Dear Beast: The Pet Parade

 For summer reading, my son read this to me and we both rather liked it. 

In the neighborhood, children and their pets are going to have a pet parade. Andy normally goes with Simon his cat and Simon hates it. This year, Baxter (or Beast) is going to go with Andy, but Simon is kind of nosy and wants to know what Baxter and Andy are going to be dressing up as for the parade. Only Baxter won't tell and it's driving Simon nuts. 

It is a cute little chapter book, good for 2nd or 3rd graders. It was engaging enough for my son not be scream and throw a tantrum about reading with pictures to not be too intimidating for young readers--I know this was a thing for me when I was little and why I didn't read many books in the younger grades unless I was forced to. It's also written in letters from and to Simon which is different and fun altogether. 

I enjoyed the characters enough that (and the fact that the letters were delivered by a snail mailman, very punny--or how a crow's name was Edgar Allan Crow) that I would be interested to read (or have my son read) the rest of these books. 

One thing that kind of bothers me is that some of the characters (mainly Baxter) doesn't spell things accurately, which can throw young readers off a little in a similar way Junie B. Jones does--though they are different. I found that I need to tell him what some of the words meant, like "cuz," because he didn't know what it was. Most of the characters write accurately in their letters. 

Over all though, the story was cute and gave me a reason to explain things that had gone over my sons head. Like SnailMail, Edgar Allen Poe, and who Sherlock Holmes is, which got him a little more interested in what what/who those things/people were. 

Nineteen, Twenty-one

 This is a short completed manga with a short 21 chapters. 

It is about a girl named Yun-lee who got in an accident and can't remember the last two years. She is in college classes and feels very behind with no friends. She will soon be 21 and must be an adult, but she doesn't feel ready. One day on her lunch break she runs into a boy, named Ju Dong-hwi, who feeds stray cats which is something she also does with her lunch money. They have lunch and he tells her about all the other stray cats he takes care of. He is 19 and plans on working all summer, taking care of the cats, and to go on a trip before he has to become an adult and get a real job. 

Theirs is a cute little story. She finally finds a friend and is able to find a place where she feels it's okay to be. Their mutual love of cats and looking out for their wellbeing was sweet. It was also nice to see that the neighbor lady who originally didn't like having all the strays around changes her toon just because Yun-lee is kind and asks her if she needs help with her gardening. In small, simple ways she is able to make a difference in the community around her. 

I also really liked that it was short and complete. Sometimes it's nice to have a long drawn out story with a great plot and fascinating characters, but other times it's nice to have something short, simple and sweet. Still with good characters and arcs but completed. 

If you're looking for a light read, it was really sweet. 

Anne of Green Gables

 Anne of Green Gables is a series I've never read before, but a set of movies that I loved. 

Anne is an orphan who is sent to live with Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. Anne is known for her imagination, which throws the Cuthbert siblings for a loop. Always talking and getting lost in thought. Learning to live with this adventurous, airheaded, proud, red head has become they have ever had. 

It is a very simple and straightforward book. Not some grand adventure but the adventure of everyday life for a very imaginative girl. Dealing with school, friends, constant misunderstandings, and bitter rivals with boys are the plot of the book. 

The book is mostly about characters. Becoming friends with Diana, rivals with Gilbert, Matthew and Marilla. They are the moments she has with the people around her. 

This books a light and full of character. I very much love it. 

The "Anne of Green Gables" movie with Meagan Fallows is the best. They are the most accurate to the book. Meagan is a fantastic Anne who makes her endearing as well as accurate to the book. "Anne with an 'E'" is no such representation. I very much dislike that one and could only watch a few episodes before I very willingly put it down. 

Pride and Prejudice

The lovely classic that is Pride and Prejudice.

The Bennet family in regency England has five daughters and no boys to become heir of the family's estate. And what is on the mind of the ever dramatic Mrs. Bennet is to have her daughters married to wealthy young men so they aren't out on the street when "your father is dead." So when a Mr. Bingley purchases Netherfield Park not far away, obviously one of her daughters must marry him. With this entrance comes many more members of society that the Bennet's weren't aware of, such as: their cousin Mr. Collins, the magnificent Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Bingley's meddling sisters, the charismatic Mr. Wickham, and the every handsome but off-putting Mr. Darcy.  All these eligible young men must marry one of the Miss Bennet's, right?! 

This is a great story. One that I happily read and watch over and over again. The story is fantastic; the romances charming; the characters are engaging, villainous when appropriate, and very memorable. 

I think the reason I love this book so much is the characters. I think the reason why this book has stayed so popular over the 200 years it's been around is because of the characters. There are so many with different, full personalities that it seems to breathe. There is no one like Mr. Collins and Lady Catherine de Bourgh let alone their relationship. Charlotte Lucus is understandable and though she makes an unbelievable choice is still in the good graces of all her readers. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are a hoot and a holler and one of my favorite "parental couples" in almost any book. I especially love Mr. Bennet's quotes and his constant picking on his wife, as well as his commentary saying, "My dear child, let me not have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your partner in life" because he most definitely cannot respect his and knows the importance of it. Jane is amazing too and reminds me a lot of myself (though probably not nearly so handsome). The best things I saw online concerning Jane Bennet is this: 

It makes my day. 

It is a classic and a good classic. It was written 200 years ago so the writing style is different and for some may be hard to understand, but persevere my friend! If you a have troubles, go find the movies. There are many to choose from and while many praise Keira Knightly's 2005 version, go for the 1995 one instead. Jennifer Ehle and Collin Firth are amazing and the movie gets so much right! Read and watch it now. Just go! 

Girl, Wash Your Face

This is a book everyone should read. 
 

"Stop believing the lies about who you are so you can become who you were meant to be!" 

This book is about some of the lies Rachel Hollis has told herself over the years (and I'm sure many of us have told ourselves) and why we need to stop believing them. 

Her chapters include: 

• "The Lie: Something else will make me happy
• The Lie: I'll start tomorrow
• The Lie: I'm not good enough
• The Lie: I'm better than you
• The Lie: Loving him is enough for me
• The Lie: No is the final answer
• The Lie: I'm bad at sex
• The Lie: I don't know how to be a mom
• The Lie: I'm not a good mom 
• The Lie: I should be further along by now
• The Lie: Other people's kids are so much cleaner/better organized/more polite
• The Lie: I need to make myself smaller
• The Lie: I'm going to marry Matt Damon
• The Lie: I'm a terrible writer
• The Lie: I will never get past this
• The Lie: I can't tell the truth: 
• The Lie: I am defined by my weight
• The Lie: I need a drink
• The Lie: There's only one right way
• The Lie: I need a hero"

There are so many things that I knew I tell myself that she discusses and how she and maybe how you can get past these obstacles that are in your way. 

Rachel Hollis is beyond funny and had me laughing aloud multiple times. She is clean (as some might be nervous about the sex chapter) and is Christian so there are many things about God and the relationship she has with him set alongside Bible verses that helped her during hard times. 

This is one that I'm going to buy for my bookshelf and everyone, especially women, should read it. Take a closer look (and really look) at yourself to see how much better you can actually be. 

Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

 This is a super cute book that is for anyone wanting to read something sweet. 

Written in letters after the end of WWII, the story is about a woman named Juliet who gets a letter from a man on Guernsey who came into possession of one of her old books by Charles Lamb. They begin correspondence and she finds out that in order to deal with being occupied by Germans during the war, this small group of odd neighbors begin a literary society--with an interesting story as to how it started and its name. The Society has continued on after the war and from the society begin to open up about their experiences in the war. Juliet was also a writer for a local British news paper and wants to write a book with their collection of letters. Of course, Juliet has her own life back in London, men, writing, friends, post-war happenings. 

It is a great story with full characters, many of them with fascinating stories. This is one of the best parts of the books. So many different people with different points of view, with different happenings, ways of coping with trauma, and different ways of being heroic in times of difficulty. 

I also greatly enjoyed the romance part of it. Rich American guy who is charming and witty and a lowly country boy from Guernsey. A little love triangle without being high school dramatic. They are adults here and act as such, for the most part. It wasn't heavy on the sappy romance, which was good, but there was sweetness and a comedy about it. 

There isn't really anything that I dislike about it. It was written well. However, the audio book that I listened to for it was misleading. The gentleman they had voicing the younger men wasn't that young sounding. So the younger men sounded like they were in their sixties instead of late twenties, early thirties. When she started liking a certain person, I was concerned that she liked the oldest gent in the literary society. It wasn't until I looked at the Netflix cover that I realized, "Oh, he's much younger" which was a relief. 

I very much enjoyed it and will reread it again. I've also heard the Netflix movie did it justice, so I'm going to be taking a look at that soon. 

The Quintessential Quintuplets

The Quintessential Quintuplets is a manga about a guy who is insanely smart and is asked to tutor five sisters who are awful at anything academically. They are quintuplets and look so much alike that no one can tell them apart. They are all dramatically different from one another so if someone were to take the time to get to know them individually, they could figure out their quirks enough to tell them apart. Tutoring them, figuring them out, and trying to help them all graduate is a high task for anyone Uesugi has his work cut out for him.

Throughout the series there was a good bit of character development and I, as a curious reader, was able to figure out who was who and remember names by about volume 2 with their different hairstyles and personalities, but when they dressed alike, I was at a loss. "If you love them, you'll be able to tell them apart" was something repeated over and over again which seemed directed at the reader who was still probably having trouble alongside Uesugi, our main character. It was rather fun to pick out who was who and wanting to be right.

The plot was fun and the drama between the girls' father and Uesugi was driven. I even liked the side characters brought in, though there could have been more of them for the girls to like and be friends with other than our main character male. It was good. There was drive to finish it. I ended up finishing 3-4 volumes in one day (under gov mandated quarantine). I wanted to read more.

For the fact that it was a rom-com written by a guy, it was fairly cleanly drawn. No pantie shots or things like that. But there was a lot suggested. It defiantly was written by a guy because of the excessive amount of (covered) boob and "coming out of the shower wrapped in a towel" moments, but they weren't hung onto and grossly emphasized. It could have been far worse and comparatively to other manga, I was able to skim over them without much attention.

If you were to take out the last book, I'd have given this a 5 star rating, but I didn't like how it ended. I read it originally because my husband found it and said it was really good. I started, but then he finished it and really wanted to complain. So I finished it faster and found that I had the same problem. *SPOILERS-ish* I was not content with "who he picked" do to lack of deep character development and her lack of thorough drive to do anything after high school. She wanted to "be a bride." What kind of life goal is that? How is she honestly going to survive mentally if he were to be away on a business trip or some other nonsense when the kids are grown out of the house? She will "be his support" and that's it. She had no arch other than the "sporty girl who helps out everyone because she feels bad." She didn't grow. She didn't change. The other sisters changed, at least in part. There was some "eureka" moment for them all though for one of them it happened more before the story actually started. They all moved. They all progressed even a little except for the one he chose. Bad writing author. Bad writing. *End of Spoiler*

I did give it a 4 because the rest of the story and writing was pretty well done. There were some parts that were drawn out (like a thirteen chapter segment of the end of school festival, seen through the eyes of everyone; over and over and over again), but there was a good story there. It was just the ending that killed it for me. Way to ruin it, dude.

Hope of Elantris

This is a short story based off of the happenings in Brandon Sanderson's book called Elantris. The copy I found was in the Archanum Unbound book which has many of the short stories and novellas that are associated with the Cosmere.

The reasoning behind this short story was really cute. A young Brandon Sanderson was dating a teacher (his now wife) who had a student do a book report on Elantris and it impressed the new author greatly. He, knowing that the kids in would need to be taken care of in Elantris when the climax of the story begins but not being able to put it into the story because of pacing issues, placed a young girl (with the name of the fan) in the story to help the kids get to safety.

It is a very short story, but it was cute and I think the background of it made it just that much better.

On to more Cosmere books!

House of the Sun

This manga was a cute, simple and muchly needed story.

Mao is a girl who's family is broken. Her parents have divorced, her mom has practically vanished, and her cold dad is now remarried to a woman who already has a young daughter. She feels replaced by her new sister and unwanted by her father. There is one place she can go and has gone to every time she's needed to get away, the shrine. The shrine is where she is always found by Hiro who always somehow saves her. Hiro has his own problems and troubles. His parents are both dead, his two siblings are living with relatives, and he is left very much alone in his parents big house.

With Mao having no where else to go and feeling very much abandoned and so much room at his house, he offers his home as a place she can rest her head and sort out her troubles. He is older than her by eight years, but have known each other for years and years so it's not super weird. Except for the fact that they start liking each other, obviously!

Eventually Hiro's brother visits, new friends are made, crushes are realized and denied, and high school love drama ensues. Although it runs side by side with the need for families to come back together. Mending broken families.

I really enjoyed this manga series. Mao is a somewhat shy but strong girl who will do what needs to be done realistically. It takes time to gain the nerve and gumpshin to do it. Broken families aren't mended in a week, normally. Often, I think, not even a year. And this goes through the somewhat sticky process of real life and people and their choices.

I enjoyed the characters and how different they were. They grew in their own ways, each with their own moments of love in different varieties. Love and loss and denial and sadness, all real things in life and they were presented well.

This is one that I would probably read again. Enjoy.

Northanger Abbey

Upon reflection, I realized I haven't written about Northanger Abbey and how much I thoroughly enjoyed Jane Austen's first written novel, thought it was published after she died in 1817 alongside Persuasion.

Catherine Morland was not born to be a heroine. That is how Jane Austen starts it. She isn't particularly pretty. She isn't super accomplished. As she grew, she started to love novels and reading. But being born out in the country, she didn't have much in the way of possible social interactions which is what a young girl in her station needed in order to find a good husband to marry. So, joining a family friend in Bath in hopes of finding that social interaction, she runs into a boy--well, man--who seems shrouded in supernatural mystery. Or maybe she's reading too much into his family secrets. Mr. Tilney isn't the only one looking to become better acquainted with the somewhat naive Miss. Morland as well. Love and potential Gothic encounters are in the air. Or maybe she's reading too much into all interactions.

This is one of my favorite Jane Austen books, so much so that I wrote my under-graduate thesis on it in college. Jane has her satirical fingers all over this book as she's poking fun of the Gothic novels that were circulating around her in her teenage years, when she started to write. Catherine reads these types of books and when presented with Northanger Abbey, which is Mr. Tilney's family home, she can't help but imagine secret passageways, diabolical schemes, ghosts, even vampires that reside behind each fluttering curtain. Jane Austen was critiquing The Monk, The Castle of Otranto, The Mysteries of Uldolpho (which she names specifically) and many others (none of which I've read). She pokes fun of them all because, in her opinion, they are kind of ridiculous.

I love the fact that Catherine isn't really the heroine of her own story. It says she is and it is her story but she doesn't save the day, she didn't solve a mystery (maybe I could give that one to her, but I probably wouldn't), she wasn't taken captive by a roving spirit where Mr. Tilney had to come and save her from a fire that the ghost started. No fainting spells, no vampires, no vindictive vendettas she needed to evade, or whatever. In part, she nearly lost it all because her imagination was wild and got the better of her.

Catherine and the rest of the characters are fun. Jane Austen is really good at making her characters human and realistic. Even though her writing style is older it works and stands well against time. Honestly, not many can do that well. They are human with fault and problems, with family who are sometimes the problem, with tempers, and schemes for marriages, for wealth, for love, for stability and survival. Jane Austen took the situations, and sometimes the people, around her and gave them to us to see. One could say she gave a big portion of the truth of Society to Society. (It kind of make me think of The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Such a great book.)

I think the biggest hang up that people have for this is the older writing style of Jane Austen's books. Modern minds have to take a second and slow down to actually think about what is being said instead of having the language be as simple as it is today. It's like they have to adjust their eyes and minds to the colorful words.

Tuck Everlasting

Tuck Everlasting was a book I originally read in my 5th grade class and in all actuality is probably the first chapter book to read in class that I actually enjoyed. I haven't read it for years but I found that I still loved it.

Winnie Foster is a girl who is stuck in the moment of sameness. Nothing changes for her in her life, with no friends because she is to proper, to clean, and practically confined to her yard. The only conversation she gets is from a toad that sticks around her yard. So not much conversation, until a man in a yellow suit comes by and asks about a peculiar family that she doesn't know. One day at the top of summer where it is the most hot and nature stands still from heat exhaustion, she decides to run away. She gains the courage to step outside her fenced yard and starts traveling through the woods her family owns when she stumbles upon a boy drinking from spring near the base of a tree. What she is about to find out is that he's part of a family who can't die. She gets taken away to have the situation explained to her, but wait... did she just get kidnapped.

It's a sweet book about kind people who have found the meaning of death, in a not gory or creepy way. I very much enjoyed the book, even as an adult.

I love the way Natalie Babbitt used cycles and circles to convey the metaphors, morals, and themes throughout her story. They were well done and well thought out. I also very much love the characters and they are all so human. Setting was well done especially for the fact that this books takes place, for the most part, in two days. It was set up well.

I honestly don't have any faults in this story. Any major disheartening or dislikes or major troubles.

It's a good book that deserved its rewards. It also has two movie adaptations (one in 1981 and the other in 2002). I very much enjoyed the portrayal of the book done in 2002, though there are differences for exaggeration, but they were fun concepts that were played with. I'm gonna be watchin' it soon.

Please, read it. Enjoy it. You could probably finish it in a day.

Garden Spells

After a need for a good, happy book,  I was recommended Garden Spells and wasn't disappointed.

Claire and Sydney never got along as kids. After high school Sydney left and Claire found solace in the old family home with her Grandmother and the somewhat magical garden with an annoying apple tree.  Ten years later, new neighbor moves in next door who won't leave Claire alone and suddenly Sydney is back with a bag full of mysteries and a sweet little girl named Bay.

Old towns have legends and the people in small towns have ways about them, also known as stereotypes.  Nearly everyone in town has a family stereotype and the Waverley's, Claire and Sydney, carry the weird gene. Claire has this uncanny way with food that can make people feel a certain way. Have an awkward conversation? Have some Lemon Verbena in your muffin. Want to see better? Have some Honeysuckle. Etc. Rather smart move for a caterer. But for Sydney, going back to a small town with old faces you'd rather forget is hard, but far safer than where she had been.

I thought it was a good book. Not something I'd recommend to a teenager whereas there are parts toward the end where there is slight descriptive nudity. All sexy times are curtain closed but there are some moments that lead up to it and lots of talk about sex, but nothing descriptive or erotic--thank goodness.   It's slightly beyond the PG-17 range. I most definitely would be blushing if I was reading this at 17, like I did with the Notebook by Nicholas Sparks.

The characters were good, engaging all around and surprisingly the apple tree was one of my favorite characters. Claire and Sydney were fun and well developed as well as the other side characters. All the other characters got their moments and segments of chapters which helped bring the whole story and town community to life. Which makes the story more fun all around.

I enjoyed the book and if I chose to read it again would probably skim past some parts about 3/4 of the way though, but the rest of it was well done and I enjoyed the storyline.

School Rumble

School Rumble is a part slice of life, part romantic comedy with an engaging story. At the beginning of the series, there are lots of small incidents that happen and as the story goes long the plots of the different characters interweave more and more. It isn't some high flying adventure or much of a gut wrenching romance, but it is a story that is light hearted and funny. I feel it very much resembles what high school romances end up being: twitterpated hearts, communication problems, secret crushes, group get togethers, and more.

Harima, the glasses-guy on this cover, was a deliquitent, the big, scary man on campus. But then upon seeing/helping Tenma, our pig-tails girl here, he found himself in love with her and got himself back to school. But the big, aloof manly-man can't be seen in love with a ditz like Tenma. But he must confess and let his choice be heard! Right? Only everything always seems to go wrong. And Tenma is in love with another, more somber boy in class named Karasima. Yes, it's a love triangle, but not an annoying one.

I think the thing that I like most about this series is that it's light and charming. Harima is such a fun character who is very determined and willing to push through anything "for the woman I love." He gets himself into entertaining situations which often made me laugh. And although Tenma can be obnoxious at times you can shake your head at her misunderstandings and move forward. Hanai, Yakamo, Makoto, Akira, Lara (Lala), Karin, and most of the other characters that are Harima/Tenma/Karasima's classmates and friends are all funny. They each get ample amount of time "on screen" and are developed fully as characters. School is not just a "whirling romantic comedy" about our main two characters, but it's about the entire class. Everyone is important. Everyone has their own backgrounds. I was able to find something I like about (most) everyone. There were one or two characters that I didn't care for in that they were overly perverted, which I do dislike, but they were only a small part and I could quickly skim/skip over them. Everyone else was fantastic.

My favorite set of chapters was a war that they had over deciding what they would do for their school festival. They sneak into the school at night, armed with bebe guns and fight it out. I get with the school shootings and things, that some people night not care for it such situations, but it was very comical. Not in funny, "haha" way, but in the intense atmosphere that they all created. I found it entertaining both in the manga and anime. But that's my own opinion. Most of the rest of the series wasn't nearly as intense, again it was light.

The only thing that I disliked really was the ending. I wanted firm confessions of love and solid relationships, and while we got some there were some relationships that I felt didn't get the ending that I wanted to have. There was a build up to it, but then the characters let themselves fall a bit flat in proving that relationship and solidifying it. At parts it was kind of a let down.

Still, read it. Enjoy it. And down get bogged down by the shortness of the chapters.

Dengeki Daisy

A great series of amazing characters. 

Dengeki Daisy is about a high school girl named Teru who lives on her own since her brother passed away from cancer. However she is not alone. She has Daisy. Her brother gave her a phone before he died and said that when she needed someone to talk to, talk to Daisy. At first she didn't want to, but as the mental need arose she began emailing him. Daisy has been her biggest support through her hardest times and she's never seen him in person. 

Enter Kurosaki. The janitor and groundskeeper at Teru's high school. Through some forced persuasion, he gets Teru to help take care of the school grounds. They start becoming friends and their punky relationship is one of the funniest things. The way they act around each other is hysterical. 

This series has computer hackers, gun fights, kidnappings, cute and amazingly funny romances, and secrets from the dead. Each of the characters is unique and has their own stories, which is sometimes hard to get. Teru's brother is such a good guy and I wish he was around for all of them. 

I think my favorite part in the series was when Kurosaki was trying to leave and Teru, in her own mischievous way, gets him to come back. Teru is a much different character than most of the other typical "shoujo mangas" heroines. Instead of being clingy and having little stars or flowers every time something cute happens, she often does something to change the subject or bops him on the head or something obnoxious. And what's awesome is that Kurosaki does the same thing back to her. Their relationships if funny and different. And they still have very cute moments to make your inner-chick-flick watcher squee. 

The premous of the stories and their adventures are different too. They are more high stake and the fact that computer hacking is even a thing makes it engaging and, again, different. Throughout most of the series there was always something that kept me going. If life hadn't gotten crazy, I would have finished it a month ago. I will warn that, for me, volume 14 and bits of 15 were slow in my opinion. There was lots of meetings that didn't seem to really do anything. But if you push through you'll very much enjoy the end. 

I very much enjoyed the series. 

Chibi Vampire AKA: Karin

Chibi Vampire other wise known as Karin is the story of an un-vampire.

Karin is a strange young girl not only in the human world where she has the occasional nosebleed and is considered sickly at times; but also in the vampire world where she doesn't bite people to suck their blood, instead she bites people and gives blood. She can also walk around in sunlight, doesn't have the heightened senses a normal vampire does, and can't wipe people's memories as needed after biting someone. All in all, she is strange.

Things seem to run smoothly in the Marker household with Karin going to school and the rest of her family staying up all night, until a transfer student enters the class. Karin finds that her blood level increases quickly and nosebleeds happen more often when ever she is around Kenta Usui. In him she's found her bloods affinity, the type of emotion her body yearns to bite. When they bite a person normal vampires suck that emotion out. So if a person is super stressed and a vampire bit that person they would become stress free for a short period of time. This could be considered helpful and kind of a cool take on vampires. It is a 14 volume series so after she finds out how to cope with Usui, her grandma wakes up, and a new girl comes into town looking for the Markers and a specific vampire in their family.

I think it is a very well thought out and well done story. The overarching plot was interesting and cute, engaging and hysterical at times. I love the family dynamic throughout the series and the ending kind of had me angry. I really liked the epilogue episodes. They satisfied me enough to accept the decision that the writers made. The Marker family was full of fun, intersting characters with their own personality that rounded the family.

If you have enjoyed the anime before you read the manga, that's great. But know that the manga and anime are vastly different. The anime derails from the manga after only a few episodes. Sadly Winner St. Clair makes no appearance in the manga. This fact made me very sad. But the manga is really good and I do recommend it. An oldie but a goodie.

Miss. Abbott and The Doctor: Season 1

Amongst NaNoWriMo -ness, I know I won't be able to be busting out the books like I normally have, instead I'll be writing one. So when I'm needing my brain to slow down and not become overloaded by the scenese in my head, I binged a whole "season" of Miss Abbot and the Doctor by Maripaz Villar.

Miss Abbott and the Doctor is a very cute romantic comic that can be found on DiviantArt.com or Webtoons.com. Miss Abbott is an adventurous girl born in Amozonia by explorer parents. She is spotted, after years of growing up, by another adventurer who takes her back to <undisclosed location of "civilization"> where she was taught to be a lady, for the most part. Sporadically she dons her ceremonial clothes from Amozonia and shoots bows and arrows or goes lost in caves while adventuring. She is a very odd girl for her time and place, but that seems to be what draws the good doctor in to her. The romance and adventures bloom.

The first part is a little mixy where it feels like it jumps around, almost like a slice of life story, but as it progresses you can really see the story unfolding. So if it doesn't make sense for the first little bit, it is because their first meetings are more happenstance and coincidence than intentional "dates."

It is very sweet and at moments "squee" worthy. The attention to detail and emotion is well done and really pushes the story along. There were many moments when I burst out laughing and my husband looked at me questioningly which then forced me to explain.

There are a few things that this story gets wrong, that kind of drive me nuts. The word "dates" instead of the idea of courting, older ladies being okay with "bed head" once they both reappear (kisses only), and a few other things kind of rub me the wrong way as being inaccurate or thrown in for effect instead of being true to the characters. Some of these moments were jarring and (as said by the author in the next chapter, in side notes) many readers unsubscribed to the webtoon. It didn't fit with the flow of things and felt very forced. This book also has a lot more progressive ideas that might not have been so readily accepted back in the 1870-90s. People are struggling with them now, let alone 130 years ago where people got tarred and feathered for their views and actions.

*shrugs* At points if feels a bit preachy to me, but I like the characters in it enough to push aside the preach and move on.

Read it if your wanting a light hearted, for the most part, read.

Edit: The next season got a little more skanky than really like, so even though there is a wedding in the mix I'm probably not going to read too much more. Sorry Miss Abbott, I don't do the whole sexy times in books.

My Giant Nerd Boyfriend

My Giant Nerd Boyfriend otherwise known as My Giant Geek Boyfriend is another webcomic that I
binged in a half day and must tell all about.

It is a slice of life comic about a girl who is about 5'1" with a 6'5" boyfriend and most days in their relationship. Moments from dealing with parents, to arguments in their relationship, to laughing about everything, to how they met, to dealing with cramps, to getting their new dog, frustrations, good times, differences in height problems, and many nerdy things that I have grown accustomed to in my own relationship with my spouse. There are many gaming moments with hints at games alongside real problems that many people face.

I think the situations here are honest and do occur. These are real people in comic form. It was simple, but very much fun and had me laughing out loud in many spots.

A book with some of the comics has been published but you can find all of the stories on webtoons.com . On the book cover here says for "mature readers only" though I'm not 100% sure as to why... It was a good set of stories.

Siren's Lament: Season 1

Siren's Lament is a web comic I was introduced to by my best fwiend (yes, that was intentional) and it's artwork is BEAUTIFUL!! The second I opened it up on my phone I was take aback by the beautiful artwork (and cute chibis) that make of Siren's Lament by instantmiso.

This story is about sirens and the curse that it is to be one. Sirens seek out brokenhearted people, kiss then, then trade places with the human becoming human again while the person becomes a siren with no memories of their previous life. Lyra watches the boy that she's liked for years be with the most beautiful girl whoever mo-ped-ed into the city. Not wanting to change the friendship that they do have, she says nothing. One night, after a "not-date" is canceled with Shon (the boy) she goes to the ocean crying. Hearing a strange song she falls into the ocean and is saved by a siren's kiss. However, something goes wrong and they both end up on land with legs, except for when they are submerged in water when they gain fins. Neither Ian nor Lyra wants to be a siren so they must find a way to break the curse before time runs out and she loses everything.

This was a sweet story even though it has a nasty love triangle. Normally I don't like them, I blame a specific vampire novel for that. So if I know that the main point of the story is a LT I tend to skip it. However, if it isn't the main focus or if both guys are awesome I can over look it. LT's often have too much unneeded YA drama. This, because the characters are older, out of high school, most of the flaring drama recedes. Yay for this story!

I do really like the characters here. Both of the guys because they are very different and Ian is hysterical. Lyra is funny too and while Shon isn't as outwardly comical, he definitely has his funny moments. Their chibi's and the way they act around one another is great. It seriously made my day. There is some mild bedroom humor, but nothing overly obnoxious. Pele and Tua are great fun too and I like them both a lot, especially together. Over all, for everyone there were times when I busted up laughing and had my husband look at me strangely. It was great fun.

The basis of the story is compelling and the world that is made around it is an interesting one that I want to dive more into. Trying to get the curse lifted alongside gaining enough courage to say how you feel work well together. It also brings great conflict amongst the characters even as they are growing closer together. The ending of Season 1 was particularly thrilling and I busted chapter after chapter very quickly wanting to know what was going to happen.

It is only available online as a web comic (at webtoons.com) or an ebook. It appears most of Season 2 is published online where you can read it, but because it hasn't been completed as of 9/2018, I'll wait to give my review of Season 2 once it is done. It comes out weekly with new updates, so read the continuing story.

Enjoy.

P.S. Here are some photos of the beautiful artwork that is just amazing.

 

They make me laugh so much! 

Fruits Basket Another

FRUITS BASKET!!! My all time favorite manga has made a very short sequel series.

And it's not finished yet, but man I wish it was. When I say short, I mean short. Three volumes, or so, short--which comparatively to the original series at 23 volumes is not a lot. Natstuki Takaya is still releasing chapters every week in honors of the new edition of Fruits Basket. I love them so much. But sadly none of the original cast shows up.

This story follows a very "shy and self-conscious" girl named Sawa Mitoma. She constantly feels like an inconvenience and a burden to all who are around here and believes if she looks only at the ground, she won't be a hindrance to anyone. But bumping into a Sohma (what every other girl in the world wants to do) has started to turn her would upside down. She has suddenly, somehow, made it into the student body presidency alongside Hajame and Mustuki Sohma. All kinds of Sohma's come out of the woodworks in order to help Mitoma find a bit of self confidence.

It is sweet, well drawn, and fun to see the next generation of Sohma's and the people associating with them. From and expanded YUKI-club, to stepping on someones face because they are laying on the floor like a cat *cough cough*, to many other little things. *sigh* It is really cute and I can't wait for the rest of it to come.

I may update this once all the chapters are out.

Edenbrooke

Edenbrooke is a proper romance by Junianne Donaldson.

Marianne is the forgotten twin. Whatever her sister did and her sister won so Marianne decides to run her own races. Thus has been left to her own un-elegant-lady-like endeavors. But then she is invited to go to Edenbrooke, a glorious estate in the country where her grandmother has given her instruction to learn how to be an elegant lady.

All goes array when her carriage is attacked by highwaymen. After a crazy night making a slight fool of herself, she makes it to Edenbrooke and finds a familiar face.

It was a cute book. A really quick read. A book that made you go "ahh." It's a romance novel, though a clean one which makes me happy. It fills that hopeless romantic side of me and makes me feel content.

I felt like there were a lot of stereotypes played in here and cliches galore in dialog and internal thoughts--and there were a lot of Marianne's internal thoughts. Many blushes and a few faints, dances and twirling, flirtations and quiet moments, then the ever needed control of ones reputation. It was cute, don't get me wrong. I finished and enjoyed the book. But it is not a hard book to read.

The characters were lighthearted and fun, though some seemed like cliches and it wasn't hard to tell where it was going to go.

It was a good book for me to take a break with for other "heavier" books. This is a lighthearted read that was well told even if it was predictable with a few twists and turns. It was a cute romance.