BLOG TOUR: A Study In Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro (Review + Dream Cast + Giveaway)

Title: A Study In Charlotte                                

Author: Brittany Cavallaro

Publication: March 1st 2016, Katherine Tegen Books

Format: e-ARC             

Source: Fantastic Flying Book Club. Thanks as always *heart eyes*                       

Pre-order it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Book Store / Fully Booked (PH)

SYNOPSIS:

The last thing sixteen-year-old Jamie Watson–writer and great-great-grandson of the John Watson–wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s enigmatic, fiercely independent great-great-granddaughter, who’s inherited not just his genius but also his vices, volatile temperament, and expertly hidden vulnerability. Charlotte has been the object of his fascination for as long as he can remember–but from the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else.

Then a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Holmes stories, and Jamie and Charlotte become the prime suspects. Convinced they’re being framed, they must race against the police to conduct their own investigation. As danger mounts, it becomes clear that nowhere is safe and the only people they can trust are each other.

Equal parts tender, thrilling, and hilarious, A Study in Charlotte is the first in a trilogy brimming with wit and edge-of-the-seat suspense.

Review: 

I've been yearning for Sherlock for 2 years now and watching every episode or movie has been helping. It's kinda like Sherlock on cocaine...but rather, staring at a laptop and screaming "MOFFAT YOU DUMBASS". I'm sorry. I just had to put that. Anyway, when I discovered that there's a novel that features teenage Holmes and Watson set in high school solving a murder and Sherlock is a GIRL? I just had to read it.

Chocolates, First Loves, Book Crushes: Laura Tims (Interview + Giveaway)

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes is a blog event featuring debut authors answering questions that I have sent them as they talk  about their Valentine's day routines, love, book crushes and more. For a list of all the participating authors, check it out here.

Laura Tims is the author of PLEASE DON'T TELL, coming Fall 2015 from HarperCollins.

She's a mental health advocate, a cancer, and a reasonably cute organism. She likes Tumblr, anime, Neko Atsume, Homestuck, Steven Universe, and Undertale. She likes you even more.

She writes books about strange relationships, pain, and people who are scared but good.

FIND LAURA: Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes: Melanie Conklin (Interview + Giveaway)

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes is a blog event featuring debut authors answering questions that I have sent them as they talk  about their Valentine's day routines, love, book crushes and more. For a list of all the participating authors, check it out here.

Melanie Conklin is a writer, reader, and life-long lover of books and those who create them. She lives in South Orange, New Jersey with her husband and two small maniacs, who are thankfully booklovers, too. Melanie spent a decade as a product designer and approaches her writing with the same three-dimensional thinking and fastidious attention to detail. Counting Thyme is her debut middle grade novel, coming from G.P. Putnam’s Sons on April 12, 2016.

FIND MELANIE : Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads

The Blog Crashers: An Open Blog Month Thing

Oh hello! It's me again, Jayvee. Of course, duh. Oh why am I such a creep? *smh* Anyway, people of the blogsphere, I'm doing another event. I know, I know. Am I not getting tired of doing events? Actually, kind of. And that's why, I'm getting y'all to crash my blog. HAHAHA! So I can chill. Just kidding. No, I mean, I'm using this as a chance to know more bloggers and also to get more audiences for bloggers if they need help... or they just really want to crash my blog because they love me. WEEEE!!!

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes: Brooks Benjamin (Interview + Giveaway)

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes is a blog event featuring debut authors answering questions that I have sent them as they talk  about their Valentine's day routines, love, book crushes and more. For a list of all the participating authors, check it out here.

In sixth grade, Brooks Benjamin formed a New Kids on the Block tribute dance crew called the New Kidz. He wasn’t that good at dancing back then. But now he’s got a new crew—his wife and their dog. They live in Tennessee, where he teaches reading and writing and occasionally busts out a few dance moves. He’s still not that good at it. His first novel, MY SEVENTH-GRADE LIFE IN TIGHTS will be released by Delacorte/Random House (April 12, 2016).

FIND : Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

In Ratings And Changing One's Mind

Hey there everyone! I hope you enjoyed a lot of what's happened on the blog this past few weeks! I'm so happy that the blog is so busy this month. I'm pretty sure I'll flop in the next coming months. WEEEE!!! Lol kidding. Anyway, a thought suddenly popped into my head for no reason as I was riding on my way home to school. How does one really rate a book, like correctly? I mean, we have rating systems and all that. Like, in a way that it feels final and you won't change your mind about it. My brain hurts.

Over the years, I have found myself quite easily pleased with books (in high school mostly) and would rate them so high that I think now that I got wrinklier and somehow the sun has given my mind some light, my love for them has, I dunno, diminished?

Tunes Pod: SCANDAL, SPYAIR, Goose house

Hi there, Misfit booknerds! This month, I went into quite the rampage... a Japanese rampage. As someone who has been drowned in anime since 3 years old, Japanese songs are not new territory to me. I remember very much when I use to sing to Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura and Magic Knight Rayearth songs on the telly. And it was such a beautiful childhood.

Anyway, I grew to love so many bands and artists from Japan because of this. And even though I know only a little bit of Japanese still, I find myself always drawn to them and the emotions that are drawn out of each song. Well, there's also the internet to help me get some translations but we'll talk about that another time. Here are the bands I have been obsessively listening to from last month up to now!

Style Misfit: Book Covers (1st Edition)

Hi there! I was on my way home when I suddenly had a brilliant idea...(I usually get them on the ride to and from school or anywhere) I remember looking at some of Alexa of Alexa Loves Books' post for Mix and Match on the Love-A-Thon mini-challenge and thought, huh! That's really cute! I also see Heidi Heilig, author of The Girl From Everywhere, posting fashion collages and she has the most amazing fashion sense. 

So, basically, I'm putting my fashion sense into the challenge. I think I have very good taste in fashion, though I total lack in execution, I can mix and match some stuff together pretty well...I hope, Here's 5 books I've made fashion collages of.

BOOK BLOGGER LOVE-A-THON 2016 MINI-CHALLENGE: Invitation To Tea

Hi there! It's the final challenge for Love-A-Thon! *raises flags of surrender but someone catches them on fire* Well, I guess, it is the final stretch, so why not! Again don't forget to go to Twitter and use the hashtag #LoveAThon to check out the posts and interact with bloggers and readers. You can also refer to Hazel of Stay Bookish's kick-off post for a list of all the participating bloggers in the event.  This event is hosted by Alexa of Alexa Loves Books, Mel of The Daily Prophecy and Cee of The Novel Hermit.

So the prompt for this challenge is:

- It’s time for a tea break! In this post, you’ll share which fictional character, book blogger OR BookTuber OR Bookstagrammer, and author you’d want to have a tea party with and why. Feel free to go above and beyond by including more details about your dream tea party!

BOOK BLOGGER LOVE-A-THON MINI CHALLENGE: Book Spine Poetry

Hey! It's the 2nd day of Love-A-Thon! It's been such an amazing 1st day for me! Thanks to everyone who has been stopping by my blog and leaving some thoughtful comments! If you want to get in the fun, go to Twitter and use the hashtag #LoveAThon to check out the posts and interact with bloggers and readers. You can also refer to Hazel of Stay Bookish's kick-off post for a list of all the participating bloggers in the event.  This event is hosted by Alexa of Alexa Loves Books, Mel of The Daily Prophecy and Cee of The Novel Hermit.

So for this mini-challenge, we were asked to do a Book Spine Poetry. Here's the prompt:

- One of the most popular Love-a-Thon challenges is returning this year! All you have to do is create book spine poetry. (If you guys don’t know what that is, it’s basically using book titles to write your own poems.) You can type out titles, take a photo, or design a collage. All creative ideas are encouraged!

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes: Dana Elmendorf (Interview + Giveaway)

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes is a blog event featuring debut authors answering questions that I have sent them as they talk  about their Valentine's day routines, love, book crushes and more. For a list of all the participating authors, check it out here.

Born and raised in small town in Tennessee, Dana now lives in southern California with her husband, two boys and her tiny dog. When she isn't exercising, she can be found geeking out with Mother Nature or scouring the internet for foreign indie bands. After her family’s needs are met, you can find her dreaming up contemporary YA romances with plenty of kissing. Rep'd by Lauren MacLeod with The Strothman Agency.

FIND DANA : Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes: Ami Allen-Vath (Interview + Giveaway)

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes is a blog event featuring debut authors answering questions that I have sent them as they talk  about their Valentine's day routines, love, book crushes and more. For a list of all the participating authors, check it out here.

Ami Allen-Vath was born and mostly raised in Minnesota.

Since college, (SCSU, Hunter College, City College) Ami has performed with Just The Funny improv troupe in Miami, FL. She's also performed in two productions of The Vagina Monologues in Atlanta, GA, the state she met her husband.

She now lives with her family, including their dog Yoda, in New Jersey.

Ami loves great and terrible TV, ice cream, books, and vacations. She loathes cilantro, live birds, and when guys do cartoon impressions.

FIND AMI: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

BOOK BLOGGER LOVE-A-THON 2016 MINI CHALLENGE: MIX AND MATCH

Hi there! I hope you guys are enjoying the Love-A-Thon posts! Go to Twitter and use the hashtag #LoveAThon to check out the posts and other things going on. You can also refer to Stay Bookish's kick-off post for the list of participating bloggers for the event.Anyway, there's a mini-challenge that is happening right now and it is the first one. So here's the brief:

    

    --We all love books, but there are other things we’re passionate about too! Mash-up a non-bookish hobby/passion/talent/fandom with your bookish life. Do it through photos, art, videos, etc. Get as creative as you’d like!

I'm gonna be posting some photos of my certain hobbies and passions that I kinda mashed up with some books. Please excuse the low quality as I only got to use my iPhone 4S's front cam and couldn't use my DSLR camera coz my card reader and connector's missing and I can't upload any photos with it. *cries* Also, you will be witnessing photos with my face in it, so again, bear with it all. Thank you <3

BOOK BLOGGER LOVE-A-THON: HEY, IT'S JAYVEE!!! (Again)

Hi there everyone!!! It's Jayvee! It's another year of Love-A-Thon! I'm soooo, soooo excited to be a part of this again this year! My first year was last year and I can't believe how fast time flies but this is one of the best blog events to do and it's just super fun to answer all the questions and do the activities and interact with all the people involved. Check out the list of bloggers participating this year for the Book Blogger Love-A-Thon 2016! Don't forget to use the hashtag #LoveAThon on Twitter if you plan on joining the discussion (which are also super fun!) Do check out Alexa Loves Books, The Daily Prophecy, The Novel Hermit and Stay Bookish for updates and of course Love-A-Thon posts

Let's start answering some questions!

1. What’s your name?

• My name is Jenivieve De Castro! But you can call me Jayvee or Vee. Whatever suits your mood. You can also call me Misfit Queen or sweet pea. LOL.

2. Where in the world are you blogging from?

• I am blogging from the Philippines! YAY!

3. How did you get into blogging in the first place?

• I talked about this last year too! I started blogging in 2013 but it was more of a personal blog. But then in 2014, I started talking more about books! In April 2014, I became an official book blog. WOOHOO! It'll be my 2nd year this year! SO EXCITE!

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes: Brittany Cavallaro (Interview)

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes is a blog event featuring debut authors answering questions that I have sent them as they talk  about their Valentine's day routines, love, book crushes and more. For a list of all the participating authors, check it out here.

Brittany Cavallaro is a poet, fiction writer, and old school Sherlockian. She is the author of the poetry collection Girl-King (University of Akron) and is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. She earned her BA in literature from Middlebury College and her MFA in poetry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Currently, she's a PhD candidate in English literature at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she teaches creative writing, detective fiction, and lots of other things. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, cat, and collection of deerstalker caps.

FIND BRITTANY: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Tumblr

Review: Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Title: Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda            
Author: Becky Albertalli

Publication: April 7th 2015, Balzer + Bray

Format: Hardcover, 303 pages             

Source: Gifted (Thanks soooooo much, Alia of Ponderings of Psyche)                       

Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Bookstore / Fully Booked (PH)

SYNOPSIS:

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

Review: 

Okay, I just had a glass of milk and ate half a packet of double stuff Oreos so let's do this! I've been meaning to write a review for this book for a while but can't find the proper words but because of the Oreo energy, I think I'm ready. This book blew me away.

Ten Songs I Wish Were Books (COZ YES PLS)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where, each week, a Top Ten list is posted based on a particular topic.

Hey there everyone! I'm back! Just when I thought I was hitting the homerun and running to every base, the center fielder catches it and I've been tagged and OUT goes the umpire. Sad. I really hope you got the baseball reference coz that took forever to think about. Or at least 30 seconds of brain processing. I seriously need a life. Anyway, this week on Top Ten Tuesday, I'm gonna be talking about songs that I wish were books. And if you know me, I'M AN AUDIOPHILE and a music obsessed meerkat, I mean human. So I'm pretty much into this topic this week! Here we go!

1. Heaven by Troye Sivan ft. Betty Who

THIS SONG! It's an absolute masterpiece. It has the most beautiful message.

"Without losing a piece of me, how do we get to heaven?
Without changing a part of me, how do we get to heaven....
So if I'm losing a piece of me, maybe I don't want heaven."

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes: Shannon M. Parker (Interview + Giveaway)

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes is a blog event featuring debut authors answering questions that I have sent them as they talk  about their Valentine's day routines, love, book crushes and more. For a list of all the participating authors, check it out here.

Shannon Parker lives on the Atlantic coast in a house full of boys. She’s traveled to over three dozen countries and has a few dozen more to go. She works in education and can usually be found rescuing dogs, chickens, old houses and wooden boats. Shannon has a weakness for chocolate chip cookies and ridiculous laughter—ideally, at the same time. The Girl Who Fell is her first novel.

FIND SHANNON: Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes: Elise Kova (Interview + Giveaway)

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes is a blog event featuring debut authors answering questions that I have sent them as they talk  about their Valentine's day routines, love, book crushes and more. For a list of all the participating authors, check it out here.

Elise Kova has always had a passion for storytelling. She wrote her first novella, a high-fantasy, in sixth grade. Over the years she's honed her love of literature with everything from fantasy to romance, science fiction to mystery, and whatever else catches her eye.

Elise lives in Saint Petersburg, Florida, where she's currently working on the next installment in her debut YA fantasy series: Air Awakens. She enjoys video games, anime, table-top role playing games, and many other forms of "geekdom."

Find Elise: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Waiting on Wednesday #18: The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig + Thanks For The Trouble by Tommy Wallach

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are just waiting to have our hands on!

Title: The Girl From Everywhere                              

Author: Heidi Heilig

Publication: February 12th 2016, Greenwillow Books

Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Bookstore / Fully Booked (PH)

SYNOPSIS:

It was the kind of August day that hinted at monsoons, and the year was 1774, though not for very much longer.

Sixteen-year-old Nix Song is a time-traveller. She, her father and their crew of time refugees travel the world aboard The Temptation, a glorious pirate ship stuffed with treasures both typical and mythical. Old maps allow Nix and her father to navigate not just to distant lands, but distant times - although a map will only take you somewhere once. And Nix's father is only interested in one time, and one place: Honolulu 1868. A time before Nix was born, and her mother was alive. Something that puts Nix's existence rather dangerously in question...

Nix has grown used to her father's obsession, but only because she's convinced it can't work. But then a map falls into her father's lap that changes everything. And when Nix refuses to help, her father threatens to maroon Kashmir, her only friend (and perhaps, only love) in a time where Nix will never be able to find him. And if Nix has learned one thing, it's that losing the person you love is a torment that no one can withstand. Nix must work out what she wants, who she is, and where she really belongs before time runs out on her forever.

Top Ten Valentine's Day Book Recs

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where, each week, a Top Ten list is posted based on a particular topic.

Hi there!!! Wow. It's been a "YEAR" since my last Top Ten Tuesday post. Yup. It seems like I've neglected my blog and life all at the same time. Jayvee, you never fail to amaze yourself. HAHAHA! 

Anyway, I really like this feature and said to myself, well, it doesn't hurt to do it from time to time. And I really like the upcoming topics so here we go! This week's topic is a Valentine's Day freebie! And since my blog is reeking with so much smitten, lovey-dovey stuff recently, I would love to suggest my Top Ten Valentine's Day Book Recommendations for you guys! YEAH!!!!

The Anatomy of An OTP or SHIP

Hi there Misfit booknerds! Have you been enjoying Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes? If you have exactly no idea what I'm talking about then fret not for I am a sweet, innocent host that will link you to the event, because I care. But more than that, the event has introduced me to a number of authors with books and characters that have interesting pairings, relationships, etc. 

We've always been curious about what makes a pairing in books so special. What gives that initial spark and what draws us to wave the flags of our ships till the inevitable drowning of it coz it sunk deep into the ocean abyss and also the successful ones...which matters too of course. *remembers all the sunken ships she's supported all this time*

As much as we hate to admit it, a One True Pairing or OTP as we like to call it in fangirl language, which is a thing, I swear to the heavens, can be a bit of a doozy, especially in a book series. Sometimes we ship a pairing soooo freaking hard that we call them our "OTP" but then the author decides to kill that ship and pair the girl or the guy with another character and "WHY YOU DO THIS TO ME OH MY GOD"?

It hurts. So no matter if it's canon or not, an OTP can literally save lives...or ruin them forever. So what actually makes an OTP, OTP?

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes: Melissa Gorzelanczyk (Interview + Giveaway)

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes is a blog event featuring debut authors answering questions that I have sent them as they talk  about their Valentine's day routines, love, book crushes and more. For a list of all the participating authors, check it out here.

Melissa Gorzelanczyk is a former magazine editor and columnist who believes love is everything. She is a proud member of the SCBWI, The Sweet Sixteens and the Class of 2k16. She lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with her husband and family.

Find Melissa: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads