#ThrowbackThursday Review – Wanted by Matsuri Hino

Wanted
By: Matsuri Hino
Translator: Low Sin Lu
Release Date: (Original Japanese) 2005; (English) September 2, 2008
Publisher: VIZ Media
Rating:


I have been on a manga buying/reading spree lately. I’m a little late to the manga scene, at least compared to my husband, and have been trying to make up for it by picking up more or less every old manga I find at used book sales. Wanted by Matsuri Hino was one such purchase. That’s right. This is a standalone manga from the creator of Vampire Knight.

Review: 45 Pounds (More or Less)

45 Pounds (More or Less)
By: K.A. Barson
Release Date: July 11, 2013
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Rating:


Fat. It sounds like a dirty word, doesn’t it? It’s something you shouldn’t call someone or, heaven forbid, even say in front of someone who isn’t the societal norm of the perfect weight. In this book we see how one teenager takes on this word, her own body and, most importantly, her view of herself, to become the person she feels she needs to be.

#MangaMonday Review – Ocean of Secrets Vol. 1 by Sophie-chan

Ocean of Secrets Volume 1
By: Sophie-chan
Release Date: May 16, 2017
Publisher: TokyoPop
Series: Ocean of Secrets #1
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


It’s no secret that I love manga. So when I had the opportunity to review a copy of a new manga I’d never heard of before, of course I jumped on it. Ocean of Secrets, Volume 1 is a brand new series by the mangaka Sophie-chan. The cover was full of pretty purples, and drew my eye to it immediately. This volume will be released on May 16, 2017, just a little over a week from now.

Throwback Thursday: Blood Rites (The Dresden Files #6)

Blood Rites (The Dresden Files #6)
By: Jim Butcher
Website: http://www.jim-butcher.com/
Release Date: August 3rd, 2004
Publisher: Roc Books
Series: The Dresden Files
Rating:


When White Court Vampire Thomas Raith joins Harry on an errand (well, a  rescue mission) to save stolen puppies (yes, stolen puppies) Harry thinks his night is interesting enough. Add in gorrilla demons and it’s another thing entirely. Things only get weirder when one of the puppies stows away in Harry’s car. He’s amused but also alarmed as the dog, while a great security system which alerts him to an attack by the Black Court, Harry really doesn’t know what to do with the puppy. Let’s just say Mister doesn’t approve of the new house guest. And this, like always, is just the start to Harry’s next insane adventure. And boy is this book a doozy. 

Review – Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Scythe
By: Neal Shusterman
Website: http://www.storyman.com/
Release Date: November 22, 2016
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Series: Arc of a Scythe #1
Award: Michael L. Printz Honor (2017)
Rating:


Here’s a book that I’ve had on my shelf for some time. Now that I think about it, I’ve had this almost since its release date way back in November of 2016. Ah, the bane of the to-read shelf, or shelves, as the case may be. (Yeah, I know. I’m not proud of my book binge buying and not reading habits). Scythe by Neal Shusterman is a young adult dystopian novel about two apprentice scythes, people who ‘glean’ (see: murder) others as a means of population control in a futuristic, utopic world.

Review – Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Binti
By: Nnedi Okorafor
Website: http://www.nnedi.com/
Release Date: September 22, 2015
Publisher: Tor.com
Series: Binti #1
Award: Hugo Award for Best Novella (2016); Nebula Award for Best Novella (2015); Locus Award Nominee for Best Novella (2016)
Rating:


I was pretty excited when I finally got my copy in this book. Binti by Nnedi Okorafor is a beautifully written, captivating novella that has won both the Nebula and Hugo awards. It’s been on my radar for quite some time, and, finally, I’ve gotten a chance to read it.

You’ve probably heard of this book, but what’s it about, exactly?

#ThrowbackThursday Review – The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturns by Neil Gaiman

The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturns
By: Neil Gaiman
Website: http://www.neilgaiman.com/
Release Date: (Original) 1988; (this edition) December 1, 1988
Publisher: Vertigo
Series: The Sandman #1
Rating:


I was in the used book store attached to my library recently, seeing what new things they’d put on the shelves since the last time I wiped out their stock. Out of curiosity I wandered over to a shelf labeled ‘humor’. There, tucked between copies of newspaper comic strip compilations and stand up comic’s autobiographies was a misplaced copy of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman: Preludes and Nocturns.

A ‘humor’ book this is not. But if you’re looking for some graphic novel horror in your life, you’ve come to the right place.

Review – Phoenix by S. F. Said

Phoenix
By: S. F. Said
Release Date: (Original) August 1, 2013; (US Release) October 11, 2016
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Award: Carnegie Medal Nominee (2014)
Rating:


Phoenix by S. F. Said is a book which, apparently, has been on my to-read shelf on Goodreads since its original release in 2013. I discovered it at the library, bright orange cover leaping off the shelf, as bright orange covers tend to do. I truly loved this book. Really. Honestly. It was a sit down after dinner and finish it in one go sort of a book, the sort you find only rarely. Surprisingly, this isn’t a book I’ve heard very much about. So, here I am, singing its praises from the proverbial rooftop.

But first, what exactly is this book about?

Review – Toru: Wayfarer by Stephanie R. Sorensen

Toru: Wayfarer
By: Stephanie R. Sorensen
Release Date: February 17, 2016
Publisher: Palantir Press LLC
Series: Sakura Steam #1
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


Sometimes it’s a synopsis that catches your eye. Sometimes it’s the cover. Sometimes it’s the author’s name, or the genre. For me, it was the setting the setting and cover design. Toru: Wayfarer by Stephanie R. Sorensen is a book that’s been on my radar since it was first released back in February of 2016. When I finally got my hands on a copy, I was quite the excited bookworm.

Unfortunately, the excitement didn’t last.

Throwback Thursday: Death Masks (The Dresden Files #5)

Death Masks (The Dresden Files #5)
By: Jim Butcher
Website: http://www.jim-butcher.com/
Release Date: August 5th, 2003
Publisher: Roc Books
Series: The Dresden Files
Rating:


Harry’s ex, Susan Rodriguez (half-vampire)is back, just in time for evil fallen angels, a duel with the Red Court’s champion, a missing mystical Shroud he’s been asked to help find and a diseased headless corpse that CPD needs help dealing with. If Harry’s life wasn’t already complicated his good friend and Knight of the Cross, Michael Carpenter, is there to help Harry when it’s needed, and throw another wrench into the already complicated few days Harry is having.