Penguin Gentlemen - Review

 

Author: Kishi Ueno

Genre: Manga

Format: Hardback

Pages: 160

Okay, so Penguin Gentlemen was the first-ever Manga. I've always been hesitant to read them because I was worried I wouldn't be able to read them. Growing up in Western culture and learning to read one, on top of my sometimes having trouble learning new things. It was all a combination of things I just avoided. Well, this popped up on my library dash as something I might enjoy, and knowing fully that it was Manga I put it on hold anyway. Because of penguins! PENGUINS!

Best decision I've made in my reading choices in two months. Did this take me a couple of pages to figure out to read it? Yes, it was a whole new world, but I figured out it just a handful of pages in. Was it as cute as I thought it was going to be? No, it was hands down way more adorable than I thought.

Also, it was nothing that I thought it was going to be. I thought this was going to be a cute little story about penguins in a bar like the penguins in Marry Poppins. This was nothing like it, but so much better. And after watching, and falling in love with the series Choco Milk Shake (if you know, you know) I should have known better. This is the story of penguins turning humans to run a bar! I would go to this bar. I would have many questions, but I would go to this bar.

It's also a book filled with amazing penguins facts. Like it's a whole adorable Manga that teaches you facts about six different kinds of penguins. All of us are now living in the human world as humans. It teaches about where they live, what their genius means, how they mate, and even how they raise their young. I was not expecting to learn so many things when I cracked this one open but was pleasantly surprised by how jammed-packed with information it was. 

My favorite part? So glad you asked. That would be the little footnotes at the bottom of the odd-numbered pages. These are just a few fun pieces the different characters would add after each little subchapter. Usually full of sass and sarcasm. But at the end of the day, this was absolutely adorable, and I'm so glad I picked it up. 

So if you're looking for something cute to read this summer, looking to finally get that push to pick up your first Manga, or just adore penguins as much as do. Then snag this one up. I'll be pushing it on everyone this summer!

HAPPY READING!!

Mini Reviews

Okay, okay, I know this says reviews, plural, but there is only going to be one. While I do have a second Choose Your Own Adventure book to read, other things fell into my lap. Like work, and a pretty fun library haul. So I'm saving that book for another rainy day when I want nothing more than to curl up in my chair with Maxwell. Also, it's my blog and I do what I want!

I read a lot of these as a kid, and it would seem despite the decades since I last picked one up, I still have the same desire. To find out how many ways I can die. Personally, I thought this would be the book with the best ways to die. I gave this book too much credit. While there is no one way I went through all the combinations. I was pretty bummed that nowhere was there an option to shoot anyone out of an airlock. Even if we're all aware that wouldn't kill a vampire. However, nearly dying in the space suit was kind of fun, horribly. Still, this was a lot of nostalgic fun! 

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally, they are books that have yet to be released but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine.

A wanted thief. A murdered emperor. A killer loose on the station. KNIVES OUT goes sci-fi in this gripping YA mystery set in space, perfect for fans of THE DARKNESS OUTSIDE US and IRON WIDOW.

As an expert thief from a minor moon, Cass knows a good mark when she sees one. The emperor’s ball is her chance to steal a fortune for herself, her ailing father, and her scrappy crew of thieves and market vendors.

Her plan is simple:

1. Hitch a ride to the planet of Ouris, the dazzling heart of the empire.
2. Sneak onto the imperial palace station to attend the emperor’s ball.
3. Steal from the rich, the royal, and the insufferable.

But on the station, things quickly go awry. When the emperor is found dead, everyone in the palace is a suspect—and someone is setting Cass up to take the fall. To clear her name, Cass must work with an unlikely ally: a gorgeous and mysterious rebel with her own reasons for being on the station. Together, they unravel a secret that could change the fate of the empire.

Why I'm Waiting: You had me at, Knives Out in Space, that was all I needed to know.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

On a creepy island where everyone has a strange obsession with the year 1994, a newcomer arrives, hoping to learn the truth about her son's death--but finds herself pulled deeper and deeper into the bizarrely insular community and their complicated rules...

Clifford Island. When Willow Stone finds these words written on the floor of her deceased son's bedroom, she's perplexed. She's never heard of it before, but soon learns it's a tiny island off of Wisconsin's Door County peninsula, 200 miles from Willow's home. Why would her son write this on his floor? Determined to find answers, Willow sets out for the island.

After a few days on Clifford, Willow realizes: this place is not normal. Everyone seems to be stuck in a particular day in 1994: they wear outdated clothing, avoid modern technology, and, perhaps most mystifyingly, watch the OJ Simpson car chase every evening. When she asks questions, people are evasive, but she learns one thing: close your curtains at night.

High schooler Lily Becker has lived on Clifford her entire life, and she is sick of the island's twisted mythology and adhering to the rules. She's been to the mainland, and everyone is normal there, so why is Clifford so weird? Lily is determined to prove that the islanders' beliefs are a sham. But are they?

Five weeks after Willow arrives on the island, she disappears. Willow's brother Harper comes to Clifford searching for his sister, and when he learns the truth--that this island is far more sinister than anyone could have imagined--he is determined to blow the whole thing open.

If he can get out alive...

HAPPY READING!!

Library Haul

I wanted to snag some quick reads for after work to wind down. Summer has us picking up, and I hate nearly falling asleep on the couch to try to get my brain to shut down. So to the library website, I went a little bit crazy with my holds. 

One of these has been on my hold list since I ran across it on Bookstagram. Why? Because of the title and the cover. Everything else was a bonus. So the Grilled Cheese book will be my first stop with this stack!

And, while Manga isn't usually my jam. It is the jam of a handful of my friends and I've been told this one was absolutely adorable. So I thought I'd dip my toe into Manga and start with this one. It has penguins in it, you can't go wrong!

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

     

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday I'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon!

The land of Esseriel is a darker and more dangerous place than ever, as tensions between the Human and Faerie realms build to the brink of war. Could Wynd be the only hope for peace? Danger, betrayal, and even some romance confront our heroes at every turn, while elsewhere, the Duke makes murderous plans of his own. Things seem dire, but help from an unexpected figure might just be the lifeline Wynd and Merien need… even though the final battle draws near. The Eisner and GLAAD-nominated Wynd saga continues in this epic new volume from Eisner Award-winning writer James Tynion IV (Batman, Something is Killing the Children) and artist Michael Dialynas (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), the GLAAD Award-winning creative team behind The Woods.

HAPPY READING!!

Book Haul

So last week was rough. Just one of those times at work where no matter how hard you try the universe kept knocking me back on my ass. It pushed my and my ability to lead my team, and I hope to learn from it this weekend. And hope my team says me trying to keep us all afloat 

But, this is a new week, and to make sure I shook off the dredges that was whatever that was. I went book shopping. It has been a while since I've been to the thrift stores in my area. So this felt like the perfect excuse to do just that.

 

I'm glad I did I found some treasures, both book-related and not book related. Plus, it was a great excuse to get out of the house and be. I also spent half of Monday in bed with my cat finishing my current read. So that also helped!

But did you see that cookbook I found? I'm gonna get a good giggle out of that one!

HAPPY READING!!

Three Sisters in Black - Review

Author: Norman Zierold

Genre: True Crime

Format: Kindle Book

Pages: 218

Okay, so this book. Let me start off by saying that it was originally written in 1968 so there is a big chunk of the dialog itself that hasn't aged well, and probably should have been updated when the book was republished. So, if this is sitting on your TBR still, just know that before you go in because I didn't realize this book was older, until I was already a few pages in, and was like uhm, what the hell..

Now, this case gets a ten out of ten of what the actual hell is this. The word bizarre doesn't begin to describe this case. Because I read this book and even I don't know exactly what happened to Ocey. Did she kill herself? Did her Aunts and Mother do it? I don't know. Maybe, both, this family is nuts, and I mean built for TV drama kind of crazy. First of all the full mourning clothes for absolutely no reason. The fact they sort of follow the eldest sister even though I'm pretty sure she wasn't sane from the word go. Then there was the whole about the missing husband who wasn't missing, but hiding from something so small and ridiculous it had to be a lie. 

The just weird nature of this case is what keeps you reading this book because the book itself is so dry and clinical. Certain parts actually put me to sleep, and there were times when I felt like I was reading in a circle. Though I chalked that up to the fact it was originally written in 1968, so the lack of flair makes sense. Then again, there didn't need to be much flair considering just how bananas this case is.

Hundred percent I feel for this family because for a solid decade, it was nothing but bad luck, and maybe these women were left in the wind in a time when there were so few ways for women to take care of each other. This means with a slight grasp on reality flipped a switch into survival mode, and that caused Ocey's death. Then again, maybe the sisters were always a little sideways, and medical science was so far behind that there was never a way to save any of them.

Either way, this book is a mix of weird, bizarre, and downright sad. The book itself is a little dry and drags in places. The author does a really good job of beating a point across. Like with a big stick, and the legal charging through me for a loop in places, because it's pulled verbatim from the case instead of summed up. And, I definitely had to put this book down a dozen times, but it's a great before-bed book. Since I was ready for a nap after about three chapters. 

Still, this case is worth a look. It's so weird and just out there. How Lifetime, Hulu, or Netflix haven't picked this case up, blows my mind.

HAPPY READING!!

Summer TBR

So yesterday was the official start of summer, the longest day of the year! This got me thinking about my summer reading plans, and yes there are several stacks of books I want I get through novellas, Summerween, a whole pile of books I forgot that were gifted to me. The list goes on. However, this time I thought about books I want to read curled up in the sun this summer. Books that I need to read by the light of day, or books to help distract from how busy work has been. Another list goes on and on, and this leads me to stare in front of my bookcase, probably like a crazy person, as I just looked at the books I owned.

I also may have sat on the floor and just twirled my other bookcase around several times until even my cat was dizzy.

These are the books I came up with. I'd love to bust through all of these books by the time Fall starts. It's a lofty list, but that's the great thing about books, they never expire. Even when you keep adding to the piles and the overflowing bookcases. And, my Kindle. And, my library queue. It's not a problem, it's a collection. That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally, they are books that have yet to be released but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine.

In a small, secluded town that thrives on gossip and superstition, Dottie offers plenty of both when the scandal breaks about a missing girl, a ghost, and the affair that started it all. Having suffered a history of miscarriages, reclusive Dottie develops a strange motherly interest in her 15-year-old neighbor, Magdalena. Somewhere between fantasy and reality, Dottie finds new life in her relationship with the mysterious girl. But Dottie’s entanglements with Magdalena, a curious centenarian, a compelling stranger, an ex-mobster, and a murder of crows thrusts this once cloistered woman into a frenzy of public scrutiny. To quell the rumors, Dottie puts pen to paper and discovers something as frightening as it is liberating—her voice.

Why I'm Waiting: I love a good ghost story!

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Monster hunter Erica Slaughter becomes the hunted and faces her doom alone!

With the last person in her corner gone and a ruthless agent from the Order of St. George closing in, Erica Slaughter finds herself alone and without a prayer. Can she take on this horrific new monster plaguing the small town of Tribulation, New Mexico by herself, or is this the end of her story? Erica is faced with a choice to reach out to an unexpected source for help, or find herself dealing with both a monster and her human enemies alone… Erica Slaughter faces her deadliest challenge yet in the next volume of the Eisner-winning and Harvey Award-nominated series from GLAAD Award-winning author James Tynion IV (Department of Truth, The Nice House on the Lake), artist Werther Dell’Edera (Razorblades), colorist Miquel Muerto (Radiant Red), and letterer AndWorld Design (Nightwing, The Many Deaths of Laila Starr). Collects Something is Killing the Children #26-30.

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

     

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday I'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon!

The third book in the "Sheets" trilogy.


Following Brenna Thummler’s bestselling and critically acclaimed graphic novels Sheets and Delicates, Marjorie, Eliza, and Wendell the ghost are back to uncover the secrets of Wendell’s human life in the third and final heartwarming installment of the Sheets trilogy.

Marjorie Glatt’s life was forever changed the day she discovered a group of ghosts hiding in her family’s laundromat. One of those ghosts was Wendell: a lonely phantom turned Marjorie’s best friend. When he and Marjorie are joined by ghost-enthusiast Eliza Duncan, the three friends band together in friendship, bravery, and all things paranormal.

Wendell died far too young and now must wander the Land of Humans with nothing more than a sheet for a body. He knows how he died—a tragic drowning accident—but lately, he’s grown curious about his past life. He wants to know more about why he died, not just how he died. It’s not easy, though, since Wendell’s memory of his human life has grown increasingly blurry. With Marjorie and Eliza’s help, they set out on a journey to find out more. When they hear a rumor about Wendell’s death, they wonder if it might not have been an accident after all. Meanwhile, Marjorie and Eliza’s friendship is tested when Marjorie starts to befriend the very people who used to bully Eliza.

In the third and final installment of the Sheets trilogy, Wendell will finally uncover the truth of his human life. Marjorie and Eliza will learn that some people really can change. Most of all, they start to see that everything can cast shadows, but if you look hard enough, you can find the light.

HAPPY READING!!

Reading Update

After the sad affair that was my reading in May, a check-in felt about right. On the upside, I've already read one book this month! It was absolutely adorable and a great way to crawl out of the slump that May put me in. Which I deserve because I should have DNFed that book and saved myself the trouble.

Still, Squire & Knight was a great way to shake that off. A four-hour flight also helped with shaking that slump off. While I do sleep pretty well on planes, never for the whole flight. Top that with a little mini vacation where I didn't have to really think about anything. I have pretty successfully crawled myself out of this slump.

My current read has been sitting on my Kindle since I bought it. A strange little True Crime book that I had never heard of until I put it on my Kindle. Even the case is one I hadn't heard of, and I listen to a lot of True Crime podcasts. The book itself is a little dry and very factual, but the case itself is bizarre and does that thing where it keeps getting weirder. It was definitely a great pick for my mini vacation. Very easy to pick up and put down.

I'm also really excited to be building my summer TBR. While it doesn't quite feel like summer here yet in the PNW, I know it's right around the corner. I cannot wait for a whole day of just reading by the pool, or on my patio. I've missed the sun!

HAPPY READING!!

Book Haul

A trip home is never a trip home if I don't make a stop at the bookstore with my Mim. It's become a tradition to go to lunch and then straight to the Hedgehog.Ink. The books there range from new to gently used, and every time I find a few treasures. But, every once in and while I find a real gem.

This trip was one of those moments. 

My favorite 80s slasher films are the Freddy Kruger series. I've seen them all more times than I remember I'm sure. In fact, I own them all on DVD. What I needed to know was that there was a book series that went along with the movies! And, thanks to Hedgehog.Ink I know own one! 

I also now have a need to find as many of these as possible. So I'll be hitting up all the little used bookstores in my neck of the woods throughout the summer to try and collect more. This wasn't the only book I found. Added another book to my Christopher Pike collection, along with some retro horror. 

All stuff to fill my new bookshelf that still has missing spots. They also were the perfect fit into my luggage so I didn't have to play Tetris to get everything back in!

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally, they are books that have yet to be released but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine.

9 to 5 with fairy tale princesses in a delightful comic fantasy revenge/heist!

Brave, Resourceful, Deceitful, Double-Crossing... Charming.

Prince Jean-Marc Charming Arundel, known to friends and enemies alike as "Prince Charming," is handsome, well-mannered, brave, a peerless swordsman, a cunning tactician – and a liar, a con man and a fraud. For years he has been traveling from one kingdom to the next, rescuing endangered princesses and maidens, securing their troths and his place in their fathers' palaces, then looting their treasuries and having them away before dawn.

Until a chance meeting of three of his victims – raven-haired Marie Blanche de Neige, the sorceress Doctor Emilia Rapunzel, and the long-slumbering Bella Lucia dei’ Sogni – suggests a course of revenge...

Why I'm Waiting: This sounds like it'll be a laugh-out-loud kind of read, plus I'm always down for a revenge story.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

An insidious darkness threatens to devastate a rural New England village when occult forces are conjured and when bigotry is left unrestrained.

After a recent string of disappearances in a small Connecticut town, a grieving widower with a grim secret is drawn into a dangerous ritual of dark magic by a powerful and mysterious older gentleman named Heart Crowley. Meanwhile, a member of local law enforcement tasked with uncovering the culprit responsible for the bizarre disappearances soon begins to learn of a current of unbridled hatred simmering beneath the guise of the town’s idyllic community—a hatred that will eventually burst and forever change the lives of those who once found peace in the quiet town of Henley’s Edge.

HAPPY READING!!

Night Worms Unboxing

June Theme: At the Drive-In

It's the time of the month again! A Night Worms Unboxing! While I'm always excited to get the e-mail that Night Worms is on the way, this package was a little more exciting. I have never of this author, or most of the authors included in the anthology. So I'm really excited to jump into the anthology because what I need more of is authors I love reading, and more books to add to my TBR. 

Okay, so the magnet in this month's package is absolutely my favorite part. It definitely brings back memories of summer nights spent at the drive-in back home. The sticker is a lot of fun as well, and I've stored it away to put it on something amazing. The hot beverage, however, I love Bones Coffee. In fact, I have more of their coffee currently on the way to my place. Now that being said, I do not know how I feel about this flavor of coffee. 

I will try it because I'll try anything once. Though I feel like this one might be better iced than hot. So, I'll brew it up and shove it in my fridge and give it a solid go. But, I'm dubious!

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

     

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday I'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon!

Two vampire brothers must set aside their differences to solve a series of murders in this humorous and delightfully spooky novel for young readers. For fans of Too Bright to See.


Adam and Victor are brothers who have the usual fights over the remote, which movie to watch and whether or not it’s morally acceptable to eat people. Well, not so much eat . . . just drink a little blood. They’re vampires, hiding in plain sight with their eclectic yet loving family.


Ten-year-old Adam knows he has a better purpose in life (well, death) than just drinking blood, but fourteen-year-old Victor wants to accept his own self-image of vampirism. Everything changes when bodies start to appear all over town, and it becomes clear that a vampire hunter may be on the lookout for the family. Can Adam and Victor reconcile their differences and work together to stop the killer before it’s too late?

HAPPY READING!!

Squire & Knight - Review

Author: Scott Chantler

Genre: Graphic Novel / Fantasy

Format: Hardback

Pages: 176

Honestly, this book had me at dragon and skeleton dog.  Everything else about Squire & Knight was just a bonus. I liked that it had a Dungeons and Dragons vibe to it as well. Not all of the characters were humans living in their village. There was a wide variety of creatures and it was just considered normal.

Let's start with the color pallet on this one. It's very fall in pastels inspired by the light oranges and brown. which I love. It means nothing gets too dark or too bright, and the dragon and the Squires close all stick out. So you constantly know where they are, which is the point. It's also a nice pull away from some of the other fantasy graphic novels I've been reading with heavier palettes. This color choice is great. It made all sorts of details stand out, as well as allowed the use of color to help tell the story. 

The story is a lot of fun. I love this trope of a bumbling Knight whose Squire does all the work. For the longest time I thought I had this story figured out because of all the importance they put on one specific part of this story, and while it was important. It wasn't important for the reason that I thought it was. In fact, it never dawned on me that the story could go that way. So I was pleasantly surprised about two-thirds of the way through the story when we find out what exactly is happening in this town.

Also double bonus points for a talking dragon, with extra points for the sass they delivered. Though I kind of want to deduct a point because the Knight didn't get eaten. Sadly this is a book for younger readers, so we have a happy ending.

Which was great. Everything was tied up nicely, the town was rebuilding, and the Knight and his Squire were off on another adventure. Though, I kind of hope that this one stays a stand-alone. While we could join these two characters on the other quests, I realize it would be the same formula over and over again. Which is great for young readers, but I don't know if I'd jump back into this universe. However, I would pick up other books by Scott Chantler. 

I really did enjoy my time with Squire & Knight. It was a lot of fun, a quick read, and just beautifully drawn. So if you looking for a quick and fun fantasy read, I recommend giving this one a look. It's pretty cute!

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally, they are books that have yet to be released but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine.

 

A decade-by-decade cookbook that highlights the best (and a few of the worst) baking recipes from the 20th century

Friends of baking, are you sick and tired of making the same recipes again and again? Then look no further than this baking blast from the past, as B. Dylan Hollis highlights the most unique tasty treats of yesteryear.

Travel back in time on a delicious decade-by-decade jaunt as Dylan shows you how to bake vintage forgotten greats. With a big pinch of fun and a full cup of humor, you'll be baking everything from Chocolate Potato Cake from the 1910s to Avocado Pie from the 1960s.

Dylan has baked hundreds of recipes from countless antique cookbooks and selected only the best for this bakebook, sharing the shining stars from each decade. And because some of the recipes Dylan shares on his wildly popular social media channels are spectacular failures, he's thrown in a few of the most disastrously strange recipes for you to try if you dare.

A few of Dylan's favorites that are going to have you licking your lips and begging for more include:

- 1900s Cornflake Macaroons
- 1910s ANZAC Biscuits
- 1930s Peanut Butter Bread
- 1940s Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake
- 1950s Tomato Soup Cake
- 1970s Potato Chip Cookies

Baking Yesteryear contains 101 expertly curated recipes that will take you on a delicious journey through the past. With a larger-than-life personality and comedic puns galore, baking with Dylan never gets old. We'll leave that to the recipes.

Why I'm Waiting: Because this combines so many of my favorite things: Dylan Hollis, weird recipes, and the cookbooks that hold them!

HAPPY READING!!