YA Addicted Book Club discussion

Still lots of books, seems like a good chunk of comics/manga. Best book?

Setting aside In Death I'd say The Bookshop on the Corner. It was just such an expected book and it's not often I get all soft and squishy when it comes to romance.

Do you read any slife of life manga? If so, do you have any recs?

Gord wrote: "Setting aside In Death I'd say The Bookshop on the Corner. It was just such an expected book and it's not often I get all soft and squishy when it comes to romance."

Totally fair! I kind of guessed that would be your answer :)

Slice of Life is definitely up there as one of my favorite sub-genres . A few recommendations and explanations.

[bookcover :Laid-Back Camp, Vol. 1|35604728] Laid-Back Camp, Vol. 1
This is one of the big ones that pops into my head first. It definitely falls into the CGDCT (Cute Girls Doing Cute Things) side of manga as well. Basically it's a manga about camping in Japan. Rin is hands down one of my favorite portrayals of an introvert in media in general honestly.

Barakamon, Vol. 1
This is the story of a young man who does calligraphy. After an incident he is sent to a remote village to get out of the spotlight/find his muse. While there he discovers himself and what is important in life. A really great read overall.

Silver Spoon, Vol. 1
I've been meaning to read this one but I know the anime was amazing. A city kid looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life enrolls in a rural farming high school. There he discovers himself and the joy of rural life.

Sweetness and Lightning, Vol. 1
This is a food heavy series with a lot of cooking and recipes. A single father who recently lost his wife is struggling to find his way when it comes to raising his daughter. In an effort to provide her with better meals and to connect with her he learns to cook. This is another series where I've watched the anime and only read a bit of the manga but I really need to do that.

These are just a few starting points. Slice of life is such an interesting genre that can be taken in so many different directions. You can add a romance element and get something like Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon, Vol. 1 or Days of Love at Seagull Villa, Vol. 1. You can make it about sports or hobbies and end up with something like Chihayafuru, Vol. 1 which is about a Japanese card game. You can make it about life in a rural location and get something like Non Non Biyori vol. 01. Not sure about the manga but the anime is amazing. There are tons about food and especially cooking. You can also add a fantasy/isekai spin to it and it adds a whole new take on things. There are many, many interesting reads out there. The big thing I'd caution though is don't go in expecting massive compelling stories. Or even traditional story telling in general honestly. From my experience (limited to the manga/anime/light novel world) a lot of these are low stake, cozy stories simply about a day in the life of the MC. Some days there might be something exciting and other days they might just cook a really tasty recipe.

Non Non Biyori changed my view on anime, and I never thought to read the manga. I've bookmarked all of these. Thank you!

Another old challenge is now done. It was an Alice in Wonderland themed game of Snakes and Ladders. It was a bit grueling at points as I swear I just got stuck in this loop of go up a few spaces and then promptly get kicked back down again. I started this in March of 2019 so to see it behind me is kind of nice.

Nice for finally getting it done!

This was a disgusting month for reading. Yes, I've been on massive comic/manga kick lately. My library has been getting in a bunch lately and it's lit this fire inside me. Combine that with discovering reading sprints and my reading has been kicked into gear again.

It looks like a great month to me! What was your favorite this month?

That is hard, as usual, because there are a lot of good ones in there.

Novels
In Death - always a good time for me
Will Trent - another series that I enjoy a lot
Mythos Academy - Might be a bit of a surprise but I love this series
And Then There Were None - A classic mystery that was a treat to listen to.

Comics/Manga
TMNT IDW Collection - This is my first real sit down of a TMNT series and I am loving this.
The Boxer - I have no idea how to explain this but this series causes time to disappear whenever I read a volume. I'm also a little upset that the volumes aren't coming out faster to keep up with me.
JoJo, Phantom Blood - A little rocky but the start to a massive universe

Surprises
Let's Buy the Land and Cultivate It in a Different World - I picked this series up because I had an itch for some isekai trash and it was way better than expected. Still isekai trash really but way better than expected.

Magic Artisan Dahlia Wilts No More - Much like the above one I had no expectations heading into this and it ended up being a lot better than I expected. It's isekai but not of the isekai trash layer. Isekai honestly plays a very small part in the book. This is a slice of life manga in a fantasy world with elements of magical invention and business. Also, one of the most punchable men I've encountered for a while.

Great month as always Gord! So much manga/comics

Another month of reading

Best and worst of the month?

Best would be JoJo, Bea Wolf, Frankenstein, Fallen, Snatched, In Death, Monstress.

Worst would have to be The Capture.

And another 2019 challenge is done

Yay! Well done. Which one was it this time?

It was a hurricane based challenge. You worked through the various categories of hurricanes up to category five. You had to complete each section before you could move on to the next. I got stuck on category four for probably a year, year plus, or so.

Damn, thats quite awhile to get stuck. Awesome for finishing it

I have this horrible habit with open ended challenges. I'll get down to a one or two difficult ones and I slip into this attitude of "I'll get it with something I read in the future" and sometimes I do. More often than not though I don't and it just sits there until I make a conscious decision to find something to fill it.

I totally get that. I usually just forget about them all together

I can relate, I have the same habit :D But how satisfying it feels when you finally close the challenge!

It is indeed a great feeling to finally finish a long standing challenge. Sometimes just getting a challenge moving again after being stuck for a while is an incredible feeling.

Meh, it was kind of a slower month for me. I did complete another challenge or two which is nice.

Completing challenges is always satisfying. What were your favorite reads of the month?

Gunsmith Cats, Berserk, Domestication, Shadows in Death, and A Half-Baked Murder were all great new reads.

A Half-Baked Murder sounds fun! I presume it's a cozy mystery? One of my brothers really loves Berserk! I think I'm going to have to look into it. Lol.

It is a cozy mystery and a pretty solid start to one in my opinion. I love Berserk but for a new reader I think it needs a warning before someone starts it. This series has pretty much all the trigger warnings you can think of. Also the start is a bit rough but it quickly shifts into something greater.

Oh man, that is good to know about Berserker. I had no idea!

Final update for 2023. This is why you don't leave me alone with nothing but time and a library card. I was on vacation most of the month and got a little reading done.