Booktok Made Me Do It: The Evolution Of Reading

Fate. What is fate? According to my research, it is to be destined to happen, turn out, or act in a particular way. Iyon na ang dapat na mangyari e—nangyari na e. May magagawa pa ba? It is what it is kaya tatanggapin na lang? Para bang kahit anong mangyari sa buhay mo, wala ka nang magagawa. Iyon ang nakatadhana, iyon ang dapat na mangyari, iyon ang nakasulat sa libro ng buhay mo kaya wala na. Tanggapin mo na lang. I was born rich. Nakukuha ko ang lahat ng gusto ko—kailangan ko man o hindi. My attitude and personality was already rotten that nobody can tame me except for the man who introduced himself as my fiancee. If my parents were both heartless for me, he isn't. Ako lagi. Ako muna bago ang iba—bago siya. But, the story of my life isn't favor of me. From being proud and arrogant to pathetic life. Good thing that I have him. He is always the shoulder that I always have to lean on. He is like my guardian angel for taking care of me. Siya lang talaga ang may kayang umunawa sa akin. Siya lang talaga ang nag-iisang umiintindi sa akin. That's why I kept on asking him, why — why does he love me so much?

Aiko, wanita yang introvert, berpenampilan kurang menarik namun memiliki kemampuan design yang baik. Jatuh cinta pada COO-nya, Cleosa Nicolas Ivander. Aiko jatuh pada pesona pria tersebut, namun berulang kali pula hatinya dipatahkan olehnya. Aiko memilih menata ulang perasannya, berusaha melupakan Ivander dan berusaha mengubah penampilannya. Namun karena intensnya pertemuan 'tidak sengaja' antara Aiko dan Ivander. Ivander akhirnya menyadari bahwa dirinya telah jatuh pada aura tersembunyi yang dimiliki oleh Aiko. Apakah Aiko berhasil melupakan Ivander atau bahkan terperosok semakin dalam pada pusaran cinta Ivander?

  "You are clearly a disgusting whore for having slept with your own uncle!" *** Akiko never wanted to cause trouble, especially with her cruel mother-in-law, who would easily scold and insult her, even for the smallest mistakes. But disaster struck, when Akiko was trying to calm down at her uncle's house. Somehow, Akiko ended up under the same blanket as Kenji, her father's younger brother. Akiko's uncle had been caring for her since she was eight years old, following the death of her parents. At that time, Akiko was eight, and Kenji was twenty. Kenji's marriage fell apart immediately, and Akiko's situation wasn't much better, as her mother-in-law would never forgive that act. Akiko was cast out without being able to explain everything to Yuto—her husband. With no other choice, Akiko returned to live with her uncle. But her life did not become easier after that. Akiko had to endure shame and disgrace, and also Kenji's increasingly strange behavior. He once gentle and caring uncle often became harsh. What secret is Kenji hiding that has caused him to change so drastically? Can Akiko repair her marriage? Or will she choose a forbidden path that she should not take?

"Your pregnant Harriet." When Harriet Smith hears those very words she had been dreading, she knew her world would change forever. She was forced into a loveless marriage. Mr Smith was a powerful, rich man. He had never wanted to marry Harriet, but to keep his family happy, he entered into a contract marriage. Harriet always played the dutiful wife, but she did the one thing you should never do into a contract marriage, and that is to fall head over heels in love with your husband. Not knowing what to do, she seeks help from one of Mr Smith's closest friends. When Mr Smith claims to really be in love with her, does she believe him? After everything he has done to her? Does he only want her because she is in love with someone else?

Arabella was always under her brother's protection until she got so fed up. Because of the enormous stress she is under, Arabella now finds herself at her sister's best friend's house. Until she innocently experiences many things that commit sin. But does Arabella like it? Does the pleasure of sin make her free from her shackles all this time?

My entire family could hear my thoughts. In my previous life, I was switched at birth with Victoria Harrington. I was reunited with my family 18 years later. It was the early 1920s, when owning a bicycle or a radio was still rare for most families. I had always dreamed of having one of those precious things. However, after I came home, Victoria would constantly brag right in front of me. "Mom told me that I'm the only one who deserves this fancy watch," she said with a sweet smile. "And look at this gorgeous bicycle Dad got me for my birthday! Oh, and when I mentioned wanting a radio, Daniel bought it for me immediately." Then came the real knife twist. "I know you're their biological daughter, Bernice, but let's be honest. When it comes to love, I'm their real daughter. Daniel definitely prefers me as his little sister too." Her words ate at me. I could not stop the bitter thoughts that flooded my mind about my parents and brother. The problem was that my family could hear every single one of those thoughts. Slowly, they began to resent me. Eventually, they threw me out into the cold, and I died alone in the winter streets while Victoria lived happily within the warmth of their love. When I opened my eyes again, I realized that I had been reborn. As I watched Victoria putting on her usual show, my thoughts took a delicious turn. 'Victoria thinks that Mom is such a cheapskate for only buying her a cheap watch instead of something expensive. She even calls Dad stingy behind his back because he didn't get her a pricier bicycle.' 'And she constantly complains about how ugly and crude Daniel is, saying that he embarrasses her. I wonder if I should share these thoughts with my family?'

I'm a nationally certified animal trainer running the Lion King, Caesar's final assessment. I've barely stepped into the enclosure corridor when the steel guillotine door slams down behind me. My wife's laughter crackles over the loudspeaker. "Everyone, we're doing the ultimate challenge today! We're locking the so-called number-one animal trainer in the Lion King's enclosure and taking bets on whether he wets himself in ten minutes!" Caesar crouches low and rumbles a warning. I reach for my tranquilizer gun but stop cold. The liquid isn't the right color. In a phony sing-song voice, the veterinarian, Hugh Archer, says, "Lucian, I forgot to mention, I swapped your tranquilizer darts for pepper spray so you won't hurt Caesar by mistake. "You two are so close. Just win him over with love!" I look at Caesar, his eyes bloodshot from the stimulant, and it clicks. Hugh still resents that I stopped him from touching a tiger with his bare hands a few days ago. I tune out the trash blaring over the loudspeaker, pull a remote from my pocket, and hit the button. It's the master switch for the electric fence gates around every predator enclosure in the zoo. If I don't make it out, no one does.

We all have our wildest dreams, don't we? We all have our regrets and pains in our life that made it so hard that it might have suffocated us at some point. Life is short. Take the risk or never. And when love arrives love and if it leaves, leave. Don't stay as I did.

He watched her for a long moment, the anger in his eyes unmistakable. She imagined he was thinking of ways to punish her, but nothing prepared her for what he said next. "Strip." It was one word, but she doubted if she heard him correctly the first time, was he really going to punish her? "What… what was that?" She asked innocently. "Strip, Nancy." "I won't." "So you refuse me, I see." he said it lightly, the evil smile still playing on his lips. "That will not stop me from having you though" "You won't." She said firmly "Won't I?" She had expected to arouse his anger tonight, but nothing prepared her for the icy rage that contorted his features and the resentment and coldness in his eyes. "Has he touched you yet?" Derek asked suddenly, his eyes still hard on her and his look ever so cold. "Depends on the kind of touch you mean," She replied in a soft, tempting voice, "He has touched me in certain ways. But you are my husband and I should not be telling you that.” "No," he returned coldly. "We are just master and slave, nothing else links us.” ***** Forced to marry against their will, Nancy must not only prove to Derek Lincoln that she was never his lost betrothed, but she must also prove to the parents of his real betrothed that she is not their daughter. But when a man is this beautiful and yet so arrogant, God knows loving him could not be so difficult. Except he is strongly involved with his mistress, who would give anything to have him, even if it meant killing his present wife. But was he worth it? Nay. To him, she is just a personal whore.

Vienna Starr Kilmartin, a psychiatrist with a simple life but complicated past. After surviving the death of both her parents and older brother she decides to help people cope with the hardest moments of their lives. Everything is going well until the appearance of a sole heir of the richest tycoon, Avan Ray. He excites her as much as he scares her. His appearance in her life coincides with the death of people around her. She becomes a suspect of the murders. The lead detective, Kerrick will not give her a break. She tries all ways to prove her innocence but the more she tries the more guilty she seems. Someone in the background is pulling a lot of strings to make her the culprit. She watches her world unfolds caught up between the possibly psychotic billionaire and the stubborn detective. With everything going on she is sure of only one thing, none of these men are who they seem. She can only trust one person, Jade her best friend.