Review: Black Bird Volume 6 by Kanoko Sakurakoji

Genre: Shoujo
Series: Volume 6
Pages: 192
Copyright: 2010
Publisher: VIZ Media
Buy: Amazon

Summary: from Good Reads
Misao and Kyo have traveled to the Tengu Village to end Sho's claim on the leadership of the clan once and for all. Misao knows there will be bloodshed, and things will only get worse if the battle is drawn out.But her attempt to help is thwarted by a cunning trap. Locked in with Sho with little hope of rescue, Misao has a terrible choice to make--betray Kyo or die a horrible, painful death!

Feelings: 
They are off on an adventure to visit Kyo's village. This will of course be more than just a visit as the village elders want Kyo to make Misao his and get her pregnant. There is also the problem of Kyo's older brother who is imprisoned there.

This volume moved away from the story of the relationship a little and that made this volume more interesting to me.

Review: The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert

Narrator: Anne Twomey
Genre: Nonfiction, Evoluntionary History
Series: No
Copyright: 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Buy: Amazon Audio or Amazon Book

Summary: from Good Reads
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE
From the author of Field Notes from a Catastrophe, a powerful and important work about the future of the world, blending intellectual and natural history and field reporting into a compelling account of the mass extinction unfolding before our eyes.

Over the last half a billion years, there have been five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. This time around, the cataclysm is us.

The Sixth Extinction draws on the work of scores of researchers in half a dozen disciplines–geologists who study deep ocean cores, botanists who follow the tree line as it climbs up the Andes, and marine biologists who dive off the Great Barrier Reef. Elizabeth Kolbert, two-time winner of the National Magazine Award and New Yorker writer, accompanies many of these researchers into the field, and introduces you to a dozen species–some already gone, others facing extinction–that are being affected by the sixth extinction.

Through these stories, Kolbert provides a moving account of the disappearances occurring all around us and traces the evolution of extinction as concept, from its first articulation by Georges Cuvier in revolutionary Paris up through the present day. The sixth extinction is likely to be mankind's most lasting legacy; as Kolbert observes, it compels us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human.

Feelings:
I really enjoyed The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert. At first I wondered if it would be mostly fact or conjecture. The author does venture into conjecture at points, but most of this is based on facts. Through an examination of past extinction events the author is able to make comparisons between current events, the sixth extinction event, and past extinctions. These comparisons show that this extinction is different in one way but has similarities. I was most familiar with the extinction at the end of the cretaceous period, the one that killed the dinosaurs. That extinction was caused by a catastrophic event. Catastrophic events, however, didn't cause all past extinctions nor are they causing the current extinction event.

I learned a lot about earth history from this book. Since I was a in school, there have been changes to the way we think about past extinction events. When you look at an extinction event caused by a catastrophe it is relatively quick, but an event caused by other factors takes a long time. Thus to the human perception, the current extinction event does not appear to be a quick event, thought it is much quicker than the base level of extinctions.

Looking at different animals as they move towards extinction, the author draws conclusions about our world today. I had heard briefly about much of what she wrote, but it was full of new information, and I found it fascinating. I wish textbooks were as interesting as this book. I think if students read books like this, where they saw what the research and conclusions were as well as the facts, they would be more likely to go into science. Books like this add to everyday knowledge while not being overly dry and boring.

I highly recommend this book. The audiobook was also very good, and  would recommend it if you don't have the time to sit down and read this book.

Review: Black Bird Volume 5 by Kanoko Sakurakoji

Genre: Manga, Shoujo, Young Adult, Fantasy
Series: Volume 5
Pages: 200
Copyright: 2010
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Buy: Amazon

Here are links to my reviews for the previous volumes: Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, and Volume 4

Summary: from Good Reads
There is a world of myth and magic that intersects ours, and only a special few can see it. Misao Harada is one such person, and she wants nothing to do with magical realms. She just wants to have a normal high school life and maybe get a boyfriend. But she is the bride of demon prophecy, and her blood grants incredible powers, her flesh immortality. Now the demon realm is fighting over the right to her hand...or her life!

Misao thinks she's come to terms with being the bride of prophecy and dating a tengu lord, but is she ready to bear her handsome demon an heir?! Kyo's grandfather is impatient to secure the power of the prophecy and the line of succession, and he doesn't care which of his grandsons fathers Misao's baby. If Kyo doesn't act fast, he'll lose Misao and the leadership of the clan. But despite his desire for Misao, Kyo is hesitant to consummate their relationship, for that will bring about catastrophe...

Feelings:
Misao wants to be closer to Kyo but is scared by what might happen if she has sex with him. They know that if it is only once it won't hurt her. Kyo knows that only one time will not be enough, so he shows Misao how hard it would be. This situation seems a little to teenager to me, but this is a story about a 16 year-old.

I think this series started with potential, and I still like the story. However, it is about teenagers and at times that can be a bit much for me. I'm going to keep reading the series.

Review: Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: The Worldwalker Trilogy #1
Pages: 374
Copyright: 2014
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Buy: Amazon

Summary: from Good Reads
The exhilaratingly seductive new series from the author of the bestselling Starcrossed series.

Love burns. Worlds collide. Magic reigns.

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying many of the experiences that other teenagers take for granted...which is why she is determined to enjoy her first (and perhaps only) high-school party. But Lily's life never goes according to plan, and after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly Lily is in a different Salem - one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruelest of all the Crucibles is Lillian . . . Lily's identical other self in this alternate universe. This new version of her world is terrifyingly sensual, and Lily is soon overwhelmed by new experiences.

Lily realizes that what makes her weak at home is exactly what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. It also puts her life in danger. Thrown into a world she doesn't understand, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone, and a love she never expected.

But how can Lily be the savior of this world when she is literally her own worst enemy?

Feelings: 
I enjoyed Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini more than I thought I was going to. I wasn't sure I was going to when I started reading it. The first scene is of your main character having an allergic reaction and vomiting in the bathroom and hoping she can hide what is going on from her best friend. Not a great start to a book if you ask me. It did improve a lot after that opening. At first it seemed like the novel was going to be a high school drama, but after Lily looses her best friend she is taken to an alternate version of Salem. That is when the story got interesting.

I enjoyed the characters and the magic that was included in this novel. Lily is both weak and strong. Her health struggles back in her world have given her the drive to continue living even when things get rough. In the new world she finds herself stronger for having struggled. I liked that what made her weak in her world was something she could learn to control in the world she finds herself in. 

In the new Salem, she encounters Rowan a man she has never met, who hates her, and Tristan, who is like the Tristan in her world but different. I liked getting to know the characters as Lily does, and seeing how they react to her based on what they know of the version of her from their world. I really liked the characters and the idea of infinite versions of the universe.

It was an easy read, but it also had more to it than some of the young adult novels I've read. I recommend Trial by Fire, and I'm looking forward to seeing were the characters in this series go.

Review: Skip Beat! Volume 25 by Yoshiki Nakamura

Genre: Shoujo  
Series: Volume 25 
Pages: 184
Copyright: 2011
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC 
Buy: Amazon  

Summary: from Good Reads
Kyoko's Valentine's battle with Reino has finally gained her Sho's attention—but now it's the last thing she wants! Sho is determined to make her obsessed with him, and shows up on set with an over-the-top gift to taunt her. But when Kyoko explains her true relationship with Reino, Sho makes an inexcusable move. Has he undone her years of healing in one fell swoop?!

Feelings:
Sho finds out that Kyoko made chocolates for Reino and goes into a rage. To get back at her, he brings her flowers to congratulate her on finally having a boyfriend. It turns into a fight as she explains she was blackmailed into doing it. Then he really surprises her and kisses her. Ren is really shocked and pissed, but Kyoko is hurt by it. Ren helps her take her mind off of it and almost kisses her too.

I'm a little sad Ren didn't admit his feelings to her. He does and then he takes it back. I'm excited to see what happens next. Three guys are competing for Kyoko and she seems to not realize how much they like her.

Updates and changes

Hi Readers of Reading for Love,

I'm making changes to my blog. I will be adding links to buy the books on Amazon. If you see a book on here and you think you want to buy it, please use my link, it helps me make a few pennies when you buy the book. It doesn't cost you anything.

I'm undecided about the way I place the links to Amazon, so if you like one of my links better, less obtrusive at the top or the image at the bottom with the buy button, let me know.

Other changes are in the layout of the blog itself. I've consolidated everything into a right side bar instead of having two side bars.

I've added social media buttons to my posts. If you enjoy a post, please help me by sharing. Also, I'm working on getting better widgets for following and keeping up with the blog. I will still be posting new reviews during this time, so don't worry content will still be coming.

If you have any suggestions while I'm making these changes please let me know in the comments and I will take them into consideration.

If there is a book you think I would enjoy or you are interested in me reviewing a book please reach out. I'm always looking for new suggestions.

Thanks!

Review: The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Moshsin Hamid

Narrator: Satya Bhabha
Genre: Fiction
Series: No
Copyright: 2007
Publisher: AudioGO
Buy: Amazon Audio or Amazon Book

Summary: from Good Reads 

At a café table in Lahore, a bearded Pakistani man converses with an uneasy American stranger. As dusk deepens to night, he begins the tale that has brought them to this fateful meeting . . .

Changez is living an immigrant’s dream of America. At the top of his class at Princeton, he is snapped up by the elite "valuation" firm of Underwood Samson. He thrives on the energy of New York, and his infatuation with elegant, beautiful Erica promises entry into Manhattan society at the same exalted level once occupied by his own family back in Lahore.

But in the wake of September 11, Changez finds his position in his adopted city suddenly overturned, and his budding relationship with Erica eclipsed by the reawakened ghosts of her past. And Changez’s own identity is in seismic shift as well, unearthing allegiances more fundamental than money, power, and maybe even love.


Feelings: 
This was a strange book, and it took a while to get used to the narrative style. The narrator finds an American in the streets of Lahore and takes him to a cafe. There he talks to the man even though we never hear the American say anything. This makes the novel feel like a very long monologue. It is a relatively short book. I don't think the style of monologue would have lasted much longer without falling apart.

As Changez tells the story of his time as a student and how he worked at a valuation firm in New York, we see him change and grow as a person through his telling. However, it becomes clear that Changez may not be the most reliable narrator. He adds his current incite to the story he is telling and as the listener we are not sure how true any of the events are.

I enjoyed the story. I was glad it was short because the narrative style was difficult to connect with. I recommend this The Reluctant Fundamentalist audiobook or novel if you are looking for something that is a little off the beaten path.

Review: Skip Beat! Volume 24 by Yoshiki Nakamura

Genre: Shoujo 
Series: Volume 24 
Pages: 192 
Copyright: 2011 
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC 
Buy: Amazon

Summary: from Good Reads
Valentine’s Day is on its way, but Kyoko won’t be able to celebrate love and friendship the normal way. She’s getting blackmailed into giving chocolate to guys she hates, she has her ongoing revenge to oblige, and to top it all off, it’s Ren’s birthday! How can Kyoko give him a meaningful present when she’s slinging meaningless chocolate left and right?

Feelings: Valentines day is just around the corner. Kyoko and Moko are both frustrated by this and feel like they aren't going to celebrate the holiday. But they both end up realizing they can thank people by giving chocolates.

Sho and Reino are back in this volume as well. I keep waiting for something to happen where Kyoko actually starts having feelings for a guy. But I guess if she did the series would have an ending. That doesn't mean I don't want her to have a guy she likes.

Rewivew: The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

Genre: Dystopian Fantasy 
Series: Yes. Book of Ember #1 
Pages: 270 
Copyright: 2004  
Publisher: Yearling 
Buy: Amazon

Summary: from Good Reads
Many hundreds of years ago, the city of Ember was created by the Builders to contain everything needed for human survival. It worked…but now the storerooms are almost out of food, crops are blighted, corruption is spreading through the city and worst of all—the lights are failing. Soon Ember could be engulfed by darkness…

But when two children, Lina and Doon, discover fragments of an ancient parchment, they begin to wonder if there could be a way out of Ember. Can they decipher the words from long ago and find a new future for everyone? Will the people of Ember listen to them?

Feelings: 
I enjoyed The City of Ember. It seemed familiar to me when I first saw it, and I couldn't place why until I looked it up and saw that there was a movie. I don't remember seeing the movie or the trailer, but I must have heard the name then.

This book reminded me of other dystopian books that have been popular recently. I think that maybe Lina and Doon were a little mature for 12 year-olds, but I was willing to let that go as I thought maybe in a society like this people would grow up faster.

I plan on reading the next book in the series, but I'm not sure if I will make it through all of the books. I enjoyed what I've read so far. The ending of the first book was satisfying, and I'm not feeling like I need to read the second one immediately.

Review: Skip Beat! Volume 23 by Yoshiki Nakamura

Genre: Shoujo
Series: Volume 23
Pages: 200
Copyright: 2013
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Buy: Amazon

Summary: from Good Reads
Mogami followed her true love Sho to Tokyo to support him while he made it big as an idol. But he's casting her out now that he's famous! Kyoko won't suffer in silence--she's going to get her sweet revenge by beating Sho in show biz!

Chiori’s rage threatens the whole production when she lashes out and hurts Kyoko. Kyoko is used to overcoming obstacles, and she uses her injury as an excuse to push Chiori into exploring her acting. But Chiori has a traumatic past. Will focusing on the dark side of her character bring it all rushing back?! 

Feelings:
One of Kyoko's new co-actresses gets mad at Kyoko after she changes her appearance. She pushed Kyoko down some stairs and hurts her. Kyoko knows it was her and takes revenge during the shooting the next day.

I find the current role Kyoko is playing a little surprising. Kyoko isn't sweet or charming in anyway and is a real bully.