The Wallflower: Volume 28

by Tomoko Hayakawa, 156 pages

The local market is in danger of closing down due to competition from a shiny new grocery store, Kyôhei suffers the attentions of a pitiful young man who says he reminds him of the girl who stole his heart, and a what-if? chapter relates the exploits of an Edo-era thief helping the downtrodden in a silly period piece cast with the series's characters.

This is not one of my favorite volumes of this series, sadly.  The first story is too similar to plots that have come before and the last one is just too silly and random (and that's saying something for a series founded on silliness and randomness).  I must admit, though, that the middle story with put-upon Kyôhei as romantic proxy made me snicker.  If only the rest of the volume had done the same.  Hopefully, things will return to fun form in the next one.

Kamisama Kiss: Volume 10

by Julietta Suzuki, 192 pages

Jiro the tengu is forced to reconsider his rigid survival-of-the-fittest philosophy when it comes to leading his clan as interloper Yatori's schemes come to light and Nanami decides to put things right.  Happily, her plan to do that includes lending her tochigami powers to Kurama and letting him boss proud Tomoe around.

This is a fun, hopeful little series of supernatural shenanigans and stubborn romantics served up with just a touch of depth, a nice tonic to the stresses and angst of a long day in the real world.

Gente: Volume 2

by Natsume Ono, 170 pages

This time the reader sees more evidence of how the ristorante has long been a homing beacon for those who need it, both staff and customers.  A broken-hearted young American, a bitter young chef, an insecure cameriere, and others find their confidence, their footing, and their place of belonging within its walls and in the relationships they forge there.

I love Ono!

The Masque of the Black Tulip

by Lauren Willig, 406 pages

Eloise once more throws herself into researching Napoleonic espionage, focusing this time on the lives of the Purple Gentian's sister, Henrietta Selwick, and best friend, Miles Dorrington, as they follow the elusive trail of Napoleon's deadliest spy, The Black Tulip.

Ha.  I liked this volume better than the first in the Pink Carnation series, as Hen and Miles's relationship has years of friendship at its foundation rather than a single big event / adventure.  It may take some danger to make them realize another dynamic has been sneaking up on them, but they would have figured it out eventually, even without the drama.  I also enjoyed the willingness to let the leads be a little doofy.  It will be fun to see which side characters get the spotlight next.

The Color of Heaven

Kim Dong Hwa
320 pages

This is the sequel to The Color of Earth and The Color of Water, which is a trilogy about a young Korean girl maturing to adulthood and finding true love.  At the beginning of this book, Duksam boards a train to become a fisherman in the south so he can save enough money to marry Ehwa.  Ehwa and her mother comfort each other as both must wait long days and weeks for the men they love.  Ehwa and her mother have a beautiful relationship, and Ehwa's marriage is definitely bittersweet for her mother.

"Bad Day For Pretty (Bad Day #2)" by Sophie Littlefield

304 pages 

Most residents of the small Missouri town Stella Hardesty calls home know her as the feisty, middle-aged owner of the local sewing shop. Few, however, know about her unusual, not-quite-legal side business, which involves roughing up the men who rough up their women. Things are going fine for Stella until Brandy shows up. She’s the scheming ex-wife of Sheriff “Goat” Jones, whom Stella was just starting to get cozy with. To make matters worse, a tornado blows through town and destroys the snack shack at the demolition derby track, pulling up the foundation and exposing a woman’s body that had been buried below. All signs point to Neb Donovan as the killer—he laid the foundation, and it’s no big secret that Neb was a different man during that time since he was still addicted to pain killers back then. But Stella knows Neb and can’t believe he’d hurt a fly, and his frantic wife begs Stella to investigate and clear her husband’s name. As usual, Stella is soon in way over her head and her own life might even be at stake.

I messed up and read this second book before its predecessor, Bad Day for Sorry, but that didn’t affect my enjoyment of this story. Stella reminds me of an older, funnier, and tougher version of Stephanie Plum. And, okay, more hillbilly. I found the humor clever and the characters real, relatable, and loveable. Another advantage this book has over Evanovich is that there’s an actual mystery, with twists, turns, and surprises. The main reason I liked it, though, is that it reminded me of my own small hometown and it just cracked me up. I’ll definitely be ready the rest of the series, and I recommend it for anyone who likes Evanovich or other humorous mysteries.

"By the Time You Read This I’ll Be Dead" by Julie Ann Peters

200 pages

After a series of failed suicide attempts, Daelyn Rice is determined to get her death right. To her, life is unbearable. She’s always been viciously bullied—even sexually harassed—due to her large size, and her parents seem unconcerned about her pain. Now she really can’t deal, so she starts visiting a website for “completers,” a site that encourages those who have resolved to end their lives. Then, out of nowhere, a boy named Santana begins to sit with her after school while she’s waiting to for her parents to pick her up. She tries to make it clear that she has no interest in getting to know him, but he won’t give up. Just when Daelyn finally got her plan together, she begins to wonder if it’s too late to connect with someone and let him into her world.

I really didn’t care for this book at all.  Like Thirteen Reasons Why, I felt like the narrator was whiny and overdramatic. I don’t mean to take suicide and depression lightly, but Daelyn’s voice didn’t ring true to me as someone suffering from true depression. Yes, she did have some terrible things happen to her. And I do admit that, hopefully, kids will read something like this and realize that the way they treat other people has consequences. Still, I just didn’t buy it. Daelyn’s parents obviously cared about her, but she seemed to think no one in the world would mind if she died. Perhaps she truly was clinically depressed, but if that’s the case, there should have been more indication of those kind of feelings as opposed to fixation in specific incidents. I found it difficult to like Daelyn because she seemed to think only of herself—for instance, when she finds out that another character has cancer, her first thought is that he’s lucky because he’ll die soon. Granted, the things she’s been through are responsible for some of that kind of thinking, but nevertheless it was hard for me to care about the character when I only knew her as that kind of person. And when I don’t care about the characters, I don’t care much for the book.