📚Book Review📚

📖A Man Who Defies the World of BL, Volume 1 by Konkici (translated by Adrienne Beck)

I kicked off November by reading the first volume of the manga series and watching the latest season of the live action adaptation ‘A Man Who Defies the World of BL 2024’ (the final season is due to start airing later this month). Obviously this is going to be a lot funnier if you’ve ever dipped a toe into the waters of BL fandom, but I think I would still generally recommend it as being an enjoyable read. Basically about a chap at university trying to remain a background character and pointing out (and avoiding) all of the BL tropes.

📖The Metalhead Next Door by Mamita (translated by Adrienne Beck)

I also read another one-shot BL manga about someone struggling with a stutter / social anxiety and their developing friendship with their next-door-neighbour (which eventually turns into romance). This was actually really sweet, though it did end up being slightly spicy towards the very end of the story.

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📚Book Review📚

📖The House in the Cerulean Sea by T J Klune

I found this one a bit slow going if I’m honest, which probably says more about my headspace right now than anything in particular about the story.

I think it is a lovely gentle story with a lot of heart, but I didn’t feel any urgency to find out what would happen next - which meant I had to prod myself to keep reading. It also did that thing that I just really can’t stand where a person’s appearance is mentioned repeatedly in a negative way… that just irks me so much, even if it is mostly a person thinking negatively about themselves.

The children are absolutely lovely, and I can see why so many people really enjoyed this one… but I just wasn’t feeling the love story aspect at all - which didn’t so much feel subtle as borderline nonexistent until near the very end - so that part fell a bit flat for me. As a story about found family though, that’s where it really shines.

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📚September 2025 recap📚

I read a total of three books in September: translated fiction, a manga volume, and a space opera.

💛💛💛🖤🖤- Boulder by Eva Baltasar (translated by Julia Sanches)
💛💛💛💛🖤- Fairy Cat, Volume 1 by Hisa Takano
💛💛💛🖤🖤- Space Brooms! by A.G. Rodriguez

In addition, I read the short story ‘Blue Ink’ by Yoon Ha Lee.

I’ve been a bit quiet on social media recently because I’ve started working towards obtaining a degree in psychology via the Open University, so my time is going to be a bit limited and I decided to watch a lot of telly before things start to ramp up.

Husband and I finished watching the latest season of ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ and continued watching ‘Foundation’. I binge-watched a frankly insane amount of television, with the stand-outs being the 2022 Thai BL ‘I Will Knock You / พี่จะตีนะเนย’ which is just utterly adorable and I thoroughly recommend, the 2025 Japanese drama ‘Cinderella Closet’, and the 2021 Thai BL ‘Fish upon the Sky / ปลาบนฟ้า’.

Family finished watching the current seasons of ‘Kaiju No. 8’ and ‘Sakamoto Days’, and watched the new ‘Superman’ film (2025). We also rewatched (first watch for the Teen) ‘Jaws’ (1975), ‘The Goonies’ (1986), ‘Legally Blonde’ (2001), ‘South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut’ (1999), and ‘Tron’ (1982). We watched (rewatch for me) the first two seasons of ‘A Man Who Defies the World of BL’ because it was my turn to pick a show.

#reading #bookishcommunity #bookishcommunityuk #television #snugglebuddy

📚Book Review📚

📖Space Brooms! by A. G. Rodriguez

I’m a bit late posting my review of my last read from September, but I’ve been a little busy with life.

This one definitely falls under the category of ‘what did I just read?’ in the best but also most maddening ways possible. A space opera about a space janitor with an overactive imagination is a great starting point for an adventure. I really like the main character Johnny, who spends a lot of time getting beaten up and frustratingly not exploring whatever is going on between him and his roommate Rygar. Unfortunately, while several of the characters are quite loveable, the pacing is all over the place and things got a bit repetitive and rinse and repeat for my liking… without really going anywhere. While I do appreciate the found family trope, I wanted more from this story than was delivered.

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📚Book Review📚

📖Fairy Cat, Volume 1 by Hisa Takano

On a rainy day, a palm-sized cat takes up residence in the home of a student called Kanade, who is delighted by this development and does his best to befriend the tiny creature.

Pure fluff and cuteness and I’m looking forward to more in this series.

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📚Book Review📚

📖Boulder by Eva Baltasar (translated by Julia Sanches)

Cover design by Anna Morrison

I don't think that I could say that I liked this story... but perhaps that's just because it felt too raw and honest. It made me feel as though I was intruding on someone's private thoughts. The use of language is both languorous and disquieting, and strangely addictive with a poetic quality to it in places.

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📚August 2025 recap📚

I read a total of five books in August: a library loan, an ebook that I bought in 2022, an ebook that I bought last year, a highly anticipated sequel, and a non-fiction recommendation from @oliviascatastrophe that I think everyone should read.

💛💛💛💛🖤- Cackle by Rachel Harrison
💛💛💛🖤🖤- Hammered by Lindsay Buroker
💛💛💛💛🖤- Don't Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews
💛💛💛💛🖤- Teo’s Durumi by Elaine U. Cho
💛💛💛💛💛- What White People Can Do Next: From Allyship to Coalition by Emma Dabiri

In addition, I read the novelette ‘The Minority Report’ by Phillip K. Dick and the short story ‘The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas’ by Ursula K. Le Guin.

Husband and I continued watching the new seasons of ‘Foundation’ and ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’. I binge-watched a Chinese mini-drama from 2024 called ‘Immortal Destiny’ (also known as ‘Forbidden Love Between’), and seven different BL dramas that have been on my watchlist for a while now - with the stand outs being the 2024 Taiwanese drama ‘See Your Love’ which had excellent deaf representation, and the 2023 Japanese drama ‘I Cannot Reach You’.

Family finished watching the fourth season of ‘The Good Place’, and continued watching the current seasons of ‘Sakamoto Days’ and ‘Kaiju No. 8’. We also rewatched (first watch for the Teen) ‘The Lost Boys’ (1987), ‘Serial Experiments Lain’, and ‘Ferris Bueller's Day Off’(1986).

#reading #bookishcommunity #bookishcommunityuk #snugglebuddy

📚Book Review📚

📖What White People Can Do Next: From Allyship to Coalition by Emma Dabiri.

Fantastic breakdown of the way systematic inequalities and oppression hurt everyone, and how invented divisions keep people from forming meaningful coalitions to improve the world we live in. Everyone should read this! Loved it!

#bookreview #nonfiction #reading #bookishcommunity #bookishcommunityuk

📚Book Review📚

📖Teo’s Durumi by Elaine U. Cho.

Cover art by Jee-ook Choi.

I love ‘Ocean’s Godori’ with every fibre of my being and found ‘Teo’s Durumi’ to be a very worthwhile continuation. The story brought the characters to an excellent pause point in what I sincerely hope will be just the first of many more stories in this fictional universe.

This duology is an absolute must-read for fans of space opera who appreciate character depth and complicated relationships, and I will be eagerly anticipating more stories from this author in the future.

#bookreview #scifibooks #spaceopera #reading #bookishcommunity #bookishcommunityuk

📚Book Review📚

📖Don't Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews.

Cover art by Jana Heidersdorf.

I had a deliciously wicked experience reading this story. It has a similar vibe to stories like ‘Off With Their Heads’ by Zoe Hana Mikuta, the 1994 film ‘Heavenly Creatures’, and ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ by Mokumokuren.

I have no clue how much is meant to be real and how much is meant to be metaphor, but the writing is achingly beautiful and I ate it up. Sometimes love and pain are the same thing.

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📚Book Reviews📚

I was finally able to beat my previous high score from December 2019 in ‘Number Match’ at the beginning of this month. I’ve also finished reading two books so far in August:

📖Cackle by Rachel Harrison (ebook library loan)

I had a fun time reading this one. I loved the burgeoning friendship between Annie and Sophie, and Ralph is oddly adorable. The epilogue felt right to me too.

📖Hammered by Lindsay Buroker (ebook bought in 2022)

Decent characters and world-building for an urban fantasy, but didn't really feel like a self-contained story in terms of the plot development. Will likely pick up the second book at some point and see how things progress.

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📚July 2025 recap📚

I read a total of five books in July, two of which were manga volumes, one translated work, one ebook, and one library loan.

💛💛💛💛🖤- Elizabeth and her German Garden by Elizabeth von Arnim
💛💛💛💛💛- The Moon on a Rainy Night, Volume 1 by Kuzushiro
💛💛💛🖤🖤- Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
💛💛💛🖤🖤- Nana, Volume 1 by Ai Yazawa
💛💛💛💛🖤- The Sirens by Emilia Hart

In addition, I read the short stories ‘Home’ and ‘The Flowering’ by Soyeon Jeong, and the novelette ‘Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy’ by Martha Wells.

Husband and I finished the first season of ‘Murderbot’ and started watching the new seasons of ‘Foundation’ and ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’. I binge-watched ‘Too Much’, and two Japanese BL series: ‘When It Rains, It Pours’, and ‘Love is a Poison’.

Family finished watching the currently available episodes of ‘The Apothecary Diaries’, and rewatched ‘Murderbot’ with our Teen, as well as ‘Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai’ (which I personally refer to as ‘Adolescence Syndrome’, that being the central concept). We also started watching the current seasons of ‘Sakamoto Days’ and ‘Kaiju No. 8’.

Twiglet has been very adorable and spent a lot of time snuggling with me in the mornings since I don’t have to get up so early and can do a bit of bed rotting.

#reading #manga #bookishcommunity #bookishcommunityuk #readingbuddy

📚Book Review📚

‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ by Matt Dinnimin.

Kind of has a ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ meets ‘The Running Man’ vibe to it.

Some of the humour just didn't work for me (ableist vibe, or just kind of gross). Overall, the story knows what it is and delivers on what it promises.

Princess Donut is the star of the show and the reason why I would probably read more in this series, but I'm not in a particular hurry to try to catch up.

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📚Book Review📚

‘The Moon on a Rainy Night’, Volume 1 by Kuzushiro.

Absolutely loved this first volume in what I'm hoping is going to be a beloved series for me. Originally picked it up thinking that it would be a good one to tempt the Teen to read over the summer, but honestly think it is just done so well that I'm keen to read more for myself.

Disability representation is wonderfully woven into the fabric of the story, and the nuance of someone being deaf without complete hearing loss is very welcome.

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📚Book Review📚

‘Elizabeth and her German Garden’ by Elizabeth von Arnim

I found this book quite charming (though, being the musings of an upper class lady published in 1898, the classism is a bit discomforting in places). Also, please note that there is one moment when a young child is described as being careless with a kitten in a manner that feels cruel and certainly unpleasant for the poor kitten, but it is mentioned only briefly.

As someone who is introverted, and finds the lingering habits of guests wearisome, I find this account of a woman finding solace in her garden strangely relatable (despite not being good with plants myself) and feel like this might be considered an example of a woman entering her hedge witch era.

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📚Book Review📚

‘Cat + Gamer, Volume 2’ by Wataru Nadatani.

I’m continuing to love this manga series about an inexperienced cat butler learning the ropes whilst trying to balance her duties with work and her existing gaming hobby. Just gentle and wholesome vibes with snippets from the cat’s point of view.

The series comes with Twiglet’s approval too!

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📚Book Review📚

‘Bridget Jones’s Diary (And Other Writing)’ by Helen Fielding.

This was the last book left unread from my Yuletide presents, so I’m glad to have gotten around to it within a reasonable timeframe. I definitely liked the diary format, but it does kind of suffer in comparison to ‘The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 ¾’ by Sue Townsend (which I personally prefer and find more relatable). I think that this is possibly just one of those situations where I prefer the compressed storytelling of the film adaptation, and found the book a bit repetitive and drawn out in places.

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📚Book Review📚

‘The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All, Vol. 2’ by Sumiko Arai

I borrowed the second volume of this manga series from my Teen. The story is still enjoyable in this second volume, but there was just a bit too much teenage angst for someone as old as me and I felt a bit frustrated with the main characters at times. Feels quite representative of teenage girl drama and insecurities though. Love the side characters!

#bookreview #reading #manga #translatedfiction #queerstories #bookishcommunity #bookishcommunityuk

📚Book Review📚

‘How To Be Ace: A Memoir of Growing Up Asexual’ by Rebecca Burgess.

Definitely the kind of book that I wish had been available when I was a teenager. Graphic novel format keeps it moving along at a decent pace. Good balance of personal memoir and broader supportive information. The author clearly set out to write the kind of book that would have been helpful to her younger self and was able to achieve this goal.
There isn’t nearly enough ace-spec representation available, so I’m really glad to have stumbled across ‘How To Be Ace’ and would recommend it. The story also depicts struggles with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), negative thought spirals, and issues related to self-worth and low self-esteem. The subject matter is handled sensitively, so this would be suitable for younger teens as well.

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📚Book Review📚

‘Cat + Gamer, Volume 1’ by Wataru Nadatani

I bought this manga volume because it was featured in a BookTube video by ‘Gavin Reads It All’ and I have a particular soft spot for black and white cats. This is such a gentle and wholesome story of an inexperienced cat butler learning the ropes whilst trying to balance her new duties with work and her existing gaming hobby. There are snippets from the cat’s point of view as well (adorable). Has a similar vibe to ‘My Roommate is a Cat’ (which I haven’t read but loved the anime adaptation of). Will definitely be continuing this series.

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