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Showing posts from January, 2025

Anime/Manga Poem #11

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  Today's poem is inspired by my favorite seasons of the Pretty Cure series so far! The video above contains all of the openings of the anime up until 2024. "Come one Come all Other parallel worlds Need our help Come one Come all We have Some cute animal fairy friends Come one Come all Give us Shiny trinkets Come one Come all Let us transform To stop these monsters Come one Come all Everyone can enjoy Anything Whether its flowers Or food Or outer space Or medicine Or animals"

My Salty Mary Review

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  (I made this in Canva and the pic of the book was found on Google Images) This is the third installment of the Mary series by Cynthia Hand, Brodie Ashton, and Jodi Meadows! My Salty Mary is a historical fantasy story where The Little Mermaid doesn't actually turn into sea foam after the man she loves weds another woman. She, now living as a human named Mary Read, instead decides to disguise herself as a man and join a pirate crew. She eventually works her way up from cabinboy to captain, and joins a contest to be the next Pirate King (One Piece reference maybe😂???) after the most notorious pirate Blackbeard dies. Mary deals with many other things along the way, such as being torn between her new life as a human and a former mermaid (especially when her father, the Sea King, wants her to come back home), dealing with a new found love with Tobias (who is her navigator and one of Blackbeard's sons). At the same time, Mary's cousin Jack (his mother is the Sea Witch, who is ...

I Wish You All the Best Review

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How come it took me so long to get around to reading this? It is an instant new favorite! I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver is about 18-year-old nonbinary Ben, who got kicked out of their house after coming out as nonbinary to their parents. They go to live with their sister Hannah and her husband Thomas. At Ben's new school, they meet another student named Nathan. It takes Ben a while to warm up to Nathan, but when they do they become great friends. Nathan especially loves Ben's art, and loves it when Ben draws and paints pictures of him. Nathan and his other two friends Meleika and Sophie help Ben get used to their new situation while also having fun as friends should. At the same time, Ben's sister Hannah recommends that Ben should see a counselor to deal with his trauma after getting kicked out and other things, and so they start seeing an LGBT-friendly counselor named Dr. Taylor. Things aren't always easy, but things do start to get better for Ben. slowly. T...

Series I Won't (Probably Ever) Finish Part 2

  More series I attempted to read in the last few years that I don't care to finish.  Here's Part 1 in case you missed it! It was also yesterday's post.  1. The Spy x Family series by Tatsuya Endo. The story was cute at first but I got bored of it pretty fast.  2. The Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman. I did love the first four volumes but I didn't really vibe with volume 5. I even DNF'd it. There are other queer stories I am more interested in right now.  3.  The Molly Moon series by Georgia Byng.  I read the first book back in 2021 and I really like it! But then I read the second book in 2022 (before I started my blog) and didn't like it as much. It was disappointing. Again, don't care to read the rest.  4.  The Mr. Lemoncello series by Chris Grabenstein.  The same thing with the first Wayfarer's book, I though the first book was satisfying on its own. I bet the rest of the books are good, but I'm okay with just the first book....

Series I Won't (Probably Ever) Finish Part 1

Part 1 of some series that I tried in the last 2 or so years where I read the first book or the first couple of books in its series and have no interest in continuing. For various reasons. 1.  The Wayfarers Series by Becky Chambers . Listen: I ADORED the first book The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet , but I felt the first book was already satisfying enough on its own. I don't feel the need to read the rest of the series.  2. The original Nancy Drew books by Carolyn Keene . If you've been on my blog since the beginning you'd know that I read the first 5 or so books. They were pretty interesting, but I found after a while that I wasn't really that passionate about Nancy and her adventures. I respect how influential they are on youth literature, but I won't be reading anymore of them. 3. The Moomins series by Tove Jansson . I do love the Moomins very much! But I found more enjoyment in the TV show adaptations than in the books. It's kind of like how I switched fr...

Courtney Crumrin Book 1 Review

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(Pic was found on Google Images) This was a graphic novel that I read back in middle school, but I couldn't remember a single thing that happened. Did I like it the second time around? Well... Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things by Ted Naifeh is about Courtney, a preteen girl who  with her snobby and clueless parents move in with her Great Uncle Aloysius, who lives in a mansion that looks haunted. The great uncle and his house seem to have mysteries of their own. Courtney dislikes her new school but is able to somewhat become friends with a guy nicknamed "Stain", who is an outcast like her. Stain gets picked on frequently by the popular rich kids at the school, who keep demanding money from him. Courtney gets lumped into the situation, but is able to save her new friend and defeat the bullies with some help with her new eerie creature friends at her great uncle's mansion, and with a bit of magic.  It's a very simple story, but it was very entertaining! I love t...

Turtle Bread Review

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A sweet (pun intended) graphic novel from the celebrity chef Kim-Joy .  Turtle Bread follows Yan, a 23 year old woman who has trouble finding a job, and generally she feels lonely. One day after a job interview she finds a flyer about a baking club in town. Yan loves to bake and although she is nervous about what other people think of her, she decides to go to the club to make new friends. Despite some awkward first introductions, she is able to form a bond with everyone there, especially the club leader, an elderly woman named Bea. Yan ends up having fun baking with her new friends everyday, and it leads to so many surprises, some nice and some heartbreaking.  This was another graphic novel I picked up on a whim, and it was so fascinating how much it reflected my own life, especially with Yan and her social awkwardness. I am not much of baker (I mostly prefer cooking), but I loved reading about all the thing the friends baked. Especially the fluffy turtle shaped bread. ...

Pat of Silver Bush Review

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  (Pic was found on Google Images) Another underrated book by LM Montgomery ! This was actually my second attempt at this book, and I am so glad I gave it another chance because this time, I listened to the whole thing on audiobook and I liked it!  Pat of Silver Bush follows Pat Gardiner, who lives in a quaint little house called Silver Bush on Prince Edward Island with her family and nanny named Judy. Pat does not like change, and she gets very overwhelmed whenever something new comes to Silver Bush, or when something leaves. But she soon learns that change is what makes life so interesting. Thanks to changes she is able to experience so much. From loving her new little sister Rachel (nicknamed Cuddles), making two new best friend named Hilary (nicknamed Jingle) and Elizabeth (nicknamed Bets), trying new fashion styles and hairstyles, seeing her older siblings be happy when they get married, or simply immersing herself the magic of nature and her imagination.  It's such...

The Last of The Really Great Whangdoodles

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This is my second Julie Andrews book! The first one I read was Mandy back in 2022, a little bit after I started my blog. You can read the review for it here .  The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles is about three siblings: Lindy, Ben, and Thomas, who meet an eccentric science professor one day on a trip to the zoo. The professor--his name is Savant--tells them there used to be magical creatures called Whangdoodles that existed on Earth, but they've all disappeared. They are all now in a mystical place called Whangdoodleland, and he says that it is possible to get there as he has done so before, but he has yet to actually meet the Whangdoodle, who is also the king. The three children get very interested in this, and they asked their parents if they can join the professor in his journey to get to Whangdoodle. They start visiting Professor Savant every day and he shows them tips and tricks on changing their perspectives on sight and smell, and really expanding their imaginat...

Series I Want to Finish/Catch Up With

These are just basically more of my reading plans in 2025.  Let's see what happens! It would be phenomenal if I can finish or catch up to whatever I have on this list. 1. Witch Hat Atelier and Witch Hat Kitchen by Kamome Shirahama. Both ongoing. I am also looking forward to the anime! 2. Sakura Saku by Io Sakasaki. It's ongoing. 3. The Stolen Key by Margaret Peterson Haddix. The last book of Mysteries of Trash and Treasure.  4. Yotsuba&! By Kiyohiko Azuma. As of writing this I have 7 books left. 5. Call the Name of the Night by Tama Mistuboshi. It's also ongoing.  6. A Sign of Affection by Suu Morishita. Also ongoing. 7. The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity by Saka Mikami. Ongoing. The anime is coming soon, too! 8. Book 4 of the Morrigan Crow series by Jessica Townsend. It's been pushed back to May of this year. Hopefully there are no more delays! 9. Any of the next Avatar: The Last Airbender graphic novels.  10. The Shadow of Kyoshi by FC Yee, The Lege...

Ferris by Kate DiCamillo Review

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  I think I have found Kate DiCamillo 's most underrated book! Ferris is about Emma Phineas, or "Ferris" as she is nicknamed because she was born at a fair near the Ferris wheel. She is about to have the most unforgettable summers of her life before fifth grade. Ranging from her Uncle Ted's mysterious art project, to her little sister Pinky wanting to be a thief, and her grandmother Charisse's conversation with a ghost. All of these seemingly random events actually do come together gracefully and unexpectedly.  This book is different from most of Kate DiCamillo's books because it's more on the contemporary, slice-of-life side, even though there is a magical realism element with the ghost only Ferris's grandmother can see and talk to. It's a great story about all kinds of love--from family love, to friendship love, to romantic love.  I gave it 5 stars ! So far I've read two Kate DiCamillo books this month that I love! I am very lucky.

The Beatryce Prophecy Review

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Yay! Another great book by Kate DiCamillo ! The Beatryce Prophecy is quite similar to one of the author's previous books: The Magician's Elephant (I read a reviewed that book here ) .  They are both books about a prediction of the future, and the different characters we follow all come together that make the prediction true. This book is set in a medieval setting and mostly follows a girl named Beatryce, a girl who has no memory of her past. But she mostly has a memory of something traumatic that happened to her that she is trying to forget. Beatryce is found by a goat named Answelica and a monk named Brother Edik. Beatryce becomes friends fast with the goat Answelica, and Brother Edik lets her live in his monastery where she can write and read freely, but she has to pretend to be a boy and be mute so no one finds out she is actually a girl, as in this setting it is forbidden for women to learn and know how to read and write. Beatryce is eventually summoned to write something...

December Wrap Up

  All the books I read in December! I read a total of 16 books. 1. Speak Up! By Rebecca Burgess . Goodreads description here . 5 stars. 2. Sylvia Doe and the 100-Year Flood by Robert Beatty. Goodreads description here . 4.5 stars. 3. The Rise of Kyoshi by FC Yee and Michael Dante DiMartino . Goodreads description here . 4 stars.  4. The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley. Goodreads description here . 4 stars. 5. Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh by Rachael Lippincott. Goodreads description here . 4 stars. 6. Stars in their Eyes by Jessica Walton. Goodreads description here . 4.5 stars. 7. Watch Over Me by Nina Lacour. Goodreads description here . 3 stars. 8. Sakura Saku volumes 2 & 3 by Io Sakisaka. Volumes 2 got 5 stars, Volumes 3 got 4.5 stars. 9. Yotsuba&! by Kiyohiko Azuma volumes 6, 7, and 8. All 5 stars. 10. Witch Hat Kitchen volumes 2 and 3 by Kamome Shirahama. Both 5 stars. 11. Call the Name of the Night volume 3 by Tama Mitsuboshi. 5 s...

12 Books Recommended by 12 Friends

  So this is actually a challenge that started over on Instagram, where I also talk about books and additional things. These are 12 books recommended by some people who follow me and from people in real life that I hope to get around to this year. 1. The Creepy Cat manga series by Cotton Valent 2. Greenglass House by Kate Milford 3. Don't Sleep There are Snakes by Daniel Everett 4. Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper 5. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern  6. The Savior's Book Café in Another World by Kyouka Izumi 7. Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie 8. Donuts Under a Crescent Moon by Shio Usui 9. Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig 10. Passing for Human by Liana Fink 11. War Hour by Lauren Losdig 12. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa