• Home
  • About
  • Archives - Wading Through
  • Archives - The Craft Sea

Wading Through...

  • Home
  • About
  • Archives - Wading Through
  • Archives - The Craft Sea

Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson

Title: Love in the Time of Serial Killers

Author: Alicia Thompson

Publisher: Berkley 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 352

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Read Around the USA - Florida

Where I Got It: Under the Cover, Kansas City, June 2024

Spice Rating: 4

PhD candidate Phoebe Walsh has always been obsessed with true crime. She's even analyzing the genre in her dissertation—if she can manage to finish writing it. It's hard to find the time while she spends the summer in Florida, cleaning out her childhood home, dealing with her obnoxiously good-natured younger brother, and grappling with the complicated feelings of mourning a father she hadn't had a relationship with for years.
 
It doesn't help that she's low-key convinced that her new neighbor, Sam Dennings, is a serial killer (he may dress business casual by day, but at night he's clearly up to something). It's not long before Phoebe realizes that Sam might be something much scarier—a genuinely nice guy who can pierce her armor to reach her vulnerable heart.

I grabbed this at the retreat last year hoping for a great witty, steamy, slightly dark romance. Instead, we got a very slow-moving, low-steam, traditional romcom romance. I couldn’t really connect to the pairing of Phoebe and Sam. They started out with a silly meet cute, but then went into a holding pattern for most of the book. The story is really focused more on Phoebe and her unease with her life than the romance aspect. It read more like women’s fiction than romance. And Phoebe grated on my at many points in the story. She was just a fairly unlikeable character. I really got bored about halfway through the book. I pushed through, but even the ending did not bring it back up for me.

Unread Shelf 25.png
read around2.png
Spice Meter.png
Star Ratings.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: Alicia Thompson, romance, Unread Shelf Project, UnRead Shelf Project RC, Read Around the USA, 3 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Friday 04.25.25
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 1 Phantom Blood Volume 3

Title: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 1 Phantom Blood Volume 3

Author: Hirohiko Araki

Publisher: VIZ Media 1988

Genre: Manga

Pages: 339

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series; Books to Movies

Where I Got It: Library

The legendary Shonen Jump series, now available in English for the first time, in a deluxe edition featuring color pages and newly drawn cover art! JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a groundbreaking manga famous for its outlandish characters, wild humor and frenetic battles. A multigenerational tale of the heroic Joestar family and their never-ending battle against evil!

The conclusion of the Phantom Blood Arc! Jonathan Joestar and his mentor Zeppelli continue their pursuit of the villainous vampire, Dio! But to get to him, they must first face down his murderous henchmen! In battle after bloody battle, JoJo and Zeppeli are pushed to their limits and beyond!

And we close out the Phantom Blood story arc. I enjoyed how the story went overall. It was a fun big adventure story between good and evil. But I must say the confusing art panels during action pulled me out of the story sometimes. My biggest complaint is actually that many times throughout the story, the author tells instead of shows. There was weird exposition panels mostly narrated by Speedwagon. With the ending in this volume, I wonder where the bigger story is going to go next.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 1 Phantom Blood

  • Volume 1

  • Volume 2

  • Volume 3

Books to Movies.png
Finishing the Series 25.png
Star Ratings.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: Hirohiko Araki, manga, fantasy, Finishing the Series, Books to Movies, 3 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Thursday 04.24.25
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 1 Phantom Blood Volume 2

Title: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 1 Phantom Blood Volume 2

Author: Hirohiko Araki

Publisher: VIZ Media 1987

Genre: Manga

Pages: 319

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Library

The legendary Shonen Jump series, now available in English for the first time, in a deluxe edition featuring color pages and newly drawn cover art! JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a groundbreaking manga famous for its outlandish characters, wild humor and frenetic battles. A multigenerational tale of the heroic Joestar family and their never-ending battle against evil!

As if Dio wasn't diabolical enough, now he's an immortal vampire with incredible strength! But Jonathan Joestar's not one to back down, even when it seems like victory is impossible! It's a classic battle! Good versus evil! Grit and determination against power and arrogance! Who will win?!

Thankfully we get into the supernatural, bizarreness of this story in this volume. We see the big setup between JoJo and Dio and the beginning of their ultimate fight. We get some random fun characters introduced including Jojo’s random sidekick Speedwagon. I was slightly distracted by some of the art panels. During the high action sequences, the actual workings got a little confusing. We’ll see how this plays out.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 1 Phantom Blood

  • Volume 1

  • Volume 2

  • Volume 3

Finishing the Series 25.png
Star Ratings.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: Hirohiko Araki, manga, fantasy, 4 stars, Finishing the Series
categories: Book Reviews
Thursday 04.24.25
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Sex Criminals Vol. 6: Six Criminals

Title: Sex Criminal Vol. 6: Six Criminals

Author: Matt Fraction, Chip Zdarsky

Publisher: Image 2020

Genre: Comics

Pages: 136

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Library

The grand finale! The big finish! The climax! We speak, of course, about this, the end of the award-winning, boundary-pushing, taste-challenging SEX CRIMINALS. Suze and Jon have sex, stop time, and rob banks. The bank went after them. Now Suze and Jon finish off the bank, the Sex Police, and the bad guys all in one pop, hoping to dodge a huge load of trouble before it explodes in their faces.
Collects SEX CRIMINALS #26-30, 69

Finally this story wraps up and I am just really nonplussed about the entire thing. I loved the conceit and setup of the story, but then it just felt like we wandered around for many many issues. I just couldn’t seem to care about the characters. Oh well, I finished the series.

Sex Criminals

  • Volume 1: One Weird Trick

  • Volume 2: Two Worlds, One Cop

  • Volume 3: Three the Hard Way

  • Volume 4: Fourgy

  • Volume 5: Five-Fingered Discount

  • Volume 6: Six Criminals

Finishing the Series 25.png
Star Ratings.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: comics, Matt Fraction, Chip Zdarsky, 3 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Wednesday 04.23.25
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Sex Criminals Vol. 5: Five-Fingered Discount

Title: Sex Criminal Vol. 5: Five-Fingered Discount

Author: Matt Fraction, Chip Zdarsky

Publisher: Image Comics 2018

Genre: Comics

Pages: 128

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Library

Suzie and Jon have that special something—when they have sex, they freeze time and do crimes. Well—they HAD that special something. In the aftermath of what would appear to be a breakup, where do our two love-crazy time-freezing sex-having bank robbers go? REBOUND AHOY! Also everything gets more dangerous and complicated? But it's okay. Collects SEX CRIMINALS #21-25

After the events of volume 4, I was a bit reluctant to continue the series. I was just a bit bored by the schtick. Suzie and Jon seem to be just wandering around the world completely lost. And this volume keeps at it. I just was bored with this. We get some movement of the big mystery plot, but I still felt like I was going through the motions with this one.

Sex Criminals

  • Volume 1: One Weird Trick

  • Volume 2: Two Worlds, One Cop

  • Volume 3: Three the Hard Way

  • Volume 4: Fourgy

  • Volume 5: Five-Fingered Discount

  • Volume 6: Six Criminals

Finishing the Series 25.png
Star Ratings.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: comics, Matt Fraction, Chip Zdarsky
categories: Book Reviews
Wednesday 04.23.25
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 1 Phantom Blood Volume 1

Title: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 1 Phantom Blood Volume 1

Author: Hirohiko Araki

Publisher: VIZ Media 1987

Genre: Manga

Pages: 245

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Library

The legendary Shonen Jump series, now available in English for the first time, in a deluxe edition featuring color pages and newly drawn cover art! JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a groundbreaking manga famous for its outlandish characters, wild humor and frenetic battles. A multigenerational tale of the heroic Joestar family and their never-ending battle against evil!

Young Jonathan Joestar’s life is forever changed when he meets his new adopted brother, Dio. For some reason, Dio has a smoldering grudge against him and derives pleasure from seeing him suffer. But every man has his limits, as Dio finds out. This is the beginning of a long and hateful relationship!

I don’t exactly know what I was expecting with this series. But it shows up on all the greatest manga series lists and I had to put it on our list. The first volume was slightly disappointing. I realize that we had to set up the entire series and main characters. But I was expecting the supernatural and the bizarre to have more of a presence. Instead, we get a very slow moving story at first. By the end of the volume, I am still going to keep reading, but I really hope that it gets better.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 1 Phantom Blood

  • Volume 1

  • Volume 2

  • Volume 3

Finishing the Series 25.png
Star Ratings.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: Hirohiko Araki, manga, 3 stars, fantasy, Finishing the Series
categories: Book Reviews
Tuesday 04.22.25
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 4

Title: Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 4

Author: Gege Akutami

Publisher: VIZ Media LLC 2019

Genre: Comics

Pages: 200

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Library

In a world where cursed spirits feed on unsuspecting humans, fragments of the legendary and feared demon Ryomen Sukuna have been lost and scattered about. Should any demon consume Sukuna’s body parts, the power they gain could destroy the world as we know it. Fortunately, there exists a mysterious school of jujutsu sorcerers who exist to protect the precarious existence of the living from the supernatural!

While investigating a strange set of mysterious deaths, Itadori meets Junpei, a troubled kid who is often bullied at school. However, Junpei is also befriended by the culprit behind the bloody incident—Mahito, a mischievous cursed spirit! Mahito sets in motion a devious plan involving Junpei, hoping to ensnare Itadori as well.

Hmmm…. I really assumed that Junpei would be a character that would hang around for longer in this series. I thought we were going to get a bit more emotional conflict with Itadori and Junpei being on opposite sides. But we quickly get rid of Junpei and focus back on the conflict between Mahito and the Sorcerers. I am interested in the lore that was revealed and how this will play into the larger storyline.

Jujutsu Kaisen

  • Volume 1

  • Volume 2

  • Volume 3

  • Volume 4

  • Volume 5

  • Volume 6

  • Volume 7

  • Volume 8

  • Volume 9

  • Volume 10

  • Volume 11

  • Volume 12

  • Volume 13

  • Volume 14

  • Volume 15

  • Volume 16

  • Volume 17

  • Volume 18

  • Volume 19

  • Volume 20

  • Volume 21

  • Volume 22

  • Volume 23

  • Volume 24

  • Volume 25

Finishing the Series 25.png
Star Ratings.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: comics, manga, horror, Gege Akutami, 4 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Sunday 04.20.25
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

Title: Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection

Author: John Green

Publisher: Crash Course Books 2025

Genre: Nonfiction - Science, History

Pages: 208

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Nonfiction Reader

Where I Got It: Preordered in 2025!

Tuberculosis has been entwined with hu­manity for millennia. Once romanticized as a malady of poets, today tuberculosis is seen as a disease of poverty that walks the trails of injustice and inequity we blazed for it.

In 2019, author John Green met Henry Reider, a young tuberculosis patient at Lakka Government Hospital in Sierra Leone. John be­came fast friends with Henry, a boy with spindly legs and a big, goofy smile. In the years since that first visit to Lakka, Green has become a vocal advocate for increased access to treatment and wider awareness of the healthcare inequi­ties that allow this curable, preventable infec­tious disease to also be the deadliest, killing over a million people every year.

In Everything Is Tuberculosis, John tells Henry’s story, woven through with the scientific and social histories of how tuberculosis has shaped our world—and how our choices will shape the future of tuberculosis.

I really appreciate John Green’s ability to weave hard science and history with emotional human stories and somehow not make it seem trite or manipulative. We get a comprehensive history of tuberculosis, its place in society, and current state. We get some beautiful and tragic human stories weaving in and out. I really loved hearing personal stories of dealing with the disease. Along the way, Green also includes his own commentary about his obsession with tuberculosis. I absolutely loved this short book.

Unread Shelf 25.png
nonfiction 25.jpeg
Star Ratings.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: Unread Shelf Project, UnRead Shelf Project RC, Nonfiction Reader, nonfiction, science, history, John Green, 5 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Saturday 04.19.25
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Her Last Flight by Beatriz Williams

Title: Her Last Flight

Author: Beatriz Williams

Publisher: William Morrow 2020

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 400

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Read Around the USA - Hawaii

Where I Got It: Won on Goodreads

In 1947, photographer and war correspondent Janey Everett arrives at a remote surfing village on the Hawaiian island of Kauai to research a planned biography of forgotten aviation pioneer Sam Mallory, who joined the loyalist forces in the Spanish Civil War and never returned. Obsessed with Sam’s fate, Janey has tracked down Irene Lindquist, the owner of a local island-hopping airline, whom she believes might actually be the legendary Irene Foster, Mallory’s onetime student and flying partner. Foster’s disappearance during a round-the-world flight in 1937 remains one of the world’s greatest unsolved mysteries. 

At first, the flinty Mrs. Lindquist denies any connection to Foster. But Janey informs her that the wreck of Sam Mallory’s airplane has recently been discovered in a Spanish desert, and piece by piece, the details of Foster’s extraordinary life emerge: from the beginnings of her flying career in Southern California, to her complicated, passionate relationship with Mallory, to the collapse of her marriage to her aggressive career manager, the publishing scion George Morrow.

As Irene spins her tale to its searing conclusion, Janey’s past gathers its own power. The duel between the two women takes a heartstopping turn. To whom does Mallory rightfully belong? Can we ever come to terms with the loss of those we love, and the lives we might have lived?

I was excited to read this book based on a few previous Williams’ books. Unfortunately, this one did not really land for me. I was intrigued by the topic of female aviators. The idea that this was partially based on Amelia Earhart pulled me in also. But then I started reading it and was immediately turned off by the main characters. Irene and Janey are in turns annoying and infuriating. I don’t always need to have amazing characters to connect with, but these two were really frustrating. Beyond those two characters, I didn’t ever buy the “romance” between Irene and Same. It just seemed like they were two people in close proximity, but no real relationship was shown. And don’t get me started on the big “twist” revealed near the end. I just wasn’t into this book at all.

Unread Shelf 25.png
read around2.png
Star Ratings.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: Beatriz Williams, historical fiction, Unread Shelf Project, UnRead Shelf Project RC, Read Around the USA, 3 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Friday 04.18.25
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Sweet Obsession by Katee Robert

Title: Sweet Obsession (Dark Olympus #8)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Sourcebooks 2025

Genre: Romance

Pages: 336

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; She Reads Romance - Queer

Spice Rating: 6

Icarus may not have flown particularly close to the sun, but he has fallen…right into the rough hands of Olympus's own Poseidon. Being held captive by the gentle giant wouldn't be so bad if Olympus wasn't on the eve of destruction…or if Poseidon stopped looking at him with those irresistibly stormy eyes.

Poseidon doesn't have time to babysit his increasingly bratty prisoner, but he has no choice: Olympus is officially at war, and someone has to keep their best bargaining chip out of harm's way. The thing is, the longer Poseidon is with Icarus, the more he starts to care for his sworn enemy...and the more he realizes that Icarus isn't the villain he's been made out to be. There's a warmth to him, a vulnerability, that Poseidon finds difficult to ignore or deny.

Now with Circe and the Aeaens at the gate and Olympus a hair's breadth away from falling, Poseidon will have to make a difficult choice: about himself, about his allegiances, and about the man who woke his heart from its long slumber only to threaten to break it for good...

Fully admit that this isn’t my favorite pairing. Honestly I was more interested in the large plot line about Circe’s invasion than the romance between Poseidon and Icarus. They are fine as characters, but I didn’t find either one to be particularly compelling. I appreciate the topics and relationships that Robert’s is exploring, but not my favorite. The inclusion of a Dom/Sub relationship was interesting, but again, not my favorite. It’s just not my favorite romance kink. The rest of the plot keep me engaged and wanting to know more. I am very very interested in reading the next book. In fact, I’ve been waiting since after Neon Gods to see Zeus and Hera’s story played out.

Dark Olympus

  • #0.5 Stone Heart

  • #1 Neon Gods

  • #1.5 Hades and Hades

  • #2 Electric Idol

  • #2.5 Zeus and Hera

  • #3 Wicked Beauty

  • #4 Radiant Sun

  • #5 Cruel Seduction

  • #6 Midnight Ruin

  • #7 Dark Restraint

  • #8 Sweet Obsession

  • #9 Tender Cruelty

  • #10 Shattered Gods

Unread Shelf 25.png
she reads romance 25.jpeg
star-rating-remains-the-most-important-part-of-a-review-cad0047.cad0047.png
Spice Meter.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: romance, Katee Robert, greek and roman myths, contemporary, Unread Shelf Project, UnRead Shelf Project RC, 3 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Wednesday 04.16.25
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 3

Title: Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 2

Author: Gege Akutami

Publisher: VIZ Media LLC 2018

Genre: Comics

Pages: 192

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Library

In a world where cursed spirits feed on unsuspecting humans, fragments of the legendary and feared demon Ryomen Sukuna have been lost and scattered about. Should any demon consume Sukuna’s body parts, the power they gain could destroy the world as we know it. Fortunately, there exists a mysterious school of jujutsu sorcerers who exist to protect the precarious existence of the living from the supernatural!

Tensions are high as the Goodwill Event between the Tokyo and Kyoto campuses of Jujutsu High approaches. But before the competition can even begin, a couple of Kyoto students confront Fushiguro and Kugisaki. Meanwhile, Yuji’s training gets interrupted by a mysterious crime involving grotesque bodily alterations caused by a cursed spirit..
.

Oh…. I am really getting into this series now. We get to see new characters and lots of plot development. I am very interested to see how the two different jujutsu schools operate and approach the coming crisis. We get a little glimpse of this when the mini showdown between the students, but I just know that more is coming. And then we get the larger curse crisis. I cannot wait to see how the story evolves and how Sukuna plays into everything. We do get some emotional weight with a new character. Let’s see how this plays out.

Jujutsu Kaisen

  • Volume 1

  • Volume 2

  • Volume 3

  • Volume 4

  • Volume 5

  • Volume 6

  • Volume 7

  • Volume 8

  • Volume 9

  • Volume 10

  • Volume 11

  • Volume 12

  • Volume 13

  • Volume 14

  • Volume 15

  • Volume 16

  • Volume 17

  • Volume 18

  • Volume 19

  • Volume 20

  • Volume 21

  • Volume 22

  • Volume 23

  • Volume 24

  • Volume 25

Finishing the Series 25.png
Star Ratings.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: comics, manga, horror, Gege Akutami, 4 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Tuesday 04.15.25
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 2

Title: Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 2

Author: Gege Akutami

Publisher: VIZ Media LLC 2018

Genre: Comics

Pages: 192

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Library

In a world where cursed spirits feed on unsuspecting humans, fragments of the legendary and feared demon Ryomen Sukuna were lost and scattered about. Should any demon consume Sukuna’s body parts, the power they gain could destroy the world as we know it. Fortunately, there exists a mysterious school of jujutsu sorcerers who exist to protect the precarious existence of the living from the supernatural!

When a cursed womb appears at a detention facility, Jujutsu High dispatches Itadori and the other first-years to handle the situation. However, the curse they encounter is far stronger than they ever expected! Itadori and friends now have two options: run and maybe live, or fight and die. While they are distracted, powerful curses with mysterious designs on Jujutsu High and Satoru Gojo are gathering…

So much plot was put forward in this volume. We get to see the aftermath of the battle in the detention facility and crucially the fate of Itadori. I’m very much interested in how they work him back into the collection of characters in this and subsequent volumes. Beyond him, we get to learn so much more about curse breaking and the various techniques used by characters. Satoru Gojo is of particular interest. There are so many mysterious hints dropped in this volume. I cannot wait for more to revealed. On to the next volume!

Jujutsu Kaisen

  • Volume 1

  • Volume 2

  • Volume 3

  • Volume 4

  • Volume 5

  • Volume 6

  • Volume 7

  • Volume 8

  • Volume 9

  • Volume 10

  • Volume 11

  • Volume 12

  • Volume 13

  • Volume 14

  • Volume 15

  • Volume 16

  • Volume 17

  • Volume 18

  • Volume 19

  • Volume 20

  • Volume 21

  • Volume 22

  • Volume 23

  • Volume 24

  • Volume 25

Finishing the Series 25.png
Star Ratings.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: comics, manga, horror, Gege Akutami, 4 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Tuesday 04.15.25
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Kinky History by Esmé Louise James

Title: Kinky History: A Rollicking Journey Through Our Sexual Past, Present, and Future

Author: Esmé Louise James

Publisher: Tarcher 2024

Genre: Nonfiction - History, Science

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Reader

Where I Got It: Library

Contrary to popular belief, our predecessors had all sorts of obscene hobbies long before Christian Greyhit the scene. In this enlightening romp, learn about the first instances of homosexuality on record from the ancient world and the diverse history of nonbinary gender; encounter a thousand years’ worth of hilarious and horrifying contraceptive methods; consider the positive and negative effects of the widespread availability of pornography in the digital age—and how our relationship to it changed during the pandemic; take a sneaky riffle through centuries of bedside drawers; and discover the dirty little secrets of luminaries such as Julius Caesar, James Joyce, Albert Einstein, and Virginia Woolf.

Esmé Louise James also identifies the key tipping points that directly inform current beliefs around sex to place the past in conversation with the present. By educating ourselves about the weird, wonderful, and varied spectrum of human sexuality and experience, we can normalize and destigmatize sex, write people of marginalized sexual identities back into the pages of history, and build toward a more liberated future..

A friend recommended the author based on her Instagram reels. I started following her and loved her little historical tidbits. And then I found out that she wrote a book and had to immediately read it. Diving in, James writes just like her instagram voice, funny and yet full of information. We go on an exploration of sex in history dispelling many myths along the way. I loved the inclusion of various historical figures as attendees of our dinner party. They added an interesting human element to the statistics and deep research. This book is not for those afraid of talking about sex in detail. And yet, I think that it should be required reading for adults. Having honest conversations with each other should be number one. I really enjoyed this one.

nonfiction 25.jpeg
Star Ratings.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: Esme Louise James, nonfiction, science, history, 4 stars, Nonfiction Reader
categories: Book Reviews
Sunday 04.13.25
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Parasyte Vol. 8 by Iwaaki Hitoshi

Title: Parasyte Vol. 8

Author: Iwaaki Hitoshi

Publisher: Del Rey

Genre: Comics

Pages: 

Rating: /5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series; Book to Movie

Where I Got It: Library

MONSTER TWIST: Shinichi vows to destroy Goto, one of the deadliest of the alien parasites that have invaded Earth-and people's bodies. But at the moment of truth, Shinichi discovers something unexpected in his heart: sympathy for the monster. Soon Shinichi, who harbors his own alien parasite, will come to a stunning realization about the dark side of human nature-and his own soul. This is the final volume of Parasyte. Includes special extras after the story!

And we finally get to the end. I truly loved how this story ended. It had the emotional weight that I was looking for without being super pessimistic. We get to see Shinichi and Migi really grow and come into their own. They are separate entities, but clearly very connected (and not just physically). We get to see Shinichi take on responsibility for Migi and even for all the parasites. While big comic/manga series are a lot of fun, I really enjoyed how this was a contained story with a conclusion. And now, J and I can watch the anime version.

Parasyte

  • Volume 1

  • Volume 2

  • Volume 3

  • Volume 4

  • Volume 5

  • Volume 6

  • Volume 7

  • Volume 8

Finishing the Series 25.png
Books to Movies.png
Star Ratings.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: comics, manga, Iwaaki Hitoshi, horror, Books to Movies
categories: Book Reviews
Saturday 04.12.25
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Parasyte Vol. 7 by Iwaaki Hitoshi

Title: Parasyte Vol. 7

Author: Iwaaki Hitoshi

Publisher: Del Rey

Genre: Comics

Pages: 288

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Library

ENDGAME: Shinichi is both man and monster. He's an ordinary high school student whose body has been invaded by an alien parasite. And he alone knows a terrible secret: The aliens are plotting the destruction of humankind. Now Shinichi is the target-for both the government and the alien invaders-in a hunt that will lead to a terrifying, bloody showdown. . . . Includes special extras after the story!

Most of this volume is taken up with a large action sequence between Shinichi and a parasite infected human. We get to really ramp up the action sequences and see just how deadly the parasites can be. I was very intrigued by how the stand off with the police and the parasites was going to go. This volume did not disappoint.

Parasyte

  • Volume 1

  • Volume 2

  • Volume 3

  • Volume 4

  • Volume 5

  • Volume 6

  • Volume 7

  • Volume 8

Finishing the Series 25.png
Star Ratings.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: comics, manga, Iwaaki Hitoshi, horror, 4 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Saturday 04.12.25
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Parasyte Vol. 6 by Iwaaki Hitoshi

Title: Parasyte Vol. 6

Author: Iwaaki Hitoshi

Publisher: Del Rey 1993

Genre: Comics

Pages: 288

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Library

ENEMY MINE: Shinichi has been hiding his true nature from the world: His body has been colonized by an alien being, and now he's half-human, half-alien. The other alien invaders, led by the cruel and beautiful Tamura, have discovered his secret. Shinichi is a threat to their plan to destroy the human race-a threat that these ruthless creatures will no longer ignore . . .

It feels like we really are entering the endgame of this series. We really start to understand exactly what the parasite infected humans are aiming for. And we get to see Shinichi coming to terms with this own “friend.” I enjoyed the discussions that the two of them have. They lend an air of philosophical discussion in between the action sequences. I am very eager to see how this all ends.

Parasyte

  • Volume 1

  • Volume 2

  • Volume 3

  • Volume 4

  • Volume 5

  • Volume 6

  • Volume 7

  • Volume 8

Finishing the Series 25.png
Star Ratings.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: comics, manga, Iwaaki Hitoshi, horror, 4 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Friday 04.11.25
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Parasyte Vol. 5 by Iwaaki Hitoshi

Title: Parasyte Vol. 5

Author: Iwaaki Hitoshi

Publisher: Del Rey 1992

Genre: Comics

Pages: 304

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Library

MONSTER: Shinichi was just an ordinary high school student, until his body was invaded by a parasite, a horrifying alien being. Now Shinichi is a monster with a human face . . . and a human conscience. He is unlike anything else in the world-part man, part alien, and caught in a desperate struggle to save his own soul.

I think we hit the low point of the series. This volume really slows down the story to check-in with the other parasite characters and eventually engage in one big fight. We get a few little scenes of interest between Shinichi and Migi, but mostly, I was just flipping pages to see what happened next. Still fully into this series, but this volume almost felt like a bit of a pause in the storyline.

Parasyte

  • Volume 1

  • Volume 2

  • Volume 3

  • Volume 4

  • Volume 5

  • Volume 6

  • Volume 7

  • Volume 8

Finishing the Series 25.png
Star Ratings.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: comics, manga, Iwaaki Hitoshi, horror, 3 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Friday 04.11.25
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

The Demon's Queen by Katee Robert

Title: The Demon’s Queen (A Deal with a Demon #6)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Trinkets & Tales LLC 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 164

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Paranormal; Cover Lover - Illustrated Scene

Where It Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 7

Eve’s life might not be perfect, but it’s hers. She has money, freedom, and a client list that she’s handpicked over the years. If sometimes she gets a little too attached to those clients? Well, that’s her problem. After a stressful day, she’s looking forward to dinner and a long night with Azazel…until he asks her to sign a contract under the guise of roleplay—and then kidnaps her to another realm.

Azazel has been in love with Eve for years, but he knows his place. The window to offer her a contract has long since closed, so he takes her in the only way he can—as her client. Until one of his enemies realizes exactly how much Eve means to him…forcing him to lie to her to protect her.

Unfortunately for Azazel, Eve isn’t thankful for the protection. She may be stuck in the demon realm with her new captor, but she’s going to make him choke on every moment they spend together.

Too bad her heart is more in the mix than she’d ever admit…

Finally! We finally get Azazel and Eve’s story! I’ve been waiting this entire series for this pairing and it does not disappoint. We get to see a woman who came from nothing and found something like a life who then gets basically kidnapped to the demon realm. But thankfully, her captor is Azazel who, even though he missteps many times, truly cares about Eve. I loved seeing these two characters circle each other before finally professing their feelings. We get great cameos from many other characters in the series. We also get the opposite side of scenes from my of the books adding to the full series story. Sad that this series is at an end, but have really enjoyed the ride.

A Deal with a Demon

  • #1 The Dragon’s Bride

  • #2 The Kraken’s Sacrifice

  • #3 The Gargoyle’s Captive

  • #4 The Succubus’s Prize

  • #5 The Demon’s Bargain

  • #6 The Demon’s Queen

she reads romance 25.jpeg
cover lover 25.png
Spice Meter.png
Star Ratings.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: Katee Robert, romance, fantasy, She Reads Romance, Cover Lover, 4 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Thursday 04.10.25
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 1

Title: Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 1

Author: Gege Akutami

Publisher: VIZ Media LLC 2018

Genre: Comics

Pages: 192

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Library

In a world where cursed spirits feed on unsuspecting humans, fragments of the legendary and feared demon Ryomen Sukuna have been lost and scattered about. Should any demon consume Sukuna’s body parts, the power they gain could destroy the world as we know it. Fortunately, there exists a mysterious school of jujutsu sorcerers who exist to protect the precarious existence of the living from the supernatural!

Although Yuji Itadori looks like your average teenager, his immense physical strength is something to behold! Every sports club wants him to join, but Itadori would rather hang out with the school outcasts in the Occult Research Club. One day, the club manages to get their hands on a sealed cursed object. Little do they know the terror they’ll unleash when they break the seal…

I finally started this series! And it really starts off with a bang! We get introduced to our main characters and the action starts right away. I loved puzzling things out with Itadori and trying to understand the world we’ve been thrown in. The inclusion of our Sensei and other students really helped round out the introduction story. We got a few great action sequences and some world-building in this volume. I cannot wait to continue with this series, and eventually watch the anime.

Jujutsu Kaisen

  • Volume 1

  • Volume 2

  • Volume 3

  • Volume 4

  • Volume 5

  • Volume 6

  • Volume 7

  • Volume 8

  • Volume 9

  • Volume 10

  • Volume 11

  • Volume 12

  • Volume 13

  • Volume 14

  • Volume 15

  • Volume 16

  • Volume 17

  • Volume 18

  • Volume 19

  • Volume 20

  • Volume 21

  • Volume 22

  • Volume 23

  • Volume 24

  • Volume 25

Finishing the Series 25.png
Star Ratings.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: comics, manga, horror, Gege Akutami, 5 stars, Finishing the Series
categories: Book Reviews
Wednesday 04.09.25
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett

Title: Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales (Emily Wilde #3)

Author: Heather Fawcett

Publisher: Orbit 2025

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 368

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Cover Lover - Proper Noun in the Title

Emily Wilde has spent her life studying faeries. A renowned dryadologist, she has documented hundreds of species of Folk in her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Now she is about to embark on her most dangerous academic project yet: studying the inner workings of a faerie realm—as its queen.

Along with her former academic rival—now fiancé—the dashing and mercurial Wendell Bambleby, Emily is immediately thrust into the deadly intrigues of Faerie as the two of them seize the throne of Wendell’s long-lost kingdom, which Emily finds a beautiful nightmare filled with scholarly treasures.

Emily has been obsessed with faerie stories her entire life, but at first she feels as ill-suited to Faerie as she did to the mortal world: How can an unassuming scholar such as herself pass for a queen? Yet there is little time to settle in, for Wendell’s murderous stepmother has placed a deadly curse upon the land before vanishing without a trace. It will take all of Wendell’s magic—and Emily’s knowledge of stories—to unravel the mystery before they lose everything they hold dear.

We come to the end of Emily Wilde’s storyline, and I really loved this quiet fantasy story. We pick up right where we left off from the second book. We spend most of our time in Faerie trying to understand Wendell’s realm and the dangers there. We get to met some interesting new characters and encounter old ones. We travel around Faerie while referencing so many stories and previous plot points. In general, I actually enjoyed the story. My one quibbling point about this book is the narration. At points, the narration becomes very dry and the story lags. But there is a minor point of issue. Overall, I really loved this series as an antidote to fast-paced fantasy.

Emily Wilde

  • #1 Encyclopaedia of Faeries

  • #2 Map of the Otherlands

  • #3 Compendium of Lost Tales

cover lover 25.png
star-rating-remains-the-most-important-part-of-a-review-cad0047.cad0047.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: Heather Fawcett, faeries, fantasy, 4 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Saturday 04.05.25
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 
Newer / Older

Powered by Squarespace.