SEPT-OCT-NOV WRAP UP (aka the life update)

thought i got the books in order of when i finished them. lol.

Hi,

Three months went by.

Mentally, I'm all over the place. I'm just doing work, trying to read, watching a couple of stuff on Netflix, and doing home chores. Nothing special and it really feels like a dead end sometimes. I still write on my journal on a somewhat daily basis to keep myself on track and talk to friends just to get stuff out of my head. I'm trying to bounce back on life. Not exactly on blogging though. I still don't know if I'll get back to this like before but right now, I just want an update here.

I'm still on a reading slump. Over those three months, I only finished five books. In November, I completely threw out the idea of making a tbr since I'm not really doing much in terms of reading in general. lol. Currently, I'm in the middle of Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness and Simmer Down by Sarah Smith which I just started and hopefully I can speed through it.

Since I haven't been reading much, I got myself into watching stuff (aside from wasting my time playing Honkai Impact 3rd). The last couple of months, I watched,
- You S3 - I enjoyed it even though it really deviates from the book.
- Good Girls - enjoyed it. It was exciting. I love the drama but the series finale was 'meh.' It had a good point and a lot of unfinished business and a couple of points I absolutely didn't like.
- Narcos S1 & S2 - just finished the first two seasons and it's quite interesting. After watching Breaking Bad (early this year?? or late last year, I think?) I'm somewhat inclined to just watch series related to drugtrafficking and stuff (?). idk. lol.
- the entire Hunger Games movie series - my sister said it's my comfort movie and maybe it is since I'm not really a big movie rewatcher kind of person. I still absolutely loved all of them! Would definitely rewatch it (and reread it!) again.
- Mindhunters - I like this but I'm watching it with my best friend so I can't binge it so I'm still not done. But it is really intriguing.
- the entire Fear Street movie series - first movie was meh. I complained so much (?). second movie was quite exciting. third movie kinda wrapped stuff up nicely. But overall, I didn't like the main girls. That's just it.

NOW ON TO THE BOOKS! 👇👇👇

[REVIEW] Gyo

title: Gyo

author: Junji Ito, Yuji Oniki (Translator)  
genre: manga, horror
published: April 21st 2015 by VIZ Media LLC (first published 2002)
my copy: hardcover, 397 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 4 / 5 stars
goodreads

Something is rotten in Okinawa...

The floating smell of death hangs over the island. What is it? A strange, legged fish appears on the scene... So begins Tadashi and Kaori's spiral into the horror and stench of the sea. Here is the creepiest masterpiece of horror manga ever from the creator of Uzumaki, Junji Ito. Hold your breath until all is revealed.

Junji Ito never disappoints!

I read Uzumaki by Junji Ito years and years ago. It was such an old (and maybe even classic already) horror manga and it was haunting. Gyo is honestly on the same boat. It's got that creepy story and haunting atmosphere.

[REVIEW] Nice Girls

title: Nice Girls
author: Catherine Dang  
genre: adult, mystery, thriller
published: September 7th 2021 by William Morrow
my copy: eGalley, 320 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 3 / 5 stars
goodreads

A pulse-pounding and deviously dark debut, written with the psychological acuity and emotional punch of Luckiest Girl Alive and All the Missing Girls, that explores the hungry, angry, dark side of girlhood and dares to ask what is most dangerous to a woman: showing the world what it wants to see, or who she really is? 

What did you do? 

Growing up in Liberty Lake, Minnesota, Mary was chubby, awkward, and smart. Earning a scholarship to an Ivy League school was her ticket out; she was going to do great things and never look back. Three years later, “Ivy League Mary” is back—a thinner, cynical, and restless failure. Kicked out of Cornell at the beginning of senior year, she won’t tell anyone why. Working at the local grocery store, she sees familiar faces from high school and tries to make sense of the past and her life. 

When beautiful, magnetic Olivia Willand, a rising social media star, goes missing, Mary—like the rest of Liberty Lake—becomes obsessed. Best friends in childhood, Mary and Olivia haven’t spoken in years. Everyone admired Olivia, but Mary knows better than anyone that behind the Instagram persona hid a willful, manipulative girl with sharp edges. As the world worries for perfect, lovely Olivia, Mary can’t help but hate her. She also believes that her disappearance is tied to another missing person—a nineteen-year-old girl named DeMaria Jackson whose disappearance has gone under the radar.   

Who was the true Olivia Willand, and where did she go? What happened to DeMaria? As Mary delves deeper into the lives of the two missing girls, old wounds bleed fresh and painful secrets threaten to destroy everything. 

Maybe no one is really a nice girl, after all.

started strong, tried to do more.

I'm definitely the type to try out every mystery/thriller because why not. They may all feel the same but who knows, maybe there's some aspect I'll like. Sometimes I do wonder what I really, really look for in a mystery/thriller that I just pick up most that I can get my hands on. Nice Girls has a very typical-ish plot when you read that synopsis. and somehow, yeah... it is..

[WEEKEND READS] where I try to stop an on coming slump

Hi,

I'm sorry that I've still been away. There's work and there's my mood and there's a ugly weather that worries me all the time.

I decided not to get 1984 get into me so much so I picked up Ramona Blue. I don't need another slump at this time of the year especially since the last one got my head start on my goal all wiped out. lmao. I'm trying to make up for readings lost by reading YAs and short books that I have quite high hopes aka Severance.

On other things, I've been watching The I.T. Crowd on Netflix. I know it's trash but I just want something quick and something I don't need to care about. My head is not ready for heavy shows right now I guess. I've also been spending so much time (probably in the last month or so already) watching Sims Let's Play videos on Youtube. Just fun chill stuff. Lastly, I'm so glad that the Yankees finally won a game. At this point, I doubt they'll make the playoffs but I'm still hoping, as a fan.

[REVIEW] Everything You Want Me to Be

title: Everything You Want Me to Be

author: Mindy Mejia  
genre: adult, mystery, thriller
published: January 3rd 2017 by Atria Books
my copy: paperback, 352 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 4 / 5 stars
goodreads

Full of twists and turns, "Everything You Want Me to Be" reconstructs a year in the life of a dangerously mesmerizing young woman, during which a small town s darkest secrets come to the forefront...and she inches closer and closer to her death.

High school senior Hattie Hoffman has spent her whole life playing many parts: the good student, the good daughter, the good citizen. When she s found brutally stabbed to death on the opening night of her high school play, the tragedy rips through the fabric of her small town community. Local sheriff Del Goodman, a family friend of the Hoffmans, vows to find her killer, but trying to solve her murder yields more questions than answers. It seems that Hattie s acting talents ran far beyond the stage. Told from three points of view Del, Hattie, and the new English teacher whose marriage is crumbling "Everything You Want Me to Be" weaves the story of Hattie s last school year and the events that drew her ever closer to her death.

Evocative and razor-sharp, "Everything You Want Me to Be "challenges you to test the lines between innocence and culpability, identity and deception. Does love lead to self-discovery or destruction?"

Intriguing. Unputdownable.

I've been eyeing this book for so long just because it's one of those psychological thrillers I'm so keen on reading. Multiple POVs? Non-linear storytelling? Death of a beloved and perfect girl? YES PLEASE!

10 MIBF Hauls I Kept on my TBR Shelf the Longest

Hi,

This is the second year that the Manila International Book Fair isn't happening becaue of COVID-19! hecc you, covid!!!

I just miss the good old times (aka 2019-ish times) where I get to go to the book fair and buy all the books I want for 20% less. The fun of seeing a lot of books in a single place is so fun and going there with friends makes it even better. I usually go two times a year, a day for myself and a day with a friend. In 2018, I went with my best friend and we just went out check out each other's stacks. In all the other years, I went with my college friend and it was like our hang out day away from out busy work schedule.

But yeah, it's that couple of days of the year where I buys lots of books which I don't normally do. lmao. And yeah, I don't even buy physical books right now. If this COVID stays for another 2yrs, I'll probably clear out my TBR shelf. lmao. 

NOW ON TO THE BOOKS!!! 👇👇👇

[REVIEW] The Haunting of Sunshine Girl

title: The Haunting of Sunshine Girl (The Haunting of Sunshine Girl #1)

author: Paige McKenzie, Alyssa B. Sheinmel 
genre: young adult, paranormal
published: March 24th 2015 by Hachette Books

my copy: eGalley, 411 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 2 / 5 stars
goodreads

Something freaky's going on with Sunshine's new house... there's the chill that wraps itself around her bones, the giggling she can hear in the dead of night, and then the strange shadows that lurk in her photographs. But the more weird stuff that happens, the less her mom believes her. Sunshine's always had a quirky affiliation with the past, but this time, history is getting much too close for comfort...

If there is something, or someone, haunting her house, what do they want? And what will they do if Sunshine can't help them?

As things become more frightening and dangerous, and the giggles she hears turn to sobs and screams, Sunshine has no choice but to accept what she is, face the test before her and save her mother from a fate worse than death.

The first in a frighteningly good new series based on the popular YouTube sensation The Haunting of Sunshine Girl Network, created by Paige McKenzie.

could be an interesting series.

I have ZERO expectations when I downloaded this book YEARS! Somehow, I don't even know why I downloaded this since I'm not even a fan of paranormal stuff in books. lmao.

[WEEKEND READS] where I try to get things back on track here

Hi,

I'm still trying to get the hang of things again. Will do my best to blog hop tonight or tomorrow 😅😅😅

Work has been pretty good for me this past week. Guess I'm just enjoying the things I'm doing recently and I'm just glad to be part of the new project the company is trying to do. I'm also trying to get back to blogging again which I think I mentioned on my wrap up post (?). 

On other things, I started watching Narcos and I'm liking it (my head is still probably riding the Breaking Bad x Better Call Saul interest). Sometimes I wish I can speed through it but I also can't because half of the show is probably in Spanish and I had to read so much subtitles that I can't even watch it on the sides while I work. lmao. 

[REVIEW] The Kind Worth Killing

title: The Kind Worth Killing
author: Peter Swanson 
genre: adult, mystery, suspense
published: September 3rd 2015 by Faber & Faber

my copy: paperback, 411 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 4.5 / 5 stars
goodreads

'Hello there.' 

I looked at the pale, freckled hand on the back of the empty bar seat next to me in the business class lounge of Heathrow airport, then up into the stranger's face. 

'Do I know you?' 

Delayed in London, Ted Severson meets a woman at the airport bar. Over cocktails they tell each other rather more than they should, and a dark plan is hatched - but are either of them being serious, could they actually go through with it and, if they did, what would be their chances of getting away with it? 

Back in Boston, Ted's wife Miranda is busy site managing the construction of their dream home, a beautiful house out on the Maine coastline. But what secrets is she carrying and to what lengths might she go to protect the vision she has of her deserved future? 

A sublimely plotted novel of trust and betrayal, The Kind Worth Killing will keep you gripped and guessing late into the night.

absolutely UNPUTDOWNABLE!

This has been on my TBR for the longest time!! Because I've seen Peter Swanson's name so much and one of his recent books, Eight Perfect Murders, kind of intrigued me. So here we are..

JULY-AUGUST WRAPUP (aka the months of being completely off blogging)

Hi,

Two months flew by and somehow I still don't know how to do this blogging again. lmao.

I'm doing another update generally because I didn't want a three-month wrapup. Also, I got a bit motivated to be productive (?) after stumbling upon a productivity video on Youtube. I'm trying to make a more effective to-do list stuff to manage myself well and keeping in mind a few things I picked up else where like stopping myself from endless social media scrolling (because sometimes it's a waste of time) and I also downloaded a focus app on my phone so I can stop myself from randomly picking it up and browse social media. I hope this works!!

On blogging and reading stuff, I do plan to get back on blogging. Hopefully. I found a few reviews I wrote a couple of years back (probably 3-4 years ago, tbh. but I'll roll with it. lmao). I'll schedule those alongside reviews I'm writing right now. I'm trying to get through a few ARCs I got and hopefully get back on track of things. I'm pushing myself to read more with my buddy read book, my usual TBR challenge picks and my ebook read.  My TBR for September will be up soon, similar to last year, it's a stack of my MIBF book haul. I picked my oldest MIBF haul (which also somewhat crossed over my oldest unread books tbr).

On other things, I FINALLY finished Kingdom from Netflix. I'm eyeing another zombie series, Black Summer, I think (?). Saw someone mentioned it, I think. But my best friend also told me to watch The Serpent first. SO we'll see I guess. I'm a lazy watcher anyway. I ended up rewatching Big Bang Theory again but I'll probably pick up a serious show soon.

NOW ON TO THE BOOKS! 👇👇👇

[24HR READATHON] August 2021 Dewey's 24-Hour Reverse Readathon Day!!

Hi,

It's that time of the year!

Last April, I did a massive amount of sleeping so I barely read. AND this time, I barely read generally because chores and it took me forever to get through Wuthering Heights because I'm taking notes and highlighting things. BUT, in general, I think that this readathon went well for me. I may be a very slow reader but I did get through more pages than I expected from myself which I'm really happy about.

10 Books I'm Too Scared To Read But Should Really Get to RIGHT NOW

Hi,

It's only been two-ish weeks since I posted my TBR (lmao) and I read one book from that stack and got through two more books (which I'll be talking about on my wrap up soon). SO here we are with another monthly TBR which I honestly picked at random and feels and mood (?). idk.

Basically these are just books I thought I've been holding off for whatever reasons. SO I guess I've been too scared to pick them up and this is the time I push myself to finally get around some of these (hopefully half of these). ALSO, I'm joining #reveresereadathon tomorrow-ish depending on where you live or when you see this. It's a readathon hosted by the Dewey's Readathon team. I'll post a recap of that on Sunday I guess (which I hope is a success for me unlike my personal 24hr readathons. lmao).

JUNE WRAP UP (aka the month of getting stuck)

new hair!! so here's my face again. lmao.

Hi,

It's almost the end of July and I have zero clue what went on in June. lmao. was going to have this up a couple of days ago but a massive storm happened, our house was flooded, wifi was down for a day, we had to clean the entire ground floor of the house. SO yeah, fun stuff. lmao.

But generally, in June I think I tried to bounce back but got stuck with writing reviews and focused on reading and work. Sometimes, I open blogger and think, (1) How do I do these reviews again?, (2) How do I write down my thoughts on this book?, and the worst one (3) What went on in this book again? (lmao). I struggle writing sometimes that I just let things fall down for a while and even thought about dropping this blog. But then, I also remembered that I like having this just for the sake of seeing my progress. So here we are 😅

On another note, this is not a June thing, it's an early July thing, but I finally got a hair cut after probably 2 years or 1 and a half years now (?) In some of my photos, you can probably see my hair poking around and without my ponytail, I'd say it's below my bust then and it was probably the longest it's been if I remember that correctly. But yeah. YAY to new hair!

10 Books on my TBR Shelf the Longest (aka books I should be reading this month)

Hi,

It's been a while. And I was a bit hesitant to do this post basically because: (1) it's almost the end of the month, and (2) I haven't really finished any of these. And I think 1984 got me into some kind of slump so I'm picking up books from previous TBRs that I think will help me get my motivation back in reading.

In another note, I decided to still post this TBR because I plan to do a wild 100-pages-a-day reading for me just for the hecc of it. My slow ass reading self will probably be exhausted but idk. We'll see I guess. I haven't finished any of these so all of these are still in the mix for the next week and a half of my reading (?). And I still want to get through my usual four to five books a month. BUT I am quite close to finishing my current read and somewhat halfway through the ebook I'm reading.

ICYMI, this is the same tbr prompt I have this month last year and I generally have half of these books in last year's TBR. lmao. I only read five books from last year's but in my defense, one of those books is the last book in a series which I had to reread the first three books before finally getting to it.

* I'll try to have my June Wrap Up and 2nd Quarter Reading Stats soon (i think). I'm not sure about reviews/book thoughts but somehow I'm still in no mood to write them.

BOOKS FROM THE BACKLOG #31

Hi,

Books from the Backlog is a weekly feature hosted by Carole @ Carole's Random Life in Books.

[WEEKEND READS] where I reorganized my room and got too tired for everything else

Hi,

It was a busy weekend for me. I had a massive list house chores (aka mostly laundry) and doing a general cleaning and rearrangement of my room. I moved my bed, shelf, and table which took a massive work on moving books from and back to the shelf and where ever they came from. I am in desperate need of another shelf but I don't really have space so every other books I have (aka the books I've read) stays stacked on my floor and on the side of my shelf and on parts of my table. So there's that. lol.

I was exhausted so I ended up not opening my laptop for the weekend. Aside from chores, I did read Mosquitoland finally finishing it!! Love the wrap up chapters and I'll definitely read David Arnold's other books.

APRIL-MAY WRAP UP (aka the months of calm and chaos. lol.)

Lonely Hearts Hotel is NOT included in this wrap up. It was, however, on last month's. lol.

Hi,

It's been a while and I really, really considered posting even a wrap up last month but I ended up putting it off until it came to the end of May and told myself, I'll just do a combine wrap up and leave it at that. So here we are. lol.

April was normal, I guess. It's not exactly eventful. I started doing my weekly "reading plans" just to spice up my reading and push myself to read more (spoiler alert: nothing happened much. I'm still at the same pace. lol. but we'll get there. I hope). I also participated in Dewey's 24-hr readathon but I somehow failed, I think. I mean reading-wise, I didn't read as much as I wanted to. But I'm still continuing my personal monthly readathon (which also did not happen in May. ugh!). So all is good.

May, however, is the high stress month for me. Let me count the ways it brought me down (lol): 

BOOKS FROM THE BACKLOG #30

Hi,

Books from the Backlog is a weekly feature hosted by Carole @ Carole's Random Life in Books.

[REVIEW] The Little Bookshop on the Seine

title: The Little Bookshop on the Seine (The Little Paris Collection #1)
author: Rebecca Raisin 
genre: adult, contemporary, chick lit
published: January 7th 2020 by HQN (first published October 16th 2015)
my copy: paperback, 416 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 3 / 5 stars
goodreads

It’s The Holiday on the Champs-Élysées in a great big love letter to Paris, charming old bookstores and happily-ever-afters! 

When bookshop owner Sarah Smith is offered the opportunity for a job exchange with her Parisian friend Sophie, saying yes is a no-brainer—after all, what kind of romantic would turn down six months in Paris? Sarah is sure she’s in for the experience of a lifetime—days spent surrounded by literature in a gorgeous bookshop, and the chance to watch the snow fall on the Eiffel Tower. Plus, now she can meet up with her journalist boyfriend, Ridge, when his job takes him around the globe. 

But her expectations cool faster than her café au lait soon after she lands in the City of Light—she’s a fish out of water in Paris. The customers are rude, her new coworkers suspicious and her relationship with Ridge has been reduced to a long-distance game of phone tag, leaving Sarah to wonder if he’ll ever put her first over his busy career. As Christmas approaches, Sarah is determined to get the shop—and her life—back in order…and make her dreams of a Parisian happily-ever-after come true.

bookshop, romance, and Paris.

I got this book generally because it involves a bookshop and don't we all just grab every book that involves books and bookish people?

[WEEKEND READS] where I'm getting things back on track here!

Hi,

I am once again saying that I am BACK!! 

A backtrack of the month will happen on my wrap-up. For this week, I'm happy to say that my sisters and I finally got our vaccine shot last Tuesday. With the rate my country was going, I thought I'll get mine mid-year so I guess we're doing better than I thought.

Reading-wise, I've been a bit sluggish. I've been like that for most of the month I guess. But at least, I was able to finish a book this week. I got through The Last Anniversary before the week ends. I liked it but not as much as I expected. I didn't care much about the characters aside from the mystery aspect. I didn't care about Sophie and her search for romance which disappointed me. I do like the reveal though so at least that part satisfied me. I like the reveal and the story behind the Munro child. Not like as in I like what happened but more of I like how it was done, the story, the reason for it.

10 Books From My TBR Jar that I'll Try to Get to Soon!!

Hi,

It's been a while. I just opened Blogger again and saw a draft post of my May tbr which clearly won't be going up now. But I did read books from that stack and have a list written down on my journal for tracking. May was about physical books I recently purchased (which stretched to waaaay back in late 2019. lol). 

I'd like to talk about what's up with me and May but I'll have all of that for my weekend reads post and April-May wrap up next week. Let's just say it has been overwhelming.

ANYWAY, as you've read, my June TBR are all random books picked from my TBR Jar! I haven't used my tbr jar in a while since I started the monthly tbr challenge. So here we are! I had fun doing this. I considered taking a video but somehow I still feel weird about it. haha.

BOOKS FROM THE BACKLOG #29

Hi,

Books from the Backlog is a weekly feature hosted by Carole @ Carole's Random Life in Books.

[WEEKEND READS] where I failed yet another Dewey's readathon

no new photo this time. will bloghop tonight!!

Hi,

Welcome to another late weekend post because busy life and I tried to do the #readathon which I somehow failed (?) but I did read more than usual which is also a good plus. Let  me talk about it!

I started the readathon strong. It starts at 8PM in my place and I started reading at around 11PM and kept reading on and off up to 2AM or 3AM-ish. I wasn't doing much update like before but I got through a total of 97 pages that night. Then I got up late the next day, read a few pages during breakfast then read a few more after Church. After lunch, I practically slept throughout the afternoon. Nothing like a good siesta, yeah? lol. I ended up picking up The Ask and The Answer again until the readathon ends. That night, I read 132 pages. So all in all, I only got through 229 pages which sucks but it's fine I guess. I got through a good chunk off The Ask and The Answer and I finished The Yellow Wallpaper. 

I'm doing personal 24hr readathons anyway, so we'll see how I'll do next month but the next Dewey's 24hr Readathon is on October.

[24HR READATHON] April 2021 Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon Day!!

Hi,

It's that time of the year!

Last year, #readathon was good for me. I participated and live-tweeted last year's October readathon and personally, I think it was a success for me. I juggled among 4 books and finished 2 of them. I got pulled out early because of work but I got back for the missed hours and read. That may be cheating but I don't care. I counted them and I had fun.

I'm participating again this April and I'm hoping for great things. I'm somewhat running out of short books but I do have a couple of 100+ pages on my Kindle so we'll see about that. I'll just throw everything out here THEN let's see right after which of those I end up reading. I'm also picking up one of the books on last year's TBR which is L Change the World which I think is 100+ pages (or maybe 200? idk. but it's short).

BOOKS FROM THE BACKLOG #28

Hi,

Books from the Backlog is a weekly feature hosted by Carole @ Carole's Random Life in Books.

[REVIEW] Mother May I

title: Mother May I

author: Joshilyn Jackson
genre: adult, suspense
published: April 6th 2021 by William Morrow
my copy: eGalley, 336
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 3 / 5 stars
goodreads

Revenge doesn’t wait for permission. 

Growing up poor in rural Georgia, Bree Cabbat was warned by her single mother that the world was a dark and scary place. Bree rejected her mother’s fearful outlook, and life has proved her right. Having married into a family with wealth, power, and connections, Bree now has all a woman could ever dream of: a loving lawyer husband, two talented teenage daughters, a new baby boy, a gorgeous home, and every opportunity in the world. 

Until the day she awakens and sees a witch peering into her bedroom window—an old gray-haired woman dressed all in black who vanishes as quickly as she appears. It must be a play of the early morning light or the remnant of a waking dream, Bree tells herself, shaking off the bad feeling that overcomes her. 

Later that day though, she spies the old woman again, in the parking lot of her daugh­ters’ private school . . . just minutes before Bree’s infant son, asleep in his car seat only a few feet away, vanishes. It happened so quickly—Bree looked away only for a second. There is a note left in his place, warning her that she is being is being watched; if she wants her baby back, she must not call the police or deviate in any way from the instructions that will follow. 

The mysterious woman makes contact, and Bree learns she, too, is a mother. Why would another mother do this? What does she want? And why has she targeted Bree? Of course Bree will pay anything, do anything. It’s her child. 

To get her baby back, Bree must complete one small—but critical—task. It seems harmless enough, but her action comes with a devastating price, making her complicit in a tangled web of tragedy and shocking secrets that could destroy everything she loves. It is the beginning of an odyssey that will lead Bree to dangerous places, explosive confrontations, and chilling truths. 

Bree will do whatever it takes to protect her family—but what if the cost tears their world apart?

lacks on certain aspect but I do like the overall point of it.

When I requested this, I didn't really read through the plot. Then reading the first chapter or two, I found out that it involves a kidnapping of a child (so there's that for ❗❗ trigger warning). But unlike See How They Run and The Couple Next Door, Mother May I is a revenge plot.

[WEEKEND READS] where a Bookshop-related book somewhat made me feel frustrated (?)

Hi,

This is such an uneventful week. It's the usual thing. I was busy with work. I finally finished the menu I've been working on for a couple of weeks now. Or at least I hope it's done. lol. There were parts about it that I really like and other parts just felt 'meh' but that's what they asked me to do, so whatever, I guess. I also submitted a few logo proposals but have yet to receive feedback on that but I hope those work out. 

On other things, the Yankees have been terrible and they're unbearable to watch. Such a pain. Feels like watching them is such a waste of time. I'm glad the other team I occasionally watch, the Cincinnati Reds, are going so well. I'm still out here watching every Yankees game though hoping they pick it up. I mean it's only almost three weeks into the season so, everything can change.

BOOKS FROM THE BACKLOG #27

Hi,

Books from the Backlog is a weekly feature hosted by Carole @ Carole's Random Life in Books.

Q1 Reading Stats + TBR Updates

Hi,

As I've generally used the blog as my reading diary of some sort where I just share everything I'm doing reading-wise, I thought why not do a quarterly update since I also would like to see my TBR progress. So here we are!

[REVIEW] Hourglass

title: Hourglass (Evernight #3)

author: Claudia Gray
genre: young adult, paranormal
published: July 1st 2010 by HarperTeen (first published March 15th 2010)
my copy: paperback, 329 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 3 / 5 stars
goodreads

Bianca will risk everything to be with Lucas.

After escaping from Evernight, the vampire boarding school where they met, Bianca and Lucas seek refuge with Black Cross, an elite group of vampire hunters. Bianca must hide her supernatural heritage or risk certain death at its hands. But when Black Cross captures her friend--the vampire Balthazar--all her secrets threaten to come out.

Soon, Bianca and Lucas are on the run, pursued not only by Black Cross, but by the powerful vampires of Evernight. Yet no matter how far they run, Bianca can't escape her destiny. Bianca and Lucas have always believed their love could survive anything--but can it survive what's to come?

the best book in this disappointing series.

This is a reread and another overdue review. Just found this review I wrote a year back.

[WEEKEND READS] where I make a weekly "reading plan" to spice up my reading

Hi,

I'm really happy about how I'm able to manage work quite well these part few days. New work from home routine is probably working. I get to finish everything early and my mood is always topnotch and focused on what I'm doing (unlike before). Unlike a couple of months back, I work overtime late at nights because I spend way too much time procrastinating and such but not this time. I really hope things continue well for me.

Also today, it was finally announced that they're lifting the strict lockdown they did a couple of weeks back due to the spike on COVID positives. The cases have gone down a bit so they're easing up once again. I hope that people learn to not be too at ease despite that. On other updates on that matter, my mom finally had her first dose of the vaccine. My dad's scheduled to have his first dose next weekend.

How Do You Take Your Thrillers?

Hi,

It's Mystery & Thriller Week at Goodreads and I just thought, why not post something about it because I've had this topic in my head for a week or so now. It was also last year's Mystery & Thriller Week that I decided to give myself a little mystery/thriller reading challenge (which I posted a couple of months after. lol) about reading 2020's/2019's most popular mystery/thriller books as per goodreads.

BOOKS FROM THE BACKLOG #26

Hi,

Books from the Backlog is a weekly feature hosted by Carole @ Carole's Random Life in Books.

MARCH WRAPUP (aka the month of being overwhelmed with work)

Hi,

I struggled reading a bit this month. I had that 2-ish weeks of reading slump of some sort because of: (1) work, and (2) getting so into watching Breaking Bad. Either way, I think it was still quite productive reading-wise since I'm still on pace for my goodreads reading challenge. 

Blogging-wise, I was consistent until I had the slump and got overwhelmed with work. I stopped posting and visiting but since coming back, I've been quite active, I believe. As usual, I've scheduled a few things already and have mapped out my posts for the entire month. I plan on sharing my TBR progress, how I did over the first quarter of 2021 and I'm also hoping to increase my reviews per month. In case you missed them, here are some of my posts for March: February Wrap Up + March TBR and reviews for The Dirty Book Club (overdue review. drafted this 2yrs ago), Waking Gods (absolutely loved this!), and The Lost Village (rare advance copy I posted before its release date).

books read

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten | Waking Gods (Themis Files #2) by Sylvain Neuvel | The Switch by Beth O'Leary | The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking #1) by Patrick Ness | The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O'Neill

[REVIEW] How to Find Love in a Bookshop

title: How to Find Love in a Bookshop

author: Veronica Henry
genre: adult, contemporary, chick lit
published: July 10, 2018 by Penguin Books (first published May 19, 2016)
my copy: paperback, 352 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 3 / 5 stars
goodreads

"Absolutely delightful." --People 

The enchanting story of a bookshop, its grieving owner, a supportive literary community, and the extraordinary power of books to heal the heart 

Nightingale Books, nestled on the main street in an idyllic little village, is a dream come true for book lovers--a cozy haven and welcoming getaway for the literary-minded locals. But owner Emilia Nightingale is struggling to keep the shop open after her beloved father's death, and the temptation to sell is getting stronger. The property developers are circling, yet Emilia's loyal customers have become like family, and she can't imagine breaking the promise she made to her father to keep the store alive. 

There's Sarah, owner of the stately Peasebrook Manor, who has used the bookshop as an escape in the past few years, but it now seems there's a very specific reason for all those frequent visits. Next is roguish Jackson, who, after making a complete mess of his marriage, now looks to Emilia for advice on books for the son he misses so much. And the forever shy Thomasina, who runs a pop-up restaurant for two in her tiny cottage--she has a crush on a man she met in the cookbook section, but can hardly dream of working up the courage to admit her true feelings. 

Enter the world of Nightingale Books for a serving of romance, long-held secrets, and unexpected hopes for the future--and not just within the pages on the shelves. How to Find Love in a Bookshop is the delightful story of Emilia, the unforgettable cast of customers whose lives she has touched, and the books they all cherish.

bookshops are not just bookshops.

The title of this book and the bookshop setting are what caught my attention. I mean who wouldn't want to read about bookshops? Don't we all?