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Book Review

Title: Beauty and Chaos: Slices and Morsels of Tokyo Life

Author: Michael Pronko

Genre: Non-Fiction/Essays

Rating:

Reviews: I have done a few reviews for Michael Pronko but his essays on life in Tokyo are by far my favourites and I couldn’t wait to dive into Beauty and Chaos. As this is a collection of essays I am going to review the book in its parts to make it easier to read.

Part One: Fastidious Refinement, A Meticulous Love of Life

Michael Pronko’s writing style is definitely realistic in the truest sense of the word. He discusses the hectic lifestyle of most people who live in Tokyo and how difficult something as simple as navigation can be in the city. While most people would find this disorientating, Pronko finds it to be magical with a little moment of calm and quiet that often come when you need them most before jumping back into the flow of life. One of my favourite things about this section is how Pronko talks about how he came to be in Japan and why he continues to live there and like most people who don’t have a plan, he just thought it would be interesting and it was, so he continued to stay there. I myself would love to move to Japan at some point in the future and I am studying to get a degree in order to get on the JET program.

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Book Review

Title: Wicked Fox

Author: Kat Cho

Genre: YA/Fantasy/Mythology

Rating:

Review: All I knew about Wicked Fox before picking it up was that it was a fantasy novel with heavy elements from Korean mythology. We are introduced to Gu Miyoung who is a Gumiho; a nine-tailed fox who has to consume the gi or energy from men in order to survive, but she hates that she has to take the lives of others in order to survive. We are also introduced to Jihoon, a relaxed young man who doesn’t really have a care in the world until one night he takes his grandmother’s dog Dubu for a walk and she escapes into the forest. Here Jihoon has a run-in with a mythological creature that his grandmother told him about as a child only to be saved by Miyoung, and he also ends up saving her. While he doesn’t know who Miyoung is, he is completely fascinated by the discovery that all the creatures from childhood bedtime stories might actually be real.

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Hey guys, the readathon started yesterday and sign-ups will be open all week.

Don’t forget there are prizes:

One winner will get a £10 or $10 amazon gift card for finishing all the prompts.

One willer will get a £10 or $10 amazon gift card for finishing all the prompts and the 3 bonus prompts.

If there are no winners this month the prizes will roll over to next month.

Winners will be announced on twitter on the 26th and email responses will be needed.

Book Review

Title: The Moth in the Mirror (Splintered #1.5)

Author: A. G. Howard

Genre: YA/Fantasy/Romance/Retelling

Rating:

Review: So this is the novella spanning the gap between Splintered and Unhinged and all I know about it is that it is a short story told from Morpheus’ point of view as he digs into Jeb’s memories of Wonderland mainly because he is Morpheus’ rival for Alyssa’s affections. Morpheus is obviously doing this with the intention of pushing Jeb aside and claiming his spot as the object of Alyssa’s desire, but I have a feeling this is going to forge a connection between Jeb and Morpheus that he wasn’t expecting. This is also told in a strange format as it is from Morpheus’ point of view but when he is inside Jeb’s head he almost becomes Jeb, so it may be hard for some to distinguish Morpheus from Jeb during these scenes.

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Book Review

Title: Splintered (Splintered #1)

Author: A. G. Howard

Genre: YA/Fantasy/Retelling/Romance

Rating:

Review: So I am taking part in Dewey’s 24-hour reverse readathon and the first book I picked up was Splintered; a dark Alice in WonderIand retelling. I have read this series before and I can’t wait to see my sassy moth man and if you don’t get that reference then read the books. We are introduced to Alyssa, who is the descendant of Alice Liddell, from Alice in Wonderland but this isn’t a good thing as the women of the family are cursed to hear things like bugs and flowers talking which is the reason her mother Alison is locked up in Soul’s asylum. However, Alyssa tries to be a normal teenager throwing herself into her art and trying to get to London, but her father and best friend Jeb veto the idea which hurts Alyssa as Jeb is moving there anyway. Alyssa’s insecurities play a huge part in her life whether it’s about her mother, her looks or Jeb who she has a huge crush on and that makes her a very realistic main character. Alyssa learns through her mother that their family is cursed and begins looking for a way to break the curse, but she keeps hearing a mysterious voice guiding her, but she needs to get London.

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Book Review

Title: Red Dragon (Hannibal Lecter #1)

Author: Thomas Harris

Genre: Crime/Horror/Psychological

Rating:

Review: So I have read Red Dragon before, but I am binge reading the whole series and for those that haven’t read the series, there are 2 ways to read it. The first is publication order so Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal and Hannibal Rising or chronologically based on the series event so this would be Hannibal Rising, Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs and then Hannibal. This is because Hannibal Rising is Hannibal Lecter’s origin story. The opening of Red Dragon introduces us to Will Graham who is the detective who caught Hannibal but was almost killed in the process. Will is a great character because of his unique skill, he is what I’d can a projectionist, this means he can project himself onto the killer and make connections no one else can but it takes a great toll on his mental health. Will has already been gathering clues, but he doesn’t have much to go on, but he knows the only person he can share his unusual perspective with is the same man who tries to kill him; Dr. Hannibal Lecter. I really liked the backstory of Will and Hannibal’s interactions, but I would have loved to witness them first-hand.

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So my TBR for this readathon was super ambitious and I only read for the Scribe route but I read nearly 3000 pages so I was very happy.

Here were my prompts:

1. Dwarf Mount: You spot a fair tavern wench, however the Dwarf Mines, grimey and dusty, didn’t evoke a very romantic feeling. Read a book with a hint of romance to get you in the mood. – Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller (311 pages) – COMPLETED
2. Apothecary Towers: Where the wizards dwell. Tricksters. They have blind-folded you and randomised all your books, choose a book at random from your bookshelf. – Shatter me by Tahereh Mafi (338 pages) – COMPLETED
3. The Great Library: Ahh the great archives, find and read a book that has been on your TBR forever. – Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (517 pages) DNF – So for this prompt I actually used my ability to change Carry On to a book not declared on my TBR as long as it meets the prompt, so I ended up changing it to Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Manisclaco (424 pages) – COMPLETED
4. The Drowning Deep: The Whirlpool… is so…. mesmerising. Read a book with rich world-building that will suck you into its own world, instead. – The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (1124 pages)
5. The Bookie Grail: Here you find a lost manuscript, delivered on this forgotten island by a fallen star. Read the group book: Stardust by Neil Gaiman (248 Pages) – COMPLETED

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