Book Blog #6, Naruto volume 1

Naruto, volume 1                                     Fantasy fiction                                      by Masashi Kishimoto

Uzumaki Naruto has grown up as an orphan of the village of Konohagakurae, and has been mocked his entire life. A nine tailed fox demon also killed the most powerful ninja in the village Hokage, twelve years ago, when he was born. By now, peace has returned. Uzumaki is trying to graduate from the Ninja Academy, although he seems to fail every test he is given. When he impresses the teachers, he is suddenly given a chance for a special mentorship, he gets wrapped up in a love triangle with the other two students, and their first class proves to be harder than he ever expected.

For my first full manga read, I think that it was really good, even if I had to adapt to the reading style. I really like how the story was fast and unpredictable, but a good amount of time was spent on each section. I also like how the chapters were obviously sectioned off, but the transitions were still smooth. I liked the story because it was unique, and it was unlike any magic story I have ever read. I also liked that the images added a lot to the story, instead of just telling the story. Overall, I really enjoyed this manga, and it was a good first transition into this style of comic book.

TBR:
Seveneves        by Neal Stephenson
Side Effects May Vary        by Julie Murphy
Leviathan Wakes        by James A Corey
The List        by Siobhan Vivian
Schizo        by Nic Sheff

Book Blog #5, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child p1- 2

Harry Potter 8: The Cursed Child                        Fantasy/ Harry Potter                       by JK Rowling

19 years later, Harry is the Minister of Magic, with his youngest son Albus leaving for his first year at Hogwarts. Albus struggles with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. When he gets placed in an unexpected house and he becomes best friends with Draco's son, much to his father's displeasure. When Albus is rejected by Harry, and when he overhears Cedric's father talking about how he wants his son back, he thinks that he can make his father proud and do the wizarding world a favor. When his plans go wrong and one of his accomplices goes rogue, him and his father have to work together to save the wizarding world, and leave their quarrels behind. With everything at stake the fate of the world rests on Albus' shoulders. Will he be able to survive?

I personally really liked this book. I think that it didn't read like the other books because it was written in script form, but it did still add onto the story. I found it interesting that because it was only dialogue, the book focused so much more on the relationships between characters, which really helped build the storyline, especially when extreme things happened. As far as the settings, it was really well described for the format. I also think that while it didn't directly add onto the original story, it worked well because it read as a separate story. It was nearly impossible to put this book down because most of it was cliffhangers, which worked well for the story. Overall, this was a really good book and a good addition to the fandom of Harry Potter.

TBR:
The Great Gatsby     by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Unremembered     by Jessica Brody
The House of Ivy and Sorrow     by Natalie Whipple
Wool     by Hugh Howey
Glory O' Brien's History of the Future     by A.S. King

Book Blog #4, The Dragon of Cripple Creek

The Dragon of Cripple Creek                                   fantasy fiction                                by Troy Howell

Kat is homeless. Her mother is stuck in a coma, and her father is driving across the country to find a job. Kat loves gold. She is obsessed with it, and when she sees a sign for a gold mine tour while she is passing through Durango, CO, she just can't not go. She goes on the tour, but she wanders off and falls into a hole in the mine wall. What she finds below changes her life forever. A large dragon named Yin lies below, guarding his hoard of gold, and Kat happens upon him by luck. He shows her the way out of the cave, but she steals some gold, and word gets out, and soon everyone is trying to get down into that cave.

I think this is a good book, even though it is written in a way that makes it seem like it is meant for younger kids. I think that the story is really rich, regardless because it tells a story of the world's greed and it's problems. I think that it is interesting because the story is fast paced but it also has a lot of dialogue and deeper conversations in it, which adds other levels to the book. I also think that the strategies behind every action in the book worked well, because it made everything seem intentional. Overall, while this book is written for younger audiences I think the messages and the story are really good.

TBR:
The Eye of Minds        by James Dashner
The Adoration of Jenna Fox        by Mary Pearson
Across the Universe         by Beth Revis
The Program         by Suzzane Young
My 21 Star Wars books        by A bunch of people

Book Blog #3, Rascal

Rascal                                                     Non-Fiction                                                    by Sterling North

Sterling is out late with a friend in the forest one night hunting. They find a nest of baby raccoons, and they pick one to keep. Sterling calls it Rascal. Rascal quickly becomes the town troublemaker, sneaking into the stables and stealing from the vegetable gardens. He becomes best friends with Sterling they go on many adventures. They go everywhere together, school, camping, fishing, and on many adventures. Eventually though the town complains and Sterling may have to cage Rascal permanently ending the friendship.

I really liked this book and it was really fun and interesting for being Non-Fiction. I think that it definitely lived up to my personal Newberry expectations because the story really pulled me in, and all of the chapters were unique. As a person who doesn't usually read non-fiction, I thought that the detail and the realism actually helped the stories believability, which worked well with the theme of the book. The ending of the story was sad, but it made sense for the rest of the story.

TBR:
UQ Holder        by Ken Akamatsu
Attack on Titan        by Hajime Isayama, Sheldon Drzka
Soulless        by Gail Carriger, Rem, Juyoun Lee
Wāqwāq 2, The Three Sages        by Ryu Fujisaki
Ajin, Demi-Human        by Gamon Sakurai, Tsuina Mirua

Book Blog #2, Vango

Vango: Between Sky and Earth                       Historical fiction                     by Timothée de Fombelle

Vango Romano and his caretaker mademoiselle washed up on the beach of a small set of islands  many years ago and they were taken under the wing of local townspeople many years ago. Since then, he has explored and learned the ways of the islands. One fateful day he gets washed off of the islands and into a new chapter of his life. He is about to become a priest several years later when he is incorrectly framed for a murder. The police are after him and he has to run. He goes many places, to hide, and meets many new people. He revisits many people, and gains many friendships, all while having a price on his head. He eventually finds refuge, but he learns more about his past than he ever wanted to know.

I did enjoy this book even though it was hard to follow. I struggled to understand a lot of the time jumps in the book, because the setting and the date changed so frequently. I think that this book was interesting because there were so many different locations and settings set into one story. I also think that for some of the setting jumps they happened too fast, and some of the many separate stories that were told in the book got jumbled and not enough time was spent on them.

TBR:
The Quincunx     by Chales Palliser
Ape House     by Sara Gruen
The Shining     by Stephen King
Pride and Prejudice     by Jane Austen
Crewel     by Gennifer Albin

Book Blog #1, A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream                             Fantasy Fiction                      by William Shakespeare

Helena was engaged to Demetrius until he suddenly broke the engagement as he fell in love with Hermia. Demetrius and Lysander both love Hermia, but she only returns Lysander's love. Egeus, Hermia's father, approaches the Duke Theseus, saying that Hermia must either marry Demetrius, or die. Lysander and Hermia sneak out late one night to be wed. Demetrius follows, enraged, and a doting Helena follows after him.
Meanwhile, Oberon and Titania, the king and queen of the fairies, are having a fight over a young boy Titania took. Puck, a problem causing fairy is given a task to change the loves of the yoh in the forest, when the plans go horribly wrong. The lovers story intertwines with the story of an acting troupe when the potion changes the love of the  lead actor, Nick Bottom, who falls in love with queen Titania.

I really enjoyed this book, and the side by side transliterations were really helpful. I like how the story is easily understandable even though it is in script form, and the transliterations because it made it easier to understand, and more enjoyable. I think that all of the characters were well done. I also really enjoyed all of the relationships between the characters because it really increased the storyline.

TBR:
Carry On     by Rainbow Rowell
All of Sherlock Holmes
To Kill a Mockingbird     by Harper Lee
High Rhulan     by Brian Jacques
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time     by Mark Haddon