Loveless by Yun Kouga REVIEW

I went back to the store today and bought six volumes of Loveless on clearance. I picked them up without a second thought and no regrets. Those of you judging me at this moment, screw you and your judgement.

I must say that I am so happy that I decided to pick these ups. This series was one of the first animes I've watched. It's also one of the first animes that I owned completely. This series has been ongoing so long that Morning Musume still had Goto Maki in the group. I love that cultural reference because Morning Musume was one of the first idol groups I listened to.

Regarding the Shounen Ai tag, people are going to really quickly refer to the main characters as a romantic relationship but I am really hesitant to do so at this point. Not just because of the age but because of occurrences that happen in other volumes. That being said, this is a review of the first volume.

Manga Rule #2: Yaoi and Shounen Ai are drastically different. Do not ever use them interchangeably because the difference is the rating.

I liked the page after the cover page. The art is gorgeous. Yun Kouga's art is really nice, simple, and cute. I also feel that in terms of story-telling this is a really good buildup for events that have yet to happen. Some people may not think so but this volume is really light and things get really intense from this point forward.

Since it's still ongoing, I don't know how the story ends but I will be there when it ends. I need to see how Loveless ends. ~

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom REVIEW

Once upon a time like a year ago, I had to read something for a book report and like all college students I chose the smallest book that was available which was Tuesdays with Morrie.

I loved this book because it had a really good message and I am really sensitive to that sort of thing. I remember near the end of the book I was crying some ugly tears. Ugly tears that got trapped on my top eyelash and the weight of my tears kept that one eye closed until I wiped the tear off my eyelash, sad. It's a sad book.

There are some very valuable things that people can learn from this book but I also think that at the end of the day a lot of the messages are things that people should already know.

However, the book does show how a person that's dying views the world around them now that their time is severely limited. As a former CNA, I've seen a lot of different ways that people handled this point in their life. In fact, I think the book resonated with me more because I used to be a CNA.

Anyway, I do recommend this, it's a really good read.

Manga Classics: Emma REVIEW

So, here we are at the end of my list for the Manga Classics. There are a few I have left to read but I don't own them and have no way to currently acquire them so I shall be doing more reading of other things. What fun.

Speaking of fun, this was a fun read. I believe that Emma was the only book that made me react at all to it. As in, I do this whole body cringe at some points. When a certain couple FINALLY gets together I was just in so much shock that it finally happened that I couldn't contain myself. This adaption has definitely made me want to read the book. That's a shame, I have five copies of Pride and Prejudice and no copies of Emma. I desperately need a job.

This was a really light and dramatic read. I think that everyone knows a person that is an Emma or a Harriet and so on and so forth. I, of course, spent the whole time wanting everyone to get with the person that they were supposed to get with but I was stuck waiting until two hours later when I finally finished it.

Of course, this isn't the full novel of Emma by Jane Austen and I really cannot wait to read that.

I'm not sure how those that liked the original novel would feel about it but I certainly enjoyed it. I definitely recommend it.

Manga Classics: Les Miserables REVIEW

The first thing I need to mention is that this is an adaption, obviously, and I have never found the title of the original work to apply to an adaption so well.

Les Miserables indeed, fuck me.

Let me elaborate because it's not so much that I thought that this was bad. I thought it was pretty magnetic but my fear is that it is an adaption. If the adaption was this conflicting how conflicting is the original is. Also, the original novel is really chunky, it's larger than the largest book that I read, which is Atlas Shrugged. Atlas Shrugged took a month to read for 17 year old me, how long would it take 23 year old me to read Les Mis? Maybe a week, I have tons of books to read this year. I'm scared.

As far as the art goes, it may be one of my favorites of this series of books. SunNeko Lee does a good job, they can make it cute when they want it to be cute, gruesome, beautiful, etc. That sort of versatility is hard to find in art, specifically this sort of art.

Reading this makes me anxious to read the original, I'll probably set aside some time during the summer to read it. For now, more netgalley.

Unicorn Crossing by Dana Simpson REVIEW

Some people might feel shame when they have to write a review about a guilty pleasure. But I don't have to write a review and I don't feel bad. I read Razzle Dazzle Unicorn by Dana Simpson last year Andrew enjoyed it, so of course, when I saw this on netgalley I had to read it. Thankfully, it's read now and not dependent on my poor marketing skills for this blog.

The series is about Phoebe and Marigold a unicorn on their random adventures through life. I think the main reason why I enjoy it so much is that Marigold is so savage. Marigold and Dakota are my favorite characters in the series. And this series in it of itself is always a delight to read.

The wording used may be difficult for a child to understand, however, their is a very helpful glossary for those difficult words. There isn't harm in presenting this to a child, I mean, if your child is into unicorns go for it.

Point of Origin by Rebecca Yarros REVIEW

I am not a stranger to romance novels. In fact, I enjoy them a lot. Especially the cop or firefighter kinds because hot stuff is hot.

So, Point of Origin. I didn't have extremely high hopes for it but it exceeded expectations. Though, I think that it's just the inner romantic in me swooning over the ending which was swoon worthy. If you look at the story while ignoring some writing aspects you might enjoy it. It depends on your preferences. I sincerely feel as if this is a book to be enjoyed at the superficial level and nothing more because when you start looking at it with a critical eye you will feel some disappointment.

The story line isn't completely flawed but it's climax is sex, spoilers. I always think that it's much better if the climax of the story is an actual climax rather than two characters climaxing. Sex should be an accessory to the story and not the climax, unless it's an erotica, which this is not.

The characters are cookie cutouts but I didn't expect anything less. There was a lot of things that happened just because it was convenient to the plot but again, no complaints.

I mean, like I said, read it and enjoy it at a superficial level. This is not a book meant to make you think every time you take a twenty minute shower.

Higurashi; Cotton Drifting Arc Volume 1 by Ryukishi07 REVIEW

So, when I broke my promise from like ten days ago and went to the bookstore to buy books, I found this puppy in the clearance section at HPB. Higurashi was one of my more favorite animes when I was into anime. I also saw Galaxy Angel and would have bought it if it didn't have water damage.

Manga Rule #1; If it's your favorite anime, you absolutely have to buy the manga.

But as I was saying, this was one of my favorite animes. One of my favorite arcs of the anime was this specific arc and I didn't realize it until I started reading it. But yo, this arc is one of my favorites. It brings in Shion, essentially the best character in the franchise, and it's just hella messed up.

On one side, I'm happy that I got this on the first volume of this arc but at the same time I'm not because this isn't my favorite part of the arc. The arc starts slow but by the end you wish you were watching bunny videos. Just ah.

Higurashi is an intense series, don't read it if you don't like intense things. Otherwise, you should 10000000% read it.

Amelia's Notebook by Marissa Moss REVIEW

Let's go all the way back to the year 2001. Yes, all the way back to that time. I was eight, in the third grade, and I was just getting into creative writing. I have been reading since I was really young, my parents really pushed it on me, and at this time of third grade I was very advanced at reading but I had never really bothered to write and teachers up to that point never bothered to properly teach it. So, it was random but after a writing assignment my teacher and a guidance counselor pulled me aside during lunch and wanted to make this writing club with me and other kids that showed 'talent' in creative writing. To make this short, she gave all of us (4 kids in total) an Amelia book to read and get inspiration.

Since then, I have loved this series a lot. It's not so much a quality thing as it is a nostalgia thing (like most people with Harry Potter and Twilight). That being said, I was quite poor as a child and never got to read another one of the books other than the one that was given to me.

Obviously now as an adult I am actively looking for all of these books in my local bookstores (all secondhand) and I came across the first book in the series. It was very exciting and when I got home, I read it, and it was still as entertaining as I remember it being.

As far as children, I think that this series is still good to promote creativity in children. This series was one of the things in my childhood that really showed that expressing myself through writing was an acceptable option. The wording isn't too complicated, the colors are vibrant, the language is childlike, I don't really see any reason why a child wouldn't like it but I might say that it's a matter of preference. Maybe give it a shot?

101 Amazing Things About Dog Lovers by Todd Hafer REVIEW

At first, I wasn't entirely sure why this book had a Christian tag but then I saw the faithful Bible quotes and realized why it was. I found no reason for the tag other than that and I'm not tagging it as so here. Sorry not sorry.

Don't let the cover of the book fool you, this is an informational book about dogs. I don't know if it was just me but I thought that this was going to be one of those coffee table books with cute pictures and one or two lines a page.

Life isn't that easy. But I did like this. You can never have enough informational books for pets. As long as owners are unintentionally negligent to their pets that they're needed.

The aesthetic of this book is really cute by the way, I had an edited page because I downloaded it from netgalley but I can see how delightful the final product could be.

I do recommend it if you're a general dog lover or have a dog. If you have a dog buy all the adorable information dog books there are. When I had pets, there were books that were specific per breed and they were delightful.

Pet owners, please make the effort to educate yourselves. ~

Manga Classics Great Expectations REVIEW

Back at it with the Manga Classics, I have two more to read through and find myself fearing the length of one of them... For now though, Great Expectations.

I have never read Charles Dickens and feel a bit hesitant to after this graphic novel. I'm starting either notice trends in older writing or Stacey King really likes a certain kind of story line. It could be either or but it gets repetitive and boring.

However, these trends are in line with normal human behavior, and I'm in realization of it. But still, I've read three books almost in a row with these kinds of trends and it gets boring. It's like, I get it people act one way but are another sometimes, but it's annoying.

Other than that, the story felt very boring. I had great expectations and received massive disappointment in return. It just remained flat with a few really intense moments that felt out of place in the general outline. The ending act was full of twists that were so stupid and simplistic for me to even guess ahead of time.

However, I have read a lot worse, and if you like Charles Dickens maybe give it a try? Or don't you're not missing out on much.

Unlovable by Cynthia St. Aubin REVIEW

Sometimes on goodreads I just don't understand where other people are coming from. Lucky for me, I'm not  judgmental jerk and don't think more or less of others if they have a different opinion from my own.

I didn't like this book, it didn't really have a story line, it didn't seem well researched, it didn't seem well thought out, it didn't seem to be edited, and I could go on.

There were a lot of cliches that didn't seem to make sense to me. Like the virgin main hero with a bad past that ended up being a good person. The antagonist that ends up with a bad past and having a heart of gold ONLY for the virginal protagonist.

The mythology bothered me a lot because she used Cupid and Eros at the same time and someone help me because that's nOT HOW THAT WORKS. THAT'S NOT HOW THAT WORKS AT ALL. The author had another character Crixus who's a child of Zeus and some random human probably and there's a mention of people not hearing about him. And yo, Crixus was someone that actually lived, he was a Gallic soldier that was captured by the Romans. I'm not an expert but I just find a lot of that to be not perfectly correct and if it's not going to be perfectly correct then why bother putting it into the novel? I guess I'm just picky like that.

The humor also fell flat because it was just really immature. I mean, I'm not a stranger to romance novels, I know the humor that typically goes in them, and this humor is comparable to middle grade humor to the point where I felt as if the character herself was a teenager and not a professional woman.

I just didn't like it, I don't recommend it, but if you liked it that's cool.

Manga Classics Pride and Prejudice REVIEW

I've been trying to read Pride and Prejudice for years. Since my high school years and it's been a decent amount of time since High School about 5 years, depressingly. I haven't read it completely since then.

The first Manga Classic I've read was The Scarlet Letter and I loved that enough that I wanted to read the book (I don't own it and thus haven't read it yet but it's on the list!) So, naturally, I went onto Netgalley and requested almost ever Manga Classic that they had available. I've been meaning to read Pride and Prejudice so I read this one first.

I wasn't disappointed, the fire under my butt to read the actual novel has been reignited and if it's on the only shelf in my house I will definitely get to reading it in the daytime tomorrow.

The art for this was pretty good, it's better than anything that I can do, but there were some moments that were not very pleasing to my eye but it wasn't the art that captivated me (it was really pretty at some parts though) it was the story.

I didn't realize the actual reasoning for the title until I actually got to a point in the manga that pointed a giant arrow at it. Which I appreciated a lot.

Anyway, I definitely enjoyed this, it's a vastly quicker read than the original novel would be. Essentially, if you've been wanting to read Pride and Prejudice, but fear that it's much too long for your precious time. I feel that this serves as a really good TLDR alternative.

the princess saves herself in this one by Amanda Lovelace REVIEW

When I used to follow booklrs, I followed Amanda Lovelace. I didn't realize this until I saw her picture on her author page literally a minute before typing this. Just something fun to start this off with.

So, for the most part I liked this. I liked that Amanda's story was told in the poetry and that her story was very much relatable. There was parts in the middle where I was wishing for her to stop feeling sorry for herself (as a person that has also went through a lot of trauma, I had also gone through a phase where I felt sorry for myself) and was very happy to find that she had reached that point. I like seeing people get themselves out of that hole, there's no greater feeling.

As far as the parts I didn't like, it's just nitpicking on my part, a difference of opinion on a few choice lines, a few well meaning lines but a few lines that I felt holds more damage if not specified. Though overall, the message of the whole book was really good and positive.

The poetry was nice, it flowed fairly well, the language was fairly pretty minus a few instances but they didn't bother me all that much. It's not classical poetry so if you're into that kind of poetry it might not be your cup of tea. However, I did like this a lot and I recommend it a lot.

The Slanted Life of Emily Dickinson by Rosanna Bruno REVIEW

The second book of 2017 is this, The Slanted Life of Emily Dickinson.

This book is some humor on the ambiguous life of Emily Dickinson. Ambiguous because she was a recluse and no one knows what she did... Or at least that's what this book suggests.

However, I find that this book is more of a humorous take on Emily Dickinson, what she was, who she is, what she did, and what she would be doing if she would be in our current time.

The art, is fairly simplistic, the general simplistic. The kind of simplistic where an average person that draws at a once in a while basis could achieve. There isn't much to judge on based on content. There is some wit in there that I appreciated but other than that I found it to be very straightforward and boring. It was a 98 page book and I was bored by page 30.

However, I don't have very many complaints and there were parts of this book that I actually did enjoy. So I do recommend this if you want a lighter humorous book about Emily Dickinson, I wouldn't recommend it if you genuinely want to know more about Emily Dickinson.

Small Favors by Colleen Coover REVIEW

Sometimes, I regret saying that I'd review anything but then I remind myself that my willingness to read anything is a strength because most reviewers stick to one kind of genre throughout their reading life. Reading any genre at any moment opens yourself to different ideas and viewpoints. And it's with those thoughts that brings me to review this. 

So, Small Favors. I know that it says porno on the cover but I didn't think that it would be completely porno. All three parts, complete porno... So I'm going to talk about the plot.

It's about a girl, Annie, that masturbates a lot. Enough for her conscious to pull her into her own consciousness and judge her. Then this fairy person Nibbil has sex with her and then somehow goes outside of her consciousness and the rest is basically about their sexcapades with each other and other girls.

It's definitely erotic and lacks a proper plot and just follows a base story line. Porn without plot because if you go into thinking about the inner workings of everything you're just going to make your head hurt. The art is simplistic but is still better than anything an average person can do, which I can appreciate. It's inclusive of race and relationship types, which is good considering the current political climate. 

Perhaps, this could be the perfect lesbian porno comic? I haven't read any others so I'm going to assume so. 

I downloaded this in three parts from BlueFire. And I totally recommend it  for anyone looking for this kind of thing.