Rosario + Vampire Season II Volume 7

These are getting harder and harder to read at work as they become more and more risque. 

The story progresses though.  The dynamic between inner and outer Moka is quite interesting and I wonder why other vampires don't seem to need the Rosario like Moka does.  I want to find out more about what happened in her memory to her mother and her oldest sister Aqua.

Naruto Volume 45: Battlefield, Kohona

Massive battle. Watching Sasuke throw down was pretty amazing and Naruto's training session was interesting. He really is growing and those in Kohona are starting to notice. I fear for Kakashi though. I know Kishimoto is not afraid to kill main characters, but he's one of my favourites.

Naruto Volume 44: Senjutsu Heir

Once again Naruto nearly brings me to tears. There was a lot more emotion than I expected from Naruto when he found out about Jiraiya's death. Tsunade breaking down once she was by herself was very moving too.

And then there's Sasuke. I want him to find out he's been lied to. He needs to join back up with Naruto. Though at this point I expect that Naruto is the only one who would welcome him back. Now that they're trying to bring down the eight-tailed fox it won't be long before he comes looking for his old friend.

Death Note Volume 1: Boredom

I can't believe that I actually like the protagonist of this series. He's a serial killer! But he is very clever, and that has to be admired. I wasn't sure when I first started this but as I continued reading I found myself appreciating the lengths that Light was going to to protect his identity and how he was manipulating those after him. I'm very curious as to L's identity. The decision to not reveal him to the readers as well is interesting. It really does make Light the hero even though what he's doing is very wrong.

Bakuman Volume 2

This one was more enjoyable than the last.  It's interesting to see manga behind the scenes.  I didn't realise how much went into deciding what should even be published.  And then figuring out what continues to be published.  I guess I'm more used to the North American model of comics publishing where it's all back on profit return.

I can't decide if some of the characters are real, or complete caricatures.  Their rival, Eiji, is so over the top that I think he has to be a parody.

Bleach Volume 38: Fear for Fight

I had a brief moment of hope with the last volume that Ichigo may be returning to the manga. Alas, it was brief. This volume was more battle between the Captains and Aizen's minions. I get that they're all really powerful, but each issue seems to be trying to one up the last with how over the top it can get. I want to see Ichigo rescue Orihime!

Hound of the Baskervilles

This novel was quite different from the other Sherlock Holmes novels I've read, and from the short stories.  Holmes was hardly in it.  He sent Watson to do all the investigating and showed up for the climax to tell Watson that he already knew what was going on.  Plus, he had the final pieces to solve the mystery.

Not that the reader could quite solve this one.  It hinged on a portrait that we couldn't see and wasn't described by Conan Doyle.  Some of the behaviour of the villain might have given it away but he was already pegged as an eccentric so it didn't seem that unusual for him.  I did know that the hound was not a demon, and whomever was using it to scare the Baskervilles was stealing boots to give it the scent.  However, I would not have guessed at the love triangle between Baskerville and the Stapletons.  Or that Lyons was in any way important to solving the mystery unless she out and out told them what she knew.

I felt that the subplot with the convict was an unnecessary distraction.  It felt like padding the word count to give Watson something to do while he waited for Holmes to arrive and solve everything.  It gave him an excuse to be out on the moor to see Holmes in shadow but again, I didn't feel it moved the plot along to have the poor man killed.

There's apparently some suggestion that since this was written after Holmes' apparent death in The Final Problem this story does not have the real Sherlock Holmes in it.  The theory attempts to explain why Watson takes a more prominent role in this novel than he has previously.  To me, it's obvious that it's an earlier adventure of Holmes.  He and Watson are still living together at Baker Street and there is no mention of Mrs. Watson or his flourishing private practice.  It seems more likely that Conan Doyle was simply trying something new.  It's documented that he was tired of writing stories of Sherlock Holmes and had intended the character to mock skeptics.  When it became popular he felt his hand was forced to continue.  Even after purposefully killing the character so he wouldn't have to write it anymore.