Book Haul: January 2015

I didn't buy lot of books last month. Only 6 books. Three English Young Adult and three Malay books. I'm not really a frequent buyer of Malay books but I was at the book fair and there was some promotion, so I bought 3 books from Fixi booth. 

Here are the books that I bought;

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

~ I always want to read this book. I heard so many good things about this book. So when I saw this at my local bookstore, I grab it immediately. I'm planning to read the book this month. 

Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Porter

~ The main reason I bought this book is the cover. I know.... Never judge a book by its cover but I just can't help it. The cover looks great and I consider myself as a misfit. I read this book already. Only took me less than 24 hours so it's a great book. Lucky me. 

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

~ I have the e-book version of this novel and I read it already. And I really love it so I want a physical copy as a collection. So I got it. And I still can't find Isla on my local bookstore. Unbelievable.

Asrama (Hostel) by Muhammad Fatrim

~ One of the Malay books that I bought. It's a horror story. The setting is a hostel at the boarding school. Something like that. I heard lot of good things about this book. I can't wait to read it but I'm pretty sure I'm not going to read it at night. 

Seronok (Fun) by Saat Omar

~ The cover is really interesting. It's about a private investigator who was hired by a woman to spy on her husband. But he was shocked to find out that the woman's husband was his former lover. Sounds scandalous to me. I'm going to read it soon. 

Perjalanan (Journey) by Regina Ibrahim

~ I think I never read a book about a transgender before. So I'm going to read this. I'm not sure what to expect but the synopsis sounds like it is a fun book. 

That's all the books that I bought last month. Next month, I already have some books in my list. I'm very excited for the second book in the The Bone Season series. 

TV: American Idol Season 14 - Top 15 Auditions

Hello!!!

I'm not a fan of American Idol last year. It started so well but at the end, wrong singer was crowned as the winner. Hopefully, we'will have a great winner this season. And no more Randy Jackson (yay!!!). He wasn't just a terrible judge but a terrible mentor too. Scott Borchetta will replace him as a mentor this season. He's the one who's discovered Taylor Swift. So it's definitely a good start for American Idol this year.

The audition round was over two weeks ago. It's time for Hollywood Week. But here are my Top 15 Auditions from this season;

1. Jax - I Wanna Hold Your Hand (The Beatles)

2. Rayvon Owen - Wide Awake (Katy Perry)

3. Sarina-Joi Crowe - Love Runs Out (One Republic)

4. Trevor Douglas - Sing (Ed Sheeran)

5. Adanna Duru - You And I (Lady GaGa)

6. Tyanna Jones - Wings (Little Mix)

7. Nick Fradiani - In Your Eyes (Peter Gabriel)

8. Lovey James - Break Free (Ariana Grande)

9. Maddie Walker - Suitcase (Gwen Sebastian)

10. Clark Beckham - It's A Man's World (James Brown)

11. Katherine Winston - If I Didn't Know Better (Clare Bowen)

12. Savion Wright - Change The World (Eric Clapton)

13. Shannon Berthiaume - House of the Rising Sun (The Animals)

14. Michael Simeon - Stay With Me (Sam Smith)

15. Riley Bria - Georgia Woods (Keith Urban)

Book Haul: November 2014 & Big Bad Wolf 2014

A little bit late for this post. Some stupid laptop problem and I also wait for the Big Bad Wolf book sale before I publish this post. I saved money for the Big Bad Wolf and totally avoid myself from my local bookstore. Well it worked because except for the few magazines, I managed to save some money for the book sale. 

Big Bad Wolf book sale is one of them most wicked book sale ever. The discounts were ridiculously cheap. 75 - 90 % cheaper from the original price. Yeah, I went crazy for a while during my trip to the MIECC. 

Here are the books that I bought;

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

~ I can't believe I saw this book. I planned to buy this but I never expected to see it in the book sale because it's a quite famous book. I only saw a copy so I grabbed it instantly. It was sold at RM 8 (Around 2.25 US Dollar). 

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

~ I have the digital version of this book (along with Anna & Isla) but I still don't have a physical copy. I was lucky to find this book, also for RM 8 (2.25 US Dollar). However I couldn't find Anna and Isla but I do plan to buy the physical copy soon. 

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

~ I'm currently reading book four so when I finish it, I can continue with this one. The price is very cheap. The price was RM 5 (1.43 US Dollar) for a hard cover. I was like really? What a great purchase for me!!!

Husband by Brad Bell & Jane Espenson

~ A graphic novel. I watched the web series. And I really like it. I bought this for like RM10. Totally cheap for a graphic novel. The graphic looks great. I believe there are several short stories in this graphic novel. 

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl & Cassandra Jean

~ I love the Beautiful Creatures but I still don't read the second book in this series. Don't know why because I really like the first book. Guess too busy and I just forgot about this series. Maybe this graphic novel will reminds me and open my heart to read the second book?

That's all the book I got from the book sale. A little bit upset because some of the books that I planned to buy, I just can't find it. Like The Kite Runner, Gone Girl, Attachments. I saw it in the other people's basket but I just couldn't find it. 

Well I plan for another visit this weekend. Hopefully, I will be lucky enough for my second visit. 

Review: Anna And The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkin

Stephanie Perkin

This book tells a story of Anna, an American girl who was sent by her father to a boarding school in Paris, France. She was looking forward to spend her senior year with her best friend and the boy that she has a crush on but her father ruins her plan by shipping her to SOAP (School of America in Paris). 

Anna is ready to be miserable in Paris until she meets a group of friends. They are not only befriend Anna but also drag her out of her dorm to experience the city of Paris the way it should be. Anna starts to have a feeling to one of her friends in Paris, St. Clair but he is already in a relationship. She tries to hide her feeling but the connection and chemistry between them are just too much. 

To me the best part of the book is the relationship between Anna & St. Clair. It was slow, carefully developed by the author so we can feel the chemistry between the two of them. I like Anna. She tried her best to fit in with St. Clair's friends and her obsession on spending the time at cinema was so cute. And she wrote movie reviews!!! I love her. 

St. Clair is a very charming guy. Not going to blame Anna for her crush on him because he is a caring, warm and adorable. Together they are perfect for each other and it's easy to root for them to be together even though St. Clare is already taken. 

The supporting characters really added to the story. I like Josh the most and I can't wait to read the third book in this series which is going to focus on Josh and the girl who Anna thought is perfect for him, Isla. 

Overall, I love the book. It's very romantic and the ending was so beautiful. I'm currently reading the second book in this series, Lola and the Boy Next Door. 

Album: Top 5 Songs from Chapter One (Ella Henderson)

Hello!!!

Ella Henderson was in The X Factor UK 2012 and she finished at 6th place (I'm still pissed off at that). Chapter One is her debut album under Simon Cowell's label, Syco. With this album, she proved that she should be the one who walked out with the title of the winner of The X Factor (not you, James Arthur!!!)

To pick only 5 songs from this album is killing me. There are at least 10 songs that have potential to be the single. However, I have to do my job and here are my Top 5 songs from Chapter One

5. Missed

"I wish you luck and

goodbye..."

I still remember when she auditioned for The X Factor with this song. I was like "That's it... She will win!!!" and of course, I was wrong. This song is so beautiful. I love the message in this song so much. When a relationship is over, that's it... It's done. That's what I love from this song so much. 

9.5/10

4. Glow

"We are fire, we are fire,

And our love will burn..."

This song is currently the ringtone for my phone. Again, the lyrics capture my love for Ella's song. She's such a talented songwriter. This song is so catchy and I totally love it. 

10/10

3. Yours

"I'll wear your winter coat,

The one you love to wear..."

Another beautiful love song with beautiful lyrics. This is officially the third single from this album after Ghost & Glow and I think it's perfect especially for the winter. It just make me want to cuddle under the blanket with a special one even though I don't have any special one right now :( 

10/10

2. 1996

"I won't let these moments fade away,

It's cause of you I'm who I am today..."

This song is one of the 5 bonus songs from the deluxe version. Even though, I was not born in 1996, I still can relate to this song. It makes me appreciate those who's in my life. My mom, my dad, my friends etc... It's very personal. 

10/10

1. Ghost

"I'll keep going to the river,

To pray..."

Her debut single from this album. Everything about this song is perfect. The beats are so catchy and the lyrics are so dark and really meaningful. I just love it and this is definitely my favorite song from this album. 

10/10 

Overall Rating

~5 STARS~

The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale 2014 (5 Dec - 16 Dec 2014)

The best and biggest book sale ever in Malaysia is back!!! 

Oh my God... I'm so excited. Well who wouldn't be excited with 75% to 95% discounts on all books. And the book sale will be 278 hours non stop. 

Therefore, I'm not going to buy a lot of books this month. I'm going to wait until 5 Dec so I can go crazy during the book sale. Among the discounted books on my list are 'Attachments' by Rainbow Rowell which is the only Rainbow Rowell's book that I don't have on my shelves. I also saw books in 'The Mortal Instruments' series. So I'm definitely going to buy them. And, I also planned to buy 'The Kite Runner' and other few adult genre books.

I can't wait to share with you guys what I will get from this book sale. See ya!!!

Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Rainbow Rowell

Cath is a fan fiction writer and she's going to major in English at the college. But she is not thrilled to start her new life at the college; due to her twin sister, Wren who chose not to be a roommate with Cath. She finds out that it is hard for her to write her own story and wonders that maybe she just a good writer when it comes to fan fiction only. 

Basically her life sucks. Her roommate (Reagan) is not really friendly but Reagan's ex boyfriend, Levi who keeps coming to Cath's room (and calls her Cather) is way too friendly to her and somehow it bothers her. Cath is a very shy girl and unlike her sister she is socially unskilled. Except for Wren, she doesn't has friends.

 I really love 'Eleanor & Park' so my expectation towards this book was really high. And I heard lot of great things about this book. Cath totally reminds me of myself when I was about to start college. The fact that both of us write fan fiction makes me feel so close to her. She's very smart but sometimes it's hard for her to trust people. Probably because her mother left her when she was still a child. And now, she feels like her twin sister want to leave her as well and she was so lonely until she met Levi. Levi is very charming, genuine and honest. It's so easy to like and root for him.

I love the fact that the relationship between Cath & Levi took some times to bloom. It was gentle and slow. The bonding between them was so sweet and romantic. My favorite scene is definitely when Cath reads her fan fiction to Levi. It was such a tender and lovely moment to me. 

The development of the characters are very good. Besides Cath & Levi, I also love Reagan. She's so real and I was hoping that we get to learn more about her. I didn't like Wren at first but at the end of the book, I totally get her. The writings is brilliant. And I really like the snippet of a Simon Snow & Baz stories at the beginning of every chapter. I want to read 'Carry On' so much. 

With this book, Rainbow Rowell just become my favorite author. I love 'Eleanor & Park' but I felt more connection to 'Fangirl'. Some people might love 'Eleanor & Park' more but it's okay for me cause both books are amazing. I can't wait to read 'Landline' soon.