🔖 Recent Reads: The Honjin Murders

It's time to share the last book I read, The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo. I started reading it last month a finally finished it last week. 

Apparently is one of Japan's greatest classic murder mysteries and it was originally published in 1946.

I love crime stories, especially murder ones and, the fact that this one was set in Japan, gave it an extra something.

"In the winter of 1937, the village of Okamura is abuzz with excitement over the forthcoming wedding of a son of the grand Ichiyanagi family. But amid the gossip over the approaching festivities, there is also a worrying rumour - it seems a sinister masked man has been asking questions around the village.

Then, on the night of the wedding, the Ichiyanagi household are woken by a terrible scream, followed by the sound of eerie music. Death has come to Okamura, leaving no trace but a bloody samurai sword, thrust into the pristine snow outside the house. Soon, amateur detective Kosuke Kindaichi is on the scene to investigate what will become a legendary murder case, but can this scruffy sleuth solve a seemingly impossible crime?"

I'm not gonna lie, at the beginning the story felt a little slow, since we were getting to know the characters and, at some point, I kinda thought the case would be predictable but, I was wrong! As the story progressed there were many different plot twists and things I didn't see coming. I won't spoil the case here but, it became very interesting.

Sometimes reading it felt like watching something from Detective Conan, especially cuz it was a locked-room murder case and the way they were connecting the clues with what and how things really happened so, it was fun. I also thought this book would've been something my grandpa would enjoy reading.

I loved the old Japan setting and the way they described things, plus, even toh the book dones't have any illustrations, they included a map of the house in which the murder happened and, that was kinda cool to me, know how the layout was, helped me understand some things better.

It is a fast read since it's not a thick book, I just couldn't dedicate enough time to reading it because of work and other things but, I think if you like mysteries and murder cases that aren't too graphic or gory, it is a great option.

There are other novels by this author that I'd defo like to check in the future.

That's it for this short book post~

I'll see you next time~!💋

🔖 Recent Reads: Cadaver Exquisito

Sometimes when I watch book videos I listen to people saying the have read a very disturbing book, that they had to stop reading for a while cuz it was too much, that they don't recommend reading them before bed cuz they'll give you nightmares and, I kinda wanted to find something like that. 

Two of my students recommended this one, actually, one of those students was the one who lent me the book. And I also watched 2 videos including it in their "most disturbing books" so, that was my sign, I had to read it. 

Cadaver Exquisito (Tender Is the Flesh) is a book written by the Argentinian author, Agustina Bazterrica, the story is set in Buenos Aires in a distopian world in which cannibalism became legal after this kind of pandemic affected all animals and made it dangerous for humans to eat their meat.

"The sudden appearance of a lethal virus that attacks animals irreversibly alters the world: from wild beasts to pets, all must be systematically slaughtered, and their meat can no longer be consumed. Governments confront the situation with a drastic decision: legalizing the breeding, reproduction, slaughter, and processing of human flesh.

Cannibalism is the law, and society has been divided into two groups: those who eat and those who are eaten.

Marcos Tejo, general manager of the Krieg meatpacking plant, is an obscure bureaucrat. The day he receives a woman raised for consumption as a gift, temptations transform him into a dangerous conscience with sinister undertones that will lead him to transgress the rules to limits unknown to society.

In this ruthless dystopia, as brutal as it is subtle, as allegorical as it is realistic, Bazterrica inspires, with the explosive power of fiction, highly relevant debates."

I finished this book in 2 weeks, which is really fast for me, it is not a thick book and chapters are short so, it was easy to read more and more but still, it's a record! Haha. 

It's a very raw and explicit book that talks about topics that could be triggering for many people like sex, loss, gore, animal and human abuse and, of course, cannibalism so, I'd suggest checking the trigger warnings if you feel like reading it.

Even tho it shows an imaginary reality, and how difficult it could be for some to adapt to it, it perfectly captures how humans can take advantage of any situation, no matter how bad or twisted it is to fulfill their own desires. Even Marco, the main character, gives us a big plot twist that makes you change the way you see him.

I wanna take a moment to appreciate my cool bookmark. I think I showed it in another post when I got it, but I wasn't using it as what it is until now. I got it at a Japanese event and it's 3D printed. I love it!

I don't know if I'm just very desensitized to many things now or if something is very wrong with me (lol) but, I didn't find it difficult to read and it didn't traumatize me. The only two things that got me were the animal abuse part, I can't stand it, thankfully wasn't that expicit or long and, of course, loss. I'm still very emotional when it comes to people losing a parent so, yeah. That almost made me cry.

I honestly loved this book, I think it'd make a difficult to watch, but great movie. The end felt a little incomplete tho. Personally, I wanted to know what happened later. Plus there were other things I wish had a closure somehow but, it's defo one of the best books I've read so far. It was really good in the worst way possible. 

See you next time~!💋

🔖 Recent Reads: Will You Walk With Me?

We’re back to reading! On my last monthly recap I shared how I started reading a book called Unsolved Mysteries and received a new book at that same time. Once I started the new book, I stopped reading the other one, at least for now. 

That book was Will You Walk With Me? by Oniisanbomber and illustrated by Misekiss. It’s a light novel about two students who decide to start dating right before graduation and how much their lives change after that. To me it's a bit of a right person, wrong time kind of story.

"A story of youth, heartbreak and haunting ghosts.

Yamato Haruto and Aoi Chisato start dating at the end of their second year of high school.

Just one year before graduation.

They live in a small town in the mountains, a place where the snow falls every year—a place that students leave after graduating.

These two childhood friends decide to become lovers, knowing that they only have one year together. They are confident that they can figure things out after graduation. But time and space are vast obstacles to overcome. Their relationship eventually breaks, but...

Their fates are interwoven—even as one of them dies.

What could be bigger than life and death?"

Even tho this novel doesn’t have illustrations inside, the cover is really pretty. It shows Aoi Chisato walking on a snowy day, which plays a big role in the story.

I loved it because it felt like one of those slice of life stories with a bit of a paranormal twist. At first I forgot about the fact that Chisato was dead because I got too involved in their story told from Haruto's perspective, I got to care for the characters and suffer when their love story ended. 

Once I got to Chisato's death part and how her ghost started contacting Haruto to try and make things right, I got super emotional and even cried out of the blue. After losing my dad, I cry whenever I watch or read something reales to dead people contacting their loved ones.

Even tho the ending was kinda sad, it was also beautiful in a way, you can’t help but want to root for Haruto and wish him a happy life. I’m a way, the story shows how much time can change things, feelings and relationships, not always for the best, which is a little bittersweet.

Doing some research I found that there are two other light novels that are kinda connected to this one, one that can work as a prequel and well, a sequel but, apparently you don’t have to read them to understand the others. I kinda wanna read them now.

It’s funny cuz I didn’t think I’d like to read these type of sorties and I always end up enjoying them a lot.

I already have the book I’ll start reading next month so, hopefully I’ll see you with another bookish post in June.

See you next time~ 💋

🔖 Recent Reads: Full Metal Panic! | Collector's Edition 3 |

It took me a while to finish this one since I started reading it at the end of January. A part of me refused to finish it, and sometimes I didn't have the time to dedicate to reading it. But I can tell you, I enjoyed every part of it. This baby, the Full Metal Panic! Collector's Edition 3 was a pressie I received last Christmas. I love Full Metal Panic! so, so much! It is one of my favorite anime ever. And I feel it's super underrated and doesn't get as much love as it deserves.

I'll give you a quick summary in case you're not familiar with the story:

"The series follows Sousuke Sagara, a member of the covert anti-terrorist private military organization known as Mithril, tasked with protecting Kaname Chidori, a hot-headed Japanese high school girl born with strange abilities that attracts the attention of various antagonistic groups."

The anime was released back in 2002 and has 4 seasons so far: Full Metal Panic!, Full Metal Panic! Fumoffu?, Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid and Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory. I am obsessed with them and the main characters but, I have never read the manga or the light novels, especially because it's very difficult to find FMP! merch where I live. (of course you can get some online)

This book has a beautiful hardcover book with an illustration of an Arm Slave and the title in silver. Which makes a perfect contrast against the dark blue background. It's simple, yet cool. This novel by Shoji Gatoh and illustrated by Shikidouji covers volumes 7 - 9 of the light novels and the last animated season, which is the only season I haven't rewatched a millions times. But, even tho I don't remembered every single detail, I did remember some of the things that happened as I read.

I'll include the back cover for you to see what each volume is about instead of trying to write a not-so-good summary, hehe.

Since it's not a manga, it only comes with a few illustrations. Some color illustrations at the beginning and other black and white ones along the chapters. I really, really love the illustrations, not only here but also the ones from the anime.

The book opens with some of the color illlustrations, some of them are the light novel covers.

All I can say is, I am obsessed.  My favorite part was seeing how close Sousuke and Kaname were at this point and they way the gave each other the courage they needed to continue with just a short conversation. I had all types of feelings as I was reading this, I felt sad for Sousuke and everything that was happening to him and around him, he just never gives up and I love that about him. There's a lot of action and of course, I got all emotional towards the end. Yup, I cried. And I remember feeling the same way when I saw that scene in the anime years ago. I also had to read lots of militray/guns related stuff, haha. It was fun.

This novel ends exactly where Invisible Victory ended, cliffhanger~ And since I don't know when they'll give us another anime season, I'll have to buy the next book to know what happens next. I know I want to buy the previous ones too. They're too beautiful not to have them all.

This!! I just can't, I love them too much! ♡

I think this is one of my most all over the place book posts, I defo recommend watching this show or reading the manga/novels. Some seasons are darker than others and it has some comedy too. I know I will be re-watching Invisible Victory now that I had finished reading this and I have all the info fresh.

See you next time~!💋

🔖 Recent Reads: BLEACH Can't Fear Your Own World I

I started reading this book back in December but, I can say I've finished my first book this year! I received this BLEACH Can't Fear Your Own World I as a pressie last year but it took me a while to start reading it cuz I was reading Dracula at that moment and, it took me a while to finish that one.

By now we all know Bleach is one of my favorite anime of all time and that it has a very special place in my heart, hehe. What I'm not sure people know is that Shuhei is one of my (many) crushes from the anime. I love him! He's a lieutenant, has tattoos, he's badass and hot but, he's the sweetest at the same time. So, I really, really wanted to get this book and see him in action a little more.

This novel by Tite Kubo & Ryohgo Narita was released in August, 2017 in Japan and, it is the first part of a series of 3 novels. So yeah, now I need the other 2 to know what will happen next!

Bleach illustrations are always the coolest. Starting with the cover, which is just 🔥. It doesn't have many illustrations but, the ones it has are pretty good too. It also comes with a small 2 side poster, one side has the cover picture and the other has Shuhei and his two hobbies, the guitar and motorcycles.

These are the 2 sides of the mini poster.

The story develops right after the Thousand Year Blood War is over, I haven't read the manga, but I caught up with the anime and I know all the characters so yeah, I got a few spoilers but, it was easy to know what was going on.

It shows more about the four Noble Houses, the Soul King, Arrancar and Fullbringers (these last guys are defo not my favs) and features a new villain: Tokinada Tsunayashiro.

"The Quincy Thousand Year Blood War is over, but the embers of turmoil still smolder in Soul Society. Tokinada Tsunayashiro, elevated to head of his clan after a slew of assassinations take out every other claimant to the title, has a grand plan to create a new Soul King. His dark ambitions soon sow the seeds of a new total war across the realms, but all is not lost. There is one unlikely Shinigami who holds the key to defusing the conflict — Shūhei Hisagi, lieutenant of the Ninth Division and reporter for the Seireitei Communication!"

Reading this one was fun, I could picture all the characters and their conversations. Seeing more from Shuhei, the way he feels after losing his former Captain and seeing him working for the Sereitei Bulletin is just great! I love it when I get to learn more about my favorite characters. Especially those who aren't exactly main characters. 

This one didn't have too much action tho, it's just the introduction to what's coming, which I'm sure will be exciting. It left me on a cliffhanger!

I liked how they showed you some of the characters that are part of this story.

Right now, there's another anime book I'm reading but I'm sure I'll be getting part 2 of this novel soon cuz, now I need to finish the story. Plus, it feels like a good way to wait for the next animated Bleach Arc.

That'll be it for now, I'll see you next time~!💋

🔖 Recent Reads: Dracula🧛‍♂️

I started reading this book back in October because this year was the year of the vampire for me, so it felt just right to choose it. It took me two months to finish it tho, it is a thick boy.

As probably most of you already know, Dracula is a 1897 gothic horror novel by Bram Stoker. I started reading it without really knowing much about the story, I kinda thought I'd read about the history of the Count and how he became a vampire but, It was completely different. The story is told through letters and journal entries about experiences of different people around or affected by Dracula. 

It mainly follows Jonathan Harker, his journey takes him to Transylvania, where he meets the Count. After that, we meet other characters whose stories end up connecting. The way the letters and journals describe things, makes you imagine the landscapes and situations perfectly. There's mystery, drama and some surprising twists throughout the story. I really, really enjoyed reading this one.

For the first time, I decided to read the book before the movie! Which is something I never do. I'm definitely planning to watch the movie soon because I became a Dracula fan. I think he could be my favorite classic monster now.

This book had small illustrations by David Mackintosh at the beginning of each chapter, which is something I always appreciate and honestly, one of the reasons why I chose this one. It also comes with some extra notes at the end for "young readers" like, Bram Stoker's bio, more about the book and characters and a mini quiz about the story. I think that quiz thingy was so fun to include, hehe.

I've seen many different editions of this book, some of them have beautiful covers worth displaying, who knows? Maybe I'll get another version in the future. 

Dracula is a classic and I'm really glad I finally gave myself the chance to read it. I'm currently reading something completely different that I hope I'll finish soon and share around here.

I'll see you next time~!💋

🔖 Recent Reads: Mis días en la librería Morisaki

Can you believe I've shared 2 book posts in one month? Like, who's this girl? lol. But, I'm glad I was able to finish it this month because I'm so ready to start a spooky book in October, it just feels right.

This time I read Mis días en la librería Morisaki by Satoshi Yagisawa which was also a book that my bestie lent me a couple of months ago. 

It tells the story of Takako, a 25 year old whose not-so-good life changes after she spends some time living with her uncle Satoru in an old book store that has been in her family for many generations. There she finds her purpose in life, meets new people, discovers a love for books and develops a strong relationship with her uncle.

I really like the cover of this book for some reason.

I really, really enjoyed this book. It was an easy, heartwarming and I would even call it, a cozy book. I read it pretty fast since it's not a thinck book. I love Japan, so it was fun to imagine the places, the streets, the people, the old bookstore. I think this book was great for Spetember since everything feels cozier, it was a nice way to distract my mind from work and other things.

Honestly, in the past, I didn't think I'd enjoy reading these type of  "slice of life" kind of stories but, it makes sense since I really like some shows (especially anime) like that sometimes too. 

And well, that'll be it for this book, defo recommend it if you want something that doesn't make you think much but you can still enjoy every part of it.

See you next time~!💋

🔖 Recent Reads: Relatos Cortos de un Crimen (vol. 2)

This book was grandpa's, he liked mysteries and crime stories. I like to think part of my love for it (and horror) comes from him. Since his birthday was in August, I chose it as my August read but I didn't finish it until earlier this month because I got distracted obsessingly reading Spuffy fanfics...yeah. But, I did finish it, it wasn't long, it was an easy read and, it's the first book in Spanish I read this year.

🩷

Relatos Cortos de un Crimen (vol. 2) is a collection of short murder stories by William Bankier. This book comes with 6 different stories which I always enjoy, even with shows because if you don't like or love a story, you'll move to something completely different once you start the new one. None of the stories felt long and slow and, even tho they are not super dark, they have plot twists and unexpected endings. 

Something I noticed and liked was that the characters, their jobs, feelings and relationships were so real, like nothing was perfect, they all had problems and worries. Which, of course, led to the crimes. I wouldn't say it was relatable but, it felt like real life and real people. 

I wouldn't say this was my kind of crime stories because I do like them to be a lot darker but, I did enjoy them. It felt like an easy read, I  could've gone through a story a day if I would've dedicated more time to it every day and finish a lot faster but, I just didn't. Fanfics and life got in the way but, I'm glad I was able to finish it.

This is going to be the shortest book post so far but, there's not much I have to say about this one. It was a nice and easy read. As I'm sharing this, I already chose my next read I'll hopefully share next month and I'm sure I'll continue with the fanfic reading, let me know if you'd like to read a little more about it too.

See you next time~!💋

🔖 Recent Reads: Dystopia Utopia Gothic Fantasy Short Stories

And here we are, with my second book of the year! I know for some that is not much but, for me, it really is. Especially considering how thick this book was.

 Dystopia Utopia Short Stories by Flame Tree is a book my friend lent me a while ago cuz she thought it'd have horror stories, I remember I started reading it and stopped after starting the second story but I decided to continue reading it back in February and actually finish it this time.

The Beetlejuice bookmark has nothing to do with the book but I used it while reading it and, I am obsessed with it.

According to the internet, this book is packed with bleak and paradisiacal visions in equal measure. Adventures in worlds of boundless imagination from classic authors are cast with previously unpublished stories by exciting budding contemporary writers. Honestly I don't know much about writers in general but, you can defo see the different styles they all have as you read their stories. 

Only a few of the many authors in this book.

 It's supposed to bring together myths, folklore and modern fiction with suspense, supernatural, science fiction and mystery. To me, it felt a little more science fiction and apocalyptic to be honest, which are not my favorites. It includes 30 different stories, not all of them are short tho. Somehow I found some of the shorter stories more interesting than the super long ones, some of them got tiring at some point. Not saying they were bad, they were just not my type of story. Plus, the longer stories sometimes had like... old words, which made them difficult to read or understand.

It doesn't come with any kind of illustrations but the way each story is presented is really pretty as well as the book in general. It is beautiful! All black with gold and silver details, I'd defo put it somewhere people could see it if it was mine.

All in all, I wouldn't say it is a bad book. I didn't love all the stories but, I did enjoy reading it til the end. I saw they also have Chilling Horror Short Stories, Chilling Ghost Short Stories and Murder Mayhem Short Stories (among others), I think those would be a little bit more for me.

These are some of the stories I enjoyed the most. Of course they were not the only ones but, I couldn't remember all the titles, hehe.

I've felt a lot more motivated to read this year, I already have some options for my next read, it'll be a shorter book for sure so, I'm sure I'll be back with another book post soon-ish. Feel free to send me some recommendations, I feel like I'm just discovering the type of books I actually enjoy reading. 

See you next time~!💋

🔖 Recent Reads: She And Her Cat 🐈

After 2 years, we have another book post, hehe. 

Back in December the bestie lent me this book, I really liked the cover and it was not thick at all so, I wanted to commit to reading it. Reading to me is one of those resolutions like "working out", I want to do it every year but after doing it once, I just stop. This year I don't wanna see it as a resolution, I just want to try to do it more often without feeling like I have to do it. Whether it's a book or manga, I'll do my best.

She and her cat ( 彼女と彼女の猫) by Makoto Shinkai is a book that tells 4 different stories featuring 4 women and their cats. They all live in the same neighborhood and face different emotional situations but, despite this, they welcome a cat in their lives. 

It is described as "A life-affirming book of four inspirational and heartwarming vignettes following women and their cats in their quest for love and connection". And it is true, I found it heartwarming and easy to read. There's nothing complicated or difficult to understand but somehow, I kept going back to read more. I found it even relaxing to read it in between my classes. Plus I loved the fact that it is full of friendship and companionship, even between the animals and, of course, that the stories are all female led.

All the stories are connected somehow and, when you read them you see both, the women's perspectives and the cats', which is super cute because there are things these cats don't understand about human behavior. Of course the stories have some sad moments, especially the last one, and I found the ending a little bit bittersweet.

The book doesn't come with many illustrations. Just one at the beginning of each story, I love them.

After reading the book, I found there are some animated versions too. There is a 5 minute video that covers the first story in the book and I also found a longer one on Crunchyroll, that I still need to watch.

Anyway, I really, really enjoyed this book, it's super sweet ! Now I feel a little bit more motivated to read, I still have a book another friend lent me a while ago and some unread manga so, we'll see what happens. 

See you next time~!💋