This week I finished a series that I’ve been reading for a few months. I also read a really great manga and a wonderful graphic novel. I hope you all had a great week too! Now onto the books!
The first book I want to talk about is an amazing graphic novel called Spellbound by Bishakh Kumar Som!
This exquisite graphic novel memoir by a transgender artist, explores the concept of identity by inviting the reader to view the author moving through life as she would have us see her, that is, as she sees herself. Framed with a candid autobiographical narrative, this book gives us the opportunity to enter into the author’s daily life and explore her thoughts on themes of gender and sexuality, memory and urbanism, love and loss.
I very much enjoyed this graphic novel. The artwork was fantastic and the story really resonated with me. I understand feeling like you don’t know what you want to do with your life. You’ve gotten a job, been there for a few years, and it’s like, now what do I do? Is this it forever? I’ve had those feelings many times in my life and to see it reflected in someone else was comforting. I had one slight issue with the book and that was actually the font. There were some times that I couldn’t figure out what a certain letter was but from context you can figure it out. That may be an issue for some people so just keep it in mind. You can see an excerpt on Amazon if you want a preview of the font.
Up next we have the manga that I read this week called Ossan Idol by Mochiko Mochida!
Miroku Osaki is 36 years old, unemployed, and unhappy. Having been bullied in his childhood and even into his adult life, he became a shut-in after being unfairly laid off. For a long time, the only thing that brought him joy was online gaming. Then, he tried the popular idol game called “Let’s Try Dancing!” It was addicting… and transformative! Inspired by the game, Miroku decides to turn his life around. He begins singing karaoke and going to the gym, where he meets Yoichi, the director of an entertainment company who encourages Miroku to pursue his dreams.
Miroku only wanted to be good at the game he loves, but when he accidentally uploads a clip of himself singing and dancing, it goes completely viral! Can he really become an idol, even at his age?! Suddenly, it doesn’t seem so impossible!
This was such a cute manga!! I can’t wait to read the rest of this series. Miroku is such a lovable main character. I wanted to be his friend. The dynamic between all of them was great too. They were so supportive of each other and I can’t wait to see how their friendship matures over time. Highly recommend this manga!
The last book that I want to talk about is actually the final book of a five book series. The series is called Shadow Falls and it is by C.C. Hunter. The last book in the series is Chosen at Nightfall. I read the entire series pretty quickly because I found the first four books in the series at my local used bookstore and I bought the first one to see how I would like it. I called the used bookstore the next day to hold the other books that they had for me so I could get them after work. I FLEW through the first four books of this series but then it took me forever to finish the last book. I think I was just kind of burnt out on all the characters and I knew how the story was going to end (it was pretty obvious). But honestly, I still really, really enjoyed this series. The characters were great and the story was WILD from start to finish – which I appreciated, it kept it from getting boring and repetitive. Overall, if you are a fan of fun, easy YA books then I say give this series a try.
That is it for this week! I hope you all had a great week and I’ll talk to you next time!
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