Japanese Readathon August

Japanese Readathon August
hosted by @jplitreadathon
#MiniMangaReadathon
Dates: August 20-22, your own timezone

Prompt: FREE CHOICE

Junji Ito's Cat Diary: Yon & Mu
by Junji Ito
Manga, Horror, Humor, Cats, Japan | Published: 2015 (first 2009) | Goodreads | my rating: tba

#JPLitReadathon
Dates: August 23-29, your own timezone

Prompts:

1. free choice

2. book that features cats (or any other kind of animal)

3. group pick:

Automatic Eve
by Rokurō Inui
translated by Matt Treyvaud
SciFi, Steampunk, Japan | Published: 2019 | Goodreads | my rating: tba

#MiniChallenges

Prompt: free choice
(e.g. making art/creativity [drawing/painting/calligraphy/diy], cooking, watching movie/anime adaptations, etc.)

Date: August 20-29 (entire duration of the readathon)

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (2008)
Director/Writer: Paul Schrader
Writer: Leonard Schrader
Based on books by: Yukio Mishima
Stars: Ken Ogata, Masayuki Shionoya
Biography, Drama | imdb | my rating: tba
A look at acclaimed Japanese author and playwright Yukio Mishima, the impossible harmony he created between self, art, and society, and his famously committed public seppuku (ritual suicide). Includes interviews, commentary, documentary, and more.

Japanese Readathon July

Japanese Readathon
hosted by @jplitreadathon
July 1st-15th:

Spring Snow
by Yukio Mishima
translated by Michael Gallagher
Literary, Historical, Japan | Goodreads | my rating: tba

July 16th-31st:

Runaway Horses
by Yukio Mishima
translated by Michael Gallagher
Literary, Historical, Japan | Published: 1999 (first 1969) | Goodreads | my rating: tba

August 1st-15th:

The Temple of Dawn
by Yukio Mishima
translated by E. Dale Saunders, Cecilia Segawa Seigle
Literary, Historical, Japan | Published: 2001 (first 1970) | Goodreads | my rating: tba

August 16th-31st:

The Decay of the Angel
by Yukio Mishima
translated by Edward G. Seidensticker
Literary, Historical, Japan | Published: 2001 (first 1970) | Goodreads | my rating: tba

Japanese Readathon June

Japanese Readathon June
hosted by @jplitreadathon
#MiniMangaReadathon
Dates: June 11th-13th, your own timezone

Prompt: FREE CHOICE

What Did You Eat Yesterday?
volume 1
by Fumi Yoshinaga
Manga, LGBTQ, Food | Published: 2014 | Goodreads | my rating: 4
cute couple and includes recipes

#JPLitReadathon
Dates: June 14th-20th, your own timezone

Prompts:

1. free choice

2. Pride Month celebration: book/author with LGBTQIA+ representation (if you're unsure where to look for, here's a Goodreads list that might help you out in picking up a book for this prompt (here) or search "Japanese LGBTQ+ literature (translated to English)" in Goodreads Lists search

June: Real World
by Natsuo Kirino
translated by Philip Gabriel
Mystery, Horror, Japan | Published: 2008 (first 2003) | Goodreads | my rating: tba
a couple LGBTQ characters included 3. group pick:

The Sound of Waves
by Yukio Mishima
Literary, Classic, Japan | Published: 1956 | Goodreads | my rating: 5

Japanese Readathon April

Japanese Readathon April
hosted by @jplitreadathon
#MiniMangaReadathon (manga)
date: April 16th-18th, your own timezone
prompt: free choice (read as many manga titles, volumes, chapters as your heart desires)

The Promised Neverland
Volume 1
by Kaiu Shirai
illustrated by Posuka Demizu
Manga, Japan | Published: 2016 | Goodreads | my rating: 4
starts off light, but soon gets dark and twisted

Tokyo Tarareba Girls
Volume 1
by Akiko Higashimura
translated by Steven LeCroy
Manga, Romance, Humor, Japan | Published: 2016 | Goodreads | my rating: 5
LOL, fun, chick-lit feel with older woman and younger guy romance
#JPLitReadathon (Japanese literature)
date: April 19th-25th, your own timezone

prompts:
1. free choice

2. a new beginning: author new to you or genre new to you or anything else from the Japanese literature that might be new to you

3. group pick:

The Old Capital
by Yasunari Kawabata
translated by J. Martin Holman and Vanja Lantz
Classic, Historical, Japan | Published: 2006 (first 1962) | Goodreads | my rating: 5
being a foundling, interesting concept
Mini challenges:

1. arts & crafts: make a bookmark and draw a character or scene from an anime, manga, novel of your choice, so you can use for this edition or future editions - made a matching bookmark for the group read

2. watch an anime movie

The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl (2017)
Yoru wa mijikashi aruke yo otome (original title)
Director: Masaaki Yuasa
Screenplay: Makoto Ueda
Based on book by: Tomihiko Morimi
Stars: Gen Hoshino, Kana Hanazawa, Hiroshi Kamiya
Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Japan | imdb | my rating: 4
In this comedy about one epic night in Kyoto, a college sophomore goes on a series of surreal encounters with the local nightlife, all the while unaware of the romantic longings of her classmate Senpai.

3. cook a Japanese dish that is new to you

4. beautiful cover: share with us a picture of your most favorite edition of a Japanese book that sits on your shelf

Cherry blossoms theme pairing of Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima and Cherry Blossom Parade puzzle I found at Walmart.

Booked Kingdom Readalong

Booked Kingdom
a grisha readalong
January to April 2021
hosted by The Ravkan Historical Society
(details)
🌑 Reading Schedule 🌖

January: Shadow & Bone Trilogy

Shadow and Bone | my rating: 4 | good start, start of would-be heroes
Siege and Storm | my rating: 4 | shifting thoughts on characters and their motives
Ruin and Rising | my rating: dnf |


February: Six of Crows Duology

March: King of Scars

April: Rule of Wolves

April: Netflix series

Finishing School Read-Along

Finishing School Read-Along
November 1-30, 2014
hosted by Batch of Books
and
Wishful Endings
details here
~*~
Adding some steampunk reading into my already loaded schedule ;-)

~*~
Reading schedule:

Nov 1: Read-Along Launch
Nov 7: Curtsies, chapters 1-8
Nov 14: Curtsies, chapters 9 -16, epilogue, and final thoughts on the book
Nov 21: Waistcoats, chapters 1-8
Nov 28: Waistcoats, chapters 9-16 and final thoughts on book
Nov 29: Read-along wrap up
Nov 30: Giveaway winner announced

I have not read book one so I am going to squeeze that in somewhere.

Books to read:

Etiquette & Espionage
(Finishing School book 1)
by Gail Carrier
Amazon | Goodreads
My two-bits:
My rating: 5

So, I read this after reading book 2 (went backwards). But, this was totally fine and it felt like a big flashback scene.

Loved getting a little bit of history about Sophronia and her family and home base.

Also got a proper introduction to Soap - my favorite character.

~*~

Curtsies & Conspiracies
(Finishing School book 2)
by Gail Carrier
Amazon | Goodreads
My two-bits:
My rating: 5

First chapter: As I am starting this series with book 2 (will read book 1 right after), I found the first chapter a fun way to learn about the different girls involved. The assessment of each gave interesting descriptions of their personalities.

Characters: Each are presented so well that they are special and distinct. It's not hard to keep track of them. Each voice is unique.

Plot: Love it. Along with the mystery of trying to figure out what is going on, I love watching how Sophronia gets herself out of sticky situations.

Least favorite part: Not knowing who Sophronia picks - Soap or Felix.

Most favorite part: The dialogue. Totally love the humor infused in everything whether it be blatant or subtle.

Favorite lines: I admit that I am listening to the audio version. So, I can't pick any out easily. But, there are so many wonderful ones. BTW, the audio version is excellent! The narrator is perfect in capturing the voices of all the characters.

Predictions: Clueless. However, this is fine because I'm just along for the wild ride in store for us.

Other thoughts: I agree. I love the names, manners of speaking and etiquette described that Gail uses in her stories. Just the right amount of serious and whimsy.

The dialogue and banter is the most fun to read in this series.

~*~

Waistcoats & Weaponry
(Finishing School book 3)
by Gail Carrier
Amazon | Goodreads
My two-bits:
My rating:

watch this spot

PeekAbook:



~*~

* check out Finishing Fashion Week for some steampunk eye candy

* non-participants are welcome to follow along and win a giveaway prize that will include all three books. I will post the giveaway link on this post when it goes up.

ReadAlong: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

The Bone Season ReadAlong
hosted by Goodreads Featured Author Group
details here
Amazon | Goodreads
Schedule:
Week of October 27: Chapters 1-5
Week of November 3: Chapters 6-11
Week of November 10: Chapters 12-17
Week of November 17: Chapters 18-23
Week of November 24: Chapters 24-29

The year is 2059. Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney is working in the criminal underworld of Scion London, based at Seven Dials, employed by a man named Jaxon Hall. Her job: to scout for information by breaking into people's minds.

For Paige is a dreamwalker, a clairvoyant and, in the world of Scion, she commits treason simply by breathing. It is raining the day her life changes for ever. Attacked, drugged and kidnapped, Paige is transported to Oxford - a city kept secret for two hundred years, controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race.

Paige is assigned to Warden, a Rephaite with mysterious motives. He is her master. Her trainer. Her natural enemy. But if Paige wants to regain her freedom she must allow herself to be nurtured in this prison where she is meant to die.

The Bone Season introduces a compelling heroine and also introduces an extraordinary young writer, with huge ambition and a teeming imagination. Samantha Shannon has created a bold new reality in this riveting debut.

My two-bits (per week):

Exciting! This will be my first "official" read along.

I will post my two bits per week. Beware, it could be spoiler-ish.

Week of October 27: Chapters 1-5
Loved the start of learning of a new world.

There are handy-dandy guides to refer to. A description tree of clairvoyants and a map of the where the main action takes place are located in the front matter of the book. And, a glossary of the slang and terms used is located at the end.

Rephaims are introduced which presents a big mystery - who/what are they?

Week of November 3: Chapters 6-11

watch this spot for thoughts on this segment