Coffee & Manga

I have rediscovered how wonderful a nice cup of coffee and a good read can be.

While I’m perfectly happy to read books in a digital format, manga is something I really enjoy reading as a physical book.

Of course, I’ve also read a lot of manga online. It is probably the best way, depending on the availability where you live. Nevertheless, if I can find a physical copy of something I like then I’d rather have that.

There’s something about the feel of the paperback volumes that I find appealing. I like the size of the pages and I like following the traditional layout from right to left.

While I was in a Waterstones bookshop the other week, this cover caught my eye.

Using some of my birthday vouchers, I ordered it on a whim and have been caught up in the story ever since.

Orange is the story of a student called Naho who receives a letter from herself 10 years in the future. It warns her of mistakes and regrets she’s about to experience in her social life that – if left unchanged – will lead to a tragic incident.

Despite how sci-fi the premise sounds, the story is largely a domestic drama/comedy following the lives of Naho and her friends. It’s full of charm and likeable characters and the rural setting reminds me of the videogame Persona 4.

As a father of a toddler and a newborn, I naturally don’t get much quiet time to sit down and read. 95% of the time I’m parked in my car after getting my son to drift off to sleep. For a boisterous toddler, this is thankfully a very effective way of soothing him into naptime.

So it’s always a good idea to grab something to keep me entertained during this time, be it a portable games console or a book to read.

I find it especially soothing when it’s raining. Listening to drops of water gently drumming down onto the car can be very therapeutic.

Just as long as I remember the coffee!

Thanks for reading, folks 🙂