Love & Gelato

This book is going to make teenage girls everywhere want to run away to Italy. (Smile...just kidding)

I really enjoyed this book. It's serious, funny and shocking at times. The main character's mother dies of cancer and as a result, Lina moves to Italy for the summer to live with the father she didn't know she had. Needless to say, she doesn't want to be there. What teenager would want to live with a stranger after losing the only parent they have ever known?

However, Howard, the father, isn't the overbearing type. He does his best to stay out of the Lina's way and be more of a friend and a guardian. Of course, what young adult novel is complete without a little romance and some bad judgement on behalf of the teenagers in question?

At the risk of revealing too much, I will give you my rating. 4 stars. The story is well written, well edited and showcases the knowledge of someone who has actually been to Italy to study. There are moments when the beauty and majesty of Italy truly shines through the author's descriptions.

However, for those of us who do not speak Italian, the splatterings of Italian dialogue make really enjoying the story difficult. Instead of being able to stay absorbed in the story, we're dragged back to reality at random, in order to ask Google translate for assistance.

Overall, Love and Gelato is an excellent way to spend a few hours of your time.

The Dark Missions of Edgar Brim

The book is good. I like the idea of a young boy who is haunted in reality by the scary things he dreams of. However, the execution of this idea was a bit flawed.

It has some well written parts and some not so well written parts. Those not so well done sections make it hard to follow. One minute we are on a train with our hero, the next we are in his dreams and then somehow we flash back to his days at boarding school. Eventually we catch back up to the train ride that started it all and we are 'ghost hunting'.

This awkward transitioning could be the author's style or the editor just dropped the ball. Either way, it makes the book difficult to read at times.

I applaud Shane Peacock on his knowledge of history and literature. Reading this book introduced me to a few classics I had never heard of and I've added them to my want to read list. I do love books that teach me new things. And for that I give the author 2 thumbs up.

Shonen Maid

This anime is super cute. The main character is just so endearing. If he were a real kid, I would just eat him (figuratively speaking).

The story: Chihiro Komiya has lost his mother and gets taken in by an uncle he didn't even know he had. He has to adjust to living without his mother and learn to live with his messy and eccentric relative. Of course, moving to his uncle's mansion has some benefits, like getting his own room.

Chihiro is a great cook and obsessive clean freak. Since he doesn't want to just depend on his uncle to look after him, they make a deal: Chihiro will work in the house to earn his keep. His uncle crafts a frilly apron and headpiece for him to wear and he essentially becomes the maid/housekeeper. This is basically the essence of how the show gets its title. But Chihiro is more than just a house boy. He is loved more than he realizes and we find out history about his late mother as the show goes on. Chihiro also learns a few lessons about himself and others as well.

I'm looking forward to next week's episode.

Super Lovers

Lady fan service!

I only say this because instead of bouncy 2D boobs and panty shots, the writers gave us Haru. It's almost a crime how hot he is--for an anime character. He's got green eyes that sparkle, dirty blonde hair and a super sexy voice that's akin to warm honey (if warm honey could be a sound). Aside from Chris Hemsworth, I doubt any real human being can attain his level of perfection.

Of course, this anime isn't just about Haru, even if he's the reason I'm watching it. The show is about Haru and his relationship with his little, adoptive brother, Ren.

Haru and Ren meet in Canada in episode one. Haru spends the summer taming the feral Ren. In later episodes, Ren loves to Japan and adjusts to city life. While Ren is practical and an open book, Haru is basically a mystery. He is slowly being revealed to us as he interacts with Ren and his occasional meetings with his mother.

I wish I could say more but the season has currently ended. Hopefully they will bring it back next spring. This one gets 5 stars from me. ^_^

The Glass Sentence

Finally! A book!

Yes, the anime binge watching has ended and I'm back to reading actual books. I started with one I bought a few months ago on a whim. S. E. Grove's The Glass Sentence.

This book, like most of what I like to read, can be found in the YA section of the bookstore. But personally, I found the book to be quite sophisticated. What makes it young adult (in my opinion) was 1) that the protagonist was a young girl who was about 14
       2) there was no swearing (that I can recall)
       3) there was no sex (not that the story needed it)
The author used vocabulary words that even I had to look up. I only mention that because it is very rare that I read something where I need to do that.

I really enjoyed her twist to alternate dimensions. Instead of separating the worlds by some portal, mirror, pond or veil that needs to be traversed, she mashed them all together into one place. All the worlds and different time periods are broken apart from where they originally belong and suddenly combined into a new and mysterious world. And the only way the people who now live in this world can begin to understand it is through maps.

This is where the book really gets good. You don't need to get bogged down in the history of this new world and you don't get bogged down by the maps. Rather the maps are your guide, as well as the main character's guide to and through the worlds. It is because of maps that the heroine finds her talent and her purpose and is able to complete her mission.

S. E. Grove is talented. Her story is well crafted and she has managed to create characters you just can't help but root for. There were even moments when she made me remember what it was like to be a teenage girl.

In the realm of fantasy, I definitely found something new in this book. I was pleasantly surprised. For once, I was glad that I judged a book solely by the cover.
                                                                        Happy Reading