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Showing posts from August, 2024

August Wrap-Up

  All the books I read in August! I read a total of 13 books .  It was a mostly positive reading month. Although I did have one 3 star book (the Josee manga).  Here are the books and links to their Goodreads summaries (click on the titles): The Witch Boy , The Hidden Witch , and The Midwinter Witch all by Molly Ostertag . All three got 5 stars! The Remarkables by Margaret Peterson Haddix . 5 stars. A Sign of Affection Omnibus (Volumes 1, 2, and 3) by Suu Morishita -5 stars. Josee, the Tiger, and the Fish by Seiko Tanabe -3 stars The Golden Road by LM Montgomery (sequel to The Story Girl )-4 stars Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin -4 stars Call the Name of the Night Volume 1 by Tama Mitsubushi -5 stars Siuil a Run Volume 1 Deluxe Edition by Nagabe -4.5 stars Witch Hat Kitchen Volume 1 by Kamome Shirahama and Hiromi Sato -5 stars Willa of Dark Hollow by Robert Beatty -4 stars Ellen Tebbits by Beverly Cleary -5 stars

Underrated Books Part 8

  Welcome to Part 8 of my favorite series to do on my blog!  Part 1-7 can be viewed here: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 I hope you add some of these to your TBR! Or I hope you've already read some of them. 1. Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier -a noblewoman named Dona St. Columb has grown disillusioned with her high-class lifestyle and decides to escape to the countryside. While there, she meets a handsome French pirate and his crew. She decides to join his crew and go on a little pirate adventure, which causes some drama back home.  2.  The Big Adventures of Majoko manga series by Tomomi Mizuna- a cute and magical slice of life manga series about a witch named Majoko and her new human friend named Nana. I should note that this series is mostly out of print now and copies are hard to find, and the few you do find on Amazon and eBay are usually very expensive. Although some of the volumes are somewhat reasonably priced on thriftbooks.com. I was able to rea

7 Deadly Sins Book Challenge Tag

This tag has been going around lately! I first saw @nausicaa_requiem do it over on Instagram.  As always, feel free to do this tag if you see it! 1. Lust-A book I bought just for the cover. The Pirate Captain's Daughter by Eve Bunting 2. Gluttony-A book I can read over and over again. The Witch Hat Atelier series! 3. Envy-A book I want to live in In the world of One Piece! 4. Wrath-a book I didn't enjoy Ellie Engle Saves Herself by Leah Johnson 5. Pride-A big or challenging book. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. I did end up loving the book! 😀 6. Greed-a book I own multiple copies of None! 7. Sloth-a book on your TBR for too long Tales from Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

Popular Books I Don't Like Part 1

😬 Time to ruffle some feathers! This is a new series where I just briefly talk about some random books I didn't like. Let's see if you can relate. Note: These are not books I've read this year. This is just a list of some  books I've read in my life so far that I didn't like or even despised (so 2 star and 1 star books). I also read all of them in their entirety, so no DNFs on here, either. This will be the case for all the books in this series of posts. 1. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. 1 star. Summary from Goodreads here . I found this book to be chock-full of pure mean-spirited, misogynistic, ableist garbage!  2. 1984 by George Orwell. 1 star. Summary from Goodreads here . Same reasoning as Brave New World.  3. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. 1 star.  S ummary from Goodreads here . Same reasoning as Brave New World and 1984.  4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. 2 stars. Summary from Goodreads here . The book's premise seemed interesting but th

20 Obsessions Tag

I first saw this tag over on Instagram by @a.leos.bookshelf . Here are my answers to it!  You know what I will say next... anyone is free to do this tag! I don't tag anyone.  Do you and I have anything in common? Let me know! Middle Grade Books YA Books Romance Books Fantasy Books Shojo manga/anime One Piece Drawing Painting Doll Collecting Barbie Ever After High Rainbow High Sanrio  Cute things Pastel and Bright Colors Cottagecore Cheesy foods Flowers Crystals Boba Tea

Siuil A Ruin: The Girl From the Other Side, Deluxe Edition, Volume 1

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  There are actually 3 volumes in this one book of this popular fantasy manga series. Siuil a Ruin by Nagabe is about Shiva, a girl who lives in a place that is divided by the "Inside", where the God of Light rules, and the "Outside", where the God of Darkness rules. Apparently, the God of Darkness has released this curse that can spread and permanently affect humans. Shiva supposedly has it, but she hasn't gotten a "cursed form" yet. She lives with an Outsider whom she calls "Teacher", and their days are usually very laid back and sweet. Teacher is trying to protect Shiva from anyone who tries to hurt her. From both Outsiders who want to return her soul to "Mother" and Insider soldiers who want to sacrifice her.  I've known about this manga series for a long time, and I finally got around to it! I loved the perfect mix of it being a cozy fantasy and a dark fantasy. I am very into all of the mysteries of who the gods really are,

Ellen Tebbits Review

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  Before I get into it, can I just say this is the second book from Beverly Cleary I read as an adult? The first was was Muggie Maggie , which I reviewed back in 2022. I did read a lot of Beverly Cleary's books as a kid, though! I read all of the Ramona books (those are my favorites from her, Ramona is so hilarious and relatable. She's basically Junie B. Jones before Junie B. was a thing), the trilogy about Ralph the Mouse , and the first Henry Huggins book. I also read Socks and some of Otis Spofford but I can barely remember those two. I need to reread them sometime. I also need to read the rest of the Henry Huggins books. And the rest of her standalones and maybe her memoirs.  Anyway. Ellen Tebbits is about Ellen, who has a rather embarrassing secret. When she meets a new girl named Austine in her ballet class, it turns out she has the same secret! So they become best friends. The rest of the chapters are about Ellen and Austine getting into all sorts of mishaps whil

Josee, the Tiger, and the Fish Review

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  Aw man, this was kind of disappointing... Josee the Tiger and the Fish by Seiko Tanabe and Nao Emoto is about Tsuneo, a college student who likes scuba diving and wants to study abroad in Mexico. He works various jobs to save up for his travels. One day he accidentally runs into a wheelchair user and artist (painter) named Kumiko who prefers to go by Josee, and her grandmother. Things get off to a rocky start, but Josee's grandmother decides to hire Tsuneo to be Josee's caretaker. As he keeps coming to take care of Josee every day, he finds out she's been isolated by her grandmother practically her whole life due to her disability. Only now as Tsuneo keeps taking her out, she slowly starts to experience things she never has before.  This story sounded like something right up my alley, and it did do plenty of things I liked. I liked the disability rep, Josee's art, a new friend she makes who is a librarian, Josee's picture book story that's loosely about her a

I FINALLY STARTED A SIGN OF AFFECTION!

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OMG this manga is so cute you guys! A Sign of Affection by Suu Morishita follows Yuki, a stylish and shy college student who also happens to be deaf. One day while on the train when a foreigner tries talking to her and she can't understand what they are saying, she is rescued by a guy who likes to travel abroad and speaks multiple languages, named Istuomi. Yuki later sees Itsuomi again at a cafe that her best friend Rin likes to invite her to. Itsuomi happens to work there, and his cousin Kyoya is the owner. Rin has a crush on Kyoya, too. The story so far involves Yuki's feelings for Itsuomi as the two grow closer and eventually become a couple, with their friend groups watching from the sidelines. Yuki also teaches Itsuomi  sign language! This is such a chill, sweet, and warm hug of a romance series so far. I think it has become a new all time favorite. I love how the main character happens to be deaf and a lot about deaf culture and sign language are intertwined in the story

54321 Challenge

I hope I am not too late to this book tag! I actually did this same one way back in 2022 a little after I started my page (you can view that year's edition here ) I saw @spacey_ghost over on Instagram do this back in June of this year, and it rekindled my interest to do it again.  Here are my answers for this year! As usual, anyone is free to do this tag. The questions are a bit different this time. 1. 5 books I love:  Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix Kisses and Croissants by Anne-Sophie Johanneau The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon Close Enough to Touch by Colleen Oakley 2. 4 books on my TBR: Tales from Earthsea by Ursula K Le Guin Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers 3. 3 books I recommend: Running out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend 2.

Starry River of the Sky Review

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My second book from this author! The first book I read from her was Where the Mountain Meets the Moon , which was the very first book I did I review on this blog. Read my review on it here ! Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin is about Rendi, who has run away from home. He ends up at an inn that's located in a semi-abandoned village, and starts working there. Lots of unusual things happen at this inn and at the village as a whole. The moon is also not in the sky, and the lack of the moon makes Rendi wonder if that is what is affecting the village negatively. As the story goes on and Rendi gets to know the people at the inn more, he hears many stories based in Chinese folklore, and he begins to tell some stories himself. The folktales end up being a key to solving the mystery of the village's downfall.  This book has a similar setup to Where the Mountain Meets the Moon where our young protagonist has a mission and magical folktales are intertwined in the story. It is super c

I Started Reading the Call the Name of the Night manga series!

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  I hope this becomes a new favorite series! Call the Name of the Night by Tama Mitsuboshi is about Mira--a girl with a rare condition where everytime she gets anxious, everything around her gets engulfed in darkness and it scares people. She is currently living with a doctor and magician named Rei, who is researching her rare condition and will maybe find a cure for it. Mira's daily life with Rei is rather chill: she usually reads books, helps Rei with cooking, plays with little shadow creatures,  and hangs out in the garden.  One day, an old, rather sketchy acquaintance of Rei's names Cartos comes to visit, and Mira ends up learning something about herself she never knew.  So far, I am loving this!  I gave this first volume 5 stars .  I love the heartwarming magical cottagecore vibes and the gorgeous pictures. it's like a more chill version of Witch Hat Atelier, in my opinion.  I also love the dynamic between Mira and Rei! I have a feeling Cartos will continue being a so

I FINALLY STARTED THE WITCH BOY SERIES BY MOLLY OSTERTAG

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So glad I finally found this first book! I've been wanting to read it for a long time. The Witch Boy by Molly Ostertag is about Aster--a boy who comes from a family where the women are witches and the men are shapeshifters. However, Aster has trouble with his shapeshifting powers, and he doesn't feel in touch with shapeshifting in general. He'd rather be a witch. He secretly looks at the witchcraft lessons the girls in his family take, and he tries out some spells of his own. His family is not happy with his witch activities whenever they catch him in the act. The only one who is happy with his witch activities and is cool with watching him do them is a new friend named Charlie.  At the same time, some of the boys in Aster's family have been mysteriously  disappearing. Aster decides to use his witch powers to save the day, even if it will stir up drama. I gave this book 5 stars . This was another pleasant, magical book by Molly Ostertag! The first book I read from her/

The Remarkables Review

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  Yes! Another great book by one of my favorite authors, Margaret Peterson Haddix ! The Remarkables is about Marin, an 11-year old girl who just moved to Pennsylvania from Illinois. She has no new friends yet, and just had a falling out with her two friends, Ashlynn and Kenner, back in Illinois, before moving. Her parents are really busy with their new jobs and taking care of her new baby brother, Owen. So, Marin spends a lot of time on her own. One day, as she is exploring her new neighborhood, she sees a bunch of teenagers hanging out with each other near one specific house. What's unusual about these teens is they seem to disappear and reappear out of thin air, and only Marin seems to notice this strange phenomenon. That is, until she meets a boy, a neighbor, named Charlie, and he reveals he can see them, too.  Unfortunately, Charlie thinks the reason he can see them is because of a dark family secret regarding his father. He thinks the teenagers are actually his father and his

Midyear Calm Down Tag

I first saw this over on the YouTube channel of Merphy Napier (her video here ) and thought it looked cool! Here are my answers for it. This tag was created by Leandra the TBR zero, and her video can be watched here .  Feel free to do this tag if you see it! 1. Thankfulness: What 2024 has given me thus far So many new friends/followers! Thanks y'all! 2. Relaxation: The most relaxing book The Sprite and the Gardener by Rii Abrego 3. Hydration: A book that I needed A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett and Bloomability by Sharon Creech 4. Nourishment: A book that energized me The Legend of Shadow High by Shannon and Deal Hale, and If You'll Have Me by Eunnie 5. Familiarity: An author I've returned to LM Montgomery and Kate DiCamillo. 6. Healthy risk: Outside of my comfort zone read/new-to-me author Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything by Justine Pucella Winans 7. Reflection: Changes in my reading taste I've been reading less nonfiction and more manga. 8. De

July Wrap Up

All the books I read in July! I read a total of 5 books, and they were all really great. 1. Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono-4 stars . Full book description here on Goodreads. Read my (kind of) review here . I mostly just compare the book and movie.  2. Messy Roots by Laura Gao-4.5 stars. Full book description here . Read my review for it here  . 3. Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender-4 stars. Full book description here . Read my review here . 4. Willa of the Wood by Robert Beatty-4 stars. Full book description here . Read my review here . 5. The Legend of Shadow High by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale - 4 stars. Full book description here . Read my review here . 

Two Year Anniversary!

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  I realized I forgot to do this last year here on my blog, but I did do it over on Instagram. Anyway, today is the 2nd anniversary of my blog!  The very first post I posted was the Book Blog Newbie Tag, which you can view here . My answers haven't changed much for the tag. It's just that two years later, I am 24 years old and I am currently getting a master's degree in Library and Information Sciences at UIUC (their online iSchool program). Now I want to be a librarian of some kind! Although library work has plenty of marketing in it, too.  Thank you for sticking with me these past two years! 😘