Hello, July
Save-the-date releases
- 07/01/14 – Wildflower
- 07/15/14 – Breathe, Annie, Breathe
- 07/22/14 – Dissonance
- 07/29/14 – Let’s Get Lost
Upcoming events
#StephaniePerkinsinPH
What: Stephanie Perkins Book Signing Tour
When: July 5, 2014, 1 pm / July 6, 2014, 2pm
Where: NBS, SM Cebu / NBS, Glorietta 1
OMFG I’M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!
Join Stephanie Perkins, the international bestselling author of “Anna and the French Kiss” and “Lola and the Boy Next Door” for book signing events on July 5 at 1 pm in National Book Store, SM Cebu, and on July 6 at 2 pm in National Book Store, Glorietta 1. Registration starts at 10 am for both events. These events are made possible in partnership with Raffles Makati, Metro magazine and Chalk magazine. Follow NBS on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@nbsalert), and tag #StephaniePerkinsPH for more details.
For more details, visit the Stephanie Perkins Book Signing Tour event page & FAQ page!
#30daysofbookstagrams – July 2014
We’re having another round of this awesome bookish photo challenge! Georgie of What She Reads, Rosie of Rosie Reads and I, came up with#30daysofbookstagrams last month, and it was a huge success that we’re doing it again this July! If you missed last month’s challenge or have yet to do one, please join us as we have fun taking more bookish photos! Just repost the photo above and tag your photo entries with #30daysofbookstagrams! :)
To check out all the awesome bookstagrams, search the hashtag or follow our instagrams:
Georgie’s Instagram // Rosie’s Instagram // Hazel’s Instagram
On the blog
I don’t have elaborate plans this month but as always, I just hope I can write more blog posts, especially reviews (which I’ve been so bad at as of late- haven’t written a full review in ages ack!). Maybe a book haul too, since it’s been so long since my last one!
Things that happened
- Stay Bookish turned a year old – So I celebrated one year of book blogging last June 12! I did a flashback on my old designs and talked about how I started, as well as thanked everyone who’s supported and inspired me! You can check out my first blogoversary post here.
- I watched TFIOS – So many tears OMG. I watched the movie with my mom and sister and we were a huge mess afterwards. I think the movie did justice to the book. And the soundtrack was perfect! Also, my crush on Ansel Elgort grew even bigger after finally watching him play Augustus Waters.
- I met Jenny Han – I attended her book signing tour in Manila two weeks ago! I’ve yet to share about it on the blog, but to those who’re curious, the event was great! Really happy to have met her personally and also spend sometime with my awesome fellow Filipino book bloggers!
- Renewed love for book photography – If you’ve noticed, I’ve been very active on Instagram lately, sharing bookish photos and more! All thanks to #30daysofbookstagrams, I’m determined to take even more bookish photos! I didn’t get to finish the challenge (I only reached DAY 26), but that was because I took a long hiatus and was scrambling to catch up during the last few days. Still, it was quitefun and I’m really excited for the next round of the challenge this July!
- School started – Another school year has begun for me. Things at school have been lacklustre so I don’t have much to say about it. As usual, I spend 50% of my time at the library.
- Read only a few books – I only read 8 full-length novels and 2 novellas this month. Weird because I a lot of them were really good books and that would usually get me reading more. Life happens though.
- Half month blogging hiatus – I was hesitant whether I wanted to share this personal bit but I wanted to let you guys know why I was on a blogging hiatus. One of my best friends since high school recently passed away due to a tragic accident. This happened on the 12th too, which is why my blogoversary was very bittersweet. (I’ve already scheduled my blogoversary post beforehand but if that weren’t the case, I probably wouldn’t have celebrated my blogoversary anymore.) The news was so devastating. It’s why I haven’t posted anything (except for that one Novel Portraits post which was also scheduled) ever since- I just needed to take some time off to accept what happened and to mourn along with our other friends and my friend’s family. Constantly being with the rest of my high school best friends (who also equally felt the pain and loss) has really helped slowly make me feel okay again and now I’m back to blogging.
Books read
- Just One Night by Gayle Forman (5/5)
- My Last Kiss by Bethany Neal (3.5/5)
- Blue by Lisa Glass (2/5)
- Hostage Three by Nick Lake (3/5)
- Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan (4.5/5)
- Top Ten Clues You’re Clueless by Liz Czukas (4/5)
- The Blue-Haired Boy by Courtney C. Stevens (4/5)
- Open Road Summer by Emery Lord (5/5)
- What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick (4/5)
- Just Like The Movies by Kelly Fiore (4/5)
Total books read for June 2014: 10 books
Reading Challenge progress update: 74/150
Blog Posts
Reviews: Hostage Three // My Last Kiss // The Last Best Kiss
Novel Portraits (Behind The Lens): Arie Turner // Cali of Inside The Book Reader
Discussion: Blogoversaries & Blog Celebrations
On replay
- Boom Clap by Charli XCX – Fave song from the TFIOS soundtrack. Was my feel-good song of the month!
- Not About Angels by Birdy – Listened to this one when I was really down. I cried so much to this song.
- Emmylou by First Aid Kit – I was listening to the songs from the playlists in Since You’ve Been Gone and fell in love with this one!
Lovely words
“Laughter feels like our flotation device- it won’t pull us out of the storm, but it might carry us through, if we can just hang on.” – Open Road Summer, Emery Lord
How was June for you? What are you looking forward to this July?
20 Responses
I’m so very sorry to hear about your friend, Hazel. It’s a terrible thing, to lose someone you love — my thoughts go out to you and your friends. I hope you’re all okay. Please make sure you take care of yourself. ♥
Thank you, Nikki. *hugs* My friends and I are staying strong. :)
Hazel, I’m sorry to hear about your best friend. :'( It really is tragic and I respect your decision to not say anything till now and take a hiatus. I’m still proud that you remained strong through this… I’m sure your friend is up in heaven and is wishing you well.. I’m glad to see you back to blogging again love!
Thank you for your sympathy, Jayvee. To be honest, I wanted to keep this to myself first. I was totally second-guessing my decision to share about my loss and heartbreak here while I was typing up this post. But my blog is a part of me and my experiences and I didn’t want to come back without explaining my absence. I’m also glad to be blogging again! :)
I’m so sorry to hear about your friend Hazel *huge hugs* I’ve never experienced something like that, so I can’t imagine what you’re going through. I’m glad you’re healing along with your friends <3
I can't wait for Let's Get Lost either, and that Perkins event sounds so fun! I got to meet her last April, and she's probably one of the sweetest authors I've ever met. She's so easy to talk to :D
I havne't seen TFIOS yet (I refuse to sob that much in public), but my mom and sister got me the soundtrack and I've had Boom Clap on repeat!
Thank you, Kayla. >:)< I'm even more excited to meet Stephanie- I can't wait to chat with her! I also hate crying in public (Is there such a thing as cry shy?) but the darkness of the cinema and the fact that the people around me were also crying made me comfortable enough to just let my tears flow. Boom Clap is so addictive, yeah? It's my alarm tone atm!
I’m sorry to hear about your friend. Sending you some good vibes right now.
Thank you, Anne! The good vibes are much appreciated!
Condolences to you Hazel. I do hope that you and the rest of your friends are now better. I really admire your strength and I send you all the positive energies of the universe.
On a different note, I am so glad to have seen you in person at the Jenny Han event. I do hope our paths would cross again soon. :)
Thanks, Kevin. I’m sure we’ll meet again! :D
Oh my gosh, I am so sorry for your tragic loss! That’s not a good way to spend the month. :/ And I keep forgetting that you start school in June, whereas I go on summer break! EEP you’ll be meeting Stephanie PERKINS?! I met her almost a year ago and she is so, so sweet and a great talker. OMG I can’t stop listening to TFIOS soundtrack, either. I love NOT ABOUT ANGELS. I hope you have a better month in July, Hazel! <3
Yes, it isn’t. :( The first week was so tough. Even though I cried to Not About Angels, it also comforted me a bit. :)
I really can’t wait to meet Steph! I’m counting down the days- four more to go! I hope you have a fab summer break, Jen! :DDD
Oh Hazel, I’m so sorry for your loss of your friend. I haven’t experienced the death of a loved one, so I apologize if my comment sounds insensitive, but I’m glad that you were able to take some time off to heal and mourn alongside your other friends. You’re so brave to be able to pull through such a difficult time; I’ve no idea what I’d do if I was in your shoes. Anyway, *hugs* if you ever need to talk, we’re all here for you. :)
But eep — I’m always so envious of PH bookish events! You guys have been having so many awesome author signings lately: Tahereh Mafi and Ransom Riggs, Veronica Rossi, Jenny Han, and now Stephanie Perkins?! Hope you have fun there! I actually haven’t read anything by her, so I should get to that, huh? And am I the only one who LOVES her hair?
I’m starting to get into the whole bookish photography thing as well! I’m not as good a photographer as you or Georgie or Rosie sadly, but I’m still having a lot of fun with the #30daysofbookstagrams tag. :D
TFiOS only releases on the 17th here, which sucks because everyone else seems to have watched it already. And everyone I know has cried over it, so I’m excited! I’ve never cried during a movie before — looking forward to getting my heart shattered into a million pieces, hehe.
Here’s to a better and brighter July for the both of us! <3
It’s been hard but a part of me knows that I have you guys to lean on and talk to aside from my friends and family, which is why I chose to share what happened. Thank you for your concern, Megan- I appreciate it. >>>:)<<< I'm baffled that you haven't read anything by Stephanie Perkins yet! You have to soon! Really excited that you're joining us for #30daysofbookstagrams, btw! I'm sure it'll be more fun, now that you're on board! Also, you'll have to let me know if you cried over TFIOS! Hope you'll have a great July too! <3
Oh my, I’m so sorry about your friend, Hazel. :( I hope s/he’s in a better place now.
And hopefully we can meet at the Perkins signing, (if I go.) since we didn’t get to meet during the TinTin event. ;)
Your friends will be here for you. I’m sorry for your loss, I cannot fathom how you must have felt during that past month. *Virtual huug* At least your readers didn’t abandon you :)
I wish I could have seen you during the Jenny Han event. I didn’t get a chance to because I was on a trip, truly regretted my vacation since I gained weight. My swimsuit was so snug on my skin. And also my skin got really really dark.
Anyways, see you tomorrow! :)
So sad to hear about your best friends passing away! My heart goes out to you and your friends <3 Losing someone is always hard, but especially when they're so young and it's so sudden. I feel like the older I get the more I encounter death around me, and it just makes me want to do that much more to live a happy life while I can. I think it's totally understandable that you took a break and I'm glad with the help of your friends you're feeling better <3
I lolled when I saw that you said you only read a few books this month… and it still equates to like ten books. Ha. I've read maybe one book last month? One and a half? I don't even have an excuse. I'm just a bad person. :P
Love the #30daysofbookstagrams! Glad you guys brought it back for another month so I could join as well since I didn't in June :) My life can be quite boring, so an excuse to take pictures of books and fill up my Instagram account is great for me.
And ah yes, I saw TFioS as well! Only shed one tear though. I mean, I probably could have cried more but I try to be tough at movies and really, I feel like because I knew going into it it was going to be sad it wasn't as bad as if I went into it blind, you know? I cried more while reading the book. But hey, it was fun giggling internally at all the sniffles in the theater ;)
Hope you have a lovely July!
You did a lot of fun things this year. I like Jenny Han’s books. <3
I am happy you have taken up your photography again. It is good to have a creative outlet that allows visual expression.
I cannot believe that I missed Stephanie Perkins here in the Philippines just a mere few days ago. But I guess I wouldn’t have been able to make it either cuz Glorietta is kinda far from where I live but still. I hope you had a lovely time meeting her either way <333