Manga Review: So Cute It Hurts!! #1

Manga Review: So Cute It Hurts!! #1 by Go Ikeyamada When the Kobayashi twins, Megumu and Mitsuru, were born, their parents named  them after people important in the life of feudal warlord Date Masamune.  It seems that their family was descended from retainers of that Warring States era general.  When they grew to adolesence, Mitsuru became… Continue reading Manga Review: So Cute It Hurts!! #1

Book Review: The Blue Fairy Book

Book Review: The Blue Fairy Book edited by Andrew Lang Once upon a time, (1889 to be specific), British children did not have access to collections of fairy tales.  Educators of the time thought fairy tales were too unrealistic and harmful to children, and beneath adults.  Mr. Lang felt differently; he had delighted in such… Continue reading Book Review: The Blue Fairy Book

Book Review: 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories

Book Review: 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories edited by Stefan Dziemianowicz, Robert Weinberg & Martin H. Greenberg This was my Halloween season read this year, an anthology commissioned for the Barnes & Noble stores in 1995.  There are indeed one hundred stories in this hefty tome, averaging about six pages.  They are not all about… Continue reading Book Review: 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories

Book Review: Cat Breaking Free

Book Review: Cat Breaking Free by Shirley Rousseau Murphy Joe Grey is a talking cat with superfeline intellect and digestive abilities.  Fortunately, he has chosen to use these powers in the service of justice as a civilian investigator for the small California city of Molena Point.  Along with his fellow talking cats Dulcie and Kit,… Continue reading Book Review: Cat Breaking Free

Book Review: First Polish Reader (Volume 2)

Book Review: First Polish Reader (Volume 2) by Wiktor Kopernikas Disclaimer:  I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. This is a book of simple stories in both Polish and English, designed to help students learn to read Polish.  It’s printed by Language Practice Publishing, and uses… Continue reading Book Review: First Polish Reader (Volume 2)

Manga Review: Rin-ne

Manga Review: Rin-ne by Rumiko Takahashi Sakura Mamiya is not quite your normal high school girl.  Due to a near-death experience as a child, Sakura can see spirits.  One day, she meets the new boy in her class, Rinne Rokudo.  She mistakes him for a spirit at first, but the truth is a bit more… Continue reading Manga Review: Rin-ne

Magazine Review: Out of the Gutter #7

Magazine Review: Out of the Gutter #7 (Winter 2010) Back in the day, the low-cost entertainment option of choice was the pulp magazine.  It contained fast, exciting stories on cruddy paper–a lowbrow art form that is still fondly remembered by some.  “Out of the Gutter” tries to be somewhat in that tradition. This is the… Continue reading Magazine Review: Out of the Gutter #7

Book Review: The 47 Ronin

The 47 Ronin by A.B. Mitford This is an abridged and dolled-up reprint of A.B. Mitford’s Tales of Old Japan with lots of color illustrations.  Tales was originally published in 1871, as Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford, a member of the British legation in Tokyo, witnessed the rapid modernization of Japan.  He decided to set down some traditional stories… Continue reading Book Review: The 47 Ronin

Manga Review: A*Tomcat

Manga Review: A*Tomcat by Osamu Tezuka A perennial comic book idea is animal versions of previously created superheroes, such as Hoppy, the Marvel Bunny for Captain Marvel.  It turns out that manga creators can do it too.  Back in the 1950s, Osamu Tezuka created Tetsuwan Atom (“Mighty Atom”), the story of a super-powered robot that looked… Continue reading Manga Review: A*Tomcat

Book Review: The Cat Sitter’s Cradle

Book Review: The Cat Sitter’s Cradle by Blaize & John Clement Disclosure:  I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it.  This is an Advance Reading Copy, so minor changes may be made in the final product. The cover is adorable, a kitten bottle-feeding in a… Continue reading Book Review: The Cat Sitter’s Cradle