2nd Anniversary of The Royal Polar Bear Reads + Major Giveaways!!!

Hi.

Hello?

Are you there?

This is Rafael.

The person behind The Royal Polar Bear Reads. Probably you are wondering why am I writing this. Of course, not! It was already given to the title!

Yes, people!

It is The Royal Polar Bear Reads’ 2nd anniversary!!!

I would never think that I would last this long. I mean, I never thought I would! From the very start for knowing nothing about book blogging in general to how WordPress works and how the bookish community molds me. It was surreal, purely amazing and each day, it was brilliant. I would never reach this point without you guys! I would never! So, thank you. Thank you so much.

Two years of book blogging was never easy. There are times that I have so much priority in real life than the virtual world. Sometimes, book slump ate my motivations, sometimes I don’t feel like sharing my opinions because I’m too scared of other’s point of views, there was a time that I just don’t feel like doing anything and there are circumstances that I want to end things. But I’m still here. Being with you all and accepting my blog the way it is. Accepting me, accepting my opinion and perspective about books I’m reading, books that I love, books that I want to share to the world. It is just simply amazing and I couldn’t fathom how much I love book blogging.

It has been my outlet, mostly, when I’m down. It lights up my mood, it is my home. I couldn’t ask for anything. I just want to thank my former professor turned into an amazing and good friend, Ms. Gillian Velasco for pushing me to sign up and make a book blog. To Erika from The Nocturnal Fey for being the most talented and brilliant person I know, for being my mentor on book blogging. I wouldn’t be here without you being my source of foundation! I owe you this, big time! Also to JM from Book Freaks Revelations. He helped me on the initial stage of my book blog and being a part of his life is simply outstanding. He’s a good friend, a comrade, and of course, the person whom I will buy books with. Most of the time!

Without them, I would never do blogging for sure! Without them, I won’t be here celebrating this 2nd anniversary. I was mesmerized that there are a lot of people followed this blog and I wouldn’t ask for more because you keep on surprising me as time goes by. It grows and grows and grows a lot. To the point, I started receiving books from publishers and it was so surreal. That’s the point where I feel so verified as a book blogger. They have been amazing and I would never ever thought in my life time that I would work with them. It is my pleasure and I offer my greatest gratitude to them.

To my first publisher, Penguin Random House. Thank you so much, guys! The generosity you offer with your international book bloggers is beyond remarkable. I wouldn’t be here without you believing in me.

To MacMillan. I love working with you and I learned a lot from you. You always answer my questions even if it was random. You are always being so accommodating. Even, if it was for an author interview. I love you for that.

To HarperCollins. Guys! Thank you for giving me the chance on working with you. There is still a lot to work on but I’m looking forward to that!

To SkyHorse. We’ve been in contact for just a few months and I’m loving my experience with you. I’m wishing that it won’t end with my 2nd anniversary. As the years go, let’s make another fruitful year in the bookish community!

Also, The Royal Polar Bear Reads won’t be a book blog without the help of some of my author friends who took the time to answer my author interview questions on the initial stage of my blog and they’ve been so great and lovely to help me on my way up. I love you, my favorite authors! You have been a part of my book blogging life that you are the ones I always think first whenever I’m checking out a new book or giving out bookish recommendations! And also, you probably know that I put your books on my Hall of Books because of your books, you deserve that spot!

To Romina Russell. Who agreed without hesitations to answer my enthusiasm and being the first author that I interviewed with! Your love and generosity know no bound, we live for that! Thank you.

To C.L. Denault. The author I wouldn’t think I would be friends with! 1.) I judged her book Gambit’s cover and it turns out I fucking love the book and I just love it simply because of Enemies turn lovers bookish trope but mainly it was the writing style and there are so many elements. 2.) Because Cary is just as awesome as she was! Thank you, Cary! I miss you!

To Michele Amitrani. Who surprises me with his book, Omnilogos. I couldn’t believe that it would be so explosive and bold. I’ve never expected everything in his book. But you know what? Michele Amitrani is a humble, down to earth person. I really wish he visits The Philippines one day and has a little chat with him. He is a brilliant writer and a good friend. Thank you, Michele! I love reading your books! Keep them writing and I’ll be here supporting you.

To Pintip Dunn. The one person who shows so much love and so much support to her friends. This is why I keep on supporting her. Her book Forget Tomorrow makes me keep on finding a lot of Sci-Fi/Romance books and probably a touch of fantasy. She also has the best brother who cooks and circle of friends who ended up giving me so much advice.

The bottom line of my 2nd-anniversary blog post is to thank those people who’ve helped you from the start and don’t ever ever forget them because, without their support, you wouldn’t be here where you are now. That’s why I’m forever grateful to them and I will always be. And one piece of advice, don’t give up blogging. You may be hiatus for a long time but book blogging is always and will be the one thing you could go back to when everything falls because you know, deep down in your heart. You love books. We love books.


MAJOR GIVEAWAY!


Win one (1) personalized signed copy of any Kim Holden’s books!

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Check out My Book Review of All of It, HERE

ABOUT KIM HOLDEN

7445352Some of my favorite things: reading, writing, the two coolest guys on the planet (my husband and son), my bicycle (my husband built it for me), Facebook (I’m fairly certain it’s an addiction at this point), iced coffee (hazelnut), and music (LOVE Sunset Sons, the 1975, Dredg, the xx, Balance and Composure, Teenage Bottlerocket, and 30 Seconds to Mars). I also love dreaming, which brings me to my next point. I have one bit of advice for anyone reading this … follow your dreams. It’s never too late. Get started today … heck get started RIGHT NOW! I wanted to write a book 20 years ago. Instead I waited. And waited. I should’ve been writing. But I didn’t. I don’t do regrets, because the past is just that, the past. But let me tell you there’s nothing in the world like achieving something you’ve dreamt about for years and years. So, get started. Make your dreams reality.
I love to hear from other readers. Send me a message or find me on Facebook (https://facebook.com/kimholdenauthor) and tell what’s up in your reading world.


5 Winners of Forget Tomorrow + 1 Winner of The Darkest Lie by Pintip Dunn eBooks!

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Check out My Book Review of Forget Tomorrow, HERE

Check out My Book Review of Remember Yesterday, HERE

Check out My Author Interview with Pintip, HERE

ABOUT PINTIP DUNN

Pintip DunnPintip Dunn graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B. in English Literature and Language. She received her J.D. at Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the YALE LAW JOURNAL. She also published an article in the YALE LAW JOURNAL, entitled, “How Judges Overrule: Speech Act Theory and the Doctrine of Stare Decisis,”

Pintip is represented by literary agent Beth Miller of Writers House. She is a 2012 RWA Golden Heart® finalist and a 2014 double-finalist. She is a member of Romance Writers of AmericaWashington Romance WritersYARWA, and The Golden Network.

She lives with her husband and children in Maryland. You can learn more about Pintip and her books at www.pintipdunn.com


One Winner of Personalized Signed Copy of Omnilogos by Michele Amitrani

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Check out My Book Review of Omnilogos, HERE

Check out My Author Interview with Michele, HERE

ABOUT MICHELE AMITRANI

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Michele Amitrani

Michele Amitrani is a self-published author living in beautiful British Columbia. He has grown up writing of falling empires, space battles, mortal betrayals, monumental decisions and everything in between.

He now spends his days traveling through time and space and, more often than not, writing about impossible but necessary worlds.

Omnilogos is Michele’s debut novel and the prologue of an action packed Sci-Fi saga drenched with what some has called the sense of awe typical of Asimov’s Foundation series.

His previous Sci-Fi short story, ‘When Gold was Black’, has been praised as ‘powerful’, ‘intense and inspiring’, ‘really well-written’, and ‘original’.

When Michele is not busy chasing dragons or mastering the Force, you can find him at MicheleAmitrani.com or hanging out on Facebook at /MicheleAmitraniAuthor.


Two or Three Winners of Bending The Universe by Justin Wetch

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Check out My Book Review of Bending The Universe, HERE

Check out My Author Interview with Justin, HERE

ABOUT JUSTIN WETCH

unnamedJustin Wetch is an artist, poet, photographer, musician, pretentious egomaniac, and messy-haired fool from Palmer, Alaska. He published this book at the age of 19 while a freshman at the University of Alaska Anchorage. He enjoys artistic endeavors and connecting with people. Justin grew up in Palmer, Alaska where he discovered a love of the arts by appreciating the beauty of Alaska through photography. Justin ultimately hopes to create films.


One Winner of Christine Brae’s Book

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Check out My Book Review of In This Life, HERE

Check out My Author Interview with Christine, HERE

ABOUT CHRISTINE BRAE

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Christine Brae

Christine Brae is a full-time career woman who thought she could write a book about her life and then run away as far as possible from it. She never imagined that her words would touch the hearts of so many women with the same story to tell. In This Life is her fourth book, and is set to come out on January 22, 2015.

When not listening to the voices in her head or spending late nights at the office, Christine can be seen shopping for shoes and purses, running a half marathon or spending time with her husband and three children in Chicago.


One Winner of the Hardback copy of The Alchemist of Loom by Elise Kova + Swag Pack

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Check out My Book Review of Air Awakens, HERE

Check out My Book Review of Fire Falling, HERE

Check out My Book Review of Earth’s End, HERE

Check out My Book Review of Water’s Wrath, HERE

ABOUT ELISE KOVA

8306309Elise Kova has always had a profound love of fantastical worlds. Somehow, she managed to focus on the real world long enough to graduate with a Master’s in Business Administration before crawling back under her favorite writing blanket to conceptualize her next magic system. She currently lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, and when she is not writing can be found playing video games, watching anime, or talking with readers on social media.


Yep! It ends here, guys! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you join on all those giveaways! I’m sure you’ll be happy to win at least one of them! Also, huge thanks to Kim Holden, Pintip Dunn, Michele Amitrani, Christine Brae, Justin Wetch and Elise Kova for sponsoring those giveaways! I love you guys from the bottom of my heart. I wouldn’t make this without you. Thank you for being wonderful! Be brave. Stay awesome!

Cheers,

eMAIL_TRPB

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Book Review: The Road Between by Courtney Peppernell

35489039.jpgRealistically painful. Raw in its truest form. Relatable. The Road Between is about losing yourself along the way and finding yourself throughout your journey. May it be about life, family, your inner demon and above all the center that conspires each and every one of us, love. From the very first poem in the book to the last, it doesn’t disappoint me in the tiniest. It was so pure and I love it. I could feel the intensity of Courtney’s words, I could sense her confusion in between, I can grasp her words and feel the feelings of her words while sharing her pain. It was deep and it feels like she was both nurtured and tortured, it feels both wanting and enduring at the same time. It felt like you want something that you can’t have because you were dictated of by the stereotype of the society. Then before you know it, you were lost.

Courtney Peppernell shows us the two opposite sides of the coin. She inflicted us pain and she also gave us happiness. Because you are not living if you don’t experience the two. Life is not meant to live with just pain, it is neither meant to live with just happiness. 

How could you live a life when you know only one of them? And that is what makes The Road Between unique. It is diverse. It will make you read more. You will see yourself in her words and you will notice that life ain’t that bad at all in the end.

The Road Between by Courtney Peppernell speaks so much of truth — there’s a personality, a character behind every poem, a person’s raw feelings that needing of someone. I love how it influences me every inch and this is definitely a poetry that I will always hold onto my heart. Thank you, Courtney! For writing this poem. For giving me the opportunity to learn from your words.

My Ratings: 5 STARS!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Courtney Peppernell is a best-selling LGBTQ author from Sydney, Australia. Courtney has been writing her whole life and focuses on Young Adult novels and Poetry Collections. Keeping Long Island is her third title release, and the first under her new book brand, Pepper Books.
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