Top Ten Tuesday - Favourite Graphic Novels/Comics/Manga

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

This week's topic is: All about the visuals: Top Ten Favourite Graphic Novels/Comics/Manga 

(I only ended up listing six for this topic)

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

I loved the artwork of this graphic novel, it was so fun and quirky. 

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

There are about five separate spooky stories told in this graphic novel and the artwork of each is really beautiful. 

Orange: The Complete Collection vol 1 & 2 by Ichigo Takano

This is one of my favourite manga series'.  Both the story and the artwork of it were amazing.

Solanin by Inio Asano

I read this fairly recently and I was surprised by how much I loved it.  The story was very relatable and I loved the artwork.

Saga series by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples

This is a great comic book series, its very action packed.

Paper Girls Vol 1 by Brian K Vaughan and Cliff Chiang

I was really surprised at this comic book. I really liked the story of it and I loved the artwork and the colours used in it.

What are some of your favourite graphic novels, comics or manga?

Book Review: The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer

Book: The Chemist
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Genres: Thriller, mystery, suspense
My Rating: 3/5 STARS

In this gripping page-turner, an ex-agent on the run from her former employers must take one more case to clear her name and save her life.She used to work for the U.S. government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn’t even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning.Now, she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They’ve killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon.When her former handler offers her a way out, she realizes it’s her only chance to erase the giant target on her back. But it means taking one last job for her ex-employers. To her horror, the information she acquires only makes her situation more dangerous.Resolving to meet the threat head-on, she prepares for the toughest fight of her life but finds herself falling for a man who can only complicate her likelihood of survival. As she sees her choices being rapidly whittled down, she must apply her unique talents in ways she never dreamed of.In this tautly plotted novel, Stephenie Meyer creates a fierce and fascinating new heroine with a very specialized skill set. And she shows once again why she’s one of the world’s bestselling authors.--Quoted from Goodreads


My Review:
I was both apprehensive and excited to read this book.  I love Stephenie Meyer's other books and was really excited to read The Chemist but I ended up being disappointed by it.

The first thing I didn't like was how the first 40 pages or so was basically describing all the precautions the main character took to stay safe which made me grow bored with the book very quick.  I get that this book is a thriller with the main character on the run trying to survive but I didn't expect the book to describe a lot of things that I felt were not really needed right at the beginning of the book.  I think it was to show how tough and smart the main character was but because it was described in such an overly elaborate way it made me feel like the main character didn't really know what she was doing. 
I also felt that the back story as to why the main character became the way she was didn't really make sense.

There were also a few characters I felt were pointless to the overall story and one of them was the love interest.  I found the love interest and the relationship in this book to be very boring.  There were a lot of dogs in this book and to me the dogs personalities were more fleshed out than some of the characters.

I did think the plot was good and it did make me want to keep reading.

Overall I was disappointed by the overly elaborate descriptions and by the characters in this book.  The plot got more interesting as it went on but the book didn't really stand out for me.   

Book Review: Solanin by Inio Asano

Book: Solanin
Author: Inio Asano
Genres: Romance, slice of life, music manga
My Rating: 5/5 STARS

Meiko Inoue is a recent college grad working as an office lady in a job she hates. Her boyfriend Naruo is permanently crashing at her apartment because his job as a freelance illustrator doesn't pay enough for rent. And her parents in the country keep sending her boxes of veggies that just rot in her fridge. Straddling the line between her years as a student and the rest of her life, Meiko struggles with the feeling that she's just not cut out to be a part of the real world.

My Review:
I really loved this book, the main thing I loved about it was that it was very relatable. The story is about a young woman (Meiko) at the age of 24 who is questioning her life and the role she plays in society. She hates her job so one day she decides to quit.

The themes of this book are about how monotonous life can be and it's about trying to find your purpose in life or the thing that makes you happy.  I think everyone can probably relate to this book at one point or other in their lives.  The issues in this book felt very real to the point where it didn't feel like a fiction book.  I felt the characters reflected my own thoughts and feelings (and what I know are a lot of other peoples thoughts and feelings) very well.

I was surprised at how it didn't just focus on Meiko (the main character) but also on the other characters and I loved getting an insight into each character and seeing that they are all feeling the same way about their lives even though they each deal with it differently.  I thought Meiko's boyfriend was going to be a side character in the book but as you're reading he becomes more of a main character and it shows his struggles in life both with his job and the music he wants to play.

I liked the relationship between Meiko and her boyfriend.  They weren't extremely 'lovey dovey' with each other but you could tell they really cared about each other and that made it feel real and was refreshing to read about.

Overall I think this is a great manga that has a lot of important topics that can really make the reader relate and because of that it definitely makes you think and reflect on the story after finishing it. 

December 2016 Reading Wrap Up

In December I read a total of five books, one short story and one comic book.

Here is a list of them and a brief sentence or two of my feelings on them.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch -- 2/5 STARS
I thought the overall concept of this book was interesting but I just didn't connect with it.  I disliked the main character from the start because I felt he came across as very pretentious.  

Gemina (The Illuminae Files book 2) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff -- 5/5 STARS
I loved this book and I thought it was just as thrilling to read as the first book.  The format of this series makes for a really exciting read.  

Magic Steals (short story from the Kate Daniels series) by Ilona Andrews -- 4/5 STARS
I really enjoyed this short story and it was nice to read more about the characters in this series.

The Masked Truth by Kelley Armstrong -- 2/5 STARS
I didn't really like this book.  I thought the storyline was very unrealistic and the way the plot went made it even more unbelievable. 

An Illustrated History of Notable Shadowhunters and Denizens of Downworld by Cassandra Clare and illustrated by Cassandra Jean -- 4/5 STARS
I really enjoyed flipping through this book and seeing all the beautiful artwork of each character.  This book doesn't really provide any new information but I think it's a great book to own if you're a big fan of the Shadowhunter world.

 Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick -- 4/5 STARS
I loved the story telling of this book (just like I did with Marcus Sedgwick's other book, Midwinterblood).  It's told it such a unique way that makes it so intriguing to read.  I'll definitely be reading more of his books in the future.

Paper Girls Volume 1 by Brian K Vaughan and illustrated by Cliff Chiang -- 4/5 STARS
I really liked Paper Girls a lot more than I was expecting to.  I thought the artwork was beautiful, I loved the colours that were used.  And I found the storyline really exciting and fast paced.  I can't wait to read the next volume.

That's it for all the books I read in December 2016.  What books did you read in the month of December?