*Warriors, Witches, Women by Kate Hodges (224 pages) ★★★★ (pub date: 4th Feb)I'm always on the look out for niche and unusual non-fiction reads so when I saw this one all about various women (in the form of deities, goddesses and mythological creatures) I had to request it to review. Firstly, I love the illustrations throughout as well as the cover - it's a beautifully composed book. I like how the book is structured in terms of the categories, how each individual or creature has its own illustration and the easy to follow information. I think it's a fantastic and interesting non-fiction book about a range of unusual goddesses and mythological creatures from around the world.
History of Japan: A brief history of Japan - the Land of the Rising Sun by Eric Collins (104 pages) ★★★Another non-fiction read was this short book all about the history of Japan in a very brief format. It was free on Kindle Unlimited so if you have a free trial or subscription then it's worth checking out. I didn't know much about the history of Japan so this book was very interesting and I think it's probably a great starting point for further reading. It was a very quick and easy read but I did find it a little repetitive in terms of certain words and phrases the author kept repeating. I think it needed editing and proofreading but overall, it was a good basic starting point and it was free with Kindle Unlimited.
Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata and Tetsuichiro Miyaki (392 pages) ★★★Japanese culture and history has been something I've found to be fascinating over the past couple of months so I want to delve into the world of manga and the one that caught my eye instantly was Death Note. We follow Light Yagami, an excellent student, as he finds the death note which is a notebook dropped by Ryuk (one of the shinigami of death - gods of death). He discovers that he can see Ryuk and if he writes someones name in the death note, they will die. What follows is part murder investigation and part philosophising on the name of good vs evil, criminality, morality and consequences.
This is the first manga I've ever read and I loved it, from the illustrations and glimpses into Japanese culture to the dark plot and the reading experience. I also love the edition I have which is the 'black edition'. The only reasons I rated it three starts was because I didn't understand the actions of some of he characters and it felt a little cheesy at times but I do want to carry on with the series.
Japanese Mythology by Matt Clayton (88 pages) ★★★Yet another short history book about Japan and this one is from the free series on Kindle Unlimited called Captivating Myths/Captivating History. It's another interesting, short and quick read all about the origins of Japanese myths, creation stories, gods and goddesses, one of which I was familiar with. As I said with the History Of Japan read, I think these books are good, very basic introductions to a subject but if you have some knowledge then it might be too basic. I'd recommend this series, from what I've read, if you can read it for free.
The Woods Volume Five by James Tyrion (112 pages) ★★★I said I wouldn't continue with this series within my previous reading wrap-up but I was in another reading slump in December and wanted something quick and easy to read. At this point, all of this series has fused into one within my memory as they all carry on from one another. The thing I enjoy about this series is the art style as it's unique, colourful and a sci-fi that I don't hate! If you have Kindle Unlimited then you can read the first five for free which I would recommend.
Attack On Titan Volume One by Hajime Isayama and Sheldon Drzka (193 pages) ★★★The final manga I read in December was such a popular title and it has to be one of the most unusual as we follow a dystopian world in which humans have retreated to a fortress as they try to survive attacks from the titans - they are gigantic human-like creatures that eat people...The art style is a little creepy and at times a little difficult to follow but it was an interesting read overall. This manga was definitely unique and I liked the story but I think it was a little too weird for me and I won't be continuing on with the series. Although it is a very highly rated manga on GoodReads so I think I'm in the minority of not fully enjoying this manga.
Have you read any of these books? What did you read in the month of December?
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I haven't read any of these books, I 'm not sure they would be my usual 'cup of tea' but perhaps I should expand my knowledge!
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I'm getting a few of these on my list - want to read more in 2020! x
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