I had a positive impression of book 2, but can sort of see what you mean about it slowing down… My main pacing issue was the final battle (but isn’t it always). I got more invested in the characters tho, at least the main couple, and will eventually read book 3… Actually wait, I think I started book 3 and it was interesting, but I got distracted by 灰と幻想のグリムガル | L31 or something
I stalled on them a while back, and just never felt convinced to pick it back up. The audiobook was pretty good from what I remember (tho a bit difficult for me back then)
That sounds horrible… Is it like all in the same place at once? (Wondering if that section is skippable, since it’s on my eventual reading list)
I’ve only read the books but I assume it’s the same; in the books, you regularly (like once a chapter at least, additionally throughout the chapter if there’s a battle iirc) get an update. Reading the book, its easy to skim but in an audiobook… I can see how it’d get annoying quick.
Someone on the danmei subreddit recommended 薔薇シリーズ and they were so enthusiastic (and it was half points back on Amazon JP) that I started it even though I have a whole pile of other books on my “currently reading” list. I’m halfway through volume 1, 薔薇の刻印 | L30??
It seems like it’s going to be a BL series about an organization that fights the undead. Someone who seems like they might be a vampire has been hanging around. Zombies just appeared. There were a few murders, and a spicy scene. Nobody wants to explain things to the protagonist so far, but they hint that he was born important. It’s fun so far.
It has a pretty big cast with characters who affect the overall state of the world. These characters have their own agendas and mostly want whats best for everyone or at least those close to them. It’s fun when they are standing on opposing sites.
The humor is mostly that derpy anime slapstick style from 20 years ago. It doesn’t always hit, but it feels nostalgic.
The central themes are: friendship, war, morality, kingdom building and going crazy. It’s still a light novel, so doesn’t go super deep, but deep enough to be interesting. I especially like the tough choices people have to make when there is no obvious right decision.
The writing style is easy and straightforward and the pacing is good. The volumes are short so I can read one over a weekend without problems.
I remember I watched the anime of this when it aired. Ireally enjoyed it though admittedly felt pretty generic. I was into it enough that I remember being annoyed the novels were not available in english. I might read these…
I’m halfway through I actually finished 妻は、くノ一 | L34?? , the second oldest book I own that I haven’t read yet (the oldest being the second part of ノルウェーの森, but I still don’t feel like reading it) and the story is not what I expected.
I actually went ahead and read the whole thing to make sure
Basically, the main character is a former samurai that got suddenly married to a beautiful woman who disappeared one month later. Turns out she was a spy using their marriage as cover. However, she did fall in love with him (sadly, they are on the opposite sides of some secret political scheming, so they can’t meet). The plot is basically the main character looking for her while solving mysteries on the way (turns out he sucks as a fighter, but he is really smart) while she secretly follows him to make sure he doesn’t find her… and save the day when he gets in trouble (somehow, “really smart” doesn’t apply when it comes to telling the culprit he figured everything out in an area with no one around; also when stones suddenly fly out of nowhere to take out said culprit; “must be the wind” said the Skyrim NPC)
I’m going to assume they just don’t meet until the end of the series? It’s kinda announced by the fact that the main characters are called 織姫 織江 and 彦星 彦馬, and they even talk about 七夕 and stuff in the most Chekhov’s gun fashion ever.
Still, they are fun characters. I followed nothing of the background political plot (I don’t know who those people and what those places are, and there are no notes) but it seems interesting too. The mysteries were not the most complex, but you can’t really go crazy with 50 pages a piece. I guess it makes the series easier to put down and pick up?
Also, I didn’t find it originally, but I realized near the end that there was an audiobook. The voice actor was pretty good, so I listened to it while I read the last chapter.
I could avoid increasing my 積読 pile by using the audiobook instead of getting the next book… but honestly, I don’t think I would be able to keep those names straight if I was just listening (as opposed to how well I am doing right now ahem)
And now 94! “Wait, but you read 4 books, why did it only go down by 3?”
Because I am weak don’t judge me.
Also, that’s not counting manga…
Hi everyone! This is my first message here, glad to have found this community Its inspiring to see so many of you reading difficult books, I hope I’ll get there!
I just started 怪人二十面相. I have a paperback copy, but i’m reading it on aozora so its easier to look up new terms. I also found a nice read-along on youtube, which is quite nice.
I’ve also started the second volume of 名探偵コナン, as manga works great when i’m too tired for a novel. And I’m finishing the second case of 逆転裁判2, which was a lot harder than any of the previous videogame cases for me
Our mystery club is sadly currently on hiatus, but feel free to comment in any of the old discussion threads if you pick up any of those books! I’m planning on starting 木洩れ日に泳ぐ魚 | L32 myself at some point this year to use for my bingo, so I’ll definitely be around, haha. (Though I hear it’s not as much of a classic mystery.) We’ve got a lot of mystery lovers in the forums here, so if you ever need recommendations you’ll be inundated with enough reading material for the next 10 years.
OL x ヤンキーっぽい自転車屋の男. Most of the characters speak fairly こてこて Kansai, though the OL speaks 標準語 (standard). Found this thanks to @shitsurei mentioning the Jdrama version (which so far the first ep had decent acting, but I like the manga better). It seems very bingeable. But like all my other Kansai stuff, I’m trying to do it in small chunks each day for now. Almost done. It’s really sweet
Someone in a JP yuri discord recommended this. Seems like everyone speaks Kansai, but I’m only a few pages in. Same author as 百合オタに百合はご法度です! ? 1 | L24 . I hadn’t realized before, but U-temo is ゆうても (Kansai version of 言うても)
Finished 風の大陸〈第1部 邂逅編〉 | L30. Feel like the actual story might be from the second book (which I gather was written first). Easy read though.
Also finished 七姫物語 | L35 my reading was pretty disrupted by a hospital stay (which you would think would give you heaps of time to read, but did not actually inspire much reading), and overall it never really grabbed me and made me want to read it, despite it being a perfectly good book. Might also require reading more of them to get into the story-proper, but eeeh - my backlog is endless and I’m not sure I’m that interested.
I think it’s also (or was at least) fairly popular. I got it in 2014 (gah more than 10 years ago??) when the drama was airing.
Well, according to Wikipedia, it must have been the drama version of the last part of the series, and there’s another series in 8 episodes one year before
But anyway, saw the ads, got book 1, left it on my shelf for 11 years.
Just read the latest volume of 尾守つみきと奇日常。 | L22 (currently waiting for sync)
It was okay. It’s nice to have the focus on a monster boy rather than yet another monster girl, and there’s finally some signs of progress in (toward?) the relationship of the main characters.
Its inspiring to see so many of you reading difficult books, I hope I’ll get there!
