Danielle

Interesting concept and world, excellent artwork and fun characters make this first volume an engaging beginning with lots of future potential. I can see why Netflix is making it into an anime, it's not too cliche and has a really exciting and fun premise. Steampunk mixed with dragons and almost a Ghibli-like aesthetic make for a winning combination. Though the story itself isn't really too deep, there is a potential for it to explore the characters and world in a way that would keep it interesting. Definitely one to keep an eye on!

The subject matter of this book is what drew me to it, as well as really enjoying Maier's previous novel A Skeleton in God's Closet. I am still fascinated with the subject matter and it is interesting to think on, but I did have a hard time with the rather awkward dialogue, the fact that Jon's terms of endearment for his wife get tiresome after a while and that the trouble the characters do get into is quickly resolved. It could have used a bit of fleshing out in a lot of areas. Other than that, I appreciate what Maier was trying to do and his endless knowledge on the subject of Christian and Biblical history never ceases to amaze me. If you can get past the sometimes clunky writing, it is worth reading, even if just for a bit of food for thought.

If I could give this 10 stars I would. WOW! What an amazing series. One of the best stories (in any medium) I have had the pleasure to be immersed in, in a LONG time. Characters that I fell in love with despite their flaws. Darkness that was balanced out with humor and heart. Action, thoughtful themes and an ending that was satisfying, fitting and tear-worthy. The page at the end with the ‘family' picture had me blubbering. I would recommend this to manga fans and non-fans alike. Now onto the anime series - can't wait to see it all come to life. Oh and thank you Hiromu Arakawa, your artwork, storytelling and characters are bar-none, thank you for such a wonderful story.

This wonderful love letter to the imagination and creativity behind movies is great mix of words and images that is really quite charming. I fell in love with the movie, but had not read the book up until now. The movie is certainly a wonderful adaptation, but it was nice to see Selznick's drawings and the words and thoughts of Hugo throughout the story. Check out if you're like me and enjoy visuals and stories in a neat package, with a wonderful story to boot.

Update on 3rd re-read: I first read this in 2014 and now ten years later it remains one of my all-time favourite series. I seem to find something different each time that speaks to me, and re-visit those things that touched me so deeply on that first read. Nothing beats that Sanderslide at the end, as I cried, cheered, and felt a great upheaval in the story leading into the next book. 10 years later I still love these characters, the world, this book, and this series.

Wow! What can you say about Brandon Sanderson's epic that hasn't been said already. From the world-building, to the magic system to the characters I was hooked right from the beginning all the way through and it never felt tired to tedious to read despite its length. Although it is the trend to be gritty and have the anti-hero for a main character, it was super refreshing to have an overall hopeful outlook and characters that are still flawed and human. I really, really LOVED this book. It has been a while since I've felt inspired by characters in an epic fantasy and feel their struggles and fears and emotions as my own. This series may top my all time favourites - well done Mr. Sanderson and thank you for writing such an amazing, and unique book.

You can't be into manga and not have heard about Akira, and I am no exception. It is on just about every ‘best of' list ever and certainly has been on my radar since my early days getting into manga. However, I never seemed to get around to reading it - until now. Recently I was craving some cyberpunk and while looking for recommendations, of course Akira tops a lot of the lists. So I finally picked it up and I realize now what I've been missing. I see why this is considered top-tier manga. The artwork is amazing, the world gritty, the characters grey and the story highly intriguing, fast-paced and mysterious. Adding supernatural powers, and shady government experiments into the mix adds a little something extra giving me a bit of Stranger Things vibes, even though this pre-dates that by nearly 30 years, so it would actually be Stranger Things that borrowed from it, not the other way around. All the artwork and world-building would be for not if it didn't have a solid story and I think that is where Akira shines. I was pulled in almost immediately and I'm still invested 3 volumes in, even when the characters are frustrating or make stupid decisions, I'm still on board with them and eager to know what comes next. It is certainly action-packed and Otomo's artwork fluidly portrays the action in a realistic way, lending to it being very cinematic. So far it hasn't fallen into many of the pitfalls that manga can be infamous for, truly being it's own work of art and storytelling and I can't wait to get through the whole series!

Okay, the first 2/3 of this volume was a bit frustrating and had it ended there, I may have only given it 3 stars, BUT the last 1/3 was AMAZING! A few things I disliked about the beginning was that the use of ‘Deus ex Machina' was WAY overdone. Kaneda and Kei get out of so many things inexplicably that I was almost at eye-rolling by the 2/3 mark, not to mention the constant changing hands of the ‘prize' in ways that just seemed mind-boggling and then happened way too many times to the point that the plot lost all story and it was just a game of hot potato between all the different factions. We almost completely lose all storytelling in favor of action for the sake of action, which the previous volumes seemed to balance much better. Kaneda's immaturity, which I get is part of his character and is present for sure in other volumes, becomes rather annoying in this one, even childish at times with some of the dialogue really being dumbed down. But why did I give this 5 stars in the end? Because the end blows all that out of the water with a stunning conclusion that I didn't see coming and was phenomenally drawn. There was one gut punch after another and everything on the board is wiped out in one fell swoop, leaving a cliff-hanger ending that made me curse not having the next volume along with me. I can only hope that the issues at the beginning of this volume don't continue to show up with the change that happened toward the end, and that the story is given new vitality and direction in the coming volumes. So my advice is to push through the first part and you'll be rewarded at the end!

Although I thought this volume was a bit more uneven than the first, it does still propel the story forward by leaps and bounds, the artwork continues to be amazing and the world-building continues to grow in some interesting ways I hadn't anticipated, so I ate this one up pretty quickly. Maybe I have a different outlook because I had the next volume ready to go right after, so I wasn't looking at this volume as a piece on its own and so I maybe was more forgiving overall, but I still think this is a truly solid manga that deserves it's ‘best of' status and this volume didn't make me think otherwise.

Short stories get a bad rap for not being ‘enough', but Ursula K. Le Guin proves how powerful they can be in this one. Beautifully and hauntingly written, it will follow you long after you've read it and will give you so much to think on in respect to the story that you'd truly think you had read a novel. In a strange way I see a parallel with one of my favourite anime series Kino's Journey, which also explores uncomfortable truths about people, societies and morality. Truly an artful masterpiece.

At first it seems like The Book of Lost Things is going to be the usual type of ‘portal' fantasy, as I like to call it. Someone from our world being whisked away to another by various means and going on an adventure, like the Narnia books, Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, Inkheart, etc. I like those types of fantasy, so The Book of Lost Things sounded right up my alley. What's different about it though, is how dark it is. It's not meant for kids. Not only in the fact of the gore, that although not over the top, is still very present, but also in the tone and themes. This is not a fun adventure, but a true coming-of-age story and all that that entails with the struggles and the uncertain decision making. The realization that the world is not a fair or very pleasant place, but what you do in the world can make all the difference in how you survive and live in it. It is actually quite poignant in its telling.
I didn't fall in love with the characters and that's the reason for the 4 stars. I liked the story, the world-building and the overall message it conveyed, but I had trouble really caring for the characters. The main character was fine, just not a very great or memorable one.
The Book of Lost Things is a really good book, not great, but well worth reading if you like portal fantasy with a dark twist and meaningful things to say.

Again, I'm not sure I got the emotional punch that I did from the second volume, but nonetheless it is an enjoyable read and certainly expands and continues the story satisfactorily. Winry was an awesome new character and the brothers relationship continues to grow in the eyes of the audience. All around enjoyable.

I picked this one up because so many people said that if you like the Dresden Files, then you'll like the Peter Grant series as well. Now having read through it I certainly see the parallels, but I think I still enjoy the Dresden Files much more. Not to say I disliked this one in any way, I appreciated the London setting, the viewpoint from a coppers standpoint and the creative magic system that includes ghosts, vampires and magical beings in a new light. Though there is some humor, it isn't as prevalent as the Dresden series, and I found Peter Grant likable, but I didn't fall quite as in love with him as I did with Harry. Both series unfortunately tend to talk way too much about women's boobs and hips, something I could do with a little less of, but at least it isn't the focus. This first volume was interesting enough to keep me reading the series, I just hope you get to see a little more of Peter Grant's character come out in further volumes, I'd like to know more about him and less about just what he's thinking in the situation. Still well worth a read, but hoping for more in future volumes.

This simple fable is a strangely mesmerizing read. I've had it recommended numerous times and seen it highly praised, which always makes me a bit wary, but I think it has some merit to it's popularity.
With all books that claim to share some kind of ‘wisdom', you need to sift through it a bit with your own critical eye, but I do think there are a lot of gems to glean from Paulo Coelho's story.
The simple premise is about a young shepherd who leaves behind everything to follow his dream and about the lessons he learns along the way about finding purpose in your life, about faith and about learning to follow your heart. Of course there are much deeper concepts connected to those, but you'll have to read it to find out about them, but needless to say it will definitely have you thinking about your own life and your own journey and does provide some positive encouragement to follow through on your dreams.
Despite the heavy themes, it's a short, quite easy read and was simple to follow.
I definitely enjoyed it and will take a lot away from it. It's not a handbook on how to make your dreams come true, but rather an encouragement to pursue your dreams despite obstacles and comfort zones that would prevent you from them. Definitely inspiring and insightful.

I read this as part of a BTS book club on a recommendation by the member Kim Namjoon, and it's not my usual type of book, but boy did it hit an emotional note! Usually I give 5 stars to books that make me both laugh and cry and give me something to think on, but this book was much more melancholy and I didn't really laugh per se, but it was certainly emotional, thoughtful and I felt myself thinking very much about the women in my life - mothers and grandmothers- and about family in general. How we treat each other based on how we view each other, the differences between generations and how we view a ‘happy' and ‘fulfilling' life and rarely understand what that means to each individual and situation. What sacrifice is and whether it's worth it in the end. And maybe also a nudge on not taking each other for granted. All these thoughts and emotions ran through me as I read this book and I actually thoroughly enjoyed the journey. It's not exciting or dramatic like some Hollywood mystery, but uses poignant small moments of reminiscing to reveal some truly important things we all could take a little more time to think about. I am certainly still mulling it all over and wiping tears away from the heart-wrenching Epilogue that reduced me to a puddle of tears. Highly recommended, a wonderfully told story that will make you take a good hard look at your own family and the women in your life or maybe even yourself and to see them in a different light, and maybe appreciate them a bit more at the end of it.

It took me a long time to work up to the decision to take on the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. It's length and hearing that it wasn't an easy read always kept me back, but I finally decided to dive in. I heard prior to reading that the first book Gardens of the Moon is the weakest of the bunch, but if that's the case, then I look forward to what's to come, because I really enjoyed it. The sense of the epic and the intricacies of motivations, whose connected to whom and let's not forget the magic. Much more overtly fantastical than Game of Thrones and I loved that about it. Magical battles, dragons, different races and gods all play significant roles. A lot of things are still vague at this point, but the world and characters have pulled me in and grabbed my interest and imagination. Characterization suffers a bit, only because the details for their motivations are a slow and guarded reveal and some are still a mystery, making it difficult to decide how you feel about certain characters, however, there is a definite sense of so much more to come, so much more going on that will be revealed in future books, that it didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. - I guess that's the plus of reading the series knowing that it's finished.
The pace of the book was much faster than I anticipated as well. So much going on and changing that I never felt any kind of dragging or parts where I lost interest. My curiosity was fuelled from beginning to end in all the various storylines, each just short enough not to drag, but long enough to impart important details. Erickson is not an author of description however. Descriptions of people and places are sparse and used only to give a sense of place and no more, the focus instead is on the story and the characters interactions. Very impressed overall and really looking forward to where things go from here.

The Unwritten keeps getting better with each volume. I really enjoyed the fact that this volume propelled the story forward quite a bit, and although there is still a lot of mystery to reveal, it gave a few answers and didn't leave everything continually hanging. More pieces of the puzzle are starting to be put together and I'm really enjoying where it is going. The characters continue to be flawed and yet likable and the unique ‘pick-a-story' style of revealing Lizzie's past was a fun and interesting way to reveal more about her. Such a unique story and one I'm happy to continue reading!

I really liked the concept of a person trying to find a bit of magic and enchantment in the modern world and Signe's journey was quite relatable in a lot of ways. Whether you believe faeries truly exist or are just interested on hearing people's perspective on it, the read is interesting, humorous and thoughtful. Where I felt a bit disconnected, and this is only a personal view, was the ‘encounters' with faeries and the odd circumstances were a bit, well hard to believe. I suppose it's no different than seeing signs or God's hand in the life of a person who believes He exists, but as I personally don't think faeries are real - although I definitely wish they were - these encounters feel subjective. Far be it from me to discount someone's experience, so I don't want to discourage giving this book a go as there are still a lot to enjoy besides, it just might require a bit of suspended belief depending on your own thoughts on the matter. What I did enjoy was the journey that Signe goes on to reconnect with nature and to sort through her past so she can move forward. Even just the travelling and meeting of new people can bring a certain kind of magic to one's life and I did find it fun to follow Signe on her exploration both outward and inward,