Chrono Crusade is an eight volume manga series with a twenty four episode anime series that is completely different from the manga. (The manga is superior to the anime series, in my opinion. The anime goes off in a completely different direction and generally weakens a lot of the character interactions and relationships.) Our Heroine and Hero are Rosette Christopher and her partner Chrono.

The setting is the United States during the 1920s. Rosette is an exorcist working with a religious organization known as the Magdalen Order, and organization that fights various supernatural monsters. (Appearance wise they seem to be a Catholic Order though it is Extremely Clueless Japanese Nuns are Miko Manga Catholicism.) This is not a new series, but it is a favorite series and the one that made me actively interested in manga and anime. (I only had a very occasional interest due to not finding anything I really liked until I discovered this series at a library.)

The first volume begins with Chrono and Rosette who are both sleeping in their car after a mission. A phone rings and Rosette picks up the phone and receives orders to head out on another mission. Rosette is exhausted and does not want to go but her superior insists--and Rosette realizes that something bad has just happened because a ship in the harbor bursts into flames. Rosette tries to wake up Chrono who would actually like to sleep a little longer. How long? “About ten hours.” This is not deemed an acceptable amount of time by Rosette's standards.

“The Story of a Girl Exorcist... and Her Demon Partner”

I made a conscious decision to read my own things this month (as compared to March's "read nothing but course books and small extras if you have the time"). It's almost doubled the amount of books I read this month, with as bonus that I finished most of them.

Sadly, my brain is a sieve and the best I've got for you are the ones I talked about:

Spellwright by Blake Charlton
Goose Chase by Patrice Kindl
Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
Howards End by E.M. Forster
The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones
Ann Veronica by H.G. Wells

It doesn't look like much until you remember I read about twice that and just can't recall titles. (Oh! No, I can! The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald, which I didn't actually finish, but I think that's the only one.)

It wasn't a terrific reading month for me with not loving anything I read, but I did enjoy most of it in some manner. May will be All About The Course Books. I suspect I'll be dipping in and out of shorter things here and there just to retain my sanity, though.

What about you? Did you have any favourites this months? Something you couldn't finish? Did you make any reading plans and did they work out if you did? Why (not)? Any plans for May?

Also, lastly, has anyone made any bookish posts for the 3 weeks fest that they'd like to share links for?

Thia monrh I managed to ( read a bit more. )