This weekend was heaven.

Argie and I went to Ayala District in Imus to buy more books from the National Book Store Warehouse Sale. I had a feeling that they're just transferring the left-overs from the previous sale so I guessed that we'll be seeing more or less the same books. That was not the case at all. I did see some books that were also present in the ATC sale but I noticed that this time, there were more non-fiction books, and less romance, Harlequin-type novels. Which was great, because I bought eight fiction novels last time and I haven't even finish one yet.

While Argie bought mostly World War II historical fictions and some myth busters, I had a more diverse bunch:

1. The World's Greatest Rock 'n Rock Scandals

2. The One-Minute Organizer A to Z Storage Solutions: 500 Tips for Storing Every Item in Your Home (which I bought for Mama)

3. Frommer's Paris Day by Day: 22 Smart Ways to See the City (I was practically hyperventilating when I saw this. I grabbed it right away, before anyone else spotted it.
9:47 PM
PAGASA, Philippine's weather bureau, has declared the onset of summer. Finally! We've been feeling it for a few weeks now but it officially started just yesterday. I was ecstatic to hear this because well, summer is almost synonymous to beach. And though I sometimes wish that I'm still a student so that I'd get two month-long summer breaks, I still think summer is a happy season.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"]young wild free summer Summer has its magic...[/caption]

And in the spirit of this season that makes us feel young, wild, and free, here are some books that should be on your summer reading list:

1. The Summer I Turned Pretty
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny HanIt's a YA novel about this girl, Belly, who measures her life in summers. For her, winters don't count; it's summer that matters because that's the time that she spends in a beach house with Susannah (her mom's best friend) and her two sons, Jeremiah and Conrad. I started reading this book just yesterday so I don't know much yet but I'm seeing good reviews.
Why it should be on your summer reading list: Because its title says it all. Duh.

8:57 PM
National Book Store is on a roll. And so am I.

This weekend, NBS is doing another warehouse sale in the south. This time it's in The District - Ayala Imus branch, which, like the Alabang Town Center branch, is just one ride away from our house. So it's PERFECT!!!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="442"] The books I bought from the NBS Sale at Alabang Town Center[/caption]

10:36 PM
Quick confession: I am an average 25 year old and my days are filled with work, spending time with family and my boyfriend, and well, books. I see friends now and then, but not as much as I used to when I was still studying. Which is pretty normal, I guess.


And so when I read young adult chick-lits like French Kiss, I get these teeny tiny flashbacks, remembering what happened when I was a teenager. While we read books because it mirrors our lives, we also read them because we kinda wonder what it’s like to live someone else’s life. Hell, we even wish it was our life. So, though I didn’t have a teenage life that was as wild as my favorite characters had, I felt like somehow I know how it feels because I lived through them. It’s sad, isn’t it?


Anyhoo… French Kiss is the first of the three books in the Diary of a Crush trilogy by Sarra Manning. I like the diary type format because it really helped me get to know the main character, Edie, and it kinda reminded me of Georgia Nicolson’s diary. And because the most special events happened on Paris, it also reminded me of Anna and the French Kiss, a recent favorite.



I’ve read several chick-lits written by British authors and with British characters in it and I have to say, I really appreciate the self-deprecating humor. These girls (Edie, Georgia, Poppy Wyatt and Emma Corrigan from Sophie Kinsella's books) are funny and witty and yes, clumsy, but the thing I like most about them is that they can laugh at themselves.

So yeah, I found French Kiss funny. It was also a light, short read so I wasn’t bored. I did have mixed emotions about it though. First off, it goes against my long-held belief that women are not to be toyed with and that we should be treated with respect. Clearly, with all the snogging (love that word, it’s so Brit!) and then snobbing that’s happening, Dylan was the one who’s winning and Edie was letting him. But I also know that teenage hormones are the worst so I can forgive Edie for that.

Also, the kissing, or snogging as the Brits would say, is overrated. This is still debatable but come on, you really think countless sessions of making out constitutes a relationship? For Edie to say that she loves Dylan, after all the unnecessary pain that he’s caused her, is just so stupid. All because she dies for the kisses. The kisses might be great and all that but are those enough to make you forget your self-worth?

Despite my feminist complaints, I liked French Kiss and stayed up ‘til 11pm (pretty late, by my standards) to finish it. I’m a sucker for happy endings and funny teenage women and cool swoon-worthy dudes who turn into idiots in front of the girl they like. I found all of that here. There’s still books 2 and 3 so I’ll be coming back with reviews soon. :)

If you’ve read this book, share your insights on the comment section. :)



As a reader and reviewer, I aim to write fair and honest reviews, both on this site and on Goodreads. Please read my Review Policy here.

9:18 PM
Aaaand… I’m going book hunting tomorrow! The idea that I’ll be surrounded by so many books makes me so freakin’ excited! :D

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="358"] NBS Alabang Town Center Warehouse Sale[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="494"] Gotta wear something comfy for this...[/caption]

Photos from the National Book Store official Facebook page
9:08 PM
Have you ever read a book and then watched its movie adaptation afterwards? Did you, to the annoyance of your family and friends who haven’t read the book, complain that the book was a zillion times better? You’re not alone.


[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="428"] Books vs. movies: Which one's better? [Source: Bobbi's Blog][/caption]

While there may be exceptions, the books are almost always better than the movie. Here’s why:
8:59 PM
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