FEBRUARY BOOK HAUL (aka I-tried-to-stay-away-from-the-bookstore haul)

my sister holding my books.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, Otto Frank (editor), Mirjam Pressler (editor), Susan Massotty (translator) | Stasi Child (Karin Müller #1) by David Young | Caraval (Caraval #1) by Stephanie Garber | The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon | Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Hello,

It's been a crazy a week. I wasn't even able to post a #weekendreads yesterday. Sad life.

Anyway, my younger sister and I made a fun way of picking books to read next. Just out of no where (or something which I totally cannot remember). We decided to print out bookish prompts to draw from then decide from there. We have things like YA, Adult Fiction to romance, dytopian, science fiction to something like last book bought or on last month's TBR.

I got 'Book from an Author You've Read Before' so I picked Agatha Christie and started The Seven Dials Mystery the other day. My sister got Dystopian so she picked Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. I might decide a write (just for the heck of it) a post for this 😁

[REVIEW] The Season of You & Me

title: The Season of You & Me
author: Robin Constantine
genre: young adult, contemporary, romance
publish: May 10, 2016 by Balzer + Bray
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 4 / 5 stars
goodreads

Cassidy Emmerich is determined to make this summer—the last before her boyfriend heads off to college—unforgettable. What she doesn’t count on is her boyfriend breaking up with her. Now, instead of being poolside with him, Cass is over a hundred miles away, spending the summer with her estranged father and his family at their bed-and-breakfast at the Jersey Shore and working as the newest counselor at Camp Manatee.  

Bryan Lakewood is sick of nevers. You’ll never walk. You’ll never surf. You’ll never slow dance with your date at prom. One miscalculated step and Bryan’s life changed forever—now he’s paralyzed and needs to use a wheelchair. This is the first summer he’s back at his former position at Camp Manatee and ready to reclaim some of his independence, in spite of those who question if he’s up for the job.  

Cass is expecting two months dealing with heartbreak.
Bryan is expecting a summer of tough adjustments.
Neither of them is expecting to fall in love. 

fluffy, cliché romance.

YA contemporary romance is not my usual read. I got this book from Bookworms Unite 2.0 last year. But I was only able to read this last week because of #bookentine. Thank the stars for read-a-thons and reading challenges!

[SPOTLIGHT] Station Fosaan

Station Fosaan Tour + Giveaway!!
tour schedule can be found at: Month9Books

title: Station Fosaan (Torch World #1)
author: Dee Garretson
genre: young adult, science fiction
publish: February 14, 2017 by Month9Books
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | IndieBound | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play Books
goodreads

Scientists and their families stationed on the remote planet of Fosaan were promised a tropical vacation-like experience. But Fosaan, devastated from an apocalyptic event nearly three-hundred years ago, is full of lethal predators and dangerous terrain.  

Earthers are forbidden to go beyond the safety zone of their settlement and must not engage the remaining reclusive Fosaanians, native to the planet. Sixteen-year-old Quinn Neen is about to do both of those things.  

During an unsanctioned exploration of the planet, Quinn discovers a beautiful Fosaanian girl named Mira stealing food from his family’s living unit. But before he can convince her to show him around, scientists are taken captive, leaving Quinn and the other young Earthers at the mercy of space raiders.  

Quinn must go from renegade to leader and convince Mira to become an ally in a fight against an enemy whose very existence threatens their lives and the future of Earthers stuck on Fosaan and at home.  

STATION FOSAAN is THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND meets STAR TREK: THE WRATH OF KHAN.

[TOP TEN TUESDAY] 8 Books that Prove I'm a Black Sheep

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at the Broke and the Bookish

Hello,

This week's prompt is: Books I Loved Less/More Than I Thought I Would (recently or all time) -- or you could do something like books I like more/less than everyone else. Explanations aside, as you have guessed, I'm doing something like: Books I Liked LESS than Everyone Else.

Don't hate me, okay? --not gonna say this every time I talk about a book. I'm just going to talk about why it didn't work for me, okay? Are we good? All of these are obviously a case of it's-not-you-it's-me, so don't hate.

Let's go then!

*Photo Description: books I unhauled last year.

[REVIEW] NEED

title: NEED
author: Joelle Charbonneau
genre: young adult, contemporary, mystery, thriller
publish: November 3, 2015 by HMH Books for Young Readers
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 2.5 / 5 stars
goodreads

What do you really need? 

One by one, the teens in Nottawa, Wisconsin, join the newest, hottest networking site and answer one question: What do you need? A new iPhone? Backstage passes to a concert? In exchange for a seemingly minor task, the NEED site will fulfill your request. Everyone is doing it. So why shouldn’t you? 

Kaylee Dunham knows what she needs—a kidney for her sick brother. She doesn’t believe a social networking site can help, but it couldn’t hurt to try. 

Or could it? 

After making her request, Kaylee starts to realize the price that will have to be paid for her need to be met. The demands the site makes on users in exchange for their desires are escalating, and so is the body count. Will Kaylee be able to unravel the mystery of who created the NEED network before it destroys them all?.

one of those it's-not-you-it's-me books.

I really, really like the idea of NEED -- a social media site that asks what you 'need' and at the same time actually granting it after completing a certain task. But we all know that there's always a catch.

[WEEKLY MUSING] on rereading...

will definitely reread this series at some point this year.

Hello,

Have you seen the goodreads update last week? The reread feature? I'm sure you have (unless of course you live in a castle far, far away and have no access to goodreads #sadlife and because living in a rock is so overrated!).

When I saw the update, I was basically like: I knew it! I knew that 2017 will be the year I reread my books. I do plan to reread many of my books ever since I considered restarting my blog. I mean why not reread them all, write new reviews, and actually finish some of book series I held off while I'm at it? Right? RIGHT?

Honestly though, I'm not so much into rereading but when I realized that many of my books are actually sequels and are in need of reading, I knew I had to go around them now. But then another problem came to me: I actually can't remember much on some of them. I mean sure I remember the gist of it but when reading through the finale or something, I at least have to know some details and characters and setting and such. And my memory is just soooo bad I forget half of the things I read right after reading them (or maybe a day or two after reading it. depends on the book I guess...).

[WEEKEND READS] where I try to deal with #bookentine

#currentlyreading

Hello,

As I said on my last #weekendreads post, I've been busy and exhausted. I feel that I easily get tired lately. Unlike before, I can stay up all night. But now, I just can't. I feel too exhausted. My eyes are droopy. But yeah, I still stay up until 1AM as my latest -- 'cause there are things that needs to be done.

ANYWAY, last Monday #bookentine started. I update my twitter daily to tell you guys what I'm reading (ya know. if you want some updates and see me fail 😬). So far, I finished 1 book -- The Season of You & Me. I started Made You Up yesterday. I decided to pick it up first because you guys just convinced me to do so (oh, I'm especially looking at you, Kirsty).

recent reads

Station Fosaan (Torch World series #1) | Dee Garretson
I was supposed to review this for a blog tour but I backed out because I didn't like it. It wasn't even an 'okay' read. I just didn't really like it. I really should stop agreeing to books I'm not completely sure I'd love. I should stop it. UGH! Review will be a couple of weeks from now.

Revival | Stephen King
This is my first Stephen King book and I honestly have NO IDEA how to go around it. so yeah, no review for this. But here's what I think of it: I like the idea of it. It really kept me intrigued and as a first time reader of Stephen King, I do not know what to expect. I did took note of several words 'cause his writing is awesome. I thought it'll haunt me -- the story, I mean. But it didn't. The images I had in my head then weren't very good though but it just didn't stuck to me. Also, I'm curious of the things they discovered here ya know...
I will definitely read another Stephen King book. I'm thinking of reading The Shining next since it's super popular and has a reasonable page count. But I've seen the movie. So I hope it still works well for me.

The Season of You & Me | Robin Constantine
I liked this book. I didn't expect that, you know, since I'm not a big reader of YA contemporary romances. Just not my thing 'cause what's the point? But I enjoyed this. Same way I enjoyed To All the Boys I Loved Before and Since You've Been Gone -- which are probably the only YA contemporary romance I love (excluding, of course, those that involve mental illness 'cause that's my type of YA contemporary). ANYWAY, I enjoyed this and find the romance cute and sweet. I like that involved family life and friendship. There was drama, of course, but nothing big, really. Review soon 😊

[REVIEW] The Dark Hour

title: The Dark Hour (the Keepers Saga #1)
author: J.F. Jenkins (Cloud S. Riser)
genre: young adult, fantasy
publish: November 10, 2014 by Blue Tulip Publishing
purchase: Amazon
rating: 2 / 5 stars
goodreads

Becca Simpson is a not so average teenager, and she knows it. In fact, she embraces it. She was chosen to be a Keeper, one who keeps the gates sealed between the magic world and the "normal" world. The only time she isn't safe from the dark creatures of the Other Side is the Dark Hour. Every night, at the same time, the gates between the two worlds open and Becca is left vulnerable until the gate closes and the minions disappear. But that's why she has Erik Manchester. As her Guardian, Erik is in charge of making sure no one, or no thing, comes after her to take her away. Because waiting for her on the Other Side is a tyrannical emperor, looking to use her status to meld the two worlds into one. 

With Erik, Becca feels safe, but suffocated. There are rules she has to follow in order to keep out of the hands of the emperor. Then Kyne walks into her life and challenges everything she knows. Not only does he know things about the Other Side, but he's from there. And found a way to stay in the normal world without frying.

glad that was done.

Admittedly, I don't know what came over me that made me request for this book (aside, of course, from that nice looking cover). I'm betting it's how the world was mentioned in the blurb. I was intrigued by the dark hour and the tyrannical emperor (which we should all admit is such a cliche! ohgosh).

[REVIEW] This is Where the World Ends

title: This is Where the World Ends
author: Amy Zhang
genre: young adult, contemporary
publish: March 22, 2016 by Greenwillow Books
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 2.5 / 5 stars
goodreads

A heart-wrenching novel about best friends on a collision course with the real world from Amy Zhang, the critically acclaimed Indies Introduce and Indie Next author of Falling Into Place. 

Janie and Micah, Micah and Janie. That’s how it’s been ever since elementary school, when Janie Vivien moved next door. Janie says Micah is everything she is not. Where Micah is shy, Janie is outgoing. Where Micah loves music, Janie loves art. It’s the perfect friendship—as long as no one finds out about it. But then Janie goes missing and everything Micah thought he knew about his best friend is colored with doubt. 

Using a nonlinear writing style and dual narrators, Amy Zhang masterfully reveals the circumstances surrounding Janie’s disappearance in an astonishing second novel that will appeal to fans of Lauren Oliver and Jay Asher.

this was an okay read.

This book has several disappointed and negative reviews that I pushed it down my tbr pile until #cramathon came. I read Falling Into Place last year and I fell in love with Amy Zhang's writing. I love her short and broken sentences and I love her non-linear writing.

[WEEKEND READS] where I finished a new fave!

#currentlyreading

Hello,

You know I was in a reading slump early this year and it was horrible. HORRIBLE! But when I picked up the disappointing but intriguing book, NEED, I was over it! But I wasn't so sure I was over it. But when I finished The Nightingale yesterday, I knew I was done with that horrible slump. The Nightingale is definitely one of my fave books right now! And certainly my fave historical fiction, at the moment.

Also #weekendreads is late because I've been busy and exhausted. I'm still not used to this internship thing from Monday to Friday then class at uni on Saturday THEN family-stuff on Sunday. no time to breathe, people. I wasn't able to visit a lot of blogs these past few days which sucks. But things will go smoothly soon, I'm sure of it 😊

recent reads

The Nightingale | Kristin Hannah
tHIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING!!
Check out my twitter thread over here. My full review will be up soon~

i fINALLY FINISHED THE NIGHTINGALE AND IT'S MY FAVE BOOK RIGHT NOW!!! aLL THE BLOODYDAMN FEELS!! 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/21xYHtxcy7

— czai 🌐 (@czai_) February 10, 2017

[REVIEW] Blood Lines

title: Blood Lines (D.I. Kim Stone #5)
author: Angela Marsons
genre: adult fiction, crime fiction, mystery, thriller
publish: November 4, 2016 by Bookouture
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 4 / 5 stars
goodreads

How do you catch a killer who leaves no trace?
A victim killed with a single, precise stab to the heart appears at first glance to be a robbery gone wrong. A caring, upstanding social worker lost to a senseless act of violence. But for Detective Kim Stone, something doesn’t add up.  

When a local drug addict is found murdered with an identical wound, Kim knows instinctively that she is dealing with the same killer. But with nothing to link the two victims except the cold, calculated nature of their death, this could be her most difficult case yet.  

Desperate to catch the twisted individual, Kim’s focus on the case is threatened when she receives a chilling letter from Dr Alex Thorne, the sociopath who Kim put behind bars. And this time, Alex is determined to hit where it hurts most, bringing Kim face-to-face with the woman responsible for the death of Kim’s little brother – her own mother.  

As the body count increases, Kim and her team unravel a web of dark secrets, bringing them closer to the killer. But one of their own could be in mortal danger. Only this time, Kim might not be strong enough to save them…  

A totally gripping thriller that will have you hooked from the very first page to the final, dramatic twist. 

Angela Marsons does not disappoint.

If you've been following my previous blog, the Blacksheep Project, you're probably aware that I LOVE Angela Marsons' D.I. Kim Stone series especially the last two books: Lost Girls and Play Dead. And if you haven't read the series, you can go check my previous reviews from the Blacksheep Project OR read my quick thoughts over at Double the Books's January issue!

[REVIEW] Resthaven

title: Resthaven
author: Erik Therme
genre: young adult, contemporary, suspense
publish: April 12, 2016 by Kindle Press
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 3 / 5 stars
goodreads

2016 Kindle Scout Winner  

The last thing Kaylee wants to do is participate in a childish scavenger hunt--especially inside the abandoned retirement home on the edge of town. When she finds a bruised, deaf boy hiding inside one of the rooms, she vows to lead him to safety . . . only to discover the front doors are now padlocked, and her friends are nowhere to be found. Kaylee is about to learn that not everything that goes 'bump in the night' is imaginary, and sometimes there are worse things to fear than ghosts.

I really wanted to love this book.

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. And I really, really wanted to love this because I loved his first novel, Mortom. It was suspenseful and the mystery was really well put together and the revelation was just amazing.

[REVIEW] Never Never (part 1)

title: Never Never: Part One of Three (Never Never #1)
author: Colleen Hoover, Tarryn Fisher
genre: young adult, contemporary, mystery
publish: January 7, 2015 by Hoover Ink
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 5 / 5 stars
goodreads

Never Never, a novella series. Book one of three.

Best friends since they could walk. In love since the age of fourteen.
Complete strangers since this morning.
He'll do anything to remember. She'll do anything to forget.

This novella is recommended for readers age 16+ due to mild language and sexual content. 

a completely intriguing read!

I got this book for free from Amazon Kindle. I download free Kindle books all the time just because I want to make sure I have books everywhere I go (even though I have enough ebooks on my Kindle App). AND you know, Colleen Hoover is a super popular author and I'm curious.

2017 Bookentine TBR

#bookentine TBR

Hello,

I mentioned in my January Roundup post that I'll be participating in the 2017 #bookentine read-a-thon which is hosted by Ely & Michelle @ Tea and Titles. You can find the announcement post here so you can check what the read-a-thon is all about. And you can find the sign-up post here so we can all see each other's TBR and maybe follow each other :D

If you've been following me since my the Blacksheep Project days, you'd probably know that contemporary isn't my strongest genre (I'm a mostly dystopian, thriller, and historical reader). SO, discovering this read-a-thon felt like a great opportunity for me to stick my nose on the contemporary novels in my shelf.

things about #bookentine
- it's a YA contemporary read-a-thon!
- read-a-thon starts on February 13th and ends on February 20th
- hosted by Ely & Michelle @ Tea and Titles, as I mentioned earlier.
- it has three challenges:

1. Read a book with red and/or pink on the cover
2. Read a book by an author you haven't read before
3. Read a book featuring mental illness or disability

2017 Bookentine TBR

[REVIEW] Twenty Questions for Gloria

title: Twenty Questions for Gloria
author: Martyn Bedford
genre: young adult, contemporary
publish: April 12, 2016 by Wendy Lamb Books
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 3 / 5 stars
goodreads

It started with an appearance, not a disappearance. 

Gloria is tired of her ordinary life. An unadventurous teenager, she barely remembers the free-spirited child she used to be. So when a mysterious new boy strolls into school, bent on breaking all the rules, Gloria is ready to fall under his spell. 

Uman is funny, confident, and smart. He does what he wants without a care for what anyone thinks. The only people for him, he says, are the mad ones, the ones who never say or do a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn. 

He is everything Gloria wants to be. He can whisk her away and show her a more daring, more exciting life—one in which the only limits are the boundaries of her own boldness. 

But Uman is not all he seems. And by the time she learns the truth about him, she’s a long way from home…and the whole country wants to know: Where’s Gloria?

runaway kids. then what?

I bought Twenty Questions for Gloria because of the blurb. When I read it, the first thing that came to my minds was my oh-so boring life and how much I wish I'd be more adventurous but too scared to actually make a move. And I am like, oh hey this book could be an exciting read -- this boring girl and this confident guy and a mystery.

[WEEKEND READS] where I'm FINALLY moving on to my next read!

current reads.

Hello,

This week was quite good. Life isn't as stressful as before and I finally found my reading time -- my commute to work. Not the best one but it's my only chance to read without falling asleep. Also, unexpectedly, NEED by Joelle Charbonneau brought me out of my slump. It wasn't a very great read but it's thrilling and that kept me reading.

I hope I continue to finish more books in the next few days :)

recent reads

NEED | Joelle Charbonneau
Finished this just a few hours. Done with the reading slump, I guess?
ANYWAY, I really wanted to like NEED. It was thrilling and the mystery really kept me going. And literally, it's the only thing that kept me reading. I wanted to put it down because the multiple-POV here isn't working for me (and I LOVE multiple-POVs, so why?), and I'm mad at the shallowness of these kids, and I HATE the reason for 'NEED'. This novel is just a big flat NO for me. BUT it might work for others. who knows? Review will be up soon~

[REVIEW] Murder on the Orient Express

title: Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot #10)
author: Agatha Christie
genre: adult fiction, mystery
publish: January 18, 2011 by William Morrow (first published 1934)
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 4 / 5 stars
goodreads

Just after midnight, the famous Orient Express is stopped in its tracks by a snowdrift. By morning, the millionaire Samuel Edward Ratchett lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. One of his fellow passengers must be the murderer. 

Isolated by the storm, detective Hercule Poirot must find the killer among a dozen of the dead man's enemies, before the murderer decides to strike again. 

"It's tempting to say that Agatha Christie is a genius and let it go at that, but the world's had plenty of geniuses. Agatha Christie is something special." --Lawrence Block, New York Times bestselling author. 

I have yet to solve a Christie mystery.

This is my fifth Agatha Christie novel (not that I'm counting or anything) and I'm still at a lost for words. I ended up in that I-was-so-sure-I-was-right moment once again. Agatha Christie never fails me. really.

[REVIEW] Girl in the Blue Coat

title: Girl in the Blue Coat
author: Monica Hesse
genre: young adult, historical fiction
publish: April 5, 2016 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 4 / 5 stars
goodreads

Amsterdam, 1943. Hanneke spends her days finding and delivering sought-after black market goods to paying customers, nights hiding the true nature of her work from her concerned parents, and every waking moment mourning her boyfriend, who was killed on the Dutch front lines when the German army invaded. Her illegal work keeps her family afloat, and Hanneke also likes to think of it as a small act of rebellion against the Nazis. 

On a routine delivery, a client asks Hanneke for help. Expecting to hear that Mrs. Janssen wants meat or kerosene, Hanneke is shocked by the older woman’s frantic plea to find a person: a Jewish teenager Mrs. Janssen had been hiding, who has vanished without a trace from a secret room. Hanneke initially wants nothing to do with such a dangerous task but is ultimately drawn into a web of mysteries and stunning revelations—where the only way out is through. 

Beautifully written, intricately plotted, and meticulously researched, Girl in the Blue Coat is an extraordinary, unforgettable story of bravery, grief, and love in impossible times.

a beautiful story of love, friendship, and bravery during war times

Girl in the Blue Coat was an auto-buy for me simply because: (1) it's historical fiction (because I HAVE to read ALL the historical books out there. lol.), (2) it's set in WWII (it may be the most widely written historical period but there are still too much we do not know about it!!), (3) that cover is too bEAUTIFUL (GAH! I just know I need this in my shelf the moment I saw it!!)!!

JANUARY ROUNDUP (aka the start of my new book blog)

random photo. twenty questions for gloria.

Hello,

I decided to start my 2017 right by trying to organize myself and manage my time more. I opened this new book blog, the Blacksheep Reader, and so far I'm really proud of it. Aside from the schedule posts I have (I'm a couple of weeks ahead minus #weekendreads, of course), it's all thanks to you guys for keeping me motivated!

This January, I also started my internship. It's not super stressful but whenever I get home, I'm just so tired, all I can do is sleep BUT I still have to work on my thesis so that makes things quite stressful. BUT I always try to manage myself. AND because of this, I ended up being on a #readingslump. I haven't finished any book for a couple of weeks now and I'm really hating myself for it. I'm trying to fight it though by reading The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. I picked this because historical fiction is one of my fave genres. And so far, it's really working for me. Crossing my fingers that I finish this book before the week ends.

books read

January turned out to be a horrible reading month for me. I hope February turns out better. I can't believe my 2017 started with a reading slump.