Letter #42: If You Liked This, Then You Might Like

Reading recs, if you will

*May 28, 2024 Edit Update:

I just noticed that this letter title’s number was incorrect and I have just fixed it. The title originally read Letter #41: If You Liked This, Then You Might Like” but I have now fixed it to read, “Letter #42: If You Liked This, Then You Might Like.”

I also removed the “subscribe” button that had appeared in the middle of my intro somehow. Sorry I hadn’t caught that yesterday!

I also added brief ratings to the last three items of the last “fairy tales” category on my list, as those were missing. Lots of updates/fixes, sorry!

Thank you!

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Dear reader,

Hello! I’m here with some reading recommendations today! In the hopes that they’re not too-too obscure (but no promises!), I included a number of similar-ish reading ideas across various mediums. Let me know if you find something to read or if you have any similar recs for any of these categories you can think of!

I.

If you’re looking for: dark stories involving magic of some sort; twisting and blending figures and timelines from history, legend, and folklore

If you liked:

• The Fate series (anime shows/movies, games) [this is such a wide-ranging series that I don’t know how to rate it overall; maybe a 3/5 or 4/5 for me?]

  This Fate series includes Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Saty Night: Unlimited Bladeworks, Fate/Stay Night: Heaven’s Feel, Fate/Zero, and even more!

  This is not Fate: The Winx Saga! I have not watched that adaptation of Winx Club, which was a beloved show of my childhood!

Then you might like:

• Everywhere & Nowhere (webcomic; unfinished) [3/5 for me; quite irreverent, at times fun and at times very bleak]

• The King of Infinite Space (novel) [3/5; this is a difficult book to get through, but it’s an interesting read]

• The Last Bloodline (webcomic; completed) [3/5; I liked it when it started out, but I didn’t like the later episodes so much. It seems like the creators who had worked on the project seemed to feel similarly and needed to end the project after working on it for almost 3 years, as they released a statement at the very end of the comic discussing this.]

II.

If you’re looking for: cool fight scenes of demon or vampire fighting; vaguely historical timelines or alternate universes

If you liked:

• Demon Slayer (anime show/movie, manga) [3/5; it’s an interesting concept, but I stopped watching after season 1] **Caution: gore warning

Then you might like:

• Cloud Walker (webcomic; ongoing) [3.5/5; the art is very striking and the story is quite bleak; I am not caught up with this one anymore!]

• Everywhere & Nowhere (webcomic; unfinished) [3/5]

• Lucy’s Endless Night (webcomic; ongoing) [4/5; a really charming story with beautiful art; I am not caught up on this one anymore!]

• The Last Bloodline (webcomic; completed) [3/5; please see above category]

III.

If you’re looking for: sweet stories about love, finding and growing yourself, coming into your own! (This is my favorite section!)

If you liked:

• Heartstopper (graphic novel series, show; ongoing) [5/5; this series is so well done in both the original comic/graphic novel and the show adaptation!]

Then you might like:

• Jamie (webcomic; ongoing) [2/5; I thought the art was really nice, but I just didn’t enjoy the story and dropped off a long time ago. I am not caught up on this one anymore!]

• Mooncakes (graphic novel) [4/5; such a charming story with such lovely art!]

• Lemon Soda & Coffee (webcomic; completed) [5/5; the art and story are so well done!]

• Castle Swimmer (webcomic; ongoing) [5/5; long time reader here since this one started!]

• Encore! (webcomic; ongoing) [4/5; the art is gorgeous and it’s a very sweet story. I am not caught up on this one anymore!]

• To The Stars and Back (webcomic; ongoing) [5/5; this is one of my favorite stories that exists on the Internet]

• Change Your Story (webcomic; ongoing) [3/5; a really interesting concept with pretty art; this story is really just getting started, so I’m excited to see where it goes!]

An aside: Are you sensing a theme that I read a lot of webcomics? I read webcomics either on Webtoon or on the artists/writers’ websites directly. I think I’ve only used Tapas a few times, so nothing against Tapas, but I just haven’t made an account yet!

IV.

If you’re looking for: hard, fast-paced action sequences with spies, intrigue, mystery, heists, assassins, etc.

If you liked:

• Crowded (comic; ongoing) [4/5; this edgy piece was absolutely nothing like what I was reading at the time I read it, but I liked this so much that it really made me realize I might like reading things that are *gasp* not just cozy stories!]

Then you might like:

• Hard Lacquer (webcomic; ongoing?) [4/5; I only got to read the first few chapters and have not been able to find more, but I want to! I am not caught up on this one anymore!]

• Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007: The Complete Warren Ellis Omnibus (graphic novel; completed) **Caution: gore warning! [2/5; I don’t really know why I read this? I think I was curious what a James Bond comic might look like? The comic itself is very well done, but the story isn’t my vibe]

• Cherry Crush (webcomic; ongoing) [3.5/5; this one surprised me how much I’ve liked it!]

• Sakamoto Days (manga, anime) [4/5; I have only read the first volume of the manga, but I liked that first volume a lot. I am not caught up on this one anymore!]

V.

If you’re looking for: fairly (overall) upbeat, fun fight scenes with heroes and villains in an urban setting

If you liked:

• My Hero Academia/Boko No Hero Academia (manga, anime show/movies; ongoing) [3.5/5; this manga and show has a special place in my heart, even if I do find it kind of cheesy and over-the-top nowadays!]

Then you might like:

• Villain to Kill (webcomic; ongoing) [3.5/5; on par with MHA/BNH listed above; I like the character designs a lot!]

• My Hero: Vigilantes (manga; completed) [3.5/5; a spin-off series in the same world as MHA/BNH! I was a bit sad when it finished.]

• The Extraordinaries (book series/trilogy; completed) [3/5; a superhero story from TJ Klune, who wrote one of my favorite books. Our main character is both endearing and a little aggravating at the same time, so I sped through the first two books and came back to the third later on and have had trouble getting through the first chapter because I’m not used to the main character again.]

• Maho Shonen (webcomic; ongoing) [4/5; it’s an interesting concept and the art and color palette are so gorgeous!]

  • A book I picked up but have yet to read that seems like it is in a mildly similar vein as Maho Shonen from what I have read on the back cover: A Magical Girl Retires [no rating; have not yet read]

VI.

If you’re looking for: Cozy, sweet stories involving people bonding over cooking and food… also, there’s magic sometimes! (Another favorite of mine!)

If you liked:

• Mooncakes (graphic novel) [4/5]

Then you might like:

• Chef’s Kiss (graphic novel) [3.5/5; a really charming read!]

• She Loves to Cook, She Loves to Eat (manga) [4/5; a delight to read!]

• Our Dining Table (manga) [2/5; I found this on the take one/leave on swap table at MagFest (the Music and Games Festival) 2024, read it at the con while waiting for a cosplay panel, and left it on the swap table for someone else to take again. I might have kept it if I liked it better, but I thought someone else might enjoy it more!]

• Grand Ma (webcomic; ongoing) [5/5; a really sweet comic with a lot of heart that also happens to teach me about creatures from folklore around the world! What’s not to love?]

• hello, hello (webcomic; ongoing) [3/5; very sweet!]

VII.

If you’re looking for: Vaguely fairy tale themed?

If you liked:

• The Princess Bride (novel and movie) [5/5 for the movie but I have yet to read the book!]

Then you might like:

• The Cursed Princess Club (webcomic, comic series; completed) [5/5; one of my favorite stories I’ve read in recent memory! This comic ended this year, which made me so sad, but it had such a wonderful run!]

• A Messy Fairy Tale (webcomic; ongoing) [3/5; I like the concept and art, but I am not caught up on this one anymore!]

• Dagger to the Heart (webcomic, ongoing) [3/5; the art is beautiful; I am no longer caught up on this one!]

• Made of Stardust (webcomic, ongoing) [3/5; the art is also beautiful; I am no longer caught up on this one!]

• The Little Trashmaid (webcomic, ongoing) [3.5/5; a nice concept a sweet manner of storytelling]

Hope you find something here to read!

Happy reading!

Olivia