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 are trying out as a couple. They survived one small argument, but are they strong enough to face Tsukasa's mother? Let's find out!

Description: Tsukasa's mother, Kaede, is back! Can Tsukushi really stay in the house of the woman with whom she is at war?! Kaede takes a new and vicious tack in her obsession to tear Tsukushi away from her upper class son. If Tsukushi can't be bribed, then maybe Kaede can destroy the lives of Tsukushi's friends! Tsukushi is forced to take extreme measures-but what course will she choose?!

Review: Wow, I couldn't turn the pages in this volume fast enough. Volume 21 is filled with tension, drama, and heartache. Tsukushi and Tsukasa survived their first argument since they've announced that they are dating. The argument which had Tsukasa punching Tsukushi's best friend's womanizing boyfriend, actually brought Tsukasa and Tsukushi together and displayed the F4's loyalty to their friends.
  Now a bigger threat has arisen and it's going to need everyone's help to keep Tsukasa and Tsukushi together. Kaede, Tsukasa's nightmare of a mother, is back and she is not happy (boy, that's an understatement!) when she discovers that Tsukushi has been living in her house and dating her son. Normally, I would say that Kaede's mama bear reaction is to protect her son, but Kaede has not displayed any motherly affections to her children and therefore I couldn't muster up any sympathies for her. Within a heartbeat, Kaede throws Tsukushi out of the mansion without hearing a word from Tama, the mansion's housekeeper and the nanny to Tsukasa and his sister. Tama defended Tsukusi but her reason fell on Kaede's deaf ears. Tsukushi tells Kaede that she is not afraid of her and to do her worst! When the news of the confrontation reaches Tsukasa, he is even more in love with his girlfriend, but what happens next is what neither Tsukushi nor Tsukasa had anticipated.
 By observing Tsukushi, Kaede zeroes in one of her weaknesses: her absolute loyalty to her friends. Within minutes two of Tsukushi's very close friends report their fathers have been laid off from work without any explanations. Tsukushi realizes this is Kaede's work. Now Tsukushi has to make a very hard choice: saving the financial stability of her friend's family or continue to love Tsukasa. In a beautiful illustrated scene in which Tsukushi's inner turmoil is fully displayed, she makes the decision to break her own and Tsukasa's heart.
  The volume ends on a beautiful and heartbreaking two page spread where it's raining heavily and only Tsukushi and Tsukasa appear at a far distance from one another. Tsukushi tells Tsukasa that she can longer be with him because she never loved him and keeps Kaede's actions a secret. While I haven't been the biggest fan of Tsukasa in this series, my heart broke for him. You can clearly read the hurt, devastation, and shock on his face. What is next in stored for Tsukushi and Tsukasa? Will Tsukasa fight for Tsukushi? I guess we'll  have to find out in the next volume!

Rating: 4 stars

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

If you like this book try: Boys Over Flowers Vol 22 by Yoko Kamio, Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances by Masami Tsuda, Mars by Fuyumi Soryo

  I read The Lighthouse by Alison Moore for my bookclub. While it was a short book, it took me a while to get through it mainly because there is virtually no plot, but filled with characters who ruminate and who are either trying to free themselves from their own self-made prisons or have resigned to it. The Lighthouse is one of those books that is listed with a capital L for literature. This is not a book that will please every reader, but I thought it was a really well written and has an interesting take on memory, consequences, and habits.

Description: On the outer deck of a North Sea ferry stands Futh, a middle-aged and newly separated man, on his way to Germany for a restorative walking holiday. After an inexplicably hostile encounter with a hotel landlord, Futh sets out along the Rhine. As he contemplates an earlier trip to Germany and the things he has done in his life, he does not foresee the potentially devastating consequences of things not done. "The Lighthouse," Alison Moore's first novel, tells the tense, gripping story of a man trying to find himself, but becoming lost.

Review: The Lighthouse is a brief novel, short listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2012. This book is driven by a study of characters, particularly two characters that interact only at the beginning and end. Both live lonely, isolated, unhappy lives; both seem powerless to change anything. One of which we feel sorry for while the other why can't muster up any emotions other than frustration and dislike.
  I did enjoy how the book was written. The author took her time in constructing her story, which affected the pacing a bit and slowed it down incredibly since there is hardly any plot. There is a lot of symbolism that evoked the feeling of isolation and hopelessness. At times the book felt as if it was written in four simultaneous vignettes each focusing on the oblivious man named Futh- in present day, where he and his wife have separated and he is doing a walking loop in Germany; Futh as a child right as his mother has left; Futh as a young adult, newly married. Futh's story collides with Ester, the unsatisfied wife who is helping her husband Bernard run an inn. Futh and Ester are both trying to fill a voice in their lives. While Futh is desperate for human interaction, Ester comes across as a sex addict who has practically slept with every man who has every stayed at the inn. Futh and Ester aren't characters that you like, but I don't think you are suppose to. I think you are suppose to empathize with their current state, which I didn't really do.
  Despite the short snippets of Futh's and Ester's back stories, the book was never confusing, and the characters themselves seemed to be reliving the memories during the story, and this was very effective. In some ways this is a book of memory and how bad decisions impact the future, sometimes not even your own bad decisions. The Lighthouse is not a book that will cheer you up, but it might give you solace when you're having a really bad day.

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language and strong sexual content. Recommended for adults only.

If you like this book try: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce, The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

  After reading fabulous reviews of The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom from some of my favorite bloggers, I thought I would give the book a chance. After a few lackluster reads, I needed a book that I couldn't put down and The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom fit the bill.

Description (from the publisher): Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You've never heard of them, have you? These are the princes who saved Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel, respectively, and yet, thanks to those lousy bards who wrote the tales, you likely know them only as Prince Charming. But all of this is about to change.
  Rejected by their princesses and cast out of their castles, the princes stumble upon an evil plot that could endanger each of their kingdoms. Now it's up to them to triumph over their various shortcomings, take on trolls, bandits, dragons, witches, and other assorted terrors, and become the heroes no one ever thought they could be.

Review: Those of us familiar with fairy tales expect a happy ending, but as the four Princes Charming found out to to their dismay that doesn't always happen. The bards have the story details wrong and the princes aren't really the studly heroes we know. In fact each Prince Charming has a name, comes from a kingdom, and may not really be the heroes of their story. While they may have the gotten the girl at the end of the story, they are not very happy. Bold, party-crashing Cinderella wants adventure more than the sheltered and risk averse Prince Frederic. Prince Gustav's pride is still badly damaged from having needed Rapunzel's teary-eyed rescue. Through Sleeping Beauty, Prince Liam learns kissing someone out of enchanted sleep doesn't guarantee compatibility, much to the citizens of both kingdoms' ire. Although she loves wacky and loquacious Prince Duncan, Snow White needs some solitude and quiet.
  In order to build their self esteem, wipe away the tarnish of their names, and restart on a clean slate, the four princes unite to face ridiculous, dangerous obstacles and fight a common foe: Zaubera, the witch from Rapunzel's story who believes she hasn't received the notoriety that she deserves. Angered at remaining nameless in the bard's story, she plots to become infamous enough through ever-escalating evil that bards will be forced to name her in their stories.
 I absolutely loved this book right from the start. Healy has created his own story out of the well known fairy-tales. The book is filled with wit without trying too hard and relying on pop-culture references, cliches. In his story, the princesses can handle themselves and as Sleeping Beauty shows are not all nice and prim. I just wished the princesses had a bit more page time. The focus of the story, however, is on the four princes who have to work together despite their differences. Though they are oblivious goofballs, Healy also shows that they have good hearts and individual strengths, keeping them distinct and believable. This book looks big with its tome like appearance but it reads quickly and the black and white illustrations complement the story really well. Inventive and hilarious, this book should come with a warning to not read in public if you don't what to get weird stares every time you irrupt in giggles. I highly recommend this book if you are fans of the animated movies Shrek and Tangled, if you enjoy reading about fairy tales, or if you are looking for a fun read. I can't wait to read more in this series!

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 3 and up.

If you like this book try: The Hero's Guide to Storming Your Castle by Christopher Healy, The Princess Bride by William Goldman, The Fairy-tale Detectives by Michael Buckley, Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale,

  David Levithan is one of my auto-read authors. I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of his latest book and I was very lucky enough to get an advanced readers copy of this book at the Annual ALA Conference in Chicago this past summer.

Description: In his follow-up to the New York Times bestselling Every Day, David Levithan, co-author of bestsellers Will Grayson, Will Grayson and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, tells the based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record--all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS. While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teen boys dealing with languishing long-term relationships, coming out, navigating gender identity, and falling deeper into the digital rabbit hole of gay hookup sites--all while the kissing former couple tries to figure out their own feelings for each other.

Review: Two Boys Kissing weaves together events that occur in the lives of several gay teens while two former lovers attempt to break the world's record for the longest kiss. The tone of this book is much more serious compared to the other books that I've read by Levithan and its structure is completely different. In many ways Two Boys Kissing reminded me of Kushner's award winning play Angels in America.
  Two Boys Kissing is narrated by a chorus of a lost gay generation from decades before, one that was ravaged by AIDS, anger, politics and more. It is through their lens and commentary that this story of seven boys from the present is told. The first two, as the title suggests, are Craig and Harry who are out to break the world's kissing record (32 hours, 12 minutes and 9 seconds) in protest of a hate crime enacted upon their friend. They're not a couple anymore, but they still have residual feelings. A second pair, Peter and Neil, have been a couple for a while, but still have insecurities about themselves and their relationship. Pink-haired transgendered Avery and blue-haired Ryan meet at an alternative LGBT prom where sparks fly and a possible romance blooms. All the while, closed Cooper deals with depression and is kicked out of his parents' house and obsessed with gay-hookup apps, suffers alone.
   The story drifts back and forth and among these seven youth under the watchful, voice of the past, which shows the reader, particularly those outside of the gay culture of what little moments that we take for granted mean to a gay teen- from the innocent hand holding to kissing. The chorus provides insight and wisdom, but it can get a bit heavy handed at times. The very fact that this novel is published with two boys explicitly kissing on the cover and its themes shows how far we have come in GLBT literature, and how much further the cannon has to go. While not magical like his other novels, Two Boys Kissing gives us some insight of what means to be a gay teen though it never has the intention to tell the story of all gay teens. This slim book packs a punch and is though provoking.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language including homophobic slurs, underage drinking and a character enters many chat rooms of a sexual nature.

If you like this book try: How They Met and Other Stories by David Levithan, How Beautiful the Ordinary edited by Michael Cart

  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. It's official! Tsukushi and Tsukasa are a couple in Volume 20, but their relationship last beyond this volume? Let's find out!

Description: Tsukushi has agreed to be Tsukasa's girlfriend! But there's a hitch-she'll go out with him for only two months to see if she can truly love him. Tsukasa is off to a bad start when he ends up smacking the new boyfriend of Tsukushi's best friend Yuki at the end of a double date, making Tsukushi furious. What happened betweeen Yuki's boyfriend and Tsukasa? Is Tsukushi and Tsukasa's relationship over?

Review: Volume 20 has a stronger emphasis on the romance of this series. Tsukushi is now living in Tsukasa's mansion. She is on egg shells, fearing Tsukasa's mother would rear her ugly head around but luckily, Tsukasa's mother is away on another overseas project. Phew, crisis averted! Now Tsukushi has to keep her current residency under wraps, but this doesn't last very long since any news concerning any member of the F4 doesn't stay hidden for very long.
  What I found interesting in this manga series is that the romance doesn't happen very quickly, at least from Tsukushi's point of view. She has always been hesitant to fall for anyone, which is one of the things that I love about her, but lately she has been seeing a more human side of Tsukasa where he is considerate, generous, and just as awkward when it comes to expressing his own emotions and need for intimacy. After a deep discussion, Tsukushi and Tsukasa have reached an understanding-they will date for a two month trial period. If the relationship works out, they will continue. If it doesn't, they will no longer talk or pursue it. Tsukushi is somewhat okay with the plan because there is no pressure on her and Tsukasa is happy just knowing that he is given a chance to show Tsukushi how much he loves her. As as reader, I was really curious to see how long this relationship could last considering Tsukasa's track record of being a hot head.
  Unfortunately, it doesn't take much for the relationship to stumble into trouble when Tsukushi and Tsukasa go on a horrible double date with Tsukushi's best friend, Yuki, and her current boyfriend. Throughout the date, Yuki's boyfriend tries to instigate trouble and get arise out of Tsukasa by pushing on Tsukasa's buttons. Tsukasa's patience quota runs out and punches Yuki's boyfriend. For the rest of the volume we follow Tsukushi as she learns the truth about what happened on that double date. To much of a surprise of my own, I took Tsukasa's side in this volume and it was funny watching Tsukushi's initial reaction to lash out at him and then come to terms that he was right. I hope these two can get their act together and I'll be interested to see how they handle the next bump in the road!

Rating: 4 stars

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

If you like this book try: Boys Over Flowers Vol 21 by Yoko Kamio, Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances by Masami Tsuda, Mars by Fuyumi Soryo