From the back cover: To new mother Sachiko Azuma, her baby boy is the light of her life. Accordingly, she names him Hikaru, Japanese for "to be bright." Eager to raise her son, Sachiko gradually begins to notice that Hikaru seems a bit different from other children. He is reluctant to be held or hugged, and his growth and development appear slow. Sachiko's suspicions are … [Read more...] about With the Light 1 by Keiko Tobe: B+
Comics
Ruff Love by Tamaki Kirishima: B-
Taketora is a struggling writer of historical fiction who makes his living working at his uncle’s bar. One day, as he’s coming home from work, feeling down in the dumps about his career, he discovers a young man (with requisite ears and tail) in his backyard who claims to be Shiba, his grandfather’s beloved dog, returned to life as a human in order to repay his former owner’s … [Read more...] about Ruff Love by Tamaki Kirishima: B-
The 9 Lives 1 by Bayou and Rachel Manija Brown: D
The 9-Lives are cat-like aliens, banished to Earth by their planet’s elders and barred from returning home until they have sacrificed eight of their lives for a human. 9-Lives are required by law to have a human owner, but Conri is determined not to relinquish his freedom. After getting caught stealing a bit of leftover food from a restaurant, he is rescued from his pursuers by … [Read more...] about The 9 Lives 1 by Bayou and Rachel Manija Brown: D
Case Closed 26 by Gosho Aoyama: B
There were three complete cases in this volume: two murders and one valuable missing stamp. I’ve only read one other volume of this series so far, but each of the two murder cases had an aspect that was similar to the skating rink case from said volume. In the first case, one member of a group of friends had done away with another. In the second, sounds of celebration were used … [Read more...] about Case Closed 26 by Gosho Aoyama: B
Touch 2 (Japanese) by Mitsuru Adachi: B+
Book description: Junior High life continues for the Uesugi twins and their childhood friend, Minami Asakura. Minami volunteers Tatsuya to run the final leg of the mixed relay for their class in the inter-school athletic meet, Tatsuya gets (falsely) accused of reading Minami's diary, Kazuya begins dating a cute girl named Kaori and ends up seeing a movie with her that he'd … [Read more...] about Touch 2 (Japanese) by Mitsuru Adachi: B+