2015 Wrap-up

If I have to describe 2015 in one word, it’s BUSY. From job interviews to certification exams to that big project I was - am - working on.. it was tiring. There were a lot of sleepless nights. I had even gone without sleep for 32 hours straight once last month.

But it wasn't all bad. I had a lot to be grateful for this past year. I got to hangout with my classmates from elementary, high school and college! I met up with some of my elementary friends last November and I realized that it's been almost 10 years! I literally haven't seen them since I went away for high school. My high school batch also got together quite a few times this year - we always try to meet up with everyone whenever there is a chance. Also went out with my college buddies whom I haven't seen since graduation earlier this year!

Top 10 of 2015: Books I'm Looking Forward To In 2016

Day 5: Books I'm Looking Forward To In 2016

Merry Christmas and happy holidays, everyone! Today is the last "Top 10" day and it is the list of books I am most looking forward to this 2016. I have a lot. My list is already super long but to cut my list short it will mostly consist of, what else, SEQUELS!

Top 10 of 2015: Best Book Boyfriends of 2015

Day 4: Best Book Boyfriends of 2015

The list must consist of book boyfriends from books we have read this 2015. That means I can't include Archer Cross but let me just tell you, he's still my number one ;)

Top 10 of 2015: Best Couples of 2015

Day 3: Best ____ of 2015

The topic for day three is reader's choice and I chose to make a list of my favorite couples from the books I read this 2015.

Top 10 of 2015: Best Book Covers of 2015

Day 2: Best Book Covers of 2015

The list must be made of books that were released this 2015.

Without further ado, here are the covers that really caught my eye this year (there are A LOT of them but I did my best to narrow it down to 18).

*Covers link to Goodreads

Top 10 of 2015: Best Books I’ve Read in 2015

It's that time of the year. My fervent wish for December to go extra slow remains unheard, it seems. Oh well, nothing we can do about it now. Here is one thing to get excited for though: the time for our top favorites to be on display! Favorite books, covers, characters, upcoming releases... we all know how awesome lists are and a week-long of it? Mmm-hmm.

Now let's get to the first Top 10 list - the BEST BOOKS I've read this 2015!

Book Cover Battle: The Winner's Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski

A new set of covers for Marie Rutkoski's The Winner's Trilogy were recently released so let's talk about them.

OLD COVERS:
  

Review: Not Okay Cupid by Heidi R. Kling

Not Okay Cupid
by Heidi R. Kling
Expected Publication: January 11, 2016



Her wicked revenge, or his wicked heart...

Hazel McCallister loves her life. Perfect grades. Perfect best friend. Perfect boyfriend. Until her perfect boyfriend cheats on her with her perfect best friend. Now Hazel’s in free fall—until her best friend’s brother, Felix, gives her the perfect idea. Reclaim her power by taking revenge on her cheating ex.

Felix James loves his life. Casual relationships. Loads of surfing. He’s as drama-free as they come. But he can’t stand by when his sister steals her best friend’s boyfriend, and the dude insists it was Hazel’s fault. So Felix vows to help turn Hazel into a girl her ex can’t resist—so then she can break his heart.

With an alliance in place, Hazel’s revenge is all but assured. But with each piece of payback, she feels a stronger attraction to Felix, even though revenge will turn her into a girl Felix could never be with. And soon Hazel has to make an impossible choice: revenge...or Felix, the boy who’s stolen her heart.

WARNING! This book contains betrayal, revenge, and that most tempting vice of all, the bad boy you know you can't have.

December 2015 New Releases

New Book Releases this December 2015

*cover image links to Goodreads*

Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom Published: December 1, 2015 The Book Depository Amazon _____________ The Rules: Don't deceive me. Ever. Especially using my blindness. Especially in public. Don't help me unless I ask. Otherwise you're just getting in my way or bothering me. Don't be weird. Seriously, other than having my eyes closed all the time, I'm just like you only smarter. Parker Grant doesn't need 20/20 vision to see right through you. That's why she created the Rules: Don't treat her any differently just because she's blind, and never take advantage. There will be no second chances. Just ask Scott Kilpatrick, the boy who broke her heart. When Scott suddenly reappears in her life after being gone for years, Parker knows there's only one way to react-shun him so hard it hurts. She has enough on her mind already, like trying out for the track team (that's right, her eyes don't work but her legs still do), doling out tough-love advice to her painfully naive classmates, and giving herself gold stars for every day she hasn't cried since her dad's death three months ago. But avoiding her past quickly proves impossible, and the more Parker learns about what really happened--both with Scott, and her dad--the more she starts to question if things are always as they seem. Maybe, just maybe, some Rules are meant to be broken.

Review: The Girlfriend Request by Jodie Andrefski

The Girlfriend Request
by Jodie Andrefski
Expected publication: January 11, 2016



Updating best friend to girlfriend is more than a change of status…

Emma has been best friends with Eli since she moved to his neighborhood ten years ago. Tired of being cast in the role of the girl next door, Emma creates a fake Facebook profile in the hopes of starting an online friendship with Eli, which would hopefully lead to more. Like...way more. From friend request to In a Relationship--it all seemed so completely logical when she'd planned it.

Eli can't figure out what Emma is up to. He’s pretty sure she's the one behind the Facebook profile, but then again, why would she do something so drastic instead of just admitting she wants to be more than friends? And who the heck is this new guy he saw her with? Eli starts to think that just maybe...he missed his chance with the girl next door.

Two best friends, one outlandish ruse. Their status is about to become way more than It’s Complicated…

This Entangled Teen Crush book contains one fake Facebook profile, two best friends who secretly crave each other, and a dreaded sex talk with parents…boy crush in the room included. Pushing a relationship beyond the friend zone has never been so crazy…

SERIES REVIEW: The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel

 

The Book of Ivy Duology

by Amy Engel

Published: November 4, 2014

After a brutal nuclear war, the United States was left decimated. A small group of survivors eventually banded together, but only after more conflict over which family would govern the new nation. The Westfalls lost. Fifty years later, peace and control are maintained by marrying the daughters of the losing side to the sons of the winning group in a yearly ritual.

Clean Slate Read-A-Thon

Welcome to the Clean Slate Read-A-Thon hosted by Novel Ink, Lost in Lit & Latte Nights Reviews. For more details and sign-ups, go HERE.

So what exactly is the Clean Slate Read-A-Thon?

This Read-A-Thon is only for books that we didn’t get to in 2015. Any 2015 release we never got to read. We want to start this year off with a clean slate so let’s get those 2015 releases off our TBR and make run for all of those 2016 releases!

November 2015 Reads + Monthly Recap

I usually post my wrap-up on the first day of the month but life is a bit hectic right now and we can't really do anything about that but just do what needs to be done. Anyway, it's December. Only one month left! Is anyone else freaking out? Because I am. I am so not ready for 2016 mostly because the end of 2015 is also a deadline for me and it is nerve-racking just thinking about it.

These are the books I read this November:

    

2016 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

We all have those books. We buy them, win them, they're gifted to us. Then we put them up on a bookshelf and there they stay, collecting dust, waiting for the time when we'll finally decide to pick them up.

Join us on a quest to dust off your TBR Pile and read all the books you've been telling yourself you'll read next time you'll get a chance. This is your chance!

Me and My Bookshelf (37)

This is where I feature the books I received, bought, gifted or won that are recently added to my physical shelf, which means no e-books and the like, and recount epic book hauling stories. It is usually posted on Saturdays.

Hurrah to another month of moderate book hauling!

Review: Shattered Blue by Lauren Bird Horowitz

Shattered Blue
(The Light Trilogy #1)
by Lauren Bird Horowitz




For Noa and Callum, being together is dangerous, even deadly. From the start, sixteen-year-old Noa senses that the mysterious transfer student to her Monterey boarding school is different. Callum unnerves and intrigues her, and even as she struggles through family tragedy, she’s irresistibly drawn to him. Soon they are bound by his deepest secret: Callum is Fae, banished from another world after a loss hauntingly similar to her own.

But in Noa’s world, Callum needs a special human energy, Light, to survive; his body steals it through touch—or a kiss. And Callum’s not the only Fae on the hunt. When Callum is taken, Noa must decide: Will she sacrifice everything to save him? Even if it means learning their love may not be what she thought?

November 2015 New Releases: Part 2

New Book Releases this November 2015

*cover image links to Goodreads*

For the Record by Charlotte Huang Published: November 10, 2015 The Book Depository Amazon _____________ If Almost Famous were a YA novel... a raw, honest debut celebrating music, friendship, romance, and life on the road. Chelsea thought she knew what being a rock star was like... until she became one. After losing a TV talent show, she slid back into small-town anonymity. But one phone call changed everything Now she’s the lead singer of the band Melbourne, performing in sold-out clubs every night and living on a bus with three gorgeous and talented guys. The bummer is that the band barely tolerates her. And when teen heartthrob Lucas Rivers take an interest in her, Chelsea is suddenly famous, bringing Melbourne to the next level—not that they’re happy about that. Her feelings for Beckett, Melbourne’s bassist, are making life even more complicated. Chelsea only has the summer tour to make the band—and their fans—love her. If she doesn’t, she’ll be back in Michigan for senior year, dying a slow death. The paparazzi, the haters, the grueling schedule... Chelsea believed she could handle it. But what if she can’t?

Book Cover Battle: A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston

Today's book cover battle features one of my favorite covers this year: A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston. But before we go there let us talk about the book first.

Lo-Melkhiin killed three hundred girls before he came to her village, looking for a wife. When she sees the dust cloud on the horizon, she knows he has arrived. She knows he will want the loveliest girl: her sister. She vows she will not let her be next.

So far I've heard mixed things about this. It's a One Thousand and One Nights retelling that I have yet to read but certainly will. I read The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh, which is another One Thousand and One Nights retelling that was released earlier this year and I loved it. But I've heard not to compare it to A Thousand Nights because while they have the same premise, they are complete opposites.

Now to the covers...

Currently Reading

So it seems I've fallen into another slump. Well, not really. I've started and finished 5 books this month already but I also have a number of them on my "currently reading" pile. It's been a while since that happened and this is usually when I'm in a reading slump. Or maybe the book I've picked up just isn't doing it. But anyway, I'm determined to finish all of them before the month is over.

These two are books I started last month:

 

Review: Lumière by Jacqueline Garlick

Lumière
(The Illumination Paradox #1)
by Jacqueline Garlick
Published: December 12, 2013




One determined girl. One resourceful boy. One miracle machine that could destroy everything.

After an unexplained flash shatters her world, seventeen-year-old Eyelet Elsworth sets out to find the Illuminator, her father’s prized invention. With it, she hopes to cure herself of her debilitating seizures before Professor Smrt—her father’s arch nemesis—discovers her secret and locks her away in an asylum.

Pursued by Smrt, Eyelet locates the Illuminator only to see it whisked away. She follows the thief into the world of the unknown, compelled not only by her quest but by the allure of the stranger—Urlick Babbit—who harbors secrets of his own.

Together, they endure deadly Vapours and criminal-infested woods in pursuit of the same prize, only to discover the miracle machine they hoped would solve their problems may in fact be their biggest problem of all.

November 2015 New Releases: Part 1

New Book Releases this November 2015

*cover image links to Goodreads*

The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett Published: November 3, 2015 The Book Depository Amazon ______________ Artist Beatrix Adams knows exactly how she's spending the summer before her senior year. Determined to follow in Leonardo da Vinci’s footsteps, she's ready to tackle the one thing that will give her an advantage in a museum-sponsored scholarship contest: drawing actual cadavers. But when she tries to sneak her way into the hospital’s Willed Body program and misses the last metro train home, she meets a boy who turns her summer plans upside down. Jack is charming, wildly attractive . . . and possibly one of San Francisco’s most notorious graffiti artists. On midnight buses and city rooftops, Beatrix begins to see who Jack really is—and tries to uncover what he’s hiding that leaves him so wounded. But will these secrets come back to haunt him? Or will the skeletons in Beatrix’s own family’s closet tear them apart?

Covers Revealed: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater and The Crown by Kiera Cass

A few days ago the cover of one of my - and probably everyone's - most anticipated book was revealed. It's highly likely you've already seen it but I can't not share because, goodness, IT IS GORGEOUS! 

November TBR

Today is a holiday. Woo-hoo! We are on the 5th day of November already but I am just now making my TBR post. That is because I haven’t picked up any book since this month started (well, I have, but they were rereads) to even contemplate about a TBR pile. I went back to my hometown for the Halloween weekend and I knew I wouldn’t be able to get any reading done because most of those time would be spent talking to people. I rarely visit anymore (and only for a night at most) because of school, and now work, so I didn’t want to start anything when I can’t sit and focus on it anyway. Then I had to catch up with some work when I got back in the city and – ahhhhh – this month is already so exhausting. I can’t bear to think that I won’t be having any Christmas break *cries*

So earlier I decided to start reading Saga by Brian K. Vaughn. I'm only about to start chapter two but I am already really liking it so I am probably reading this series for the rest of the week.

Mara Dyer Spin-Off Series

What is this MADNESS?

Ha! Get it? Cause Mara Amitra Dyer + Noah Elliot Simon Shaw = MADNESS.

Okay, don't mind me. My mind is a bit fried by this news. I had no freaking idea this was happening. But it must be for real, 'cause I found it on Entertainment Weekly.

October 2015 Reads + Monthly Recap

Another month over! We are so close to this year's end and I am kind of freaking out about a lot of things that needs to be done before I welcome 2016. I am focusing most of my energy on that but I make sure to allot some of my time on books and my blog as well, even if it is not much at the moment.

This October I read:

  

Me and My Bookshelf (36): October Book Haul

This is where I feature the books I received, bought, gifted or won that are recently added to my physical shelf, which means no e-books and the like, and recount epic book hauling stories. It is usually posted on Saturdays.

Oh my gosh. GUESS WHAT? I only spent P80 ($1.7) on books this month and it makes me so freaking happy to think about this accomplishment. The restraint, guys! I can't count the times I had said: I'm gonna stop by the bookstore for a minute. Just to browse. No buying. And eventually be like: Nah. I don't wanna risk it.

[BLOG TOUR] Review + Giveaway: A Faerie's Revenge by Rachel Morgan

Welcome to the blog tour for Rachel Morgan's A FAERIE'S REVENGE, 

the fifth book in her Creepy Hollow series!

A Faerie's Revenge
Creepy Hollow (Book #5)
by Rachel Morgan
Published: October 27, 2015
Format: Ebook & Paperback
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Still reeling from a shocking revelation, Calla Larkenwood finds the threads of her world unraveling further when she's accused of a horrifying crime she didn't commit. In a world where everyone keeps secrets and someone is intent on framing her, how will she figure out who to trust?

October 2015 New Releases: Part 2

New Book Releases this October 2015

*cover image links to Goodreads*

The Secrets of Drearcliff Grange School by Kim Newman Published: October 6, 2015 The Book Depository Amazon _____________ A week after Mother found her sleeping on the ceiling, Amy Thomsett is delivered to her new school, Drearcliff Grange in Somerset. Although it looks like a regular boarding school, Amy learns that Drearcliff girls are special, the daughters of criminal masterminds, outlaw scientists and master magicians. Several of the pupils also have special gifts like Amy’s, and when one of the girls in her dormitory is abducted by a mysterious group in black hoods, Amy forms a secret, superpowered society called the Moth Club to rescue their friend. They soon discover that the Hooded Conspiracy runs through the School, and it's up to the Moth Club to get to the heart of it.

GIVEAWAY: This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp ARCs

Sourcebooks Fire is giving away advance copies of This Is Where It Ends along with chalk boards and chalk. We invite you to read This Is Where It Ends and use the chalkboards to express how this book made you feel. Feel free to use words - even a single word - or pictures. Was there a certain character that spoke to you? Were you left speechless and angry? We want to know - and SEE it on your board. Snap a photo and share on the Tumblr site for the book, or any of your social networks. Please tag all posts with #thisiswhereitends #sourcebooksfire.

October 2015 New Releases: Part 1

New Book Releases this October 2015

*cover image links to Goodreads*

This Ordinary Life by Jennifer Walkup Published: October 1, 2015 The Book Depository Amazon ____________ Sometimes Hope is the Most Extraordinary Gift of All. High-school radio host Jasmine Torres's life is full of family dysfunction, but if she can score the internship of her dreams with a New York City radio station, she knows she can turn things around. That is, until her brother Danny’s latest seizure forces her to miss the interview, and she’s back to the endless loop of missing school for his doctor appointments, picking up the pieces of her mother’s booze-soaked life, and stressing about Danny’s future. Then she meets Wes. He’s the perfect combination of smart, cute, and funny. He also happens to have epilepsy like her brother. Wes is living a normal life despite his medical issues, which gives Jasmine hope for Danny. But memories of her cheating ex-boyfriend keep her from going on a real date with Wes, no matter how many times he asks her. Jasmine can’t control everything. Not who wins the internship, not her mother’s addiction, not her brother’s health--not even where her heart will lead her. She wishes she could just have an ordinary life, but maybe what she already has is pretty extraordinary after all.

Review: A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis

A Madness So Discreet
by Mindy McGinnis
Published: October 6, 2015




Grace Mae knows madness.

She keeps it locked away, along with her voice, trapped deep inside a brilliant mind that cannot forget horrific family secrets. Those secrets, along with the bulge in her belly, land her in a Boston insane asylum.

When her voice returns in a burst of violence, Grace is banished to the dark cellars, where her mind is discovered by a visiting doctor who dabbles in the new study of criminal psychology. With her keen eyes and sharp memory, Grace will make the perfect assistant at crime scenes. Escaping from Boston to the safety of an ethical Ohio asylum, Grace finds friendship and hope, hints of a life she should have had. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who stalks young women. Grace, continuing to operate under the cloak of madness, must hunt a murderer while she confronts the demons in her own past.

In this beautifully twisted historical thriller, Mindy McGinnis, acclaimed author of Not a Drop to Drink and In a Handful of Dust, explores the fine line between sanity and insanity, good and evil—and the madness that exists in all of us.

Me and My Bookshelf (35): The Too Many Cheap Books Edition

This is where I feature the books I received, bought, gifted or won that are recently added to my physical shelf, which means no e-books and the like, and recount epic book hauling stories. It is usually posted on Saturdays.

September, aka book sale left and right (see my September 2013 book haul post). It was The 36th Manila International Book Fair a few weeks ago which I still haven't been able to attend - why do I live SO FAR from the venue? - and discounted books were everywhere. Lucky me, bookstores (National Book Store in my case) usually have nationwide cut price sales following the event. Naturally, I got me some, too.

Q4 Review Pile Reading Challenge

I only joined two reading challenges this year. I'm already done with one of them so I decided to try another! Rachel @ Fiktshun is currently hosting a Review Pile Reading Challenge which I think is pretty much perfect. I have huge pile of books I need to review and joining this challenge will make me more determined on tackling them.