October is almost over, so it’s time for Weekend Reading 134! Here at Stately Beat Manor, we’ll be celebrating the spookiest nights of the year with an “unexpected” twist: more reading!
Please do consider sharing your weekend reading plans with us, whether they are seasonally appropriate or not, either here in the comment section or over on social media @comicsbeat.
AVERY KAPLAN: This weekend, I’m reading the penultimate volume of Maison Ikkoku by Rumiko Takahashi. Since catching on to the classic manga series after it was mentioned by fellow Comics Beat writer Adam Karenina Sherif way back in Weekend Reading 68, the series has become a personal favorite of mine, and while I’m looking forward to the concluding volume I plan to relish the journey to get there as well as possible. And since the autumn weather has arrived in my sector, I’m also planning on making a slow-cooker recipe from The Star Trek Cookbook by Ethan Phillips (Neelix the Talaxian on VOY) and William J. Birnes this weekend. In addition to hundreds of recipes that span the whole spectrum of cooking skills, this charming book is written from the perspective of Morale Officer Neelix. Not only are there plenty of meals that approximate those found in individual episodes of Trek, this book also includes dishes from the personal collections of several Trek actors, along with their personal commentary. What better way to celebrate a week with stellar new episodes of two different Star Trek shows?
Dean Simons: I am now back on my Bleach (manga) blitz – I already demolished about seven volumes of Tite Kubo’s series over the course of the week and I expect that to continue this weekend. Currently at volume 61. I was initially rather skeptical to read the final arc. The previous major story arc felt like a solid enough way to end the series but the revelations and surprises so far have easily jettisoned that notion – with really interesting tie-ins to all that has come before. (And yes, I have glanced at the anime series too. Definitely a higher budget, this time round.)
On the prose front I have been in a bit of a rut – indecisive about the next book to read – so I decided to try out the Star Wars High Republic opening novel, Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule as a break. Enjoying it so far.
TAIMUR DAR: If you were a kid in the ‘90s like me, you more than likely saw the The Halloween Tree animated special based on the classic Ray Bradbury book. I definitely saw the special first before reading the book at some point in elementary school. I have stronger memories of the special than the actual book itself. I can’t recall if I ever actually finished it. Whatever the case, it seems appropriate this being the weekend before Halloween for a proper re-read of this Bradbury classic.
REBECCA OLIVER KAPLAN: I have been enjoying reading more manga lately, so continuing the trend this weekend with the first volume of Maison Ikkoku by Takahashi (yes, if you’re wondering, Avery Kaplan finally convinced me). And because it’s Avery’s birthday, and I plan on taking a day off to celebrate with her, I have a long list of things to read for this weekend. Also, on it are Kisses for Jet: A Coming-of-Gender Story by Joris Bas Backer, and translated by Ameera Rajabali, The Flamingo by Guojing, and Notes from a Sickbed by Tessa Brunton, and maybe my aunt Amy Kaplan‘s zine about the Jewish people being banned from holding communal prayers due to the “risk of spreading epidemics.” Finally, we are working on our homestead, so I am also continuing my journey through The Backyard Homestead, edited by Carleen Madigan.
