Reading Decathlon Wrap Up

Soooo… The reading decathlon was finished last August 25. I’m too ambitious to think that I can read 10 full novels or books in a span of 10 days. Sadly, I can’t. I managed to read 6 books. 5 full novels and 1 novella. I ended up being in a very short slump for 3 days out of 10 days and I’m only reading at night. I’m still proud of myself for finishing 6 books in 10 days.

First Time in Forever (Puffin Island #1) by Sarah Morgan

RATING: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗

Publisher: Mills & Boon (M&B)

Published: February 24, 2015

Format: ebook

Pages: 377

 

 

“Sometimes you run from the things you want most, because those are the things that scare you.”

SYNOPSIS:

Happily-Ever-After isn’t on Emily Donovan’s agenda…

Emily’s been too swept up in a challenging year of firsts, from becoming a stand-in mum to her niece Lizzy to moving to remote but beautiful Puffin Island, to think about love.

But that’s before charismatic local yacht club owner Ryan Cooper kisses her…

Ryan knows Emily has a complicated past that she’s struggling to face. So he makes it his mission to help her unwind and enjoy the chemistry they share.

Can the welcoming community of Puffin Island work their magic on Emily and get her to take her biggest leap of trust yet —putting her heart in someone else’s hands?

Stand-off (Winger #2) by Andrew Smith

RATING: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Published: September 8, 2015

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 401

 

 

“Amicus certus in re incerta temporum cernitur.”

 

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SYNOPSIS:

It’s his last year at Pine Mountain, and Ryan Dean should be focused on his future, but instead, he’s haunted by his past. His rugby coach expects him to fill the roles once played by his lost friend, Joey, as the rugby team’s stand-off and new captain. And somehow he’s stuck rooming with twelve-year-old freshman Sam Abernathy, a cooking whiz with extreme claustrophobia and a serious crush on Annie Altman—aka Ryan Dean’s girlfriend, for now, anyway.

Equally distressing, Ryan Dean’s doodles and drawings don’t offer the relief they used to. He’s convinced N.A.T.E. (the Next Accidental Terrible Experience) is lurking around every corner—and then he runs into Joey’s younger brother Nico, who makes Ryan Dean feel paranoid that he’s avoiding him. Will Ryan Dean ever regain his sanity?

Winger (Winger #1) by Andrew Smith

RATING: 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Published: May 14, 2013

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 439

 

 

“Crede quod habes et habes.”

SYNOPSIS:

Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids in the Pacific Northwest. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy.

With the help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for doodling comics, Ryan Dean manages to survive life’s complications and even find some happiness along the way. But when the unthinkable happens, he has to figure out how to hold on to what’s important, even when it feels like everything has fallen apart.

Filled with hand-drawn infographics and illustrations and told in a pitch-perfect voice, this realistic depiction of a teen’s experience strikes an exceptional balance of hilarious and heartbreaking.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

RATING: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

Publisher: Modern Library

Published: October 10, 2000 (First Published January 28, 1813)

Format: Paperback

Pages: 279

 

 

 

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

SYNOPSIS:

When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited, while he struggles to remain indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships, gossip, and snobberies of provincial middle-class life.

Sleepless in Manhattan (From Manhattan with Love #1) by Sarah Morgan

RATING: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

Publisher: HQN Books

Published: May 31, 2016

Format: ebook

Pages: 464

 

 

“It’s a medically proven fact that when you can’t have something, you crave it all the more.”

SYNOPSIS:

Cool, calm and competent, events planner Paige Walker loves a challenge. After a childhood spent in and out of hospitals, she’s now determined to prove herself—and where better to take the world by storm than in the exhilarating bustle of Manhattan? But when Paige is let go from the job she loves, she must face her biggest challenge of all—going it alone. 

Except launching her own events company is nothing compared to hiding her outrageous crush on Jake Romano—her brother’s best friend, New York’s most in-demand date, and the only man to break her heart. When Jake offers Paige’s fledgling company a big chance, their still-sizzling chemistry starts giving her sleepless nights. But can she convince the man who trusts no one to take a chance on forever?

Reading Decathlon!!

I think I have a mini reading slump. I’m not entertaining the thought of picking up a book for quite some time but whenever I pick a book I managed to read a good chunk of it. I’ve been reading 2 books for almost 2 weeks now and it is time to remedy that.
I’m joining a decathlon! I’ve seen epic reads post about the reading decathlon but I think I’m a bit late to start with them So I’m starting at my own pace. Today is August 15 and I should be done by August 25. So here’s what the decathlon is about.

Book Review: Animal Farm by George Orwell

RATING: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

Publisher: Signet Classics

Published: 1996 (First published August 17, 1945)

Format: ebook

Pages: 141

“Let’s face it: our lives are miserable, laborious, and short.”

SYNOPSIS:

As ferociously fresh as it was more than a half century ago, this remarkable allegory of a downtrodden society of overworked, mistreated animals and their quest to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality is one of the most scathing satires ever published. As readers witness the rise and bloody fall of the revolutionary animals, they begin to recognize the seeds of totalitarianism in the most idealistic organization and in the most charismatic leaders, the souls of the cruelest oppressors.

Vampire Academy turns 10!!

This is one of those moments where I’m very thankful for having a blog to vent out my thoughts and fangirl without looking like a weirdo. I’m a huge fan of the Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead. I read it last year and I can still recall the events that transpire in those books and it only feels like I read it yesterday.

I have to admit that I haven’t read the Bloodlines Series because I only want RoMitri. I know, it is a very lame reason. I’m still convincing myself to read that series with no luck of succeeding this year. Maybe next year. And my voice has been heard!!

Slave Queen (An Omar Zagouri Thriller #3) by H.B. Moore

RATING: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Expected Publication: August 30, 2016

Format: ebook (ARC)

Pages: 325

 

 

SYNOPSIS:

Special Agent Omar Zagouri’s latest case is his most dangerous—and his most personal yet. The discovery of secret sixteenth-century letters unveils a plot between the sultan Suleyman and his chief wife, Roxelane, to change the course of the Ottoman Empire. A descendant of Roxelane, Zagouri learns he has an enemy whose revenge has been centuries in the making.

Targeted by an antiquities collector who’s also descended from a chief rival for the ancient throne, Zagouri soon uncovers a modern-day conspiracy that threatens the lives of his family and the security of a nation.

To expose the plot, Zagouri must team up with Naim, the son of his nemesis, who heads an international black-market operation that may have ties to the killings. From ancient Constantinople to the present-day Middle East, Zagouri is on a collision course with history. Time is running out to solve a royal mystery and stop a ruthless killer—one who has Zagouri’s name on his hit list.