Thursday, October 15, 2015

Stacking the Shelves #18

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual.

Hi readers! It's been a while, huh? How have you been?

So many things happened to me since my last Stacking the Shelves post. You better sit down because this is a long post.

I left my job in July for personal reasons. I've been in that office for a year. It wasn't easy finding a new job in our province. I was jobless for a month. I could have written a blog post or two since I have a lot of time in my hand but I can't seem to put what I was going through in here, at the time.

I thought my joblessness will last until the end of the year. So while I was letting the time passed, I thought why not join an online-writing workshop. That's when I found #StrangeLit. It's a free online-writing worshop sponsored by a local online bookstore named Buqo. The gist of the worshop is to write an Urban Fantasy / PNR story with a minimum of 5,000 words in month of August. At the end of the month, the completed stories will be bundled, published and sold in Buqo. It was best way for me to pass the time, so I joined.

I didn't expect I will be hired the first week of August but it was a welcomed surprise. It wasn't that complicated to juggle my new job and my writing schedule because I've been doing that since Nanowrimo 2014. I finished the first draft of my #StrangeLit novella a week before submission but I decided not to submit it. I think I can improve and expand my story further and to do that, I needed more time to let the story simmer.

Anyway, I'm enjoying my new job so far. I'm immersing myself into the business sector and learning everyday. I'm thinking of creating a blog schedule now that I'm back. I'll let you know soon what it is.

And that's the end of my long post. I know you're excited to see what books I received, so here they are:
June to September Book Haul


Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne (PB)
The Last Ever After (The School for Good and Evil #3) by Soman Chainani (PB)
 Fans of the Impossible Life by Kate Scelsa (signed ARC)
Mirrored by Alex Flinn (ARC)
Ash and Bramble by Sarah Prineas (ARC)
Dreamland by Robert L. Anderson (ARC)

And my Angry Robot Trophy which I won from the Hidden Huntress Fan-Art Competition by Angry Robots Publishing.


Cute, isn't it?

Thank you to Usborne UK, HarperCollins International, Angry Robots, Kye of Eternity Through Pages and Shelumiel of Bookish and Awesome for my book haul.

Thursday, October 08, 2015

Book Review: Learning to Fall

Thursday, October 08, 2015



Title: Learning to Fall
Author: Mina V. Esguerra
Genre/s: NA, Contemporary Romance
Add to Goodreads
Buy at Amazon
Synopsis:

Go out with a stereotypical romance novel hero WHO ISN’T YOUR TYPE.”

Avid reader and art student Steph is participating in a monthly blog challenge to Live Like Fiction, and this was the task for October. When Grayson, former co-captain of her university rugby team, walks into her class, she knows it’s meant to be – she has to go out with this guy. Even if she’s never been attracted to big, hunky, athletic types. With Grayson’s “player” reputation off the field, Steph thinks he’ll be good for one date that’ll be worth blogging about, and that’s it.

But you know how it goes: Soon, it becomes more than just one date – and Steph and Grayson are caught up in “living like fiction.” How long can they keep playing their roles before reality steps in?

Friday, May 29, 2015

Stacking the Shelves #17

Friday, May 29, 2015
Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual.

If you're following me on twitter, you've probably saw me tweet about make-overing (is this even a word?) this blog on my own. As you can see, it's slowly coming together. I'm trying to make it as simple, clean and user-friendly as possible and I'm hoping to finish it on or before June 12, which is my 3rd blogoversary. 

Anyway, here's what I received this April and May.  

FOR REVIEW



WON


with bookmark

I'm feeling the summer love with all this books. I'm especially excited about Boomerang, which my sister already read and love.
Thank you to Harper Collins International, Eric Smith and Faye of Bibliophile Soprano for this books!

Wednesday, April 01, 2015

Stacking the Shelves #16

Wednesday, April 01, 2015
Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual.

This is my first Stacking the Shelves post this 2015 and I have to say I've accumulated a dozen awesome titles from the last time I posted here. But before I show you what I got, I just wanted to say how grateful I am to all of you who still find time to visit my blog. I know, I'm not as active as I used to because of work and our crappy internet connection. But I'll try to change that and post, at least, twice a week. In another news, I signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo and I'm excited to start my new YA contemporary novel, today. Anyway, that's it. 

Here's what I received from January to March.


Between the Covers
No One Else Can Have You (HB)

Thanks to Harper Collins International, Hachette UK, Adi Alsaid, Moriah McStay, Alyxandra Harvey, Andrea Hannah, Pauline of Fathomless Reveries, Leslie of Bibliophile Kid, Michelle of The Escapist and Kai of Amaterasu Reads. 

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Book Review: Let's Get Lost

Thursday, February 12, 2015
Title: Let's Get Lost
Author: Adi Alsaid
Genre/s: YA Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Released Date: July 29, 2014
Add to Goodreads TBR List
Buy on Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Synopsis:

Five strangers. Countless adventures. One epic way to get lost.

Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most.

There's HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings…until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love.


Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth— sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for is to get lost along the way.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Book Review: Cinderskella

Thursday, January 22, 2015
Title: Cinderskella (Scarily Ever After #1)
Author: Amie Borst & Bethanie Borst
Genre/s: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retelling
Released Date: October 26, 2013
Add to Goodreads TBR List
Buy on Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Synopsis:

Cindy is just a normal eleven and three-quarter year-old. At least until she wakes up one night and finds out she’s dead. Well, she isn’t technically dead—she just doesn’t have any hair . . . or a nose . . . or skin. Yep—all bones, no body.

Human by day and skeleton by night, Cindy is definitely cursed. And because her mother recently died, Cindy has no one to turn to except a father who’s now scared of her and an evil stepmother who makes her do the housecleaning with a toothbrush. To make matters worse, the Spring Fling dance is approaching, and Ethan, the cutest boy in sixth grade, doesn’t seem to know Cindy exists. Of course, Cindy doesn’t think letting Ethan find out she’s part skeleton is the best way to introduce herself.

While facing such perils as pickled pig’s feet, a wacky fortune teller, and a few quick trips to the Underworld, Cindy’s determined to break the curse—even for a single night.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Cut Me Free Blog Tour: Interview and Giveaway

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

I have a very special post for today. It's special not because this is my first ever post this 2015. It's not also special because it's a part of a blog tour (which you all know, I only do for books I'm really excited for and/or books I love). No. This post is special because it's about a book unlike any other. It delves deeper than your average suspense thriller and I'm very happy to have J.R. Johansson here for an interview.


Title: Cut Me Free
Author: J.R. Johansson
Publisher: Farrar, Strous & Giroux (BYR)
Publication Date: January 27, 2015
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound | Book Depository

Seventeen-year-old Charlotte barely escaped from her abusive parents. Now she's trying to start a new life, but while she can erase her former identity, she can’t rid herself of the memories. And her troubled history won’t let her ignore the little girl she sees in the park. The girl with the bruises and burn marks.

That’s when Charlotte begins to receive the threatening notes left in her apartment—without a trace of entry. As the messages grow more menacing, she doesn’t just need to uncover who is leaving them; she needs to stop whoever it is before anyone else she loves ends up dead.


About the Author:

J.R. Johansson is the author of Insomnia and Paranoia. In researching for this novel, she found several stories about human trafficking which fueled her conviction to join the fight against it. If you'd like information on how to help visit notforsalecampaign.org or enditmovement.com. J.R. Johansson lives on the foothills of the Utah mountains with her two young sons and a wonderful husband. Visit her online at jennjohansson.com.

Interview

1. What makes Cut Me Free different from your Night Walkers series, aside from their genre?


Cut Me Free is darker in theme and topics and set in the real world. They both have a similar pace and thriller tone, but I'd say that Cut Me Free is a little scarier. 


2. What are Charlotte's greatest strength and her weaknesses?


Her greatest strength is her resilience and her ability to never give up. Her greatest weakness is her inability to forgive herself and her struggle with letting anyone help her or get close to her.


3. While you were in the process of writing this book, have you ever doubt yourself or second guess the reason why you are writing this story. If yes, how did you overcome those obstacles?


I never doubted this story, but I did struggle with it. Abuse of any kind is a very difficult subject to talk about...but at the same time, it's very important that we do talk about it. That fact drove me forward. I read stories of kids who've been abused and many never really tried to hide it, but still no one ever asked them if they needed help. I wanted to write the story of a victim who wasn't only a victim. I want us to be more aware of the world around us. There are kids out there that need help and it is important we be able to see and be ready to help. 


4. Everything has an origin story. It might started out as a thought, a dialogue or news you heard, a conversation with a friend, or an idea that has been plaguing your brain for quite some time. So tell us, what's Cut Me Free's origin story? And what made you decide to write it?


Cut Me Free actually started as a writing prompt in a critique group. Someone suggested that I should write a story about an attic with a creepy puppet in it. At the same time, I had been reading about child trafficking and how it's far more common than many realize. Somehow I ended up blending those two stories together and the puppet took on a different meaning. The moment I wrote the first page (which is still the first page) and had Piper in the heart of Philadelphia and how differently she saw everything than the people around her--in that instant, I knew I had to write this book. 


5. What are the things you learned or discovered after writing this book?


I've already had readers reach out to me who were victims of abuse. They were grateful to see a victim who struggled with terrible things, but it didn't somehow make her weak. It took her a long time to get out and the ramifications of what happened to her never went away, but she didn't let her abusers steal her whole life. It's been really gratifying to see the book touch people. I'm so happy to be a part of that.
Follow the Tour
Each of the tour stop is giving away one copy of Cut Me Free so feel free to visit them for more chance to win JR Johansson's newest book.

January 13: Review and Giveaway
 Curling Up with a Good Book

January 14: Guestpost and Giveaway
 YA Interrobang

January 15: Review and Giveaway
 Dana Square

January 16: Review and Giveaway
 My Book Muse

January 21: Books for YA

January 22: Forever Bookish

January 27: Fiction Freak

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