Sunday, September 27, 2026
Sunday Post #511: It's Fall Out, Boy
Thursday, September 24, 2026
Review: Sakamoto Days (Vol. 13) by Yuto Suzuki
Title: Sakamoto Days: Vol. 13
Series: Sakamoto Days #13
Previous books in this series: Sakamoto Days #1 | Sakamoto Days #2 | Sakamoto Days #3 | Sakamoto Days #4 | Sakamoto Days #5 | Sakamoto Days #6 | Sakamoto Days #7 | Sakamoto Days #8 | Sakamoto Days #9 | Sakamoto Days #10 | Sakamoto Days #11 | Sakamoto Days #12
Author: Yuto Suzuki
Genre: YA, manga, adventure
Publication date: September 2024
Published by: VIZ Media
Source: Borrowed from library
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Synopsis: Taro Sakamoto was once a legendary hit man considered the greatest of all time. Bad guys feared him! Assassins revered him! But then one day he quit, got married, and had a baby. He’s now living the quiet life as the owner of a neighborhood store, but how long can Sakamoto enjoy his days of retirement before his past catches up to him?!
In order to avoid expulsion from the JCC, a young Sakamoto, Nagumo, and Akao are assigned a special mission—along with another outcast, Uzuki. The assassins close in on their target at a special department store for hit men, but unbeknownst to them, their actions there will alter the course of their futures forever…
This was a bit of a flashback volume, going back to when Sakamoto was in school with Uzuki aka X, and Nagumo, among others. I really enjoyed following Sakamoto in his younger days and learning more about his past and his connections to all these characters we’ve come across throughout the series.
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Review: Square³ by Mira Grant
Title: Square³
Author: Mira Grant
Genre: Adult, horror, sci-fi
Publication date: December 2021
Published by: Subterranean Press
Source: Purchased ebook
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Synopsis: We think we understand the laws of physics. We think reality is an immutable monolith, consistent from one end of the universe to the next. We think the square/cube law has actual relevance.
We think a lot of things. It was perhaps inevitable that some of them would turn out to be wrong.
When the great incursion occurred, no one was prepared. How could they have been? Of all the things physicists had predicted, “the fabric of reality might rip open and giant monsters could come pouring through” had not made the list. But somehow, on a fine morning in May, that was precisely what happened.
For sisters Susan and Katharine Black, the day of the incursion was the day they lost everything. Their home, their parents, their sense of normalcy…and each other, because when the rift opened, Susan was on one side and Katharine was on the other, and each sister was stranded in a separate form of reality. For Susan, it was science and study and the struggle to solve the mystery of the altered physics inside the zones transformed by the incursion. For Katharine, it was monsters and mayhem and the fight to stay alive in a world unlike the world of her birth.
The world has changed. The laws of physics have changed. The girls have changed. And the one universal truth of all states of changed matter is that nothing can be completely restored to what it was originally, no matter how much you might wish it could be.
Nothing goes back.
This was such an interesting concept for a novella, and I really enjoyed it! The whole rift thing with a parallel world and creatures coming through that apparently look like legendary Pokémon...
Monday, September 21, 2026
Sunday, September 20, 2026
Sunday Post #510: The Residents Sure Were Evil
Thursday, September 17, 2026
Review: Sakamoto Days (Vol. 12) by Yuto Suzuki
Title: Sakamoto Days: Vol. 12
Series: Sakamoto Days #12
Previous books in this series: Sakamoto Days #1 | Sakamoto Days #2 | Sakamoto Days #3 | Sakamoto Days #4 | Sakamoto Days #5 | Sakamoto Days #6 | Sakamoto Days #7 | Sakamoto Days #8 | Sakamoto Days #9 | Sakamoto Days #10 | Sakamoto Days #11
Author: Yuto Suzuki
Genre: YA, manga, adventure
Publication date: June 2024
Published by: VIZ Media
Source: Borrowed from library
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Buy it: Amazon | B&N
Synopsis: Taro Sakamoto was once a legendary hit man considered the greatest of all time. Bad guys feared him! Assassins revered him! But then one day he quit, got married, and had a baby. He’s now living the quiet life as the owner of a neighborhood store, but how long can Sakamoto enjoy his days of retirement before his past catches up to him?!
It's an assassin showdown! Shishiba and Osaragi take on Yotsumura and his geisha on the streets of Kyoto. What happened between Shishiba and Yotsumura in the past to sour their strong mentor-disciple relationship? Meanwhile, chaos engulfs the JCC as the battle between Sakamoto and Kanaguri comes to a head!
This volume was INSANE! We get the background into Amane’s past with his parents and omg... I can’t. We know from previous volumes that his dad killed his mom, and he is understandably enraged. However, in this volume, we learn the motives behind his dad’s actions and I was well and truly shocked. It was awful! I just feel for this family 😢
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Review: Final Girls by Mira Grant
Title: Final Girls
Author: Mira Grant
Genre: Adult, horror
Publication date: April 2017
Published by: Subterranean Press
Source: Borrowed from library
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Synopsis: What if you could fix the worst parts of yourself by confronting your worst fears?
Dr. Jennifer Webb has invented proprietary virtual reality technology that purports to heal psychological wounds by running clients through scenarios straight out of horror movies and nightmares. In a carefully controlled environment, with a medical cocktail running through their veins, sisters might develop a bond they’ve been missing their whole lives—while running from the bogeyman through a simulated forest. But…can real change come so easily?
Esther Hoffman doubts it. Esther has spent her entire journalism career debunking pseudoscience, after phony regression therapy ruined her father’s life. She’s determined to unearth the truth about Dr. Webb’s budding company. Dr. Webb’s willing to let her, of course, for reasons of her own. What better advertisement could she get than that of a convinced skeptic? But Esther’s not the only one curious about how this technology works. Enter real-world threats just as frightening as those created in the lab. Dr. Webb and Esther are at odds, but they may also be each other’s only hope of survival.
"How much danger can I really be in?" Esther put the paperwork down. "It's not like the horror movie will be real.”
This novella was insane! We have Esther, a reporter that is looking into this sort of VR therapy situation. And understandably, some people call this emotional torture, which I totally get! Why? Because the VR was VRing SO good that some people had a hard time distinguishing real life from this virtual reality 😬
Monday, September 14, 2026
Sunday, September 13, 2026
Sunday Post #509: Spooky Books
Thursday, September 10, 2026
Review: Sakamoto Days (Vol. 11) by Yuto Suzuki
Title: Sakamoto Days: Vol. 11
Series: Sakamoto Days #11
Previous books in this series: Sakamoto Days #1 | Sakamoto Days #2 | Sakamoto Days #3 | Sakamoto Days #4 | Sakamoto Days #5 | Sakamoto Days #6 | Sakamoto Days #7 | Sakamoto Days #8 | Sakamoto Days #9 | Sakamoto Days #10
Author: Yuto Suzuki
Genre: YA, manga, adventure
Publication date: April 2024
Published by: VIZ Media
Source: Borrowed from library
Add it on Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | B&N
Synopsis: Taro Sakamoto was once a legendary hit man considered the greatest of all time. Bad guys feared him! Assassins revered him! But then one day he quit, got married, and had a baby. He’s now living the quiet life as the owner of a neighborhood store, but how long can Sakamoto enjoy his days of retirement before his past catches up to him?!
When X’s forces attack the JCC, all hell breaks loose! While Satoda Sensei faces off with Kanaguri to protect the students, Sakamoto and Shin rush to secure Amane’s grandfather. But the whole situation gets even more hairy when Club Jam hypnotizes the entire school!
Things are going all sorts of sideways at the JCC 😬 Which actually made for some really good fights, which I love! I love the action in this series! It’s always so fun!
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Review: Menacing Manor (Sinister Summer #4) by Kiersten White
Title: Menacing Manor
Series: Sinister Summer #4
Previous books in this series: Wretched Waterpark (#1) | Vampiric Vacation (#2) | Camp Creepy (#3)
Author: Kiersten White
Genre: Middle Grade, mystery, humor
Publication date: May 2023
Published by: Delacorte Press
Source: Borrowed from library
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Synopsis: After escaping from Edgaren’t and Dr. Jay, the Sinister-Winterbottoms and their friends arrive at Stein Manor Science Camp. They all work together to distract the friendly teenage camp director so they can explore and look for clues about where their parents might be.
Meanwhile, Theo and Alexander settle on a daring plan. They know exactly where Edgaren’t is going to be: coming for them, and the books. This time, they’ll be ready. This time, they’ll get answers. And this time, they won’t trust the adult in charge, which is easy enough when it’s enormous, lurking, unfriendly Mr. Frank. But as they get closer to opening the books and their parents’ histories, an unexpected foe is watching everything they do. . . .
Fake volcanoes! Real sea caves! Strangely modified frogs! Startling betrayal! And a lightning-struck manor! all combine for the electrifying penultimate Sinister Summer adventure.
This summer is going to be strange and scary no matter what until we figure everything out.
This book was so fun! This whole series has been a blast so far! I particularly liked this one because of all the Frankenstein references. All the references to classic horror novels have been so fun and have honestly made me want to read the original books.
Monday, September 7, 2026
Sunday, September 6, 2026
Sunday Post #508: It's Been a Minute...
Saturday, September 5, 2026
Monthly Wrap-Up: August 2026
I had a really good reading month. It doesn't feel like it because I only read 4 books (1630 pages, which is about 600 pages more than the previous month), but I did!
- 2 were full-length novels, and 2 were manga
- All 4 were part of a series
- I finished 1 series
- 1 book I purchased, 2 were from the library, and 1 from Netgalley
- 3 were finished copies, and 1 ARC
- 3 were physical books, and 1 ebook
- 1 was 4.5⭐, and 3 were 4⭐
- All 4 were traditionally published
- All 4 were by previously read authors
- 2 were YA, and 2 were adult
- All 6 were fiction
- 2 were action, 1 was fantasy sci-fi, and 1 was sci-fi horror