Bookish Babble [4] - Goodbye, July! (Monthly Recap)

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July Monthly Recap!
(Reads, hauls, and other shenanigans)

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We're halfway through 2018 (YAHOO!) and who says you can't make a big change mid-year?

I guess the biggest change I got is that I finally get to do this kind of stuff. I never thought I’d actually last around to share something recap-worthy (I know I'm a few days late but gimme a break!) These past months that I've been on hiatus, I've experienced lots of milestones - both in real life and in the bookish sense. I finally graduated (yay!) and actually got a job (double yay?) So yes, I'm legitimately adulting and that's the best excuse I can give for being inactive *ugly cries*

Anyway, adulting definitely has its perks. I've expanded the places I can go to (I still have no sense of direction whatsoever though), and I finally get to participate in so many bookish activities that I've only been seeing through my feeds before such as book signings and events! Ya girl finally went to MIBF and attended her first ever International author signing (waves to Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian) 

Also, because earning my own moolah now, I can HOARD ALL I WANT MWAHAHAHA! Well, actually not as much as I want to (because fresh grad job huhu) but still! Way more significant that the little ones I've been getting before - but I got to participate in nationwide sales and book bazaars such as the Big Bad Wolf and the NBS Book Binge Bazaar so yay!

Anyway, I know it was supposed to be a July recap - not a recap of whatever happened these past months but hey! It's my first time doing this! I'm just so glad to feel like I'm actually ~part~ of the community now. Wow I feel so legit???

Anyway, here's a quick run through of my July adventures. Roll!

Bookish Babble [3] - Bookworms Unite PH Year 4 Recap + Giveaway!

#BookwormsUnitePH
Year 4 Recap!

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I know I’ve been MIA in the blogging sphere recently but attending my very first #BookwormsUnitePH is definitely something worth talking and sharing about. Plus, maybe this can serve as a springboard for my comeback? :)

Anyway, for anyone who follow me on twitter, you'll know I’ve been wanting to attend BU since its very first year but things haven’t been in my favor and stuff kept coming up that I had to tell myself “next year, for sure” 

2 years ago when I still CAN'T make it to Bookworms Unite PH 3 :(

FINALLY, after years of waiting, the stars have aligned and I am officially going to BU Year 4! You know I’m very excited that I signed up the very moment the preregistration opened and ended up being the first one to register haha! 

See that 001 right there? That's how excited I was!

So for all who’ve missed out on this year (who wants to experience the fun even through secondhand feels) and to those who attended (who wants to relive the day!) Sit back, relax, and brace yourself for incoming fangirling feels as I attempt to get myself together for this recap!

*Please bear with the long post, I waited 4 years for this! Plus, the event was really packed with so many things you just gotta know!

ALL THAT GLITTERS - Ines Bautista Yao {Filipino Friday Review}

#FilipinoFriday [8]

All That Glitters
- Ines Bautista-Yao

TITLE: All That Glitters
AUTHOR/s: Ines Bautista Yao
PUBLICATION DATE: 2017

AVAILABLE AT:  PRINT COPIES (from the author)

AMAZON!

Happy e-book birthday All that Glitters! In celebration of it, I want to share my thoughts with you guys (even though I've first read it in a physical copy - available with other Sparks Book on bookstores nationwide!) 

On the Grill! [3] - Perfect Night-In Starter Pack?

Perfect Night-In
Starter Pack?

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I personally consider myself as someone who greatly enjoys the company of others. Maybe not in the party and bar scene but staying up late for hours and hours just to catch up with friends is not a new thing to me. In fact, I actually look forward to those kind of talks especially when it feels like the whole world is quiet except for me and my peers.

However, like most ambiverted bookworms out there, I still appreciate an ol' comfy me-time. Sometimes, we just need to de-stress and recharge our social batteries and simply be left on our own. Of course, this doesn't mean that we like being lonely. It's just that sometimes, we feel the need to really breathe and do things that makes us happy... alone.

That's why when Leesa's Mattresses reached out to me a while back and asked what are my perfect essentials for a night in, I had to say yes (despite my super busy sched) because it's something I want to share with you guys! So without any more delay, here's my top Ailla-time companions!

WAITING IN THE WINGS - Tara Frejas {Filipino Friday Review + Excerpt + Giveaway}

#FilipinoFriday [7]

Waiting in the Wings
- Tara Frejas

TITLE: Waiting in the Wings
AUTHOR/s: Tara Frejas
PUBLICATION DATE: 21st  of February, 2017

AVAILABLE AT: AMAZON

A week back, I've shared with you guys the cover for Tara Frejas' latest work - Waiting in the Wings! And now, for the second part of the tour, I'm so excited to share my thoughts AND a sneak peek on what you can expect in this beauty!

Without further ado, here's my review! (Thank you so much, Miss Tara Frejas for this opportunity!)

*curtain rises*

Do go around and check out others' tour stop of Tara Frejas' Waiting in the Wings!

SOMEDAY WITH YOU AND OTHER STORIES - Ines Bautista Yao {Filipino Friday Review}

#FilipinoFriday [5]

Someday With You 
and Other Stories
- Ines Bautista Yao

TITLE: Someday With You and Other Stories
AUTHOR/s: Ines Bautista Yao
PUBLICATION DATE: 22nd of October, 2016

AVAILABLE AT:  PRINT COPIES (from the author)

+ Ebook version will be up on Amazon by February 1st!

Back at it again with #FilipinoFriday and my never ending love for anthologies! Recently, last December to be exact, I rekindled my passion for binge-ing on compilations. It did not only cure my reading slump but also, reminded me how much I enjoy reading short stories.

That is why when Miss Ines Bautista Yao (AKA my fave PH author ever) proposed having a street team for her anthology Someday With You and Other Stories, I did not hesitate to say yes! Aside from simply being in love with her writing, I am actually excited to see more of her short stories since Plain Vanilla (which I've heard would be available in paperback soon eep!) 

For now, here are some of my thoughts and feelings for Someday With You, One Last Thing, and Things I'll Never Say!

Bookish Babble [2] - Post-Internship Book Haul!

Post-Internship Book Haul!
('cause Summit Books are the best!)

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Classes are about to start again (for us Thomasians, anyway) but I haven't really felt the "vacation vibes." Not complaining though! Because I just spent the best break ever - interning at my dream company: Summit Media! Being at Summit is one of my biggest #careergoals ever since my aunt introduced me to it and I've always wanted to go there (even just for an internship haha!) The experience was pretty amazing especially seeing how things work "behind the scenes" and actually being part of it. Another thing I liked about interning here was that I was able to meet people! Celebs, writers, journalists, editors, fashion icons, DJs and so many more that I never would've thought I'd see in the flesh! I even met some people I look up to whom I just talk with in social media (which I talked about HERE!) 

Last day of "work" :(

Of course, my last but definitely not the least favorite of all: books! During my last bookish babble post, I mentioned getting my Ines Bautista-Yao books signed (yay!) But aside from those, I also had a last-minute mini haul before my last day of internship. So thrilled to share it with you guys! :)

MAYBE THIS TIME - C.P. Santi {Filipino Friday Review}

#FilipinoFriday [4]

Maybe This Time
- C.P. Santi

TITLE: Maybe This Time
AUTHOR/s: C.P. Santi
PUBLICATION DATE: 3rd of June, 2016

AVAILABLE AT:  AMAZON

I honestly feel guilty for this late, late review! I got a free copy of this anthology from the author herself (the birthday girl that time hihi hello Ms. Santi! *waves*) and was actually looking forward to diving into this but unfortunately, I wasn't able to until just recently :(

Anyway, I first read the author back when I participated in the tour for Buqo YA bundle 3: Finding Fairytales and read When Cocoy Became Kikay. Since then, I knew her works would be an auto-read for me not only because her writing is such a beauty but also because she's really nice (plus points too 'cause co-Thomasian!) 

Oh well, better late than never! And I'm really glad that Maybe This Time isn't just part of #FilipinoFriday but also, is my first review that is related to #BuwanNgMgaAkdangPinoy yay! Loving that my birth month is also a month of celebrating something I really enjoy *hearts*

THE SUMMER OF LOST WISHES - Jessa Gabrielle {Book Spotlight}

Summer reads are always my thing whatever the time of the year is. The sandy beaches, cottages, palm trees, and of course, the potential start of another adventure!

With Jessa Gabrielle's debut novel, all these will be brought to readers without even leaving the comfort of their own homes. Plus, it has a lovely cover! *hearts!*

A quick thank you to YA Bound Book Tours for organizing this event and allowing me to participate! :)

Bookish Babble [1] - Bookish Meet-ups!

Bookish Meet-ups!
(AKA meeting a few people in the bookworms' world!)

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So yesterday was a day that most book lovers and bloggers have been looking forward to for weeks: #BookwormsUnitePH! 

On its second year, Bookworms Unite is an event hosted by amazing book bloggers in PH which, hopefully, becomes an annual event! Unfortunately, like last year, I still wasn't able to go because reasons (boohoo).

Fact: I've been blogging for quite some time now, yet, I still haven't been into any "real" bookish event which means so far, I still haven't officially met any friends in the blogosphere nor any of my fave authors (hear my heart break). 

On the brighter side, despite not being able to make it to these said events, the past few weeks have been amazing since I started my internship at Summit Media *yay* I have always dreamed of being in this company and now that I'm here even if it's just for OJT, it still feels surreal especially being surrounded (and interacting!!!) with the great minds behind the amazing stuff I've been reading in magazines (read: Candy, Cosmopolitan, K-zone, Total Girl, Yummy, etc.) and books (Summit Books, buqo.ph, etc.). 

However, I never really thought that I'll be meeting people from the bookish community here at Summit aside from Editors-in-chief, publishers, and writers whom I admire.

Want to find out who they are? Read on!

THE BYE BYE BOUQUET - Chi Yu Rodriguez {Filipino Friday Review}

#FilipinoFriday [3]

The Bye Bye Bouquet

- Chi Yu Rodriguez

TITLE: The Bye Bye Bouquet
AUTHOR/s: Chi Yu Rodriguez
PUBLICATION DATE: 14th of February, 2016

AVAILABLE AT:  AMAZON | PRINT

Yay for another dose of some Filipino luvin' <3 And for today, we have here on the blog Chi Yu Rodriguez' The Bye Bye Bouquet!

For those who don't know: Most local authors and readers (including myself) have 'pledged' to boost their support of Filipino-authored books this 2016 and thus, the burst of little projects that could help Filipino writers get their works out there (click the Share The Love banner to know more!)

One of them is #FilipinoFriday which I learned from Miss April. The experiment is quite simple: You- yes, you- can have the opportunity to read works of Filipino authors under the romance class catalog (http://romanceclassbooks.com/) in exchange of an honest review and a little social media blast. Click the #FilipinoFriday banner to know more!

*Thanks to Miss April (@iambinibini) for providing a review copy! Receiving one did not affect my views on the book.

UNA & MIGUEL - Lilledeshan Bose {Filipino Friday Review}

#FilipinoFriday [2]

Una & Miguel 
- Lilledeshan Bose

TITLE: Una & Miguel
AUTHOR/s: Lilledeshan Bose
PUBLICATION DATE: 2012

AVAILABLE AT:  Amazon

A couple of months ago, I received an advanced Valentines' Day gift from a friend (shoutout to my fab bookish friend, @WalkinLibrary!) It was a book he's been recommending to me because he knows how much I support locally published works (and he said that the lead character reminds him of me lol) Since it fits the theme of the annual celebration (and it was a gift for that event), I decided to spend Valentines reading this beauty :)

So today, although it seems waaaay overdue, I'm sharing my thoughts about my Feb. 14 read: Lilledeshan Bose's Una & Miguel :)

On the grill! [2] - Dream Literary Collection

Dream Literary Collection

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Imagine that I won the lottery but the only things I could spend on are books. I wonder what I would buy with all of those? Probably shop on bookstores and buy everything I want!

Months ago, Ryan from invaluable.com contacted me and asked if I wanted to be part of a little project that their team is working on - and I said yes!

Just backtracking a bit, invaluable.com is a basically a haven for collectors all over the globe. From jewelry, clocks, antiques to even first edition and signed copies of books for sale! Upon going through their website, I discovered other collectibles and knick-knacks that I'm sure most of you guys would fancy. Considering how much of a packrat/hoarder/collector I am, I did actually enjoy sifting through their website.

Going back, Ryan asked me and other bloggers around the blogsphere to come up with our own dream literary collection. As a big fan of these beauties, I found it hard to decide which ones to include (because books are BOOKS! You'd want to have 'em all!) but as went through my shelf (and Goodreads Account) I realized which ones I definitely must-have in my collection and I'm really glad to be able to share what they are to all of you (and just in case some generous people out there would want to 'gift' them *ahem*) :)

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

Soundtracking 
Cecelia Ahern's 
Love, Rosie 

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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!

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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...

Have you heard?! - "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" on its way to the big screen!

Jenny Han's To All the Boys I've Loved Before on its way to the big screen!

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Yes, you've read it right! Just a few months after the big success of YA author Jenny Han's To All the Boys I've Loved Before, it is now on the book-to-movie path!

The said bestseller has been optioned by Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment and to pen the adaptation is Annie Neal, who made it to the Black List last year for her Beauty Queen script.