What I read in January: Digest Version (1 of 4)

Holy cow, I'm behind again!  (Not with the reading, just the writing.)

b 07-Ghost 3: Mysteries deepen.  Betrayals happen.  People die.  And then there are no more volumes.  I miss you, Go-Comi.

b Alice the 101st 1-2:  I love Ari's doodles on everything; they are awesome.  La Esperanca (a previous work by this author) was a melodramatic mess, but I enjoyed it anyway.  I like Alice even more.  It's got an exhuberance that prevents it from being emo or even mopey.  Hyper lead characters certainly get things moving, and an interesting handful of secondary characters ensure that things won't get boring.

b Black Bird 5-6:  I feel bad for those who couldn't get past the first couple volumes of this even though it won the Shogakugan because wow.  I understand their problem; they can't get past how weak and helpless the main character appears.  They seem to think it's a Japanese thing, and I can see why they would think that, but I can't write it off quite that simply.  The main character is in a crappy position.  She is unable to protece herself.  There is someone who is interested in her well-being and wants to protect her for more than political reasons.  He can be a real creep sometimes, but he's sacrificed a lot to be in a position where he can protect her.  She's having trouble adjusting (who wouldn't), but slowly she is working out ways that she can be his partner (equally valued but with a different role).  The politics are interesting, and the sheer alienness of the culture is outstandingly done.  This is not our world, and it does not operate by our rules.  I feel bad for many of the characters, as they are trapped by their cultures in positions that modern readers who are taking things too (literally? seriously? I'm not sure) something will find untenable, but they are dealing, and I would like to believe that they may eventually transform their relationships into something beautiful.

b Boys Over Flowers 30: Oh, for Pete's sake . . .  It's hard to read this series one volume every six months, but the budget is king.  I just forget where I left off and what's going on and who the people are.  By the time I get back in the groove, it's over.

b Cross Game 2: I still adore this one.  Cheesy, fourth-wall breaking, shameless author self-promotions can't even derail it.  :)  I love how little they talk about the important things.  The significant and important things are most often shown, and the heartbreaking moments of realization that come from not being told what's going on belong to the reader.  Powerful.

b Crown of Love 3: Ah, creepy relationships continue and expand.  How does Kouga do it?  Awkwardness, thy name it love . . .

January was a good reading month, so look forward to a lot more . . .