Wonderland

This is a review for Wonderland- A Coloring Book Inspired by Alice's Adventures by Amily Shen.
I gave this book ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 4 stars, I liked it a lot.

About the Author: Amily Shen is a renowned Taiwanese artist. She has worked as shoe designer and is now a full-time illustrator and art instructor. She has published three bestselling drawing books.

Wonderland is a whimsical adult coloring book inspired by Alice in Wonderland.  The coloring pages are beautiful.  A lot of attention to detail was put into this book.  The pages are a lovely mix of whimsy and symmetry. 

This book is inspired by Alice in Wonderland so a lot of the pages and pictures will feel familiar.  The framework of the book shows injects some of the artist's personality into it.  The first page is a coffee shop and out the window of the coffee shop you see a familiar rabbit slipping through the trees to lead you into Wonderland. 

The story running throughout the pages feels a little childish at times.  There are little activities that you would normally see in a kids book; things like addressing an invitation to a friend, decorating some blank butterflies and searching for hidden items. 

The illustrations in here will not immediately bring to mind either the original illustrations from the Lewis Carroll novel or the Disney adaptations but they are unmistakably from Wonderland.  I quite enjoyed looking through this book and I am definitely going to enjoy coloring each page.  I suggest picking this up if you are looking for a coloring book that feels familiar and yet unfamiliar at the same time.  If you do pick it up be sure to check under the removable cover for a surprise!

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

Franklin Barbecue- A Meat-Smoking Manifesto

This is a review of Frankling Barbecue- A Meat Smoking Manifesto by Aaron Frankling & Jordan Mackay.
I gave this book ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 4 stars, I liked it a lot.

Aaron Franklin and his wife Stacy started out in the barbecue business in a small trailer on the side of the highway in Austin Texas in 2009.  Franklin Barbecue took off from there.  Today Franklin Barbecue is one of the most popular bbq places in the country and Aaron Franklin has won every bbq award that exists.

Jordan Mackay is the wine and spirits editor of 7×7 magazine and the author of Passion for Pinot. He is a regular contributor to the New York Times and has written for Food & Wine, Gourmet, Decanter, and Wine and Spirits.

Franklin Barbecue is not a recipe book.  If you want recipes this book is not really going to do much for you.  If you are looking for information on how to properly smoke your own meat and make it mouth-wateringly delicious, this book will help you. 

This book will give you an in depth and detailed look into bbq.  Franklin Barbecue covers every aspect of making your own amazing bbq; from building or modifying a smoker, to choosing the best wood and meats and seasoning them correctly.

I started off reading this book with mild curiosity but by the end I wanted to run out and build my own smoker.  I love good smoky bbq.  It is the one thing I miss from my days living in the south and it is the one thing that is hard to find in Colorado.  This book makes me want to try my hand at making my own southern style bbq.

I received this book free from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

Merman in my Tub vol 2

This is a review for Merman in my Tub volume 2 by Itokichi.
I gave this book ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 stars, I loved it.

This is the second volume in a series.  You can find my review of the first volume right here.  Given the nature of this series there is little in the way of spoilers though you may find some if you choose to read this review before the first volume.

Tatsumi is a serious, studious boy who lives alone in his grandfather's old house.  One day while walking along the river he finds a man in distress and rushes in to save him, he takes the man home to help him and soon discovers that he didn't save a man at all but a merman!  Soon Tatsumi has a permanent house guest and a steady stream of strange sea creatures passing through his bath tub.

The antics continue in the second volume.  Wakasa's friends continue reappearing and a new one joins the cast in this volume.  Each of them have their own personality that is partly defined by the type of sea creature they are.  Each new character adds a fun new element to the series.  It is interesting to see how they interact and how their fishy nature shows itself.

With Wakasa around the simple things that happen throughout the year are all new and exciting.  He loves Valentines Day, White day has to be extravagant and over the top.  Watching the Olympics isn't enough, he has to try all of the sports even the ones that seem impossible for a merman! 

I still highly recommend this series.  It is a wonderful, light, fun read.  It will have you laughing with every new chapter.  Go check it out if you are in need of a silly series to lift your spirits or if you want something fun to make you laugh!

Nightmares! The Sleepwalker Tonic

This is a review of Nightmares! The Sleepwalker Tonic by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller.
I gave this book ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 stars, I loved it.

Charlie Laird has a dream life.

1) He has a weirdo stepmom who runs an herbarium.
2) He lives in a purple mansion with a portal to the Netherworld.
3) Since they escaped from the Netherworld, he and his best friends have been sleeping like babies.

**SPOILER ALERT**
This is the second book in a series.  As such this review may contain spoilers for the first book.  If you want to read my review of the first book you can find it here.

 Charlie Laird is a fairly average not quite teenage boy.  He has an annoying little brother, an average dad and an absolutely weird stepmom.  He lives in a giant purple mansion with a tower.  The tower houses a portal to the Netherworld, the world of nightmares.  Most people only visit the Netherworld in their sleep during a nightmare, Charlie has been there in person while he was awake.  He and his little brother are the guardians of the portal.  They make sure it is closed and keep the nightmares locked away in the Netherworld where they belong.

Charlie and his friends start to notice that the people from the next town over are acting a little strange.  They shuffle, drool, groan and they are very clumsy.  One of them crashes into a streetlamp and knocks himself out right in front of Charlie!  The soccer team loses 37 to 0 because their entire team are acting like zombies.

Charlie and his friends have to investigate.  Everything they discover adds to the weirdness.  No one is sleeping in Orville Falls and there is a strange new shop in town.  When the new shop puts a branch in Charlie's town they realize they have to kick their investigation up a notch and get to the bottom of the mystery before their town becomes the next victim of this weirdness.

As with the previous book this one is delightful.  Many new lessons for Charlie to learn.  Jealousy, fear, hope and despair are all themes in this book.  The last one taught kids that you have to face your fear to overcome it.  This one teaches kids that being fearless isn't the same as being brave.  Doing something because it is necessary despite being scared to death is bravery and it is very different than being fearless.

I highly recommend this book.  If you have a kid struggling with being brave, this book may be helpful.  It has great lessons to teach both young and old, plus it is just a fun read.  I found myself laughing out loud many times while reading. 

Tokyo ESP

This is a review for Volume 1 of Tokyo ESP by Hajime Segawa.
I gave this book ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 stars, I loved it.

 Rinka Urushiba is your average high school girl.  She goes to class, works a part time job after school and helps her dad around the house, they are poor but happy.  One day on her way home from school she sees a flying penguin and chases after him hoping to catch him and sell him to help her finances.  Instead she is thrust into a completely different life than the one she led before.  A strange boy shows up everywhere she goes trying to convince her to become a 'hero of justice' and that is the least strange thing in her new life!

Rinka is a sweet character who is easy to relate to with one heck of a strong kick.  Azuma seems like a nice lighthearted kid with a big sense of adventure but the brightest smiles sometimes hide the most tragic pasts.  Each new character that joins the cast has their own unique personality that adds to the depth of the story.  Whether they are an ex-cop, a professional thief, a yakuza boss' daughter or a helpful barkeeper each character has something to add to the story.

I highly recommend this book.  Really what is not to love about it?  It's got a flying penguin, mysterious superpowers, great characters, an intriguing plot line and a few beautifully colored pages!  You should definitely give this a chance if you enjoy sci-fi or mystery manga.

Alice in Murderland vol 2

This is a review of Alice in Murderland volume 2 by Kaori Yuki.
I gave this book ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 stars, I loved it.

This is the second volume in a series.  This review is likely to spoil the first volume for you.  If you would like to read my review of volume one you can find it here.

 Stella Kuonji and her eight siblings are all adopted.  They belong to the very powerful, and slightly eccentric, Kuonji family.  They are required to return home and attend a "Mad Tea Party" once a month.  During one of these tea parties their mother announces that they are to fight each other to the death until only one remains.  That remaining one will be the head of the family.  They have one year to battle it out.  During the initial chaos Stella's favorite brother Zeno is slain and Stella herself undergoes a physical transformation into "Bloody Alice" complete with blond hair and a blue dress.

In the second volume the murdering contiues.  At the end of the first volume two siblings were out of the running.  Sid and Zeno are both dead though Zeno has been resurrected, but he isn't quite the same as before.  Stella faces off with Little Red Riding hood in the this volume.  Red has planted an impressive number of traps for Stella but Bloody Alice is not easily fooled. After her fight with Red Stella remembers some things from her childhood that make her distrust one of her few allies in this battle. 

Some of the victims of the Mad Tea Party who have been in comas are starting to wake up.  Sol and Maré are Stella's older twin siblings.  Maré has been in a coma but has finally woken up and is not happy.  Stella is the object of Marés anger and another fight breaks out. 

Three more of the Kuonji siblings have been introduced, leaving just one that is still an unknown.  The backstory of Claire, Stella and Zeno has been established to some extent.  Olga-sama, their adoptive mother, hints that there is some very specific reason each child was adopted by the Kuonji family.  A very big hint was dropped in this volume as to the reason that Zeno's personality has changed so much.

I am interested to see the continuation of this story.  Each new character adds something new to the plot.  The siblings are interesting, they each have their own motivations for playing along with their mother's sadistic game, or for not wanting to play along. 

I highly recommend this series.  It continues to be an interesting take on Alice in Wonderland.  Just know, it definitely deserves its rating of "Older Teen" for the violent nature of the story!

Chaika: The Coffin Princess vol 1

This is a review for Chaika: The Coffin Princess volume 1 by Ichirou Sakaki, Shinta Sakayama & NitroPlus
I gave this book ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 4 stars, I liked it a lot.

Toru Acura lives a quiet, peaceful life.  The war ended five years ago and with it, his reason for getting out of bed every day.  He was a Saboteur in the war with a unique ability but without a war to fight what is a man whose only skills are on the battlefield to do?

Toru lives with his sister Akari.  She is about fed up with his lazy ways.  Is it so much to ask that he get out of bed and get a job?  Akari forces Toru out of bed to find a job or at least some breakfast.  Toru goes into the forest to forage for food and there he runs into Chaika. 

Chaika is a strange girl from another country.  She caries a huge coffin on her back and speaks in broken sentences.  The chance encounter between her and Toru in the forest is about to shake up Toru's mindnumbingly peaceful life.

I enjoyed this manga quite a bit.  Toru feels like a relatable character and Chaika is a mystery waiting to be solved.  Akari is not wonderful in my opinion.  She is the typical little sister with a brother complex that is mostly just annoying.  She does seem like a capable fighter and maybe she will grow to be something more than the token annoying little sister with a brother complex.

I am interested to see where this story ends up.  It feels like a good set up for a great story. So far it is a little short on detail but it feels like it could be something wonderful.  I recommend it to anyone who likes a good adventure series.