Book-Tube-A-Thon TBR

Hello friends! Today is August the 3rd and it is also the start of Book-Tube-A-Thon 2015!! So if you didn't know, Book-Tube-A-Thon is basically an annual readathon. It lasts a week till the 9th and it is huge in the book community. Every year, book tubers, bloggers, readers and book clubs will participate. They will pick 7 books based on the challenges and we will basically read as much as we can.

This is my first year participating and I'm going into it straight from the #TBRTakedown 2.0. So I know this is late but here's my TBR for this week:

1) Read a book with blue on the cover

More Happy Then Not by Adam Silvera

2) Read a book by an author who shares the same first letter of your last name 

Something Real by Heather Demetrios

3) Read someone else's favourite book

Shadow Of The Wind by Carlos Ruitz Zafron (This is my brother's favourite book)

4) Read the last book you acquired 

Red Rising by Pierce Brown (This is my bookclub's BOTM)

5) Finish a book without letting go of it

The Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Niel Gaiman

6) Read a book you really want to read

The Storied Life Of A.J.Fikery by Gabrielle Zevin

7) Read seven books

Well that's my TBR for this week. I'm super duper excited for it and I hope you are too if you are participating. Tell me what books are on your TBR for this exciting week!

#TBRTakedown 2.0

Hey guys,

I feel like I haven't blogged in ages. Anyway, I thought I would write this to tell you guys that I am participating in the #TBRTakedown 2.0 which is starting tomorrow (Saturday) and it will be running for a week. So we end on the 31st of July. You can watch the official announcement video here:

I am so excited to be taking part in it and I'm even more excited that my whole bookclub is doing it as well. It's going to be so fun and the challenges for this are so much more doable. So before it begins, I thought I would share my TBR list for the challenge.

1. First Book in a series: Cinder

Sandee has hyped this book so much and I've heard and seen it everywhere so I really can't wait to get to it.

2. Sequel Book in a series: Heir Of Fire

I have read the first two books in the Throne Of Glass series and this is the second last book. The last book is coming out later this year. So I want to get this book read before that.

3. Out of your comfort zone : In Real Life: My Journey In A Pixilated World

I love Youtubers. That's no surprise. Joey isn't my favorite Youtuber and I don't really watch him but I watch Zoe Sugg obsessively and she read this while on holiday a few weeks ago and she loved it. At first I thought she was just promoting it because Joey is her friend but I've also seen a lot of good, objective reviews online so I'll give it a go.

4. On your shelf over a year (or the longest): Winger

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you would know that I've been trying to read this book every single month since last October. It's been on every one of my readathon lists and I'm determined to finally get to it.

5. Most recently hauled book: Elizabeth Is Missing

This is a bit of a cheat because it was not in my last haul but it was pretty recent so I guess it's okay.

Well that's all my books for the week long readathon. I'm so excited for it and I've been finishing up books in preparation for it. Realistically I think I will only be able to read 3 books max but one can hope. Are you joining the readathon? What are the books on your list? Tell me in the comments!

How My Reading Habits Have Changed Since I Started Blogging

Hey guys! So recently, I started thinking about how blogging about books in particular and joining Goodreads has changed the way I read and the way I feel about books. Because honestly, there has been a major change ever since I started blogging about what I was reading. I have gone from loving books, to obsessing over books.

I have gone from being a casual reader to someone who is in a fast paced and snappy community (that I adore). I've gone from being a lonely reader to bouncing thoughts with my book club mates. And I thought you guys might like to hear about this because a lot of you may be new to the community or just may be curious about it.

So let's start with some background. I first blogged about a book last year in June when I posted my review of The Fault In Our Stars. After that all I did was lifestyle. And then in October, I decided that I wanted to do more book reviews so I did one on Gone Girl. It was also about that time when I joined Goodreads. And from that point, everything changed.

1) I Read More

It's not a big surprise to anyone that ever since I joined Goodreads and started blogging, I've read so much more. In fact, I read a total of 36 books last year but this year, I've already read 49 books and it's only June.

 So that's a huge jump. I guess it has to do a lot with the pressure I face externally. I used to just read whatever and whenever but now I have friends in the book community and new books are coming in every day and there is so much discussion going on that you feel left out if you haven't read the latest Sarah J Maas book or heard about the publishing date of the final book in a series. There's a lot of pressure to keep up but it's the good kind of pressure. The kind that pushes you to keep wanting to do better and to read more. I personally love it. It just drives me and makes me feel amazing.

2) I Know What and Who I'm Reading

In the past, I used to walk into a book store and not know a thing. I wouldn't know any author except one or two that I found particularly notable. I wouldn't know a thing about any of the books on the shelves until I read the blurbs. But now, when I walk into a book store, immediately everything is familiar. I know what I like and what I don't. I roughly know when books were published. I know about the author and if I've read books by them in the past. I can confidently say that I recognise about 70% of what is in a bookstore now. I'm still learning but it's quite a leap from knowing absolutely nothing.

3) I Feel Less Alone

I never really had friends who were super crazy about reading. I had a couple of friends who liked reading but usually never as much as I did. Reading to me was a lonely hobby. That is, until Goodreads and book blogs and booktubers popped up. Now, I no longer feel like I'm in this bubble of sorts. I feel like I'm part of a group of people. I can freely talk to people about what I'm reading and it's not like I'm talking to a wall anymore. I feel like I can finally share my passion for something with other people and form friendships through that. It's just a lot of fun.

Well I think that about sums it all up. It was just a short little post but I wanted to let you guys know how blessed I am to be part of this wonderful community of people. Honestly I don't know what I would do without some of the friends I've made here. I just feel like I have a place here which is something that I have never felt in most aspects of my life.

Okay I have no idea how to end this without it being awkward so...bye haha.

The Disney Book Tag

Hey guys! So I haven't blogged in quite a while and I feel like I've lost a limb. Somehow blogging has managed to become a very important part of my life in these last 11 months (my blog will be a year old next month!!). Unfortunately school has gotten very crazy and the stress is building. Between my numerous assignments and driving lessons, I've just not have much spare time. Well okay I do have spare time but in my spare time I try to do something other then writing (which guess what, I'm actually doing so much more of this year). So I've been reading and of course, watching way too much Youtube.

Since I've been on Goodreads and Youtube so much, I've discovered the Booktube community. And the Disney Book tag challenge has been going around on there a lot. So I decided to give it a go because it actually looks really interesting.

1. The Little Mermaid - A character who is out of their element, a “fish out of water”

I would say 'We Were Liars' by E.Lockhart. I know I never really talked much about this book after I read it because it's honestly better to not know anything before you go into it. But Candence was a complete 'fish out of water'. She was constantly being treated with kid gloves and always being fussed over and she constantly felt like the odd one out among the Liars. 

2. Cinderella - A character who goes through a major transformation

The Tail Of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler. This was one of my favourite books from my childhood. Basically this girl Emily learns that the reason her mother never let her in the water was that her father was a merman and so she is half mermaid and she sprouts a tail when she gets in the water. It was a whole series that consisted of a few books and it was so magical and wonderful. All the feels remembering that one. 

3. Snow White - A book with an eclectic cast of characters

All I can think of is The Mortal Instruments series. I think Jace, Clary, Simon, Isabelle, Alec and Magnus made such an awesome kickass team.

4. Sleeping Beauty - A book that put you to sleep

Well this is a difficult question because I usually read myself to sleep and I'll wake up with my Kindle under me or something. The thing is, I plan to read myself to sleep. So it's not like the book is boring or anything. But I guess in terms of books that were dry enough to make me need to reread paragraphs over and over, I would pick Wanted by Amanda Lance. That book was annoying and a horrific train wreck.

5. The Lion King - A character who had something traumatic happen to them in childhood

The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah. This is my absolute favourite book in the whole wide entire universe. So there are 2 kids in the book and the most horrible and traumatic thing to happen to them is that their fathers have to leave to fight in the army and I don't want to spoil it but the Nazi's invaded and I'm sure you can imagine how horrible a childhood they had after that.

6. Beauty and the Beast - A beast of a book (a big book) that you were intimidated by, but found the story to be beautiful

This is going to be weird because this book was technically a DNF. Okay so the book is 11.22.63 by Stephen King. I read it when I was in Secondary school and I actually loved the book. Except that with my exams and stuff I didn't have time to finish reading it and I had it for weeks under my desk and I had renewed it about 4 or 5 times at the library so I finally decided to let it go. I hope to one day pick it back up and continue it though because it was really good.

7. Aladdin - A character who gets their wish granted, for better or worse

My Heart And Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga. Spoiler Alert: Aysel got her wish because Roman didn't die. So obviously it's for the better.

8. Mulan - A character who pretends to be someone or something they are not

 Mara Dyer from the Mara Dyer Trilogy. For the first book in the trilogy especially, she was constantly denying that she had any powers or that anything was wrong with her. 

9. Toy Story - A book with characters you wish would come to life

This is not even a question oh my gosh. I have honestly never heard of any reader who does not want the characters of their books to come to life. But if I had to pick just one, I would pick Park from Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. You guys know that it is one of my top books ever and i just think that Park makes an excellent boyfriend. He's such a gentleman and he respects that Eleanor is scared. He protects her, loves her despite her flaws and he is just always there for her. I mean how could you ask for any more? 

10. Disney Descendants - Your favorite villain or morally ambiguous character

Cal from Red Queen by Victoria Avyard. I mean lets face it. A tag like this just wouldn't be complete without Red Queen yes? Yes. So I really think Cal was super morally ambiguous. He started out as the good guy, then the sort of bad guy then the reluctant good guy and just....ahh swoon worthy!!!

The Magician's Lie By Greer Macallister

Water for Elephants meets The Night Circus in The Magician’s Lie, a debut novel in which the country’s most notorious female illusionist stands accused of her husband's murder --and she has only one night to convince a small-town policeman of her innocence.

The Amazing Arden is the most famous female illusionist of her day, renowned for her notorious trick of sawing a man in half on stage. One night in Waterloo, Iowa, with young policeman Virgil Holt watching from the audience, she swaps her trademark saw for a fire ax. Is it a new version of the illusion, or an all-too-real murder? When Arden’s husband is found lifeless beneath the stage later that night, the answer seems clear.But when Virgil happens upon the fleeing magician and takes her into custody, she has a very different story to tell. Even handcuffed and alone, Arden is far from powerless—and what she reveals is as unbelievable as it is spellbinding. Over the course of one eerie night, Virgil must decide whether to turn Arden in or set her free… and it will take all he has to see through the smoke and mirrors. -Goodreads

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When I first read the blurb of this book, I was pretty skeptical. I was curious though because I rarely read circus and magician related books so I decided to dive in as soon as I could. I was pleasantly surprised by just how lovely the book was.

So the books starts out with Officer Vigil and his partner at an Amazing Arden magic show. Later that evening, after the performance, the two officers hear that there was a murder at the very theater that Arden had just performed in. They both go to see what happened and declare that Arden, who has gone missing, should be the main suspect. Later, Virgil leaves his partner at the crime scene and heads out. He intends to go home but stops at a place to grab a bite. There, he finds Arden and arrests her without calling it in. He brings her to a small police station where no one goes really and begins to question her. Arden weaves a beautiful and tragic story from the time when she was a unseen and frightened child all the way up to the day of the murder as Officer Virgil decides if she is innocent or if she should be hanged.

The first thing I found to be pretty interesting was the era it was set in. The story is set around the Victorian era I suppose. It's a time when policemen rode around on horses and women were still thought of as being well beneath men.  At first that didn't sit too well with me but the era grew on me. Much like the story really.

When it started, I wasn't sure if I liked the direction it was taking but very soon I found myself completely immersed in Arden's story and I just kept wanting to hear more. I found myself feeling every emotion that Arden explained strongly. Rage at Ray, anger, love, romance and sadness.

There isn't much more for me to say but that you really need to read this book when it hits the shelves. I predict that this book is going to be huge. And you heard that here first!

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My Rating: 4/5
Publication Date: 13th January 2015
*An advanced copy of this book was given to me to review by the publishers*
Purchase the books at The Book Depositary using my special link Here. 

Sunday Summary: Exciting Things and More Books!

Hello readers! I've been feeling pretty uninspired lately so I've taken to writing little half posts and then refusing to finish them or even post them for that matter. I am currently feeling a bit creative so I thought I would take the time to give you a rundown of my week. Also I just took pictures for a small little post that I'm planning and I'm quite pleased about that.

♥ I have become a promoter of Body Blendz! I've been emailing them back and forth all week and today I was officially welcomed aboard as a promoter. I'm so excited! You can check out what they have on their website by clicking here. Or you could just refer to the picture I put here. Aren't the little packages adorable? I'm getting my first one about next week or so.

♥ On Tuesday, before lecture started, one of my friends asked me if I have a Goodreads account. I've had one since 2012 but quite honestly, aside from the pesky emails, I have no clue what Goodreads is all about. So she told me all about it and I went online and fixed up account properly and I'm so excited about it because it is perfect for me. I usually stalk the Amazon Kindle bookstore to find new books to read but now I have Goodreads and I am very pleased with it. Also I was able to add a widget to my blog so now you guys can see what I'm reading currently.

That control on the brushstrokes though. I should be an artist.

♥  I have decided that I want to do more book reviews here. I read so much and I really should. I think it would be fun.

♥  I finally watched 'If I Stay'! I read the book but I didn't go and watch the movie in the cinema because I don't really like watching movies in the cinema (I know I'm strange). Especially if its a book that I love that has been turned into a movie. I like the freedom of watching it by myself so I can pause it and rewind it and fangirl and cry to my heart's content. Basically the book made me cry and the movie made me cry even harder. Not many movies can reduce me to tears so yay for that!

♥ I'm almost done with the final Shopaholic book! I've spent the last 4 weeks reading the 7 Shopaholic books and I'm sad but also pretty excited to start reading other books. I recently cleared out all the old books in my kindle and put in a whole lot more. I can't wait to get started.

♥ My brother's O'levels end tomorrow morning and I'm so excited! We can finally go out to the beach and stuff to take pictures and we can have family dinners out and breakfasts at nice places after church (instead of gross Macdonald's take aways) and go shopping and go on holidays. I'm so excited for that. My brother's exams (and mine last year) have meant that my family has been pretty stifled and constricted in terms of going out and stuff like that for the past 2 years. We actually haven't even been out properly together in almost 2 months. And we usually eat out as a family at least twice a week. So I really miss that and I can't wait to get back to family weekends.

That's it for my summary. I feel like there are lots of exciting things happening in my life and school is also getting a little bit heavier so that's interesting and sad at the same time because I feel like Instagram and blogging is taking a small backseat. Of course I know that it is the right way to go about doing things so I'm not really complaining.

Describe Your Favourite Place In The World

One thing I learned about blogging early in the day is that I don't get to tell you guys about the day itself. So it's currently midnight (which means I have to alter the post time so that it shows yesterday's date in case you bothered to check and got confused) and I actually haven't had a very good day at all.

So my day started with threading my eyebrows in the morning with my mom. It hurt so bad as usual. I swear there is no greater pain then the pain of threading one's eyebrows. We then got some stuff at the store and had lunch before picking up my brother and heading home.

At about 4pm, I decided that I would blog. But before that, I wanted to get two new books into my Kindle. So I plugged it into my laptop as usual and waited for it to connect. It didn't. I checked it and I saw a screen that said 'Kindle Needs To Be Repaired'. I freaked out. I started trying every single thing possible. After about 30 mins, I decided that there was nothing I could possibly do myself. I needed to wait till my mom woke up from her nap to help me. So I started to cry.

Before you give me a strange look, let me tell you how I feel about my Kindle. Last year, my parents bought me a Kindle Paperwhite for my 17th birthday. Ever since then, I have never been without it. I love to read, so my Kindle is almost as important to me as my iPhone or Macbook. Just like a phone, I fell in love with it because it was a constant companion and somehow, it became a part of my life that I could not do without.

So my Kindle breaking down after only 8 months and without me dropping it or anything was about as devastating to me as it would have been to lose or break my iPhone. So yes. I cried. When my mom woke up, she panicked when she saw me crying with my teddy bear in my arms. Immediately she got some numbers and next thing you know, I've pulled myself together and I'm solving the problem.

Now, Amazon is sending me a new Kindle and I have learnt all about how to buy things from America when they don't ship to Singapore. It was a scary but enriching experience. Now I have to figure out how to live for the next two weeks or so without a Kindle.

(I would just like to point out at this junction that I don't care about getting a new Kindle. I really don't. I would rather just have my old one because it is full of carefully selected books and I have such lovely memories with it.)

I just realised what a great intro that was for my main topic. Describing my favourite place in the world. You may have already guessed it. Yes. It is a library.

I love libraries or even book shops with a lot of space. I don't know why but being surrounded by so many words. So many stories just makes me feel so at home. When I was a kid, I would run to the library and walk through the aisles, running my fingers along the edges of books, while fighting tears when I was getting bullied or when I was having yet another fight with my best friend. That was primary school.

In secondary school, I would do something similar for the first three and a half years there. I would go there during recess to hide out. I would read or write in my diary while starving because I was too scared to face going to the canteen by myself. Well. I was scared and I also went through a phase where I would starve myself in school to try to lose weight. I once went nearly 17 hours because I skipped breakfast as well. No I'm not proud of that. I was 14 I think.

So yes. The library. Tell me what your favourite place in the world is in the comments below. I would love to know

Service

Sundays are always family days for me. I go to church with my whole family and then we later go for breakfast together. It's something we have done pretty much since I was a kid.

Today was particularly fun for me because I was serving in Church. Recently, I became a scripture reader. As of today, I've read 3 times in church.

Ever since my first reading, I've found that I truly enjoy reading the scripture to the church. It's one of my favourite things to do now.

Today was special because it was Youth Sunday. So Pastor Daniel was there. In addition to him, there were our 3 other pastors and our new pastor all sitting there. To make things more stressful, my cousin, who was the reason I wanted to go into scripture reading in the first place was finally back from Sydney after about 6 months. This was the first time she was going to hear me read.

I was very very nervous. I needed to be perfect up there. I could not afford to screw up. Unfortunately, I have a bit of a problem when I get nervous. I tend to move around a bit and I will read really fast.

When I went up today to read, I had so many things on my mind. 'Don't move around'. 'Read slowly'. 'Pronounce your end consonants'. 'Be clear'. 'Look up'. 'Don't lose your place'. 'Don't screw up'. It was nerve-racking.

After my reading, I was told by my family that I was moving a little and I read pretty fast. Though apparently I was very clear so it didn't matter that I was a bit fast.

After that  had to immediately go up to the projection room to do the slides for Pastor Daniel's sermon.

We went to Han's after that for a simple breakfast.

Overall It was a good morning I think.