AUGUST BOOKHAUL (aka THE BIRTHDAY MONTH HAUL)

Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie | The ABC's of Hand Lettering by Abbey Sy |  Afterlife by Claudia Gray | GONE by Michael Grant | Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman | The Good Girls by Sara Shepard

Queen of Someday by Sherry D. Ficklin | dEaDINBURGH: Vantage by Mark Wilson | Born by Tara Brown | Tesla by Mark Lingane

Hello,

August is my Birthday month. In case you missed, I celebrated my day by recommending my fave books, anime, and music and hosting a giveaway (PH only) to you guys. I've been busy as usual but I had a great month. My friends gave me great gifts and my sister brought took me out and we went to a bookstore. She bought me books and I was so happy to find Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman. I honestly did not expect to find it :D

[REVIEW] The Silent Treatment

Series: Katrina Jaitley #1
Author: Melanie Surani
Genre: adult, contemporary, mystery
Published: August 10, 2015 (first published February 1, 2012)
Publisher: Booktrope
Purchase: Amazon

Twenty-eight year old Katrina Jaitley is rebuilding her life after escaping an abusive boyfriend. The last thing she needs is the mystery she stumbles on during a bout of retail therapy. But she can't ignore the coil of film -- a piece of movie history -- she finds hidden inside her purchase. Unfortunately, Peter, the handsome host of the estate sale, disappears before Kat has a chance to return it to him.  

Curious, Kat watches the strip and is shocked to witness the murder of a famous 1920's silent film star by a fellow actor. When a news article cites Kat as the film's owner, her already complicated life goes from bad to worse. Someone begins stalking her. Are they trying to silence her or what she has discovered? 

Advance Praise 

“This book isn't just another coming-of-age-when-you're-an-adult story. Surani deftly weaves new-adult angst into a suspenseful tale, creating a fast and enjoyable read.” - Lisa Crouso Shiroff

[REVIEW] Damage Done

Series: N/A
Author: Amanda Panitch
Genre: young adult, contemporary, romance, mystery, thriller, realistic fiction, suspense
Published: July 21, 2015
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Purchase: Amazon

"In the vein of E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars and Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, Panitch’s novel delivers a heart-pounding, emotionally charged story." --SLJ 

22 minutes separate Julia Vann's before and after. 

Before: Julia had a twin brother, a boyfriend, and a best friend. 

After: She has a new identity, a new hometown, and memories of those twenty-two minutes that refuse to come into focus. At least, that's what she tells the police. 

Now that she's Lucy Black, she's able to begin again. And her fresh start has attracted the attention of one of the hottest guys in school, a boy who will do anything to protect her. But when someone much more dangerous also takes notice, Lucy's forced to confront the dark secrets she thought were safely left behind. 

One thing is clear: The damage done can never be erased. It's only just beginning. . . . 

In this deliciously twisted contemporary thriller, family can be a real killer. For fans of We Were Liars and readers who love unique multiple perspectives that leave clues like breadcrumbs until they reach the stunning conclusion.

[REVIEW] The Infinite Sea

Series: the Fifth Wave #2
Author: Rick Yancey
Genre: young adult, science fiction, dystopia, aliens, post apocalyptic, romance, fantasy, adventure
Published: September 16 2014
Publisher: Putnam

HOW DO YOU RID THE EARTH OF SEVEN BILLION HUMANS? RID THE HUMANS OF THEIR HUMANITY.

Cassie Sullivan and her companions lived through the Others' four waves of destruction. Now, with the human race nearly exterminated and the 5th Wave rolling across the landscape, they face a choice: brace for winter and hope for Evan Walker's return, or set out in search of other survivors before the enemy closes in. Because the next attack is more than possible - it's inevitable. 

No one can anticipate the depths to which the Others will sink, nor the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate. 

[COVER REVEAL] Silenced in the Surf

Series: Pacific Northwest Mystery #3

Author: Kate E. Dyer-Seeley

Genre: mystery, cozy mystery,

Publisher: Kensington

Expected Publication: March 29, 2016

Purchase: Amazon | B&N

Covering a windsurfing competition should have been a breeze for reporter Meg Reed, but with a killer in the curl, she's headed for rough waters…

Hood River in the Columbia River Gorge is the windsurfing capital of the world, and Meg is stoked to cover the King of the Hook event for Portland's Northwest Extreme magazine. Before the competition gets under way, Meg has a chance to try some windsurfing on her own. But when the current sweeps her downriver, she spots a body snagged on the rocks. The dead man is Justin Cruise, aka Cruise Control, a celebrity windsurfer and not exactly a nice guy. It's soon clear his death was no accident, and Cruise had no shortage of enemies. As Meg dives right in to discover who wiped out the windsurfer, she'll need to keep her balance--or she too may get blown away.

Praise For Scene Of The Climb

"A splendid overview of the greater Portland and Columbia River Gorge region, perfect for travel buffs. Her protagonist shows promise with her determined attitude and moxie." --Library Journal

"A fun, terrific adventure." --Suspense Magazine

[WEEKLY MUSING] Finding the time to read.

current read: The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey; next read: Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

... because sometimes we're just too busy with real life things.

Hello, 

While I battle with my reading slump, I'll give you guys an update. I'm breezing through my current reads lately. While I am not really loving The Infinite Sea as much as I enjoyed The 5th Wave, I'm still always so motivated to pick the book up every time I can. Damage Done is intriguing and quite suspenseful but the relationship between Julia and Michael just isn't smoothly developed for me.

[WAITING ON WEDNESDAY] Winter

Series: the Lunar Chronicles #4
Author: Marissa Meyer
Genre: young adult, fantasy, science fiction, dystopia, retellings, romance, steampunk,
Expected Publication: November 10, 2015

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana. 

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend–the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long. 

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

[WEEKLY MUSING] Reading Slumps: When I'm Stuck and Can't Read...

some science fiction books I recommend :)

Hello,

So, in my book haul post, I mentioned that I've been busy. Very busy that I barely read. Worse thing is that I don't get motivated to read at all. I don't feel like reading a thing. July was a really bad reading month for me. 

[BIRTHDAY POST!] 23 books, anime, manga, (and music) I Recommend + GIVEAWAY!

Hello,

I cannot believe that it has already been a year since I wrote this post. Yup, it was my birthday post. That was me posting some random things. Pointless. SO, I kind of like making lists which is why this year's birthday post is another list.. thinking of twenty three things is crazy but let's see what I can do about this... actually, this is just me telling you things I currently like :P

Here I go (just a quick note: this is a really long list with a few images and youtube videos!)...

JULY ROUNDUP

Hello,

July was a really crazy month. I already briefly talked about how my month went on on my Book Haul post a couple of days back. I'm really hoping that I can get back to reading :) I picked up The Infinite Sea just because it's a YA sci-fi and it's my fave genre. I really enjoyed The 5th Wave and with what I've read so far, I think it's going pretty well for me. Even though I'm quite busy today, I still pick it up and read bit by bit :) (sad thing is that the third book comes out next year, it's going to be a long wait for me then...).

{ BOOK REVIEWS }

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie | A Batter of Life and Death by Ellie Alexander | The Book of James by Ellen J. Green | Mama Cried by Talie Haven | The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg | Everything You and I Could Have Been If We Weren't You and I by Albert Espinosa | CRESS by Marissa Meyer | Descendants of the Rose by Juliette Harper