Candy Bunny Reader

  I read a total of 15 books and DNF 7 books. I definitely read a lot of manga this month! I guess you can say it was Manga May . 😁 Links to reviews when applicable.  5 star books: 1. The Prince Who Fell from the Sky by John Claude Bemis 2. Huda F Wants to Know by Huda Fahmy --I should note that previously I thought these books were memoirs. They are not memoirs! They are fictional but they are loosely inspired by the author's life. 3. Our Not So Lonely Planet Travel Guide Volumes 2, 3, and 4 by Mone Sorai 4. I am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang 5. Somali and The Forest Spirit Vol 1 by Yako Gureshi  6. Super Boba Cafe 1 by Nidhi Chanani 7. Leap by Simina Popescu     4.5 star books: 1. The Wanderer by Sharon Creech 2. The Deceivers by Margaret Peterson Haddix 3. Ao Haru Ride volumes 1 and 2 by Io Sakisaka  4 star books: 1. Alice in Kyoto Forest 2 by Haruka Niwa and Mai Mochizuki 2. Sakura, Saku Vol 5 by Io Sakisaka The one book I DNF because I found it ...

  Four more books/series that need more love! You can access the Navigation page to find the previous parts here . 1. The Mary Series by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows --just like their Lady Janies series, each book in the Mary series follow someone famous named Mary. However, all the books have a rather comedic supernatural twist.  2. Unfamiliar duology by Haley Newsome --these two graphic novels follow a witch named Planchette and her friends in various misadventures. 3. The Remarkables by Margaret Peterson Haddix-- Marin just moved into a new neighborhood, and keeps seeing a group of teenagers mysteriously appear and disappear. Her new friend Charley thinks the teenagers have something to do with his estranged father. Together they try to solve the mystery. 4. The Power of Un by Nancy Etchemendy --Gib Finney recieves a time traveling device from a stranger, and he uses it to prevent a tragedy from happening.

  I need to read more middle grade horror books after this!  The Clackity by Lora Senf is about 12 year old Evie, who lives with her aunt Desdemona is a reportedly haunted town called Blight Harbor. One day, her aunt goes missing after investigating a strange phenomenon in an old abandoned slaughterhouse. Evie tries to get her aunt back, but she does so by making a deal with a creepy creature called the Clackity. The Clackity wants Evie to bring back the ghost of a notorious criminal named John Jeffery Pope. So Evie goes on this quest through 7 mysterious, magical houses to find her aunt--and the malicious John Jeffery Pope.  Whoa, this book had me on the edge of my seat! I like that was scary but not too scary. It was more mysterious and even a little whimsical at times. I can't wait to read the next book in this series! I gave this first book 5 stars .

    This graphic novel is not what you think (in a good way)! This first volume of Super Boba Cafe by Nidhi Chanani takes place over summer break in San Francisco. It follows 13 year old Aria helping her Nainai (grandmother) at her boba tea shop. The boba tea shop hasn't had a lot of customers lately, but when Nainai's pet cat Bao has kittens, it turns into an unofficial cat cafe, thus attracting more customers. Aria is glad that now her grandmother's boba tea shop is thriving, but Nainai also seems to be keeping a secret from Aria... Meanwhile Aria has trouble befriending a named Jay, who lives next door to her Nainai. Aria is anxious to make new friends because during the school year, she got cyberbullied by someone she thought she could trust. But Jay ends up becoming a big help for Aria and Nainai later on when they find out what Nainai has been hiding from everyone this whole time.  I can't tell you too much because it would get into spoilers, but it involves a lo...

    A sapphic romance focused on dancers? Two of my favorite things ever! Leap by Simina Popescu is set in Romania. It follows a girl named Ana who goes to a prestigious dancing school. She is on the contemporary track and her current girlfriend, Carina, is on the classical (ballet) track. Recently, Ana and Carina have been struggling in their relationship. Ana isn't feeling as passionate about dance as she once was and skips class frequently, and Carina feels pressure to live up to her parents' expectations and is worried about her parents finding out she is queer.   But then when Ana meets her new roommate Sara, another contemporary dancer, they become best friends really fast. Sara also happens to be queer, and she gets a little crush on their dance teacher, Marlena. Even though she knows they'll never end up with each other (luckily they don't!). Sara can't help but still show off her dance moves in class.  The story ends up being about the girls trying to ...

  Oh, this was so adorable! I remember the anime for this one came out a few years ago, but I never got around to watching it. When I saw they had the manga at my local library I knew it was a sign to start the story. Somali and the Forest Spirit by Yako Gureishi is set in a world where magical creatures dominate and humans are nearly extinct. They had a giant war in the past against each other. Our titular forest spirit is a Golem, and he finds a little human girl named Somali who was lost in the woods. She calls him "Dad", and they decide to travel to help her find her human birth family. Somali wears a hoodie with minotaur horns on it and pretends to be a minotaur, because if other creatures found out she is actually a human, it would be dangerous. Somali and Golem encounter a lot of fascinating characters along the way, who help them and teach them so much.  This was one of those fantasy traveling stories that feel cozy but also mysterious at the same time. I'd put t...

    The thing is, I tried watching the anime for this series several years ago, but I couldn't get into it. But now I am reading another one of the author's manga Sakura Saku , and I really like it so far! I thought it was about time I go back and give Io Sakisaka's most popular manga another chance.  Ao Haru Ride (or Blue Spring Ride in English) is about Futaba, who is actively trying to change her image ever since she entered high school. In middle school, she was unpopular with the girls because she was too popular with the boys. There was only one boy she actually really liked, and his name is Kou. But Kou moved away before she could tell him how she felt. He does come back to her high school, but he's changed a lot, and he thinks he can't rekindle the friendship he had with Futaba back in middle school.    At the same time, another girl in Futaba's class named Yuri seems to be getting the same treatment Futaba did back in middle school. Tired of seeing he...

    Wow! My favorite Ann Liang book so far! I am Not Jessica Chen follows Jenna Chen, an average student who is envious of her seemingly perfect, valedictorian cousin, Jessica. One night, Jenna secretly wishes that she actually was Jessica. The next morning she wakes up and is in Jessica's body! For the next few days she has to pretend to be Jessica, but it isn't always easy. Jenna at first likes her new life as Jessica, but she quickly learns being Jessica is not all sunshine and rainbows. Jenna soon misses her old, simple, life, and she tries to find ways to go back to normal. Even worse, people are starting to forget that the real Jenna even existed. The only one who seems to remember and help her out is Jenna's longtime friend and crush, Aaron.  This book really had me on the edge of my seat! Ann Liang really knows how to captivate her readers. The story was so emotional, heartfelt, and had so many relatable moments ranging from not always feeling your best to the st...

  This book was a used copy that used to be a library book. Fun fact: the author of this book actually visited my middle school way back when I was a student in middle school (in the early 2010s)! I never forgot him, the books he talked about, and the inspiration behind his books. This book that I just read was one of them. Maybe I am a little late to the party, but it's better late than never! The Prince who Fell from the Sky by John Claude Bemis is set in a post-apocalyptic Earth where all the humans (referred to as "Skinless Ones" and "Old Devils" throughout the book) have left and left their relics behind. Nature has taken over completely. Our main character is an old bear named Casseomae, who is sort of an outcast in the Forest she lives in. One day a starship falls from the sky, and a human boy emerges from it. Casseomae decides to protect the boy as if he was her cub. But then the Ogeema (the wolf leader of the forest) finds out about Casseomae and the b...

  OMG! I think I found my true favorite Sharon Creech book of all time! Bloomability is now at the number two spot. The Wanderer is about thirteen year old Sophie, who goes on a sailing trip with her two cousins and three uncles across the Atlantic Ocean to meet her grandfather, Bompie, in England. They make a lot of pit stops along the way to get their boat fixed and to pick up more supplies. Sophie and her cousins also learn a lot along the way: about sailing, stories about each other, their uncles, and Bompie, and other random things like juggling. But the trip is not a smooth one! Sailing out onto the ocean blue isn't as whimsical as Sophie thought it would be, and they run into a lot of problems. Luckily, she has her family and they always support one another.  The story is actually told in alternating points of view of Sophie and one of her cousins named Cody. We learn that Sophie is actually hiding a mysterious past that she doesn't really want to talk about, and Cod...

  It was a mostly positive reading month! Found many new favorites. I read a total of 17 books and DNF 1 (one).  I hope your April went well, too! Links to my reviews provided if applicable.  The 5 star books:  1. Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao 2. French Girl in New York by Anna Adams 3. Neighborhood Story Volume 4 by Ai Yazawa 4. A Banh Mi for Two by Trinity Nguyen 5. If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann 6. A Sign of Affection Volume 10 by Suu Morishita 7. The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity Volume 6 by Saka Mikami   8. No Talking by Andrew Clements 9. Witch Hat Kitchen Volume 5 by Kamome Shirahama  10. Passing for Human by Liana Finck 11. Kilala Princess Vol 2 by Rika Tanaka   The 4.5 star books: 1. Funny Story by Emily Henry 2. Alice in Kyoto Forest Vol 1 by Mai Mochizuki and Haruki Niwa 3. A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers    4. Amari and the Despicable Wonders by BB Alston The 4 star books: 1. Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech...