catching up

New Year, New Books! :)

But before I go into my TBR for the first quarter of this year, I still have to write about the books I managed to finish for the last quarter (more like last half) of the past year.  I was not actually able to finish some of the items on my TBR since work kinda caught up on my reading time (excuses...excuses...).

Anyways, I had some time to catch up on my reading last December since I underwent major surgery and was on medical leave for a month.  So that was one achievement I had during my recovery period (and house arrest haha!).

Below are some of the books I finished:

I will write more about them in the next few days (promise!).  All I can say is that I really loved them all (pang-artista lang :P).  Cuckoo's Calling was a surprise, though I really don't have any doubts about JKR's writing. But all I can say is that I was pleasantly surprised by it.  House of Hades did not disappoint, at this point it only increased my impatience waiting for the next book.  Divergent was also good, but I need to take a breather first before delving into Insurgent.  Thus, I picked up The Ocean at the End of the Lane, which I couldn't put down.

So there.  Now, am currently reading A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness.  Am thinking if I should read Shadow and Bone (Grisha Trilogy) by Leigh Bardugo next or do I move on to reading Insurgent :) (hmm... decisions, decisions...).

Till next time! - M

backtracking

Hi there! :)

It's been almost a month since my last post.  August to October were super hectic and workload was crazy and try as I might, I was not able to post as much.  I was not even able to finish my TBR pile for July - August, but I did read a bit - THAT I managed to squeeze in.  Otherwise I would've gone insane :P.

So looking back, below is my TBR for July- August:

I was only able to finish The Demonologist, How They Met, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist and the Eyre Affair.   Here are my thoughts on these books:

1. The Demonologist (Andrew Pyper) - This book gave me quite a scare! The way the book was written really fuels the imagination, and boy, do I have one hyperactive brain.  The book is about a demonologist who does not actually believe. Due to this lack of belief he was subjected to a number of events orchestrated by a demon, for him to believe in their existence.  The plot refers quite a bit to Milton's Paradise Lost but you don't actually have to read it first to understand the novel.
2. How They Met and Other Stories (David Levithan) - this book is a compilation of short stories with love as its central theme.  It deals with a number of different relationships: straight, gay, lesbian, but it was all written beautifully.  The stories express a number of emotions linked to love: longing, lust, happiness, among others.  It displays Levithan's creativity and how he sees love as a universal emotion that binds people together. Nice read indeed :)
3. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist (David Levithan) - I liked this book, simply because it has a number of things and emotions embedded in the story, though at first, the story seems quite ordinary.  I liked how the story evolved and how I got to know Nick and Norah more.  Both of them have issues and both were given equal time in the spotlight for the reader to understand and appreciate both characters.  Plus I like the notion that there is a someone meant for somebody and that a broken heart can be mended by finding the right person :)
4.  The Eyre Affair (Jasper Fforde) - the book started quite slow for me, but it took off after a while.  Thursday Next, the lead character is a Literary Detective whose main job is to catch Literary Offenders.  Overall, it is an enjoyable read, taking you to an alternate world where characters in books can jump pages into the real world and vise versa, where criminals have certain powers that defy the rules of physics and worms that eat punctuations and prepositions, instead of leaves, exist.

So, that's that for my shortened July - August TBR.

I did read a few more books after that,  I read House of Hades by Rick Riordan (Heroes of Olympus Book 4) last Saturday (yep, excited much! I finished it in less than a week!) and am now currently reading the Cuckoo's Calling by Roberth Galbraith aka JK Rowling :) Will write my thoughts on that and post it hopefully soon.

So what else have I been  up to?  My friend Ayie and I went to the Manila International Book Fair in SMX Convention Center on the last day, September 15.  We were surprised to find the venue packed!  We initially thought it was due to a number of other activities being held there on the same day, which included a Cosplay event and the UAAP Cheerdance Competition (UP Fight !!!! ). But it turned out that the Book Fair was really packed!  Was quite happy about it though, cause it means there are a lot of people still interested in books! Yay! :)

I got me a number of books that time but my biggest regret was not getting a Larousse Gastronomique which was on sale at 500.00 Php only! sheesh :(

Oh well ... hope Larousse will still be there next year :)

Till next time! :)

- M

July - August TBR Pile

Its been a while since my last entry and to start things off, I am posting my July - August TBR.  The books I have on the list are some of the books I am itching to read for some time now.  Without further ado, here is my required reading list for the next two months:

1.  Nancy Drew #1 ; The Secret of the Old Clock (Carloyn Keene) - yup, that's right, Nancy Drew!  Since I wrote in an entry a few months (or weeks) back that I want to collect Nancy Drew books and read them all, I am re-starting my Nancy Drew experience with the first book of the series.

2.  The Eyre Affair (Jasper Fforde) - It took me a while to read this since it also took me quite a while to find it and if there are available sequels to the book available in the local bookstores.  The book first came to my attention when I read a review about it online.  I googled it and I liked the plot and the story, so here it is now.  I hope by the time I finish this, I can easily find the next book in the series.

3.  Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist (Rachel Cohn and David Levithan) - So begins my David Levithan book journey.  I loved Every Day and since then I tried to get my hands on any Levithan book available.  I am especially curious on this book since some people I know saw the movie and really loved it, I'm betting the book would be even better :)

4.  Boy Meets Boy (David Levithan) - I haven't exactly read an LGBT novel before this and I am quite excited about this book to say the least.  The good reviews I read also added to my curiosity and I spent quite a while looking for it since it was mostly out of stock.  It seems like other readers out there have the same idea on getting their hands on this book like I did.  I found a copy after 3 weeks.

5.  How They Met and other Stories (David Levithan) - the 3rd Levithan book on my list.  I like the fact that the book is a collection of stories.  I think I would start off my Levithan journey this month with this one so I can get acquainted with his early writing style. 

6.  Paper Towns (John Green) - I have been reading John Green Books for the past months and it was always such a reading pleasure.  I will be posting my reviews on Looking for Alaska and the Fault in our Stars soon.  Its quite obvious that I like his books and that is why I am so excited to read this one.

7.  The Demonologist (Andrew Pyper) - When I picked this book up from Fully Booked I was not able to put it down.  I was quite intrigued by the book's plot.  I loved The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova and this book is right along that alley.  Likewise, it has been a long time since I read anything from that genre.

So that's it, my TBR list for the next two months.  Looking forward to reading during the coming rainy days while sipping hot coffee :)

Till next time! :)

-M

May Book Haul :)

Since its still my birth month and therefore, I still would like to think its my birthday (haha!:P), I splurged a bit on my book purchases for this month (happy bibliophile doing the dance of joy).

I went to Bonifacio High Street on the eve of my birthday, May 4, to have dinner and hang out at Fully Booked :)  I sooo love that branch !  I can get lost in the bookshelves there for hours!  However, since I was with my cousins, Ghina and Regine, and my friend Ayie, and we still have other stuff to do, I was just there for, I think about 2 hours or so (bitin!). Ayie and Regine did not mind the my book geekiness since they were both into books too, but Ghina was another story :P.  Let's just say that clothes are more her thing, by the end of the second hour she was constantly whispering to my ear that she's hungry hahahaha!  I handed her an Archie comic to kinda get her in the mood, but it worked for like only 30 minutes!  Oh well :)

 Pre-Birthday Book Haul

Last week, May 18, I went to Fully Booked BHS again to attend the Travel Writing Seminar with my friends Ayie and Gen.  I kinda got in late, but I still got to take away some pointers that can help me in my writing :)  The most exciting part for me last Saturday was that they were on sale! 20% off on most books! :) Yey!  So, obviously I got me some more books.  Though I made significant progress on my TBR pile, the last 2 weeks added another layer to it.  BUT, hey, no complaints here!  :D

Post birthday Book Haul :D

Till next time! :)

-M

Of Broken Hearts, Pain and Moving On

Another month is coming to a close and as I manage to trim down my TBR for May and June, below is my take on the books I have read so far.  Plus, I also included my pending thoughts on Why We Broke Up from  my March April TBR list.

Broken Hearts, Pain and Moving on is the central theme of the 4 books I finished.  It involves different perspectives and situations but I like the fact that all the characters I have come to like, and some I really do love in these books, all manage to come to TERMs with their realities, however painful it may be and find the strength and the motivation to move on to a better place.

Why We broke Up

(Daniel Handler)

Min is the central character of the story. It is her voice, her experiences and her feelings that we come to share.  I, for one, can relate to her feelings, how she felt, and how she wanted to explain everything to Ed and take him back to the things she thought were important to both of them.  And eventually use all of these to make him realize why they broke up.  Each item served as a poignant reminder of that tingly feeling Min called love, or more likely the kilig factor associated with love and the pain of not being able to feel that again with Ed.

I love how I was able to see and feel how Min's love for Ed developed and how she knew by the end of the story that one day she will be able to smile again, without Ed in the picture.

I also love how the book was presented, the illustrations did not just add value to the book, it added another layer of feeling as well, an added depth to the story if you may.  I cannot imagine reading the book without the illustrations, the experience would not be the same.

Creep

(Jennifer Hillier)

Creep is psychological thriller which involves the affair between a psych professor and her grad student, who turned out  to have huge issues.  When Dr. Sheila Tao broke off her affair with her student, Ethan Hawke, to marry her fiance, all hell broke loose.  The classic case of if he cannot have her, no one else can.  There are twists in the story that are kinda expected but there was one that I didn't see coming, and that changed things for me.  

It was a good read, not as fast-paced as the last book I read from this genre, Gone Girl, but it was enough to keep me reading.  There were some slow parts but overall I liked it :)  I cannot wait to read the next installment, Freak, which is now also available in paperback.

The Fault in Our Stars

(John Green)

I heard a lot of things before I even got my hands on this book.  Mostly good things, but one thing stood out

the most, it would break my heart.  And it did.

Augustus and Hazel are star-crossed lovers, in the sense that they both have cancer and they are both holding on to borrowed time.  Given the premise of the story, I loved that there are light moments and witty dialogues.  It kinda takes away the gravity of their situation and gives the reader a chance to get to know the characters more.  There was a line in the book that says something about letting their disease define who they are and that should not be the case.  They should be remembered more on who they are as people and not as cancer victims.  

The book was written beautifully.  I loved it.  I kept putting off reading it since I knew I would be heartbroken after I read it but, still, it is an excellent read.

Archie in "Will You Marry Me?"

Archie getting married after, like 60 years, is something I wanted to read.  Like most people, I grew up reading Archie and him finally choosing one girl is indeed something I would want to know!

The compilation was quite pricey but I could not let this pass! I have to read who marries who and what happens to either Betty and Veronica if Archie chooses one over the other.  And I was not disappointed.  There are two storylines depicting both of Archie's choices.  My heart still goes out to Betty.  I wanted Archie to pick her every since I started reading the series :)

There are now 3 more installments to this comic.  Archie: The Married Life Series now has 3 books.

So there it is... looking forward to finishing the rest of my required reading for May-June :) 

Till next time!

- M

patience and courage

I saw this post this morning on my FB timeline and I just want to share it :

Quote is from Paulo Coelho's book Manuscript found in Accra.  I am soooo getting this book :)

Have a great Tuesday !

-M

*post from Paulo Coelho's Facebook page

May - June TBR

well hello there! :)

Presenting my TBR for May to June! :)

I still need to write about Why We Broke Up, all I can say for now is that I loooved it :).  I still have two carryovers from my TBR last month though: Write Here, Write Now and the Song of Achilles.  Counting that and the 9 books above equals 11 books.  I do hope to finish all of them by end of June.

I am quite excited to read John Green's The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska since I read quite a number of good reviews.  It was quite a while before I got my hands on a copy though, since most of the time both these books were out of stock in the bookstores I frequently visit. 

The Mango Bride is a recommendation from an old friend.  Her cousin, who is also a Palanca Awardee, wrote the book.

Creep is a psychological thriller I am currently reading. I got the book last September 2012 during the Manila International Book Fair and haven't gotten around to reading it.  But now that I am reading it, I can't seem to put it down :)

My pick me-ups and light reading list is kinda long this time: Emily the Strange (3 books!) and Archie Wedding and The Married Life Book 1.

Looking forward to reading all of these books in the coming weeks.  I can already picture myself sitting on  a comfortable couch in a corner of a cafe, sipping coffee and losing myself in my books.  Aaaahhh... if only I could do that often! 

Till next time!

-M

Book Buys (April 2013)

Soooo, May is just around the corner and I have been itching to get me some new books, aaaannnd I did ... last weekend annnnd the weekend before that .... :P

I was at Megamall and was basically just killing time last Saturday afternoon since it was soooo hot out.  My main purpose was to look for some work clothes and shorts as part of my AC/PD project (Article of Clothing per Pay Day).  Will explain this in another post though :) basically, its a personal project to update my wardrobe.  So, I passed by Powerbooks to buy Mango Bride by Marivi Soliven since an old friend recommended it and I got lost (as I always do) in the shelves and ended up buying 3 more books: John Green's Looking for Alaska, Rob Reger's Emily the Strange: Piece of Mind and Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.

Prior to my book buying spree last Saturday, I also got some books the weekend before hehehehe =)  I got John Green's Paper Towns and Fault in Our Stars in NBS and two more Emily the Strange books: Dark Times and Stranger and Stranger in Powerbooks :)

I will post my May-June TBR list soon, but I am already reading Creep by Jennifer Hillier, though I haven't quite finished Write Here, Write Now and The Song of Achilles yet :p

looking forward to reading these! :)

Till next time! :)

-M

March and April TBR

The bibliophile in me is screaming, telling me to make a significant dent in my TBR list, so as promised (to myself that is), to help me with my reading, I will post my TBR list every two months and try to write about it after I finished reading it.  So, for March and April, here are the books I plan to read and hopefully finish haha! :)


1.  Every Day - David Levithan
2.  Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs
3.  Emily the Strange: The Lost Days - Rob Reger and Jessica Gruner
4.  Why We Broke Up - Daniel Handler
5.  GOne Girl - Gillian Flynn
6.  Write Here Write Now - AA Patawaran
7.  The Song of Achilles (ebook) - Madeline Miller

lezzz do dizzz :)

October TBR List

My reading pace slowed down a bit the past two months, so what I am going to do for October is to set up a TBR list.  This might help me from getting distracted (by other books :P) and of course to catch up on my reading :)

Here's the list I came up with:

1.  I Am Number Four (Pittacus Lore) - I have been wanting to read this for quite a while now, but I haven't been able to grab a copy.  During the last MIBF at SM MOA, I got the whole set including The Lost Files :P  I am halfway through the first one and I hope to finish it this month.

2.  The Power of Six (Pittacus Lore) - being the OC that I am, I need to read this book right after the first one :D  Plus the fact that I read a number of good reviews for the Lorien Legacies.

3.  Creep (Jennifer Hillier) - since I read the synopsis at Amazon.com, I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of this book.  I was really happy when I saw a paperback copy at NBS.  Its been a while since I read a psychological thriller, my last being Dark Places by Gillian Flynn, so I am really excited to read this.  A plus factor is when I learned that the author is a Filipina (or part-Filipina) and she had a book signing during the MIBF.

4.  The Best of Archie Book Two (Archie Comics) - yup, you read it right, Archie :D  I couldn't stop reading the first compilation so when I saw Book Two at Fully Booked, I just got to have it :P  I also plan on getting the Will you marry me Archie compliation hehehehe.  Sooo reminds me of my childhood :)

5.  An Abundance of Katherines (John Green) - i really, really want to read this book since I read the synopsis!  Though I don't have a copy yet, I am trying to get my hands on one hehehehe :) ... This just in, Fully Booked said they have this on stock! Yay!  will try to get a copy this weekend :D

6.  Fifty Shades of Gray (E.L. James) - due to the hoopla surrounding the book, curiosity got the best of me.  I just want to find out what the fuss is all about.  Some of my friends read all 3 books and yes, I was challenged, thus the inclusion in the TBR list :P

7.  The Night Circus (Erin Morgenstern) - I was intrigued by this book.  when I looked it up online, there were a number of good reviews.  I recently got copy from the MIBF and I can't wait to start :)

Sooo, that's my October list.  I hope I can read all of them or at least half of them before November comes in.