#Bookhaul – February 2019 Books from Publishers

What a month. I didn’t get as much reading done as I’d hoped. But with an every growing TBR and dozens of absolutely amazing books being published every month I always feel like I’m not getting enough reading done. This month I got some absolutely wonderful books from publishers, friends, and purchases that I want to tell about.

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Review – Nijigahara Holograph by Inio Asano

Nijigahara Holograph
By: Inio Asano
Illustrator: Inio Asano
Translator: Matt Thorn
Release Date: March 9, 2014 (English); July 25, 2006 (Original Japanese)
Publisher: Fantagraphics
Rating:


Nijigahara Holograph by Inio Asano, the creator of the award winning Solanin, is a standalone 300 page manga, and perfect for those who aren’t looking to get into yet another long-running series. The story is one involving alternate timelines, violence, and the surreal. There are frightened whispers among the children about a monster that lives in the tunnel behind the school. The usually beautiful butterflies hold an almost ominous presence, suddenly being found everywhere. The lives of the students and teachers are interwoven in ways unforeseen on the surface, ways that aren’t always visible or expected.

Review – Occultic;Nine Vol 2 by Chiyomaru Shikura

Occultic;Nine Vol 2
By: Chiyomaru Shikura
Illustrator: pako
Translator: Adam Lensenmayer
Release Date: Feb 25, 2017
Publisher: J-Novel Club; Seven Seas
Series: Occultic;Nine #2
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


It has been quite a while since I’ve binged a series like I am with this one. Occultic;Nine, Vol. 2 by Chiyomaru Shikura is a truly great second volume in this series by the creator of Steins;Gate.

Review – Chronin Volume 1: The Knife at Your Back by Alison Wiglus

Chronin Volume 1: The Knife at Your Back
By: Alison Wiglus
Release Date: February 19, 2019
Publisher: Tor Books
Series: Chronin #1
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


It’s no secret I love manga, but what may be less known is my propensity for the Meji Era. The crash of modernity and tradition provides a fascinating backdrop to any story (and tends to speak to my history major heart). Surprising no one, I immediately downloaded an e-arc of Chronin Volume 1: The Knife at Your Back by Alison Wiglus as soon as I saw the cover art.

Review – The Future Is Female! 25 Classic Science Fiction Stories by Women, from Pulp Pioneers to Ursula K. Le Guin edited by Lisa Yaszek

The Future Is Female! 25 Classic Science Fiction Stories by Women, from Pulp Pioneers to Ursula K Le Guin
By: Lisa Yaszek (editor)
Release Date: September 25, 2018
Publisher: Library of America
Rating:


Anthologies can be tricky beasts. Even in themed anthologies, authors and their stories can be very varied, sometimes wildly so. The Future is Female! 25 Classic Science Fiction Stories By Women, From Pulp Pioneers to Ursula K. Le Guin is an anthology from editor Lisa Yaszek that defies all expectations. Each story is better than the one preceding it. Each one is memorable, lingering in the back of your mind long after moving on to the next tale. Each one is the sort of story that could be pointed to and said, ‘This is the heart of science fiction. This is our legacy. This is what we aspire to.’

Review – Submerged by Vita Ayala and Lisa Sterle

Submerged
By: Vita Ayala
Illustrator: Lisa Sterle (artist); Stelladia (colorist); Rachel Deering (letterer)
Release Date: February 12, 2019
Publisher: Vault Comics
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


A graphic novel of true beauty, both artistically and literarily, Submerged Volume 1 by Vita Ayala and Lisa Sterle is a brand new release not to be missed. This is a story of many things. It is a story of family, a story of coming to terms and letting go, it’s about relationships. It is a story many can relate to, on one level or another, and one that is so very worth reading.

Crayon Shinchan Vol. 1 Omnibus by Yoshito Usui

Crayon Shinchan, Volume 1
By: Yoshito Usui
Illustrator: Yoshito Usui
Release Date: (original) 1990; (English) October 15, 2012
Publisher: One Peace Books
Series: Crayon Shinchan Omnibus #1
Rating:


Crayon Shinchan is a very long running anime in Japan which had a shorter run in the US. It’s also an anime I’ve watched over and over again. When I saw the Crayon Shinchan, Volume 1 by Yoshito Usui was available to read on Scribd, I jumped on it.

Review – Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller

Blackfish City
By: Sam J. Miller
Release Date: April 17, 2018
Publisher: Ecco
Rating:


Blackfish City is a dystopian science fiction novel from Sam J. Miller whose novel The Art of Starving won the Andre Norton Award. The story takes place on an earth drowned by the sea. Climate change has shrunk livable land, countries have fallen, and refugees migrate to places like Qaanaaq – a floating city near a geothermal vent close to Greenland. But as much as Qaanaaq is a savior for the displaced, it has its own problems. Steeped in corruption and with no housing or work for incoming refugees from “drowned cities,” disease is rampant. A disease referred to as ‘the breaks’ spreads among the people while outside the city a mysterious woman riding an orca and with a polar bear companion can be seen, a woman steeped in mystery and rumor.