SECOND CHANCE SUMMER: A Review :)

TITLE: Second Chance Summer
AUTHOR/s: Morgan Matson
PUBLICATION DATE: 8th of May, 2012

AVAILABLE AT: AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY

If there is a singular person who introduced me to what became my brightest burning passion that is reading, it would definitely be my cousin. So, fast forward to several years later, she still is my go-to book buddy and her recs never fail me (except for this one series about vampires and werewolves. It's a no for me.)

Moving on,  I've been hooked by Morgan Matson's previous work so when my cousin basically shoved this book to my face, internally screaming "read thiiiiiis" with tears streaming down her cheeks, I just went on and gave it a shot and yes, I can say that my cousin never fails me. *waves* hi Cuz!

JUST A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE [Book Tour Stop]: Character/s Interview :)

TITLE: Just A Little Bit Of Love
AUTHOR/s: Ines Bautista-Yao
PUBLICATION DATE: 2015

AVAILABLE AT: Amazon

Earlier this year, I reviewed Miss Ines Bautista-Yao's Only A Kiss (check out my review HERE!) Fast forward to months later, she came up with this newest thing of hers- Just A Little Bit of Love: A companion collection of shorts that are set in Only A Kiss universe! Of course, I was extremely thankful to be given a chance to participate in the little blog tour that Miss Ines herself has organized (*squeee* because fave author alert! <3) I'll read anything that has her name as an author hahaha!

Anyway, I wouldn't make this long because I have a little treat for everyone just a little further down: today in Le Bibliophile~, we have the gang from one of the shorts in this collection and I had an amazing chat with them! Go check it out below :D

StrangeLit#1: Fateful turns [Book Tour Stop]: Review :)

TITLE: Fateful Turns (StrangeLit Bundle#1)
AUTHOR/s: Justine Camacho-Tajonera, Nina Tuballes, Carla de Guzman, 

JM Agustin, Sue Donymko, Ren Mayari, Sette Luis, Will J. Sarm, 

Johann Farson, Chi Rodriguez, Rose Gallardo
PUBLICATION DATE: 2015
GENRE: Paranormal, Fantasy
AVAILABLE AT: Buqo 

Despite being a little bit (Read: A LOT) of a scaredy-cat, I've always enjoyed reading and watching stories under the horror, thriller, paranormal, and fantasy genres. I find them interesting especially when they tackle beings that I don't usually see every day.

That is why I was too excited to sign up for this blog tour hosted by Dianne at Oops! I Read A Book Again especially because they are written by Filipino Authors (yay!)

#StrangeLit was a writing class held in 2015. For five weeks, participating authors wrote paranormal/fantasy stories, and this ebook bundle is a collection of work produced during the class. Read more #StrangeLit stories in the anthologies INCREDIBLE TRUTHS, DARKEST DREAMS, and KILLER SEASONS.

Follow the tour for the first bundle here!

(late) Birth Month Book Haul! :)

AUGUST = BOOK LUVIN'

Sample photo for our photography class <3

Hi everyone! Sorry for being MIA for the past few weeks (being a busy bee again because of school.) Anyway, aside from that, I just recently turned 18 last month. Hoorah! *confettis* 

And because August is my birth month, I decided to do something that I don't really practice in the blog: A Book Haul! :D

So yes, even though it's a wee bit late, here's the stash I had last month!

For review:

Overboard by Elizabeth Fama

(ft. my fave book buddy: Pokka's Milk Coffee)

- Check my review HERE!-

Borrowed:

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han

(Thanks to my fave cousin forevs for lending these lovelies @elizalove17)

Birthday Haul:

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Complete Sherlock Holmes 1-2 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Pieces of My Sister's Life by Elizabeth Joy Arnold

Scarlet Nights by Jude Deveraux

Birthday Haul pt. 2:

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Legend by Marie Lu

Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

How about you guys? Any book hauls lately? What should I start with first? Should I do Book Hauls more often? (my wallet wouldn't thank me, though) :)

OVERBOARD [Book Tour Stop]: Review + Excerpt :)

TITLE: Overboard
AUTHOR/s: Elizabeth Fama
PUBLICATION DATE: 9th of June, 2015
(First published: 1st of January, 2002)AVAILABLE AT: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

To be honest, Overboard isn't in the genres I usually read. However, I decided to explore something out of my comfort zone and join the tour organized by Dianne at Oops I Read A Book Again. I was enticed because of its diverse characters and its very realistic plot (considering it was based on a true story.) 

Follow the tour here!

THE HEARTBREAKERS (ARC): A Review :)

TITLE: The Heartbreakers 
(The Heartbreaker Chronicles#1)
AUTHOR/s: Ali Novak
PUBLICATION DATE: 4th of August, 2015

AVAILABLE AT:  AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY

First things first: Happy book birthday, The Heartbreakers!

Secondly, I got accepted on my first netgalley request!

With both of that said, CONFETTI! 

So in celebration of those two special events, I'll be reviewing today Ali Novak's latest work :) I can't wait!

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing a review copy! Receiving one did not affect my views on the book.

(Sound)track It!- "Love, Rosie"

Soundtracking 
Cecelia Ahern's 
Love, Rosie 

~~~

For my first ever (Sound)track it! Post, I'll be featuring a book that I have recently finished and completely adored. Sure, I'm a few years behind since most of my friends have been raving about it for quite some time now. Well, it's better late than never! 

Also known as Where Rainbows End and Rosie Dunne, Love, Rosie is a novel by PS I Love You author Cecelia Ahern and has gathered a whole lot of praises from readers. 

Some time last year, it made the big screen (entitled Love, Rosie) with Lily Collins playing the titular role, Rosie Dunne and Sam Claflin as Alex Stewart. 

I admit that this is one of the rare books which I watched the movie first before reading the book. However, I could say that it did not affect my reading enjoyment that much except that I visualized Rosie and Alex as Lily and Sam. Not complaining, though 'cause I cannot think of any other who could portray my book babies (YES they're my book babies now, too) as well as they did :) I loved the movie as much as I loved the book so I guess no harm done.

Anyway, as I finished this beautiful book at 3am with happy tears in my eyes, I plugged my headphones in and shuffled my playlist. The first song that automatically played reminded me so much of Rosie and Alex's relationship that I just NEEDED to make a playlist for the book.

Here are the top 5 songs I personally think that should be part of the book's (and the movie's!) official soundtrack:

Have you heard?! - "Warm Bodies" sequel DONE!

"Warm Bodies" sequel 
DONE!

~~~

TITLE: Warm Bodies
AUTHOR/s: Isaac Marion
PUBLICATION DATE: 28th of October, 2010

AVAILABLE AT: AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY

Last night, a wonderful news for Warm Bodies fans have circulated in twitterverse: the much anticipated sequel has been finished!

For around five years now, fans have eagerly waited for the said Warm Bodies 2. Occasionally, author Isaac Marion updated his readers on how the writing is coming up but doesn't exactly give out hints on what we should expect (aside that it would definitely be a bigger book- in scope and in pages- compared to the first installment.)

Finally, Isaac Marion tweeted about what readers have been craving for some time now:

See his actual tweet HERE!

Though there is no official cover, synopsis, or expected publication date yet, I'm pretty sure that fans were thrilled to know that the sequel is already finished, and with a title as well: The Living.

For those who haven't read the first book, (why haven't you?!), it's not too late yet! Go grab your copies now 'cause I'm sure you'll love it too! 

Warm Bodies synopsis (via goodreads):

'R' is a zombie. He has no name, no memories and no pulse, but he has dreams. He is a little different from his fellow Dead.

Amongst the ruins of an abandoned city, R meets a girl. Her name is Julie and she is the opposite of everything he knows - warm and bright and very much alive, she is a blast of colour in a dreary grey landscape. For reasons he can't understand, R chooses to save Julie instead of eating her, and a tense yet strangely tender relationship begins.

This has never happened before. It breaks the rules and defies logic, but R is no longer content with life in the grave. He wants to breathe again, he wants to live, and Julie wants to help him. But their grim, rotting world won't be changed without a fight...

EXTRAORDINARY MEANS: A Review :)

"Life goes on until it doesn't"

TITLE: Extraordinary Means
AUTHOR/s: Robyn Schneider
PUBLICATION DATE: 26th of May, 2015

AVAILABLE AT: AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY

Ahh! The much hyped Robyn Schneider book, Extraordinary Means. I haven't really read anything from the author (The Beginning of Everything has been stuck on my TBR for as long as I could remember) but since she recently came here in PH (#KMRinPH ?) I thought maybe I should finally give her a try.

My friends, both in the blogosphere and in real life, have been raving about how awesomesauce Extraordinary Means was. This made me excited and nervous at the same time. I'm not sure the book would live up to my expectations. I usually try to not get with the hype but the reviews of some of my trusted bloggers are so enthusiastic that I just couldn't help but be swept with it. 

I've been delaying writing this review for a couple of days now because I don't exactly know what to write. I feel so conflicted but nevertheless, I'll try my best haha :)

CHOCO CHIP HIPS: A Review :)

"So will you stay?"

TITLE: Choco Chip Hips
AUTHOR/s: Agay Llanera
PUBLICATION DATE: 16th of July, 2015

AVAILABLE AT: AMAZON | SMASHWORDS

A couple of days ago, I've seen that wonderful cover above circulating around twitterverse and I learned that it was the the newest and the first YA book of a Filipina author. I've read a previous work of Agay Llanera before (Vintage Love) which I really enjoyed. I wanted to read her other book, Once Upon A Player, but I haven't had the chance 'cause I don't have a copy yet lol maybe sometime soon? 

Anyway, I was thrilled when Miss Mina Esguerra gave away a copy of Choco Chip Hips which I obviously grabbed at once! Even though I still have a handful of currently-reading's, I eagerly started on this one because I think I need a break from all the "heavy" YA's that I've been consecutively reading for the past few weeks. I could say that it is one of the best decisions I've ever made this week :)

FROM A DISTANT STAR: A Review :)

TITLE: From A Distant Star
AUTHOR/s: Karen McQuestion
PUBLICATION DATE: 19th of May 2015
AVAILABLE AT: Amazon | Book Depository 

 

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing a review copy! Receiving one did not affect my views on the book.

So a few weeks ago, I made my very own Netgalley account! Isn’t that superb?! I was actually planning on doing so immediately when I first started blogging but I was too scared before since it sounded too professional. But now, I finally did and I got my first review copy! Yay! :)

I read a wide diversity of book genres, sure, but sci-fi isn’t exactly a favorite. Nevertheless, Karen McQuestion’s From A Distant Star seemed interesting so I gave it a shot. Here are some of my thoughts! :)

FALLING FROM THE SKY: A Review :)

"What would you do if you were falling from the sky?"

TITLE: Falling From The Sky
AUTHOR/s: Nikki Godwin
PUBLICATION DATE: 21st of February, 2014
AVAILABLE AT: Amazon | Book Depository 

 

I'm pretty sure that most, if not everyone, has been drowning in rainbows for the past couple of weeks (because #LoveWins! :D) And all that hype gave me the mood to read something LGBTQIA related. Since I've been hearing so many good things about Nikki Godwin's Falling From The Sky (especially because of Julie @ Books and Insomnia's review) I decided to give it a shot.

I'll admit that I was hesitant at first. Her other LGBTQIA-themed book, Breaking Saint Jude, is actually the one I wanted to check out but since I don't have a copy of it yet *ehem ehem* I settled on this one. 

I'm really glad I did! :D

THE CROWN OF PTOLEMY: A Review :)

(No spoiler review. Go Read!) 

TITLE: The Crown of Ptolemy
(Kane Chronicle-Percy Jackson Crossover#3)
AUTHOR/s: Rick Riordan
PUBLICATION DATE: 31st of March, 2015

The Kane Siblings + Percabeth + A Percy First Person POV = Perfection.

THIS. This is what almost every fan has been waiting for and I sure was not disappointed! I was really glad that the four of them (Percy, Annabeth, Carter, and Sadie) was in it together -as what I actually wanted after reading The Staff of Serapis (which I reviewed HERE by the way)

I'm really excited to fangirl with you guys so let's get started! :)

On the grill! [1] - Re-reading: Yay or Nay?

Re-reading: Yay or Nay?

~~~

A few days back, I finished re-reading Jenny Han's To All the Boys I've Loved Before in preparation for reading its sequel: P.S. I Still Love You. I still got the same feels (*squee*) but of course, the excitement is a rung lower than when I first read it since I already knew the plot twists and how it would end. However, it allowed me to see the little things I've missed before (and it also helped me to finally pick a side between Peter K and Josh since after reading it for the first time, I was still confused on who to root for lol)

It is not an unknown fact that I have an extremely long TBR pile so I actually think it over several times whether to re-read a book or not. Eventually I do, if the "craving" to re-read is still there after a week or so. Sometimes, I re-read when I'm in a reading slump. Another thing I consider is the length of the book. I don't think I would read something over again if it's 500+ pages long (there are exceptions, of course)

Because it's my first ever discussion post (yay! *confetti*), I invited some of my favorite bloggers around the blogosphere to share their thoughts on whether re-reading is actually a good idea or a total waste of time.

P.S. I STILL LOVE YOU: A Review :)

"Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of what makes it so amazing"

*SPOILERS AHEAD! Proceed with caution!*

TITLE: P.S. I Still Love You 
(To All the Boys I've Loved Before #2)*
AUTHOR/s: Jenny Han
PUBLICATION DATE: 26th of May, 2015
AVAILABLE AT: Amazon | Book Depository 

 

*Check out my review of the first book To All the Boys I've Loved Before HERE!
**And, for Filipino readers, check out this amazing review of P.S. I Still Love You by Leng HERE! which actually expressed most of my un-expressible emotions quite well.

It's only been a couple of hours since I finished one of my most anticipated reads this year. No other than Jenny Han's P.S. I Still Love You. I don't know how to start right now but I NEED to let it out or else, my fangirl heart would probably burst out of feels.

This is going to be long and I would probably be incoherent (because!!!!!) but please bear with me :) I have a feeling it'll be pretty long too haha ^^ 

THE FANGIRL'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY: A Review :)

"I am a fangirl, a feminist, and a force to be reckoned with."

TITLE: The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy: 
A Handbook for Girl Geeks
AUTHOR/s: Sam Maggs
PUBLICATION DATE: 1st of January, 2015
AVAILABLE AT: Amazon | Book Depository 

 

It's not uncommon knowledge to anybody who knows me that I'm a self-proclaimed Fangirl. That's why when I first saw this title (at Carmel and Kyla. Thank you girls!) I instantly needed to devour this beauty! (and that's saying a lot coming from someone who rarely reads non-fiction)

Fortunately I managed to do so a few weeks later! Yay! Here are some of my thoughts :)

DOROTHY MUST DIE: STORIES: A Review :)

(Minor spoiler review! Go Read!)

TITLE: Dorothy Must Die: Stories
AUTHOR/s: Danielle Paige

PUBLICATION DATE: 3rd of March, 2015
GENRE: YA Fantasy, Retelling
AVAILABLE AT: Amazon | The Book Depository

This series of review is actually long overdue but better late than never, eh? :)

So a couple of weeks back, I've read and reviewed Danielle Paige's Dorothy Must Die and its sequel The Wicked Will Rise (check out my back to back review HERE!) And today, I'm very much excited to share with you guys my thoughts on the series' companion book which is a compilation of three, YES THREE, e-novellas in the Dorothy Must Die Universe! How awesomesauce is that? 

Let's do this!

Book Spotlight + Excerpt: Also Known As Lard Butt - Ann Herrick

TITLE: Also Known As Lard Butt
AUTHOR/s: Ann Herrick
PUBLICATION DATE: 4th of May, 2015
AVAILABLE AT: Amazon 

Laura discovers that Ricky, the boy who created her horrible nickname, "Lard Butt," has moved back into town—and immediately schemes to keep him quiet. After all, she can't let her new swim teammates, especially drool-worthy Noah, hear the horrible name! No way!

She's determined to put a million years between grade school and junior high—even in the face of a father who drives an éclair, a would-be-movie-star mother who suddenly moves back home, and a past that comes back to haunt her with the dreaded nickname.

Although Laura's embarrassed about how she looks in a swimsuit, she tries to stay true to her vow to take risks. She even lets Maria talk her into going to the school dance, where she braves negotiating a truce for a quarreling couple. New friendships form, Laura's mother starts getting too domesticated for Laura's comfort, and hints of romance start to develop—or do they?

Dorothy Must Die + The Wicked Will Rise: Review :)

"There's a new girl in town. And she has a mission."

(Spoilers ahead! Proceed with caution!)
*I suggest reading the books first because spoilers*

Thanks a lot for lending @WalkinLibrary !

I've been wanting to start this series since like- forever. But I don't really know why this series got stuck at the bottom of my TBR pile. Probably it was lack of time or maybe it's because there are other books which I prioritized.

One day, however, a new friend of mine (Hi Apollo! *waves*) offered to lend me his copies of the series after I've mentioned wanting to read them. And I'm glad he gave this little push to get me started!

I'm so excited to share my thoughts because feeeeeeeels! Brace yourselves, it's going to be one loooooong post! And yes, probably my longest post ever. (forgive the overuse of .gifs. It's the only way I could convey my emotions with this loss for words feeling)

*I repeat, this review is peppered with spoilers. I highly recommend NOT reading it if you do not want to be spoiled :) 

Buqo YA Bundle#5: Perfect Moments [Book Tour Stop] Review + Giveaway :)

TITLE: Perfect Moments (Buqo YA Bundle#5)
AUTHOR/s: Charm Jacinto, Jessica Larsen, Sue Donymko,
KZ Riman, Madelyn Tuviera, Audrine Pascal

PUBLICATION DATE: 2015
GENRE: Contemporary romance
AVAILABLE AT: Buqo 

My support for fellow Filipino writers is not a big secret.

Actually, I wanted to try joining this "workshop" headed by Miss Mina Esguerra but my hectic University Schedule prevented me from doing so. That is why when I heard that Dianne from Oops! I Read A Book Again is organizing tours for #BuqoYA works, I didn't second-guess!

Follow the tour for the fifth and final bundle here! Hooray!

My Bundle#1: Taking Chances review + excerpts HERE!
My Bundle#2: Sweet Complications review + excerpts HERE!
My Bundle#3: Finding Fairytales review + excerpts HERE!
My Bundle#4: Heart Choices review + excerpts HERE!