Happy April! I haven’t left the house in so long. This is what I read this month!
Books and Manga
A Man & His Cat vol 1 by Umi Sakurai – This was a cute slice of life manga about a man who buys a cat. It’s bittersweet and heartwarming and I rather liked it. – 4.5 stars
Black Butler vols 1-11 by Yana Toboso – This is my latest obsession, guys. I’m so late to this train but I’m so happy I’m on it. This manga had made me laugh and gasp and I really just enjoy it so, so much. I have vol 12 with me but I’m holding off until the other sixteen – yes I ordered all remaining 16 vols currently out – arrive. I’m so pumped. – 4-5 stars each
Hitorijime My Hero vol 1 by Memeko Arii – Unfortunately this manga is off to a slow start. It’s definitely one of the more confusing I’ve ever read, and only midway through did I realize that it’s a spin-off of another manga that was never actually translated into English. It was no wonder characters were just there without being introduced. I ended up watching the anime, which included the untranslated manga portion so at least it made sense, but unfortunately this one wasn’t my fave and I probably won’t be continuing. – 2.5 stars
I Want to Eat Your Pancreas by Yoru Sumino – Despite the interesting title, this manga is a hard-hitting story about a girl who is going to die, and she knows it. It explores the concept of dying and how people handle it. I loved this and it definitely made me cry. – 5 stars
Ten Count vols 1-6 by Rihito Takarai – I gave it to temptation this month and bought myself this entire series. The first volume, which I already owned, was a reread, but the remaining five were first time reads for me. I really enjoyed this series but know going into it that it’s not for kids. It’s rated M for a reason. – 4-4.5 stars each
The Way of the House Husband vols 1-2 by Kousuke Oono – This manga was a pleasant surprise. It was cute and light and really funny, and I very much enjoyed this one. It follows a former yakuza boss after he quits his gang and becomes what the title says. This one was seriously amusing. – 4 stars each
The Wilful Princess and the Piebald Prince by Robin Hobb – One of a whopping two actual books I read this month, I very much enjoyed this. It’s a novella set in Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings world and I buddy read it with Zezee @Zezeewithbooks! – 4.5 stars
Takane & Hana vol 1 by Yuki Shiwasu – This is another manga I’m not totally sold on. It’s an age gap romance and honestly it’s a bit too gappy for me, and that’s saying something as my husband is eight years older than I am. Since it’s just been cute and fluffy so far, I’m willing to give it a few more volumes but if it gets creepy, I’m out. – 3.5 stars
Again!! vols 1-2 by Mitsurou Kubo – This is an interesting manga. It follows the ‘what if I could do it over, jump back in time’ trope, which I was iffy about to begin with. But so far though I think I like this – if I see volumes of it on the shelf (whenever I can leave the house to see a shelf) I’ll probably pick more of this one up. – 3.5-4 stars each
Strawberry Panic by Sakurako Kimino – So this was my first introduction to yuri manga and honestly it was a terrible introduction. The setting was weird, the romance was weird, and worst of all the ‘complete collection’ it brags about only contains two out of the three manga in the series. Apparently the third was never translated into English. Gah, honestly I really don’t recommend this one. There are so many better yuris, I’m sure. – 2 stars
Confidential Confessions vol 1 by Momochi Reiko – This one I picked up because I remember reading it back when I was a teen and being uncomfortable. Well, I was still uncomfortable. This one contains major trigger warnings for suicide. This was not a happy manga. I rather liked it though. – 3 stars
Magus of the Library vol 1 by Mitsu Izumi – This manga was so enchanting, a book lover’s dream. It follows a young boy who loves to read, and the librarians that show up in his town. I definitely plan on continuing this one, I was enthralled. – 4.5 stars
BJ Alex by Mingwa – Like Ten Count mentioned above, this one is also not for the kiddies. This manhwa was alright. The romance was a bit weird and bordered on non-con at times and I really didn’t dig that. But overall… not bad? I guess? – 3.5 stars
Love Is An Illusion by Fargo – This is another manwha webtoon that, again, is not for kids. (Can you tell, I’ve found a new kick. First shojo manga and now pwp-romance. Whatevs!) This one I liked better than BJ Alex but here the romance was still kinda weird. The blond guy in particular got on my nerves but overall, mostly enjoyable. – 3.75 stars
I.O.N. by Arina Tanemura – This manga screams ‘2004’ and not in a good way. I picked this up after seeing it was from shojo beat so I figured I’d give it a shot. Well, I didn’t like it. At all, really. It was unfortunate. – 2 stars
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green – And this my friends ended my month on a high note. I really, really liked this book. After trudging through so-so romance and a terrible shojo, this really hit the spot. It’s a first contact book but it also is a commentary on how instant internet fame can change a person, and I really liked it. The second one comes out this summer and I am p u m p e d. – 4.75 stars
And that’s it for things read! With everything put together, I read 33 things!
Other Stuff
- As is obvious at this point, I’m on stay-at-home orders just like everyone else. That means in addition to working from home until further notice, I’m also no longer going to Tekkoshocon until it’s rescheduled (boo). I’m not sick yet and I hope I stay that way.
- Honestly working from home has kinda made me low-key hate my job. Shh.
- I’m participating in both the Owls Magical Readathon and Camp Nanowrimo this month!
- I’ve never used my slow cooker so often as I have the past few weeks. Man-hoo-boy.
Reading Goals
- Read 50 books – 54/100 (upped from 50 to 100)
- Maintain a consistent posting schedule
January – Fail
February – Pass
March – Pass - Keep track of reading statistics – In progress
- Reduce physical TBR to 200 – 238
So, when I originally read this, I went into it thinking it was a YA fantasy. It is not. It is definitely not YA. It follows a young woman who has been raised in secret in preparation for taking and holding the crown that is her birthright. This character is rather wonderful overall (I wrote a review on this book, where I go into my likes and dislikes of it) and she definitely gets a small crush at some point but it’s never really focused on or forms into anything more. So as far as romance goes, there isn’t any. It’s wonderful.
Now, it’s been a while since I read this, so there is possibly a minor romance somewhere that I just forgot about, but I’m 95% sure there isn’t one. So if there is, oops.
I’ve said it before and I’ll keep sayin it. This is one of the most underrated/underread series in the book community. I still don’t think I’ve seen anyone else ever say anything about it. It follows an old relic master, a uh.. wizard/priest of sorts, and his apprentice, as they survive in a world after being left there by their mysterious founders. All that remains of the race of people that left them on the planet is a series of relics, all of which have a strange power but whose functions are unknown by the relic masters, the ones who collect these items. The world is full of fantasy, sci-fi and all sorts of neat things. I really enjuoyed this one.
Anyone who’s wanting to try a new manga series that’s a finished, complete thing, check this out. I first read this back when I was in high school and have reread it maybe six times since then. I really like this bugger. It follows a group of four – a priest, a half demon and two full-blood demons as they trek across China in search of a mysterious power whose effect has driven all demons in the country crazy, making them blood-thirsty and vicious.
This is the farthest thing from romance that I can think of. Action, horror, ahhh ❤
Embuhleeliest 
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