[WEEKEND READS] where my work schedule stresses me out but I get to read all the books

highly recommended read!

Hello,

I'm still not used to my work schedule but I'm honestly enjoying the perks of working in a bookstore -- getting first dibs on books, reading books I'm not sure I'll ever buy, and generally encouraging people to read my faves. lol. Also, this is the first time I am actually surrounded by people who read.

I'm still not back to book blogging but I want to make general updates every now and then. I've also posted a couple of book reviews, again.

recent reads

Anonymous Noise, vol 1 (Anonymous Noise #1) | Ryōko Fukuyama
When this arrive on the store, I'm like: I'm gonna read this first before we display it! I did! AND I have mixed feelings for this because ya know, that start was just odd and quite off and just doesn't feel 'realistic'. I'm not saying manga stories are realistic or slice of life series should be more realistic but ya know, kids hitting it off at first grade and saying big things seriously just doesn't make the cut for me. BUT I'm gonna watch the anime soon, so yeah... I hope I like it better. Also, I'm gonna wait for the second volume to arrive here.

Secrets of the Dead (DI Robyn Carter #2) | Carol Wyer
This was just felt like the usual crime fiction thriller -- a serial killer, a thrilling pace, and a detective with a baggage. Nothing really stands out here which kind of disappointed me BUT I'm still into reading the next book of this series. You can read my review for this over here!

Sleeping Giants (Themis Files #1) | Sylvain Neuvel
I FINALLY FINISHED THIS! Have you read my review? I LOVED it -- the intrigue, the politics, the characters. I'm excited to jump into Waking Gods! I'll grab the next book by the end of the month then read it as soon as I can. I promise!

The High School Life of a Fudanshi, vol 1 (High School Life of a Fudanshi #1) | Michinoku Atami
When I saw this on the shipment, I'm like: THAT TITLE! I was so dead on reading this. When I finally did, I was laughing so much my co-workers are looking weirdly at me (especially because no one reads manga here). This is funny, no doubt about it. It's a 4-koma after all -- 4-koma, meaning a manga told in 4 panels and are meant for humor. The problem with manga like these is that it's culturally inclined (meaning, I have to be aware of certainly cultural practices) and they tend to be repetitive. But yeah, I still enjoyed it :)

[TOUR] Belle of Two Arbors

title: Belle of Two Arbors
author: Paul Diamond; Maria Buhr Grimes (poetry)
genre: adult fiction, historical fiction
publish: April 4, 2017 by Cedar Forge Press
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
goodreads

Born at the turn of the twentieth century in Glen Arbor, near the dunes of Northern Michigan, young Belle is the first child of a gruff stove-works boss and a crippled mother who weaned Belle on the verse of Emily Dickinson. When a natural disaster results in her mother's death and nearly takes the life of her younger brother Pip, Belle creates a fierce, almost ecstatic farewell song. Thus begins her journey to compose a perfect Goodbye to Mama.  

At 21, Belle ventures south to Ann Arbor for university, with teenaged Pip in tow. There, she befriends Robert Frost, Ted Roethke and Wystan Auden and finds that her poetry stands alongside theirs, and even with that of her hero, Dickinson. Her lyrics capture the sounds, sights, and rhythms of the changing seasons in the northern forests, amidst the rolling dunes by the shores of the Great Lake.  

Despite the peace she finds, Belle also struggles in both homes. Up north, she battles her father who thinks a woman can't run the family business; and clashes against developers who would scar the natural landscape. In Ann Arbor, she challenges the status quo of academic pedants and chauvinists.  

Belle's narrative brings these two places to life in their historic context: a growing Midwestern town driven by a public university, striving for greatness; and a rural peninsula seeking prosperity while preserving its natural heritage. Through the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, World War II, and the Post-War Boom, Belle's story is hard to put down. Her voice and songs will be even harder to forget. 

a beautifully written and informative historical fiction

I joined the blog tour of Belle of Two Arbors simply because: (1) I'm IN LOVE with all things historical fiction (you, guys, probably know his by now); (2) it covers a whole lot of events and this means more information for me (yay for that); (3) the combination of novel and poetry highly intrigued me because I was never a poetry reader but ya know, sometimes you just have to go for it (and the curiosity is killing me).

[REVIEW] Secrets of the Dead

title: Secrets of the Dead (DI Robyn Carter #2)
author: Carol Wyer
genre: adult fiction, crime fiction, mystery, thriller
publish: May 30, 2017 by Bookouture
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
goodreads

Three murders. Three innocent victims. What secrets did they share with their killer? 

A bottle of bubble bath and colourful, plastic boats were scattered in small puddles on the floor. In the bathtub lay Linda Upton, fully-clothed, her lips a shade of blue, and her bloodshot eyes wide open. 

When a young mother is found drowned in the bath, clutching a receipt saying ‘all debts paid’, Detective Robyn Carter knows it’s just the beginning of a harrowing case. She recognises the signs of a serial killer, and when a second victim with a receipt is found, her worst fears are confirmed. 

With the local press whipping the public into a frenzy, Robyn is under pressure to solve the crime yesterday. But her team can’t find a link between the two bodies, and the cracks are starting to show. 

Just when her leads have dried up, Robyn discovers an unsettling clue she thinks could unlock the case. But as she chases across the plush carpets and manicured lawns of the wealthy elite, honing in on the killer’s shocking motive, one of her own is put in terrible danger. 

The press call him The Leopard for his stealth, speed and brutality. Can Robyn stop the most twisted killer of her career before it’s too late? 

A heart-pounding, toe-curling, one-sitting serial killer thriller that will hook you from the first page till the last. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Karin Slaughter.

Highly similar to Robert Bryndza's Detective Erika Foster series. If you like one, you might enjoy the other.

If you've read my review on Little Girl Lost, you'll know that I liked it -- its pace, its detective, its writing. I found it highly similar to other Bookouture thriller titles but when it easily reminds me of other specific characters from other books, I feel a bit of disappointment. Secrets of the Dead (or DI Robyn Carter series) is just that for me -- it feels like a shadow of Detective Erika Foster with a more positive take.

[REVIEW] Sleeping Giants

title: Sleeping Giants (Themis Files #1)
author: Sylvain Neuvel
genre: science fiction
publish: April 26, 2016 by Del Rey
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 4.5 / 5 stars
goodreads

A girl named Rose is riding her new bike near her home in Deadwood, South Dakota, when she falls through the earth. She wakes up at the bottom of a square hole, its walls glowing with intricate carvings. But the firemen who come to save her peer down upon something even stranger: a little girl in the palm of a giant metal hand.

Seventeen years later, the mystery of the bizarre artifact remains unsolved -- its origins, architects, and purpose unknown. Its carbon dating defies belief; military reports are redacted; theories are floated, then rejected. 

But some can never stop searching for answers. 

Rose Franklin is now a highly trained physicist leading a top secret team to crack the hand's code. And along with her colleagues, she is being interviewed by a nameless interrogator whose power and purview are as enigmatic as the provenance of the relic. What's clear is that Rose and her compatriots are on the edge of unraveling history's most perplexing discover -- and figuring out what it portends for humanity. But once the pieces of the puzzle are in place, will the result prove to b an instrument of lasting peace or a weapon of mass destruction? 

An inventive debut in the tradition of World War Z and The Martian, told in interviews, journal entries, transcripts, and news articles, Sleeping Giants is a thriller fueled by a quest for truth -- and a fight for control of earthshaking power.

this book tells me that Ancient Aliens speculations might actually be real.

I bought this book last year because I've been seeing it A LOT. It's scifi so there're no worries for me. When I found out that it's about giant robots, I'm like: how even? When I read people raving about it, I'm like: I MUST READ IT ASAP! When I finished it, I'm like: WOW, I need more books like this!

MAY ROUNDUP (aka my first month of work)

this book sucks, btw.

Hello,

This is a fashionably late roundup post. I've been on-and-off here on my blog. I'm just chilling about it for some reason though. I'm adjusting to my work schedule and it's quite crazy. I also realized my schedule and work allows me to read more books -- so YAY for that. I'm also breezing through my reads, recently.

At the moment, I'm currently reading: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. I know I had this on my #weekendreads last time. I held it off and gave way to Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel which was bloodydamn amazing! I'll have to read Waking Gods soon! I also recently started Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han. I randomly grabbed this while waiting after work hours on the bookstore. I plan to buy this after a few more months but why wait when I can read it because of my work?

June is going to be a crazy month of adjustment for me and I won't be posting as much as I want to. I have a couple of blog tours coming up though so I hope you guys look out for that!

books read

The Alchemist was an fave for me. I cannot believe it took me forever to read it. Now I'm convinced that I should read every Paulo Coelho book out there. Hidden Figures is my first non-fiction and I loved it! It doesn't matter if you've seen the movie or not, you should totally read this book. The movie may be great but it compromised certain facts and it jumbled up events for dramatic purposes. So yeah, that sucks but I enjoyed watching that movie but this book is much, much more than that. Another insta-fave for me. Little Girl Lost is another Bookouture detective crime fiction. Violet Grenade was a pretty nice read but I wasn't engaged to it as much as everyone else. Sucks but it's good not highly recommended though. King's Cage is the ONLY book I read and didn't like this May. It sucks. I thought I'd like it because #teamMaven but it sucks, okay? It's full of unimportant events and Mare's endless repetitions of observations and understanding about Maven (and I'm just like: you've said that before. ugh!). But I'm still reading the fourth book though (what is wrong with me?).

[WEEKEND READS] where I finally have the time to deal with my TBR

i'm legit reading this now. lol.

Hello,

I mentioned on my last roundup post that I'm graduating. And I have. I graduated university not with honors though because of that one subject (ohwell, what's done is done). With that said, thanks to everyone who congratulated me. I haven't had the mood to actually write a casual post like this. I've done a few reviews though, I hope you guys have read those 😊.

ANYWAY, it's been three weeks since I graduated and I finally have a job. It's not the most exciting work though and it's, admittedly, not related to my major BUT I'll just get some experience and run off somewhere only if things don't work out for me though. I'm working in a bookstore by the way (which is of course the most amazing thing) but it's minimum wage so obviously I'm not happy with that but I'll work on a few things and probably get a more appropriate job next time.

recent reads

Little Girl Lost (DI Robyn Carter #1) | Carol Wyer
This is another fantastic Bookouture release! It was a bit confusing at first but it pushed me to really get into the bottom of things. I was intrigued all throughout. DI Carter feels like Detective Erika Foster who I really love. You can check out my review here.

King's Cage (Red Queen #3) | Victoria Aveyard
I actually didn't expect anything for this book because: (1) Glass Sword was weak. really weak. didn't like it much. i think it was slow and boring and i didn't care about the new bloods (although their abilities were pretty cool though); and (2) I've read disappointed reviews on this (or at least that's what I can remember right now). But my non-existing expectations aside, this book still didn't work for me. I thought I'd like it though because I'm #teamMaven all the way but this book was just meh and makes me want to throw it out of my window 90% of the time. I'll try to have a comprehensive review for this. I hope. For now, you can enjoy my quick review on goodreads.

Violet Grenade | Victoria Scott
This was more of an okay read for me. I thought it was intriguing and the characters were well explored (minus Madam Karina, I guess) especially the main character. You can read my full review here.

[REVIEW] Violet Grenade

tour schedule can be found at: Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours & Promotions

title: Violet Grenade
author: Victoria Scott
genre: young adult, contemporary, thriller
publish: May 16, 2017 by Entangled Teen
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
goodreads

DOMINO: A girl with blue hair and a demon in her mind. 

CAIN: A stone giant on the brink of exploding. 

MADAM KARINA: A woman who demands obedience. 

WILSON: The one who will destroy them all. 

When Madam Karina discovers Domino in an alleyway, she offers her a position inside her home for entertainers in secluded West Texas. Left with few alternatives and an agenda of her own, Domino accepts. It isn’t long before she is fighting her way up the ranks to gain the madam’s approval. But after suffering weeks of bullying and unearthing the madam’s secrets, Domino decides to leave. It’ll be harder than she thinks, though, because the madam doesn’t like to lose inventory. But then, Madam Karina doesn’t know about the person living inside Domino’s mind. Madam Karina doesn’t know about Wilson.

a dark novel about broken people and facing their demons.

I've read great things about this book. I read that it's dark. I like dark. Don't you? Also, that blurb? It's very intriguing -- Wilson's very existence especially. So you know, despite what it looks like or how the title sounds like, let me tell you this: Violet Grenade is a young adult, contemporary psychological thriller.