Disis19 Hearts...

In the Heart of the Fire by Dean Koontz My rating: 4 of 5 stars It has been a while since I read a novel by this author, but I found this to be a nice bite sized thriller. It was a bit hard to listen to though as this particular installment deals with pedophiles. I'm very interested to know more about Nameless as well as Ace of Diamonds and will definitely be continuing to the next installment. View all my reviews

'Twas the Knife Before Christmas by Jacqueline Frost My rating: 4 of 5 stars Read for #Book1CoziesClub While I enjoyed this sequel, I didn't enjoy it as much of the first one. That being said, they did receive the same rating from me because I would re-read this. I didn't enjoy how obstinate Holly was in this installment. I don't remember her being quite this way in the first installment, but it has been a year since I read that one. It would've been more believable because we were dealing with her dad in that one however we are dealing with a friend in this one. Some of the things that happened weren't believable or realistic either and it might've just been that I wasn't feeling the season this year, but that also hindered my enjoyment of this read. I really enjoyed the new horizons her family's business were looking towards, however it looks like this is the last book in this series as of right now which is a bi...

I've got another Yarnie Update for you! I've been doing pretty well getting one of these up a month. I hope to continue that in 2020. Show notes after the break.

In this video I share my thoughts on all the manga I read in October and November. This includes the manga I read for the Fall into Manga Love Readathon hosted by ShaeGeeksOut and the Manga Freakathon hosted by Bizarre Individual, MommaLuvsManga, and ThePandaPost. Links after the break!

Murder in Her Stocking by G.A. McKevett My rating: 4 of 5 stars Read for #Book1CoziesClub I read the first book in the Savannah Reid series this year and enjoyed it. When I heard about this prequel series, I was curious. I am glad I checked it out because I did enjoy this one a bit more than Just Desserts . At the very beginning of this book we are in present day, and I thought I was going to be spoiled for something in the Savannah Reid series, but I was not. At least, I don't feel like I was. It was interesting to see how Savannah was as a child, and also where she got her sleuthing gene from. Granny Reid was definitely an enjoyable character. I don't read many stories about sleuths who are older, so it was refreshing to read. The investigation process was very laid back, which I thought was fitting especially because we're dealing with an granny and a child. I was prepared for how Savannah's mom treated her kids from reading Just Desserts unf...

I read 5 books in November! Two were from series I'm trying to complete, one was a buddy read, one was a book that has been on my To Read list for a very long time, and I read the last book in a trilogy. I'm also wearing a sweater that I knitted this year for the first time ^-^ I did talk about this one in a Yarnie Update, so if you're interested in hearing details on it, check out my other channel, Disis19 Hearts Yarn! Links after the break.

He's My Only Vampire, Vol. 10 by Aya Shouoto My rating: 3 of 5 stars I binged through the last half of this series in one night and I'm not sure that did service to this series. There were a lot of things I found confusing or that I still have questions on and do believe that a re-read and time to ponder between volumes would be beneficial. The art style is beautiful and though this is the first series I have completed by this mangaka, I do already have another series of hers that I'm interested in reading in the near future. View all my reviews

I finished a pair of socks for my daughter and wanted to share them with you! I actually have a couple more socks on the needles and a new garment cast on to share as well. Works in Progress: Christmas Socks Pair 1: https://ravel.me/disis19/z5ovg Diagon Alley Speed Bumps: https://ravel.me/disis19/6qdprg Clipped Crows Fly Again: https://ravel.me/disis19/6hcvd Velveteen Cardigan: https://ravel.me/disis19/r67dh8 Finished Objects: Halloween Vanilla Bean Striped Socks: https://ravel.me/disis19/4pf7nt Podcasts, Groups, and Makers Mentioned: Otterly Adorable Knits:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/OtterlyAdorableKnits QuaereFibre: https://quaerefibre.com/

Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan My rating: 4 of 5 stars I enjoyed this series more than I thought I would've. I had avoided this series for so long due to hype, but there are definitely things that resonated with me and things I could relate to. The struggle of trying to live your life honestly and not understanding why that brings dishonor or shame to your family was a big one. There were things that bothered me though, which is why this series doesn't get the highest possible rating for me. There is a lot of spousal abuse mentioned that I was not okay with - not physical, but emotional and verbal. Vulgar language plays a big part in several conversations. Cheating spouses also is a prominent theme in this series. I listened to a majority of this series on audiobook and I highly recommend them. They are entertaining, enjoyable, and just give a life to this story and the characters that I wasn't getting when reading the physical book. View a...

The start of a new set of videos for my channel! I'm working on finishing some of the series I'm in the middle of. These videos will feature more in depth thoughts, possible spoilers, and could include things that happened in previous installments. In this video I will be talking about Tiger's Eye, which is the third book in the Stacy Justice Mystery Series as well as Heart of Evil, which is the second book in the Krewe of Hunters series. Time stamps are as follows: Introduction to this new series: 0:00 Tiger's Eye (Stacy Justice #3): 3:54 Heart of Evil (Krewe of Hunters #2): 14:08 Closing comments: 24:23

Ruined by Paula Morris My rating: 2 of 5 stars I've had this book on my To Read list for a while and finally got around to it. Unfortunately, it wasn't as enjoyable as I had hoped it would be. This book took me over a month to finish. I really should've DNF'd it since I put it down for several weeks and didn't have a want to pick it back up. I was on my last renewal of this book with my library, and decided to finish it up since I had less than 100 pages to go. I feel like the story did progress quite a bit towards the end, but it wasn't enough to push the level of enjoyment up for me. The twist at the end wasn't really surprising to me and I disliked the reasoning for a lot of the secrecy and actions that were taken. I was surprised to discover this is the first book in a duology, as I feel like the story is contained in this installment. That being said, I will not be reading the second book, though I may try another boo...

The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima My rating: 3 of 5 stars More like a 2.5 I've been meaning to read something by this author for a long time and finally got around to it thanks to a buddy read. Unfortunately this book did not start to grab my attention until almost half way in. Now at the end of this installment, I feel like I'm not invested in the characters. I have issues with several of the things that happened in this installment, and some of it was predictable. That being said, right when I felt like things were starting to get going, the book ended! I will be reading the next installment before deciding if I'm going to finish reading this series, but I do not feel the need or want to start it right away. View all my reviews

Heart of Evil by Heather Graham My rating: 3 of 5 stars Two installments in and this series is just ok for me at this point. I feel like this story was a step back in the suspense and supernatural elements of the first one. Even though I rated both books the same, I would say that I probably enjoyed the first installment just a little bit more than this one. I am hoping the next installment will bump my enjoyment of this series up, especially considering what is mentioned in the summary. View all my reviews

Tiger's Eye by Barbra Annino My rating: 3 of 5 stars While I am enjoying this series, it's missing something that prevents me from enjoying these installments more. I'm not sure what it is, but I don't really feel invested in these characters yet and I'm already at the half way point in this series. These are very easy books to follow and consume so I will be continuing through this series, but I'm going to take a little break before heading into the next one. View all my reviews

My thoughts on the manga series Ghost Hunt by Shiho Inada, adapted from the light novel by Fuyumi Ono. Also included are my thoughts on the anime adaptation. I read the last half of this series for the #MangaFreakathon hosted by Bizarre Individual, Momma Luvs Manga, and The Panda Post.

Go grab a refreshment and a snack because this one is a long one! I read 7 novels in October thanks in part to a couple buddy reads I did with Jody! People mentioned: Jody ( onegirlreads ) Sue Moro ( Sues BookNook )

My thoughts on the manga series Grand Guignol Orchestra by Kaori Yuki. I read this as part of the #MangaFreakathon in October. Do you have a favorite Kaori Yuki series? Let me know in the comments below!

My thoughts on the first book in the Josie Marcus Mystery Shopper series by Elaine Viets, Dying in Style. This was the #Book1CoziesClub selection for the third quarter of 2019.

Grand Guignol Orchestra, Vol. 5 by Kaori Yuki My rating: 4 of 5 stars While this series was enjoyable, it's definitely left me pondering on it for a bit. I am slightly confused with certain things and I will probably need to re-read this series again in the future with better focus. There are times where a series requires more thought and consideration while reading and this I feel is definitely one of those series. I also feel like I didn't afford it the focus that it needed which is why I think I will benefit from a re-read. I do also wish that this series was given a few more chapters or volumes to round out the story. The mangaka mentions that due to space restrictions she wasn't able to write certain story lines the way she wanted, which is unfortunate. I definitely feel like this story would've benefited from having a few more pages. The inclusion of Camelot Garden at the end of this installment was interesting. The mangaka touc...

Dying in Style by Elaine Viets My rating: 3 of 5 stars More like a 2.5 - Read for #Book1CoziesClub If you enjoy shopping, I think you will really enjoy this series. Unfortunately for me, though learning about the profession of mystery shopping was interesting, I couldn't really get into this story. This book took me about a month to finish, which kind of tells you how invested I was. Josie as a character, I could relate to a bit because we are both single parents who's mother helps us out with babysitting/raising our child. Thankfully my mother is nothing like Josie's and the way her mother acted is something that bothered me about this story. While I could relate to Josie on that one point, there were a lot of things that I couldn't relate to about her as well though. The fact that she and her best friend constantly refer to one character as a derogatory term for a woman who is promiscuous didn't sit well with me. They are supposed to b...

My first impressions of the manga series Phantom Tales of the Night by Matsuri. This was my manga club's read for October and I really enjoyed it. If you want to check out the series I mentioned in this video that this volume reminded me of, it's linked below! Nightmare Inspector by Shin Mashiba

Bloodstone by Barbra Annino My rating: 3 of 5 stars This installment was pretty enjoyable until the last 20% or so. I kind of feel like the big reveal was very confusing and I'm not sure where the story will go from this point. For now, I am still interested to find out. I listened to a majority of this installment on audio and thought that the narration was definitely improved from the first installment. I will be continuing on to the next one after a short break. View all my reviews

Here's the first Yarnie Update that is exclusively on this channel! It's not a long one, but I did finish something and wanted to share it with you before I gave it away as a gift ^-^ Works in Progress: Clipped Crows Fly Again Sweater: https://ravel.me/disis19/6hcvd Finished Objects: Franklin's 5 Hour Baby Jacket: https://ravel.me/disis19/j7ec8h

The Haunting of Blackwood House by Darcy Coates My rating: 3 of 5 stars While this was entertaining, the main character didn't make this read enjoyable. I had a lot of issues with Mara and her decisions as well as the fact that one minute she would be thinking one thing and then when an opportunity opened up to act on said thing, she'd disregard it and got so angry that was just plain ridiculous. Her character development came too late and too fast in my opinion and it didn't make me like her any more as a character. Also, how things were handled in the end were predictable for me. The scare factor was pretty good so it did check that box for me, but that was probably the most enjoyable thing for me with this read. I am definitely open to reading something else from this author in the future. View all my reviews

Lots of manga read in September! I participated in the Mangautumn Readathon hosted by Dylan and Melissa. Go give them a follow: Dylan's Channel (DynamicDylan) Melissa's Channel (Melissa Writes) Mangautumn Twitter: https://twitter.com/mangautumn I'll be participating in the #MangaFreakathon in October. The 19th-31st. For all the details, check out the host channels below! Bizarre Individual MommaLuvsManga The Panda Post I'll also be participating in the #FallIntoMangaLove Readathon hosted by Shae over at ShaeGeeksOut on the 13th-14th: Announcement Video Lita's Twitter (Kinoreviews): https://twitter.com/Kinoreviews

I read 4 novels in September! I completed a series, I continued in a series, and I read two stand alone novels which happen to be new releases. Really unusual for me to read so many new releases, but some spontaneous buddy reads have given me the opportunity to do so. Manga wrap up will follow! Mentioned: Jody's Twitter: https://twitter.com/onegirlreads

Opal Fire by Barbra Annino My rating: 3 of 5 stars I read this book for the first time in 2012 and never continued to the subsequent installments. Since I was in need of a new audiobook and this was available on Kindle Unlimited, I decided to re-read it and continue through the series. Even though it's been several years, I did remember some aspects to this story and my rating has not changed since the first time I've read it. The story was enjoyable and easy to listen to. The narration was just ok for me though. I'm not sure what it is about it, but I feel like maybe the character is being portrayed too laid back by the narration which kind of conflicted with how her character is portrayed in the story? This isn't enough to deter me from listening to the next one though. Looking forward to seeing what comes in the next installment as a surprise was revealed at the end of this one. View all my reviews

My thoughts on the manga series Dictatorial Grimoire by Ayumi Kanou.

The Ghost of Graylock by Dan Poblocki My rating: 3 of 5 stars While I did enjoy this read and find it interesting, it definitely wasn't what I thought it would be going in. I picked this up in the Young Adult section of my library, so I expected a little more scare factor but that wasn't what I got. This is definitely more middle grade in my opinion. I would say this is a mystery with light paranormal elements. While I found this to be predictable, I believe it would be an excellent read for an older child/young teen reader. I think a lot of my disappointment in this story revolves around the fact that I expected something written more for a Young Adult than a child/early teen. That being said, this was enjoyable and easy to read. When everything comes together, things really got going. I think this was a good introduction to this author for me and will be looking into something else by him in the future. View all my reviews

My Yarnie Updates are moving to their own channel located here: Disis19 Hearts Yarn

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson My rating: 4 of 5 stars More like a 3.5 This book was very slow to start for me. By the end, my thoughts on this book were definitely more positive and I can say that I enjoyed portions of this story. For me, Elisabeth was not a character I could get behind unfortunately. I was much more interested in Silas and his relationship with Nathaniel. I think I would've enjoyed this story much more if it was from Nathaniel's point of view and covered his relationship to Silas from before and all the way through the events of this book. It also helped that as a character, Silas reminded me a lot of Sebastian from the manga Black Butler, Vol. 1 , a series I really enjoy. There are things that I still question about how things played out in the end, but I think the book did have a satisfying ending. I don't read a lot of fantasy so maybe I didn't enjoy it as much because it's not a genre for me, or may...

It's time for another tag!

Dictatorial Grimoire: Red Riding Hood by Ayumi Kanou My rating: 4 of 5 stars Overall the series is more like a 3.5 While I enjoyed this series, I do wish the story was a bit longer. There was so much potential and I definitely feel like there was more story to tell. Also, some of the story lines either left me with questions or weren't completely fleshed out in my opinion. The whole Team Jäger story was one of those things. I was expecting a big standoff with them, but it didn't come to fruition besides introducing us to Red Riding Hood. The bit about the ancestors was something I was more interested in as well, but that storyline was cut off abruptly for me too. I did enjoy the bits about each character's back story though and the art style is gorgeous. Also the feeling of found family was nice, with everything that happened throughout. I am definitely interested at looking into more of the mangaka's work. View all my reviews

If you were every curious as to what my star ratings for things like books, manga, anime, TV shows, or movies mean, I go through what each of my star ratings mean in this video.

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig My rating: 4 of 5 stars More like a 3.5 Maybe retellings are something I should try out more often! This was the second one I've read this year and I've enjoyed both. I was lucky enough to buddy read this with friends which made the experience all the more enjoyable. The story was very easy to read and the pages seemed to fly by. That being said, there are things I wish had played more of a prominent roll in this story. I figured out something early on about one of the characters, which I hate because then I feel like I'm just waiting to see what's going to happen to/with said character. The spooky bits were nice, however I wish there were a lot more of them. I didn't like the way everything worked out in the end. That part of it didn't seem to fit at all for me. In the end, I did enjoy this read even if it missed the mark on some points for me. I will definitely be looking to read more by this a...

This is the spreadsheet I have created and use to track my series progress. I knew I had a lot of series I hadn't finished reading, but I didn't think the number was what it is! How many series do you need to finish and how do you track your series progress?

I read 41 volumes of manga from 12 different series for this challenge. I also met my goal, which is great! I had a lot of fun during this challenge. Let me know if you participated in this challenge as well ^-^

Redeemed by P.C. Cast My rating: 3 of 5 stars I took a 6 year hiatus from this series and finally decided to finish reading this series. I think that had to do with the fact that I really didn't enjoy Revealed and just wasn't interested in what was happening in that installment. That being said, I didn't feel the series as a whole wasn't interesting enough to not finish it. I do feel like this series ended well with this installment. It didn't have any of the things that I recall bothering me in the series before and it did keep my interest throughout. Since I had been away from this series for so long, I thought I'd have a hard time getting back into it, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that these characters did stay with me all these years. Glad to have finally finished this series and I will be looking into other work by this author in the future. View all my reviews

I didn't read as many novels as I wanted to in August because I also participated in the Manga Spartan Challenge, but I did manage three ^-^ Don't forget to check out my written reviews of these books below or on Goodreads to see what I thought immediately after finishing these also!

Come shopping with me at BOOK·OFF & Tokyo Central! I picked up some used manga as well as some Hawaiian and Japanese food items.

The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter My rating: 5 of 5 stars More like a 4.5 I don't know why I didn't think I was going to enjoy this very much! Maybe it's because my history with fairy tale re-tellings hasn't been great? I've tried a few and something about them just didn't work for me, but this one definitely did. I wouldn't say this story grabbed me from the start though. I definitely had issues with Everly, especially in the beginning. Also, communication issues is very much a reason why certain things occur in this story, and that's something that is starting to bother me a lot in general. I guess I've just been reading a lot of stories recently where incidents occur because information is held back or there's no communication between the characters. Once things got out in the open and communication was better between the characters, this story really grabbed me. I read the last third of the book in one day, ...

My Girlfriend's a Geek, Vol. 5 (My Girlfriend's a Geek by Pentabu My rating: 3 of 5 stars I wanted to like this series so much more than I did. When I picked up this series, I thought maybe it would be an alternative to Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku, Vol 1 , where the main character instead of not being able to maintain a relationship with a non-otaku, was able to and her partner was willing to learn about and even supported her hobbies. That is kind of what I got here, but there were so many things that bothered me about their relationship it really put a damper on my enjoyment the story. It was definitely entertaining, but knowing that it was based on a true story made this not as enjoyable. I really have to wonder what the couple's relationship looks like outside of the otaku interactions as it doesn't seem like a very healthy relationship. Also, this story seems to cover a year or less of their relationship and I do wonder if th...

I was tagged by Lita to do this original tag by Highland Manga and Prattay YTer. Please check all of them out at the links below! LitaKino Highland Manga Prattay YTer

How many manga can you name in 3 minutes? I saw Jingraves do this on his channel and thought it would be fun to try! I didn't do too bad, if I do say so myself ^-^ I also saw Laura from Manga Hoarder and her sister Jen from Shelf Space Fleeting do this last year, but their time frame was only 60 seconds. Links to their videos are as follows: Jingraves Laura (Manga Hoarder)  & Jen (Shelf Space Fleeting)

I read a lot of manga in July and talk about it all in this video ^-^ If you're interested in what novels I read, there is a separate video you can check out on my channel for those. If you're interested in the Spartan Challenge, check out this video from Jingraves!

I finished 4 novels in July! If you are looking to see what manga I read in July, that video will be posted this weekend ^-^

Wild Country by Anne Bishop My rating: 5 of 5 stars More like a 4.5 Still really enjoying this series. This book takes place during Etched in Bone, which I thought was interesting. I think this would've been better had it been the first book in the spin off series because of that though. While I am still really enjoying this series and we do still get to spend time with characters we were introduced to in The Others series, there is still a little something missing for me. I think it is because we aren't spending dedicated time with the characters in the World of the Others series as we did with the characters in the Lakeside Courtyard. Each book has focused on a different main character so far. While the mysteries are still very interesting and the relationships between how the humans and terra indigene are tested, these feel more like standalone novels set in the same world than a series to me. I'm really not complaining because I'm so glad we ge...

Shark Island by Chris Jameson My rating: 4 of 5 stars This read was gruesome and everything I was looking for in a Shark Week read. I can't watch something like this in the theater or on television, but I do enjoy reading this type of story. Full of suspense and action, this read kept me on my toes. The body count is very high in this one and the attacks are graphic, so if that makes you queasy, give this one a pass. I however, am looking forward to reading more of this author's work. View all my reviews

Come along with me to a day at the Animanga Convention! This was my first time filming an "out and about" style video ^-^

Get to know me a little better with this tag created by Allonnsyyy. Thanks to Jingraves for mentioning me in his Community Challenge! Allonnsyyy Jingraves Series Thoughts on The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross by Arina Tanemura Spartan Challenge (starts August 1)

The Shadow Glass by Rin Chupeco My rating: 4 of 5 stars More like a 3.5 While this story was interesting, the story telling style did not work for me. This read also enforced the reason why I do not read series as they are releasing. I had such trouble remembering what happened in the first book that by the end of this book it was frustrating. I don't always want to have to re-read the previous installments before heading into the final installment of a series. Granted there times when I do, however this series was not one that I wanted to invest the time of a re-read to. This again goes back to the style this book was presented though, as remembering what happened at the very beginning of the first book is relevant to things that happen at the end of this one. I ended up listening to almost the entirety of this installment in audio because the physical copy made it hard for me to remember which character's point of view I was in during each chapter. This ...

The Shadow Glass by Rin Chupeco My rating: 4 of 5 stars More like a 3.5 While this story was interesting, the story telling style did not work for me. This read also enforced the reason why I do not read series as they are releasing. I had such trouble remembering what happened in the first book that by the end of this book it was frustrating. I don't always want to have to re-read the previous installments before heading into the final installment of a series. Granted there times when I do, however this series was not one that I wanted to invest the time of a re-read to. This again goes back to the style this book was presented though, as remembering what happened at the very beginning of the first book is relevant to things that happen at the end of this one. I ended up listening to almost the entirety of this installment in audio because the physical copy made it hard for me to remember which character's point of view I was in during each chapter. This ...

My thoughts on the series Happy Marriage?! by Maki Enjoji. I also talk about the Japanese Drama Adaptation of this manga series. LitaKino

Suicide Forest by Jeremy Bates My rating: 4 of 5 stars More like a 3.5 Interesting story that definitely kept my interest. I personally wouldn't say this was scary and there were a lot of things I think could've been excluded without affecting story. There was something mentioned in the epilogue that I really think was unnecessary. As a first installment in this series, I think the setting for this story was well chosen. The atmosphere lends itself to a bit of suspense in itself and I am curious to see what the other installments in this series have to offer. Trigger warnings for suicide and rape. View all my reviews

I read 2 novels and a lot of manga in June. I know this one is quite long. For those of you who are only interested in the manga, feel free to skip to 13:19 ^-^ If you would prefer that I wrap up my novels and manga in separate videos, please let me know! Challenges Mentioned: The Reading Rush (formerly known as BookTubeaThon) Jingraves  Spartan Challenge

What Did You Eat Yesterday?, Volume 1 by Fumi Yoshinaga My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoyed this installment, especially the cooking portions. The recipes in this installment were not for things that I would eat, however it is interesting to see all the cooking tips and the thought process that goes into cooking the dishes. Looking forward to more recipes and cooking in the following installments! View all my reviews

The Hangman by Mary Burton My rating: 4 of 5 stars Really enjoyed this final installment in the trilogy. While keeping familiar faces from the previous installments around, I found this mystery both suspenseful and entertaining. They way the author was able to weave in previous characters was interesting. I definitely enjoy this author's writing style and will be looking into more of her books in the future. View all my reviews

Sorry it's been a while since I posted one of these! I've finally got a few finished objects to show you, so I thought I'd share them ^-^ Leaf Top Snowflake Sweater Christmas Socks Clipped Crows Fly Again Sweater Mom's Dobbinwood Green Bean Podcast

Bewitched and Betrothed by Juliet Blackwell My rating: 4 of 5 stars As with the rest of the Witchcraft series, I really enjoyed this book. That being said, this one did start off a bit slow for me. Not sure what it was, but I didn't get hooked until the characters actually visited Alcatraz. From there, I literally couldn't put the book down. Finished the rest of it in one sitting! The big moment I've been waiting for finally happens in this installment, so that was wonderful. I'm looking forward to seeing where this installment takes us and can't wait until it's released. Thank you to the Penguin Random House First to Read Program for providing me with an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review. View all my reviews

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan My rating: 4 of 5 stars More like a 3.5 So conflicted about this one. There were times where I enjoyed this more than the movie, and there were other times where I enjoyed the movie more. I think I found the book a little more vulgar than the movie though. This was definitely relatable for me. The pressures of growing up in an Asian family are expressed well in this story. I listened to this one on audio and thought the narration was great, except for the singing towards the end which I could've done without. It definitely made this story more interesting having the accents and voices. I'll definitely be continuing with the series and am interested to see what lies ahead for our characters. View all my reviews

Just Desserts by G.A. McKevett My rating: 3 of 5 stars Read for #Book1CoziesClub Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this read as much as I thought I was going to when I first started. Though this is considered a cozy, I don't think it would appeal to the normal cozy reader as the murder was quite gruesome and there is definitely more racy content contained in this story. Not something that bothered me at all as I do also read grittier mysteries, but just something I think might bother someone who looks to cozies for less violent or racy themes. I disliked the parts regarding Savannah's sister. Not sure what that brought to the story at all, besides throwing in family drama. That actually made this story less enjoyable for me. With it being a first book in a series, I think maybe waiting for the family drama to be introduced could've waited. I will probably read the next installment as I am curious how these characters get on in the future,...

My thoughts on the series The Seven Princes of the Thousand Year Labyrinth. Story by Atori Haruno and art by Aikawa Yu. This is a Josei series that I really think guys will like as well!

I'm finally situated in my new office! Lighting on this one is a bit funky, so I apologize. Just getting used to filming in a new area. This one wraps up the novels I read in May as well as the one I read in April. I've been doing Series Thoughts videos on manga series I've completed recently and am not sure if I want to wrap up the individual volumes I read in May or if I should wait to do Series Thoughts on those once I finish those series. If you have a preference, let me know below! Tim's channel (World of Sleuths) World of Sleuths Goodreads Group

My thoughts on Danganronpa the Animation by Takashi Tsukimi. I also talk a little bit about the difference between the manga and the game Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc.

Happy Marriage?!, Vol. 10 by Maki Enjoji My rating: 4 of 5 stars This series was between a 3.5 and a 4 the entire way through for me. While I did find this story entertaining, there were definitely things that bothered me about not only Hokuto and Chiwa's relationship, but both of them as characters individually. While I do think that they loved each other, their relationship played out with a lot of teenage drama which bothered me especially due to their respective ages. One of the things I did enjoy about this series was the art work. This is the first of the mangaka's work that I've read and I do really enjoy her art style. There were definitely sweet moments with the couple, but I wish there were more of them. As I mentioned, I did find this story entertaining and binged through it in about a week. She definitely kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next or how things were going to play out. The extra short comics that were included at ...

Within the last month, I have compiled a spreadsheet of my manga collection. I was inspired after seeing Lohali's video on his spreadsheet. Besides knowing how many volumes I own, this is another interesting piece of information I was able to obtain - my collection by demographic. Not surprising was that more than half my collection was Shojo, however I was surprised I had more Shonen and Seinen titles than I thought. I don't specifically look for demographics when I shop. I am attracted to a title by the story and art, but I still find this interesting information to know! I think it will also be interesting to see how this changes by the end of the year. I'll try to remember to do an update for you then. I also have a graph of my collection by publisher, so if you'd like to see that, let me know! I'm tempted to see what this graph looks like for the titles that I have read in total, because I do borrow a lot from my library that I don't end up adding...

My thoughts on the Manhwa series Good Luck by Kang E-Jin.

My thoughts on The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross by Arina Tanemura.

Afterschool Charisma, Vol. 12 by Kumiko Suekane My rating: 4 of 5 stars Interesting series covering a lot of the questions and thoughts one could have about cloning. It definitely made me think about the subject as I was reading it. The summary of this series is a little misleading in regards to the series as a whole, but that didn't bother me very much and I actually expected where the story took me. I would've loved to see a little bit more at the end of the final volume, but I do think the story ended up in a very believable way. There are definitely a few characters that I was more interested than others, but I did find all of the characters interesting. There were even a couple of historical figures that I had to look up because I hadn't heard of them before. There were a few scenes that involved female nudity in the first 5 volumes of this series that I did not appreciate and did not feel like they were appropriate in the situations that were being...

The Suffering by Rin Chupeco My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was an entertaining read. The setting is definitely a place that lends itself to a story such as this and I thought it was the perfect backdrop for the events that unfolded. I listened to a good portion of this book in audiobook form though and that lends itself to a bit of my disappointment in the experience. The pronunciations of Japanese words weren't always correct which gave me a bit of a cringe when heard. It's definitely disappointing that these weren't corrected during the recording. I probably could've done without the high school romance sections in this book as well as I don't feel like it lent anything to the story itself. Though I'm ok with where this story ended up, the end isn't exactly feasible for me if I think about what happens 10 or 20 years from where the story ended. That being said, I definitely enjoyed this duology and look forward to reading...

Trying to use my Kindle Unlimited Subscription led me to finding several manga titles to borrow there! These are my thoughts on the first volume of a new series I started on their service ^-^

The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoyed this story based on a Japanese legend. I've seen the movie, The Ring, whose main character is also based on the same legend and while there are similarities, this story was much more palatable for me. Definitely not as scary in my opinion, though it was gruesome at points. I'm jumping right into the next installment, I enjoyed this story so much. View all my reviews

Beauty Bunny Vol. 8 by Mari Yoshino My rating: 5 of 5 stars More like a 4.5 I thoroughly enjoyed this series! I borrowed the first two volumes from Kindle Unlimited and was so hooked, I ended up buying the whole series digitally. I know it will be one that I will re-read again in the future. This romantic comedy had me laughing out loud several times. I loved how we see Kohane hone her skills in makeup application and how she then starts to understand what her mom enjoys so much about not only makeup but skincare. As someone who enjoys these things as well, there were definitely things I could relate to. Also, the age difference between Kohane and her mom are very close to the age difference between my daughter and I, so their relationship was relatable in some instances as well. On the outside, this story can look like it's only about outer beauty, however this story really focuses on inner beauty as well. I really loved seeing how each character came to un...

The Midnight Witness by Sara Blaedel My rating: 3 of 5 stars Read with the World of Sleuths Goodreads Group This one was interesting, up until I realized who the killer was. Unfortunately it was pretty obvious to me. I had read The Forgotten Girls last year and really enjoyed it, not knowing it was part of this series. It's a good thing I did though because if I hadn't, I probably wouldn't continue with this series based off my feelings on this installment. The way Louise and Camilla treat each other in this one is not great. It amazes me that they are friends with the way they treat each other. I know their relationship is much better later in the series, so that helped a bit. Louise and her relationship with her boyfriend is not great here either. The investigation was interesting though and I will be continuing with this series, since I know these things I mentioned are better later. View all my reviews

Unraveling by Karen Lord My rating: 3 of 5 stars More like a 2.5 This book was very confusing to me unfortunately. There is a lot of stuff happening, but once we veered away from the murder mystery aspect of the story, I got really lost. I could sit and read numerous chapters at a time, but couldn't tell you or understand what was going on for most of this book. I even re-read several sections to see if maybe I missed something that would tie what I was reading together, but that didn't help. There are also multiple POVs, which is something I don't enjoy as a reader. Hours after I finished the book, I'm still struggling to figure out what this story was really about. Also, not being told where this story was taking place made my confusion even worse. Have I put a lot of thought into what was going on in the book while I was reading and after I completed it? Yes, but without being able to grasp what story the author was trying to tell, I'm reall...

Danganronpa -The Animation- Volume 4 by Takashi Tsukimi My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoyed this series, though I'd say the game gives a lot more info in regards to collecting information and how the characters went about it. That is probably the one thing that bothered me about how the story was presented in the manga. The investigation times were so short and you didn't really know how all the information was found. Instead it was just laid out for you during the trial. Also, you don't really get to know the characters as well in the manga as opposed to the game. That may not bother you but since my first introduction to this story was with the game, I think that definitely has an impact on my second interaction with the story. That being said, this was still an enjoyable read through and I would definitely recommend it especially if you have not been introduced to this story through the game or anime. View all my reviews

Rogue by Julie Kagawa My rating: 3 of 5 stars This was an enjoyable listen. I do appreciate it when there are multiple POVs and the audiobook has a different narrator for each. It really helps me remember which POV I'm in at any point in time. That being said, I do feel like I enjoyed the first book in this series more. It has been a while since I read Talon and I feel this installment did lag a bit for me. I think it was because though things were happening, we are getting backstory on a few of the characters as well. I am also not enjoying the love triangle aspect and this book seemed to touch a good deal on that. I will continue with this series since it has been enjoyable, even through this installment. View all my reviews

It was another great month of reading mysteries with #MarchMysteryMadness ! I also completed a series buddy read with my friend Shannon, who you can find linked below, and two volumes of manga. Shannon's channel

The Gentlemen's Alliance †, Vol. 11 by Arina Tanemura My rating: 5 of 5 stars I really enjoyed my re-read of this series! There are still a couple of questions in regards to the family things, but overall this still remains a favorite series of mine. That's surprising in itself since I don't usually enjoy contemporary type stories. This is just a story about a group of highschoolers and their relationships with one another, which couldn't be farther from the types of things I normally read. This story works for me though and it's one I've read through twice now so that's saying something. It's so nice to come back to a series after not visiting it for several years, and still enjoy it as much as I did when I read it the first time. Arina Tanemura's art styles is one of my favorites, and I can't wait to read through other series of hers. View all my reviews

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare My rating: 4 of 5 stars What a great series buddy read this has been with Shannon! I really enjoyed this final installment, though the end seemed to wrap up almost too prettily for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with how it all ended, but it just seems too perfect an end. That being said, I did really enjoy The Mortal Instruments series on a whole and look forward to exploring this world more in the next series. View all my reviews

Mary Rose by Geoffrey Girard My rating: 3 of 5 stars Read for #MarchMysteryMadness Interesting story, though there are things that don't really make sense to me. At times, there was definitely great suspense, though I did put together something early on in the story. At other times, a few of the characters and their behavior got on my nerves. The afterword provided really didn't add anything to this story for me, as it focused mostly on Alfred Hitchcock trying to get the original play by J.M. Barrie made into a film. I did however enjoy glimpsing what the premise of the original play was. I suppose that though I don't quite understand the end to this tale, but it was an interesting journey getting to it. View all my reviews

Kilt Dead by Kaitlyn Dunnett My rating: 3 of 5 stars Read for #Book1CoziesClub and #MarchMysteryMadness Unfortunately this one was just ok for me. I was unimpressed with Liss. Her "tone" of voice didn't sit well with me. I also didn't like Liss' investigative style. Not sure what it was, but I didn't quite care for it. Two unsavory male characters in this book really brought down this story for me also. I'm not sure if I want to continue with this series. I didn't even read the teaser for the next book that was included in the back of this book. It's a little depressing that I wasn't interested to see what happens in the next one, but I'll let this one simmer and see how I feel about continuing this series later. View all my reviews

Sharing with you all the books/manga I read in February, excluding the titles I read for the #24hrmangalove Readathon, which can be found in a separate video below. #24hrMangaLoveReadathon Wrap Up

Mission Titanic by Jude Watson My rating: 3 of 5 stars Read for #MarchMysteryMadness Interesting adventure, but I do feel like I missed out on a bit by not reading the previous series. They do refer to things from that series quite a bit. All the branches of the Cahill Family were interesting, though I'm not quite sure I enjoy this power play between the adults and the teens. This is the second book I've read this month that has a Titanic II in it, which was a little hilarious. Will probably start the initial series before I continue with this one. View all my reviews

Curious Minds by Janet Evanovich My rating: 4 of 5 stars Read for #MarchMysteryMadness Solid 3.5 rating. This was a really easy read and it kept my interest throughout. A bit of mystery and a bit of adventure propelled this story nicely and I'm looking forward to further investigations with this pair. View all my reviews

The Titanic Locket by Suzanne Weyn My rating: 4 of 5 stars Read for #MarchMysteryMadness I really enjoyed this one! It was pretty creepy for a middle grade book, I think. Since I was reading as an adult, the scarier portions didn't scare me so much as keep me really interested in what was going on. I had a hunch about a few things, which turned out to be correct, but this was still a very enjoyable read. I will definitely be looking to read the rest of the volumes in this series. View all my reviews

Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson My rating: 3 of 5 stars Read this for #Book1CoziesClub This is hovering between a 2.5 and 3 for me. There are parts that were really engaging, but there were other parts that I really disliked. I'm surprised that the author went for this subject for her first book in the series. It's definitely not what you expect when you think of cozy mysteries. Yes, this one does involve an amateur sleuth and there isn't violence or bloody scenes, however the subject matter is much darker than I'm used to with cozies, and it may bother some. That being said, I do enjoy grittier mysteries as well, so that didn't bother me about this one. I'm not sure if I will continue this series, to be honest. I had a lot of issues with Detective Malloy and I don't know if I liked where the author decided to take his character through out this book. I may pick up the second one to see how I feel about this, bu...

Don't hold me to this list, but these are the books I'm planning to read during the month of March! I hope you will join us for #MarchMysteryMadness

Dracula by Bram Stoker My rating: 3 of 5 stars This one is hovering between a 2.5 and 3 for me. A few times, I was very interested in what was going on, but most of the time I was just passively reading/listening to what was being told. I think that if I didn't incorporate listening to the full cast audiobook with Alan Cumming and Tim Curry, combined with the fact that my friend was doing a readalong of this, I probably would've dropped it. Am I glad I finally got this classic read? Of course, but I can't say that it wasn't a disappointing experience. I couldn't get invested in the story and I have to admit that this tale did not bring on a sense of fright in me at all. The end was anti-climactic and I felt let down by having to read all those pages before it for the end to be what it is. The audiobook version I listened to was a great asset to this story. Had I not had that, I probably wouldn't have finished. If I did, I'm sure this wo...