Love in 29 Days

It’s that time of year again when red is all the rage and hearts can’t be broken (remember last year’s Love in 28 Days). And contrary to popular belief, The Traveling Reader is no cynic when it comes to romance so yes, I am going to join (and endure..lol) the Valentine’s Day celebration with you guys with my choice book and travel selections for 29 days.

• My Fair Godmother (Janette Rallison)
• Prada and Prejudice (Mandy Hubbard)
• Instructions for a Broken Heart (Kim Culbertson)
• Fake Me a Match (Lauren Barnholdt)
• Plus more!

P.S. The list is a working document so just let me surprise you day after day. Who knows? You might find something swoon-worthy.

——————————————-
Art by The Traveling Reader (2011). All rights reserved.

Waiting on Wednesday #13

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Having read Juliet Blackwell’s Witchcraft Mystery Series (Secondhand Spirits and A Cast-off Coven), has cultivated my love for things vintage. It made me think I would make a fab 20′s girl in a very becoming flapper dress. Hence, my pick for this week.

The Diviners (The Diviners #1)
By Libba Bray
Release Date: November 1st 2012
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

SUMMARY: A supernatural series set in Manhattan during the 1920s that follows a teen heroine reminiscent of two of the era’s most famous literary women—Zelda Fitzgerald and Dorothy Parker. The story will be a wild new ride full of dames and dapper dons, jazz babies and Prohibition-defying parties, conspiracy and prophecy—and all manner of things that go bump in the neon-drenched night.

I think The Diviners is one of those books that would be hard to categorize because of the complexity of the plot and the vibrancy of the material. But I’m betting it’s gonna be epic. It’s by Libba Bray, after all. And I just can’t wait for it.

What about you? Waiting on anything terrific this Wednesday?

—————————————————-
For this week, I’m visiting the following blogs:

• Books for All Seasons – NEW BOOK featured
• The Book Basement
• Xpresso Reads – NEW BOOK featured
• Dazzling Reads – NEW BOOK featured
• A Cupcake and a Latte – NEW BOOK featured
• Mystifying Paranormal Reviews
• Amaterasu Reads – NEW BOOK featured
• The Reading Geek
• YA Bookie Monster
• The Paper Planes
• Word Spelunking – NEW BOOK featured
• Rolling with the Moments

——————————————-
Images are properties of their respective authors and publishers. All rights reserved.
NOTE: NEW BOOK/S featured means my first time to see/meet/hear of the titles being featured.

Waiting on Wednesday #12

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Aah. This is what I miss most doing every week – my WoW post. Hehe
I have no excuse that will suffice my absence for 2 weeks or more. I have just been utterly busy and found no time to prepare my WoWs. Busy doing what you ask. Hmm. Eating and spending time with family.

So for today, I’m going to be featuring something us foodies and chef-wannabes can all relate to.

Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous
By Kathryn Williams
Release Date: August 21st 2012
Format: Hardcover
No. of Pages: 240 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

SUMMARY: Can a spot on a teen reality show really lead to a scholarship at an elite cooking school AND a summer romance?

Sixteen-year-old Sophie Nicolaides was practically raised in the kitchen of her family’s Italian-Greek restaurant, Taverna Ristorante. When her best friend, Alex, tries to convince her to audition for a new reality show, Teen Test Kitchen, Sophie is reluctant. But the prize includes a full scholarship to one of America’s finest culinary schools and a summer in Napa, California, not to mention fame.

Once on-set, Sophie immediately finds herself in the thick of the drama—including a secret burn book, cutthroat celebrity judges, and a very cute French chef. Sophie must figure out a way to survive all the heat and still stay true to herself. A terrific YA offering–fresh, fun, and sprinkled with romance.

I love cooking shows and I’m currently following the kitchen trials and travails of young chef-hopefuls in the Junior Master Chef Pinoy Edition. Hope you liked what I picked. And mucho thanks for the warm welcome week after week despite, yes, my previous absences.

——————————————-
Images are properties of their respective authors and publishers. All rights reserved.
NOTE: NEW BOOK/S featured means my first time to see/meet/hear of the titles being featured.

Mouth-Watering Monday #9

Mouth-Watering Monday is a new weekly meme started by Brittany at Nice Girls Read Books. As book bloggers, we love to admire pretty covers, old and new. This meme takes the guilt out of judging a book by its cover, instead embracing it and showing off our favourite finds of the week!

What’s a girl to do when she’s confronted with oh-so-feminine book covers? CELEBRATE (and probably drool in silence..hehe)
Just stumbled upon this flirty fun books by Jilly Cooper. So thought of sharing these with you. Hope you like ‘em, too!

• Bella
• Octavia
• Imogen
• Harriet
• Prudence
• Emily

One-word titles. Cute illustrations. Sexy. Just my type.

——————————————————-
Images are properties of their respective authors and publishers. All rights reserved.

Winner: Happy New Year 2012 Giveaway Hop

First of all, I want to apologize for announcing the winner way too late. I know I should have picked the winner last week but life just got in the way. Plus, it’s Sinulog celebration these days so I’m so hyper hyper!

But before I lose my cool here, I’d finally reveal who won a book (or books) from The Book Depository.

Click the following link and see if you won.

Guest Post: A Beauty Boost from BeSwitched Witch

Hi, everyone!

This is the fourth day of the BeSwitched Blog Tour and have I got the surprise for all of you. Today, the fabulous Molly Snow is guest posting for us with some beauty tips from the much anticipated BeSwitched Witch. Take it away, Molly!

———————————————

When Surla switches bodies with her bombastic witch Idis in BeSwitched Witch, she receives a drastic makeover. In honor of all “blah” or “bad hair” days, here is a scene from my book. Girls, it can’t get as bad as this:

Surla enjoyed her manicure, chatting with Patty and Cathy, but when it came time for pedicures, she hesitated. “I feel like apologizing for my feet, before we start,” she said, sitting down in front of the foot bath.

“Oh, honey, I am sure it’s okay. I have seen it all,” Patty coaxed.

Surla cringed when she noticed the jeans from her best friend’s closet were short on her long legs, exposing flaming red hairy ankles when she sat. She grunted as she yanked to remove her shoes, having curled her toes to fit in them in the first place. She gasped in embarrassment when she saw thick, yellow toenails already poked holes through her socks.

Patty’s smile quickly disappeared. “Okay, honey. I think I need some back up.”

I grew up thinking I was too tall, too skinny, my hair was too big… I should have concentrated on the benefits: I could reach things others couldn’t, I could eat as much as I wanted and my hair kept me warm. LOL. Seriously, though, I think there is so much beauty in things we put down. I talked with a modeling coach once who had a group of girls tell her what they didn’t like about themselves. The woman then told the girls the upside to everything they put down. One girl said she didn’t like her legs, and the coach replied, “Do they go all the way down to the ground?” What a lesson.

BeSwitched Witch also teaches a deeper lesson on beauty that is emphasized at the end. Tell me, when do you feel most beautiful?

Thank you for having me, Mauie!

———————————————————

Thanks for that eye-opener, Molly! I’m sure plenty of us girls (me included) wish to be prettier, taller, thinner or smarter. It’s great to be reminded sometimes that we are already the personifications of awesomeness. We just have to dig deeper into ourselves to find that charm button. To answer your question, I feel most beautiful when I’m happy or whenever The Dude gives me that wink.

And because Molly Snow is not only an awesome author, she’s also a very generous person. That’s why she’s giving away signed copies of BeSwitched and BeSwitched Witch. Plus, if you get super lucky, you might take home the blog tour grand prize of a Kindle Wi-Fi. Woohoo! This is open to everyone so click on the link to get to the giveaway page.

http://mollysnowfiction.blogspot.com/2012/01/beswitched-blog-tour-grand-prize.html

For more of Surla’s adventures in the BeSwitched Series, follow the blog tour here. The links are located on the left panel.

——————————————-
Images © Molly Snow and Breezy Reads. All Rights Reserved.

Waiting on Wednesday #11

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

If in my Mouth-Watering Monday post this week, I mentioned about how the new year brings with it hope, and then that hope translates to the chance of improving or making over of one’s life. That’s why I picked two books today that feature characters who, with luck and courage, beautifully come into their own.

Rock On: A story of guitars, gigs, girls, and a brother (not necessarily in that order)
By Denise Vega
Release Date: March 5th 2012
Format: Hardcover
No. of Pages: 304 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

SUMMARY: Ori Taylor is the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter of the Band To Be Named Later, a garage band he started with his friends. After years of being known as the mini version of his sports-star brother, Del, Ori is looking forward to stepping out of his older brother’s shadow, learning to perform in public, and rocking the Battle of the Bands contest. Oh, and maybe finally working up the nerve to talk to a girl in person instead of just over e-mail. But when Del suddenly returns from college, he expects Ori to step back into his role of little brother, just when Ori is starting to come into his own.

With his confidence wavering, will Ori be able to overcome his stage fright and lead the band to rock glory? Will the Band To Be Named Later ever get a real name? Will their best performances remain in the garage?

Denise Vega’s deft exploration of brothers, bands, friends, and crushes promises to have readers tuning in page after page, because among all the ups and downs of being a teen, one thing’s for sure: It’s hard to rock out in high school.

The Boy on Cinnamon Street
By Phoebe Stone
Release Date: February 1st 2012
Format: Hardcover
No. of Pages: 240 pages
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books

SUMMARY: A story about a wounded girl and the boy who won’t give up on her.

7th grader Louise should be the captain of her school’s gymnastics team – but she isn’t. She’s fun and cute and should have lots of friends – but she doesn’t. And there’s a dreamy boy who has a crush on her – but somehow they never connect. Louise has everything going for her – so what is it that’s holding her back?

Phoebe Stone tells the winning story of the spring when 7th grader Louise Terrace wakes up, finds the courage to confront the painful family secret she’s hiding from – and finally get the boy.

Sigh. Aren’t they divine? What about you? What are you waiting on Wednesday?

—————————————————-
For this week, I’m visiting the following blogs:

——————————————-
Images are properties of their respective authors and publishers. All rights reserved.
NOTE: NEW BOOK/S featured means my first time to see/meet/hear of the titles being featured.