The Kiss of Deception a Novel | Review

This novel was fun to read! I had problems with some of the book's aspects, i really think that the premise was cool, having your reader guess which is which is quite fun. 

Rating: 3/5 Stars


The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I am still curious of the assassin's real person! i feel like he is still hiding a very crucial information about himself.

This was good read, not a lot of feels for me but i am sure that a heck of a lot of new adult readers would have loved this. It was fun guessing who were the Prince and the assassin. It was easy to predict it but the fact that the book has a sequel, this series is obviously going to get better!

I had trouble with two things:

a) how the Princess so easily escaped the night of her wedding. I mean, she just went straight to the back door with her friend/Lady in waiting without any hitches IN A ROYAL CLOAK which screams bloody Princess.

b) her fingers were broken and had to be immobilized and yet she managed to dig 2 graves in 7 hours straight. It was not indicated at this time that she already had her magic and that it had healed her hand faster than normal.

I hope in the next novel, the writer would be able to handle these areas of the story more solidly.

I won't mind reading the sequel. I like Rafe :)

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Hemlock Grove A Novel | Review

rating: 4.5 stars
I have heard of the show first before the book. My sister told me that this show is pretty good and knowing it's a werewolf show, i had high doubts about it but man, when i started reading the book, i was blown away how first of all, the writing was so effing good. I have watched two episodes of season 1 and the transformation of Peter into a wolf was so freaking good i just had to screen shot it. 

Peter's transformation into a wolf

In the book, it was accurately described: a snout emerged through its lips and worked open and shut, its old face bunched around it in an obsolete mask. 

I say this novel is a delicious concoction of Gothic and paranormal! 
Hemlock Grove: A Novel by Brian McGreevy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One of my absolute favourite gothic reads this year.


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Okay, first things first. 
Let's polish our vocab, shall we? Big words found in this book (or words that quite tickle my fancy)

Gesundheit - German, used to wish good health to a person who just sneezed
deliquescing - become liquid, typically during decomposition
augur - (of an event or circumstance) portend a good or bad outcome
golliwog - a soft doll with bright clothes, a black face, and fuzzy hair
Peripeteia - a sudden reversal of fortune or change in circumstances, especially in  reference to fictional narrative

This novel follows Peter, a half Italian, half gypsy young man, moving into Hemlock Grove with his mother in a trailer off the side of the road. Peter is no ordinary boy. In fact, he came from a line of werewolves, and he turns into one when the sun sets during a 'Harvest Moon'.

He had an unfortunate encounter with this weird girl named Christina, admitting to her he was a werewolf, in a jest and she started to spread gossip around school that he was and this caused Peter to suffer several bullying episodes, even though he could not care less.

The Godfreys are the town's most influential family. They own several buildings and business including a hospital that has a special unit for 'experimentation'. Peter has befriended the young heir, Roman Godfrey, who had fascination for blood and has an uncanny talent of influencing people's actions through intense eye contact. 

Peter was also quite fascinated with Roman's sister, a giant girl with a glowing blue face (much like when you read your phone in the dark except it's like blue backlight and it's coming from her features) which also made other students bully her endlessly. Roman would rescue her sister as he is very fond of her and regard her quite tenderly. Shelley is her name and she is Roman's tender spot. Godfreys tend to stick to each other and no brainer that Roman is also tight with his cousin Letha Godfrey, his uncle Norman Godfrey's sociable daughter.

Now, amidst all that's happening between school and the blossoming friendships among these young people, a mangled body of a young girl was found which appears to have been attacked by a wild animal and this drove Peter and the other kids to find out who is responsible for the murder. The murders kept coming and it would occur during night time, preferably when the moon is full. Now, going back to the gossip Christina made, Peter is now being suspected by everybody for all these murders. Roman accompanies Peter in finding out who the real killer of these poor innocent girls.

First of all, the writing is very gothic and a little bit like Lemony Snickett-y which i like pretty much. Also, the book has only 319 pages but it felt like it should have been a trilogy instead. It's brilliant in such a way that you get a lot of goings on in such a short book. The writing takes a little bit used to, sometimes it feels like the author is slowly pushing you forward in a dense foggy forest and suddenly you find yourself in the edge of the cliff and falling, fallling! 

My favourite character is Shelley, the big gentle giant. She reminds me a bit of Herman Munster, huge and tall, but gentle in spirit. Unlike Herman, though, Shelley is extremely intelligent.

In one of her letters to her uncle Norman Godfrey, she goes:

"And more important, i feel as though Mother took note. I am more than some living--albeit unweildy--marionette who will dance obediently at the manipulation of her strings; as you have been so kind to suggest, i am an intelligent, autonomous individual with valid desires."

Also, there is an introduction to the story of an unusual creature, a Valgurf,a wolf gone insane. He attacks regardless if it's hungry or not, provoked or not for the sheer pleasure of attacking. 

The story does not only revolve around Hemlock Grove and the kids and their sleuthing around but it delves deeper into the lives of the older generation... the parents of young Roman Godfrey and Peter's grandfather Nicolae, the lone werewolf and how these old families' past affected the most recent generations.

I felt like there should be more to the book, it felt like there should be a more concrete closure to each of the families. It's the only reason i'm taking a half star out of my ratings.

All in all, i was quite fascinated by the magical elements of this story, how  each of the characters have influenced each other's lives indirectly and the scary choices that each of the kids have to face and above all, heroic acts that lead them to pursue and vanquish the real enemy.

Lastly, i am sad to say i was spoiled with the ending of Season 2 of the show, and reading the book, the cliffhanger DID NOT happen in the book. This leads me to believe that the producers plan to extend the book and build more into story than what the book can offer. I can totally understand where it's coming from because the book is so rich in plot that they would be able to do so. 

"Don't hunt when you're not hungry; when you do hunt, go for the flank, thus avoiding antlers in front and hooves in the rear; and when you are filled with the song of the universe, the breathing spirit that passes through and unites all things, throw your head back and close your eyes and join in" - Hemlock Grove

"Our love must not be a thing of words and fine talk. It must be a thing of action and sincerity." - Hemlock Grove 

Bout of Books 11.0 | TBR

It's here! Yays!

I was so proud to have finished quite a number of books towards the Bout of Books 10 challenge. I felt so accomplished reading these 9 books from the previous readathon! 

So now, we have come to the next bout of reads. It will officially start on Aug 18 and run for about a week. Anyone excited along with me? 

Here are the books i'll be reading: 

Bout of Books 11 TBR pile

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 18th and runs through Sunday, August 24th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 11 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

How about you?

What are the books you would love to finally be able to read this summer?

To all the young ones,

Respect your parents,

say your Prayers before bed,

don't do drugs!

Say NO to Bullying!

xoxo Nayeomi

Water Therapy, Does it Work?

I have been doing this water therapy that i have read in a post somewhere....
Drinking 3 Liters of water a day does wonders to your health.
It's on my third day, and man. Pee Goddess all the way?

Actually....

Okay, first day didn't really impress me much. What i observed was that i did pee a little more often than usual but not like in a major way and this leads me to believe that i am pretty dehydrated. My pee color is very light yellow so it's not exactly dehydrated but the volume of urine is low.

Second day, i notice that my clothes are a little loose. I was like, meh, maybe i'm imagining things. I do have a lot of breakouts especially in my neck and back... this could be the toxins that my body is trying to get rid!

Third day, OH MY! i am losing weight! i have slimmer thighs and my stomach is flatter. No water retention happening although i am on water therapy. Weird, right? Also, this is very important, i have not changed my eating habits. I still eat the same amount of food, sleep in the same time as usual. I did not change any other routine in my daily activities except drinking 3 Liters of water a day.

Also, tomorrow i will be pretty strict on the following:

1. After waking up and before brushing my teeth, i will drink 600mL of water. Breakfast will follow 45 minutes after.

2. After breakfast, i will not drink water for two hours. And resume drinking after the amount of time has passed.

-----

I use a bottle blender which can hold 600mL of water at a time. I have a post it at the back of my door which helps keep me track of my water intake a day. For a day, i should have finished 5 bottles of 600mL towards the goal of 3Liters a day, No Brainer!


-----

this is seriously doing wonders to me! This is definitely a trial month so i will continue to keep track of things after 7 days and i will post again the changes that i notice in my body and my behaviour towards food and such. 

Keep posted!

The Viscount and The Witch by Michael Sullivan | Review

This was sent by the author for an honest review.

The book also contained first chapters of Theft of Swords and The Crown Tower but i hate reading chapter samples so i only did a quick page one read of Theft of Swords and opted to go buy the book instead of reading it now and then wondering what the hell happens first.

FYI, the rating at the bottom of my blog is for the Goodreads Review i have of the book and is not intended for an actual rating of this blog. Thanks! :) The Viscount and the Witch by Michael J. Sullivan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*this was sent by author for an honest review*

I am very impressed by the way Riyria Chronicles has swept the Fantasy world of late. It has very high ratings and I cannot wait to rate it myself!
Quite delighted that I was enough to be sent an ebook copy by Mr. Sullivan himself for the two short novels set in the same world. This is the first one:

The Viscount and the Witch

First sentence: "A woman wielding a broom charged at them, looking as much like a witch as anyone Hadrian had ever seen."
- Oh yeah, I can tell that I am going to devour this short novel very quickly.

This book follows the adventure of an assassin and an ex soldier, on their way to a 'mission', when a bedraggled looking woman with hair in dirty knots ask for their help on the road. Hadrian offered to help the lady immediately but Royce was very reluctant and kept on warning Hadrian of the dangers of trusting such random helpless strangers.
True to the woman’s word, a man has been squatting in a barn she claimed is hers, and from there the story unfolds about how the stranger came about to be in the barn and who the lady really is.

Royce, one of the protagonists is the brooding one, cynical of the two. He is the quite the 'brains' between the two, always two or three steps ahead of the game, or probably any heist they concoct. He is also an assassin, probably one of the most ruthless ones in a guild, but he’s ‘retired’ and now works in partnership with Hadrian, a guileless soldier, gentler and more open to the concept of goodness of the world. Hadrian, on the other hand, although a bit naïve, is the brute force. As an ex soldier, he has seen many unnecessary deaths that he has this strong god complex in him, wanting to fix anything and eveything if he can help it. He is also determined to change his friend Royce into a more unsuspicious thief, as they go about their usual occupation of ‘procurement’ which a term I love that thieves use when asked about what it is that they do.
They quite balance each other nicely and I love the chemistry between Royce and Hadrian. Their order of business reminds me strongly of the Gentlemen Bastards and i am very interested how the author go about the story in the actual series.

This story has quite gripped me at the first page. You know that feeling when you read the first few pages, and you think to yourself, “oh yeah, this is gonna be good.” That vibe came to me strongly and now I am curious as to the many crazy adventures that Royce and Hadrian aka Riyria have in the actual series! Fantasy reads are quite tricky as they tend to sound English (quite formal and very different from the usual writing) but this book is quite an easy read! I did not feel like walking in the fantasy world like walking in cobblestones, sometimes pausing to catch my footing and making sure I don’t stumble a bit around. This fantasy read felt like I am walking in the concrete, smooth gait all the way through.

I am definitely bumping the series up in my TBR list.

And thank you Mr. Sullivan for giving me the opportunity to read and enjoy your short novel, welcoming me to the world of Riyria Chronicles.



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Chew: Taster's Choice Volume 1 by John Layman, Rob Guillory | A Review

Lookee here, a new comics to mince on. Hooray for my poor pun!

Meet Will Graham

(in the body of Grimm's cool character of Reggie Lee) 

if he would have gave in to Hannibal's flesh fetish. This comics is light, fun and awesomely entertaining!


  Chew, Vol. 1: Taster's Choice by John Layman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Watching that tv show Hannibal and having serious withdrawal (next season is TBA, goddamnit), i was inclined to look for a similar theme in books or other tv show to no avail but thankfully came across Chew.

Okay, so what would happen if Will Graham finally gave in to Lecter's slow brainwashing dark therapy sessions, always coaxing him to embrace the dark truth of his character and become yet another stone cold Cannibal like Hannibal himself? We will have (Tony) Chu (sort of), a cibopathic detective. Cibopaths can eat a piece of flesh or get a lick of the victim's blood, and memories of that victim will flood into him including the name of predator who killed him, the scene in his mind so vivid it's like a memory film. Full name of the murderer is granted, middle initial included. How ridiculously cool is that?

Chu was recruited by F.D.A, now the world's most powerful task force after a routine cop stakeout turned out to be a huge ass case. It was in relation to the death of millions of people due to allegedly 'Avian Flu', which caused the government banning any and everything chicken. So yes, no more BBQ chicken, no more turkey bacon, no more KFC. FUN!

But not as fun as what Tony Chu does. He has to take a bite of nasty things, such as severed index finger, an unwilling dying murderer, and even a freaking putrified dog carcass just to get a lead. Chu's partner Savoy, a large beefy man who always wears a beret and purple tunic, is all Chu needs for a back up. He saves Chu's tiny ass in stand offs all the time. Savoy, though, has a dark past and it may caught up to him soon. Their partnership is solid and strong, but for how long?

Poor Chu, he only survives in BEET SOUP, which thankfully gives him zero disgusting memories of how it was butchered, transported or mixed with actual human flesh, salad on the side. Garrrrkkk!

Would it not be cool though, if we know it when a psycopath is serving our food? if our coffee has been spat on? or a milkshake has been mixed with a 6 hour booger? Bleecchh.

And this comics is funny!

At the start of Chu's work in FDA, he had a loadshit of unsolved cannibal-related cases dumped on his desk. His boss, who hates him, saunters over and barks, "So, anything yet, Chu?"
Chu replied, while flipping over documents, "Well, sir this is a lot to digest."
The boss got beet-red in the face and yells, "Is that a fucking JOKE, CHu?"

Lol! We hear and read bad puns all the time, but this comic book is just damn funny to me, bad puns or not.

Worth a read, definitely!

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Edgar Allan Poe: The Fall of House of Usher | A Review

art done by Corben. Support the artist!

The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The second piece i read after Nevermore by Edgar Allan Poe.

This is a case of Flowers in the Attic gone horribly wrong.

A gothic horror story, an unidentified narrator tells us his experience about meeting a long lost friend when he was a kid.. requesting him to visit his house, called House of Usher. Even if he hasn't heard from this friend for a long time, he decides to accept the request and when he arrives, the house itself is dark, creepy, crumbling at the edges and has a quiet desperation of a mad man.

I, in my personal life, has encountered such a house. Although it is an abandoned estate, the windows dark and yawning, the gargoyles situated in all four corners sit idling, their wicked smiles inviting to passers by who might happen to look up. And the house itself, massive and has this quiet but pulsing magnetism to it.... it felt alive. As if it is full of energy, as if the house itself is HEAVING. I thought of this house when i read this book.

Okay, back to the story, the man then notices (quite for the first time) that his friend, Roderick Usher, has a sister, a fleeting creature he's only seen once passing by the an area of the house. Each of the siblings have an illness. Roderick is a chronic malingerer (someone who proposes and believes he is ill but is actually healthy; a hypochondriac) and Madeleine the sister has a unique illness, "a cataleptical character", slow wasting away of a person.

One day, the lady Madeleine dies and Roderick requests his friend to help 'entomb' his sister in a dungeon (which is actually beneath the narrator's own sleeping portion of the house. The narrator helps Roderick entomb his sister and he then notices his friend beginning to worsen with his illness.

So, for the sake of not going into spoilers, more troubling things ensue after this activity.

dear god this book is awesome!

I really enjoyed this short story which made me realize why Edgar Allan Poe is hailed as the BEST AUTHOR OF GOTHIC STORIES and POEMS.

Man, it's so good!

So many underlying questions about the narrator and Roderick and his twin sister. The narrator mentioned that he knew this man well when they were kids but then he had no idea that Roderick had a twin sister. Was Madeline kept just indoors when they were kids? possibly because of her illness?

Also, the question of Ushers having no more direct descendants. In the book, it follows "I had learned, too, the very remarkable fact, that the stem of the Usher race, all time-honored as it was, had put forth, at no period, any enduring branch; in other words, that the entire family lay in the direct line of descent, and had always, with very trifling and very temporary variation, so lain"

This obviously suggests that the family are inbred, that both siblings may be kids of parents who were actual cousins or siblings themselves. Gah, the psychological thrill this book displayed blows my mind!

And finally, the own narrator's consent of 'burying' the sister, even if only for just the meantime. It felt like the narrator himself has absorbed all the malignant qualities of the house and has lost his faculties to determine what is normal and not.

I mean at the death of a sibling, should there be a report? some form of attending to the proper burial rites? a wake? Why did the narrator agree to just bury the sister, even noting the slight 'blush' in the cheeks, i think he must know subconsciously that something has gone terribly wrong but he couldn't stop anyway.

Lastly, i really love how at the end of every gothic horror stories, readers can openly discuss what they think about the stories because it has so many facets to it. Clues in the words being used by the author, or the actual thoughts of a protagonist or even sometimes the way a character is described by another enlightens us to the psyche of the human mind and how twisted it could be if only given opportunity.

Brrrr!


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Goodreads Reading Challenge | Goal for 2015

I have noticed that my current total books read is 687. While this is not very accurate as i have obviously read more than what i can recall on the top of my head.. this is a very good number for me. 

Now, my goal is to read at least 1,000 books by 2015. I do reread some books and of course, they would still be counted towards the goal. I love rereading books because much like movies watched for the second time, you catch much more detail otherwise neglected to notice or focus on during the first show.

I honestly have a wide range of genre that piques my reading interest towards fulfilling this challenge and majority of them are:

epic fantasy/high fantasy
young adult fantasy
historical fiction
paranormal/supernatural
middle grade fantasy
completion of current series read
mystery/crime

few horror books
few contemporaries

I do have a list on my wall of a few books i have already read and crossed out but i do have an existing Priority TBR pile which is also safely snuggled inside a TBR jar i have at home. this lil guy here:

My TBR jar and a fave compact mirror from F21

But knowing myself, i would most probably deviate a few times from these choices as i tend to get more adventurous especially if it's a month where a new book or a sequel to a series i love has been released.

You will find at the bottom books that i may finish to help complete my 1,000 books reading goal towards 2015.

Wish me luck and if you happen to read my blog, do let me know what are your reading goals... do you even set one? how does a genre help you select your next book? and how do you deal with emotional taxing books after reading them and what kind of book do you read after. 

Toodles!

(direct link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/10553315?shelf=tbr-priority-file)

Nayeomi's bookshelf: tbr-priority-file

Guards! Guards!

by Terry Pratchett

tagged: to-read, tbr-priority-file, series-marathon-2014, and discworld-rea...

A Wrinkle in Time

by Madeleine L'Engle

tagged: to-read and tbr-priority-file

Falling Kingdoms

by Morgan Rhodes

tagged: to-read and tbr-priority-file

Perdido Street Station

by China Miéville

tagged: to-read and tbr-priority-file

Dreams and Shadows

by C. Robert Cargill

tagged: to-read and tbr-priority-file

Zoetic Circus | A Poem

Pause.

The snag between the ventricle;

Slowly bleeding in vast galaxy

Eternity - 

Play.

Rhythm magic love solstice'

Grainy vein ascending darkness,

Inception-

Stop.

Epicurean life hashtag,

Blazing timbre echoing garishly;

Limpid aural pool tangible,

Undulating-

Rewind. 

Ataxic yet superfluous

In haunting ambient allurement

Serendipity.

Fast forward

Insatiable fascination browbeat

Colliding mass of conquering betwixt

and in between....

consternation. Allusion

Reverie.

....

this poem of mine was inspired by the very beautiful novel of Erin Morgenstern 

(note: this picture is  not mine but i forgot where i got it from. Props to the illustrator for this beautiful drawing!)

Eleanor and Park | Review

I have read Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and i loved it so much! I did not honestly thought that i would enjoy, much less get addicted by the author's writing, but darn! i am definitely hooked. And Rainbow Rowell will definitely be one of those authors that i would love to read all her books. 

First of all, this book mentioned Filipinos. Yay! that was fun to read. I definitely see how redhead Eleanor was so dirt poor the poor girl had to wear hand me downs..and is forced to cover weird holes and tears with ribbons and ties and such. I did wear hand me downs when i was in high school but it was not so terrible as the ones she wore.. lucky me. And i have fun, healthy parents so that is definitely something Eleanor will get uncomfortable with, because she has no idea how that feels. Still, my heart completely goes out to her and her struggles because Eleanor has a fragile heart. She is not strong in spirit and so she tends to keep quiet and cry in frustration. It's so awesome how the author makes her character not annoying and relatable even though Eleanor is actually kind of a crybaby.

Also, before reading this book, i knew Park was going to have to be Korean because it's such a common surname for Koreans. I definitely find Park quite handsome much like my crush.... 
The handsome Daniel Henney! (photo owned by hancinema.net THANK YOU)

God, this novel you guys. READ IT. 

Park, half Korean martial arts kid

Eleanor with her weird scarves and clothing

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

what a beautiful story.
So real the characters' lives are almost tangible.

What a read!

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The Hidden Ones by Nancy Madore | A Review

This book was sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. 

The Hidden Ones by Nancy Madore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**This book was sent to me by the author and this is an honest review of the book. Enjoy!**

If you LOVED Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, you will immensely enjoy this novel.

This novel has two simultaneous stories intertwined. One, the life of Nadia Adeire, a successful businesswoman who was abducted by people hired by a secret organization and the only way she had to survive is to keep feeding them the history and legend behind angels and the how they affected the lives of early people living on earth, their language, agriculture and such. These stories were passed on to her by her mother (as her grandmother did to her mother). Two, the story of Lilith, a half nephilim/giant that roamed the earth and lived among us before the dawn of time.

Each of these worlds are fast paced, the characters vivid and real... especially Lilith’s story is sooo gripping! I am blown away by Lilith, she's like a female Gladiator to me haha
Nadia is a bit boring as a character but man, Lilith is just sooo freaking gorgeous and sexy and smoldering and she is one bad ass warrior.
Even though this story is about nephilims and djinns which we have all heard and perhaps read at one point, it is still so amazingly original that you will keep turning the pages to see how It’s going to end.

All in all, thoroughly enjoyed the book!


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Night Film | My Thoughts Within the Pages of the Book

Night Film by Marisha Pessl
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

By far the best novel i have read this year.
The spell was strong and binding. My mind was blown away.

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Shakespeare In Love | Life After #Booktubeathon

I got me some news. Booktubeathon is over and i sat down thinking, hmm. What themes or challenges could i create for myself that i would benefit from? And i was browsing through a bookstore today and i had a great idea.

Why not read a Shakespeare play? Only one play at a time (per month).

This is to assure myself that i am catching up on the Classics even if it won't amount to just as much in every genre i have been reading lately, i have decided on a project (same as the title) that would make me a bit more literate when it comes to Shakespeare plays.

A little background... during high school and being in a country where English is only a second language, we focused more on perfecting the grammar rather than actually doing the reading on English literature. Thus, i am ashamed to admit that i have not really fully read even one Shakespeare book in my entire life.
I did, however, watched ample versions of his plays through movies, tv shows, and other mediums but not the sit down and read kind of learning.
So, this year, if it may be a little too late because we are halfway through 2014, i would attempt to complete at least 6 Shakespeare plays that not only would i read, but thoroughly study as well so i may be able to enjoy and have full knowledge on these great plays.

I do have the collection of Shakespeare plays in my Kindle but i have bought this No Fear Shakespeare version which roughly translates the verses into a more informal phrases to make it more comprehensive for noobs like moi.

I am just starting off, so hopefully this will make it more readable and quick to finish! 

I would probably read two MAIN themes all throughout the remaining months of this year. Mainly, Brandon Sanderson books, No Fear Shakespeare.
Aside from that, also series that i need to read on which are more high/epic fantasy which are more for adults than YA and a whole lot of series that i need to get into like Jim Butcher's Codex Alera. And i also need me some Historical Fiction because at the moment, it sounds soo classy and brainy. 

I realize that my TBR pile is now a mammoth and if i didn't know any better it will have to run away with Diego but who cares? I just want to read as much as possible. There can never be too much time spent on reading. Just sayin'!

xoxo

#Booktubeathon 2014 | A Success Story

Overcame all odds throughout the week. Storms, blackouts, and preparing for the worst of the strong winds (we had signal #3 on the storm!), i am so ever thankful that my Kindle Fire was there to be with me, because a physical book read over a candle can be eye straining, not gonna lie.

But enough of that! I have read 7 books and 6 graphic novels within the Booktubeathon week. Awesome!

Total pages read: 2,477 

Whoa! It's something that i am def proud of. 

I may take a 2 day sabbatical on reading.... i just need to finish Teen Wolf (at least watch the most recent episodes because ...

i know, right?


=====

Day 6 #Booktubeathon 2014 update!!!

Wow, it's almost over.

So, how are you all doing? I did finish Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House and i absolutely loved it!
And here is my review on Goodreads :) 

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Much like We Have Always Lived In a Castle, Shirley Jackson explores the human frailties and its effect on people and the environment. This time, the setting is an old Victorian and quite haunted Hill House.

Doctor Montague has assembled a team of paranormal experts/assistants (who at one point experienced paranormalcy in their life before) which would help him in his endeavour, to write a book about a haunted house. We have the drama queen with a dull life, Theodora, the reclusive Nellie and the doctor himself to be chaperoned by the heir of Hill House, Luke who is quite the annoying milksop.

Theodora, something of a socialite back where she came from, is quite the stirrer, often times making a scandal out of simple events relayed to compensate for her dull life outside Hill House.
And my personal fave Eleanor, otherwise known as Nellie, the introverted one of the lot. Having taken care of her ailing mother for so long before coming to Hill House, she has perhaps started losing herself in that period House Hill hastened that experience furthermore. Showing extreme paranoia , forgetfulness, experiencing persecution delusion (she interprets her colleagues' statements as if they are out to mock her, humiliate her, or spite her which isn't the case, really), mild hallucinations and major depression. All of these are common early signs of Schizophrenia.

Each of the characters have their own weaknesses which have been aggravated by continuously inhabiting the haunted rooms. Even Mrs Dudley is an enigma with her sharp, obdurate manners toward the clienteles of the house, constantly reminding them of the meal curfew, the rules of the house and even mildly scaring them by stating that no one can leave the house after dark. All of these, of course, were initially laughed off by the company.

All in all, this is just a short read but i love how the reader can easily dissect the psychology of each characters imbedded in the book.

This book is definitely a quality over quantity sort of read.

What a delight to read! I am still abnormally jumpy even after reading it.


View all my reviews

The very last book to be counted towards the booktubeathon challenge is Howl's Moving Castle which i will be able to finish in 3 hours, i believe. :)

Total pages read so far: 1, 959 pages (excluding The Howl's Moving Castle) And if i had enough time left, i would really like to start on The Night Film as well! i have a physical copy (because of the creepy pictures on it) I am keen on reading what it's about. I hope it's not too much of a House of Leaves though. Excited!!!!
I shall conquer you Pessl!

Time Left: 1 Day and 14 Hours #Booktubeathon 2014

Whoa!!!
Finally, was able to finish EON!
Omg it was sooo freaking good, i didn't really realize i was going to finish it until about 37 minutes left in my Kindle Fire. 
I don't think i will be able to finish Eona along with the Booktubeathon but i sure as hell going to pick that up!

Done, done and DONE!

If they make this into a movie, it's going to be like Mulan  meets Mortal Kombat. Soooooo kickass!!!







And now, for the genre that i have read the least this year.... HORROR!! 
Oh my. For this, i've decided to pick up Shirley Jackson's classic tale, The Haunting of Hill House. It's short, about 182 pages so hopefully i don't fall asleep and i just finish this tonight!!
I have heard quite good things on this book as it is a timeless ghost story (i hope it's ghosts... i don't even know!)

Look at that creepy old Victorian house with the rundown wrap around porch!

i love it already.















===

The book that would make me finish all of the challenges is: 
Book to Movie novel, and i chose this quite popular and adorable story. 

(The BONUS novel, pages read will be counted!)

Also, i have the physical copy of Night Film and i seriously doubt i would be able to finish this before Booktubeathon ends but what the heck. I think this book is also horror? or mystery/thriller? No idea. LOL

Cannot wait!

Day 4 and 5 #Booktubeathon Update

It's official, i am a mediocre reader in this challenge.
But not just yet!

Okay, so i cheated a little and read 4 graphic novels of Loki and it's very delightful!

a total of 140 pages of Loki goodness

and in the middle of  Eon

It's soooo kickass i wonder why i haven't finished it yet.......

#Booktubeathon 2014 Update: Jellicoe Road was not my cup of tea!

But it's okay!
There are plenty of books to read and if you feel the same way, you can always switch to another book that piques your interest more.
I love how the #booktubeathon is a challenge that you can think outside the box. If you hate a book, set it aside, grab another one and give it a go.

Otherwise, we would bore ourselves to tears reading them. 

BTW, finishing The Darkest Minds makes my total reading to:
1,328 pages

Booktubeathon 2014 mini update 1,093 PAGES READ!!!!

Holy crap.
Despite all my bitchin' about the storm and such, i just NOW computed the number of pages read towards Booktubeathon and i've amounted to 1,093 pages!!!!!! 

I'm a freak.

Here's a breakdown and the pages

MAUS Vol 1 - 154 pages
The Bone Season - 246 pages (counted towards the challenge in its timeframe)

The Screaming Staircase - 440 pages
The Darkest Minds (so far) - 253 pages

TOTAL - 1,093 pages read!!!!






Now i'm not too depressed.... not at all ! :)

Day 3 Booktubeathon 2014 + Storm Glenda has passed

At last, the storm has passed. Electricity has been restored and what little excitement i got from reading ghost hunting in a book is nothing next to the whipping lashes of wind going through the past 2 days in Manila.

We survived, the trees have not. RIP the trees.

Storm brewing

Now that that is over, i regrettably only read little over the past 24 hours. We had a black out, only candles burning in the room. I tried to say awake all through the night but eventually fell asleep in the last few hours of the night. Being vigilant does not go hand in hand with reading for me, for some reason.

So, i have only read a very tiny part of The Darkest Minds... i intend to finish it today!

My theory of reading 3 books in one day has failed for Day 3. but today, maybe it isn't!!!