Fantastic Manga Read in 2025- Blogmas 2025

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Ever since the pandemic, I have been slowly but surely getting back into reading and collecting manga. (And yes, I do consider the two topics to be separate, mostly because I’m still behind reading what I’ve collected, haha.)

2025 was a great year for reading manga for me. Even though I haven’t read everything I’ve bought (thanks to reading for book clubs and challenges and the like), I’ve had a blast with reading what I got to, and with a few I wasn’t 100% of a fan of. Here’s just a few that I read and enjoyed this year.

Otherside Picnic

It is well known within my family and friends that I avoid horror with all my heart. And yet… Otherside Picnic has been one of my favorite reads for the past year or so. Technically, it isn’t classified as horror, but there is enough references to internet creepypasta and urban legends that are just enough to give me nightmares.

That being said, the story is interesting, building from something simple to tense and complicated, with romance in the background. It’s just great.

Captive Hearts of OZ

While this four volume series has been out for a while, I happened upon it on Kindle Unlimited and blasted through it one night. It’s another Wizard of Oz series with a twist, which somewhat works (and somewhat doesn’t). But it was a cute little read one night.

Assassination Classroom

I missed this series when it was first releasing in 2014-2018. I knew about it, but I wasn’t reading manga at the time. I ended up picking it up over the course of 2024 and finally reading and finishing it in early 2025.

For a series with such a simple concept, it’s amazing in writing and art style. Worth spending probably $100 over a couple months to grab the entire series.

Lonely Castle in the Mirror

I have a great run with this property. I first saw the animated film in theaters, then I read the translated novel (also worth it), and now I’ve read the manga and loved it. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it when I started it, which was the same feeling I had during the film, but it ended up working well.

And then…

Whoever Steals This Book

True confession, I enjoyed the first two volumes of this three volume series. But the third… I was not a fan. Read the first two and make up your own ending, it’s the only way that you don’t get plot dumped on your head.

Corpse Blade

I took a risk with this series. I shouldn’t have. Good concept, fumbled the middle and ending.

And finally…

My Hero Academia

So. One of the current major manga series that just came to an end last year (October 2025 for those in English speaking countries). I only just collected the last volume, so I haven’t techecially finished reading this just yet.

I’m planning a read through during January 2026, from Volume 1 all the way to Volume 42. If you like superhero stories where things get complicated, it’s probably worth a read.

All in all, a pretty great year! Of course, there were other series and singles I read, some that will get a discussion in the future, others… that won’t. But that’s okay, that’s the nature of reading.

Happy trails!

My 2025 Gaming Year – Blogmas 2025

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Okay, I’m going to start with a confession. This year has been a bad gaming year for me.

That’s not saying 2025 in gaming was bad. Nope, there have been some amazing games released, some of the best I have seen in many many years. I just… never got around to them.

So, ignoring the fact I have played far too many puzzle games this year, here are some of my gaming highlights.

Artifex Mundi Hidden Picture Games

One of my goals this year was actually completed early on. At the end of 2024, I’d discovered that I only needed five more Artifex Mundi games to complete all of the collection, until they release a new one (they haven’t all of 2025). So I made it a mission to tackle the five as fast as I could, knocking out each one between the end of January and the beginning of February.

I will say that I wasn’t as impressed with the final games as I was the originals, but that’s allowed. They were still somewhat fun, even if the writing was somewhat lackluster and the voice acting still left much to be desired.

Monster High: Skulltimate Secrets

You know I had a slow trophy year when this is a highlight.

For a bit of context, I don’t mind playing games based off of kids’ television series or media. Sometimes they are fun! The Monster High game on the PS3 was actually decent, even if the Platinum was a massive grind in the end.

But this one? I’ve never flown through a game so fast while being so utterly bored. I mean, the story was non-existant, the voice lines were tragically bad, even for this franchise, and the game could be completed in like five hours. Without even trying. You barely had to do any of the side quests, because the game led you to where you needed to go.

I much prefer the PS3 game, thanks. (And I played this twice, for trophies. Not a good idea.)

The Cats and Seek Series

I wasn’t going to mention some of the more obvious puzzle games, but I have to give a shout out to this little series.

I really do love games where you have to find a series of hidden objects, and the Cats and Seek series is perfect for this. Hundreds of cats hidden inside spralling pictures, and you have to find them all.

There’s just something calming about it. It is relaxing, soothing even. Hmm, I wonder if a new one is coming out.

Disney Dreamlight Valley

It’s not the DLC that makes DDV a highlight for me.

It’s the fact that in March, I finally got the Platinum trophy. The game is still a great deal of fun, the DLCs are mostly worth it (don’t listen to the complainers online). But finally getting that last trophy after almost TWO YEARS was worth the tears I shed. Especially since I got the previous trophy in June the year prior.

Yeah, I’m not doing the PS4 version. I don’t think I have the patience for it.

LEGO Gaming

So, this year in LEGO Gaming was… slow.

Yes, I completed LEGO Voyagers, which was a heartfelt little tale. Yes, I also started LEGO Horizon Adventures (which I really need to finish, but that game is just… not really great.) And yes, I started tackling two more editions of LEGO Harry Potter, even though I don’t exactly want to talk about that.

I just wanted more.

Oh well, the next LEGO Game from TT Games comes out in May. LEGO Batman, here I come!

Little Kitty, Big City

And finally, there’s what I’m calling my Game of the Year, only because I don’t have Clare Obscur yet.

I was introduced to Little Kitty, Big City by a Twitch streamer I follow. He played it on the Xbox One (I think), back when it was a timed console exclusive. When I saw that it was available on the Playstation Network, I had to have it immediate.

It’s just a cute little tale of a kitty lost in a small neighborhood of a big city, and them trying to find a way back up to their window. Short, sweet, with a multitude of animal characters to meet along the way who all have a place in the kitty’s story.

What’s next?

My goal for next year is to play more games with longer stories, instead of just short simple games. It helps that there are some great games coming out next year that I just can’t wait for (especially one, but that’s a tale for another day).

Until then, I’m going to finish out the year with a pretty successful trophy streak, which is always awesome.

Game on!

[Note: This was actually completed on December 15th, I just completely forgot to click publish. It has been backdated to that date.]

Christmas at Disneyland? Not So Fast – Blogmas 2025

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

When I made my December plans, as well as started to plan for Blogmas, I had a plan for December 13th. But to explain that, we have to go back to November, or even to October.

Many months ago, Mom planned my birthday weekend trip to Disneyland, with us scheduled to stay at the Disneyland Hotel and go to a bunch of restaurants and do all of our Christmas shopping. We got reservations at the Blue Bayou Restaurant in Disneyland (a MUST to go back to, worth every bite, OMG) and came up with a simple list of things to do and experience. After all we’d only been going to Disneyland for a few years at this point, and a lot of the Disneyland specific experiences were still beyond us at this point.

What we didn’t anticipate was the Government Shutdown, which meant that Mom and I didn’t get paid from October until after our November trip.

While we were able to go to the restaurants as planned (the magic of credit cards, please know that I’m being sarcastic…), our shopping was severely hampered. Which made sense. I’m not complaining, we just wanted to do some Christmas shopping so…

As November became December, we made a plan. December 13th was my Dad’s birthday. It was a Saturday. It would work perfectly! The week prior we were seeing Suffs, the day after was a book club that I didn’t want to miss. It fit in perfectly.

And there in lies the problem. Because the best laid plans always get ruined. And for me, that went double.

First, obviuosly, was me getting sick during the week. I’ve mentioned several times earlier this week. But the other…

My position is currently requiring mandatory overtime. It’s something that I’ve never had to deal with before, but because of circumstances, I was going to have to deal with it. I had been planning on taking care of my required hours last week, but again, sick. That meant possibly Saturday.

So.

We made a decision.

We’re going to miss Disneyland during the Holidays for one more year.

So, no, I haven’t seen the parks all lit up here in California. I wasn’t able to see all the shops decked out, or all of the new merch (though I did get this adorable Mickey Snowman necklace while I was there in November, and it’s my current necklace of choice until the end of the month). I didn’t get to suffer through the holiday fireworks show (fireworks are a migraine trigger, but damnit all, I’m not missing certain ones).

But that’s okay. Next year, I’ll get to see it. Just… not yet. I can wait a little longer.

Christmas Has Come to Our House! – Blogmas 2025

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Ah, Christmas. My favorite time of the year. Not because of the presents, but because I get to spend time with my family and be surrounded by the decorations that we have collected for years, while also making new memories.

We spent today getting up most of our decorations, and I have to say, it looks lovely.

We have garland decorating the pictures and artwork, making them sparkle. Around one of our lamps are beautiful wooden ordainments, bought by my father in Bethlehem before I was born (I’m not joking). He was in the Air Force and briefly sent to Kuwait, and travelled around the Middle East during the late 80s.

In the kitchen, we’ve done something new this year. We used fun ribbon to “wrap” the upper cabinet doors, adding a fun pop of color to the white of the room. On mom’s China cabinet (thank you IKEA), we’ve draped this long surviving bit of present garland, which always looks cute and because a question piece.

Outside, we added some lights to our tiny patio, mostly because I’ve wanted to for years and the lights are annoying our upstairs neighbors. They don’t flicker, they don’t change, but apparently they are bothersome. I may add more. (I’ll explain another day, I swear.)

Our fake tree is up, standing tall and already lit. We won’t be decorating it until tomorrow because Mom have a rule – she must have one day to fluff it and pick at it and make me turn the thing fourteen times before it’s back in it’s original position looking beautiful as ever. (Mom, if you’re reading this, I’m being sarcastic, I swear.)

Only three items on our list haven’t been completed yet. One is our Christmas Village, which will take all day tomorrow (when I’m not at my final book club of the year). That’s fine, though, because taking our time means that we can make it perfect. I also have to finish the Christmas LEGO builds, as some of them end up in our Village now, or on the table, or just decoration.

The last thing is our windows, which I normal dress up with lights and clings. It’s a project for Monday, when I finish work and OT. It’s one of those things that can get skipped if absolutely necessary. I don’t want to, though, so I’m gonna get them done as fast as I can.

And honestly, there technically is one more thing. A few of us at work decided to decorate our desks, so I may take the time to dig out a few decorations and bring them in to make my desk all festive. But that’s a “if I have time, yikes the hours are slipping away from me,” type deal.

Happy holidays!

This is ALSO a Placeholder Post – Blogmas 2025

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Yeah, I know, I said I was hoping to get today’s post up, just that it was probably going to be very late. The issue is, I’m tired, and I’m getting over randomly getting ill at work on Wednesday (which is why there was absolutely no post for that day, it totally slipped my mind).

I’m gonna be playing catch up, I know, but I will be caught up. Just give me to this weekend.

(I will also try to backdate Wednesday’s post, if I can. If not, I’ll make clear which one is which.

Thanks for the understanding!

This is a Placeholder Post, Charlie Brown

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Actually have a post planned for today, December 11. The problem is, I won’t finish before midnight. I also won’t get up tomorrow’s post, December 12, until very late. So, this is a placeholder, in the next couple days (hopefully Saturday) I will add the post completed. It will be done ASAP, as I don’t want to get farther behind.

Thanks for the understanding, the holidays have been crazy and getting sick on top of that made it even worse.

A Day of Rest – Blogmas 2025

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Well, I was hoping it wouldn’t happen, but it did.

For reasons I cannot explain (seriously), I went from feeling fine and peppy at work to feeling like a truck hit me. Went home sick and still feel that way.

So, no true Blogmas post today. Gonna take tonight to rest.

[Full disclosure, I typed this up on Wednesday the 10th. Because of how poorly I was feeling, what with the near fainting at work and having to drive home and all that, I forgot to hit publish. It is technically backdated to the draft date, I just didn’t make it readable. I’m feeling much better, but I didn’t want any confusion. Thank you!]

Entertainment Plans for the New Year – Blogmas 2025

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Let’s just say my plans for catching up with the movie and TV series I’m behind on this year didn’t work out. Like at all.

I had grand plans for 2025. Catch up on two series. Finally watch certain movies. Possibly get into a new show or three. And hell, maybe we’d be graced with The Old Guard 2 and I’d feel happiness again.

Well.

We got The Old Guard 2, and I still need another day before I talk about that. But that… that’s about it.

For some reason, this year is the year that I’ve basically watched nothing. Oh, sure. I watched the occasional episode of TV, or the random movie. And yes, I watched Survivor and The Amazing Race and Hell’s Kitchen. But that’s about it. It was like I just couldn’t sit down and focus on any of my goals. At least those goals.

So for 2026, I’m going to try again. Hopefully, with me attempting to commit to posting here at least once a week, I’ll be reminded of this. We shall see.

Rewatch the Marvel Cinematic Universe

One of the biggest goals my mom and I said this year was to finally rewatch a good majority of the MCU, and finally move forward. We haven’t done a damn thing. We actually stopped at Ms. Marvel (to my utter annoyance and fury) when it was first releasing, mostly because Mom was feeling really burnt out on marble. And I’ve been waiting for her.

Next year, all bets are off.

My goal is very simple. Rewatch a majority of the first three phases of the MCU. There’s certain films. I don’t feel like re-watching, such as the second Thor film, simply because I’m just not really in that type of mood. Others will be skipped for time. And I may not be able to watch Black Panther, but that’s just because I still cry about Chadwick passing. (That one, however, I will be trying.)

Once I get through Phase 3, I’m gonna skip a couple of the shows. I’ve seen WandaVision and loved it, as well as Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I don’t feel like I need to rewatch them again in their entirety. I may just look for clips online. I will rewatch the films, mostly because it feels like it has been a while since I’ve touched them. And of course, once I get to Ms. Marvel, I’m watching everything 100%.

Actually, this is another case of the “well, kinda.” I know that What If…? is canon, in some way. I won’t be watching it. It has nothing to do with the writing, where the voice cast or anything like that. It is simply because of the animation. It is just not an animation style that I enjoy watching, and it bothers my eyes. Don’t know why, don’t really care to find out. I will just have to make do with summaries. The same goes for Marvel Zombies, because again the animation bothers me, but also because I just don’t like zombies. Respect to anyone else who does, not for me.

I know there’s actually a lot that I have to catch up on. There’s been a decent amount of movies (of which I’ve managed to avoid most of the spoilers, shocker). And I know that some shows have been well received in others… Exist. But I do want to catch up. I may not make it by the time the new Spider-Man comes out, but I will make it for Doomsday.

I hope.

Catch Up on Everything Star Wars

I’m actually embarrassed by this.

I love Star Wars. I grew up with it. I watched the original trilogy many times, as well as the prequel trilogy, mostly because it was coming out while I was a teenager. Ensure, the animated clone war show was on TV right when I could’ve watched it.

Well… I basically only watched the nine main films and rogue one. That’s it.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve wanted to watch more. I just never got around to it. And I really hate saying that because I had every opportunity to. So, in 2026 I will correct a mistake. I will catch up.

I have already made a spreadsheet of everything by release order, separated by seasons or film. I may end up just main lining each show, but this way I can keep track a little bit. I would love to finally catch up at some point this year. I would love to be able to say that the next Star Wars release is my goal. But I am also realistic in knowing that I probably won’t make that.

But it’s a goal. And maybe I can get somewhat close.

Other Smaller Goals

I’ll be honest, with two major cinematic universes to try to catch up on, plus the random Disney movie thrown in here or there, I didn’t want to make any other humongous plants for 2026. But I did make some small smaller ones.

There are several film franchises where I only watched a few of the films and they have continued on into the current year. A great example would be Jurassic Park. I still haven’t seen the newest one. I’d like to rewatch all the films in order and enjoy the newest one.

I also have basically loaded up my streaming watchlists on all of the major sites. I want to cut those down by half. Now I do have a caveat. If I buy the film or TV show as physical media, it can come right off the list. I don’t have to immediately watch it. I’m trying to build up my physical media collection this year. It’s a decent incentive in my mind.

Another thing I’d like to do is finally watch some of the anime that I have been sitting on. There are several series, newer, and older, that I have wanted to watch and just never put any time into. Some of these are 12 episode Classics, others are… OK. I kind of want to watch my hero academia. Either way, I want to at least watch a couple of anime by the end of the year. Will I make it? This one I might let slip. But it’s allowed. I have a lot I wanna do in 2026.

And finally, I have a goal that I have promised my mom. I will watch one of “her” films a month. I may watch more than one, but I will watch at least one. She and I don’t exactly have the same taste in a lot of our films. But it’s a good thing for me to at least know it’s important to know. The movies that have withstood the test of time, the ones that help shape the entertainment industry to what it is today. I can give her that, especially since she has to suffer through giving up the TV to me when I want to watch Star Wars.

Until then, happy watching!

Broadway in Hollywood! Seeing Three of the Best Shows from New York… In Los Angeles – Blogmas 2025

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

I was brought up loving the theater.

Back in Florida, Mom and I made it a point to see at least one show a year. We’ve seen multiple shows in New York, including Equus and 42nd Street, both of which were phenomenal (not that the others I’ve seen weren’t those two just stand out, along with Spamalot).

Upon moving to California, one of our goals was to see more Broadway touring shows. And of course, our timing was horrible, so we didn’t get started until late December of last year. As of now, we’ve seen three shows, with tickets for others already waiting for us (and the possibility for move very soon). Our theater of choice is the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, CA, a building with so much history built in, it makes every moment inside worth it.

So, in no particular order, these are the three shows we’ve seen at the Pantages.

Wicked (December 29, 2024)

Like many theater kids of my generation, seeing Wicked is a right of passage. I have wanted to see the musical on Broadway since it opened in 2003. We tried to get tickets whenever the tour would come to town… and never managed to score any.

I wanted to see the show so badly, I actively refused to see Wicked the movie in theaters, or when it came to steaming. I needed to see the show first.

Then last Christmas, Mom got us tickets. This came out of literal nowhere. I swear I cried for like ten minutes. Seriously, I had tried myself, and failed yet again! So she pulled off a major magic trick.

The show was glorious. The cast was on point, the young woman playing Elphaba stole every scene she was in. It deserved the thunderous applause it got with the end of every number.

And here’s the thing, I didn’t know what happened. Sure, I knew a few of the songs (what theater kid didn’t at least know of “Defying Gravity”?), but I didn’t know the plot. I knew the twists because I’d figured them out, but Mom didn’t. (She cried at one, it was great.)

It was surpurb, it was amazing, and it was a dream come true.

(The film was also amazing, we watched it the next weekend. Haven’t seen For Good yet due to Mom’s dislike of movie theaters post-pandemic, but as soon as it hits streaming… it’s coming.)

Hadestown (October 26, 2025)

Just… wow.

First, I should make something clear. I found out after the show that the show was actually non-Equity, which I know that many people have a massive problem with. I want it noted.

But holy shit.

I went into this show somewhat blind (knowing only the very basic premise… and again, a song, “Wait for Me”). This was another show I knew I wanted to see, but I didn’t know what I was in for.

The answer to that, by the way, is Megan Colton, who blew the show right out of the park. Playing Eurydice with a beautiful, haunting voice… Her solo in “Wait for Me (reprise)” is something that has still not left my head.

I need to see the show again.

Suffs (December 7, 2025)

And then there’s Suffs.

Suffs is probably one of the most important musicals currently touring right now. That’s not an exaggeration, that’s the cold hard truth. The show deals with the women’s suffrage movement, the historic wins and tragic losses, leading up to the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in the USA, which granted some women the right to vote.

This show frankly blew my mind. I saw it last night and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. There are so many parallels to what is happening right now in 2025. Every song and moment were gripping.

The entire cast is women. They portray some of the most courageous woman, as well as some of the most insufferable men.

It’s a thrilling show. It may be the best thing I’ve seen in 2025. Just. Wow.

In Conclusion…

I need to see more shows. I may be seeing Stereophonic at the end of December. And Spamalot again. And Beauty and the Beast next year.

Enjoy the Broadway shows, friends, they are worth it.

So, What Actually Happened with the Barnes and Noble YA Book Club? – Blogmas 2025

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Back before the COVID-19 pandemic, back before everything in the world felt wrong and weird, Barnes and Novel started their second “Book Club” collection.

The Barnes and Noble Book Club had be going for about a year at this point, focusing on adult books. While I didn’t take part in any way (I was still in the “I still only read YA books, away this those adult books, they are all full of horror or sex and I’m just not comfortable reading that, though I don’t judge those books or those who read them” mindset), I knew about it and kept an eye out for them.

The picks were of all different genres. The only thing that seemed to be a constant is that each choice was usually a debut author or an author changing genre or type. The books were usually well received as well.

Then in June of 2019, Barnes and Noble announced that they were started a second book club, this one focused on the Young Adult Genre. Again, it got off to a great start. The picks were wild and diverse, some of which that have gone on to be loved and beloved, some have been optioned for TV or film (with one off the top of my head having already released a season, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson, March 2020’s pick.

I myself discovered my local B&N was hosting the YA book club just after the second pick, We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal. I ended up reading the third pick and made it a point to go, even though travelling to that B&N on a Tuesday night was somewhat difficult with my job at the time. August 2019, I ended up reading Wilder Girls by Rory Power and attended my first meeting.

Surprisingly, it went well! I wasn’t sure how I would do with being in a book club for the first time (this was long before the book clubs I joined in 2023/2024). In fact, I kept attending, reading all the books and enjoying most of them.

And then COVID.

We had a socially distanced meeting in March 2020 for A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, with the hopes to meet again in person the next month. This didn’t happen. The in-person meetings were cancelled for the foreseeable future. Barnes and Noble took everything online, doing mediated interviews with the authors, where readers could ask questions directly.

Post-pandemic, the clubs didn’t return immediately. Most of the stores didn’t start up, and those that did only held the Adult Book Club. The YA Book Club was usually ignored.

The books were still being picked. They still have somewhat of a place of respect at the stores and on the website… but they weren’t be promoted. December did not get a pick for every year of the YA Book Club’s running life, beyond 2019.

In March of 2025, Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven was released. It had a decent reception. It sold well, from what I can see.

April 2025, there wasn’t a pick. May? Nothing. By June, it was clear that the Barnes and Noble YA Book Club had been quietly cancelled. From what I found on Reddit, for booksellers at B&N, this wasn’t much of a surprise.

I enjoyed the collection. I obviously do, I have all 66 selections on my bookshelves. I just wasn’t surprised to see it go. It was getting harder and harder to find the choices in store (where I preferred to buy them).

It’s been nine months since that last book was picked. I still think about it, still have my sticky notes out so I can mark the next book, still have enough space on my shelf for probably three more pics. But that said, I’m not surprised anymore. I’ve moved on a bit. While I’m not reading the Barnes and Noble Book Club picks, I am reading books outside my comfort zone, thanks to my book clubs now.

I just… miss it. Nostalgia is a weird thing.

Happy reading!