You Know You Love Me

Once upon a time, I wasn’t as TV noob as I am today—well, okay, I keep track of what’s out there except I do not watch them. But then, I had multiple television shows I was tuning in to, and one of them was The CW’s Gossip Girl, based on the novel series of the same name by Cecily von Ziegesar. Looking back, to say I was into it would be a grand playing-it-cool. I was obsessed. It match-aired here in one of our local networks and I’d watch multiple replays—aside from the episode’s first screening—every week. My best friend and I would even talk in length about certain scenes, like the characters were friends of ours. Or, at the very least, schoolmates.

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that when fellow fans JM (of Book Freak Revelations), Kevin (of Tomebound) and Salve (of Cuckoo For Books) decided to initiate a book tag featuring the one and only source into the scandalous lives of Manhattan’s elite, I was on board tout de suite. And without further ado…

…or not. There are two things to consider if you were to peruse this post, viz. a) it is based on the TV series, not the books, and b) some items contain substantial spoilers for the TV series.

*Click the cover to be directed to the book’s Goodreads page.*

SERENA VAN DER WOODSEN
The “It” book of YA fiction.

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Not only do I now realize how dreadfully Herculean the term “The “It” book” puts in one’s choice, it also requires a compelling argument. Hence, allow me to take a slightly different angle and pick Lara Jean’s story. Just because of how often I see this book (or the sequel) on Instagram.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

BLAIR WALDORF
A book/character you love to hate.

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Since my introduction is a trip down memory lane anyway, let’s carry on. I’m going with Jane of the Volturi. I recall hating how unfair her power is. Or maybe because it was sick and I wanted me some sick power? (What, don’t tell me you don’t ponder these philosophical stuff?)

         

Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer

CHUCK BASS
A roller coaster ride of a book.

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There’s a collection of reasons why The Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of my top ten all-time favorite books, one of them being it made me feel all of these emotions.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

NATE ARCHIBALD
A book cover eye candy.

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Fun fact: I’m responsible for this particular item. Not-so-fun fact: I CAN PICK A MULTITUDE OF COVERS. Why do I have to do this on myself? In fact, I can dedicate a whole article about #coverlove and—oh wait, I did. But I’m zeroing in on Sarvenaz Tash’s upcoming 2016 novel. Look at the color scheme and overall vibe!

The Geek’s Guide to Unrequited Love by Sarvenaz Tash

DAN HUMPHREY
A book you think deserves more love than it gets.

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Oh! I have a bunch of titles but I recently finished Ford’s Suicide Notes and this was published in 2008 but why haven’t I heard of it?

Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford

JENNY HUMPHREY
A character that went through the most drastic transformation, for better or worse.

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A piece of (lemon) cake! Sansa Stark. Enough said.

A Song of Ice and Fire Series by George R. R. Martin

VANESSA ABRAMS
A book that doesn’t have a lasting impression.

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So I picked this graphic novel during last year’s MIBF thinking there’s some awesome Starlord action. But what did I get? NO STARLORD! But I digress.

The Infinity Gauntlet by Jim Starlin

RUFUS & LILY
An OTP that could have been.

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I usually don’t use the same title or series in a single tag but for this one I’ll bend. Okay. This is straight up fanfic, right? Someone write me my Sansa x Ser Loras story!

A Song of Ice and Fire Series by George R. R. Martin

GEORGINA SPARKS
A villain who’s killing it with villainy.

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The Dark Fairy from Cornelia Funke’s Mirrorworld Series easily comes to mind. I’d consume a whole book dedicated to her complexity.

   

Mirrorworld Series by Cornelia Funke

DOROTHA
A favorite sidekick character.

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Given that Nico di Angelo isn’t one of The Seven, he’s basically a secondary character. And next to Annabeth and Percy, he is my favorite demigod from Uncle Rick’s Greek mythology retelling. It has always been this way, ever since the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series. And in fact, I was more invested in his and Reyna’s arc in The Blood of Olympus.

The Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan

IVY DICKENS
A book you always mistake for something else.

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Not necessarily “always.” But somehow there was a phase when I almost always confused Half Bad and Red Rising. I DON’T KNOW WHY.

   

Half Bad by Sally Green • Red Rising by Pierce Brown

LOLA RHODES
A book/character you want to like more than you actually do.

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Yesterday, I talked about how Neil Gaiman touched my life. It still saddens me how my first foray into his extensive list was a bit underwhelming. I did like Coraline, however.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

PRINCE LOUIS
A Prince-Charming-turned-A-plus-jerk character.

Due to the spoilery nature of this one, I will leave it blank and instead give you this:

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You know you love me. XOXO.

Tag you’re it:

Cristian @ The Bookish God
Inah @ The Bibliophile Confessions
Jayvee @ Writer For Misfits
Jem @ The Bibliophile Confessions
Justine @ Bookwormaniac
Kim @ Divergent Gryffindor
Liam @ Liam’s Library
Miggy @ The Quirky Reader
Shannelle @ The Art Of Escapism

And oh. JM posted his entry yesterday, Kevin’s will be up tomorrow and Salve’s on Friday.

Who is your favorite Upper East Sider?

You can also stalk follow me elsewhere! On Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Goodreads, and Bloglovin.

Monthly Bookish Awesomeness: May 2015

In which I recap what went down in the last four weeks here and outside the blog.

Hey y’all! So I know I’ve been away for more than a couple of weeks now—and I apologize—but I recently went through a surgery and a slightly unexpected weekend escape before that. I’m recovering well, though, and excited to be back blogging regularly soon!

May had been really wonderful. My  childhood best friends were in town, however briefly, and I spent the whole weekend with them before I had my operation, which went successfully. This month, I also got to read Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda (FINALLY!!!) and More Happy Than Not, which both exceeded my expectations. So yaaay times two! And oh. I watched Pitch Perfect! No, not the sequel. Oops. It was pretty aca-mazing.

First week of May, the lovely Hazel Ureta of Stay Bookish invited me over at her blog for Behind the Lens and I’m a happy snowman! Thank you so much, dear!

Books I Read

• Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith – Smith is many things, but what he does best is writing complex teenage boys. I had problems with the narrative style but, overall, it’s a candid look on growing up.
• More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera – This is a strong debut you guys, with characters as unforgettable as the book is unflinching in its portrayal of confusion, love, homophobia, friendship and a lot more. Silvera surely is set to win many, many fans.
• Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli – There’s only one thing you need to know about this novel: Becky nailed the character voice. I mean, I can’t even. Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda is such a charming, smile-inducing read. The cast instantly feels familiar and you can’t help but root for them. WHO GOES OUT THE GATE PUBLISHING HER FIRST BOOK THIS GOOD?!!!
• Uprooted by Naomi Novik – I have conflicting opinions about this. Very. But it’s reminiscent of Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone with fae-ish elements. And, somehow I requested this from Netgalley thinking it’s YA, but it’s not.
• Noggin by John Corey Whaley – Gaaah. I’ve never cry heaved so hard. There was this one scene that’s just beautiful and sad and poignant and I lost it. The overall tone was very nostalgic and there were times the MC was too whiny for my liking but it still is one of those stories that you know will stay with you in a long while.
• Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver – D (of Oops! I Read A Book Again) and I are currently buddy-reading this one. This is my first title from the author.
• Half Bad by Sally Green – Yeah, I read this in April but wrote a review this month. Terrific character connections, blunt writing style and quietly compelling.

Other Stuff I Posted

• 184 F-Words, 28 Illustrations, and 4 Book References: Andrew Smith’s ‘Winger’ by the Numbers – I had TONS of fun writing this one but the reception was A LOT more overwhelming. This garnered the most page views for Bookish and Awesome and Andrew himself was “quite impressed with this scholarly achievement.” HA!
• I Would Give Up the Internet – This was the hardest tag by far.
• Ten Authors I Really Want to Meet – If you follow me on Twitter, this list wouldn’t surprise you because DUH.
• I Am More Happy Than Not – I initiated a Tag! But, really, coming up with this article was both comforting and liberating. Allow me to give you reasons to be grateful everyday.

Book Birthdays

         

Happy book birthday to Made You Up (Greenwillow Books), Uprooted (Del Rey), Anything Could Happen (Push), and Extraordinary Means (26th, Katherine Tegen Books), which all found a place in the shelves this month!

Book Radar

         

June will see both More Happy Than Not (2nd, Soho Teen) and The Witch Hunter (2nd, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) coming out into the wild, woohoo! Along with Every Last Word (16th, Disney Hyperion), and The Night We Said Yes (16th, HarperTeen).

Gold Star

I’m introducing a new feature in my monthly recap! Gold Star, inspired by Gretchen Rubin’s Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast, aims to spotlight a person, book, project or anything that makes the world a happier place (because I’m cliché like that). And this month’s Gold Star belongs to… The #BooksArentDangerous initiative! So basically, together with The NOVL, Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia asked the bookish community to upload a photo using the hashtag. And for every picture posted, they will donate a book to First Book, to help underfunded schools and libraries. They reached their goal of 5,000 and I just think that, for readers like us, spreading the love of reading is such a fulfilling cause to be a part of. Fantastic job, ladies!

Around the Interwebs

• Shannon @ Awash with Wonder always posts beautiful, reflective entries and you should check out her blog, if you haven’t already. Earlier this month, she shared how moving from one place to another helped changed her mindset and how sometimes walking away appears to be the only option and that’s not a bad idea.
• The Book trailer for The Night We Said Yes is HERE, as well as ones for Extraordinary Means, which can be an indie film on itself (I LOVE IT!), and Anything Could Happen, another one I adore. Seriously. I don’t know if this is a trend, but I’m totally digging this book trailers with indie-movie-vibe.
• And speaking of which, we get the first full-length trailer for Syfy’s The Magicians series. I had my reservations concerning this one because I’m so attached to Grossman’s characters and world (or should I say worlds?) and the age gap threw me off but now I’M CRAZY EXCITED!
• Alex London wrote this brave, heartening article on bending reality to match a closeted gay teen’s daydreams. You go, Charlie!
• Game of Thrones 05 x 06 is THE EPISODE I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR SINCE SEASON 1! Except, well, the last part.
• Kat Kennedy @ Cuddlebuggery talked about blogger exhaustion and you know it’s a real thing.
• Another from Gay YA: this personal, unapologetic piece from Adam Silvera in staying true to your story is all you need to know.
• Paper Fury, then Notebook Sisters, celebrated its fourth year anniversary! Cheers Awesome-Cait! Greet her with a piece of cake or two!
• Bad Blood MV!!! So this isn’t bookish news but I love Taylor Swift (deal with it) and her latest music video was epic and badass as promised. Although, I didn’t like the rap parts. Not at all.

I hope you all had an awesome May! For those of you who didn’t get to attend BEA15, did you torture yourselves by staying on Twitter (like I did)? And for those of you lucky bastards who went, what was your favorite part? Let’s talk in the comments below!

You can also stalk follow me elsewhere! On Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Goodreads, and Bloglovin.

REVIEW: Half Bad by Sally Green

Title: Half Bad
Author: Sally Green
Format: Paperback, 394 pages
Publication: March 4th 2014 by Viking Books for Young Readers (first published January 1st 2014)
Source: Bought from Fully Booked
Genre: Fiction—Contemporary, Urban Fantasy
Other classifications: Witchcraft and Wizardry, Young adult

Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository | Fully Booked

Wanted by no one. Hunted by everyone.

Sixteen-year-old Nathan lives in a cage: beaten, shackled, trained to kill. In a modern-day England where two warring factions of witches live amongst humans, Nathan is an abomination, the illegitimate son of the world’s most terrifying and violent witch, Marcus. Nathan’s only hope for survival is to escape his captors, track down Marcus, and receive the three gifts that will bring him into his own magical powers—before it’s too late. But how can Nathan find his father when his every action is monitored, when there is no one safe to trust, not even family, not even the girl he loves?

I approached Half Bad with no more than the knowledge of its premise and that turned out to be a good call.

The writing style is blunt, and I can see how this may be a drag for others, but I think it’s very fitting to our narrator. Nathan is almost-illiterate. He’s never done well at school and ensuing events will only worsen this. But with her choice of tone, Green reinforces the mournful tragedy of Nathan’s situation. I mean, I can mention child abuse but I feel like that’ll be the understatement of the year. Having said that, however, it bears pointing out that this isn’t a pity show. Our anti-hero doesn’t just mope around. And it’s divided in five parts; the first part, which is done in 2nd-person, is intriguing and pulls you right in.

“It’s cooling. Numbing.
And it would be so good to be numb like that all over, numb to it all.”

I also thought the pacing had a steady rhythm at the earlier parts but fell short of problematic in places. And later I’ll get to the line where I’ll dub Half Bad as ‘quietly compelling’ and you’ll wonder—as I have—how is it possible for problematic pacing and compelling to mesh up but I’ll try to make sense. It’s not that Half Bad doesn’t know where it’s heading, it just really took its time to get there. Albeit, where Green lacks the action, she compensates with terrific character connections. I will go overboard here and tell you: Nathan and Arran’s relationship is probably one of my most favorite portrayals of familial love ever. It’s quietly compelling that way, because you are invested in the characters, you’re anxious to know what happens to them.

The plot is basically good versus evil and owning yourself. But, like I’ve said, its strongest suit lies in the characterization. The characters get under your skin and grow in you. Nathan is indomitable at best and stubborn at worst. Arran is gentle and thoughtful and cares a great deal after Nathan. Then we have Annalise and Gabriel which I wish had more airtime, but I’m guessing the sequel has that covered.

“It’s how you think and how you behave that shows who you are.”

Half Bad would’ve been a solid five-star. It has the making of one: it’s a muted page-turner, has fully realized characters, an MC to root for and a solid plot. Sadly, the pacing is an unmistakable stumbling block for me. But will I read Half Wild? Yes! Definitely. I’m too attached to the characters not to.

Sally Green lives in northwest England. She has had various jobs and even a profession, but in 2010 she discovered a love of writing and now just can’t stop. She used to keep chickens, makes decent jam, doesn’t mind ironing, loves to walk in Wales even when it’s raining, and will probably never jog again. She really ought to drink less coffee. Half Bad is her first novel.

Twitter | Website

Have you read this? Do you agree with me or do you have other thoughts? Have I helped you decide whether or not to pick this one up? What are your recent reads on witchcraft and wizardry? Or what are you currently reading, witch-y or not? Do you get attached to secondary characters as easily? Sound off in the comments below! And someone PLEASE talk to me about Arran!

You can also stalk follow me elsewhere! On Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Goodreads, and Bloglovin.

Monthly Bookish Awesomeness: April 2015

In which I recap what went down in the last four weeks in and outside the blog.

Okay. Let’s clear things up from the previous rundown. More Than This is NOT my first Patrick Ness title. Gaah. I forgot that The Knife of Never Letting Go is his; that is my real first. I’m TERRIBLE. Throw the tomatoes. But can you throw doughnuts, too?  And “unflinchingly bawdy humor, spot-on humor,” even if Winger IS absolutely aces, is mega redundant, don’t you agree? (I am. You know. Such a loser.)

April hasn’t been very kind to my blog schedule (I don’t keep a schedule, mind you; that’s more a figure of speech). The first two weeks saw me training early in the morning up until late in the afternoon. And that only sounds like it involves running a circuit, sparring, and trying to project tendrils of electrical charges from my fingers, but in reality it’s quite prosaic. But I did fairly better at reading, considering how slow I read. Albeit, in the Review Department, things are pretty grim. But, hey, a boy can only do so much.

I also received the SINGLE BEST DM OF MY YEAR (or the previous ones) and it’s from Becky Albertalli which, if you’ve been paying attention and I’ve been explicit about this, is a favorite author person. I’m still waiting for the eagle to land but you best believe you’ll hear my screams when it does. And oh. Did I mention I got approval for an e-ARC of Adam Silvera’s More Happy Than Not? Exciting times!

Books I Read

 

•  All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven – I had very conflicting feelings about this one at first. But the more I pondered about it, the more I realized what a gem it is. It’s thoughtful and provocative and Theodore Finch is just so vivid that you can practically see him nodding at you across the street. Definitely recommending it you guys!
• The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker – If it isn’t straight up romance, I’m not big in this element, that is why I was pleasantly surprised to find myself rooting hard for the couple in this debut. It was SO good! Plus, it’s atmospheric and the MC has a strong voice. And a gang of witches? Yes please!
• Galgorithm by Aaron Karo – This is a fun, light high school rom com reminiscent of Easy A. (Yeah, that Emma Stone movie.)
• The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley by Shaun Hutchinson – I can only describe the emotion in this book as RAW. I mean, I want to hug Andrew. But humor is also present.
• Half Bad by Sally Green – Oh my gods, stating how child abuse is one of the central themes of this piece of contemporary fantasy will be the understatement of the year! If I want to hug Andrew Brawley, I want to adopt Nathan and never for once in his life again let him go through the things he endured. Ever. And can we talk about Arran? PERFECT. BROTHER. On a more fain-y (that’s muggle or mundane; choose your fandom) side, the writing is blunt which I can see might be a problem for some.
• Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith – I’ve just started this yesterday and I’m not too far to really give any opinion. Oh. I’ll say this: Andrew Smith has his ways in creating fleshed-out teenage boys.

Other Stuff I Posted

• I Am a Pretty Dang Slow Reader – This generated mixed reactions and THANK YOU but we all agree that what’s important is to be comfortable with your reading speed.
• Stacking the Shelves #1 – In which I acquire Half Bad, Noggin, Boo and Uprooted.
• Coffee Conversation: I’m Late to the Party – I’m having a hard time focusing but I had a small victory and discovered Sam Smith.
• Stacking the Shelves #2 – Vanishing Girls + Grasshopper Jungle + Ferals.
• Top Ten Books Which Feature Characters Who have Depression and/or Mental Illness – A call for more books dealing with depression and mental illness. Although it needs to be said I am impressed with what I’m seeing so far, especially in YA.

Book Birthdays

         

Happy book birthday to Kissing Ted Callahan (and Other Guys) (Poppy), None of the Above (Balzer + Bray), Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Balzer + Bray), Denton Little’s Deathdate (Knopf Books for Young Readers), Challenger Deep (HarperCollins), Finding Paris (Balzer + Bray), Still Waters (Philomel Books), An Ember in the Ashes (Razorbill), and In a World Just Right (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers), which all found a place in the shelves this month!

Book Radar

         

I’m seriously looking forward to these May new releases: Made You Up (19th, Greenwillow Books), Uprooted (19th, Del Rey), Anything Could Happen (26th, Push) (!!!), and Extraordinary Means (26th, Katherine Tegen Books) (!!!).

Around the Interwebs

• Becky Albertalli (excuse me I just love this wonderful human being) wrote a piece for The Independent about gender-nonconforming children and sexual identity and it’s thoughtful, moving and inspiriting.
• Book Riot celebrated its podcast’s 100th episode! Toni Morrison and literary tattoos aplenty.
• Jen of Pop! Goes the Reader partied to her 27th birthday with 27 Life Lessons you surely don’t want to miss. (Not even kidding.)
• We get the cover of Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On!!! I like that Simon and Baz look like they’re in a face-off but also it has that they’re-about-to-kiss vibe.
• Joey of Thoughts and After Thoughts talked about How Love Triangles are Not Actual “Triangles.” (He’s still obsessing on how to top this discussion. Take heart, Joe, take heart.)
• Cait of Paper Fury created a list of 10 Things You Should Regularly Tell Writers. Not that we’re throwing away shoulds here regularly but, really, it’s genius.
• Hazel of Stay Bookish shared Some Quick Blogging Tips that are accessible and helpful.
• The international trailer for The Little Prince is LOVELY!
• King Tommen and Queen Margaery’s wedding is possibly the ONLY delightful matrimonial celebration in all of Westeros!

How was your month waffles? What, food IS everything! Did you bust down that wobbly TBR pile? What was the last book that blew your socks off? Or, you know, destroyed you? As one does. And are you stoked for Carry On? Go Set a Watchman comes out in less than two months, but for now, we can rewatch the 1962 TKAM adaptation and chat over how sublime it is!

You can also stalk follow me elsewhere! On Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Goodreads, and Bloglovin.

Stacking the Shelves #1

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews in which book bloggers share their latest bookish acquisition.

Hey wonderful bloggers! So I know Bookish and Awesome has been quiet for two weeks. This is due to my recently concluded Basic Training, which took most of my daytime (the rest of the night, I read). Yes, I’m living a “somehow” double life. My professional life—if I ever have one—is spent with spatulas and mixers and eggs and cream and olive oil and salt; the other half of my waking hours, I don my Fanboy clothes (what, Fanboying consumes a hefty amount of time!). The somehow is in air quotes because it’s not like it’s unbeknownst to the people around me. And oh. By Fanboying I mean blogging and staying on Twitter.

But anyway, back to the topic at hand. Since I’m not a hauler person, I’ve decided to do Stacking the Shelves instead. In here, I’d still be able to share my book purchases, which are often by two’s, and e-ARC/DRC approvals without the pressure of arranging a collection. Here goes the first one.

Physical Copies

Half Bad by Sally Green

I read Virginia Boecker’s The Witch Hunter earlier this week and it’s fantastic you guys! Now feeling in the mood for more witchcraft in YA, I picked up Half Bad. Plus it goes strongly recommended by Cait of Paper Fury and Cristian of The Bookish God.

Noggin by John Corey Whaley

I’m not even one hundred percent certain why I bought this one besides the fact that it’s weird. I mean, preserving one’s head for five years and then reattaching it into another body? W-E-I-R-D.

E-galleys

Boo by Neil Smith

Because TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD REFERENCE. And I’m growing fond of thirteen-year-old-school stories as of late. (Thank you Joey of Thoughts and Afterthoughts for putting this on my radar!)

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Fairy tales, sacrifices and The Darkling-esque figure? Count me in! And that cover!

Also, can you give me a minute to rant? For SIMON VS THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA STILL HASN’T HIT THE SHELVES HERE IN THE PHILIPPINES AND THIS IS TOO MUCH!!!

What are your recent bookish acquisition? Have you read any of these titles (The Witch Hunter included)? Which do you suggest I read first? Let’s talk in the comments below!

You can also stalk follow me elsewhere! On Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Goodreads, and Bloglovin.