Homunculus - Hideo Yamamoto

I didn't have the full experience, but I'm okay with that.

A man volunteers to have a hole drilled in his head, and the result is that he can see "monsters" in other people. His friend wants to explore the gift, but it's disturbing.

I'm not really getting into the rest of it. I had six volumes, and around volume five, I was scrolling pretty fast. Let's just say there was some sexual content I was not prepared for. Once I made it through five, I had one left, but it didn't really explain much, and I was done.

I was really interested up to that point. Then volume five happened, and it just wasn't for me any more. I wanted to read it since it was a psychological manga, but it just went in a direction that made me want to quit. I'm out...

The Sundering (War of the Ancients #3) - Richard A. Knaak

It was time to wrap up the trilogy, and I was ready to see what happened. Or so I thought...

Illidan is still helping the Legion, and Malfurion is aiding the allies. The group has grown and now has other races, like tauren, helping to fight the evil that threatens Kalimdor. We still have a few characters who are in the wrong timeline, and Deathwing is on a rampage. Just a normal day in the world of Warcraft!

I liked this third installment. The battles were harsh, and I found myself mourning certain deaths. Even some of the felbeast deaths touched my heart a little. Yes, I know they're ugly and evil, but when they act like dogs, I think of them more as dogs than hellspawn. The end was also really good. It wasn't just happily ever after. It felt like the author really wanted me to know that these characters were going to be okay. And if they weren't, the blow was softened a bit.

This author has written for other series, including Dragonlance and Diablo. It sounds like he's also written more World of Warcraft titles, so I might have to start tracking him as an author. The only problem would be the trilogies. I'd have to get all three before starting them. But it's not really a problem, since I have a ton of books waiting to be read. Overall, I really liked this one, and it easily earns a Good Book! review.

The Demon Soul (War of the Ancients #2) - Richard A. Knaak

I finished book 1, The Well of Eternity, and immediately started the next one.

Sargeras is still trying to come into their world, and Krasus, Rhonin and Brox are still in the wrong timeline. Illidan is becoming more unstable, and Neltharion is getting ready to reveal his insanity to the other dragons. More characters know who the time-travelers really are, and it’s not much of a surprise most of the time.

I really appreciate the little hints of what happened in the first book. Since I’m reading them back-to-back, it’s not as much help for me, but I know how frustrating it is to read a series and forget what happened. This book also doesn’t go into pages and pages of “Do you remember this?” It’s a quick reminder here and there, and you’re good.

This one ended on a bit more of a cliffhanger than the other one, and I’m glad I have the last one already loaded on my Kindle. The writing is good, and it gets a Good Book! review. 

Solo Leveling (Webtoon) - Chugong

I picked this one to read out of a list of stories that sounded interesting. 

Sung Jin-woo is chosen by a system to level up and fight monsters. He starts out as the weakest hunter, and he has to hide his sudden skills. But that isn't going to last long.

I only made it about 25% through this before I got a bit bored. Apparently, it started out as a fantasy web novel and later became a webtoon, anime and drama adaptation is in the works. For some reason, I couldn't get into the story.

I read the summary of the plot, and it seems like I didn't get to the interesting parts. I'm not sure why I wasn't getting into this. It has some cute moments of humor, but it just didn't interest me. I don't think it's bad, it just wasn't for me.

Black Storm - Thomas C. Hinkle

When I was at the used book store, I came across this book by accident. I was in the children's section looking for a copy of The Outsiders when I saw this unloved paperback on the shelf. I liked the cover, and the story sounded interesting.

Black Storm is a beautiful horse that won't let anyone ride him. He's terrified of anyone with spurs, and only Joe Bain is able to ride him. The horse has wonderful instincts and is smart. One night, Joe is attacked, and Black Storm is stolen.

I didn't read this book correctly. I did notice that the horse went through a lot on the back cover, but I wasn't prepared to read the author's note and discover the horse was real. After I got about 1/3 of the way through, I was starting to get uncomfortable. I was almost in tears when I decided I couldn't go any farther. 

From there, I skimmed to the part where Joe and Black Storm were reunited. Then, I skipped to the end and was almost going to have to throw the book across the room. But! It was safe at that point, and the paperback is intact. It wouldn't have been so bad if the author wasn't so good at his job. The details about Black Storm's injuries and scars from previous beatings were thorough.

Yeah, if you love horses and don't like reading about them being injured, sad and lonely, I wouldn't recommend this book. One of the things that bothers me most is the book is meant for children. My kids would never have forgiven me if I read this book to them. And I'd have to comfort them while they cried for 1/2 the book. Major pass for me.

Call of the Heart - Barbara Cartland

Still trying to decrease my TBR pile. My paperbacks were in a good place, but then I was at the used book store, and I ended up with five more. In my defense, I got all five for $11!

In this BC, Lalitha is basically Cinderella. She has the evil "stepmother" and stepsister. She has to cook and clean up after them. When Lalitha's vain stepsister, Sophie, decides her relationship future, she sends Lalitha to give a waiting suitor the bad news. His reaction? Shout and force Lalitha to marry him. Perfectly rational behavior, right?

There are some interesting things I got from this book. I learned about William Thomas Stead and the abduction of virgins for sale in other countries. While this did have some impact on the story, I became more interested researching Mr. Stead and his unorthodox ways of getting stories. I will say this story was reminiscent of other things. Not only Cinderella, but I picked up a few similarities with Hazard of Hearts as well. I'm talking about the movie, since I haven't read the book. The main difference is the female in the movie has spirit and a backbone. Lalitha has been beaten into submission too often to do anything of the sort.

This was a pretty good example of what BC made her living on. It was entertaining. You just have to pretend the woman doesn't pause every other word. I just skip the pauses and pretend she can speak like a normal human being. Good Book!

The Well of Eternity (War of the Ancients #1) - Richard A. Knaak

A while back, we purchased a Humble Bundle that had World of Warcraft content. There were comics, manga and novels. I was getting a bit nostalgic about WoW, so I decided to dive into this trilogy.

Krasus is a dragon mage who enlists the help of his friend, Rhonin, to investigate a wrongness in their world. Nozdormu, the Dragon of Time, needs help. When the mages get close to the anomaly, it transports them back in time. It's before the initial invasion of the Burning Legion. A portal is being made to try and bring the Legion into the night elf city, and Krasus and Rhonin have to decide if they want to risk altering the past and possibly destroying the future.

There is a lot going on in this. An orc has also been transported to the past, and he has zero chance of blending in. He doesn't even really have any idea what's happened to him. Familiar names in the world of the night elves had me wracking my brain to remember them. Malfurion Stormrage and his twin, Illidan are young and just learning how to use their powers. Tyrande, the priestess of Elune, has yet to choose who to spend her life with. But with the Legion trying to come through, they don't have tons of time to figure out their love life.

I really enjoyed this book, but I hated the copy I got from Humble Bundle. It was long enough ago that the link no longer worked, so I was stuck with each page of my pdf being landscape with two pages on it. I had to read it on my tablet, which I really don't like doing.

You're definitely meant to keep going with the trilogy. I wouldn't recommend diving into this unless you plan on reading all three. While major elements of the plot are wrapped up, other important elements are left unsettled.

The story was really fun for me. I could see a lot of the characters in my mind as I read about them, but I haven't played in a few years, so I looked up a few to refresh my memory of what they looked like. The night elves are special to me, since my main character was a night elf priest. World of Warcraft was a big part of my life for a long time. I went around healing my warrior husband, and we made friends that we still have to this day. I'm glad the other two books are in a normal format, and I look forward to diving into the next one, The Demon Soul. Good Book! 

Love Lifts the Curse - Barbara Cartland

I’m always in the mood for a Barbara Cartland. They follow a formula, and I can read them in a day.

In this one, Jacoba has to move out of her house after her father and uncle die in a rail accident. She has no money and no idea what to do. Her solicitor finds a position for her with an old man, but it’s actually a young(ish) Earl. His nephew was annoyed with him and decided to play a joke on him by sending him a woman. The Earl has sworn to not have women in his home, and the nephew thinks sending a random woman will be a hilarious joke.

Once Jacoba arrives, she finds out she’s been deceived. The Earl isn’t old, deaf or blind. In fact, he yells at her so loud that his dogs attack her. Once she starts to get better, the Earl is attacked and spends a good chunk of the book unconscious. But guess what? They fall in love!

This is definitely a Barbara Cartland. The woman is dumber than a box of rocks and is incapable of speaking a sentence without pausing every two words. The man and woman are barely together, but they are madly in love! If you know what to expect from these, you’ll be content. For me, they’re nostalgic and hilarious. It’s almost always a Good Book! and this one gets the tag!

The Shadowy Horses - Susanna Kearsley

I was looking up authors who were similar to Barbara Michaels, and this book was listed. I waited for the price to drop, and I was anxious to see how it measured up.

Verity has agreed to go on a dig with her ex-boyfriend, Adrian. She knows nothing else about it, but by his tone, she’s knows it’s something big. She finds out a man is searching for a unicorn. Not a literal unicorn, but it’s a specific Roman encampment that no one’s been able to find. While she’s there, she meets David, and they are the romance element.

While on the dig, the supernatural is also present. Verity hears horses galloping through almost every night, but there aren’t any. Also, there’s a Roman soldier that can be communicated with through a little boy. It shouldn’t be possible to find what they’re looking for, but they get clues that lead them to the truth.

I really liked certain elements of this book, but I’m not sure I loved the way they were used. The horses for example. I may have missed it, but I never understood why they were there. Peter told an Irish tale about horses and the waves, but this group was in Scotland. And then there was the Sentinel. I thought this was a clever in some respects. But I felt like he wasn’t in there enough.

The thing that bothered me the most was the romance. There was nothing specifically wrong with it, but I wasn’t a fan. It ruined the end for me, because I wanted to know what they did about the Sentinel, and instead, I had to read about David and Verity. It was also a bit abrupt for some reason. Not the rescue itself, I guess I’m referring to the wrap-up. Was it a bad book? Not at all. Was it something that made me want to read more? Nah.

Beyond Band of Brothers - Major Dick Winters

If you've seen HBO's Band of Brothers mini-series, you'll know who this man is.

This book is the life of Dick Winters. He covers almost all of his life, and he gives some information that goes beyond what was written in Stephen Ambrose's book about Easy Company.

It took me a while to get through this one, and I'm not sure I can explain why. I think that since I've read a few of the memoirs from this group, and I've seen the show, it was a bit repetitive. I should probably spread out reading them a bit more. Also, I've been spreading myself a bit thin by trying to read too many things at once.

On the flip side of that, I really enjoyed getting this man's particular point of view. He was right in the thick of things for the important battles, and considered a good friend and comrade to many. At the end of the book, he goes over some thoughts on leadership. I'm not really in a position where that would apply to me, but the advice is solid.

Thanks to men like Major Winters and men he fought with, we have examples of what real courage and bravery look like. I'll give it a Good Book! review, but it isn't one of the ones that will stand out in my memory.

A Certain Crossroad - Emilie Loring

I guess I've been living under a rock. Emilie Loring is an American romance author who started writing at the age of 50. She ended up writing 30 books during her lifetime. After her death, her sons took her unfinished material and published 20 more. My semi-sad copy was a purchase at the used book store, and it cost me less than $1! I'd never heard of her.

Judy made a mistake a year ago. She gave Neil an ultimatum, but he didn't bow to her wishes. She knows she was selfish, but when she meets Neil again, his attitude is cold. When Judy is pushed off a tree, it brings the two together again, but the mystery doesn't stop there. Strange things are happening on the water, and not everyone is what they seem.

This book felt very familiar. After I finished it, I decided it's like a romantic Nancy Drew. Almost like a cross over of Nancy with a Barbara Cartland. The great thing is, the heroine isn't a total idiot. She was irritating a couple of times, but overall, she was much stronger and smarter than the average Barbara Cartland heroine.

I really did enjoy this one. It was the third book Loring published (in 1925), and I'm really impressed with the style and story, especially considering when it was written. I will say it definitely follows a template. It was a great diet book, and I wouldn't mind reading more. Good Book!

Reader's Digest Illustrated Story of World War II - Various

This large hardback is part of my childhood. For as long as I can remember, it's been on a bookshelf. When my mother was going to donate it, I put a stop to that. I've been interested in WWII for a while now, so I thought, "why not actually read it?" What I did was to read one article or section (for the longer ones) a day. I didn't always keep to the schedule, but I was fairly consistent. I think that's pretty good for basically a textbook.  

This book covers the whole war, and you can probably find that anywhere. The articles are from various first-hand accounts and research. What I think really sets this book apart from other WWII books is the pictures. It lives up to its illustrated story claim! It has pictures from both the Allies and the Axis. Some of them are pretty famous and others I've never seen before.

I really enjoyed this book. I don't know how hard it is to get a hold of this book, but if you're into WWII history, I recommend it. You can't have mine, though. I'm keeping it! Good Book!

Parasyte (manga series) - Hitoshi Iwaaki

I've got a fair number of manga I've gotten interested in reading lately, and this was one of them.

Shinichi is getting ready to finish school when he is attacked one day by a parasite. It's aiming for his brain but becomes lodged in his arm instead. Others aren't as lucky and are infected. Almost every parasite eats humans, and the bodies they leave behind are gruesome. 

Shinichi and Migi (since he's in the right hand) need each other to survive. Other parasites want to kill Shinichi because he interferes with their plans, and humans are protecting their species. Along the way, Shinichi and Migi get closer, although Migi claims to only care about his survival. Sometimes, he lives up to that statement, and other times it sounds like Shinichi is losing a bit of his humanity.

I really liked the story here. The way the author incorporated the parasites and the way they would fight was really creative and interesting. I'm not going to say a ton about the plot. It's worth a read. The end especially had some profound moments, and I liked it.

I would recommend this manga to people who aren't afraid to question why things happen and the way humans treat things they don't understand. My volumes had Q&A with the author, and I found those super interesting. It's helpful to see where the author is coming from and what inspired him. Good Manga!

Berserk Official Guidebook - Kentaro Miura

This book came on my radar once I'd gotten caught up with the manga. I do have the next volume preordered. I was bummed about the cliffhanger in the last one!

In this book, you'll find character portraits, storylines and sketches. There is also an interview with Kentaro Miura, and it's a pretty decent length. It's got a lot of great information, and you get a real sense of the author's personality and dedication. The character portraits are really nice. They covered almost anyone you can think of, and all the major characters go into some depth. 

I really liked this book, and I think it'll be a good reference if I forget anything in the future. I don't think someone just starting the manga should read this book. It's going to spoil a lot of the genius twists, turns and amazing story that I think should be experienced through the source material. 

The guidebook came out after the release of volume 38, so if you've made it that far, I recommend this book. If not, get caught up ASAP and buy this book! Good Book!

The Seven Dials Mystery (Superintendent Battle #2) - Agatha Christie

I've read the first book in this series, The Secret of Chimneys, and I enjoyed it. I wasn't sure how great Battle was at the end of that one, so I was interested to give him another chance.

A group of friends are visiting the Coote family when a prank goes wrong. One of them is found dead, but it isn't until Lady Eileen, known as Bundle, almost hits another of the friends that there seems to be a pattern. There is a secret society and national secrets mixed up in it, and Bundle is on the case.

And it really is Bundle most of the way through. Battle shows up here and there, but he keeps information to himself for the most part, and we don't get into his mind at all. He pops up at explanation time to clarify some things for Bundle, but it's after she's done all the leg work.

I did like this book. I just don't understand why it has to be a Superintendent Battle book. Yes, Bundle knew him from the first mystery, but other than that, it could have been any police inspector. It's not a big deal, and it didn't affect my enjoyment of the book. I'm giving it a Good Book! review, but don't expect to see Superintendent Battle flex his mystery-solving muscles.

Dragon Rider - Cornelia Funke

I can't even tell you how long I've had this book. It's a hardback, and it's a bit beat up, so it had to come to me used. Cornelia Funke is probably better known for her Inkheart series, and I read those. They are no longer in my collection, but I remember liking the first one. Also, something I didn't realize is that this book is part of a series. The other two also start with Dragon Rider as the title, but the second one is The Griffin's Feather, and book 3 is The Aurelia Curse.

Firedrake has left his home to find the mythical Rim of Heaven. Humans are approaching the current home of the dragons, and Firedrake isn't content to sit by and watch his home get taken over. On his adventure, he brings his best friend, Sorrel. She's a brownie and a spicy one at that! They run into a human boy, Ben, who helps them on their way. But there's also a humongous enemy after them. Nettlebrand tried to wipe out the dragons once before and was unsuccessful. This time, he's got a man on the inside.

The story was about what I expected. I felt like I wasn't the target audience for sure. It was too tame and seemed like it would be better for younger children. That's not a bad thing, it just wasn't a story that drew me in. I think if my kids were younger we'd have read a chapter a day. It's that kind of book. Also, most of the chapters are short, so it lends itself to reading aloud.

I was a bit let down at the end. I can't really put my finger on what it was that bothered me, but I was glad the book was over. It's on the longer side, so that might've had something to do with it. I thought the writing flowed in a good way. It was just okay to me.

Uzumaki - Junji Ito

I finished this series a few days ago, and I wanted to take some time to process it before writing my review.

A town is being plagued by spirals. They appear everywhere, and the residents become obsessed with them. A young woman and man are the only ones who seem immune at first. I'm not going to say too much about the plot. This isn't one of those manga that have 100+ chapters, so it didn't take long for me to get through it.

I found this one to be interesting. It's in the horror genre, and some of the visuals were enough to make me not want to read this at night. I'm also not interested in seeing this animated. It's not a butterflies and roses ending, but that makes sense with the story.. 

If you're looking for an uplifting story, this isn't the manga for you. I liked it though and will happily give it a Good Book! review. But I won't be hunting for any spirals to stare at anytime soon!

Last Patient of the Night (AJ Docker and Banshee #1) - Gary Gerlacher

I'm a sucker for a book with a dog. and this one had a police dog!

AJ is an emergency room doctor and sees a variety of injuries. Jenny comes in presenting with a fracture consistent with abuse, but she rejects his help. It isn't long before AJ sees her again, but this time she's not alive. With his friend, Tom, and Banshee the police dog, he's going to break laws and put his nose - and life - on the line to find the murderer.

AJ is one of those protagonists that gets under my skin. He's cocky and rude. I don't know why Tom puts up with him. And when Banshee is hurt, it's in defense of AJ. This doctor was super annoying, and I'm not sure why so many women loved him.

SPOILERS: I understand that both of the guys were teasing each other constantly. But Tom was my favorite character. And guess what? He's not in the next book. AJ decides he's done with Houston and heads off to Montana. And the worst part? Tom gifts Banshee to AJ!!! No way that man should have a sweet dog like Banshee. Does AJ care about the dog? Of course, but I still hated that.

Banshee wasn't in a lot of the book, since he got shot protecting AJ. AJ was irritating and stupid. There was absolutely no reason for him to keep some of the information from the police the whole time. Why would he imagine sneaking into the gang's hideout alone was a super idea? And he had plenty of time to think it over. It wasn't a spur of the moment idea.

This one didn't grab me. I wanted more Tom and Banshee, and all I got was a smarmy womanizing doctor. It's a pass for me.

Attack on Titan - Hakime Isayama (manga series)

I started this series a long time ago. I couldn't even tell you exactly when. I'm also going to confess that I stopped before the end. Out of the 139 chapters, I made it to 100.

Eren lives in a city that is surrounded by tall walls. One day, the city is attacked by titans, strange human-shaped creatures that don't need food or water to survive, but they eat humans for fun. Eren and his friends experience loss and decide to join the military. Eren is determined to kill all the titans, but everything is not quite as it seems. Secrets and political intrigue are commonplace, and the mission isn't as cut and dry as it appears.

The storyline is unique, and I was drawn to it. I still think it's a neat story, but I had some issues that just got worse over time. The first problem is that a lot of the people look the same. There are so many characters, it was hard to keep them clear in my mind as it was, but then when some of them are so similar looking, it made it impossible. Next, the story got so complex, I couldn't remember important details. I put the series aside for a while, and when I came back, I couldn't remember which side was responsible for what.

The beginning of the volumes has a little synopsis of who is who, but it still didn't help me at times. I might know who someone is, but what was their role in the overall story? I just couldn't remember. I also tried watching the anime, but I got creeped out by the way the titans moved. They were bad enough in the manga to look at, but watching them move was too much for me.

I don't think this is a bad manga at all. I just realized it wasn't making me excited to keep going. I was tired of trying to keep everyone separate, especially the ones who looked similar. I looked up the rest of the plot, and I'm good.

I can see why this manga has such a following. It's a well thought out world, and the uniqueness of the story stands out. For me, it just got tedious, and it wasn't for me.

In Cold Blood - Truman Capote

This is one of the earliest "true crime" books. It's widely considered to be the first, but there are a couple others.

In 1959, the murder of the Clutter family shocks the members of a small farming community in Kansas. The brutality of it is the work of two criminals. One of them heard that Herb Clutter had a safe in his house and plenty of money in it. Dick decides to take that information and bring his friend, Perry, to the Clutter place and "leave no witnesses." The worst part is that the information is bad. Herb didn't have a safe.

The book tells the story from all sides. The killers, the friends of the victims, and general information is all organized to tell the complete story. From the last moments of the Clutters to the capture and outcome of the trial of the perpetrators.

For being such an early example of the genre, this book was really well done. Capote was intrigued by the crime and interviewing people before the criminals were captured. It took him six years to write the book.

One critique I'd like to offer up is the amount of time dedicated to the analysis of the criminals felt excessive. The real part that bothers me about true crime is it feels like the focus is on the killer(s), and people don't remember the victims. Killers don't deserve to have their name remembered - their victims do.

Other than the excessive amount of time spent "analyzing" the murderers, I did enjoy the book. It was interesting, and I couldn't wait to see what happened. I wanted to look it up so many times, but I was able to control myself! If you're interested in true crime, you might be interested in this book. I'm giving it a Good Book! review, but I also want to send out a RIP to Herb, Bonnie, Nancy and Kenyon Clutter.