Stacking the Shelves (3) and an exciting book news!

Hi, my beloved damsels! I am so happy and excited to see you again. How's your weekend? Mine's very tiresome and energy-draining but it was expected. I had very little blogging and reading these days because of college so I have a very minimal report I can give you.

Blog activity overview for this week:

Review of Dearly,Departed by Lia Habel.

My Waiting on Wednesday entry. Check it out! I have 2 awesome books there.

Le books~

                                     Clicky the photos to add to your list via Goodreads.

    

 
 
                                   
My own personal thoughts on my haul: Intangible was generously offered to me by the author J. Meyers for a review. It was my very first review request because as we all know, this is still a baby blog. I was jumping and squealing all over the place.  As for the two "What a Boy..." books, I've discovered them through Twitter because of Kathleen Peacock (Hemlock) and Nyrae Dawn, the author. I stalked her for a bit and I loved the synopsis and the boy POV of the books so I have them.  If any of you already read one of the books in my haul, tell me if it's a must-read.

A DARE TO ALL MY DAMSELS: Because I noticed that these books has very little reviews on Goodreads, I want to spread the awesome. Together, let's try reading Intangible ,What a Boy Wants and What a Boy Needs. Let's make a review, whether we love it or not. Just no flames in GR please.I've had enough that drama to last me a lifetime, thank you.  And then you can contact me through Twitter and gush all you want. If you hated it, you can send flames in my Twitter. If you love it, let's swoon. That simple.

We need to publicize worthy books and support author appreciation. Because it's deeds like these that we can be proud of calling ourselves bloggers.

 BOOK NEWS BOOK NEWS EXCITING BOOK NEWS! BOOK NEWS BOOK NEWS
                                                                                                                                                  You saw this hottie right! Iron Fey lovers far and wide, WE HAVE A PUBLICATION DATE!!! It was announced on the Iron Fey Facebook Page 16 hours ago (XD) that The Lost Prince, Call of the Forgotten #1 will be published on OCTOBER 23 2012. Excuse me for a minute as I scream my heart out.

1 minute after...


It's an exact 2 days and 1 year release after The Iron Knight. My pretty damsels, this calls for some faery wine and a countdown.
Cheers and long live the fae!


PS. Thank you for reading through that rambling if you did. Oh and also, the Law of Karma= You follow me, I follow you. :) Link me up in the comments section, I would love to see your hauls this week.

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Greetings, my lovely damsels! This will be an early post of WoW because I won't have time tomorrow since it's my second day in college. Anyways, today I'll be introducing the two books that caught my book eye while I was searching desperately in Goodreads for 2013 releases. Too long a wait when they're so freaking *squeals*

 

  In a desert land where serpents made of unbreakable glass fly through the sky and wolves made of only sand hunt within storms, Liyana is destined to be a vessel, to sacrifice herself so that her clan’s goddess can inhabit her body... but her goddess never comes.

Dude, I just had a COVERGASM after spotting this. I bet my little pony, that lady is Asian. And the rusty colors swirl so prettily they sparkle in my view. I would love to have that beauty grace my shelves.  The blurb is as interesting as the cover itself,  "serpents made of unbreakable glass fly through the sky and wolves made of only sand..." Talk about the impossibility of eradicating these creatures. Crossing my fingers that the protagonist will be badass. I wanna know how she can handle these. Oh, Goddesses of Badassery, this humble damsel begs of you to make the heroine fit her tastes. Here you can have her 0.001 % chance of having her knight in shining armor fall in love with her in exchange for that plea. XD Expected publication will be on  September 11th 2012 by Margaret K. McElderry. Ooooh, I really <3 McElderry books. The same publisher who brought Blood, Red, Road to my world. Eeeeppp! Speaking of which *winks* Click here to add this wonder via Goodreads.

 The story of a girl figuring out the truths and illusions of life and love, both in the nostalgic past and in the very real now. Laugh-out-loud humor combines with a hint of romance in this delightful contemporary novel.
The cure for a broken heart? Go vintage and live like it’s 1962! Mallory’s boyfriend, Jeremy, isn’t just cheating on her. He’s cheating with an online girlfriend. So Mallory decides to swear off boys and modern technology. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in 1962, Mallory decides to “go vintage” and return to a simpler time. She sets out to complete grandma’s list: run for pep club secretary, host a dinner party, sew a homecoming dress, find a steady, do something dangerous. The list proves to be trickier than it looks. Obviously finding a steady is out . . . no matter how intriguing she finds Oliver (er, Jeremy's cousin). But with the help of her sister, Mallory will finish the list and find peace. Somehow.

I need my contemporary fix so bad. Humor + Romance= Johanna's surrender. I GOTTA HAVE THIS! The cover is really a looker in the modern perspective. Past and the present rolled in one would turn out to be a very compelling combination. I just hope this book would pull this off. I don't want any disappointments or else, there'll be a lot of unladylike swearing that will ensue. Believe me, I swear like a pirate. My teachers could attest to that. Hahaha! The synopsis landed the book in my TBR. It's super interestin'~ And I have a soft spot for the name Mallory. I thought it was a boy name. Hmm... expected publication will be on  March 19th 2013 by Bloomsbury. Hope it's worth the long wait, fellas! Goodreads.


So those are my anticipated reads this Wednesday. Share me yours and link me up in the comments section. I'll drop by if I'm not too tired. I will do anything in my power to apply the Law of Karma, my lovely damsels.


PS. Still recruiting followers to be my damsels. Let us stress books together! 

Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel

WARNING. Zombies ahead. *laughs*
   
                                                     

Love can never die. 
Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?
In Dearly, Departed, romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love.

Goodreads
Series: Gone With The Respiration #1
Published September 29th 2011 by Doubleday Children's Books


Dearly, Departed was my very first zombie (baby) read. And boy, I was not disappointed! It was one of the books that even if I was still reading the prologue, I already have the notion that I’m gonna rate it 5 stars a hundred stars. Original, soul-stirringly beautiful and heart-renderingly hilarious, Dearly, Departed made me look at zombies with new eyes.

*These eyes exactly*

It's not surprising because the author, Lia Habel (she's gorgeous, by the way), is a zombie advocate. It was an insta-cover love for me. I mean, dude, stare and be enthralled with that beauty. If you're not liking it, I'mma send a bad zombie horde to you this very moment XD. The inside was more beautiful. I laughed, I cried and I fell in love (not necessarily in that order) with zombies. I know, I know. You're probably screaming "JOHANNA, THEY'RE Z-O-M-B-I-E-S. HOW CAN WE LOVE THEM WHEN THEY'RE RIPPING OFF BODY PARTS?" but worry not. This book can change your views. I MEAN IT.

The world building is precise and flawless. It explains how the world became apocalyptic long time ago and how the Lazarus virus, the prion that makes zombies, affects humanity. Plus, the three things that are closest to my heart, Steampunk, Dystopian and Neo-Victorian era. Elegant dresses, neoclassic traditions and the somehow balanced figure of technology and refinement of the Victorian history are the major points in the book that gained those stars. 

Onto the characters..hmmm *rubs hand* Due to my absolutely endearing habit of wholly accepting good characters, I have made a love list.

• Captain Abraham R. Griswold aka. Bram- A charming capable soldier that captured my heart, my soul and half of my body since I'm hesitant to touch decayed flesh. Humorous and gentlemanly, you have to watch out for him.
• Nora Dearly- Kick-ass and a devoted friend, Nora's interaction with any zombies, good or bad, made me yell "GO NORA! GO!GO!GO!" She's very hilarious too and her rooftop scene had me going, "Woah. That is seriously awesome!" And Nora is also "special" Despite being a "royalty" Nora is not a snob and knows how to handle guns.Bram, honey, it's no wonder you're in love with this girl.
• Pamela Roe- Nora's bestfriend and the zombie hunting Queen, I hated her at first because she was really whiny when Nora was kidnapped and started these depressive thoughts in her POV that had me shuddering. But when faced with the zombies and Michael (her I-thought-love interest) , she turned into a fighter and that's when I looked up to the lady.
• Chas, Tom, Coalhouse and Ren- Bram's EPIC team. Chas was the makeover bestfriend and a "loving" girlfriend to Tom. Coalhouse was Tom's victim and I'm gonna quote a very funny scene between the two of them.

"You killed me! That’s not something you can ever apologize for!”
“Well, then, I’m not sorry.”
“You son of a—”
“Hey, you leave her out of this."

 Ren was the bookish -yeah, bookish- cultured zombie who loves machines more than girls. Got a question for him. 

*Hah! Answer that, Ren, answer that! XD*

• Dr. Victor Dearly- Nora's dad and the fact that he was such a loving father is enough. He cares for everyone-well, anyone who's on his side- and is a brilliant doctor who discovered the Lazarus prion.

The romance between Nora and Bram followed the restraint of the era and the courtship is very sweet and touching. Your heart will definitely swell with awe-inspiring emotions from these two. There was this one heartbreaking scene that *sniffs* I won't spoil* sniffs* .You have to read it yourself. The acceptance of a zombie and human love is clearly disturbing but it was overshadowed by the fact that these two are really fascinated with each other. Not to mention they're in all ways compatible except for their alive and undead difference.

One thing I hated about the book is the multiple narration. Well, it's probably because I can't get enough of Bram's POV or whatever but I do believe it was the downfall of the novel. Good thing the plot was impressive enough so it was saved from the fires of Johanna's hate. 

Vastly entertaining and a must read, Dearly, Departed takes the lead of my very high standards if you want me to read a zombie book. Do know, I never watch those horrifying movies without 2 or 3 warm bodies around me. I am that awesome and cowardly : D

PS. If you're my Twitter follower and happened to read all my tweets regarding Dearly, Departed, you'll understand how I think this book is the greatest zombie book ever. And how I went crazy over Bram too. A zombie in my harem? Hah! That's unheard of, hm? ;) 

Zombie love and peace out, guys!

“Real ladies can give orders, real gentlemen can take them, and real zombies don’t eat brains.” 

“The fact that she made this beeline for me both warmed my soul and made me want to turn around, walk out the door, and find a cliff to fling myself off of.” 

 “I ran this through my "girl talk" translator and said, "I could eat him, if either of you'd like. Seems like it might be the easiest thing to do. -Bram to Nora & Pamela” 

Stacking the Shelves (2)

Hello, my dear damsels! I am so glad to see you again. How's your weekend? Well for me, it's a bit stressful and lots of fun because of the *drumrolls* ARMCHAIR BEA! Yup! Maybe some of you or most of you joined this amazing event. So onto the main events....

Blog activity overview for this week:

• ArmchairBEA Day One: Interview
• ArmchairBEA Day Two: Best of 2012
• ArmchairBEA Day Three: Let's Talk Networking...say what!?
• ArmchairBEA Day Four: Beyond the Blog..Opportunities and all
• ArmchairBEA Day Five: Experts Say and The Future of Blogging
• Wrapping up ArmchairBEA in every kinds of Awesome!

Phew! Now without further ado, let me present to you, my books.

         Clicky the photos to add to your list via Goodreads.

 

 

 

My own personal thoughts on my haul: The first four ones are I considered old because I scoured all over for them while the rest are new. I want to give The Selection a shot. No, not a shot from a gun XD but maybe reading it couldn't hurt, right? I am willing to sacrifice a few brains cells. If it so much as kills one, I'm choking the life outta it. When You Were Mine was put ON HOLD. I'm excited to read the rest especially Shadow and Bone. 

What's your haul this week, damsels? Link me up in the comments section and I'll check it out! The Law of Karma applies in this blog. :)

PS. Law of Karma: You follow me, I follow you. Pweeeesssh? :">

Wrapping Up ArmchairBEA in every kinds of Awesome!

Photo credits to Ninareads

My very first time attending Armchair BEA and I'm at a loss for words. But then again, after spending a few minutes staring at an empty document, first things first.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO THE ORGANIZERS FOR HOLDING THIS EVENT!!!

I sincerely appreciate all your efforts and time to make this event full of fun, fun and fun! Kudos! For making all of this happen and for removing me from my emo corner after I saw those happy tweets about how them peeps  enjoying the BEA. Even if I had sleepless nights to catch up with our very different time zones, it was worth it after enriching my mind of all those tips and advice.

Commenting like crazy in different blogs, reading different voices in posts and appreciating more books made Armchair BEA a very memorable event. To the new friends/damsels and followers I made for sparing the time to read all my nonsense blabbing, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

Woah, I really can't believe so many bloggers are there in the sphere and they are very amazing too! Very approachable and friendly but most of all their love for books lead them to the path of Armchair BEA. So very delighted to meet y'all.

And who would forget the Twitter parties? Heavens, my Twitter feed was a jumble of Armchair BEA mess that really entertained and enlightened me to no end. Those amazing bloggers made my everyday during this week.

Truthfully, this is the my most amazing and busiest week of my entire blogging existence. Hope to see you all again next year because I certainly wouldn't miss this for the world. And Minty wants to send her gratitude too!

*cues closing theme song Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson XD*


PS. Follow me, maybe? ; )

ArmchairBEA Day Five: Experts Say and The Future of Blogging

Hello, guys! So you mean this is the last day of Armchair BEA? *cries waterfalls* I didn't know! But I truly, irrevocably enjoyed and love the event and hopefully will still be attending. To all my new found peeps and all those encouraging comments, I thank you from my bottomless heart XD To the crazy Twitter parties and crazy blog commenting, kudos, for I will truly miss 'em all. I know I am very,very,very late for this entry and I would like to catch up.  The reason for my tardiness will not be divulge else I choke myself with excitement and worry. Anyways, the topic was 

Today's topic is Ask The Experts. In your post, ask the visitors to your blog for blogging advice. What did you always want to know about blogging but were afraid to ask? Now is the time!

I  got only two questions for you, my dear damsel. And I hope you'll spare a tiny bit of your time answering.                       

*cutie cutie eyes power on* 

*I knew this would help so...*

First Question: "HOW CAN YOU AVOID BEING AN 'EXILE' IN THE BLOGGING COMMUNITY?"

Same in the real life, there are instances that you'll make a wrong move or step on one's toes and then BOOM! Everything just explodes and you'll just find yourself thrown off the circle.

Second Question: "WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT WAYS TO LET YOUR REVIEW BE KNOWN TO THE WORLD?"

Surprisingly, believe it or not, I'm really,really shy when it comes to approaching long time bloggers and experts on the field of blogging. I feel insecure. Even though I sound brave and bold in my posts (really??!) I really am reluctant to reach out to them. For fear of rejection. So, will I just observe in the sidelines or I'll strike while the iron is hot? ; )

Two tips for all. I've been doing this since I've started blogging 2 months ago, don't laugh.

Triple check and triple think before you post. 

 Put yourself in other's shoes or heels or slippers...whatever.

THE FUTURE OF BLOGGING

. 

Yes, this is not a very enriching post about the future of blogging and if you want a very precise and brilliant post go here. Now about my opinion, honestly, I have no idea about the future of my blogging. Or blogging in general. All I can envision is me sitting on a rocking chair, surrounded by my grandchildren and holding a kindle. Because kindles are suitable for grannys with bad eyes, hey! you can change the font size ; ) Kidding aside, I want to have a humongous library full of physical books. I want my lineage to pass it along for future generations. That is my dream. And if I could still blog even if I'm full of wrinkles and probably (Heavens! I hope not) blind, I would still do it. But considering the transition of technology, I think I can. I will read books as long as I live because when I was still  one year old, I was told that I'm already flipping through books. I think it's my destiny to appreciate its musty smell, its coarse papery feel (It's PAPER, DUH!?) and the countless magic of words embossed on its pages. And I do believe it's yours too.  I'm living in the present and apologies if this is off topic. :) 

*laughs*

So I guess that's all I can say about the two topic. I'll be waiting for your responses and link me up in the comments section so I can drop by your blog. Love and peace out, damsels!

PS. Hear ye! Hear ye! The kingdom of the Stressed Damsel Johanna is seeking for followers who are willing to hear her nonsense. 

ArmchairBEA Day Four: Beyond the Blog..Opportunities and All

So here we are, guys, with the Day Four of this uber awesome Armchair BEA and today we will be talking about any opportunities your blog has given you, aside from the free books and stuff. Well for me, there's almost nothing really I can tell because again this is a baby blog, born right smack the controversy that rocked the YA blogging world. *wink**wink**nudge**nudge*

Blogging for me is a prerequisite since I'm taking up Journalism for college (Oh, wait. That was a hint again to my age eh?) and that in itself is an opportunity. It harnesses my skills in communicating with the masses through the media. I'm not paid ever to write those reviews. Though I am wishing I was that capable. But the feeling of satisfaction after you press that Publish button after writing a rev for a book is incomparable. Whether it's a bad or a good review, the fact that you part with a little bit of yourself making it is already an accomplishment. Then the comments will appear and you'll go gaga over how happy you are and how endearing those people are for even reading your review. Meeting with fellow bloggers of the community in the net is an opportunity for you to convince yourself that you're not anti-social that you thought yourself you are. What the heck? But you get the idea, guys. Reading books, appreciating authors and interacting bloggers are the magical ingredients that made up this EPIC TO THE NTH DEGREE blogging experience. And the way I look at it, we will weather through the storms of change just fine. *raises glass* For the love of books and books of Love!

 Audience: Not very convincing, Johanna.
Me:

Thank you for reading my entry of the Day Four of Armchair BEA and I do fervently hope I stated my opinion on the topic clearly. If you didn't understand my rambling up there, well there's no return policy, right? XD Love and peace out, guys! 


PS. I just met you and this is crazy, but here's my blog, so follow me maybe? : D