Category: Discussions

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2022 in Review

Posted on by elishasbookreview
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I don’t know if anyone else had a rough year, but for me and my household, it was a rough year. We had to kick out a roommate who had been causing a lot of headache and trouble. I was out of work, and we struggled up until I finally got hired back to a company I’ve worked for previously,

Now enough of real world stuff, let’s get into some book stats!

Overall of 2022, I read 82 books! That broke my record of any count of most read books per year! All the way back in 2018 I read 72 books. So I’m looking forward to destroying this goal in the coming year!

Now, let’s talk about top books/series I read this year. I kind of hit a hard dry spell in the last few months when it came to posting a reviewing books. However, I plan on coming to 2023 in full force! At least, that’s the goal anyway. So now for the favorites list!

  • Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldtree- This was a cute and fun adventure that didn’t involve fighting dragons, or chasing after a mad wizard. The most difficult thing they do is start a café in a town that didn’t know what coffee was.
  • Doctor Who: Scratchman by Tom Baker and James Goss- I would recommend this Doctor Who spinoff for both Classic and New Doctor Who. When the Doctor, Sarah Jane, and Harry land on a strange farm, and things aren’t quite right, it’s up to The Doctor and his companions to get down to the truth.
  • The Last One by Alexandra Oliva- I found this on a recommendation list for survival stories. This one sounded unique so I decided to check it out, and even though it might be as gruesome as The Troop by Nick Cutter, I still think about this book from time to time. This a fantastic take on survival horror that doesn’t depend on gruesome details to keep you on the edge of your seat. All you need is a girl lost in the woods with broken glasses, and there’s your intro into The Last One.
  • Sakamoto Days Vol 1-4 by Yuto Suzuki- Now, I will admit this isn’t a new trope we’ve seen in manga. Way of the Househusband is the first to come to mind that uses this trope. However, what makes Sakamoto Days different is how Mr. Sakamoto got fat after retiring from the assassin world. However, even though we weighs an extra 100 pounds or so, he still knows how to kick butt like nobody’s business! This series is full of heart and humor, so this comes as a high recommendation for manga fans.
  • Rooster Fighter Vol 1-2 by Shu Sakuratani- I found this manga series from browsing Amazon, and it has quickly become one of my favorites manga series this year. It’s about a lone rooster who’s fighting kaiju not only to save the humans in harm’s way, but to seek out the kaiju that killed his sister. He makes friends along the way, and whether he admits or not he appreciates his friends dearly. Volume 3 is coming out next month and I’m hoping to read it as soon as it comes out! This series is funny and action packed.

That’s my favorite reads of 2022 in no particular order, of course out of all the books I read last year I struggled with picking just five books/series. Let’s hope 2023 is filled with more to read other than just graphic novels.

Hope you had a safe and fun celebration, here’s to 2023!

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Posted in Discussions, Personal Blogs

Goals for 2022

Posted on by elishasbookreview
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So 2022 is here, and I thought I’d like to take a moment and focus on some things I have hopes for in the coming year.

  • As always, I have my reading goal of 50 books for the year, including graphic novels, manga, and audiobooks.
  • I am going to also challenge myself to clear out some books on my ever growing TBR (to be read) list.
  • I am hoping to put some love and attention back into the blog. Updating old posts, and keeping information and links up to date.
  • I am also going to remind myself to only take these tasks in pieces. Not to get overwhelmed with everything I want to do, but just small and easy tasks.
  • My biggest one is to get back into being on social media to interact with authors, and readers alike. I started a TikTok account in December, and even if it turns into the dormant social media account like all the others I have, I can at least try to reach new people here.

Well looks like that’s what is going in the works for this new year. Let’s hope this year will be better than the last, and just try and stay positive and keep moving forward!

Posted in Discussions, Personal Blogs

My Thoughts on Project: Triangle Strategy Demo

Posted on by elishasbookreview
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*No Major Story Spoilers*

Three nations battle for control of the dwindling resources of salt and iron

Command a group of warriors as Serenoa, heir of House Wolffort, in a tangled plot where your decisions make all the difference. Key choices you make will bolster one of three convictions—Utility, Morality, Liberty—which together make up Serenoa’s world view and influence how the story will unfold. When faced with truly momentous decisions, multiple characters will weigh in by casting their votes on the Scales of Conviction. In these moments, the allies and decisions you make can determine the fate of whole nations and the continent of Norzelia itself.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

When Nintendo announced Octopath Traveler a couple of years ago I fell in love with the art style, the story, and the turn-based battles. Even though I am not the best at strategizing and had to look up some guides for some of the more difficult bosses, I still loved the game. Now that the developers have come out with a new story, I am more than ready to fight the good fight.

I have played the introductory demo for Project: Triangle Strategy and it is like a highly stylized Fire Emblem. I felt like I got a good introduction into the story without spoiling too much, and I can’t wait to see how this game is going to develop. Will this just be a continuation of the ongoing SaltIron War or is this a whole new war? I can’t wait to find out!

I hope the tutorial will be more in depth than the one in the demo. When I played the demos for Octopath, I struggled with the battle system because I was skipping the tutorial. However, after I died several times I paid attention to the explanation of the battle system and I have to say it’s easy to learn, but difficult to master.

The difficulty spike between the two demo battles was noticeable. With the first battle, I only lost one companion. In the second I lost almost all of my team except for three. I still had fun, but that was an uphill battle I wasn’t expecting.

I could replay the demo to unlock the other optional battle and see if it’s the same difficulty spike or if it was easier, but maybe I will when the full game releases. I flip flop between a gamer who just wants to enjoy the game and story, and then I also want to be a completionist. That was something I was internally struggling with in Paper Mario: Origami King.

Overall, I enjoyed this first taste of Triangle Strategy. The combat was fun and interesting, the story seemed really interesting, and it seems like the choices actually do matter. So if you’re interesting in turn-based RPGs or games like Fire Emblem, then I would recommend you checking this demo out!

Posted in Discussions, Personal Blogs

New Goals and Resolutions for a New Year

Posted on by elishasbookreview
Hand flipping wooden blocks for change year 2020 to 2021 . New
  • I am going to be taking better care of myself. Last year took a toll on my mental health and it not only affected my love of reading, it also affected the blog. My original goal for 2020 was to read 50 books and I only managed 29. So this year I plan to reach that goal and do my best!
  • I am going to get better at following through on author’s requests. I am ashamed to admit it, but I let requests fall to the wayside and get distracted by other books, my work, or just life getting in the way. To those people I deeply apologize and I’m sorry.
  • I am going to reread the Harry Potter series. This is a goal I have been trying to accomplish for several years now. I know J.K Rowling has had a lot of controversy and I was wondering how the books held up after all this time.

That’s pretty much what I have in mind for 2021 so far. As always I will also continue talking about movies, TV, and mental health. I am looking forward to seeing what this year has in store for my fiancé and I. I am just trying to hold onto hope and trying to survive during these difficult times.

Stay safe and hope to see you back here for future reviews!

Posted in Discussions, Personal Blogs

My Thoughts on The Masked Singer

Posted on by elishasbookreview
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When The Masked Singer was first announced I originally thought it was a dumb idea. I’m not a fan of Nick Cannon or any of the panelist, so whenever something huge happened on the show I’d read the spoilers because I thought I’d never watch the show anyhow. I am not a fan of reality TV, most of the time I’m not interested in the toxicity and drama that Hollywood concocts for cheap views and clickbait.

However, a couple of months ago, I thought I’d give it a chance because I was out of shows to binge or rewatch and I became hooked. Once you get over the initial weirdness, this show has a lot to say about the difference between celebrity and average people as well as the older legends trying to stay relevant to the newer generation.

The optimistic part of me is hopeful that what these masked celebrities are telling in their clue packets are genuine, that we all have doubts, self-esteem issues, or that we all feel like the black sheep in a group of people. The cynical part of me says that the producers and writers are just putting in those manufactured emotions in order to tell a story where they can place the clues throughout.