Absolutely kicking myself for waiting this long to listen to the details, story, love, and attention to detail that I was hoping to hear about one of my favorite movies!

This audiobook was fantastic! Full of interviews from cast and crew, and boy do I mean crew, from producers, set designers, riggers, makeup, what a range of people all having to do in and around Mad Max: Fury Road.

#pantone2025 @Lauredhel #25in2025

I absolutely loved Nam's take and illustration of this manga.
She drew a lot of the characters in such a way that mirrored how I imagined them during the original read of Rowell's book.

Just like when I read the book, I'm saddened to end the manga. I've enjoyed every variation of this whether it's in manga, like here, the audiobook or the actual book, I enjoy it every time 😍
#pantone2025 @Lauredhel

Finished my first TBR read of the year!

Families are complex and this audiobook of the Broadway recording showcases the complexion of the Younger family, an African American family with dreams of more.

I borrowed the audiobook which was performed by the original Broadway Cast and to hear the different emotions and the tension filled pauses during the different peaks of the play was fantastic. I would definitely want to see this play for myself.

This isn't about the selected book.

I got a good amount of the #pantone2024 colors that only 3 were missing this year!
Woohoo 🎉🙌🏻 so I'm very pumped for this year's go around 😀

@BarbaraBB @Lauredhel

My first 2025 finished read!
It gave me some of the backstory into Sakamoto's early days, and his friendships with Akao and Nagumo, and their meeting with X!

I didn't realize how much I needed these flashbacks because now a lot is making sense!

I honestly thought this was going to be a story of the house told by the POV of Mericat but was I wrong.

It's a haunting read of two sisters and their uncle, the remnants of a family, living through the ordeal of a very public murder of their family, a very suspicious and nosy town, and the greed of a cousin calling to prey.

So glad to have read this and be able to knock another book off my TBR and the final book of 2024!

What a great way to continue Maggie's story!

Told within weeks of the the aftermath at what happened in Black Mesa, Maggie is left reeling and with little to no friends or a clue as to her next steps, she takes on a bounty with Hestin that leads her to an unforseen adventure starting with a bounty hunt gone wrong, a meeting of new and old friends, the introduction of a man who sees himself as a Savior and the chance to find Kai again.

This one isn't listed but counting down my last three 2024 reads!

A quick read which was light and just fluffy enough with the grumpy x sunshine trope mixed in with an office romance.

All in all there was just enough slow burn between Ronan and Becca that made the otherwise quick romance work and me believe in them as a pairing and the dual pov helped push the romance factor reading both characters inner thoughts
#pantone2024

This was way cuter than I expected and I ended up reading this way faster than I thought because the dialogue was great— fantastically witty, smart, and just real enough for the characters and within the narrative that I ate this up.

This was just the entertaining, sarcastic, fun and steamy read that I needed and didn't know. I had read other romances this year but again, I read this much faster than I thought.

I wasn't sure what to expect out of this but i had so much fun listening to this!

It's classically the good vs. evil story in which our assistant pig keeper Taran finds himself on yet another quest beset from the first one, as he and his group consisting of Flam, Princess Eilonwy, Doli & Gurgi are looking for the cauldron before Death Lord Arawn can create more cauldron-born and have his own dastardly plans come true.
#pantone2024

Absolutely enjoyed this this one!
This feels like a classic folk tale, what with Agatha having to take on missions/adventures to win favors from the Fae, intertwined into Agatha's every day life in her sleepy little village.

I truly loved the water colors and character designs. Everything was just a treat to look at. I really enjoyed Hyacinth the most and wouldn't have minded more of them.

Oh Sy-on boy... Kid just can't catch a break and he's trying so hard to get some recognition and some time and love from his dad, which from earlier volumes hinted that he hadn't had in some time so it was nice how much of this volume was Damian.

I love that the comedy is still there even with the other chapters focusing on Bond, Yuri, and Yor even , as we get to see some behind the scenes of his work filled days.

I normally don't read self help books.
I find a lot of times that they can either be preachy or full of things I already know and not useful to me but this one was interesting to me.

I have a base idea of burnout and what that looks like for me but this book gave me some research and science that helped me know why I was feeling how I am and the wording and tools to help me understand how it happens.

I'm going to use this weekend to wrap on my 2024 reads because I want to get better about posting my reads as I finish them 😂

I'm pretty bad about posting my current reads here... So very bad at that but I'm going to try to get better 🤞🏼

Got a few more '24 reads to post and here's another that fit into all my reading challenges last year!
An absolutely beautifully illustrated story of Greta, the people and dragons she meets, friendship, and community.

I love the diverse looks of all the characters in body shape, height, and type as there's humans and dragons plus the coloring is just enchanting. I could look through this a few times and not get bored 😍
#pantone2024

More 2024 reads!
I'm continuing to enjoy this series.

There's a gradual build up from volume to volume as the story unfolds, the world building becomes grander in detail and scale, and the characterizations of both existing and new characters are either deepened or being introduced in a way that is helping explain the store while providing some background.
#pantone2024

Continuing my 2024 reads since I'm kicking myself for not reading this one sooner!!

It's a fun read, great world building, character dialogue was witty and felt grounded within the characters, and not knowing much of the Diné culture and history, Roanhorse explored and provided that information throughout the book that propelled the story and characters in a way that didn't feel dry or stalling to the story.

#pantone2024

I wasn't sure this one could be cuter than the first book but I was proven wrong!

I loved that it had a similar theme to the first book, in regards to discovery of self worth and friendship. A great read and the images are just as beautiful, detailed, and rich in color. Easy to read and follow along for young readers, or any age readers since I'm definitely older than the demographic for this one 😂

Continuing my 2024 posts real quick

Picking up from the last one, there's more history between Shishiba and Yotsumura as they're fighting keeps taking place across the streets of Kyoto while at the same time, over at the JCC, Sakamoto faces off another of Slur's dudes that I can't stand as he monologues a lot. As in too much for my taste, so I was looking forward to this fight.

Story is about Fuchi-san, who we never see clearly, has a facial disfigurement that has brought her nothing but heartache, isolation, and bullying from her classmates. Ironically her mother, recently deceased, was a beautiful actress and left her a mysterious message and lipstick, which she learns the hard, when applied, she can take on a person's face once kissed.

The volume ends a repetitive note for me so I might not keep going but so-so.

There's something about reading people's inner thoughts that make me feel a bit of a voyeur but this was a good book with lots of thought towards the selection process.

I do feel that it ended without closure though, as it ended with a submission, and not any final words from Anderson, which although she writes the prefaces to every chapter, which I felt could have rounded this out nicely to get some final thoughts.

This wasn't for me but I see a lot of people who loved it but this took me way too long to finish because I didn't feel like any of these characters jelled together and I couldn't get into the rhythm of the book because just when I would, or get close to it, O'Leary would change the timeline so it kept throwing me off.

Plus I couldn't like a single character, especially Marcus, oh especially him. So much toxicity 😡

Absolutely loving where the current story arc is going.
Really appreciating that with the group separated again looking for the database in the JCC, that each group has their moments to highlight the characters and show some character growth.

This was an adorable picture book!
A great story of our little owl with a big dream and with the support of his parents and his own ambition makes it happen.

Not a lot of text, but lots of illustrations that helped the story along and for me that makes it a great picture book to share with kids.

It's been a while since I read Monstress so it took me a while to remember where this one picked up from.

Volume eight opens up to the whole gang being on the prison planet, Monstra, which brings about Zinn's past and present to throw another interesting loop to this complexity and one I never could have seen coming.

#pantone2024

I found this to be a fun and whimsical read in large part due to the narration of James Langton that gave each character their unique sound and voice.

I loved that there was a lot of details that created a great sense of world building and characterization that was just enhanced by the narrator's acting. And now I know that this is in part the basis of Disney's 'The Black Cauldron'.
#pantone2024

I've read other of Clamp's work and now know that there's going to be a slow build up, lots of characters thrown at me from the start and beautiful art, which this one has but there's also within it's pages the looks of an intricate story, one steeped in blood and death so I am definitely intrigued to see how the rest plays out.

Reading this with an online community is honestly a fun ride. Closest thing I have gotten to a book club read.

Having read this one a few times over, reading it daily per the dates, is a different experience and really drives how long some of these moments can be. It creates tension and suspense in a way that reading the book through fails at whereas the community aspect, really lets me rethink moments or to share how comedic some parts are.

I went in thinking this might be a straight memoir and was pleasantly surprised that it started that way before getting travel stories, reflection, smart introspection, and a lot of honesty of himself interwoven in a way that feels inherently his. I'm tempted to go and read some of his travel pieces but even I know I will find them to be rich in detail, colorful, and atmospheric in nature.

Another volume and more progression of the JCC storyline took center stage in this volume which I enjoyed.
Sakamoto is still in disguise trying to locate the database at the same time that Shin, Akira and Natsuki (of the invisible suit from so volumes ago) band together against a senior teacher who might have the info they're looking for.

#pantone2024

Highly recommend this one!
Weaving folklore and historical facts along with the story, I enjoyed the overall effect and the first person perspective from both Snow and Bao, which played nicely into the overall story for me as I saw the characters from their eyes and in some case their past experiences.

#popsugarreadingchallenge

I continue to love the comedy in this series as it's not just a good way to break up all the action scenes but allows the characters to have some fun and in Sakamoto's case, shows how amazing his skill set really is as he uses the most random things for weapons and that's pretty awesome to see especially as he's undercover since he didn't pass the JCC testing 😂.

Lol the inner monologue from Nightfall was a total delight for me. She is just soooo fun to read considering the one sided love she's carrying for Twilight.

And is Sy-on boy catching feelings? I saw some blushing happening

Just when I think we've been introduced to a new and different character, I am proven wrong because this volume has lots of new faces, new settings, and in true Sakamoto fashion, new problems 😂

#pantone2024

This series continues to be so much fun!!

I do love the comedy aspect in between all the action since it gives the whole series a great segue way into another part of the arc and in this volume it's with Sakamoto and Shin having to enroll into the JCC to get some details on X but it's not like they can just walk in, so they enroll and unexpectedly in a way that only these two can do, find themselves in trouble again.

All in all, the book and it's characters are so different from their movie counterparts, especially the relationships all the women have towards each other, Sally's daughters included, that I find I can enjoy them as separate pieces.
So glad to have read it and knocked it off my TBR list this year!!

I love that this was a slow burn because it highlighted both Maribel and Wesley's anxiety's, their dreams, wants, and they were able to communicate them and to each other which added to the overall cuteness of this book for me.

Plus the dialogue was really good between them, even the arguments, were not just valid but helped push the storyline and had them opening up and figuring out a lot together.
#pantone2024

I love that Apart got a lot more screen time since out of all the assassins he seemed the most intriguing, even though his backstory was intense, it explains a lot about him

This volume was packed with action, comedy, and a lot of moving pieces, and showcased some very interesting skillsets for a lot of characters so I really can't wait to read the next volume 😁

#pantone2024

I'm wishing I hadn't finished it as quickly as I did.

I absolutely loved every tense atmospheric minute of reading this as Jean's friendship with Muirin leads to questions, leads to wondering, leads to hope, and to love while putting everything at risk for the women.

A fantastic retelling of The Silkie's Wife with a great amount of slow build, tension, yearning, and historical nods.

#pantone2024 #popsugarreadingchallenge

Carlos Ponce has great tone and the acting skills to portray all of the characters and his voice pitch for Hermione always makes me giggle while his tone for Snape, always makes me pause to listen. Bless whoever had the idea to have him narrate this in Spanish!

Still a solid read all these years later, even if I do not like or agree with the author's comments and persona.

Not my usual genre, but I had it and read it and overall enjoyed the book.

I enjoyed the first half very much and it was looking like a solid slow burn, which let me tell you, Sawyer, the MMC, sounded like a dude who could give slow burn vibes for pages because he's so adorkable, but then it caught fire and went quickly to instalove right before a huge bombshell happened & that's were I started to not to like where it was heading.

I am still enjoying this series and this volume was a bit more slower than the last 4 but it ends the arc with Sakamoto and Co. as they go head to head with Wutang and the Triad and we are setting up for the larger story arc as well.

We have a new group of characters introduced too which gave me the creeps as they're after Sakamoto and Co.too.
#pantone2024

I'm still in love with Anya and her attempts to befriend that kid, because her expressions are priceless. Yuri is still being weirdly creepy and I hope they talk about that at some point in the series because it's a bit worrisome as I'm cheering on Twilight. Which talking about, the new character of Fiona, is throwing an odd wrench into the current setup but let's see where that goes before I make up my mind.

The bulk of this volume was Konosuke and Ichiko having to deal with different characters trying to get them but mostly dealing with a new character Madara, who can control bugs.

Personally I hate bugs so cheers to Ichigo for doing what she does even as I sympathize with Madera thanks to her backstory. All in all Madara's backstory introduces more of the overall arc and I think someone we'll see again later as the story moves forward.

I don't know how to start this review.
I picked up the book because 1) it was all over the place and 2) once I looked at it, the premise sounded interesting but this one wasn't for me.
The FMC came across as flat, a bit one dimensional as the book in her POV talks about her outfits, her apartment, these pieces of paper, and high scale restaurants and bars in L.A., which I didn't care.
A booktok raved book has failed me again.

I continue loving this manga.
This volumes reunites Sakamoto and Shin with Lu at the lab plus brings us some interesting characters and a possible new story arc that I can't wait to see what happens.

Personally I love the setup for the next arc and the introduction to yet another character from Lu's past which ended on a great opening cliffhanger into that next volume.

My first book from Jes Drew and this was a fun and smart ride that grabbed my attention from the first chapter. It had a lot of things I enjoy; werewolves, vampires,elves, the villain getting the girl, the single dad trope, and the enemies to lovers trope to name the key ones for me.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I remember reading this one some 20 years ago and thinking it was ok with some good character dialogue but on this reread, I see how flawed and in some moments just unrealistic.

Not my favorite of Cruise's work as I don't reread this one often compared to the others but I always had a problem with the Nick, Bill, Quinn angle and some 20 yrs later, I have a definite answer for myself as to why.

This was a nice collection of Oliver's poems but I didn't fall in love with the imagery or the world themselves the way I did with her other work, 'Upstream'.

I'll have to visit more of her work as she has quite a few but all in all a short and good collection exploring the small moments of a life.

#pantone2024

I had this book on my TBR for a while and when I saw that it was the library summer book club pick, well I figured this would be a good time to read it but it's been months and I'm not sure how I feel about it.

I found a lack of love and empathy within this family. All selfish, especially the daughters. That selfishness is also the catalyst for lot of what happens to them and their individual downfalls and add to the odd mish mash of themes.