WEEKEND READS | Reading Thrillers!

ohlook, a new Agatha Christie book on my shelf!

Hello,

This week is the Manila International Book Fair week (#MIBF2016) and the Mystery-a-Thon. Let's briefly talk about both, okay?

I've had a couple of school works to do yadah-yadah-yadah. Stuff like thesis, and events management, and short write-up, and stuff like that. THESE THINGS are the reasons why I'm so behind on my mystery-a-thon. And of course, I may just be making excuses (which I possibly am) but I'm almost halfway through my 2nd read for the readathon which is Savage Reckoning by C. Hoyt Caldwell. Along with this, I took this readathon as an opportunity to get back to reading In Gallup, Greed by Tower Lowe. Read my thoughts on both below!!

NOW on to my #MIBF2016 experience! I went on Friday and Saturday with a different friend a day. I jumped in to an impromptu invite for Friday because I really, REALLY want to go on a weekday because it's more convenient. No long lines and the books are still not so messed up (because they literally get from one shelf to another!). My book hauls can be found on my instagram page :)

All in all, I bought 12 books from #MIBF2016. I had to give up a lot of books I really, really want to have (because of my budget) like Dangerous Girls, Nightingale, Six of Crows, and Vicious. AND I was going to grab a copy of A Court of Mist and Fury by there was NO PAPERBACK! I am not going to grab the hardcover no matter what because (1) it's expensive and I'm poor && (2) it won't be the same as my ACOTAR 'cause it's in paperback. So next time. Definitely.

Despite all those things, I'm still happy for the books I bought. I FINALLY got The Hunger Games trilogy boxset. THE FOIL BOXSET WHICH I ACTUALLY PREFER!! Oh look at those shiny covers!! They are so pretty!!!! And don't shame me but I haven't read Catching Fire and Mockingjay (although I have seen the movie except for Mockingjay part 2). Also, I finally got a copy of Illuminae!! I don't know when I'll read it though. Possibly on November when I'm not too busy. AND I also got my hands on two editions of Wuthering Heights! Their covers are just sooooo pretty!!

Pretty much, these are the highlights of my week. Now, to my reads!!

At Risk | S.G. Redling
This book kept me up until 2:00AM! I like the slow build up, how well established the characters were, how well developed the main character is, and how much suspense the climax holds. The revelation and the thrilling climax was great! Really wished there was more though. Maybe like an epilogue or something. Oh well~
Review will be up soon!!

WEEKEND READS | Mystery-a-thon anyone?

Agatha Christie is QUEEN.

Hello,

As usual, I've been out. Procrastinating. It's the first time I opened my laptop since I posted my rant-astic review of Into the Light. I haven't commented on anyone's blog since. But I will. You guys wait on that. I have things to do tomorrow like majorly editing out thesis and and layouting posters for events.

ALSO, I'm starting a lettering project tomorrow. It's really personal. I want to discipline myself in regularly practicing and trying out different styles. SO tomorrow on my instagram account, I'm going to post one song title a day. I want to introduce the songs I listen to and the bands and artists I love to everyone while practicing my lettering. I'm still suuuuuuuper NOT GOOD but I hope you see some improvements as days go by. I'm also adding the #100DaysofSongTitlesLettering hashtag at the of each post because basically that's what I'll try to accomplish :)

On other things, I'm hoping to participate on Ely @ Tea & Titles's mystery-a-thon just because I LOVE mystery. I'm sure you guys know how much I love mystery may it be YA mystery or cozy mystery or historical mystery or mystery thriller or crime fiction. As long as there's (good) mystery (and good writing) I'm IN!

Walk on Earth a Stranger (The Gold Seer Trilogy #1) | Rae Carson
I enjoyed Walk on Earth a Stranger but I didn't love it. Don't hate me, please. It's basically one of my most anticipated reads of 2015. And as I said I enjoyed it. I LIKE a lot of the book's historical aspect -- how the other basically explored the time period. BUT the book as a whole didn't made me feel so much. I basically just read the ups and downs of Leah's adventure to California. It was good but it wasn't exciting or magical or emotional for me. I like how her relationship with all the people she traveled with developed though :)
Into the Light (Into the Dark #2) | Caroline T. Patti
This book was a disaster for me. Admittedly there were good things which I pointed out at the end of my review. Read my thoughts here!!

WEEKEND READS | Walk on Earth a Stranger + Mortom

one of my 2015 most anticipated reads.

Hello,

I talked about how life has been for me during this past month in my book haul post yesterday. It was mixture of good and bad. But I survived it. I'm done with that and I'm going to focus on things to come right now.

This past week I finally picked up Walk on Earth a Stranger which I'm sooooo happy about. I placed In Gallup, Greed on-hold but I'll get back to it after Walk on Earth. I think I'm kind of getting burnt out with all these mystery-thriller. I still like them, really. Mortom which is my other read for this weekend is a mystery-thriller but I think that I need a tiny break from them.

I know I kind of promised a couple of reviews last week but I didn't made it. I have them written out already but haven't formatted them on the blog. I'm generally just procrastinating. haha.

Bullet in the Blue Sky | Bill Larkin
This is a very intriguing book that had me reading fast. There's this search mission then there's this non-stop action. There's always something going on. But that isn't the only thing that had me going on this book. Once Detective Shaw was found, this just started getting even more interesting. So really... check out my review, check out other reviews, and hopefully you decide to read this book :)
The Reaper (the Children of Wisdom #2) | Stephanie Erickson
Middle. Book. Syndrome. Book one, The Fate, was a pretty decent read. I liked it. I liked Penn. I like the writing. I like the progression of the story. But this one? There are questionable things. Really slow progression. Annoying Penn. Unimportant events. I'll have a mini-review soon!!

WEEKEND READS | Mystery Thriller Reads!!

current read.

Hello,

Life has been stressful and my undergraduate thesis is killing me. I mean not literally of course. I'm just getting into some really unhappy moments with a friend because of what's going on with our schedule. Nothing big (possibly... hopefully...).

ANYWAY, on better things, I think, the weather's finally better. YAY! And I've finally given up on the Epic Reads's #ReadingDecathlon. LOL. It's already Day 8 of my pledge and I've read 4 books. I'll definitely get back to that on some other time. Well that doesn't sound so good. Possibly this week was not really good for me now that I've thought of about -- wrecked schedule, that suck-y workshop I attended yesterday, that uninteresting event we're setting up for a class requirement. Ugh.

There Once Were Stars | Melanie McFarlane
The world is really good.. Reminded me a bit of Sunset Rising but There Once Were Stars has its own thrilling scifi story from the mentioned series. The heroine is also pretty good but the romance wasn't exactly a strong point. Review (+ giveaway) can be found here!!
Thirteen (The Last Thirteen #1) | James Phelan
This book is a complete waste of my time. Review will be up soon!!
Into the Dark (Into the Dark #1) | Caroline T. Patti
I really like the concept of this book -- breaching bodies, a group of people assigned to kill them. Aside from all of these Into the Dark involves family and, of course, romance. There's always something going on. I enjoyed it. Not completely stellar though. Review soon!!

WEEKEND READS | Zodiac + Into the Dark

current read.

Hello,

I've been a bit inactive but that's because I've been reading. A bit of school stuff happening but nothing completely major right now. Anyway, the weather has been gloomy this past few days. Classes get suspended. It's raining almost non-stop. I hate it. I mean rain is fine but I really wish it doesn't go for an entire day or two or three. It scares me.

I hope we get a better weather next week!!

ALSO, I'm 10 books away from finishing my Goodreads Reading Challenger 2016 and it's only August. I'm thinking of moving my goal from 70 to 80 or 90. For 2 years, I go for 70 books because that's the most manageable for my reading pace. But this year, I got waaaay ahead of my schedule. So I think an increase in my goal is just right :)

Genesis Girl (Blank Slate #1) | Jennifer Bardsley
I really, really like the world of this book. I had mixed feelings for it though but I still really enjoy it. I like its idea -- a dystopian world where a few children are sent to Tabula Rasa School. They are taught of the evils of technology and are raised to stay away from it. After graduation from Tabula Rasa, they are sold to the highest bidders as models/advertisers of products. The idea is that because Tabula Rasa graduates called Vestals do not have any 'virtual footprint', it makes them the most reliable advertisers. Blanca, unlike her fellow Vestals, became a Geisha -- a Vestal bought not by a company but by a private person for private purposes.
The story really has a lot of interesting turns. I wouldn't say that they are like plot twist or anything. They made me confused a bit -- like at times, I don't even know what's going to happen next, I had no idea where the story is heading. Good thing? Bad thing? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I still ended up enjoying it though. Full review soon!!

Technology was driving people apart and tearing them away from the physical presence of the people they loved. #GenesisGirl

— czai (@czai_) August 7, 2016

WEEKEND READS | Big Little Lies + Genesis Girl

second library read!!

Hello,

SOOOO WEEKEND READS IS BACK!! I've been on-and-off in blogging in the past month or so. But while I'm not making promises, I'm here! I just borrowed my second library reads which is Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. I've been eyeing this one since last semester and now I have it! I'm hoping to finishing it this weekend or early this coming week (because uni library sucks. it only has two days of lending.. ugh.. why?).

Challenger Deep | Neal Shusterman
When I came across this book months before it was released, I got suuuuuper excited. Because why not? It's Neal Shusterman. And every time I come across a Neal Shusterman book in the bookstore, I immediately pick it up (that's how rare Neal Shusterman is in here). ANYWAY, I was suuuuper scared to pick up Challenger Deep. I've read nothing but positive things about it! Reviews like that scare me a bit because what if I fail them and end up being a black sheep? The pressure, friends! BUT good thing is, it worked for me. Here's a brief 'review' because I won't be posting a separate one for this:

Challenger Deep started in a really interesting yet odd way for me. There's an alternating setting in Caden Bosch's mind (like the blurb!!): the actual world (earth to Caden!!) and the ship heading to the Challenger Deep. I really LOVED how it was written -- the anxiety, the description, Caden's own little world. I'm a big admirer of Shusterman's writing and how well he slowly develops his character and how slowly and surely he reveals everything about his world. It was just PERFECT!

I marveled that people could live so close [...] and yet be completely isolated. #ChallengerDeep

— czai (@czai_) July 26, 2016

WEEKEND READS | Mosquitoland + Gifted

turns out I don't have a photo of my current read (which sucks, bytheway. it shows how much i don't care about it).

Hello,

I've had a productive week. I'm so glad that I was able to go schedule my reviews, reply to some comments, and drop by some blogs. So basically, I acquainted myself to more books which sucks 'cause I placed myself in a one month ban (which is the good news because I haven't bough a single book since the month began.. well since Dead Wake anyway).

Unplugged (The Wired #1) | Donna Freitas
I LOVE the concept of this book, its world, the conflict of the world, and the twists! Oh gosh, this book and great! Review will be up Monday 8AM EST for a Blog Tour :)

WEEKEND READS | Glass Sword + Unplugged

my suckish attempt at the #flipthatbook tag. check out my instagram: @czai_

Hello,

Sorry I've been lazing around. I really intended to post a couple more reviews this past week but I ended up not finalizing them. I'll have them up by this week. I'm sorry I also haven't been replying to comments and commenting back. I will that. I'm just... well... busy lazing around. I will drop by your blogs, friends. Just you wait. Definitely this week.

Thanks to every one's comments on my last weekend reads, I hold off Dorothy Must Die and picked up Glass Sword. I still have a few more pages to read but I ended up liking it :) Now here's my dillema for the week: I'm think of (finally) starting Game of Thrones. I had it in like a year already but I still haven't pick it up yet. Heck, I've never added it on my monthly TBR. What do you guys think? Can you give me your opinions about the book? I don't watch TV series so catching up on it is not an option (lol).

Play Dead (D.I. Kim Stone #4) | Angela Marsons
Admittedly, I liked Lost Girls more. BUT that doesn't mean this isn't good. It's still thrilling, intriguing. and Marsons pulled out another twist I didn't see coming. The twist is its biggest point for me && how she connected two cases. Review will be up soon!

WEEKEND READS | Dorothy Must Die or Glass Sword?

to hold off or to continue?

Hello,

I' not sure if I'm in a slump (but I'm guessing I'm not) or Dorothy Must Die is just not working with me. I know many of you, friends, liked it. Loved it, even. But me? Maybe I'm really just a black sheep. I really, really like this to work with me though because I LOVE the covers of the series (lol!) so I'll still read it. But I'll include another book to my current-reads :)

Why I picked up Glass Sword is just me being random. I thought that it's been staring at me from my shelf for far too long. And it's dystopian. I know it was received poorly but I have my book now so why not read it, right?

The Writer (San Juan Mysteries #1) | D.W. Ulsterman
I finished reading The Writer the other day and I thought that it was more of an 'okay' read. I wasn't completely intrigued by the mystery but it was interestig enough to keep me entertained until the end. The climax was truly thrilling. Review to come!
The White Cottage Mystery | Margery Allingham
Another Golden Age Mystery author added to my list! Now I'm really more interested to dig up this glorious moment in Mystery Novels. I'm going to read more of Margery Allingham. Read my review here!

WEEKEND READS | Fateful + Time to Die

recent.

Hello,

Even though it's my summer vacation, I'm still a bit on-again-off-again here. I'm just really lazy and tend to procrastinate a lot. But I've been reading. A lot. I actually found myself reading my ebooks a lot faster lately (which is really, really good). My physical ones, I go through one book a week but I plan to change that. I'm trying to get around 2 books a week :)

Anyway, I (finally) started rereading Golden Son by Pierce Brown to prepare myself for Morning Star which I will most likely pick up next week (or the week after, as the latest). For now, I decided to read Golden Son with another book (since it's a reread).

ICYM: I have a giveaway sponsored by Sourcebooks Landmark and it's a physical copy of A Front Page Affair by Radha Vatsal. It's a great historical mystery reads with a well explored setting, good mystery, and a strong and well-developed heroine. A really recommended read! It ends Friday 12AM PHT (GMT +8). US/CAN only. CLICK HERE!

Under My Skin | Zoe Markham

I posted my review the couple of days ago. This was a book I find difficult to talk about. It's suspenseful and has a good story as a whole yet at times it gets a bit draggy. Chloe's thoughts give me that repetitive feel. But all in all, Under My Skin is a really good read. 

The Manifesto on How to be Interesting | Holly Bourne

This is instantly a fave for me. I LOVE Bourne's writing, Bree's voice, how she tries to infiltrate the popular clique, how it just wrapped up in the end, how it kind of moved me. I'll have my review soon!

[WEEKEND READS] Winter + Broken Angels

Hello,

It's bee a while since I last did a post like this. It's just that I've been busy and lazy. Yes, I juts have to admit it like that. I've also been reading. I'm really proud at myself for clearing out a couple of Netgalley books this past week. A couple more in this coming week :)

ANYWAY, last Saturday, I went to a release event of a Filipino indie author which I'll be sharing tomorrow. I haven't read it but I will soon and expect a review! I'd really want to get around Filipino written books especially those written in Filipino. Soon, my friends :)

Finding Hope | Colleen Nelson
While contemporary isn't my strongest genre, I still enjoy it. But Finding Hope just didn't clicked with me. I've read reviews that were realy positive but my experience with this just wasn't the same as them. I ranted about this book here in my review (while still trying my best to remain a bit objective as I pointed out what I liked about it).
Lost Girls (D.I. Kim Stone #3) | Angela Marsons
This is my fave D.I. Kim Stone novel right now. The next book will be out next month (so things might change for me). Everything I LOVE about this book are mentioned on my review which is scheduled for Monday :) Look out for that if you're interested with crime fictions.

[WEEKEND READS] Everything, Everything, Everything!!

Hello,

I'm a week away from vacation!! I'm done with my thesis topic defense. Now onto more difficult things! It's exciting and scary and I don't know what else. I'm just hoping to get it all done with. I'll be working on my final projects next week which are to be submitted by Friday. For now, I just want to sit back and read. I missed a lot of reading, I think, and would love to remedy that.

ICYM: I'm giving away a SIGNED COPY OF RED QUEEN by Victoria Aveyard. Just a few more days to go!!

[WEEKEND READS] Salt to the Sea + Fury

Ruta Sepetys!!

Hello,

With finals && thesis around the corner, I've become busier than before. At the same time, I continue to read on my spare time hence my lack of activity. I've finished a few books since I posted my last weekend reads post (which was a month ago).

Anyway, I'll continue to be busy in the next couple of weeks (yes, including the upcoming Holy Week - for Catholics - since I have plans to do by then) but I'll continue to read and I'll be posting my personal book challenge update soon! So excited for vacation (2nd week of April!!).

ICYM: I'm giving a way a SIGNED COPY OF RED QUEEN by Victoria Aveyard.

[WEEKEND READS] Stars Above + Winter (i wish)

next read!!

Hello,

Nothing new about the week for me - busy with school shiz, getting better at procrastinating and greatly improved my ability to poorly manage my time. Yup, my life.

Anyway, this week, I went crazy on NetGalley and ended up downloading several books (maybe around 5 books or something). I've resisted for so long and I cannot believe myself for giving in. I won't request for the next few months to try and clean my list up. Ugh. Also yesterday, I finally got my hands on Marissa Meyer's Stars Above. Unfortunately though I still don't have Winter.

Redeem (the Caelian Cycle #2.5) | Donnielle Tyner
This novella was good and it did made me understand Kian more. Unfortunately though, there's still no connection between him and me. I hope that certain elements of this novella will be fused well into the final book of the series :)
Earth & Sky (Earth & Sky #1) | Megan Crewe
I really like the concept of time travelling aliens. The historical parts weren't that great though but the whole explanations about the world - the aliens and their connection to Earthlings were really interesting. There's a hint of romance and the ending was meh. It felt forced or what. Review will be up soon.

[WEEKEND READS] I'm a Procrastinating Night Person

Hello,

I had a pretty stressful week. I ended up sleeping after school, waking up at 11PM or 12MN, THEN working on whatever project I was supposed to work on. Generally, I think this happened because I'm a procrastinating night person. Yup, perfectly reason.

But really, I need to work on my time management. Like today, I pretty much failed at that when I woke up at 8AM and get up at 10AM. Just how much time did I waste? Aside from that instead of actually working on my school homework (which is to be submitted tonight), I plainly read through How (Not) to Find a Boyfriend by Allyson Valentine. Now... Now I'm still procrastinating.

UnSouled (Unwind #3) | Neal Shusterman

Finally finished it last Thursday!! There were so many things going on and a few more characters introduced. I still don't feel confused although I have to admit that the number of events going on seems overwhelming at some point. But the ending and where everybody is at was just so great. Review will definitely be up this week!

[WEEKEND READS] Busy as Hell!

Hello,

When I don't post anything new, you know I'm busy. Why I don't have scheduled post is stupid of me. I'm generally lazy and most of the times I don't want to hassle myself in posting when I don't really feel like doing so. I have draft reviews and notes on the books I read so I don't really mind having them a bit late (so this is me making an excuse, hahaha).

I so glad to finally have the next few days off from several school works (except for writing a bit of my thesis' chapter 1) because of University Week. I'm really excited to get around reading a few books just because I won't have to work on some school stuff.

Eleanor & Park | Rainbow Rowell
Finished it a couple of days ago and I really LOVE the ending. It's one of those endings that makes you a tad bit sad yet at the same time makes you smile at those last few lines of the novel. I LOVE the development of Eleanor and Park's relationship - I like how they started off awkwardly then ended up helplessly in love with each other. It really gives off that coming-of-age feel especially on the romance aspect of the story.
Revealed (Rumors #2) | A.C. Arthur
I have such mixed emotions for this one. The revelation caught me off guard and I don't exactly know what to feel about it. It certainly was unexpected but seriously? Such reasons? Such twist? I should have expected it but I guess I always rule that possibility out whenever I read mystery novels. Review will be up soon.