Saturday, September 16, 2017

Love, and you {book review + author interview + giveaway!}

Hi everyone! Today I'm reviewing one of my favorite poetry books. I'm so excited because there's also an author interview AND a giveaway! So let's get started with the review...

Book title: love, & you
Author: Gretchen Gómez
Genre: Poetry
Publication date: March 29, 2017
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Pages: 130
How I got the book: Purchased it on Amazon
Review

Ok, this is a short review. Like I said, this is one of my favorite poetry books. This book contains over 100 modern poems. It was a light read; I read it very fast. In terms of content, there are some strong poems that I suggest you practice self-care after reading them. This book was a journey from heartbreak to self-love. With the synopsis, you can tell this is very personal. Gretchen takes you into her life, and it's like a process... you can see her vulnerability, the love, you can experience the heartbreak, the pain, and then she gives you life! I'm not kidding! I felt like that in just a couple of hours, because I devoured this book. Every time I read it, it gives me different emotions. Even though I haven't been through a break-up, I could get myself in the story, I felt all the pain, I cried and I grew with her. By the way, this is not a book "just about a break-up"; it's SO much more! You can definitely get the meaning behind all the poems. That's why I'm always recommending this book!

Interview with Gretchen Gómez
Tell us a little bit about you, your blog and your book.

Hey everyone! First off I want to thank Mariely, a fellow Puerto Rican, for having me on her spectacular blog. My name is Gretchen and I like to read, write, and sing. I'm Puerto Rican born and raised in the bronx and my first language is Spanish. If I'm not at work, then I'm usually at home with my dog either reading, writing, blogging, or watching make-up tutorial on YouTube. I have a blog that shares my love for books in book review form, gush form, meme form, and I also share a lot of my long poems there too.
My poetry book, love, and you, is about a toxic relationship. The in and outs of my everything I went through while being with this guy, what I went through mentally and how found myself in the mist of the storm. It's also about my healing process and the things I learned because of this toxic relationship. It's not a pretty situation and I get really in-depth about my life. Please proceed with caution and self-care!

When you decided to share your poems?

Before blogging, I was on booktube and I found myself really angry because I wanted to do more. Not just with my passion on books but also with my art which is writing. At this point, there was a lot going on in my personal life and I had stopped making videos for months. I took some time to think of maybe going to blogging and once I found the platform I felt most comfortable with, I crossed over to blogging. I was really scared to share my poetry on my blog but I went for it. I never expected the positive feedback and here I am today. This all happened May-June of 2016. I now share my writing with literally the whole world.

What do you love the most about poetry?

I can name so many thing but I would have to say the expression of it all. I love the connection there is from words to soul. Sometimes, you read one poem that can change your whole day and not make you feel alone. The power of poetry and what it can do to a human is something I really love.

Are you currently working on another book? :D

YES!!!!!

Name 5 random facts about you.

1. I love lipstick and will buy one color in a million different shades
2. I'm dyslexic and a lot of people don't know it
3. The only child I will ever have is Baxter, my Pomeranian dog
4. I am a planner nerd! I use stickers, washi tape, and bullet points
5. I'm a pastors daughter lol

Thank you SO much, Gretchen! You can find her here:
Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr

Giveaway
Ok, now it's time for the giveaway! One (1) lucky winner will received three (3) poetry books (paperbacks), including love, & you by Gretchen Gómez. Two months ago, Gretchen gave me some book recommendations, so I decided to add two of those books in this giveaway. I will not name the other two books because I will like for you to experience a blind date with a book. It is something that I've been seeing a lot in local libraries, and I actually tried it in my book club. We all loved it! So yeah, one lucky winner will receive love, & you by Gretchen Gómez; one poetry book about catharsis, self-love, and self-revolution; and another poetry book about love, loss and rebirth. If you already own one of the books, I invite you to pass it along so someone else can read it.

Rules:

1. Follow me Instagram OR Twitter
2. Tweet about this giveaway, something like "Enter to win 3 poetry books, including love, and you by @chicnerdreads!!! Check out @MarielyVP giveaway: (and include a link to this post)".

OR

If you don't have Twitter, you can post a photo on Instagram and include a caption similar to this one: "Enter to win 3 poetry books, including love, and you by @chicnerdreads!!! Check out @wereadblog giveaway."

Be sure to tag me, so I can be able to see it. Please notice that my Twitter handle is NOT the same as the one I use on Instagram. The Twitter/Instagram account has to be public. No giveaway accounts allowed.

*Extra entry: comment on this post on what do you love about poetry OR your thoughts about a blind date with a book.

Terms and conditions:

Open to legal residents of US and Puerto Rico, who are 18 years or older. All entries will be verified. Winner will be chosen using random.org on September 23, 2017. Winner will be notified by Twitter and/or Instagram. Potencial winner will need to provide mailing address within 48 hours of notification. If potencial winner does not respond, another winner will be selected. If I don't receive a response, I will repeat the steps. This giveaway is in no way affiliated or sponsored by Twitter or Instagram.

Thanks everyone! And good luck!
            

Friday, July 28, 2017

Poetry Journey: My Dream Poetry Conference Panel

As some of you may know, I've been writing. (Check out my poem: Breathing). I don't know... it was something unexpected, but I was really inspired because I've been reading a lot of poetry lately. I think what got me started was reading some kind of self-love, a wonderful poem from Gretchen Gómez. So with the help of Eventbrite, I came up with my dream poetry conference panel called Poetry Journey. Here it goes...

Place
Ohhh, I would love to host this panel in Puerto Rico, duh! I mean, we haven't been able to enjoy many book events here, so I wouldn't pass the opportunity to host this event at my beautiful island. The venue? The Embassy Suites Hotel at Dorado, Puerto Rico. Why? Because it has been one of the best hotels I've stayed in. Besides, this panel would be a 3 day event, so people would need a place to stay... A win win situation!

Guests
I would invite some of my favorite authors, including Gretchen Gómez, José Francisco Avilés-Acosta, Gabrielle Armstrong Velázquez, Cordelia Jensen, Amanda Lovelace and Rupi Kaur.

I would also invite some of my favorite book bloggers and bookstagramers; like Marianne, Cam and Jennifer from Boricuan Bookworms, Sylvia from Serial Bibliophile, Olivia from Stories for Coffee and Natalia, Dianelisse and Dash from Mil y un vidas entre páginas.

There would also be surprise guests: other authors and bloggers!

Moderators
Members from my book club, Reading Buddies! I would love for my friends to be able to moderate this poetry conference panel.
But the main moderator would be my lovely friend, María del Mar.

Everyone selected for this Dream Poetry Conference Panel, from the authors, the bloggers and moderators, holds a special place in my heart. That's why I selected them, because this would be a special event.

Agenda
Day 1: Panel with authors; they would talk about their tips for writing poetry, maybe something about creating writing, their publishing process, talk about their inspirations and more. They will also read some of their poems. There would be a pool party-book signing event, at the end of the day.

Day 2: Panel with book bloggers and bookstagrammers; creative writing and social media tips.

Day 3: Workshop with authors. Poetry reading and prices. It would also be great to have a book fair the weekend of the event.

If you like this idea and would like to be able to organize and register for conferences or events in your area, check out Eventbrite. This is the largest self-service ticketing online platform, and it's super easy to set up. I've been able to use it to register to events at my workplace and at college when I was studying. So, what are you waiting for?

By the way, if you work for a publishing company and happens to be reading this... PLEASE, bring more book events to Puerto Rico! :)

Have you been to a book event? If you could host your dream conference panel, how would it be? Tell me all about it, I would love to know!
            

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Breathing

Here I am
lying on the floor
breathing while I can

Tell them
let me be
tell them
leave me alone

Here I am
telling myself
everything
will be alright

I just need
things
to go back to...
normal?

I don't know

I just need
some time
alone
            

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Collaboration/Guest Post at Islander Destinations

Hi everyone! Sorry I've been MIA but this is my last semester, so I've been really busy with grad school. Anyway, today I'm guest posting at Islander Destinations. So be sure to check out my collaboration for their blog! 

Here's a short description of Islander Destinations:

"Islander Destinations was created by two Puerto Rican travelers: María del Mar Mercado and Antonio L. Santiago. She is a lawyer and he is an I.T. Specialist, who enjoy both, the local tourism and the wonders of Puerto Rico, as well as traveling the around world. Both of them are passionate about culture, gastronomy, lifestyle and everything that the different destinations the world have offer. Thanks to this common interests, Maria and Antonio met in the Instagram world and travel blogger groups."

And here's my post:

5 Books to Read on Your Trip
The blog post is available in English and Spanish
Have you read any of these books? Which one did you like or didn't like? If you have a bookstagram, leave the link below (comments) so I can check it out. Have a great week!
            

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Book subscription box: Uppercase {review}

Purchased

In summer, I was looking for book subscription boxes because I really wanted to try one. I've heard and read great things about a couple of them, so I decided to investigate a little bit more. LOL.

Long story short, I subscribed to two subscriptions boxes but I decided to keep one. And that's Uppercase!
Uppercase is a monthly young adult subscription box. You receive one signed YA book and some lovely bookish items. You also receive a bookmark with codes, so you can access special content while you are reading. It's a really great reading experience because it's interactive. The books are chosen by Lisa Parkin.

These are the available plans for the U.S. (it is also available to Canada but with different prices):

  • Brand new, hardcover young adult book
  • Signed book (or bookplate) by the author (isn't this exciting?!)
  • 1-2 hight-quality, exclusive bookish items
  • Reading experience with exclusive content
  • Personal hand-written note to you
*Price: $23.00 monthly + $6.00 shipping

  • Brand new, hardcover young adult book
  • Signed book (or bookplate) by the author
  • Reading experience with exclusive content
  • Personal hand-written note to you
*Limited time offer: $13.99 monthly + $6.00 shipping
*Regular price: $17.00 monthly + $6.00 shipping

If you decide to pick the Book Exclusive Plan (like I did at the beginning), you won't receive bookish items. That's the only difference. But one of the best part about Uppercase, is that you can buy bookish items from past boxes. Like this exclusive tote bag designed by Risa Rodil...
Here are the boxes that I've received so far...

July 2016
August 2016
September 2016
October 2016
November 2016
December 2016

I think it's a pretty good deal, and I'm talking about both plans. I mean, a book signed by the author?! (Fangirling!). Receiving a surprise box every month, surely is the best gift for readers and book lovers. I love Uppercase! So I highly recommend it. I'll be unboxing some Uppercase boxes on the blog. So stay tuned!

Have you tried a subscription box before?