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Book Review: Anyhow, the Rabbit is Infatuated With the Puppy

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Anyhow, the Rabbit is Infatuated With the Puppy     

Author: Nie

Publisher: Seven Seas

American release date: November 28, 2023

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Yaoi Manga//234 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Usagi Akira is a 25-year-old man who works in an office and loves shojo manga. He also loves playing in the MMO Tail Earth. He plays a female character, a bunny named Usaco. In the game, she is in love with a wolf character named Gakuto. The couple are adorable! The two players talk outside of the game, and Gakuto is aware that Usaco is a guy, but he’s cool with that. When he wins tickets to a Tail Earth convention, he invites Usaco to come with him!

At work, Usagi has an annoying boss named Suzumiya, who is always nagging him to come drinking with the other employees after work. But Usagi isn’t interested, although he is finding it increasingly difficult to avoid such events.  Usaco and Gakuto meet up at the convention, and they really click! After the convention closes for the day, they go to a nearby internet café… and they not only click, they kiss!

Even after the convention ends, their relationship only grows deeper. Gakuto invites Usaco to the apartment where he lives with his uncle, who is conveniently gone for the night. Naturally they discuss their characters and decide that an in-game wedding would be wonderful! They start marking preparations for the event. But then things start to get hot and heavy between the two, when all of a sudden Gakuto’s uncle comes home unexpectedly – and turns out to be Usaco’s annoying boss! Can things get any worse?  The answer is… yes! A new girl shows up on Tail Earth, and she seems to have her eyes on Gakuto. Does Usaco have competition for Gakuto’s affection?

This is an incredibly sweet and very hot story of two people who find each other through a shared interest in an online game. They begin as friends, but their friendship develops into something more, and they have to navigate the strange new waters of their romance. I love the artwork and the characters! I highly recommend this book if you enjoy seeing cute boys in love!

Saturday is Horror Day #229 – Terrifier 3

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Terrifier 3

Sienna (Lauren LaVera) has been in a hospital since her previous encounter with Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton), whom she believe to be dead (but would we be here if he was?) She goes to live with her Aunt Jessica (Margaret Anne Florence) and her husband Greg (Bryce Johnson) and their daughter Gabbie(Antonella Rose), who idolizes Sienna but has no idea of what she has been through. Sienna’s brother Jonathan (Elliott Fullam) is also trying heal, away at college.

Meanwhile Art (of course not dead) and his new friend/girlfriend/minion have become dormant. For now.

Sienna visits her brother and meets his roommate Cole (Mason Macartea) and Cole’s girlfriend Mia (Alexa Blair Robertson),Mis has a true crime podcast and is seriously into Art the Clown. (Not a good idea). Before long, Everyone realizes that Art is back – and just in time for Christmas.

I found this film confusing, to be honest. I had a hard time trying to follow (or find) the plot. There was the usual gratuitous violence and gore – what else do you expect from a Terrifier film? At the same time, it felt like they were trying to give Art a humorous I don’t remember him having before  (I admit it’s been a couple of years since I watched the second film). Almost a macabre sense of whimsy, if you will.  And the wtf ending had me questioning why the sudden supernatural element? Other than setting up the premise for the next film, of course

I’m giving this film 2.5 Stars.

Saturday is Horror Day #229 – Scream

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

 Scream


Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is struggling, has been ever since her mother was brutally murdered almost a year before. Her boyfriend Billy (Skeet UIlrich) seems unsympathetic to what she is going through, and wants to take their relationship to the next level. When Sidney resists, she wonders if they will even stay together. She has a group of friends she hangs out with, especially her friend Tatum (Rose McGowan) who is dating Stuart (Matthew Lillard), Then there is Randy (Jamie Kennedy), who has a crush on Sidney, works in a video store, and is the resident expert on horror movies.

When her friend Casey (Drew Barrymore) and her boyfriend Steve (Kevin Patrick Walls) are killed, fear 


fills the town, and local news reporter Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) is quick to connect the murder with that of Sidney’s mother. Sidney already hates Gale for the book she wrote about her late mother, which is about to come out, and resents her intrusions into her life. When a Scream mask is found at the stie of Casey’s murder, it becomes the face of what is going on. But as the body count grows, Sidney isn’t sure who she can trust… and she thinks she might be the killer’s next target.


Hard to believe this film is almost 30 years old. It’s just as good now as it was then, and wears well.  This is a Wes Craven film, who also brought us Nightmare on Elm Street. A lot of familiar faces here, including David Arquette, who later married Courtney Cox (I believe this is how they met). There is a brief glimpse of the convicted killer of Sidney’s mother, Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber), who is the subject of Gale’s book  – she claims he is innocent. I had totally forgotten most of the film, so I was able to be surprised again, as if I was seeing it for the first time. The story is solid, the acting good, the writing good. Also, look for Henry Winkler in an uncredited role as the school principal. This film delivers on all cylinders, and is definitely worth revisiting. I’ll give this film 4.5 Stars.

 

Wednesday Briefs: October 8, 2025

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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. If you are interested in becoming a Wednesday Briefer, please leave a comment or email me at shelley_runyon@yahoo.com.

Don’t Look Back #19 (4.4) by Julie Lynn Hayes


Lee’s lips were soft, his breath warm, and his fingers were doing the most amazing things to Marshall’s flesh.  Marshall ate up the attention. Not that he didn’t have Lee’s attention on a regular basis, but today was special, and he felt like a kid on Christmas morning, waiting to see what Santa had brought. Except in this case Santa had brought Lee, and Lee brought joy to Marshall’s world.

When Lee backed off and rose, Marshall moaned at the loss.

“Just for a second,” Lee assured him. “Be right back.”

Marshall’s eyes fastened on Lee’s hot ass as he knelt beside the cooler and rummaged through their bag. He licked his lips appreciatively at the sight. When Lee returned, he held the honey bear in one hand, the lube in the other. Now Marshall was even more confused as to Lee’s intentions.

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Saturday is Horror Day #228 – Dead Alive

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Dead Alive

Lionel (Timothy Balme) is a shy young man who lives with his mother (Elizabeth Moody) in Wellington, New Zealand. Then he meets and falls in love with grocery store clerk Paquita (Diana Penalver). But for Lionel, happily ever after is shot in the food when,m during a trip to the zoo, his mother is bitten by a Sumatran rat monkey. Now that she’s been bitten, Mum proceeds to infect others with her “condition”, and life becomes a virtual zombie apocalypse for the hapless Lionel. As if that isn’t bad enough, Lionel’s Uncle Les (Ian Watkin_ threatens to reveal a hidden family secret. And Lionel finds himself with a basement that could double as a daycare for delinquent zombies. Is there any way to end the madness, one where he ends up with the girl of his dreams, Paquita?

Dead Alive is a little known horror film from director Peter Jackson, who is better known for his Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films. This film deserves to be better known. It’s a comedy/horror/zombie flick that you won’t soon forget. Lionel and Paquita are a cute couple. It’s hard enough for a woman to compete with her boyfriend’s mother for his affection, but once she becomes a zombie? The challenge has just grown to disastrous proportions.  And don’t ignore the opening, where we meet the killer Sumatran rat monkey – it’s hilarious.

I really enjoyed this film. Peter Jackson clearly can do more than fantasy. He should do more of these  films., although I do love his LOTR films too and am looking forward to the Gollum film. I will give this film 4 Stars.

Book Review: One Piece, Vol 26: Adventure on Kami’s Island by Eiichiro Oda

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One Piece, Vol 26: Adventure on Kami’s Island   

Author: Eiichiro Oda

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: January 5, 2010

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Manga/Action Adventure/200 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Luffy and the others not only manage to evade the Blackbeard pirates, under Marshall Teech, but they find themselves in the Knock Up Stream! Huzzah! They’re sailing on a sea of clouds! Chopper thinks he spied a ship but it disappeared –  however there is a bull running right toward them! Then out of nowhere an old man in a suit of armor appears, calling himself the Sky Knight. He saves them from the bull, for which they are grateful. He refers to them as Blue Sea people, because they come from the Blue Sea, rather than the White Sea. He warns them of guerillas who will target them, but he can protect them – for a price. He offers one whistle for 5 million extols. Of course, they have no idea what he is talking about. When he learns that they actually came via the Knock Up Stream (apparently there are other ways to get to Skypiea), he is impressed and gives them one whistle, warning them to use it wisely.

The ship arrives at Heaven’s Gate and its wizened old inspector, Amazon. She demands an entrance fee of one billion extols per person. Nami asks what if they have no money (which they don’t) and Amazon says they can pass. Seems suspicious but on they go, only to find themselves on the famous Lobster Express of the White Sea, even as Amazon reports to her superior that seven people have illegally entered Godland Skypiea!

Our fearless group arrives on the shore of a beautiful island and immediately begin to explore their surroundings. There they meet an angel named Conis, and Sanji is instantly smitten! (Is anyone surprised?) Then her father arrives. He resembles a slug and he’s riding on a strange small vessel they call a waver. Chopper and Luffy attempt to ride the waver but fail. Then Nami takes over and she’s off! She quickly disappears, even as Luffy and the others are invited to eat with Conis and her father. But when Luffy learns of a place where no one is allowed to go, it’s inevitable that he will want to go there… especially if, as they suspect, Nami is headed there too! What challenges await them there?

So Skypiea, the island in the sky, exists! Is anyone really surprised? Although it’s best not to examine the mechanics of such a place too closely and simply accept it for what it is! I have to confess that with the ever growing cast of characters, sometimes it’s hard to remember who’s who. Even so, things are getting really interesting. Another great volume, looking forward to the next one!

Saturday is Horror Day #227 – Locked

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Locked

Eddie Barrish (Bill Skarsgärd) means well. He generally has good intentions. But somehow things always seem to get in the way. Such as when it’s his turn to pick up his daughter Sarah (Ashley Cartwright) from school but his car is in the shop and he doesn’t have the money to pay for it to be fixed and the shop owner refuses to take his word for it that he will pay him or extend him credit.

Eddie is at the end of his rope and desperate. His ex has warned him what will happen if he doesn’t fulfill

his duties as Sarah’s father. His promises are empty and she is fed u with them. He does everything he knows how to do to get the almost $500 he needs… and then he spots the luxury SUV sitting alone in a parking lot.  Looking vulnerable. And it’s unlocked. What else is a guy to do but take it?

But life is not quite so easy….

Eddie finds himself, to his dismay, locked inside the car. Panicked – and on a time schedule – he tries to get out, but to no avail. Then the screen begins to light up with a call, one that is marked Answer Me. He ignores it the first few times, but finally he’s forced to answer it. To his dismay, he discovers himself speaking with the car’s owner,  William (Anthony Hopkins), who tells me he is tired of having his car stolen and the police doing nothing about it. So he’s taken matters into his own hands. And now, if Eddie wants out, he’s going to have to play William’s game.

I have to confess that when I saw that this film had both Bill Skarsgärd and Anthony Hopkins, I knew I wanted to see it, no matter what it was about. And I’m glad I did. It’s a psychological thriller about two men at the end of their ropes. Eddie is just the unlucky one who falls in the fed-up William’s trap. Seriously, who would leave such an expensive vehicle unlocked, alone in a parking lot? But Eddie is desperate, so he isn’t using what common sense he might possess. Eddie goes through an ordeal in his attempts to simply exit the car, and William is relentless in his methods – including taxing Eddie, and withholding food and drink, torturing him with music, etc. I was never sure how things would work out, and I found myself very invested in finding out. Both men do an excellent job of portraying their characters. Despite one reviewer who blared something about Pennywise vs Hannibal Lecter, that is far from the case. Eddie is no Pennywise and William no Lecter. I found the movie very enjoyable, I’ll give this film 4 Stars.

Wednesday Briefs: August 20, 2025

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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. If you are interested in becoming a Wednesday Briefer, please leave a comment or email me at shelley_runyon@yahoo.com.

Don’t Look Back #18(4.2) by Julie Lynn Hayes

Marshall loaded the back of the beat-up old black pick-up with their fishing gear. Although the sedan was better for going out of town, the Chevy truck was their ride around town. He loaded the coolers, too: one for the beer and food they’d pick up, and one for any fish they might catch—they always caught fish, that was a given. And oh the things Lee could do with them. Made the mouth water.

Of course, he didn’t forget the blanket. Or the lube. Could never be too careful.

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Book Review: One Piece, Vol 25: The 100 Million Berry Man by Eiichiro Oda

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One Piece, Vol 25: The 100 Million Berry Man     

Author: Eiichiro Oda

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: January 5, 2010

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Manga/Action Adventure/216 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

 

Luffy and crew are seeking the way to the sky island known as Skypiea. They travel to the east coast of Jaya Island to speak with a man with big dreams – Mont Blanc Cricket. On arrival, they are impressed by his huge home, until they discover it is just a façade for a much smaller building. Is this a warning about the kind of man he is? There they find a children’s book called Noland the Liar. Sanji remembers hearing the story as a child in the North Sea. They are confronted by Mont Blanc Cricket himself – the Last Boss of the Monkey Mountain Allied Force! Thinking they’re after his gold, he attacks! Turns out the monkeys they ran into previously are under Cricket’s command. They learn that Cricket is a descendant of Noland the Liar, and he is determined to clear his family name!

Cricket tells Luffy and the others what he knows about the island in the sky, beginning with a strange phenomenon known as the Imperial Cloud, when “day suddenly turns into night.” Then he explains about the Knock Up Stream, which is their only chance of getting up to the sky island, but sounds very risky! Usopp is all for giving up the attempt, but is Luffy swayed by the danger involved? Of course not! According to legend, they need to find the South Bird in order to find the Knock Up Stream, which is located to the South. Unfortunately, their compass won’t work there, which is why they need to rely on the South Bird! Good luck in finding it!

Of course, as with any enterprise Luffy is involved in, there are challenges to be overcome. The Knock Up Stream only appears so often, as Mont Blanc Cricket tells them they need to find the bird before sunrise! Which, of course, entails trying to locate it in the dark! In the meantime, the two monkeys have offered to repair the Merry Go before they will need her to find Skypiea. Luffy and the others break up into teams, to have a better chance of locating the mysterious bird, but time is not on their side!

Meanwhile, back in Mocktown, the pirates are beginning to figure out just how valuable Luffy is! And some familiar figures make an reappearance.

This volume of One Piece is certainly action packed. Luffy is fixated on the idea of going to the island in the sky – and what Luffy wants, he usually gets! I thought it was hilarious that when anyone mentioned Noland the Liar, people would look at Usopp! I have no doubt this island exists and that they will get there! Seeing some old friends was the icing on the cake! Another great volume, looking forward to more!

 

 

Wednesday Briefs: August 13, 2025

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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. If you are interested in becoming a Wednesday Briefer, please leave a comment or email me at shelley_runyon@yahoo.com.

Don’t Look Back #17(4.2) by Julie Lynn Hayes

When Marshall opened his eyes, he found the bedroom to be sunnier than usual. What the hell? Why hadn’t the alarm gone off at its normal time? He looked to Lee for answers, but the other side of the bed was empty. He felt the sheets. They were cool to the touch. Lee obviously hadn’t slept in quite as much as he had.

He rolled to a sitting position, set his feet on the floor, and yawned. He shouldn’t be tired if he’d slept in—accidentally or not. Then he remembered the reason he hadn’t slept very well. And he realized Lee had shut off the alarm to let him sleep in. His heart swelled, and he felt tears prickle his eyes. He swiped at them and took a deep breath.

Coffee. That’s what he needed. And Lee. Not in that order. After that he’d get to work at his computer.

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