Wishlist Thursday[106]: Fangirl (Exclusive Collector's Edition) by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl (Exclusive Collector's Edition) by Rainbow Rowell

Genre: YA/NA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Macmillan

Release Date: May 12, 2015

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Goodreads Synopsis:

This special edition includes fan art, a ribbon bookmark, a Q&A with the author, and an excerpt from her new book Carry On.

In Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life-and she's really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it's what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath's sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can't let go. She doesn't want to.
Now that they're going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn't want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She's got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

A New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of 2013
A New York Times Best Seller!

Why?:

I have heard so many good things about this book, and it sounds very much like something I would like. I’ve only read Eleanor & Park, but I enjoyed it, and am sure that I will like Rowell’s other books. I’ve almost picked this up a few times, and was excited at hearing a special edition was coming out, and so decided to wait for it. I’m not sure if it’s a B&N exclusive like the Eleanor & Park one was, since it’s also listed on Amazon? Either way, though, I intend on picking it up.

What are you looking forward to?

Manga Review: No. 6, Volume 9, by Atsuko Asano and Hinoki Kino

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: October 2014

Volumes: 9

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 8.

Goodreads Synopsis:

THE SKY IS BURNING.

With Rat critically injured protecting him, Shion finally returns to NO. 6. But what he finds there is not the tranquil utopia he left behind, but a city in the grip of panic and chaos. As the “holy city” collapses in on itself, Shion and Rat put will the future of humanity — and their future together — on the line in the shocking final volume of NO. 6!

Review:

I don’t know how the anime ends, but apparently this ending is more satisfying? I’ve heard some things, so I’m definitely going to have to finish the anime for comparison. But given just this, I’m pretty satisfied.

It’s a bit odd, and apocalyptic for a bit there, otherworldly. But I’m okay with that, how the dystopian world and disease gets resolved.

I think that Shion is in a pretty good place at the end of the volume. The ending with him and Rat is sad, but I think that the very end has enough hope, that I can let myself believe there’s a happy ending there. And I like the similarities to the beginning of the series.

Overall, I’m pretty satisfied. It left me pretty satisfied, at least.

Teaser Tuesday[148]: Geography Club (Russel Middlebrook, #1) by Brent Hartinger

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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Geography Club (Russel Middlebrook, #1) by Brent Hartinger

Genre: YA Contemporary; LGBTQ+

Publisher: HarperCollins

Release Date: 2003

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Russel Middlebrook is convinced he's the only gay kid at Goodkind High School.

Then his online gay chat buddy turns out to be none other than Kevin, the popular but closeted star of the school's baseball team. Soon Russel meets other gay students, too. There's his best friend Min, who reveals that she is bisexual, and her soccer-playing girlfriend Terese. Then there's Terese's politically active friend, Ike.

But how can kids this diverse get together without drawing attention to themselves?

"We just choose a club that's so boring, nobody in their right mind would ever in a million years join it. We could call it Geography Club!"

Brent Hartinger's debut novel is a fast-paced, funny, and trenchant portrait of contemporary teenagers who may not learn any actual geography in their latest club, but who learn plenty about the treacherous social terrain of high school and the even more dangerous landscape of the human heart.

Excerpt:

“'She’s really not that bad once you get to know her.’

I had a mouthful of food, but I spoke up anyway. ‘What makes you think I think she’s bad?’” (Hardback, pg. 85)

What are you reading right now?

Manga Review: He's My Only Vampire, Volume 2, by Aya Shouoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: March 2015

Volumes: 10

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

When Dealer suddenly appears, Kana learns in the ensuing scuffle just what it means to be a Pureblood vampire's "thrall." With the werewolf Jin now fighting beside Kana and Aki as an ally, the three begin their search for the other Stigmas in the second volume of this dark vampire adventure!!

Review:

A little off topic to start: I don’t understand why Aya Shouoto has suddenly had so many releases. She’s had at least three series picked up at once. Doesn’t that seem weird? Did something happen for her rise in popularity that I missed? Not a complaint, mind you, as I am enjoying her series and art, but it just seemed odd to me.

Now, for the actual manga.

This volume had a very different feel than the first one. Here, we get full on school life mode.

Kana goes back to school, along with Aki and Jin, mostly with Aki learning what her normal day life is like. Kana figures out what to do with her club situation, and decides to start her own. Jin is kind of adorable, and pretty much just follows them. Aki gets popular, for a while, but everyone else is afraid of/dislikes Kana and Jin, though Kana is determined to change her public image.

We officially meet Kana’s younger brother in this volume, and I like him. I’m interested to see more of him, and hope he gets a bigger presence in the series. We also got more of an idea of how the whole thrall and vampire, and the stigma hunting thing works. I’m intrigued to see where it goes next.

Then there was a cliffhanger, and I’m interested to see where that goes. I feel like there’s still a lot to learn and develop in this series. I’m looking forward to reading more, though.