Reading When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller

 Hello there Bookies,

My boss told me to read this book. She figured that I would like this book, so I figured, why not? It's a kid's book or middle grade. The book is based on a Korean folktale. I'm not really familiar of Korean folktales, but this is a good introduction into it. The plot so far is that our main character, Lily, and her family move to live with her grandmother. They aren't sure why, but Lilly is excited about it. But things aren't the way they used to be before. She sees a tiger and she isn't sure why. Lily also learns that her grandmother is sick. Now Lily thinks that the tiger can heal her grandmother. The only problem is that she has to hunt the tiger in order for it to help her. I'll just have to read more to see what happens next.

So until next time....

-Lys

Manga post #30

 Hey there Bookies,

It has been a while since I made a post like this. But this is one quick way to get through my TBR list. I have so many mangas and graphic novels I want to read so I'm going to include all of the ones I got in this post. So you can say this isn't an official manga post since we do have one graphic novel in this post, but it is just easier to include it.

The first one we are going to talk about is Yona of the Dawn vol. 1. I do not know much about this series because I just started it. But already I'm curious on what is going to happen. We have a princess named Yona who is the daughter of a timid king. The king has no sons and he has no queen to give him a son. Yona doesn't mention any siblings so I'm going to assume that she is the only child before the queen died. There is some hints of incest in the volume but it isn't too bad. Yona is pretty much in love with her cousin but when he is like the only guy she ever interacted with other than her guard, I can see why. Also in the time period that this book takes place, it's normal. History is a wonderful thing. Anyways Yona turns 16 and wants to convince her father to let her marry Su-won, her cousin. Her father has refused before because he can't trust him. He doesn't say it out loud but you get the idea with what he says. Anyways as a birthday gift, Su-won gives Yona a hairpin and kills her father. Yona is shocked by it and her guard does his best to keep her safe. But now that Su-won is taking over the kingdom, Yona and her guard must figure out what to do next. You know that I got the second volume requested. 

The next book I read was the graphic novel called Demon in the Wood. This is kind of the prequel to the whole Shadow and Bone series. I know there is a regular book for this graphic novel or at least I'm pretty sure there is. I didn't look too much into it. But I've only watched the first season of Shadow and Bone. Yes, I'm admitting that I never read the books, but this is a good start into it. This just gives a small background on one of the characters in the Shadow and Bone series. It's how he travels with his mother and is always on the run. They have a power no one is familiar with and are either scared of it or want to control it. Eventually someone in the camp they are staying in finds out that he is an amplifier and tries to kill him. In a desperate way to survive he loses control of his power and ends up killing the person and another villager. In order to save himself and his mother, he injures himself and comes up with a story. The village then has to move on after the deaths in fear that they will be discovered. But this is where you get the realization that no place is safe for people like them. But our main character has decided that he is going to create a place that is safe for people like him. And that is how the story ends. Like I said this is a good way to introduce yourself into the Shadow and Bone series. It is a good motivation to pick up the book and see what is going to happen. Which I will be doing soon. Well, hopefully soon. Depends on my reading list. 

Our next read is the manga Kagyua-sama: Love is War vol. 1. This is a cute one. We have two students that are the head of the student council in their school. Everyone in their school expect the two to be dating because they are always seen together. So the two play with the idea but neither want to confess feelings for each other. They see that whoever confesses first is the loser. The whole manga is them trying to get the other to confess. All the different situations are a good laugh and it is just cute how hard they try. Also most the time no one ends up winning or losing because something happens that ruins their plans. I look forward to the next volume because I want to see what else they will try to get one of them to confess first. 

The last graphic novel/manga I read is Tomie 2. I enjoyed the first book of this series, so I thought it would be nice to get the next one. The adventures of Tomie have been really interesting. So interesting to the point I'm wondering if there is a way to actually kill her for good. The girl just keeps coming back no matter how many times she gets killed. I think once I'm done with this series, I'll look into more of Junji Ito's works. I'll just have to look up the titles to find them, I guess. So if you have suggestions, I'm all ears. As far as I can tell I enjoy the stories in this series but it takes a lot of thinking to understand what is going on. Making me take my time on the reading. If I remember correctly there is one more volume on in this series, but I will have to see if my work place has it. If not, it is on to the next book by Junji Ito.

So until next time....

-Lys

Started reading Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

 

Hey there Bookies,

Well, the version I have is the large print version and sadly Goodreads doesn't have that. So my progress isn't going to be accurate on there. Anyways my first thoughts on the book is that there is a lot of information being given to me and my brain doesn't want to process it all. I do have the audiobook for this book and I tend to space out a lot. I think it is safe to say that this isn't going to be a book for me. If I end up DNF the book, I will let you know. This is on my TBR list, so I figured I would give it a try. Hopefully I can at least get halfway through this book before my brain decides that it can't take anymore. I wish I could tell you want is going on in the book but I can't. All I know is that the book is talking about different characters and I have no idea how they relate in any way. Maybe if I stop spacing out and actually listen to the book, I would know more. 

So until next time...

-Lys

Finished reading The Spanish Love Deception

 

Hello there Bookies,

I finished this book right before bed. I think I'm seeing a pattern here when it comes to audiobooks. Anyways, this book was so predictable towards the end. But instead of the guy begging the girl forgiveness with have the girl doing it. Our main female character, Lina, got too much in her head and ruined her relationship with Aaron. She didn't trust him enough to give her heart entirely to him and it back fired. But when she realized that she loved him and wanted to be only with him, she hoped onto a plane and flew to his hometown to confess her love to him. Of course the setting she chose for that wasn't quite appropriate, but I'm glad the author made note of that and included it in Lina's thoughts as she was telling Aaron all of the right words. Of course he didn't put up much of a fight to take her back. I think he was just grateful that she was there with him in a time of need. But the book ends on a happy note. There were parts in the book that made me want to laugh out loud but I tried my best not to. I didn't want to get weird looks from my family for laughing at something they can't hear. Anyways the book got three stars from me. If it wasn't as predictable as it was, I would have probably given it four stars. It's a good book but it just isn't for me. 

So until next time....

-Lys

About halfway through The Spanish Love Deception

 

Hey there Bookies,

I've been listening to this book while doing yard work and other things that need to be around the house. Anyway the only thing I have to say is that our main character is an idiot. She thinks that her and her coworker Aaron hate each other. That they can't get along and all they do is argue. He is actually telling her that he likes her and has feelings for her but she just brushes it off or thinks they are insults. Aaron pretty much knows everything about her because he listens to everything she says. He does this because he likes her. Now why he hasn't flat out said it is a mystery to me. Because our main character is the type of person you have to be very blunt to or she will take it as insult. But I feel like this is going to be a theme in the book until we get to an end and me being completely frustrated with the main character. I'll tell you more about the book once I finish it. Right now I just wanted to vent about the main character being an idiot. 

So until next time...

-Lys

Started reading The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas

 

Hello Bookies, 

We are on to our next book. Now I know that this is a book you either hate or love. There is not in between. I've seen this book all over Booktok and Booktube. There have been so many different  opinions and I'm willing to leave my own. Of course the audiobook I got is a bit monotone but it is what I have for now. The hold wait list for this book at the library is long. It's like a six month wait for the audiobook so the book is still pretty popular. I just know that this is a fake relationship that I think sparks into a real relationship. That is all I can remember about the description of the book. Even with all of the videos with this book in it. I think it's because I usually just fast forward through the description of the books because I like blind reacting to the books. Not knowing anything and coming up with my own opinion. I think that it the best way to give a true review on the book.

So until next time....

-Lys

Almost done reading This Savage Song

 

Hello Bookies,

All I have to say is that this book is really easy to listen to. It's really easy to follow while you are busy doing something else. Anyways I know about as much of the setting and time period as I did in the beginning. They don't really describe what happened other than there was a big phenomenon and a war took place. But I get a bit of a Romeo and Juliet feel with this book. We have August who is a type of monster that takes souls by playing music. He lives in the south of V City. Then we have Kate who is a human and is the daughter of the leader in the north city. Now the story is pretty boring as we learn about each of the main characters. August just wants to be as normal as a human. He doesn't like taking souls from people. He just wants to be able to play music and not have to worry about someone being affected by it. Kate on the other hand just wants to be home where she lived with her mother before she died. She thought it was to make her father proud but after some events taking place, she didn't want that anymore. The events taking place are that some monsters no longer want to be under her father's control and are retaliating. They are framing August with some deaths in order to break the treaty between the North and the South. The monsters are also trying to kill Kate in hopes that it will start the war as well. Kate contacts her father to let her know what is going on but he only believes her for part of the truth. Sadly he uses his influence to make it look like she was taken captive instead of being protected by August. They flee the city and are headed to a place that only Kate knows where it is. She has the coordinates for it and that is where they are headed. That is as far as I got. I still have about a hundred pages left. The book is in four different parts and I just started the fourth part. There could even be a fifth part that I don't even know about yet but I'm pretty sure it is only four parts. The book doesn't even call them parts. They are verses with plays into the title of the book and the fact that August needs music to feed. The book is interesting especially the further you go into the book. Once you get the retaliating monsters and how are two friends are trying to survive them, you get pretty hooked to the book. You are wondering how they are going to get out of this mess and that is pretty much where I am right now. They are in a place called The Waste and they need to get to the other side of it in order to feel somewhat safe. But The Waste is a dangerous place full of monsters and criminals. I'm pretty sure our main characters will make it to where they need to by the end of the book. Either that or they get caught. There is a second book to this and you know that I will be requesting it. 

So until next time....

-Lys