[TOP TEN TUESDAY] where I tell you my Manga Wishlist

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at the Broke and the Bookish

Hello,

I haven't done this kind of post in AGES! This week's prompt is: All about the visuals: Top Ten Favorite Graphic Novels/Comics or Ten Comics on My TBR or Top Ten Favorite Picture Books! I decided to share to you, guys, my manga wishlist/to-be-read. Wishlist 'cause I still don't have these and I really, really, REALLY want them!!

* all links direct to publisher's manga page because goodreads isn't so reliable to these kinds of reads.
** links for bonus-wishlist direct to myanimelist because they're still not licensed thus no publisher to linked to other than Japanese publishers.

[WEEKEND READS] where I try to deal with my first reading slump of the year

#currentlyreading

Hello,

I missed #weekendreads last week 'cause I was too busy. Also, I'm in a reading slump #sadlife. I NEED to get out of it soon.

I know, I know. You're probably thinking, "oh look, Czai made a new book blog but she's still too inactive. WTH?" But I regret nothing, really. Also, I'm doing my very best to get around posting and blog hopping 'cause I'm an invisible mushroom. Patience, I guess. Patience.

On other things, I recently went back to watching anime so maybe I can feature that here just for the fun (also, if you're an anime fan, just tell me what you're watching and maybe we can talk some more!). When I finished Ace of Diamond a couple of weeks back, I just got sooooo addicted to it that I ended up reading Ace of Diamond Act II. GAH! I'm strongly rooting for Sawamura to become the Ace by Summer Tournament and KOSHIEN! Also, the first years!!

Also, I've been considering anime blogging again. Strongly, if I must say. I mean sure, I'm not the most consistent blogger out there but I really just want to share my thoughts. When I dropped by an old aniblogger friend, Marina from Anime B&B, I was super glad that she remembered me. I've been out from aniblogging for around 2 or 3 years now. sooooo yeah.

NOW for my #weekendreads

JANUARY BOOK HAUL (aka my first book haul of 2017)

The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard #1) by Scott Lynch | Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow | A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman | Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli | Nevernight (Nevernight Chronicle #1) by Jay Kristoff

Hello,

This January, I finally restarted my blog. I'm quite busy but I've posted a few reviews. I hope you guys check them out. The Star-Touched Queen was a really lovely book and the writing is too beautiful to pass! Damaged Goods, while not a very strong prequel, was still able to follow-up Genesis Girl well. And Dark Waters, while it disappointed me a bit, I'm still quite excited to read the next book 'cause Adele is an amateur sleuth that's worth following.

This month, I spent my holiday money buying books (DUH! What else is there to buy anyway?). Since I started my internship this January, my commute to-and-from the office prompts me to pass by a bookstore (and a lovely one too!). Good thing or a bad thing? You tell me! (lol).

Also, since I decided to moderate all comments before posting them on my blog, I ended up not seeing them! Since I started my blog, I honestly thought that no one was reading or dropping by or commenting on my blog. I was a bit sad but still decided to continue posting. THEN before drafting this post I randomly checked the comments section of my blogger sidebar and found ALL the pending comments. I really thought blogger would email me or something. ugh. SOOOO, sorry for all the delay, hahaha. I just replied to everything! Thanks, you guys!

[SPOTLIGHT] Two Days Gone

Two Days Gone excerpt + giveaway!!

title: Two Days Gone (Ryan DeMarco Mystery #1)
author: Randall Silvis
genre: adult fiction, mystery, thriller
publish: January 10, 2017 by Sourcebooks Landmark
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | IndieBound
goodreads

The perfect family. The perfect house. The perfect life. All gone now. 

Thomas Huston, a beloved professor and bestselling author, is something of a local hero in the small Pennsylvania college town where he lives and teaches. So when Huston’s wife and children are found brutally murdered in their home, the community reacts with shock and anger. Huston has also mysteriously disappeared, and suddenly, the town celebrity is suspect number one. 

Sergeant Ryan DeMarco has secrets of his own, but he can’t believe that a man he admired, a man he had considered a friend, could be capable of such a crime. Hoping to glean clues about Huston’s mind-set, DeMarco delves into the professor’s notes on his novel-in-progress. Soon, DeMarco doesn’t know who to trust—and the more he uncovers about Huston’s secret life, the more treacherous his search becomes.

[REVIEW] Dark Waters

title: Dark Waters (San Juan Islands Mystery #2)
author: D.W. Ulsterman
genre: adult fiction, mystery
publish: November 29, 2016 by Kindle Press
purchase: Amazon
rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
goodreads

“There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar; I love not Man the less, but Nature more.” -Lord Byron 

After receiving an unexpected gift following her college graduation, aspiring journalist Adele Plank returns to the Pacific Northwest’s beautiful and isolated sea and shores landscape of the San Juan Islands, where she soon finds herself immersed in the shocking mystery of a young woman’s brutal murder. 

The deathly discovery rocks the island community, stirring doubts about their new sheriff, and turning old friends into new rivals. 

Adele must determine who she can trust, and who she cannot, even as a mysterious stranger provides her a critical clue.  

DARK WATERS is the second thrilling installment of the San Juan Islands Mystery series. 

intriguing mystery, poor execution.

The Writer, the first book of the San Juan Islands Mystery, was a thrilling book that completely intrigued me and made me love Adele Plank so much. The revelation and resolution to the mystery was well-written and had me reading one page after another (because really, I just HAD to know what happens next).

[REVIEW] Damaged Goods

title: Damaged Goods (Blank Slate #2)
author: Jennifer Bardsley
genre: young adult, science fiction
publish: January 17, 2017 by Month9Books
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
goodreads

Blanca has everything she ever wanted, a hot boyfriend and the loving support of her foster father. She’s finally escaped the abusive control of her birth father and her tortured childhood at Tabula Rasa School. 

But the scars of Blanca’s Vestal upbringing run deep, especially when the FBI start asking questions. 

Blanca feels abandoned by her boyfriend, who is hunting for Lilith, Blanca’s only blood relative. The Defectos, a support group of Vestal-Rejects, offer Blanca comfort which she readily accepts. 

While the Vestal order crumbles, Chinese rivals, the Guardians, rise to power and wrest control of important Tabula Rasa contacts. As Blanca’s life is thrown into chaos once more, she struggles to recognize friend from foe, and one miscalculation can have devastating consequences.

good follow-up for Genesis Girl.

I read Genesis Girl because of its premise --  a world where gadgets have caused cancer, that gadgets are evil and breaks relationships, and some children are sent to Tabula Rasa, a school where they are raised without connecting to any form of gadget.

[REVIEW] the Star Touched Queen

title: the Star Touched Queen (the Star-Touched Queen #1)
author: Roshani Chokshi
genre: young adult, fantasy
publish: April 26, 2016 by St. Martin's Griffin
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 4 / 5 stars
goodreads

Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you’re only seventeen? 

Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of death and destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father’s kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran’s queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar’s wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire… 

But Akaran has its own secrets—thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most…including herself. 

A lush and vivid story that is steeped in Indian folklore and mythology, The Star-Touched Queen is a novel that no reader will soon forget.

Roshani Chokshi's writing is spellbinding!

Ever since I first saw the Star-Touched Queen I made it a mental note to have a copy of it because: (1) OMG LOOK AT THE BEAUTIFUL COVER!!, (2) Indian Folklore! I remember dealing with the Ramayana and Mahabharata in school but other than that, nada! but still, whenever I find a new-to-me kind of thing, I had to have it!, and (3) early reviews be like: OMG THIS IS SO AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL!, MUST READ, blahblahblah. you know how easy I am.

Hello there, I'm the Blacksheep Reader!

old photo. #bookishparty

Hello!

I'm czai. I used to run the Blacksheep Project but decided to just drop it and start a new one. I just want to strictly focus on books now (but I still watch a lot of anime though. you can go add me on myanimelist or twitter so we can chat! I'm still considering opening an anime blog but that definitely won't happen for now).

moving on...

I'm a booknerd. I have an unhealthy addiction of buying books and admiring how they look in my shelf. I'm a slow reader. My fave genres are YA contemporary that deals with mental illness (sooo specific. lol), science fiction, dystopian series, mystery thrillers, crime fiction, and historical fiction. I occasionally read fantasy but it's not my strongest genre so don't hate me if your fave fantasy books aren't my faves *cough*ToG*cough*ACOTAR*cough*, I still read and enjoy them though. I'm also trying out historical non-fictions (just for the love for history. GAH!).

My fave authors are: Neal Shusterman, Pierce Brown, Ruta Sepetys, and Agatha Christie. I'm also in love with other authors but I think I haven't read a lot of their works or I'm just not super head over heels for their books. Please don't hate me. I also love: Marissa Meyer, Jenny Han, Cat Winters, Morgan Matson, Holly Bourne, Gabrielle Zevin, Jennifer Niven, Marie Lu, and E. Lockhart.

Aside from books, I also like: anime (my top 6 are: Steins;Gate, Bakuman., Ace of Diamond, Hunter x Hunter 2011, Chihayafuru, and Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans), pop punk music (my faves are State Champs and Tonight Alive), calligraphy, lettering and typography, coffee!!, and (book) photography (not good at it though).

The Blacksheep Reader will basically have (almost) the same things as the Blacksheep Project. It'll just be more organized. Look out for reviews, weekend reads, book hauls, the occasional Top Ten Tuesday, Waiting on Wednesday, and such, and hopefully more discussion posts!

Thanks for reading! I have reviews scheduled already. I hope you guys read them and end up actually reading the books. Happy 2017, everyone!

let's connect!

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