BOOKIVORE Adventure

Here I am again. Trying to keep this blog afloat. HAHA. I was hoping to share this post five months ago, but life happens and there were a lot of things to be done that's why I only got to write a post about a trip I had last September. A three day trip which only focused to these three things:

• BOOKS
• FOOD
• HISTORY
• ART

As early as March, my officemate and I (both bookworms) heard about the Manila International Book Fair, so we immediately booked a flight for September. A month later, another 2 officemates decided to join us. The more, the merrier. Yeheeey!!!

Preloved Books for Sale

As you may know, I have a Shop page here at The Blah Blah Notebook. It's been a while since I put it up here but I haven't posted any products for sale. 

Today is a great day because I'm finally opening it up and I'm posting my preloved items and other products from time to time.

Princess Maryam by Eric Cabahug

Princess Maryam by Eric Cabahug
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


BLURB

Princess Maryam is about friendship of two young girls going over boundaries made by human laws and religion. This book has portrayed the picture of what is it like to see the cruel world throug child’s eyes. It will remind you how to be innocent at heart and how it can bring out the best out of someone’s sorrowful heart. It also give emphasis on the importance of our relationship with our Creator regardless of one’s religion. (excerpt from Goodreads)

Paris for One by Jojo Moyes

Paris for One by Jojo Moyes
Pace: Fast-paced
Pages: 95 pages
Publisher: Penguin UK
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.70 stars
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Short Story, Fiction, Chick Lit, Travel

BLURB:

Bestselling author Jojo Moyes brings us a charming and heart-warming short story in association with Quick Reads.

Nell is twenty-six and has never been to Paris. She has never even been on a weekend away with her boyfriend. Everyone knows she is just not the adventurous type.

But, when her boyfriend doesn't turn up for their romantic mini-break, Nell has the chance to prove everyone wrong.

Alone in Paris, Nell meets the mysterious moped-riding Fabien and his group of carefree friends. Could this turn out to be the most adventurous weekend of her life?. Excerpt from Goodreads.

MY THOUGHTS

Jojo Moyes' Paris for One is a short, fast-paced piece that will make readers dream of having that escape. It's a feel good read. It's something that will make you day dream about an unexpected adventure. The main characters are well developed and the ending surely hints a change in the character's life.

A SWOONY 4-STAR

View all my reviews

Reviw Marathon: Randomly Something

Well, it’s a fact that it’s been quite some time since my last review post but that doesn’t mean I haven’t read any book at all. I have read a few since the dawn of 2016. They’re just not that many and I’m afraid with my speed, I still won’t be able to reach my Goodreads 50-book Challenge. 

Photo credits

Not by Sight by Jon Bloom

Not by Sight: A Fresh Look at Old Stories of Walking by Faith by Jon Bloom

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publishers: Crossway Books
Genre: Non-fiction, Christian, Inspirational.


OVERVIEW:

Trusting Jesus is hard. It requires following the unseen into an unknown, and believing Jesus's words over and against the threats we see or the fears we feel. Through the imaginative retelling of 35 Bible stories, Not by Sight gives us glimpses of what it means to walk by faith, counsel for how to trust God's promises more than our perceptions, and the way to find rest in the faithfulness of God.
(Excerpt from Goodreads)

Book Review: Hit Your Life's Reset Button by Marc V. Lopez

Title:  HIT YOUR LIFE'S RESET BUTTON

Author: MARC V. LOPEZ

Genre: Non-Fiction, Inspirational, Christian

Pages: 193 pages

Publisher: LIFEDREAM BOOKS by Shepherd's Voice Publications, Inc.

                        Photos by Blogger

Book Talk: Review Marathon

Well, hello blogosphere! It’s been quite a while since well, my last post. Been quite busy with the offline world so I had to put TBBN on hiatus for a while (That means about 4 months!) Woooah!!! But I did not forgot my bookish goals! This year I’m going to surpass that 2015 Goodreads Challenge. I did my reading home works. In fact, what I’m going to share today are the books I read since my last post.

Imperfectly Perfect by A.E. Woodward

Imperfectly Perfect by A.E. Woodward
Pages: 160 pages
Genre: Chicklit, Romance, Contemporary
Pacing: Fast pace
Average Goodreads Rating: 3.93 stars
Format: Ebook
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

~~~THE BLURB~~~

Emma, Tyler and Shane have been best friends since they were kids. Along with their college addition, Rob, the four friends have an exciting life in NYC. In fact, Emma Sloan appears to have it all.

Despite being happy with her current situation, a big family announcement leaves Emma questioning whether she is truly content with her life. With her thirtieth birthday fast approaching she vows to find her 'perfect' man any way she can. But Emma will soon discover that the path of true love never runs smoothly and that sometimes, instead of chasing love, you have to wait for love to find you...
~From Goodreads~

On Isla and The Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Dutton
Genres: Young Adult, Romance
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.19
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

BLURB

Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last?

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.

Featuring cameos from fan-favorites Anna, Étienne, Lola, and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love—set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris, and Barcelona—is a swoonworthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series. ~From Goodreads~

On Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern

Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern
Publisher: Hachette Books
Pages: 443 pages
Genres: Women's fiction, Contemporary Romance, ChickLit

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Format: Ebook
Average Goodreads Rating: 3.97

THE BLURB
Sometimes you have to look at life in a whole new way...
From the bestselling author of PS, I Love You comes a delightfully enchanting novel about what happens when two people who are meant to be together just can't seem to get it right.

Rosie and Alex are destined for one another, and everyone seems to know it but them. Best friends since childhood, their relationship gets closer by the day, until Alex gets the news that his family is leaving Dublin and moving to Boston. At 17, Rosie and Alex have just started to see each other in a more romantic light. Devastated, the two make plans for Rosie to apply to colleges in the U.S.

She gets into Boston University, Alex gets into Harvard, and everything is falling into place, when on the eve of her departure, Rosie gets news that will change their lives forever: She's pregnant by a boy she'd gone out with while on the rebound from Alex.

Her dreams for college, Alex, and a glamorous career dashed, Rosie stays in Dublin to become a single mother, while Alex pursues a medical career and a new love in Boston. But destiny is a funny thing, and in this novel, structured as a series of clever e-mails, letters, notes, and a trail of missed opportunities, Alex and Rosie find out that fate isn't done with them yet.

From the gifted author of PS, I Love You comes this charming, romantic, addictively page-turning novel that will keep readers laughing and guessing until the very last page. ~Excerpt from Goodreads~~

DNF: Damascena - The Tale of Roses and Rumi by Holly Lynn Payne

DAMASCENA - The Tale of Roses and Rumi by Holly Lynn Payne

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

OVERVIEW:

Holly Payne’s spellbinding tale brings the unparalleled poet, Mevlana Rumi, to life, and transports readers to the enchanting world of 13th century Persia. Simply but elegantly told, the story unravels the mystery surrounding a legendary orphaned girl, who discovers her gift of turning roses into oil. Named after the flowering rosa damascena, the girl reluctantly assumes the role of a living saint for the miracles she performs—longing for the only one that matters: finding her mother. Deeply wounded by the separation since birth, Damascena undergoes a riveting transformation when she meets Rumi and finally discovers the secret of the rose. 

Imbued with rich historical research and inspired by the devastating disappearance of Rumi’s most lauded spiritual companion, Shams of Tabriz, Holly Payne has courageously opened herself to receive Rumi’s teachings and offer a timeless love story. Inspiring and magical, the story of Damascena transmits the wisdom of the heart, inviting us to transform our pain into love. ~From Goodreads~

Book Review: The Guardian Angels by Rohit Gore

Photo from Rohitgore.com

              

The Guardian Angels by Rohit Gore
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Free Copy from Author in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher: Grapevine India
Genre: Drama
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.00 stars


SYNOPSIS
The Guardian Angels is the epic and tumultuous story of two star-crossed lovers who weren’t just soul-mates but were also each other’s protectors.

The fates of Adi Mehta and Radha Deodhar are deeply entwined when within days of their first rendezvous they save each other’s lives.

Despite their vast sociopolitical differences, they are drawn to an uncertain future fraught with contrasting ambitions, personas and ideologies.

. . . he is the son of a billionaire, she is the daughter of a socialist.
. . . he is quiet and unassuming, she is a firebrand and spirited.

However, the unexplained phenomena ties them forever – whenever they are in peril, they are each other’s only saviors.

Over the following two decades Adi and Radha live through hope and despair, joy and sadness, and try to decipher their relationship. As the truth of their bond is revealed, they must confront the true nature of love, and ultimately, their destinies.
---From Goodreads---

GOT #2: The TBR Tag

Being tagged into another awesome and fun tag made me come up with making my Tagged Post officially called the Game of Tags. Well, it's quite obvious how I'm such a sucker for Martin's GoT. Anyway, Lola of Hit or Miss Books tagged me again to another bookish Game of Tags, The TBR Tag. It's a tag created by Dana of Dana Square and Rachel of A Perfection Called Books. All these questions are just about TBR list. This tag is about mine, of course. he-he

Book Review: There's No Mistaking Me

Title: There’s no Mistaking Me by Thyraellis Howard

Publication Date:  February 11 2014

Rating: 1 of 5

Source: Book Review Request

Format: PDF

Publisher: Createspace

Preview:

 

---For those who grew weary of the same story line that you have read throughout your childhood to the point where you’re an adult, this book is for you. The mix of lust and death comes as a surprise and is not easily predicted like in most books. The mental state of the characters is portrayed in their actions. Most of the characters are based on real people and most but not all events have taken place. The places and portrayed people are real but it’s all based on an over aware dream. ---

~~From Createspace~~

Book Review: Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Stardust by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


SYNOPSIS:

Hopelessly crossed in love, a boy of half-fairy parentage leaves his mundane Victorian-English village on a quest for a fallen star in the magical realm. The star proves to be an attractive woman with a hot temper, who plunges with our hero into adventures featuring witches, the lion and the unicorn, plotting elf-lords, ships that sail the sky, magical transformations, curses whose effects rebound, binding conditions with hidden loopholes and all the rest.

~~~From Goodreads~~~

Book Review: Monster by Anke Napp

Monster by Anke Napp
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published May 19th 2014 by Tredition Gmbh

SYNOPSIS:

In the middle of a heated election campaign for the Governor's seat of Georgia, the FBI is informed of a planned terrorist attack on Atlanta's new Conference Center. Only 24 hours remain to find and disarm the bombs, save the NATO summit and thousands of lives. In a sinister maneuver, the ex-terrorist Shadid is recruited out of prison and teamed up with the Conference Center's project manager Sarah - a woman whose husband has died in one of his former attacks. But crawling through the building's bowels, Shadid discovers more than a time fuse of perfidious ingenuity.
~~~From Amazon~~~

Book Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis:

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion...she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit--more sparkly, more fun, more wild--the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket--a gifted inventor--steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.
~~From Goodreads~~ 

Children's Book Reviews: Say it Like a Snake and Where Are You Pickles

 Say it Like a Snake by Lucy Morse
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Plot: This beautiful 32 page picture book tells the story of a girl named Sue who couldn't say her S's. With the help of Sam the snake she learns a rhyme that teaches her a great way to overcome her problem. 
 ~~from Goodreads~~



My Review:

I have a 6 year old nephew who is still having a hard time speaking fluently. It's like talking to a robot when I'm with him. It's cute but of course, his parents are still worried about his speaking problem specially with the letter "S".

When I read this children's book, I definitely told myself that this is an excellent exercise for him. I love how the authors have presented the S reading exercise in such a cute and fun read storybook that will absolutely encourage kids his age to read and learn reading "S" words.

Book Review: To All The Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis:

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

~~From Goodreads~~