I write a lot of book and comic reviews on Bizarre Brunette. I like sharing what I like to read, and as a comics fan, I like finding new series. After many years of writing reviews, I feel that I have solidified my rating scale, so when I say I rate something three stars, I know what that means. I wanted to share more about how I review and rate all the content that I read.

As far as my scale, I follow a 1-5 with one being “I did not like it” and five 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 a 1-10 rating, but that feels overwhelming. 1-5 is a good base, and it feels more concise. 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 that I want to immediately call my friends 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 five-star rating. It could be the writing, the characters, the setting, or if it took me longer to finish the book. If I rate something three stars, there are 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 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 that I didn’t look forward to finishing. If I rate a book one star, it means that I struggled to find one thing I liked about it. Finally, I do not rate books that I DNF (did not finish). Some may disagree with me, but I feel it’s unfair for me to give a rating to a book that I didn’t 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 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 I want to read the next issue. If I read a comic and I couldn’t 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’ website to order the back issues I missed. I try to give a comic series five issues before deciding to continue the series. I think it takes 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 alongside all the other shows 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 during the 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 as 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 the Mall of America. I tend to avoid the Mall of America for the most part due to the traffic and the number of people, but it was nice to walk around. Every time I go to the Mall of America, I like to stop in the Barnes & Noble, as it has 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. 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 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 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 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.

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 of which 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 my reading more Manga weekly.

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 the cost.

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 TTRPG 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 my backpack was so heavy. I’m looking to organize what I bought and determine which comics I want to read first.