GEEKY CHIQUITAS: books

Our Bookish Christmas Wish List 2015

2015

Hey everyone! It's been a while since I've last blogged. It's been a crazy term for me, I'll tell you guys all about it in a separate post, but for now, I'm checking in to let you guys know about my Christmas wish list for this year! :) There's only 3 days left til Christmas and I'm excited! Are you?

So here is my bookish wishlist, and although I'm surely not getting any of these, it's great to daydream sometimes, right?

1. Kincso Nagy's Harry Potter design concept
This designer created a design concept for Harry Potter books, which includes glow in the dark covers and pop up illustrations inside. Isn't it beautiful?! I would totally buy these books if they were actually created!

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GCQ Travels + Kimi's Life & Books + Feature Follow Friday

blog

Life.

Hey guys, Kimi here! I haven't posted in a while and I just wanted to check in and let you guys know that I'm still alive (lol). I've been travelling, schooling, working, and basically doing all sorts of things this year, and I haven't been that active in the blogosphere because of all of these. So just some things I've been doing the past few months.

Last May, I went to Taiwan for the whole month, joining a tour with other Filipino Chinese young adults in the Philippines. There were 151 of us all in all, and it was such a blast! We traveled all over Taiwan, visited various provinces and cities, went to night markets, ate a lot of great food, saw beautiful sights and learned so much about the culture and the people. It was definitely a life changing experience for me, mostly because I was able to get more in touch with my Chinese roots and met a lot of great friends that are for keeps.

Group 3! <3

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GCQ's UPDATES

blog

Hi guys!!

We've been doing a lot of reviews, book tours, and basically all of our scheduled posts. But we haven't taken the time yet to just update you with our lives and this blog. Today, we want to talk to you, just tell you what's happening, what we're planning to do and what we were able to do already.

Blog Design

We're actually pretty happy with our blog design already and we haven't had it for so long yet. We're probably gonna change it, but we don't know exactly when. We could actually change it anytime that we feel like it. We're also quite sure that we're gonna change it within this year, maybe even more than once, so stay tuned for that! :)

Blog Posts

Audrey and Beryl are definitely gonna be more active in the next couple of months since school's out and they have plenty of time to blog already. Kimi's still a bit busy, but we're sure she'll find time for blogging. We are aware that we haven't been actively participating in blog features like FFFs or Waiting on Wednesdays. This is why we are planning to put these in our schedule too. We're not gonna be able to post everyday as our sched is hectic (school, extracurricular activities, side projects, catching up on our TV series - if you count that as hectic). Even so, we are aiming to have quality content that will make up for the lack of posts. Hope you guys understand!

Personal Livessssssssssss

Since it's already summer here in the Philippines, we haven't been doing anything at all. And we're already more productive than last year. We have been blogging, watching series, reading, eating, taking naps (three naps a day keeps the doctor away!), stalking celebs, and the list goes on! If you have no life, like us two, we'll share to you what we do to keep boredom away.

1. TV Series to Watch
Teen Wolf
Why Watch: Dylan O'Brien, hot dudes, unnecessary backflips, DYLAN O'BRIEN, werewolves

Elementary
Why Watch: you can use your brain, you learn stuff, it makes you feel smart

Suburgatory
Why Watch: funny, stress-relieving

2. Books to Read
Books by Colleen Hoover
Why Read: excellent writer, 5-star reviews from Kimi

That's all for today! We really enjoyed writing this post, hope you guys enjoyed it too! Comment down below your fave series and books, so we could watch and read them together. <3

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Waiting on Wednesdays: The Secrets We Keep by Trisha Leaver

2015 releases

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

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Title: The Secrets We Keep

Author: Trisha Leaver

Publishing Date: April 28th, 2015

Publisher: Farrar, Straus, Giroux (BYR)

A girl takes over her twin sister's identity in this emotionally charged page-turner about the complicated bond between sisters.

Ella and Maddy Lawton are identical twins. Ella has spent her high school years living in popular Maddy's shadows, but she has never been envious of Maddy. In fact, she's chosen the quiet, safe confines of her sketchbook over the constant battle for attention that has defined Maddy's world.

When—after a heated argument—Maddy and Ella get into a tragic accident that leaves her sister dead, Ella wakes up in the hospital surrounded by loved ones who believe she is Maddy. Feeling responsible for Maddy's death and everyone's grief, Ella makes a split-second decision to pretend to be Maddy. Soon, Ella realizes that Maddy's life was full of secrets. Caught in a web of lies, Ella is faced with two options—confess her deception or live her sister's life.

What are YOU waiting for this week? :)

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Lazy Day Essentials (Books, Movies and More!)

audrey

There are just those days when you don't feel like getting out of bed. Those days when you simply want to curl up under a blanket, sipping hot chocolate, and immerse yourself in a good book. Or TV series, movies, and music. During those days, it's hard to find the things that you definitely need to feel relaxed, cozy, and, basically, at home. With the incessant stream of information that we get from social media, we don't often get time to step away from all the stress and simply take time for ourselves and relax. In this post, we'll be showing you some things that you will definitely need during a lazy day.

NUMBER ONE:
A Good Book
Nobody wants to think during a lazy day! I'm serious. We don't even like to move when we're feeling lazy. So, basically, nobody likes to think. A perfect series will be Miranda Kenneally's Hundred Oaks Series.

We're not saying that this series is shallow or anything. We mean that it's a feel good set of books that won't make you worry too much and have happy endings.

Catching Jordan Book Review

A Good Movie

Watching movies on lazy days can be frustrating. Most of the time, they are either too boring or too action-filled. Personally, we believe that there is nothing better during these days than a good, relatable comedy with a valuable lesson. This movie is none other than Mean Girls. Mmhmm.

A Good TV Series

There's nothing better than binge-watching a TV series wherein you do not have to use your brain. I'm not gonna explain much further since I think you get it already with our statement earlier about how nobody wants to use their coconuts. So without further ado, Suburgatory!

Tessa Altman

and Dalia Royce (coz she's our favie)

A Good Background Music

We don't know what a good lazy music should sound like. Should it be upbeat or slow? We have no idea, so we just chose songs we like listening to especially in the shower.

1. Chocolate by The 1975

2. Reflections by MisterWives

3. Steal My Girl by One Direction

A Good, Cuddly Sweater
Sweaters are great for lazy days! You can wear them when you're simply staying at home or when you're going out.

This outfit is perfect for a lazy day. The sweater is not only adorable (it has unicorns on it!!!), but it is also very comfortable. You can wear this when it's not too hot and not too cold since that sweater can keep you warm but isn't too thick that you'll sweat buckets when you wear it on a sunny day. The skirt is also great because LOOK AT THE PATTERN! It's simply gorgeous. Plus, it's kinda flowy and bouncy and airy which is perfect for a warm day.

This outfit is more suitable for colder weather since the sweater is quite thick. During colder days, you can pair the sweater with these leggings-pants thing that is super comfortable. Wearing these on lazy days will make you feel relaxed yet pretty. A good pair of black boots will match these outfit.

First Outfit:
Sweater: H&M
Skirt: Bershka

Second Outfit:
Sweater: Somewhere in Instagram (Forgot, sorry)
Leggings-Pants Thing: Uniqlo

Thanks for reading guys! Hope you enjoyed this post. We're really sorry we don't blog more. Happy Halloween! Cheers to being lazy and looking good doing it! ;) Leave a comment because it is highly appreciated. (or else we'll hunt you down)

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Interviewing Alexa Santiago: Week 7

alexa santiago

Before anything else, we're really really sorry for not posting anything new. As you may or may not know, we've been busy with school and other activities. Have you ever felt so drained that you would just want to lie down, sleep and eat? Since June started our weekdays and even weekends have been so hectic. There are times when I even forget to email the next featured blogger, and I'd just remember on the exact day when the post should be up. We know we're not putting too much effort on our blog anymore, but as long as we have more freetime, blogging will be our priority.

We're really sorryyyy, but we hope you enjoy this week's featured blogger! Meet Alexa Santiago, a pretty cool book blogger! :)

1. Share your favorite joke or chat-up line.

Are you hurt? Because you fell a long way from Heaven to be here on Earth.

(And I have actually said that out loud to someone on a dare. LOL.)

2. Most embarrassing moment?

When have I not had an embarrassing moment? I'm very clumsy and awkward, so I have a tendency to trip over my own feet. The most recent incident involved me tripping up a curb while I was walking in New York. In flats. During the day. Perfectly sober.

3. Zodiac sign?

I'm a Leo. While I've always embraced the symbolism of a lion, I never realized how courageous and outspoken I could be. Well, at least until I got to New York, where I finally started embracing my talkative side!

4. Most daring thing you've ever done?

Oh wow. Hmm. I think the most daring thing I've ever done is move to an entirely new country! Well, sort of new. I was born in the US, but moved back to the Philippines when I was about 8, and stayed there for about 19 years. It honestly never crossed my mind to move to New York, let alone the US. But I did it back in 2010 - and I'm a much better person for it. It's been quite the adventure, and I'm looking forward to a couple more years before I settle down somewhere less urban and more suburban.

5. If you were about to be dropped in a pit of lava, what would you
choose as your last words?
Bon voyage, I love you all!

6. Who is your favorite cartoon character?

I've always had a huge soft spot for Mickey Mouse. Just seeing him or his shape anywhere genuinely gets me excited as I've always been a Disney girl, ever since I was young! I love the classic Mickey shape.

7. When you were a kid, what was the thing that was understood by
everyone but misinterpreted by you? (Example: ______ used to wonder
why people said that there was 0% interest. She means why would anyone
buy it if it wasn't even the slightest bit interesting?)

Okay, this one is a little silly, but whenever adults would say someone was "hot" when I was younger, I always got confused because I expected them to be on fire or something.

8. Who is your favorite blogger?

I really don't play favorites when it comes to my blogger friends! I love everyone's blogs for a different reason, and I just love having so many people to bounce opinions off of and learn from. I do have a few blogger friends who I'm really close to, but I genuinely enjoy spending time chatting with many bloggers.

9. Future plans?

I would like to settle down with my husband in a house of our own, one that has an attic, a porch, a library, a large kitchen, a big backyard and a treehouse. I intend to pen a couple of novels, have 4 or 5 kids if I can manage it and to travel around the world to see as much of it as possible.

10. Animal that you would own as a pet? (Birds, cats, dogs, fishes,
bunnies, and guinea pigs not allowed)

Oh, this is actually very easy for me - I'd love to own a white tiger. I've been fascinated by tigers ever since I was a little girl, because they're powerful and beautiful to look at. I literally spent 15 minutes just watching them in the Singapore Zoo when I visited last year!

11. Do you believe ants are nutritious?

I've never thought about this before, but I suppose so. It'd take a lot of them to make a decent-sized snack though.

12. Star Wars or Star Trek?

While I don't actively watch either, I have seen more Star Wars than Star Trek. Plus, I also have a bit of sentimentality for the fact that my dad and I used to go and watch the Star Wars films together.

13. Favorite superhero?

This is such a difficult question! I do like a lot of superheroes, particularly the ones from Marvel. I'd have to say that my favorite rotates change every so often. Currently, I'm in a phase where I really like Thor. I love the mythology behind his story!

14. Favorite super villain?

Okay, this is even harder than the previous question! If we're talking comics, I'd have to say Joker from Batman, but in the way that Heath Ledger played him. If we're just talking villains in general, I'd say Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty because she freaks me out and she's pretty badass.

15. Name one thing you love about yourself?

I love the fact that I'm overall a very positive person! I'm the eternal optimist in my family, and among my friends too. I'm that persistently blinding ray of sunshine amid lots of gray clouds, and I like that.

16. TBH...

I would love to have skipped a few of the bumps along the way in my life so far, but I realize that might change who I am now. So it's sometimes sad to think about the things I regret, but I just remind myself it's helped me become the person I am now.

17. What is your favorite shirt/dress/pants/jacket/hoodie/any piece of
clothing? Attach a picture.

Oh, this is VERY easy. I actually have an entire outfit that I really like, and I've worn it nearly every year since I got here in 2010. It's this bright yellow and pink dress that my mom got me from Bangkok, paired with my favorite brown cowboy boots.

18. Word that best describes you?

Optimist. Because I always find the silver lining in the clouds, see the glass half full instead of half empty and try to stay encouraging and happy with others.

19. Favorite app?

I'm very attached to the Twitter app. I just like being able to keep in touch with everyone I'm friends with via my phone. But if we're thinking about non-social media apps, I'm most attached to the Spotify app, because I love music.

20. What food do you crave right now? Attach a picture.

Oh gosh, this is an easy one. I'm craving the kind of chicken inasal that you can only get in Bacolod. It's one of my favorite dishes ever, and though there are attempts to replicate it here, nothing's quite the same.

21. What's the thing you can't live without?

Hate to be all philosophical for this one, but love. I don't think I can live without love.

22. What's your happy place?

I'm usually at my happiest when I'm surrounded by people I love. It doesn't really matter where we are, or what we're doing; all that matters is the company.

23. You just murdered someone. How would you dispose of their body?
(Examples: throw it in the ocean, bury it, dissolve it Breaking Bad
style) We're just curious, promise. :)

I'd probably burn the body, to leave as little evidence as possible.

24. Attach a selfie!

Here's a fairly recent one, which I also shared on Instagram! I'm just really in love with these heart-shaped sunglasses.

25. Links on where to find you?

Blog: www.alexalovesbooks.com

Bloglovin': http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3481537/alexa-loves-books

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexalovesbooks

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4988733-alexa

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alexa-Loves-Books/152251531543267

Tumblr: http://the-lexi-con.tumblr.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/alexalovesbooks

You know what to do! Check out her links, follow and enjoy just as we did. Stay tuned for next week's featured blogger! Byieee <3!

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May 2014 Releases

2014

ITS MAY!!! There are a lot of books to watch out for in this month. *woot woot*

We've listed down the books that we want to steal and eat and smuggle. HEHEHE. Enough of our talk about illegal plans, let's get onto the list!

1. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16143347-we-were-liars

2. The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16068910-the-art-of-lainey

3. Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18189606-since-you-ve-been-gone

4. Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18530135-royally-lost

5. The Secrets of Lily Graves by Sarah Strohmeyer

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18635076-the-secrets-of-lily-graves

6. Guy in Real Life by Steve Brezenoff

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18599748-guy-in-real-life

7. Free to Fall by Lauren Miller

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18602289-free-to-fall

8. Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18667800-love-and-other-foreign-words

9. Searching for Sky by Jillian Cantor

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18594477-searching-for-sky

10. The Swift Boys and Me by Kody Keplinger

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18693363-the-swift-boys-me

11. Torn Away by Jennifer Brown

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15845648-torn-away

12. Wish You Were Italian by Kristin Rae

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18042393-wish-you-were-italian

Soooo, that's our list! There are like a million other books we want to put in this list, but we narrowed it down to 12 since it's a lucky number? Maybe? Maybe not? Idk. Anyway, what did you think about our list? What books are you waiting for? Leave a comment and we will love you 5ever!!!

Don't forget to follow us on our sites!

Twitter: @geekychiquitas

Bloglovin: Geeky Chiquitas

Goodreads: Kimi (Geeky Chiquitas)

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Guest Post: Marie Landry's Top 5 Contemporary YA Reads

anna and the french kiss

My Top 5 Contemporary YA Reads

A Guest post by Marie Landry

Since the first two books in the Angel Island series are YA (here’s a secret: the third book will be New Adult), and since I absolutely adore contemporary YA, I thought I’d share five of my favourite books with you. These are the books I recommend most when someone asks me for must-read YA contemporary.

Displaying Marie-Landry-Top-5-Fave-Contemporary-YA.jpg

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

I love this book so much. Anna is such an easy character to relate to, and Etienne is one of my favourite book boyfriends. Plus the story is set in Paris - what could be better than that? I reread this book last April and was worried I wouldn’t enjoy it as much the second time around, but I loved it even more than the first time. I think I’m just about due for another reread. ;-)

Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

I adore road trip books, and this one is my favourite. It’s funny, emotional, sweet, romantic, and just basically perfect.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

This book has the perfect mixture of emotion, humour, drama, and romance. It’s sweet, funny, heartbreaking, and sexy. I would love to be part of the Garrett family.

If Only We by Jessica Sankiewicz

This is a contemporary story with a hint of wibbly wobbly timey wimey goodness. It’s a very relatable coming-of-age story with some great life lessons. It’s perfect for anyone who loves stories about second chances.

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

This is a book that packs an emotional punch. It deals with a lot of heavy issues, but it has a really beautiful romance, and moments of humour to balance it all out. There are also great aspects of family and friendship in the book, which I love.

This list easily could have had a dozen books or more, but those are five of my very favourite contemporary reads. What are some of your favourites?

11:13 AM
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It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

audrey

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is where we gather to share what we have read for the past week and what we plan to read this week. It's a great way to meet new blogs, add new titles to your TBR list, and network with other bloggers.

It was such a busy week for all of us, but we managed to sneak in a few books! :)

LAST WEEK'S READS:

Strange Sweet Song by Adi Rule (Audrey)

Twelve Steps by Veronica Bartles (Kimi)

Faking Normal by Courtney Stevens (Kimi)
Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg (Kimi)
Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira (Audrey)

The Other Way Around by Sashi Kaufman (Beryl)

12:25 AM
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Soupy Sundays: On Cliches (5)

audrey

Soupy Sundays is a discussion post at Geeky Chiquitas in which we talk about our opinions on certain topics. This week's topic is on cliches.

ON CLICHÉS

Some people really hate cliches. They say that some plot lines are so overused. Of course it's nice to find a plot which is new and fresh since we tend to see a lot of the same plot lines in every genre. It gets tiring to see all of the same kind of books over and over again. They may be written differently but are, in essence, the same.

It may be so but we think that some books that are cliches are actually nice and enjoyable. We believe that a book's greatness is based more on how it was written. Maybe a book might be a cliche but if it is written well, if the plot was given justice, then it would probably be great for us. There is also a reason for why certain topics become so popular. Maybe that topic was simply great or could be worked with at so many different angles that people found it good enough to be worth reading about over and over again.

We admit that it might be hard to come up with new, fresh topics since there are so many books that you can't help but think: "What's the use of trying to think of a new topic when probably every single one has already been done?" Well, you might think that all topics are covered but we believe that if you think hard enough, you'll find a topic that's new. If you really can't think of one, you can choose to use one that you think hasn't been used much.

There are a lot of plot lines that we want to read yet haven't read yet. Sometimes, we are disappointed about how there are so many books on a certain topic but none on another. On a past post, we listed down a couple of topics that we haven't seen yet in a book that we would probably like to read. There were about ten topics there and we believe that we even had more that we didn't list down anymore. (You can check it out here.)

Even though we would like to see new, fresh topics when we read a book, we cannot deny that there's something about cliches that is kinda comforting. The feeling when you read a book and you already know what is happening is just different. It gives this comforting feeling. Makes you feel safe like nothing's gonna surprise you or anything. You already know what generally happens so you don't feel the need to analyze everything. You can just relax while reading a cliche.

In conclusion, we don't think that cliches are bad. We believe that a book should not be judged solely on its plot line but by it as a whole. Though we think of it as such, we would still like to see more unique topics. More books that cover new territories. Every plot is worth writing about because someone out there might be looking for a book like that so we hope that writers everywhere try as much as possible to write about different things. Audrey even saw a book on Goodreads that showed you how to sharpen pencils. If that isn't unique and different, we don't know what is.

What do you think about cliches? Leave a comment!

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It's Pi Day! 3.14

3.14

Surely, all of us are familiar with the numbers 3.14 or also known as Pi. We usually use it in math or even science. It's so cool that today is Pi day! March 14. Since it's a special day, we decided to make a post consisting of different geeky books with quotes!

1. Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

“After that, the book will fade, the way all books fade in your mind. But I hope you will remember this:
A man walking fast down a dark lonely street. Quick steps and hard breathing, all wonder and need. A bell above a door and the tinkle it makes. A clerk and a ladder and warm golden light, and then: the right book exactly, at exactly the right time.”

“There is no immortality that is not built on friendship and work done with care. All the secrets in the world worth knowing are hiding in plain sight.”

2. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

“In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. I think it’s impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves. And then, in that very moment when I love them.... I destroy them.”

3. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

“You'd be amazed how much research you can get done when you have no life whatsoever.”

“Being human totally sucks most of the time. Videogames are the only thing that make life bearable.”

What do you think about Pi Day? Leave a comment!

11:35 PM
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March 2014 Releases

2014 books

Ahhh March... New month, new book releases! There are a lot of fantastic books coming out this month, some we've read or are currently reading, but out of all those upcoming releases, we're most excited about the following!