This month has been one of the hottest yet. With temperatures over 100°F (38°C), every single day, I am ready for summer to be over. Yet, summer will probably persist in my area well into October. It is one of the problems in living where I do.
Even though the weather hasn’t improved, summer seems like it is ending as school begins to get underway. I am teaching at a new school, so it has been an adjustment as I learn the policies, procedures, and orient myself to the job. We will have students full-time starting after Labor Day, and I am very excited. Despite the busyness of this month, I got a lot read/watched.
What I Watched:
Library War:
Rating 5 out of 5 Stars
I didn’t know what to expect when I started watching this anime. I thought it was going to be about a woman finding the man who rescued her by joining the military. I didn’t really understand the library part of it until I began watching. I quickly fell in love with Iku Kasahara, a bold and athletic protagonist who absolutely adores books. Her supervisor, Atsushi Dojo, was also fun because he embodies the “cold-hearted on the outside, but warm on the inside” motif. Their dynamic was fun to watch, even if it was hard to understand Dojo’s decisions at times. This anime was surprisingly relevant, despite its age, because it addressed censorship and how censorship affects everyone. I highly recommend it for fans of Fahrenheit 451 and anime.
Content: Cuss words, violence/blood/death (not gory), innuendo
Top Gun: Maverick
Rating 5 out of 5 stars
So many people have recommended this movie to me, and it definitely didn’t disappoint. It was not only a wave of nostalgia from the old film, but brought on emotional ties that had me in tears. It was really neat to see Maverick as a teacher in this film, but also part of the team. I could relate to him more in this movie than the first one because I also have the spirit of a teacher, and it was neat to see Maverick’s method play out. I also found the other characters endearing, even if they weren’t fully fleshed out (beyond Goose’s son). Overall, a feel-good movie that many will enjoy.
Rising of the Shield Hero
Rating 4 out of 5 stars
This is another popular isekkai (portal fantasy) anime that I wasn’t sure about because of the Harem (which I will address below). However, I’m glad I gave it a try. Naofumi is a character that breaks your heart, and his actions, though at times questionable, ultimately prove that he isn’t such a “bad guy” after all. The plot itself is also complex, as Naofumi first navigates being ostracized as a hero, then cleaning up after his fellow heroes, and stopping the waves of monsters. In the second season, which was recently completed, he travels to yet another world and learns that they also experience waves of monsters. He works together with other heroes who are, frankly, more competent than the ones in his own. And, as I mentioned before, I enjoyed his character arc, from heartless/angry to at peace/fighting for those he loved.
Now, on to the Harem. First, I will say that I love the supporting cast of women, especially Raphtalia, who is my favorite of the “harem.” I will also say that the show itself makes fun of the fact that Naofumi’s party consists of underage women, and I think it even calls it a harem. As for Naofumi himself, he is pretty much oblivious to the fact that all these women want to date him, and unlike many isekkai protagonists, he is not sexually aroused by blood spurting out of his nose. In fact, most of the harem anime I have watched usually have very suggestive or “steamy” scenes. This anime doesn’t have that. My only frustration is the fact that all of these women want him (with the exception of two characters who I can’t say without spoilers). Seriously, does every woman just like a man because he exists? It is definitely frustrating, but it wasn’t so over the top that I had to turn it off.
The last issue I wish to address is that of slavery. This may result in spoilers for those who haven’t read the show, so please scroll down if you wish to avoid said spoilers.
So basically, Naofumi is a shield hero and the rules of the world dictate that he can only use his shield as a “weapon.” Because of this, he needs a party to help him gain experience and level up (this world acts like a game, but with real consequences). However, because he is ostracized by the other heroes and nation, he is unable to get a party member and finds himself buying a slave (Raphtalia, and eventually, Filo). I know that desperation brought him to this point, so I am not as angry at it as the fact that any woman who joins his party (with two exceptions, one being a princess and another being a woman from another world), gets a slave crest. And even when Raphtalia and Filo prove they will stay with Naofumi no matter what, they subject themselves to the crest so that they can show their loyalty or something like that. I guess you could say it is like when slaves in the Bible became slaves for life. That being said, despite Naofumi and Raphtalia’s sense of justice, they never try to dismantle the slave system and allow the slave trader, who has tons of demi-humans in his cells, to continue to abuse, sell, and use people. Naofumi even supports his efforts in trade! I find it oddly hypocritical for a pair who literally killed a man for whipping and enslaving demi-humans, but don’t do anything about the slave trader. So…yeah…not a fan of this part of the series.
Other Content: Blood/demonic powers when using the rage shield, sexually suggestive language/themes
Currently Watching: Food Wars (Fourth Plate), Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung
What I Read
I’ve had a packed reading month this month! I am so glad I’ve been able to read so many books because I was in a reading slump at the beginning of this month. I had tried to start several books, but they lost my interest/got confusing, so I stopped reading them. Thus, I was thrilled when I was able to read books I really wanted to read (with one exception). I decided, to keep this post a bit shorter, that I will link to the books I’ve reviewed on Goodreads, and that way you can read my full-length review there. I also have read some books that aren’t pictured, that I will list here, along with my favorite and least favorite.
My favorite book of the month: Yona of the Dawn.
That’s right folks, I broke down and started reading the manga. I’m currently on Volume 23, and I will probably have volume 27 finished by the time you read this. They are super easy to read and I really enjoy the fantastical/historical romance part of this manga. Plus, I just was so unsatisfied with the ending of the anime, I had to read it! I don’t really review these that often, so I don’t have a link to the Goodreads review. My review is simply that I love them and feel like seeing the characters in different situations/plot thickening is great. Maybe I will have a more complete thought when I’m done with the series (which is still in-progress!)
My least favorite book of the month: Through the Gates of Splendor
I’ve really enjoyed some things that Elisabeth Elliot has said, and quotes from her are all over the internet. But this book, in my opinion, was boring. It was basically a historical account of what happened to her husband and the other missionaries. Most of it was background information, and it read like a history book instead of a narrative, like The Cross and the Switchblade. So, sorry Elisabeth Elliot fans, I just didn’t like this book. If you want to read my full thoughts, you can here.
Other books I read:
Currently Reading: Yona of the Dawn, Veil of Winter
What I Wrote
I have written 56,000 words of Etania’s Destiny, and I FINALLY feel like it is coming together. Recently, I read a battle scene to my writer’s group that, according to them, was one of the best things I’ve ever written. This is really high praise for me, since I STRUGGLE with battle scenes. A lot of the credit for that scene being so good goes to my husband. He took part of my battle scene and amped it up to 10, then helped me mock a fight so that I could make that work well. I am SOOO grateful for him. If it wasn’t for his help, I would not have gotten the feedback I did. I am so grateful for my writing community.
Speaking of writing community, I participated in several in July and August, one of which was on Slack called the Kingdom Daughters Writing Camp. That one is always fun, since it has so many ladies that encourage you to write, even if it was one word at a time. Another was a writing group on Discord that isn’t public (so I won’t tell you the name), but it was for the sole purpose of writing short stories. Because of that group, I was able to smash out almost all the stories for Beginnings, a short story collection about the origin of tamers (unicorn, dragon, wildcat, griffin, wolf). This collection will hopefully be in your hands by the end of the year. I am grateful to God for giving me so much inspiration when I was having a difficult time.
What I Learned
Honestly, this one and Hebrews 11:1 seem to be my life verses, as God continues to test my trust in Him each and every day. He especially seems to test me as I have changed jobs. This new job, while offering me more flexibility that is perfect for my author life, does not pay as much. Thus, my husband and I’s designs to save for a house, buy him tools for his work, and have flexible pay, have been sorely tested. We are still not one hundred percent sure we will have the ability to save money with my paycheck cut by over a grand. That being said, I do feel like God is looking out for me.
First, I know he is blessing me as an author. My best friend recently pointed out to me that I have passed the 250 book mark on my first book, which is an accomplishment for self-published authors, who rarely sell more than 250 books. He also greatly inspired me to write, and made my second audiobook get closer to completion. He also gave me the opportunity to be a guest with Anilujah once again, and I have a radio interview booked in September. He gives me more and more opportunities to speak, and I am so grateful.
Second, he has blessed both tutoring and my author assistant services (which are still not fully booked, so definitely contact me if you’re interested). I also found out that I can offer tutoring through my school, and several people have said they would help me find clients for tutoring. So, I’m hoping this will bring in the much needed income.
Overall, I know that God will work all things to my good. So, even if it can be hard sometimes, I have hope that he will help us with our finances.
Over to You: What have you been up to this month?
Other posts you may have missed: