Hi there! I'm still trying to find a balance between the good brain days and the bad ones, as well as regaining my interest in reading the books I have waiting for me. I think I need to mix in more visual stories, more comics, graphic novels, manga, and webcomics. That being said, here are some thoughts on some manga volumes I recently picked up at the library. Flying Witch Vols 1-4 by Chihiro ..read more

Title: Bloom Author: Kevin Panetta Author/illustrator: Savannah Gauncheau Release Date: January 29, 2019 Publisher: First Second Books (Macmillan imprint) Now that high school is over, Ari is dying to move to the big city with his ultra-hip band―if he can just persuade his dad to let him quit his job at their struggling family bakery. Though he loved working there as a kid, Ari cannot fathom a ..read more

Title: The Cold Is in Her Bones Author: Peternelle van Arsdale Release Date: January 22, 2019 Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster imprint) Milla knows two things to be true: Demons are real, and fear will keep her safe. Milla's whole world is her family's farm. She is never allowed to travel to the village and her only friend is her beloved older brother, Niklas. When a ..read more

Title: Firestarter Author: Tara Sim Release Date: January 15, 2019 Publisher: Sky Pony Press (Skyhorse Publishing imprint) The crew of the Prometheus is intent on taking down the world's clock towers so that time can run freely. Now captives, Colton, Daphne, and the others have a stark choice: join the Prometheus's cause or fight back in any small way they can and face the consequences. But ..read more

Title: The Wicked King Author: Holly Black Release Date: January 8, 2019 Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Hachette Book Group imprint) After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her younger brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting ..read more

Title: The Storyteller Author: Traci Chee Release Date: November 13, 2018 Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group (Penguin imprint) Sefia is determined to keep Archer out of the Guard's clutches and their plans for war between the Five Kingdoms. The Book, the ancient, infinite codex of the past, present and future, tells of a prophecy that will plunge Kelanna in that bloody war, but it requires a ..read more

I figure that, since Tuesday is the 1st, a fair number of people will still be on some kind of break. So I'll see you all on Friday with a review of Traci Chee's The Storyteller. Why The Storyteller? When I first read The Reader I was captivated. There was something magical about it, about the world Traci created, about the characters. Something about the secrets, about how forbidden it was ..read more

I tried to come back this month. Tried to sort out my brain and my reading list and other things. It didn't work out. So. I'll be back on Tuesday January 1st, back with reviews and weekend rambles and, hopefully, some more off-the-cuff kind of thinking about books posts. Reviews will be a mixture of new books and 2018 books that were unfortunately left behind while I tried to sort out my ..read more

Hi all. I don't mean for these breaks to happen, but they do. It's feeling more and more like a loss of interest in the books I have than a depressive episode, to be honest. Which isn't fair to you who read this, or the publicists who've sent me ARCs or approved me for e-galleys. But I think I need more time to sort out where my brain is with this. But I don't want to take too much time away ..read more

Waiting on Wednesday is a bunch of weekly fun hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. :) Title: Comics Will Break Your Heart Author: Faith Erin Hicks Release Date: February 12, 2019 Publisher: Roaring Brook Press (Macmillan imprint) From Goodreads: A sweet, funny contemporary teen romance for the inner geek in all of us from graphic novelist Faith Erin Hicks.  Miriam's family should be rich ..read more