Netgalley Knock Down Wrap - up

Early this July, I joined Pretty Deadly Reviews event called Negalley Knock Down. It's a month-long read-a-thon of stocked review copies from netgalley. And to wrap this event up, here's the galley that I finished. Click the image to go to my review.

   

Book Review: What I Didn't Say

Title: What I Didn't Say
Author: Keary Taylor
Genre/s:  Young Adult, Contemporary Fiction, Romance

Synopsis:

Getting drunk homecoming night your senior year is never a good idea, but Jake Hayes never expected it all to end with a car crash and a t-post embedded in his throat.


His biggest regret about it all? What he never said to Samantha Shay. He's been in love with her for years and never had the guts to tell her. Now it's too late. Because after that night, Jake will never be able to talk again.

When Jake returns to his small island home, population 5,000, he'll have to learn how to deal with being mute. He also finds that his family isn't limited to his six brothers and sisters, that sometimes an entire island is watching out for you. And when he gets the chance to spend more time with Samantha, she'll help him learn that not being able to talk isn’t the worst thing that could ever happen to you. Maybe, if she'll let him, Jake will finally tell her what he didn't say before, even if he can't actually say it.

Book Review: Red Dirt Rocker

Title: Red Dirt Rocker
Author: Jody French
Genre/s: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Synopsis:

Red Dirt Rocker is a contemporary and inspirational American dream-come-true story geared toward a Young Adult audience. Based, in part, on the true and incredible adventures of teen MTV musician Forrest French, this hip and vibrant page-turner filled with pop culture references will draw the young reader in as they see the story unfold through the eyes of this straight-edge teenager from a tiny, hick, country town, whose life is about to change forever.

His strict dad raised him to be a football jock—his free spirited mama raised him on classic rock. Small town athlete and teen musician Forrest French finds himself torn, having to decide between public high school, sports and his simple, country life in Coweta, (aka Cow-Town) Oklahoma; his deep Southern roots and strong family ties, or the jet-setting life of an MTV rock star. While dealing with the team bully and facing the fickleness of teen dating relationships, Forrest depends on his faith to keep a cool head. In this story filled with teen angst and teen hopes, Forrest holds fast to his beliefs as he hangs on for the ride of his life in the upside-down, backward and thrilling world of rock-n-roll.

Red Dirt Rocker illustrates to its Young Adult audience that they can be accepted and successful with straight-edge flair, be they athlete, band geek, cheerleader, or aspiring rock star. Experience a shotgun ride right alongside Forrest as he embarks on his rock-n-roll dream and finds that a beautiful heart and strong values may just win over superficial beauty and popularity in the end.

100 Followers Giveaway!

This giveaway is for all my 103 followers. This will never be possible without you people.(I mean, I can’t give a 100 follower giveaway without followers, right? :P ) So, thank you! :)

 And for my future followers, here’s my advance thank you! Hope you enjoyed following crazy me.

Okay, so enough about all the mushy speech, let us take a look at the prizes. 

This is my most anticipated book of 2012(some of them are not yet released so if you pick that one I'll pre-oder them for you.)

    

Or if you don't want any of them, you can pick a book of your choice worth $10. 

This giveaway is international as long as the Book Depository ships into your country (if your not sure, click here.) This will end on August 31. And if I get another 100 followers before this giveaway ends, I will add another winner. 

UPDATE:
August 8, 2012

I can't believe I reached 200 followers in just 2 weeks. You guys are really awesome! And as promised , there will be 2 winners in this giveaway but if I reached 300 followers(there's still plenty of time) I will, again, add another winner.

August 25, 2012

I now have 303 followers!*do the crazy dance* I didn't expect to have an awesome people following my blog. Seriously, you guys, from the deepest ventricle in my heart, thank you very much! 

So, as promised, there will be 3 winners and I will announce them on September 1.

May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor

<a href="http://bookforya.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/100-followers-giveaway_27.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc430/crestfallensoul3/100.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

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Filipino Friday #2: School Of Reading

This meme is created by Filipino Reader Con in accordance with the upcoming 2nd Annual ReaderCon: United We Read. So every Friday, a topic will be posted and all Filipino readers are encouraged to make their own post about that topic. This is the second week of Filipino Friday and this weeks topic is:

School of Reading. We all started reading somewhere, and more often than not, we were influenced by someone. Who got you into reading? Your parents? A friend? A librarian? One teacher who always lends out his/her books? How helpful was your school in helping your reading habit / fueling your book addiction?

Since I was a kid, my father always encouraged me to read. He always told me this quote that “the one who reads, leads”. He always added an explanation to it in order for me to further understand what he meant but it’s not until high school that I proved that my dad was right.

Indeed, a reader has more edge over those who don’t like to read. Their vocabularies were richer than others. If only words could worth a penny or a peso, I think they will become millionaires, heck billionaires. They can use highfalutin words without sweating. They know places which they’ve never been. Their imaginations were vivid, it’s like they’re watching a movie rather than reading a book.

This is what I realized and learned in reading books. And I’m thanking my father for his never-faltering words of wisdom and undying encouragements. Because without him, I may not be who I am now because books has taught me a lot more than my teachers did. (*Sorry ma'am, sorry sir but its true.)

Would you Rather Tag!

Thank you to Josie of You Only Write So Much and Erika of Living for the Books for tagging me in this Would You Rather...? Tag. So let's start.


First, we have to know the rules:

• Intros!-Tell us about yourself and your blog
• Answer the 6 questions in anyway you want
• Tag 6 bloggers (or however many people you want to tag)
• Tell them they have been tagged and link back to your post
• Put the Would You Rather...? picture to your post

About Me and this Blog:

Hi, I'm Erleen. I love writing poems and short stories. One of the things in my bucket list is to publish my own novel and now I'm doing my best to achieve that by practicing my grammar through blogging. 

So I've been book blogging for 2 months and I'm loving everyone in this part of the blogosphere. I started this book blog as my way of thanking every author whose novels have inspired me and influenced my life. And also to help other authors promote their books to Filipino readers. 

The Questions:


Reading: Would you rather read a classic book or a dictionary?
Well, I'd rather read dictionary than classic books. Because I find dictionary more interesting in so many aspect like grammar and vocabulary words unlike classic books.


Getting : Would you rather receive a $50 gift card to a bookshop or a library card?
I'd rather have a $50 gift card and buy books that I can take home as my own rather than have a library card who has so many books in it that I can't call mine.

Shopping : Would you rather look at books at a bookstore or a library?
Definitely at bookstores because I love the smell of newly published books.


Sleeping : Would you rather stay up and see what happens in the book (and its a part where it's a must) or go to sleep?
I'd rather stay up and finish the book because I hate to stop reading especially when I'm at the climax of the story or when I'm near at the end of the story.

Writing: Would you rather write on a laptop/computer or in a notebook/paper?
Well, this question is difficult. I guess, I'd rather write on my computer because I can think and type faster unlike writing the words in my notebook.

Eating : Would you rather eat while you read or keep glancing at the bag of food while you read?
I'd rather eat while I read than deprive myself of food. I don't want the cause of death to be starvation just because I'm so into what I read. It will not look good on my epitaph.


Blog I Tagged:


A Journey Through Pages
A Purrfect Read
The Things You Can Read
Kari's Crowded Bookshelf
Sofia Loves Reading
Charissa Books

ARC Review: Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls

Title: Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls
Author: Tellulah Darling
Genre/s: YA/ NA, Romance, Comedy, Contemporary
Publisher: Te Da Media
Pub Date: October 17, 2012
Page: 244 pages

Synopsis:

Why the hell can't chicks be more like guys?

That question plagues high school senior Sam Cruz. Sam is perfectly happy being a player. He just wishes girls wouldn't change the game from sex to relationships. It makes him look like an asshole. But when Sam's best friend, Ally Klinger, gets dumped, she begs him to transform her into someone who can screw around then screw off.

No risk of heartbreak that way. It's Sam's chance to create the perfect female AND cheer up his best friend. Armed with Sam's Three Step Guide to Backseat Success, Ally gets the game better than Sam thought she would and before long, Sam has his wish: the female version of himself. Too bad it's driving him nuts.

Told from Sam's and Ally's alternating POVs, Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls is a fast-paced romantic comedy that follows these teens as they navigate the minefield of sex, love, and friendship.

This book contains strong language, drinking, euphemisms, and lots of "bow chicka wow wow."

One Lovely Blog Award!!! :)

1. Thank – my nominator and link back to the site.

My gratitude and thanks go to Yzabel of Ylogs for giving me this amazing award. :)

2. Share – 7 things about myself

1. I'm competitive in sports and in life
2. I love challenging myself.
3. I'm boyish but not lesbian(go figure)
4. I don't like social events
5. I'm the youngest among six children.
6. When I was in high school, I joined the marching band. 
7. When I was in elementary, I was the Student Body President.

3. Nominate 7 other blogs
In alphabetical order:

• **QWERTY**
• A Journey Through Pages
• Between the Pages
• Delirious About Books
• Good Book Gal
• Hime Sugar
• I Have Lived a Thousand Lives

4. Inform the nominees linking back to this post so they know the rules.

Filipino Friday #1: Introduction

This meme is created by Filipino Reader Con in accordance with the upcoming 2nd Annual ReaderCon: United We Read. So every Friday, a topic will be posted and all Filipino readers are encouraged to make their own post about that topic. This is the first time I'm going to do this meme, so let's begin. 

 Introductions. As with every start of a weekly meme, we need to know a bit about you! Talk about your top 3-5 (or more!) favorite books of all time, the genres you read and would never read, the books that surprised you this year. You can also talk about how you became a reader and why you love it so much! And finally, if you were in the ReaderCon last year, talk about your experience too! If you weren’t there, but you’re planning to go this year, then what do you expect for the upcoming ReaderCon?

About me and how I became a reader.

I'm Erleen Alvarez, a 4th year student BS Information Technology student. I was really not fond of reading when I was a kid. It bores me to sleep especially long stories. But when I started high school, there's a certain book that captures my attention and that is "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton". It fascinates me. I never knew that reading could be that much fun until that time. You can travel places without leaving your house. It's like you've entered a portal to another world and that's how I started to became a reader.

Genres I like and dislike:

I like fantasy(because of the mythology), science fiction(because I love science), mystery(because it's mysterious, duh?), thriller(because I like action and fast pace story) and YA(because I'm young and young at heart).

I don't like nonfiction and erotica, enough said.

Top 3 Favorite Books of All Time!

1. Like the Flowing River by Paulo Coelho

2. Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

3. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

About ReaderCon 2012

I would love to go to the ReaderCon but I can't. I'm graduating this year and there's so many things to do. So the best thing I could to is to promote it by spreading the word. Goodluck to all the nominees for the Filipino Reader's Choice Awards! :)

ARC Review: League of Strays

Title: League of Strays
Author:  L. B. Schulman
Genre/s: YA, Contemporary, Romance, Mystery, Realistic Fiction
Publisher: ABRAMS
Imprint: Amulet Books
Pub Date: October 01, 2012
Page: 288

Synopsis:
When Charlotte Brody, a lonely 17-year-old student at a new school, receives an invitation to join The League of Strays, she's intrigued by the group's promise of "instant friendship." The League does provide companionship--and even a love interest--but Charlotte grows increasingly uncomfortable with its sinister mission to seek revenge against the bullies of Kennedy High. When escalating acts of vengeance threaten to hurl her down a path of remorse, Charlotte must choose between her new friends and the direction of a future she's never fully considered.

ARC Review: New Firsts

Title: New Firsts
Author: Diana Gallagher
Genre/s: Children's, Literature & Fiction, Romance, Teens and YA
Series: Claudia and Monica Freshman Girls series
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
Pub Date: August 01, 2012
Pages: 144

Synopsis:

They've been best friends for years, but when the first week of high school rolls around, Claudia and Monica know things are going to change. Boys, homework, friendships - everything seems to be different from middle school. Can their friendship survive?

Liebster Blog Award

So this is the second award I receive today, thanks to Living for the Books for the nomination. I'm feeling pretty lucky today, I guess I should bet on the lottery or something. :P

The Liebster Award is for bloggers with less than 200 followers. Award winners share 11 facts about themselves, answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who tagged them, come up with 11 of their own questions and tag 11 more bloggers with the award.

11 Facts About Me

1. I was the Valedictorian in Elementary/Grade School

2. I want to write my own novel

3. I love ice cream(who wouldn't)

4. I hate boastful people

5. I'm Asian

6. I'm a 4th year Information Technology student

7. I love stargazing.

8. I'm a charcoal and acrylic painter

9. I like singing but singing doesn't like me

10. I also like dancing, he doesn't feel the same

11. I like mythology especially the Greek myths.

Questions from Erika of Living for the Books:

1. Do you have a favorite book character?My favorite book character is Hermione Granger because she's smart, opinionated, pretty and independent. She's only a muggle but she's better than the full blooded witches/wizards in Hogwarts. That's why I like her.

2. If you could meet an author who would it be? Why?I would love to meet Paulo Coelho. His book, Like the Flowing River, really change my whole perspective in life.

3. Do you ever dream about a book?If the book that I have read is really really great, I often dream about it.

4. Have you ever hated a book but loved the movie?None, so far. I, most of the time, love the book more than the movie.

5. Do you like listening to music while you read?No, the lyrics of the music often distracts me from reading and understanding the story.

6. Do you ever wish your life was like a book? If so what book?Many time I wish my life would be like Alice in the Wonderland. Because it so freakin' awesome!

7. How many books do you read per year?Maybe around 30 to 50 books. It depends on my schedule and also the reading material.

8. Do you like going to the bookstore or the library?
Yes! It's like Disneyland for me.

9. What's the funniest book you've ever read?
The funniest book that I've read is ABNKKBSNPLAKo?! written by a Filipino author named Bob Ong.

10. Have you ever hated a book the first time you read it but then the second time you read it you loved it?
I have never reread a book. Because I always make sure I understand everything the first time I read it.

11. How do you organize your bookshelf?

I just stacked them for now because I don't have a bookshelf yet. 

11 Question I would like to ask:

1. How long do you finish reading an ebook and a physical?

2. Why do you blog?

3. What are the things you like about reading?

4. What is your most favorite book of all time?

5. In what type of genre would you like your life to be?

6. What is/are your favorite genre/s?

7. What is/are your least favorite genre/s?

8. How many books do you read per month?

9. What is the origin of your blogsite name?

10. What are the things you can't live without?

11. Any book recommendation?

Blogs whom I think deserve this award:

1. Musing over Nothing

2. Charissa Books

3. The Fraser File

4. My Miscellaneous Bookshelf

5. TeenyReader

6. Gigi Reads

7. Shakira's book blog 'n' stuff

8. Writer's Gathering

9. Poetry Musings by Jade Kennedy

10. Books, Books and More Books

11. Read to my Heart's Content

Versatile Blogger Award

I'm so grateful to Little Miss Book Freak and Kari's Crowded Bookshelf for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger Award. This is the first time I had any, so I'm really excited! 


Versatile Blogger Award Official Rules:

 
1. Thank the person who gave you this award. That is common courtesy.
2. Include a link to their blog. That's also common courtesy - if you can figure out how to do it.
3. Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you've recently discovered or follow regularly.
4. Finally, tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself (I will follow in Chelsea's footsteps and post these facts here for you all to see).

Okay, let's do this. :)

7 Random Facts about me:

1. I'm a geek, minus the glasses, minus the weird outfit and minus the awkward way of talking.

2. I was once a drummer of an all girl rock band.

3. I play chess, table tennis and badminton

4. I'm a debater.

5. I don't like rain.

6. I'm fascinated in lightning

7. I write poetry.

And now the 15 worthy bloggers:

1. 17

2. Marina's Musing

3. My Miscellaneous Bookshelf

4. Musing over Nothing

5. Forever is Now

6. 2 B Read

7. Writer's Gathering

8. Poetry Musings by Jade Kennedy

9. Books, Books and More Books

10. Read to my Heart's Content

11. Book Dessert

12. Story for Dessert

13. Singing the Melody of my Life

14. Forever YA

15. Noted. Recorded. Boormarked

Book Review: Shadow Kiss

Title: Shadow Kiss
Author: Richelle Meads
Series: Vampire Academy #3
Genre/s: Urban Fantasy, Mystery
Synopsis:
Rose Hathaway knows it is forbidden to love another guardian. Her best friend, Lissa—the last Dragomir princess—must always come first. Unfortunately, when it comes to gorgeous Dimitri Belikov, some rules are meant to be broken...

But since making her first Strigoi kills, Rose hasn’t been feeling right. Something dark has begun to grow in her mind, and ghostly shadows warn of a terrible evil drawing nearer to the Academy’s iron gates. And now that Lissa and Rose’s sworn enemy, Victor Dashkov, is on trial for his freedom, tensions in the Moroi world are higher than ever.

Lying to Lissa about Dimitri is one thing but suddenly there’s way more than friendship at stake. The immortal undead are on the prowl, and they want vengeance for the lives that Rose has stolen. In a heart-stopping battle to rival her worst nightmare, Rose will have to choose between life, love, and the two people who matter most... but will her choice mean that only one can survive?

Net Galley Knock Down

Pretty Deadly Reviews is having an awesome event called NetGalley Knock Down this July. It's a month-long read-a-thon of stocked review copies from netgalley and I'm so excited to join since this is my first time to join any events.

This are the galleys I'm hoping to finished this whole month:

Showcase Sunday

This weekly meme created by Books, Biscuits and Tea, showcasing the newest books or book related swag you have and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week.

So for my first Showcase Sunday, this is the stash.

I am expecting two books to come soon which came from a giveaway. So as soon as it landed on my doorstep, I'm going to brag it to everyone. That's all for now.

Ciao!