124/50: Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015

 

So this year is almost over in like, 2 weeks, and while I have not posted my favorite local and international reads yet (well, they’re coming in the next few days), let me share with you my 2015 Reading Challenge first!

According to Goodreads, I read 124 books this year not counting beta-reads and what-nots. Actually, I only set a goal of 50 books this year because busy life is busy + my memory is failing me + I have a worsening kind of anxiety and (possibly ADD) so I CANNOT FOCUS that much on reading anymore (yeah, it’s sad but that’s life) and I’m kind of disappointed because I know I could still read more. Well, 124’s not bad but the past years I managed 133, 164, and I have no idea before because I have not made a habit of tracking my reads before 2013 lol.

Anyway, let’s see what I’ve read this year…

Well, I kind of started the year with Ines Bautista Yao’s ONLY A KISS, then there’s LEAVING TIME by my all time favorite Jodi Picoult, Hans Christian Andersen’s COLLECTION OF FAIRY TALES (I’m a fairy tale girl in case you still didn’t know), and my alter ego’s STORMY HOLLOW…

Oh, at the start of the year, I was also in this Alessandra Torre feast (SHE IS SO GOOD. Look her up!), then a bevy of non-fiction stuff (I KNOW, I love the Kardashians so what—but seriously, Kris’ book was actually entertaining). And then there’s ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES (my god, that was heartbreaking + one of my personal favorites for this year). Gayle Forman’s I WAS HERE was kind of in the same genre but it didn’t hit me the way it should…

Some suspense/mystery/thrillers here. Oh, and there’s MARY KUBICA’S THE GOOD GIRL (I love that one so much, she’s also such an amazing author!), Lauren Oliver’s VANISHING GIRLS (which reminds me of the old Lauren Oliver that I love), lots of Goosebumps, MY HEART AND OTHER BLACK HOLES (another good one). LITTLE PEACH was quite damaging. THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN, well I probably read it at the wrong time because I didn’t like it the way I probably should.

Oh my gosh PS I STILL LOVE YOU (TEAM KAVINSKY FOREVER!!!!), some Fear Street, my friend Amae’s ONE LOVELY SUMMER DAY, and HAHA THERE’S A MENAGE THING HERE LOL. Still Alice was beautiful like the movie and SHUG was pretty cute. ISLE OF THE LOST, hmm I guess I was a little too old for it lol

Some Marilyn books because I’m a Marilynette. Lea Michele’s BRUNETTE AMBITION, HALLOWED—the third installment of the Precious Blood series! Zoe Sugg’s GIRL ONLINE (I had to write about her for work before), ONCE REAWAKENED (I love the show, loved the adaptation, too!), THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB (because I was also obsessed with the show especially Rene Carpenter), Sophie’s FINDING AUDREY (another favorite), and oh yes, Holly’s DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE was really nice, too!

OH my number 1 favorite for this year EVERYTHING EVERYTHING is here. THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU, PRETTY BABY are pretty good, too. PRETTY LITTLE KILLERS was disturbing (go look up Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy), some other true crime books. CREEP for #HeistClub, some new Fear Street novels…

ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE was something I had to review for work but it actually turned out to be enjoyable, just not my usual kind of read. JUST A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE with its pretty cover, some more non-fiction stuff, and last night oh god JANUS SILANG 2 made me want Part 3 right away I NEED IT NOW.

So yeah, that’s pretty much my crazy, colorful year in books! Hopefully, I’d still get to read a lot this year (and in these last few days of 2015!) Will post those favorites lists soon!

 

 

DRESSED TO KILL Cover Reveal #HeistClub

5 Friends. One Dead Body. A Summer they’d rather just forget.

5 years ago

Amelie, Christina, Cara, Monique, and Tamara spent one summer at Christina’s family’s ranch 5 years ago. It was a time of rest; a time for peace. It was a time when they just spent days fishing, swimming, and forgetting all the troubles of the city. One last hurrah before college, they said.

But that last hurrah ended when Monique was suddenly found dead on the last day of vacation—and their lives have never been the same since.

NOW

Now is their chance to figure out the truth.

But sometimes, truths are far more complicated than they seem.

Will they find out all the answers they need?

Or are they in for something bigger…something deadlier?

Tick Tock. Don’t look back. You might be next.

 

So…recently I joined a class called #HeistClub, and I wrote a story called Dressed to Kill, which will be out soon! And well, you know, I’m always the excited early bird (lol) so ta-daaaa here’s the cover for the said novella!

What do you think? Check back here for more deets!

She Flies with Faeries Reviews: BLISS by Shay Mitchell and Michaela Blaney

Title: Bliss

Authors: Shay Mitchell and Michaela Blaney with Valerie Frenkel

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Sophia Marcus, 21, has already mapped out every aspect of her glamorous life as a Hollywood actor on her vision board. But her life right now in Toronto is anything but exciting. Attending fruitless auditions during the day and working at a douche-y club at night, Sophia is starting to feel like she’s going nowhere…slowly.

Demi Michaels, Sophia’s best friend, didn’t go to college after high school. Short of ideas for her own future, she puts her energy into building the perfect relationship with an older man. And when that relationship crashes and burns, Demi is left to pick up the pieces.

Sophia’s friend (and Demi’s frenemy) Leandra Hunting doesn’t give a crap about hard work or a loving relationship. She has other plans for her future. After college graduation, Leandra sets out to travel the world in the yachts, planes and limos of ridiculously wealthy men. Will any of them be able to show her what love really means–if she can take off her Chanel sunglasses long enough to see it?

Set in the exotic, intoxicating worlds of Hollywood, Thailand, and London, Bliss paints a relatable portrait of life in your early twenties with equal parts optimism and fear, hope and disappointment, expectation and reality. It’s the Age of Uncertainty when you can count on nothing, but, if you’re lucky enough to have one truly great friend, you can survive just about anything.

---

If you knew me, you probably already know that I do like Pretty Little Liars (even though it’s quite crazy and well, you know what it is), and I actually like checking out the first novels of celebrities (because why not?) just to see how it goes.

Well, Shay Mitchell’s BLISS actually had a nice blurb so I thought, why not?

Let’s start with the good stuff first:

1. I thought the book actually had good premise. 3 Friends, interwoven stories, growing up and what-not. That’s basically my kind of thing, you know?
2. Well, upon reading the book I realized it was pretty nice. Nothing too poetic and prose was not deep, BUT, it was quite enjoyable—especially if you’re looking for a good, light read. It reminded me of Dorothy Koomsoon, early Alexandra Potter, some Lauren Weisberger, etc.
3. I like the imagery! This book takes you places, at least figuratively. You have Vancouver, Phuket, London, etc.
4. I’d say somehow, it was also realistic because it deals with issues that 20-somethings usually deal with right now, too—just a bit more exaggerated, though…

Then, the not so good:

1. Uhm, the characters were pretty much all over the place. For 20-somethings, they’re quite immature(!), but hey, a lot of us 20-somethings aka Millenials also probably don’t know what we’re doing. My only problem is that the way it was written made me feel like they could have been more—like there was more to explore but those things just were not explored. I wished the characters actually had more depth. L
2. A couple of stereotypes. (i.e., tourists being scammed, spoiled little rich girls, etc.) They were just passé.
3. There were times when the story itself felt like it was all over the place, especially near the end and you just wish the authors would just get straight to the point already.

But here’s the thing: For a first novel, this was actually good, and I might be reading part 2, if there was any. So, yeah, over-all, it’s still worth-reading—especially if you need a light read—and something you’d be able to relate to.

She Flies with Faeries Reviews: CARRY ON by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Carry On

Author: Rainbow Rowell

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Rainbow Rowell continues to break boundaries with Carry On, an epic fantasy following the triumphs and heartaches of Simon and Baz from her beloved bestseller Fangirl.

Simon Snow just wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School of Magicks, but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest, and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains where maybe he’ll be safe. Simon can’t even enjoy the fact that his roommate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can’t stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. When you’re the most powerful magician the world has ever known, you never get to relax and savor anything.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story — but far, far more monsters.

***

Rainbow Rowell is one of those authors whose works I’d always–ALWAYS–read. And CARRY ON, for starters, is one of those stories that I’ve waited for ever since it was announced that she was going to write it–not just as part of FANGIRL (which is one of my favorite books, ever), but on its own.

Here’s a little backstory, if you haven’t read FANGIRL. CARRY ON is this story that Cath and Wren made a fanfiction of. So, it’s basically a story within a story, which made it so cool and captivating.

You see, CARRY ON is like a mix of Harry Potter and Twilight in its own dreamworld; in its own reality. It’s not trying to pretend to be something else. It’s about finding the CHOSEN ONE, slaying dragons, falling in love with vampires, living in a world full of magic–which definitely made it an easy read. It’s one of those books you’d want to get lost in, especially when you’re feeling like this world is dampening your spirits yet again.

Let’s see. Well, I’d have to say, CARRY ON kind of started out as too “meta” for me. I was like, I’m pretty sure I already know what I’m getting, especially because there were bits of it in FANGIRL. But what’s great about this book is that the author was able to explore its world, and give us more of it in return.

I’d have to admit, there were parts in the beginning where I felt a bit bored–until ta-daaaa this mysterious character suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Oh, and that’s one of those things I like about this book, too, mind you: the fact that it’s told in different perspectives. I always like stories like that because it helps me get in the head of various characters, and not just one of them.

Okay, so, mysterious character started talking and I was like, What fresh hell is this? (sorry, obsessed with Scream Queens right now) and well, it was also nice getting in Baz’s head. That vampire is probably one of my favorite vampires right now–or ever–because he’s sexy, he’s dapper, he’s…well, he could be arrogant, and that’s what makes you like the banter between him and Simon Snow.

I thought there was a lack of banter and connection between the two in the first few parts of the book, which I would have wanted to see. Buildup was slow but man, once it started happening, it just couldn’t end and I swear, you’ll totally swoon (I sure did). Baz and Snow have this unique dynamic. I’m not a DRARRY shipper but I could totally feel them between these two (haha!) and you’d just love to read more. Their arguments are cute, but what’s better is how their feelings for each other unfolded; how we get to see them fall in love, and just get lost in it–while still trying to fight it.

Their love story is complicated, and it doesn’t help that the whole Magickal world is complicated, too–but there in lies the promise. There were betrayals. There were points when you’d feel like Oh god, that was not supposed to happen, and it would break your heart.

Another thing I like about this is that we got to see how each of the characters chose their own endings; how they didn’t just let the world trick them, and we get to understand why they made the choices their made. I guess, this book holds a lot of answers–which is good, considering I don’t know if we’re getting part 2.

All in all, CARRY ON is truly captivating. You’ll swoon, you’ll smile, you’ll laugh…maybe, even cry. But what’s important is that you’ll feel for each of the characters. You’ll root for them. And, well, they’ll help you CARRY ON.