Excerpt + Giveaway: The Color of Happiness by K.P. Gazelle

Title: The Color of Happiness

Author: K.P Gazelle 

Publication: April 1, 2015 by Radiant Books

218 pages

Faith Lane is the girl who has everything. At least, that’s what everyone thinks when they see her rocking a killer dress while laughing with her best friend, Tiffany. But Faith’s life is far from flawless. Her peers torment her relentlessly, and her parents expect her to be the epitome of perfection. Criticized and pressured at school and home, Faith retreats into silent acceptance and finds an escape in her passion of dancing.
Then she meets Alex – quirky, forever with a pass, and concealing a mysterious secret of his own. And through his encouragement, Faith starts believing in her gift for dance and gains courage to stand up for herself. But will she be able to keep her footing when the events of one night consume her with the need to jump off the rocky cliffs near her coastal home? And what has pushed her to the edge of reason?

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K.P Gazelle is a true bookworm at heart - she can spend hours with a good book and a hot cup of coffee. When she's not reading or writing you can find her playing with her many nephews and nieces, photographing landscapes, or eating a delicious meal. 

   

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Blitz + Giveaway: The Barrier Between by Stacey Marie Brown

Title: The Barrier Between

Author: Stacey Marie Brown

Zoey’s life has taken a dramatic turn. Only a few months ago she was a Collector working for the a secret part of the government called the Department of Molecular Genetics (DMG), tracking and collecting fae. Her life had been changing and improving with a partner she loved and a sister she adored.

Now all that is gone—Daniel murdered by a fae, and Lexi killed when the Seattle area is devastated by a powerful, magical electrical storm. Zoey herself is altered by her association with the Wanderer, Ryker, in life-changing way.
Zoey discovered she was an experiment from the very company she worked for. She could die at any moment of a threatening defect—taking Ryker’s magic with her.
In a race against time, Ryker and Zoey set out to find a way to transfer his powers back before it’s too late. Their journey takes them to the rainforests of South America, dealing with those who are after something Ryker possesses and who will stop at nothing to obtain it for themselves.
What Zoey and Ryker discover can destroy them or tear them a part for good.

Stacey Marie Brown is a lover of hot fictional bad boys and sarcastic heroines who kick butt. She also enjoys books, travel, TV shows, hiking, writing, design, and archery. Stacey swears she is part gypsy, being lucky enough to live and travel all over the world. She grew up in Northern California, where she ran around on her family's farm, raising animals, riding horses, playing flashlight tag, and turning hay bales into cool forts. She volunteers helping animals and is eco-friendly. She feels all animals, people, and environment should be treated kindly.

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Excerpt + Giveaway: Descent by Tara A. Fuller

Title: Descent (Kissed by Death #3)

Author: Tara A. FullerPublication: June 2, 2015 by Entangled Teen

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He’ll destroy everything and everyone to save her…including himself.
Easton doesn’t believe in love. He believes in death. Darkness. Sin. As a reaper for Hell, it’s all he’s known for more than four hundred years. So when he gets slapped with the job of training the boss’s daughter, an angel that knows nothing but joy, he knows he’s in for a world of trouble.
Though he’s made it clear he wants nothing to do with her outside of work, Gwen will do whatever it takes to get close to the dark and wounded reaper—even taint her angelic image and become a reaper herself. But in all her planning, she forgot to factor in one thing—how far the demons Easton doomed to Hell will go for revenge.
When the dangers of the Hell threaten Gwen, Easton will destroy everything and everyone to save her. But as the darkness closes in, will he be able to save himself?

“What do you want, Gwen?” he whispered. 

I stared at his chest, breathing hard, heart beating a frantic rhythm. “I want to touch you. And I don’t want you to stop me.” 

He hesitated, but when I ran my fingers over the criss-cross pattern of raised white scars that slashed 

across his ribs, he didn’t stop me. 

“Are these from when you were alive?”
He tensed, but allowed me to keep exploring him.  

“Yes.”  

I looked up. “Why did you keep them?”
 

His eyes searched mine. A muscle in his jaw flexed. “So I would never forget how I got them, why I’m here...what I lost.” 

“They’re beautiful,” I whispered. 

He closed his eyes and exhaled harshly. He was struggling, fighting some internal battle to give me this, to accept joy in return. 

I resisted the sudden, overwhelming urge to close the space between us, to press my lips to his. Something so simple, and yet it felt bigger than the two of us put together. That should have scared me. If I gave in to such urges, I could be cast out, stripped of everything that made me my father’s daughter. But it didn’t scare me. It exhilarated me. In the back of my mind I could hear Sky’s warning. 

Aren’t you tempted? Gwen, what if you fall? 

I was. I wanted it with every fiber of this body. Every part of me felt jittery with want and anticipation. The sweet, addictive desire rolling off him told me he wanted it, too. Easton reached up and touched my chin, his fingers like a magnet drawing me in. 

“I’m about to kiss you, Red,” he said, voice rough. “You should probably stop me.” 

Tara Fuller writes novels. Some about grim reapers​. Some about witches. All of course are delightfully full of teen angst and kissing. Tara grew up in a one stop light town in Oklahoma where once upon a time she stayed up with a flash light reading RL Stine novels and only dreamed of becoming a writer. She has a slight obsession with music and a shameless addiction for zombie fiction, Mystery Science Theater, and black and white mochas. Tara no longer lives in a one stop light town. Now she lives with her family in a slightly larger town in North Carolina where they have at least three stoplights.

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Excerpt + Giveaway: Modern Monsters by Kelley York

Title: Modern Monsters

Author: Kelley York
Publication: June 2, 2015 by Entangled Teen

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Vic Howard never wanted to go to the party. He’s the Invisible Guy at school, a special kind of hell for quiet, nice guys. But because his best friend is as popular as Vic is ignored, he went…
And wished he hadn’t.
Because something happened to a girl that night. Something terrible, unimaginable, and Callie Wheeler’s life will never be the same. Plus, now Callie has told the police that Vic did it. Suddenly, Invisible Vic is painfully visible, on trial both literally, with the police, and figuratively, with the angry and judgmental kids at school. As the whispers and violence escalate, he becomes determined to clear his name, even if it means an uneasy alliance with Callie’s best friend, the beautiful but aloof Autumn Dixon.
But as Autumn and Vic slowly peel back the layers of what happened that night, they realize that while the truth can set him free, it can also shatter everything he thought he knew about his life…

She rounds a corner. Instead of going into a classroom, she walks out the double doors leading to the quad, maybe heading for the library or the gym. I jog to catch up, reaching out to touch her shoulder. “Hey—”

The next thing I know, the sky is above me and I’m hitting the ground as my legs are knocked out from under me. I see stars. In broad daylight. Concussion: minor brain injury that may occur when one’s head strikes an object. Ow.

The girl’s face comes into view as I’m blinking the white from my vision. “You following me, jackass?” she snarls. “I know who you are. You’ve got some fucking nerve.”

I push myself up to sit, scooting back on the concrete to avoid getting struck again in the event she lashes out. “N-no—I mean, y-yes. I j-just wanted—”

“Wanted to what? I’ve got nothing to say to you.”

“I…I saw you at Callie’s l-locker…”

“If I had my way, they would have thrown your sorry ass in jail already. You realize they’re getting a restraining order against you.”

“I—”

“Better not let me see you in the parking lot, ’cause you’d better believe I’ll mow you down.”

“I didn’t touch her!”

The heat of my voice startles me. I’m not a yeller. I keep quiet, under the radar. But those words felt like they were going to burst out of my ribs if I didn’t say them. Callie’s friend is watching me with a smoldering glare.

“Right. She just made it up, then.”

“N-no. I didn’t say…say that.” Once I’m sure she isn’t going to use some weird karate move to put me on the ground again, I pick myself up. “I’m just saying it w-wasn’t m-me.”

She squints, looking me over. Studying me. I’d feel less exposed lying naked on a silver tray in biology being sliced open in the name of science. “Why were you following me?”

Why was I? What, exactly, did I want to ask? What did I want to say? I rub the back of my neck, ducking my head. “I wanted to s-see if you could deliver a m-message.”

“Uh-huh. What kind of message?”

“T-tell her…I d-didn’t do it. I swear on my life. And…” The guilt. It comes out of nowhere and slides its slivers into my lungs, making my chest tight. “Tell her I’m sorry.”

She folds her arms, gaze steely. “Sorry for what?”

“For not keeping her safe.” That’s what it comes down to. No, I didn’t rape Callie Wheeler, but I feel like it was my fault it happened. The number of things I could have—should have—done to prevent it seems staggering. The weight of my guilt makes it hard to breathe.

Kelley York was born in central California, where she still resides with her lovely wife, step-daughter, and way too many cats, while fantasizing about moving to England or Ireland. (Or, really, anyplace secluded.) She has a fascination with bells and animals and Disney. Her life goal is to find a real unicorn. Or to at least write about them. She occupies her spare time with video games, designing covers, playing on Tumblr, and watching anime.

Kelley is a sucker for dark fiction. She loves writing twisted characters, tragic happenings, and bittersweet endings that leave you wondering and crying. She strives to make character development take center stage in her books because the bounds of a person's character and the workings of their mind are limitless.

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Sara Shepard's new books is OUT!

Hold on to your seats, bookish people! Sara Shepard's new book is here! And we're giving away a copy of The Perfectionist and its sequel, The Good Girls to celebrate its release. (But I'm afraid this is US only.) 

Title: The Good Girls (The Perfectionists #2)
Author: Sara Shepard
Release Date: June 2, 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen

From Sara Shepard, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Pretty Little Liars series, comes the shocking sequel to The Perfectionists—with an ending you'll have to read to believe!
Mackenzie, Ava, Caitlin, Julie, and Parker have done some not-so-perfect things. Even though they all talked about killing rich bully Nolan Hotchkiss, they didn't actually go through with it. It's just a coincidence that Nolan died in exactly the way they planned . . . right? Except Nolan wasn't the only one they fantasized about killing. When someone else they named dies, the girls wonder if they're being framed. Or are they about to become the killer's next targets?

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Review: Scan by Sarah Fine and Walter Jury

Title: Scan
(Scan #1)
Author: Sarah Fine and Walter Jury
Publication: May 1, 2014
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi
Format: ARC, 336 pages
Source: Publisher for Pinoy Book Tours

Tate and his father don’t exactly get along. As Tate sees it, his father has unreasonably high expectations for Tate to be the best—at everything. Tate finally learns what he’s being prepared for when he steals one of his dad’s odd tech inventions and mercenaries ambush the school, killing his father in the process and sending Tate on the run from aliens who look just like humans.

All Tate knows--like how to make weapons out of oranges and lighter fluid--may not be enough to save him as he’s plunged into a secret inter-species conflict that’s been going on for centuries. Aided only by his girlfriend and his estranged mother, with powerful enemies closing in on all sides, Tate races to puzzle out the secret behind his father’s invention and why so many are willing to kill for it. A riveting, fast-paced adventure, Scan is a clever alien thriller with muscle and heart.

Before my proper review, let me tell you a little story about my time with this book. About a couple of months ago, I saw a red thing that looks like a book lying beside my office desk. Out of curiosity, I picked it up to inspect. I clearly have no idea it was for me (it wasn't on my desk, for starters!), I can't remember when I signed up to review the book, I definitely did, but I really can't recall so I left it there after clinging unto it for a while. I don't know about you, but books are like magnet to me, a certain gravitational pull always draws me into them, like this instance. Seeing it's an advance reading copy, I had an inkling that maybe, it was for me. I'm not saying that my officemates are not readers, but I'm the notorious bookworm in the gang. But still, I left it where I found it. I realized, if it was from any of the tours I signed up for, it must be wrapped in courier packaging with my name on it. I was just informed by tour organizers days afterwards that yes, that red and blue book Scan was for me.

And I was like.... BOOK!!! YESSSS!!!

If you have been reading my reviews, you won't be surprised when I tell you that I rarely read blurbs. Why? Because most of the time, blurbs are the best kind of spoilers, they tease you and tell you the story until page 50 and Scan's blurb did just that.

Scan started off with a masculine tone that made me realized that I've never read any novel written with a male voice. But then Percy Jackson smack me in the head and the boy from F. Sionil Jose's Tree hit me in the gut. Okay sorry, what I meant with the male voice is a book as masculine as this. Even just on the first page this book just emits too much testosterone.

Having said that, I realized that this is not the kind of book I usually read, I leave books like this to my lovely boy buddies who sometimes hate me for my girly choices. But since, I believe that life is short and I must seize every opportunity at once, I continued reading this and I can say that I really did enjoy it and it opened my mind into including books like this in my to-read pile.

Scan is the story of the incredible Tate Archer who aside from being a skilled mixed martial arts artist, is also a descendant of Dmitri Mendeleev, no, I was just kidding, he is the offspring of two chemists, a dire situation compelling him to memorize the periodic table of elements since God knows when. His training as a scientist, a fighter and a linguist is somehow doubtful -- I mean, come on, who in the world needs to be trained like that?  His father, Fred also feeds him with numbered meals complete with the daily nutrition he needs. I inferred from what was happening at first that maybe, Tate was the alien and that's why he needs to eat a precisely measured meal every time because his body needs nutrients to live on Earth. But I was dumbfounded when I learned that that wasn't the case, as stated in the blurb.

I open my door in the morning and find my breakfast on a tray. Meal Number Six. Two cups iron-fortified cereal, banana, eight ounces milk, eight ounces orange juice, blue vitamin pill.

We will later learn that Tate's Dad dies and he is left alone with his estranged mother and (the scion of Venus, herself) his girlfriend, Christina (who can attract everyone with x-y chromosomes in this book except for Tate's father). Yes, also found in the blurb which I only discovered after reading almost a hundred pages. And why am I too naive not to realize that the scanner they've been talking about would be the object at the center of this story, it's freaking called Scan, Biena. Why. You. So. Oblivious???

I'm telling you, the whole book is good if not for a certain minute detail. I can't understand why Tate brought the scanner out in the open, when he knows that there can be consequences. WHY? Tell me a good answer, you, and I will change my rating into 5 stars! - And oh, yes, this again is not a spoiler because... yes, you got it, it was on the blurb. (So, maybe yes, just read this book after the 100th page and you'd still get it)

Still, I'd totally sell this book to anyone anytime. Yes, I'd definitely recommend it. Because, aside from the issues I addressed above, Scan is what I can call a good read. It is action-packed and when I say action-packed, it's action every other page. However, there is more to Scan than the constant adrenaline rush. Reading this feels like a theme park ride where in the characters throw emotions at you and there is no way to dodge. There are definitely strong moments and powerful conversations that will make you think, yes, that is possible, and yes, that is you know, very human.

Just a warning though, this is a series. If you've read any series before you'll know what I mean.

Book Blitz: Wishing Game by A.S. Fenichel

The Earl of Westbridge is dying, and without a male heir. His daughter Mary will lose her home if she does not marry before her father passes. She has already turned down two men while holding onto the hope of finding true love. In her desperation, she plays the wishing game, a childhood folly devised to chase away fear during thunderstorms.

Avery is the unwilling heir to the Westbridge earldom. He arrives a few days before the spring holiday in the middle of a horrific storm to offer his assistance to his distant cousin. Expecting a spinster who had been put on the shelf, he certainly never expected to develop feelings for the beautiful Mary Barrow.
Mistrust and doubt engulf them. It will take a miracle to bring them together. Or maybe just a wish come true.

A Blush® Regency romance from Ellora’s Cave

Buy this book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Ellora’s Cave

About the Author

A.S. Fenichel gave up a successful career in New York City to follow her husband to Texas and pursue her lifelong dream of being a professional writer. She’s never looked back. 

A.S. adores writing stories filled with love, passion, desire, magic and maybe a little mayhem tossed in for good measure. Books have always been her perfect escape and she still relishes diving into one and staying up all night to finish a good story.

Multi-published in both erotic and historical romance, A.S. has 8 books currently available and three more under contract with Ellora’s Cave Publishing. 

Originally from New York, she grew up in New Jersey, and now lives in the East Texas with her real life hero, her wonderful husband. When not reading or writing she enjoys cooking, travel, history, and puttering in her garden.

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Cover Reveal + Giveaway: Honor Among Orcs by Amalia Dillin

Designed by: Melissa Stevens (Website)
Publication Date: April 1, 2014
Series: Orc Saga, Book One
Genre: Fantasy (18+)

After nearly a decade as the king’s whipping-girl, Princess Arianna has no intention of going quietly into marriage to some treasonous noble, or serving obediently as the king’s spy until her death is more convenient. When she discovers a handsome orc, chained and trapped inside a magic mirror, Arianna cannot help but see a lasting freedom from her father's abuse.

Left to rot inside a mirror by the king, Bolthorn never imagined his prayers would be answered by a princess. Nor did he ever expect to meet so worthy a woman after knowing her father’s cruelty. He needs her help to escape the mirror before the king marches against the orcs, but all he can offer Arianna is ice and darkness in exchange for her aid.

If Arianna can free the monster behind the glass, perhaps she might free herself, as well. But once they cross the mountain, there will be no return, and the deadly winter is the least of what threatens them on the other side. Romance blossoms in this gripping fantasy adventure.

EXCERPT

He knew these woods, sparse as they had become, and when they broke, he knew the tundra of the foothills too. Just before dawn, he found the outcrop beneath which he had made a shelter his first night beyond the mountains, and though he did not dare to light a fire, the sedge made a soft bed.

After a meal of apples and cheese, the last of their food, Arianna curled against his side, sharing the fur, and rested her head on his shoulder. He tested her forehead for fever and breathed his relief when she did not burn against his palm.

She tugged his hand away, a small smile curving her lips. “You worry overmuch. There are still two days of warmth before I must fight your cruel winds. I will be well enough for your mountains by then.”

His fingers lingered against her skin and her smile faded. He traced the clan-markings on her cheek and her lips parted, her heart thrumming in his ears.

“Bolthorn –”

Up the bridge of her nose and over her eyebrow, the umber flaked from her skin, coloring his fingertip. Down along the line of her jaw, to the pulse point beneath. Her breathing hitched. He only wished the marks had reached her collarbone, to give him some excuse to trail his fingers across the smooth skin there.

“You make a beautiful orc.”

“Not a Vala?” she asked, her eyelashes sweeping across her cheek.

“The Vala cannot marry.” The sunlight caught in her hair, flashing reds within the rich brown and he smoothed the soft, wild strands from her face. “They cannot bear children, or know the touch of any kind of man after they have made their vows. They know only the ancestors and the mysteries they reveal.”

“Oh,” she breathed.

Oh. It was the first thing she had ever said to him, trembling against the stone. She trembled now, too. As she should, he thought, knowing herself within the arms of an orc. He closed his eyes and drew his hand back. This was a dangerous game to play with her so near, so vulnerable.

“Sleep well, princess,” he said, his jaw tight against his need. “You’ll want your strength.”

She made a noise in the back of her throat, but when he glanced at her, she had turned away.

About the Author

Amalia Dillin began as a Biology major before taking Latin and falling in love with old heroes and older gods. After that, she couldn't stop writing about them, with the occasional break for more contemporary subjects. She lives in upstate New York with her husband, and dreams of the day when she will own goats--to pull her chariot through the sky, of course. 

Amalia is the author of the Fate of the Gods trilogy from World Weaver Press, and the soon to be released Orc Saga, coming April 1, 2014. You can learn more about her work at www.amaliadillin.com

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Book Review: The Breakup Diaries by Maya O. Calica

The Breakup Diaries by Maya O. Calica
Publisher: Summit
Copy: Paperback (First Edition)

The Anatomy of a Breakup...

Twenty-three-year-old self-proclaimed nice Girl Monica Tanseco is finding out the hard way that in order to survive a breakup, you have to grow up - fast. Sure, breaking up is hard to do, but who knew it involved:

- Denial, followed by desperate bid to get back together involving promises to do everything to make him happy

- Sever loss of sleep, appetite and self-esteem

- Acute paralysis - or maybe death - of good judgment

- Compulsive tendencies to document every event, feeling and fantasy in a manner of reporter trying to make sense of things

- More compulsive tendencies to over-examine relationship carcass and over-analyze cause of death as couple

- Getting a life

When her perfect boyfriend - college hoop star certified hottie and young hotshot eagle Itos Ongpauco - decided to call it quits, Monica, barista by day and dreamer by night, found herseld stepping out from behind the coffee counter and out of her comfort zone - into the mad world of magazine publishing.

While starting out at the bottom of the food chain as the overworked, unpaid intern at "M" magazine can obliterate any trace of self-esteem, anything - including bitchy bosses, temperamental photographers, rather dull but oh-so-hot male models - is a welcome balm to her pains. Never mind that her freebie-obsessed boss treats her like an on-call, 24-hour proxy service. Never mind, that, sometimes, when she's had too much alcohol, male models become irresistible. Never mind that, despite having just had her heart broken, the possibility of love presents itself again.

Bought this one 10 years ago and absent-mindedly forgot that I haven't finished it. Thanks to 7-Eleven's rack, I saw this book's 10th year edition and that instantly reminded me that I actually have this at home. A friend of mine even told me, I hoard books too much and treat them like wine, but srsly, I wanted to retort that I now plan to read all my 'owned and unread' books right away, if only time will permit me to. Oh well, I just wish it won't take 10 years before I read all those books I hoarded.

Okay, now unto my real review. I have mixed feelings about this book. That is all. Perhaps, now at 23, same age as the protagonist, I find her a little bit immature for our age, child-like and very guarded. But that didn't stop me from reading it, it was actually well-written, you'll just find Tagalog words in it and that might annoy you (Phoebe, don't tell me I didn't warn you haha) but by large, this book is something I'd recommend to girls who devour Chick Lits as all the aspects of everything Chick Lit is in it, but yes, it's also too good to be true. I just find it annoying that it ended that way, I almost felt the writer and publishers took away almost three chapters and jumped to the conclusion right away. 

This is a break-up diary, but if you'll ask me if I'll recommend this to girls nursing a broken heart, I think, I won't, I'm kind of sure about that. Nothing in this book will help you kiss your ex goodbye permanently except the last chapters of the book, it will just make you feel more miserable, with the realization that some people are lucky enough to find a new job, make out with hot guys and make their dreams come true because they are heart broken. Life is not as blissful as that. Never. 

Oh well. I'm glad I didn't read this when I was 13, else I'd be programmed to believe that breakups will bring out the best in you, because coming from personal experiences, it won't... but you know, maybe, just maybe it will, but most of the time, it isn't as pleasant like that.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Currently Reading: F. Sionil Jose and Reev Robledo

The first month of 2014 is coming to an end and so I must check unto my (ever-changing and negotiable) reading plan, and so far, I think, I've complied. :)

I've read Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool, The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino, Maligayang Pagdating Sa Sitio Catacutan: Mga Kuwentong Kasisindakan by Tony Perez and Bared To You by Sylvia Day.

The only books remaining are Gitarista by Reev Robledo and The God Stealer by F. Sionil Jose, books I'm reading with the help of some dear friends.

Reading both books at the same time seemed like a hard task for me, for a reason I don't have a single clue on. Perhaps because Reev is a friend and FSJ is well, you all know that he is the greatest writer in my list. Or maybe, just maybe, too many things are happening, there are too many tasks to be done, I only have less than a week and I still have two books in my hand.

I'm now torn between speed reading or putting one book on hold (which would have to be Gitarista - Sorry, Reev. I have my one FSJ book a month challenge too). But why build a reading plan if you'd just break at the first attempt?

Okay. Okay. I shall finish these books on time.

The Reading Plan

One of the things I included in my New Year's Resolution is to follow my Reading Plan strictly. Well, if you are not the kind of person who explore blogs, I'm ready to spoon-fed you.

This list can be found in the upper portion of this webspace. Just inside those navbars.

I just finished arranging it until September. You see, I still am not decided and I'm sure that that follow the Reading Plan strictly rule will only be observed because I will surely rearrange this list from time to time. Yes, according to my mood. But nonetheless, this is my final decision SO FAR.

You will notice that I appended one F. Sionil Jose book every month and I also have author marathons strategically included within the certain author's birthmonth. :)


January

LIBA: Moon Over Manifest
LIBA: The Baron in the Trees
Maligayang Pagdating Sa Sitio Catacutan: Mga Kuwentong Kasisindakan
Love, Stargirl
The God Stealer
Bared To You

February

KikoMachine Komix Marathon
LIBA Book/s
Sin: A Novel
Before Ever After
Ready Or Not
PHR (for review)

March

LIBA Book/s

MC Group Book

Rio Alma Marathon 

Brave New World
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Viajero

April

Si Crispin (Thank you, Anvil)

My Brother, My Executioner

Jane Eyre

Manila Noir

The Real Score

May

MC Group Book

Eyre Affair

Prom

Ben Singkol
Banana Heart Summer
Nick Joaquin Marathon

June

The Clique Marathon

Save the Cake
The Pretenders

July

MC Group Book

The Feet of Juan Bacnang

Romancing the Bookworm

Looking for Alaska

August

Mass
Cloud Atlas
Gitarista
Kangkong 1896
Olvidon

September

Edilberto Tiempo Marathon

Doppleganger Chronicles
Sherds

2013: My Year in Books

The best books I've read this year. In no particular order.
No explanation, unfortunately. Just ask me or visit this blog again.^_^

1. 8 Diwata ng Pagkahulog by Edgar Calabia Samar
Other readers say he is the Pinoy Murakami, but for me (someone who haven't read any Murakami), he is Egay and his first novel, 8 Diwata is something you will not (and should not) forget let alone compare to any other works. It is an entity of its own.

2. Soba Senbei Shibuya by F. Sionil Jose
I fell in love with FSJ this year... some can argue that true love should not have any reasons, but in this case I do.

3. Tall Story by Candy Gourlay
There are many reasons why this one is memorable: It's a Pinoy Book. First TFG F2F I moderated. Candy Gourlay is just so awesome. The Cacho Publishing hunt. But what makes it all the more special is TFG. Thank you for that wonderful day/evening guys!

4. Po-On by F. Sionil Jose
Need I say more? I just love this man.

5. Reunion by Alan Lightman
This book is crazy, mad and insane.

6. Trese Series by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo
I discovered that Trese is a girl only this year.

NO PHOTO SOMEONE STOLE MY CAMERA AFTER THE KOMIKON! I'M A BITTER MELON!

7. Filipino Heroes League by Paolo Fabregas
This is an accidental read. But it was a beautiful accident.

Gave my copies to my little brother.

8. The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan
I didn't give this the highest rating but I'll give it mad props for being innovative.

9. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
Newsroom. Graveyard Shift. Internet. This book is about me!

10. Chinese Cinderella
The truth hurts and this book hurt me too much.

Cross posted @ All Around News Girl