Read 5, Buy 1

Posted on 07/14/2022 by Lenn

Hi, everyone! If you’ve been reading my entries on Stuff I’ve Been Reading Lately, you probably noticed that I have a book-buying problem. Please don’t judge me. Haha It would have been fine if I was reading a lot of books, but I can only read so much given my responsibilities and commitments lately. I know I’ve said that I’m proud that I was still able to complete (ahead of time!) my target of reading 12 books this year, and I really am proud of myself for that. Still, I need to control myself from hoarding so many books. Continue reading →

2022 Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag

Posted on 07/12/2022 by Lenn

Hi, everyone! I’m doing the Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag a little bit late this year because I’ve been busy with personal stuff in the past three weeks or so. So this tag was created in 2016 by Ely and Chami on BookTube and it has been an ongoing tag around the book community to help bookish people wrap up the first half of their reading year. I have to admit that I haven’t been religiously doing this throughout the years, but here I am this year!

As you all know, I got married this year which is why, at the start of the year, I decided to just set 12 books for my Goodreads reading challenge. I knew for a fact that I wouldn’t have a lot of reading time this year given that I have a lot of adjusting to do. But as of writing, I’ve already completed my goal of 12 books, so I decided to adjust it to 20 books! It’s not much compared to others’ 50+ books a year, but I’m happy that I got past my initial goal early on. Continue reading →

8 Most Anticipated Releases in July

Posted on 07/07/2022 by Lenn

New month, new book releases! So I am back with another list of anticipated reads for the month of July. This time, I collated 8 titles that have piqued my interest and, yes, it’s a mix and class of genres again — but mostly thrillers, horror, and romance! So without further ado, below are my most anticipated releases this month:

Continue reading →

My “Wikathon 3: Readerakas” TBR

Posted on 07/05/2022 by Lenn

Wikathon first started on 2020 which was created by Kate of yourtitakate.com along with other booktubers (Gerald, Julienne, Trish, and Kat). It is a way for Filipino readers around the world to celebrate August or Buwan Ng Mga Wika.

Continue reading →

The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption ⁠— Dauis Church

Posted on 07/03/2022 by Lenn

Dauis, Bohol, Philippines, 2022

Located in the town of Dauis in the island of Panglao, the church is also known as The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption. It was built in August 1923 and is one of the most sophisticated and complex structures of its kind in Bohol. Dauis church is said to have been built according to a plan for basilicas which explains the church’s high central nave flanked by lower aisles.

📷: Fujifilm X-A3, Fujinon 27mm 2.8 V2 pancake lens
🎞: Lightroom Premium

Bohol, Philippines

Posted on 07/02/2022 by Lenn

As the world slowly lifts travel restrictions and opens up to tourists, we celebrated my husband’s birthday in Bohol. It’s a domestic travel, which I pretty much appreciated because our home country is very beautiful and there are so many places we have yet to visit. We’ve planned this trip after our Boracay trip in February, and we were lucky enough that the restrictions did not heighten.

We stayed at Panglao Sea Resort which is a very lovely and peaceful place at the heart of Panglao Island. The staff and the owner are all very friendly and accommodating. We definitely fell in love with the place as well as the food. Continue reading →

La Purisima Concepcion de la Virgen Maria Parish Church ⁠— Baclayon Church

Posted on 07/01/2022 by Lenn

Baclayon, Bohol, Philippines, 2022

Built in 1596, this majestic structure is the second oldest church in the Philippines. The church is built out of coral stones mixed with thousands of egg whites as cement.

One of its most interesting and intriguing feature was the famous column wall at the back of the church where locals said that an image of Padre Pio mysteriously appeared. Sadly, when Typhoon Odette hit numerous islands in the Philippines in 2021, Bohol was one of the islands where the typhoon made its landfall and Baclayon Church was badly damaged, destroying the said column wall at the same time. Today, the church has been successfully and fully restored, but the image of Padre Pio is nowhere in sight.

📷: Fujifilm X-A3, Fujinon 27mm 2.8 V2 pancake lens
🎞: Lightroom Premium

Stuff I’ve Been Reading Lately #23

Posted on 06/30/2022 by Lenn

BOOKS READ:

The Lost Symbol (Robert Langdon, #3) by Dan Brown
Dawwang: Mga Kababaihang Tagapagtanggol ng Kordilyera by Gantala Press
It’s Not Summer Without You (Summer, #2) by Jenny Han

ONGOING:

The Secret Lives of Introverts: Our Hidden Worlds by Jenn Granneman (50% progress)
The Philippines Is Not A Small Country by Gideon Lasco

BOOKS BOUGHT:

Conjugal Dictatorship by Primitivo Mijares
Dawwang by Gantala Press (Illustrated by Nina Martinez)
The Only Child by Mi-ae Seo
Genesis by Karin Slaughter
I See You by Clare Mackintosh
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
The Public Has the Right to Know by Bienvenido A. Tan Jr.
Five Hundred Years Without Love by Alex Lacson
The Philippines Is Not A Small Country by Gideon Lasco
Twice Blessed by Ninotchka Rosca
Presidential Plunder: The Quest for the Marcos Ill-Gotten Wealth by Jovito R. Salonga

Continue reading →

Book Review: It’s Not Summer Without You (Summer, #2) by Jenny Han

Posted on 06/29/2022 by Lenn

Title: It’s Not Summer Without You (Summer, #2)

Author: Jenny Han

Format: Paperback

Publication Date: April 27, 2010

Number of Pages: 277

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Genre: YA Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Belly finds out what comes after falling in love in this follow-up to The Summer I Turned Pretty from the New York Times bestselling author of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (soon to be a major motion picture!), Jenny Han.

Can summer be truly summer without Cousins Beach?

It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come.

But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started—at Cousins Beach.

Continue reading →

St. Joseph Cathedral Parish

Posted on 06/28/2022 by Lenn

Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines, 2022

Churches, temples, or any structure that is built for worship has piqued my interest over the short time that I was able to travel. These structures have not only been a place of worship, but a place where people get their courage and strength to push through with life. It’s amazing how our beliefs, no matter how different, lead us to the light.

Throughout my visits to various churches, temples, and mosques, I have realized that no matter how different we think our beliefs are, they are almost always the same because it all boils down to one thing: We believe in a greater and higher being; we believe in God.