Best and Worst Reads of 2018

I have been thinking about how I wanted to do this. Every year I have a surge of posts in December. The final wrap up, thoughts, goals for next year, and of course this. The best and worst reads for me for the year. I think I will do the same thing I did last year. My five worst and my ten best. I have to take a little and think about what books are going on the list. There are a few obvious ones.

I will start with my five worst books of the year, get those out of the way and then move on to the ten best that I have. They are, of course, in no particular order, just how I happened to come across them.


1. Hummingbirds by Daniel Lipari - This book was just a waste of time. I understand what they were trying to do when they made the little book series, but seriously it did not do a good job of it. There are so many types of hummingbird in the world (mostly the southern hemisphere) that even a fully trade sized 150-odd page book would not have been enough space to fill it. I just found the book to be a perfect waste of time and space.

2. My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara - Another weird childrens' book that was not at all what I thought it was going to be. I had checked it out in the school library a few times and must not have been remembering the right story when I asked for it for....Easter 2018? Christmas 2017? I don't remember off hand. Any way this lovely story I was expecting about a horse and his boy turned out to be garbage about a spoiled kid who didn't do anything his was told to do by his parents and they still gave him what he wanted. His dad thought it would teach him responsibility, but it really just taught him that even if he misbehaved he could still be rewarded. Bad bad bad.

3. Slaughter by James Beltz - It wasn't even that it was bad, it was just boring. The fight scenes read like he was watching a Liam Neeson film while writing and literally just wrote down what he was looking at. Over done to death. Not my cup of tea and likely not an author I am going to read again.

4. Shen of the Sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman - I'm sorry, even if he just compiled them, I don't understand seeing an English name on a book of Chinese fairy stories (even for children). The stories were passable, but clearly made for less intelligent children. I didn't much care for them and will definitely NOT be rereading this one.

5. Butterflies by Diana Ajjan - I didn't like this one either. It was another of the small books like the hummingbird one. Though it did somehow manage to cover more than the hummingbird book, it still didn't cover enough. I am glad I got them for $0.25 each.


Now for the top ten (in no order) books I read in 2018~ This does not include any manga that I've read, I rate nearly all of them 5/5 stars so it's sort of unfair. Anyway, for the list:


1. Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman - Definitely top of the favorite list. I loved the way each story was it's own little world and concise in them. My favorite (obviously) was the Sherlock Holmes short but they were all good in their own right. I may either buy or borrow this to read it again.

2. Of Dice & Men by David M. Ewalt - I play Pathfinder with my friends, which is the slightly dumbed down version of Dungeons & Dragons (not nice, but accurate) and I found this on sale on Book Outlet and needed it. I love how he interspersed the history of the game from it's very concept and GreyHawk with himself playing the game at various conventions. Worth the re-read if I ever relocate my copy.

3. A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro - I love Sherlock Holmes, and no not just the Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock by the BBC, I love the original stories as well. So when I heard about this being a series coming out about the descendants of Holmes (famously asexual) and Watson (possibly gay, he frequented what amounted to a 1890s gay bar), I just had to read it. I love how she made Jamie very intelligent and not just Holmes's sidekick. He actually was smart in his own way and helped her figure out clues. I will be continuing this series definitely!! I hear a new volume is coming out in 2019 and I will get my hands on it.

4. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli - How could I not love this? How could anybody not love this? It's a very good book about being proud of who you are and the way you were made and not letting anybody else dictate how you should live your life. I did figure out really easily who Blue was, but I also (see above) am a fan of Sherlock Holmes, so I read a lot about solving mysteries. I will leave it unknown for those of you who want to read the book and haven't watched the film yet.

5. Still Alice by Lisa Genova - This book is about a woman who is diagnosed with EOA or Early-Onset Alzheimer's, a form of dementia that strikes people around age fifty. She doesn't want to believe she has it at first until she starts to lose some of her memories and language skills. One of the biggest symptoms of EOA is the sudden loss of words. She eventually comes to terms with this and learns (sort of) that she will be in good hands with her care givers. I work in a secure dementia ward and it was interesting to see the parallels of someone actually with dementia as well as it could be related as there is no way we would ever truly know what is happening in the mind of someone with the disease.

6. Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini - This follows a young girl who accidentally finds herself in an alternate universe version of Salem after wishing hard to just get away. She finds out that instead of science, magic prospered and that the world view didn't shift very much out of the olde English version of Salem. She ends up going up against that universe's version of herself and trying to stop her from doing some pretty bad things. It was very well written and I was nearly on the edge of my seat wondering if Lily would be mistaken for Lilith every time someone new came around. I could have done without the romance part of it, but I understand why it was there. It's just weird for an asexual to read about romance. This one goes on the list of potential rereads.

7. From Holmes to Sherlock by Mattias Boström - One of the two nonfiction that ended up here, this book is sort of a biography of Arthur Conan Doyle and sort of a biography of Sherlock Holmes. It talks about the life of the author and how he came up with the idea of Holmes, his vexations with the detective and how Sherlock Holmes has lived on decades after the death of the original author. I love Sherlock Holmes. I have multiple copies of the books, some in languages I cannot read, comics, magazines about him, figurines, even some plaques and pillows that people wouldn't guess were fandom related (they are bees because he started an apiary after he retired. It took me a bit to read it because it was so big, but I loved every minute of it. Boström is a great author. I liked the stories.

8. The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland - A linguist gets roped into making a time machine and breaking a lot of obscure laws in the process, nearly tearing apart time and space as we know it in the process. It was a fun and wild ride that some how had naked Vikings ransacking a Walmart. Oh if only I could have seen that. This is definitely a book I would love to see turned into a movie. Though I bet they would cut out the Vikings part. Oh well. People really should read this one and just try to imagine what it would be like if we actually had that technology at our finger tips. I think if I could go back to a different strand and do anything....I would prevent the burning of the Library at Alexandria.

9. Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett - Girl in online relationship with boy. Girl moves in with father in same city as boy. Girl meets boy and has no idea?! This one was definitely different. I don't really read YA contemporaries, and I have no clue why I picked it up and thought I would like it, but I did. I get why she didn't associate Porter with Alex. They have two entirely different personalities, and I'm pretty sure I know which one is the fake one. I loved the story and the way it was told. I think Porter figured out that she was the girl from the chat room right away, her personality in both is the same. That said, it was worth the read to figure out this sort of thing.

10. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz - Susan Ryeland is an editor for Cloverleaf books responsible for editing the books by famed mystery writer Alan Conway. They get his book in the post and she reads it. How was she supposed to know what would happen after she did. We read a brief introduction by her and then we actually get to read Conway's book. I figured out who the killer was both times, but not why it was done. They gave us the how right off. I mean, they investigate the crime(s). I enjoyed this one very much and plan to read more by Horowitz when the new year starts.


That is my top best and worst books of 2018. I am fairly surprised that this year yielded 0 1-star books. I'm hoping for a great run next year, maybe even nothing but 3+ star ratings! Until then, see you next time!!

Top 5 Wednesday: Books You Didn't Get to in 2018

I'm not entirely sure what this topic means...the tag line is: "Discuss the books you didn't quite get around to this year but are at the top of your list for 2019!" I assume that means we are to pick more or less a 5-book TBR for next year? I guess....anyway, I just picked five books that are on my shelves that looked good that I didn't pick up this year. I'm a mood reader so I don't really do TBRs. Hmmm....well....let's see what the future holds!

1. The Magicians by Lev Grossman - I bought this for myself as part of the trilogy a few weeks (read: months) ago and I never actually got to it. I've seen a good amount of the series and I wanted to read the source material for the television series to see how closely they put it with the original works. Plus it comes off as like college for Harry Potter.

2. A List of Cages by Robin Roe - Someone somewhere was talking about this on BookTube and when I saw it on sale at Walmart, I just had to had to have it. I remembered the plot being about two boys and their relationship. One has a minor developmental issue, and the other is definitely a sad boy. They have a shared history and it just looked like a very interesting read.

3. The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco - I like weird things. I also really need to watch less BookTube. I see these books that are being talked about and if they are interesting, I write them down in a notebook that I then carry with me to the bookstore. If I see the book on my list at the bookstore, I have a terrible habit of buying it.

4. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - I have had this book for a year or better (I can't remember) and I think I started it once, made it to maybe page five, and then put it down and didn't pick it up again. I know! I know! I have problems. Anyway, this is another one that I want to get to some time in 2019, so it's going on the list for this week's T5W.

5. The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom by John Pomfret - I have an obsession with China lately and this is a nonfiction book about the history of China and America and their relations with each other. During Empress Cixi's reign, China opened it's doors to the other major world powers, America among them, and began sending her countrymen out to learn and study abroad. Hopefully I can learn something really good from this particular book. I bought it late in the year with the goal of starting it right away and ended up starting something else instead. Let's read this one in 2019. 

Top 5 Wednesday: Most Anticipated 2019 Releases

I sort of forgot that I used to do the T5W posts, so I figured I would hop back in now with the 19th and work my way forward from there. Let's see what we have for this week. It's the top five books we are the most excited for in 2019. I don't normally do the new releases unless they're for someone else. The most recent “new” release I bought was a book for my mother for Christmas because it is by her favorite author and it came out in October. Does that count?

Let's see what I can come up with for the books I am excited for in 2019!!

1. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon – I absolutely loved the Mime Order series (I don't remember the series name and kind of think it may have been Mime Order) and when my friend went off to Book Con or whatever she did, she got the arc or it and showed me. I was very excited to see that there was a new Samantha Shannon book coming out. I really really enjoyed the previous books and I am looking forward to finding a copy of this to read when it comes out next year.

2. Doors of Stone by Patrick Rothfuss – I know it's a stretch that we will even get it, but it's on the list of 2019 releases. I'm not even really excited for myself to get my hands on this, I'm excited for a friend who doesn't read much and actually read both of the previous books in the series. If Doors of Stone actually does come out in 2019 like it says it will, I'll probably get it for my bestie, KS, as a just because present.

3. Bone Season #4 by Samantha Shannon – As yet unnamed (and it turns out the series is called Bone Season!), this book is definitely on my list. I think I may even get myself the three preceding books, Bone Season, Mime Order, and The Song Rising before this one comes out and re-read them. I read them before and I love them.

4. A Question of Holmes by Brittany Cavallaro – I love Sherlock Holmes. I loved A Study in Charlotte. I own (but haven't read) The Last of August and A Case for Jamie, but that won't stop me from buying the fourth Charlotte Holmes book. I love the way the characters interact with each other. Even though they didn't want anything to do with each other or their shared family history, they still end up getting along and being friends. It's an interesting dynamic that I am excited to read more of (eventually….)

5. Gumiho by Kat Cho – I can explain! I know this one is super random. Everything else on this list are books by authors I've already read or have books by them, and then this one. A dark horse coming up to end the list. I have been a huge fan of a lot of Asian or Asian inspired books. My friends are all into Korea and Korean things. So this book on the list of books coming out next year has definitely flagged my attention. I roleplay as kitsune a lot in tabletop games, I roleplay in chat form as people interacting with nine-tailed foxes all the time, and in general I love this kind of thing, so this book seems perfectly up my alley for books to read.

November Haul/Wrap Up & December TBR

I figure that I will start doing both things at the same time. I will only list the books I bought in the month with a synopsis because I usually just buy because pretty. I rarely have any reasoning...

With no further adieu, let's begin with November's Haul. They are in no particular order, I put them in the list as I remember them.

November Book Haul

1. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan - When New Yorker Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home and quality time with the man she hopes to marry. But Nick has failed to give his girlfriend a few key details. One, that his childhood home looks like a palace; two, that he grew up riding in more private planes than cars; and three, that he just happens to be the country’s most eligible bachelor. On Nick’s arm, Rachel may as well have a target on her back the second she steps off the plane, and soon, her relaxed vacation turns into an obstacle course of old money, new money, nosy relatives, and scheming social climbers.

2. Ikigai by Yukari Mitsuhashi - Ikigai is a traditional Japanese concept that embodies happiness in living. It is, essentially, the reason that you get up in the morning. This book is about finding your ikigai - identifying your purpose or passion and using this knowledge to achieve greater happiness in your life. Your ikigai doesn't have to be some grand ambition or highly noble life's purpose - it can be something simple and humble, like tending your garden or walking your dog. Having grown up in Japan, Yukari Mitsuhashi understands first hand what ikigai means to Japanese people. Now living in Los Angeles, she has written this book to introduce the traditional concept to a new audience. This is not a 'one size fits all' book. Instead, Ikigai encourages you to look at the details of your life and appreciate the everyday moments as you learn to identify your own personal ikigai. The book includes case studies from a range of people sharing their ikigai, from university lecturers and writers to doctors. With its refreshingly simple philosophy and liberating concepts, this beautifully presented book will be a guide you will return to again and again.

3. Attack on Titan v7 by Hajime Isayama - TURNING ON THEIR OWN! The Survey Corps sets a cunning trap to capture the mysterious Abnormal Titan that broke through their ranks. As Armin tries to determine the grotesque creature's identity and purpose, scouts report Titans closing in on all sides! But they don't seem to be after the humans - instead they're targeting the Titan!

4. Attack on Titan v8 by Hajime Isayama - BLOOD ON HIS HANDS, the expedition outside the wall was Eren's chance to prove himself. But it failed, and the female Titan is free once more! With his squad dead, Eren faces a royal summons. Will Mikasa and Armin have to betray their king to save their friend? And can they discover the female Titan's identity before she kills again?

5. Kiss Him Not Me v2 by Junko - Hi there! It's Kae again. When I go to school every day, it feels like I’m walking into a real life dating game. Four of the hottest guys in my school are with me everywhere I go! The school festival is coming up and I’ve been put in charge of making the boys outfits for a cosplay café. Do you know what this means? That’s right, I get to see them all in costume! I have lived for this day, and this day alone. I’m brimming with excitement to go full-throttle fujoshi on those boys! But wait! Last night before the festival, Igarashi-kun was acting kind of weird, wasn’t he? And now, it’s the day of the event and crazy things keep happening to me with these four beautiful boys! My heart won’t stop pounding! This is way too real for me. I want to go back to my fantasies!!

6. Kiss Him Not Me v3 by Junko - Hi there! It's Kae again. Recently I made a new friend. Her name is Shima, and she's the most handsome girl I've ever met in my life! ...And guess what else? She also happens to be one of my favorite doujin authors ever! I mean, how much cooler can you get? But it doesn't stop there--she invited me over to her house and the most unbelievable thing happened!! It looks like the boys have some tough competition. Let's see if they can keep up...

7. The Seven Deadly Sins v1 by Nakaba Suzuki - When they were accused of trying to overthrow the monarchy, the feared warriors the Seven Deadly Sins were sent into exile. Princess Elizabeth discovers the truth - the Sins were framed by the king's guard, the Holy Knights - too late to prevent them from assassinating her father and seizing the throne! Now the princess is on the run, seeking the Sins to help her reclaim the kingdom. But the first Sin she meets, Meliodas, is a little innkeeper with a talking pig. He doesn't even have a real sword! Have the legends of the Sins' strength been exaggerated...?

8. The Seven Deadly Sins v2 by Nakaba Suzuki - To save her kingdom, Princess Elizabeth has pinned her last hope on the infamous traitors, “The Seven Deadly Sins” and has set out on a journey with Meliodas—the Dragon Sin of Wrath—to seek out the rest of his fellow knights and former friends. Deep within an uninviting forest they find Diane, the Serpent Sin of Envy. Before they can celebrate their reunion, they must deal with an attack from Gilthunder, an electrifying Holy Knight!

9. Fairy Tail v2 by Hiro Mashima - Beautiful celestial wizard Lucy has teamed up with the crazy fire wizard Natsu and his bizarre flying cat, Happy. Their job: to steal a book from the notorious Duke Everlue. But the eccentric Everlue has killed wizards before, and Lucy’s team is walking right into his death trap!

10. Fairy Tail v3 by Hiro Mashima - The evil members of the Dark Guild Eisenwald have found a cursed flute that can murder anyone who hears its music–and now they’ve taken over a midtown train station with a very loud public address system. Only Natsu and his crazy friends (including a flying cat) can stop them!

November Wrap Up

1. Seven Deadly Sins v1 by Nakaba Suzuki - 5/5, I adored this manga. I had seen the anime a while ago and recently rewatched it and when I saw it on the shelf at Books-a-Million (my local BN is closed for repair after a tornado), I had to read it. I love how oblivious they all can be at certain moments. Like when Elizabeth asks him his name and he nonchalantly says "Meliodas" and is somehow goes in one ear and right back out the other that she was looking at that Meliodas. She didn't figure it out until she saw the tattoo on his shoulder. How silly can a person be?

2. Seven Deadly Sins v2 by Nakaba Suzuki - 5/5, Holy god. This one introduces my favorite character in the entire show. I love Ban the Undead. I have think it's his extremely arrogant nature, that just air of him knowing he's better than you that draws my attention to him. Anyway. I loved the way they introduced us to Diane and Ban. Elizabeth is getting a bit smarter, and we see just how powerful Meliodas is (currently). I am looking forward to reading the next few volumes in the series. 

3. Kiss Him, Not Me v2 by Junko - 5/5, I love the art and the series from what I watched on television not that long ago. She's just like me in that she ships boys together, real and fake, it was just perfect. I love how the story takes place after she starved herself pretty. That part was definitely unbelievable. There is no way starving oneself for six days is going to make one that pretty. Pretty enough that four boys will fight over her? I'm pretty sure that one is incredibly oblivious, too. He has no idea what's going on.

4. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis - 4/5, my review from last year hasn't changed much at all since I read the book last year. Picked up the book as part of a read-along for the Dragon's Den Reading Group on Instagram and was just not into it this year around. Maybe it's knowing what I do now about the series and the way it ends that makes it different. I doubt I would read this again. 

December To-Be-Read

1) The Hunger Games by Susanne Collins

2) Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

3) Queen of the Star Pirates by Stephen Landis

4) Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley 

5) The Sherlockian by Graham Moore

6) To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

7) A Court of Thrones and Roses by Sarah J Maas

8) A Conspiracy of Paper by David Liss

9) Ikigai by Yukari Mitsuhashi 

10) Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en 

11) IT by Stephen King

12) The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

I know I won't get to all (or likely even half) of this list, but even if I don't, that's still okay with me. I surpassed my total goal for the year so there's not really that much that I need to read. It's all for pleasure now. Maybe I'll start reading the ebooks again. 

With that, I conclude my Wrap Up & TBR list this time.

Currently Reading: 02 August to 11 August 2018

Currently Reading

- My Several Worlds by Pearl S. Buck (01%)
- IT by Stephen King (06%)
- Queen of the Star Pirates by Stephen Landis (06%)
- The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland (09%)

- Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en (14%)

- The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (39%)

* * *

The library in fact did have a copy and I've already finished The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King, and this girl did not love that book. It was tedious in a lot of places. The baseball parts are only good if you should happen to like baseball, which I do not. I am not a fan over all. I think I rated this 3/5 stars, but may change my mind and put it at 2/5. Why is it that every single King book I read goes quickly and is dull to me? Why?

I'm up to 52/50 (102%) of my 2018 reading goal and I finished my first book for August on the 4th. I am deciding if I want to do straight 5 books a month til the end of the year, ending me at 76/50 (152%) or continue with 8-12 books per month, leaving me with anywhere from 91/50 (182%) to 112/50 (224%). Hey, if I manage 112 books this year I will be amazed! I will also have read more than my goal from last year (originally it was 100 books and I finished with 86-ish). 

Currently Reading: 12 August to 05 September 2018

Currently Reading

- Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley (01%)
- IT by Stephen King (06%)
- Queen of the Star Pirates by Stephen Landis (06%)

- Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en (14%)

- The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (39%)

* * *

I'm so sorry that I've been taking a long time between posts. I just get distracted by other things and forget to type up the things every other Saturday morning. I'm sorry and I'll try my damnedest to rectify it. Definitely marking it in my day-planner!!!

Somehow, I had thought I was reading more than that. Apparently not. This is what I get for deciding that I want to finish my big books before the end of the year. I have a total of 4,890 pages to read in physical books, and there are only four physical! Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en is 2,436 pages long all together in four volumes. Of course it doesn't start the page count over again. It just continues from wherever it was in the previous book. Volume 2 for example, picks up at page 587, which would simply be the next page in the sequence. Huh. Interesting.

I think instead of a wrap up or book haul for August (because for one, I have no idea how many books I bought) I will just put my final list of books I've read and their ratings here along with the list of books that I plan to read during the month of September.

August Wrap-Up List

1) The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King - 3/5

2) Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi - 4/5

3) Firebug by Marianne Mitchell - 3/5

4) Attack on Titan v1 by Hajime Isayama -5/5

5) Kiss Him, Not Me v1 by Junko - 5/5

6) Attack on Titan v2 by Hajime Isayama - 5/5

7) Fairy Tail v1 by Hiro Mashima - 5/5

8) Bungo Stray Dogs v1 by Kafka Asagiri - 5/5

9) Attack on Titan v3 by Hajime Isayama - 5/5

10) Attack on Titan v4 by Hajime Isayama - 5/5

September To Be Read

1) The Hunger Games by Susanne Collins

2) Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett (✓)

3) The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide by Douglas Adams

4) Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley 

5) The Sherlockian by Graham Moore

6) The Great Game by Mark Gatiss

7) A Court of Thrones and Roses by Sarah J Maas

8) A Conspiracy of Paper by David Liss

9) The Rise and Fall of DODO by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland (✓)

10) Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en 

11) IT by Stephen King

12) The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Over the weekend of the 25th of August, they finally replaced my library door with an actual door instead of an old re-purposed folding door. It made me very happy to have a library door actually in the hallway instead of a smaller door inside the weight room. I call it my "don't get punched in the face door" because my father has a weight room set up in the basement and just on the other side of the door there is a heavy bag. He's profoundly hearing impaired, which means, even if I did knock on the door, he wouldn't hear it. With my new external library door, I don't have to worry! I can go in and out as much as I want and he won't accidentally hit me in the face.

I decided that I was going to start picking books and just reading them until I was finished. Which means, as of 02 September, I am finished with The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland as well as DeathNote: Confluence by Tsugumi Ohba and Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett. Neither of those two made it to the Currently Reading list. Yeah. That was interesting.

So far in the year, I've managed to hit 64/50 books (128%) of my goal. I think I'm doing great! I missed 2016's 100-book goal, only got 86/100 done. That was more than I've ever read in a year before, but not enough for the goal. Oh well. I think If I can hit 75+ this year, I might add to my goal for next year. I am definitely enjoying the books that I read so far. I'm not going to increase my goal. Once I set it that's it. It's set. I think a standard of 50 books a year is good.

That will be all for this update duckies. I will see you in the next one, two weeks from now!!

July 2018 Wrap Up

So in July I rolled the die to see how many books I would read and it came up with 8. I actually read 11, which put me for a total of 51/50 for the year so far! During the month there was also the Biannual Bibliothon, which I only read two books of, so we're not going to bother with a separate post for that. Let's get to the wrap up then!

Book #1: A Study in Pink by Steven Moffat

Sherlock Manga - printed in English in the US for the first time! Adapting the episodes of the smash-hit TV series starring worldwide superstars Benedict Cumberbatch (upcoming"Doctor Strange") and Martin Freeman ("The Hobbit"). Holmes and Watson tackle brain-teasing crimes in modern-day London in this stunning Manga, presented in its original right-to-left reading order, and in the full chapters as originally serialized! Meet Holmes and Watson for the first time... all over again!"

I am obsessed. Everyone knows this. I went to Books-a-Million (a new favorite store) with my friends and while I was off in the ladies' room, my bestie discovered this book and the next one in the comic section and put them in my cart. I want to know why they weren't in the manga section as they are literally manga, but that is entirely beside the point I suppose. I loved the way it followed the episode line for line. The only issue that I actually have is that the artist drew John's nose far too bulbous. Martin Freeman's nose is not nearly that large. It sort of ruined the art for me when he was in the screen. 5/5 stars though for the way they drew Sherlock and the story-line itself. I am so happy I picked it up. 

Book #2: The Blind Banker by Steve Thompson

Manga adaptation of the second Sherlock BBC episode - printed in English in the US for the first time! Holmes and Watson tackle brain-teasing crimes in modern-day London in this stunning Manga, presented in its original right-to-left reading order, and in the full chapters as originally serialized! Meet Holmes and Watson for the first time... all over again! 

This was the first book that she stuck into the cart, not realizing that it was the second book in the series. I knew as much because I've seen the entire series at least four or five times total, so I sort of remember the titles of the episodes of series one in order (next is The Great Game). I loved the way they stuck true to the episode once again. John's nose is still too big for my tastes, but I have learned to get over it in favor of reading the story and enjoying myself. I loved how they added a scene for Sherlock in Soo Lin's house. Not a big one, but a little bit of line to help the plot where there wasn't any (that I recall) in the episode. I am excited to get my hands on The Great Game when it makes its way here from wherever it is.

Book #3: Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Great Detective by Charlotte Montague

During his lifetime, writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was involved in many public feuds. He argued with Irish writer George Bernard Shaw, over the sinking of the Titanic and fell out with American magician, Harry Houdini, over the trickery of spiritualist mediums. But the life-long feud that Doyle fought with his most famous creation, Sherlock Holmes, proved to be the greatest feud of all. Holmes was so popular with readers that Doyle grew to hate him. The Great Detective was taking over the author's life - and-Doyle decided to kill him. So it was that Sherlock Holmes died in 1893, killed off by a writer who felt overshadowed by his main character. But Holmes would not die so easily, and eventually, due to overwhelming demand, Sherlock Holmes made a comeback in The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1901. Holmes went on to feature in a total of 56 short stories and four novels written by Doyle between 1903 and 1927. Not only did Holmes become more famous than his writer, but he outlived him. Since then Sherlock Holmes has become the most prolific character in the history of entertainment, featuring in over 25,000 productions and products, including stage and screen adaptations starring many fine actors from John Barrymore in 1922 to Sir Ian McKellen in 2015. 

I have a small story to go with this. I had set myself a budget of $75 for Books-a-Million. I didn't want to overspend (I did of course) and I had been having trouble finding a lot of the books that were on my list that I had brought with me to the store. I got three of the seven books. To appease myself, I indulged in a little retail therapy and ended up buying four Sherlock Holmes books. Three of which I read already in July. Now when I started this one, I was sitting in the ER waiting room with my friend, KS, who was suffering from extreme shortness of breath. Apparently outside tried to kill her. Anyway, I thought, as long as I was stuck in the ER anyway, I may as well get started on the book, right? Right. 4/5 stars because it was just a watered down version of the book that I was already reading, Mattias Boström's From Holmes to Sherlock, which I had forgotten at home that week. This book goes on minor tangents about other authors and actors that have some minor to major connection to Conan Doyle and his family. I enjoyed it as a coffee table book, which is what it is. It has been added to my Sherlock Shelf. 

Book #4: From Holmes to Sherlock by Mattias Boström

Everyone knows Sherlock Holmes. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created a unique literary character who has remained popular for over a century and is appreciated more than ever today. But what made this fictional character, dreamed up by a small-town English doctor in the 1880s, into such a lasting success, despite the author’s own attempt to escape his invention? In From Holmes to Sherlock, Swedish author and Sherlock Holmes expert Mattias Boström recreates the full story behind the legend for the first time. From a young Arthur Conan Doyle sitting in a Scottish lecture hall taking notes on his medical professor’s powers of observation to the pair of modern-day fans who brainstormed the idea behind the TV sensation Sherlock, from the publishing world’s first literary agent to the Georgian princess who showed up at the Conan Doyle estate and altered a legacy, the narrative follows the men and women who have created and perpetuated the myth. It includes tales of unexpected fortune, accidental romance, and inheritances gone awry, and tells of the actors, writers, readers, and other players who have transformed Sherlock Holmes from the gentleman amateur of the Victorian era to the odd genius of today. Told in fast-paced, novelistic prose, From Holmes to Sherlock is a singular celebration of the most famous detective in the world—a must-read for newcomers and experts alike. 

I swear I read more than just books related to Sherlock Holmes this month. I swear it! I just had a really good run for the first week and a half of July. So this is a much more in depth version of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Great Detective by Charlotte Montague. If you want a quick read, go for Montague. If you want a longer, more detailed read, go for Boström. I loved it. I've been a fan of Sherlock Holmes since discovering the BBC series and then the plethora of things available on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu. I then started reading the original stories and when I saw this on the shelf at Barnes & Noble I just had to have it. KS even looked me in the eye and said "You're not putting that down, are you?" I was so not going to give it up for anything. I started it the day I bought it, back in 2017 some time. Around Christmas I think? Good lord, I looked it up. 24th October 2017. I started this just a few weeks after my birthday and didn't finish it until just a few weeks before my birthday. I love how he used more informal language to talk about Arthur Conan Doyle and the character of Sherlock. I loved the way we started before Sherlock was a thing and ended after it did more than a century later. I really suggest that anyone wanting to learn about Sherlock Holmes, and all of the weird branch societies that came from the fandom to read this book. 5/5 stars for sure!

Book #5: 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup

12 Years a Slave is a riveting true account of a free man captured and sold into slavery in the pre-Civil War South. Solomon Northup's narrative explores one of the darkest times in American history and captures in vivid detail the unimaginable realities of slavery. In 1841, the educated musician Solomon Northup, a free man living in New York who is cruelly deceived by the promise of a job in Washington, is drugged, kidnapped, and sold into slavery. Once Solomon arrives in New Orleans, he is given a slave name and soon realizes that any mention of his rights as a free man is sure to bring cruel punishment or death. Denied his freedom and ripped away from his family, he spends twelve emotionally and physically grueling years on a Louisiana cotton plantation enduring the hardships and brutalities of life as a slave. When Solomon eventually finds a sympathizing friend, a daring rescue is attempted that could either end in Solomon's death or restore his freedom and reunite him with his family. When Solomon Northup published this harrowing account of slavery in 1853, it immediately stirred up controversy in the national debate over slavery, helping to sway public opinion in favou\r of abolition. His book 12 Years a Slave remains one of the most insightful, detailed, and eloquent depictions of slavery in America. It demonstrates the extraordinary resilience of one man's spirit in the face of extreme suffering and his incredible will to survive. 

I don't even remember exactly why I wanted to read this at all, beyond the fact that I had seen the movie on Netflix. Then I bought a copy from BookOutlet so I could read it. I was even particular about the cover that I got. I liked this one the best. I felt so bad for Solomon throughout the book, especially when he is beaten for something entirely out of his control. I wished he could have either escaped permanently the first time or remained with Ford on his plantation. I doubt Ford would have treated him badly. I loved the story. It reads like a fictional novel, even though it's actually not. 4/5 stars because the way it was told left me a little to be desired, but it was still very good nonetheless. I will recommend it to friends and family who want to learn more about slave life. 

Book #6: Death Note: Boredom by Tsugumi Ohba

Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects - and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami, a death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal... or his life? Light tests the boundaries of the Death Note's powers as L and the police begin to close in. Luckily, Light's father is the head of the Japanese National Police Agency and leaves vital information about the case lying around the house. With access to his father's files, Light can keep one step ahead of the authorities. But who is the strange man following him, and how can Light guard against enemies whose names he doesn't know? 

Once, many moons ago, I owned the entire thirteen-book series and one of the associated novels. I sold them on eBay when I thought I was over manga and wouldn't read them any more. Then I spontaneously got back into it after finding a ton of interesting anime on the Netflix. Then I found out that a friend of mine moved out of town/state/something...and that she had a ton of books left behind she had no intention of ever reading again or keeping and that I could go through them and pick what I wanted before they were donated. I found the first seven volumes of Death Note among them and I was so excited that I actually tripped over my own feet. This one really just cements how psychotic Light is. He's incredibly apathetic toward anyone that he doesn't think will further his goal toward ridding the world of what he considers to be evil. I loved it just as much now as I did back when I first read it. 4/5 stars, because the art was a little weird. I liked how Light is just intelligent enough to quickly think up ways to use the Death Note that even Ryuk hadn't come up with. It was beautiful. I am excited to pick up the next volume in the series and continue on!

Book #7: Religions in Japan by William K. Bunce

From the report prepared by the Religions and Cultural Resources Division, Civil Information and Education Section, General Headquarters of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, Tokyo, March 1948, under the editorial direction of William K. Bunce.

Do I have an explanation for why I wanted to read this? Nope. Not at all. I wasn't exactly pleased by the way it was sorted out. Bunce kind of did middle, beginning, end as far as the religions themselves are concerned. Shinto is the native, primitive religion. Buddhism was brought over a little later from mainland China. Then lastly, Christianity was brought, slowly, from oddly enough, also China, as well as America, England, France, Germany and so forth. However, instead of being in that order, Bunce put Buddhism first, then Shinto, then Christianity last. I understand why Christianity was last, it's still somewhat contested in Japan. Many of the populace are either Shinto (or a subset of) or Buddhist. The information is definitely outdated now, but still useful for those studying religion and/or Japan. 3/5 stars, because really it was just old.


Book #8: Pride Park by Caitlin McGee

On June 12, 2016, the LGBT+ community was deeply shaken. 49 people were killed and 53 injured in a terrorist attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Pulse was a gay club, and the attack took place as a crowd gathered to watch a Puerto Rican drag queen. The heartbreak felt personal. This book was born from a desire to do more than just offer prayers. Pride Park is an attempt to create something lasting. It includes stories and poems from coast to coast, and around the world. They are stories to entertain and enlighten. Each story is connected in some way to the fictional location of Pride Park, a safe space for the LGBT+ community where the graffiti at the entrance reads “Pride. Hope. Love.” The book raises funds for The Trevor Project, offering help to LGBT+ youth in crisis. Written by those in the community and allies, Pride Park is a safe place to heal, inspire, love, and most of all...hope. 

I cannot remember right now where I was, or what I was doing when the news came on about the Pulse shooting. I remember my friends, who like me are part of the community, talking about it. I recall the reactions across the internet and everyone praying for those from the nightclub. That's it. That's all I can remember. You can see my thoughts and feelings better in my review [INSERT REVIEW LINK]. Go check it out. It's a very good book.


Book #9: The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow...where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town. Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under. Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into. Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters. But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself. 

I had seen this book about on YouTube being talked about by various members of the BookTube community. I saw it on sale cheap at Walmart, and thought I would give it a go. Since it was one of the books for the Biannual Bibliothon, I would give it a go. I did like it very much. It was incredibly good. It took me a while to figure out one of the plot twists, but even when I didn't manage it, it was still very good. 4/5 stars. I sort of wish that it wasn't a romance, but you get what you get. I loved the story and will be recommending this one to friends. 

Book #10: The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

She flees on her wedding day. She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor’s secret collection. She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father. She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan. The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can’t abide. Like having to marry someone she’s never met to secure a political alliance. Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia escapes to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love. 

5/5 stars, definitely. I loved the way that Lia was not some ninny of a princess. She didn't just bow down and do what they wanted of her. Instead she just left. She didn't let her 'duty' to her people stop her. Unfortunately, she probably should have considered the impact it would have on the people when she left. I feel bad for all of the people of Dalbrek, and Morrighan. I feel especially bad for Pauline, for reasons you will learn about in the book. I wish her all the best in the world for what she will be going through. I cannot wait to see how Lia fares in The Heart of Betrayal when I get my hands on it. I can even count it, along with The Beauty in Darkness for the Biannual Bibliothon as 2) A Book from Someone Else's TBR and 7) The Last Book You Bought. Yay!


Book #11: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

English magicians were once the wonder of the known world, with fairy servants at their beck and call; they could command winds, mountains, and woods. But by the early 1800s they have long since lost the ability to perform magic. They can only write long, dull papers about it, while fairy servants are nothing but a fading memory. But at Hurtfew Abbey in Yorkshire, the rich, reclusive Mr Norrell has assembled a wonderful library of lost and forgotten books from England's magical past and regained some of the powers of England's magicians. He goes to London and raises a beautiful young woman from the dead. Soon he is lending his help to the government in the war against Napoleon Bonaparte, creating ghostly fleets of rain-ships to confuse and alarm the French. All goes well until a rival magician appears. Jonathan Strange is handsome, charming, and talkative -- the very opposite of Mr Norrell. Strange thinks nothing of enduring the rigors of campaigning with Wellington's army and doing magic on battlefields. Astonished to find another practicing magician, Mr Norrell accepts Strange as a pupil. But it soon becomes clear that their ideas of what English magic ought to be are very different. For Mr Norrell, their power is something to be cautiously controlled, while Jonathan Strange will always be attracted to the wildest, most perilous forms of magic. He becomes fascinated by the ancient, shadowy figure of the Raven King, a child taken by fairies who became king of both England and Faerie, and the most legendary magician of all. Eventually Strange's heedless pursuit of long-forgotten magic threatens to destroy not only his partnership with Norrell, but everything that he holds dear.

I have been reading this on and off since 2016. It's a decently hefty book at 782 pages long, and you would probably believe that I read 5/7 of it during a two-day span in July. It was very good especially once I actually started to read it. There reached a point where I was just about 550-page marker, and all I could think about were Strange and Norrell. I would half-ass my way through work just because I couldn't focus. I was so close to the conclusion that I had to know what happened. Which means of course that it just stop right in the middle. I want to know if Childermass ever became The Reader, and what the hell did the King's Letters say anyway?! I was kind of mad about Norrell's reaction to anything that was not expressly his idea or with his approval. He was so conceited that he thought that there should be only one practical magician in all of England, and it ought to be him and screw the other guy. Hell, screw the guy who actually brought magic to England in the first place. He was wrong as well, right Norrell? That said, someone really should have kept Jonathan in check. There were a number of things he did that were...ill advised at best. I think if they would have stayed together from the start and used their different mental capabilities as a unit, they wouldn't have gotten into half the messes they did. Oh well. 4/5 stars. It was really good and really interesting. I just wish that they would have finished the plots at the end.

Currently Reading: 09 June to 14 July 2018

Currently Reading

- The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw (01%)
- The Sherlockian by Graham Moore (01%)
- IT by Stephen King (05%)
- Queen of the Star Pirates by Stephen Landis (06%)
- The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland (09%)

- Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en (14%)

- To the Letter by Simon Garfield (60%)

- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (27%)

- The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (39%)

* * *

Yeah, as you can see, half of the books from last time are gone, and there are four new ones. I've made another sort of decision involving the bookish update journal blog thingy that I haven't been updating at all recently. I have decided that instead of every single week on Fridays, I will actually post it every other week on Sunday, on my weekend off from work. So that way I'm not as busy as I would normally be. Let's get into what in the world has been happening in my bookish world!

I'm not sure how many people reading this blog know where Wilkes-Barre is, or have heard of it at all, but those that do will remember the recent storm we had in the area that managed to produce an EF2 tornado in the Wilkes-Barre Arena Hub Plaza. Unfortunately for us book nerds in the area, the front of the Barnes & Noble in the Arena Hub Plaza was ripped off. Included were the support beams, so the front of the store collapsed completely. Ironically, the only part of the front to remain standing was the Starbucks kiosk that was in the far corner. The registers, journal, and children's sections were decimated. My heart goes out to all of the employees of that Barnes & Noble that are now without steady income until it is repaired. Barnes & Noble headquarters recently released a statement that they plan to have the location up and running again before Thanksgiving 2018. I am curious to see if they actually do reach that goal. 

What else? Oh, because of the fact that part of Dick's Sporting Goods ended up in Scranton, they found it in a lot in Montage Mountain, we found ourselves hunting for a new "danger store," called as such because they are dangerous to my wallet. A friend of ours, whom I will only refer to as JB, told us about Books-a-Million in the Scranton area. We've been twice and I have spent over $100 both times. The first time I bought a lot of things that were not books. I got tee shirts, magnets, book marks, and something else that I cannot remember what it is offhand, but should I recall, I will include it in the next post. The second round, when the air tried to off my friend KS, I got mostly books. I am participating in the Biannual Bibliothon Summer 2018, and I didn't want the last book I purchased (Prompt #7) to be IT by Stephen King. Could you imagine trying to read that in less than a week? I have the Scribner edition which has 1,153 pages. Two and a half inches thick. That just wouldn't happen.

So we went to Books-a-Million. I got my little trolley. I like the trolleys. Anyway, I got my trolley and my pen and my piece of paper with the list of books I was looking and set about going through the store. I did find three of the seven books that I had on my list. I got Renegades by Marissa Meyer, The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson, and Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia. None of the other books that I had on my list (Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, Friend Request by Laura Marshall, Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller, The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchinson, and Rites of Passage by William Golding) were available. To appease myself, I ended up buying a ton of other books and an adorable owl pen that flaps it's plastic wings when you write with it.

That thing. I remembered what it was. A Little Mermaid reusable glass bottle. I love The Little Mermaid so that's why I got it when I saw it. I knew I'd remember what it was eventually. It was in my mind somewhere, just had to access the information. 

Recently I have gotten into a hard core kick of reading the older books on my Currently Reading list on Goodreads (which is what I copy to the blog post). I finished two or three of them already? Some, like Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, will be harder to get through than others because of their sheer size. I came up with the idea that I should actually read only the hard cover (of either size) and trade paperback books when I am at home. When I'm out and about I will read the manga and mass market paperbacks that I have. I will be able to get through them all easier that way. 

Library Room July 2018

Considering the most recent photograph of my desk looks something like the one to the right (I've since cleaned it off and put my laptop, printer, desk light and notepad there), I might want to consider abandoning Camp NaNo for July and focusing on reading. I have not read a single one of the books in that photograph. Of the literal near thousand books I own, I've read maybe 200-225. It's hard to properly gauge since I can't use GoodReads. A fair portion of the books recorded in my Read folder are library, digital, or borrowed from friends. There it has 243. My doc, which is only about 1/3 done, has 581 listed on it and that's definitely not including all of the new ones I just recently purchased at Books-a-Million and from MS's old collection that I got to filter through. Those will have to be added to the pile which I will have to once again go through. I doubt that many are actually on there. Curse my inability to not buy books!

I think I ought to check in at least once in 2018 with my Reading Goal. So far (as of 14 July) I have read 46/50 books. I am 20 books ahead of schedule. 92% of the way finished with my goal. If I manage to finish four more books before the 31st, I will have completed my goal and everything after it will just be bonus books. I doubt that I will not make it as this month there is, as I have mentioned before, the Biannual Bibliothon. It has the following prompts and my choices for said prompts: 

1) Read the Group Book -The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

2) Read a Book from Someone Else's TBR - The Magicians by Lev Grossman

3) Read the First Chapter of Three Books and Chose One to Finish - The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson/Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia/The Shack by William Paul Young

4) Read a Book That has Been on Your TBR Over a Year - The Iron Wyrm Affair by Lilith Saintcrow

5) Read a Predicted 5-Star Book - And I Darken by Kiersten White

6) Read an Own Voices Book that is Different from You - Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

7) Read the Last Book You Purchased - A List of Cages by Robin Roe

And the book we chose for challenge #3?! The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson. When I was reading the first three chapters, this is the one that stuck out the most to me and the one I was most interested in reading. I didn't think I would actually put it down at first, but I managed.

I don't think those are quite a bad list. I can manage a few hours before and after work during the week to get through them, none are horribly long, with the exception of And I Darken, but that's a YA Fantasy I will probably fly through. I doubt I won't be able to finish them, but if I can't, I'll just finish reading them in the month of July! If I manage to complete all of these before the month is up, I'll finish July at 54/50 or 108% of my 2018 goal. I also have a shorter anthology I'm reading and a series of manga. If I finish those as well, I will be at 60/50 or 120%. I wonder if I can do it? I think so!

That is all for this edition of Currently Reading! I will see you lovelies again in two weeks for my next update. 

June 2018 Wrap Up

My goal for June was 11 books. I am proud of myself for managing to finish 8. It put me at 39/50, and 15 books currently ahead of schedule. I can't believe I've read that much already this year. (Granted, this time in 2016, I had already read over 50)...Now then! On with the wrap up.


Book #1: Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies make it increasingly difficult to live a normal life, and after a completely humiliating incident ruins her first (and perhaps only) real party, she's ready to disappear "Come and be the most powerful person in the world." Suddenly, Lily finds herself in a different Salem. One overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women--including Lillian, this world's version of Lily. "It will be terrifying. It was for me." What made Lily weak at home, makes her extraordinary here. It also puts her in terrible danger. Faced with new responsibilities she can barely understand and a love she never expected, Lily is left with one question: How can she be the savior of this world when she is literally her own worst enemy?

I really enjoyed the idea for this book. I believe very strongly in the multiworld theory that states there are an infinite number of parallel "worlds" and who knows, maybe in one of them I'm an evil dictatorial queen, or you are, or there are no rulers at all. There are endless possibilities. One thing, though, that I wish they had covered more in the novel was what each stone was for. There was a brief explanation, but I can't remember what it was beyond smokey quartz being the strongest. Maybe I'll find out more in Firewalker or Witch's Pyre when I get my hands on them. Another thing I'm rather curious about: where is Lily Procter's Rowan, Gideon, Caleb....? If the worlds are are mirrored inasmuch as the people in them are the same 'people', then why do we not know of any Rowans, Gideons, or Calebs running around in the Salem that Lily is from? Moving on! Lily's not so much sick as just unnaturally warm. Her body runs about 4* warmer than the average human with 102* versus our standard 98.6*. Nearly enough to start cooking the brain (which is from 103-105*). How was she not permanently hospitalized? How? Anyone I know would have been taken up and kept there, regardless of insurance. I gave this book 4/5 because I loved the idea behind the willstones and Woven and all of the things that happened in the book. I hope some things are expanded upon in Firewalker and Witch's Pyre, which I hope to acquire as soon as practical. Josephine Angelini has a gift.

Book #2: Saga (v2) by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples

The smash-hit ongoing epic continues! Thanks to her star-crossed parents Marko and Alana, newborn baby Hazel has already survived lethal assassins, rampaging armies, and alien monstrosities, but in the cold vastness of outer space, the little girl encounters something truly frightening: her grandparents!

Like Volume One, I found this very funny. It's an excellent read that even people who don't necessarily like comic books could enjoy. It's a Romeo and Juliet meets A Tale of Two Cities with just a dash of War of the Worlds thrown in there for reasons as yet unknown. I love how we are hearing almost all of the story from Hazel herself, as though we are sitting in her tree-rocket-house-thingy and she's just recounting her life for us. Possibly the saddest part was with her grandparents, but I'll leave that spoiler-free for you. Remember this is an MA/NC-17 sort of comic book. For adults only. There is definitely random nudity throughout and very very impressive gore scenes scattered. Read at your own risk and please do not even consider this book if you're under like 16. That said, 5/5 would recommend (to the appropriate audience.)

Book #3: Saga (v3) by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples 

Saga is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the universe. Searching for their literary hero, new parents Marko and Alana travel to a cosmic lighthouse on the planet Quietus, while the couple's multiple pursuers finally close in on their targets.

5/5. After reading this, I felt no shame in buying a Pop Vinyl of Lying Cat at Books-a-Million. It was worth it. Maybe next time I'm there I'll pick up the one they have of The Will to go with him...her...uh I don't know. This picks up nearly exactly where two left off. Be warned there is nudity in this and one very graphic death scene that I can think of, if not more. I don't know why (or how) I avoided the Saga series for as long as I have, and I sort of regret that now. Volume Three had many diverse characters in it of orientation and species, including, much to my own delight a strange aquatic gay couple. We got to meet Gwendolyn as well and finally get more of that story arc. I can't wait to get volumes 4-8 and catch myself up!

Book #4: Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years because of Saren's refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment. As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable. With the arrival outside the tower of Saren's two suitors--one welcome, the other decidedly less so--the girls are confronted with both hope and great danger, and Dashti must make the desperate choices of a girl whose life is worth more than she knows. With Shannon Hale's lyrical language, this little-known classic fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm is reimagined and reset on the central Asian steppes; it is a completely unique retelling filled with adventure and romance, drama and disguise.

From the blurb on the back, I thought Dashti and Saren had been a pair for quite some time before being shut up in the tower. No, they met and Saren was like "Oh yeah, I won't do this thing that my father wants, so I'm being locked up. If you agree to be my lady's maid, you'll be coming with me. This is happening in the morning. You in?" and Dashti was just okay with it! She doesn't even think about it for more than what would amount to thirty seconds. I really love how random it was and how dedicated Dashti was despite not actually being a lady's maid. She is just a simple folk healer from the steppes of southern psuedo-Mongolia. I have a sneaking suspicion she would have been happier in the horse paddock. Not as a lady's maid trapped in a tower with as unpleasant a Lady as Saren. I think Dashti really kept the book for herself. She may have decided later on to give it to someone, namely Tegus, but it began as a sort of private account to keep her senses during their lock down. Why else would she so shamelessly copy out things he said and did as well as draw him? I wouldn't draw in books meant for eyes other than my own. And no, it's not because I can't draw. I'm actually a decent artist. She was using the book the way anyone would, as a form of catharsis. She can keep the thoughts she would never dream of sharing with anyone else there. She must have trusted Tegus a lot more than we are lead to believe if she let him read a book that Saren wasn't even allowed to touch. 4/5 stars definitely. I liked the way Shannon Hale told the story through Dashti's eyes. It's obvious she did a lot of research on what that sort of society would be like. Though I was surprised by the end. I didn't think it would go the way it did. I'm going to find more books by Shannon Hale for my collection.

Book #5: The Before Now and After Then by Peter Monn

Danny Goldstein has always lived in the shadow of his identical, twin brother Sam. But when a hurricane of events forces him into the spotlight, he starts to realize that the only thing he's truly afraid of is himself. With the help of his costume changing friend Cher, a famous gay uncle with a mysterious past of his own, two aging punk rocker parents and Rusty, the boy who will become his something to live for, Danny begins to realize that the music of the heart is truly the soundtrack for living.

My second time reading through this and I managed to like enough of it to bump it from a 2/5 to a 3/5. It still just didn't feel entirely plausible to me. Nothing against Peter of course. I've never seen romance happen that quickly except in a Hallmark movie (now if only Hallmark could do some LGBT+ stuff for their June Weddings series...). There were a few grammar issues that would be easy for the non-critical reader to completely miss. Places where a word used and a word meant were homophones, and both being words, the spellchecker didn't catch that there was a problem. There were also a few sentences that had missing or incorrect punctuation marks. Small things that would have driven me nuts. I don't think it's normal really for someone to be brooding over a certain event and then have it just go away when a pretty boy shows up. That's obsession and it's unhealthy. I really doubt I'm ever going to read this again, but I won't get rid of it because it means something to me. 

Book #6: Pokémon Adventures v1 by Hidenori Kusaka and Mato

 Adventures based on the best-selling video games! All your favorite Pokémon game characters jump out of the screen into the pages of this action-packed manga! Red doesn't just want to train Pokémon, he wants to be their friend too. Bulbasaur and Poliwhirl seem game. But independent Pikachu won't be so easy to win over! And watch out for Team Rocket, Red... They only want to be your enemy! 

Hear me out....I'm not normal. I don't really even read manga all that much any more and yet...So this follows the game so instead of Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak you have "Red" and "Blue" (and I guess eventually Gold, Silver, FireRed, LeafGreen, Ruby, Sapphire....) It follows most of Red's journey through the Indigo League, making the necessary time skips because I really don't think anyone wants to see him catching basic Pokémon. It starts with Red as an already well established trainer in the limits of Pallet Town. He even shows children how to catch a Rhyhorn. Then he ends up at Professor Oak's lab where all chaos breaks loose. Let the adventure begin!!! We close the book when he completes the mini-quest we get in Lavender Town to help ease the spirit of a deceased Pokémon (spoiler alert: it's a Gastly) to move on or something. I am so getting the next volume when I come across it.

Book #7: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Nine-year-old Oskar Schell is an inventor, amateur entomologist, Francophile, letter writer, pacifist, natural historian, percussionist, romantic, Great Explorer, jeweler, detective, vegan, and collector of butterflies. When his father is killed in the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Centre, Oskar sets out to solve the mystery of a key he discovers in his father's closet. It is a search which leads him into the lives of strangers, through the five boroughs of New York, into history, to the bombings of Dresden and Hiroshima, and on an inward journey which brings him ever closer to some kind of peace.

I adored this book. Oskar Schell is funny. I understand his various fears and worries. He lived through something terrible that not many had that close a connection to, and it shook him to the core. He was the last person in his family to hear his father's voice. I liken this book to Ulysses by James Joyce for kids. It reads similarly only through the eyes of a child. Oskar was such a wonderful little boy who really only wanted to connect with his father, or at least the memory of his father. I love how we got random inserts from Oskar's grandparents in letters to their son and grandson. They were wonderful snippets that give insight into why Oskar is the way he is. The end is wonderful and I don't want to spoil it, so I end my review here. 5/5 stars, would read again.

Book #8: Chariots of the Gods by Erich von Däniken

Erich von Däniken's Chariots of the Gods is a work of monumental importance--the first book to introduce the shocking theory that ancient Earth had been visited by aliens. This world-famous bestseller has withstood the test of time, inspiring countless books and films, including the author's own popular sequel, The Eyes of the Sphinx. But here is where it all began--von Däniken's startling theories of our earliest encounters with alien worlds, based upon his lifelong studies of ancient ruins, lost cities, potential spaceports, and a myriad of hard scientific facts that point to extraterrestrial intervention in human history. Most incredible of all, however, is von Däniken's theory that we ourselves are the descendants of these galactic pioneers--and the archaeological discoveries that prove it...

* An alien astronaut preserved in a pyramid

* Thousand-year-old spaceflight navigation charts

* Computer astronomy from Incan and Egyptian ruins

* A map of the land beneath the ice cap of Antarctica

* A giant spaceport discovered in the Andes

Includes remarkable photos that document mankind's first contact with aliens at the dawn of civilization. 

This book was interesting. I didn't know at first what I was supposed to think of it. I liked it well enough, but since it was published back in the what, early sixties, a lot of the information that was in it is outdated. Science has advanced in the last 50+ years to the point where the impressive information they had, is old news to us here in 2018. I will definitely be looking for The Eyes of the Sphinx to read and compare to the this one. Maybe I will like them enough to continue reading books by him. Who knows? 3/5 stars because not as garbage as it could have been.