Italo's Books

So this one is going to be pretty diverse...

But to be honest, most of this stuff is pretty common among readers, so maybe nothing too special.

I'll put non-fiction first, so we can save best for last.

Non-fiction

Biographies

George Washington

Ok, let's be real, I've only ever read one biography. Obviously, it's called George Washington, written by David Adler.

I read it quite some time ago, so I don't remember all the details, but I will say it was much more pleasant than one might expect. It was very insightful into the life of the US's first president. He actually did quite a lot throughout his life.

It kind of makes me think, people will want to know more about you the more interesting your life is, but therefore, more will only be recorded the more interesting you already are. So if you only become famous later in life, it will be more difficult for people to learn about your childhood. The only way to get information oftentimes at that point is by word of mouth, which can easily add its own opinions and what not.

Just some thoughts.

I just looked through it again real quick and remembered how much I love wood-cut style art! If you don't know much about it, definitely look it up. Superior, imo.

The Great Scientists

Ok, I lied. Turns out I've read more biographies. This book is written by John Farndon, and it is interesting enough to keep my attention. It does a great job summarizing the lives of some of the greater scientists throughout history. I haven't finished it yet (I'm just past half-way through) but it is very enlightening (get it?).

It was quite good for some of the more obscure scientists such as Charles Babbage, who is really quite worth looking up. Very interesting work.

Other

I swear I read lots of non-fiction, it's just that most people wouldn't be interested in it. Ok, well I guess that a lot of what I read is related to language learning (not necessarily studies on language learning (look up Stephen Krashen), though I do like to learn about those, mostly just the learning of languages themselves)

In that vein, you should check out my language page: Italo's Languages

Maybe I'll add more here later...

Fiction

Ok, the stuff you people will actually care about.

Fantasy

Percy Jackson

Okie dokie, my favorite series I've ever read.

You should also check out The Heros of Olympus and The Kane Chronicles if you get the chance. The Kane Chronicles has a second series which also includes Percy, and the Heros of Olympus have him all throughout the story.

Ok, so why is Percy Jackson so good? It perfectly blends the trivialities and comedy of modern life with some of the archaic and silly culture of the ancient Greeks, particularly their mythology.

Why is this important? It is the perfect way to relieve ourselves of the stress that comes from modern life by escaping to the fantasies of ancient cultures, while retaining the lifestyle and culture familiar to us, producing the ultimate place to enjoy something totally unlike our world while leaving us without too much change (which is important because humans are often adverse to change).

I don't know if I can recommend this one well enough, so go check it out yourself.

Harry Potter

Harry Potter is really great. Right now, I'm in the 6th book, The Half Blood Prince, which is delightful. I don't know if I'll ever finish the series, not because it's boring, but because I don't know if I'll ever have enough time to read something like that with all my other interests.

Admittedly, it is very pleasant to read with a cup of lemon or other herbal tea and read while a heavy rainstorm is going on, but so is Percy Jackson, so I might always prefer that one. (Sorry big Harry Potter fans!!!)

Other

I actually read tons of fantasy, but I want to write about the other genres, so I might come back to this later.

Sci-fi

Ender's Game

This book was ok, I only read the first in the series, and the story was interesting. I don't know if I was a big fan of the writing style, but the twist at the end was fascinating. Smart move by the author.

Other

I don't read that much sci-fi, but if I ever do, I'll put it here.

I heard that Ringworld by Larry Niven is pretty good, but I haven't read it yet, so you'll have to let me know if you read it...

Manga!!!

This is the big boy. I got into manga a couple of years ago, and I might as well dedicate an entire page to this.

I might in the future.

I think that mangas are perfect for me in so many ways, so I've been reading them as my go to books for the past couple of years.

People might tell you that they're like comic books, or western graphic novels, but I think that they bring a lot to the table, not just with Japanese or sometimes Chinese/Korean (manhuas and manhwas), but also with art styles that differ significantly from the west.

I should mention that many mangas are unfinished, because they follow a style of weekly releases per chapter, so some of them aren't done yet (never read One Piece). Some of them go onto a pause and sit on an infinite hiatus, thus being called unfinished.

Ok, that's my big rant, maybe I'll talk about a few.

The Breaker

(브레이커)

15+

unfinished

I'm only part-way through this one, but it's very interesting thus-far. There is a boy who learns about the world of the murin (I think that's what it's called) which is a world of nearly magical chi-based martial artists.

There are a bunch of different schools that are up against each other, but they all hate the boy's master, so they team up against him.

This one is even more fun if you can read the sound effects in Korean, which isn't hard to learn how to do.

There are themes of violence in this one, but not too bad at the point I've gotten to so far.

The Climber

finished

17++

This series is very scary at certain points with certainly a lot of death from accidents in the sport of climbing and includes other suggestive themes (not exactly just suggestive).

It follow the story of a boy who doesn't have many friends, then is dared to climb his school.

He later joins the school rock-climbing club, which leads to many other experiences in his life.

I might read this one again.

Don't give this one to your little siblings.

You should be like 16+ before reading it.

Death Note

finished

15+

One of the greatest manga of all time, Death Note follows the story of Light Yagami, who meets a Shinigami (god of death), and gains the ability to well... go read it for yourself.

I really loved the suspense in this one, it only died down for brief periods. Very entertaining and somewhat like a detective story.

Sherlock Hound

unfinished

15+

Follows a boy who meets Sherlock Holmes reincarnated as a little dog in modern Japan. Also very thrilling, detective story.

The only plot hole is that the boy is in high school and either directly or indirectly witnesses like 50 murders. In Japan, which is supposed to have a really low crime rate. Kinda crazy if you ask me. Maybe there is a secret sub-plot.

Because of the murders, would note recommend for little readers.

Insomniacs After School

finished

12+

Very cute romance about a guy who likes photography and a girl who likes astronomy.

Made in Abyss

unfinished

17++

This one is also a no-no for kids, not just because of suggestive themes, but because there's like scary stuff that happens to the characters, so it's better to have a more fully developed brain before reading (like an understanding of what's natural to happen to people and when something evil is happening).

Follows a girl and a crew she assembles on the island of Orth, where they enter the world's deepest pit which is magical and has creatures found nowhere else.

Platinum End

finished

15+

A group of people are saved by angels and then use powers granted by higher beings to battle one another for an interesting prize.

By the same author and artist as Death Note, imo not quite as good though.

There is a bit of violence.

Vagabond

unfinished

17++

There is tons of violence and very suggestive themes (I wouldn't just call them suggestive at this point) in this one, but it is also a very interesting read, so you'll have to decide if you want to read it. Of course, you can stop reading whenever you want, ya know?

The main character is involved in the wars of the middle ages of Japan, then starts on a path to become a samurai. There are interesting sub-plots with his friends from childhood and nemeses.

Witch Hat Atelier

still being published

5+

This one is really, really fantastic. You can really tell the effort that was put into each piece of each panel.

It follows a girl who learns about the true nature of magic in an unfortunate way, then joins a master to learn more about the art.

I haven't even gotten halfway on this one, but I can tell that the story is going to be fantastic, and the art alone is enough to read it.