Me and My Bookshelf (17): October + November Book Haul

This is where I feature the books I received, bought, gifted or won that are newly added in my physical shelf, which means no e-books and the like. It is usually posted on Saturdays.

Well hello, you guys! I recently joined Instagram which I wasn't very interested in doing before but hey, I am now so I might as well tell you. You can visit me here for more bookish pictures in the future.

So. I made a book haul post. Hurrah! It's been a while but since I got so many books last September I limited myself to book buying. Kind of useless though since two of the books I got are currently the most expensive in my shelf. But I did get pretty good deals on some of them so.. here you go.

November New Releases: Part 2

Newly Released books this November

*cover image links to Goodreads*

The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines #4) by Richelle Mead Published: November 19, 2013 The Book Depository _____ In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her. . . . But the struggle isn't over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there's still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure—and re-education—looms larger than ever. Pulses will race throughout this thrilling fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe.

Reading Multiple Books at a Time

What do you do when you're in a reading slump? Me? I either pause reading for a couple of days, or read 1 to 2 chapters of a certain book per day, or read the first chapter of every book I have until I find the one that would get me out of my reading slump. Right now, I'm in the craziest kind of coping slightly similar to situation number 3. The difference is, I don't plan on abandoning or not finishing those books I started.

I was really ecstatic with my reading pace this November. So far, I've read 13 books and 1 novella. These past weeks though, I can't seem to stick to one title. Reading multiple books at time is not unusual for me. I do it regularly. But I noticed the amount of books I am currently reading this month alone is kind of uhh.. too many.

Book Cover Battle: US vs UK - Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter

I learned about this series randomly. I saw one of the books at my local bookstore and it initially wasn't the cover that made me interested. It's the word SPIES and yep, I just had to read it. It turned out I'm a liar. The only book I can find then was the second in the series, Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy and since I don't have the first one, I kind of forgot about it after a while. My sister found my copy though, read it even though it's already the sequel, told me it was really, really good and that I HAVE TO GET HER THE FIRST BOOK. Man, I remembered marathon-ing the first four in three days. Everytime I finish reading my hands would immediately grab for the next. It was THAT good. So good that I remember my heart breaking when I learned that the fifth book wouldn't come out for a year. But get this: the series is finished now but I have yet to read Out of Sight, Out of Time (yes, that's book 5).

Review: Being Jamie Baker by Kelly Oram

Being Jamie Baker (Jamie Baker #1)
by Kelly Oram
Published: June 14, 2010



An accident that should end in tragedy instead gives seventeen-year-old Jamie Baker a slew of uncontrollable superhuman abilities. To keep her secret safe Jamie socially exiles herself, earning the title of Rocklin High's resident ice queen. But during a supercharged encounter with star quarterback Ryan Miller she literally kisses anonymity goodbye. Now the annoyingly irresistible Ryan will stop at nothing to melt the heart of the ice queen and find out what makes her so special. Unfortunately, Ryan is not the only person on to her secret. Will Jamie learn to contain her unstable powers before being discovered by the media or turned into a government lab rat? More importantly, can she throw Ryan Miller off her trail before falling in love with him?

UPDATES: 2013 Reading Challenges

One month and 9 days left before 2014! 

Since we’re that close to ending this year I figured it’s time I do an update of my 2013 Reading Challenges which I haven’t done like, I don’t know, ever? I’ve joined seven this year and I’ve already completed five of them! You can head over HERE to check all my entries but if you want a shorter and less detailed version then keep reading. You know, it’s not too late to join if you’re still interested. Sign-ups and RC deets can also be found if you visit my 2013 Reading Challenges page.

November New Releases: Part 1

Newly Released books this November

*cover image links to Goodreads*

Champion (Legend #3) by Marie Lu Published: November 5, 2013 The Book Depository _____ The explosive finale to Marie Lu’s New York Times bestselling LEGEND trilogy—perfect for fans of THE HUNGER GAMES and DIVERGENT! He is a Legend. She is a Prodigy. Who will be Champion? June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps Elect while Day has been assigned a high level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them once again. Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything he has. With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

Another Reading Update: Tangled by Emma Chase

Ah, well see, I should be in class right now but our teacher blew us off. Funny. Isn't it the other way around? Anyway, while waiting for him to show up I decided to continue reading Tangled by Emma Chase until it became apparent there will be no class in Socio. Now that I finished the book but have little time left to write - or type - a long review.. I'll just post a.. what do you call this? An update? A mini review? Whatever.

Tangled (Tangled #1)
by Emma Chase
Published: August 2, 2013



Drew Evans is a winner. Handsome and arrogant, he makes multimillion dollar business deals and seduces New York’s most beautiful women with just a smile. He has loyal friends and an indulgent family. So why has he been shuttered in his apartment for seven days, miserable and depressed?

He’ll tell you he has the flu.

But we all know that’s not really true.

Katherine Brooks is brilliant, beautiful and ambitious. She refuses to let anything - or anyone - derail her path to success. When Kate is hired as the new associate at Drew’s father’s investment banking firm, every aspect of the dashing playboy’s life is thrown into a tailspin. The professional competition she brings is unnerving, his attraction to her is distracting, his failure to entice her into his bed is exasperating.

Then, just when Drew is on the cusp of having everything he wants, his overblown confidence threatens to ruin it all. Will he be able untangle his feelings of lust and tenderness, frustration and fulfillment? Will he rise to the most important challenge of his life?

Can Drew Evans win at love?

Tangled is not your mother’s romance novel. It is an outrageous, passionate, witty narrative about a man who knows a lot about women…just not as much as he thinks he knows. As he tells his story, Drew learns the one thing he never wanted in life, is the only thing he can’t live without.

2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge

Hosted by Rachel @ Fiktshun and Reanna @ Phantasmic Reads

It's all about review books so uhhhh... GUILTY! There are a couple of boxes at home to remind me of that so this reading challenge is a brilliant idea. I'm definitely in. Those books better watch out!

Reading Updates

Hello! Since I am not feeling very well and can't concentrate much to write a review, I'm doing updates instead. First on that list.. second semester started this week! Can't be too surprised how short that break was since I was in and out of campus those times anyway. But I did go back to my hometown on Halloween to take care of my grandma since she wasn't feeling well. It was supposed to be just an overnight stay but it turned out to be almost 4 days.

Since school opened in the middle of the week, first day back wasn't very eventful. Most of the students are still on the process of enrollment (like me) because of the holidays so no classes to the majority, yet. I skipped class the following day because of the bad weather but it was announced later that afternoon that classes were suspended for the rest of the day until Friday. Storm signal #4. Since power was out and I don't have anywhere to go, I was in bed the whole day like a dying person, reading. I finished two books:

Review: Don't Look Now by Michelle Gagnon

Don't Look Now
(PERSEFoNE #2)
by Michelle Gagnon
Published: August 27, 2013




Noa Torsen is on the run. Having outsmarted the sinister corporation Pike & Dolan, Noa and her friend Zeke now move stealthily across the country, protecting runaways before they become test subjects for P&D's horrific experiments. Noa knows all too well what that feels like: Whatever they did to her has left her exhausted and scared.

Back in Boston, Peter anxiously follows Noa's movements from his computer, using his hacker skills to feed her the information she needs to stay alive. But he's desperate to do something more, especially when he learns what P&D has done to his ex-girlfriend Amanda.

Then, in an explosive confrontation, Noa and her team are trapped in the one place they thought was safe. It will take everything Noa and Peter have to bring down the corporation before it gets them first. And with no one to trust and enemies hiding at every turn, they may be the only people alive who can.

This stunning second book in the critically acclaimed Don't Turn Around trilogy raises the stakes to their absolute limit and will leave readers begging for the exciting conclusion, Don't Let Go.

YA Contemporary Books I Would Recommend

There are only few contemporary books that appeal to me. Mostly it's because the genre has repetitive storyline (like NA, only this one is recommended to older teens) but of course there are those that will surprise you eventhough you might think "Oh, please. I've heard all of that before." The number of contemporary books I've read might not be half as many as my paranormal, sci-fi and fantasy reads but I do pick up a lot of them still. It may not be my favorite genre but despite all that same plot of high-school romance and blah, blah, blah, wouldn't you find it amazing to find that one book that could compete with your most favorite book under your most favorite genre?

Well, if you ask me, my most favorite contemporary last year was The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and If I Stay and  Where She Went by Gayle Forman. TFiOS wasn't very popular yet when I read it so there was no hype and high expectations. Just pure amazing-ness. And If I Stay was an impulse buy/read. I just saw it at a bookstore and thought "I HAVE to buy this" then later that day our trip back home was delayed so I read it at the terminal while waiting. That's where I found one of the "love of my life"-s. So yes, I would love to recommend these YA Contemporaries I've read so far THIS YEAR.

October Reads + Monthly Recap

Happy Holloween! Well, we're done with October and there are only two months left before 2014! Woah. Anyway, October has been a very good reading month. The first two-and-a-half weeks was really hectic because of finals but it was all better after that. I heard my aunt ask my mom a few days before where I was and my mom said: Where else? She's burying herself in her books while she's on break. Don't I just love my mom? She knows me so well. So this month I read 15 books! *victory dance a la Sam Henry* LOL.

Technically, I started three of them last month but I wasn't able to finish them on time. Still.