Candy Bunny Reader

  Another memoir everyone needs to read! Homebody by Theo Parish is a graphic novel memoir of the author on their journey on how they discovered they are nonbinary. They use an extended metaphor of a house to explain their story, on how discovering they were nonbinary was liking coming home to themselves. They also highlight realities on being nonbinary that not everyone will understand you and that is okay--surround yourself with people who support you. And questioning yourself and coming out is a continuous process.  I loved how uplifting and heartfelt this memoir was! I also love the author's illustrations. I also liked their cats and the fact they were a nerd who likes cosplaying and roleplaying games. So this book got a pure 5 stars from me!

  Yup, here we go again! Let's see if you can relate to any of these. Or if I ruffle your feathers. Here's Part 1 in case you missed it. 1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  Goodreads summary here . The subject matter was too heavy for me in this book. 1 star. 2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  Goodreads summary here . I actually do understand why people like this book and its series as a whole, as it is well written and has good messages, but I personally did not enjoy it. I do not like reading about teenagers fighting and dying on live tv, especially if it's something their corrupt government has them do. Too morbid for me. 2 stars.  3. Divergent by Veronica Roth.  Goodreads summary here . The pacing of the story is so bad. There were also many parts in the worldbuilding that didn't make any sense. 1 star. 4. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Patterson.  Goodreads summary here . Even as a kid I remember this book being really boring. The only parts I reme

  Mamo by Sas Milledge follows Joanna, or Jo for short, whose mother has fallen ill. Other mishaps are happening in her small community, too. Jo wonders if it's all because of the fae (fairies) and humans making them angry. She enlists the help of the village witch named Orla. Though somewhat stubborn and reclusive, Orla helps out Jo when they find the root cause of the problem. It turns out Orla's deceased grandmother, the previous village witch named Mamo, is causing the problem with her bones and soul scattered about. Jo helps Orla by learning some magic to stop Mamo, and she finds out some things about Orla and Mamo that changes everything she knew about them.  This book was so cool because it talked about witchcraft and fairies in a way that closely mirrors real-world beliefs. Magic isn't the glittery stuff you see on TV, and the fairies here are actually really scary.  Unfortunately, I wasn't really of fan of Jo and Orla's relationship. They spend most of the

Let's talk about an author that became a favorite of mine this year! So Robert Beatty doesn't have as many books as the previous two authors I talked about, but pretty much everything he's written so far that I have read has been awesome! The first book I read from him was Serafina and the Black Cloak . I gave it 5 stars. The sequels Serafina and the Twisted Staff and Serafina and the Splintered Heart were great, too. I gave them both 4.5 stars. I did not like the fourth book, Serafina and the Seven Stars, that much. I gave it 3.5 stars. The main issue I had with this book is that I felt that it didn't tie in with the previous three books. The first three books had mystery stories that tied in well with each other, but book 4 didn't feel like an actual sequel for them. It felt more like a random standalone book that just happened to have the same characters and setting. I wonder if maybe Robert Beatty didn't plan on writing a 4th book and he probably only wrot

  It's been a while since I talked about anime I liked! Here are 4 more.  Parts 1-3 can be viewed here: Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 1. One Piece This is pretty obvious if you know me in real life. 😜 I don't need to explain what it is about since it's one of the best selling manga series of all time. Pretty much everyone knows what it's about. 2. Skip Beat! A young woman named Kyoko follows her childhood friend Shu to the big city where he's become a star! Unfortunately, she finds out he was using her the whole time to boost his own career. Feeling hurt, she decides to get revenge on him by competing in show business as an actress. Along the way, Kyoko meets new friends, including one mysterious guy named Ren. She learns to start doing things for herself instead of trying to please others. I've only watched the anime for this so far! I plan on reading the rest of the story through the manga sometime.  3. Magic Knight Rayearth In 1994 Tokyo, at the Tokyo Tower to be

  OMG this book was so cute! Now I am craving grilled cheese sandwiches😋. The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz is about Lady Camembert, who like women and obviously doesn't want to marry any men. But she is left orphaned and her father's last wish was that she moved somewhere new in the country of Fondue with her lady-in-waiting Feta and pretend to be a man. So she starts living as Count Camembert. But she has to keep a low profile as much as possible, while still expecting to get married.  Cam (that's her nickname) quickly gets bored being at home all day, so she decides to attend a ball hosted by the princess of the kingdom, named Princess Brie. She quickly catches the attention of Brie and they become friends. They finds themselves falling in love with each other, but Cam is worried about her secret of pretending to be a boy getting out. Luckily, Brie's other friends, Ricotta and Gorgonzola (or Zola for short) help out with the situation. They

  I picked up this graphic novel on a whim, and it was perfect timing! Seance Tea Party by Remina Yee is about Lora, a girl in middle school who is social outcast and doesn't have a large circle of friends. One day she does a séance in her house and she summons a ghost--who happens to be her old imaginary friend named Alexa. She spends a lot of time having magical adventures with Alexa. Everything seems fine--except Alexa seems to be hiding some secrets from Lora. At the same time, Lora is afraid to grow up.  This book totally stole my heart--it had a wonderful story, wonderful messages, and the artwork is gorgeous! It reminded me of The Tea Dragon Society  books by Kay O'Neill. If you are a fan of those books, check this out!  But I did give it 4.5 stars , but that was just because of Alexa's backstory. I can't tell you what it is because of spoilers, but it might trigger some people. Either way, great book!

Now, my history with Haddix's books is rather interesting, because when I tried reading her books when I was actually a kid, I didn't like them very much!  In middle school I tried reading Found , which is the first of her Missing series, and I found it hard to get through. The time travel stuff was also kind of confusing, and the whole book was just a set up for the rest of the series where the main characters go through time to restore history. I also tried reading Among the Hidden , the first of the Shadow Children. At the time I found it boring, but that would eventually change in the future.  The first book I read from Haddix as an adult would become an all-time favorite, and that is Just Ella ! It's a feminist retelling of Cinderella. The second book I read from her was Running Out of Time . I also loved it. I am not planning on reading the sequel, though. I thought the first book was satisfying enough But then I did read the sequel to Just Ella , which was Palace of

Wow! This was awesome! I found a new favorite YA sapphic comtemporary book! The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar is about Shireen, who signs up to be a part of this new reality tv show that will feature teenage bakers from all over Ireland in baking competitions. Aside from her love of baking, Shireen is also entering for the show to help save her parent's donut shop, if she wins the prize money. But then, she finds out her ex-girlfriend Christina Huang (who usually goes by Chris) is in the show, too! Things get super awkward when the host and judges (which includes Shireen's favorite celebrity chef, Indian-Irish Padma Bollywood) pair them up for the first couple of rounds. At the same time, Shireen becomes friends and starts to get close to one of the other contestants, a girl named Niamh. But then Shireen discovers things about Chris and later Niamh that'll change everything. Shireen and Chris also have to deal with a lot racist tweets on Twitter about them in t

  A graphic novel I think everyone should read! Huda F Are You? By Huda Fahmy is a YA graphic memoir about the Egyptian-American author moving to and living in Dearborn, Michigan, a place with a high concentration of Arab and Muslim people in the US. Huda was no longer the only hijabi (person who wears hijab) in her school, but she still doesn't feel like she fitted in anywhere with the rest of the hijabis. Most of her friends (except for two girls) were non hijabis and non-Muslim. But even then Huda felt she had to fake being herself in order to have any friends at all. She also sometimes struggled with her faith and butted heads with her parents. Despite living in a place with a lot of Muslims, she and several of her classmates still experienced Islamophobia from random people, including some teachers at school. Huda's story is presented through a series of charming pictures and a tone that is a mix of sometimes funny and sometimes sad.  This book seems pretty straightforwar

  Welcome to part 9 of my ongoing series of books I don't see talked enough about online! I hope you like these books, too. Links to Goodreads summaries will be provided.  You can check out previous parts here: Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 , Part 4 , Part 5 , Part 6 , Part 7 , Part 8 1. Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech . A sentimental tale of a girl who tries to heal her family from their problems when she uncovers a hidden trail leading from her town to the next town over. Also deals with her first crush on a boy who may or may not like her back.  2. Serafina series by Robert Beatty (link takes you to the first book). A fascinating historical fantasy series of an eccentric girl and her best friend solving mysteries in and around the Biltmore estate in Asheville, North Carolina. I personally recommend reading just the first 3 books. Book 4 doesn't add much.  3. The Story Girl by LM Montgomery . A cozy, slice of life book set on Prince Edward Island in Canada of two brothers and

  Another great book by one of my favorite authors, Lyla Lee ! Gigi Shin is Not a Nerd follows Gigi, a preteen girl who loves art and wants to work in some sort of artistic field. She finds out through her art teacher about a summer art program that will feature one of her favorite artists, Christiania Moon, but it costs a lot of money. Gigi knows her parents will probably not want to pay for it, as they want her to study something more "practical", aka something not art-related.  Luckily, Gigi finds a way to earn money. After helping her younger brother Tommy with his math homework, Gigi decides to form a tutoring club called the Ace Squad with her best friends, Carolina and Zeina. A fourth girl named Emma eventually joins them. Their tutoring sessions at the library aren't always smooth, but by tutoring elementary school students, they know they will eventually get enough money to all go to the expensive art camp! This was such a fun book! I love the way Lyla Lee writes

This is my second Morgan Matson book! This first book I ever read from her was Since You've Been Gone back in 2021 or 2022, which I really liked. Did I like this book, too? Well... Take Me Home Tonight is about two best friends: Kat and Stevie. They are both passionate about theatre. Their school's theatre department will be putting on King Lear by William Shakespeare, but for some reason, their theatre director, Mr. Campbell, doesn't put the cast list up on Friday like he usually does. The girls can't understand why, but Kat finds out that down the road in New York City, he will be putting on a play that same Friday night that he wrote himself. Kat decides in order to show Mr. Campbell what a great student she is and to get the role of Cordelia in the play, she and Stevie will go watch his show.  The thing is, that Friday night, Kat gets called to babysit some kids. She decides to lie to her parents that she's going to go babysit as usual, but she instead gets an

  Yeah, I know I'm late to the party with this one. And I unfortunately didn't like it!  To All the Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han is about Lara Jean, who has developed crushes on 5 boys over the years, one of them being her childhood friend Peter and another being her next door neighbor, Josh. She has written letters to the boys she has had crushes on, but never mailed them--until one day then somehow get mailed and Lara Jean gets caught up in a crazy love triangle between Peter and Josh.  I've seen so much praise for this book (and the series overall) for years and I finally got around to reading it, but this was just not for me! The main issue I had were the characters. They were all so unlikable! Except for Lara Jean's sisters Margot and Kitty. They were cool. The romance between Lara Jean and Peter was also so badly done, in my opinion. Most of the time they felt like coworkers who barely tolerated each other. I know they were fake dating for most of the book, b

A new series where I talk and gush about authors whom I've read a lot from and love! The first Lucy Maud Montgomery book I read and loved was Anne of Green Gables , back when I was in middle school. It wasn't until my college years I found out there were more Anne books and she's written other books not about Anne during her lifetime.  I read the first two Anne sequels ( Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island ) and enjoyed them both! I can't say the same for Anne of Windy Poplars , the 4th book. I DNF it.  I found out on TV Tropes (link here , look at "Creator Backlash") that LM Montgomery didn't actually like writing most of the sequels of Anne of Green Gables . She put so many sequels out because the public and her publisher kept demanding it. Believe it or not, Anne of Windy Poplars was actually the 7th book published. It's like the Narnia series by CS Lewis  where the books were published out of order. So Windy Poplars is the 4th book in the ser

It's Deaf Awareness Month, so why not share the book perfect for this occasion that I just read and got as a present from a family friend?! A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard is about Steffi, a girl in her last year of high school who has selective mutism. She is hearing, but she also can communicate through sign language (specifically BSL, since the story is set in Britain). She gets assigned to help out a new student in her school named Rhys, who is deaf. Slowly, they become friends and they become a couple. Through Rhys, Steffi is able to meet more people who support her and her disability and alternate communication styles after struggling with them for so long.  Such a cute romance book! And great disability representation, too. I though this book would be perfect to share this month since it's Deaf Awareness Month.  But I did give it 4 stars . There is some mild ableism sprinkled throughout the book (although it is handled well at the end). One character is mentione

  Another book by one of my favorite authors ever! I bought this copy at a used bookstore in my area. This is a reminder to support independent bookstores, especially if they sell second-hand!  Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix is about almost-thirteen-year-old Bethany whose overprotective parents have started acting strangely, and they just sent her to live with an aunt she never knew she had, named Myrlie. Bethany's parents also won't answer her phone calls, either, for some reason. Everyone in her aunt Myrlie's small town also react strangely every time they see Bethany, too. Her aunt Myrlie and her cousin Jocelyn, treat her very kindly, but Bethany feels like they're hiding something from her. Something involving someone named Elizabeth... Yup, another mind-boggling mystery story! This one really had me on the edge of my seat.  But I am giving it 4.5 stars . I had to take off half of a star because I didn't really like the way they handled the bad guy

  Have you ever read a book that was so good that you thought "this would make a perfect movie or tv show?" That's how I feel about the books on this list. What books do you think need adaptations?  1. Heartless by Marissa Meyer -it's a retelling of Alice in Wonderland and a villain origin story all rolled into one! Lots of people love those two tropes. They'd work perfectly in a movie. 2. Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee -an Achillean (gay) romance story with a diverse cast, set in New York City, and involves cooking. Might be perfect who people who are fans of Heartstopper and similar pieces of media.  3. The Cupcake Diaries series by Coco Simon -I could see these being an animated series for young kids. 4. The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery -a movie adaptation of this might attract people who like historical fiction and romance. Perfect for cottagecore lovers, too! 5. Any of Margaret Peterson Haddix's books, such as the Shadow Children series -they are al

Yup, sometimes the adaptations of popular books are better than the books themselves. Here are some adaptations of books I thought were better than their source material. And why. 1. The Princess Diaries- y'all know I didn't like the book for this one! This movie with Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews is much more family-friendly. Plus, the characters are way more likable.  2. Mary Poppins- I tried reading the book a few years ago and I DNF'd it because book Mary Poppins was so snooty and condescending for no good reason. The movie with Julie Andrews makes her a much more fun and nice nanny.  3. Kiki's Delivery Service- well, the book for this one was still good, but I liked the simplicity and themes of the movie way more. Plus, my favorite character of the artist girl Ursula has a bigger role in the movie than in the book.  4. The Last Unicorn- the book is still pretty good, but I didn't like Prince Lir! He's very pushy and obsessed with the unicorn/Lady Amalthea

I was asked by a friend what my favorite books of all time are, and I have a lot! I decided to start a new series on here of all the books I've read in my lifetime that I love. So this includes childhood favorites and new favorites. I hope you like some of the same books as I do! Some of these books you might recognize from my underrated books series. Links to Goodreads summaries are provided, too. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon Close Enough to Touch by Colleen Oakley Anne of Green Gables (and the first two sequels) by LM Montgomery The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes Frankenstein by Mary Shelley The Doll People series by Ann M. Martin Stargirl and it's sequel Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls Kitchen Princess manga series by Natsumi Ando Charlottes Web by EB White Amelia's Notebook series by Marissa Moss

  Fun fact: I actually read part of this series way back when I was in middle school, but I never read all of the volumes. Now I'm planning on reading all of them! Yotsuba&! by Kiyohiko Azuma is a cute, chill, slice of life series about a little girl named Yotsuba, her adoptive father, and their new neighbors. Every chapter follows Yotsuba as she goes on little adventures when she becomes fascinated with seemingly everyday items and occurences, from air conditioners to cicadas. The humor in the series often comes from Yotsuba misunderstanding things.  I enjoyed this series when I read part of it as a kid, but I think I love it even more as an adult! I think it's because it's such a sweet and heartwarming series about everyday life with such lovable characters. I definitely needed this book more as an adult especially when life gets so stressful. This first volume got 5 stars from me. Excited to read the rest of the series!

  This was awesome! I think Becky Chambers is now a new favorite author of mine. A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers  is set on Panga--a distant moon that has been settled by humans. The humans on this moon are living in a new age where they are no longer dependent on technology, and things made during the "Factory Age" such as humanoid robots, have disappeared into the wild. The story follows a young monk named Dex. Their title as a monk is "Sibling Dex" since they are nonbinary. They've grown bored with their monastic living and decide to become a tea monk. Tea monks travel around and  listen to help people with their problems while sharing cups of teas. On their travels they encounter a humanoid robot named Mosscap, who wants to understand humans better by asking Dex "What do humans need?" From then on out, Mosscap and Dex travel together across Panga trying to understand humans--and each other--better.  The story gets very philosophical, b

  I think Nina Lacour is becoming a new favorite author of mine! I don't know why it took me so long to read another book from her, because her writing is awesome. The first Nina Lacour book I read was We Are Okay back in 2022. You can read the review here . Everything Leads to You by Nina Lacour is about Emi, an 18 year old young woman who got a summer internship in movie set designing thanks to her older brother Toby. One day she and her best friend Charlotte are invited to look through the estate of a really famous movie star that just died, named Clyde Jones. While looking though there to see what they can use for the set of an upcoming movie, they come across a record player with a hidden letter inside. In the letter, they learned that Clyde Jones actually left some money for his daughter Caroline to inherit. The girls find out that Caroline died a long time ago, but she had a daughter named Ava who is still alive and is around their age. After several roadblocks, they reac

  I also do this tag every year in September! If you choose to do this tag, I hope to see your answers. 1.  A popular book or series you didn't like.  As always, I have too many answers for this one. I guess I'll have to go with one I read this year that was pretty disappointing: Josee, The Tiger, and The Fish by Seiko Tanabe. 2.  A book/series a lot of people don't like, but you liked.  I think these two books are more divided than widely disliked. They are The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett and A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I really liked those two books, especially A Little Princess! 3.  A love triangle where the main character ended up with the person didn’t want them to end up with/an OTP that you don’t like. I will try to keep it as spoiler-free as possible, but let's just say I do not like who Xingyin (the MC) ends up with in Heart of the Sun Warrior (the sequel to Daughter of the Moon Goddess ) by Sue Lynn Tan. Very disappointing ending!  4. 

I do this tag every year in September! Here are this year's answers.  As always, feel free to do this tag if you see it! 1.  Are there any books you've started this year that you need to finish?  As of writing this, A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. I am also rereading Witch Hat Atelier up to Volume 11. Sometime I need to get my hands on the newest volume that I haven't read yet, which is #12.  2.  Do you have an autumnal book to transition to the end of the year? I have two! Tuki by Jeff Smith. I am not sure if it's super autumnal themed, but I also want to begin The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar soon.  3.  Is there a new release you're still waiting for? I also have two! Silverborn , which is Book 4 of the Morrigan Crow series by Jessica Townsend. Also Sylvia Doe and the 100 Year Flood by Robert Beatty. 4.  What are 3 books you want to read before the end of the year? The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz, Somethin