I know I got back into the reading wraps which I haven't been doing lately. I don't remember really what sparked it, beside joining groups that encouraged us to actually talk about what we've read and read the blogs that we post and comment on them. Unusual I know!
So! In that spirit, this is September's wrap-up. I've read 9 books this month.
#1: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry. Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.
I read this as part of the OWLs readathon 2019. This is my third (possibly fourth) re-read of this series. I still love it every time I read it though. Harry Potter grew up in roughly the same time I did when I started reading the series at ten years old. Going back to it is like revisiting an old friend. I loved how there were a couple of moments where you were like "Oh...well then..." like when Hagrid borrowed Sirius Black's motorcycle to get Harry to Privet Drive. Also, Dumbledore seems to know much more than he's letting on. But then he is a very secretive person. I'm looking forward to re-reading the rest of the series as I acquire them. Such good books.
#2: Every Day by David Levithan
Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl. There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere. It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone A wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.
I enjoyed this book. I rated it 4/5 because I didn't understand why after 16 years or whatever, he would just throw away all of his own rules that he came up with. Then again, there are no proper rules that he had because he was the only one he even knows of who can do the body-hopping thing. I understand that he felt the need to not form connections or build relationships when he never knew where he was going to end up. I didn't understand really how he didn't just end up in other random places. What rule was there that forced him to stay within a 4-hour radius of a single place? I'm not sure why in my head I was not expecting it to be a romance, but it's literally part of the synopsis and I just glossed right over it. The big plot hole is another question I had: How does A know he can't stay in one body? Has he ever tried? No. He just tried to not fall asleep, that's different. I'm going to look and see if there is a sequel to this out somewhere because I want to know what happens with A and B (this is what I'm calling the person, you'll understand when you read the book for yourself.)
#3: My Hero Academia #5 by Kohei Horikoshi
The final stages of the U.A. High sports festival promise to be explosive as Uraraka takes on Bakugo in a head to head match! Bakugo never gives anyone a break, and the crowd holds its breath as the battle begins. The finals will push the students of Class 1-A to their limits and beyond!
#2: Every Day by David Levithan
Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl. There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere. It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone A wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.I enjoyed this book. I rated it 4/5 because I didn't understand why after 16 years or whatever, he would just throw away all of his own rules that he came up with. Then again, there are no proper rules that he had because he was the only one he even knows of who can do the body-hopping thing. I understand that he felt the need to not form connections or build relationships when he never knew where he was going to end up. I didn't understand really how he didn't just end up in other random places. What rule was there that forced him to stay within a 4-hour radius of a single place? I'm not sure why in my head I was not expecting it to be a romance, but it's literally part of the synopsis and I just glossed right over it. The big plot hole is another question I had: How does A know he can't stay in one body? Has he ever tried? No. He just tried to not fall asleep, that's different. I'm going to look and see if there is a sequel to this out somewhere because I want to know what happens with A and B (this is what I'm calling the person, you'll understand when you read the book for yourself.)
#3: My Hero Academia #5 by Kohei Horikoshi
In this volume we finally get to see the final rounds of the UA Sports Festival. It always unnerves me during a few scenes here. Midoriya shows absolutely no fear in the face of the number two pro-hero and most conceited man in the world. He already just knows what it is Endeavor is trying to do and calls him out on it. Within minutes of actually knowing the guy. Then for some reason, Midoriya just throws the match because he wants Shouto to embrace both halves of his power. That was a huge moment. Midoriya didn't care about winning the school festival at all. He just wanted his friend (whether Shouto agrees to this moniker or not is irrelevant in Midoriya's eyes) to be fully proud of himself and to use what quirks he has. It was pivotal to the rest of the series and Shouto becoming the student that the fandom loves. I don't think he would have changed if it weren't for Midoriya prompting him to. I cannot wait to read further in the manga and see just what happens after the end of what we've seen in the anime.
#4: The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you’re only seventeen? Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of death and destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father’s kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran’s queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar’s wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire...But Akaran has its own secrets—thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most…including herself.
I wasn't super into the first part of this book. It is a tale about a girl who is just bullied for something out of her control. I hated the harem wives for their disdain of her. Then we find out later that in fact, it was her doing. She was responsible for her fate. The story picked up around the 30% marker for me and I enjoyed it greatly. We follow Mayavati as she is bullied in her home country of Bharata, and then marries someone she does not know at all and heads off to his kingdom of Akaran, a kingdom she has never heard of. I figured out where they were fairly quickly and enjoyed spending the time reading and waiting for Maya to catch on. It was a good tale and I am seriously considering picking up Chokshi's other works to see if the magic is still there for me.
#5 My Hero Academia #6 by Kohei Horikoshi
In the aftermath of the sports festival, the class 1-A students begin their internships. Midoriya goes to study under Gran Torino, who was once All Might’s mentor. Gran Torino appears to be a washed-up nutjob, but the old hero still has more moves than a football team, and Midoriya has a lot to learn! Elsewhere, the League of Villains enacts another sinister plot and unleashes a terrifying new enemy!
I adore this series. It was too good. We get another brief look into the League of Villains when Hero Killer Stain turns them down, basically saying that they are not much better in Stain's mind than the heroes. I think that his idea of true heroism is doing things becuase it is good, not because you are paid for it. He turns down joining the league. I thought Gran Torino was hilarious. I love him as a character. I cannot wait until I get my hands on the next volume so I can get the conclusion to Stain. It's a bit of a challenge to write up my reviews being as I already am past this in the anime.
#6: Noragami #1 by Adachitoka
A god who can, with a sword, clear sentences." In the human world, there is a god who can penetrate into the heart of them. When you are sad, when you are tired, if you look up to heaven, we can see a telephone number. But it is important not to call! If we call, a boy stands in front of you dislike and say "Delighted, I am God." If it happens to you, what would you do?
Another very good book. This one is different from the anime though, so it may be easier to review. We are introduced to a girl in the beginning who calls on a god to help her, when he does, his weapon quits on him. So, now he is stuck weaponless. When another girl who can see spirits for no particular reason tries to save him from being hit by a bus, shenanigans ensue. Yato, the god, gets a new weapon and unintentionally picks up the girl as a friend/companion. This first volume was full of entertaining character introductions. I loved how what's-her-face (literally cannot remember her name offhand) thinks she is finding spirits for Yato to use as his next weapon, but in reality she is finding what he uses the weapons against. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series.
#7: Assassination Classroom #10 by Yusei Matsui
The students of 3-E turn a surplus of eggs to good use—in pursuit of their usual goal. Karasuma teaches them the art of parkour while Koro Sensei teaches them the game of cops and robbers. Then, someone is stealing lingerie, and naturally Koro Sensei is the prime suspect! But is he being framed…and if so, by whom? Lastly, biologically modified Itona discovers that sometimes tentacles can be a burden rather than a gift. He puts everything he’s got into his latest assassination attempt on Koro Sensei…but who will save Itona from himself?!
I love how the students actually work together not to destroy Koro Sensei in this one, but to protect him. They know he is not the one to blame for a crime being committed becuase that would cause him to lose his teaching license or whatever it is he has that makes the government think him eligible to teach high school students. They use the tactics he and Karasuma teach them to actually get him out of trouble. Itona has finally joined the students as a regular kid. He does prove himself to be far more intelligent than anyone knew. This book is full of just bonding and it's beautiful. The online cover does not do it justice, though, it's so....reflective. I can't help but be curious what volume 11 will bring and how Itona will finally, possibly fully, ingratiate himself into class 3-E.
#8: The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup
If you find one, he’s already found you. A psychopath is terrorizing Copenhagen. His calling card is a “chestnut man”—a handmade doll made of matchsticks and two chestnuts—which he leaves at each bloody crime scene. Examining the dolls, forensics makes a shocking discovery—a fingerprint belonging to a young girl, a government minister’s daughter who had been kidnapped and murdered a year ago. A tragic coincidence—or something more twisted? To save innocent lives, a pair of detectives must put aside their differences to piece together the Chestnut Man’s gruesome clues. Because it’s clear that the madman is on a mission that is far from over. And no one is safe.
Holy crap. Like really. I enjoyed this book immensely. I do like to try to sort out who is doing the killing in books, and while I got it half right, I didn't manage to guess who the actual culprit was. I don't really understand why we needed to know that Hess's eyes were two different colors, aside from the fact it made him more interesting to the children. That was all. I felt bad for him being kicked out of the Hague, but I think he was suffering from burnout. He had been doing the same thing for near five years and after a while you just get tired of it. Switching to the Murder Squad (or whatever the Danes call it) gave him back a little of the spark he once had. He showed off his mental prowess. Now, I don't know if that was just a Danish thing, but I know here in the States they would not have stopped until every single lead was looked into, including the history of the parents. If those cops would have just looked at one person's family history when the girl was taken, I bet the murders we get during the course of the book would not have happened. Logical. Perhaps they were trying to spare a grieving mother. Perhaps also they should have looked into the methods done by the investigators on the case....so many unusual ends and methods. If Søren Sveistrup ever releases another book, I will be so down to pick it up and read it. He reminded me why I used to enjoy adult thriller books.
#9: In a Quarter of a Second by Anita Kirk
A young group of space-bowling friends get transported thirty years into the future. They go on a strange adventure/mission to recover items for the city people. They take life into their own hands, experiencing strange difficulties along the way on their journey.
#5 My Hero Academia #6 by Kohei Horikoshi
In the aftermath of the sports festival, the class 1-A students begin their internships. Midoriya goes to study under Gran Torino, who was once All Might’s mentor. Gran Torino appears to be a washed-up nutjob, but the old hero still has more moves than a football team, and Midoriya has a lot to learn! Elsewhere, the League of Villains enacts another sinister plot and unleashes a terrifying new enemy!I adore this series. It was too good. We get another brief look into the League of Villains when Hero Killer Stain turns them down, basically saying that they are not much better in Stain's mind than the heroes. I think that his idea of true heroism is doing things becuase it is good, not because you are paid for it. He turns down joining the league. I thought Gran Torino was hilarious. I love him as a character. I cannot wait until I get my hands on the next volume so I can get the conclusion to Stain. It's a bit of a challenge to write up my reviews being as I already am past this in the anime.
#6: Noragami #1 by Adachitoka
A god who can, with a sword, clear sentences." In the human world, there is a god who can penetrate into the heart of them. When you are sad, when you are tired, if you look up to heaven, we can see a telephone number. But it is important not to call! If we call, a boy stands in front of you dislike and say "Delighted, I am God." If it happens to you, what would you do?Another very good book. This one is different from the anime though, so it may be easier to review. We are introduced to a girl in the beginning who calls on a god to help her, when he does, his weapon quits on him. So, now he is stuck weaponless. When another girl who can see spirits for no particular reason tries to save him from being hit by a bus, shenanigans ensue. Yato, the god, gets a new weapon and unintentionally picks up the girl as a friend/companion. This first volume was full of entertaining character introductions. I loved how what's-her-face (literally cannot remember her name offhand) thinks she is finding spirits for Yato to use as his next weapon, but in reality she is finding what he uses the weapons against. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series.
#7: Assassination Classroom #10 by Yusei Matsui
I love how the students actually work together not to destroy Koro Sensei in this one, but to protect him. They know he is not the one to blame for a crime being committed becuase that would cause him to lose his teaching license or whatever it is he has that makes the government think him eligible to teach high school students. They use the tactics he and Karasuma teach them to actually get him out of trouble. Itona has finally joined the students as a regular kid. He does prove himself to be far more intelligent than anyone knew. This book is full of just bonding and it's beautiful. The online cover does not do it justice, though, it's so....reflective. I can't help but be curious what volume 11 will bring and how Itona will finally, possibly fully, ingratiate himself into class 3-E.
#8: The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup
If you find one, he’s already found you. A psychopath is terrorizing Copenhagen. His calling card is a “chestnut man”—a handmade doll made of matchsticks and two chestnuts—which he leaves at each bloody crime scene. Examining the dolls, forensics makes a shocking discovery—a fingerprint belonging to a young girl, a government minister’s daughter who had been kidnapped and murdered a year ago. A tragic coincidence—or something more twisted? To save innocent lives, a pair of detectives must put aside their differences to piece together the Chestnut Man’s gruesome clues. Because it’s clear that the madman is on a mission that is far from over. And no one is safe.
Holy crap. Like really. I enjoyed this book immensely. I do like to try to sort out who is doing the killing in books, and while I got it half right, I didn't manage to guess who the actual culprit was. I don't really understand why we needed to know that Hess's eyes were two different colors, aside from the fact it made him more interesting to the children. That was all. I felt bad for him being kicked out of the Hague, but I think he was suffering from burnout. He had been doing the same thing for near five years and after a while you just get tired of it. Switching to the Murder Squad (or whatever the Danes call it) gave him back a little of the spark he once had. He showed off his mental prowess. Now, I don't know if that was just a Danish thing, but I know here in the States they would not have stopped until every single lead was looked into, including the history of the parents. If those cops would have just looked at one person's family history when the girl was taken, I bet the murders we get during the course of the book would not have happened. Logical. Perhaps they were trying to spare a grieving mother. Perhaps also they should have looked into the methods done by the investigators on the case....so many unusual ends and methods. If Søren Sveistrup ever releases another book, I will be so down to pick it up and read it. He reminded me why I used to enjoy adult thriller books.
#9: In a Quarter of a Second by Anita Kirk
There was a book recommended to me on Goodreads the other day, and curious at the description, I picked it up. It was a bad idea. I get that a lot of people want to be published authors. But if your book is fifty pages or fewer, has no editing done whatsoever, and what plot there is makes no sense, do not publish it. I was recommended this book, In a Quarter of a Second by Anita Kirk, and I absolutely hated it. It was the most disturbing, poorly written nonsense I've ever read. It took me over a week to read because I could only handle so much of it at a time. There are a bunch of teens doing things that aren't likely to be legal in six years. They give alcohol to dogs, they kill people while having the cure for the people on their persons, they do all of this random unrelated stuff that has nothing at all to do with the plot. There is even a scene where a fifteen year old survives being stabbed in the forehead. THE FOREHEAD. I don't even know what the plot was supposed to be. The only rating this book has is 5/5 stars, but that was also from the author. I do not suggest reading this at all!!
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