Long have I underappreciated a short story. While growing up, I devoured any book I could get my hands on, never caring about its length. I had all the time in the world it seemed between being the passenger in a vehicle or staying up late at night secretly reading beneath a bookshelf light after bedtime. In adulthood, I lost a lot of the free time I took for granted. Between working a full time job and managing other responsibilities, my free time is something precious and hard fought. Sometimes that free time isn’t more than an hour or two before bed—the perfect time frame for reading a oneshot story.
As luck would have it, a short story crossed my timeline and provided a chance to show me how strong a short story could be.
The Prince in the Basement is the latest graphic novel from Mira Ong Chua (MOC). Known for other graphic novels such as ROADQUEEN: Eternal Roadtrip to Love and Vampire Blood Drive, MOC offers a distinct art style and storytelling to fans of queer romance titles. Their kickstarter was successfully funded the same day it launched because fans couldn’t wait to get their hands on their new title.
Gravity by Tal Bauer redefined the way I consume sports media, and my view of the sport of hockey. I enjoy all sorts of sports media, everything ranging from manga to movies. Hajime no Ippo is a boxing manga that made me appreciate a boxer's physical and mental journey, and Remember the Titans is a movie ANYONE can enjoy whether you like football or not because it not only tells a important and great story, it shows how sports brings people together.
Still, I have never had one blend the MM Romance genre with sports in such a flawless way as Gravity has done.
Sports and a close family dynamic is a combination that had me picking up Puck Drills & Quick Thrills by Eden Finley and Saxon James. I was also curious about the dual authorship as I had not previously read a book that was written by two authors. With its catchy title and interesting relationship premise between a college professor and coach, I decided to dive in and see if this book lived up to my expectations.
While browsing through Reddit looking for a new m/m romance to read, I saw someone describe one of the main characters of Heat Stroke by Tessa Bailey as a “muscular himbo puppy who dotes on his love interest.” While I haven’t read anything from Tessa Bailey previously, I am 100% into the doting character trope. Because of this, I decided to take a chance and picked up this book to see if it lived up to this particular user’s description.
The meet cute is one of the most important parts of a story. It sets the tone for how two characters will interact throughout the rest. Whether they’re total strangers brought together by happenstance or they just happen to turn a specific way in a crowd and catch a special someone’s eye, the meet cute is the building block of any romance story.
But what happens when the meet cute builds a rocky emotional foundation for a relationship? For me, Beautiful Things by Nao Inui has one of the shakiest starts.
A new title was added to Shonen Jump’s lineup this past weekend. Joining its ranks is Embers by Kei Kurumazaki and Sotaro Nishii. While there are several exorcist, comedy, and action titles already in serialization, there is only one other sports manga which is the sports/romance series Blue Box.
Manga fans kick off February with several publishers including Yen Press, Viz Media, and even Dark Horse announcing new licenses. As always with these kinds of events, we get excited and hope that we’ll see something that we want to add to our reading list.
Here are the titles that caught my interest from the announcements.
We don’t see many stories (yet) set during the COVID pandemic. Home Office Romance puts this world event front and center. This manga really excels at showcasing those earlier days of lockdown when everyone had to readjust to working from home. From rearranging a home office to enjoying an extra hour of sleep without having to deal with a commute, I think everyone who lived through this experience will appreciate all the slice-of-life details shown in this manga. This background paired with a sweet romance piqued my interest.
2025 certainly has no shortage of games lined up for fans of all genres for those looking for something new to dive into. While Naughty Dog wants to shove yet another The Last of Us Part II Remastered edition down our throat, let's discuss titles that people actually want to play that will be releasing soon. Here are five games I’m particularly looking forward to this year!
It’s hard not to want to jump into Alan Wake 2 even if you haven’t played the first game. While I highly recommend playing Alan Wake and Control before jumping into Alan Wake 2, if you still decide you just can’t wait to play, I hope this video will help catch you up to speed so you don’t feel like you are spiraling out of control.
Alan Wake 2 is a unique masterpiece and my personal game of the year for 2023. This game sets a new standard for story based games. I loved this game so much and needed to have my thoughts organized into a proper review. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a new game to sink their teeth into!
