JANUARY - FEBRUARY BOOKHAUL (aka my biggest book haul yet)

January Book Haul

The Gallery of Unfinished Girls by Lauren Karcz | Dear Martin by Nic Stone | The Other Widow by Susan Crawford | Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders | Into the Drowning Deep (Rolling in the Deep #1) by Mira Grant | The Hike by Drew Magary | Strange Weather by Joe Hill | Everything Belongs to Us by Yoojin Grace Wuertz | A Promise of Fire (Kingmaker Chronicles #1) by Amanda Bouchet | The Conspiracy of Us (The Conspiracy of Us #1) by Maggie Hall | Map of Fates (The Conspiracy of Us #2) by Maggie Hall | The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan |  The Weight of Zero by Karen Fortunati | Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke | Gilded Cage (Dark Gifts #1) by Vic James | Blood Rose Rebellion (Blood Rose Rebellion #1) by Rosalyn Eves

Hello,

This is my first book haul of 2018. I won't go through the books I got last year anymore. I got a few more since my last haul but really, if I go through all of that this haul is going to take me forever 📚📚📚 Anyway, this book haul really made me feel that I'm working on a bookstore 😃

[WEEKEND READS] where I give you an update on my #TimeHopAthon progress

Hello,

This week, I decided to join the #TimeHopAthon which I'm mostly inactive but still actively and slowly reading. I'm reading two books for this challenge simultaneously though and it feels really crazy but nothing's confusing since they're of completely different genres. But I ended up not finishing anything this week.

Also, I just had my haircut last Thursday. Hopefully I can do a self portrait by next week. Short hair has always been my thing 💖 and I mean really short hair. My mom said I look like a boy but I'm like, yeah, if people think I look like a boy and think that I'm actually a tomboy of some-sort, I'll just shrug them off and just be on my way. I'm actually amused whenever people mistaken me as a tomboy or a lesbian because of my casual clothing, no-make up look getup, and extra short hair.

recent reads

yup, didn't finish anything this week. what happened to me even?

Take Control of Your TBR Pile Challenge 2018!

tentative TBR

Hello,

So last year I participated on the same challenge and miserably failed. This time around, I strongly plan to win this challenge and read at least 5 books (ohwow, for real). Since I'm also trying to get back to blogging, participating on these kinds of challenge feels like a nice boost 😊

things about #TakeControlTBR
- reading challenge starts 12MN of March 1 and ends at 11:59PM of March 31.
- hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer
- ALL books/audiobooks should have been published before March 1, 2018.
- there will be a twitter party on March 11th @ 2:30PM (CST)
- signup post can be found here.
- there's a giveaway and books read and reviewed can be linked to join the giveaway.

[REVIEW] Dreamology

title: Dreamology
author: Lucy Keating
genre: young adult, contemporary, science fiction, romance
published: March 14, 2017 by HarperTeen (first published April 12, 2016)
format: paperback, 352 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Fully Booked
rating: 1.5 / 5 stars
goodreads

Love is a dream. Then you wake up. 

For as long as Alice can remember, she dreamed of Max. Max is the boy her dreams--and only her dreams. Until the morning she finds him sitting next to her in class, very much alive. 

As Alice and Max get to know each other all over again, Alice learns that real Max is nothing like Dream max. He's complicated and stubborn and has a whole life Alice isn't part of. 

When their dream life starts interfering with their waking one, Alice and Max have to find a way to make the dreaming stop. But when you fall in love in your dreams, can reality ever be enough?

Flatly disappointed.

I'd really like to say that it's a not-you-it's-me case but I'd be lying. This book has a unique premise which really intrigued me. I was so eager to read it when it was released but after reading it, I was flatly disappointed.

[WEEKEND READS] where I get through my current reads because #TimeHopAThon is happening soon

this Pulp! the Classic edition is now my fave 💗

Hello,

So this week was that crazy big decision week for me. I've been thinking about resigning from my work and getting one that really suits my degree. I mean, I LOVE my work at my local bookstore but I wasn't able to get that position I want. You see, I applied for a promotion and never got a call back and it's been a couple of weeks now, I think. SO I guess it's time to move on and find a different work. Yeah?

I plan to resign by the end of February and maybe I need some time off. I never got a chance to relax when I graduated because I immediately applied for work. But I do hope I get a new job fast. Also something graphic designing related. Gotta search for some companies now!

recent reads

Pride & Prejudice | Jane Austen
It took me forever to finish this but it's totally WORTH IT! I LOVE the romance in this book!! especially towards the end. I SHIP Lizzy and Mr. Darcy SO MUCH! Lizzy instantly became one of my fave characters as well because she doesn't conform with the norm. She's headstrong and independent. And after finishing this, I can see why so many love Mr. Darcy so much. Can I say now that I'd love to join the club? 😆😆😆

Every Day | David Levithan
I read this because of the upcoming movie. I'm hoping to see it with my co-worker who LOVES the book so much. After finishing this though, I was generally okay with it. It's an 'okay' read. It didn't feel special for me although I have to admit that I was really interested in A's life and I'd LOVE to see more of his story--what his contact with Reverend Poole will do to him. I'm definitely reading the sequel to find out what happens next. As for the romance, it was generally 'meh' for me. I didn't like Rhianon, tbh.

[REVIEW] Girl in Snow

title: Girl in Snow
author: Danya Kukafka
genre: adult fiction, mystery, thriller
published: August 1, 2017 by Simon & Schuster
format: hardcover, 368 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 2 / 5 stars
goodreads

Who Are You When No One Is Watching? 

When a beloved high schooler named Lucinda Hayes is found murdered, no one in her sleepy Colorado suburb is untouched—not the boy who loved her too much; not the girl who wanted her perfect life; not the officer assigned to investigate her murder. In the aftermath of the tragedy, these three indelible characters—Cameron, Jade, and Russ—must each confront their darkest secrets in an effort to find solace, the truth, or both.  

In crystalline prose, Danya Kukafka offers a brilliant exploration of identity and of the razor-sharp line between love and obsession, between watching and seeing, between truth and memory. Compulsively readable and powerfully moving, Girl in Snow offers an unforgettable reading experience and introduces a singular new talent in Danya Kukafka.

Girl in Snow tried but failed. *shakes head*

Mystery thrillers are a thing, ya know? Cheating husbands are a thing, ya know? Unreliable main characters with memory loss are a thing, ya know? And this just combined that but ya know what? It failed. It failed so much I can't even believe I finished it. I  finish it because I was curious as to who actually killed the girl and why and how it will be revealed. Mysteries keep me going, you see. And when it's poorly done, I get sad and disappointed af.

TimeHopAthon 2018!

Hello,

I'm looking through read-a-thons to participate in because I really, really just want to and found #TimeHopAThon over at BookTube. This one has really easy challenges and I hope I can win this one 😁

Also, if you guys know any read-a-thons, feel free to tell me so I can check them out. I'd love to join book challenges so I can push myself to read more this year. Of course, not much pressure on that but I'd love to get into some of the books that's been sitting on my shelf for so long (also more reason to make fancy tbr posts like this for a chance to talk about/feature books I don't always talk about, hahaha).

things about #TimeHopAThon
- reading challenge runs from February 19th to February 25th
- hosted by Fred Weasley Died Laughing, Cherrie Walker, The Bookish Babbler, Paper Faerie, and Tiny Book Dragon
- the reading challenges are

1. Past: read a classic or historical fiction
2. Present: read a book released in 2017/2018
3. Future: read a book set in the future (i.e. scifi, dystopian, etc.)

[REVIEW] When Dimple Met Rishi

title: When Dimple Met Rishi
author: Sandhya Menon
genre: young adult, contemporary, romance
published: July 13, 2017 by Simon Pulse
format: export paperback, 384 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Fully Booked
rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
goodreads

Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she's more than ready for a break from her family--and from Mamma's inexplicable obsession with her finding the "Ideal Indian Husband." Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn't have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers... right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that he and his future wife will be attending the same summer program--wherein he'll have to woo her--he's totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself. 

The Shahs and Patels didn't mean to start turning the wheels on this "suggested arrangement" so early in their children's lives, but when they noticed them both gravitating toward the same summer program they figured, Why not? 

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways. 

well that was an adorable read 💖

I was in a slump when I picked this up. I've been going through books and I thought that maybe reading a contemporary would help me out. Contemporaries are light reads and would really be great for relaxing and taking mind off things. And this worked! This helped me out and this was a really quick and adorable read (although I also had some issues with it).

[WEEKEND READS] where Iron Gold is still the highlight of my current reads

Hello,

Welcome to my first Weekend Reads this 2018!

My reading year started so well that I found myself 5 books a head of my goodreads challenge (proud child right here!). Well, maybe I'm cheating or something but I've read a couple of manga and a graphic novel and all three parts of Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher (so much thanks to my book best friend for lending me his copy).

recent reads

The last great books I read were Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli and Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia. BUT that's for another post since I read them a few weeks back already and I've drafted reviews for both of those amazing reads 😃

Fire Punch, vol. 1 | Tatsuki Fujimoto
I was attracted to this manga because of that cover also because it's from the same publisher as Tokyo Ghoul. When I read this one though, I had mixed feelings for it. I thought the world was really interesting -- there are people "blessed" with special abilities and the world bis completely frozen thanks to the ability of the Ice Witch. Agni who's blessed with fast regeneration faced unfortunate events which left me alone and wandering and in thirst for vengeance. The art is fantastic but the story has the tendency of being a bit all over the place. At times, it feels like the mangaka doesn't really know what to do next. But yeah, I'm interested to read the next volume but I'm not really invested on this one.

The Last Day of Emily Lindsey | Nic Joseph
I've been reading this since mid-2017 which is crazy, I know! And it may sound so wrong right now but I actually like this. I LOVE the mystery. It's really intriguing. It opens with children trying to figure out what the heck is happening on some special day on this 'orphanage' of some sort. Then point of view switches to Detective Paul and the search for Emily Lindsey. It has its faults tbh but if you want a nice mystery read, go try this one. Review to come 😊

Hello there, the Blacksheep Reader is Back!

#currentlyreading

Hello,

It's been almost half a year since I last posted and I know I just suddenly disappeared. I thought when I start working, I'll have more free time to read and blog but I was stand corrected. I feel exhausted all the time. And I mean legit-ly all the time. I'm not making much promises this time around but I'm really hoping to stick around for good :)

2017 was a great year for me. Not so much on blogging, obviously, but in life in general. Just think about this: We finished our undergraduate thesis and were selected as one of the top theses, I FINALLY graduated university (after all these years, ohmy), and now I'm working for my fave local bookstore. The end of 2017 also opened up new opportunities for me so wish me luck for the things to come!

Explanations aside, let's talk about what's to come for The Blacksheep Reader.

• I've prepared reviews of books I read last 2017. I wrote these reviews the moment I finished them so my words and feelings for these books are good as the time I read them. And I believe my feelings for them are still the same. So even though I was MIA, I was still reading and writing :)

• I decided to keep my book reviews  to 2 reviews a week as to not stress myself. I love writing and all but I have to admit that I don't have all the time in the world to actually write about every book I read.

• Weekend Reads will be back! I LOVE writing about books I read, currently reading, and want to read. I mean who doesn't anyway? It's also my way of sharing everything I'm reading without all the stressful thinking of all the details.

• I'm thinking of discussion posts but I'm not very good at it but I'll still consider it :)

• I'm also excited to work on my book lists because listing stuff is my fave thing to do!
• Also, I hope to participate on more read-a-thons just because I LOVE them!

I hope everyone had a fantastic 2017. Here's to reading more books this 2018! I'm actually at the top of my game right now (guess who's 5 books ahead of their goodreads reading challenge?). I'm currently reading Iron Gold by Pierce Brown, Every Day by David Levithan, and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. More details on what I think about them on my Weekend Reads post.

HOW ABOUT YOU GUYS

How was your 2017? What are you looking forward to this 2018? What BOOKS are you highly anticipating this year?

What would you like me to share more of since I'm trying to get back and all? -- more manga volume reviews? anime reviews (maybe?)? Any discussion posts ideas? Also, would you like to see my 2017 reading goals?

let's connect!