I write a lot of book and comic reviews on BizarreBrunette. I like sharing what I like to read and as a big comics fan, I like finding out about new series. After many years of writing reviews, I have found what works for me. I wanted to share a little bit about how I review and rate all the content that I read.

As far as my scale, I follow a 1-5 with 1 being “I did not like it” and 5 being “This is amazing and it’s the best thing I have read”. This aligns with Goodreads as they use a five-star scale in reviews. I considered changing this to be a 1-10 rating, but that feels like there are too many options. 1-5 is a good base and it feels more concise.

Starting with books, any book that I rate five stars is a book that I finish and I feel a sense of euphoria. This is a book where I want to immediately call my friends and my family and tell them to read this book, so I can talk about it with them. This is a book I will want to re-read in the next few years and I will buy future books from the author.

If I rate a book four stars, it means that I liked the book, but maybe there was one thing that I didn’t like. Something is holding me back from the full five-star rating. It could be the writing, the characters, the setting or if it took me a bit to finish the book, that could also result in a lower rating. If I rate something three stars, it’s usually a few significant things that I didn’t like about the book. It could be that it didn’t feel memorable or it didn’t stand out to me. If I rate something three stars, I do start to contemplate whether I need to continue the series or own the book if I end up buying it.

If I rate a book two stars, it’s usually a book that I had trouble reading. I may have put it down several times before finally forcing myself to read it. It could be a book where I didn’t look forward to finishing it. If I rate a book one star, it’s usually something that I found boring or I DNFed it (DNF meaning “Did Not Finish”).

For comics, there isn’t much of a difference except the fact that comics obviously have art. For me to rate a comic five stars, I have to love the art. If the art style isn’t for me, that does make a huge difference in how I rate a comic. Additionally, any comic that has a convoluted story or a story where I have to constantly go back a few pages, so I don’t get lost will lead to a lower rating. I like comics where I can read them, follow along with the story, and become entranced with the art on each page.

Another important element in comics and rating comics is how badly do I want to read the next issue. If I read a comic and I could care less about reading the next few issues, that will lead to a lower rating. I can tell when I like a comic because I tend to visit my local comic book store more often, so I don’t miss an issue. I may even check out Midtown Comics’s website to order the back issues that I missed. I do try to give a comic series five issues before deciding to continue the series. I think it does take a bit to develop a story in comics and I like to be fair in my assessment.

It’s not like any of this is unique as I think a lot of book or comic reviewers do something similar. I hope this provides context the next time you read a review of mine!

I mentioned this before, but I find it easier to read manga than to watch anime. I found it difficult to balance watching anime on top of all the other shows that I watched. I don’t watch shows very quickly as I tend to watch a few episodes here and there whenever I feel like it. That’s why reading manga is so much easier because I can read a few of the volumes and commit to watching the anime at a later date. One of the series I just finished reading was Cat Gamer Volume #1 by Wataru Nadatani. Cat Gamer was adorable.

Cat Gamer follows Riko, a twenty-nine-year-old working professional. She works at an office job by day and at night, she plays video games with her friends. One of her coworkers brings in a stray kitten that they found lurking near her work. Riko spontaneously decides to adopt the kitten. Riko brings the kitten home and has absolutely no clue how to take care of it. Each chapter focuses on Riko and her kitten which she names Musubi.

As a gamer and a cat lover, there’s no way that I wouldn’t love this manga. Some manga series can be gritty and dark, so this is a nice change in pace. I love Riko as she is the same age that I am and still plays video games as often as she can. Some of the dialogue that Riko has with the other characters feels awkward, but that could be the way that Riko is written. Musubi is a tuxedo cat and like most cats, gets into trouble and climbs into any cardboard box that’s around. At the end of each chapter, there are a few panels of Musubi adventuring around Riko’s home. It’s a cute way to end the chapter.

Cat Gamer was adorable and I can’t wait to buy the other volumes. I rated Cat Gamer five stars on Goodreads.

One of my friends came to visit me a few weeks ago and we decided to wander around Mall of America. I tend to avoid Mall of America for the most part due to the traffic and the amount of people, but it was kind of nice to walk around. Every time I go to Mall of America, I like to stop in the Barnes and Noble as it’s been in the same location for decades at least? Of course, I ended up buying books. It’s rare for me to walk into a bookstore and not buy anything. I wanted to share what I bought.

The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead

Shay Evans and her friend Laurel were recruited by a man into a cult while they were in college. Shay and Laurel barely managed to escape and Shay has since built a new life for herself. Shay learns from a podcast that Lauren has died. Shay feels extremely on edge as she’s not entirely sure that Laurel’s death was a coincidence. Shay decides to go back to the town to get some answers and if Laurel was murdered, Shay will do nothing to get justice.

I have read some reviews and I heard this book is really dark. I think it helps to look up content warnings for a book ahead of time as I like to be prepared before reading a book. I was thinking I would read The Last Housewife either in December or January when it gets darker outside.

Wreck The Halls by Tessa Bailey

Melody Gallard is the daughter of a famous musician. She tends to avoid any publicity and keeps to herself. There are talks about her mother’s band reuniting, so Melody decides to get involved. Beat Dawkins is the lead singer’s son. Beat and Melody knew each other when they were young, but stopped being friends after the band disbanded. Now that Melody and Beat will spend a lot of time together, they may see sparks begin to fly again.

I don’t read Holiday romances too often, but I thought this would be cute to read in December to get into the holiday spirit.

Chainsaw Man Vol #2 Tatsuki Fujimoto

Chainsaw Man follows Denji who has a demon named Pochita living inside of him. Chainsaw Man follows Denji’s adventures in demon hunting.

While I do think Denji’s obsession with boobs feels a little too on the nose for a manga, I loved Pochita. Pochita is the cutest thing and one of the main reasons why I’m continuing on in the series.

For the remaining months of the year, I want to have more of a TBR type of plan for November and December. I’m also writing out a few 2024 reading goals as well since 2023 was a little bit of a wash when it comes to hitting my reading goals.

It should be no surprise to anyone that I found a variety of different comic book stores while in Europe. I love comic book stores. I think it’s cool how a hobby or an interest can connect people from across the world. I went to four different comic book stores while on our trip. I remember waiting for our flight from Boston to Minneapolis and thinking about how heavy my backpack had become since I bought so much. I wanted to share which stores I went to and what I bought!

Gosh! Comics

The first comic book store we visited was Gosh! Comics. Gosh! was a random find as it wasn’t on my list of things to do while in London. We were walking around and I saw the Batman sign above the entrance. Gosh! might be my favorite comic book store from this list. On the first floor, they had local comics published in England. I bought a few local comics along with a few trade paperbacks on my list. Gosh! had two floors with the downstairs having its DC, Marvel, and Manga sections. Gosh! was such a fun, random find in London.

Sub-City Comics

Sub-City Comics is a comic book store in Dublin that’s a short walk away from downtown. Sub-City Comics also had a shelf of local comics from a publisher called Atomic Diner. I bought two graphic novels, one takes place in WWII in Ireland which I thought seemed interesting. Sub-City also had a big Manga section which is cool to see. I’m seeing more local comic book stores expand their Manga section which I think has directly contributed to me reading more Manga on a weekly basis.

Forbidden Planet

Forbidden Planet is more of a chain of comic book stores with locations in both the United Kingdom and Ireland. I stopped in the Dublin location during our trip. Forbidden Planet was cool, but it was more toy-heavy than the other stores. I like action figures and collectibles, but it’s not the main reason I go into a comic book store. Forbidden Planet also had a huge collection of Loungefly backpacks. I ended up finding a few single issues to purchase. One of the comics that I was going to purchase was an expensive variant. The person who was ringing up my order warned me that the issue I picked was really expensive which I appreciated! It would have been easy for her to let me purchase it without knowing how expensive it was.

Honorary Mention – Newbury Comics

The last store I visited was Newbury Comics in Boston. I wasn’t planning on buying anything else since I bought so many comics, but of course, I ended up finding things. The first thing I stumbled upon was the Critical Role Jester Lavorre action figure. I just started watching The Mighty Nein and I’m slowly getting into the story. Jester is so fun and a fan favorite which I can see why. Jester is still in the box and I’m contemplating where to put her. I think I might put her either on my Table Top Roleplaying shelf or on my desk when I work from home.

In total, I bought six graphic novels, seven single issues, and an action figure. It’s no wonder why my backpack was so heavy. I’m looking to organize what I bought and determine which comics I want to read first.

When I travel, I always look forward to reading. I pack my Kindle and pre-download several books to keep me occupied, especially when waiting around in an airport. During my two-week trip to Europe, I read three books. It helps that our trip had five different flights, so lots of downtime to read books. I wanted to share the three books I read, along with my thoughts on each book.

Love, Theoretically – Ali Hazelwood

Elsie Hannaway is an adjunct professor, racing around different campuses to teach her classes. To supplement her income, she’s a “fake girlfriend” on a dating website. She attends one of her client’s family gatherings and runs into Jack Smith, the brother of her client. Jack wrote a scientific paper discrediting Elsie’s field of study, so it’s safe to say that she hates him. Elsie is trying to get a job at MIT, and guess who’s on the hiring board? Jack Smith. Elsie has to interact with Jack throughout the MIT hiring process, and Jack may be a lot of things; maybe Elsie misjudged his original intentions.

I can’t objectively review any of Ali Hazelwood’s books because I love them so much. I love reading about academia and the science that each book focuses on. I will say that Ali Hazelwood has a pattern, and I would love to see her deviate from that. I want to see a new type of protagonist. How about a chemist who owns a brewery and doesn’t have rock-hard abs. I rated Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood five stars on Goodreads.

A Curious Beginning – Deanna Raybourn

Veronica Speedwell is free to do as she pleases. After planning her aunt’s funeral, she is planning her next move. When she returns home, she catches someone robbing her house. After fleeing from this person, she meets a German Baron who convinces Veronica that she’s in danger. The Baron leaves Veronica with his friend, Mr. Stoker. Before the Baron can collect Veronica, he’s murdered. Stoker instantly realizes the danger of the situation and takes Veronica away into hiding. Veronica and Stoker are forced to work together to figure out who killed the Baron.

This was the perfect book to bring with me while in Europe. I loved the setting in London. Veronica is a character who honestly doesn’t care what other people think of her, which is especially important since the book is set in 1887, and women at that time were expected to be married. I liked her partnership with Stoker. Stoker carries a lot of anger and trauma with him, and Veronica starts to grow on him throughout the book. I rated A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn four stars on Goodreads.

A Court of Thorn and Roses – Sarah J. Maas

Feyre is hunting in the Forest to feed her family when she kills a wolf that approaches her. As it turns out, the wolf that Feyre killed was really a Faerie, and killing Faeries is strictly forbidden. Feyre is found out and is taken by Tamlin, one of the Faerie high lords, to his kingdom, where she will live for the rest of her days. Feyre is taken back by Prythian but starts to enjoy her routine. As she learns more about Prythian, she sees that there’s a dark underbelly to the land. Something is happening, and it could lead to the end of humankind.

This was perhaps the most hyped book on my Goodreads TBR shelf. I have heard nothing but positive things about this series, so I feel that I went into reading this book with a more critical lens. With that being said, I liked this book for the most part. I liked Prythian, the world the fae live in. I liked the darker creatures that Feyre hunts or interacts with. The romance between Tamlin and Feyre was okay. I wasn’t entirely sold on it, especially when the curse was revealed. One of the things I didn’t like was the latter half of the book, when Feyre is imprisoned by Amarantha. Feyre is tormented and abused, and it’s difficult to read. It feels like Sarah J. Maas threw a bunch of abuse in there, and I don’t think it was entirely needed. I can understand why everyone liked this book, and I did like it. I rated A Court of Thorn and Roses by Sarah J. Maas three stars on Goodreads.

I haven’t fully decided what I will read next. I have a few options as I’m trying to dwindle my TBR before buying any more books, and I have a book on hold at the library. I’m sure it will be something dark and spooky, as it’s officially spooky season.

I have two Kindles. One is my mom’s older version, which she doesn’t use anymore, so she gave it to me. The other is my husband’s, and he gave it to me because he wasn’t using it. In general, I prefer reading a physical book versus an e-book on a Kindle; however, whenever I travel, I always bring my Kindle. I hate carrying around a book that I already finished, and a Kindle is perfect to pack while traveling. I recently turned on my Kindle and wanted to share a few books I have yet to read.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

I feel like the book community is going to come for me when I say that I have never read A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. I hear nothing but good things about this book series. This is going to be my top priority read for the books that I have on my Kindle.

I don’t know much about this book, except that the protagonist, Feyre, kills someone and then is transported to a magical world. This seems like an interesting premise.

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

I love Ali Hazelwood. I love that her books are romances with different protagonists in different scientific fields. I feel that Ali Hazelwood has gotten criticism because her books are very similar, yet here I am buying every single book. I hope that this book feels different enough from The Love Hypothesis.

Elsie Hannaway is a theoretical physicist. She works as a professor and also is a “Fake Girlfriend,” where she pretends to be someone’s partner at weddings, dates, etc. She ends up running into Jack Smith, the older brother of a client of hers. Jack sits on the hiring committee at MIT, which is where Elsie wants to apply for a job. Jack may also have ruined her mentor’s career. Elsie and Jack are forced to work together and find that maybe they were both wrong about each other.

A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

One of the book bloggers I follow loves this series. Our reading tastes are very similar, so if she loves it, chances are I will too.

Veronica Speedwell is ambitious, as she is planning on traveling around Europe. She is almost kidnapped and then saved by a German baron. The baron offers her shelter and mentions how he may know more about where Veronica came from. Unfortunately, the baron is murdered, and Veronica teams up with Stoker, a historian and friend of the baron. Together, they must work together to figure out who killed the baron.

Easy Bake Coven by Liz Schulte

With September quickly approaching, I want to add as many spooky-themed books to read.

Selene Warren is a witch, but doesn’t take herself too seriously. That is, until her grandmother is viciously attacked. Selene needs to grow up and figure out who attacked her grandmother.

I’m excited to start going through all the books on my Kindle. The good thing about eBooks is that they don’t take up space on my already overcrowded bookshelf.

I mentioned this before, but I have been regularly using my local library’s app. I love how I can request holds from my phone and pick them up at the library when they’re ready. I had A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson on hold for a while, which makes sense since this book series is pretty popular. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is definitely a page-turner, but I have no interest in reading the rest of the series.

CW: Animal Death – I can’t believe none of the other reviews mention this. There’s a family pet that’s taken and is later found dead. There are no specifics about it. I wish I had known it was coming beforehand. This happens on page 287 (or somewhere in the 280’s), and by page 300, it’s over.

Pippa Fitz-Amobi is a high school senior who needs to pick a Capstone project. She decides to investigate the murder of Andie Bell, a senior who mysteriously disappeared in her small town five years ago. Sal Singh, Andie’s boyfriend, was listed as the murderer after he committed suicide following Andie’s disappearance. Pippa works with Ravi, Sal’s brother, to review the evidence and determine if Sal is truly guilty.

My reading interests have changed throughout the years, and I tend not to read a lot of YA (Young Adult). With that being said, I did enjoy this book. I found myself captivated from start to finish. I found that whenever I had a break in my day, I would read a chapter or two. I finished this book last Saturday because I couldn’t move on to anything else. I have been vocal about my reading slump this year, so it feels nice to find books that I truly can dive into.

As far as the characters, Pippa wasn’t someone I wanted to read about. She is typecast as being the stereotypical good girl who always finishes her homework and doesn’t drink with her friends. I find that Pippa is judgmental of her friends at times, whether she means to be or not. I have seen this trope in other YA books, and I’m over it. I don’t need to read about teenage drinking, but I felt that Pippa had the idea that she was better than everyone else. Ravi was my favorite character throughout the book, as I think he supported Pippa throughout her investigations and was there for her. I would have liked to hear more about Ravi as a character because I don’t know much about him other than him being Pippa’s partner.

I think the biggest thing I noticed about this book is the implausibility of it all. For Pippa to collect the evidence she needs, she does some questionable things. This book is fictional, so maybe I’m being too critical, but I thought the way things played out was a little too convenient. Additionally, I find that A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder plays into a lot of tropes that I see in other books of this genre. One example includes a teacher sleeping with a student. I have seen this appear in other YA mysteries, and again, I’m over it. I’m not expecting new things from every book I read, but for how hyped this series is, I held this book to a higher standard.

I mentioned earlier how I have no interest in continuing the series. I was reading spoiler tags for the other books in this series, and this series gets really dark. Additionally, it seems like Pippa completely changes into an entirely new character (as long as the spoiler reviews are correct). Since I know this now, I’m going to pretend that this book is the only book in the series. It’s interesting because I don’t see the need for this book to be a series. I feel that A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder could have been a great standalone book.

I went back and forth on how I wanted to rate A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. I liked the book, and I have no regrets about reading it. However, I think the book is slightly overhyped. I finally ended up rating A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder three stars on Goodreads.

Every year, my friends and I plan a Cabin Weekend at my friend’s cabin. It’s something I always look forward to. It’s a chance for us all to catch up and spend good quality time together. I tend to always bring books and graphic novels with me as there’s usually downtime between going on boat rides and swimming in the lake. While at her cabin, I ended up finishing a book plus three graphic novels. I wanted to share mini-reviews of everything I read.

The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner

It’s 1873, and the London Seance Society is gaining notoriety by performing seances for people struggling to let go of the ones they loved. Vaudeline D’Allaire is a well-known occultist who is self-trained and trusted. Lenna Wickes partners with Vaudeline after the brutal murder of her sister, Evie. Lenna only wants to perform a seance to solve her sister’s killing. Both Vaudeline and Lenna are called by Mr. Morley, a prominent figure in the Society. There’s been a murder of a well-known society member, and Mr. Morley wants this crime solved. Vaudeline and Lenna team up to solve these murders and uncover the darker layer within the Society.

I loved the premise of this book. It was intriguing to read, especially with how the Seances are described and performed. I love how Lenna and Vaudeline work together and I liked seeing their story unfold. There’s an interesting twist halfway through the series that I wasn’t quite expecting. I think my only grievance is that the book took a little bit to get into. Once I was halfway, I couldn’t put the book down. I rated The London Seance Society four stars on Goodreads.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller

This is a graphic novel that I have had on my Goodreads TBR since 2015. I can see why this story is so well-regarded, but I think it’s a product of its time. There’s a lot of casual sexism. I think it was cool to see a female Robin, but I don’t think it was fleshed out. I’m trying not to be negative, but this wasn’t for me. I rated this two stars on Goodreads.

Cats! Girlfriends and Catfriends by Frédéric Brrémaud, Paola Antista, Cecilia Giumento

This was so cute! It’s a graphic novel series that follows friends with their cats. It reminded me of Calvin & Hobbes as each page had a different story. I rated Cats! three stars on Goodreads.

Plume Volume #2 by K. Lynn Smith

Plume is so good! It’s a Wild West-inspired story centered around Vesper, the daughter of an archaeologist. Vesper was given this magical necklace, which is connected to a man named Corrick. Corrick must protect the person holding the necklace. Vesper and Corrick team up and get into trouble. I love everything about this series, it’s fun to read. I rated Plume five stars on Goodreads.

This year has been a hit or miss when it comes to reading, and I feel like I’m finally finding my stride. I actually read another book that I rented from the library, and that review should be posted shortly.

I have hinted at this in a few posts throughout the year, but I have been struggling to find the motivation to read. I tried to read two books that I was looking forward to, but couldn’t get past the first fifty pages. I haven’t been in a reading slump this bad since 2012, when I went off to college. It’s sad because I love to read and I will always love to read, but I just haven’t been feeling it. I have been listening to music late at night, and then once I’m tired, I don’t want to read. I contemplated what to do next, and I found a few ways that I think will help encourage me to start reading again regularly. I wanted to share a few things I will be doing to help break my reading slump.

Keeping Up-to-Date with Booktubers

There are a few booktubers and book bloggers that I follow. However, I noticed that for several months, I hadn’t been keeping up with their content. This is one of the best ways to get book recommendations. I took a few hours to get caught up, and it helped spark the interest to read. I added quite a few books to my TBR on Goodreads as a result. I think I need to get back into keeping up with their content because it helps me look forward to new books to read.

As far as who I follow, I like Riley Marie and Merrily Kristin. Their book recommendations occasionally blend together. However, I find that Riley recommends horror, science fiction, and darker romances, while Kristin recommends more graphic novels, manga, and fantasy. For book blogs, I like Nerdy by Nature. I used to use a blog tracking website, where I could follow blogs and see new posts. I ended up discontinuing this since the site would only work half the time. Therefore, I ended up not reading Nerdy By Nature’s new posts. I have the site bookmarked now, so I can read her new posts every week.

Using my Local Library

I keep forgetting that my local library has an app. It’s neat because I can request a hold on a book, and it shows me where I’m at in the queue to pick it up. I have four things on hold right now. The one downside to this is that the more popular a book is, the harder it is to get. For example, I have A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson on hold, and I’m twenty-one in the queue. It’s worth putting holds on popular books a few months in advance since it will take a while to get to me.

I’m going to move the library app to the first page on my phone to remind myself to use it more.

Listening to My Mood

In 2022, I did a lot of planning on what books I would read throughout the year. This year, I have been letting myself pick books based on my mood. If I’m in the mood for a thriller, then I read a thriller. If I’m in the mood for a romance, then I read romance. I haven’t been doing as much planning, which I think will work for the rest of this year.

I do like pre-planning my books, but I think I just need a break on that for now.

Being Strict on Putting Books Down if I’m not Enjoying Them

When I pick up a book to read, sometimes I find that I try to force myself through the book. This has contributed to my reading slump because if I’m not enjoying the book, then I don’t read it. I have been trying to be more strict on this, where if I’m not enjoying a book or I’m not in the mood to read a book, I simply put it down and move on to something else. This, I think, will help in finding books that I’m looking forward to reading and donating any books that I didn’t enjoy.

I feel rejuvenated! I think I have a strategy to get back into reading and refocus on books I am genuinely excited to read. I hope to share more book-related content soon.

I started watching The Umbrella Academy earlier this year, and it quickly became one of my favorite shows. As a comic book reader, it’s been a blast seeing more stories being adapted into shows or films. I personally have never heard of The Umbrella Academy before watching the show. I found the first volume at a comic book store and decided to give it a shot. This is an example instance in which I think the show is better than the source material.

The Umbrella Academy focuses on this extraordinary event where forty-seven children are born on the exact same day, even though the women showed no previous signs of pregnancy. Reginald Hargreeves adopts seven of these children and names them “The Umbrella Academy.” The children show signs of having powers, with Vanya being the odd one out. Reginald harps on her that she isn’t special and has no abilities. As the children grow up, they resent Reginald for bringing them together, and they go their separate ways. The group is reunited when Reginald passes away. One of the children, codenamed Number Five, travels through time and discovers an apocalypse that will bring the world to an end. He tries to rally the other Umbrella Academy members into helping to prevent this apocalypse.

As mentioned, this is one of the few times where I feel the show is better than the source. The graphic novel, in many ways, feels messy. Most of the children don’t stand out from each other. Watching the show helped fill the gaps that the graphic novel had, which I wasn’t expecting. I think the graphic novel focuses heavily on action and showcasing the children’s powers, while the show builds on how the powers affected them individually, which I think was more interesting to watch.

I will say that I like the art and the alternate covers. I think it fits into the aesthetic that Gerard Way was going for when he wrote the story. I did like the story, but I wish it had been longer, so each child in The Umbrella Academy had their time to shine, and that didn’t happen.

I don’t have any regrets about reading The Umbrella Academy, as I’m a big fan of the show. I plan on reading the whole series just to say that I read them; however, I think the series can be skipped as the show does an excellent job summarizing the crucial plot points. I rated The Umbrella Academy five stars based on my love for the show, but I think, as a standalone, I would rate The Umbrella Academy three and a half stars on Goodreads.