Where I talk about all of the books… Well… The three books I read in Septemberš
Links to the books (Bookdepository with free worldwide shipping):
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub
Basketful of Heads by Joe Hill, Leomacs, and Dave Stewart
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My review of The Girl from the Other Side.
I read a paperback edition of The Girl from the Other Side
Genre:Ā Manga, Graphic novel
Publisher:Ā Seven Seas Entertainment, LLC
Originally published:Ā March 10th, 2016
Pages:Ā 180 (paperback)
Synopsis by the publisher:
In a land far away, there were two kingdoms: the Outside, where twisted beasts roamed that could curse with a touch, and the Inside, where humans lived in safety and peace. The girl and the beast should never have met, but when they do, a quiet fairytale begins.
This is a story of two people–one human, one inhuman–who linger in the hazy twilight that separates night from day.
My thoughts:
In my current exploration of Manga, I came across The Girl from the Other Side: Siuil. What drew me to it was the covers. There was just something about the art style that I instantly fell in love with. And it also gave off a very fairytale, but yet dark and eerie vibe.
As soon as I picked it up, my expectations were already pretty high, even though Iād heard nothing about it before suddenly stumbling across the series.
It turned out that The Girl from the Other Side was everything I had hoped it would be, and even more.
The story has a wonderful balance between being dark and sweet. Thereās a lightheartedness that shines through the eeriness, and thatās one of the things that made me fall absolutely in love with it.
The worldbuilding is very interesting, the artwork is beautiful, and the characters are so interesting. Especially this creature from the Other Side.Ā
But thereās also a sadness to the story. This little girl who is left behind in the village, desperately hoping, and impatiently waiting for her aunt to come back is heartbreaking, but also a wonderful example of the naivety most children have.
The Girl from the Other Side is also incredibly atmospheric and easy as a reader to fall into the story and fly through it in one sitting.
To me, this story was the perfect start to a series, and I canāt wait to continue on with it. I already have vol. 2 and 3 on its way to me.
Highly recommend!
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My review of Caterpillar Girl and Bad Texter Boy by SANZO š
I read a paperback edition of the manga Caterpillar Girl and Bad Texter Boy.
Genre: Manga, Romance, Fantasy
Publisher: Yen Press
Originally published: June 26th 2018
Pages: 192 (paperback)
Synopsis by the publisher:
When a beautiful girl asks her childhood friend out, his response is a shocker: “You’re too perfect.”
What’s a girl to do, except transform into a giant caterpillar and try, try again?
My thoughts:
While my good friend Alex was visiting from the States here in December, we did what fellow booklover often find themselves doing when they come together; we went book hunting in bookstores here in Oslo. While we were at Outland (which is my favorite bookstore in Oslo) Alex wanted to look for a couple of mangas, and that’s how I ended up feeling like Alice falling through the rabbit hole and discover something truly new and wonderful. I’ve always loved how the manga art style looks like, but I’ve never really given manga a chance, even though I’ve read quite a few comics and graphic novels over the last few years.
But going down into the manga section at Outland had me more curious than ever, and I ended up picking up a few mangas that I stumbled across that looked interesting.
“Caterpillar Girl and Bad Texter Boy” was one of them.
What drew me to this particular manga was the absolutely weird and intriguing title. And when I read the short synopsis, I was sold!
This story has an eerie and dark weirdness to it. I really liked the art style, and especially the way that the Suzume is drawn as a caterpillar. Who knew a caterpillar could show so many emotions?
That being said, I have conflicting thoughts about the story.
Akane is a character that’s extremely hard to like. He’s the guy that refused to see what he had before it was gone, and when it comes back as something different, he doesn’t really learn to appreciate it as love before Suzume is absolutely miserable and became his “property”. But Akane also struggles with anxiety and his self-worth, which makes him more relatable as the story progresses.
Suzume is easier to like because of the cute weirdness of her caterpillar appearance, and it is easy to relate to the struggle of wanting so desperately to be loved by someone that you would do almost anything to get there.
It’s a story that reminds us to be careful what one wishes for, and also be aware of other people’s feelings. One about acceptance and mental health, and how self-loathing and events from one’s past can destroy the good things in one’s life.
I thought the book touched on some rather deep and interesting subjects but could’ve dived even deeper into them.
It’s different and it’s creepily cute. I enjoyed it, but I didn’t fall in love with it.
But if you’re looking for something that stands out (both as a story and as a standalone in the manga world of series) then this might be something for you!
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Soon summer will be over and gone for 2015, but don’t be sad! New books are about to be released!!
And today I thought I would share five of my most anticipated releases to come this year. If you find any of them interesting you can click on the cover photo and you will be taken to their Bookdepository page.
Let’s start with the first of the lot:
The Rest of Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
Publisher: Walker Books Ltd.
Publication date: August 27th, 2015
Pages: 352 (hardback)
Synopsis by the Publisher:Ā
What if you aren’t the Chosen One? The one who’s supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death?
What if you’re like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again.
Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week’s end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life.
Even if your best friend is worshipped by mountain lions.
Why I look forward to it:
I’m not very familiar with Ness’s writing except for his book A Monster Calls (which I loved) but I’ve heard many great things about his work and this one sounded like a different and fun read.
Who doesn’t love an anti-hero story from time to time?
I’m hoping for an original and witty story.
***
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
The fourth book in the Throne of Glass series.
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication date: September 1st, 2015
Pages: 656 (hardback)
Synopsis by the publisher:
Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she’s at last returned to the empire-for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past…
She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.
She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.
Why I lookĀ forward to it:
The Throne of Glass series captured me from the very beginning and the wait for this fourth book has been a long one. I listened to the first three (and the novella collection) on Audible and will do the same with this one. I can’t wait to dive back into this world and see what’s in stall for Celaena Sardothion this time around!
***
The Marvels by Brian Selznick
Publisher: Scholastic US
Publication date: September 15th, 2015 (October 1st for some regions)
Pages: 672 (hardback)
Synopsis by the publisher:
In this magnificent reimagining of the form he originated, two stand-alone stories — the first in nearly 400 pages of continuous pictures, the second in prose — together create a beguiling narrative puzzle.
The journey begins on a ship at sea in 1766, with a boy named Billy Marvel. After surviving a shipwreck, he finds work in a London theatre. There, his family flourishes for generations as brilliant actors until 1900, when young Leontes Marvel is banished from the stage.
Nearly a century later, Joseph Jervis runs away from school and seeks refuge with an uncle in London. Albert Nightingale’s strange, beautiful house, with its mysterious portraits and ghostly presences, captivates Joseph and leads him on a search for clues about the house, his family, and the past.
Why I look forward to it:
I’ve never read anything quite like this before. First half graphic novel and second half written novel. This is truly something new for me and I’ve heard great things about Selznick’s writing as well. People who’ve received ARC’s of this one is saying amazing things and I’m curious more than anything.
***
Illuminae bu Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
This is the first book in The Illuminae Files series.
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Publication date: October 20th, 2015
Pages: 608 (hardback)
Synopsis by the publisher:
This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing sheād have to do.
This afternoon, her planet was invaded.
The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet thatās little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezraāwho are barely even talking to each otherāare forced to fight their way onto one of the evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.
But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleetās AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say whatās really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, itās clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend sheĀ sworesheād never speak to again.
Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documentsāincluding emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and moreāIlluminaeĀ is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.
Why I look forward to this:
I love the concept of combining the written story with snippets of documents and pictures so that it feels like you’re a more involved part of the story.
The ARC’s of this one showed up on BookTube a while ago and I was instantly intrigued by this series. I’ve also enjoyed Amie Kaufman’s writing in the Starbound series so far (third book is out December 1st!) and can’t wait how this collaboration goes.
***
The Bazaar of Bad Dreams byĀ Stephen King
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.
Publication date: November 3rd, 2015
Pages: 496 (hardback)
Synopsis by the publisher:
Since his first collection,Ā Nightshift, published thirty-five years ago, Stephen King has dazzled readers with his genius as a writer of short fiction. In this new collection he assembles, for the first time, recent stories that have never been published in a book. He introduces each with a passage about its origins or his motivations for writing it.
There are thrilling connections between stories; themes of morality, the afterlife, guilt, what we would do differently if we could see into the future or correct the mistakes of the past. āAfterlifeā is about a man who died of colon cancer and keeps reliving the same life, repeating his mistakes over and over again. Several stories feature characters at the end of life, revisiting their crimes and misdemeanors. Other stories address what happens when someone discovers that he has supernatural powersāthe columnist who kills people by writing their obituaries in āObits;ā the old judge in āThe Duneā who, as a boy, canoed to a deserted island and saw names written in the sand, the names of people who then died in freak accidents. In āMorality,ā King looks at how a marriage and two lives fall apart after the wife and husband enter into what seems, at first, a devilās pact they can win.
Magnificent, eerie, utterly compelling, these stories comprise one of Kingās finest gifts to his constant readerāāI made them especially for you,ā says King. āFeel free to examine them, but please be careful. The best of them have teeth.ā
Why I look forward to it:
Stephen King is my auto-buy author. I love his writing and every time he releases a new book I’m instantly excited! I love short fiction and especially King’s collections and this will be an interesting read and a great addition to my Stephen King collection! Can’t wait!
***
Now all I have to do is wait…….
What are your most anticipated releases of 2015?
I just uploaded my February Book Haul! Enjoy š
And for those of you Norwegian followers: I’ve uploaded an introduction video to my Norwegian YouTube channel as well. Click HERE to see it š
Christina de Vries 