The Sunday Post Meme (40)

Hey everybody! I am participating in a book meme called the Sunday Post which is being hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer! The goal of this meme is to share news you have on various books and things you’ve read or received and also talk about what is coming up for your blog! Book hauls can include library books, yard sale finds, arcs and bought books and you can share these finds with other book bloggers!

Hey everyone! I know it's been awhile since I've done a Sunday Post, but things have been getting kind of hectic at my job.  We just got a new manager and her scheduling is all over the place to the point where there are some days where I work long day shifts and other days where I work short night shifts and it's making me more and more tired each day.  Hopefully, I can get through this new schedule and still find another job by the end of this year!  On the book news, I'm actually starting off really good this year as I've read over 20 books so far this year.  I might actually accomplish my goal of reading 100 books this year! 

 

★ BookReviews ☆

Rin-ne Volume 7 by Rumiko Takahashi Review

Rin-ne Volume 8 by Rumiko Takahashi Review

Rin-ne Volume 9 by Rumiko Takahashi Review 

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney Review 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle Review

★Miscellaneous ☆ 

Blog Tour + Promo: Deception (Deamhan Chronicles, Book 3) by Isaiyan Morrison 

 

★ Check out Caffeinated Book Reviewer's discussion on "Waiting for the Next Book...Nonlinear Time?" 

☆ Check out Please Feed the Bookworm's post on "The Tsar's Guard Parade -  Imperial Russian Fashion!"

★ Check out what books are coming up for the week on For the Love of Words' "Something to Look Forward To!"

Well, that's the Sunday News for today and I will have more news for the various books I've read in the near future!

Posted on Sunday, February 28, 2016.

 

 

[BOOK REVIEW] Rin-ne Volume 9 by Rumiko Takahashi

Title:  Rin-ne Volume 9


Author:  Rumiko Takahashi

Genre: Horror / Adventure / Comedy / School


Year Published: 2009


Year Read: 2016


Series: Rin-ne #9

Publisher: VIZ Media


Source:  Library


Content Rating:  Ages 7+ (Violence)


Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

As I continue to read Rumiko Takahashi’s “Rin-Ne” series, there are more characters being added and therefore, the world of the Shinigami continues to expand much further!  Well, this volume is no exception as we get introduced the world of the black cats that assist the Shinigami on their missions!

In this volume, Rinne and his friends continue to go on more adventures in dealing with the spirit world including dealing with a ghost girl at a skating ring, a spirit who came from the Taisho era and Rinne’s deadbeat father being possessed by a spirit that is forcing him to work at a ramen shop.  But, probably the biggest storyline in this volume is Ageha coming face to face with her Black Cat by Contract, Oboro!

What was the deal between Ageha and Oboro?

Read this volume to find out!

Once again, I simply cannot get enough of Rumiko Takahashi’s writing and artwork in her works as they combine so effortlessly and make her manga so interesting to read!  I loved the fact that in this volume, we get to learn more about the Black Cats by Contract and their relationships with their owners.  Sure, this volume started off as another filler volume that is just full of Rinne’s adventures that is not connected to an overarching plot, but as soon as we get to the story arc about Ageha coming face to face with her Black Cat by Contract, Oboro, the story starts to get more developed as we finally see another black cat in this universe, besides Rokumon.  I also loved the way that Rumiko Takahashi’s writing remains consistent throughout the series as there is the perfect balance between the humor and drama in this series and it makes the series extremely interesting to read!  Rumiko Takahashi’s artwork is always a treat to look at as the characters have a unique style to them (especially with Rinne having red hair as opposed to the other characters) and I enjoy seeing the different kinds of spirits that pop up in this universe!

A bit of a fair warning for some manga readers:  this volume contains some intense moments where the ghosts forces some of the cast members to do activities that would hurt them or nearly kill them.  Although, luckily no one is really hurt and this is all done for laughs. Unless, you do not like seeing people hurt, even if it is for laughs, then you might want to go through this volume with caution.

Overall, “Rin-Ne Volume Nine” is another great volume that greatly expands the characters and the world they live in and I cannot wait to see if there is going to be a long overarching story line taking place soon!

[BOOK REVIEW] The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

Title:  The Lion and the Mouse

Author:  Jerry Pinkney

Genre:  Animals / Fantasy / Friendship / Manners / Fable

Year Published: 2009

Year Read:  2010

Publisher:  Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 3+  (Nothing Objectionable)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository

      

“The Lion and the Mouse” is a Caldecott Medal award winning book by the wonderful Jerry Pinkney that is about how a bold lion realizes that the smallest creature can be a big help when he is trapped in a predicament that he cannot get out of.  “The Lion and the Mouse” is a brilliant retelling of the classic Aesop fable that children will read over and over again.

Jerry Pinkney’s illustrations alone retell the story of a popular Aesop fable, since there are no words in this book to tell the readers the story.  Jerry Pinkney’s illustrations are beautiful and realistic looking as the reader can tell that the setting of the book is set in Africa since there are dozens of wild animals around and drawings of high yellowish grass.  The image that stood out the most was the image of the lion itself as it looks extremely realistic and beautiful, especially during the scenes where the lion was holding the small mouse in its paws and has an angry look on its face.

“The Lion and the Mouse” is definitely one of the best wordless picture books since David Wiesner’s “Tuesday” and it will definitely attract children of all ages for its beautiful illustrations and uplifting story.  I would recommend this book to children ages three and up since toddlers would not have problems reading this book since there are no words to tell the story.

*  2009 Cybils Award Nominee for Fiction Picture Books
*  2010 Caldecott Medal
*  2010 Indies Choice Book Award for New Picture Book

[BOOK REVIEW] Rin-ne Volume 8 by Rumiko Takahashi

Title:  Rin-ne Volume 8


Author:  Rumiko Takahashi


Genre: Horror / Adventure / Comedy / School

Year Published: 2009


Year Read: 2016


Series: Rin-ne #8

Publisher: VIZ Media


Source:  Library


Content Rating:  Ages 9+ (Child Endangerment) 


Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

It seems like every time I read Rumiko Takahashi’s “Rin-Ne” series, there is a new character being added in each volume and this volume was definitely no exception!  “Rin-Ne Volume Eight” introduces some new characters that really put a new spin on the world of the Shinigami that “Rin-Ne” fans will be overjoy to read about!

In this volume, Rinne has to be a mentor to a young Shinigami boy named Shoma, who needs at least fifty points to complete his training.  But instead of going after the spirits of dead pets like he was assigned to, he wanted to go after evil spirits that would have earned him fifty points automatically. Shoma then gets himself into trouble when he meets up with the devil Masato and Masato promises to find Shoma some evil spirits (although it is obvious he is up to no good).

Can Rinne help save Shoma from Masato?

Read this volume to find out!

Rumiko Takahashi has done it again as this story is written with enough humor and tension that makes this manga so enjoyable to read!  I loved the fact that Rumiko Takahashi goes deeper into the world of the Shinigami as we start to see a young Shinigami child training to take the ghosts to the wheel of reincarnation and it was interesting being introduced to one of the Shinigami children in this volume.  I like the fact that Rinne is interacting with someone else other than Sakura and Tsubasa and while I found Shoma to be a bit annoying at times due to his bratty nature, it was interesting seeing Rinne attempt to mentor a young child in becoming a great Shinigami like himself (even if he is dirt poor)!  Rumiko Takahashi’s artwork is as usual brilliant to look at as the characters are both cute and realistic at the same time and I loved the way that Rumiko Takahashi makes the ghosts look both scary and hilarious as they give the manga a horror comedy feel.

A bit of a fair warning for some manga readers:  this volume contains some intense moments that involves Shoma (a young child) being put into danger of getting hurt in his efforts to fight evil spirits and anyone who does not like seeing children getting put into such danger might be a bit upset with these scenes.

Overall, “Rin-Ne Volume Eight” is a great volume that really helped progressed the characters and the world they live in and anyone who is a huge fan of “Rin-Ne” will greatly enjoy this volume!