June was a really hard month with a lot of not so fun things happening. So, overall I only read sixteen books. Which isn’t bad considering everything that was going on. I talked a little bit about my car accident in my last post – which still isn’t fixed and I’m still waiting on a copy of the police report that I ordered the day after the accident AND I got an almost $700 bill for towing (yaaaaay) – but there was a different issue that was just on another level. So, I take anti-depressants. They are used to treat my depression as well as migraines and headaches. I ran out of my medication because my doctor wouldn’t call me back. I left four messages and had my pharmacy contact them twice as well. So after about a week of no medication I started to go through withdrawals. Which was horrible. In order to get an appointment I had to take time off of work to drive to their office and make an appointment in person. They told me that they would call me about a refill for my prescription. Which they did surprisingly but they told me that I would have to make a follow up appointment. In less than 24 hours they had lost the appointment that I had made in person at their office. I don’t understand how an office can be run so unprofessionally. Anyway, let’s talk about something less frustrating, like books!
Ah yes. The finale volume of one of my favorite series, that I’ve been reading for three years, that I’ve recommended to countless people. And oh how disappointed I was in this last volume. If you read my last blog post reviewing volume 8 then you know that I was dreading the last volume. Honestly, I think that having Rinko end up with Key was just stupid. I understand the sentiment behind wanting and trying to make someone else happy but why does that have to be at the expense of Rinko’s happiness? Why does she have to change herself and battle through all of Key’s resentment and belittlement of her and her friends. Friends who don’t really get much development after volume 4. There was so much potential! For all three of these women! I don’t understand why Rinko had to end up in a one-sided relationship for her to be happy. What is her relationship with Key going to look like in five years? How about ten? Would they still even be together? Would they be happy together in their life? Once his grief and resentment is gone, will he even like Rinko? I never got the feeling that he liked her to begin with.
Why couldn’t at least one of these women just realized that they don’t need a man/relationship to be happy. I just am really disappointed that the overall message is, get out there and find a man, especially if you’re over thirty. Why can’t women just enjoy their lives, why does it always have to be about a man.
One of the manga that I really enjoyed last month was Love & Lies vol. 1 by Musawo. Here is the description from Goodreads: Yukari is dull. He doesn’t even stand out enough to be bullied – he’s just a generally lower-middle-class kid. He’s in love with Misaki, the most popular girl in school. There’s just one problem: He’s 15, one year away from receiving his government-assigned marriage partner. He normally wouldn’t have the courage to defy the law, but his sickly classmate Ririna still believes in love, and won’t stop goading him into confessing his feelings!
This manga has a very interesting premise. I know that arranged marriage manga are pretty common but it’s not usually the government setting you up. While the premise is interesting, I think that there were a few sections that had issues and were kind of fan-servicey but I kind of thought that was going to happen just from flipping through the book. Overall, though I think I will contiue this series purely just to see what happens with Yukari and Misaki.
Next up we have a online graphic novel by Tillie Walden called Do You Listen to Girl in Red? This was a short ten page comic illustrated by Tillie Walden and featuring the lyrics of Marie Ulven. I love all of Tillie Walden’s stuff and this was no exception. The artwork was beautiful and I defintely recommend that you check it out! Here is the link: https://wepresent.wetransfer.com/story/girl-in-red-graphic-novel/.
One the manga that I really loved was Restaurant to Another World vol. 1 by Junpei Inuzuka. The blurb: By all appearances, Western Restaurant Nekoya is a normal restaurant serving normal people-but unbeknownst to the regulars, it also attracts an alternative clientele. Every Saturday, all manner of fantastical beings come to dine, and what is familiar fare to humans can be downright exotic for visitors from beyond. To these customers, Nekoya is known by a different name: Restaurant to Another World.
I thought that this manga was so adorable. I loved seeing all the different customers that came in the restaurant. The story itself isn’t very complex. Problems that pop up are solved within the chapter that they first appear in. Which honestly, is fine with me. I love having a manga that I can turn to that’s not super high stakes and just relax within it’s pages. Also, I’m a big fan of food shows, cooking competitions and things like that so seeing the food drawn out was really interesting to me. I love when a manga centers around food. Overall, this is a cute series that I will definitely be continuing.
One of the last books that I read in June was The End of Summer by Tillie Walden.
The Goodreads blurb: In a secluded castle, at the beginning of a winter that is predicted to last for three years, Lars is battling illness, boredom and the pressures of family life. Locked inside for the duration, he passes the time playing with his siblings and his giant cat, Nemo, while tensions within the family begin to simmer…
This book is GORGEOUS. The artwork is just phenomenal. The story is very atmospheric and the castle is a character unto itself. Sometimes the characters wouldn’t say anything, they’d just be walking around the castle and you could still get an idea of what was going on in the story. OVerall, if you are a Tillie Walden fan then definitely check this out. Even if you’re not, I would still say check it out. The artwork alone is worth the read.
Overall, June was eventful and I really hope July is a much calmer month. July is also my birthday month, yay! I’m turning 31 this year. I’m excited because my parents are coming to visit and we’re going to go to the aqaurium. AND a restaurant that only serves different types of mac and cheese! Not sure which one I’m more excited about to be honest. I hope that you all had a great June! I love to hear from you in the comments! Happy reading!
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