Greeting you all...

Well, before everyone gets crazy eating their Noche Buena and opening their gifts, let me greet you all a very...

Merry Christmas!!!

God bless us all!

Yes to the holidays!

Ha! Ha! Ha! I know you can totally relate to the photo above. Notice everyone going crazy this holiday season? Well, my family does, too! And in this season, we can take refuge in the controlled chaos that is the internet.

Happy 1st of December to all of you out there!

Hey, everyone!

I hope you are all getting your fill of turkey and all the festive dishes you prepared. And drink some, too!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Boo!

Are you going to any Halloween party tonight? Well, I do hope so. Have fun scaring each other out with campfire horror stories. Ha! Ha! Ha!

Happy Halloween!

Place of my own.

aOne of my dreams is to get a place of my own. A place that is all mine! It can be as small as the photo above, or even a more smaller one. It need not be grand. Just a place where I can have peace and quiet whenever I want to.

Plus, the fact that I am not getting any younger and a place of my own is a great representation of my journey through the world of working adults.

Escape from reality.

Whenever you feel like escaping reality, you don't need prohibited substances to do so. All you need is a good book, a captivating story, and you will be transported into another dimension. Reality will be left far behind for the duration of your reading.

I do that all the time. Try it!

;)

Do something today...

And you know what that is? Take the necessary steps to make sure that my plan B will be a success! In my heart I know that seeing my dream come true will bring me so much self-fulfillment and contentment. I really want to do my plan B very, very soon.

What about you?

Done with one.

I am done with B1 of my plan B. I have yet to do the editing. My sister has been nagging me to do it so I can get on with the submission but I am too lazy to do anything for several days now. I've been going out to run errands since Monday and by the time I get home I'd feel so tired already all I wanted to do was sit down, put my feet up and get the little one to massage my feet.

But I will edit tonight. I promise myself that. I will edit and will submit by Monday morning.

Wish me luck!

;)

Favorite local author

I now have a favorite local author. Yes, I am hooked! She has this book series that I fell in love with. She has 10 in it and I have the 6th to 10th books. I love all the characters in that series so much I got obsessed in finding the 1st to 5th books. Unfortunately, the publisher will not be releasing anymore of those old books. So I went on a search and luckily I found an online seller who has the books I am looking for.

It's now just a matter of when I can pick up the books from her.

I can't wait to get my hands on those books!

#obsessedmuch #adiklang

;)

Hooked on a local author!

I have so many books lined up in my Kindle. All those books I want to read NOW. But since I am also hooked on a local author, I have set aside my e-books for now and currently concentrating on finishing the local books I have on my desk.

I want to help promote local books but I don't know how. I have an idea where Facebook will be used but I don't know if I really have the time for it.

Maybe I can hook up with some Filipinos who are fans of local books as well?

Hmm...

Walking Disaster: Chapter 23

I am crying like a baby!!!

It was so heartbreaking to read what Travis went through when he and Abby broke up over the Vegas issue. You could feel his pain and it would just make you feel like you want to hug him so tight!

The Maddox brothers' love for their little brother was something.

Still haven't read it yet?

Go get your own copy and read! It's really good!!!

Okay, not done yet...

;)

FourTris Day!!!

I will definitely be reading Divergent again. Soon. After I finish reading everything in my Kindle and the Infernal Devices trilogy.

Happy FourTris Day!

Love them!

;)

Walking Disaster: Chapters 2 to 6

I just love reading the other side of the story. The gaps were now filled and it's very, very interesting!

***

You might be thinking I am too slow reading this book and I am. It is deliberate as I am taking my sweet time with every chapter. I don't want to let go of Travis that easily!

Ha!

:D

Walking Disaster: Chapter 1

Lest you think I will post spoilers here, I am not!

:)

So here's my take on Chapter 1...

I love Travis and Shepley's easygoing relationship. I love that Travis respects his cousin. I love that Shepley is sooo totally into America, and that Travis sees his cousin as one of the lucky guys who fell for a really great girl.

Okay, on to Chapter 2!

;)

Walking Disaster is finally here!!!

Eeekkkk!!!! It's finally here!!! I finally got hold of my copy of Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire!!! And, of course, I am setting aside all the other books I am reading to make way for it!

OMG! My favorite bad boy to love, Travis Maddox is back!

Since you already know how much I love Travis and his love story with Abby Abernathy, I will be blogging per chapter of the Walking Disaster. I will also be tweeting about it. You will get annoyed with me, I am sure, but bear with me as this is the book I've been waiting for.

;)

So, I am done reading the Prologue (twice, counting the first one when Jamie posted it for the fans) and mind you, it made me cry once again! Just broke my heart imagining a little boy losing his mother at such a young age.

Okay, on the Chapter 1!

:D

Things to do...

So here's the thing. I have too many reviews I need to finish. Warm Bodies, The Mortal Instruments books 1 to 4, Beautiful Creatures the movie, Jack the Giant Slayer, and several short stories I've read. I already have the reviews on draft but I've yet to complete one. Yeah, I know, lazy me!

But I will get it done soon. I promise!

Anyway, I am currently reading (once again) Maureen Johnson's The Name of the Star. I decided to read it again in preparation for the second book which I already have. I need to be reminded of what took place in the first book so I won't get lost reading the second one.

Alright, that's it! I will be back with a review of Warm Bodies both the book and the movie.

;)

Defending Jacob

I saw this book via National Bookstore's daily recommendations in their Facebook page. It's Defending Jacob by William Landay and here's the blurb from Goodreads...

Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: His fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student.

Every parental instinct Andy has rallies to protect his boy. Jacob insists that he is innocent, and Andy believes him. Andy must. He’s his father. But as damning facts and shocking revelations surface, as a marriage threatens to crumble and the trial intensifies, as the crisis reveals how little a father knows about his son, Andy will face a trial of his own—between loyalty and justice, between truth and allegation, between a past he’s tried to bury and a future he cannot conceive.

Award-winning author William Landay has written the consummate novel of an embattled family in crisis—a suspenseful, character-driven mystery that is also a spellbinding tale of guilt, betrayal, and the terrifying speed at which our lives can spin out of control.

Definitely captivated my interest! I will read this book in between City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare.

;)

One more chapter...

Ha! Ha! Ha!

This is so me!

Do you know that whenever I dig into a good book, I can't put it down no matter how tired or sleepy I am already. It's always one more chapter until I am either too dizzy to continue or have finished reading the book so I can sleep or do something else.

Are you also like that? Do tell!

;)

City of Bones

I know. I know. I am already a late bloomer in reading this series...

The first book in The Mortal Instruments series - City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. The book I am currently reading. The series I think I will get hooked on.

I bought the book at National Bookstore Quezon Ave. branch last February 19th. I finally used the first gift voucher that my sister R gave me last Christmas. I still have another one and I think I'll use it to buy books two and three.

What are you reading this weekend?

Happy Sunday and happy reading!

;)

Two more books...

Tell Me You Want Me by Amelia James

Back to You by Priscilla Glenn

I saw these two books from a friend's list and I am definitely interested to read both!

Time to find these two...

For now, I am reading City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. What is your weekend reads?

Happy Friday everyone! Have fun reading!

;)

Try Not To Breathe

Try Not To Breathe by Jennifer R. Hubbard caught my interest when I saw it in another book blog. I read the blurb from Goodreads and here's what I got...

Learning to live is more than just choosing not to die, as sixteen-year-old Ryan discovers in the year following his suicide attempt. Despite his mother’s anxious hovering and the rumors at school, he’s trying to forget the darkness from which he has escaped. But it doesn’t help that he’s still hiding guilty secrets, or that he longs for a girl who may not return his feelings. Then he befriends Nicki, who is using psychics to seek contact with her dead father. This unlikely friendship thaws Ryan to the point where he can face the worst in himself. He and Nicki confide in one another the things they never thought they’d tell anyone—but their confessions are trickier than they seem, and the fallout tests the bounds of friendship and forgiveness.

Interesting premise!

I am vehemently against suicide but I am still interested to read this one as I am a person who is open-minded enough to understand there's a different side to every story. I want to know Ryan's story.

Review: No Time for Goodbye

You wake up.
Your house is empty.
Your family has disappeared...

The lines above written on the cover of the book No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay caught my attention the first time I saw this. Who wouldn't be intrigued by the premise of a family vanishing without a trace? It certainly intrigued me from the get-go.

So I read and, boy, was I in for a ride!

No Time for Goodbye was truly a good read! It was a page turner and it kept me on my toes until the very end. You'd think you already figured it out but after a chapter ends, you realize you're actually wrong! There's some other explanation to what's going on in the story.

Let me just say that I love the fact that the story was told from the point of view of Terry the husband. It made it more suspenseful that way.

I won't spoil the fun for you. I truly recommend this book to those who enjoy the mystery/thriller/crime/suspense genre.


***

No Time for Goodbye rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Two books caught my attention...

If You Stay by Courtney Cole and Romeo Redeemed by Stacey Jay both caught my attention when I saw their covers. I will post their blurbs from Goodreads in another post tomorrow.

:)

No Time for Goodbye

I got this e-book No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay from my online friends and when I read the blurb, I was immediately drawn to the story. I know I just have to read it right away!

Here's what I got from Goodreads...

Fourteen-year-old Cynthia Bigge woke one morning to discover that her entire family, mother, father, brother had vanished. No note, no trace, no return. Ever. Now, twenty-five years later, she'll learn the devastating truth

Sometimes better not to know. . . .

Cynthia is happily married with a young daughter, a new family. But the story of her old family isn't over. A strange car in the neighborhood, untraceable phone calls, ominous gifts, someone has returned to her hometown to finish what was started twenty-five years ago. And no one's innocence is guaranteed, not even her own. By the time Cynthia discovers her killer's shocking identity, it will again be too late . . . even for goodbye.

What do you think? Looks interesting, right?

You know, this is one of my fears: waking up with my family gone. It can happen so it is more scary for me. I just hope this thing never happens to anybody in real life.

Forbidden (Arotas Trilogy #1)

I am truly drawn to this book. I think it's the premise of a story ala-Twilight? Or the fact that the book deals with immortals? I am just drawn to Forbidden (Arotas Trilogy #1) by Amy Miles.

Here's a blurb from Goodreads...

Roseline Enescue didn't ask to become an Immortal, to have all of the guests at her wedding slaughtered, or be forced into marriage with a man whose lust for blood would one day ignite the vampire legend.

Willing to risk everything for a chance at a normal life, Roseline escapes to America. Terrified her husband Vladimir will find her, Roseline enrolls as a senior in Chicago's elite Rosewood Prep school. Mingling with humans is the last place he would look for her.

But her transition into the human world isn't easy. Mortal men flock after her while cutthroat girls plot her demise. Yet Roseline remains relatively unfazed by the petty hysteria until she falters into the arms of Gabriel Marston, reluctant MVP quarterback, unwilling ladies man, and sensitive artist in hiding.

Troubled by the bond that pulls her towards the mortal boy, Roseline tries to ignore him, but Gabriel is persistent. As their lives entwine, Roseline begins to realize that Gabriel is much more than he appears. His ability to toss a football the entire length of the field and grind concrete into dust pales in comparison to the glowing blue cross tattoo that mysteriously appears on his forearms.

Despite the forbidden bond between them, Roseline can't help wondering what Gabriel is: He's not human. He's not Immortal. So just what is he?

P.S. Don't you just think the cover looks awesome?!?

;)

Frustrated NBS Customer!

I don't know what the hell is wrong with National Bookstore. They post one book after another daily but when you go to one of their biggest branches, the book is not yet there, out of stock, or their people simply don't know what book you're talking about!

Kainis lang! I went to their Q.Ave branch a while ago, no Warm Bodies, no The Night Strangers, no The Flight of Gemma Hardy. WTF, right?!?

I try as much as possible to patronize NBS because I grew up with them. Laking National nga eh! But they should keep up with what they're posting online if they want their regular loyal customers to come back to them and not turn to other bookstores for their regular supply of books.

Hmp!

Sleep Away

Temporary title.
Sleepwalking when anxious or worried about something.
Ada Marie.
Gavin.
Disaster Man.

#3

Travis Maddox, I miss you!!!

Jamie McGuire shared these Beautiful Disaster quotes on her Facebook page and, of course, I am instantly reminded of Travis Maddox!!!

I miss Travis! I think I will have to take out my Beautiful Disaster to read again.

;)

Les Misérables

First book for 2013: Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.

Victor Hugo’s tale of injustice, heroism and love follows the fortunes of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict determined to put his criminal past behind him. But his attempts to become a respected member of the community are constantly put under threat: by his own conscience, when, owing to a case of mistaken identity, another man is arrested in his place; and by the relentless investigations of the dogged policeman Javert. It is not simply for himself that Valjean must stay free, however, for he has sworn to protect the baby daughter of Fantine, driven to prostitution by poverty. A compelling and compassionate view of the victims of early nineteenth-century French society, Les Misérables is a novel on an epic scale, moving inexorably from the eve of the battle of Waterloo to the July Revolution of 1830.
- Goodreads

I will read the book again before I watch the movie.

:)

New Year, More Books!!!

I will read more books in 2013.
I will read ALL the books I have with me that are still unread to date.
I will read more classics.
I will finish all the series that I've began reading.
And I will influence more friends to start a reading habit.

Those are my goals, reading-wise, for the coming year. What's yours?

Happy New Year everyone! ;)