Tag: books

Fantastic Manga Read in 2025- Blogmas 2025

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Ever since the pandemic, I have been slowly but surely getting back into reading and collecting manga. (And yes, I do consider the two topics to be separate, mostly because I’m still behind reading what I’ve collected, haha.)

2025 was a great year for reading manga for me. Even though I haven’t read everything I’ve bought (thanks to reading for book clubs and challenges and the like), I’ve had a blast with reading what I got to, and with a few I wasn’t 100% of a fan of. Here’s just a few that I read and enjoyed this year.

Otherside Picnic

It is well known within my family and friends that I avoid horror with all my heart. And yet… Otherside Picnic has been one of my favorite reads for the past year or so. Technically, it isn’t classified as horror, but there is enough references to internet creepypasta and urban legends that are just enough to give me nightmares.

That being said, the story is interesting, building from something simple to tense and complicated, with romance in the background. It’s just great.

Captive Hearts of OZ

While this four volume series has been out for a while, I happened upon it on Kindle Unlimited and blasted through it one night. It’s another Wizard of Oz series with a twist, which somewhat works (and somewhat doesn’t). But it was a cute little read one night.

Assassination Classroom

I missed this series when it was first releasing in 2014-2018. I knew about it, but I wasn’t reading manga at the time. I ended up picking it up over the course of 2024 and finally reading and finishing it in early 2025.

For a series with such a simple concept, it’s amazing in writing and art style. Worth spending probably $100 over a couple months to grab the entire series.

Lonely Castle in the Mirror

I have a great run with this property. I first saw the animated film in theaters, then I read the translated novel (also worth it), and now I’ve read the manga and loved it. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it when I started it, which was the same feeling I had during the film, but it ended up working well.

And then…

Whoever Steals This Book

True confession, I enjoyed the first two volumes of this three volume series. But the third… I was not a fan. Read the first two and make up your own ending, it’s the only way that you don’t get plot dumped on your head.

Corpse Blade

I took a risk with this series. I shouldn’t have. Good concept, fumbled the middle and ending.

And finally…

My Hero Academia

So. One of the current major manga series that just came to an end last year (October 2025 for those in English speaking countries). I only just collected the last volume, so I haven’t techecially finished reading this just yet.

I’m planning a read through during January 2026, from Volume 1 all the way to Volume 42. If you like superhero stories where things get complicated, it’s probably worth a read.

All in all, a pretty great year! Of course, there were other series and singles I read, some that will get a discussion in the future, others… that won’t. But that’s okay, that’s the nature of reading.

Happy trails!

So, What Actually Happened with the Barnes and Noble YA Book Club? – Blogmas 2025

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Back before the COVID-19 pandemic, back before everything in the world felt wrong and weird, Barnes and Novel started their second “Book Club” collection.

The Barnes and Noble Book Club had be going for about a year at this point, focusing on adult books. While I didn’t take part in any way (I was still in the “I still only read YA books, away this those adult books, they are all full of horror or sex and I’m just not comfortable reading that, though I don’t judge those books or those who read them” mindset), I knew about it and kept an eye out for them.

The picks were of all different genres. The only thing that seemed to be a constant is that each choice was usually a debut author or an author changing genre or type. The books were usually well received as well.

Then in June of 2019, Barnes and Noble announced that they were started a second book club, this one focused on the Young Adult Genre. Again, it got off to a great start. The picks were wild and diverse, some of which that have gone on to be loved and beloved, some have been optioned for TV or film (with one off the top of my head having already released a season, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson, March 2020’s pick.

I myself discovered my local B&N was hosting the YA book club just after the second pick, We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal. I ended up reading the third pick and made it a point to go, even though travelling to that B&N on a Tuesday night was somewhat difficult with my job at the time. August 2019, I ended up reading Wilder Girls by Rory Power and attended my first meeting.

Surprisingly, it went well! I wasn’t sure how I would do with being in a book club for the first time (this was long before the book clubs I joined in 2023/2024). In fact, I kept attending, reading all the books and enjoying most of them.

And then COVID.

We had a socially distanced meeting in March 2020 for A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, with the hopes to meet again in person the next month. This didn’t happen. The in-person meetings were cancelled for the foreseeable future. Barnes and Noble took everything online, doing mediated interviews with the authors, where readers could ask questions directly.

Post-pandemic, the clubs didn’t return immediately. Most of the stores didn’t start up, and those that did only held the Adult Book Club. The YA Book Club was usually ignored.

The books were still being picked. They still have somewhat of a place of respect at the stores and on the website… but they weren’t be promoted. December did not get a pick for every year of the YA Book Club’s running life, beyond 2019.

In March of 2025, Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven was released. It had a decent reception. It sold well, from what I can see.

April 2025, there wasn’t a pick. May? Nothing. By June, it was clear that the Barnes and Noble YA Book Club had been quietly cancelled. From what I found on Reddit, for booksellers at B&N, this wasn’t much of a surprise.

I enjoyed the collection. I obviously do, I have all 66 selections on my bookshelves. I just wasn’t surprised to see it go. It was getting harder and harder to find the choices in store (where I preferred to buy them).

It’s been nine months since that last book was picked. I still think about it, still have my sticky notes out so I can mark the next book, still have enough space on my shelf for probably three more pics. But that said, I’m not surprised anymore. I’ve moved on a bit. While I’m not reading the Barnes and Noble Book Club picks, I am reading books outside my comfort zone, thanks to my book clubs now.

I just… miss it. Nostalgia is a weird thing.

Happy reading!

My Rise and (Tiny) Fall from Book Clubs – Blogmas 2025

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

If someone told me that in late 2023 or early 2024 I would be a part of a bunch of book clubs, and that by the end of 2025 I’d be down to just a few, I’d laugh at them.

Okay, maybe not laugh, but I wouldn’t believe them all that much. And honestly, I have personal history to back that up.

For the vast majority of my life, I have detested being told what to read or when to discuss it, how to read something in a particular way and how to “engage with the text.” Even though I have an English degree and love reading, it’s always been difficult for me to read assigned books. Sure, some ended up becoming books I liked or loved or fought for, but in the end, that was like four out of fifty.

I also don’t particularly like discussing books down to the most minute detail. When I read, I want to enjoy books, not analyze them.

But then… well… the pandemic finally eased and I needed to get out of the house.

Without going through the entire history, I ended up joining book clubs at two different used bookstores and through my local library. Each one had a different mix of choices and types of discussions and in general everything seemed to be working out great.

I have read books that were so out of my comfort zone that it was unbelievable, and yet I ended up liking several of them. (Even the one that still gives me the occasional nightmare because it was so well written and vivid.) I’ve also read books that I thought I would enjoy, and discovered that I didn’t. I’ve found new auto-buy authors and whole genres I’ll give a second shot.

Over the past few months, things have changed a bit. I’ve made the decision to cut out all but two of the book clubs. Past of the reason is that I didn’t feel heard anymore. My suggestions weren’t being taken seriously. My points were being ignored in conversations, or were being somewhat manipulated to mean something else. It felt like anything I had to contribute was just… a waste of my time. But more over, it was becoming a waste of anyone else’s time but the core group.

So, I cut down from five or six book clubs (there was one that we only held sporadically) to just firmly two. One is fiction that feels very open to all conversation (and suggestions and picks are welcomed with open arms) and the other is queer, with subjects and genres galore.

Technically there is one more within that store, I just don’t go to it, as the theme just doesn’t click with me (and that’s fine!). I also have an open invitation to book clubs at any of the other locations, as well as one of the Barnes and Noble locations near me (though they have cancelled the YA Book Club, but that’s a conversation for another day).

As for now, i have two book clubs in two weeks in December, reading Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (for this coming Saturday) and The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch (on the following Sunday). I’m slightly behind in my reading, so I’m off to jump in.

Happy reading!

Reading Goals for 2023 – Blogmas 2022

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

I’ll be the first to admit that my reading goal for 2022 was a little… unobtainable, especially once my luck with the job market happened.

It wasn’t the total amount of books that was the problem. No, I’ve done that before and more. It was the fact that I was reading the same type of book over and over again. It just got… tiresome? I guess? You could also say exhausting. Or just… very one note. Basically, reading only one type of book made me not want to read, because if I wasn’t reading a book from my challenge, then I felt like I wasn’t reading the right thing.

For 2023, I’m going to try to broaden my palette, as it were. I still have my “reading challenge,” but I have a few others that will let me read basically anything I want. Let me explain.

Owlcrate’s 2023 Reading Planner Goals

Every year, my favorite book box Owlcrate sends out a reading planner with their November box. This year, the planner included a small list of 14 prompts as a way to encourage people to read something they wouldn’t normally.

For example, one of the prompts is to “read a collection of poetry or short stories.” Another is “an epistolary novel.” There’s also a prompt for “a book set in a library or a bookstore.” Two personal favorites of mine are “a book from a country that you’d love to visit this year” and “a recommendation from a friend with reading tastes different to yours.”

I’ve already come up with a few books that might fit some of these prompts, though I won’t start actually reading until January 1st. But I’m okay with that. Mentally planning is important.

The Nest’s 3 Degrees of Difficulty Annual Reading Challenge

Hilariously, this is also Owlcrate. They just launched The Nest, which is an app to connect with other booklovers in a safe and welcoming space (#notasponser). One of the things I like is that they are hosting their own reading challenge, with three levels. To make it slightly more challenging, each level features 25 prompts.

Level one is pretty simple. It has the normal prompts, such as “YA Historical Fiction,” “A Library Book,” or “A Classic High Fantasy.” Pretty much every prompt is one that can be found on another list someone else. It’s meant to be an easy list to fill.

Level two gets a bit more difficult. There are some more specific prompts, such as “set in the 1920s.” “More than 500 pages” sticks out because most prompt lists don’t have a prompt like that. “Portal Fantasy” is something I’ve never heard of as of writing this post. There’s also a “contemporary duology” and a “super serious sci-fi,” which means I’ll be scouring the internet for those and others.

I’ll admit, Level three is the one I’m not sure I’ll finish. Most of the prompts are ones that I wouldn’t normally pick up, and even if I did, I probably wouldn’t enjoy it. “African Magical Realism” is something I’ve never even thought of (though I am intrigued). “Healthcare Worker POV?” No offense, but I avoided that line of work for a reason, I’m not looking forward to that one. And I’ll be honest, unless I get lucky, I’m probably to have trouble with the “2022 Hugo Nominee” as I’m usually not a fan of their choices… Oh wait, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir? Okay, that one might be okay.

But Wait! What About Your Reading Challenge?

I’m still going to do it! I’m midway through the Trials of Apollo, which is the last major pentalogy in the Camp Half-Blood Chronicles. I still have the two spinoff trilogies (The Kane Chronicles and Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard) as well as the companion books.

I also would love to work my way through The Keeper of the Lost Cities series by Shannon Messenger, which was already in the challenge. Considering the size difference between KotLC and the other complete series in the challenge (The Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare), the former is at least obtainable.

One important things is that this challenge won’t be my main goal. I’d love to complete more than just the CHBC portion (which will get done next year if I have anything to say about it). I’m just going to prioritize reading for the other challenges more than just this. It will probably help with my anxiety as well.

Wrap Up

I’m hoping that having what amounts to nearly 100 prompts, I’ll get a lot of reading done on my offtimes. I do have some grand plans for reading, some ideas I’ve already jotted down, though of course nothing is set in stone just yet. We shall see what 2023 shall bring in the form of reading!

Until next time!

My Lowest Rated Books of 2022 – Blogmas 2022

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

This year wasn’t my best year, mostly due to drama and life and work and just a general shift my personal time. However, I did read about 30 books (my list isn’t exactly up to date, I’m working on it). When glancing on said list, I realized I had three books that I rated the lowest. Considering how I rate books, I wanted to talk about them.

Before we jump in, I wanted to detail my rating scale:

  • 5 Stars – This book is basically perfect. I would reread it right now. I absolutely enjoyed reading this in every way.
  • 4 Stars – I liked this book. It’s not perfect, but it was fine and I enjoyed my time with it.
  • 3 Stars – I read it. I’m not a fan, but I probably have a reason. It won’t be reread.
  • 2 Stars – I finished it. Not a fan, never again, it’s getting donated.
  • 1 Star – DNF. Absolutely hated it. Offensive.

So let’s run through my lowest rated books.

Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe (Graphic Novel) – Originally 4 Stars, rerated at 3 Stars.

Before someone throws a tomato my direction, this review is only and specifically regarding the writing of the graphic novel. I’m not touching the contents or the author’s life. (Also, a blanket apology if I mess up Kobabe’s pronouns. I’ve never used Spivak pronouns before, so this is a new experience for me.)

My only and biggest issue with Gender Queer is that I was bored. Kobabe chose to present eir story using a graphic novel style, which should have worked to eir advantage. However, for me, I don’t think it did. I felt very limited in learning about Kobabe’s life during eir coming out and life. I just felt… bored. Focusing just on the writing, I just didn’t get hooked into the writing. I started skimming early on. I didn’t feel like I wanted to really sit their and learn about Kobabe’s life and struggles.

I respectfully just wasn’t interested in the end. I rated it 4 starts originally more because I was worried that people might get pissed at me for rating it any lower. But personally, I just wasn’t a fan.

That said… Gender Queer is a massively important graphic novel that needs to be available to anyone who wants to read it.

Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour (Paperback) – 3 Stars

I had loved LaCour’s previous book, We Are Okay. When I picked up Watch Over Me, I was hopeful that I would enjoy it just as much. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

I felt as though nothing happened throughout Watch Over Me. There was a little thing here or there, but no real plot movement until right towards the very end. By the time I finally got hooked into the story, I was into the final chapter and right at the end. I just wasn’t happy about that.

I’m willing to give LaCour another shot either with her 2022 novel or with one of the other novels she’s written previously. I guess it will be a rainy day read.

As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson (Hardcover) – 3 Stars

This one is shocking to me, as The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder was an instant 5 Star novel for me in 2019. The middle book in the series, Good Girl, Bad Blood, was a 4 Star, but I still enjoyed it very much. As for As Good As Dead…

The best way to describe it is that I really enjoyed AGAD until the middle of the book. The moment the major twist happens, I feel like the entire book takes a left turn into “I don’t know what this is” Land. I read it in my car (in a parking lot waiting for a family member to be done with a medical procedure) one afternoon and I almost threw the book out the window. I was so very annoyed.

I know there is a prequel novella that’s been released, and will be released in February I believe. I also know that Jackson has a new standalone novel out. I’m gonna give it a try (fingers crossed that it’ll be under the tree). I’m just sad because this last outing just didn’t do it for me in any way.

Wrap Up

I’m okay with only having three low rated books in 2022, even taking into account that I honestly haven’t read a lot this year (thanks reading slump). I’m hoping that in 2023, I’ll get more opportunities to read a variety of books. It’s on the list, once things get more settled around here.

Until next time!

Book Review: .hack//Another Birth Volume 2: Mutation by Miu Kawasaki – Blogtober

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Title: Volume 2: Infection

Author: Miu Kawasaki

Series: .hack//Another Birth

Publish Date: October 10, 2006

Publisher: TokyoPop

Format: Paperback

Goodreads Summary:

Akira – also known as Black Rose – keeps fighting to save her younger brother’s consciousness from The World. But as she becomes immersed in the online game, Black Rose is beset by even further problems in the real world.

Review: For the second book in the series, this one always felt a little… slow. I remember reading it the first time on an Amtrak from Orlando, Florida to Newark, New Jersey, and just not really enjoying it nearly as much as the first book, Infection.

Akira continues to live this double life, both active in her school sport of tennis and taking more responsibility with her family, while also continuing her journey through The World with Kite and their slowly growing friend group. The trials and tribulations they go through mostly follow the games (the source material), but having certain actions through Akira’s eyes makes some of the prose feel lost or chunky.

One thing I will give this volume credit over the previous is that the author seemed to have a better grasp on the characters and source material. Things are somewhat more explained, and the main character’s personalities seem to be closer aligned to the games. Some of Kite and Black Rose’s dialogue remains flipped, but it is much less jarring in this volume compared to the original.

As a nostalgia read, coming back nearly fifteen years later still makes me wish I had played through the entire series on PS2. (I only owned the first game due to being a late adopter of the Playstation, and by that time the series was basically over and the newer games were being released, and re-released, and remade, and I’m not bitter that the originals are ignored. No. Not at all.)

Rating: 3.5/5 (Rounded up for Goodreads)

Goodreads Goal 12/52

[Edit note:] This book was originally reread in June 2020. The review of this one (as well as the final two in the series, were delayed due to some personal life things. I’m playing catchup right now! This review had been started (in a slightly different format) when I had to step away, so please forgive the shortness. My notes just weren’t that good for this one (or the sequels, lol).

31 Books in 31 Days?! – Blogtober 2022

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Well, kinda.

I have a lot of books. So many that they can’t fit on my shelves anymore. So many that I’ve forgotten which ones I own and which ones are still on my list. It’s just slightly a problem that needs fixing.

In the interest of freeing up space (my birthday and Christmas are right around the corner and I usually get some books), I’m trying something to free up at least a few spaces.

Every day during October, I’m picking a random book of my shelf. My options are ones I haven’t read yet that aren’t part of a collection (Owlcrate or Barnes and Nobel’s YA Book Club). That means that a good thirty to forty percent of my current library is up for grabs. Right now I’m letting Mom pick for the first few days, after that I’m putting titles in a hat and picking that way. (I may have forgotten to prep for this thanks to Whumptober and Writer’s Month colliding, on top of some other things, whoops!)

With each book, my goal is to read either 50 pages (novel) or 100 pages (graphic novel). If by that point I’m at least enjoying it, or it hasn’t done anything to be particularly egregious, the book will stay (with the goal to revisit it in November and finish it if I don’t already do that on the day). If there is anything about the book I’m not happy with (art style, writing style, plot, character), I’m donating it.

Yes, that means I’m somewhat judging books by their cover. I’m also going to be very picky. Yep. I’m probably going to be donating more than planned (I have twenty or so books already earmarked to be donated already for various reasons, these will be added to that list).

But I think it’s worth it.

Now, a few caveats. None of these are going to be added to Goodreads this month, unless I finish the book that day (like the graphic novel that was picked for day one, I’m publicly withholding my thoughts until the end of this). I’m also still reading through the Heroes of Olympus series right now (I’m on the last book!). I might end up skipping a day or two due to work related reasons (Monday’s are in office days and the drive sucks).

My goal is to get at least ten books marked for donation. No, I’m not going in with a negative mindset, I just think that ten is a good number to donate. If it’s more or less, I’m okay with that.

So that’s the project. 31 books to be tested out in 31 days. Can I do it? We will have to see what happens. I will do a full write up with titles and brief thoughts when the whole thing is over with.

Until next time!

(I’m adding this to my Reading Challenge tag for a couple reasons. It is a reading challenge by defination. But also, I will not be making my goal this year by a lot, so I’m going to use this tag for any sort of reading challenge that I’m taking part in that is reading related.)

The 2022 Mid Year Book Freak Out!

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

It’s that time of the year, and this year I’m not wanting to scream because I’m behind!

The Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag was created for Booktubers so long ago that the original video has been privated. Just from a quick search, it looked like at least ten years ago. Since I’m not really doing on camera stuff this year, baring streaming (if my internet is ever stable again, but that’s a rant for another day), it’s always better for me to do this via my blog.

There are 13 questions in the tag that I am again using for this year. I’ve actually read more this year than I though, so there shouldn’t be much doubling up! I’ll also try to keep this spoiler free, or at least spoiler light, but no promises.

Let’s jump into it.

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2021.

There are two books that have stood out to me this year. One is a book that I reread (because of my reading challenge) and the other is a novella. The Lightning Thief remains one of my favorite middlegrade books of all time, and wow it holds up really well, even after all of these years. Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire is the latest installment in the Wayward Children series series, and I truly do think it’s a great addition to the series.

2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2021.

This will have to go to Heartstopper Vol 2-4. I ended up blasting through them last month, since I have it in my head that I can’t watch an adaptation until I’ve read the source material. (I may have not watched the show yet. I’m going to, I promise! Like, next weekend or so!) I just love Alice Oseman’s art style, though I still have some trouble reading the text, but if that’s my only complaint, am I really complaining?

3. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to.

It’s not exactly new, but Alice Oseman’s Loveless has been sitting on my shelf since May, and I really want to crack into it. It was the existence of this book as a Barnes and Noble YA Book Club choice for April that even alerted me to Heartstopper being so blatantly popular. So popular, in fact, that when I went to order the Book Club edition of the book, they’d sold out of it entirely, and it won’t be restocked. When I find a break in my reading schedule, that’s next on the list.

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.

Because of my reading goal, I have to give this to Stellarlune by Shannon Messenger. It’s the penultimate book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, and I’m actually curious about it. Well, only mildly, since I’ve only ever read book one, and this is book nine (technically ten, since there was a book 8.5…)

5. Biggest disappointment.

I didn’t think something could make me scream as badly as Blood & Honey did last year. But As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson managed it. The first half of the book felt like a normal Good Girl’s Guide to Murder book, but with protagonist Pip making mistakes and being more paranoid than normal. But the back half? It’s like this other character possessed her and the entire cast and wow, it made no sense. I almost threw it across the parking lot I was sitting in when I finished it. The amount of four letter words was… telling.

6. Biggest surprise.

We Were Dreamers by Simu Liu. It’s his first autobiography, telling his story. His life has been insane, and his voice came right out of the page. I read it on a whim and I absolutely loved every second of it.

7. Favorite new author. (Debut or new to you)

So here’s the problem. Everyone on my list I’ve either read, or they just wrote a one off, or they aren’t an author I’d probably pick up again, because I didn’t really enjoy their book. I haven’t read anyone new to me this year (yet, I do have a few books I’m planning on cracking into very soon).

8. Newest fictional crush.

Look, everything I’ve read this year has basically featured exclusively under-18 characters. There isn’t a way I can answer this without it being creepy.

… Simu Liu. There. I’m gonna go rewatch Shang-Chi now.

9. Newest fictional character.

Jason from The Heroes of Olympus series. While I do like all the new characters, I think Jason has had the most potential in this series (I’ve only read through three, no spoilers over books that have been out for years!). There’s something about an amnesiac character trying his best through no fault of his own, but still succeeding on his quest, that just does it for me.

10. Book that made you cry.

There’s a specific scene in The Last Olympian that downright made me sob, and I read it while I was at work (luckily, work from home that day). I won’t say what, but it more than earned it’s 5-star rating that day.

11. Book that made you happy.

(I did this last year and I’m stealing it again.) Sarcastic answer incoming: Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour. I downright one of her previous novels, We Are Okay, which came out in 2017. But Watch Over Me just did not do it for me in any way. I sped read that book just to get it over with, and I was happy to do so, since I was bored.

12. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received).

Every. Single. Owlcrate. Book. Released. This. Year. No serious, google them. For the most part they are either entirely redesigned, or the coloring is much different. I’ve really enjoyed seeing how Owlcrate works with the publishers for most books since one of my favorites years ago (Eliza and her Monsters, highly recommended!). Nine times out of ten, I love them more.

13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

… Well. I guess this is when I give an update on my lovely “Remy’s Reading Challenge!” Let me get my calculator. Well, basically… 39 novels and a bunch of short stories. Yeah, I’m way behind. (Technically since I’m no longer apart of that friend group, I don’t have to do that challenge, and damn that reminds me of a joke for another day, but I’m doing the challenge anyway.) Beyond that, there’s a bunch of other books I want to jump into, it’s just that I have it in my head that I can’t step away from a series until I reach a natural stopping point (end of that specific book series, like The Heroes of Olympus for example). I’m going to try to get through more by the end of the year. It just depends on how busy I get with work, since that has to be my priority.

And that’s the tag! I’ve done this for a few years now, and it’s always fun to see how my answers change. I really do enjoy doing things like this, so let me know if you want me to look for some other book tags across Youtube/Tiktok. I’ll look for them!

Until next time!

Book Review: .hack//Another Birth Volume 1: Infection by Miu Kawasaki

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Title: Volume 1: Infection

Author: Miu Kawasaki

Series: .hack//Another Birth

Publish Date: June 13, 2006

Publisher: TokyoPop

Format: Paperback

Goodreads Summary:

In order for Akira to save her younger brother, who suddenly loses consciousness in the middle of playing The World, she enters the online fantasy game as the Heavy Blade-wielding BlackRose. While heading toward the area where her brother’s consciousness was stolen, BlackRose meets the Twin Blade fighter Kite. Written from BlackRose’s perspective, this adaptation of the popular .hack series of games is the first installment of yet another hit .hack novel series!

Review: I was in the mood for a bit of a nostalgia trip going into the weekend, and so I picked up my old copy of Infection. It’s been a long time since I read through this light novel, about five years according to Goodreads. For a bit of backstory, I only ever played the first game (I was late getting a PS2 and none of my friends played RPGs beyond Kingdom Hearts and some Final Fantasy. But I liked the associated anime and read the books to understand the world a bit. Since then, I have also watched some Let’s Plays of the games, and I have a passing knowledge of the storyline of this side of the series.

As for Infection, I still think it holds up. Akira is a young teenager dealing with the trauma of discovering her brother’s comatose body, on top of the normal issues with school life. She has to deal with bullying, her intense sense of pride in her favorite sport, helping out her family more than ever, and also working to discover exactly what happened to Fumikazu while inside The World. 

There are flaws in the story being told. Some of the writing doesn’t land right, some of the dialogue shared between BlackRose and Kite are flipped (as the story is told from BlackRose’s POV and she comes off pretty harsh in the game), and some scenes feel rushed. A passing knowledge of the series helps, though you can probably figure out what’s going on without much extra googling (though it is fun to do so). 

For a nostalgia read, this was a fun little read down memory lane. I’ll probably finish the other three volumes over the next few days.

Rating: 3.5/5 (Rounded up for Goodreads)

Goodreads Goal 11/52

[Edit note:] For the sake of length (and posts), I’ll be combining the reviews for the other three volumes of this series into one post on Sunday. But right now I’m pretty sure I’m on a reading spree, so don’t be surprised to see a lot more book reviews in the coming weeks. <3

Book Review: Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Title: Watch Over Me

Author: Nina LaCour

Series: Standalone

Publish Date: January 18, 2022 (Originally published September 15, 2020)

Publisher: Rocky Pond Books

Format: Paperback

Goodreads Summary:

A modern ghost story about trauma and survival, Watch Over Me is the much-anticipated new novel from the Printz Award-winning author of We Are Okay

Mila is used to being alone.

Maybe that’s why she said yes. Yes to a second chance in this remote place, among the flowers and the fog and the crash of waves far below.

But she hadn’t known about the ghosts.

Newly graduated from high school, Mila has aged out of the foster care system. So when she’s offered a teaching job and a place to live on an isolated part of the Northern California coast, she immediately accepts. Maybe she will finally find a new home–a real home. The farm is a refuge, but it’s also haunted by the past. And Mila’s own memories are starting to rise to the surface.

Nina LaCour, the Printz Award-winning author of We Are Okay, delivers another emotional knockout with Watch Over Me about trauma and survival, chosen family and rebirth.

Review: I feel conflicted.

On one hand, the book delivered on exactly what was described in the summary. On the other, I’m walking away feeling dissatisfied.

Unlike Ms. LaCour’s previous novel, We Are Okay, I struggled to stay engaged in this novel. It’s not that it was poorly written, because it wasn’t. The writing style was exactly what I remember from the previous novel. No, it was that I found the story… boring. Or, in another word, uninspiring. Like I’ve read this story before.

I knew going in that this would be a book dealing with trauma and healing. After all, our main character, Mila, had a traumatic moment in her past that sticks with her years later. But the climax of Mila overcoming that trauma comes late into the book, and it just didn’t hit me. Mila also came off the page as bland, going through the motions, with bursts of movement that felt disjointed from her narration.

Besides Lee, the young boy that Mila is in charge of, I had trouble distinguishing a majority of the characters. I got confused for a bit because I couldn’t tell apart the other two interns from the couple that is running the farm. I wanted to know more about all the characters, and for the most part we just got a line or two of backstory and that’s it.

In a way, this book felt like one of those artsy indie films you might see at a small independent theater. It tells a story, and it does okay with what time it has, but unless you are immediately caught by the plot, you are just left watching flashing pictures on the screen. In this case, I totally understood what I was supposed to get, but I just set the book down completed and moved on.

This won’t turn me away from reading other books by Ms. LaCour, because as I said I did enjoy her previous book. I am just reminded that maybe this one just didn’t do it for me. And that’s okay.

Rating: 3/5

Goodreads Goal 10/52