Living For Tomorrow
Story and Art by Taishi Zaou
Published by the Doki Doki Imprint of Digital Manga, Inc.
ISBN10: 1569700842
ISBN13: 9781569700846

Review by Linda Yau

This is the BL name for the same mangaka as Princes Princess… This is one of her favorite mangaka, so let’s just say that I finally learned of the reason why I-hisu likes this author so much. » Continue reading “Yaoi Review: Living for Tomorrow”

Hitohira vol. 3
Story and Art: Idumi Kirihara
Published by Aurora Publishing
ISBN-10: 1934496537
ISBN-13: 978-1934496534

Review by Kris

The time has arrived! It’s the day of the school festival and by the end we’ll find out which club gets to stay and which club must close its doors forever. The Theatre Research Group has worked very hard and will do their best in performing the play. Of course Mugi is so nervous she continually passes out. But there is one problem that might be bigger than Mugi freezing on the spot. That problem is Nono’s voice. Nono has a vocal condition that causes her to lose her voice. Nono knows that this may be a problem but insists that the show must go on. The crew decides that if Nono’s voice is going to disappear she’ll give a sign and they’ll improvise their performance.
» Continue reading “Manga Review: Hitohira vol. 3″

Reported and Photographs by Linda Yau

Acknowledged as the largest professional book fair in North America, Book Expo American was held the last week of May at the Jacob Javis Center in New York City. The Expo began on Wednesday and ended on Sunday. » Continue reading “Book Expo America 2009 – Part 1″

Hey, Sensei?
By Yaya Sakuragi
Published by Juné Manga
ISBN 13: 978-1-56970-047-1

Review by April Kimm

Yaya Sakuragi is the mangaka of “Calorie,” “Soba ni Oitene,” “Renai Kyoutei Nukegake Nashi!,” “Koi Cha no Osahou” (Tea for Two) published by Blu Manga, “Mizu no Kioku,” “Plus 20 cm no Kyori,” “Yume Musubi, Koi Musubi,” “Hotel Traffic,” and “Oujisama no Ren’ai Jijyou.” “Hey, Sensei?” is a manga with four chapters and an epilogue of the main story, an unrelated one-shot “Unbreakable Bones,” and an afterword by the author. It’s soft yaoi, and sensei doesn’t lose his virginity until the last chapter, which may be why there’s a smut scene in the one-shot.
» Continue reading “Yaoi review: Hey, Sensei?”

Report by Tissie

Book Expo America, the largest book convention in the US, concluded on May 31, 2009 after 4 days of fanfare and dire predictions. Attendance was down this year significantly (11% below the previous BEA held in NYC). Many publishers who had exhibited in past years decided to sit this year out. Finally, many attending publishers greatly reduced the size of their booths.

So it leaves one to wonder, when it comes to the changing landscape of the book industry, are publishers getting smarter, is money simply getting tighter, or is it a combination of both?

» Continue reading “Book Expo America 2009: Are publishers getting smart or is money getting tighter?”

Only the Ring Finger Knows novel 4
Story by Satoru Kannagi
Illustrations (all four of them) by Hotaru Odargiri
Published by Juné
ISBN 13: 978-1-56970-124-9

Review by Ginger Mayerson

Well, here we are again in the midst of the Yuichi/Wataru romance and it’s still just as annoying and frustrating as ever. Wataru is still stressed out, Yuichi is still mean, and I’m still rooting for Asaka to take Wataru away from Yuichi and make the poor little guy happy. Well, I doubt that’s going to happen because Wataru is an idiot and this is one of those first love/true love 4-evah kind of stories. And, unless Kannagi-sensi surprises me very much, Wataru will be thrashing around with Yuchi in this angstfest until the end of time. Kannagi seemed rather shocked when I suggested that Wataru could have sex with Asaka at least once. She’d probably faint if I suggested Yuichi’s older brother, Shohei, should seduce Wataru. Maybe I’m just embroidering this twisty story with some twisty ideas of my own because there’s so much angst and so little action and then what action there is is somewhat frustrating. However, I love these characters, I’ve stuck with them for six years and there’s only one more volume in this series of novels. So I think I’ll stick around and see what happens.
» Continue reading “Book review: Only the Ring Finger Knows, v. 4″

Love Round!!
Story and Art: Hinako Takanaga
Published by the Deux Press Imprint of Aurora Publishing, Inc.
ISBN-10: 1934496553
ISBN-13: 978-1934496558

Review by Kris

Kaoru Komatsuna is very sensitive. He has a feminine name and has soft feminine features. Everyone knows that this is a hot button issue with him and not to approach it. Well, all but one person. Junya Kubo happened to pick up Komatsuna’s student notebook and made the mistake of commenting on his name. Next thing Kubo knows is that some adorable shrimp knocked him out, which is a shocking thing in and of itself. Why, you ask? Well Kubo is a boxer who is in training to become a pro.
» Continue reading “Yaoi Review: Love Round!!”

Mystic Investigators
by Patrick Thomas
Dark Quest Books, 2009
ISBN: 0979690145

Review by Ida Vega-Landow

Well, what do you know, here’s another collection of short stories by my homeboy Patrick Thomas! This one was published by Dark Quest Books instead of Padwolf, so you’re going to have to go to www.darkquestbooks.com and click on “Fiction” to get your hands on it. But it’s worth it, believe me! Within this slim volume are eleven tales of terror, most of them with a lighter side to leaven the horror. But not all of them. Be warned, you may find some of these stories a little too much for your psyche, especially if you’re the type who believes in government conspiracies about the paranormal—Area 51, men in black, the Jersey Devil, and so on. Our boy Patrick goes into some deep, dark waters here, the kind where a lot of creepy things are swimming beneath the surface, most of them eager to chew your legs off. But more often it’s just your mind they feed upon, infesting your imagination to the point where you’ll find yourself sleeping with a nightlight on, or keeping a flashlight under your pillow to investigate those strange noises you hear at night when you’re home alone.
» Continue reading “Book review: Mystic Investigators”

Fairy With a Gun
The Collected Terrorbelle
by Patrick Thomas
Padwolf Publishing 2009
ISBN: 1890096415

Review by Ida Vega-Landow

Here’s a new book by my favorite male horror/fantasy author, whose body of work rivals Stephen King’s in volume. Unfortunately, he’s just a hometown phenomenon here in NYC, otherwise he’d be giving Mr. King a run for his money. And two for the show, as Patrick himself would undoubtedly add. Okay, so he’s addicted to corny puns. He’s also a bit careless about his spelling and grammar, and occasionally slips in his continuity. I try not to let little things like that bother me when I’m reading something I enjoy, and I do enjoy anything by Patrick Thomas, though it does bother me that he’s practically an underground writer. Maybe someday he will be given the respect and fame that he deserves. As well as a vigilant proofreader!
» Continue reading “Book review: Fairy With a Gun”

The Nymphos of Rocky Flats
Written by Mario Acevedo
ISBN-10: 0060833262
ISBN-13: 978-0060833268
EOS Publishing

Review by Budd

Felix Gomez was just your everyday soldier. Then, while fighting in the Iraq war, he is turned into a vampire. Now his guilt about the war keeps him from drinking human blood. Adapting to his life as a vampire, Felix becomes a private detective. His vampire abilities give him a distinct advantage. Felix’s next job is finding out why the women of Rocky Flatts have become nymphomaniacs. Oddly the Vanatori, a group of vampire hunters, shows up while felix is working this job and starts killing vampires in the Denver area. Felix’s vampire abilities are starting to fail him as he rushes against the clock to stop the Vanatori and solve the mystery.
» Continue reading “Book reivew: The Nymphos of Rocky Flats”

The Lonely Egotist
Story by Hikaru Masaki
Published by Juné, imprint of Digital Manga, Inc.
ISBN10: 1569700516
ISBN13: 9781569700518

Review by Linda Yau

Minami Kusuga is an interior designer who catches the attention of hotel owner Shinya Asakura. He was hired to help design the interior for Asakura’s next hotel. He was seduced on their first meeting, and Minami was taken on an aggressive courtship, as volatile as the hotel owner himself. » Continue reading “Yaoi Review: The Lonely Egotist”

Iron Man: Beneath the Armor
By Andy Mangels
ISBN-10: 0345506154
ISBN-13: 978-0345506153
Published by DEL Rey

Review by Budd

Iron Man stormed into theaters in 2008 introducing him to a world that may have never known him otherwise. This history into Iron Man fills in the gaps and lets you know how the original story went down. This book is filled with interviews with a plethora of people who worked on Iron Man over the years.
» Continue reading “Book review: Iron Man: Beneath the Armor”

So you better be good.

Like last year (see below), J LHLS will be covering this event. And won’t that be grand?

(2008: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, and Day 4.)

Apparently Brooklyn, NY is some kind of vortex of all good things (this, this, I’m sure there’s more, and also a restaurant that sounded amazing I can’t find the link to [Rachel, I sent it to you, maybe you can dig it up]). So in that spirit, I’m going to review the half dozen brownies (yes, brownies) Rachel Livingston sent me from Baked, located, yes, in Brooklyn.
» Continue reading “Brooklyntopia: Baked”

Check the sidebar or the J LHLS Twitter page for updates from Linda Yau, Jilly Gee, and Rachel Livingston at Book Expo in New York. We’re Twitterfied, all right.

Dead And Gone
A Sookie Stackhouse novel
By Charlaine Harris
Published by Ace Books, 2009
ISBN-10: 0441017150
ISBN-13: 978-0441017157

Review by Ida Vega-Landow

Once again I bring you a review about my favorite horror/fantasy author. I should say my favorite female horror/fantasy author, since my homeboy Patrick Thomas is still the man where that particular genre is concerned. Even Stephen King can’t hold a candle to Charlaine Harris or Patrick Thomas when it comes to describing things that go bump in the night and comparing them to the everyday horrors perpetrated by your fellow humans. Having delved into the psyches of vampires, werewolves, and witches in her past novels, in this novel Ms. Harris now features a supernatural species she has only mentioned in passing—fairies.
» Continue reading “Book review: Dead and Gone”

Train Train
Story and Art: Eiki Eiki
Published by the Doki Doki Imprint of Digital Manga, Inc.
ISBN13: 9781569700969
ISBN10: 1569700966

Review by I-hsiu Lin

A young man’s dream of becoming a train operator…is not as easy as it seems. Especially since he has been assigned to Minami Kitazawa station. With a premise like that, the story doesn’t seem to be very interesting. However, once you step through the doors of the station master’s office, you’re surrounded by four hot guys…along with a mob of fangirls. Dealing with the attention from his weird senpais, mobs of female fans and learning about his job all at once…for one young man with aspiring dreams, it may just be too much for him. But Asahi Saruta will never give up!
» Continue reading “Manga Review: Train Train”

Princess Princess Plus
Story and Art: Mikiyo Tsuda
Published by the Doki Doki Imprint of Digital Manga, Inc.
ISBN13: 9781569700907
ISBN10: 1569700907

Review by I-hsiu Lin

The Princess System. Guys dressing up as girls to bring up the morale of an all male school. It’s a system unique to this particular school. The three princesses have survived their freshmen year of jumping through various hoops that comes with their jobs and they are ready to step off their thrones. They have worked hard and deserved their peaceful years as normal students. However, they can’t rest yet because coming next is training the new princesses!
» Continue reading “Manga Review: Princess Princess Plus”