Monthly Archives: October 2020

The Way of the House Husband, Vol 4 by Kousuke Oono

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The Way of the Househusband, Vol 4     

Author: Kousuke Oono

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: September 15, 2020

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Manga/Comedy/168 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

 

While at the market, Tatsu finds the perfect fish! While he is going into glorious details with the fishmonger about what he is going to do to that fish, it’s suddenly yanked from his hands by a four legged thief. And the chase is on!

Tatsu spies smoke coming from next door! Heading to the rescue, he finds the culprit to be a man and his grill. He invites Tatsu to join him, but the intensely smoky atmosphere inside the apartment is less than appetizing. Tatsu leaps into action, declaring, “I’m gonna show you how the Japanese handle a beef.”

One of Miku’s colleagues has given her tickets to Bremen Land, a big kiddie park, and she wants to go with Tatsu. Tatsu is reluctant about the whole idea, especially as the place is liable to be filled with… well, children. Will Tatsu be able to enjoy this excursion?

Tora is finding that crepe sales at his food truck aren’t what they used to be, so he needs to do something else. He hears that bubble tea is all the rage but he knows nothing about tapioca balls, so reluctantly approaches the one man who is bound to have all the answers—Tatsu.

Tatsu gives Masa a lesson in shopping for essential but inexpensive household items—“Don’t you ever underestimate homemaking!”

When the regular picture book storyteller cancels at the last minute, and no one else is available, the bookstore owner reluctantly calls on Tatsu, who very enthusiastically undertakes the mission!  He makes his own drawings to accompany the tale he chooses to tell, which seems to be taking an unexpected turn into not child friendly territory.

Tatsu and Miku are enjoying a day at the beach, when they are approached by a group of men. Tatsu recognizes the Bears, the volleyball team that beat Tatsu and the housewives in a match. They suggest a rematch but Tatsu turns them down. However, Miku is not about to let that fly, and now it’s Miku and Tatsu versus the Bears!

Tatsu is helping tutor a young boy in various subjects, including math, where he uses some rather unusual examples. Everything else accomplished, his last task is an independent project, such as a craft project or a science experiment or journal. The boy declares his intention to do something easy, like a wooden pencil holder. Tatsu is on it! Can anything ever be truly easy with Tatsu, though?

Tatsu is spending time at a restaurant with a couple of his housewife friends, trading stories. Tatsu tells them tales from his past, invoking completely different images in their minds than what he actually experienced.

Another fabulous volume of tales about Tatsu! I love this series so much! I’ve already pre-ordered the next one. I never get tired of reading of Tatsu’s adventures, and the way he applies his Yakuza background to his present life. The artwork is wonderful, the stories filled with humor, as well as some tender, heartwarming moments.   I especially enjoyed Tatsu and Miku’s time at Bremen Land. There are a couple of bonus stories, and the one about Miku is great! Not sure when the live action version is going to be available, but I know they’ve added a couple of original characters who don’t exist in the manga, including a daughter. I’ll reserve judgment on that until I see how that works out.

Fantastic as always, looking forward to the next one!

Book Review: Piercing by Ryu Murakami

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Piercing     

Author: Ryu Murakami

Publisher: Penguin Books

American release date:  March 27, 2007

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Psychological Thriller/192 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Reviewer:  Julie Lynn Hayes

 

New father Kawashima Masayuki stands beside the bed of his infant daughter every night, in the still of the night, and tells himself he will not stab her with the ice pick he holds in his hand.

His wife has no idea of his thoughts, and would naturally be horrified if she only knew. Kawashima has to do something to rid himself of this urge. Better a complete stranger than his child, right? Not like he hasn’t done that before.

Kawashima is a very methodical man, as is very evident in the way he goes about making plants to inflict his urges on a prostitute he intends to hire. Nothing can be left to chance, and nothing can ever lead back to him. It won’t, not if he plays his cards right. And when he succeeds, his baby and wife will be safe, right?

This psychological thriller by Ryu Murakami explores the thought processes in this man, who otherwise appears to be normal, but beneath it all is filled with personal demons he struggles to control. Namely the impulse to cause harm with an ice pick. And then there is the prostitute he hires through an agency, Chiaki, who has demons of her own. A woman bold enough to pierce her own nipple.

This is my first book by this author, but it won’t be my last. I am currently reading Audition, also by him. I honestly had no idea what was going to happen, as we explore the minds of these two people, brought together by chance, both of whom struggle with painful pasts. I hope the movie is half as good as the book.

This book is very well written and flows smoothly, one of those hard to put down books you are too anxious to find out what happens next. I highly recommend it.

Book Review: Bleach, Vol 25 by Tite Kubo

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Bleach, Vol 25             

Author: Tite Kubo

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: December 2, 2008

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Manga/Supernatural/210 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

 

After his less than spectacular encounter with Grimmjow, Ichigo approaches the Visoreds—Dutch Boy (aka Shinji) assumed he plans to join up with them, but that isn’t the case. He wants them to teach him how to control the Hollow inside. Ichigo threatens to take the information from them by force, if necessary, so Dutch Boy agrees to fight him. Tired of watching the two spar without getting anywhere, Hiyori steps between them and informs Ichigo of the facts of life, ie he has no choice in the matter but to join them should they agree to accept him. If he doesn’t agree, the hollow will eventually swallow him whole. Ichigo has to learn to control his inner Hollow, while at the same time battling against the Visored, one at a time!

Meanwhile, Orihime, unaware of what is going on, misses Ichigo, since he hasn’t been to school for a few days. When she heads home, she learns from a neighbor that her new roommates carried something strange into her home, so she wonders what that can be, and ends up seeing a communication devise, like a giant screen TV, which connects to Soul Society, and General Yamamoto! She tries to excuse herself, as if she is intruding, but the old man invites her to stay, since his news concerns humans too, and Aizen’s plans.

Most of this volume deals with Ichigo and his battle to control his inner Hollow, with the help of the Visored.  In the process, we learn, along with Ichigo, the answer to this riddle: What’s the difference between a king and the horse he rides?

Aizen’s plans are on a pretty large scale, and are potentially disastrous to not just humans, but the Soul Society as well! Apparently his ambitions are pretty grandiose. Hopefully his overweening hubris will be the source of his downfall—along with the sword of Ichigo Kurosaki… if he lives past his current test!

Looking forward to the next volume!

 

Wednesday Briefs: October 28, 2020

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Here is a list of all the authors flashing this week, along with a brief snippet from their latest free work. Click the link after the snippet to be taken to the complete story on the author’s home page.

Phases of Moon: Part 44 by J. Alan Veerkamp

Fergus had been barely able to sit still since Jimmy called.

“I have the rogue. Meet me in an hour.”

Other than a meeting place, the cryptic call had been cut short. Normally, Fergus would have been put off by the brusque disconnection, but the excitement won over. Months of waiting for Jimmy to complete his mission and bring the rogue wolf to him would finally be over. He’d been starting to worry it might never end. Tying up the loose end would go a long way to easing his nights.

Waiting in his truck on the side of the forgotten stretch of dirt road, Fergus checked his phone for the umpteenth time.

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Book Review: Bleach, Vol 24 by Tite Kubo

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Bleach, Vol 24   

Author: Tite Kubo

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: September 2, 2008

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Manga/Supernatural/208 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

 

A group of Arrancars has arrived in Kakura Town, led by Grimmjow Jeagerjaques. Their mission is to find anyone with even a hint of spiritual pressure… and destroy them. Ikkaku faces a fierce opponent, but the bald Soul Reaper doesn’t know when to give up and continues to fight, despite the odds against him. He can’t help but remember to a fight he’d been in years previously against an opponent who valued his fighting skills and gave him some sound advice.

Toshiro Hitsugaya is often underestimated because of his lack of height and his youthful appearance. The Arrancar he faces is no exception. Meanwhile, Renji is engaged in a fight of his own, and his bankai doesn’t seem to be doing the trick, earning the other’s disdain. Due to all the strange spiritual pressure, Ururu is drawn from her bed, to Jinta’s dismay, fearful of what may happen if he cannot get her under control.

Not all Arrancars are created equal, apparently. Created by Aizen, through the use of the Hogyoku, they “are numbered according to the order of (their) birth, beginning with the number 11. The most gifted killers… receive the numbers one through ten , in descending order of their lethality.” These are known as the Espada. And among these is present in Kakura Town, Espada Sexta—Grimmjow. Small surprise that Ichigo finds himself battling this opponent.

Things are looking pretty grim for everyone (except the Arrancars) who belittle their opponents as being unworthy. But then Rangiku Matumoto receives a call she’s been waiting for from Soul Society, concerning the gentei kaijo (restriction removal). Apparently there is something that keeps Soul Reapers from operating at peak levels when in the World of the Living. Now that they can use more of their powers, perhaps the tide will turn!

Ichigo, however, has never been subject to these restrictions. He battles against Grimmjow himself. Is he up to the challenge, or will he require the intervention of a deux ex machina to save him? What of Uryu, who feels the spiritual pressure of the Arrancars but has promised to have nothing to do with the Soul Reapers? Will he find a way around that? Or will he be forced to sit on the sidelines.

This volume of Bleach is pretty battle heavy as the Soul Reapers and Ichigo square off against Grimmjow and his Arrancars. I like the way the battles aren’t all one-sided or weighed in the favor of the heroes. They’re more realistic in that the good guys don’t always win, and yes, they can get hurt. Sometimes die. I found what happened in Ichigo’s battle with Grimmjow very interesting, as well as its aftermath.

But of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. To paraphrase the Carpenters, “They’ve only just begun….” Good volume of Bleach, looking forward to the next one.

Wednesday Briefs: October 21, 2020

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Here is a list of all the authors flashing this week, along with a brief snippet from their latest free work. Click the link after the snippet to be taken to the complete story on the author’s home page.

Ancalagon: Chapter Ten by Cia Nordwell
 

It was the feet. Those broad soles and flat toes digging into the earth were made to move soundlessly. And the subtle green striping would probably help the creature to blend in amazingly with the foliage around us, if he wanted to.  

Based on the way he stood, feet spread apart and four arms braced, two on the torso and two outward facing me, he wasn’t hiding at all. The planet did not have any structures or even ruins that indicated an advanced civilization or culture; nothing to show manufacturing or building.  

No way to cover up making the textile

 

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Book Review: Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

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Felix Ever After     

Author: Kacen Callender

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

American release date:  May 5, 2020

Format/Genre/Length: Hardback/YA LGBT Romance/368 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

To say Felix Love’s life is complicated would be an understatement. He lives with his father in Harlem, his mother having walked out on them years before to start a new family. His father has sacrificed a lot to provide for Felix, including his tuition at St. Catherine’s and the summer arts program, as well as his top surgery—Felix is transgendered. While his father is supportive of that, for some reason he finds it difficult to use Felix’s name, and often just calls him kid.

Felix’s best friend for years is Ezra. The two of them are thick as thieves and do everything together. Ezra comes from privilege. His parents have bought him his own apartment, and Felix often sleeps over there. One day, Felix’s world is shattered when he walks through the gallery at school only to find photos of his old self hanging there, framed and displayed for everyone to see, as well as his dead name. Felix is beyond mortified as the faithful Ezra removes the evidence of someone’s dastardly deed. Who could be so cruel, and why?

Felix is working hard on his art, wanting to be accepted at the prestigious Brown University, hopefully on a full scholarship. Those are far and few between, and another student at St. Cat’s, a guy named Declan who once dated Ezra, is also planning to go there and snag the full ride too. Felix doesn’t think it’s fair because Declan comes from money. Plus he’s obnoxious and full of himself.

Felix writes emails to his mother, but he never sends them. He hasn’t heard from her since he told her he was transgendered, years before. The emails sit in his draft folders… all 476 of them. Someday maybe he’ll actually hit send on all of them and flood her inbox. Felix can’t help but wonder why she doesn’t love him anymore?. And why can’t he find a special someone, as his peers have? Even Ezra is dating someone, a guy named Austin, and seems happy. Why can’t Felix find love? Is he so unloveable?

When Felix becomes convinced that Declan is responsible for the gallery fiasco, he determines to find out for sure—even if he has to catfish him to do it.

This book was recommended to me by my daughter, and I devoured it in like two days, it was so good. I loved Felix so much, and I ached for him as he questioned his life, his art, his identity… not unusual for a teen, but even harder for a trans teen. I think it’s great that we’re seeing more books with trans characters, someone other trans people can identify with. But even more so, I think books like this help other people come to an understanding of what it means to be trans. For many people, it’s a new and alien concept. Sure, trans people have always been around, but the discussion has never been so open as it is now. I think books like this one are important in gaining a better understanding of other people. Diversity is something to be celebrated, not feared. What a boring world if we all thought and did the same things and if we all looked alike.

I hope to see more from this talented author and highly recommend this book for anyone, especially romantics.

Book Review: Bleach, Vol 23 by Tite Kubo

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Bleach, Vol 23     

Author: Tite Kubo

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: June 3, 2008

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Manga/Supernatural/208 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

 Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

All is not well with Aizen’s group, when Ulquiorra makes his report, explaining why he did not kill Ichigo and the others. Grimmjow maintains that he is weak, perhaps afraid, while Ulquiorra maintains that perhaps Ichigo will be of use to them in the future.

Back in the World of the Living, Ichigo informs the Soul Reapers that they are not welcome to stay in his tiny room (or his home) and they are responsible for finding their own digs for as long as they are on assignment there. Matsumoto asks Orihime if she can stay with her, Ikkaku and Yumichika strike out on their own, and Renji decides to head to Uruhara’s place. Ichigo explains to Rukia why she can’t stay with him anymore, since his family have seen her, but she manages to circumvent his objection and get herself invited to stay, to his chagrin.

Aware of the presence of the Soul Reapers in Kakura Town, Grimmjow receives the orders he was hoping for—take a few of the other Arrancars and kill anyone with even a hint of spiritual pressure. When Ichigo and Rukia come face to face with their first Arrancar, Ichigo makes the startling discovery that Rukia has her spiritual pressure back! She proceeds to demonstrate what she can do with her unusual white sword.

The Arrancars have split up to pursue individual targets, and Ikkaku finds himself fighting Edarod, a fight which he swears will be to the death, whether his or the other’s. Yumichiki contacts the Soul Society to give them certain instructions, including orders for Ikkaku’s funeral!

In bonus stories, we get glimpses of the characters set prior to this time, and we get our first look at the Society of Female Soul Reapers.

The plot thickens as the Arrancars, aka Aizen’s Dream Team, are thrown into the mix. And they have just begun… I keep wondering what makes Aizen so appealing that people just automatically do what he tells them? And yet they do.

I love the scene with Rukia and Ichigo’s family where she sweet talks them into letting her stay there. I notice that in the manga there is more about Orihime’s feelings for Ichigo then in the anime, at least in my opinion. In fact, she is very jealous of Rukia and how close they seem. I wonder if that will end differently in the manga, since nothing happened in the anime in that regard.

There is an ongoing story between chapters involving Kon, who being Kon, has taken over Hanamoto’s body. I love this characterization of Ichigo: “No matter how strong I get, I can’t protect them (in reference to the spirits he can see). The realization cuts my heart like cold steel.”  This is Ichigo all over, and is probably the largest motivating factor for everything he has done or will do, his overwhelming need to protect everyone, especially his friends and family. This is what drives him, what keeps him going… and what ensures he will never give up, never surrender.

Also in the bonus stories is a teaser concerning Renji and Rukia that I hope to see more of. Another great volume of bleach, looking forward to the next one!

Wednesday Briefs: October 14, 2020

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Here is a list of all the authors flashing this week, along with a brief snippet from their latest free work. Click the link after the snippet to be taken to the complete story on the author’s home page.

Ancalagon Chapter Eight; by Cia Nordwell
 

He was trotting along ahead of me, weaving through bushes I had to hack a path through, when his rigid stance caught my eye. “What is it, boy?” I spoke quietly to avoid spooking him or alerting whatever had caused his alarm.  

A loud blast overhead sent me into a crouch at his side. He was belly down flat to the earth, his ears folded flat and head swinging wildly.  

What was that? We’d walked most of the day. I’d observed several insects, but for all his ability to walk far quieter than I could, the prey animals must have

 
 

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Wednesday Briefs: October 7, 2020

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Here is a list of all the authors flashing this week, along with a brief snippet from their latest free work. Click the link after the snippet to be taken to the complete story on the author’s home page.

Phases of Moon: Part 38 by J. Alan Veerkamp

“I can’t read this tonight.”

With a beleaguered sigh, Sawyer tossed the paperback on the end table. The prose was questionable, the plot barely existent, and he only purchased it because the swarthy pirate on the cover reminded him of Jimmy.

“You’re so sad, Sawyer.” He didn’t usually talk to himself, but the empty house felt abnormally hollow this evening.

Jada had left for her pottery class over an hour ago. Or was it her yoga class night? For the life of him, he couldn’t remember her schedule. Ugh, he’d been such a lousy husband. No wonder she’d wanted out.

 
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