Blog Tour: Gaijin Cowgirl by Jame Dibiasio

Welcome to my stop on the Gaijin Cowgirl Blog Tour

hosted by Virtual Author Book Tours. 

Blurb:

Working Tokyo nightclubs is easy money for beautiful and troubled American Val Benson – until a client with a rather unusual hobby – painting the private parts of his female liaisons – reluctantly gives up a map to a stash of Japanese war loot and tempts his favorite girl into a dangerous treasure hunt.
The Congressman’s daughter is not the only one interested in the map: Yakuza, bent cops, human traffickers, rogue CIA agents and her father are hot on her trail, snapping at her high heels.
So begins the dark, epic journey of a new anti-hero of Asian Noir, a protagonist both ambiguous and courageous, and utterly unreliable. From comfort women and tomb-raiding in Japanese-occupied Burma to the murderous echoes of the Vietnam War, long forgotten crimes come roaring back to life, as Val leaves a trail of destruction and chaos in her wake.
Together with her best friend, the equally unreliable nightclub hostess Suki, Val travels through Tokyo, Hong Kong and Bangkok to the Thai-Burmese borderlands for a dramatic showdown with her pursuers. Finding the treasure before everyone else does is her only hope for survival, and perhaps redemption.

Cindy's Review: Yes, this book is definitely not one of the books I normally read. And yes, it doesn't really fit the genre I read in, but I must say, it's nice for a short, refreshing change. I mean, every book has suspense. The YA Fantasy books I like to read. Definitely has suspense in it. But nothing compares to an adventure book. A book of running away across the world. Now those kind of books, leave you breathless. 

Although, I'm not planning to read more of these adventure books anytime soon, I still have that huge pile of to-be-read list,  but this was definitely an entertaining break. Imagine it as a short break from work. Like going bungee jumping instead of sitting in your office, typing up all those reports. Yep. Totally refreshing. But of course, you'll probably not bungee jump anytime soon after. Of course, unless you get too addicted and want to make it your career. Now I'm getting way off topic. Let's go back to that review, shall we?

Val Benson - She just gives the total bad girl image. Not the rip jeans, showing her guts, wearing heavy make-up, and making out 24/7 kind of bad. Val is the definition of the real bad. The one that smokes, deals with gangsters, seeing the black market, and being a criminal kind of bad. Of course, she' s not a criminal but just seems like one, since she's running away with a treasure map, finding treasure and all. And she doesn't really deal with black market. Her dad probably does. Well, smoking. She still smokes. Either way, Val makes up one heck of an amazing main character. 

Val also had problems with her dad. She just doesn't like him. But in the end, I liked how she made up with him before it was too late. And I also enjoy reading those Japanese terms. Reading about another country is always fun. Gaijin Cowgirl just reminds me a little of Geronimo Stilton series because of it's wild, crazy treasure hunting adventures. It also reminds me a bit of the show, "The Amazing Race" because Val definitely went to a lot of places. 

Either way, happy reading. And if you need a break from reading books you normally read, here's a book for you. ;D 

I rate this an 8~

Author Bio: 

Jame DiBiasio is an award-winning financial journalist and editor. He is author of the non-fictionThe Story of Angkor (published by Silkworm Books in 2013) and blogs at http://asiahacks.com. He lives in Hong Kong.

P.S. It's really cool how he lives in Hong Kong. Don't ya think?

Links: 

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Publisher

Blog: http://asiahacks.com

Giveaway: 

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Summer Giveaway PROMOTION

Announcing Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours Summer PROMOTIONS and GIVEAWAY! Reading Addiction Blog Tours will is offering 15% Off to All Authors who book a Tour this summer! (Tours must start by August 31st) Contact us HERE and mention the CODE WORD: SUMMER Thank you to all of the Authors Participating in this Giveaway! There are Links to Authors Websites, check out more Books from these Lovely Authors! Goodreads Links next to them go to their Goodreads page to read more about the books. (ones that have a page there that is) Prize Pack #1 eBook Copies  Fate War: Alliance by E.M. Havens  Goodreads Steampunk/Fantasy/Romance Welcome to Paradise by Rosalind James Goodreads Contemporary Romance Assassins Series (Taking Shots, Trying to Score, and Empty Net) by Toni Aleo  Goodreads (Author Page) Contemporary Romance Prize Pack #2 eBook Copies Strength by Carrie Butler         Goodreads New Adult Disappearing Girl by Heather Topham Wood  Goodreads New Adult Blemished Series (The Blemished and The Vanished) by Sarah Dalton  Goodreads YA Dystopian 2 eBooks Winner Choice - Angela Scott (Desert Rice, Desert Flower)  Goodreads (Authors Page) Young Adult/ New Adult Prize Pack #3 eBook Copies 2 eBooks Winner Choice - Angela Scott (Desert Rice, Desert Flower)  Goodreads (Authors Page) Young Adult/ New Adult 2 eBooks Winner Choice - C.M. Stunich (Tasting Never - Find You, Losing Me)  Goodreads New Adult Prize Pack #4 eBook Copies  To Trust a Theif by Michelle McLean  Goodreads Historical Romance A Bandits Stolen Heart by Michelle McLean  Goodreads Historical Romance The Quintessential Gemini by Linn B. Halton  Goodreads Women's Fiction The Mistaken by Nancy S. Thompson  Goodreads Romantic Suspense Prize Pack #5 eBook Copies Rockstar Triology (Sophie's Run and Sophie's Turn) by Nicky Wells Goodreads Contemporary Romance Carters Treasure Series (Carter's Treasure and Jesse's Soul) by Amy Gregory  Goodreads Contemporary Romance 2 eBooks Winner Choice - C.M. Stunich (Tasting Never - Find You, Losing Me)  Goodreads New Adult Prize Pack #6 Signed Paperback Copies Mything You by Greta Buckle  Goodreads Historical Romance Illicit Love by Jane Lark  Goodreads Historical Romance Prize Pack #7 Signed Paperback Copies Chasing McCree by J.C. Isabella  Goodreads Young Adult Disappearing Girl by Heather Topham Wood  Goodreads New Adult A Summer to Remember by Jessica Gunhammer  Goodreads Young Adult Prize Pack #8 Signed Paperback Copies Reckoning by Molly Hall Goodreads Young Adult Paranormal/Fantasy Grishma by Kelly Anne Blount  Goodreads Young Adult Fantasy Prize Pack #9 Signed Paperback Copies Extreme Love by Abby Niles Goodreads Contemporary Romance Construction of a Beauty Queen by Sara Daniel Goodreads Contemporary Romance Prize Pack #10 Signed Paperback Copies A Hero Rising by Aubrie Dionne  Goodreads  Sci/Fi Dystopian Romance Hellsbane by Paige Cuccaro Goodreads Paranormal Romance Prize Pack #11 Signed Paperback Copies Awakenings by Hally Willmott Goodreads Young Adult Paranormal The Beast Within by Jonathan Yanez  Goodreads Young Adult Paranormal

Young Adult Paranormal

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Book Review: Bewitching by Alex Flinn

Bewitching: The Kendra Chronicles
by Alex Flinn
Release Date: February 14th, 2012
Publisher: Harper Teen
Genre: YA Paranormal
Format: ebook, 336 pages
Source: ePubBud
ISBN: 978-0-0620-2415-2
Get a Copy: B&N | Amazon 

Goodreads Summary: Bewitching can be a beast. . . .

Once, I put a curse on a beastly and arrogant high school boy. That one turned out all right. Others didn't.

I go to a new school now--one where no one knows that I should have graduated long ago. I'm not still here because I'm stupid; I just don't age.

You see, I'm immortal. And I pretty much know everything after hundreds of years--except for when to take my powers and butt out.

I want to help, but things just go awry in ways I could never predict. Like when I tried to free some children from a gingerbread house and ended up being hanged. After I came back from the dead (immortal, remember?), I tried to play matchmaker for a French prince and ended up banished from France forever. And that little mermaid I found in the Titanic lifeboat? I don't even want to think about it.

Now a girl named Emma needs me. I probably shouldn't get involved, but her gorgeous stepsister is conniving to the core. I think I have just the thing to fix that girl--and it isn't an enchanted pumpkin. Although you never know what will happen when I start . . . bewitching.

Cindy's Review: 

I really love Alex Flinn's retellings. The first book I read of hers was Beastly and that was really entertaining. Beastly was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I didn't realize it was part of a series, The Kendra Chronicles. 

So Bewitching is the second book in this series. The first book was about Beauty and the Beast. This second one is mainly about Cinderella. But there are two stories in between, like a memory from Kendra, about Greta and Hansel um yeah. I think I forgot their names. Omg. I forgot a fairy tale name. What did I tell you about my memory. and The Little Mermaid. Greta and Hansel was about Kendra herself. She is Greta and her younger brother is Hansel. And there was also a retelling of The Pea and the Princess, or something like that. I think that's what it's called. Yeah. I may love retellings of fairy tales, but I'm not too good with fairy tales itself. There were too many versions and I get all confused. 

The Little Mermaid and The Princess and The Pea retelling both had a bad ending. Not necessarily a bad ending, but not a very successful one, according to Kendra.  Bewitching is basically Kendra telling a story. It started with Greta and Hansel retelling with Kendra as the narrator. Then, Kendra introduces about Emma from the Cinderella retelling. In the middle, Kendra cuts in with a retelling of The Princess and The Pea. The Princess and The Pea is told in the prince's POV. Then, Kendra continues on with the Cinderella retelling. The Cinderella retelling is told in Emma's POV. Next, Kendra cuts in with The Little Mermaid retelling with the mermaid as the narrator. At last, it the Cinderella one again. And Kendra speaks in between all the transitions.

Since the main retelling of this story is Cinderella, I'll tell you Emma's story. Basically, Emma is the step-sister. Not a evil step-sister. Lisette is the Cinderella. I think I haven't gotten this wrong. But Lisette is evil. Emma's mother had married Lisette's father. He is a very nice guy and he loves Emma like his own until Lisette came in. At first, Emma thought Lisette really just deserves some father-daughter time since they had been separated for so long, but then Lisette started stealing Emma's stuff, making friends with the snotty popularity queens and claims all of their dad's attention. Emma's mom had warned her, 'Watch out for Lisette.' but Emma had always thought Lisette was just trying to fit in. 

But then later on, when Emma realized Lisette isn't as innocent as she is, Lisette pulled the 'My mom just died card' on her, making her a bad person. Taking her dad, her clothes, and her life apparently isn't bad enough, Lisette even had to take Emma's boyfriend, Warner. Yep. Lisette's basically the evil Cinderella. And the main character of the story is the step-sister. 

In the end, Emma finally confronted Lisette. Emma had met Kendra and all, but according to Kendra, Emma had outwitted Lisette all by herself. With no help from Kendra's magic.

Alex Flinn writes really entertaining retellings. So if you love those fairy tale retellings, I must say, Alex Flinn is the author for you! ;D

The Rating: (1-10): 8~9

Happy Reading~ 

Cover Reveal: The Cindy Chronicles

Welcome to my stop on The Cindy Chronicles Cover Reveal

hosted by Xpresso Book Tours.

The Cindy Chronicles by RaShelle Workman

Series: The Cindy Chronicles will be told in 6 volumes

Genre: YA Paranormal

Blurb:

Life sucks.
Possessing magic sucks.
What doesn’t suck? Fashion, Cindy's boyfriend Gabe, and her best friend, Snow White.

Cindy (Cinderella…shhh, don’t tell) was born a witch. It’s part of who she is. But there’s more to her than that. She loves deeply. And has a big heart. She’d do anything for those she cares about, including risk her own life to save theirs.

When her fairy godmother demands she leave Salem, Massachusetts and return to the land she was born to rule, she has two options. Tell her fairy godmother no, and seal a death sentence on complete strangers. Or, leave all she’s ever known behind, including the love of her life, for an unknown land she’s fated to save.

So, yeah, life sucks.
But Cindy is determined to change that.

Cindy's Thoughts: 

Okay. so I don't usually do this to the promo posts I posts. But this promo post just really caught my attention. And I just want to talk about it. LOL. One of the biggest thing that stands out to me is my name on there. :D Yep. My name is Cindy. So I'm just like, 'hahaha, it's named after me!!'. After I noticed my name and signed up to post this promo, I finally read the synopsis and I realized it had a pretty great story line. I really love retelling of fairy tales. And just the name Gabe reminds me of Percy Jackson's smelly step-dad. LOL. I would actually love to read this book. Well, hope you'll get snagged by it's magic and read this series as well! ;D 

Author Bio:

RASHELLE WORKMAN lives on a mountain with her husband, three children, and three dogs. From her back porch she can see the city lights and imagine... She's the bestselling author of the Dead Roses series (Sleeping Roses is being translated into Turkish, and will be available in print wherever Turkish books are sold in 2014), the Immortal Essence series, and the Blood and Snow series.

Links:

Goodreads

Author Goodreads Profile

Author Facebook Profile

Twitter

Website: http://www.rashelleworkman.com/

Blog Tour: Horse Charmer by Angelia Amos

Welcome to my stop on the Horse Charmer Blog Tour

hosted by Tasty Book Tours.

You can find the schedule HERE. 

*Horse Charmer is on sale for $.99 (ebook) to celebrate the two year anniversary*

Blurb: 

A gifted princess. A special horse. A quest for the truth. 

At sixteen years old, Cassia would rather spend her days in the royal stables than in the royal court. But as the eldest child of King Robet and Queen Sarahann she obediently performs her duties as the Princess of Karah. 

Her safe world changes forever when her father is murdered in the neighboring kingdom of Vespera. Cassia grapples with his loss as her mother prepares her for her new role as queen. Her first task - she must travel to Vespera to marry a prince she barely knows to fulfill the treaty her father signed just before his death. 

Nothing is as simple as it seems with political intrigues and unusual powers shadowing Cassia on her search to find out who killed her father and why.

Cindy's Review: I find the cover of Horse Charmer really pretty. It gives off the really calm, quiet feeling with the lush green trees and the horse. The book definitely have something to do with a horse, obviously. The title. HORSE charmer. And the cover. A girl riding on a HORSE. But the horse in Horse Charmer is not referring to the horse. It's referring to Cassia.

Cassia - Cassia is the eldest princess of Karah. When her father was suddenly murdered, Cassia would stop at nothing to find out who murdered her father, especially when that murderer is acting as a friend. The King of Vespera came with a contract, that was supposedly signed by her father also, that she is going to marry the Prince of Vespera. Of course, Cassia goes against this decision because she already likes someone else.  But Cassia was also getting dreams from her father. 

She doesn't know if it's real, but in the dream, her father told her he never signed the treaty. Being more and more suspicious of the King of Vespera and having signs pointed to him, Cassia decides to go to Vespera and find out herself. There, Cassia learns a lot of things about herself and makes a lot of decisions. When the day came that she has to marry the Prince, she secretly escaped and headed toward Julian, whom is the head of the Talents, who can provide answers.

That's when Cassia discovered she actually had a Talent. It's call Horse Charmer. She can talk and control horses. And what's even more amazing is that Cassia's horse is an Old One. One of the ancient wild horses that doesn't obey anyone. Even someone as powerful as Julian. Through their adventure to justice of her father's death, Cassia and her horse worked together to find the true criminal. 

In the end, Cassia's Horse Charmer Talent helped a whole lot. It also helped prove her father's death. 

This book reminded me a lot of Graceling by Kristin Cashore. In Graceling, there were Gracelings, whom are some special people who had their own special power. In Horse Charmer, Talents are very much alike Gracelings. Both Talents and Gracelings have to learn how to control their power or talents. Though they are very similar, there are some differences between Talents and Gracelings. Gracelings are more the living and battling power. Like Mind Reading, Survival, Reading Emotions, etc. Talents are more like natural skills. Horse Charmer, Dream Reading, etc. Both books have their own unique-ness so yeah. ;D 

The ending, though, of Horse Charmer reminded me of Graceling  very much. Both main characters, Cassia and Katsa used their powers to kill the evil enemy... 

Either way, I really like Horse Charmer. It gave this happy ending episode. Reading about Talents and Cassia's talent was also entertaining. I guess, Horse Charmer is a dystopian, but it still gave some medieval setting to it, much like Graceling. And I also like the romance. It's so cute. To me, romance was pretty big part to the story, since I'm a romantic maniac,  but according to the title, it's all about the Horse Charmer.

I rate this a 9~ c; 

Author Bio: 

    Angelia Almos' love affair with horses began when she was five years old and talked her parents into her first riding lesson. Horses have always been a huge part of her life. The initial idea behind Horse Charmer came to her when she was fourteen. The image of a teenage girl riding her horse through a meadow appeared. Who was this girl? Where was she going? What was she running from? Those questions led to the creation of Horse Charmer.

Links:

Facebook
Twitter
Blog: http://angeliaalmos.blogspot.com
Website: http://www.angeliaalmos.com
Google+
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Goodreads
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
ITunes

Giveaway:



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Book Review: Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Incarceron (Incarceron #1) 
by Catherine Fisher
Release Date: February 8th, 2011
Publisher: Firebird Fantasy
Genre: YA Fantasy
Format: Paperback, 442 pages
Source: JMMS Library
ISBN: 978-0-14-241852-9
Get a Copy: B&N | Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells and corridors, but metal forests, dilapidated cities, and wilderness. It has been sealed for centuries, and only one man has ever escaped. Finn has always been a prisoner here. Although he has no memory of his childhood, he is sure he came from Outside. His link to the Outside, his chance to break free, is Claudia, the warden's daughter, herself determined to escape an arranged marriage. They are up against impossible odds, but one thing looms above all: Incarceron itself is alive . . .

Cindy's Review: I borrowed this book, I guess, for fun. Truthfully, I saw my friend's little sister reading this and she said it was good, so I decided to give it a try. This book didn't really blow my mind or grab my attention nonstop. Maybe it was because I was reading this during CST testings and I just couldn't focus. I think I flipped through pages more than reading. I got bored. So I probably skipped a lot of important stuff. But I'm pretty sure I got the basics down though. 

The key in the cover is basically the key that connected Finn's world and Claudia's world. Finn is inside the Incarceron, like a prisoner. No one had gotten out of that prison. And the prison is a one huge, scary thing too. Incarceron is like a robot. People created him. But Incarceron started getting its own brain and crontrolling itself. No one can stop Incarceron. 

Finn lives inside Incarceron. He was told that he was born in there. When he found a crystal key, he realized it was his opportunity to escape. So far, only the legendary Sapphique had ever escpaed this prison. And it's only a legend. The key can channel to Claudia.

Claudia has the same crystal key. Therefore, Claudia and Finn can talk to each other, even though he lives in a different world. Claudia is about to get married to a prince, but he isn't the original heir to the throne. It was said that the queen had killed Giles for a chance for her son to be king. And Claudia definitely doesn't want to marry him..

So I've decided, this one's gonna be a mighty short review. Cuz I'm not exactly feeling that I know a lot of this book right now. ;/ 

It wasn't until later I realized Catherine Fisher was the author of the Snow-Walker Saga. I really really loved that book. So, let's hope this book just wan't written for me. 

Rating: (1-10): 7.5

Happy Reading~ 

Book Review: The Elite by Kiera Cass

The Elite (The Selection #2) 
by Kiera Cass
Release Date: April 23rd, 2013
Publisher: Harper Teen
Genre: YA Fantasy
Format: Hardcover, 323 pages
Source: Bought 
ISBN: 978-0-06-205996-3
Get a Copy: B&N | Amazon 

Goodreads Summary: The hotly-anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestsellerThe Selection.

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

Cindy's Review: For those who never read The Selection, this review most likely won't make sense. So either go read the book ;D or read my review: The Selection. 

I read this book like so long ago it's last month, but it feels really long ago Why do I have to wait that long to review? Omg. I forget stuff. But then, I'm super lazy, I don't review it immediately after I finish reading. I have a review pile. And it's still huge now. There's gonna always be a review pile like 24/7. Last time I finished reviewing the whole pile was when I had nothing to read. Now.....well, I'm running out of time to even read due to all school stuff. You don't even want to look at my calendar. I only review on the weekends, so that makes thing worst. And I went to the Bay Area 2013 Maker Faire yesterday btw, which was a Saturday. I'm typing this on a Sunday.  I schedule my posts over the week, so that explains why this doesn't make sense. 

Well, so don't blame me if I forget some stuff. I'm surprised I actually spent a whole paragraph or more  on myself. Now for those who are waiting for the review. I'm getting to the point.....

The Cover: 

I really love those covers. They have amazing dresses and it just gives The Selection feeling to it. I kind of like The Selection cover better. I think that dress is prettier. And I like blue more than red. ;D Okay, yeah. I'm so weird. I ALWAYS have to talk about covers. I know. But then, I try to relate the cover to the story, so I hope that's better.  I don't remember if there was a red dress scene in The Elite. Was there a scene where queen b**** Celeste ripped her dress? Or was that a scene in The Selection. I'm pretty sure that dress was red. Or maybe not. But I'm not sure which book that scene is from.

Okay. Let's move on to the plot and characters. I'm talking so much. Ugh. 

The Characters: 

America Singer - You know, I feel like America got more sure of herself. She isn't that shy. And when Aspen goes to her, she won't be like 'You can't be near me! Go back to work!' She would let Aspen hug her or something. America says she feels like she' s being used by Maxon, but I get the feeling that she's using him. Despite how much, America seems to be saying, she likes Maxon, but she likes Aspen, I still feel like America is just using Maxon. For example, whenever something happens, America literally runs to Aspen and asks for a hug or kiss. I mean, JUST MAKE UP YOUR MIND LADY! Even though I bet the book was written to make readers like this. 

Aspen - So in the review of The Selection, I mentioned that I disliked Aspen and America should end up with Maxon. I don't really hate Aspen that much anymore. I mean, he's Aspen, a boy who lost the love of his life and striving to get her back. I think the real fault is America. If America doesn't let Aspen hug and kiss her, then it wouldn't have happened. Aspen wouldn't have forced her. America is totally cheating on Maxon. And then, there was this time period where America didn't really interact with Maxon at all, I'm just like, Ohmygawd.....America!! Yeah. She's driving me nuts. The bad way.

Maxon - Okay. I admit. I can't fangurl all over Maxon and be like, 'He's so goddamn cute. And gorgeous." I just can't. Maybe he is. But like, Maxon changed a bit in The Elite. It's like he grew up. I don't like how he has all these Celeste moments. I mean, like they were making out. But that doesn't compare to Aspen and America kissing, but the AA kiss actually have deep feelings. Which I don't want. And plus, Maxon really does like America. Like there's no other person in his heart. Unlike someone.

You see, this book has got me quite worked up. The love-triangle drives me crazy. I totally won't die if America chooses Aspen, but I still want America to end up with Maxon. What kills me though, is when America have to run to Aspen when she wants support. I mean, just go to Maxon., sheesh. That's what he's there for! 

The Plot: 

*Takes a deep breath. Okay. I'm over this. Let's talk more about the plot than my thoughts of the main characters. There was definitely more action in The Elite. There were more cute scenes for Maxon and America. And there also definitely more scenes for Aspen and America. I'm glad this second book wasn't a slow motion read. 

This book started with 6 girls remaining. By the end of it though, there's only 5, so one girl was eliminated. 

For those who haven't read this series, like OHMYGAWD YOU SHOULD READ IT. <- not lying over here. 

The Rating:(1-10) ~10, 9.96.....

Yeah. I give really confusing ratings. I mean, this book totally deserves a 10, but I just have this big thing about never giving book series a 10. I just feel like stand-alones or the first book in a series deserves a 10.

Happy Reading~ 

 

P.S. And yeah. No quotes, cuz I was too focused on reading......