Candy Bunny Reader

I've also reread volumes 1-13 recently. This series is so awesome! Obviously volume 14 got 5 stars from me.   I need to reread and catch up with A Sign of Affection too.  

  I have no idea who originally made this tag. I just saw this over at zeezeewithbooks.wordpress.com and thought it looked fun!  Feel free to do this tag, too!  1. Chocolate Cake: A dark book you absolutely love I'm gonna go with a more recent favorite! Nightbooks and the sequel Gravebooks by JA White. It's a great middle grade horror duology!  2. Vanilla Cake: A light read.  I got two! A Sign of Affection and Yotsuba&! are two lighthearted manga series. 3.  Red Velvet: A book that gave you mixed emotions Definitely the Kyoshi duology of the Avatar: The Last Airbender novels. The story itself overall wasn't too bad--I just found the books hard to get through because I didn't like the author's writing style!  4. Cheesecake: A book you would recommend to anyone. Confessions from the Group Chat by Jodi Meadows. It's about a middle school girl who deals with a toxic group of friends but eventually finds better friends. I think we've all been though so...

    It's such a great feeling when you finally get around to reading a popular manga you've know about for a long time, and end up liking it! This is the omnibus edition (they combined all the manga volumes into one big one).  Puella Magi Madoka Magica by Magical Quartet is about teenage girl Madoka, who gets pulled into a magical girl contract by a mysterious creature named Kyubey. The contract guarantees that one wish of theirs will be granted, but they have to fight these monsters called "witches" in order to maintain balance in the universe. Madoka wishes to protect everyone she loves. Madoka's best friend Sayaka gets pulled into to a contract, too, and she wishes to see her childhood friend Kyousuke get better after an accident.  While this is all going on, a mysterious girl named Homura keeps showing up and tries to get the girls (mostly Madoka) to stop doing magical girl duties.  Well, the girls find out very quickly part of the reason why that is. The...

  A part 2 to my favorite romance novels from two weeks ago.  These are just some random romance graphic novels and manga that I love, and I hope you love, too! 1. Girl From the Sea by Lee Ostertag 2. The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang 3. Chef's Kiss by Jarrett Melendez 4. Cheer Up by Crystal Frasier 5. The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz 6.  If You'll Have Me by Eunnie 7. Basil and Oregano by Melissa Capriglione 8. Leap by Simina Popescu 9. Stars in Their Eyes by Jessica Walton (The rest of these are all manga series)  10. A Sign of Affection by Suu Morishita 11. Sakura, Saku by Io Sakisaka  12. Kilala Princess by Rika Tanaka 13. Donuts Under a Crescent Moon by Shio Usui 14. In the Name of the Mermaid Princess by Yoshino Fumikawa 15. Our Not So Lonely Planet Travel Guide by Mone Sorai 16. Gokinjo Monogatari by Ai Yazawa

So we are all familiar with Sailor Moon (I assume), but have you ever read Minako Aino (Sailor Venus's) story before she met the rest of the Sailor Scouts? Well, here it is! Codename: Sailor V by Naoko Takeuchi is a manga duology on how Minako meets Artemis (the cat), and learns that she has an ultimate mission to fufill as a Sailor Guardian. She finds out what it is via fighting and defeating the bad guys that come after the citizens of Tokyo (and later other places!). The bad guys are from the Dark Agency, and their plan is to take over Earth and then destroy it. They all go after people by taking advantage of things that are popular amongst humans, from idol singers to candy. The leader of the Dark Agency ends up being the person Minako least expects, and it almost destroys her. Ultimately, it leads to her mission to find the rest of the Sailor Scouts (what we see in Sailor Moon ).  I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this! I wish that one day Minako's story could get ani...

These are my thoughts so far on Shadows House by Somato , since I read the first three volumes one right after the other (as of writing this the series is still going on and has about 20 volumes out). This story is set in a world where there are nobles known as "shadow people" and live isolated from society. Shadow nobles have living dolls that act as their faces. In volume 1 we follow one of the living dolls, Emilico, and her shadow noble, Kate. Living dolls serve shadow nobles, basically acting as their personal maids and butlers when they are not out and about. They often times have to clean up the soot their shadow noble emits.  Starting with volume 2 Emilico gets to meet and bond with other living dolls and learn about their shadow noble masters. There is so much she's never learned before, especially regarding the hierarchy shadow nobles and dolls have within the Shadow's House.  In volume 3 several shadow nobles and dolls are attempting to make their debut to s...

Yes, I am just reposting what I posted over on Instagram, but I think this makes the post more fun to look at.   

Glad to report that the first volume of this manga was 5 stars !   Always a Catch! by Mayo Momoyo and Kaki Nagato is set on a peninsula inspired by Italy, where there are several different kingdoms. The main character Maria (or Mimi as she is usually called) comes from a noble family of martial artists, and feels she'll never get a husband because of how "unladylike" she is.  One day, a misunderstanding happens between her, her cousin Aida, and Prince Renato of the kingdom they currently live in. As it turns out, Renato's younger brother actually wanted to marry Aida. After the misunderstanding clears up, Renato finds himself falling in love with Mimi and her fighting style, and he proposes to her, much to her surprise!  Now Mimi is learning how to be a princess. It isn't always easy, but it seems she that she is slowly winning over the hearts of Renato's family. This was so fun to read! It reminded me heavily of a lot of shojo manga from the 2000s, from the...

It's rather refreshing to read a shojo manga series where the MC is not a goody two-shoes all the time. Fall in Love, You False Angels by Coco Uzuki is about high schoolers Otogi and Toki, who are the leaders of their student council at school. They are very popular because everyone thinks they are like angels since they are so pretty and act nice all of the time. But they both have a a brasher, not-so-sweet side to them that they keep hidden. As you can imagine, both of them reveal their not-so-sweet side to each other in a moment of danger. From there, Otogi finds herself falling in love with Toki (she also has a nickname she accidentally made up for him, Ikkoku!). Toki seems to be falling for her, too. They both agree to keep their snippy sides hidden from everyone else at school, and only show those sides when they are alone together.  It's only the first volume, and I'm already hooked! I love romance manga like this where the characters are really sassy, which makes f...

  It's been a while since I did an entry in this long running series of mine! Here are some more underrated books I've read over the years that I think need more love:  1. Firefly Summer by Morgan Matson -Ryanna spends the summer with her mom's side of the family for the very first time, and they go on a scavenger hunt to prevent their campgrounds from being shutdown. Also the author's middle grade debut!  2. Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin -set at an inn, a boy named Rendi helps his new friends restore the moon in the sky with help from a mysterious storyteller. Interwoven throughout the story are lots of Chinese folk tales!  3. Call the Name of the Night manga series by Tama Mitsuboshi --a short but heartwarming shojo manga series about a girl named Mira who comes to accept her magical powers. Great for cottagecore lovers!  4. Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything by Justine Winans --Bianca, their best friend Anderson, and crush Elaine solve a murder myste...

This was a part of the 12 books 12 friends challenge and was recommended by @onceuponatbr over on Instagram. The actual title for this series is really long! It's full title is The Savior's Book Cafe Story in Another World . The author is Kyoka Izumi . This first volume begins with Tsukina, a 30 year old woman with a stable career who is one day randomly asked by "God" (in the form a sphere) to become the savior of another world called Othel. She is unsure of it at first, but when she uses her newfound magic to open up a book cafe, she grows to like it. The most frequent visitor to her book cafe is the captain of the royal guards. His name is Il (capital I, lowercase L!). The two grow close very quickly, bonding over books and food.  Tsukina also finds out that one of the reasons she was sent to Othel was to deal with the previous chosen one. The previous chosen one is a snobby rich girl who cares more about wooing the prince of the land than actually learning magic t...

Yeah, I know I've gotten this habit of picking up manga series that are new to me on a whim when I already got a ton of other series going on. But it's worth it! In the Name of the Mermaid Princess by Yoshino Fumikawa and Miya Tashiro  is a shojo manga set in a world where people can be born with appearances and abilities of fantastical creatures. Unfortunately, these people are highly discriminated against, and they are called "Unhumans". Our MC Princess Mio was born a mermaid, but her father, the king, wants her to keep this a secret. That's because he wants her to marry the human prince of a neighboring kingdom, Prince Chika.  Mio is constantly given pills to temporarily turn her human.  Eventually, Mio gets a tutor named Yuri who helps educate her on Chika and his kingdom before she is set off to meet him. The two end up becoming friends as Yuri encourages Mio to be herself. He also supports her beliefs in making the kingdom a better place for "Unhumans...

      A kids' manga I found on a whim!   This first volume of Hikaru in the Light by Mai Matsuda is about a girl named Hikaru who likes singing at her family's bath house. She is a really good singer, and she dreams about becoming an idol just like her childhood friend, Ran.    One day Hikaru finds out about an audition to form a new girl idol band that will be hosted by popular and successful record producer M. Hayama. Hikaru signs up. Much to her surprise, Ran signs up, too. She just quit the girl group she was a part of, and decided to partake in this audition for a new girl group to improve on her dancing and singing skills. The two friends support each other through the audition process, and they end up making the cut!    Hikaru and Ran and a bunch of other girls end up going to a training camp for idols.    Throughout all of this, Hikaru finds out that becoming an idol isn't easy peasy. But it should be easier with Ran by her side...

    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...

  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...

  It's been a while since I used my dolls for a book picture! I knew Bunny Blanche and Madeline Hatter from Every After High would be perfect for this. Alice in Kyoto Forest by Mai Mochizuki and Haruki Niwa is about Alice Shirakawa, a 15 year old orphan who loves books and lives with her aunt and uncle. However, her uncle wants nothing to do with her, and so Alice decides she should move out and find a job to support herself. She finds an advertisement to be an apprentice to a geisha (called a maiko) in Kyoto, where she was originally from. But when she moves back to Kyoto, it isn't the Kyoto she remembered! It looks historical... and magical. Alice tries to figure out the mystery of this new world she was whisked away to, her true purpose there, and reunite with her childhood friend, Ren.  So far I love this story! It's very obviously inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Overall, it also reminded me of some Studio Ghibli movies, most notably Spirited Away, Howl's Moving C...

Who's your favorite Disney princess? Mine is a tie between Tiana and Rapunzel! Kilala Princess by Rika Tanaka is about Kilala, a girl who loves all things princessy. One day she comes across a mysterious boy named Rei, and he happens to be the prince of a faraway kingdom. He is looking for a magical tiara and the princess who will help save his kingdom. At first, Kilala thinks that her best friend Erica might be who Rei is looking for, as she just won a princess contest. But then Erica gets kidnapped by some mysterious men, so Kilala goes and saves her. Along the way she magically ends up in the world of Snow White. After stopping the Evil Queen, Kilala learns some valuable lessons from Snow White. After that, Kilala and Rei continue to encounter more troubles, and meet more princesses and their lessons. She meets Ariel, and at the end of volume 3 we leave off on a cliffhanger where she meets Cinderella after almost dying when trying to protect Rei from someone he thought he could...

  I read a total of 12 books and I DNF 7 . Reviews are linked when applicable.   The following books got 5 stars from me: 1.  Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston . Full review here . 2. Basil and Oregano by Melissa Caprigione . Full review here . 3. Moment of Truth by Kasie West . Full review here . 4. Hotel Balzaar by Kate DiCamillo . Full review here . 5. Witch Hat Kitchen Volume 4 by Kamome Shirahama 6. The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity Volumes 4 and 5 by Saki Mikami 7. Neighborhood Story Volumes 1 and 2 by Ai Yazawa . Full review here .   The following books got 4.5 stars: 1. I Hope this Doesn't Find You by Ann Liang . Full review here . 2. A Sign of Affection Volume 8 by Suu Morishita .   This book got 4 stars: Greenglass House by Kate Milford . Full review here .   The following books I DNF because I thought the story was bad/didn't enjoy them: 1. When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin 2. Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls 3. Don't...

  Today's poem was inspired by the classic shojo anime "The Rose of Versailles". The original manga is by Riyoko Ikeda. In about a week a reboot movie for the series is coming out! The first above is of the ending song of the original anime (from 1979) and the second video is of the trailer of the upcoming reboot movie.  Here's my poem inspired by the series: "There is a revolution On the horizon I feel it in my soul The citizens of France Can’t stand What this monarchy is doing This young king and queen Just engage In frivolous trivial petty matters Spending spending spending Tax money On dresses On jewelry On royal balls Meanwhile The average citizen Doesn’t have enough money For the doctor Or food Or any other basic necessity Oh dear I wonder how all this will be viewed In the future When this part of French history Is recorded And then studied."

  My second attempt at something written by Io Sakisaka . A couple of years ago I tried watching the anime of Ao Haru Ride but I couldn't get into it. But I decided to give another one of her series a chance, so I picked up Sakura, Saku . So far I am liking it! I am thinking about going back and giving Ao Haru Ride another chance.  This series is about a girl named Saku who is helped out by a mysterious stranger named Ryosuke Sakura on the train to school one day when she feels dizzy and almost loses her schoolbag. But she didn't see how he looked like, and she wanted to find him to thank him, since the phone number he left her doesn't work. And ever since that one day, she's wanted to help people out every chance she gets. Saku finds out a guy in her class named Haruki Sakura has an older brother named Ryosuke, and she thinks that's the guy she was looking for. She asks him to connect her with his brother, but Haruki is reluctant because he thinks Saku is another o...