Rat's Reading Diary

I have been a fan of Junji Ito's for years. I got my hands on this one, along with one other, thanks to the local library (seriously love these folks. Get your library cards, dear audience). I did this, in all honesty, because while I adore Junji Ito's art I do not often find myself wanting to revisit the stories. Mimi's Tales of Terrors did end up being one of those for me. It was an okay read, but I do not think I'd pick it up again.

I want to start of with what works well in this book. Ito's art style is so incredibly detailed and sharp that it evokes a feeling not many other horror artists can accomplish. The expressions on the characters faces, the textures in the monsters, the craftsmanship that does into each page is astonishing and is the reason I keep coming back to his work time and time again. I am also fond of his short story format. I think it works really well in collections such as this one, especially with one pivotal character tying them all together. I found myself feeling sorry for this poor girl and the stuff she kept finding herself knee deep in. I think my favorite in this installment is "The Woman Next Door." It was a weird kind of body horror I haven't seen much else like, and I was fascinated with what these women actually were underneath their disguises just as much as I was satisfied with the fact that we didn't get to see.

My biggest critique with this story is one I've had with a few other pieces of his that are a little newer. While the art never fails to draw me in, I often find myself wanting more from the dialogue and the story itself. I know that has more to do with the original stories as well as the different translations, but it really just took me out of the creepy feels for this one. This, however, is not an generalizing statement. Even some of his more silly or weird stories are really fun reads, like Smashed or The Hanging Balloons. And it would be a disservice to not mention my absolute love for Uzumaki and Lovesickness. I guess it's just really hit or miss for me on these.

That being said, I did still find this one to be okay. I'm happy to have supported my library by checking it out, and maybe I'll keep doing that for some of the comic collections or graphic novels until I find some that are calling for a reread.

Date Finished: 07/13/2026

First of all, I am so glad I got to read this in it's entirety. Seeing the characters change and live through the decades that this book spans was so interesting to me. I loved so many of the different characters that filled these pages, and found myself wanting to know more about them with each installment. I especially loved the trans and genderqueer characters, which are probably some of the only positive examples of trans representation from the 90s and early 2000s that I can think of at the moment.

I also really appreciated the variety in these stories. The silly and humorous moments are just as good as the historical, realistic troubles that the friends find themselves in. Each character felt so real and tangible in a sense that not many other slice-of-life comics manage. I saw my friends and colleagues in a lot of these pages. Hell, there were parts that I saw myself in.

Something about the way Bechdel writes is just so appealing to me. The way emotion is conveyed both in the wording and the art just hits so well for me. Similarly to Fun Home, there wasn't a point where I was just feeling neutral while reading. One of my favorite things about art in general is the emotional experience it can provide. Even if I don't agree with a character or even like one of their arcs, the story is doing it's job by getting a reaction out of me.

I recommend this book if you're a fan of queer history, story-telling, and/or advocacy. These themes are incredibly strong in this series. I also recommend it if you like more of those slice-of-life type stories, but want to also see a more naturally diverse cast of characters.

Date Finished: 06/24/2026

I read this entire book in two days. It's almost embarrassing how long it took me then, to actually start it. I had only known about the movie adaptation before this week, and it has been on my watch-list for an incredibly long time (I'm not the best at watching movies). When I learned it was based on not just a book, but a comic series, I bought it immediately. And I am so glad that I did.

This book is phenomenal. It is filled with so many things that make it the important story that it is. The funny moments are great, the sad stories are gut-wrenching, the history is both so important and given way less attention than it deserves. The art is more simple, but it conveys emotion in such a unique way within each and every page.

I feel like it would also be a disservice to discuss this book without noting that these are the real, lived experiences of a woman who had only just recently passed away. This book taught me more about women in Iran than any lesson or news article ever has. I've started to research more about how these fights for freedom are still on-going in Iran and how people are being impacted by them today. I'd like to recommend that even if you don't read this book for whatever reason, that you take some time to educate yourself on the topic as well.

I cannot emphasize enough, though, that you do read this book. I can't even think of specific recommendations because I just feel as though this is an important story outside of genre and style. This is a prime example of taking a book that is commonly challenged and banned, reading and educating yourself, and then addressing the question of why it may be banned or challenged or censored. What is it about this story that is important in the context of your own reading and the context of the world?

“Once again, I arrived at my usual conclusion: one must educate oneself.” ― Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

Date Finished: 06/23/2026

I will be completely honest, I did not know that this book existed for a while. The film by Studio Ghibli had been a favorite of mine since I was a child, and it's probably one of the only movies I have re-watched as many times as I have. I found out that it was based on a book much later in life and it was on my tbr list for a little bit longer. I'm actually a little surprised it took me so long to get around to— I absolutely adored this book!

There are some movie/book duos that I feel as though a "which is better" argument can't be made in as fair a way. Sometimes, they tell very different stories despite having one based on the other, and you then like very different things about them. I am enthralled with the characters in both, but what I like about them in the book is not the same as why I like their Ghibli counterparts. Sophie is a fun and unconventional narrator in the book- taking a very "it is what it is" approach to her troubles- and I found this to be much more compelling than the standard outwardly bold and brave character we often find in this role. She was so very human and I appreciated her for that. I don't even know what I can say about Howl other than he's such a mess and I love him for that. I found him both relatable and humorous in an eye-rolling way at times, both of which managing to be incredibly charming.

I also loved the story and how in-depth it could get within the world the author has built. I really like worlds where magic is more of a common-place thing. It manages to feel both fantastical and quaint at the same time. While having elements that were pretty dark or emotional, it still read like a comfort book. The entire time I found myself wanting to see what happened next.

If you liked the movie, I'd like to implore you to check out this book too. It has the same warmth to it as the movie, but gets to go a lot deeper due to the nature of novels. I also recommend it if you like those more whimsical vibes, or stories about love rather than romance. All in all, this was a very fun read and I don't have much to say that wouldn't align with that review!

Date Finished: 05/17/2026

A review in one word: WOW

A review in many words:

A bit of an exposition if you will: I was perusing the witchy section of one of my local book stores when this book caught my eye almost immediately. It wasn't set in a way that was distinct from the others, nor did it really stand out visually, but my eyes felt magnetically drawn to it in a way. I was instantly interested in the themes of magic and transsexuality, but flipping it open to see a review from my favorite drag queen, Peaches Christ, had me sold. I bought it with little other thought. After reading it, this feels incredibly fitting.

Palmieri has crafted a beautiful collage of a memoir and a reading list, telling the audience about their life through the magical books they've read as a framework. I'm typically a pretty slow reader, but I was pulled into each part of this book. I could be biased as a trans witch and aspiring author/artist myself, but this book was so relatable and real that it felt much more like a conversation. I saw myself and my friends and my family in the experiences that Palmieri shares in this book. It was both refreshing and incredibly significant to me.

Inspiration was a big part of my reading of Bargain Witch. I'm currently waiting on my first order of books that I was inspired to find from reading about them in this book. I was inspired to think more about my queerness in relation to my own practice. Palmieri's skill in leading people to books that will be impactful in one way or another is a phenomenal kind of magic that makes this book feel so personal and passionate. I'm sitting here as I'm writing to see if I can think of any solid critique as a contrast, but nothing really comes to mind. I find myself wanting to explore so much more of the things within this book, but that would make for so much longer a post!

I want to recommend this book to any other queer witches and pagans, especially those looking for some reflection and contemplation of their own. Additionally, to those who look for magic in places people don't initially assume to find it.

Date Finished: 04/26/2026

It is always incredibly refreshing to read a book about neurodivergency by someone who is neurodivergent. All too often, books about autism and/or ADHD are written by neurotypical individuals with a deficit framework, or are just for children. This book is not that.

What I really appreciated about this book was the general accessibility without being patronizing. There are some seriously good practices in here, and the way they are worded makes a lot of sense with some solid visuals thrown in for the ability to interact with the material. I like the organization of the content by what kind of needs you may be having the most. It also takes the time to explain different concepts that may get skipped over a lot when talking about neurodiversity coping needs, which I really enjoyed.

As a person who has been researching things in this nature for a while now, I see this as a good tool for the whole scale. If you are entirely new to managing these sorts of things, this seems like a great start! If you have been looking into it for a while, this is a useful practical guide. All in all, I really enjoyed reading this and plan on recommending it to others!

Date Finished: 02/10/2026

This book is a collection of art therapy practices (conveniently color coded as a nice touch) that range in use and accessibility. Some of the exercises felt a little less accessible, especially in a therapy or group setting, but it does mention materials needed alongside each one. There are also a decent amount of practices that require few to no costly materials, which I did appreciate. I've tried out a few of the exercises myself and they seem to be especially helpful for mindfulness and reflection. While I would like to see more in depth use of art in treating things such as trauma or depression, this book feels like a nice introduction for people who may not have tried these kinds of activities before. Plus, you don't have to be in therapy with a trained art therapist to do these! That is to say though, as with any kind of mental health exercise, if overwhelming reactions do pop up having a therapist as a guide may be helpful. I also liked how a lot of the things in this book are adaptable. I think the emphasis on creativity here is more important than one for one following the instructions. I am interested to see what I take from this book in a longer period of time. Trying out the different exercises is different from using coping strategies that stick, and I'm very curious to see which of these sticks for me as a person with mental health experiences of my own.

I would suggest this book for folks wanting to use art to heal and grow as well as professionals who may be interested in starting to use more art in their work with folks on their healing journeys. I would not recommend it as a replacement for therapy or to be used in crisis situations. It does not promote itself as such, but I feel it is important to address this nonetheless. As said before, it's a really good Art Therapy 101 kind of resource. It's easy to read, not too detailed or science-y, and really highlights the kinds of reflections that can be done with this kind of work. I do wish I would have seen more attention paid to making certain activities more accessible, but I feel like the variation makes up for that a little. I feel like the rating for this book is very middle range for me. I didn't dislike it, but it wasn't the most involved or invested I have been in a book either, which was important for me going into it because I was looking for that practical, long-term usage. Ultimately, I feel pretty neutral about this book, which is not a bad thing! In fact, I am excited to now find more in-depth things to read next!

Date Finished: 1/27/2026

I picked this book up after learning that it was one of the ones that inspired the musical, Cabaret. This is one of my favorite musicals, and recently I have gotten into researching and learning about the context for the show. I am honestly surprised that I had not heard of this book or of Christopher Isherwood before. I am glad, however, that I found this book (I got the last copy from my local store!) and put it at the top of my reading list.

This book is a really interesting perspective on Weimar Germany and the culture of Berlin right before the rise of the Nazi party. It is important to note that in later years, Isherwood was very clear that this book was more fiction than the diary it claims to be. With that in mind though, Goodbye to Berlin is still an impactful view of the era. I feel like this period of time is often disregarded when discussing history. Before this learning endeavor, I had no idea Berlin was anything like how it had been described in this book. Isherwood also pulls you into each person he writes about. Though I may be biased, I especially loved reading more about Sally Bowles. Each new person that Christopher met pulled me in, making me want to learn more about them as well. While I am not usually a big fan on historical fiction as a genre, which I guess is what I would consider this if autobiography is now unfitting, I did find the story being told to be compelling and important.

I feel as though I'll have a more thorough opinion of this book once I've read the next books. I plan on reading Christopher and his Kind, in the near future. This book, to my understanding, rehashes his time in Berlin with a more accurate and honest retelling of what it was like for him. Regardless, there is a lot of history in this book. It made me all the more sad to think about these aspects of a culture that were destroyed or erased. If you like the musical, Cabaret, this book is definitely a must.

Date Finished: 1/19/2026

It has been a while since I had last read a nonfiction witchy book. I am fairly particular when it comes to this genre for several reasons, but as I am currently happily tasked with planning a handfasting myself, this one seemed like a good starting place. After reading it, I am happy to say that it was exactly that!

This books covers a lot. I'd say it's a good introduction to several different things without going too heavily into one specific aspect of handfasting. I particularly enjoyed the history section of the book. I also found the book to have many useful considerations when planning a handfasting that I likely wouldn't have thought of prior to reading it. That, and it is a good book to skim at times, as the selection gives it a "take what you want and read the rest" kind of reading style.

I must say that I do appreciate it when new age and pagan books bring up the topic of cultural appropriation and doing your own research before engaging with something new to you. In my own practice, I find research to be essential, so seeing this in books is always refreshing. I also appreciated that this book was in no way just hetero-normative. The language is pretty neutral, even including non-pagans who wish to have a less traditional wedding for their marriage, and where the book itself fails to give more detail it refers out to books specializing in the topic (one of which I have already purchased and am incredibly excited to read).

Ultimately, I think this was an okay starter book. I learned some new things and was able to build an idea of where I want to go next with my own planning. Not everything in the book was necessarily my cup of tea, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I look forward to continuing my research on this topic though, as all in all, this book gave me some really helpful things to think about next!

Date Finished: 1/4/2026, first book of the new year!

Getting it out of the way, I loved this book. I went into it knowing very little, and I was honestly a little surprised at the initial tone and structure of the story. However, it quickly grew on me and I found it interesting to read this recounting, like reading the journal of Laura after she had some time to reflect on what happened to her. It was also much shorter than I had expected, but it was still a fun and satisfying read.

I absolutely adore the descriptions of Carmilla herself. I can see why Laura both felt drawn to her, as well as confused and off-put. I also loved the descriptions in the creepier scenes, as they had such vivid imagery. I felt like I could really see the world of the story, as well as the mystery that was Carmilla. I felt myself wanting to know more, and really my only disappointment in the book was how fast her defeat ended up being. That scene just felt a tad too short. I did, though, adore the descriptions of vampirism. I wish more modern adaptations would have kept some of the unique qualities that the vampires in this story have.

I also really enjoyed the overall tone and word use. For this review, I want to share a quote I highlighted. It was just one of the moments in the book that I was just as drawn in as Laura was.

" 'I have been in love with no one, and never shall,' she whispered, 'unless it should be with you.' "

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. I recommend it for people who are fans of that toxic yuri trope, or just really love a good queer classic. Additionally, if you are a vampire or classic horror fan, this story is a must! It was a quick read and a pretty cheap e-book, and for those who like physical copies comes in many different fun covers.

Date finished: 12/23/2025

This book was recommended to me because I have been studying sexuality and gender psychology as a sort of hobby for a few years now. This book is easily accessible to folks of all levels though, whether you have been studying sexuality for a while or have never read anything like it before. If you are the latter, I highly recommend this book.

While this book focusses on cisgender women and their personal experiences with their own sexuality, there were many things that I found important regardless of sex or gender identity. Dr. Nagoski does an incredible job debunking myths around sex and sexuality and breaking down the different aspects of how it impacts all of us. This is done in a very empowering and light-hearted way in my opinion. She explains more complicated psychological and biological processes into more digestible metaphors and examples, including more than just the heteronormative defaults! This book is a wonderful blend of up-to-date research and real-life experiences. The main lesson? No one is broken for having different experiences with their sexuality. While I think everyone could learn something from this book, I'd especially recommend it to folks who are struggling with their own sexuality as women, people who want to better understand their partners, and anyone who works with sexuality in any way like doctors or therapists. I wish more of our discussions on sexuality were like the ones in this book!

Date Finished: 12/19/2025

I bought this book to celebrate banned book week. Banned books are an interest of mine, and I am very fond of learning about censorship as a practice just as much as the pieces of media that are being "banned." This is one of the books that has been challenged for having "pornographic" material in it, which is not uncommon for books with LGBTQ+ topics. Something I am very fond of reminding people of is that not all graphic novels are aimed at children. Comics can and have had adult audiences for quite some time now, so a graphic novel with mature themes should not be a surprise. Anyway, I specifically bought this because of it's history of being challenged while also not being advertised as a challenged book with the rest of my local bookstore's selection for this week. Instead, I found it in the "social sciences" section along with the other memoirs and autobiographies of queer artists. There *used* to be an entire LGBTQ+ section, but I won't press too deeply into that for the purposes of this post.

I went into this book knowing very little about Bechdel outside of her other popular series Dykes to Watch Out For. I was, however, immediately drawn in to the story she tells in Fun Home. The title is an interesting twist and makes a lot of sense regarding the story she tells following it. The entire book has a heavy atmosphere to it, but in a sort of way that is hard to explain. It's distant but loving, uncertain but understanding. Calling it bittersweet feels like an understatement and doesn't do it justice. This in-depth autobiography is paired with illustrations that present it in a colorful-despite-being-in-black-and-white kind of way. I also love how Bechdel uses words to illustrate just as much as her drawings. A lot of feeling is conveyed throughout the entirety of this book. I don't think there was a single time when I wasn't having some kind of emotional reaction.

I think LGBTQ+ stories are incredibly important. When I read the stories of folks within my community, I can feel it in my chest. Because of that, I think I'd rate this one fairly highly. I'm unsure if I'll reread it any time soon, but that's mostly because I did have to take a few breaks here and there as I read it this week. Not an easy read, but a worth-while read.

Date finished: 10/28/2025