Tome Topple and Our Reading Goals

Happy first day of Tome Topple, everyone. For the next two weeks we will be reading books that are long. Very long. The books that have sat on our shelves and to be read piles for weeks or months or an embarrassingly longer amount of time than that.

For those who may not know, Tome Topple is a readathon originally created by @thoughtsontomes. The goal of this particular readathon is to read books that are 500 pages or longer. It begins today, August 4th, and ends August 17th.

There are several challenges for anyone who likes some stretch goals. Because who doesn’t like some extra challenge in their readathons?

Here are the challenges:

1. Read more than one book.
2. Read a graphic novel.
3. Read a book in a series.
4. Buddy read a book.
5. Read an adult novel.

I can’t help but feel that 500+ pages books are particularly rampant in sci-fi and fantasy. I mean, two of the books in my Tome Topple TBR are over seven hundred pages long. Or maybe I’m just naturally drawn to unnaturally long books.

And here is my Tome Topple TBR list:

The Waking Fire by Anthony Ryan (592 pages)
The Forgetting Moon by Brian Lee Durfee (777 pages)
Trigun Omnibus by Yasuhiro Nightow (696 pages)
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor (532 pages)
The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland (752 pages)

I’m not sure how many of these books I’ll actually finish. This is a grand total of 3,349 pages, after all. Even for me that’s pretty excessive. As for the challenges, I do have a graphic novel on my list as well as a couple of book in a series.

But, the attempt will be made! At the very least I expect to finish Strange the Dreamer as that’s a library book and needs to be returned, ironically enough, on August 17th.

Are you participating in Tome Topple? What books will you be reading? Let us know in the comments below!

#ThrowbackThursday Review – Slayers: The Ghost of Sairaag by Hajime Kanzaka

Slayers: The Ghost of Sairaag
By: Hajime Kanzaka
Release Date: (Original Japanese 1991); (English Translation) March 8, 2005
Publisher: TokyoPop
Series: Slayers #3
Rating:


I really wish these books were still being translated. The series is a lot of fun, and the books don’t disappoint. This is actually the second time I’ve read The Ghost of Sairaag by Hajime Kanzaka in only a few months. I’d originally started it less than a week before moving, so of course the book got packed away in a box I couldn’t find upon move in, the last chapter still unread. At this point I figured I may as well read the whole thing over again, something I’m never against when it’s one of my favorite series.

Review – your name. by Matoko Shinkai

your name.
By: Matoko Shinkai
Illustrator: Ranmaru Kotone
Translator: Taylor Engel
Website: http://shinkaimakoto.jp/
Release Date: (Original Japanese) June 18 2016; (English Translation) May 23, 2017
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating:


I almost always read the book before I watch the movie. In this case it happened purely on accident. I wound up picking up a copy of your name. by Makoto Shinkai from Barnes and Noble during a buy two get one free sale.

Review – Urban Enemies edited by Joseph Nassise

Urban Enemies
By: (Editor) Joseph Nassise
Release Date: August 1, 2017
Publisher: Gallery Books
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


Villains are intriguing characters. I’ve always liked a well fleshed out villain, one that’s a little more than evil cackling and petting cats. Urban Enemies, edited by Joseph Nassise and released August 1, 2017, is a book that definitely scratches that itch.

Review – Attack On Titan, Vol. 1 by Hajime Isayama

Attack on Titan, Vol. 1
By: Hajime Isayama
Translator: Ko Ransom
Release Date: (English Translation) June 19, 2012
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Series: Attack on Titan #1
Award: Kodansha Manga Award for Best Shounen Manga (2011), 『エンタミクス』NEXTブレイク漫画ランキング BEST50 for 2nd place (当時1巻) (2010)
Rating:


This isn’t the first time I’ve read Attack on Titan Vol. 1 by Hajime Isayama. The first time was quite some time ago, right around when the English version was released. This time was because I’d picked up a used copies of the first two volumes in the series at a used book sale. But this is the first time I’ve read the manga with a more critical eye.

Review – Fragments of Horror by Junji Ito

Fragments of Horror
By: Junji Ito
Release Date: (Original Japanese) July 8, 2014; (English) June 16, 2015
Publisher: VIZ Media
Rating:


This book has been sitting on my shelf for quite some time. Unlike the majority of the small library my husband and I have acquired, this one is his! Fragments of Horror is a manga filled with short, one chapter stories by Junji Ito, author of longer works such as Tomie. Ito is a master of horror, each story filled with strange, bizarre happenings and art that is as beautiful as it is terrifying.

Review – The Tourist by Robert Dickinson

The Tourist
By: Robert Dickinson
Release Date: October 16, 2016
Publisher: Redhook
Rating:


I’d seen The Tourist by Robert Dickinson at the library several times before I picked it up. I was intrigued. The cover looked generic, the synopsis sounded like a typical thriller novel, and the spine was marked as science fiction. I was equal parts confused and intrigued. I stumbled across this on Goodreads more recently and on my last trip to the library I finally picked it up.

Review – Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn

Bannerless
By: Carrie Vaughn
Release Date: July 11, 2017
Publisher: John Joseph Adams/Marnier Books
Series: Bannerless #1
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


Earlier this week we saw the release of Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn. This is a murder mystery set within the framework of a post-apocalyptic world where every day it takes everything just to survive.

Review – Konosuba: God’s Blessings on This Wondrous World!, Vol. 1 by Natsume Akatsuki

Konosuba: God's Blessings on This Wondrous World!, Vol. 1
By: Natsume Akatsuki
Illustrator: Kurone Mishima
Translator: Kevin Steinbach
Release Date: November 22, 2016
Publisher: Yen On
Series: Konosuba #1
Rating:


I love everything fantasy. Fantasy novels. Fantasy light novels. Fantasy manga. High fantasy. Low fantasy. Magical realism. All of it. I’ve seen all the tropes, all the clichés, and format specific tendencies. Konosuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!, Vol. 1 by Natsume Akatsuki takes every single one of those, plays with it, and turns it on its head.

Review – Durarara!!, Vol 1 by Ryohgo Narita

Durarara!!, Vol. 1
By: Ryohgo Narita
Illustrator: Suzuhito Yasuda
Translator: Stephen Paul
Release Date: July 21, 2015
Publisher: Yen On
Series: Durarara!! #1
Rating:


I have not loved a book as much as this one in a long time. There is a reason why my library went out of its way (or at least deviated from its normal book purchasing habits) to get the first book in this series. Durarara!!, Vol. 1 by Ryohgo Narita is a book that has something for everyone. It’s got fantasy, mystery, and thriller aspects. Twists and turns abound, the buildup perfect, fantasy elements blended perfectly in as we traverse the streets of Ikebukuro.