Manga Mondays is a meme hosted by Alison at Alison Can Read where bloggers can share their passion for reading mangas. It's a great place to get new manga titles to try and to meet new bloggers. Tsukushi and Tsukasa have broken up. Tsukushi and Tsukasa both have feelings for one another, but can they overcome big obstacles in order to be truly together?

Description (from the volume): Tsukushi has been unconscious for two days and wakes up in Tsukasa's cousins's home! This terrifying man saved her life and now he's courting her! What is the secret behind this mysterious cousin who so closely resembles Tsukasa, and what could be the reason for his intense hatred of Tsukasa? Why does Tsukasa not know anything about him?

Review: Volume 24 is set up like a mystery. There are two story lines going at the same time. One story line features Tsukushi spending time with the mysterious guy who looks uncannily like Tsukasa. The second story line features Tsukasa and Tsukushi's group of friends who are trying to figure out the real identity of the the mysterious guy. I don't want to discuss the plot further because it would spoil the huge surprise, but the suspense in this volume works really well as we are given bits and clues sprinkled throughout until the truth is finally revealed in a cliffhanger ending. I hate those!
  I really liked this volume because both Tsukushi and Tsukasa are different. Tsukushi is torn between wanting to help others and wanting to be true to herself. She her warring sides are shown quite well. Throughout this series, the socioeconomic differences between the characters have been a strong theme and it is emphasized here as Tsukushi acknowledges that she will never be on par with Tsukasa and his lavish lifestyle, but what Tsukushi doesn't understand is that Tsukasa loves her because she is different in every possible way- stubborn, willing to stand up against what's wrong, work hard at her dreams, etc. Through Tsukushi, Tsukasa learns the value of life. Like Tsukushi, Tsukasa is also in conflict with himself. He is struggling to manage his anger issues and wants to prove to himself that can be mature, take responsibility, and be worthy of Tsukushi's love.
  As for the mysterious guy, I'm a bit ambivalent towards him and don't know enough about him to make a decision. He definitely isn't good news, but he does have both shades of good and bad in him. I do think he serves an important role and hopefully, that role would lead Tsukushi and Tsukasa to be finally together.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language and sexual innuendo. Recommended for teens and up.

If you like this book try: Boys Over Flowers Vol 25 by Yoko Kamio, Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances by Masami Tsuda, Mars by Fuyumi Soryo

 I'm very happy today to introduce you to debut author, Krissy Bells, who is here to talk about the inspiration for her book A Special Love. Welcome to Books in the Spotlight, Krissy!
 The story of, A Special Love, began to form in my mind when I was lucky enough in life, to stumble upon a job at a school for special needs students. While working there I spent my days laughing, smiling, and crying too. I fell in love with not only the students but their families as well. I recently left my position after having a baby, to be a stay-at-home mom. At that time, a family member began publishing and inspired my decision to actually start writing. I had always wanted to focus on young adult/teen stories, and missing the students I had grown so attached to, I continued to develop the story of a family with an autistic son, and their relationships.

In my time working with special needs students I was often a witness to the struggles they faced and that of their families. Every parent can’t help but have expectations of what their child’s life will be. A parent’s love adapts, grows, and transitions with their child. In this story the family begins to fall apart. When you are the sister, brother, mother, father, or friend to a special needs child or adult, you are often many things; a caretaker, advocate, janitor, nurse. But, those roles always come second to your primary relationship as a sister, brother, mother, father, or friend. I was amazed to see that while the families I encountered faced numerous struggles, they were most often met with smiles, selflessness, and strength.

This novel, is a love letter to any family facing trials and tribulations, with a reminder that while it is easy to focus on the hardships of life, the gift of acceptance and love is what it is really all about. The joy, hard work, and sacrifice that I was able to experience in my career were a true testament to the meaning of family and an illustration that every person is unique, gifted, and one of a kind. As I worked with our special needs and particularly autistic students, it became clear to me that it wasn’t always about their accomplishments, but often their journey to get there. This story is the depiction of one family and I only hope that others will be able to relate.

  I'm delighted to today to introduce you all to C.L. Hoang, who just released his new book today called Once Upon a Mulberry Field which is about a multicultural love story set during the Vietnam War. If you are a fan of historical fiction and/more mixed race romance, do take a look at the book.



What inspired you to write Once Upon a Mulberry Field?

I started the book as a nostalgia project for my father so that we could capture memories of our family’s earlier life in Saigon, Vietnam, during the war. As I researched that time period to ensure accuracy, I discovered another perspective of the war—as experienced by American service people who fought over there and by their families in the States. I ended up merging these two contrasting points of view, in hopes of providing a more complete picture of that turbulent chapter in the history of both countries. But rather than being a “war book,” Once Upon a Mulberry Field is first and foremost a love story—an ode to the old and the new homelands, and a celebration of the human spirit and the redemptive power of love.

In Once Upon a Mulberry Field, the main character, Roger Connors, is a U.S. Air Force physician sent to Vietnam during the height of the war. Why did you decide to tell the story from an American point of view?

In an attempt to be objective and to view things from a different perspective from the one I had known growing up, I chose to recount the events through the voice of an American soldier. Needless to say, it was an eye-opening experience.

Roger and his fellow USAF buddies have differing views about the war in Vietnam. What can you tell us about the atmosphere surrounding the war and the way it was viewed in both America and South Vietnam?

In South Vietnam, the war was about preventing communism from destroying the budding and fragile democracy—a matter of crucial survival. In America, it was a controversial and misunderstood war, with the unpopular draft and the constant drumbeat of violence and gore shown nightly on TV news heightening the tension and anxiety among the public. There was widespread misinformation and confusion, fanned by undeniable passions on all sides.

There are two women in Roger’s life: the beautiful Vietnamese widow, Lien, and his fiancée at home, Debbie. How would you characterize his relationship with each of these women? In your view, does he feel differently toward one or the other?

The two women symbolize the clashing worlds confronting Roger. Debbie represents the familiar, secure home setting where things are as they seem—tangible, comforting, as lovely and dependable as the sunny California weather. Lien, on the other hand, is the daughter of an exotic tropical land, beautiful and tragic, who appears and vanishes without warning, like a monsoon thundershower. Roger thus finds himself constantly in the grips of a struggle between stormy passion and lifelong friendship.

You interviewed a number of Vietnamese and American civilians and veterans as part of your research for this novel. What did you learn in these interviews and how did they influence the story you tell in Once Upon a Mulberry Field?

I learned that nothing is ever as black-and-white as we like to assume, and that truth is often inconvenient and blinded by the passions of the time. This insight gave me a more compassionate understanding of the characters and what they went through, no matter what their feelings about the war.

Are you working on another novel? If so, what can you tell us about it?

Vietnam is a beautiful country with a rich cultural heritage. I’d like to capture in writing some of that heritage as I still remember it—ancient folklore that highlights the universal human condition and spirit. It may come in the form of a new novel, or a collection of short stories.


About the book:


A mesmerizing debut novel, Once Upon a Mulberry Field tells a heartrending tale of American and South Vietnamese love at a time when both countries were torn apart by war. Set at Bien-Hoa Air Force Base near Saigon in 1967, at the height of the war and the Tet Offensive, the novel explores the blossoming romance between a U.S. Air Force doctor, Roger Connors, and Lien, a young Vietnamese widow working as a hostess at a Saigon club. As the war progresses and political offensives set the country in turmoil, Roger and Lien are forced into circumstances that tear them apart. Many years later, Roger receives a cryptic note from a long-lost Air Force buddy announcing the visit of an acquaintance from Vietnam. The startling news resurrects ghosts of fallen comrades and haunting memories of a decades-old secret that Roger and Lien once shared.





About the Author:



C. L. Hoang was born and raised in South Viet-Nam and came to the United States in the 1970s. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and earns his living as an electronic engineer, with eleven patents to his name to date. Books, history, and travel are his hobbies, and "Once upon a Mulberry Field," a love story set at the height of the Vietnam War, is his first novel, a project from the heart that took six years to complete. For more information on C. L. Hoang or Once Upon a Mulberry Field, please visit: www.mulberryfieldsforever.com or www.amazon.com.

 I am an unabashedly fangirl of John Green. His debut, Looking for Alaska, was my first reintroduction to today's YA literature and I haven't looked back since. Green has an uncanny ability to write about teens for teens. There is not an ounce of condescension and his characters are smart, funny, and adorkable. His latest book, The Fault in Our Stars, have crossed over to adults and it is perhaps an answer to the "What's all this hype about John Green?" question. I haven't seen the movie trailer for The Fault in Our Stars, mostly because I'm afraid I'd start crying and won't stop, but I will definitely be armed with boxes of tissues when I do see it. Here is my lame attempt to review this brilliant, critically acclaimed, and one of my favorite books from 2013.

Description: Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Review: It's about a year since I read The Fault in Our Stars and the characters still resonate with me. Like many readers, I was hesitate in reading this book not because it wasn't going to be good but I wasn't emotionally ready to take on this journey. I want to tell you to not be afraid to pick this amazing book up. While, yes it's about teens who have cancer, but it's so much more.
  The Fault in Our Stars has a great combination of light and dark moments. Most of you already know the gist of the story so I'm not going to waste time rehashing it to you. I will say that Hazel and Gus are memorable characters who are incredibly vivid, intelligent, wise beyond their years, and extremely witty. Some reviewers believe that Hazel and Gus don't ring true as teens, but I would disagree. Both are forced to grow up and accept their mortality, which makes them less focused on trivial matters. Hazel and Gus are star-crossed lovers without the melodrama of a paranormal romance. There are no battles to be fought or creatures to defeat, but a race against time to live their lives to the fullest even if it might cause them pain. Their relationship grows slowly from attraction to intelligent conversations to finally making their hearts open to love and accepting the possibility that they can be torn apart if one of them falls ill. Whether intentional or not, but I saw the reflection of my reluctance to pick this book up in their journey.
  The Fault in Our Stars is an achingly beautiful story about life and loss. It will make you laugh, even at dark moments, cry, and make you wish that the world is a "wish-granting factory". Intelligent vocabulary, generous references to literature, and witty cultural commentary make this a delight to read. There are so many quotes that I loved in this book that I'm afraid if I started highlighting them, I'd highlight the entire book.  The next time someone asks me why I read YA, I'll hand them this book and tell them to talk to me afterwards.

Rating: 5 stars

Words of Caution: Strong language, a small fade to black sex scene, and mature themes. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.

If you like this book try: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz, The Universe versus Alex Woods by Gaven Extence, The Sky is Everwhere by Jandy Nelson

 Manga Mondays is a meme hosted by Alison at Alison Can Read where bloggers can share their passion for reading mangas. It's a great place to get new manga titles to try and to meet new bloggers. Tsukushi and Tsukasa have broken up. Heartbroken but never weak, Tsukushi tries her best to move on in her life but will she really forget Tsukasa?

Description: Tsukushi ends her visit at her parents' quiet seaside home and returns to Tokyo. She is welcomed back with a "girl's night out" and ends up meeting a ton of guys! Unfortunately they all turn out to be losers. In fact, one of the boys is downright terrifying and bears a striking resemblance to a certain curly-haired ex-boyfriend! Could the be related?

Review: In Volume 22, we saw Tsukushi trying hard to get over her heartbreak with Tsukasa by immersing herself in getting a new job in order to support her family while living in the seaside village. In Volume 23, we see how Tsukasa is doing after the breakup and it isn't pretty. Broody, sulky, and incredibly hostile Tsukasa wants everyone to leave him alone. He can't make sense of Tsukushi's actions, which he constantly thinks about and declares that he is completely over her. When the F3 try to brightening his mood, he lashes out and even gets into a fist fight with them!
 Meanwhile Tsukushi is trying to make ends meet. She somehow appears on a newscast that Rui sees on tv. The next thing she knows both Rui and Tsukasa have appeared on the seaside village. She is embarrassed to see all the villagers flock to Tsukasa and ask them for their money that Tsukushi's family has promised them. In an awkward moment, Tsukasa pays all of Tsukushi's family's loans and requests that Tsukushi's family come back with them to Tokyo.
  To much of her surprise, Tsukushi is welcomed back with open arms from the F3 and her friends. Even Shigeru, the one-time fiancee of Tsukasa and now a great supporter of Tsukushi, has even lent out her swank apartment for her family to rent at a really reasonable price. Tskushi is moved to tears and is extremely grateful for her friends and their generosity.
 This volume is filled with awkward moments between Tsukushi and Tsukasa. Neither of them can stand to be in the room with the other without the memory of that rainy afternoon replaying in their minds. Tsukasa would at least like Tsukushi to be friends, but Tsukushi doesn't feel she is strong to be friends with him. In order to change her mood and take her mind of Tsukasa, Tsukushi's girlfriends go on a group date with college boys. The girls are expecting a fun time, but what they are not expecting is finding a Tsukasa looklike to find interest in Tsukushi. Who is this guy? And is he related to Tsukasa? We'll have to find out in the next volume.

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language and violence. Recommended for teens and up.

If you like this book try: Boys Over Flowers Vol 24 by Yoko Kamio, Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances by Masami Tsuda, Mars by Fuyumi Soryo