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The Starless Sea Review

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Wow! My first dark academia book, recommended by the wonderful @greenghostreviews over on Instagram.  The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern , to put it simply, is about Zachary, a college student who finds a mysterious book called Sweet Sorrows in his university's library. The book was donated by the equally mysterious Keating Foundation. Within the book are symbols of a bee, a key and a sword. Zachary wonders what it could all mean, especially since the story seems to be about him! He finds huge lead at a party that is literary-themed. From there he finds himself in the middle of a magical underground world of all the stories that exist in the world, as well as the people behind it that are trying to preserve it all.  This book was so atmospheric and whimsical! Intertwined with Zachary's story are other stories in and around the actual Starless Sea and its Harbours. Everything comes together neatly at the end. It kind of reminded me of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Gr...
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You Were There Too Review

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Trigger warning: mentioning of miscarriages     Ugh, the book was good until it got to the end... You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley is an adult contemporary romance novel with a dash of magical realism. Mia and her husband Harrison have just moved from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a small town called Hope Springs, thinking life would be easier for them. Instead, Mia has trouble finding a job that she can do with an art degree, and Harrison seems to be hiding something related to his job (he works as a surgeon in a small hospital) from Mia. Even worse, they have been struggling to have children as Mia has already had two miscarriages.  While all of this is going on, Mia keeps having recurring dreams of her encountering a stranger. Well, she's actually been dreaming of this mysterious guy for years. Most of the dreams usually takes place in a carnival, and most of the dreams involve something tragic. Freakier still, Mia ends up finding the guy in real life! His name i...
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Hikaru in the Light Vol 1 Review

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      A kids' manga I found on a whim!   This first volume of Hikaru in the Light by Mai Matsuda is about a girl named Hikaru who likes singing at her family's bath house. She is a really good singer, and she dreams about becoming an idol just like her childhood friend, Ran.    One day Hikaru finds out about an audition to form a new girl idol band that will be hosted by popular and successful record producer M. Hayama. Hikaru signs up. Much to her surprise, Ran signs up, too. She just quit the girl group she was a part of, and decided to partake in this audition for a new girl group to improve on her dancing and singing skills. The two friends support each other through the audition process, and they end up making the cut!    Hikaru and Ran and a bunch of other girls end up going to a training camp for idols.    Throughout all of this, Hikaru finds out that becoming an idol isn't easy peasy. But it should be easier with Ran by her side...
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Blog Update--Please Read!

Hey y'all, I am going to be taking a semi-hiatus from my blog.  I only going to pop in once in a while to just to do book reviews. So no extra types of posts (no book lists, no book tags, etc.)  So I will not be very active on here for a while.  I don't know how long this break will last, but  one day  I will be back in full swing.  Take care. 💓 
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Tiny Dancer Review

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  Another graphic novel about dance! Tiny Dancer by Siena Cherson Siegel is a memoir about the author growing up as a ballet dancer. She is very passionate about it--until one day during a summer dance session she gets a very bad injury that alters her dancing skills. She goes through a period where she feels she is unable to do anything and be good at all of it. Especially when her friends all move up into higher levels and all end up at prestigious dance schools. Siena ends up quitting ballet in high school, and she tries to find other paths in life to become passionate about. Luckily, her love of ballet never goes away!  This was one of the most relatable memoirs I have read so far! I did ballet all throughout elementary school and part of middle school. I never got any serious injuries from it, but in middle school I did quit doing it because I wasn't enjoying it as much as I once was. I later on found out it was mainly because of sensory issues (after I was diagnosed wit...
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Better Living Through Birding Review

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  This book was a part of the 12 books 12 friends challenge.  Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man about the Natural World by Christian Cooper is a memoir about various parts of the author's life: growing up in New York, his family, finding out he was gay, his time working at Marvel, traveling the world, and many more. Everything is tied together through his love of bird watching. As he tells us stories about parts of his life, he also drops facts on different kinds of birds and how you can be a good birdwatcher, too. It's a cool memoir! I especially liked the parts where he talked about working at Marvel, and how it was like growing up as a gay black man in the second half of the 20th century. I also have a mild interest in bird watching, and I had no idea so many things went into trying to find birds.  I do have to give it 4 stars though, because the book did feel a little disjointed at times. There were some chapters I felt that the author was trying ...
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The Magic Fish Review

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  I finally read this and it was wonderful! The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen is a story about a boy named Tien and his parents, that learn to connect with each other through fairy tales. These stories help Tien come out to his mother as gay, and his mother also comes to terms with her past with leaving Vietnam.  Aside from the beautifully woven story, the pictures in this book were really beautiful! I especially loved the illustrations that accompanied the fairy tale portions of the book. They were so detailed. They reminded me a little of the manga Witch Hat Atelier.  I gave The Magic Fish 5 stars. A great book not just for Pride Month, but anytime of the year.  
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