The Second Chance Convenience Store by Kim Ho-Yeon

It’s been years since I’ve written a proper book review because I’ve somehow lost touch with my interest in books. But here I am now, trying to get back into it, as I have rekindled my love for reading. I remember having a conversation a few months ago with old friends who also used to enjoy reading about how we’ve fallen out of love with it. At that point, it seemed like we had just given up on an old hobby and accepted how our interests change as we grow older.

I honestly thought it was the end of my love for books, but suddenly I found myself lost in life and with a lot of time on my hands. As I’ve been soul-searching lately, I looked back at why I started my career in writing in the first place. Why did I want to write? And the answer was because I loved reading so much. I realized it might be time to give my old dreams and interests a second chance.

Speaking of second chances, a book that I’ve recently finished is The Second Chance Convenience Store by Kim Ho-Yeon. The story basically revolves around a homeless man called Dokgo, who can’t remember anything about his past and claims to have dementia caused by his alcoholism.

One day, Dokgo returns a lost wallet to Mrs. Yeom, a retired school teacher, who then offers him a free meal at her convenience store to repay his kindness. She ends up inviting him to free meals every day and ultimately decides to hire him to work the night shift at the store.

While employees were initially weirded out by the decision to hire a homeless man, Dokgo eventually wins them over as he offers a welcoming ear and sound advice.

At less than 200 pages, the book is a short read, which is fitting for recovering bookworms like me. It’s an ideal book for someone looking for a light but heartfelt story.

What I love about the book is how every chapter tells the story from the perspective of a different character. It felt like a new character was being introduced every chapter, which takes you deeper and deeper into the plot with each perspective being added. While the addition of more characters may sometimes tend to make stories draggy, this book did not encounter this problem. I applaud the author for being able to keep the flow consistent across the story. Adding a new character in each chapter added a refreshing take as you go into the story.

Another thing I liked about the story was the relatability of the characters. I could definitely resonate with some of the characters as they were facing real-life problems that a lot of us encounter in our daily lives.

While it took a while for the story to reach its climax, as it happened towards the end of the book, I felt like the pacing was just right. The author was able to close the story in a heartwarming manner.

Overall, I give this book a four out of five stars rating. I’m excited to read the sequel once it comes out later this year.

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

I was on board a four-hour flight about a month ago, so I decided it was the perfect time to catch up on my reading since there ‘s really nothing to do when you are up in the air. I picked Love letters to the dead by Ava Dellaira as my travel companion.

I don’t why I chose this book in particular, but if I had the chance to re-do my choice, I would choose a lighter read since I was literally up in the clouds with all these feelings!!

Love Letters to the Dead tells the story of Laurel, who is still grieving the loss of her sister, while trying to begin life at a new school, making new friends, and possibly falling in love for the first time. What begins as an English class assignment to write a single letter to a dead person, ends up being a full-blown notebook of letters to different departed individuals.

The entire book is composed of these letters that Laurel has written. These were not exactly letters to people that Laurel personally knew, but rather prominent departed people who she associates with her dead sister.

The fact that the book was written in the form of letter was already a luring factor for me. I really love books that are written through letters because I myself want to write letters to people, but for some reason, can never find the right worlds to say or how to say what I want to.

There was simply no boring moment in the story. My mind was racing the entire time I was reading. I wanted to know what would happen next.

The way the book was written was amazing. There were so many striking lines that really hit me. Reading them made me feel like Laurel was writing to me, and not all of those dead people.

I wish I had written this review earlier when my mind was still fresh from reading it and all my feelings were still in tact. This was such a riveting tale for me that it took me a few weeks before I could read something else because I was looking for something that would also get my attention and make me feel as much feelings as this book did.

It’s been weeks since I read this book, but I am still finding it hard to find the right words to say about it. All I know is that if made me feel so much and that’s one thing I look in a book. I think it is pure magic to be able to be moved by story.

Again, I am still speechless but I really really recommend everyone to read this book. I guarantee you it will bring all the feels.

Love Letters to the Dead definitely deserves a five out of five stars rating.

My Manila International Book Fair Haul

I know this is a super duper late post. The book fair was almost a month ago. Life started to get busy and I keep on forgetting to post this. I still haven’t read any of these books yet, but I hope I get to start them soon.

By the way, wanted to let you guys know that I finally made a book account on Instagram. I post photos more frequently there since it’s much easier compared to uploading them here, which takes me more time to do and I don’t even know why. Follow me @coffeecathreads

Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

I’ve been feeling down in the dumps lately, and I’ve been in sort of a reading slump for the past few weeks after reading Love Letters to the dead, so I decided I needed to read something short and fun. Having read the previous collaborations between David Levithan and Rachel Cohn, I knew Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List was exactly the book I was looking for.

Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List tells a story of two best friends who create a list of boys that are absolutely off-kissing-limits for the both of them. Naomi and Ely know that they love each other, but it seems like Naomi may actually be in love with Ely, while he is more interested in boys. Despite being inseparable since childhood, a turn of events threatens to destroy the life-long friendship they’ve formed.

When I picked this book up, I kind of set my expectations a bit low, because the last time I read a Cohn-Levithan collab, particularly Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, I expected too much since I really loved Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares, and ended up being disappointed. But as I began reading the book, it immediately enticed me. I love how the dialogues of the characters were written. The way Naomi and Ely conversed with each other was hilarious.

Another thing I like about the book is that it was written from different perspectives of the characters, just like the other Cohn-Levithan collabs. But what was different for this book was that it showed the point of view of the supporting characters as well, in contrast to the usual he-said, she-said type of writing.

Despite liking this format, there were a few points in the middle of the book where in I felt a bit confused because more perspectives from different characters were being injected into the story. I felt like I had to look and remember who is this character again, since he/she isn’t really a major character in the story.

In addition, there were some character point of views that bored me a bit, particularly Gabriel the doorman. But I did like the collection of songs he mentioned haha.

The story itself was very lighthearted. There were challenges presented to the characters, but it didn’t feel too heavy, from a readers perspective.

Overall, I was really entertained by this book. It offered me the kind of escape I needed. It sort of leaves with that rom-com movie feels.

The entire book was around 320 pages, so it was really just a quick read. Exactly what I needed to get over my reading slump.

I recommend this book to those who just want to chill and have a few laughs. It’s quite a short book and you can probably finish it in one sitting.

I give this book four out of five stars.

Love and other perishable items by Laura Buzo

When I picked up a copy of Love and other perishable items, I was not expecting a lot. It seemed like a laid-back read to me. A light read that will help you kill time. Man, was I wrong.

From reading the synopsis of the book, it seemed like a typical love story about young love, crushes and all the other stuff. Just to see the world ‘Love’ on the title makes me think about something cheesy. I thought this book would end on a positive note, like the usual lighthearted novels, but surprisingly, it had a more realistic finish. This proves, that I shouldn’t judge a book by the cover, or rather, by its title.

Love and other perishable items tells the story of 15-year-old Amelia, who develops a crush on 21-year old Chris, her co-worker from her part-time job at a local grocery store. Amelia falls head over heels in love with Chris even though she knows there is zero chance of them being together, given the wide age gap. But somewhere along the way, the possibility of Chris liking her back arises, which makes Amelia fall for him even more.

The story is told from two perspective narrative, particularly by Amelia and Chris. It’s been awhile since I’ve read books that were written this way, and I do miss it so it was refreshing to read this book. Having two sides to story gives an all the more realistic feel since there’s always more than one side to a story.

Although I am all praises for this book, I think the beginning wasn’t so enticing. I got a little bored at first. It took me awhile to really get hooked to the story. But when things started to get interesting, I could not put the book down. I had to know how the story ends.

For the most part, the story was indeed a lighthearted read and it did make me smile a lot times. I like how Amelia and Chris wrote letters to each other. It made me want to have someone who will exchange letters with me someday.

Despite the story lingering on the happy side for the most of it, I was completely shattered by the ending. I was not expecting it.

With my assumption of the story being a typical cheesy love story, I thought the two characters would eventually happily together. When I reached the climax of the story and the conflict unveiled itself, I was expecting for the conflict to be resolved after, but that’s not how it exactly happened. I won’t spoil the ending for you guys, but all I can say it was a bit of an open ending.

I don’t know if it just because of the low expectations I set for this book that blew me in the end, but I really like the ending. I left me hanging with all of these feelings. It ended way better than what I expected.

Overall, I find the book to be a worthwhile story.It was a pretty quick read at 243 pages, exactly what I needed for a chill Sunday afternoon.

You guys should definitely read this if you like stories with realistic endings that keep you guessing what happens next.

I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars rating.

New Books!

I was strolling the mall a few days ago when  I came across a bookstore. As always, I would enter the store just randomly scanning the shelves to see if anything is on sale. The thing I learned about bookstores is that they wouldn’t always announce that there’s a sale or they wouldn’t even put sale items on a separate shelf, so you really need to go through the shelves and check is the prices of books are slashed off. Luckily, I found a ton of books on sale that time I went to the store. Scored four of these books at around 70 percent off. I wasn’t planning to buy anything that day, but how could I resist such a good deal?

Here are my recently purchased titles:

1. Love and other perishable items by Laura Buzo– 150 Pesos
2. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson– 199 Pesos
3. Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira– 199 Pesos
4. Meant to be by Lauren Morrill– 99 Pesos

 

Breakaway by Kat Spears

’ve always been a fan of books that deal with the aftermath of death. It’s that theme that makes the story feel more realistic. I have lost people that I love at a young age, and it was never easy. To read stories that feel similar to something I’ve been through, makes  me feel more connected to it.

That’s why when I picked up Breakaway by Kat Spears at a bookstore, I knew I had to take this book home.

Breakaway tells the story of Jason Marshall, a senior high school student who just lost little sister. Apart from dealing with the death of sister, Jason is faced with more problems as his three bestfriends are starting to drift apart.

And then a girl enters the picture. Jason finds himself torn between building a relationship with a girl he might be in love with, grieving for his sister, and trying to keep together the friendship he has always relied on.

It’s been a couple of months since I’ve last read a book since I’ve been too busy at work, I’ve been having a hard time finding a book that will actually entice me from the very beginning. That was not the case for this book. From the moment I began reading it, I could not put it down.

The way it was written was so laidback, it made me feel like the main character was talking to me. With that being said, I was able to finish the book in about two sittings.

I loved the connection between Jason and Raine. It made me imagine the kind of chemistry I want to feel when I eventually fall in love with someone. They seemed so comfortable with each other. It was like they could talk about anything with ease.

Another thing I liked about the book was the realistic feel it gave off. Since the events in the story actually could happen in real life, it made me feel like I was actually listening to someone’s life story.

While I did enjoy reading the book, and I found the premise to be interesting, I felt like the story was missing a climactic moment. Of course the story did have a climax, however, I wasn’t wowed by it. And because of that I think the story fell a bit flat in the end.

But despite the flat ending, I think the entire book was a worthwhile read. I wouldn’t say Breakaway is a life-changing book, but I think it made me rekindle my love for reading. I think I’m going to start reading books again.

Overall, I would give the book 4 out of 5 stars.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

I’ve always believed that books have a certain way of entering our lives when we need them to. Every time I read a good book, I feel like it’s so relevant to what I currently feel or it features a similar situation that I’m going through.That’s how I also felt when I read the Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness.

The Knife of Never Letting Go is the first book of the Chaos Walking trilogy. It tells the story of Todd Hewitt,the last boy in Prentisstown.He lives in a world where everyone can hear everyone else’s thoughts through what they call “noise”. A month before Todd turns into a man– which is when he turns thirteen–Todd and his dog Manchee– who also has noise– hears silence– which is of course impossible. Word broke out about what Todd heard through his noise and now he is forced to run away from the town.

As I read the first few chapters of the book, I was not immediately hooked.It was just an okay for me. I think the story got interesting in the middle of the book towards the end. There were moments when I felt like I wasn’t enjoying the story as much as I’d hope to but I was really hoping that the story would get better and gladly it did.

It was the message at the last few chapters of the book that really struck me. There was a part when Todd said something about life not being fair but there’s always hope. I felt like I could relate so much to that because that’s what I’m currently feeling being thrust into the world of adulthood and all.

Anyway, I also like the way how the book was written.I also love how  there’s a distinction between how each character’s lines were written.There choice of words were also simple, which made it very easy to read.

As I began reading the book, I didn’t think I would enjoy the book so much but as I reached the end, I cannot stop gushing how much I want to read the next book. The ending just left me hanging! I don’t  even know how can the book end just there! There’s still so much more I need to know about the story. I just felt like a huge big ball of feelings after reading the book!

I have to admit, I underestimated the wonder of this book and I take it back. I’m completely drawn to the story and I cannot wait to read the next books of the series.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Mythology is a subject that I don’t have much interest in. When I was in high school, I did have a couple of friends who were really fascinated by it when we discussed in class, but the topic just didn’t really stick to me. We even had this class presentation where in we had to dress up like gods and goddesses but still the topic did not appeal to me.

The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series wasn’t exactly on my book wishlist. The series does indeed have a following, but like I said, the subject of mythology did not appeal to me but since I was away from my bookshelf without anything good enough to read a few days ago, and I was craving to read some YA, I decided to borrow The Lightning Thief from my sister who for some reason, brought the book with her.

From the moment I started reading the book, It immediately caught my attention. It was written in such a laid back manner that it felt like I wasn’t actually reading but just listening to someone tell me a story as if just casually saying how your day went by. I was very much drawn to the story that I didn’t want to put the book down,

Percy’s character felt so relatable and genuine. The way his dialogues were written felt so authentic that he could really pass for a real teenager who doesn’t care about a lot of things.The ending of the book did leave me hanging a bit. I want to know so bad what happens next and what kind of monsters and gods will he battle in the next books.

I honestly didn’t expect to enjoy this read but I really did and I so wanna read the other books in the series but sadly I’m still saving up for copies of those books. Why do books have to be so pricey? huhuhu Anyway, the rest of the series is now definitely on the top part of my wishlist.

I do understand the all the hype about this book now and I am now a fan of the series. I cannot wait to get my hands on the rest of the series .

(Late Post)

Bookish Finds: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

I was strolling by the mall the other day, contemplating on life decisions when I came acrosss a Booksale branch. I decided to enter the store, in the hope of finding a book that would somehow enlighten me or make me feel better about life. Books, as I believe have this certain way of entering our lives when we most need them.

Anyway, I scanned the bookshelves for a few minutes and couldn’t find anything. Just as  I was about to leave the store, I spotted The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, and I could not let go of it. I’ve seen this book all over Tumblr and Goodreads and I have read a lot of positive reviews of it.I barely had enough money left to buy it so I had to check if I had enough fare money left to get home– and gladly I did! So am now completely broke but happy that I have this book!