Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere

Today's post is on Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere by Maria Bamford. It is 287 pages long and is published by Gallery Books. The cover is yellow with Maria on it in a white dress with flowers in her hair and a silly look on her face. The intended reader is someone who likes memoirs. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the audiobook- From “weird, scary, ingenious” (The New York Times) stand-up comedian Maria Bamford, a brutally honest and hilariously frenetic memoir about show business, mental health, and the comfort of rigid belief systems—from Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, to Suzuki violin training, to Richard Simmons, to 12-step programs.
Maria Bamford is a comedian’s comedian (an outsider among outsiders) and has forever fought to find a place to belong. From struggling with an eating disorder as a child of the 1980s, to navigating a career in the arts (and medical debt and psychiatric institutionalization), she has tried just about every method possible to not only be a part of the world, but to want to be a part of it.
In Bamford’s signature voice, Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult, brings us on a quest to participate in something. With sincerity and transparency, she recounts every anonymous fellowship she has joined (including but not limited to: Debtors Anonymous, Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, and Overeaters Anonymous), every hypomanic episode (from worrying about selling out under capitalism to enforcing union rules on her Netflix TV show set to protect her health), and every easy 1-to-3-step recipe for fudge in between.
Singular and inimitable, Bamford’s memoir explores what it means to keep going, and to be a member of society (or any group she’s invited to) despite not being very good at it. In turn, she hopes to transform isolating experiences into comedy that will make you feel less alone (without turning into a cult following).

Review- A hilarious memoir about a one woman's journey through life, comedy, mental illness, and family. Bamford reads this audiobook and her impersonations of her family and friends are just hysterical. She holds nothing back from her life and her journey with mental illness. Bamford not only has stories about working as a comedian but she includes helpful little recipes from her family about how to handle different problems. Bamford as so many little touches over the course of this book, that make it so very special. I completely recommend this book, I enjoyed it so much. 

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this audiobook from my local library. 

The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 8

Today's manga post is on The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 8 by Kousuke Oono. It is 168 pages long and is published by Viz Media. As it is the eighth in the long running series, you need to have some other volumes to understand the story. The cover has Tatsu ironing and looking very intense. There is no foul language, no sex, and comedy violence in this manga. The intended reader is someone who likes comedy manga with over the top gags. The story is told from third person close of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- Housework without Honor or Humanity.
The cozy yakuza comedy continues as everyone's favorite househusband finds himself in even more crazy high jinks. Between a donut showdown and a new lady cop on the beat, Tatsu may have finally met his match! It's just another day for the Immortal Dragon. 

Review-Another prefect volume of great comedy. Tatsu gets himself into and out of some great silliness in this one. At the end of the volume there is a special Poli-Cure episode, that is Tatsu's wife's favorite show. It was fun and funny to see Oono take on the magical girl tropes. Tatsu continues to be the best, most oblivious former yakuza ever. From trying to find a home for a hamster and hiding like a gun to trying to out man one of his friends in a steam sauna, there is a little bit of everything in this volume. I love this series so much and I cannot wait to read the next volume. 

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night

Today's post is on Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao. It is 480 pages long and is published by Delacorte Press. The cover is light blue with a long Chinese style dragon on it. The intended reader is someone who likes Asian fantasy. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and action violence in it. The story is told from third person close of the two main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Once, Lan had a different name. Now, she goes by the one the Elantian colonizers gave her when they invaded her kingdom, killed her mother, and outlawed her people's magic. She spends her nights as a songgirl in Haak'gong, a city transformed by the conquerors, and spends her days scavenging for remnants of the past. For anything that might help her understand the strange mark burned into her arm by her mother, in her last act before she died.
No one can see the mysterious mark--an untranslatable Hin character--except Lan. Until the night a boy appears at the teahouse and saves her life.
Zen is a practitioner--one of the fabled magicians of the Last Kingdom, whose abilities were rumored to be drawn from the demons they communed with. Magic believed to be long lost. Magic to be hidden from the Elantians at all costs.
When Zen comes across Lan's unusual qi, he recognizes what she is: a practitioner with a powerful ability hidden in the mark on her arm. He's never seen anything like it--but he knows: if there are answers, they lie deep in the pine forests and misty mountains of the Last Kingdom, with an order of practitioning masters planning to overthrow the Elantian regime.
Both Lan and Zen have secrets buried deep within. Fate has connected them, but their destiny remains unwritten. Both hold the power to liberate their land. And both hold the power to destroy the world.

Review- An interesting fantasy in an Asian inspired world. Lan is a song girl at a local brothel and is trying to discover more about her mother and the scar on her arm. Zan is a disciple of the hidden magic of their people and looking for answers himself. When they meet, off they go on an adventure for truth and to save their homeland and culture. This was a very fun read, especially if you know anything about Chinese mythology or Chinese TV dramas. But if you don't, this is still a great read. The characters are interesting, the setting is good, and the writing style is good. I am curious about where the story is going and how everything is going to end. 

I give this novel a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 20

Today's manga post is on Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 20 by Mizuho Kusanagi. It is 192 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has Gija on it. As it is the twentieth volume in the series, you need to have read the first nineteen volumes in order to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes fantasy, action shojo manga. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- Yona and Riri wind up in the nation of Sei after being betrayed by a trusted acquaintance! Forced to work as slaves, the two stubbornly refuse to be controlled, but their situation is dire. In order to save Yona and Riri, Hak and the Four Dragons, split into two groups and sneak into enemy territory! 

Review- Yona and Riri are in danger but they are going to just let things happen to them. They discover and learn about the people who are kidnapping for slaves. Hak and co. quickly discover that Yona is missing and they go on the hunt for her. But with Riri being the daughter of the Water Tribe leader, all of the kingdom get involved. This volume is about building relationships as the plot takes a back sit and it is important to see the bonds between the characters. Yona and Riri survive by trusting and helping each other. It ends with a cliff hanger and Riri in danger, so I am looking forward to the next volume. 

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

The Lonesome Hunters

Today's fiction post is on The Lonesome Hunters by Tyler Crook. It is 104 pages long and is published by Dark Horse Comics. The cover has the two main characters with the magic sword. The intended reader is someone who likes urban fantasy and supernatural settings. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild action violence in this graphic novel. The story is told from third person god perspective following the characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- An old and out-of-practice monster hunter in hiding crosses paths with a young girl that forces him to confront these chaotic creatures. As the beasts invade their tenement they set off on a supernatural road trip to stop these ancient evils in a story that explores the ways that youth informs adulthood and how early traumas can haunt us in old age.

Review- The story starts with the hunter, Howard, as a young man and what happened to him. Then we jump into the future with Lupe as she is trying to just make it living with her uncle, who stole something that he shouldn't have. She runs to Howard and then they are fighting and running from things either truly understand. This volume is a lot of set-up from the world to the characters. So a lot of questions but no answer about what is really going on and who the bad guys really are. But I'm hopeful, as I did enjoy this graphic novel. I look forward to reading the volume whenever it comes out. 

I give this graphic novel a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this graphic novel from my local library. 

The Promised Neverland, Vol. 3

Today's manga post is on The Promised Neverland, Vol. 3 by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu  (Illustrator). It is 192 pages long and is published by Shonen Jump. The cover has the children running and defended themselves. As it is the third volume in the series, you need to have read the first two volumes. The intended reader is someone who likes horror, dystopian manga. There is no foul language, no sex, and some mild violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the different characters moving as needed. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- Destroy!
In order to escape the orphanage where they are being raised as food for demons, Emma, Norman and Ray begin recruiting allies. But convincing the other children to believe them may not be an easy task. 

Review- This volume is very tense with the adults both moving, against the children and each other. Sister Krone wants to be a mom and she knows that the children are planning to escape. So she proposes a alliance, help for the children to escape and help to bring down mom Isabelle. Of course nothing goes as planned with Sister Krone giving her life to help the children in some mysterious way and mom Isabelle saying that Norman's day is here. The tension is getting greater as the children are very aware of time running out for them and they still know so little about the outside world. I hope that we get the escape soon because Grace Field House is just getting more dangerous for everyone, even Isabelle. 

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

Mister Magic

Today's fiction post is on Mister Magic by Kiersten White. It is 295 pages long and is published by Del Rey. The cover is bright pink with a TV in the center with black liquid dripping out of it. The intended reader is someone who likes horror. There is mild foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. The story is told from third person close of the main character Val. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Who is Mister Magic? Former child stars reunite to uncover the tragedy that ended their show—and discover the secret of its enigmatic host—in this dark supernatural thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hide.
Thirty years after a tragic accident shut down production of the classic children’s program Mister Magic, the five surviving cast members have done their best to move on. But just as generations of cultishly devoted fans still cling to the lessons they learned from the show, the cast, known as the Circle of Friends, have spent their lives searching for the happiness they felt while they were on it. The friendship. The feeling of belonging. And the protection of Mister Magic.
But with no surviving video of the show, no evidence of who directed or produced it, and no records of who—or what—the beloved host actually was, memories are all the former Circle of Friends has.
Then a twist of fate brings the castmates back together at the remote desert filming compound that feels like it’s been waiting for them all this time. Even though they haven’t seen each other for years, they understand one another better than anyone has since.
After all, they’re the only ones who hold the secret of that circle, the mystery of the magic man in his infinitely black cape, and, maybe, the answers to what really happened on that deadly last day. But as the Circle of Friends reclaim parts of their past, they begin to wonder: Are they here by choice, or have they been lured into a trap?
Because magic never forgets the taste of your friendship. . . .

Review- A great story about a forgotten TV show and the friends who lived in it. Val doesn't remember much about her life before coming to live on the ranch. Her and her father are on the run from something or someone. Val is sure it's because of something she did as a child but her father refuses to answer any questions about her life before. When he dies, the people he was hiding her from, find Val. Tell her that she was on a TV show and they need to her to fix the show. But everything around the show is weird and the people who want her to fix it are even weirder. This was a incredible read about more than just a forgotten TV show for children. It was about surviving abuse, cult programming, and forgiving yourself for being a child trapped alone with something that is hungry for that special something that all children have. The writing is very good, the characters are interesting and relatable for children who survived, and the world is too real, as someone who has read about cults. I highly recommend this novel. 

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.