Bella Andre: The Sullivans

I came across Bella Andre's books by accident. I was actually looking for Jaci Burton books over on Goodreads when I read a comment where someone suggested checking out Bella Andre's series, The Sullivans.

The Sullivans is about a family of eight siblings: Marcus, Smith, Chase, Gabe, Ryan, Zach, Lori and Sophie. Each book tells about each sibling's journey to finding true love.

From left: Chase, Marcus, Gabe, Sophie and Zach's stories

I've always enjoyed books that had families or connecting stories, which was what drew me to this series in the first place. Currently, there are five books out (Chase, Marcus, Gabe, Sophie and Zach).

What I like about each book is that it gives an insight to the personality of each character, both the Sullivan sibling and their partner. Their situation is believable, if sometimes a little unusual. Bella Andre writes their stories that make it appealing and endears each character to the reader.

The Sullivans as a family draws the reader in as well. It's not hard to imagine such a boisterous and close-knit family, and I don't blame you if you want to be part of a family like that. The men seem larger than life, and so far from what I've read, I like Zach and Gabe the best.

I'm already taken by the rest of the Sullivan siblings and look forward to reading the next books in these series. Note that these books contain really steamy love scenes, but even without them, the books are an entertaining read.

If you want to give Bella Andre's books a try, her story "Love Me" is free for download via the Amazon website. Even if you don't have a Kindle device, you can still read it. Enjoy!

BTT: Replay

This week's Booking Through Thursday question is:

Have you ever finished a book and loved it so much you went right back and started re-reading it again?

Oh definitely! When I find a book that I particularly enjoyed reading, I'd read that book again and again. Sometimes to a point where I unwittingly memorized passages, or if someone asks something about the book, I'd say that it can be found in chapter so and so.

Here are some of the books I've read and reread:

• Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones 
• Blue Smoke by Nora Roberts 
• The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder 
• All of the Harry Potter books, particularly The Half-Blood Prince and The Deathly Hallows. I've even memorized the opening paragraphs of chapter six of the Deathly Hallows because I listened to it when trying to go to sleep.
• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
• The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

I realize my books seem a bit pedestrian, but hey, I don't judge a book by its cover. :) What are your replays?

BTT: Visual

This week's question from Booking Through Thursday:

So … the books that you own (however many there may be) … do you display them proudly right there in plain sight for all the world to see? (At least the world that comes into your living room.)

Or do you keep them tucked away in your office or bedroom or library or closet or someplace less “public?”

I intentionally keep my book in my room. Mostly because there isn't any space outside of it where I can put them. Plus, I'm a bit possessive about them. I rarely let people borrow my books because I have this feeling they won't take care of it as well as I do. I guess that's a factor why my books are usually in my room.

Neil Gaiman in Manila

Neil Gaiman, award-winning and best selling author of "Sandman," "Coraline," "The Graveyard Book" and "Stardust," was in Manila last March 17 and 18 for the 3rd Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards. Fans flocked to Rockwell Tent for the awarding ceremonies, then again the next day for an autograph signing event.

Neil himself writes about his experience in his blog. It's his third trip to Manila since 2005, and it seems that he enjoyed it as much as he did the first time.

Congratulations to the winners of the 3rd Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards, as well as to the winners of the Revelations art contest and the various raffle draws.

Here are some pictures and videos (to follow) of those two days from fans.

Updated book list

Hi folks. I have a stack of books that I had finished reading the past few weeks. I haven't had time to write about them yet, mostly because writing about a book I've read aside from the "It was good" or "It was bad" is something that I rarely do.

Anyway, here's a list of the books I've finished. Hopefully I could post at least once a week about these.

By Diana Wynne Jones
The Merlin Conspiracy
Conrad's Fate
The House of Many Ways

By Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters
Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse
Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth
Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian

By Dan Brown
The Lost Symbol