteful way. It's about two young women who started dating and are now working through their relationship. There is no teasing about whether they will be dating or any of that jazz. The book opens with them already dating. This book also doesn't have a lot of the tropes to add drama to a romance manga. Well, they are there but instead of them turning into this huge drama it's an opportunity for our characters to talk and improve their relationship. This series is just pure sugar and it is pumped directly into your system. As for the spice, I figure I should touch on this. There is hand holding, a lot of kissing and hugging, and each volume has a spicy bedroom scene but it doesn't feel pornographic. It's spicy but it still feels light and fluffy at the same time. I don't know if that description makes sense or not. It's more focused on the relationship and the emotions of the characters in the scene then the sex but because it's a manga, nudity.
Flying Witch, Vol. 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐I am slowly working through a reread of this series and I just love the cozy vibes of it. It's a cozy slice of live fantasy manga about a young witch coming of age. We get little scenes from this characters life and it's just fun.
Silver Spoon, Vol. 3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐More slice of life manga. This one is a little less cozy but still not massively high stakes. This one sees the end of summer coming around. Our MC is still working at the farm of another student and learning about life on a farm. We also see the return to the dorms and the start of the new school year. There is a big focus on the MC learning about this new life and the moral struggles that comes with it.
Acception, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐Another WEBTOON Unscrolled comic that I found at my library. This was from the end of my time where I was reading daily on WEBTOON but I remember liking this comic. There is a whole lot of things that are going on in this one. It's about a teenage boy going to a new school. As you can tell from the cover or MC stands out a little shall we say. It's about him trying to fit in, make friends, the usual high school stuff, and some heavier stuff as well. There is trans discussions, bad parents, cancer, etc. It was definitely fun visiting this comic again and I'll be reading these as they come out.
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 21 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐After all the volumes I've posted about do I really need to tell you how awesome this series is? This series is just awesome, there, done, moving on.
The Toxic Avenger ⭐⭐⭐This is a very shaky three star and I feel weird talking about this one. I know of The Toxic Avenger but I've never watched any of the movies. Well, that's not 100% accurate. I was a very young kid, I saw the cartoon cover, and I got my mom to rent one of them. I did not watch the full thing but the scene I saw was burned into my young brain forever. Anyway, back to the book. This is a modern re-imaging of the character but I feel a bit odd. I know nothing of the character as it is so I have no idea if this is good or bad, loyal or completely off base, none of that. What I can say is that this comic felt insanely topical. To the point where it felt rather distracting. Especially because it felt like it was trying to dance this fine line between referencing stuff and mocking stuff. It just felt weird to me. As for the story itself, it was alright. Honestly this entire comic was just kind of meh for me. It's one of those ones that I'll probably forget in about a week or two as I move on to the hundreds of other things I am reading. Maybe you will get more out of it if you are a fan of the franchise but as someone new to this character it really didn't pull me in.
Now, what is next
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking My current audiobook and I am really enjoying this one so far.
Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling (Light Novel) Vol. 2 My next physical novel
Besides those two I have even more manga and comics from the library.
Mod
So much manga! Love that most of it seemed to be really good for you this week Gord.
Yeah, outside of The Toxic Avenger it was a real solid weekend of manga reading
Mod
Finish:
Audio:
Ebook:
Physical
and
Some of these:
Already finished
As you can see I have way too many choices this month but meh what can ya do.
This has been another busy week of reading for me. Apologies in advance. I found myself in a mood while typing this up. My commentary is basically "book good, me like". 
Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling (Light Novel) Vol. 2 ⭐⭐⭐This is a hard one to talk about as there isn't a whole lot to say. It's a light novel fantasy. You have stat points, level ups, etc. If you've read anything like this then you know what to expect. It's a solid book and a fun read.
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking ⭐⭐⭐⭐After Wicked Fox last week I was in a bit of a funk when it came to audiobooks. I had no idea what I wanted to listen to next and nothing on my list was speaking to me. I had this one recommended to me and it sounded interesting. I'm really glad I picked this one up as it was a great read. It's a coming of age story involving magic and saving a kingdom. The MC is a young girl named Mona who has the magic ability to control bread. In her mind her magic is a minor ability, she doesn't have the same power as the great mages in the army that can hurl fireballs or call down lightning. Over the course of the book she learns that it's more about how you use the power then what the power itself really is. Like I said, it was a solid book with great characters and a great story.
Now for all the manga
Case Closed, Vol. 4 ⭐⭐⭐The series finally glanced off the overarching story, kind of, sort of, before completely ignoring it once again. This one had three cases in it and yeah it's what you would expect from this series. Mystery happens, Conan gets involved, all the adults look like buffoons, he solves the case. It was a fun read.
Yowamushi Pedal Omnibus, Vol. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐It's series like this that really helps me understand the "hype" around sports manga/anime. It's hard not to get sucked into the hype and the series is really good at laying stakes and setting up emotions. Without spoilers there is a race coming up and it's a rematch of the previous year. The other school is the most elite of the elite and our school is the underdog, of course. The set up doesn't end there. There are connecting story lines between some of the members on the teams. Some are friendship and the thrill of riding/competition. Then the one that is set up here is a reveal of a secret that happened during the race last year. It makes this race very personal for one of the riders and basically a grudge match. It's all tropes we recognize but the author does a great job setting them up and as the reader you are there for the excitement.
Interviews with Monster Girls, Vol. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐More slice of life about monster girls doing their thing. Fun read, looking forward to the next one.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 4—Diamond Is Unbreakable, Vol. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐With the fourth volume in this series I'm really getting a better feeling for this series. There is an overarching story but it's not really the main driver. This feels like more of an anthology series of loosely interconnected stories. That's what we get with these volumes, a series of different adventures that just happen to have the same characters and set in the same town. My personal favorite was the one involving Jotaro and Josuke are tracking down a rat that has developed a Stand. Yeah, that is the level of weird we are dealing with here. This entire franchise has always dabbled in body horror but this story really leaned into it I felt. Combine that with the sheer absurdity of what was happening and it was just a fun read.
Motherlover ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐I have to be really careful talking about this one as this is a new release and I don't want to spoil anything but I also want to gush a bit. This was a random snag from the library and it wasn't until later when my hype started to grow for it. I'll just get this out of the way, this was an amazing read and the kind of romance that I enjoy. It's sweet, it takes its time to unfold, neither character is perfect and have their own issues, it just works for me. Combine that with two interesting leads and this book just fires on all cylinders. I don't normally recommend a lot of books but this is one that I strongly recommend if you enjoy sapphic romances and graphic novels.
What is next?
Grave Wrong - My current audiobook and it's alright. I have thoughts, but I'll wait until I finish this before saying anything
Patient Zero - My next audiobook
Reincarnated as a Sword (Light Novel) Vol. 2 - My current physical book
After that I have a bunch more manga and comics to get through.
Mod
Mod
4⭐Took a little to get into. A take on The Last Kingdom in China. Metal magic from the invaders, Qi practitioners from the locals. Good book, I have the sequel loaded and ready to go.
3.5⭐ novellas and short stories in the Inheritance Games world. It was fun.
3.5 ⭐interesting look into punk rock star Deryck Whibley's life. Neat to see fame from a Canadian lens. The grooming and other things that happened to him are awful. Listening to the book was cool as he narrates it and when song lyrics come up he sings them acoustically which was a fun addition. Knowing where some of those lyrics came from hits pretty hard also. I'd have appreciated some accountability on his part and not just a bit of a woe is me everyone is upset mentality. 
3.5⭐I never did go back and write a review for this one. It was alright, there were some pacing issues. I liked the setting and the Slavic myth. I'm a fan of sentient houses so that was fun too. I did like the ending though, its a bit open ended but it worked. 
1⭐ and even that feels too high. I enjoyed the first 3 books in this series. I hated this one and should have quit it but kept expecting it to get better. The main lead is all the worst parts of tropes put together. I have a ranting review up read that if you want more.
4⭐More Cherry Magic and we get some of it from Kurosawa's pov which was really good. I love how their relationship continues to move forward and how things aren't perfect but they work on it all together. Just so good.
4⭐ I liked this just as much as the first one. I get the issues people had with it but it worked for me. Yes there could have been more relationship building, oh well. Lauren is a sex worker and proud of it. She's fighting to make it safer for all in the community and advocates hard for that which I respect. Plus her found family is wonderful. Loved the dual narration for this.
3ish⭐I'd have liked more answers on what everything was, how things work, really everything. Cool idea for a book just wasn't fleshed out enough.
4.5⭐only reason this doesn't get a true 5 star is that it took me a bit to get settled into the story. Its a different take on the hardships placed on women in the 1960s. It's hard to explain why it was so good. Just read it.
3.5 ⭐read this since it is leaving audible plus right away and then jumped into book 2 for the same reason. It was a fun read. UF with a heroine finishing the last of her detective training when she is put into supe squad for her last placement. She's murdered and then comes back to life 12 hours later and has no idea how or why. Now she needs to solve her own murder and figure out the disappearances going on around her.
Finished
, I liked it fine but it's not my fave Schwab book ever, it took ages for me to really get into the story though I did like the characters: I think part of my issue was that I liked the narrators for Alice and Lottie a lot more than Sabine and the book was very top heavy with Sabine chapters so that definitely detracted from my enjoyment somewhat, I noticed I was enjoying it a lot more when the chapters swapped to being mainly Charlotte and Alice. It's not even that I didn't like Sabine as a character, I thought she was a great villain, I just wish that the third narrator had been someone different. I also would have liked the three characters to connect more, it takes ages for them to overlap and even then we never get all three together. I definitely think this fell slightly into the too much vibes not enough plot for me and at eighteen hours, the audiobook did feel little overly long for the amount of plot it had. Also the end was kind of disappointing? I was expecting a bang of a finale and it was more of a whimper. Not a bad book by any means, but not my favourite Schwab.Next up I'm switching gears for hopefully a fun pacey crime novel and going with
. I liked to swap between a lengthy and a shorter audiobook so after the behemoth that was Bones, I'm going for a quick one next! I've heard really good things about this one, so I'm excited.
Mod
Brittany wrote: "Everyone in my family was a fun read. The audio was pretty good too. The series amuses me."I am enjoying it so far and I find the protagonist amusing but I think the meta style is going to become slightly wearing: I don't need to know everything that is going to happen before it happens!
I'm weirdly caught up on my library pile this week. Before my library run this afternoon I only have two physical books left on my table. I think I need to put some more holds in.
Grave Wrong ⭐⭐⭐This kept popping up in my recommended feed since I started buddy reading Ellie Jordan so I finally caved and gave it a shot. After reading this volume I can say that this was meh. It wasn't a bad book, it did nothing wrong, but it also wasn't an amazing book either. It showed up, told the story it was expected to, and then went home. On paper this series sounds similar to Ellie Jordan, young female lead hunts ghosts, but the execution of the story makes them vastly different. Ellie Jordan, at least from what I've read so far, presents as very horror/mystery forward with a sprinkle of UF. This series is UF forward with a slight sprinkle of horror/mystery. This book has all the tropes and expected story beats of any UF you would read. Right down to the MC having two hot buff guys to choose from with one of them coming in the slightly more bad boy variety. Here is the positive things I can say about the book. This book was aware of the UF story beats that it needed to hit but it didn't fall into a lot of the negative ones I've seen. Yes, our female lead is a street smart toughie but she isn't that over the top bitchy to everyone around her female lead we can sometime see. We have two pieces of muscled male meat for our MC but they actually get some story outside of muscles. Also, none of them fall into the alpha male douche canoe trope either. It's a novel that has the basics done well. It just never feels like it elevates itself to anything more then just another UF novel. I don't think I'll be continuing on with this story though.
Reincarnated as a Sword (Light Novel) Vol. 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐The second volume of this reread and more great adventures with Fran and Teacher. This sees them wrapping up their adventures in the opening town and them moving on to the second location. Along the way they find an undead dungeon and get a massive level up. Oh and we are introduced to Jet. Just more fun reading.
Now for the manga and comics
Enola Holmes: The Graphic Novels: The Case of the Missing Marquess, The Case of the Left-Handed Lady, and The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets ⭐⭐⭐
Enola Holmes: The Graphic Novels: The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan, The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline, and The Case of Baker Street Station ⭐⭐⭐I needed the second book for a challenge and I wasn't just going to read the second one without reading the first one. I also read some of the novels way, way back in the day. For those that don't know about Enola Holmes she is the younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft. A much, much younger sister of them. She is 14 and a smart young girl but doesn't have the training of Sherlock. She solves mysteries by using women's knowledge. Things like flower language, fan language (I didn't know this was a thing but it makes sense), social standings for women, women's fashion, etc. I had fun reading this but at the same time I wasn't hyped for it either. I'm not sure if it's just the format or not. After reading this I do want to circle back and check out the novels again though.
I Married My Female Friend Vol. 3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐The next book in my reread of this series and now I have one more book.
Morgana and Oz, Vol. 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐The next book in this Webtoon comic and we get a bunch more exposition and story. I dig where this is going and I am here for more.
My Kitten is a Picky Eater Vol. 3 ⭐⭐⭐The next volume in this laid back slice of life about life with a kitty. Cute, fun, and wholesome.
Dandadan, Vol. 3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐I feel this volume captures the essence of Dandadan in a nutshell. You start with the conclusion of a story line that will have you reduced to tears. Then you have some over the top comedy. Followed by the sheer weirdness of the next story line where you have the aliens back looking for bananas (nope, not going to explain that one). This is everything I enjoy about this series in one volume.
What's next?
Patient Zero This is my current audiobook and oh boy I have thoughts
Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody, (Light Novel) Vol. 4 my next physical novel
Mod
Well done on catching up on your library pile though! Lots of manga fun :)
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)
More...
