Book Review: The Architecture of Love by Ika Natassa

Judul: THE ARCHITECTURE OF LOVE
Penulis: Ika Natassa
Penerbit: Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Terbit: 14 Juni 2016
Format: Signed Paperback
Tebal: 304 halaman
ISBN: 978-602-03-2926-0
Harga: Rp 84.000
Rating: 5/5 stars
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"Wah, lama nggak pernah ada review, eh, langsung ngasih lima bintang aja." Mungkin itu yang terbersit pada benak Anda yang pernah singgah beberapa kali di blog saya ini. Mungkin ada juga yang merasa "Ah, ini pasti ikut-ikutan gara-gara bukunya emang lagi ramai dibicarakan." Well, kalau Anda termasuk dua jenis itu, silahkan tidak melanjutkan membaca review ini. Sebab, beberapa orang mungkin akan menganggap saya berlebihan. Tapi, perlu Anda tahu, isi blog ini murni dari pemikiran dan perasaan saya. Tidak perlu lah ikut-ikutan apa kata orang.

Saya masih ingat betul malam itu sepulang kerja, saya leyeh-leyeh tidur di pangkuan Ama (sebutan saya untuk ibu saya) sambil scrolling timeline Twitter. Tiba-tiba, ada salah satu rekan blogger buku saya yang me-retweet salah satu tweet Ika Natassa dan saya somehow penasaran dengan sosok penulis yang sering saya dengar namanya, tapi belum pernah sekalipun karyanya saya baca. Iya, saya ini picky reader. Buku yang berbau misteri, ending yang menggantung, kekerasan, lari-larian, kebanyakan mendapat respon baik dari saya. Oleh karena itu, saya tidak terlalu suka buku karya penulis Indonesia. Hanya sedikit yang saya baca. Kembali ke akun Twitter Ika, di bagian atas sendiri saya langsung disuguhi ini:

The Architecture of Love is my new writing project with @TwitterID, read complete episodes: https://t.co/zj1YqjLQqD pic.twitter.com/s9r5KWd9bm

— Ika Natassa (@ikanatassa) January 24, 2016

Iseng, saya membacanya. "Wah, lucu ini. Alurnya ditentukan pembaca," pikir saya waktu itu. Sayang sekali saya baru tahu dan tidak bisa ikut berpartisipasi. Tapi, kebanyakan pilihan saya sesuai sih sama hasil poling. Tweet by tweet saya baca habis saat itu juga. Kesannya? Luar biasa bikin penasaran. Ada perasaan I WANT MORE but I had to wait for the book. Entah apa yang membuat saya kepincut. Faktor utama sih sepertinya gaya bahasa ya. Sudah lama saya rindu bacaan dengan gaya bahasa seperti Ika. Buku yang banyak saya baca itu terjemahan. Tahu sendiri lah bagaimana hasilnya. Sekalinya ingin baca bacaan ringan, eh, bahasanya terlalu "gaul" seperti yang pernah dikomplain beberapa penerjemah di salah satu grup di Facebook. Gaya bahasa Ika ini pas lah. Tidak terlalu kaku, kalimatnya pas (maklum, profesi sebagai editor bikin saya bawel), dan banyak kalimat berbahasa Inggris yang quotable banget (isn't it what you're looking for, dear Z generation?). Jelas saja hal itu membuat saya memutuskan untuk ikut pre-order yang dilaksanakan 1 Juni lalu.

Book Review: The Alpha Girl's Guide by Henry Manampiring

Judul: THE ALPHA GIRL'S GUIDE
Penulis: Henry Manampiring
Penerbit: Gagas Media
Terbit: November 2015
Format: Paperback
Tebal: 253 halaman
ISBN: 9789797808488
Harga: Rp 65.000
Rating: 5/5 stars

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To be honest, aku belum pernah baca buku motivasi (kecuali kamu menganggap buku-buku Mitch Albom termasuk motivasi). Sebab, aku merasa buku motivasi itu membosankan dan kebanyakan menggurui. Siapa sih yang suka digurui? Apalagi anak zaman sekarang kan kritis banget. Mereka pasti punya jawaban untuk semua jawaban (entah benar atau salah). Tapi, saat baca buku Om Piring ini, aku sama sekali nggak merasa digurui. It's true. Aku mem-follow Om Piring di Ask.fm dan aku personally suka jawaban-jawabannya. Agak ''slengekan'' mungkin? Padahal Om Piring bukan generasi Z, tapi dia cool banget. Aku selalu rela stalking Ask.fm-nya setiap membuka aplikasi itu (kecuali jawaban tentang jam tangan ya). Well, enough praising, let's get to what's inside the book!

''Dalam hidup ini tidak ada yang pasti.'' [halaman 24]

Sepertinya quote itulah yang selalu aku iya-iya kan. Dalam The Alpha Girl's Guide, Om Piring ngasih banyak banget quote yang relatable. Thanks to his followers yang sering bertanya tentang kegalauan perempuan, Om Piring akhirnya bisa menulis buku yang berisi rangkuman jawaban dan sekaligus menjadi guide untuk menjadi seorang Alpha Female. Bukan guide yang paten sih. Tentu aku nggak bisa melaksanakan semua himbauan Om Piring dalam buku itu. Tapi, at least tulisannya bikin pikiranku terbuka (isn't that the book's goal?) dan introspeksi diri.

Mulai dari pentingnya pendidikan sampai pernikahan, semua dibahas tuntas. Oleh karena itu, kalau kamu jadi temanku di Goodreads (kalau belum, add ya!), kamu mungkin notice kalau aku mulai membaca buku ini sejak Januari. Wow, kok lama? Well, membaca buku ini memang harus diresapi (bagiku sih). Di awal buku, Om Piring juga menghimbau pembacanya buat kritis, nggak menelan mentah-mentah tulisannya. I did that dan hasilnya ya sekitar dua bulan proses membaca itu hehehe. Sering kali aku merasa, "Lho, nggak gini harusnya," atau "Ah, nggak juga." I don't blame him tho. Tapi, pengalaman membaca yang seperti itu ternyata sangat menarik. Biasanya kan pembaca cuma bisa fangirling tokoh utama atau nge-bully villain.

Selain itu, bahasa yang dipakai benar-benar enteng, tapi nggak picisan (tahu kan picisan itu yang gimana?). Waktu baca The Alpha Girl's Guide tuh kayak "duh, aku keren banget." Yap, kadang aku pernah merasa nggak pede menenteng kemana-mana buku yang harus aku baca. Sayangnya, buku ini bikin aku menoleh ke belakang. Mengingat-ingat kejadian yang sudah terjadi. Mulai dari alasanku nggak pernah mem-bully orang (berdasarkan fisik) sampai sikapku ke orang ketiga. That's why aku nggak mau terlalu panjang menulis review buku ini. Bawaannya pengin curhat, Sob!

Overall, aku sangat merekomendasikan buku ini buat semua orang yang mau membaca. Nggak cuma cewek ya. Buku ini mungkin bisa menginspirasi cowok-cowok juga (penulisnya aja cowok lho). Aku bersyukur bisa membahas buku ini di halaman DetEksi Jawa Pos (sekarang berubah nama jadi Zetizen) pada Desember tahun lalu. Aku berharap halaman itu menginspirasi banyak orang buat membaca sih. Pssst... Yang mau baca, coba check website BukaBuku. Lagi ada diskon besar tuh!

"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people." - Henry Thomas Buckle [halaman 62] 

Book Review: Lucky Me by Saba Kapur

Title: LUCKY ME
Author: Saba Kapur
Publisher: Amberjack Publishing
Published: April 2016
Pages: 446
ISBN: 978-0-6925-3639-1
Price: $11.95 [Amazon]
Rating: 2/5 stars

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"A jealous boyfriend, a manipulative arch nemesis, a creepy stalker, and a frustratingly good-looking bodyguard. Throw in some pom poms and a stolen cheer routine, and I was the definition of cliche." - Chapter Two

I know, you might be wondering why did I choose this kind of book at the first place? Lucky Me is definitely not my cup of tea. Please don’t judge. I was trying to explore new things. People who like this kind of story might give this book more than two stars. So, if you’re a fan, stop reading and find the review somewhere else. If you’re omnireader, or you have the same taste as me, keep going. I’ll explain more about the book.

Lucky Me is about a spoiled girl named Gia Winters who lived in a big mansion with her celebrity dad, Harry, and her brother, Mike. She had her good reputation, coolest squad in school, and the perfect boyfriend, Brendan. Saba Kapur did a really good job in writing the opening, I guess. It was written in form of fairy tale because Gia’s life is like fairy tale in Hollywood version. Her mom was also a celebrity, but she lived in different city. So, you can imagine how glamorous her life was right? For me, it was like reading Legally Blonde’s story (except Gia wasn’t that smart).

After the short and refreshing opening, I was brought to the point of the story. Danger. Yep. On the first chapter, Harry told his children that they could have been in danger because of something. That was why he hired bodyguard for each of them. The bodyguard would follow them everywhere, including pretended to be cousin when they were at school. Can you guess what happen next? If you’re smart, you must know that Gia’s bodyguard turned out to be super hot, super handsome, and super mysterious. I was like, seriously??

‘‘...a young, blonde-haired guy who was standing only an inch away. His eyes were blue, but not piercing, and I was standing close enough to see tiny bits of grey in them. He was the kind of attractive that you don’t come across too often, the kind that makes you all excited. He was the type of guy who you’d tell your friends asked for your number at a bar, when really all he did was walk past you.’’ – Chapter One

Everything after was predicted. Super cheesy. With the love triangle between Brendan, Gia, and Jack the bodyguard, I don’t understand why Kapur bothered to add one more guy to make Gia’s heart complicated. It was the cutie police. I know that a story comes from writer’s imagination, but sometimes you have to keep it real in order to make the reader feel related. I got bored easily and tended to skim. Kapur also described too many things in details. It wasn’t the fantasy kind of world. Most readers know how Hollywood’s life looks like. I think Lucky Me becomes a really thick book with no reason (sorry to say).

Book Sale Setelah Bersih-Bersih Awal Tahun

Awal tahun? Iya. Memang baru punya waktu dan niat buat membongkar semuanya. Karena kamar masih direnovasi (entah sampai kapan selesainya), buku-bukuku terpaksa ditaruh box. Somehow aku takut kalau terlalu lama ditaruh di luar rak buku nanti kondisinya jelek. Oleh karena itu, aku harus merelakan mereka untuk mencari ibu baru. Semoga ada yang berkenan ya :)

Novel Indonesia

• Camar Biru: Cinta Tak Selalu Tepat Waktu - Nilam Sari (Gagas Media) Rp 25.000**
• Secret Admirer - Karizza Rakmavika (Gagas Media) Rp 15.000
• Healing A Broken Heart - Petra Larosa Purba (Nulis Buku) Rp 10.000
• Project X: Te New Beginning of Net Detektif Indonesia - Tim Penulis NDI (Visi Media) Rp 20.000
• Nightmare Side #1 + VCD (Bukune) Rp 20.000
• Nightmare Side #2 (Bukune) Rp 15.000
• Nightmare Side #3 (Bukune) Rp 15.000
• Stalking Indonesia - Margareta Astaman (Kompas) Rp 20.000
• Menjadi Djo - Dyah Rinni (GPU) Rp 20.000
• Running Mission - Dimas Abi & Tim Dreamers Radio (Bukune) Rp 15.000
• The Jacatra Secret - Rizki Ridyasmara (Bentang Pustaka) Rp 20.000
• Cherish Cheri - Nita Trismaya (Plot Point) Rp 15.000**
• Tiga Burung Kecil - Mikha Ramadewi dkk (Plot Point) Rp 15.000**
• Jodoh - Fahd Pahdepie (Bentang Pustaka) Rp 30.000**
• Catatan Ayah tentang Cintanya kepada Ibu - Sandi Firly (Gagas Media) Rp 20.000

Novel Terjemahan

• The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznick (Mizan Fantasi) Rp 25.000**
• The Abundance of Katherines - John Green (GPU) Rp 25.000** [Cover baru]
• Perfect Match - Jodi Picoult (GPU) Rp 20.000**
• The Tenth Circle - Jodi Picoult (GPU) Rp 20.000
• Dari Arsip Campur Aduk Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - E.L. Konigsburg (GPU) Rp 15.000
• After: Setelah Malam Itu - Amy Efaw (GPU) Rp 20.000
• Dear John - Nicholas Sparks (GPU) Rp 15.000
• Unwind: Pemisahan Raga - Neal Shusterman (GPU) Rp 25.000**
• Kisah Hantu-Hantu Cina - Lafcadio Hearn (Bukune) Rp 10.000
• The Story Girl - L.M. Montgomery (GPU) Rp 25.000 [Classic Read]
• Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn (GPU) Rp 20.000 [Goodreads Choice Award 2012]
• The Fifth Mountain - Paulo Coelho (GPU) Rp 20.000**
• The Ninth - Ferenc Barnas (GPU) Rp 15.000
• Heretic - Sarah Singleton (GPU) Rp 10.000
• I Will Always Love You - Jo Chang-in (Bentang Pustaka) Rp 25.000**
• Double Tap - Steve Martini (GPU) Rp 20.000**
• The Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton (Qanita) Rp 25.000** [Classic Read]

Novel Bahasa Inggris

• The One That Got Away - Kelly Hunter (Harlequin Kiss) Rp 20.000
• Much Ado About Anne - Heather Vogel Frederick (Simon & Schuster) Rp 20.000
• Whisper in the Jungle - Robert Mwangi (Self Published) Rp 20.000
• 30 Days in Sydney - Peter Carey (Bloomsbury) Rp 35.000 [Hardcover]

** Buku masih disegel

Mayoritas kondisinya masih bagus banget kok. Soalnya ya kalau nggak cuma sekali dibaca, malah belum disentuh sama sekali. Silahkan klik judulnya untuk sinopsis dan rating (aku refer ke Goodreads kok). Kalau ada pertanyaan, silahkan tanya lewat sini. Sedangkan pemesanan bisa lewat e-mail ya :) Beli banyak bisa dapat diskon loh.

Book Review: This Song is (Not) for You by Laura Nowlin

Title: THIS SONG IS (NOT) FOR YOU
Author: Laura Nowlin
Published: January 5th, 2016
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Pages: 220
ISBN: 978-149-260-290-3
Price: $12.11 (Book Depository) // $9.95 (Amazon)

*Digital ARC was received from Sourcebooks through Netgalley*

Rating: 3/5 stars
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I always fall for novels about music. It's not always necessary talking about music, but just put the word "song" on the title and I'll read it. Well, that's the case with This Song is (Not) for You by Laura Nowlin. I must admit that the cover is not that beautiful. It's not the kind of novel with very captivating cover which will hypnotize people to buy it. But, yeah, the "song" word works (for me). Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity. I had to shut down my old NetGalley account in order to have a clean slate in book review. Hopefully it will work well. So, back to the novel. I haven't heard anything about Laura Nowlin. I thought she's a newcomer, but it turns out she already has a book before This Song is (Not) for You and she has quite lot fans. That's why I started this book on my Kindle App with a pretty high expectation.

Music will always be a part of my life. A huge part. But there are other things in life that I also want, and I don't want to give them up to pursue just one thing. - Tom

Ramona is just an average high school student who doesn't have many friends because everyone thinks that she's weird. But, she has Sam who is always beside her. The "weird" thing about Ramona is that she always has feeling about something. She feels like Sam is meant to meet her and so does Tom, a guy whom she met at an audition. She feels like Tom is meant to be in her band. So, they three get along and play music together. They do it great. I, of course, cannot hear the song. According to how Nowlin describes it, it sounds great. I imagine Fun. kind of songs. Ramona on the drum, Sam on the guitar, and Tom as the chaos maker with his own instruments.

Following their story to reach the dream and figure out their future is kind of entertaining. They are bond together but somehow they have different goals. When they're trying to be honest to each other, they're afraid to hurt someone else. I can feel how strong their friendships. I can understand how important they are to each other. So, yeah, I have to give a thumb up to Nowlin for this. I've never read a friendship as strong as Ramona's. But things get weirder when we talk about relationship. Well, don't be surprised. Don't you ever heard someone said, "It's impossible for guy and girl be in a friendship without falling for each other,"? There's something going on between Ramona, Sam, and Tom. But I can't give you more details about that because it's shocking! I was like shaking my head, confused, a little bit disagree. I was like "what the ****?!" But, the final judgement might be different based on the readers' culture. I have been warned.

Overall, I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. The story's idea is not unique, but Nowlin has her own way by putting a lot of music things (which is great). Describing music and successfully transfer the feeling to the readers is not easy. Nowlin did it great. I was a little bit struggling to understand some musical meaning, but it doesn't affect my understanding of the whole story. So, it's fine. Unfortunately, this story is very lack of family's value. I think it would be great if Nowlin brings the reader to get to know each family better in order to understand the sexual issue.

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.

Book Review: People Like Us by Yosephine Monica

Judul: PEOPLE LIKE US
Penulis: Yosephine Monica
Penyunting: Tia Widiana
Proofreader: Dini Novita Sari
Penerbit: Penerbit Haru
Cetakan I, Juni 2014
Tebal: 330 Halaman
Harga: 45.900 (Owl Bookstore)

This book was given free in exchange for an honest review and blog tour
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Sudah pernah baca buku The Fault in Our Stars karya John Green? Yap, cerita yang diusung oleh Yosephine Monica tidak berbeda jauh. Genre-nya sama. Tapi menurutku, buku ini jauh lebih baik (sorry to say) karena feeling yang aku rasain setelah membaca buku ini lebih dapet, daripada TFiOS yang terasa flat-flat aja. Menitikkan setetes air mata pun enggak. Next time aku bakal bikin review buku biru itu deh. But don't get your hope high soalnya buat nulis review aja aku males banget he he he.

So let's talk about the story. People Like Us bercerita tentang Amelia Collins, gadis berumur 15 tahun yang termasuk anak 'standar'; tidak cantik, tidak jelek, tidak pintar, dan tidak bodoh. Dia sangat suka menulis. Bisa dibilang tulisan di blognya populer di sekolah. Tapi, Amy, panggilan akrabnya, nggak cuma dikenal sebagai penulis handal. Dia juga dikenal sebagai penguntit Benjamin Miller, seorang bintang sepak bola sekolah. Sebenarnya, kecintaan Amy pada Ben nggak berawal saat di high school saja. She'd known him for several years ago. Hanya saja, Ben sama sekali nggak ingat akan sosok Amy.

But faith has its own way. Amy divonis kanker. Lana, sahabatnya, membujuk Ben agar menjenguk Amy sesekali di rumah sakit. Awalnya sih Ben males banget. Siapa sih yang mau menjenguk stalker sendiri? Gengsi, Bro! Tapi, pandangan Amy tentang dunia, termasuk pandangan Amy tentang Ben yang ternyata suka menulis, membuat Ben terpesona.

Kadang kita memilih pilihan yang baik,
kadang kita memilih yang buruk.

Sering kali, dalam beberapa kasus,
Ben memilih pilihan yang tidak tepat.
Dia memutuskan untuk tidak mengembangkan
kemampuan menulisnya. Dia memutuskan untuk
tidak membuka diri pada keluarganya.
Dia memutuskan untuk melepaskan Irina.
Dia memutuskan untuk terjerat dalam kesedihan yang panjang.

Pilihan yang salah, menurutku,
karena hal-hal itu membuatnya tidak bahagia.

Lalu Ben bertemu Amy...

Book Review: Moon in the Spring by Hyun Go Wun

Judul Buku: Moon in the Spring
Penulis: Hyun Go Wun
Penerbit: Penerbit Haru
Tebal: 405 halaman
Terbit: September 2014
Harga: Rp 56.950 (Owl Bookstore)
Rating: ★★★

This book was given free in exchange for an honest review
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Sayang sekali! Bumi menjadi tempat tinggal sekian puluh juta manusia, tetapi justru dipenuhi dengan manusia yang tidak peduli terhadap sesamanya.

Itulah yang dipikirkan oleh Dal-Hee, sang dewi langit. Beda halnya dengan sang kakak, Hae-Seong, Dal-Hee masih memiliki sikap seperti manusia. Dia suka terburu-buru dan masih suka menikmati ketampanan manusia bumi. Sifat yang seperti itu akhirnya membuatnya masuk ke dalam sebuah masalah, reinkarnasi.

Yap, suatu hari Dal-Hee mendengar Yoon Ji-Wan, seorang wanita bumi, yang berteriak meminta pertolongan karena tidak kuat dengan pahitnya kehidupan. Di dekat wanita itu, ada sosok yang dipenuhi oleh aura kegelapan. Sosok tersebut adalah Kang Min-Hyuk, tunangan Ji-Wan. Dal-Hee yang merasa kasihan dengan Ji-Wan memutuskan untuk menggantikan posisi wanita tersebut dan memberi pelajaran kepada Min-Hyuk tanpa ijin dari Kaisar Langit.

The TBR Tag!

HELLO again! It's been a long time since I posted something here. Thanks to Linda who tags me on this brand new tag called The To-Be-Read Tag :) I pushed myself hard just to do this. I'm so sorryyyy not be able to post book reviews regularly. I do still read books tho! I just haven't had time to write the review. Work and college are pretty crazy these days. I'm responsible for handling the news about the biggest youth convention in Indonesia called UBS DetEksi-Con 2k14 on early November. But the crazy preparations have been started since two months ago. Well, enough grumbling. You're here to read about my everyday-gets-higher TBR pile. So here you go:

How do you keep track of your TBR pile?
Wow, such a hard question, I admit! I use Goodreads only to manage now reading list. When I get new books, I'm gonna sort them first. Books that I have to read (in exchange for honest review from publishers or authors) will be placed on the table next to my bed. So, of course the pile is not that high :) But the books that I randomly buy, books that are not necessarily reviewed, I put them on my bookcase. Please note, my bookcase is not in my bedroom. It means I don't visit it very often. It's hard for me to keep up what's on there!

Book Review: The Firm (Biro Hukum) by John Grisham

Judul Buku: The Firm (Biro Hukum)
Penulis: John Grisham
Penerbit: Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Tebal: 712 Halaman
Tahun Terbit: 1993
Harga: Rp 78.000 (Cover Baru)
Rating: ★★★

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"Ia termasuk lima besar di kelasnya--di Harvard Law School. Tawaran pekerjaan mengalir dari biro-biro hukum terbaik di Amerika. Tapi pilihannya justru membawa bencana."

Mitch McDeere adalah salah satu fresh graduate terbaik dari Harvard. Dia juga memiliki seorang istri, Abby, yang cukup pintar. Tapi sayangnya, mereka hanya bisa tinggal di sebuah apartemen kecil murah ala pasangan muda yang baru lulus kuliah. Orang tua Abby pun sering memberi tatapan penuh kekecewaan pada Mitch. Maka dari itu saat tawaran menggiurkan dari Bendini, Lambert & Locke, sebuah biro kecil di Memphis, datang, Mitch menerimanya tanpa pikir panjang.

Tidak hanya gaji yang sangat besar, sebelum mulai bekerja pun Mitch sudah disodori BMW mewah. Dia diperbolehkan memilih rumah impian yang bisa dicicil dengan bunga rendah. Dia bisa dengan mudah keluar-masuk restauran mewah dan menikmati kehidupan ala kaum elite. Intinya, biro ingin setiap karyawannya hidup harmonis, bahagia, dan produktif. Biro bahkan menyediakan pesawat pribadi dan kondominium di beberapa lokasi wisata jika karyawannya ingin berlibur. Maka dari itu, perceraian merupakan sebuah pelanggaran di biro. Siapa yang bisa menolak tawaran seperti itu?

[Source]

Sayangnya, sedikit demi sedikit keadaan keluarga kecil McDeere berubah sejak seorang FBI bernama Terrance menemuinya. Terrance berkata, "Jangan percaya siapapun," dan Mitch menjadi resah karenanya. Mengapa FBI mencarinya? Beberapa anggota biro Bendini, Lambert & Locke memang baru saja ada yang meninggal dunia karena kecelakaan, tapi dia baru saja bergabung dan dia sama sekali tak tahu apapun. Pihak biro bersikeras bahwa FBI memang suka iseng menyelidiki mereka. Tapi sebenarnya, Mitch lebih pintar dari biro, bahkan FBI.