You've probably heard but still. Yep. #StephaniePerkinsinPH is happening this weekend!!!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="724"] Photo from National Book Store Facebook Page[/caption]

Stephanie Perkins is the author is not one, but two, of my favorite YA books: Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door. :)

Here are some of the details I got from the NBS page...
7:56 AM
Good morning, book nerds! It's kinda gloomy, but nevertheless it's a lovely morning.

This week's inspiration comes in the form of this poster.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Photo by Bryan Todd / CC BY-NC-ND 3.0[/caption]

What is it with coffee and books that make it seem like they go together? I don't know why but sipping coffee, or tea if you're not into coffee, while reading a good book is like an art in itself. Maybe the coffee's supposed to keep you alert while the book relaxes you... and then you strike that happy balance. But I'm just guessing here. ;)

How about you? Do you like caffeine with your books? Chime in on the Comments section. And have a great week ahead! :)
6:41 PM
Hello, hello!

Quick FYI to the very few people who tried to subscribe to this blog using the floating FOLLOW button that used to be on the bottom part of the page... Well, that button wasn't working properly. So I had to remove it. You can now subscribe and have my new posts delivered straight to your inbox by punching in your email address on the FORM on my sidebar. Yep, right side.

So there you go. Hope that helps.

Ciao! :)
6:13 PM
My first "spotlight" post should be special, memorable, and close to my heart. That was what I was saying to myself when I planned what to write. And in the past four months since reading Anna and the French Kiss, there's been no character as special as Étienne St. Clair is to me. I've had some great reads and I've known some good fictional men and women, but Stephanie Perkins' golden boy is the most memorable for me. And so it is only right that he is the first one on my spotlight.

If you haven't read Anna and the French Kiss yet, then I urge you to stop reading this right now. I can't help but mention some spoilers. Just go buy and read the book first -- you won't regret doing so. This is one of the few books that I don't mind reading again and again and again. :)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="273"] Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins[/caption]

9:20 PM
Ahhh... Another week of reading amazing books and watching equally amazing TV shows. I binge-watched Game of Thrones and I think I'm still hung over from the intensity of the Mountain and the Red Viper's fight scene, the battle at the Wall, and Tyrion and Tywin's rather heart-wrenching conversation. Here I am, taking a break from all that by talking about something far from intense.

I also read The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer Smith last week.

First things first. That elevator plot is cute. I've seen too much of Grey's Anatomy to know that elevator rides are not just elevator rides, so yeah, it piqued my interest. Being stuck is scary. I would have panicked or hyperventilated. But if I'm going to meet my soul mate in there, I guess that's fine.

I initially thought that this was just your usual YA romance novel, and that was okay with me... but then I found that there's the travel thing so I went from being interested to hell yeah!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="503"] Hell yeah! [Source: Tumblr][/caption]You see, I love traveling (who doesn't?). Sadly, Lucy and Owen didn't travel together. That's the problem -- it was a long-distance relationship. Sucks.

After reading several YA novels with whiny, entitled, childish characters, I was happy to get to know Lucy and Owen who are both smart,responsible, and kind of old-school with their choice of communication tool. Lucy's rich but she's not braggy; she's actually simple and keeps to herself -- an introvert like me. And Lucy and I share the same favorite city (Paris, although I haven't been there) and same favorite spot in Paris (Point Zero in Notre Dame). Owen's poor and broken (because of his mother's death) but he's resourceful, smart, and a very good son.

But more than young love and travels, this book's most interesting subject is the viability of long-distance relationships.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] If only this happens every time... [Source: thetortoiseknows][/caption]I'm not a fan of long distance relationships. Although I know that some LDRs do survive, I believe that most have the opposite fate. The communication hurdles, trust issues, physical absence -- it makes things a lot harder. But that's just me. I also believe that when it's meant to be, it's meant to be.

Lucy and Owen were not just facing regular couple troubles. They were apart, separated my thousands of miles. They don't email or IM each other the way normal people do. And they're not even officially a couple! Sure, they had this special bond once on a starry, quiet night but after a few postcards, who's to say that they can actually make it?

And so besides making me love the lost art of postcard writing, this book made me think about the chances of a long distance relationship at survival. So kudos to Jennifer Smith for writing a gem, something that's not just meant to entertain but also to touch hearts and minds.

 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="442"] Wish you were here! - Lucy and Owen [Source: Simplon][/caption]Do you think LDRs work? Let me know in the Comments!



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.
11:51 PM
Hi, you guys! How are things going? I'm sorry for being MIA these past few weeks. I've been busy with work and stuff, and I was, well, a little bit uninspired. But now I'm back, and I've got something good for you.

So I read Flirting with Maybe by Wendy Higgins. I haven't read any of her books before but apparently her Sweet Trilogy is pretty famous. Flirting with Maybe's premise is simple:

He was fifteen and she was seventeen...

Ryan is  a sophomore and part of the Varsity baseball team. Brooke is a senior and she's the team manager. The two-year age gap doesn't really matters, right? Wrong. For us who are done with school, it doesn't. But when you're in high school, it does.

Ryan is cute but he's quiet and shy -- reasons why I like him. Hahaha!

From the start, it's obvious that Ryan likes Brooke and when they became friends, he also goes to know her more, and learn that Brooke's life is not so perfect. Through it all, Ryan fell in love with Brooke. Unfortunately, he's benched on the FRIENDZONE.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="485"] Poor Ryan... [Source: We Heart It][/caption]But Brooke had to go to college, and Ryan had to move on. He had a girlfriend... But then he sees Brooke again.

I won't spoil the ending for you. You'll have to read it yourself. :) And really, you can read this in one seating because it's a novella. It's really short. I was hungry for more, and I guess, most of its readers were. That's why Wendy Higgins came up with its epilogue which you can read here.

Flirting with Maybe is a good reminder that time can be both a curse and a blessing. So is age. When we were children, we thought that candies and toys and playtime are all that matter. When we were in school, we thought school was the whole world. But when we're full-grown adults, we look back and laugh at the memory of how absurd our issues were.

Despite being short, the book has touched other important social issues like body image (thigh gap and love handles!), and alcohol addiction. There was limited space, yes, but I like that the author was still able to insert thought-provoking messages on the book.

So yeah, I definitely recommend this book to you, especially if you like a quick but satisfying read. Happy reading!



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.
1:04 AM
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