Candy Bunny Reader

  OK y'all, this is my favorite series so far from Ai Yazawa . I've never really been a fan of Nana (gasp! I know. Unpopular opinion) and I couldn't get into Paradise Kiss (also another unpopular opinion) but Neighborhood Story is an underrated masterpiece! Here's the thing I first experienced Neighborhood Story through its anime. I watched the anime with fansubs several years ago on YouTube. When I heard that Viz Media was going to be releasing the manga in English, I was very excited. Now Neighborhood Story has so many new fans! What is Neighborhood Story about? Well, in general it’s about a group of teenage friends who go to a high school specializing in liberal arts, and each have something they specialize in. Their friend group name is Akindo, and they use it when they sell their stuff at flea markets. Mikako, our main character, focuses on teenage girls’ fashion, her friend Risa focuses on children's clothes, and her other friend P-chan focuses on stuf...

  This series will keep getting longer and longer as I keep finding more books that need more love. 1. Seance Tea Party by Reimena Yee-- Full description here . A middle grade graphic novel of a girl that performs a seance and befriends a ghost, but this ghost has secrets of her own. 2. The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke --Full description here . A middle grade novel of two brothers escaping from their terrible aunt and uncle and form a close knit bond with some other runaway kids in an abandoned movie theatre in Venice, Italy. They are then tasked to perform a heist that involves a merry go round rumored to be magical. 3. The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang --Full description here . A cute historical fiction graphic novel of a girl tasked to design clothes for the prince of the kingdom. Great queer representation! 4. Bicycling with Butterflies by Sara Dykman --Full description here . A memoir of the author's journey following monarch butterflies on their migration path from M...

  Who knows how long this series will be. Maybe as long as my underrated books one. Here are the first 5 parts: Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 , Part 4 , Part 5 1. We Are Okay by Nina Lacour 2. Everything Leads to You by Nina Lacour 3. The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar 4. Monk and Robot duology by Becky Chambers 5. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende 6. Speak Up! by Rebecca Burgess 7. How to be Ace by Rebecca Burgess 8. The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O'Neill 9. The Witch Boy series by Molly Ostertag 10. Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier 11. Charlotte's Web by EB White 12. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Another book I picked up on a whim and ended up loving! Basil and Oregano by Melissa Caprigione is an urban fantasy story set mostly in a really expensive magical school called Porta Bella Academy, where student learn cooking magic. The main character, Basil, and all of her friends were lucky to get into the school on scholarships, and Basil's dream is to be top student. It will be a ticket to better support her and her two dads. Attending the school at the same time is Arabella Oregano, the daughter of a famed magical chef Ametrine Oregano. Basil falls in love with her at first sight, and before they knew it they become friends.   But being in this magical cooking school isn't easy. The students are constantly having to come up with new recipes to impress teachers, and Basil sometimes has to deal with mean girl Xynthia and her cronies. Meanwhile, Arabella has a secret of her own that might sour her and her mother's reputation. The girls have to come up with solutions to t...

                              (Graphic made in Canva. Pic of book was found on Google Images) This is actually my third book from Ann Liang . The first book I read from her was This Time It's Real , which I read last year but I didn't like it very much. You can read the full review for it here. The second book I picked up was If You Could See the Sun , and I tried reading earlier this month but DNF it. I do believe in giving authors another chance, so I read I Hope This Doesn't Find You , and I really liked it!  This book is about Sadie Wen, who is a top student at her school and her number one nemesis is the other top student, Julius Gong. They've been competing for as long as Sadie can remember. One way Sadie vents out her frustrations with Julius and other students that have done her wrong is through email drafts. She does this because she is a huge goody two shoes and tries to maintain a g...

  (Made in Canva by me. Photo of book found on Google Images) This book is a part of the 12 books from 12 friends challenge , and was recommended by @carolynolmstead_author on Instagram.    Greenglass House by Kate Milford is a middle grade mystery book set at a mysterious inn called Greenglass House, which itself is situated in a small town known for its smugglers. The owners of the inn are the Pine family, which consists of Mr and Mrs Pine and their 12 year old son Milo. Milo was looking forward to a quiet and cozy winter break, but then all of a sudden a handful of guests arrive. The guests are: Mr. Vinge, an elderly man who always wears multicolored socks. Georgie, a young blue haired woman who likes to read and invent things, Mrs. Hereward, an elderly woman who probably has ties connected to the Greenglass House, Dr. Gowervine, a professor who likes to study stained glass, and Clem, a red haired young woman who likes to exercise. All of the guests seem like they ar...

 TW: mentions of a sibling dying young Another new favorite from Kasie West ! The Care Bear figurines were very fitting for this book. Moment of Truth is about Hadley, a girl who is very passionate about swimming and plans to get a swimming scholarship to get into the college of her dreams. But one day, a guy who is dressed like popular movie character Heath Hall crashes her swim meet, and Hadley loses the competition. Annoyed with this fake Heath Hall, she and her best friend Amelia try to figure out who this Heath Hall wannabe is. It turns out he goes to their school, and he runs an Instagram page where is showcases wherever he will strike next. Hadley and Amelia go through every boy they think he could be. One of the suspects is Hadley's ex-boyfriend Robert, awkwardly enough. Another suspect is a guy named Jackson that Hadley frequently butts heads with.  But while the Heath Hall mystery is going on, things start to change between Jackson and Hadley. Especially when Jackso...

                                                  (Made in Canva by me. Photo of book found on Google Images) Note: this is the second book in the Norendy Tales series, the first book being The Puppets of Spelhorst, which I read and reviewed last year. You can read that review here . Yes, another great Kate DiCamillo book! The Hotel Balzaar is set in a hotel and follows a girl named Marta and her mother, who is a worker at the hotel. Marta's mother always tells her to stay out of trouble and stay of of sight. Marta usually entertains herself talking to the doorman, looking at a painting of an angel, and watching a grandfather clock with a cat chasing a mouse on it. All the while, she wonders when her father will return from the war going on in the background.  One day, a mysterious old woman and her pet parrot come to stay at the h...

  Today's poem is inspired by Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya ! Above is the first opening from the reboot anime.  I am a relatively newer fan. I got into the series in 2019 with the reboot anime, and then I switched over to the manga. Anyway, this is one of my favorite series of all time! I even cosplayed as Tohru's friend Saki Hanajima (Hana-chan) one year. It's also the Year of the Snake, so it's Ayame Sohma's year! 🐍 Here's the poem: "Just come close Just let me hug you It’s not a big deal If you turn into an animal Just come close Just listen to me I know what you need Just come close Just so you know Everyone has A story We must support each other We must lift each other up We are all different We all deserve love."

  I smell a new favorite series of mine in the making... I am so glad I finally picked this up! It had me on the edge of my seat. Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston follows 13 year old Amari, whose has been struggling in school and her older brother Quinton all of a sudden went missing. One day, she finds a mysterious briefcase telling her that she has been nominated by Quinton to join The Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, which Quinton himself was a part of. The Bureau invesitigates supernatural cases around the world and also tries to keep everything supernatural away from regular humans.  Amari joins the summer camp that trains new recruits, and she decides to become an agent like her brother to make it easier to find him. But then she discovers something about herself that is quite dangerous--and it leads to more surprises from there. It includes discovering the secrets and plans of the notorious Night Brothers! What else can I say except that it is such a page-turnin...

  I read a total of 23 books this month. And starting this year, I will also report on all the books I DNF (did not finish). I DNF 16 books.  Since this is a long list, I have decided to instead list the books based on their rankings. And I split the DNF pile into two based on why I DNF'd them.  I put links to full reviews when applicable and if you're interested. Books I gave 5 stars to: The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo-full review here . The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews-full review here . Avatar the Last Airbender: The Bounty Hunter and Tea Brewer by Faith Erin Hicks Ferris by Kate DiCamillo-full review here .  My Salty Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows-full review here . Call the Name of the Night Volume 4 by Tama Mitsuboshi The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity Volume 3 by Saka Mikami I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver-full review here Yotsuba&! Volumes 9 and 10 by Kiyohiko Azuma Books I gave 4.5 sta...