Series You Want to Start Next Year

YAY! I'm so happy I can finally join this exciting meme. FYI, Top 5 Wednesday is a meme on Goodreads, created by a BookTuber named Lainey (Hi, Lainey! Visit her YouTube account here). I have joined similar meme called Top 10 Tuesday. But you know, ten is a lot! Especially for me who don't have a lot of time cuddling with books anymore. So, if you're busy like me but still wanting to join a meme, you can join Lainey's here. She posts the topic once for the whole weeks of the month. It makes me easier to join because I can write earlier and schedule my post. Thank you :) So, this time the topic is Series You Want to Start Next Year. I have a lot titles and I know I won't make it all. But still, I hope someone will give me Hermiones' time-turner for new years gift *finger crossed*.

Book Review: Five On A Treasure Island by Enid Blyton

Title: FIVE ON A TREASURE ISLAND
(THE FAMOUS FIVE #1)
Author: Enid Blyton
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Published: June 2001
ISBN: 978-0340796146
Rating: 5/5

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I remember my mom offered me the famous five series years ago when I was a kid. At that time, I have traveled to a lot of Conan Doyle's world and Agatha Christie's. Maybe that was why I didn't like famous five. It looked like a piece of cake. Too sweet. So, my mom gave away her famous five's collections.

Few days ago, my lecture gave me an assignment to read a detective or crime work by a woman author. Of course I chose Agatha Christie, automatically. I have a bunch of her collections in my room and I don't need to re-read them again, maybe just skimming. But, my friend suggested the famous five by Enid Blyton. Well, I think I'd like to read it. Famous five series only consists of 21 books, so why not? Since it's children's book, I didn't find any difficulty in understanding the words. Even though some words, or the writing style, is a little bit weird for me. I don't know if it's because it's a British work or because it's an old work. Overall I really enjoyed this book.

On this book, I get to know the characters. There are Julian the oldest, Dick, and Anne. They are siblings who are thirst of adventure. One holiday, their parents suggest them to visit their cousin, Georgina who lives at Kirrin Bay. Unfortunately, Georgina, who prefers to be called as George, is a difficult person. She likes to spend times by herself. She almost look like her father who hates to be disturbed. Unlike them, the mother, Aunt Fanny, is very lovely and understanding. She hopes Julian, Dick, and Anne can change her daughter's behavior.

Of course they do! They're finally getting along and George even bring them to her private island. Near the island, there is a shipwreck which belongs to George's great-great-great grandfather. The four children take an interesting box from the captain cabin and find a map which shows where the ingots--the gold--is hidden. They start their adventure under the castle. But, they have to deal with some men who are chasing the gold too! Those men even kidnap Julian and George. Will they be alright?

Book Review: Operation: Break the Casanova's Heart by Aly Almario [Phil-Lit]

Judul: OPERATION: BREAK THE CASANOVA'S HEART
Penulis: Aly Almario
Penerjemah: Airien Kusumawardani
Penerbit: Haru
Tanggal terbit: November 2015
ISBN: 978-602-7742-64-2
Harga: Rp 45.600 di BukaBuku
Rating: 3/5

Satu-satunya peraturan yang harus aku patuhi adalah: JANGAN JATUH CINTA. Ha! Seolah itu akan terjadi.

Naomi Mikael Perez sedang sibuk menyelesaikan misinya, yaitu menghancurkan hati sang Casanova, Stephen Cruz. Cowok yang telah menjadi temannya sejak SMA itu memang terkenal dengan sikap playboynya. Namun, kali ini Naomi rela bertindak karena Stephen telah menyaiti hati sahabatnya, Kryzel. Well, you'll do anything for your bestie, right? Dalam melakukan misinya, Naomi dibantu oleh KPSC (Koalisi Pembenci Stephen Cruz) yang didominasi oleh Yannie dan France. Dia pun harus menandatangi sebuah perjanjian.

Misi: Menghancurkan Hati Sang Casanova
10 tugas yang harus diselesaikan:

1. Buat dia menyadari kehadiranmu
2. Buat dirimu menonjol dari cewek-cewek lain
3. Dapatkan ajakan untuk berkencan
4. Jadikan kencan tersebut sangat berkesan
5. Buat dia menganggapmu serius
6. Pastikan dia hanya berkencan denganmu
7. Buat dia mengajakmu menemui orangtuanya
8. Buat dia menciummu, ciuman yang tulus
9. Jadilah pacar terbaik yang pernah dia miliki
10. Langkah terakhir: HANCURKAN HATINYA

Ya, itulah yang dirasakan Naomi, dari awal sampai akhir. Begitu banyak alasan dia untuk tidak menghancurkan hati sang Casanova. Tapi, ada alasan penting lain yang membuatnya harus melakukannya. Naomi pun berkali-kali ingin membatalkan kontrak. Selain karena alasan manusiawi, dia akhirnya bisa dekat dengan cowok yang selama ini dia suka, Drew. Anehnya, saat dia berdua dan bermesraan dengan Drew, dia merasa seperti mengkhianati Stephen. Lalu, apa tindakan Naomi selanjutnya?

Book Review: The Ugly Stepsister by Aya Ling

Title: THE UGLY STEPSISTER
Author: Aya Ling
Published: June 10th, 2015
Length: 452 pages [ebook version]
ASIN: B00ZFYITWC
Rating: 3/5 stars

This book was given free by the author in exchange for honest review.

When Kat accidentally rips apart an old picture book, she's magically transported into the world of Cinderella--as Katriona, one of the ugly stepsisters! Life turns upside down now that she’s a highborn lady and must learn how to survive the social season, including how to get through the door in a huge metal hoop skirt. To get back, she'll have to complete the story, right to the end of happily ever after. But the odds are huge: the other stepsister is drop-dead gorgeous, the fairy godmother is nowhere to be found, and the prince, despite being insanely hot, openly dislikes balls. Can she ever return to the modern world?

I didn't expect to love this book. I mean, I knew I was going to like it based on the synopsis 'cause it's my kind of light reading. And there are already a lot of re-telling version of Cinderella. "Why would I love this best?" That's what I thought. I don't really like the cover either. It's less a fairy tale. I won't pick up this book on bookstore if I judge it by the cover. But still, I think the title is quite strong. The Ugly Stepsister. Who would've thought that the stepsister can build an interesting story? Yup, don't expect too much of Cinderella when you read this.

Book Review: Just One Year by Gayle Forman

Title: JUST ONE YEAR (JUST ONE DAY #2)
Author: Gayle Forman
Publisher: Dutton Children's
Published: October 10th, 2013
Length: 337 pages [Kindle Edition]
ISBN: 0525426434
Rating: 2/5 stars

Just One Day. Just One Year. Just One Read.

Before you find out how their story ends, remember how it began....

When he opens his eyes, Willem doesn’t know where in the world he is—Prague or Dubrovnik or back in Amsterdam. All he knows is that he is once again alone, and that he needs to find a girl named Lulu. They shared one magical day in Paris, and something about that day—that girl—makes Willem wonder if they aren’t fated to be together. He travels all over the world, from Mexico to India, hoping to reconnect with her. But as months go by and Lulu remains elusive, Willem starts to question if the hand of fate is as strong as he’d thought. . . .

The romantic, emotional companion to Just One Day, this is a story of the choices we make and the accidents that happen—and the happiness we can find when the two intersect.

That's pretty sum up everything I need to say about this book.

Awesome May Giveaway!

Picture from Favim, edited by me

Finally!!! Ada giveaway lagi di blog ini. Hehe

Rencananya sih giveaway bakal diadain tiap bulan. Semoga aja rejeki lancar dan nggak lupa buat bikin postingannya ya. Tapi, bagi yang tertarik buat ikut, kalau menang nanti kamu harus a.k.a wajib bikin review. Boleh di blog, note Facebook, atau Goodreads. Terserah deh mau bikin review model gimana.

Nah, untuk hadiahnya, kamu boleh pilih sendiri buku apa aja asal harganya nggak lebih dari Rp 100.000 ya. Lalu, buku yang dipilih harus buku yang terbit bulan Mei. Kamu harus ngasih alasan kuat nih kenapa pengin baca buku itu. Soalnya, buku yang kamu pilih nanti juga bakal aku baca. Ya semacam nyari teman baca gitu deh hoho. Kalau beli buku sendiri, ujung-ujungnya selalu berakhir di timbunan sih. Aku lagi cari cara biar tergugah buat baca terus.

So, udah paham dengan ketentuannya? Langsung isi aja form di bawah ini:

Book Review: The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Title: THE LAST SONG
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
First media tie-in mass market edition, March 2010
Pages: 463
ISBN: 978-0-446-57096-1
Price: Rp 106.000 (Periplus Online)
Rating: 5/5 stars

SEVENTEEN-year-old Veronica "Ronnie" Miller's life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, especially her father...until her mother decides it would be in everyone's best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie's father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church.The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story of love on many levels--first love, love between parents and children -- that demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that love can break our hearts...and heal them.

I think this is the first Sparks' book that I have ever read. How is it? GREAT! I can't think about anything wrong except I had to imagine Ronnie in my head as Miley Cyrus. Yes, I have watched the movie. But I hadn't finished yet. I'm sure I'm not the only one who falls in love with this book. But I dare to give this 5 out of 5 stars. I'll let you know why.

Top All-Time Favorite Authors

Image by Tumblr, Edited by me

Happy World Book Day, everyone! In the middle of preparing for my very last exam, I decided to accept the challenge hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Well, the challenge is called Top Ten Tuesday. But since I am not sure I have that long list of favorite authors, I'm gonna mention less than 10. Let's see who I come up with.

J.K. Rowling
I thank God you finally become one! :) I can't imagine my life without Harry Potter. I still remember the days where I laid on my bed all days after school just to finish all Harry Potter books. Reading her works feels magical somehow. When she published The Casual Vacancy, I fall in love too. But in different kind of love. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to read The Cuckoo's Calling. One thing I'm sure, I'm looking forward for Harry Potter spin off tv series.

Book Review: Petak Umpet Minako by @manhalfgod

Judul: Petak Umpet Minako
Penulis: @manhalfgod
Penerbit: Rak Buku
Tanggal terbit: 16 Februari 2015
ISBN: 978-602-711-405-0
Harga: Rp 52.000 (BukaBuku)
Rating: 4/5

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Jujur saja, aku adalah orang yang penakut. Waktu jadi host blog tour buku bergenre horor, aku kesulitan untuk menyelesaikan semua bukunya. But I did anyway. Dari sepuluh buku yang diberikan penerbit, semua jenis ceritanya sama, yaitu seorang tokoh menceritakan pengalaman mistisnya. Yap, jenis cerita mistis seperti yang biasa kamu dengar saat berkumpul dengan teman-teman itu lho. Membaca alur yang serupa jelas bikin aku bosan. Bayangin aja, SEPULUH BUKU!! Nah, saat penulis DetEksi merekomendasikan buku ini untuk dibahas dalam rubrik BookClub, aku langsung tertarik setelah membaca sinopsisnya. Aku juga menemukan dua bab awal buku di akun wattpad sang penulis. Kalau kamu Kaskus-er, kamu juga bisa baca di sini.

Cerita diawali oleh kisah Baron. Dia adalah seorang karyawan kantoran yang biasa-biasa saja. Dia berusaha untuk merangkak naik ke tangga kesuksesan meskipun pekerjaan itu bukan passionnya. Demi bisa meminang sang pacar, Gabby, dia rela menjalani hidup seperti itu. Apalagi, Gabby datang dari keluarga orang penting. Nah, malam itu, Gabby memaksa Baron agar menyempatkan diri datang ke restauran tempat reuni SMA-nya diadakan. Saat Baron dalam perjalanan menyusul, ternyata Gabby dan teman-teman lain pergi ke lokasi SMA-nya untuk bernostalgia. Baron makin khawatir saat Gabby mengiriminya SMS:

''Sudah sampaidimana,Ron? Kami sudah di sekolah. Sekarang Vindha sedang memulai 'upacara'-nya. Perasaanku tidak enak, cepatlah datang!''

Sesampainya di sekolah, tempat itu sangat sepi. Baron mencari teman-temannya. Tapi, saat dia bertemu Edward, cowok itu malah menyerang Baron! Edward seolah-olah nggak mengenal Baron sama sekali. Tiba-tiba, Adam datang menyelamatkannya. Saat Adam berusaha melompati pagar sekolah untuk mencari bantuan, jiwanya terenggut. Setelah melihat kejadian menyeramkan itu, Baron nggak sadarkan diri. Saat dia terbangun, dia sudah menjadi bagian dari permainan yang diusulkan Vindha, yaitu Hitori Kakurenbo.

Book Review: Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Title: JUST ONE DAY
Authors: Gayle Forman
Publisher: SPEAK (An imprint of Penguin Group Inc.)
First published in the USA by Dutton Books, 2013
Publication date: August 2013
Page: 369
ISBN: 978-0-14-242295-3
Price: Rp 292.000 (Periplus Online)
Rating: 4/5

ALLYSON Healey's life is exactly like her suitcase-packed, planned, ordered. Then on the last day of her three-week post-graduation European tour, she meets Willem. A free-spirited, roving actor, Willem is everything she's not, and when he invites her to abandon her plans and come to Paris with him, Allyson says yes. This uncharacteristic decision leads to a day of risk and romance, liberation and intimacy: twenty-four-hours that will transform Allyson's life. A book about love, heartbreak, travel, identity, and the "accidents" of fate, Just One Day shows us how sometimes in order to get found, you first have to get lost... and how often the people we are seeking are much closer than we know.

"We are born in one day. We die in one day.

We can change in one day. And we can fall in love in one day.

Anything can happen in just one day."

It took few months for me to finally finish this book. Boring? Yeah, but not entirely because I'm sober enough to give it 4/5 stars. I spotted this book on The Bookie Looker. It seemed enchanting out of all the beautiful things on that blog. So, I bought it trough Periplus Online, which is one of my book shopping solution. Since I'm a member, I always get discount 15% or more ;) Other than the book's outer look, I've heard so many praises of Gayle Forman's works. I've read If I Stay and Where She Went in a day without a break (except went to shower, had a drink and food) and I love them! Well, I like the first book better. That was why I had no doubt to purchase Just One Day.

Image by TRAVELFREAK.COM

Some people say that they can't connect with Allyson character. Some people say that Allyson's life is related to them. But for me, reading this book is like reading a friend's story on her blog. Allyson's life makes me so envy. She has good grades and her parents are generous. Europe trip for a graduation gift? That is something unusual in here, especially in my family. We don't do gift for grad. We just do a so-not-big feast at a so-not-fancy restaurant and that's it. I believe high school is so much easier in my country. When Allyson and Melanie (the best friend from childhood) arrived at London, Allyson decided to go on a just one day trip to Paris with the Dutch boy named Willem (I don't get the name). That's where the story begin...

Book Review: Four by Veronica Roth

Judul: FOUR: A Divergent Collection
Penulis: Veronica Roth
Penerjemah: Esti Buduhabsari
Proofreader: Emi Kusmiati
Penerbit: Mizan Fantasi
Cetakan I, Desember 2014
ISBN: 978-979-433-859-9
Tebal: 288 halaman
Harga: Rp 59.000

Dua tahun sebelum Beatrice Prior menentukan takdirnya, putra pemimpin Abnegation melakukan hal yang sama. Tobias Eaton berkhianat dari Abnegation, berpindah ke Dauntless, dan berubah menjadi Four. Mencari kebebasan dan kehidupan yang bebas dari masa lalu. Ternyata di Dauntless pun Four masih meragukan pilihannya. Apalagi secaratak sengaja dia mengetahui persekongkolan antara pemimpin Dauntless dan Erudite. Sementara, sang ibu yang ternyata masih hidup menginginkannya bergabung dengan factionless. Haruskah Four kembali berkhianat? Pantaskah faksi 'tanpa pamrih' yang ternyata menyembunyikan monster sekejam Marcus Eaton diselamatkan? Four dihadapkan pada pilihan sulit. Mungkinkah pengkhianatan memunculkan kebebasan? Four: A Divergent Collection, mengisahkan perjalanan Divergent Trilogy dari sudut pandang Tobias Eaton. Dengan bonus tiga kisah eksklusif bersama Tris. Kisah pelengkap Divergent Trilogy yang romantis dan penuh aksi.

Sejak awal, Four is my favorite character. Yap, bukan Tris. Selama membaca trilogi Divergent, bisa dibilang aku selalu merasa semangat saat Four muncul. Nah, bagi pembaca trilogi Divergent yang sepertiku, kalian WAJIB membaca buku ini. Sosok Four yang selama ini misterius akan dibuka habis-habisan. But in a good way of course (thanks God!). Awalnya, aku takut buku ini malah bikin sosok Four terkesan nggak-banget alias bikin il-feel. Tapi, ketakutanku itu nggak beralasan kok.