Music and Lyrics (15): ON REPEAT

It's been a while since I last heard some of these songs but I noticed that I terribly missed them so now they are also included in my current playlist along with these new ones I've loved since summer break:

1) Demons by Imagine Dragons

I dedicate this song to Meda (Cracked and Crushed by Eliza Crewe - amazing book!).

"They say it's what you make
I say it's up to fate
It's woven in my soul
I need to let you go"

INCIDENTS: Bookish or Otherwise (this time it's OTHERWISE)

Not only does the start of a new school year signify the end of summer in a 'vacation mode sense' but also literally. You see, ever since school started last week, it also started raining quite a lot. I am even glad to say that I am once again sleeping huddled in a blanket. This entire summer, I've never bothered getting under the covers. The weather was that hot and just like that *snaps finger*, it's not anymore. There are only two seasons here in our country.. sunny and rainy.

Yesterday, since our last class was right after activity hour, we had plenty of time to hangout in our classroom even before the bell since it wasn't occupied. When we arrived there, we saw that part of the second floor hallway was flooded. SECOND FLOOR. And our room was in the middle of it. Anyway.. a girl entered the room. We're pretty sure she's lost since it's a major subject for fifth years which means no one can just enroll in that class and she's wearing the new school uniform which means she's either a second or third year student (freshmen are still allowed not to wear the uniform). Me and my classmates just looked at each other and we girls finally decided to help her out.

My cousin: Excuse me, miss? Which room is your class?
Lost girl: *looks confused for a second* Umm, DR?
Cousin: I think you're in the wrong room.
Lost girl: Why? What subject is this?
Cousin: Software Engineering
Lost girl: But this is DR, right?
Me: Yes. SLDR. I think your room is SEDR.
Lost girl: Oh. Where is that?
Me: Third floor. Just take the stairs right outside this room.
Lost girl: *looks sheepish* Oh, no. Thanks so much. *smiles*dashes for the exit*

Poor girl. I'm pretty sure she missed the first week of HER class since OUR class wasn't able to formally meet on the first week of school - the room was unavailable so she had no idea that she got in the wrong room until yesterday.

I don't really know what you will get out of this post. Heh. I'm just in a writing mood so take what you can out of this. I hope you're entertained or at least got a bit of lesson to help out a lost soul instead of making fun of them. Common first day back to school problems.. no need to freak the lower years (especially fresh bloods) out by being in the wrong class. Imagine if that was you. *cringe*

Review: Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

Stormdancer (The Lotus War #1)
by Jay Kristoff
Published: September 1, 2012




Buy from Amazon

Griffins are supposed to be extinct. So when Yukiko and her warrior father Masaru are sent to capture one for the Shogun, they fear that their lives are over. Everyone knows what happens to those who fail him, no matter how hopeless the task.

But the mission proves far less impossible, and far more deadly, than anyone expects – and soon Yukiko finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in her country's last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled griffin for company. But trapped together in the forest, Yukiko and Buruu soon discover a friendship that neither of them expected.

Meanwhile, the country around them verges on the brink of collapse. A toxic fuel is slowly choking the land; the omnipotent, machine-powered Lotus Guild is publicly burning those they deem Impure; and the Shogun cares about nothing but his own dominion. Yukiko has always been uneasy in the shadow of power, when she learns the awful truth of what the Shogun has done, both to her country and to her own family she's determined to do something about it.

Returning to the city, Yukiko and Buruu plan to make the Shogun pay for his crimes – but what can one girl and a flightless griffin do against the might of an empire?

Back to School TBR Pile

Some of you are just starting summer so enjoy! June for us here in the Philippines means the end of summer and the start of another academic year - or at least to most of us who did not change our school calendar - which happened this week. And since it's only the first week, school isn't that hectic. Yet. IT ALL STARTS NEXT WEEK. I'm only taking 7 classes this semester - thanks to summer class - and I'm dreading my Tuesday schedule the most. I have four classes that day from 10.30AM to 4.30PM straight, one hour break (for lunch, I'm guessing ???), and continue until 7PM. This is the kind of school day where bringing food to class will be much needed but they are lab classes so buh-bye-excess-fat-I-gained-this-summer. Oh, and here's another sad fact.. two of the most I'm-giving-you-five-programs-to-make-for-your-assignment-to-be-submitted-next-meeting professors are holding those four classes. Someone cry with me. Wednesdays and Fridays are the most chill so they're my favorite days of the week.

Anyway, the reason why I haven't been blogging even if times aren't tough yet is because I've been catching up on my TBR pile. Yes, I am behind my Goodreads reading challenge (again!) but that's because the books I am currently obsessed with are thick so.. understandable. So far this June I've read..

Cover Reveal: GIRLS ON FIRE Boxed Set

10 award-winning, critically acclaimed YA authors have brought together 10 amazing heroines in the GIRLS ON FIRE boxed set.

Girls on Fire

by Laura Howard, Amber Argyle, Angela Corbett, Christy Dorrity, Cindy M. Hogan, Tamara Hart Heiner, Elana Johnson, Rachel Morgan, Lee Strauss, Lani Woodland

Publication Date: June 16, 2014

I AM AN AWFUL BLOGGER!!!

OH. MY. GOSH. I just realized that my blog turned 2, like, a week ago. Two freakin’ years old. I suck. Now I feel guilty. I also forgot my first blogoversary! I think I even made a late blogoversary post but I wasn't able to publish it. I would have loved to do something special this time though. But I’m afraid now is really a bad time. It so happens that June means back to school and all the fuss that comes with it – why I started this blog in back-to-school-month (at least in our country) June, I can’t explain. Or I would have loved to have a giveaway for you, dear readers, but I’m broke. I can, however, give my heartfelt thanks to everyone of you who visited my blog even once. My blog is no superstar but I don’t mind at all. It’s here. You’re here. AND IT FEELS AMAZING!

Review: The Girl With the Windup Heart by Kady Cross

The Girl with the Windup Heart
(Steampunk Chronicles #4)
by Kady Cross
Published: May 27, 2014




Buy from Amazon

In 1897 London, a final showdown is about to begin.

London's underworld is no place for a young woman, even one who is strong, smart and part-automaton like Mila. But when master criminal Jack Dandy inadvertently breaks her heart, she takes off, determined to find an independent life, one entirely her own. Her search takes her to the spangled shadows of the West End's most dazzling circus.

Meanwhile, taken captive in the Aether, Griffin King is trapped in an inescapable prison, and at the mercy of his archenemy, The Machinist. If he breaks under the hellish torment, The Machinist will claim his powers and control of the Aether itself, and no one in either world will be safe-especially not Finley Jayne and her misfit band of friends.

Finley plunges headlong into the Aether the only way she knows how, by temporarily dying. But she cannot parry The Machinist's maneuvers for long. To defeat him for good, Griffin will have to confront his greatest fear and finally come face-to-face with the destructive power he wields.

Cover Revealed! MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME: Twelve Holiday Stories

I've been waiting for this anthology a long time and while it's not really here yet, it has a cover! A very very cute cover. I know all of the authors included and read AND loved the books of 10 of them. So, yes. OH.MY.GOD.

My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories

by Stephanie Perkins (editor), Holly Black, Ally Carter, Gayle Forman, Jenny Han, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Myra McEntire, Matt de la Peña, Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor, Kiersten White

Expected publication: October 14, 2014

Cover art by Jim Tierney

If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME: TWELVE HOLIDAY STORIES by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins.

Fun fact: each of the skating couples on the cover represents one of the twelve stories.

So. Any guesses which couple will be written by which author? The guy with the red checkered shirt and blue jeans reminds me of Levi (Fangirl). I wonder if I know the guy who has horns. LOL.

**EDIT: AAAHHHhahahahaha!! I showed this to my sister and we made guesses together. She says the guy with the horns and weird feet is the one from Days of Blood and Starlight (Laini Taylor). Ohmygod.. I did not expect this to be so much fun. And there's Mary and Joseph (we think). Also, either one of the two guys (the other wearing Santa's outfit) must be A. Bahahahaha.

PS We know they are probably not the characters who are going to be in the story. These guesses are just for fun.

May Reads + Monthly Recap

Just when I already made up my mind not to go, my college buds called and convinced me that I should go with them for the weekend. Just when I said yes, my high school classmates planned another movie day on that same day. Damn (I now owe them lunch or dinner). And there I was totally expecting a 2-day read-a-thon before summer break is officially over. Didn't happen.

May was.. internships, club meetings, plans, late nights, late mornings, reading, blogging and being lazy the rest of the time. It's the first time since I started college that I didn't take summer classes. I still have my OJT though but it's not so bad. I was also able to catch up to my Goodreads Reading Challenge. I've been behind since January (heh). I'm not that far ahead either but I don't mind. At least I'm "on track".

This month I read 17 books (holy crap!):

May New Releases: Part 2

New Releases this May 2014

*cover image links to Goodreads*

City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6) by Cassandra Clare Published: May 27, 2014 The Book Depository Amazon ____________ ΕRCHOMAI, SEBASTIAN HAD SAID. I am coming. Darkness returns to the Shadowhunter world. As their society falls apart around them, Clary, Jace, Simon and their friends must band together to fight the greatest evil the Nephilim have ever faced: Clary’s own brother. Nothing in the world can defeat him — must they journey to another world to find the chance?

Review: A is for Abstinence by Kelly Oram

A is for Abstinence
(V is for Virgin #2)
by Kelly Oram
Published: May 12, 2014



Buy from Amazon

Six-time Grammy Award-winning musician Kyle Hamilton has it all—money, fame, talent, good looks, and a job he loves. His only regret in life: walking away from a certain notorious virgin because he was too prideful, stubborn, and even afraid to give her the only thing she asked of him—his abstinence.

Four years and a broken heart later, Kyle realizes that sex isn’t everything, and he suddenly can’t stop thinking about the girl that got away. Virgin Val Jensen got under his skin like no one else ever has. He wasn’t ready for her then, but things are different now. He’s grown up, he’s learned a few things, and he’s finally figured out exactly what he wants, or, rather, who he wants.

Kyle Hamilton wants a do-over, and this time he’s willing to do—or not do—whatever it takes.

Review: After the End by Amy Plum

After the End
(After the End #1)
by Amy Plum
Published: May 6, 2014




Buy from Amazon

She’s searching for answers to her past. They’re hunting her to save their future.

World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.

At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.

When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.

Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she's trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.

Review: Justice by Jade Varden

Justice (Deck of Lies #1)
by Jade Varden
Published: December 24, 2011



Buy from Amazon

A House of Cards...

When you build an entire life on a foundation of lies, it only takes one truth for the whole thing to come crashing down. I never invited the truth in. I never went searching for it. I never had any reason to suspect that the two people I loved most were dishonest with me every second of every day.

I made one bad decision, and in a single day my entire world changed. If I'm ever going to discover the truth about myself and my parents, I have to trace all the lies back to their source. I have to try to find the truth that they're hiding.

The more I discover about myself, and my past, the more I realize that lies really are better than the truth. But now that I know the lies are all around me, I can't stop until I've discovered them all. I'll pull each lie away, one by one, and examine it to see what's underneath…until this house of cards crumbles into dust at my feet.

I just hope I can survive the crash.

QUICK NOTICE!

Oh, this is nothing earth-shattering if that's what you're expecting. I just feel like posting something but don't have time for a review.

First off, I GOT MY LAPTOP BACK! I miss this baby so much. I am never comfortable making reviews - or any blog posts for that matter - using any other computer.

Second. To all of you lovely people who left comments on my blog during the weekend, you guys rock! Will visit your blogs back as soon as I have the time (meaning tomorrow).

I literally just just got on the internet not an hour ago since Saturday afternoon. I choose not to during Sundays so I can read without interruptions but this Sunday was different. I spent the whole day cleaning my room which now feels so heavenly I couldn't keep the smile off my face for a job very well done. The dreaded day has now come and gone, my room is finally spick-and-span. Oi! That rhymes. And also this morning, I couldn't bring myself to put down the book I am currently reading:

...mainly the reason why I couldn't be bothered to write a review of another book. I was even tempted not to go online at all. This book is good stuff. You guys should start reading this series.

Aaaaand.. lastly, I have a meeting in, like, 10 minutes. So I gotta go. Now.

Book Cover Shout-outs!

This is like a cover reveal except that some of you may have already seen these ages ago and I haven't so yeah, book cover shout-out it is. But this list consists of books that are not yet published so anyone of you who is as out of the loop as I recently was, count this a cover reveal.

Blue Lily, Lily Blue

(The Raven Cycle #3)

by Maggie Stiefvater

Publication date: October 28, 2014

Can I just say HO-LY CRAP? I literally saw this minutes ago and was actually the reason why I made this post in the first place but OH-MY-FREAKIN-GOD that is gorgeous!
____________________

Book Cover Battle: Old vs New - Lux Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Let's talk about the old cover of the first book, Obsidian, first.

For it's first edition it looks like this:

Daemon looks hot. Katy looks hot. If you ask me, once you see this cover and then start reading the book, there's no denying they are the perfect Daemon and Katy. You won't be able to picture them looking like another person's face. What I didn't like about this cover is that it feels bare. And what's up with the title's design?

Review: Perfect Lies by Kiersten White

Perfect Lies
(Mind Games #2)
by Kiersten White
Published: February 18, 2014




Buy from Amazon
National Book Store

Annie and Fia are ready to fight back.

The sisters have been manipulated and controlled by the Keane Foundation for years, trapped in a never ending battle for survival. Now they have found allies who can help them truly escape. After faking her own death, Annie has joined a group that is plotting to destroy the Foundation. And Fia is working with James Keane to bring his father down from the inside.

But Annie's visions of the future can't show her who to trust in the present. And though James is Fia's first love, Fia knows he's hiding something. The sisters can rely only on each other - but that may not be enough to save them.

Review: Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

Into the Still Blue
(Under the Never Sky #3)
by Veronica Rossi
Published: January 28, 2014




Buy from Amazon
National Book Store

The race to the Still Blue has reached a stalemate. Aria and Perry are determined to find this last safe haven from the Aether storms before Sable and Hess do--and they are just as determined to stay together.

Within the confines of a cave they're using as a makeshift refuge, they struggle to reconcile their people, Dwellers and Outsiders, who are united only in their hatred of their desperate situation. Meanwhile, time is running out to rescue Cinder, who was abducted by Hess and Sable for his unique abilities. Then Roar arrives in a grief-stricken fury, endangering all with his need for revenge.

Out of options, Perry and Aria assemble an unlikely team for an impossible rescue mission. Cinder isn't just the key to unlocking the Still Blue and their only hope for survival--he's also their friend. And in a dying world, the bonds between people are what matter most.

In this final book in her earth-shattering Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi raises the stakes to their absolute limit and brings her epic love story to an unforgettable close.

May New Releases: Part 1

New Releases this May 2014

*cover image links to Goodreads*

Savage Drift (Monument 14 #3) by Emmy Laybourne Published: May 6, 2014 The Book Depository Amazon _____ The stunningly fierce conclusion to Emmy Laybourne's Monument 14 trilogy. The survivors of the Monument 14 have finally made it to the safety of a Canadian refugee camp. Dean and Alex are cautiously starting to hope that a happy ending might be possible. But for Josie, separated from the group and trapped in a brutal prison camp for exposed Type Os, things have gone from bad to worse. Traumatized by her experiences, she has given up all hope of rescue or safety. Meanwhile, scared by the government's unusual interest in her pregnancy, Astrid (with her two protectors, Dean and Jake in tow) joins Niko on his desperate quest to be reunited with his lost love Josie. Author Emmy Laybourne reaches new heights of tension and romance in this action-packed conclusion to the Monument 14 trilogy.

Review: Sweet Little Thing by Renée Carlino

Sweet Little Thing
(Sweet Thing #1.5)
by Renée Carlino
Published: March 4, 2014



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Ever wonder what happened after the final pages of Sweet Thing?

From his candid and sometimes neurotic point of view, Will tells all in this musical and sexy follow-up novella to Renée Carlino’s USA Today Bestseller.

Life is pure bliss for Mia and Will. They have a puppy, a loft in Brooklyn, and a new music studio on the rise. It seems things couldn’t get any better for this talented couple when life decides to throw them a sweet little curve ball.

They quickly learn that things don't always go according to plan. Sometimes happily ever after is one giant leap of faith away. With the help of good music, good friends, and one eccentric old lady, they overcome a few of life’s little bumps to find the sweetest thing of all.

Watch this duo grow in more ways than one in SWEET Little THING.

Review: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Through the Ever Night
(Under the Never Sky #2)
by Veronica Rossi
Published: January 8, 2013




Buy from Amazon
National Book Store

It's been months since Aria learned of her mother's death.

Months since Perry became Blood Lord of the Tides, and months since Aria last saw him.

Now Aria and Perry are about to be reunited. It's a moment they've been longing for with countless expectations. And it's a moment that lives up to all of them. At least, at first.

Then it slips away. The Tides don't take kindly to former Dwellers like Aria. And the tribe is swirling out of Perry's control. With the Aether storms worsening every day, the only remaining hope for peace and safety is the Still Blue. But does this haven truly exist?

Threatened by false friends and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, Can their love survive through the ever night?

In this second book in her spellbinding Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi combines fantasy and sci-fi elements to create a captivating adventure-and a love story as perilous as it is unforgettable.

Things That Made Me Smile/Laugh Today

Hey! So I wanted to make a blog post but I have no idea what. I was working on finishing a couple of reviews but I don't feel like doing that now so I thought I'd insert some randomness here. I kind of noticed a lot of things made me happy today and I want to spread it to anyone who might come across this post. It's nothing big; little things that scored a spontaneous laugh or smile on my face which made it all the more special in my opinion.

*whispers* I once overheard the adults talk about how my smile is expensive (since I was a baby, they say). Some people even do a double take when I laugh. Like, they can't believe I just did that. And then they'd comment on how I should laugh more because it's the first time they heard it. Uh.. I have to disagree to that. I laugh and smile A LOT!

First thing that made me smile this morning was:

Me and My Bookshelf (21)

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, and recount epic book hauling stories. It is usually posted on Saturdays.

Hi! Last weekend I went to Cebu to attend Tahereh Mafi, Ransom Riggs and Veronica Rossi's book signing. I would like to congratulate myself since I did not buy any books aside from the three I have yet to buy to bring to the event - by which I am very thankful about since I already bought a lot on the first week of April. The day before the event I bought:

Review: Eternally Yours by Cate Tiernan

Eternally Yours
(Immortal Beloved #3)
by Cate Tiernan
Published: November 6, 2012




Buy from Amazon
National Book Store

After 450 years of living, Nastasya Crowe should have more of a handle on this whole immortal thing....

After a deadly confrontation at the end of Darkness Falls, the second Immortal Beloved novel, Nastasya Crowe is, as she would put it, so over the drama. She fights back against the dark immortals with her own brand of kick-butt magick...but can she fight against true love? In the satisfying finale to the Immortal Beloved trilogy, ex-party-girl immortal Nastasya ends a 450-year-old feud and learns what "eternally yours" really means.

Laced with historical flashbacks and laugh-out-loud dialogue, the Immortal Beloved trilogy is a fascinating and unique take on what it would mean to live forever.

Review: Darkness Falls by Cate Tiernan

Darkness Falls
(Immortal Beloved #2)
by Cate Tiernan
Published: October 2012




Buy from Amazon
National Book Store

You can run from your past, but it will always catch up.

Nastasya has lived for hundreds of years, but for some reason it never seems to get any easier. She’s left behind her days of debauchery to find peace and forgiveness at River’s Edge, a safe haven for wayward immortals. There she’s uncovered her family’s epic history, reclaimed her magickal powers, and met Reyn, whom she dubs “the Viking god.” Just as she settles into her new life, Nastasya learns that her old friends might be in town....

Reuniting with her gorgeous and dangerous ex-best-friend, Innocencio, Nas wonders if she’ll ever be truly free of her dark legacy. Is Incy dangerous, power-hungry, and wicked? Or is he the only one who truly understands Nas’s darkness? Either way, Nas is desperate to find out who she really is-even if the answer kills her.