February 2016 Rewind

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Hello there! It feels like it has been forever since I have last written a proper blog post (in internet year it probably has been forever). As I have mentioned in a previous post, February has been a huge month for me. While I had hoped to be able to queue posts, that didn't happen and I ended up not writing much at all! Life is beginning to settle down though (thank goodness) and I'm crossing my fingers I'll have proper wifi next week.

In the meantime, however, let's catch up!

New to My Shelves

I returned to a land where bargain books and libraries exist, and as a result kind of lost control over my book-buying. My excuse is that most of them were under $10. 

Purchased: 



  • The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes
  • The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
  • Seriously... I'm Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres
  • The Intern by Gabrielle Tozer
Status of my 2016 book budget: $60.02

For Review:



Reviews

Other Things on the Blog

  • I participated in Snazzy Snippets with 3 love-themed snippets from my WIP.
  • Love-A-Thon came around and I had a blast, even though all I had time to participate in was the introduction and a twitter chat. I'm definitely keen to participate again in next year!

Challenges Progress

  • Goodreads challenge: 6/30 books
  • Discussion challenge: 2/24 discussion posts
  • Diverse Reads challenge: 3 books
  • #RockMyTBR challenge: 4 books
  • Backlist Books challenge: 4 books
  • Around the World challenge: click here for my map!
  • Commenting 365 challenge: 25/365 comments
Basically, I am behind on everything Dx

Around the Blogosphere

I haven't had the chance to read around the blogosphere much given the relocation and lack of internet, but this post from Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books includes a list of excellent posts that I'm hoping to read someday soon.

In Life

To keep a long and potentially convoluted story short, I went on a family vacation, moved internationally, sorted a bunch of paperwork required for my course, and am now a student all over again. In fact, writing this post is my break from doing required readings for class. 

It hasn't been all hard work and hard times though. I've lived in Australia before, so I had a week of reunions with old friends and getting to eat at my favourite places again, which was fantastic. I also celebrated my birthday last week! I was told I'm officially an adult now, which is rather terrifying. 

In Store for Next Month

  • Every review I promised in my January Rewind.
  • My first ever blog tour!
  • Discussions posts
  • Potentially a new blog feature. 

Let's chat!
How has your February been? Are you looking forward to March? What are you reading?

Love-a-Thon: an Introduction



Hello! This is my first time participating in Love-A-Thon, and I'm excited to get on board. I won't be here for every event, as it's going to be my birthday tomorrow and then the start of a new course, but I look forward to the parts that I will be around for. :D 

If you haven't heard of the Love-A-Thon, it is an event dedicated to spreading positivity and love. It’s time dedicated to visiting other bloggers/Instagrammers/BookTubers, leaving a comment or two, making new friends and fostering positivity among the members of our amazing community. 

Let's start off with an introduction!

1. What’s your name?
You can call me Cilla. :D

2. Where in the world are you blogging from?
Up until two weeks ago, I was blogging from Indonesia. Now, I'm blogging from Australia. 

3. How did you get into blogging in the first place?
A friend on Goodreads started posting her reviews, and I loved reading them. That was the first lure. By following her link, I started reading her blog, and the term 'ARC' popped up somewhere there. I asked her about it, and she told me about NetGalley. The idea that you could get books in exchange for giving it your honest opinion was the second lure. I couldn't shake the idea after that, but it took me about six months before I actually took the leap. 

Funnily enough, although it was the concept of ARC that brought me in, I rarely seek them out once I actually have a blog. My towering pile of TBRs is intimidating enough. xD

4. How did you come up with your blog name?
The funny thing about coming home after having been away for a while is that everything stays the same, but you haven't. I felt there was a growing gap between me and my family, but we still share a love for books. The hypothetical road we can walk together is paved with books. ;)

5. What genre do you read and review the most on your blog?
Looking through my review archive, it seems to be a split between Fantasy and Science Fiction.  

6. What other types of posts do you do on your blog, apart from reviews?
I write discussion posts and participate in Top Ten Tuesdays. :D

7. Best blogging experience so far?
Ooh this is a difficult one. My first Twitter chat was so overwhelming, but I loved it so much; it helped me strike up conversations with so many new bloggers. Participating in Jillian's Blogger Positivity Campaign was also a real joy. 

8. Favorite thing about the blogging community?
There are still times that I feel like I'm standing on the outside looking in when it comes to the blogging community. However, I have found that when I reach out, most bloggers are very kind and happy to chat!

9. Name the 5 books you’re most excited for this 2016!
Here are my top five: A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro, The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury, Mirror in the Sky by Aditi Khorana, Heartless by Marissa Meyer, and Special by Georgia Blain.

10. Name the 5 books you want to read this 2016 that you didn’t get to in previous years!
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab, Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan, aaand The Diviners by Libba Bray

11. What’s an underrated book or series that you think everyone should read?
I'm not sure if it's underrated, but everyone should definitely read The Song of Achilles.

12. Which book boy or girl would be your book BFF?
I think I would get along splendidly with Ginny Weasley, actually. The book version, that is, not the movie version. She's bold and feisty, which will complement my shy personality and tendency to hesitate.

13. Which book boy or girl would be your book boyfriend/girlfriend?
My book boyfriend would either be Peeta Mellark, or Remus Lupin, or James Carstairs. It's impossible to choose between them! 

 14. Who would you recruit for your apocalypse squad (5 characters max)?

This is something I haven't thought about before. Hmm, I'd recruit Gale Hawthorne for his strategic skills, Hermione Granger for obvious reasons, and Simon Lewis because I could use his sense of humour.

15. Apart from reading, what are your other hobbies or interests?
I love watching television shows. At the moment, my favourites are Arrow, Nashville, Elementary, Castle, and Bones.

16. Apart from book shopping, what else do you like shopping for?

Oh man, I actually dislike shopping. I have to be in the right mood to enjoy the outing. That said, when I am in the mood for shopping, I like shopping for jewelleries. Not the gold and silver kind - I love handmade, quirky bracelets and necklaces.  

17. At a party, the DJ suddenly changes the song – and it’s your song. What song would be playing?

I've never picked any song to be my song to be honest, and the ones I do aren't really the kind to be played at parties! However, the one song that would always get me in the mood to dance is Kill Me in a Record Shop by Boys Like Girls. 

18. Pick out either a book you want turned into a film/TV show, or a film/TV show you want turned into a book.
I really, really want Animorphs to be turned into a TV show again. Now that we have the technology to make the morphing process look realistic, and an audience that's hungry for such dystopian sci-fi stories. Up the characters' ages a little bit, and it'll be perfect for the YA crowd.

19. What would your dream library look like?
It would look like this: 
source
20. Author you want to meet and sit down to tea with?
No doubt about it - I would love to sit down for tea with J.K. Rowling. I'd love to talk about her books and writing process. Moreover, she seems like such an intelligent woman that I think a general chat about the affairs of the world would be so much fun.  

A Useful Woman: A Rosalind Thorne Mystery ll Blood in the ballroom

Title: A Useful Woman: A Rosalind Thorne Mystery 
Author: Darcie Wilde
Publisher: Berkley Paperback
Source: Edelweiss
Synopsis: First in the new Regency Mystery series inspired by the novels of Jane Austen.

 After her baronet father abandoned the family, Rosalind Thorne was nearly ruined. To keep up appearances, she began to manage the affairs of some of London society’s most influential women, who have come to rely on her wit and discretion.

 So, when aristocratic wastrel Jasper Aimesworth is found dead in London’s most exclusive ballroom, Almack’s, Rosalind must use her skills and connections to uncover the killer from a list of suspects that includes Almack’s powerful patronesses and her former suitor Devon Winterbourne, now Lord Casselmaine.

 Torn between her old love and a growing attraction to a compelling Bow Street runner, Rosalind must not only unravel the mysteries surrounding Jasper’s death, but the mysteries of her own heart as well…
add to goodreads



Review:
A Useful Woman encompasses a lot of the things I love in fiction. Lady detective + a historical period + whodunnit = a very interested Cilla. As shown by my previous read in a similar niche, however, having all of these elements alone doesn't guarantee the book will be a new favourite. This time though, I fell in love.

The cast of characters are fabulous, though two in particular stand out to me. Rosalind Thorne is fascinating to read as she navigates the social conventions of the Regency era using the limited means in her disposal. She must carry herself with tact and reverence to others, but she's got steel. Her position in the peripheral of the haute ton (as the book would say) reminds me of Miss Marple; society kind of looks down upon her while still accepting her as their own, which puts her in an excellent position as a sleuth. Honoria is another complex character, whose attitude toward social conventions is refreshingly shocking.

The main men aren't as appealing to me here, not as characters but as love interests. Devon Winterbourne - the lost love - is intriguing but rather aggravating in his conduct throughout the book. Adam Harkness, the Bow Street runner, is far more dashing a character despite his lack of blue blood; the chemistry between him and Rosalind is instantly apparent, and yet I wish they hadn't acknowledged it quite so quickly. I like my romance slow-burn. Also, I'm wary of love triangles, but these characters hold my interest enough that I won't hold that too much against the book.

I adore the mystery. At one stage I felt there couldn't be enough pages to answer all of the questions Rosalind had, but the unfolding of the climax was well-paced. Toward the end, I was so hooked, I read the last hundred or so pages in one night. I loved that everything about the mystery was grounded in the dillemma of the period, from the priorities and habits of high society to the settings of each event. Admittedly I don't know the details of social norms in Regency era so don't ask me about minute accuracy, but generally I felt that Rosalind belonged in the same time period as Elizabeth Bennet.

Overall, I highly enjoyed this book and will be keeping an eye out for another Rosalind Thorne mystery. I would recommend this to fans of Jane Austen who also enjoy a good whodunnit.

(I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the publisher. The expected on sale date is May 3, 2016.)


Let's talk!
Does this sound like a book you would read? What's your opinion on love triangles? Am I the only one who finds girl detectives so appealing?

Snazzy Snippets (1) -- Love is All Around


Snazzy Snippets is  a bi-monthly link-up for writers hosted by Emily of Loony Literate and Alyssa of The Devil Orders Takeout. Every two months, Emily and Alyssa post three prompts which you then share a 500 word of less snippet of your writing in response to each prompt.

As I mentioned some time earlier in this blog, one of my goals this year is to complete the first draft of my WIP. I've been working on planning/plotting for it, and my ideas are still quite disjointed. However, when I saw the prompts for this month's Snazzy Snippets, I was inspired to write out some of the scenes!

The working title for my WIP is Finchtown, and it is a YA dystopia retelling of The Little Mermaid. Now, onto the prompts! At the moment it doesn't look like romance plays a large part in my plot, so I have snippets for familial and platonic relationships too.

Prompt 1: A heartwarming snippet that makes readers go “aww!”


Prompt 2: A kissing snippet


(so it's not actually kissing, but close enough, yes?)

Prompt 3: A snippet where love interests friends first appear together




I'm actually mildly terrified about sharing this, which is interesting given I have written and put fanfictions up online before, but original fictions are different somehow. Also these are subject to change as I continue to work on the main frame of the story. Thoughts, anyone?

ARC Review: Brooklyn On Fire ll Intriguing mystery let down by expositions


Title: Brooklyn On Fire: A Mary Handley Mystery
Author: Lawrence H. Levy
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Source: DRC from Blogging for Books
Synopsis: Brooklyn’s most witty and daring detective risks everything to solve a dangerous triple-murder case

After closing a case with the Brooklyn Police Department, Mary Handley is determined to become an official detective in her own right. And when Emily Worsham shows up at her new office— convinced her uncle John Worsham was murdered and desperate for answers—Mary’s second assignment begins.  

As she investigates the curious circumstances surrounding John’s death, Mary soon finds herself entangled in a high-stakes family scandal, a series of interconnected murders, political corruption, untrustworthy sources, and an unexpected romance with a central member of New York’s elite. 

Featuring historic figures like Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and the Vanderbilt family, Brooklyn on Fire takes Mary on a wild journey from New York City to North Carolina to uncover not only the truth of one man’s death, but to unravel the mystery in three murders – with links tied perilously close to her own personal world.

add to goodreads

Review:

Being the Nancy Drew fangirl that I am, I was intrigued by the premise of this book. A mystery involving triple homicides, set in 1890 Brooklyn, with an intelligent lady detective -  yes, yes, and yes. I was hopeful when I started this book, and while those hopes weren't crushed, I came away with mixed feelings. 

The best part about this book is the way the mystery plays out. It kicked off right away with a prologue that had me going 'Whaaaat?' and had several twists that truly caught me off-guard. I love the way the cast was all brought together; I was impatient at first with what seemed like a multitude of random characters, but they all play a part in the plot. I also enjoy how the story features famous historical figures and events; it feels very grounded in reality, which helps transport me to that time period. As a non-American with very little knowledge of New York's history, the historical figures are of little interest to me, but they are portrayed well enough that their presence didn't hinder my understanding of the story.

Also, it should be said that this is the second in the series, but the fact that I haven't read the first installment did not hurt my enjoyment of the book.

As for the leading lady, Mary Handley is a fun detective to follow. She's intelligent, keenly observant and headstrong, and I can't help but root for a woman pursuing her passion when the world says she shouldn't. I only wish the narrative and the characters around her didn't keep telling me how brilliant she is. 

''Sean had yet to get over the fact that he had a younger sister who was much brighter and more competent at many things which males, especially big brothers were supposed to shine. ... Though not as smart as Mary (few were)..." (pg 43)

The quote above is only one instance in which the narrative spells out what is already obvious about the characters. Another is a remark about an aspiring actress. ''She was at best deluded and quite possibly insane." (pg 62) This wasn't necessary given everything I've seen about this actress. Such explanations were my biggest problem with the book. I'd much rather be led to make my own conclusions about these people. 

The expositions also tend to be spoilers, weirdly enough. "That's when she knew that, not then but someday, she and this very gentle man were going to fall in love." (pg 69) I instantly lost interest in the development of the romance upon reading this line. A similar line also revealed that a character was going to be in danger in the future because of Mary. Sure, given the nature of the story, I already knew that was going to happen, but I don't want to be told in advance about it. 

All in all, I enjoyed this enough, but I could have liked it more. The mystery fan in me was satisfied, but my love for characters was not.


(I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. The publication date is 19th January 2016)

January 2016 Rewind



We're a whole month into 2016, and sometimes I still think this is 2015. Hopeless, I know. I think I've managed to hold on to most of my resolutions, though I am already failing at the 'exercise regularly' part. How are you guys going with your resolutions?

Now, onto the recap!

New to My Shelves

  • I plucked up the courage to request two ARCs through Blogging for Books and Edelweiss, and I got them! I've just finished Brooklyn on Fire, so a review will be coming soon, and I'm currently enjoying A Useful Woman. Also, looking at these covers below, can't you tell I have a soft spot for lady detectives?   



  • All The Light We Cannot See was $4.99 on iBooks, and since I've been eyeing the book for months, I decided to buy it. That leaves me with a $95.01 book budget for the rest of the year, which isn't too bad, right?

Reviews

Other Things on the Blog

Not quite on the blog but related, here are the photos I uploaded to my bookstagram this month. Click on the picture to see my account!


Challenges Progress

  • Goodreads challenge: 4/30 books
  • Discussion challenge: 2/24 discussion posts
  • Diverse Reads challenge: 2 books
  • #RockMyTBR challenge: 3 books
  • Backlist Books challenge: 3 books
  • Around the World challenge: ermmm, I still need to import the locations into my map, but there are about 8 locations so far.
  • Commenting 365 challenge: 25/365 comments (not as far behind as I thought I was!)
In general, I'm on track with all the challenges, except for Around The World. I need to start remembering to take notes of the locations when I read.

Around the Blogosphere

I read a lot of fantastic discussion posts in the past month, and I'd like to share some of them with you!

In Life

January has been another big month for me personally. I finished at work last week, which was bittersweet. I've grown to really like my colleagues and (some of) my students, and while I'm excited about the next chapter of my life, saying goodbye wasn't as easy as I expected. I've also started packing my suitcases, and in a couple of days I'll be moving out and heading for grad school. There's so much to do, I might actually forget most of my anxieties about the transition!

In Store for Next Month

As I will be really busy for at least two weeks in February, and potentially without internet for a bit, I may be absent in terms of replying to comments. I'm planning on queueing up some posts to go up while I'm away, so fingers crossed the following posts will actually go up next month!
  • Review: Brooklyn on Fire
  • Review: Everything, Everything
  • Review: Go Set a Watchman
  • 2 discussion posts.
Let's chat! 
How was your January? What are you reading right now? Did you find a new favourite? What are you looking forward to in February? 

The Liebster Award

The Liebster Award is given to bloggers by bloggers to recognize awesome blogs, get to know others in the blogger community, and follow new blogs! Thanks so much to Alexis Elizabeth @ The Reading Hideaway for the nomination - this is my first time so I'm quite excited :D

The rules:

- Thank the blog who nominated you and link back to them.
- Nominate up to 11 other bloggers to receive the award.  To be eligible, they need to have 200 followers or less.
- Answer 11 questions from the blogger who nominated you.
- Tell your readers 11 random facts about yourself.
- Give your nominees 11 questions to answer on their blog when they post their nomination.

The fabulous bloggers to whom The Liebster Award goes to...

1. Cam @ Cammminbookland
2. Alyson @ Harry, Jane and John
3. Kristen @ Kristen Burns
5. Catherine @ Based on the Book
7. Jane @ Greenish Bookshelf
8. Julia @ The Tree of Books
9. Connie @ Drowning in Books
10. Shay @ The Story Goes...

(I'm going to go around and let people know they've been nominated soon, but if you're reading this and you see your name - go for it!)

My answers to The Reading Hideaway's questions:

1. What bookish memes (if any) do you participate in? 
I participate fairly regularly in Top Ten Tuesdays. I've been thinking about doing the Sunday Post, but I'm rarely on my laptop around the weekend.

2. What's your go-to beverage when you're reading? 
Nothing, really. I tend to read in bed or while commuting, and I don't usually have a beverage with me then, or I'd wait until I finish reading to fish out my water bottle.

3. What's your dream vacation? 
A leisurely travel through Europe, ooor a week in Orlando where I get to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Disneyland and enjoy them as much as I want.

4. What's one book that you've had on your shelf for a long time and haven't read yet?
Oooh there are heaps! I think the one I've had on my shelf the longest is The Golden Compass. I started it a couple of years ago but lost interest a few pages in. 

5. When did you start blogging and why? 
I started blogging in April 2015. I realised that, together, my family and I owned a ridiculous amount of unread books, and I thought it would be fun to share my effort in reading them all. 

6. Do you enjoy writing? 
It's my absolute favourite thing to do in the world.

7. What's your favorite scent?
Hmmm. It's either shea butter or the smell of my mom's kitchen when she's cooking.

8. Coke or Pepsi?
Neither. I don't like soda.

9. Paperback or Hardcover? 
Paperback! Hardcovers are pretty, but I like to bring my books around with me and hardcovers are too heavy.

10. Who do you consider to be your book boyfriend/girlfriend? 
Funnily enough, I've never really thought of this! I'd say Peeta Mellark or Jem Carstairs or Ron Weasley - they're the sort of guys I'd have the biggest crush on in real life.

11. What's one book you would want to be adapted into a movie?
The Night Circus. It has the potential to be really gorgeous visually, and with the right cast, it would make quite a magical movie. 

11 Random Facts About Me:

1. When I was in elementary school, I wrote a 3-part series that was basically a rip-off of Animorphs - an alien meets a group of children and tells them to save the world kind of thing. It was not good but will never see the light of day again, but at the time it was huge for me. It was the first piece of writing I showed my friends and my parents, and they took it seriously. 

2. Australian Open is the only time of the year I care about tennis.

3. If I could speak one more language, I would want it to be Mandarin or German.

4. I don't like naps.

5. According to my parents, the first story I loved is Sleeping Beauty.

6. I can't ride a bike.

7. In the five years I've had my iPhone, I've only dropped it five times. The screen is still in tact.

8. I've never been really artistic, but lately I've gotten into colouring. It's far more fun than I thought it would be!

9. I used to (and, in a way, still kind of do) write Harry Potter fanfictions. 

10. I kissed a dolphin when I was six years old.

11. I love freshly squeezed orange juice.

11 Questions for the bloggers I nominated:

1. What 3 books are on your must-read list for 2016?
2. If you had to eat the same food every day, what would you choose?
3. What is your favourite thing about blogging?
4. Which do you prefer: tablet or laptop?
5. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you go?
5. Noodles or rice?
6. What book do you always recommend to everyone?
7. Do you have a favourite Disney movie?
8. What is your comfort food?
9. What is your favourite quote?
10. What's the one book you would never, ever, read?
11. What's the most important thing you've learned about blogging so far?


To the bloggers nominated - I hope you'll have fun with this, and please leave me a link if you do the post!
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