Manga Review: Nisekoi by Naoshi Komi Raku Ichijo is a mild-mannered teenager who just happens to be the heir-apparent to the Shuei-Gumi Yakuza clan. He wants nothing to do with this, intending to become a strait-laced civil servant when he grows up. Raku also dreams of romance. He has a lock pendant from ten years… Continue reading Manga Review: Nisekoi
Book Review: Steal the Sky
Book Review: Steal the Sky by Megan E. O’Keefe Detan Honding and his partner Tibal (“Tibs” to his friends) are rogues. They steal and swindle for a living, moving frequently from place to place on the Scorched Continent. To keep ahead of their victims, yes, but also for more important reasons. Just now they’re stuck… Continue reading Book Review: Steal the Sky
Book Review: Midnight at the Mansion
Book Review: Midnight at the Mansion by Steven K. Smith Disclaimer: I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway for the purpose of writing this review. No other compensation was requested or received. Brothers Sam and Derek, and Sam’s friend Caitlin, are enjoying a day at Maymont, a historic estate in Richmond, Virginia. A man… Continue reading Book Review: Midnight at the Mansion
Manga Review: Orange the Complete Collection 1
Manga Review: Orange the Complete Collection 1 by Ichigo Takano If you could send a letter to yourself ten years in the past, what would you say? “Life will get better after high school”? “Don’t drink and drive”? “Here are the winning lottery numbers for [date]”? On the first day of her junior year of… Continue reading Manga Review: Orange the Complete Collection 1
Book Review: Scammunition
Book Review: Scammunition by Colleen J. Pallamary Disclaimer: I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway for the purpose of writing this review. No other compensation was requested or received. Colleen Pallamary has been working as a volunteer to protect senior citizens and others from scams and swindles for over a decade in Florida. This book… Continue reading Book Review: Scammunition
Book Review: The Ark
Book Review: The Ark by Patrick S. Tomlinson The generation ship known to its inhabitants as The Ark holds the last fifty thousand humans in the universe. Er, make that 49,999…and falling. When brilliant geneticist Edmond Laraby goes missing only a few weeks before the Ark is finally going to reach humanity’s new home in… Continue reading Book Review: The Ark
Movie Review: When Marnie Was There
Movie Review: When Marnie Was There directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi Anna is an orphan with asthma and alienation issues. When she is sent to a rural village for the fresh air, Anna believes her foster parents are just dumping her on their friends for the summer. But the area certainly isn’t a bad place to… Continue reading Movie Review: When Marnie Was There
Manga Review: Inuyashiki #1-3
Manga Review: Inuyashiki #1-3 by Hiroya Oku Life is tough for Ichiro Inuyashiki. He’s only 58, but looks a good ten years older. His wife and children think he’s a loser (and they’re not entirely wrong,) he gets pushed around by jerks, and now he has cancer. The prognosis is terminal, a few months at… Continue reading Manga Review: Inuyashiki #1-3
Book Review: Japan Tuttle Travel Pack
Book Review: Japan Tuttle Travel Pack by Rob Goss Disclaimer: I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was offered or requested. Tuttle Publishing was founded by Charles Tuttle, a Vermonter who came to Japan with Douglas MacArthur’s staff after World War Two. His job was… Continue reading Book Review: Japan Tuttle Travel Pack
Open Thread: So It Has Come to This
The new management of the apartment building I have lived in for the last thirty years has decided to close the whole place for renovations. All the residents must move out before September 30, 2016. As a low-income temp worker with no car, my living place options are limited, especially on short notice. I have… Continue reading Open Thread: So It Has Come to This