[BIRTHDAY POST!] 23 books, anime, manga, (and music) I Recommend + GIVEAWAY!

Hello,

I cannot believe that it has already been a year since I wrote this post. Yup, it was my birthday post. That was me posting some random things. Pointless. SO, I kind of like making lists which is why this year's birthday post is another list.. thinking of twenty three things is crazy but let's see what I can do about this... actually, this is just me telling you things I currently like :P

Here I go (just a quick note: this is a really long list with a few images and youtube videos!)...


{ B O O K S }
Unwind Dystology by Neal Shusterman. My first dystopian novel. Unwind really blew me away with its characters, concept, and great storytelling. Every time someone asks me of my fave book, I ALWAYS immediately say Unwind. Admittedly though, I still haven't finished the series..
Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown. One of the series I am seriously going crazy about right now. The third book is months away. The story sounds so stereotypical dystopian novel but how it was done was really great. Great world that quickly absorbed me, unforgettable characters, gripping pace, and fancy lingo (LOL)!!
The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. I jumped into this series because I see it everywhere. Almost everyone is raving about this series. The world is really great, I was immediately absorbed, the characters were unforgettable (although not everyone is a fave for me), it's got expected yet well executed twists, and really gripping action.
To All the Boys I've Loved Before Duology by Jenny Han. This quickly became my fave romance series! Quite cliched but really cute. Made me want to try more books by Jenny Han.
Pretenders by Lisi Harisson. One of my fave authors of all time. This series is really cute and fun to read. It's a quick read and it's written in such personalized style (journal-style writing). I enjoy the characters and the mystery Lisi is building up in here.
Cormoran Strike Series by Robert Galbraith aka J.K. Rowling. My first J.K. Rowling book is The Cuckoo's Calling (I've never read The Harry Potter series and I still don't have plans to do so, sorry!). Great and nicely developed characters, well written mysteries, and a really gripping thriller. If you like thriller-mysteries and you still haven't picked up this one, I suggest you do so NOW!

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. Really heartbreaking story. This is simply one of the books I read way too quickly. It's a story that many of our history books missed. It may seem that they don't matter but they do. They really do. It's not just another WWII story, it's a MUST read WWII that's really, really moving.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. This one's kind of a hit or miss novel. It's certainly a hit for me though. I somehow figured the story out and I really like how it was told. It made me stay up late at night and made me cry so hard even though I already predicted certain revelations..
Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang. This is a somehow cliched story already. You've read something like this but you're never something that's told this way. I love Amy Zhang's storytelling style. While Falling Into Place was a bit overshadowed by certain books as I read, it still greatly moved and inspired me.
Delayed Death by Beate Boeker. I read this cozy mystery for a book tour and I ended up really, really loving it. It's got a mystery that kept me thinking, a really great pacing, an amusing set of characters, and a really great romance!
Sugar by Deirdre Riordan Hall. This one gave me a major book hangover that I can't even read any contemporary books for a couple of days. It's got an unconventional and easy to love and get into main character, and a really beautifully written and inspirational story.

{ A N I M E & M A N G A }
Bakuman Ohba Tsugumi & Obata Takeshi (JC Staff). My #1 fave manga. The anime ran for three (3) seasons and it was a real rollercoaster ride. It was really moving but if you really, really want to feel the intensity of the story, I suggest you go read the manga. It really struck me. It greatly inspired me. This is a highly recommended manga and anime.
Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama (WIT Studio x Production I.G). If we talk about action, Attack on Titan is simply one of the best choices out there (for me). While I admit that this is EXTREMELY overrated, it's really worth watching (and reading). It's got great art (and really great storytelling - for the manga).
Steins;Gate (WHITE FOX). This is my fave anime. It has the usual thrilling anime pacing, great and unforgettable characters, and really well written story and still stayed with me even though I haven't seen it for a couple of years now. Highly recommeded for sci-fi fans.
Ace of Diamond (Production I.G x MAD House). My fave sports anime. It's probably the characters that really grabbed my attention. With the huge number of male characters and how fun they simply were, I can't stop myself for really falling in love with this series. It has a really nice inspirational story, generic art style, great cast, and a fun set of characters.
HUNTER x HUNTER 2011 (MAD House). The only Shounen JUMP battle anime I really, really love. Bakuman is really an exception since it's an entirely different kind of battle right there. I've only seen a couple of episodes from the original adaptation which made me see to it that I finish this one. This adaptation is really great. It's got prime animation, and really great pacing.
Chihayafuru (Production I.G). I initially didn't want to try this one but after seeing the cast, I decided to try it. And after that one episode, that I knew that I'd love this series. Another inspirational story right here, people!

{ M U S I C }

All Time Low. My since high school fave band. Okay, so they weren't my majorly fave band then but they are now. Some of the original fans did not like the new material they made but I'm still loving them. Great sound and great lyrics (and great boys). HA! I was really torn about which song to share because I really want to share Missing You which is my fave song in the new album but I think something with a music video will work better :P

twenty one pilots. my current addiction! This band is so catchy and their lyrics is so great. I cannot believe that I started listening to them AFTER they dropped by the country @__@ WHY!? My fave song is Car Radio (but really, I still need to listen to more of their songs). On a side note, I made a bookmark out of their two members. I'll share it soon!!

Against the Current. I started listening to them while browsing through Taylor Swift covers. I'm not a Swiftie but I just browse covers just because I love the covers bands make (especially We Came As Romans' cover of I Knew You Were Trouble). Chrissy's voice is really beautiful and their songs are really great! I really can't wait to hear their first full length album :D

Sleeping with Sirens. I started listening to this band because of the APMA. They were nominated (and won) Song of the Year. Saw them on nominations, watched their video, liked them, and voted for them. They have great songs and Kellin is a really great vocals. They have a nice mix of loud and subtle songs - I'm mainly talking about the Madness album since that's the record that really caught my attention but I really recommend that you guys also try to listen to their EP: If You Were A Movie, This Would Be Your Soundtrack. Really beautiful songs right here.

PVRIS. I cannot even remember how I found them. I just remember myself watching the music video of one of their sounds, My House, and suddenly getting hooked. This new band's got that really great music and great members. I listen to them every now and them and I really love their sound. Lyrics-wise, honestly not a huge fan but still pretty good. Their videos are also really great.

SUM 41. MY FIRST EVER FAVE BAND. I found them while watching cable tv. They established the genre of music I listen to. I honestly have to admit that I kind of stopped listening to them for a while when I found out about other bands like Senses Fail, All Time Low, and a few more. But after watching them on APMA, I started added their old songs to my playlist :D I placed an old song right here. In Too Deep is simply one of the most notable Sum 41 songs... So why not try this one?

Thank you for sticking up with me on this one :) other links will be added a bit later (I'm kind of in a hurry in writing this post).

{ G I V E A W A Y }
This is my first giveaway. This is a Philippines (PH) ONLY GIVEAWAY. Support is highly appreciated. Share to your friends. Spread the word! :)

One (1) Winner gets a copy of Red Rising by Pierce Brown (one of the books I highly recommend!)

One (1) Winner gets to choose two (2) of these pre-loved stand-alone books [photo at the left + We Were Liars] && One (1) Winner gets to choose two (2) of these pre-loved first-in-series books [photo at the right]


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