Graphic Novel Review of She and Her Cat by Makoto Shinkai

Read for Graphic Novel Challenge

Synopsis: "“It was the start of spring. It was raining. That was the day that she brought me home.”

This is the story of Miyu, a woman who lives alone with her cat, Chobi. As Miyu navigates the world of adulthood, she discovers both the freedom and loneliness that come with living independently, and Chobi learns of the outside world through her actions. Time drifts slowly for Miyu and her cat, but the harsh realities of the world soon catch up…"

My Review: I don't normally read Manga, but who could resist a story about a girl and her cat and the beautiful artwork?! This is the type of story I often look for in my graphic novels and I am so glad I picked it up. It is a quite and subtle story about a girl's struggle to come to terms with being an adult and finding her way on her own. Luckily she has her new cat Chobi to help her along the way. The story is told from Chobi's point of view and in that manner a lot of the human quirks and emotions are left for you to decide and other things are brought to the forefront. I really enjoyed this one and am so glad I decided to pick it up. 

My Rating: I am glad I gave this one a try, even though some of it was a bit slow and some hard to decipher, I may even be willing to pick up more Manga along these lines in the future.  I give it a rating of Three Paws.

Bedtime Story: Dinotrux Dare to Repair by Emily Sollinger

Read for: Children's Book Challenge & Munchkin is obsessed!

Synopsis: "The Dinotrux are in need of repairs and Revvit can't do it all by himself. Luckily, Click-Clack, Ace, and Waldo agree to help and things are going great for the Dinotrux and the Reptools. But all that changes when a trio of Scrapadactyls kidnap the Reptools. It's up the Dinotrux to save their new friends!

DINOTRUX ©2016 DreamWorks Animation LLC."

My Review: Dinotrux is such a little boy's dream and Munchkin really enjoys these books (we don't have netflix so can't watch the show). Munchkin loves looking at the pictures and kept wanting to know who everyone is in the story but they don't really make it clear which Reptool is which. You also don't get to see what they are building, Munchkin really wanted to see the garage the Reptools would work in.

My Rating: Sometimes the books following TV shows are to much of exact copies and sometimes they are too abbreviated, this falls under the latter category.  We give it a rating of Two Paws and a Stump Wag.

Good Night! Sweet Dreams!

Early Reader Review of Star Wars AT-AT Attack by Calliope Glass

Read for: Early Reader Challenge and it's Star Wars!

Synopsis: "Luke Skywalker does some fast flying as he protects Hoth's rebel base from the Empire. This level 1 early reader retells classic scenes from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back as the rebels face off against the Empires dreaded mechanical AT-ATs. Featuring beautiful full-color illustrations, this World of Reading book is perfect for little Star Wars fans who are ready to read on their own."

My Review: This is a great little beginning reader for the budding Star Wars fans. It does a great job of summarizing the late events on Hoth without making it too complicated. The sentences and words are simple and easy for young readers to grasp. Not only did Munchkin enjoy it but so did I, it has been fun using these books to introduce him to Star Wars before the movies. 

My Rating: I am so glad that Munchkin is really getting into Star Wars and this was a great book because he was eager to read it and is picking up words so can read it too.  We give it a rating of Four Paws!

Review of Luin of Sapphire by Rich Feitelberg

Read for: Recent Purchase & I am deeply involved in this series!

Reviews of Previous Books:

Aure the Topaz

Vorn the Onyx

Telep the Diamond

Calen the Emerald

Synopsis: "Evan Pierce, priest of St. Michael, and now Baron of Pennarth, must fight a group of necromancers, who have taken over the barony. With him are only a few friends from his religious order. Together, they must reestablish the castle guard, repair the castle defenses, and rebuild the nearby town of Irenrhod, if they have any hope of succeeding. But the dark mages, using the local guild of thieves, intimidate any who questions their authority. More stubborn people are visited by the mindless, animated servants of the wizards, dead corpses from the grave that can rend stone and flesh, and spread terror into the hearts and minds of everyone. How his opponents got so powerful that they can create a horde of zombies is a mystery to Evan. The Michaeline priest must discover the power source of the dark wizards and defeat them before the zombies destroy Pennarth and everyone in town is murdered."

My Review: I have been anxiously awaiting this book after Evan went a separate way from the rest of the characters in book 3, he had become one of my favorite characters. For those of you have been following my reviews for a while may remember when I read the Game of Thrones series and how I ranted and raved about how GRRM jumped from POV to POV throughout the book with no consistency, well Feitelberg could have done that with this series to keep everyone's timelines together but he didn't and I for one am glad for it. I really enjoyed getting back into Evan's story, though he seems to have lost some of his appeal for me after discovering he was engaged and as a reader I had no inkling of it. I also found this book to be more plot driven than the rest of the series as opposed to character driven, we didn't get into Evan's head as much as I had hoped, oh we got his questions but not fully into everything else. That is not to say that I didn't enjoy the characters, I really did enjoy them and the development of both the story and the characters. We get more of a look at the 'evil' side of things and what their plans are, which of course I love, and we also get some new characters. One of my new favorite characters is a new power player who may make or break the prophecy. We are nearing the end of the series and I couldn't be more excited for the next book!

My Rating: I really enjoyed this book and found it to be a quick read, and with some new and interesting characters. I give it a rating of Four Paws!

(Almost) End of Year Book Tag

So the last couple of days have been absolutely insane at the office and I haven't had time to get my reviews or posts done, so instead I thought I would do a quick tag.  I saw this one on a BookTube channel I just starting watching Jess Reads Books and the original tag was from Ariel Brissett.  So this tag is all about crunch time, which it definitely is around here!

Questions:

Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?

I have 2 series that I still really want to finish, I am planning on reading books for both during the Tome Topple Readathon.  I have both the last 2 books in Pendragon's Banner and the last 2 books in Rhiannon's Ride trilogies to finish.

 

Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?

Not really, I have already started reading winter and Christmas books. I do tend to read a lot more fiction and romance books this time of year because of the warm fuzzy feel good feeling I get from them.

Is there a new release you're still waiting for?

I don't think there is right now, though I am planning on reading The Bear and the Nightingale soon and will probably NEED the next book, Girl in the Tower right after. I am however already counting down to the release of Heart on Fire by Amanda Bouchet which comes out January 2nd.

What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?

Well I already listed 4 up above and I have a bunch of Christmas books that I need to still read for the Advent Reads event all December and of course Bear and the Nightingale but other than that I think I would like to read some of my more recent purchases including possibly

  

  

 

Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?

I am almost certain my current read will rank above the favorites since the previous book is already up there! 

Have you already started making reading plans for 2018?

A little, usually by now I already have my challenges planned and many of my books planned for next year.  I definitely want to make sure I read my recent purchases that I don't finish this year but with that said I think I want to allow myself more re-reads and I want to focus more on adult fantasy (those chunky books on my shelves).

So what are you reading as the year comes to an end?

Monday Reading List

Its Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Shelia at Book Journey. Share what books you have finished in the last week, are currently reading and what might be coming up next!

Reviews Posted Last Week:

Links will take you to my review

Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton
Me Too, Woody! by Heidi Kilgras (Early Reader)
Can You Snore Like a Dinosaur? by Monica Sweeney (Bedtime Story)
Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac

 Books Finished Last Week:

Reviews will be posted at a later date

Luin the Sapphire
Child's Christmas in Wales
All You Need is Love
AT-AT Attack
Christmas Sucks

Currently Reading:

Scythe by Neal Shusterman - Print - on page 265 of 435




 Books to be Read Soon:

Pages Read/ Time Listened
269:18 Hours (about 10+ Days) Listened (10:52 listened this week)
47,077 Pages Read (608 this week)

Books Added to Shelves Recently TBR
Beauty and the Beast by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve
Samurai Rising by Pamela Turner
Dawn Study by Maria V. Snyder
Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton
How to Tame a Willful Wife by Christy English
New World: Rising by Jennifer Wilson
The Sandcastle Empire by Kayla Olson
And I Darken by Kiersten White
World Mythology in Bite Sized Chunks by Mark Daniels
Eliza and Her Monster by Francesca Zappia
Windwitch by Susan Dennard
Frogkisser by Garth Nix
Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac
This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
The Beast's Garden by Kate Forsyth
Addie on the Inside by James Howe
Also Known as Elvis by James Howe
Viking Warrior Rebel by Asa Maria Bradley
New Leash on Love by Debbie Burns
Puss Without Boots by Shari L. Tapscott
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
Saints Blood by Sebastien de Castell
P.O. Box Love by Paola Calvetti
Britt Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
Nomansland by Lesley Hauge
The Secret Horses of Briar Hill by Megan Shepherd
The Secret Loves of Geek Girls by various authors
Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman
Keep Me Posted by Lisa Beazley
The Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence
The Nothing Girl by Jodi Taylor
Luin the Sapphire by Rich Feitelberg
His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
Tortall and Other Lands by Tamora Pierce
Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
Wolf Speaker by Tamora Pierce
Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce
Realm of the Gods by Tamora Pierce
The Winter King by CL Wilson
The Christmas Blessing by Donna VanLiere
The Christmas Hope by Donna VanLiere
The Christmas Promise by Donna VanLiere
The Christmas Secret by Donna VanLiere
The Christmas Note by Donna VanLiere
Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo
The Hearts We Sold by Emily Lloyd-Jones
She and Her Cat by Makoto Shinkai
Jane Unlimited by Kristin Cashore
Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows
Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave
Shadowcaster by Cinda Williams Chima
Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima
The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell
Timekeeper by Tara Sim
Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco
Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter
As You Wish  by Chelsea Sedoti
Down and Across by Arvin Ahmadi
Naondel by Maria Turtschaninoff
The Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors by Curtis Craddock
Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo
Every Little Thing by Marie Force
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Klaus by Grant Morrison
Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
The Lost Pony of Riverdale by Amanda Wills
Poppy's Diary by Amanda Wills
Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
Piper by Jay Asher & Jessica Freeburg
Phantom Traces by Claire Gem
Dear Margaret by Pamela Ackerson
The Staying Kind by Cerian Hebert
Christmas Joy by Nancy Naigle
Hearts Unloched by Claire Gem
A Family for the Rugged Rancher by Donna Alward
Passion's Palette by Peggy Jaeger
His Christmas Sweetheart by Cathy McDavid
Never Dare a Dragon by Ashlyn Chase
Vampire King of New York by Susan Hanniford Crowley
Crewel Work by Natalie Alder
Trouble Looming by Natalie Alder
A Shot at Love by Peggy Jaeger
Moment of Fate by Karen Stivali
The Promise by Jennifer Owen Davies
The Landscaper Series by Robin Stone
Recipes from Raine's Roast by LG O'Connor
Caught up in Raine by LG O'Connor
Kilty Pleasures by Nancy Fraser
Redeeming the Billionaire by Christina Tetreault
The Billionaire's Best Friend by Christina Tetreault
A Billionaire Playboy by Christina Tetreault
The House of Four Winds by Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory
Warriors by Various Authors
Books of the South by Glen Cook
Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook
If You Find this Letter by Hannah Brencher
Dinosaur Lords by Victor Milan
Dinosaur Knights by Victor Milan
Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan
In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan
The Speaker by Traci Chee
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine
Christmas at Thompson Hall by Anthony Trollope
The Nutcracker
Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum
A Merry Christmas and Other Stories by Louisa May Alcott
The Night Before Christmas
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu
The Wall of Storms by Ken Liu
The Traitor's Blade by Sebastian De Castell
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
All You Need is Love by Marie Force
To Know Her is to Love Her by Marie Force
Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman
From a Certain Point of View
The Dinosaur Princess by Victor Milan



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Ack! How are we half way through November already?! I feel like time is flying.  I had a really hard time adjusting to the time change last week, I literally just zoned out all week watching Youtube videos, I didn't read, didn't get any crafts done, nothing.  That is until Friday, I was lucky enough to have the day off but Munchkin was at school so I hurried through some Christmas shopping in the morning and then had a bunch of Christmas card to make over the weekend for a bazaar coming up this next weekend. Thank goodness for audio books or I may not have gotten as much read as I did!  This week I have a few books to read before the Tome Topple starts on Friday! But first work :(

Tome Topple Readathon Sign Up & Updates

The year is quickly coming to an end and I still have a few very chunky books on my TBR so what better time to join my final readathon of the year?!

 I discovered the Tome Topple Challenge through Sam at Thoughts on Tomes on Youtube and the Readathon is hosted as a Goodreads Group. The goal for this challenge is to tackle the Tomes on your shelf, books over 500 pages.  There are a few challenges to help you along, but are not a requirement.  Those challenges are A) read 2 or more tomes, B) read a Graphic Novel, C) buddy read a tome, D) read a tome that is part of a series, and E) read an adult tome. The readathon takes place from November 17th at midnight until November 30th.    (There is also a photo challenge this time around on Instagram, check it out @ThoughtsonTomes)

I will try to post updated at the bottom of this post every few days but I will also be posting on Instagram @EasternSunset9

So here is my Tomes to be Toppled:

The Shining City - 544 pages

Shadow of the King - 657

The Invention of Hugo Cabret - 525



So I have 2 books that are part of a series, both Shadow of the King and Shining City are adult novels, and The Invention of Hugo Cabret is kind of a graphic novel (honestly more of an illustrated novel but it was the closest I could find since I have read the other standalone Graphic Novels over 500 pages already).  In the mean time I have 2 other over 400 page books to finish before I can start these! I better get to reading!!


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Updates will be posted here throughout the 2 week readathon.