because there's no such thing as ordinary day when you're walking closely with Jesus
For the past 6 months, finishing a single book has been a chore for me. I’m not sure if I’m just really distracted or I’m having this so-called reader’s block. Goodreads even said that I’m seven books behind my reading goal. So now, I’m challenging myself to finish these books in my currently-reading list:
I started this blog three years ago because I want to keep a record of my thoughts on the books I’ve read. As I’ve expected back then, I know I won’t be posting regularly because I’m a reader and not a writer. But then again, 38 blog post is not bad at all. So after almost a semester of not writing anything, I’m back again to say that please expect some major changes in by book blog. There will be changes because I decided to really filter and examine the kind of books I’m reading. As I was browsing through my TBR shelf in goodreads, I realized that there are really books that I think I can let go without reading. Most of the books I’ve marked to read are either popular at that time or simply has very good reviews.
But now, some titles or plots are no longer appealing to me anymore. Is it because I’ve grown up? I don’t know. One thing I know is for sure, it’s ok if you haven’t read the book everyone has read.
One thing that I’m sure I’m not really good at is keeping my lengthy thoughts in writing. As I’ve mentioned in my introduction page, this is not the first time that I’ve set up a blog. My 3-year old book blog has not been regularly updated simply because I’m too lazy to write my thoughts on my recent reads.
However, my mind is so full of thoughts lately on the magnificence and the greatness of God that I want the world to know, yet I don’t know how because I can’t contain it in a one or two-sentence facebook or twitter status. So, I realized I really need an outlet and I decided to give personal blogging. Why set up a new blog then when I can’t even write a single book review?
Well, I want to develop my skills in writing and I think one of the things that I will never get tired of sharing is the beauty of having a relationship with Christ.
So, I take this as a personal challenge to commit myself to write at least 200 words per day. Will I be able to sustain it? On my own, I can’t but with God’s grace, I know it’s possible.
Hi guys! How are you? Been very busy with my social life some stuff for the past few weeks so I wasn’t able to update my blog lately. But now I’m breaking my silence because I’ve signed up to join the Interim Goddess of Love Blog Tour! yay! I’ve always been a fan of Mina Esguerra so when I first learned about the blog tour, I did not hesitate to sign up because the Interim Goddess of Love Trilogy is one my favorites. So to satisfy your curiosity, I’m giving you some sneak peek of the IGoL books! 😀
Summary:
College sophomore Hannah Maquiling doesn’t know why everyone tells her their love problems. She’s never even had a boyfriend, but that doesn’t stop people from spilling their guts to her, and asking for advice. So maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise when the cutest guy in school tells her that she’s going to have to take on this responsibility — but for all humanity.
The Goddess of Love has gone AWOL. It’s a problem, because her job is to keep in check this world’s obsession with love (and lack of it). The God of the Sun, for now an impossibly handsome senior at an exclusive college just outside of Metro Manila, thinks Hannah has what it takes to (temporarily) do the job.
While she’s learning to do this goddess thing, she practices on the love troubles of shy Kathy, who’s got a secret admirer on campus. Hannah’s mission, should she choose to accept it, is to make sure that he’s not a creepy stalker and they find their happily ever after — or at least something that’ll last until next semester. (As if she could refuse! The Sun God asked so nicely. And he’s so, well, hot.)
LINKS:
Book Excerpt:
Disclaimer: I’m new at this.
It’s only been three weeks, I wanted to say. So if I do anything wrong, mess you up in any way, I shouldn’t be held responsible. But the girl sitting in front of me, she didn’t know that anyway. She didn’t know that by walking into the College Guidance Office, seeking something as abstract as “guidance,” she would instead find me, and be the first to summon me.
Quin told me that I would get better at the diagnosis with each “project.”
It helps if you’re familiar with the feeling, he always said. But it’ll get easier.
Kathy Martin had been sitting on the couch across from me for ten minutes, but I only noticed her there after a pencil rolled off my desk. I bent to pick it up and saw Kathy’s shoes. Ballet flats so orange, they looked like they were on fire.
“You scared me,” I said, or maybe something with more profanity. “I didn’t see you there.”
“I get that a lot.”
“Are they expecting you?” I asked, going into secretary mode.
Kathy shook her head. “No,” she said. “Should I have made an appointment? I thought I could just walk in here.”
I checked the calendars of the two guidance counselors who were in that day and saw that neither would be available for another four hours. And they were both out at the moment.
The disappointment on Kathy’s face was unexpected. No one ever wanted to see a guidance counselor that badly, at least not on the Tuesdays and Thursdays that I did filing work there.
“You could come back at five,” I offered.
“Do you work here?”
I didn’t, not in the way Kathy meant with her question. Located just outside of Metro Manila, Ford River College was a relatively new school (compared to the over-a-century-old ones put up during the Spanish and American periods), but it already had a reputation for being the place to send your children if they were very smart, or if you were very rich. I was there on scholarship, but I didn’t think that automatically put me in the camp of very smart. Maybe lucky.
One of the strings attached to the free education was that I had to work in a “relevant administration office” several hours a week. If Kathy couldn’t tell I was a student, I could guess why. Students of Ford River wore uniforms only on Mondays.
“I’m just a student employee,” was the gist of it.
“Oh.” More disappointment.
I could see what was coming, when her face lit up briefly.
“Can I talk to you instead?” she asked.
Could she? It wasn’t like I was idle. I had two hundred sheets of student personality tests to file, and they needed this yesterday. I was sure Kathy could see that, because they were all on top of the desk, a Great Wall of Papers between us.
“You’re fine that I’m just a student?”
She shrugged. “I just want someone to talk to. I’m Kathy, by the way.”
“Hannah Maquiling. What do you want to talk about?”
She sighed. “There’s this guy who likes me. I don’t know what to make of it.”
I sighed too. “Let’s walk to the cafeteria and you can tell me about it.”
“You don’t mind?” Her eyes were big and pleading, and I saw it, before I felt it pass my skin and get into my bones.
Longing.
I knew that, longing. The act of identifying it seemed to make it worse, and it felt like it slammed into my chest instead of crept in.
“Nah,” I said, trying to sound casual and not at all like her emotion was suffocating me. “It’s my job, I guess.”
I was told that they would find me, wherever I happened to be, and they would want and need to talk about boys, and girls, and relationships, and what it all meant, and I had to make time for them.
For I am the interim goddess of love.
Summary:
If you’ve been feeling neglected by the Goddess of Love lately, don’t worry — Hannah Maquiling, college sophomore, is in training to take over. The Original Goddess is missing, but Hannah is Interim Goddess now, and she should figure out how to solve humanity’s love problems soon. Quin (God of the Sun) is still her mentor, still really hot, but apparently isn’t as honest about his other earthly relationships as she thought. It’s frustrating, and enough to make her check out possibilities with Diego (God of the Sea) and Robbie (Cute Human).
In the meantime, she’s decided to spend some of her precious training time helping to break up a relationship, instead of putting one together. Why? Because the girl in question happens to be her best friend Sol, whose boyfriend is stealing not just from her, but from other people on campus. Sol didn’t exactly summon the Goddess, but this is what power over Love is for, right? Surely it’s not just about matchmaking, but ending doomed relationships too. (Even when it’s not what people want.)
LINKS:
Book Excerpt:
Peanut butter spaghetti sounded like something I would like, in theory. I liked peanut butter. I liked Filipino-style spaghetti, especially when it was unapologetically sweet and artificially red, with foreign elements like hotdogs thrown in. But now that I was chewing the mashup version, I wasn’t sure how to feel about the entire thing.
“Do you like it?” I asked dinner companion/date Robbie, who was chewing thoughtfully over on his side of the table too.
“Oh I do,” he said. “I’m just waiting for you to throw up, or something.”
“I’m fine,” I said super enthusiastically. “I don’t hate it… It’s just…”
“I get it.”
“I haven’t decided yet.” I didn’t want to be a whiner on my first date, ever.
Not that he ever said the word. And I wasn’t saying it either. But as far as I was concerned, it may as well be, since it had all the signs.
Weekend, no school or any school activity.
He picked me up from my tita‘s house.
I wasn’t wearing flip flops or sneakers.
He paid for the meal.
The fifth sign? He thought this was a date. He was thinking about it so much, I could hear it between chews.
It was probably why I wasn’t nervous at all on this momentous occasion. It kind of boosted the ego, knowing exactly how much he liked me. It was a relief too, after being friends with Quin for a year and not knowing why he was hanging out with me, what his intentions were.
On the other hand, regarding Robbie, all his intentions were being beamed right into my ear:
She looks perfect.
I want to kiss her.
I wonder if she’ll let me have her leftover spaghetti.
Transparent as the ice water in my glass. It was comforting. Some of his thoughts were kind of weird, but overall, comforting.
It just occurred to me that, if I stayed Goddess of Love all my life, I wouldn’t need to be nervous at a date ever again.
Summary:
College student Hannah Maquiling, also temporarily working as the Goddess of Love, has had enough of everyone asking for her help when it comes to relationships. It’s her turn to find romance! She deserves it, after serving as matchmaker and confidant to everyone else in Ford River College for the past year. She’s had a crush on handsome senior (and God of the Sun) Quin forever, but he’s destined to fall in love with an extraordinary mortal woman, so she’s figured her chances with him have pretty much dropped to zero.
It’s not like she doesn’t have any options for a classic college romance though. There’s Diego, God of the Sea and Quin’s best friend/enemy. And regular guy Robbie is stepping up, making sure she knows how he feels about her. How hard can it be for a goddess to find someone to love, and be loved in return?
LINKS:
Book Excerpt:
That particular Saturday would have been Introduce Robbie to My Mom Day, and I wanted it to be because I wanted to ask about the beach party, but it didn’t happen. Because she had plans.
She actually had plans! That was a good thing. She didn’t want to admit it, but I suspected that she was having fun. For the first time in years. She and my dad separated over five years ago, and though she eventually accepted it, she didn’t exactly start enjoying life right away. Before I went to college her life was all about me, and the things she had to do for me.
I missed her, but I wanted her to have a little fun too. It took almost two years of living alone again, but I think it was finally happening.
“Who are these plans with?” I teased. I called her on a Friday night, and caught her out with friends. I could barely hear her because there was something wailing a Bon Jovi song in the background.
“Someone at work. Can you not ask so many questions first? I really don’t know what to think of this yet.” To my knowledge she hadn’t summoned the Goddess of Love just yet, so whatever it was, she wasn’t feeling so conflicted about it. And I tried not to probe the hearts of people I actually knew, if I could help it.
“I trust you,” I said, laughing.
“I definitely need to meet Robbie though. He’s the basketball captain, right? The guy you were talking about last year?”
“No, Mom, that guy’s just a friend.”
“Oh, that’s weird. Anyway—the house is a mess, so let me just take him out for pizza or something. I’ll let you know when. Is he okay with that?”
“He’ll follow you anywhere, Mom.”
So that was how I got that Saturday just for Robbie and me, and we did something I had never done before.
I did math with a boy.
Mina V. Esguerra writes contemporary romance, young adult, and new adult novellas. Her young adult/fantasy trilogy Interim Goddess of Love is a college love story featuring gods from Philippine mythology. Her contemporary romance novella Fairy Tale Fail won the 2012 Filipino Readers’ Choice award for Chick Lit. Through her blog Publishing in Pajamas (minavesguerra.com), she documents her experiments in e-publishing.
When not writing romance, she is president of communications firm Bronze Age Media, development communication consultant, indie publisher, professional editor, wife, and mother. She created the workshop series “Author at Once” and #romanceclass for writers and publishers.
For more info about the author, you may check out her website, or contact her through twitter, facebook and goodreads.
-xoOox-
Now for the giveaway part, get a chance to win copies of Interim Goddess of Love clicking this linky: a Rafflecopter giveaway
A big thanks to Dia of Book Junkie Joint for organizing this blog tour!
Well, what should I say? I’m glad my office crush is not an IT guy or else I’m doomed.
Okay, I really don’t know how to start with my review because I still can’t get over with all the kilig I felt after finishing the book. Perhaps, I should start with this warning:Never use your company email for telling personal stuff (specially your office crush) to your friends at work for some cute IT guy, who also happens to be your crush, might be prying on your email.
Attachments is really a very lovable story. I love everything about it specially the way the author used the (email) epistolary style in presenting the characters. To be more specific, I love the email exchanges between Beth and Jennifer because admittedly, we often do that in our office. I mean, we usually maximize the sametime feature of our company email to chat with each other about personal stuff like, in my case, crush sightings :D.
I think that is the reason why I find the story so realistic. As for the characters… well, I adore Lincoln! I picture him as someone who looks like this:
I think I’ll stop here. I just want you to read it and hopefully agree with me later that it’s a nice story indeed.
Title: Attachments
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Rating:Rating: 
Copy: E-book
Read from March 23 to 24, 2013
Dear Lord, I praise and thank you for guarding my heart all these years. I thank you that you have not allowed me to get into a wrong kind of relationship and commit more acts of Cupidity. You’ve told me once that I was made for romance, and the only one who can offer it to me consistently and deeply is your son, Jesus. So as I patiently wait for that pleasing and perfect will of Yours for me, I pray that You continue to guard and strengthen my heart more. Remind me constantly to use this gift of single-blessedness as an opportunity to serve and honor You and to serve others. I also pray that you protect me from all the things that this world may offer but are outside of Your will so I may avoid the acts of Cupidity mentioned in this book. Teach me to really fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith so I may become the woman (or wife) that You want me to be. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen. Your daughter,
Okay, so that was my initial reaction after reading the book. What I like most about this book is that the authors never failed to remind that yes, in one way or another, you’ve committed an act of cupidity but it’s never too late to ask for forgiveness and start with a clean slate. Our God is a God of forgiveness and redemption.Cupidity was actually more of a reminder for me that we should really test against God’s Word whatever things we heard about love. Every believer should always bear in mind that God is always concerned about our lives, and that includes our love life.
Title: Cupidity
Author: Hailey and Michael DiMarco
Rating:Rating: 
Copy: Owned
Read from February 05 to March 17, 2013
Ever since I first get to know Jesus personally, it has always been my desire to grow and mature in my faith in Him. As a relatively young Christian, I know I still have a long way to go to reach at least that same level of maturity exemplified by Paul in the bible. I still find it hard to submit to Jesus completely and I still commit sin over and over again. My only consolation is that I’m holding to God’s promise that He will finish into completion the good thing He has started in me. I’m holding to my faith that in Him I can have eternal life not because of my performance but because He is gracious and loving.
Jesus said that if we will accept Him as the Lord and Saviour of our life, we can have eternal life. When I first heard about this, I refuse to believe it. Is the way to heaven really that easy? Just by accepting Jesus in my life I can be assured of going to heaven? I don’t think so. The bible even says that you have to choose the narrow road before you can go to heaven.
But then God opened my heart and He made me accept the truth and truly, accepting and believing in Jesus as our Lord and Savior is actually not that easy. Well, believing that He is a Saviour, yeah maybe, but as Lord, that’s a different thing. Imagine allowing someone to tell you things you need to do even if you don’t want to. Who would want that? But then, that’s what Jesus really wants from us. He cannot be our Savior unless He is Lord. It may seem difficult to surrender our life to Him but the truth is, it’s the other way around. Life with Jesus is a lot more easy. He can even make us the kind of person that He wants us to be, if we will only let Him do the work for us. All we need to do is align our hearts with Him. And the message of this book revolves around this truth.
The message of this book is not actually new for it is a universal truth for Christians that doing the will of God should be our greatest desire. It is only by living the life according to His will that we can have a full and meaningful life – a life that is filled with purpose. As mentioned by the author, “Learning to desire God’s will is not something we can accomplish by resolve and willpower. It occurs only when we live so close to God’s heart that the rhythm of our own heartbeat comes to reflect the divine pulse.”
This book is actually an encouragement and a challenge for me. Somehow God used this book to reveal to me and make me realize that I’m really doing things the wrong way. No matter how many sacrifices I made for God, it will be useless unless I do it with the right motivation, and that is love. Love for God, for other people and for the world. What really matters to God is the state of our heart and I know this is still one of the process items in my life. But, I don’t despair because I know Jesus will help me and make me change my heart. A heart that is beating and longing only for Him. 🙂
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a reader would find that books worth reading are worth reading twice and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is definitely one of them.
Pride and Prejudice is actually the first classic book I’ve ever read from cover to cover. Since I’m not used to reading classics back then, it took me ages before I get the hang of the story and eventually finish it. Nevertheless, I was able to appreciate the story and it instantly became my favorite. Well, who would not fall in love with the story of Lizzie and Mr. Darcy?
Three years later, this book was chosen as the featured book for the October face-to-face discussion of my book club. So, I decided to read it again since I wasn’t able to retain most of the details of the story in my memory. It was worth reading twice indeed for I find it sweeter the second time around. For some weird reason, I am really a fan of love-hate story and it was only when I read this book the second time that I realized that this is the best love-hate story I’ve read so far. It was also when I read it again that I was able to appreciate more the care-free character of Elizabeth Bennet, the snob-outside-but-soft-inside character of Mr. Darcy, the annoying character of Mrs. Bennet and the cool father character of Mr. Bennet.
Pride and Prejudice is truly an enduring classic so no wonder it became one of the most popular books in English literature and inspired most of the novels of today and became the favorite subject for film and tv adaptations.
I’m not really fond of paranormal YA books, maybe because I had enough of Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and yes, Twilight that I get tired of reading about people with extraordinary power.It was only last month that I started reading this genre again and I’ve chosen this book after reading the Hex Hall series.
I’ve been seeing good reviews about this book, and I got curious that most reviews say that the male protagonist is swoon-worthy. Well, I guess they’re right. It’s really hard not to like this book because love-hate relationship are really my favorite recipe for a love story. And I love the characters, especially Katy, who also happens to be a bookworm and a blogger. As for Daemon, yes, he is swoon-worthy but I think I still prefer decent guys over bad-ass ones. I really find the brawling episodes between Katy and Daemon sweet and cute so yes, I think I’ll love following this series.
I just can’t believe that I was able to put off reading this work of Gaiman for a year now. The movie adaptation of this book was one of my favorites last year so I decided to try the book as well. Besides, I’ve been hearing good things about Neil Gaiman from my bookworm friends. I’m glad I did because I enjoyed the book as much as I enjoyed the movie.
Stardust is a fantasy story about a lovestruck man, Tristan Thorn and a fallen star, Yvaine. Initially, Tristan was inlove with another woman, Victoria, and he will do everything just to get her attention. So when she asked him to get the fallen star for her, Tristan did not hesitate to cross the wall and oblige to Victoria’s request. To his surprise, what he found was not a piece of rock but an unbelievably stubborn girl and that’s the start of their wonderful story.
Anyway, I’ll stop discussing the details of the story in this review for I might spill some spoilers.
My experience while reading the book was actually a rehash of the experience I had when I was watching the movie. However, I felt betrayed when I found out at the end of the book that the movie was different in a number of ways. Well, they say never judge a book by its movie so maybe i’ll take note of that next time.
I gave this book 4 stars because I really like it. I think watching the movie first didn’t help for I was so familiar with the plot that I didn’t get excited that much while reading. But I want to give Gaiman some credit for the plot because it’s really unique and I love his kind of old english writing style so for sure, this is definitely not my last book from Gaiman.
No Ordinary Day 