Thursday, October 8, 2020

review policy.

(Note: I review books for free, but I do accept small donations to improve my services. Read until then end for more information.)


Here's what you need to remember when applying for a book review:

  • I accept books from publishers and authors (independent authors are great too). I will be glad to support and review books of newly published authors. 
  • All books sent to me are considered for review. I always make sure to inform the author or publisher if I am unable to review their book for some reason.
  • As of the moment, I am only reviewing two books a month. Details such as date of posting will be revealed through email.
Listed below are my favored genres (not in order). Some are genres that I continuously engage myself with, and some are genres I want to try. Fiction and non-fiction, both are okay with me.

  • Crime and Detective
  • Fairy tale re-imagined
  • Fan Fiction
  • Fantasy
  • Historical Fiction
  • Horror
  • Magical Realism
  • Mystery
  • Mythology
  • Narrative Nonfiction
  • Poetry
  • Realistic Fiction
  • Romance
  • Science Fiction
  • Self-help
  • Short Story
  • Suspense/Thriller
  • Young Adult

Format:

Physical copies or eBooks are fine. Please indicate in your email if you are willing to send a physical copy worldwide or if your book is only available as an eBook. Take note that I am from the Philippines. I also accept ARCs but please indicate it on your e-mail together with the Title, Author's Name, Synopsis and the expected date of publication of the book.


Unsolicited Books:

Unsolicited books from trusted publishers and authors will also be considered for review. There are no problems with you automatically sending me your book. I will inform you if I am not interested in reviewing it, but I will make sure that your book gets delivered to another blogger or booktuber who might be interested in reviewing it.


You can contact me through my e-mail:
contact.zeecruz@gmail.com


Again, my reviews are currently free for authors, but I am accepting small donations through Paypal and ko-fi.

Paypal: contact.zeecruz@gmail.com
Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/lovezee

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

let's get real about reading slumps.

Hi. You may be wondering why you're seeing this in your subscriptions. Or maybe you just clicked it by accident. But thank you for clicking and taking time to read this post. I am previously called Bittersweet Reads. I used to post book reviews, recommendations, author guest posts and more! 

But as I started college a few years back, I decided to go on a hiatus. The circumstance that I was in made reading books impossible as I needed to focus on studying. I drifted away, and it was such a pain in the ass.

It is now 2020 and I've got nothing better to do because of the pandemic. So instead of wasting my precious time doing nothing, I decided to revamp and use a simpler name, Zee Reads Books. 

Now that we got that out of the way, I wanted to use this post to re-introduce myself to my audience. That is, if I have any audiences left.

I went through a very tough reading slump amounting to 4 years of not finishing an actual book. I stopped reading books completely when I was in 2nd year college, which is around 4 years from now. Since then, I've touched and opened books several times, but I never had the will to finish reading them. It seemed as if my brain vomits the words and information that I get from reading those books. I really had a hard time. If I were to create an analogy, it felt as if I was experiencing a withdrawal syndrome from not reading books. Eventually, I got by through reading fan fictions from websites such as Archive of Our Own and Wattpad. Believe me, they write well too. But still, reading a book that you can actually hold and smell is different. I remember books being my instant serotonin boost, a vital part of my life growing up. And I can't deal with it any longer.

As I mentioned earlier, in that four-year reading slump, I actually tried getting out of it. I remember this recommendation from a booktuber who said that to get out of your reading slump, you should try to read your favorite book again. That way, all the feelings you felt as you were zooming through its pages will come back to you, making you want to read more. I did that. I was desperate. At that time, my favorite books were Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta and The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton. The funny thing is, they're the type of books that you need to completely immerse yourself into for you to enjoy it. Not that other books do not have that type of depth, it's just that when I was reading both books myself, I did not immediately like it. So in a nutshell, I tried reading Jellicoe Road only to end up re-reading the first few pages over and over again. It wasn't igniting that fire inside me, the reader side of me. So I backed off for a while, feeling defeated.

But today, I think I've really had enough.

I took two lighter reads with me in this new place that I am staying at, hoping that I can finally get out of this slump. I am not pressuring myself to read more for the remaining months of this year. Just two. They're The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks and Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan. I've read both of these before and I really enjoyed them. Compared to the other books, these are more on the contemporary side, so it won't be hard (hopefully) to finish them. If you see me review them or other books on this blog then that would mean I finally got out of this hellish reading slump.

To end this post, let me just quickly advertise this blog by saying that I am once again open to book review requests, guest posts, cover reveals etc. More services offered will be revealed in another post. Until then, please stay safe. Wear your masks and hydrate!

Monday, October 3, 2016

Perfekt Order by St. Bende

PERFEKT ORDER
THE ÆRE SAGA: BOOK ONE
NOW ON SALE FOR JUST $0.99!!
Genre: Upper YA Fantasy (Norse Mythology)

Back Cover Copy
All's fair when you're in love with War.

For seventeen-year-old Mia Ahlström, a world ruled by order is the only world she allows. A lifetime of chore charts, to-do lists and study schedules have helped earn her a spot in Redwood State University’s engineering program. And while her five-year plan includes finding her very own happily-evah-aftah, years at an all girls’ boarding school left her woefully unprepared for keg parties and co-ed extracurricular activities.

So nothing surprises her more than catching the eye of Tyr Fredriksen at her first college party. The imposing Swede is arrogantly charming, stubbornly overprotective, and runs hot-and-cold in ways that defy reason . . . until Mia learns that she’s fallen for the Norse God of War; an immortal battle deity hiding on Midgard (Earth) to protect a valuable Asgardian treasure from a feral enemy. With a price on his head, Tyr brings more than a little excitement to Mia’s rigidly controlled life. Choosing Tyr may be the biggest distraction—or the greatest adventure—she’s ever had.

Buy Links
Add PERFEKT ORDER to your Goodreads TBR

Perfekt Order Excerpt:
“Can I come in?” Tyr asked. His hands were still open—maybe to prove he was unarmed. Not that it mattered much—a guy who could fly and battle a creature that size wouldn’t need a weapon to debilitate me.
I gave him my finest stink eye.
“Please, baby. Let me explain.”
My eyes darted wildly between the forest and my boyfriend. There was a beast in the woods, but there was a man unaffected by gravity on the porch. One who had most definitely lied to me. I wasn’t sure which unnerved me more.
What I really wanted was to understand; understand how Tyr had done what he’d done; understand how he and Freya seemed human enough, but obviously weren’t; understand how that wolf was so powerful; understand how, if Tyr was an alien or a superhero or a mutant or whatever he was, how we could possibly have any kind of a relationship; understand why everyone but me had Henrik’s absolutely awesome lighters.
“I’m coming inside.” Tyr walked slowly, palms up, and stepped through the door. Then he walked backwards to the closet, where he hung up his crossbow and the two space guns. He shut the door gently, entered a code that I assumed locked the room, and closed the cover on the keypad.
I still hadn’t moved.
“Can I touch you?” he asked.
I nodded. Tyr slowly moved to my side. He took one of my balled fists and pulled me from the door.
“No more secrets,” he vowed. He pulled the lighter out of his back pocket and threw it off the porch. “Henrik didn’t make a special lighter. This is all me.”
He held out one hand and muttered something in Swedish I didn’t understand. Light shot from his hand and I spun around to follow its trajectory. It hit what looked like a clear screen at the edge of the woods, and traced an arc around the house in a half-dome, encasing the property in a silvery coating. Tiny spots floated gently from the dome, like thousands of luminescent snowflakes, and soon the ground around the house was covered in a glittery powder. Tyr snapped his fingers and the powder disappeared. Everything was as it had been—it was as if the whole night had never happened.
My knees buckled as the room started to spin. Tyr caught me just before I hit the ground. He swept me up in his arms and carried me to the couch.
“Okay, prinsessa. Time for the talk.”
He tucked a heavy throw around my legs and sat next to me. He kept one of his shoulders an inch from mine. I cautiously turned my head to appraise him. On the outside, nothing had changed. His eyes were the same midnight blue, his jaw the same perfect square, and the enormous arms folded calmly across his chest were the same ones I loved to curl up in.
But everything felt different. I realized I had no idea who this man actually was, where he came from, and what else he was capable of. The only thing I knew for sure was that I needed answers. Real answers, this time. No more secrets.
I drew a shaky breath and spoke the words that would change my life forever.
“Who are you?”




AUTHOR BIO:
Before finding domestic bliss in suburbia, S.T. Bende lived in Manhattan Beach (where she became overly fond of Peet’s Coffee) and Europe… where she became overly fond of McVities cookies. Her love of Scandinavian culture and a very patient Norwegian teacher inspired the books of The Elsker Saga and The Ære Saga. She hopes her characters make you smile, and she dreams of skiing on Jotunheim and Hoth.
Find S.T. on Twitter @stbende or her website (www.stbende.com). While you're at it, introduce yourself to @UllMyhr and @TyrFredriksen -- when they’re not saving the cosmos from dark elves, they love meeting new friends . . . especially the human kind.
Want to connect with fellow Norse god fans? S.T.'s readers have created a Facebook group! Head over to the RagnaRockstars page to chat with other readers, talk with S.T., and get access to exclusive content... including Ull POVs and sneak peeks at upcoming Ære Saga books!

AUTHOR LINKS
Connect with S.T. Bende at:

TUR is currently available for FREE to newsletter subscribers!

Skål, y’all!



Saturday, April 16, 2016

Perfect Summer Reads of 2016

Hello readers! I am finally back with a long overdue post. As much as I would like to write a full post about my whereabouts, it would not really be as interesting as this. I am finally starting my school vacation, so I am delighted to share with you my perfect summer read recommendations!

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

If you are looking for a book about friendship and self-growth this is definitely for you. Since You've Been Gone takes place in the summer before Emily's senior year. Her bestfriend, Sloane went missing and left her with a list to do while she's away. List of activities that she is too afraid to risk on. And of course, the rest is for you to find out! I read this a year back and haven't reviewed it since. So I might just do that.

On the Fence by Kasie West

This probably isn't new to your eyes nor your ears. I think contemporary books like Kasie West's works are really in the trend. This is a very adorable summer romance. A bit cliche but duh, a cliche love story is always great.

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Seeing the pattern now? HAHA. Okay. So this is a book I haven't read but am planning on reading for such a long time. And I recently heard a non-spoiler review of this which makes me want to read it more! Obviously, the book takes place on summer. Although I am not sure if there's a romance element here as I have not read its synopsis yet. I do know however, that this might make someone cry since this is about a family spending one last summer at their old lake house after a devastating news (this I''ve heard from a youtuber). Sounds exciting!

This next book would probably be too obvious but anyway ...

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

I mean duh. How would I not include this? And I am actually recommending you the whole trilogy so yah better get them books and start reading. The storyline involves childhood friends which is a sucker for me. I love me some great childhood friend romance. Although I must admit, I didn't like the end of the second book. Whoops.

That is it readers! I hope that you liked my recommendations and also, let me know some of your favorite summer reads! 





Sunday, January 24, 2016

Guest Post: From Reader to Writer by Dane Cobain

From Reader to Writer: How My Love of Books Led Me to a Career as a Writer

by Dane Cobain

I’ve loved books for as long as I can remember – my parents used to use them to keep me quiet in the back seat of the car on long journeys, and they worked a treat. A lot of people can’t read while travelling, but this early habit has led to me reading on the bus during my commute to work, which is where I usually get the most reading done.

When I was about fifteen, I sold the vast majority of my books on eBay, a decision I’ve since regretted – I’ve spent the last five years trying to rebuild that collection, and I’m back up to about 1,000 books, which I’ve been working on reviewing for SocialBookshelves.com, my book blog. I have about another 50 reviews to go before I’ve reviewed everything I’ve ever read, although not all of the reviews have been posted.

And it was SocialBookshelves.com that led, indirectly, to my publishing deal with Booktrope. As well as reviewing books, I also interview a lot of other authors, and many of these came through Allie Burke and Jesse James Freeman, two of the early members of the Booktrope crew. Jesse asked if I could share that they were open for submissions, I said I could go one better than that, and the rest is history.

For me, it’s important for writers to be readers because you can learn so much about the craft just by seeing what other people are doing and by learning from their mistakes, or by taking techniques that they’ve used and improving upon them. They say that there’s no such thing as an original idea anymore and that execution is the key – I don’t necessarily agree with that, but I do think that literature is a melting pot, and that it’s your job as a writer to take what’s already out there and to improve upon it.

I’ll always be a reader first and foremost; after all, as a writer, I write books that I’d want to read myself, and that’s how I make sure that I don’t just descend into self-indulgence. It’s a strategy that seems to work, at least so far, and I’m still keeping up my book blog because even after being published, it’s one of the greatest assets that I have from a marketing point of view. Plus, it’s a lot of fun to read and to write about the books that you love.

That’s why, when Clarisse was interested in hosting a guest post, I thought it would be fun to write about reading – two of my lifelong loves, coming together. It’s been a lot of fun – thanks for having me, and if you’re a keen reader yourself then be sure to check out No Rest for the Wicked. I’ll see you soon!