Tag: manga

Manga Update 2022!

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So, since I started my job as a bookseller I have been increasingly reading more and more manga. This is due to both social media and my colleagues who are huge fans of the medium. I decided to create an annual post where I talk about all the manga I have read and plan to read. This might be a long post so let’s jump right in.

Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag 2022

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I literally say this every year but how are we in June! These 6 months has flown by so quickly!!!!! This has by far been my best reading year to date! I have never read so much in a span of 6 months ever! I have read more in this 6 month span than some of my entire reading years!

Also, this has been the most enjoyable 6 month span. I have enjoyed loads of books this time round compared to other years. Let’s jump in as there is a lot to cover.

The Books I Have Read So Far!

Here are the reviews I have bought out so far this year.

  1. Mini ARC Reviews – The Key in the Lock & The Chosen Twelve
  2. The Twyford Code Review
  3. Mini Book Reviews: A Court of Thorns and Roses & Heartstopper: Volume One
  4. The Village of Eight Graves Review
  5. This One Summer Review
  6. The Obelisk Gate Review
  7. The Promised Neverland Vol. 1 & 2 Review
  8. The Atlas Six Review
  9. Mini Book Reviews: Under the Whispering Door & The Mad Women’s Ball
  10. Murder By The Book Review
  11. Beast and Beauty: Dangerous Tales Review
  12. The Killings of Kingfisher Hill Review
  13. Moriarty the Patriot: Volume 1 Review
  14. The Leviathan Review
  15. It Happened One Summer Review
  16. Attack on Titan Whole Series Review
  17. Three Act Tragedy Review

Challenge Update!

I have set myself 5 challenges this year.

  • The Goodreads Reading Challenge
  • Audiobook Challenge
  • Sequels Challenge
  • Work BOTM Challenge
  • Physical TBR Challenge

Goodreads Reading Challenge

So far, I have read 57 books out of my planned 70! A lot of this has been contributed to audiobooks and manga both of which I have started properly reading/listening to this year. I also decided to not increase my goal everytime I DNF a book as I couldn’t be bothered to continue doing so.

Audiobook Challenge

When I re-newed my phone I was able to get a free year of Audible so I set myself a challenge to expand my horizons and listen to some audiobooks. So far the challenge in doing quite well. I have listened to 6 audibooks so far and I am currently on my 7th. I set myself a goal to listen to 12 this year. So, that’s 6 out of 12!

  • Iron Widow – Xiran Jay Zhao
  • Empress and Aniya – Candice Carty-Williams
  • The Ghost Bride – Yangsze Choo
  • The Story of the World in 100 Moments – Neil Oliver
  • Dead Famous – Greg Jenner
  • Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The World’s Greatest Detective – Mark Aldridge

Sequels Challenge

Another challenge that is going at a steady pace. Every year I task myself with reading one more book from all the series I currently have on the go. As the years go on my list of on-going series increase rapidly. So, this year, I did get the shorter books out of the way first. This means I am left with the chunkier books for the latter part of the year. This will either haunt me or go really well, trying to get all my tomes read at once. Here is what I have read so far, in no particular order:

  • Three Act Tragedy – Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot #11)
  • The Man Who Died Twice – Richard Osman (The Thursday Murder Club #2)
  • Attack on Titan Vol. 2 – Hajime Isayama (I have actually read volumes 3, 4, 33 and 34. I just decided, having seen the show already, to just read the final volumes and finish the series that way.)
  • Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. 6 – Hiromu Arakawa (I also read volume 7 as well)
  • The Village of Eight Graves – Seishi Yokomizo (Detective Kosuke Kindaichi #3)
  • The Killings at Kingfisher Hill – Sophie Hannah (New Hercule Poirot Mysteries #4)
  • The Obelisk Gate – N.K. Jemisin (The Broken Earth Trilogy #2)

My original list from Jan this year listed 16 different books from 16 different series. So, far I have read 7 out of the 16! Very soon to be 8!

I also started a bunch of new series this year!

  • Iron Widow – Xiran Jay Zhao
  • Haikyu!! – Haruichi Furudate
  • The Promised Neverland – Kaiu Shirai
  • The Atlas Six – Olivie Blake
  • British Library Crime Classics – British Library (Multiple Authors)
  • Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End – Kanehito Yamada
  • Moriarty the Patriot – Ryosuke Takeuchi
  • Solari – Tola Okogwu
  • The Kiss Quotient – Helen Hoang

Book of the Month Challenge

From Jan – Nov my bookstore highlights books they want to promote that month and I tried to read 1 for each month. But with this one I did fail. I went for one each month but that did not happen… My excuse is that I always have way to many books on my hands and I had to prioritise others books over this challenge. But here is what I did read:

  • The Hatmakers – Tamzin Merchant
  • Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Being Good – Louie Stowell
  • The Last Firefox – Lee Newbery
  • Noah’s Gold – Frank Cottrell-Boyce
  • Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun – Tola Okogwu

So, I have read 5 out of the released 6.

Physical TBR Challenge

Another challenge that I am not doing well on. To be honest, I know I will not complete this… Every year I try to get through my massive physical TBR. This consists of all the books I have either been gifted or bought from previous years and just haven’t got round to it. So far, out of my planned 30 (which is still only half of the books on my actual TBR) I have read 10! Not good at all.

Best Book I Have Read So Far

I have to go with The Promised Neverland Vol. 1 here. I had heard really good things about this series and I wanted to see if it was worth the hype and I was locked in from pretty much the first panel. I now compare each new manga to this first volume. Does this new manga I’m reading match up? Does it compare to how I felt when I read the first volume of this series?

Best Sequel I Have Read So Far

I read the first book back at the very beginning of 2021. While I enjoyed it, I felt that it couldn’t match the legendary hype I had seen all over social media. It was good enough for me to continue the story and then I picked up The Obelisk Gate. Now, this book was exactly what I expected the first book to be like. I loved this sequel so much. My mind was literally blown away by how amazing this book was. I have already bought the final book so I can read the ending.

A New Release You Haven’t Read But Are Excited For!

Everything about Her Majesty’s Royal Coven sounds incredible! Historical fiction, witches, getting the gang back together trope. Ugh I need to read this ASAP!

Biggest Disappointment So Far!

The first book in this series was a 5 star for me. And now the quality for me is slowly going down hill. I felt it the most when reading The Village of the Eight Graves. I just found myself bored, I thought certain additions were unneeded and now I can’t even remember who the murderer is and why they did what they did.

Biggest Surprise So Far

I have a whole blog post dedicated to how surprised I was by This Happened One Summer. I never really thought romance was for me until this book. Now I am up for reading more and more romance ASAP.

Favourite New Author

There are a lot of new authors that I read and loved but I think my favourite has to be Kaiu Shirai the author of The Promised Neverland. Every volume amazes me and blows my mind.

Favourite New Characters

  • Stella Lane – The Kiss Quotient
  • Piper Bellinger – It Happened One Summer
  • Tanaka – Haikyuu!!
  • Hugo – Under The Whispering Door
  • Libby Rhodes – The Atlas Six
  • Zetian – Iron Widow
  • Mom – The Promised Neverland

A Book That Made You Cry!

Under the Whispering Door had me sobbing! Literally sobbing! It was not a pretty sight whatsoever. I felt all the feelings reading this book.

A Book That Made You Happy!

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is the first manga series I found by myself not through social media or friends. I am loving this series and I happy that I found it on my own.

The Most Beautiful Book You Have Received or Bought This Year

I ahve some big contenders coming up in the next couple of months but for now I will say the new Stormlight Archive collectors editions. I currently have The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance. Next month I should receive Oathbringer!

What Books Do You Need To Read By The End of This Year?

I have way too many! I literally tallied up how many books I own but haven’t read yet and it’s over 100!

May 2022 Wrap Up

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May was a solid reading month. I gave out loads of 5 stars this month so I was super happy!

  • I read 11 books this month
  • I DNFd 1 book this month
  • Genre: 5 fantasy, 2 historical fiction, 1 romance, 1 non-fiction, 1 sci-fi and 1 poetry collection
  • Gender of authors: 7 women and 3 men
  • Race of authors: 5 white authors, 4 asian authors and 1 black author
  • Age range: 5 adult, 5 YA and 1 middle grade
  • Format: 5 ebook, 4 paperback, 1 hardback and 1 audiobook

Set in Stone by Stela Brinzeanu (DNF)

I was super excited to read this book as it seemed super intriguing. Unfortuantly the cracks started showing quite quickly. This book is marketed as a romance but the romance felt incredibly under-developed. I liked both characters as individuals and their own individual journeys but I was not sold on the romance. I didn’t feel like they had any chemistry and I personally felt that it was more one-sided than the author intended.

The Kids by Hannah Lowe (2 stars)

Every once in a while I try to go back to poetry to see whether it is my thing and every single time I come to the same conclusion that poetry and I just don’t gel. This was the case with this collection. There was some really good poems in there and I loved the ones focused on her experience as a teacher. But overall, poetry is just not for me.

The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews (3.5 stars)

This was a book that I grew to love more once I finished it. The first half was a bit slow for my liking and I felt that I thought I had caught the plot twist very early on but the author completely subverted my expectations. The second and the third acts were really good.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Vol. 2 by Ryosuke Takeuchi (4 stars)

Another solid installment. I don’t have much extra to say about this volume other than it was clearly setting up bigger narrative plot points which I am excited to read more about in the future.

Attack on Titan Vol. 33 & 34 by Hajime Isayama (4/5 stars)

I decided that I was not waiting until next year to learn how this series ends. I decided I was going to read those last two volumes instead. Overall, I feel like a series that became as complicated and grand-scale as this one did is really hard to finish. I did wonder where Isayama was going to go with this series ending and I loved some elements and didn’t care for some others. My 5 star rating was more about all the strong emotions I felt when reading it. I was expecting the ending to be way worse and I was satisfied on the most part.

Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World by Mark Aldridge (5 stars)

A look into the history behind the character and all his various adaptations. Such an informative book which I thoroughly enjoyed listening to in audiobook. Not much more to say.

The Promised Neverland Vol. 4 by Kaiu Shiraii (5 stars)

I honeslty, at the moment, cannot find a flaw with this series. Not one! Each volume packs a punch with way to many twists and turns for me to keep track of.

Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. 7 by Hiromu Arakawa (5 stars)

We are on the home stretch now. I am so close to finishing this series and I am so sad it will be over soon. But I am also super excited to read all the spin off books I just learnt existed.

Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun by Tọlá Okogwu (5 stars)

One of my favourite middle grade books I have read in a very very long time. Up there with the Percy Jackson series! Full of action, amazing superpowers, great female role models. The last 25% of this book secured it that 5 star rating as it’s so so smart. Literally if Black Panther met X-Men. No flaws.

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey (5 stars)

My first ever contemporary romance and what a ride it was! I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. I literally absorbed this book I read it in like 2 days and all I did on those 2 days was read it nothing else at all. I literally bought the sequel the day after I finished it. It was such a refreshing read after reading loads of intense fantasy books. This was super fun and easy-reading with amazing lovable characters and funny as hell dialogue.

Attack on Titan Whole Series Review

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For the past century, what’s left of mankind has hidden in a giant, three-walled city, trapped in fear of the bizarre, giant humanoids known as the Titans. Little is known about where they came from or why they are bent on consuming humankind, but the sudden appearance of an enormous Titan is about to change everything…

Let’s a take a bit of a dive into my thoughts on this monumental series!

Moriarty the Patriot: Volume 1 Review

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Before he was Sherlock’s rival, Moriarty fought against the unfair class caste system in London by making sure corrupt nobility got their comeuppance. But even the most well-intentioned plans can spin out of control—will Moriarty’s dream of a more just and equal world turn him into a hero…or a monster? In the late 19th century, Great Britain rules over a quarter of the world. Nobles sit in their fancy homes in comfort and luxury, while the working class slaves away at their jobs. When young Albert James Moriarty’s upper-class family adopts two lower-class orphans, the cruelty the boys experience at his family’s hands cements Albert’s hatred of the nobility he was born into. He asks the older of the two boys—who has a genius mind and a killer instinct—to help him rid the world of evil, starting with Albert’s own family!

April 2022 Wrap Up

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So the streak I feel is slowly ending. I struggled this month and I only managed to keep my numbers up due to all the manga I have been reading recently. The month of May is going to be tough to as I have books I must read for a specific project I am doing so we shall see how next month goes.

  • I read 9 books this month
  • I DNFd 1 book this month
  • Genre: 4 fantasy, 2 mystery, 2 non-fiction and 1 historical fiction
  • Gender of authors: 5 men and 4 women
  • Race of authors: 5 white authors and 4 asian authors
  • Age range: 5 adult and 4 YA
  • Format: 5 ebook, 2 paperback, 1 hardback and 1 audiobook

Elektra by Jennifer Saint (DNF)

Unfortunately, despite me loving the author’s first book, I did not love this one. I don’t know what it was about this book but I just could not get into it. I think it was mostly down to the writing style. I didn’t find this one as engaging and I felt that I just didn’t connec to any of the characters.

The Killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah (3 stars)

The final book in the series. (I think. I could be wrong but I haven’t heard any news about new books) This book was fine. I had a lot of hope in the beginning as I found it to be very engaging. I really enjoyed learning about the main core family and all of their dynamics. But just as it started to get to the end the streak that the author was on plummeted with the final reveal. The ending left me feeling underwhelmed and disappointed. If the author does come out with new books I am not sure if I will pick them up.

Attack on Titan: Volume 3 by Hajime Isayama (3.5 stars)

The best volume so far. It’s great to go back and look at where everything started. I really liked all the action panels in this volume and it was great to read the more strategy focused segments. I can’t wait to get back into the lore of the titans.

Mercia’s Take by Daniel Wiles (4 stars)

A pleasant surprise as this book is very far removed from my normal reading tastes but I gave it a go and really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed the main character and I felt the author did a great job of making you root for him, I wanted to see him succeed. I also felt the author did a great job of placing you firmly in the time and place this novel is set in (1870s, Black Country). A solid book.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Volume 1 by Kanehito Yamada (4 stars)

The first manga I have started that actually isn’t complete. As of now it only has 3 volumes out! This was a great find and I plan on continuing to read this series. I felt that not only was it beautifully illustrated, I could just stare at those panels for ages, but the message behind this series is really touching. I am invested in Frieren’s story and watching her learn and grow and I also super interested in learning more about her past.

Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales by Soman Chainani (4 stars)

A fresh yet dark set of fairytale re-tellings. I really enjoyed this collection. I loved how the author switched and changed things around. I will preface and say even though people assume it’s middle grade, due to the author’s past work, it feels more YA. Also there were no quotation marks at all and that did make things confusing to read. In terms of the stories my favourites were:

  • The Little Mermaid
  • Peter Pan
  • Rapunzel

Losing It: Sex Education for the 21st Century by Sophia Smith Galer (4 stars)

Super informative. This book needs to be compulsory reading for everyone regardless of age, gender, sexuality etc. I learnt so much and also felt so validated as a woman and as a person. I will have all my friends read this book!

Moriarty the Patriot: Volume 1 by Ryosuke Takeuchi (4.5 stars)

Another manga that is still ongoing. It follows Moriarty and his journey to bring down Victorian Britain’s hierarchal system. I found the intial start to be a bit rocky but once we got to the end of the introduction of the main characters’s I was in for the ride. I did find that differentiating between Moriarty and his brother to be a bit hard as their design is relatively similar. But I thought the different stories were really engaging, I thought the messaging was super interesting and I am excited to see where the author takes this story and if we will be seeing Mr Holmes himself.

Dead Famous: An Unexpected History of Celebrity from Bronze Age to Silver Screen by Greg Jenner (5 stars)

I listened to this on audiobook to and from work and it was the highlight of my day. Greg Jenner just has a way of making even the most mundane story super entertaining and hilarious. I learnt a lot and laughed a lot. I will now be reading everything he has ever written!

February 2022 Wrap Up

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Another really successful reading month but I can tell this is where my streak ends. I had a pretty solid month in terms of ratings and I am loving the books I am picking up in terms of variety. Let’s hope this continues for the rest of 2022.

  • I read 10 books this month
  • I DNFd 1 book this month
  • Genre: 6 fantasy, 2 contemporary and 2 non-fiction.
  • Gender of authors: 5 women, 4 men and 1 gender-neutral.
  • Race of authors: 4 white authors, 4 asian authors and 2 black authors
  • Age range: 5 YA, 3 adult and 2 middle grade
  • Format: 5 paperbacks, 3 ebooks, 1 audiobook and 1 hardcover

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo (DNF)

This was a book that was on my TBR for ages and I decided to listen to this in audiobook form. Unfortunately, due to the constant stop-start of the audiobook as I only listened to it on my commute I just didn’t connect to the story. I think this is a story best read physically.

A Taste for Poison by Dr. Neil Bradbury (4 stars)

This was really good. Since working at the bookstore I have started to branch out more with the books I am reading and I wanted to start reading more non-fiction. I really liked how the book balanced the more sciencey elements alongside the true crime stories. It was reading this book that made me switch from listening to fiction audiobooks and start listening to non-fiction audiobooks. 1. Because I would be able to branch out more and 2. I wouldn’t fall into the trap as I did with the above book as much because I don’t have to follow specific characters and storylines.

The Promised Neverland Vol. 1 by Kaiu Shirai (5 stars)

Oof! This is a series I will be finishing this year, I am that invested. I had heard so many great things about this series both the anime and the manga. I did hear though that the anime’s second season to a dive compared to the first and was very rushed so this prompted me to seek the manga out instead of the show. Going into it I expected to enjoy it but boy did it live up to the hype. The storyline is amazing, the characters are great and I love the art-style.

This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki (2.5 stars)

This book unfortunately did not work out for me. I felt the book tried to cover too many things at once and then couldn’t fully commit to all the storylines. The art-style was not my favourite and I found the main character to be borderline unlikable. This was a miss for me.

Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Being Good by Louie Stowell (3 stars)

This book I enjoyed a lot more than I thought I was going to. This book was fun and an easy read.

The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin (5 stars)

THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING I WANTED AND MORE! I read the first book in Jan 2021 and while I enjoyed it I did come away a bit confused with certain elements of the world and the magic system. I was nervous going into this book as I was worried I was going to feel the same way. This series has been praised so highly I just wanted to enjoy but this book just is everything I have needed in a fantasy novel. It’s like the author had been inside my brain and wrote a book specifically on things I like in books. 10/10. I want to finish the series this year.

Demon Slayer Vol. 1 by Koyoharu Gotouge (2.5 stars)

Now this one did not slap as much. Again, this series is super hyped and I wanted to try the manga before I watched the show but I was left feeling slightly unimpressed when I read it. I didn’t feel that it was doing any brand new and I just didn’t finish the book with any strong feelings.

That being said I decided to give the show a go due to the praise I have seen on social media and the TV show I LOVE!!!!! I did struggle with the first couple of episodes which funnily enough were all the stuff mentioned in volume 1 so maybe if I had continued the manga I would have liked it more? But now I am watching the show I feel like I am going to stick with the anime instead.

Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel by Jason Reynolds (4 stars)

This was a really good and poignant graphic novel. I felt the art-style really elevated the story and I found the story to be really powerful in getting its message across. I read this book fairly quickly as I was so absorbed in the story and the main characters’ journey in that lift.

The Ultimate Discworld Companion by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Briggs (3 stars)

This was a fun book for fans of the Discworld series. I decided to read the book as I felt this would be a nice way to be able to learn more about the world without having to read all the books in the series as I just didn’t love the writing style. I loved the illustrations in this and being able to learn so much.

The Last Firefox by Lee Newbery (4 stars)

This was a super fun and exciting story about learning to believe in yourself and your capabilities. I found the writing to be super engaging and the illustrations to be beautiful. This book made me wish I had a pet fox.