#MangaMonday – How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? by Yabico Sandrovich and MAAM

How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? Vol. 1
By: Yabico Sandrovich
Illustrator: MAAM (Illustrator); Courtney Williams (Lettering)
Translator: Wesley O'Donnell (Translator); Samn Mitchell (Adaptation)
Release Date: November 19, 2019
Publisher: Seven Seas
Series: How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift #1
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


With an anime adaptation released at nearly the same time, How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? Vol. 1 by Yabako Sandrovich and MAAM was a contemporary manga that certainly didn’t escape notice. Sakura is a teenager who loves food but doesn’t love her waistline. When she begins going to the gym, she finds student council president Akemi there as well. The duo quickly go from awkward and unsure to gym buddies under the tutelage of their trainer, Machio.

Review – Nine Elms (Kate Marshall #1)

Nine Elms
By: Robert Bryndza
Website: https://robertbryndza.com/
Release Date: December 1st, 2019
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Series: Kate Marshall
Rating:


Sometimes book suggestions are so perfect it’s as if the website providing it to you is really inside your head. Nine Elms by Robert Bryndza was one such suggestion that, despite the heavy topics and intense scenes that were admittedly uncomfortable at times, was a perfect fit for me. If you like crime, thrillers, mysteries and tough female main characters the story of Kate Marshall may be a good fit for you as well.

Review – The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss

The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss
By: Amy Noelle Parks
Website: https://amynoelleparks.com/
Release Date: January 5th, 2021
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Rating:


When I saw this book cover on NetGalley I found it cute and simple, a clean cover that drew my eye. A cute story about the chaos around teenage romance made me feel like it was a good idea to jump into a less serious story.

Caleb and Evie have been friends for years, best friends, but everyone around them feels that they have to be more than friends. Evie has never really been interested in dating, instead focusing on her love of math (I can’t relate) and her struggles with anxiety (100% can relate).

When a new guy shows up suddenly Caleb is in a panic, realizing that maybe is finally interested in dating but not dating him. The truth comes out – Caleb is in love. Here comes the love triangle.

Review – Light Boxes by Shane Jones

Light Boxes by Shane Jones Light Boxes
By: Shane Jones
Illustrator: Kein Garduno (illustrations); Paul Buckley (Design/Lettering)
Release Date: 2009
Publisher: Penguin
Rating:


Shane Jones’ debut novel Light Boxes is a short, vivid thing with all the trappings of a fable. Prior works of Jones’ include poetry and short stories in publications such as New York Tyrant, Unsaid, Typo, and Pindeldyboz.

Review- Midnight Sun (Twilight #5)

Midnight Sun (Twilight #5)
By: Stephanie Meyer
Website: https://stepheniemeyer.com/
Release Date: August 3rd, 2020
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Series: Twilight
Rating:


Yes, I really went back to Forks.

If you’re seeing this you’re probably having simultaneous flashbacks to the Twilight craze in the circa 2008. The books, the (literally) screaming fangirls, the movies, Robert Pattinson, glittering vampires and CGI werewolves. Sound familiar?

Perhaps you’re asking why a thirty-something bookworm would go back to a series that was so entrenched in teenage angst and unrealistic expectations of relationships and life in general. It’s a fair question and I asked myself the same thing a few times before purchasing the kindle version and again a few times before I actually read the book itself.

Just like my true crime obsession and my general need to know and understanding things that maybe I should leave alone I decided to go back into the Twilight saga books, this time through Edward’s POV, to see what it was like.

2020 Review – Brittney’s Top 10 Books of 2020

See assorted titles in list
By: See assorted authors in list
Release Date:
Publisher:
Rating:


Hi All,

Well 2020 was a bit of a rollercoaster, wasn’t it? I know I’m not alone in thinking this but it has to be acknowledged all the same. The chaos we all went through led to a lot of ups and downs and perhaps one of the few high points for me was that I got a lot more reading done this year.

My original goal was 110 books and I managed to read 114. On January 1st, 2020 I thought my goal of 110 books was a huge stretch, little did I know a global pandemic would cut out the few social things I used to do that prevented me from reading. The pandemic also provided nightmare fuel for me which mean insomnia was the worst it has ever been which inevitably led to the thought of, “Well if I can’t sleep I might as well read that book I started earlier.” Most nights I was up until around 4 AM reading which, while not the healthiest coping mechanism and definitely horrible for my health in other ways it did allow me to reach one goal in 2020.

So, out of 114 books below are my top 10.

Review – The Best of the Best Horror of the Year: 10 Years of Essential Short Horror Fiction edited by Ellen Datlow

The Best of the Best Horror of the Year edited by eight time Hugo Award winner Ellen Datlow The Best of the Best Horror of the Year: 10 Years of Essential Short Horror Fiction
By: Ellen Datlow (editor)
Release Date: October 2, 2018
Publisher: Night Shade Books
Series: The Best Horror of the Year
Rating:


Editor Ellen Datlow has curated collections of horror fiction for more than a decade. The Best of the Best Horror of the Year: 10 Years of Essential Short Horror Fiction edited by multiple Hugo Award winning Ellen Datlow is a collection of some of the best short horror found in the Best Horror of the Year collection over the past ten years.

Review – The Crowns of Croswald (The Crowns of Croswald #1)

The Crowns of Croswald (The Crowns of Croswald #1)
By: D.E. Night
Website: https://denight.com/
Release Date: July 21st, 2017
Publisher: Stories Untold Press
Series: The Crowns of Croswald
Rating:


If you’re looking for some magic and fantasy the Crowns of Croswald may serve as a good escape into another realm for a while. I received this book through NetGalley and was thrilled to get a copy.

Review – The Way Back

The Way Back
By: Gavriel Savit
Website: https://www.gavrielsavit.com/
Release Date: November 17th, 2020
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Received From: NetGalley
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


As I’m sure most of us can agree, as a reader we love any and all stories. For me my first love was classic fairy tales and folklore so when I saw The Way Back on NetGalley advertised as a historical fantasy brushing the realms of folklore I had to beg for the copy. I was thrilled to receive it and enjoyed every single page.

The Way Back follows a boy named Yehuda Leib and a girl named Bluma as they both chase after the Angel of Death for their own reasons. For Eastern European Jews there is the belief that demons have a land of their own: a Far Country peopled with the souls of the transient dead, governed by demonic dukes, barons, and earls. 

In their adventures we see Yehuda and Bluma struggle towards their goals and face the realities of the realm they find themselves in. I loved the fantastical elements of the story and loved the rich descriptions and interwoven details throughout the book.

Review: And I Darken (The Conqueror’s Saga #1)

And I Darken
By: Kiersten White
Website: http://kierstenwrites.blogspot.com/
Release Date: June 28th, 2016
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Series: The Conqueror's Saga
Rating:


I’m not going to lie to everyone – sometimes I do judge books by their cover. When I saw this cover in particular I was drawn in by the dagger and flower petals. I’m also a sucker for simple titles.

In the time of the Ottoman Empire we follow the story of Lada and Radu, princess and prince of Wallachia as they are taken from their home and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman Courts (as part of a deal between the empires). To everyone’s surprise these two outsiders become close friends with Mehmed, the son of the Ottoman sultan.