10 Books I loved in the First Half of 2020

Hi,

I love seeing everyone's Mid-Year Freak Out posts. And I debated whether I'll do that as well or a book list. I ended up going with the book list option just because I love listing books. Don't we all? lol.

I have this list arranged according to when I read them. This was actually easier than I expected. I usually struggle picking out books I really love but this year felt a bit easy probably because my mind isn't as stress as before (give that to the quarantine-filled year).

BOOKS FROM THE BACKLOG #7

Hi,

Books from the Backlog is a weekly feature hosted by Carole @ Carole's Random Life in Books. I'm doing double features every other week: one physical book and one ebook.

[WEEKEND READS] where things are somehow looking up

Hi,

Somehow things are okay. The COVID cases I mentioned before were positive and they were immediately brought to an isolated facility. They are running a couple more tests and still observing a family or two. But because of recent events, the town's captain is on high alert. 

My older sister went home for Father's Day. We missed her so much since we haven't seen her since March which was when the quarantine line started. We watched a couple of movies together last night and generally just caught up with each other. Video calls are nothing compare to actually seeing each other and talking.

[REVIEW] Bookishly Ever After

title: Bookishly Ever After (Ever After #1)
author: Isabel Bandeira
genre: young adult, contemporary
published: January 12th 2016 by Spencer Hill Press
my copy: eGalley, 250 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
goodreads

In a perfect world, sixteen-year-old Phoebe Martins' life would be a book. Preferably one filled with magic and a hot paranormal love interest. Unfortunately, her life probably wouldn't even qualify for a quiet contemporary.

Everything changes when Phoebe learns that Dev, the hottest guy in the clarinet section, might actually have a crush on her. So, Phoebe turns to the heroines in her favorite books for inspiration, but becoming as awesome as her book characters isn't as easy as it sounds. When another girl nets Dev for herself right out from under Phoebe's nose, she's crushed.

And, to up the suckage, she gets assigned as his co-counselor at a sixth grade camp and has to spend an entire week tied to the hip with the one guy on the planet she wanted to avoid. Can she make it through the potential danger of romantic bonfires and nature walks, or will her counseling career end in emotional disaster? Can she ever go back to her happy world of fictional boys after falling for the real thing?

bookishly cringe-y but adorable.

I saw this on Netgalley and ended up 'wishing' for the book. It was later became available and I got access. I actually forgot about it by then but I still got a bit excited because books about bookish people! Gotta love that! Took me a while to finally get around this though (because life) but here we are!

Reading Challenge: 100 Most Popular Mysteries and Thrillers on Goodreads

Hi,

I am challenging myself.

I couple of months back, Goodreads had a Mysteries and Thrillers week and I saw this list called The 100 Most Popular Mysteries and Thrillers on Goodreads and I want to challenge myself to read every book in this list.

I have been meaning to have this post up over a month ago but my weird mood just didn't get me to do it. But my sudden surge productivity had me scheduling all these posts up (which is soooo good). 

[REVIEW] Divergent

title: Divergent (Divergent #1)
author: Veronica Roth
genre: young adult, science fiction, dystopia
published: February 28, 2012 by Katherine Tegen Books (first published April 25, 2011)
my copy: trade paperback, 487 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 4 / 5 stars
goodreads

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. 

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

an oldie but goodie.

This is a reread.

I first read this waaaay back in 2014 when dystopian series were a thing and all we think about is this teenage chick who'll get stuck in an eternal love triangle and eventually save the day. And oh how I miss those days. I never went off the dystopian train though even though trends have changed.

I picked this up because I wanted to finally finish the series. I've had Allegiant since 2014 (or 2015. I'm not sure at this point) and haven't touched it and have no interest in it since coming across that major spoiler. But here I am rereading the first two books to finally get through with this series. AND even though it's a reread, even though I still know exactly how this will go, and even though I know that the second book will suck, I read it and enjoyed it 😊

[WEEKENDS READS] where I'm finally managing my time well

Hi,

Things have been scarier than usual for me and my family.

Some possible COVID cases have been closer to our place. And it unsettles us especially my grandmother and my younger sister. Dad and I went to the grocery a couple of days ago just to make sure in case they decided they need to keep us inside.

As usual, I've been busy drawing cats (check out my Facebook art page). I've been too slow on watch which isn't really much of a surprise. lol. I'm still watching Beastars and rewatching The Big Bang Theory over at Netflix. Beastars really turning out to be something a big dark and good and weird all at the same time. I like it. Not your typical anime if you're into battle anime and stuff, it's nothing like that. at all.

BOOKS FROM THE BACKLOG #6

Hi,

Books from the Backlog is a weekly feature hosted by Carole @ Carole's Random Life in Books. I'm doing double features every other week: one physical book and one ebook.

[REVIEW] See How They Run

title: See How They Run
author: Tom Bale
genre: adult fiction, thriller
published: May 6th 2016 by Bookouture
my copy: kindle, 411 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 2 / 5 stars
goodreads

How far would you go to save your family? 

In the dead of night, new parents Alice and Harry French are plunged into their worst nightmare when they wake to find masked men in their bedroom. Men ruthless enough to threaten their baby daughter, Evie.

This is no burglary gone wrong. 

The intruders know who they’re looking for – a man called Edward Renshaw.

And they are prepared to kill to get to him.

When the men leave empty handed, little do Alice and Harry realise that their nightmare is just beginning. Is it a case of mistaken identity? Who is Renshaw? And what is he hiding?

One thing is clear – they already know too much.

As Alice and Harry are separated in the run for their lives, there is no time to breathe in their fight to be reunited. And with their attackers closing in, there is only one choice:

STAY ALIVE. OR DON’T.

Terrifying, unputdownable and full of twists and turns, this stunning thriller will have you on the edge of your seat right to the very last page.

wild thrilling chase with lots of should I trust this?

I got this one during my Bookouture addiction time. I was at the height of loving thrillers  by Angela Marsons and Robert Bryndza. Then they promoted Tom Bale and the premise of novel is just too intriguing.

[WEEKEND READS] where I'm finally being productive

Hi,

This past couple of weeks, I've been quite productive as I mentioned on my May Wrap Up post. And somehow, I am actually able to keep this up (which kind of surprises me). I've been trying to keep myself motivated in all aspects.

My reading is not as fast as I was a month or so back but progress is progress. So I think that while I'm not reading as much as I was back then, things are still going pretty good for me. I've actually just went back to my long list of unread Netgalley books and I will finally go through them one book at a time 😊

I'm excited for things to finally come together for me 😊

I recently finished watching The Haunting of Hill House and W H O A that was GOOOOOOOOOD! SO GOOD! I love the atmosphere, the story, the narration. I also recently finished Whisper of the Heart which is now my fave Ghibli film! I also made a quick illustration for it. Right now, I am currently watching Beastars which is also available in Netflix and it's good so far (that is if you can ignore the fact that they're all animals). 

9 Books I Borrowed and NEED to Finish

Hi,

We may not have a local library here where I can borrow all the books I want. But I have here my book best friend who have too many books I want to read.

So I just looked up all of his books that I currently have with me and I am surprised to see a lot of them I still haven't read. No panic in here to be honest. But I kind of just had the urge to go through hopefully most of them sooooon. 

Also, this list is wild. I don't now much about these books.

[REVIEW] Be Not Far from Me

title: Be Not Far from Me
author: Mindy McGinnis
narrator: Brittany Pressley
genre: young adult, contemporary
published: March 3rd 2020 by HarperAudio
my copy: audiobook, 7 hrs  48 mins
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 4.5 / 5 stars
goodreads

The world is not tame. 

Ashley knows this truth deep in her bones, more at home with trees overhead than a roof. So when she goes hiking in the Smokies with her friends for a night of partying, the falling dark and creaking trees are second nature to her. But people are not tame either. And when Ashley catches her boyfriend with another girl, drunken rage sends her running into the night, stopped only by a nasty fall into a ravine. Morning brings the realization that she's alone - and far off trail. Lost in undisturbed forest and with nothing but the clothes on her back, Ashley must figure out how to survive despite the red streak of infection creeping up her leg.

The world is not tame.

I've been meaning to read a Mindy McGinnis book (because I've been reading good things about her books)!! So when I got a chance to read it during the Scribd Free Reads period, I just had to try one!!

MAY WRAPUP (aka the month of productivity )

Hi,

Can you believe it's been more than two months since this quarantine started?

I was extra productive then. I read a lot. I drew some stuff. I cleaned my room. I rearranged my shelves. I felt so good about having so much time. After a couple of weeks (maybe three weeks), I started getting into a reading slump. I stopped making art. And as a whole, I just lost motivation.

And probably it's a normal cycle.

Right now though I've been doing a lot of art and a few reading which is kind of nice. So I'd assume I got back to being extra productive. I've scheduled blog posts for June and have been making illustrations. Would really appreciate it if you guys would follow my Facebook page and Instagram account (not that updated but I will get to that soon!!). I try to post my work as much as I can. These are a couple of my stuff,