Armchair BEA Introduction

As the 2013 edition of Book Expo America gets underway in New York City today, the Armchair BEA team welcomes you to our fourth annual virtual conference! We're glad you're joining us to for the next few days, here and on Twitter, for networking, conversation about books and blogging, and opportunities to bring home some books--all without leaving your chair.
-- Armchair BEA Central.

This is my first time to join Armchair BEA. I'm a little bit nervous (I don't know why), but super excited for the upcoming activities/events. So, let's get this party started. :)

Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging? 

Hello! My name is teepee, a college student from a small city in the Philippines. I have had this blog since October of last year, but only started regular blogging January of this year. 

I have always wanted to own and manage a blog. But I never had the guts to start before because I doubted my ability to write articles, reviews or blog posts. Personally, I went into blogging because  like to get in touch with people who are of the same interest as I am. I also want to challenge myself with this “writing” thing.

Where in the world are you blogging from? Tell a random fact or something special about your current location. Feel free to share pictures. 

As I have mentioned, I am from the Philippines, particularly from the beautiful province of Albay. Random fact? Our house is about an hour away (by car) from the nearest bookstore. We live more or less 20 kilometers from Mayon Volcano. I wake up every day and see it through the window. It’s a beautiful scenery, and I love waking up to see it. 

Images from Google: See how small our province is. Don't be fooled by Mayon's beauty. It is an active volcano, and early this May we witnessed Mayon's phreatic explosion, spewing large amount of ashes and rocks all over areas near to it.

BOOK BLURB: The Book of Broken Hearts

The Book of Broken Hearts 

Author: Sarah Ockler 
Publisher: Simon Pulse
 Number of Pages: 352 
Date Published: May 21, 2013 
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Goodreads:

When all signs point to heartbreak, can love still be a rule of the road? A poignant and romantic novel from the author of Bittersweet and Twenty Boy Summer.

Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath—with candles and a contract and everything—to never have anything to do with one.

Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle—which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas?

Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away—no way would she fall for them. But Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak…unless her sisters were wrong?

Jude may have taken an oath, but she’s beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking.

***

My Thoughts:

I have been waiting for this book for months now. Why? Read the synopsis above. :) The moment I read that, I knew I had to read it as soon as it comes out. Basically, it’s about Jude and her older sisters making an oath to never get involved with another Vargas ever again due to the previous heart breaks her older sisters have suffered. Call it coincidence or fate, but it looks like Jude is being challenged, because she direly needs a mechanic that summer and she’s left with no other choice but to hire Emilio Vargas. Whoooopie! Sounds awesome doesn’t it? Yeah, it does. The perfect recipe for a cute summer romance.  And that’s what really drew me to the story. I’m dying to know how Jude will handle this situation. Will Jude choose Emilio Vargas over her three older sisters? Is she willing to break their oath, their blood pact, just so she could be with a notorious Vargas boy?

Now, if you’re looking for a fun, light, and carefree book filled with sweet summer romance, The Book of Broken Hearts is probably not the best choice. Because while it’s fun and has this cute teenage romance, it’s not carefree or light at all. It covers something that will touch some readers’ hearts deeply. In fact, Book of Broken Hearts is more than just the teenage love story, or the typical boy heart break. It's about family relationships as well, about making your own choices, letting go of what has been and moving on to what will be.

Jude and Emilio’s love story was a pleasure to read. They had their ups and downs. They had their fair share of good times and bad times, while constantly being watched by the sisters’ oath. But honestly, I was more interested in reading about Jude and her father’s relationship. What their future will become, how Jude will be able to cope, and all that. It was fun at times, often a little depressing and pitiful, but most of the time touching. The father-daughter moments are the ones I’m waiting for (not that I’m not waiting for Emilio and Jude’s lovey dovey moments). Also, it was pleasant to see how Jude grew in the story, how she was able to stand up for her choices and not become the girl overshadowed by her older sisters.

To sum up, a great read.  :)

View all my reviews

Feature & Follow Friday (6)

Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly meme

hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read!

QUESTION:

The #FF is 150 weeks old! And we want to hear from you! What would you change about the hop? What do you like about it? Or just suggest a question to be used for next week!

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Congratulations for reaching 150 weeks!!! :)

I don't really have anything to complain about this blog hop. It's a great way to interact with other bloggers, read and discuss different opinions and gain new followers. 

Suggestion for next week's question: "If you weren't blogging about books, what would you blog about? Or would you blog at all?"

BOOK BLURB: Game. Set. Match. (Outerbanks Tennis Academy #1)

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Game. Set. Match Author: Jennifer Iacopelli Publisher: Coliloquy, LLC Number of Pages: -- Date Published: April 29, 2013 Genre: New Adult Romance   Goodreads:

Nestled along the North Carolina coast, the Outer Banks Tennis Academy is the world's most elite training facility. In this pressure-cooker environment, futures are forged in blood and sweat, and dreams are shattered in an instant.
Penny Harrison, a rising female star, is determined to win the French Open and beat her archrival, Zina Lutrova. But when her coach imports British bad boy Alex Russell as her new training partner, will Penny be able to keep her laser-like focus?
 
Tennis is all Jasmine Randazzo has ever known. The daughter of two Grand Slam champions, she's hell-bent on extending her family’s legacy and writing her own happily-ever-after...until her chosen Prince Charming gives her the just-friends speech, right before the biggest junior tournament of the year, the Outer Banks Classic.  
With a powerful serve and killer forehand, newcomer Indiana Gaffney is turning heads. She’s thrilled by all of the attention, especially from Jack Harrison, Penny’s agent and hot older brother, except he keeps backing off every time things start heating up.
With so much at stake, dreams—and hearts—are bound to break.

Stacking the Shelves (3)

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! Hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

*******

It's been a slow week. I only have 2 books to add to my shelf. One is a newly-published novel, and the other has been around for quite some time.

Received/Won: 

Ctrl Z by Danika Stone

I received this book for review, with the help of Abby from Bookshelf Confessions.Thanks Abby and thank you to Miss Stone for providing a copy.

Bought:

Burning Up: On Tour with the Jonas Brothers
by Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, Nick Jonas, Laura Morton

This is not a novel, I know. But it's a book, and it should count. :)

You don't know how much I freaked out when I saw this at Book Sale. I have been wanting to own a copy of the Burning Up book since it came out (BIG JONAS BROTHERS FAN HERE!!!). But it's so pricey and I really can't afford it. My mother would kill me if I spend more than a month's allowance just to buy a book about the Jonas Brothers. But after years of waiting, I finally found a good enough coprady at an affordable price. Yay me!!! hahahahah...

Feature & Follow Friday (5)

Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly meme

hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read!

QUESTION:

School is out! What is your favorite Summer Reading book??

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I don't really have a "Summer Reading" book. I read whatever book I want to read for the day or for the week. It really depends on my mood. Sometimes I really like contemporaries, and other times I crave for some paranormal fantasy. So it depends...

By the way, classes will be starting again here in the Philippines 2 to 3 weeks from now. 

COVER CRAZY: United We Spy (Gallagher Girls #6)

Cammie Morgan and the gang from the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women are back for their final mind-boggling and nerve-racking mission before leaving their beloved boarding school and stepping out into the real world. The sixth and final installment of the Gallagher Girls series is scheduled to be released this coming September 17, 2013.

Guess what was revealed just a few days ago? THE TITLE AND THE COVER!!! And I can't even begin to describe how freaking excited I am for this book. So without further ado...

UNITED WE SPY

Here are the US (left) and UK (right) covers of United We Spy by Ally Carter.

Goodreads:

Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet. Cammie and her friends finally know why the terrorist organization called the Circle of Cavan has been hunting her. Now the spy girls and Zach must track down the Circle’s elite members to stop them before they implement a master plan that will change Cammie—and her country—forever.

BOOK BLURB: Requiem (Delirium #3)

Requiem

Author:  Lauren Oliver

Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books

Number of Pages: 391

Date Published: March 5, 2013

Goodreads:

They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past.

But we are still here.

And there are more of us every day.

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.

Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.

Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.

But we have chosen a different road.

And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose.
We are even free to choose the wrong thing.

Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

***

Thoughts:

I was both excited and worried to read the third and final installment of Lauren Oliver’s Delirium Trilogy due to the mixed reviews I have been reading. Many have expressed their negative feelings toward the book. And though there are also a number of people who really liked Requiem, it cannot be denied that of the three books in the series, it has the lowest average rating on Goodreads.

What makes Requiem different from the first two books is that it was told in both Lena and Hana’s point of view. Lauren Oliver lets readers hear the voice of two very different people who are worlds apart: Lena, struggling and trying to survive in the Wilds; and Hana, trying to figure out life after being cured. Just like in Pandemonium, she wonderfully made both ends meet.