Update: Longer than Expected Hiatus, 50 Book Challeges, and more!

It's been a long time since I've written, reviewed, or even posted and for that I am sorry ^_^. But I'm back with new books, new projects, and new ideas!

First is MANGA MONDAYS, where I indulge my inner otaku and review manga from my own personal library.

Second is OTOME OBSESSION which are posted on WEDNESDAY. I've recently been playing VOLTAGE iOs games and have become a bit crazed. *Walk-Throughs are posted per request*

With that said I've decided to ass my first challenge/event/movement/experience. Fifty Shades of Grey The Movie will premier worldwide Valentine's Day Weekend. Whether you believe it's filthy smut, or the embodiment of female sexuality in mainstream media, the truth is that it will be big. To prepare my Nerdy/Quirky mind I've created a list of Erotica books to get us all in the squishy mood. The goal is to read all of them before Ana Steele walks onto the silver screen.

Enjoy and see you all Tomorrow!

50 Books to 50 Shades of Grey

Part One

1.) Pride and Pleasure - Sylvia Day

2.) Seven Years to Sin - Sylvia Day

3.) Scandalous Liaisons - Sylvia Day

4.) Pleasure of the Night - Sylvia Day

5.) Bared to You -Sylvia Day

6.) Reflected in You - Sylvia Day

7.) Entwined with You - Sylvia Day

8.) Blush - Opal Carew

9.) Addicted - Zane

10.) The Sisterhood of APF - Zane

11.) Slow Surrender - Cecila Tan

12.) Exit to Eden - Anne Rice

13.) Belinda - Anne Rice

14.) Topping from Below - Laura Reese

15.) This Man - Jodi Ellen Malpas

16.) Beneath This Man - Jodi Ellen Malpas

17.) This Man Confessed - Jodi Ellen Malpas

18.) Henry and June - Anais Nin

19.) Rush - Maya Banks

20.) Fever - Maya Banks

21.) Burn - Maya Banks

22.) Because You Are Mine - Beth Kery

23.) The Harlot - Saskia Walker

24.) The Libertine - Saskia Walker

25.) Jezebel - Saskia Walker

Manga Monday: X-Day by Setona Mizushiro

In response to the Columbine High School Massacre of 1999, Setona Mizushiro penned X-Day. The story centers on four individuals and their desire to blow up their school. Mizushiro focuses on why a person, or a group would want to destroy an institution, yet not in an accusatory tone. The two volume manga is very sympathetic towards its main characters. Personally the manga is in my home library because of its intention to talk about people battling depression as people and that their desires might be monstrous but does not make them monsters.

The story begins when 11, Polaris, Mr. Money, and Jangalian meet in the school’s online chatroom. They instantly bond over their mutual aversion towards the school as a symbol of their angst, and later meet up in a different chat room. There is where they first discuss blowing up the school, but it is filed away as they all become close friends online. Yet when one of them tries to commit suicide, they are forced to meet each other face to face and their discussion of blowing up the school turns into a plan. X-Day is when their plans will come fruition, but until then they plan and try to live through their depression, anxiety, abuse and insecurity.

Each character has their own reasons for their misfortune. 11 is semi-popular, a senior, and a former member of the track team. 11 is trying to keep hold of a mask of happiness and aloofness which hides a growing insecurity of being easily replaced on the team and in romantic relationships. Polaris feels restricted by the school’s uniform and adopts a mousy personality. Polaris fades into the background and is tired of being overlooked. Jangalian is trying to avoid unwanted and psychotic romantic advances, and Mr. Money wants to be useful to somebody, anybody. They all feel a level of adversity to their peers but no murderous intent. Instead they focus their grievances on the school itself holding it as the symbol of their struggles and misery. They do not want to hurt anyone yet want to be rid of the symbol. So each character struggles more with living until X-Day arrives.

Mizushiro shows complex character development with their struggles between destruction and perseverance. Unfortunately the story is only two volumes long, nine chapters in total with the last two having an urgency to wrap up the story. Polaris and Jangalian make a huge mistake with dire consequences, yet instead of elaborating on the subject, the issue is wrapped up with a slap on the wrist and a wag of the finger. It did not seem to fit with all the other issues that were presented and it seemed more that there was not enough time to explore it.

X-Day has no anime adaptation, but I you like the story I suggest watching Shitsuren Shokoraite roughly translated to Heartbroken Chocolatier. It’s a Japanese Live Action dramatization of Mizushiro’s manga of the same name.

Pick up X-Day at a Half Price Bookstore or any other second hand booksellers. I was owned by the defunct TOKYOPOP Publishings, which also owned: Marmalade Boy, Peach Girl, Kare Kano, Saint Seiya, Paradise Kiss, and Sailor Moon.

The two volume manga is 3 out of 5 stars for presenting sympathetic characters, engaging story-line and beautiful artwork.