The Map Shop

 Update 9/28/18: I am now an affiliate with Z Publishing House. I do get a small commission from any purchases through this link ( http://www.zpublishinghouse.com?rfsn=1831564.e6264) if anyone is interested in some anthologies of emerging writers. The Color of Earth by Kin Dong Hwa is the first book in a manhwa (Korean comic book) published by First Second. I've only read the first volume so far, so I'll have to add the others as I continue the series. The Color of Earth is a coming of age story following Ehwa as she grows up and learns about womanhood, puberty, and sexuality through observations and metaphors borrowed from nature. At the same time, her widowed mother begins a new relationship with a man. These two ladies' interactions are calm and quiet, answering Ehwa's questions without treating her or the readers like children or avoiding the reality of the topics. When I originally found this book on my library's shelf, I really didn't ...

  Update 9/28/18: I am now an affiliate with Z Publishing House. I do get a small commission from any purchases through this link ( http://www.zpublishinghouse.com?rfsn=1831564.e6264) if anyone is interested in some anthologies of emerging writers. Yay! Finally I get to bring you my review of Noragami volume 2. *Spoiler warning.* For those who need a little reminder, Noragami: Stray God is written and illustrated by Adachitoka, a two-woman team made up of Adachi and Tokashiki. This is their debut work, though they did work on "Alive: The Final Evolution" by Kawashima Tadashi and assisted Katou Motohiro ("Rocket Man") and Shimizu Aki ("Suikoden III"). Noragami is published by Kodansha Comics. In volume 1, we are introduced to Yato, a wandering god who does jobs for 5 yen offerings in order to eventually build his own shrine and then be worshiped by the people of Japan. He encounters a young girl who is now able to slip out of her body an...

  Update 9/28/18: I am now an affiliate with Z Publishing House. I do get a small commission from any purchases through this link ( http://www.zpublishinghouse.com?rfsn=1831564.e6264) if anyone is interested in some anthologies of emerging writers. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak was published in 2005. It is an international bestseller and was turned into a movie. For those who haven't read or watched or heard of either, here's a quick summery. Death narrates the story of Lesiel, a young girl growing up in Nazi Germany during World War II. Her family is poor but chooses to hide Max, a young man being hunted for being a Jew. Lesiel must navigate the Nazi party, her family's secret, her relationship with the boy next door, and their growing resentment for the inhumanity around them.  To be honest, I watched the ending of the movie first while traveling internationally. It was nice hearing English after so long in a new place and it was tear-jerking because of...

Update 9/28/18: I am now an affiliate with Z Publishing House. I do get a small commission from any purchases through this link ( http://www.zpublishinghouse.com?rfsn=1831564.e6264) if anyone is interested in some anthologies of emerging writers. Burning by Danielle Rollins is a YA/Juvenile horror/supernatural story set in a detention center for girls. At least that's what it's marketed as. Plot: Angie is a three year inmate at the Brunesfield Correctional Facility and is struggling to keep her record clean so she'll be allowed to go home in just a few months. Then a bus arrives with a new girl who looks too young and frightened to be placed in the facility, let alone the highest level of security. A new doctor at the facility, Dr Guien, asks Angie to help Jessica adjust in exchange for a shortened sentence, however as the two girls interact, it becomes clear Jessica isn't normal and strange things start happening at the facility. Spoilers Alert! W...

  Update 9/28/18: I am now an affiliate with Z Publishing House. I do get a small commission from any purchases through this link ( http://www.zpublishinghouse.com?rfsn=1831564.e6264) if anyone is interested in some anthologies of emerging writers. Artemis by Andy Weir is a sci-fi action adventure story is both a great science fiction book, a great follow up to The Martian, and is a surprisingly easy book to read. Like the Martian, Artemis is a good place to start if someone wants to test the sci-fi waters before diving in head first.  We follow the main character and narrator, Jazz, as she goes about her life in the moon city known as Artemis. She's a smuggler and makes her living doing deliveries. Though she's one of the lower-class people, she plans on becoming rich and not having to work again. When she's offered a million slugs (the currency used in Artemis) to sabotage some equipment, she can't say no and ends up on the run. The plot is fun and e...