TOP TEN TUESDAYS | Bookish Discoveries of 2019

Remember how I used to do this like clockwork? Well, let’s do it again!

(I know it’s not a Tuesday today but I was honestly busy at work yesterday for a change lmao. And yes, I still blog at work.)

I have quite a few things that I realized in 2019 but I don’t think I can make it to ten. In fact, not all of these might be bookish exactly. 2019 was a rollercoaster year and I admit that reading took a backseat from it all. However, it was a year of trying new things and that definitely included my reading habits.

• I can stick to and finish yearly challenges! I was able to finish the Big Bad Shhlut 2019 Reading Challenge. It took almost the whole year but I did it. I didn’t win the giveaway in the end but I read a book each to satisfy the challenge (pun lol). I’m not doing it again for this year though.
• Mystery Thriller is still one of my favorite genres. Looking through my read category on GoodReads, I haven’t been reading that many mystery thriller books. That changed towards the end of last year and I flew through two good ones. I didn’t want to read mysteries back-to-back because these books tend to get formulaic and I don’t want to burn myself out. But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy them. Definitely reading more of that in 2020.
• True Crime books are awesome on audio. Thanks to the podcast, My Favorite Murder, I found some amazing true crime books on audio. It’s like listening to another podcast or a news report. I enjoyed The Real Lolita by Sarah Weinman so much. It was very well narrated and it hooked me from the start.
• I can’t read while on vacation. Not totally. I mean, I was able to read Kokoro by Natsume Soseki when I was en route to Tokyo last May 2019… because I kind of had to. I was scheduled to watch a reading drama of that piece the night of my arrival. But once I got to Tokyo, I didn’t touch my ereader anymore. This past December, I read a good chunk of Beyond Scandal and Desire by Lorraine Heath at the airport because I had literally eight hours to kill. So I can read while on vacation but I don’t choose to read if I’m not at home.
• My favorite romance trope is age gap. Especially forbidden age gaps. Older man / younger woman. I tend to read through them faster than cutesy contemporary romances.
• I love me some motorcycle romances. And yes, bonus if it includes an age gap. I like that they’re kind of dark and all those tattooed men goodness, oooh! My current picks are from Carian Cole and TM Frazier. What I could give for signed books from them!

(Referring to the 5th item… do you have age gap romance recommendations? I have quite a bit on my TBR but I’m open to more suggestions. If that’s not your thing, that’s totally fine too.)

TOP TEN TUESDAYS | Not by the Cover

Last time, I used this weekly tag to break up the monotony. Now, I have them two in a row. Oh lol.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday the ten things that make me pick up a book.

I will try not to make this solely about NA romance. I’m still quite picky when it comes to that genre while I’m pretty much open to anything else. Maybe not Christian fiction. I mean, after strictly reading fantasy and mystery, I managed to find myself up to the eyeballs in romance.

With so many books out there, we all somewhat have stuff that tickles our fancy. Something that makes us pick that one book over the 1500 others in the same pile. Something that we gravitate towards in the sea of different genres available. And here is my list:

(I figured I’ll put the romance related stuff first.)

1. Age gap romances.
   It’s not a guilty pleasure. I genuinely am trash for this trope. If a book features a significant age gap between the main characters, same sex or otherwise, I’m there. Most of my NA reads so far have age gaps and I have a couple more in my ever growing TBR list. I picked up Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas because of this.
2. Royal relationships.
   Or the “rich guy-poor girl” trope in general. What can I say, I grew up watching Taiwanese drama. 😉 I like it better when there’s a royal aspect in a relationship. Not exactly fairy tale vibes but more on the difference in social status.
3. M/M romance.
   Especially if it’s done well. I’ve read many in the past where it’s sensationalized and simply not written well and it turned me off from the subgenre for a while. However, I read how Sarina Bowen does M/M and I’m hooked all over again. Try listening to an M/M romance audio book. You’ll thank me later.
4. Taboo/forbidden relationships.
   Maybe romance, maybe not. This, I can call a guilty pleasure. I hesitate to admit this some times but I can’t lie… this trope makes me so curious. It started with Priest by Sierra Simone. I don’t have to tell you what that is about, right?
5. Adventure thrillers similar to Dan Brown and James Rollins.
   I read and loved all of Dan Brown’s work and same with James Rollins, although I have yet to read all his books. I met him last week and it was amazing. He’s been one of my favorite authors since 2011. Listening to the audio versions of these kinds of books is fun too. It’s like you’re on the adventure with them.
6. Japanese crime thrillers.
   The Japanese write the best crime novels. Keigo Higashino is definitely my favorite. It’s so subdued and very simple. And yet, they really give you a thrill. Some do shock like Confessions and Penance by Kanae Minato. You think you know what’s going on but one the very last page, they spring something huge. It either leaves you so very satisfied… or in tears!
7. True crime.
   I don’t read nearly enough true crime but I do love watching documentaries. I have one true crime novel to read for 2019. It’s slow going but I have the whole year to get through it. I admit, I watch more documentaries but I would also like to read more of this genre.
8. Holocaust/WWII.
   Non-fiction, YA, espionage, thriller… you name it. Yes, even documentaries. Although I didn’t quite enjoy The Diary of Anne Frank. Sorry.
9. Multi-format books.
   Think Illuminae and Night Film. They (literally) break up the blocks of text. And these types of books go by fast because the multimedia aspect takes up space and next thing you know, you’re halfway through the book.
10. If I liked the anime…
    I admit, this is how I find out most of my manga loves. If I liked the anime, I’ll check out the manga… not just to continue the story, but from the very beginning. One of the few mangas I read before the anime is Ten Count because… see #3. 😉 Same with Boku no Hero Academia for a bit until it became crazy popular in the West and the fans terrify me caught up with me and I kind of fell off the wagon. And quite frankly, I don’t want to catch up to the manga source materials yet. After all, volumes count as read count on GoodReads. LMAO.

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That’s my list. It looks more like favorite tropes but it’s not. What a book looks like is immaterial to me because I do most of my reading digitally or audibly. Maybe I should put on here something about the narrator? Then again, I can’t control that. If I can’t with the narrator, I can also read the book, no biggie.

I’m interested to see what’s on your list. 🙂

TOP TEN TUESDAYS | Audio books are BOOKS

To break up the readathon and wrap-up posts, here’s a weekly prompt. I haven’t done one of these in a while.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is an audio freebie.

My knee-jerk reaction is to talk about how much I love anisong but then I realized that this is a book blog and I’m sure y’all won’t be interested in that lol. That’s okay. I myself have not listened to English-language songs in 5+ years so no judgment here.

Podcasts? I love them. I wish I can listen to more, especially the true crime ones. So why don’t I? Well… audio books.

I’m lucky that I can freely listen to audio books at my job. I’ve gone through so many in the past couple of years and enjoyed the medium very much. Honestly, I never thought that I would come to love audio books. I first tried it when I was reading Game of Thrones by George RR Martin, half reading and half listening. Then back when I was rereading Jane Eyre yearly, I found the audio version on Spotify. Now, Aidios has blessed us with Overdrive and Hoopla. I never looked back.

Coming up with my favorite audio titles was easy. Listening to these books on audio definitely contributed to my enjoyment of the books – whole series – and I don’t think I’ll love them as much if I read them myself. Of course, the opposite is also true. I have DNF’d audio books because either the narrator didn’t click with me or for Japanese fiction specifically, I had an issue on how the narrator pronounced certain names and places. 😉 Most of these books I own physically anyway so who knows.

I could have included more titles but for some of them, I loved the narration but couldn’t care for the story itself. All The Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater is one of those. Thom Rivera‘s narration was amazing. However, I can’t remember anything about the story. I recently sort of DNF’d You by Caroline Kepnes on audio because I just couldn’t get into it.

But enough of the negative. Here are the ones that I liked:

1. The Sigma Force series by James Rollins.
   Narrated by Various.
   I’ve read majority of the series on audio. Almost all of them are available on Hoopla, no wait time. Listening to adventure thrillers is always a joy. It’s like you’re going on an adventure yourself. It doesn’t matter who narrates it, I love James Rollins’ work. They’re very enjoyable to read also. And by the way, I’m going to his signing this Thursday at Vroman’s Bookstore!
2. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa.
   Narrated by Cassandra Campbell.
   There’s something atmospheric about Japanese fiction on audio. This book is just… gorgeous. I encourage you to read it, listen to it. It has less than 5 characters but a story so rich, it will stay with you for a long time.
3. Goodbye Paradise and Hello Forever by Sarina Bowen.
   Narrated by Teddy Hamilton and Dake Bliss.
   I honestly prefer to read my NA but when it comes to M/M romance, audio FTW! LMAO. I like another Teddy Hamilton performance, When It’s Real by Erin Watt. Call me crazy but there’s something about a male voice rumbling in your ear while reading out loud passages of… you know what I mean. Plus these books are told from two perspectives, thus, two narrators.
4. The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee.
   Narrated by Christian Coulson.
   Two words: Tom Riddle. At least in the Chamber of Secrets movie. He brought Monty to life. He brought the whole book to life. I laughed out loud… something I rarely do for audio books. I also listened to the sequel on audio but I prefer this one more because of the narrator.
5. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.
   Narrated by Rebecca Soler.
   I read all four books on audio. There was no way I’ll be able to do that back-to-back without the help of audio books. Especially Winter. I think Rebecca Soler’s narration played a huge part as to why I devoured this series so fast. She did all the voices, especially Iko; I waited for all her parts and oh how I loved them all. This was some solid narrating. It’s amazing.
6. The Conqueror’s Saga by Kiersten White.
   Narrated by Fiona Hardingham.
   Thank Aidios for audio book narrators. I don’t have to figure out how to pronounce foreign names. I do own all the books in hardcover, signed, but I listened to this series on audio. I encouraged my brother to do the same and we both loved the hell out of it. Her voice between Lada and Radu are so distinct. For everyone else really. If you’re interested in reading this series but intimidated by its scale, try the audio.
7. Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino.
   Narrated by David Pittu.
   I normally go back and forth between reading and listening to Higashino works. This one is by far my favorite narration. The characters felt so alive and there was not a dull moment. Higashino’s style of writing is not entirely fluid, more episodic. David Pittu makes it so seamless. And he pronounced all the Japanese in a way that it didn’t annoy me.
8. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore.
   Narrated by Xanthe Elbrick.
   This is one of those special cases where I chose to listen to this after DNF’ing the physical book. There is a character in the book named Death. But it’s pronounced as Deeth, like teeth. They explain it in the book early on but I just couldn’t. I read both Graceling and Fire and was looking forward to Bitterblue but it took me almost a year to give up on the “Death, like teeth” situation and listened to the audio book.
9. Night of Cake and Puppets by Laini Taylor.
   Narrated by Khristine Hvam and Kevin T. Collins.
   I listened to the last two books in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy including this stand alone spin-off about Zuzana and Mik. I loved how Khristine Hvam portrayed Zuzana and I wanted more of that. I got a whole book of it!
10. As for my 10th pick, I can’t help it. Please try listening to ANISONG. Anime songs. Theme songs. There’s a special kind of joy when you hear opening/closing songs from your favorite anime performed live. My brother and I have attended a couple of such concerts and we’re hoping to attend Animelo Summer Live someday. Go pick your favorite anime of the moment – Say…
    • My Hero Academia. The Day by Porno Graffitti.
    • Haikyuu. Imagination by SPYAIR.
    • The Idolmaster: Side M. Here’s the PV for Glorious Stage Side Makuhari.
    • B-Project. Muteki*Dangerous by THRIVE, KiLLER KiNG, and MoonS.
    • And my personal ultimate favorite, from Your Lie in April, Hikaru Nara by Goose House.

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Whew, I haven’t done a long post in a while. I really do love audio books. While composing this, I finished Gabriel’s Inferno by Sylvain Reynard. And I’ll probably start something to add to my Sequelathon TBR.

I’m open to audio book suggestions. Especially Fantasy. I’ve been reading a lot of contemporary romances lately.

WRAP-UP | JANUARY 2019

I wanted to start the year strong but for some reason, I only managed to read six things. It’s not bad but I can’t help but compare. I know I’m not supposed to, I do. I got sidetracked by other stuff, one of them being another book I’m reading long term.

February is shaping up to be the same. Oh well, with two more vacations lined up for me this year, I’m glad I put my yearly goal to 25 books. LMAO.

Anyway, my reading had a rocky start with 3 consecutive 3-star reads but then it was followed by three 5-star reads. Let’s see how my month went.

TOTAL BOOKS READ: 6.

• Kemono Friends: Welcome to Japari Park! Omnibus by Furai – It was entertaining but I very much enjoy the anime more. It follows a different story and ezo red fox’s character is very different vs the portrayal in the manga. This is how I usually enjoy my manga: I stumble upon the anime first then read the manga. I wonder if my enjoyment of the manga would differ if I did it the other way around. 3/5 stars.
• Haikyuu, Volume 26 by Haruichi Furudate – That… was a long way to a 7-4 score. O___O As I understand, it’s going to be like this moving forward. Also, I need to re-read the Nekoma vs Fukurodani vs Nohebi parts because of the new stage play this spring. Super excited for that! 3/5 stars.
• Dr. OB by Max Monroe – I liked it overall but there are some parts that I just could not care about. I felt that there were parts of the story we could’ve done without. Especially the different bodily fluids. Sure, fluff is needed to pad a book but a lot of the extra stuff here didn’t do much for the story. I’d much rather read about the other employees of the hospital or the friends they have than an exploding menstrual cup. 3/5 stars.
• Hello Forever by Sarina Bowen – Holy crap, this was SUPER cute. OMG. I want more books in this series! I read the first one some time last year and that was cute too. I would like to read more M/M fiction and most of the ones I find are rather on the dark side. This one was light and fluffy. I loved it so much. 5/5 stars.
• Torn by Carian Cole – You know me and my affection for age gap romances done right. I lived for the angst and tension between everyone involved. It was definitely a complicated relationship between Kenzi and Toren, considering their situation and age gap but somehow, it all made sense. All the decisions made by all parties were realistic and reasonable. The storyline about the mom was a bit out of nowhere but in the end, I saw why it had to be done. 5/5 stars.
• My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness by Kabi Nagata – I’ve always wanted to read this when I saw this at Kinokuniya. It was surprisingly dark and light-hearted at the same time. It was funny, raw, and real. 5/5 stars.

STATS:

• 1596 pages
• 2 audio books, 3 manga

While I received a crapton of Nendoroids and otaku merch in January, I did not purchase a single book. I started watching book hauls on Youtube again but my self-control is still very strong LMAO. I still love my Overdrive and Hoopla library apps, mainly for audio books and both have been a huge help.

 

TOP TEN TUESDAYS | This year, maybe?

My January posts are looking like one big review and wrap up of my 2018 reading activities. Thanks to these weekly prompts, I get more motivated to actually sit down and write out these posts. It’s quite interesting to me to read other people’s best/worst lists and other similar topics. I hope you’re finding mine interesting too.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday the ten books I meant to read in 2018 but didn’t get to.

But here’s the thing… I’m not much of a TBR person. I use my GoodReads “to-read” list mostly to catalog the books that either I own or NA titles that I want to read but I’m just waiting for a sale on Kindle. LOL, I know… it makes more sense in my head vs on paper. Anyway, the point is, I don’t do TBRs. I may have a list of things that I want to read at that time but nothing set in stone. Also, I no longer follow new releases so I have no idea what’s up and coming. I’ll try to make it to ten but we’ll see.

One last thing, this is NOT a 2019 TBR. At least, not officially. Some of these titles will be read this year but I’m not out to strike them all out of this list in the next 12 months. I might be able to do that but I won’t be making a conscious effort to do it. And now, on to the list!

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1. The Stone Sky by NK Jemisin.
   I fully intended to read this in 2018 but I always got the mood to pick it up during my vacations. I told myself that this book will be my last read of 2018 but then I went to Japan and no reading was done at all.
2. Balance by Lucia Franco.
   Super hot and super-duper taboo. I’ve skimmed through this book and oh man, it’s quite intense. I want to read it so badly but I didn’t feel I was ready. Some time this year, I hope. 😉
3. Mecha Samurai Empire by Peter Tieryas.
   I told myself I’ll read this while on the plane to Japan. Nope, didn’t happen. I’m thinking of picking up a physical copy because I have a hunch that this is one of those books that I’d rather read a hard copy vs digital. I hope I’m right.
4. Vengeful by VE Schwab.
   I pre-ordered a signed copy and I had all the intentions of reading it as soon as possible. But I had readathons lined up when I received this in the mail and for some reason, it got pushed back until I had no desire to read anything else but New Adult books. But VE Schwab is one of my favorite authors of all time so I’ll get to this sooner rather than later.
5. Iron Gold by Pierce Brown.
   Another signed pre-order. I even have an ARC copy. I planned to read this during Tome Topple but it was right in the middle of AX2018 so yeah, that’s as good as a vacation. No reading was done apart from 3 chapters of this book. I stopped not because of disinterest but I had no time. Then I heard not too favorable things about it from Red Rising fans so… yeah. Idk.

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And honestly, the rest of the list is made up of New Adult titles. Towards the end of 2018, I got reintroduced to NA and romance and I finally found stuff that I liked. A LOT. But again, I’m in no hurry. I have a lot of older NA titles on my TBR list but I do find myself reading my recently acquired stuff. Eh, reading has no rules! LMAO.

 

TOP TEN TUESDAYS | The Backlist

I was supposed to post my September-October wrap-up today but this is a topic that I can’t pass up. Aidios knows how many unread books I have sitting on my shelves… my bedroom floor, in between furniture, on my many e-readers… yeah.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday the ten backlist books I still need to read.

I admit that I haven’t been buying a lot of books lately. I’ve bought quite a few manga, yes, but those are easier to read and they don’t pile up unread. At least in my household. However, I went through an almost binge-buying of books especially last year. I just could say no when Book Outlet or Barnes & Noble gives out coupons. What healed me from that? Anime figures. From one expensive hobby to another lol.

But I still have quite an extensive collection of backlist titles that I’m still interested in reading. Here’s a few that stand out from the rest.

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1. The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon (and the rest of the Outlander books).
   I put this on hold at about 50%. I simply lost interest. I figured I can buy time until the TV show catches up. Well, we’re almost there and I still haven’t picked this back up. I don’t own every book in the series yet but those that I own are all signed. Yes, including the graphic novel.
2. The Devil of Nanking by Mo Hayder.
   I’ve owned two copies of this. The first copy I bought was a beat-up mass market paperback. Then I saw a decent hardcover at a used bookstore for $2 so the first one got replaced. I’ve heard nothing but good things about this book from people I trust but for some reason, I haven’t picked it up yet.
3. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake.
   Going back into my Book Outlet binging days, this book (duology) was all the rage. I still am very interested. However, I want to read this instead of listen to it on audio. I was told that that’s a better way to enjoy this book.
4. United States of Japan by Peter Tieryas.
   If you know me then you know about my love for Japanese mecha. Hell, I’d assemble an Optimus Prime plastic model kit if you gift me one. I’ve owned this book for a while and I’m still pretty much interested in reading it. It’s not available on audio from my usual sources so maybe that’s why it’s taking me so long.
5. The rest of the Rot & Ruin books by Jonathan Maberry.
   I own all the books in the main series. I was obsessed when I read the first book. But for whatever reason, I never continued on. Dust & Decay has been in my Tome Topple TBRs for two rounds, I think? Maybe this one too? If I do, then I should put it on priority.
6. The rest of Escape from Furnace books by Alexander Gordon Smith.
   I read Lockdown and I liked it. Basically, the same story as the Rot & Ruin series. I own all the books but have yet to read the 2nd one in the series.
7. Night Film by Marisha Pessl.
   This is another book that I want to actually read. I own a waterlogged but signed copy of it. I know it’s on audio but with the mixed media aspect, I’d much rather sit down and give it a read.

   The rest of this list are authors of Japanese fiction. I own so many but have read so few.

8. Keigo Higashino. My favorite mystery author. I loved everything that I’ve read from him so far may it be through audio book or traditional means. I still have a few of his translated works unread. Usually because when I start the audio book, the Japanese name pronunciation bothers me. So I’d rather read it.
9. Junji Ito. I want to own all his collected works. I currently have the deluxe editions and am working on the rest.
10. Koji Suzuki. He wrote the Ring series and oh man, I loved that. I own so many more of his books and a lot of them are quite short. I will eventually own all of them and read all of them.

I could’ve filled this list up with the Japanese authors I want to read from. Most of these are acquisitions from my Book Outlet days. I keep adding titles to my TBR, NA mostly lately, but neglect the ones already there. I’m sure many of you do the same. I try to be better but a lot of them are too popular, there’s a mile-long wait list at the library for the audio book. Sigh. One book at a time, right?

TOP TEN TUESDAYS | Binge-watching

I don’t know about TV shows but I have a couple of anime recommendations.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday the 10 Bingeworthy TV Shows/Amazing Movies (The new fall TV season is starting up this month, so let’s talk about what shows everyone should watch when they’re not reading!).

Here’s the thing… I haven’t watched anything in the English-language since The Avengers: Infinity War. The last TV show that I actively followed was Lucifer until the end of season 2. I don’t think I even finished the first season of The Handmaid’s Tale despite being very into it. I do have Hulu; I don’t have Netflix. I don’t have local TV on the television in my room so nightly primetime drama is out of the question. Hell, I haven’t actively chosen to listen to an English-language song is 5+ years. XD

But there was a time when I had an actual schedule written down of the shows that I had to watch daily. Almost all of them were in the police procedural genre. If given the choice, I’d still drown myself in that. I used to follow The Walking Dead until I realized what a huge waste of time Sophia was. As for other shows, I have such trouble when new characters are introduced. Take CSI:NY for example. It used to be my favorite CSI show until that girl from Montana joined the team. Pfft. I still have the fondest memories of that show but it was never the same after that.

Anyway, I will try to mix this list up. I’ve had my share of binge-watched anime. I have both Crunchyroll and Funimation and with so many new and old anime, you can marathon them easily. They’re 30 minutes to an episode; I think this is the reason why I no longer have the attention span for anything longer than 30 minutes. XD

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FORENSIC FILES
Last I checked, 14 seasons are on Hulu. I used to put a season on continuous play while doing work. The late Peter Thomas had the most relaxing voice ever. I don’t mind it if I’ve seen an episode 5 times, I’ll still watch it. Whenever I see a Forensic Files marathon on TV, I tune in. I can usually tell which case it is within the first 10 seconds but it’s better than channel surfing.

CRIMINAL MINDS
Back when this show was just beginning its 9th season, I binge-watched it from season 1 to the latest episode in more or less 12 days. I don’t know how I did it but I did it. I don’t watch it as religiously anymore but I still love this show to bits. It will be a sad day once CBS finally decides to pull the plug. This is probably the only show where I did not mind cast changes. The heart of the show remained the same. Yes, how many cases can you still talk about? Apparently, 15 seasons worth.

CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION, specifically LV and Miami
Like with Forensic Files, Hulu has the whole entire series on their catalog (last I checked). I worked my way backwards for LV (from the latest season to the first) and forwards for Miami. I’ve forgotten how tacky Miami was… and how much I loved it. LV will always have a special place in my heart — until they changed casts like people change socks.

TO CATCH A PREDATOR
So what? I love crime shows. I often fall into the black hole of Chris Hansen sting operations on Youtube. It’s entertaining and fascinating at the same time.

PITBULLS AND PAROLEES
I even wrote a Yuri On Ice fic based on this show because I loved it so damn much. It’s such a feel-good reality show. I even downloaded the Animal Planet GO app just so I can binge watch this show on the go. I fell off of it now but I’d still watch some episodes if I’m looking for things to play in the background.

And now for the anime recommendations:

Can you just hear the song that’s playing during this clip?

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST + FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST BROTHERHOOD
In that order, if you may. Yes, both. You will thank me later. This will come up to 115 episodes. FMA was done before the manga was finished. FMAB is the more faithful adaptation. The thing is, the whole of FMA is recapped in the first three episodes of FMAB. But don’t let that deter you. Do watch all of it. I did it… idk, in a weekend I think. It was fast. Or it’s so good that I didn’t realize time went by so fast. Also, I watched this dubbed so I guess that contributed to that feeling.

HAIKYUU!!
If you know me, I’m a huge Haikyuu trash. But I got into the fandom late. Very late. But don’t worry, I’ve caught up and more. XD I started watching this because of Yuri On Ice (second mention of this show but no, it’s not really binge-able) and my favorite seiyuu of all time, Yoshimasa Hosoya. I don’t think I left my bed until I finished two full seasons. Then I watched season 3. Then I did it all over again. For months, this was the only anime that I watched. I still do that to this day.

THE IDOLMASTER: SIDE M
Ah, the show that started my spiral into male idol hell. I picked this vs B-Project and Idolish7 because SideM is super-duper feel-good. You can’t help but root for everyone, love all their songs, and wish them all the best. Hell, even the voice actors have endeared themselves to me. I binge-watch even their live concerts. There’s always something new to see. Most of them began their voice acting careers with SideM and everyone is just so sweet. (Also, it’s for this show that I spent the most money on ONE SINGLE ITEM. Yep. Male idol merch is no joke.)

WOTAKOI: LOVE IS HARD FOR OTAKU
I’m putting this on this list because that was the way I watched this series. And it’s so damn relatable. (Whoo, two Kento Itou shows in one list!) It doesn’t really follow one story line. Every episode ends cleanly without cliffhangers. But every end of episode, I was left like a mushy puddle of sweetness. It gives me so much hope. But then again, I kind of want either Hirotaka or ItoKen-san so I’m screwed eitherway. XD

TSUKI GA KIREI
This goes on the list for the opposite reasons as Wotakoi. (Yay, another Shoya Chiba show!) Every damn episode has a very frustrating cliffhanger. I made a boo-boo when I watched this. I thought the season was done… until I got to episode 11. I thought that was it. Then cliffhanger. WTAF. Good thing the final episode was coming out the next day so I didn’t have to wait that long. And OMG, I was a crying mess AT WORK. It’s so good.

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Have you watched any of those shows? I need more binge-worthy anime so feel free to recommend anything. I’m a seiyuu otaku so if any of my favorites is on there, I’ll definitely give it a go.

TOP TEN TUESDAYS | Anti-Reading Slumps

What a perfect topic for me; I’m desperately crawling out of a reading slump right now.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday the 10 books that pull you out of a reading slump.

Here’s the story: I read one of my anticipated reads and I was so painfully disappointed that it soured every book to me for weeks. I tried an audio book, I returned it to the library after an hour. I wanted to continue reading Haikyuu, I couldn’t get a hold of the next volume. I started a very good NA standalone that I know I could read in a day, I just reached the halfway point last night. Sigh. It’s hard, guys.

However, I’m seeing the light at the end of the dark tunnel. I may have found my footing. This list won’t be 10 or book titles exactly but I found that these work for me when I get into this dreaded book slumps.

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MANGA.
They’re very easy reads. One volume can take you one sitting. Seeing your reading stats rise just like that is encouraging. Finished series are fun to binge read. I tend to pace myself with on-going series because like with every book, it’s faster to read it than to write it. But once you start, it’s hard to stop. I’m currently reading Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku by Fujita. I actually bought the two omnibuses that are currently released. I just finished the volume 1 part and oh hell, I love it. I loved the anime too.

NEW ADULT.
Two years ago, you wouldn’t hear this from me — I love New Adult! XD And if you find a well-written steamy smutty hot little thing? Yes, please. They go by fast. A lot of authors have so many similar books under their names. Some series go on forever and the releases are close together and consistent. Plus there is a TON of NA out there. Good, bad, ugly… there’s so many to choose from. I’m in the middle of Love Machine by Kendall Ryan. I read her other book, Mister Tonight, and I thought it was okay so I picked up another one from her. She has so many more that I’m interested in.

OLDER YA BOOKS/SERIES.
Going back to when things are simpler, when we didn’t get “triggered” by every single thing, when authors don’t “need” to tick so many boxes in order to satisfy their audiences. Remember those times? I mean, it’s good that audiences are more aware and more sensitive today but back then, we just read. Last year, I started catching up on those YA series that I ignored when they first came out. The language is pretty light and the storylines aren’t as complicated. A lot of them go by quickly. Legend by Marie Lu is one of them. I’m listening to her other trilogy right now… about an hour into The Young Elites.

RE-READS.
I rarely re-read but sometimes, you just need to be reminded of how good a book is, to re-experience it. Rediscover the joy of reading. Forget that book that put you into a slump.

Actually, another thing that pulled me out of a slump one time was WATCH ANIME, which led to me reading manga. Or just taking a break from reading in general. Don’t force it. It’ll come to you eventually.

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I can’t really give title recommendations because everyone’s taste is different. You do what you gotta do!

TOP TEN TUESDAYS | Sensory Reading Memories

My last TTT post was in April. Wow.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday the 10 books that are linked to specific moments in your life.

I immediately thought of some titles when I found out the topic for this week. I may have mentioned those in other posts but it’s been a while since I did one of these lists. I’m not a sentimental reader, to be honest. I don’t spew quotes out of nowhere or obsess over a scene. But I do remember when and where I read things. So this topic is perfect for me.

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The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien.
I’ve read this multiple times but there was a time in university where I read this twice in a row. It was at my Children’s Lit class. I was already reading The Hobbit and for our semester report, our group was chosen to talk about… The Hobbit. So I finished that and in three days, I read it again.

One Bullet Away by Nathaniel Fick.
One of my favorite books of all time. I read this on the plane to and from Florida. What makes it special because that trip was my first time at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios Orlando about a week or so after it officially opened. I read half going to Florida and the rest of it going back to Los Angeles.

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown.
This was the book that I was reading on the flight to the US when we were moving here for good. That’s all. I don’t think I finished it on the plane but I remember toting around a mass paperback copy of it in my carry on.

Stiff by Mary Roach.
Another travel-related thing. I was reading this when I did a cross-country road trip on a Greyhound some years ago. It was on my ancient first generation Barnes & Noble nook!

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion.
I’ve said this story before but here it is again. When I started to go to Little Tokyo every Friday after work, I didn’t bring any books with me at first. One time, I left the office earlier than usual. So I went to my nearest Goodwill and purchased a book. This was that book.

Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente.
Another Little Tokyo memory. I read a bulk of this at Tom’N’Toms at the Little Tokyo Plaza. That cafe is now closed. Sadness. I loved that citron tea. I didn’t love the book as much but I’m gonna miss that place. It’s going to be a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf now.

Nancy Drew: The Secret of Mirror Bay by Carolyn Keene.
Okay, I don’t remember exactly when and where I read this the first time. But I know for sure that I’ve had strangely vivid dreams about this book. As if I’m living the story, especially the events on the cover of this book. I tend to have those kinds of dreams once in a while but this is the first time it happened. XD

American Prince by Sierra Simone.
I was reading this on the train on my ebook reader. As you know, this is smutty smut smut. It was already awkward for me to read this in public but that feeling multiplied tenfold when I felt the older lady beside me reading over my shoulder. Yep, she didn’t even try to hide it. Do you do this? Please don’t do this.

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I know I may have more but there are my most special ones. Some, like The Girl on the Train was simply just me reading it on my own train ride.

Like I said, I have good memory of the circumstances when I read, not so much the material. Is that strange? LOL. Oh well. That’s how my brain works, I guess.

TOP TEN TUESDAYS | Saving Grace

For April, I will try to blog more often. I hope. Don’t take me seriously. LOL.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday the 10 Characters I Liked That Were in Books I Didn’t Like.

This list was actually easier than I thought. I don’t dislike that very many books; I’m usually a good judge of picking reads that I think I will like. It’s usually when I buy into the hype that I get those random 3-star reads or less. But I tend to like certain characters even if the book overall wasn’t up to my liking.

Again, we’ll try for ten. Here goes…

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Nikolai, Genya, and David from The Grishaverse.
Is that the official trilogy name now? I don’t know. I didn’t like this trilogy. But Nikolai was a brilliant character. I kept reading the books because of him but in the end, there wasn’t enough. Then Genya and David’s relationship was suddenly introduced and developed towards the end out of almost nowhere. It also kept me going to see where they’ll end up. Forget Alina and that loser Mal, I wanted more of Genya and David.

Kaden > Rafe from The Remnant Chronicles.
I didn’t hate this trilogy particularly. I actually kind of liked it – definitely more than the other “popular” YA trilogies I’ve read in the past year or so. But I had problems with the main girl and the first book was kind of disappointing to I guess it counts. I say Kaden more than Rafe even though I liked both boys. I did kind of hate Rafe at some point in the trilogy but things got better eventually. I won’t say why because that’s a potential spoiler. 😉

Wolf from Scarlet.
Scarlet is my least favorite book from the Lunar Chronicles. And I don’t like Scarlet, the character, as much as the rest of the main crew. I thought she was just there… a tool so there’s a red-headed girl to represent Red Riding Hood. But Wolf was such a delight to read about. I loved every scene that included him, even in the graphic novels. To the end, I wanted all the best for him — and it made Scarlet more bearable for me.

Julian from Caraval.
Giiirl, I didn’t like this book AT ALL. Scarlett Dragna is one of the worst characters I’ve ever read. And I think even Julian knows! He called out her BS multiple times in the book. That is what made me like him out of the many bad characters in this book.

Minho from The Scorch Trials.
I did like The Maze Runner. Except for Theresa. What the hell happened to everyone in The Scorch Trials? But I’m glad I still liked Minho. I also like him in the movies. He’s a solid character and at least the author didn’t mess with him as the series went awfully downhill.

Mather from Snow Like Ashes.
I was so badly disappointed with this book. It was sold as this whimsical world divided into seasons but it wasn’t really like that. Then the writing was amateurish. I was told it got better but I… maybe. I haven’t dropped this trilogy officially yet. However, I liked Mather from the get-go. Meira was okay too. But like I said in my review (somewhere here on the blog or on GoodReads), the best thing about this book was the love triangle. Yes.

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And that is it. I had more on my list but these are the only ones I felt rather strongly about. And looking at this list, even if I loved these books, these characters will still be my favorites. 🙂