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 →

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: Dekada ’70 by Lualhati Bautista

Posted on 06/26/2022 by Lenn

Title: Dekada ’70

Author: Lualhati Bautista

Publication Date: 1983

Number of Pages: 227

Publisher: Anvil Publishing

Genre: Classic, Historical Fiction

Synopsis:

Si Amanda Bartolome ay isang pangkaraniwang babae – asawa ni Julian at ina ng limang anak na lalaki. Sa kanilang subdibisyon, pinakamalaking problema na niya ang mga kapitbahay nilang hindi na natapos magreklamo tungkol sa mga malokong batang Bartolome.

Ngunit ang panahon ng martial law ay hindi pangkaraniwang panahon. Sa pangunguna ng panganay nilang si Jules at ang kanyang pagsabak sa madugong rebolusyon, di maiiwasang harapin ng pamilya ang karahasan ng batas militar. Habang ang kanyang mga anak ay hinuhubog ng malagim na dekada, at nahahanap ang kanya-kanyang sariling adhikain sa gitna ng kaguluhan, tinatanong at tinutuklas din ni Amanda ang sarili kung ano nga ba ang kanyang tungkulin at kakanyahan bilang ina, bilang babae, bilang Pilipino.

Continue reading →

Books #Bookstagram Made Me Buy

Posted on 06/24/2022 by Lenn

Bookstagram has been one of my favorite book communities in the past couple of years. It’s been alive for quite some time now, but I believe that it regained its peak during the pandemic. The book community as a whole is one of the most beloved community in the web because the people are just so kind and genuine, especially when talking about their favorite books.

With that said, I would like to dedicate a blogpost the the bookstagram community and share with you the titles that I’ve bought because of it. You may also check Fully Booked Online to find you next great read!

*Throughout this post, I’ll be including my affiliate links for each of the books in the list. Note that I earn a small commission whenever you use my affiliate links to purchase these books. Continue reading →

Five-Star Predictions

Posted on 06/16/2022 by Lenn

I don’t think I’ve ever done one this kind of list before, so I decided to do one. As you all know, I have a ton of books on my physical TBR and though I have been slowly putting a dent on it, I have also been adding new titles every once in a while. Well, that’s quite the life of most bookworms, wouldn’t you agree so? Haha

So I took the time to stare at my bookcase and skimmed through the titles that I think (and badly hoping) would be a 5 star read for me. I chose these five books because I honestly have high expectations for them given that there have been quite some hype for them around the book community.

To my Filipino readers, you may check Fully Booked Online to find your next great read and avail their free shipping for orders P799 and above!

*Throughout this post, I’ll be including my affiliate links for each of the books in the list. Note that I earn a small commission whenever you use my affiliate links to purchase these books.

Continue reading →

10 Queer Books I Want to Read

Posted on 06/08/2022 by Lenn

Howdy! And I’m back with another list for you. This time, I’m sharing with you some queer books that I would like to read. In recent years, the number of books relating to and/or about LGBTQ+ have grown and it’s something that we must all be proud of. I must admit, I haven’t read a lot of LGBTQ+ books and I promised myself to work on that this year and the succeeding years. With that said, I picked the top 10 queer books on my Goodreads TBR to create this list.

To my Filipino readers, you may check Fully Booked Online for their Pride Collection! Throughout this post, I’ll be including my affiliate links for each of the books I’ll be mentioning. Note that I earn a small commission whenever you use my affiliate links to purchase these books.

Continue reading →

Stuff I’ve Been Reading Lately #22

Posted on 05/31/2022 by Lenn

BOOKS READ:

The Hidden Oracle (Trials of Apollo, #1) by Rick Riordan
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Desaparesidos by Lualhati Bautista

ONGOING:

The Secret Lives of Introverts: Our Hidden Worlds by Jenn Granneman (50% progress)
The Lost Symbol (Robert Langdon, #3) by Dan Brown (16% progress)

BOOKS BOUGHT:

Hollowpox (Nevermoor, #3) by Jessica Townsend
The Burning God (The Poppy War, #3) by R.F. Kuang
Contestable Nation-Space: Cinema, Cultural Politics, and Transnationalism in the Marcos-Brocka Philippines by Rolando B. Tolentino
A Time to Rise: Collective Memoirs of the Union of Democratic Filipinos (KDP) by Rene Ciria Cruz, Cindy Domingo, and Bruce Occena
Press Freedom Under Siege: Reportage That Challenged the Marcos Dictatorship by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo

Continue reading →

Book Review: Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

Posted on 05/26/2022 by Lenn

Title: Holding Up the Universe

Author: Jennifer Niven

Format: Paperback

Publication Date: April 4, 2016

Number of Pages: 391

Publisher:Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed “America’s Fattest Teen.” But no one’s taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom’s death, she’s been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby’s ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for every possibility life has to offer. In that moment, I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything.

Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he’s got swagger, but he’s also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired secret: he can’t recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He’s the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything, but he can’t understand what’s going on with the inner workings of his brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don’t get too close to anyone.

Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game—which lands them in group counseling and community service—Libby and Jack are both pissed, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world, theirs and yours.

Continue reading →

Top 10 Standalone Books on my Backlist

Posted on 05/24/2022 by Lenn

Last year, I made a list of the top 15 book series on my backlist that I would like to prioritize in the next couple of months (or years), today I’m going to talk about the top 10 standalone books on my TBR that I would like to prioritize along with the series that I’ve mentioned in that post. Again, please don’t judge me! 😂 Continue reading →

Book Review: Rolling in the Deep (Rolling in the Deep, #0.5) by Mira Grant

Posted on 05/23/2022 by Lenn

Title: Rolling in the Deep (Rolling in the Deep, #0.5)

Author: Mira Grant

Format: Audiobook

Publication Date: April 6, 2015

Number of Pages: 123

Publisher: Subterranean Press

Genre: Thriller, Sci-Fi

Synopsis:

When the Imagine Network commissioned a documentary on mermaids, to be filmed from the cruise ship Atargatis, they expected what they had always received before: an assortment of eyewitness reports that proved nothing, some footage that proved even less, and the kind of ratings that only came from peddling imaginary creatures to the masses.

They didn’t expect actual mermaids. They certainly didn’t expect those mermaids to have teeth.

This is the story of the Atargatis, lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a maritime tragedy. Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the bathypelagic zone in the Mariana Trench…and the depths are very good at keeping secrets.

Continue reading →

Lenn of Spades ♠

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