UPDATE!

Have been reading new books, but my time online is VERY VERY limited.
Hoping I'll be able to post more reviews soon. Take care, you!

Know the number of your days!

Intermission!

Yeah, just reminding everyone.

Have a great day ahead! :D

BOOKS TO READ FOR THE NEXT 3 MO.S

I have been despicably busy with school recently (with my capping ceremony just around the corner) and found no time to read, write and to read some more. I have three titles on my wait list and am feeling a little too drained to produce something worth the time of the day. So my schedule pretty much consists of school, church, sleep on my way home, homework and more sleeping. Hardly have the freedom to jog early in the morning as I always had back in the summer. But albeit the always assiduous lifestyle I'm currently living, I have no doubts I'll still be able to enjoy my hobby in the weeks to come. So just in case, I'm filling up my notebook with a list of must reads for the next three months. So in no particular order...

1. Anna and The French Kiss

Stephanie Perkins

December 2, 2010

I'm not too thrilled because of the title but someone told me that it's a nice read and because I trust the person's taste, I'm gonna give it a go.

Genre: YA Contemporary, Romance, Culture, School, Hormonal

2. The Fine Art of Truth and Dare

Melissa Jensen

February 16, 2012

Plotline not that unusual but I'm willing to give it a try to see if the goodreads list is trustworthy. Yes, it involves French and YA again. Gosh, the hormones.

Genre: YA Contemporary, Romance, Culture, School, Hormonal

 

3. Graffiti Moon

Cath Crowley

February 14, 2012

 I'm gonna take a chance with this book. It has A+ reviews and everybody's saying the book synopsis is nothing compared to the beauty of this read. So that got me interested and now I'm really looking forward to reading this book.

Genre: Art, Romance, YA Contemporary

4. The Catastrophic History of You and Me

Jess Rohtenberg

February 21, 2012

I am now ready for a tear jerker. The plotline seems worth my time and I'm raising my expectations on this one. I'm not merely signing up for a fun read but for drama--the hardcore type. Bring it!

Genre: Drama, Romance, YA Contemporary, Death, Fantasy

5. Protecting Truth

Michelle Warren

Unreleased, 2012

Anticipating. Hopefully the 2nd installment of the Seraphina Parrish trilogy would be available in the next three months. I adored the first book. I'm a bit disappointed with the cover though >_<

Genre: Romance, YA Contemporary, Fantasy, Action

6. The Selection

Kiera Cass

April 24, 2012

Interesting plot. Yay, royalty :D

Genre: Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy

7. The Storyteller

Antonia Michaelis

January 1, 2012

They had me at "a dark, haunting, contemporary story that is part mystery, part romance, and part melodrama." Seems interesting.

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Fantasy, Romance, Contemporary

Book Review: The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight by Jennifer Smith

Title: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Series: N/A
Author: Jennifer Smith
Genre: YA Fiction, Romance, Contemporary
My Rate: 1/5 a disappointment
Published: January 2, 2012

"Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?" 

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row. 

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?
Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it. (Goodreads.com)

CHARACTERS || Disappointed. They promised me an assumed ultra hot British boy named Oliver for goodness' sake! He failed to deliver Ever heard of a charming, sarcastic roll of an amputee (insert Augustus)?! Yeah people should quit with the Gary Stus and multiply the Augustus / Jace / Logan types! So fine, he wasn't that dull and boring but I EXPECTED SO MUCH MORE! As for the female, she seems okay (the typical female I guess) again not ooohsome as I imagined her to be.

WRITING || Prose. I'm not a big fan of prose and this made me even less of a not-a-big-fan.

OVERALL || Disappointed. That's what I am with the entirety of this book. I mean ANYONE would expect a promising (John Green style) tale with a title as intriguing as this. It sadly, did not even come close to meeting my expectations. For a supposedly very eventful 24-hr story, it was otherwise. It's not even about love at first sight anymore. The title "Secretly Bitter Teen with divorced parents (and a little airport love)" would be a much more suitable title for this. TSK TSK TSK. Some call it a plain ol' romance story, it really is. PLAIN. OLD. ROMANCE.

Book Review: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

Title: The Mysterious Benedict Society
Series: The Mysterious Benedict Society Series
Author: Trenton Lee Stewart
Genre: Children's, Mystery, Adventure
My Rate: 4.3/5  exceeded expectations
Published: September 1, 2010

Dozens of children respond to this peculiar ad in the newspaper and are then put through a series of mind-bending tests, which readers take along with them. Only four children—two boys and two girls—succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and inventive children could complete. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules. But what they'll find in the hidden underground tunnels of the school is more than your average school supplies. So, if you're gifted, creative, or happen to know Morse Code, they could probably use your help.  (Goodreads.com)

CHARACTERS ||The characters are awesome, albeit young, and well-crafted. Grand commendations to the author for such well-thought of young geniuses! They're peculiar and I was inspired to learn the Morse Code after reading this book.

WRITING || Can't remember much of the writing style but I know I enjoyed it so it must be pretty good.

OVERALL ||The best children's book ever! (and according to Julia Roberts in Mirror, Mirror, ever is a very long time) I generally don't like reading books with such childish covers, if it weren't for my friends' very PERSUASIVE persuasion, I wouldn't have bothered. But woe if I hadn't given in! The predicaments were exorbitantly stressful. I was jumping up and down literally! There were moments, especially during the long but equally exciting climax, where I felt hopeless. But then BOOM BAM! This read is for adults too! One of the few books I am still able to remember (as I read this nearly two years ago). READ IT!

Book Review: Silver Frost by Kailin Gow

Title: Silver Frost
Series: Frost Series (#3)
Author: Kailin Gow
Genre: YA Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Humor
My Rate: 3/5 so, so
Published: December 22, 2010

Breena, the beautiful half fairy, half human princess from Oregon, has ascended to her rightful place in Feyland, as Queen of the Summer Kingdom. Secretly in love with her intended Winter Prince Kian, now Breena is faced with the realization of war, and the possibility of Kian as her greatest enemy.

CHARACTERS || Slowly losing interest. Breena is torn between kingdom and love. If I were her I'd choose the former, but it's up to you to find out what really happened.

WRITING || Again with the cliff-hangers, will they ever stop? Oh yeah, I might be late in saying this but if you're not a fan of Wicked Lovely and the likes, then this isn't the book for you. It's similarity is alarming but in my opinion, I like the writing better here. And that is from a non-biased perspective. If it were otherwise, I'd say I like Wicked Lovely better because I read it first. Muahaha!

OVERALL || Again, skipped the whole intro. It's just a retelling of the story and I get bored with it (since I read it as soon as I finish reading the sequel).

Book Review: Forever Frost by Kailin Gow

Title: Forever Frost
Series: Frost Series
Author: Kailin Gow
Genre: YA Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Faerie,
My Rate: 3/5  good enough
Published: September 1, 2010

Breena's entry into Feyland is marred by danger and beauty. A prisoner in her own palace, she longs to see and touch her forbidden prince Kian. Yet her heart is also still with her friend Logan. In a stunning turn of events, Breena suddenly finds herself faced with the most heartbreaking decision in her entire life.  (Goodreads.com)

CHARACTERS ||Breena's character developed and my love for the non-typical Ice Prince Kian grew. The other monarchs were also put in the picture which is great. Still feeling sorry for poor Logan though. I am convinced of him being a dead cause.

WRITING ||  Dialogues are still as sophisticated and highfalutin as ever.

OVERALL || I skipped the whole intro because it's all just ramblings about what had happened prior to this book. It picks up exactly where Bitter Frost left. And I guess Breena is kind of decided on who she wants now. Conflicts are presented and resolved too fast. The ending is still a cliff-hanger.

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars

Title: The Fault in Our Stars
Series: N/A
Author: John Green
Genre: YA Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Humor
My Rate: 4.7/5  a book I'd read over and over again
Published: January 10, 2012

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind  (Goodreads.com)

CHARACTERS || Very wonderfully crafted characters. They certainly don't talk their age, Augustus and Hazel are VERY VERY exotic teenagers. They being the way they are is what exactly made me like this book. And I can't help but feeling if I should be wishing for more Augustus Waters in this world. These three-dimensional characters are flawed beautifully and I would have them no other way. I am so in love with everyone in this book! And digging deeper you'll find that books generally have antagonists, but in this case, it's the disease itself (it's not even Van Houten!)

WRITING ||  Very beautiful. Nicholas Sparks is a cow next to this masterpiece. Dialogues are witty, punny and creative. The questioning-their-existence soliloquies are realistic with possibly every figure of speech in the world. I am certainly looking forward to reading more of Green's works (despite everybody saying his characters are low quality versions of himself). In all honesty, I enjoyed every walking moment in this book. Not a single boring moment here, and trust me, it doesn't take alot to bore me. Wit wit wit, that's what TFIOS is full of.

OVERALL || Greatly paced, indulging and provoking. So realistic and illustrative, just enough descriptions. I got so much reality of life from this book and so many amazing things to quote. I have found myself severely perplexed at times because I am unable to decide whether to cry or laugh. Humor is perfectly woven in every situation. Great great read! Recommending it to my reading friends and everyone who's interested.

Book Review: Bitter Frost by Kailin Gow

Title: Bitter Frost
Series: Frost Series
Author: Kailin Gow
Genre: YA Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Faerie,
My Rate: 3.5/5  good enough
Published: June 21, 2011

All her life, Breena had always dreamed about fairies as though she lived among them...beautiful fairies living among mortals and living in Feyland.

In her dreams, he was always there the breathtakingly handsome but dangerous Winter Prince, Kian, who is her intended. When Breena turns sixteen, she begins seeing fairies and other creatures mortals don't see. Her best friend Logan suddenly acts very protective.

Then she sees Kian, who seems intent on finding her and carrying her off to Feyland. That's fine and all, but for the fact that humans rarely survive a trip to Feyland, a kiss from a fairy generally means death to the human unless that human has fairy blood in them or is very strong, and although Kian seemed to be her intended, he seems to hate her and wants her dead.  (Goodreads.com)

CHARACTERS || I would've loved it better if the characters did not resemble Edward, Jacob and Bella. But sadly, they kind of did. But nevertheless, the pull between the readers and the characters is present and you just can't help but wonder what will happen to Kian, Logan and Breena. The names also seem appropriate. But if you ask me, Breena isn't a very realistic character. But hey, that's why they call it fiction, don't they?

WRITING ||  Good writing. But the ending is quite a cliff-hanger and if I could write it, I would have it some other way. Because cliff-hangers are used to end CHAPTERS, not NOVELS (as this one claims to be).

OVERALL || Let me tell you that I wasn't attracted to this book in any way until I started reading it. I'm currently interested in court politics and kingdoms and whatnot, so I had read this and got what I was looking for. It lacked depth but still, this book presents a new definition of magic and it's interesting. Sometimes predictable, and not that complex that even a 10 year old can digest. If new with fae books then it's good enough but if you're kind of a veteran, then I'm afraid this will leave you kind of disappointed.

Book Review: Falling For Hamlet by Michelle Ray

Title: Falling For Hamlet
Series: N/A
Author: Michelle Ray
Genre: YA Fiction, Romance, Retelling
My Rate: 1/5  a waste of my time
Published: October 1, 2011

Meet Ophelia: a blonde, beautiful high-school senior and long-time girlfriend of Prince Hamlet of Denmark. Her life is dominated not only by her boyfriend's fame and his overbearing family, but also by the paparazzi who hound them wherever they go. As the devastatingly handsome Hamlet spirals into madness after the mysterious death of his father, the King, Ophelia rides out his crazy roller coaster life, and lives to tell about it. In live television interviews, of course.

Passion, romance, drama, humor, and tragedy intertwine in this compulsively readable debut novel, told by a strong-willed, modern-day Ophelia. (Goodreads.com)

I wish I had never read this book. I actually expected a great deal out of this modern story-telling of Hamlet. I was pained every time I read this and maybe it's the fact that I am not a fan of the original Hamlet. But yeah, this book is basically Ophelia's modern re-telling but it basically stuck to the original and that for me, is kinda sad (because again, I didn't love the original Hamlet by Shakespeare). Another thing is that it was too hormonal and too dramatic. Way more dramatic than (original) Hamlet had ever been I guess.

Book Review: So Over You by Gwen Hayes

Title: So Over You
Series: N/A
Author: Gwen Hayes
Genre: YA Fiction, Romance
My Rate: 4/5  cool
Published: April 25, 2005

Layney Logan, girl reporter. That’s all she’s ever wanted to be. The only thing Layney dislikes more than swimming in the high school dating pool is letting her arch-nemesis and co-Chief Editor, Jimmy Foster, get the better of her. So, she’ll take his stupid assignment to go on twelve blind dates and she’ll prove to him she’s twice the reporter he is. Unless she listens to her heart...

Don't judge a book by its cover. I know I did (the cover's not very nice, that I almost didn't read it) but man, was I glad I pressed on.

CHARACTERS || I loved Logan and Foster, 'nuff said. They had a real love-hate relationship. Their bickering and sweetness made my tummy dance every now and then.The supporting characters weren't that bad either. I actually had a thing for Abercrombie model for awhile. But Foster can be really... spontaneous (I guess) but yeah, they can be really REALISTIC.

WRITING || It's gorgeously written. I can't explain enough, you'll just have to read it for yourself! But lemme tell you this: the lines here are witty, and outrageously funny!

OVERALL || Buy it if you're hormonal. Even if you lack the hormones, you'll get them soon enough. In my case, I didn't really like the whole revelation thing. They were too abrupt for me, like they came out of no where. But even so, the whole of the book will make up for that fail and you'll be happy to have read the book (despite reading this negative criticism) anyway. So READ IT, READ IT, READ IT!

I'm putting the synopsis because I want to, haha.

Catching fire

Title: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
My rating: 4/5


     This book is the 2nd in the Hunger Games trilogy. After reading the first book, I was really excited for this one! 


    If the first book was full of thrill and suspense, this one has a lot of ants (alamigas)! haha. What I mean is, there's a lot of focus given to Katniss and Peeta. But the thrill and suspense are still there, they just put a lot of scenes of sweetness! Which I actually like about catching fire. But I think in my opinion, the first book is still better. ;D


     And the ending of this book is such a cliffhanger. tsk. I guess that's good in a way for series kind of books. It makes the readers want more. xD

5 Christian Books To Read

I was at a local bookstore earlier today and found two books that I would probably buy before the end of this month. One is Passion & Purity by Elisabeth Elliot and the other another edition of My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. So as you might have guessed, they're topping this list.

1. Passion&Purity - Elisabeth Elliot

A friend of mine suggested this book to me when I asked him for a good read. I read the foreword by Joshua Harris and suddenly, interest sparked within me. I'm really looking forward to reading this book and finding out what God's plan for me is in here.

2. My Utmost for His Highest - Oswald Chambers

I found a copy of My Utmost for His Highest at my church nearly a month ago and read it (cuz that's what I do when I find books, haha). But I'm planning to return it to the owner soon so I'm getting myself a copy of this amazing devotional.

3. It's Not About Me - Max Lucado

I like the cover, for one. I think I read the synopsis sometime ago and liked it (because I made a memo of it in my phone). So when I get the funds, I'm gonna buy it!

 

 

4. Stop Dating The Church - Joshua Harris

I read something in Harris' blog, a letter or something addressed to him by a pastor of a small church. Because of the commendation or story or whatever you call it, I decided to get the book. I'm a fan of Harris' from his I Kissed Dating Goodbye and Boy Meets Girl.

5. True Colors Series - Melody Carson

Some strong teen fiction. Read about 4 books since my 2nd year of high school. You get alot from them really. But they're majorly for girls. But if you're open-minded...

Book Review: Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris

Title: Boy Meets Girl
Series: N/A
Author: Joshua Harris
Genre: Marriage & Relationships
My Rate: 4.5/5 ohsum
Published: 2005

School has taken a toll on me and I want basically unable to post for a couple of days. But fear no more, as I am now back with a brand new book (and the blog's brand new look). So I received this book as a gift from Page, Christmas 2010. My relationship ideas were really challenged by it (although I was, and still am, really young.) in a good way. I've never read I Kissed Dating Goodbye or any other Joshua Harris book prior to this but I enjoyed it and got many things from it. I'm really happy to have read this book at this age (I'm seventeen going on eighteen) and plan to read it again in the future to further understand it.


At first I thought that me reading this book would be weird since I'm no where near the age of marriage--not even for the age of romantic relationships (in my opinion). I've never even had anything close to romantic. But I know it can get pretty complicated, my parents' failed marriage is a testimony to that. Because of this book, I was encouraged. And despite this book not being entirely age-appropriate, it really allowed me to embrace my singleness (even when people would think otherwise, as in their minds I'm but a hormonal teenager--not really the case in reality) and look forward to the one God has set for me. Out of all the marriage books for teens out there, this seems to be the most digestible. So I'm more than glad to have finished this read.


I really thank God that I was able to read this book (I can't say that enough). He revealed much to me everytime I flipped a page. This book talks much of glorifying God in marriage and the preparation of such. I really recommend it to my peers who, like me, want to have God-glorifying relationships in the future!

Book Review: Wander Dust by Michelle Warren

Title: Wander Dust

Series: The Seraphina Parrish Trilogy
Author: Michelle Warren

Genre: Romance, YA Fiction, Adventure

My Rate: 4.7/5

Published: 11/30/2011

I just got out of the hospital and am supposed to be resting today so I'm not at school. Caught a little virus and was there for four days. THE HORROR. But I kept myself busy by playing Tetris and reading a little. I finished Wander Dust in there too. HOOORRRAY! Read on for the actual review mateys.

CHARACTERS || I like the characters, just not a fan of their names. I mean, Seraphina, seriously? But I think it started to grow on me by the end of the fifth chapter. And I really pity the protagonist. She's so lonely I could cry! (not really) But yeah Bishop and Sam's okay. I hate the third wheel because I hate third wheels in general (but this girl's a whole new different level, I just wanna kick her in the shin). But aside from that, I really admire Sera's strength in controlling her feelings for Bishop. She's not like those hormonal, deluded female leads who are almost the ones jumping the male leads. She's goal-oriented and us girls (even the non-fictional ones) could learn a thing or two from her. As for Max Bishop, typical British hottie. The lady in black, the grungy gang kept me on the edge as I read them at night time. But by the middle of the book, I was a wee bit disappointed for the Lady in black--I really wanted more from her.

WRITING || I love how it's written and how it incorporates Egyptian myths and legends into the plotline. Historical events even. Fun to read, their world isn't that hard to grasp too. The mystery thrilled me. Her making a list of them was, in my opinion, very helpful.

OVERALL || I think it's a pretty interesting book. I've never read anything on time traveling before (I've seen the movie Time Traveler's Wife though, if that counts). The cover is quite attractive, if I may say so myself. I'm going to wait for the second book while I'm crossing my fingers this trilogy won't keep me up for several nights then fail me in the last installment (AHEM, Hunger Games).

First book review: Hunger games

Title: Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins

Rating: 5/5 ✔  ☺ 

Review:

My friend recommended me this book when we were in high school. So I read it and I loved it so much.

It's about a girl, Katniss Everdeen, from a very poor district who volunteered to join the annual hunger games in place of her little sister. The hunger games is an annual thing that features children, called tributes, from the 12 districts to fight each other and the last man standing wins. The Hunger games was a reminder for everyone in the 12 districts of the uprising against the Capitol, that if they ever rebel again they will be defeated just like how the Capitol wiped out the 13th district.

Katniss met Peeta Mellark as another tribute from her district. Along with their mentor, they try to fight for survival in the Hunger games.

If you want action and suspense, romance and even a little bit of comedy- this book got it all. The way it is written is superb and the descriptive paragraphs gives you a really good image of what the author is trying to portray.

It will keep you turning the page, you can't get enough of it!

So I highly recommend this! :D 

*p.s. my first time in giving reviews so excuse everything and yes, also the signature. haha :P