I am back!

Hello, bookish buddies! How have you been?

I am finally back from a long hiatus.
And just to give you an idea of what went on.

Tadaaaa!

Photos by +RV Mitra Photography

Hair and Make Up by Diana Santos

I got married! Woohoo! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten 2014 Release I'm Dying To Read

Top Ten 2014 Release I'm Dying To Read

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they post a new Top Ten list  that bloggers are welcome to join in and answer. 

Happy Tuesday, everyone! My, how time flies by so fast! It's only several more days until the new year!

Although I still have a "small" pile of books I haven't read yet...

- well, maybe not small, it's a bit tall...


...okay, so it's not a "bit" tall, more like...


Fine! It's a huge pile, now give it a rest, okay? *glares* It's not like you fair any better. *sticks tongue out*

LOL. I jest. As I saying although I still have a pile of books sitting unread on my shelf, I am eagerly looking forward to a lot of books to be released in 2014. So here's my top ten:

INTO THE STILL BLUE by Veronica Rossi

(Under the Never Sky #3)

- Perry!!! I am missing my sexy, roguish hero so badly! And Aria! And Roar! And I can't wait for them to kick Kirra's ass - along with Hess and Sable's!

Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi [REVIEW]

TITLE: Gamer Girl
AUTHOR: Mari Mancusi
PUBLISHER: Speak
PUB DATE: Nov 13 2008

Summary from Goodreads:

"Maddy's life couldn't get much worse. Her parents split and now she's stuck in a small town and at a new school. Most of the time, she retreats into her manga art, but when she gets into the Fields of Fantasy online computer game, she knows she's found the one place she can be herself.

In the game world, Maddy can be the beautiful and magical Allora and have a virtually perfect life. And she even finds a little romance. But can Maddy escape her real-life problems altogether, or will she have to find a way to make her real world just as amazing as her virtual one?"

Rating:

Mari Mancusi has become one of my go-to girls when I want something simple and easy to read whenever I need a break from my usual reading preferences. And although I have had Gamer Girl on my shelf for a year now, I only got to pick it up recently to [you guessed it] take a breather.

Gamer Girl resembles a movie I’ve watched back in 2004 starring Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray titled, A Cinderella Story. Maddy is so much like Sam, hard time fitting in, found chatting with someone online who happens to be a part of her own student body. Coincidentally the protagonist’s love interest here is also named Chad. Funny, eh?

The one thing that caught my interest was Maddy’s artistry. I for one am very appreciative of artworks so finding a protagonist very passionate about her drawings was pleasing to see. And imagine the hurt I felt for Maddy when her artworks were vandalized! How mean!

There’s nothing really special or heart pounding about this story. It was easy enough to pick out and guess who Sir Leo is from the group of guys introduced to Maddy. There were a lot of things that were predictable about Gamer Girl but the teamwork that happened within Maddy’s circle was rather touching.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Fictional Crushes

Top Ten Characters I Would Crush On If I Were Also A Fictional Character

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they post a new Top Ten list  that bloggers are welcome to join in and answer. 

This is probably the most unfair list I have to make... I have more than Ten Book Boyfriends. LOL. Oh, don't look at me like that, I know you do to. Ha!

Well, as much as it pains me, I have to make do with 10. This is in no particular order. And just so you know, I'll be giggling and fan-girling for the most part of this post, forgive me. May I also add that although I am gushing over these guys because of their looks, they are just as equally worth pining for with their lovable hearts.

ASH

(THE IRON FEY by Julie Kagawa)

- My dark, winter prince. *faints*

TUCKER

(UNEARTHLY by Cynthia Hand)

- That darn hot cowboy. *giggles*

DAEMON

(LUX by Jennifer L. Armentrout)

- Hello, hot, gorgeous, sexy, delicious alien... rawr!

WOLF / ZE'EV

(LUNAR CHRONICLES by Marissa Meyer)

- the not so usual kind of love interest, shy and timid and yet oh so lovable.

PEREGRINE

(UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi)

- My wickedly rougish champ. *giggles*

Rebel Heart by Moira Young [REVIEW]

Rebel Heart
(Dust Lands #2)
by Moira Young

Summary from Goodreads:

"Danger. Betrayal. Destiny. Passion.

The superb sequel to Blood Red Road, the most exciting YA debut of 2011

Saba has rescued her kidnapped brother and defeated the fanatical Tonton. But the price to be paid for her violent victory is terible. Jack has disappeared – and can no longer be trusted. A new and formidable enemy is on the rise in the dustlands. No one is safe. And Saba must confront the terrible secret hidden in the darkest depths of her soul."

Rating:

WARNING: Review contains spoilers regarding Blood Red Road.

In Blood Red Road, the first book of the Dust Lands series, we were introduced to our heroine named Saba. A tough girl determined to find her twin brother, Lugh, after being kidnapped by the Tonton, a group of ruthless thugs whose job is to either seize or kill. In the middle of her journey to rescue her brother, Saba finds herself captured and sold to fight off in cage matches. Saba, dubbed as the Angel of Death, has never been beaten – not even once. In the midst of all the fighting, she meets and develops feelings for Jack, a co-fighter amongst the men’s category. Not forgetting her promise to find Lugh, Saba teams up with Jack and a group of revolutionaries to overthrow a vicious leader who calls himself THE KING. Ugh! Self-absorbed, much?

Anyway, the adventure continues on to Rebel Heart. After a brutal yet victorious battle against the King, Saba (along with Emmi and Lugh), and Jack go separate ways, but they promised to meet each other at a certain point in their journey. But traveling to greener pastures isn’t as easy as they hoped it would be. Jack goes off to deliver news to Ike’s girl, but something terrible happens and Jack ends up in deeper trouble. What’s worse is Saba has a price over her head. Even worse is that the Tonton, which they’ve hoped to have put an end to, has come back stronger and more organized. Although their former leader is dead, it looks like someone else was eager to step in to lead...

Book Haul [10]

I haven't thought of a name for a weekly meme of book hauls so let's just go with what's posted above.

For now, I'll call this the "Whatever it's called" Book Haul. It's only temporary, I swear. I just haven't thought of a clever name for it. So this is pretty much just like In My Mailbox by the Story Siren, This Week In Books by Pop Culture Junkie, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews and all the other titles with the similar concept here and there. This is a weekly post showcasing the books you received for the given week, either bought online or from a physical bookstore, borrowed from the library or from a friend, received for review or won from a giveaway, etc.

Hello, fellow readers! How are you this lovely Sunday? 

I'm all up and happy that it's a long weekend for us here in the Philippines [work resumes on Wednesday] that I'm so giddy, and I'm walking with a little skip on my every step. Yay! Time for some R&R... I'm planning to read all throughout my free time. Sounds like a plan, yes? 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I'd Like To See Made Into a Movie

Top Ten Books I'd Like To See Made Into a Movie

Hello fellow readers!

Well we all know any movie adaptation can never surpass the beauty of any book we read but it's nice to see them get turned into films anyway. So here's my list. Some are already in production or are being considered to be filmed and some aren't, either way, I love these books! ^_^

Delirium by Lauren Oliver. Hello?! Alex anyone? LOL.

Divergent by Veronica Roth. Action packed and awesome.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. An entertaining book with even more entertaining characters. Jace just never fails to crack me up.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer. I liked it better than Twilight and I couldn't help but shed a few tears now and then while reading it.

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs. I always imagine this as a mushy chick flick. It's cute, romantic and... there's Quince! *wink. wink.*

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa. Now who doesn't want to see Ash and Puck come to life? 

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers. Female assassins! 'nuff said.

Blood Red Road by Moira Young. Makes me think of it as a female version of one of those Gladiator-like films only less brutal with an added romantic story. But action packed nonetheless.

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. It's no doubt that those who've read it call it the ultimate fairy tale retelling so yes I want to see this turned into a movie.

Legend by Marie Lu. June and Day in the flesh is something worth watching. 

That's it for me. How about you? What book would you like to see turned into a movie? Let me know and I'll be sure to check it out.

Have a good day! 

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

        

Blood Red Road
(Dustlands #1)
by Moira Young

Summary from Goodreads:

"Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back. 

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization. 

Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction."

Rating:

Incredible! This book just really blew me away.

Let me tell you how far Blood Red Road got me badly hooked: On the 1^st night that I read this since I usually read by sundown, when it was time for me to get some sleep, I placed the book on my shelf, laid on my bed and pulled my blanket up to my chin. And guess what, I couldn’t sleep. My mind was playing over the events I’ve read on Blood Red Road. I was imagining how Silverlake looked like; Saba and Emmi’s journey; Saba’s Cage fights (I stopped before getting to Hopetown One Month Later chapter). My mind was really musing over everything. It took me about 2-3 hours before I finally dozed off. Yup… That bad.

There are just so many elements that I found to love in Blood Red Road. I found the plot unique and the settings very vivid. Saba’s journey to and from Hopetown in finding her brother was an adventure I’d like to read over again and never get tired of. I do wish that I’d have more Cage-fight scenes, I love fighting scenes so I felt that it was too short and not as descriptive as I want, but totally forgivable. I also love the surprises I got over reading this, and just when I thought I had enough, here comes another one, more shocking than the other.

The characters, I found them beautifully created. I have to admit that I didn’t like Saba from the beginning, but as she grew throughout the book, dislike turned to respect and I eventually learned to love her. She may’ve been shallow and stubborn in the beginning, but as she came across more people, I’d gotten to know a better side of her. Jack, oh-so-cocky Jack, is someone that I really loved in this book. What is it with fictional, arrogant, good-looking guys that make readers like me so giddy and find them fascinating? If it were in real life, I know we’d be dissing guys like that but why do we find those in the book so attractive? Seriously?

Moving on, I kind of pity Emmi. She’s just a kid who has lived a life that her young age shouldn’t have yet and I admire her for that, but sometimes she can be way too stubborn and careless. Sometimes I hate it, other times I just know it can’t be helped.

I’m totally curious about DeMalo. He’s so mysterious and I really want to know more about him, I feel that he’ll be the villain on the next book after what happened to the King. Speaking of the King, oh seriously! Couldn’t help addressing his self as THE KING, Ugh! And yet he was a very distinct character.

Of course, it’s not perfect. I have to say that I don’t buy the whole written in the stars thing and the heartstone. Even without those, Saba’s father could’ve still told her to be strong for others and the events that occurred with Lugh would still have happened; and Jack would still be justified as Saba’s heart’s desire without the hint of heat from the heartstone. I also feel a bit disturbed by Saba’s “determination” in finding Lugh. Yes, I get that he’s her brother and she loved him but if I hadn’t known they were siblings, I would’ve thought they were lovers. Or maybe I just don’t have the same relationship with my brother the way she has with Lugh.

With how Blood Red Road, I know we’ll have another farfetched journey ahead and I can’t wait to know more about Saba’s world.

In My Mailbox [6]

In My Mailbox [6]

hosted by The Story Siren

I visited the Bibliarch bookstore at Glorietta, Makati City this week and I found a lot of books I love to purchase. Unfortunately, I couldn't buy them all. *sigh*

So here's what I hauled over:  

Blood Red Road by Moira Young
Vanish by Sophie Jordan
Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey

I also got the following ebooks (epub format):

 

Wildcat Fireflies by Amber Kizer

Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep

First Frost by Jennifer Estep

Daimon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Forgotten by Cat Patrick

So what did you guys get?