Stephanie Perkins in the Philippines!

Stephanie Perkins in the Philippines!

Event: Stephanie Perkins Book Signing
Event Date: July 6, 2014 Sunday
Location: National Bookstore, Glorietta 1

I fell in love with Etienne St. Clair in the pages of Anna and the French Kiss, and I was gushing over him and Anna’s story well until the end of the book. While I don’t feel as strongly engaged in Lola and the Boy Next Door, it was a pleasant read all the same. So I didn’t pass up the chance to meet Stephanie Perkins in person.

I was yet again overwhelmed with the crowd that gathered for her book signing. I arrived at the venue exactly the same time I did during Gayle Forman’s signing last January 18th, 2014, around 7 AM. My bookish friends Maria @ Reading is the Ultimate Aphrodisiac, Eunice @ Book Overdoes, and Karla @ Reads and Thoughts waited in line together. Also present at the event were fellow bookworms Bea @ Confessions of a Pinay Bookaholic, and Celina @ The Bookkeeper.

While waiting for the event to start, we went about eating brunch, talking amongst ourselves, watching the first episode of Delirium [which we were pissed off about in the end], and of course reading from our respective gadgets.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books That Made Me Swoon

Top Ten Books That Made Me Swoon

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. 

I absolutely love this topic!

I had my fair share of swoon moments over books in a variety of genres. I gushed, I squealed, I giggled and had my heart race over the sweet nothing exchanges of book couples I have learned to love over the course of their journeys and stories. So expect to see me cheat (a lot!) on this top ten.

I'm probably not going to make much sense if I divulge details so I'll add up some of my favorite quotes from the books instead.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins [REVIEW]

TITLE: Lola and the Boy Next Door
(Anna and the French Kiss #2)
AUTHOR: Stephanie Perkins
PUBLISHER: Speak
PUB DATE: Sep 29 2011

Summary from Goodreads:

"Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion...she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit--more sparkly, more fun, more wild--the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket--a gifted inventor--steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door."

Rating:

“Just because something isn't practical doesn't mean it's not worth creating. Sometimes beauty and real-life magic are enough.”

I was so glad I read this book throughout a weekend where Monday was a holiday, else I’d have to force myself to stop and get some sleep, and yet it would be one of those nights where I’d end up tossing and turning thinking about the book until the wee hours of the morning. And in the process of getting myself off the bed and preparing to go to work, I’d be mumbling to myself that I should have just stayed up all night finishing the book since I didn’t get much sleep anyway. Yup, perfect timing.

Lola and the Boy Next Door is one of those books that I enjoyed more because of the minor characters rather than the main protagonists. Don’t get me wrong, I like Lola and Cricket, but I just adore Lola’s Dads, I really have a soft spot for fathers, straight or gay. Nathan and Andy made reading through this book really fun. I love how protective they were towards Lola, much to her aggravation.

Plus Etienne and Anna being here added more entertainment to the story. I love how they are more relaxed and affectionate now since all the drama from Anna and the French Kiss has long passed on. Did I mention how witty Etienne St. Clair was? Seriously, he made things all the more interesting!

Lola’s passion with her costumes is admirable considering she’s at the age where everything seems so confusing, and these are the times where you’d want to find a click of friends where you would belong and truly feel wanted. It is also at that age where quirky little things about you would be seen as weird and made fun of. So I was really proud to see Lola staying true to what she believes in and does what she wants even though some people tend to tease her about it.

Book Haul [30]

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My "Weekly Book Haul" 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.

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Hello there! How have you been?

Let's jump straight to the haul, shall we? :D

TITLES (in random order):

(bought from National Bookstore)
ARCHIE 1000 PAGE COMICS DIGEST by Archie Superstars
THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER by Megan Shepherd (read)

(arrived from the Book Depository)
SERAPHINA by Rachel Hartman (read)
THE PIRATE'S WISH by Cassandra Rose Clarke (read and reviewed)
TIGER LILY by Jodi Lynn Anderson
LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR by Stephanie Perkins
SHUTDOWN by Heather Anastasiu (read and reviewed)

I sense a color palette thing going on with my haul this week... notice the reds, yellows, and oranges? Just saying. Not exactly important, pardon me. LOL.

I'm a little saddened by the cover of my copy of Lola and the Boy Next Door, the cover on my order was the former design it's the main reason I bought it from TBD (the ones sold locally in bookstores around my area only have the new cover design) but alas... this is what came in. :( I'm still excited to read it though.

How about you? What did you get this week?

Happy reading! And have a great weekend! ;)

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books When You Need Something Light & Fun

Top Ten Books When You Need Something Light & Fun

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. 

Hello there!

You know when sometimes the usual things you love to read suddenly feels like you've had too much of them, so you want to try out something more simple and still get to have as much fun. Once in a while, a good light read is something needed to break away from the accustomed reading preferences.

Here's my list:

FORGIVE MY FINS Tera Lynn Childs

THE AMARANTH ENCHANTMENT Julie Berry

STEEL by Carrie Vaughn

RADIANT DARKNESS by Emily Whitman

HEIST SOCIETY by Ally Carter

OF POSEIDON by Anna Banks

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Thought I'd Like MORE/LESS Than I Did

Top Ten Books I Thought I'd Like MORE/LESS Than I Did

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. 

Hello there!

So this week's Top Ten topic is about books the you liked more or less than you thought you would. Here's mine:

Books I liked LESS than I thought I would

FALLING KINGDOMS by Morgan Rhodes
- That cover seemed to promise an experience of blood and gore, sadly it's not as action packed as I thought it would be...

DUALED by Elsie Chapman
- Probably the most disappointing book I've read so far this year. I had a lot of complaints about it on my review, and to think I really thought the premise was an ideally creative one. *sigh*

REQUIEM by Lauren Oliver
- This was supposed to be the finale of the series... didn't feel like it.

SPLINTERED by A.G. Howard
- Another debut novel this year that I thought was going to be epic... not so much. :(

MONUMENT 14 by Emmy Laybourne
- I'm probably in minority on this one. I just didn't like the idea that the whole book revolved around a bunch of teenagers playing house in a superstore. I thought there was more to it than that.

Top Ten Tuesday REWIND: Top Ten Books To Have In Your Beach Bag

Top Ten Books To Have In Your Beach Bag 

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. 

Hello there! It's a rewind edition for this week's Top Ten Tuesday, and since it's summer vacation here in the Philippines, also that I'm going on beach trips in the coming weekends (I'll be in Batangas on the 21st, then a 3-day vacation on the 28th in... Boracay! Woohoo!) I decided to go for the "top ten books to have in your beach bag" topic. It's very apt, isn't it?

I've been accustomed to reading so much dark, brooding stories over the past few days that I thought beach trips would also be a good time to go for light kind of stories, so here are some suggestions that might help you relax but also get your dose of good reads.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins [REVIEW]

TITLE: Anna and the French Kiss
AUTHOR: Stephanie Perkins
PUBLISHER: Dutton
PUB DATE: Dec 10 2012

Summary from Goodreads:

"Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?"

Rating:

Anna’s father is a well known author, and with that comes the idea (since he’s rich and all) of sending Anna to boarding school – in Paris. Now to think getting to study in Paris is an amazing experience, but not to Anna. She feels like she’s leaving her entire life in Atlanta and venture into the unknown.

But lo and behold, things seem to work out for her after all. Getting shipped off to Paris wasn’t as bad as she thought. She makes new friends, eats great food, explores the wonderful city, and befriends swoon-worthy, Etienne St. Claire. Too bad he has a girlfriend, and Anna is somewhat “unavailable” as well.

While things might be getting bad over at Atlanta, she find comfort in hanging out with St. Claire. Gladly he feels likewise, but with this comes the growing feeling of falling in love with the already-taken best friend. And as Anna tries to fight off her feelings for St. Claire, he somehow makes it even harder...

I never thought I’d find myself enjoy a contemporary chic lit novel this much. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy chic literatures now and then but I never found them as lovable as Anna and the French Kiss. It’s so cute and light that it makes me mushy. I have no idea why it is a wonderful story, it just is!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Read in 2012

Top Ten Books I Read in 2012

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. 

Hi, everyone! Wow, did 2012 pass by in a blur?! I can't believe we're about to welcome a new year (unless the world does end on the 21st. :P) Anyway, I'm here to give thanks and honor the books (and its respective authors) that I believe stood out most from all the books I've read this year. This is the only time I am counting down my list chronologically from 10 to 1. 

Without further ado, let's get to the list. Dim the lights... here we go... (see what I did there? LOL)

10. RENEGADE by J.A. SOUDERS - Nowadays, everyone loves dystopian and post-apocalyptic novels. And with a lot of books with the said theme popping up everywhere, there's a lot of pressure going on with debuting authors. Ms. Souders has done an amazing job in introducing the Elysium Chronicles with her first book, Renegade. I admire the execution of the storyline, and I love that it has the right mix of action, adventure, mystery and romance.

9. ANNA & THE FRENCH KISS by STEPHANIE PERKINS - I am not much into Contemporary, but with all the buzz that I keep seeing over this book, I had to let my curiosity win over. And I am so glad I did! It's not exactly the ground breaking kind of story (I'm always up for blood and action) but it was a really delightful book to read.

8.  INTERIM GODDESS OF LOVE by MINA V. ESGUERRA - Mina Esguerra is a Filipino author. And I have been a fan of her books since I read My Imaginary Ex. This is probably my favorite among her books. It's simple and cute, and has that mix of a fantasy element, which of course what I always love in a book.

7. STEALING PARKER by MIRANDA KENNEALLY - This is probably the most relatable contemporary novel that I've read ever. It really changed the way I looked at Miranda Kenneally's writing. You can check out my review of Stealing Parker to get into the details.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2012

Top Ten New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2012

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. 

Hello there! Today's top ten is about authors that you've read in 2012 that are new to you. Here's my list (in no particular order):

1. JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT - I've been seeing the Lux and Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout everywhere, but I only decided to read her books just recently. I can't believe I was missing out on such great books!

2. GENA SHOWALTER - I thought Gena was debuting as an author this year, little did I know she's actually written a number of novels already in a different genre.

3. ANN AGUIRRE - Another author I thought that only had about 3 books written (the Razorland series), then I end up seeing she's written tons.

4. KENDARE BLAKE - Okay she's relatively new. But I didn't know about her up until the middle of this year, so yeah she counts on my list.

5. JENNIFER ESTEP - I've heard of Jennifer Estep before but I hadn't bothered with reading her books up until recently.

Book Haul [16]

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My "Weekly Book Haul" 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.

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Hello there! Let's go straight to this week's book haul:

HIDDEN by Sophie Jordan (Hardcover)
SWEET VENOM by Tera Lynn Childs (Paperback)
THE BEST OF ARCHIE COMICS, BOOK TWO by Various (Paperback)
ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins (Paperback)