Candy Bunny Reader

A Song for You and I by Kay O'Neill is about Rowan, who is an apprentice nature ranger. They get assigned to watch some fields. If they are successful at their task, they will get their name carved on the door of the academy they go to.  Everyday on Rowan's fields, there are some sheep that like to come and graze there. Also every day there is another person named Leone who likes sitting and playing violin music for the sheep. But one day as Rowan tries to rescue Leone from an intense thunderstorm, their winged horse Kes gets her wing injured. As they wait for Kes's wing to heal, Rowan and Leone start getting to know each other better as they hang out more everyday and run errands together.  Well, it's not a very long story and I don't want to tell you too much, so you'll have to read the book to see how everything turns out! Unless you've already read it.  Yeah, I don't know what else to say except it's another great book by this favorite author of...

  Every year I read and recommend so many books with queer representation in them! Here are some more books that I love and I hope you love, too: 1. Unfamiliar duology by Haley Newsome 2. Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything by Justine Winans 3. The Witch Boy Trilogy by Molly Ostertag 4. Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour 5. The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz 6. Monk and Robot duology by Becky Chambers  7. Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar 8. The Moth Keeper by Kay O'Neill 9. The Baker and the Bard by Fern Haught 10. Felix Ever After by Kacen Callendar 11. Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar 12. Aquicorn Cove by Kay O'Neill 13. The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett 14. Witch Hat Atelier series by Kamome Shirahama 15.  Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh by Rachael Lippincott 16. I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver 17. Princess Princess Ever After by Kay O'Neill 18. Stars in their Eyes by Jessica Walton 19. Speak U...

  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...

  My first Claire Kann book!  If It Makes You Happy follows 18 year old Winnie, who has her whole summer planned before she starts college in the fall: work at Goldeen's, her grandmother's old fashioned diner, and hang out with her ungirlfriend named Kara.  But then Winnie somehow accidentally becomes part of an annual matchmaking tradition the small town she is staying in has with the next small town over. She gets crowned queen, and a guy she's kind of secretly liked for a long time named Dallas steps up to become her king.  Now all of her plans are thrown out of whack as she and Dallas go around attending town events as Misty Haven's unofficial king and queen. Even worse--Winnie thinks the more she hangs out with Dallas, her queerplatonic relationship with Kara will be ruined. Winnie wonders if there is a way to make everyone happy while also prioritizing her own happiness.  This book got me hooked on from page one! I love the way the author writes, and Win...

  It's like this book was written just for me! Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao is about two first year students at Wellesey College in Wellesey, Massachusetts. One is named Sophie, the other is named Jo. Sophie runs an Instagram account called Dear Wendy where people at Wellesey send her questions (usually about relationships) and she answers them in posts. Jo runs a similar Instagram account called Sincerely Wanda, which is like Dear Wendy but instead of giving serious advice, they give much sillier answers. The two develop a huge rivalry online that the students at Wellesey can't get enough of. Both of them stay anonymous online, and no one else except for their respective roommates know each Instagram account's true identities.  Sophie and Jo end up becoming friends after they meet in their Women and Gender Studies class. They bond over the fact that both of them are aromantic and asexual. They start hanging out with each other more and more and grow close, but each worry about ...

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...

  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...

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...

  These are all 5 star books! What great luck that I found new favorites this year. I hope you found new favorites too! 1. One Piece Volumes 17, 18, 20, and 21 by Eichiro Oda (I read these in the beginning of the year before switching over to the anime) 2. Avatar: The Rift Volume 1 by Gene Yang 3. Witch Hat Atelier 11 and 12 by Kamome Shirahama (I also reread all the volumes up to 12 this year) 4. Akane Banashi Volumes 2 and 3 by Yuki Suenaga (although I don't feel like continuing with this series) 5. They Called Us Enemy by George Takei 6. The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo 7. Avatar North and South Volumes 1-3 by Gene Yang and Michael DiMartino 8. Avatar Imbalance Volumes 1-3 by Faith Erin Hicks 9. If You Still Recognize Me by Cynthia/Holden So 10. The Sprite and the Gardener by Rii Abrego 11. Toph's Metalbending Academy by Faith Erin Hicks 12. If You'll Have Me by Eunnie 13. Unfamiliar Volumes 1 and 2 by Haley Newsome 14. Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything by J...

Another great book by Adiba Jaigirdar ! Hani & Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating is about two Bangladeshi-Irish girls named Hani and Ishu who start fake dating for different reasons--the popular Hani because she wants to prove to her friends that she is bisexual since she's only dated guys, and the unpopular bookworm Ishu because she wants to be Head Girl and needs to make herself better known and better liked by the rest of her classmates. It's not easy at first because they are polar opposites in personality. But after a few incidents, they find that maybe they really do need each other after all.  I really liked how the author weaves so many great things into the story! From being queer, to being Muslim, to being a person of color in a predominantly white society, to family dynamics and friendship dynamics. Everything is so well done, relatable, and heartfelt! So I gave it 5 stars . I think Adiba is becoming a favorite author of mine! I'll read anything she puts out.

  Welcome to part 12 of my series of more books that need more love! 1. Magical Boy duology by The Kao. Book one description from Goodreads here . Chronicles the adventures of Max, a trans boy who is tasked with saving the world with some help from his friends. 2. If You Still Recognize Me by Cynthia/Holden So. Full Goodreads description here . A YA contemporary sapphic romance novel of two girls rekindling their friendship while helping another friend find her grandmother's long lost childhood friend.  3. My Life in France by Julia Child. Full Goodreads description here . Julia Child's memoir on how she became a celebrity chef. 4. Morrigan Crow series by Jessica Townsend. Full Goodreads description here . A middle grade mystery fantasy series of Morrigan Crow and her adventures in the Wunderous Society, and Nevermoor. 

 It's a short post today, but today we will talk about my experience with Raina Telgemeier's books! Her website is here:  https://goraina.com/ The first book I read from her years ago is her most popular book: Smile . It was great! I then right away picked up Sisters , which is kind of a sequel to Smile . It was really enjoyable, too!  I then picked up Drama , which, unlike the first two, is a fictional story and not a memoir about parts of her life. Again, it was really sweet! I have yet to read  Guts  (which is her third memoir) and  Ghosts , her second fictional story. They are on my TBR! I hope they are as good as the first three books I read from her. So why do I like Raina Telgemeier's books? She has a really cute art style and her stories are very funny and relatable! 

  I think Rachael Lippincott is slowly becoming a new favorite author of mine! Before we start, the title of this book is quite misleading. It is not a retelling of Pride and Prejudice. It has P&P in the title because the main character Audrey gets transported back in time to the Regency era, which is when P&P also happens to take place. So even if you weren't a fan of P&P like me, you might still like this book! But why does Audrey get transported back in time to the Regency era? Well, things haven't been working out so well for her recently. She just broke up with her boyfriend Charlie and has just been waitlisted in her dream art college. Audrey has had no inspiration to do any art, and has gotten bored working at her family's convenience store every day. Although, one frequent visitor to the store is a mysterious man named Mr. Montgomery. One day, to pay for his newspaper, Mr. Montgomery gives Audrey a quarter. It's a magical quarter that transports he...

 TW: The disease that shares its name with a zodiac sign, some ableism Stars in their Eyes by Jessica Walton and Aska is about Maisie, an amputee who goes to her first ever fan convention with her mother. She and her mother love to geek out on all sorts of shows, and Maisie is excited to see an actress from one of her favorite shows, Midnight Girls, who is an amputee just like her. While there Maisie and her mother meet Ollie and their dad, who are volunteers and the convention, and they immediately become friends. Ollie and Maisie find out they love a lot of the same things, especially when they see shows that have people who are like them (nonbinary, bi, and/or disabled).  Unfortunately, the panel Maisie wanted to go to gets cancelled because her favorite actress gets really sick. So she spends more time with Ollie, and they get really close. Maisie wonders how they will stay close when each one of them lives so far away. Everything I that I like in storytelling was presen...

  Today we will talk about another recent favorite author of mine! This post won't be a long one. The first books I read from Kay O'Neill was their Tea Dragon Society series, which I read last year. I loved them so much! Especially the third book. Here's my review for the first book. This year I picked up Aquicorn Cove, The Moth Keeper, and Princess Princess Ever After. They were all great! Especially the Mothkeeper. That one is my favorite from them so far. You can read the reviews for each book here (just click the title): Aquicorn Cove The Moth Keeper Princess Princess Ever After I love Kay O'Neill's books because they are all very whimsical, enchanting, and heartwarming. They also have great queer and disability representation!

  Welcome back to another part of my Favorite Authors series! Here is another one that's a little more recent. The first book I read from Lyla Lee was I'll Be the One back in 2022. I absolutely loved it! Whenever I recommend people a book about K Pop, Korean rep, plus-sized rep, and queer rep, I recommend this one! I then read Flip the Script later in the same year. Also a masterpiece! This one is about K-Dramas and also features plenty of queer representation. Earlier this year I read the first book in her new middle grade series, Gigi Shin is Not a Nerd, and I also had a blast with it! I can't wait for the next book to come out.  I know she has a long running early chapter books series called Mindy Kim. I might read them one day. I heard they are kind of like the Junie B Jones series. As of writing this, Lyla Lee has two new books coming out! One will be an YA romance novel called The Cuffing Game, and the other is her first adult romance novel called Love in Focus. I a...

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 Townsen...

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/...

  Here are my answers for this year's Midyear Freakout Tag! I do these every end of July.  Let me know what you think! 1. Best book of the year so far? If You Still Recognize Me by Cynthia So 2. Best sequel(s) you read so far? Serafina and the Twisted Staff, and Serafina and the Splintered Heart, both by Robert Beatty 3. New releases you haven't read yet but want to. Funny Story by Emily Henry 4. Most anticipated releases for the 2nd half of the year. Silverborn, The Mystery of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend  Sylvia Doe and the 100 Year Flood by Robert Beatty My Salty Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows 5. Biggest disappointments of the year. Ellie Engle Saves Herself by Leah Johnson Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman 6. Biggest Surprise of the Year Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything by Justine Pucella Winans 7. Favorite new author. Robert Beatty! 8. Some new favorite character(s). I got several: Ermengarde in A L...

 TW: Mentions of pandemics, queerphobia, racism, and cancer Now I am in the mood for White Rabbit candies!  Messy Roots by Laura Gao is a graphic novel memoir of the author's experience growing up Chinese-American, struggling with their identity, and other typical experiences of growing up. She and her family also happen to be from Wuhan--which would make international headlines in 2020 as that is where the Covid-19 pandemic began. But the pandemic part of the story is quite minimal--the real focus is on Laura tells us their own story on how she came to accept and celebrate every part of themselves.  This was a great memoir! The artwork is one of my favorite aspects of this book. I am not an immigrant myself but I do have immigrant parents, and I related heavily to a lot of the experiences Laura had, especially with her parents. Laura Gao is queer, too, and they briefly talks about it.  I gave it 4.5 stars . I had to take off half a point for some triggering subject...