These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

These Broken Stars

written by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
(will be) published on December 10th 2013 by Disney Hyperion
Young Adult/Science-Fiction/Romance
#1 book of Starbound trilogy
384 pages
read in English (not translated yet)

***

It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone. 

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help. 

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won't be the same people who landed on it.

The Icarus is falling. She’s like a great beast up in the sky, and I imagine her groaning as she wallows and turns, some part of her still fighting, engines firing in an attempt to escape gravity. For a few moments she seems to hang there, eclipsing one of the planet’s moons, pale in the afternoon sky.

Titanic in space was the line that was constantly repeated everytime someone promoted These Broken Stars, and it wasn't wrong at all. Yes, there are big similarities between the movie and this book, but there's also SO MUCH MORE. I'm not one who read a lot of sci-fi, but These Broken Stars is definitely what I want to read when I read a book from the sci-fi category. I enjoyed it even more than Across the Universe by Beth Revis, which happened to take place in outer space too (but for some reasons I just cannot bring myself to read the second or third book of the series). The collaboration between Amie and Meagan was done beautifully, and this is only the first book of a trilogy! Yay!

The first thing that attracted me to These Broken Stars was, of course, the cover. I'm always drawn to cover that contains space as the background. Then to the girl who was wearing a stunning green dress, with gorgeous hair... And the boy, with the dog tag dangling from his neck. This cover describes our main characters perfectly. Lilac did really wear a green dress when the Icarus crashes, and Tarver was a soldier in this book. Also, this might sounds lame, but I really, really fancy their names. Lilac. Tarver. Lilac and Tarver. Perfect for each other ;)

There was instant attraction (no, not insta-love) that appeared when Lilac and Tarver met for the first time, but because of her glum experience corcerning a boy in the past, Lilac was quick to send Tarver off. Tarver, who initially did not recognize who Lilac was (daughter of the richest man in the galaxy, mind you), felt rejected and humiliated. When the Icarus crashes, these two people weren't exactly on a good term with each other. Lots of bantering, bickering, and push-and-pull game happened on their first few days on the strange planet, but their chemistry was undeniable. I really enjoyed every dialogs between them, and I love how easy it was to differ Lilac's voice with Tarver's.

"Would you like a rest?

She considers the question, then nods, reaching up to tuck her hair back where it belongs. "Where will I sit?"

Sit? Why, on this comfortable chaise lounge I've carried for you in my pocket, Your Highness. So glad you asked.

I have to admit, the principessa-attitude of Lilac in the first few chapters was annoying, and this girl was so stubborn, but this stubborness later resulted in a totally new version of Lilac. It was lovely to see the transformation of Lilac throughout the story. She's real, quick to learn, and quick to adapt to the situation. Along with Tarver, who's perfectly fine doing the survival thingy since he's well trained as a soldier, they helped each other to survive and stay alive in that totally strange and lonely planet where Icarus landed. And who doesn't want to have a boy like Tarver? This guy had manners, a hard-working man, loved his family, realistic, good at surviving, and handsome! Seeing Lilac and Tarver's character development was one of my favorite things about These Broken Stars. Their love was a slow-burn, but it was beautifully built, so when the 'confession' finally happened, it felt so worth it to read all those awkward, don't-really-like-each-other-but-have-to-stay-together-in-order-to-live moments in the previous pages.

“I choose her. I choose whatever world has her in it.”

So, yeah. There were a lot to These Broken Stars other than the sci-fi and romance part. The story was also about survival, and there was a slight paranormal side too, which I found strange at first. Tarver thought Lilac was being crazy, as a result of shock that struck her when the tragedy occured, because she started seeing things, hearing whispers, and all. At about three-quarter of These Broken Stars, something unbelievable happened (it left me speechless for a moment there), and up until this moment I'm still confused about that 'energy-creating' part, but oh well, it doesn't really matter because in the end, the story wrapped up exactly in the way I wanted to be!

Furthermore, I love how both authors described the setting in the book. On the Icarus, I can easily painted the image that was described through our characters, the luxuriousness of the ship, the festivity of the party... The tense feeling when the escape pod, albeit imperfectly, managed to part from the Icarus, the loneliness and helplessness feeling when Lilac and Tarver crashed in an unknown land... The uncertainty about their chance at surviving without any other people to help them, and will they ever be found and could they go back to their family? These Broken Stars is definitely a book that would make you feel a lot of emotions in different ranges.

I would totally recommend everyone to read These Broken Stars, eventhough you're not a fan of sci-fi, or YA in particular. This is a very well-written book, the dual narration works for both characters, and the story will simply left you feeling dazzled and pleased. These Broken Stars have easily made it to my 'best books I read in 2013' list. Also, there's no sequel to Lilac and Tarver's story, so you don't need to worry about what's in the future for this lovely couple! The second and third book in the Starbound trilogy will be something like.. companions, so just like Stephanie Perkins' books, it will feature other couples, and each book could be read as a stand-alone! Make sure you read it :)

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Allegiant

written by Veronica Roth
published on October 22nd 2013 by Katherine-Tegen Books
Young Adult/Dystopia
329 pages
read in English (not translated yet)
other books by the author Divergent, Insurgent
***

One choice will define you.


What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

"Am I done yet?"

You know one word that would be most-fitting if I have to describe the series in one word? It's liferuiner.

Let's talk about my experience reading Allegiant first. I have to admit that I've forgotten most of what happened in the last book (that's to say, Insurgent didn't actually leave much impression on me), so there were a lot of catch-ups happened. I kept asking myself every once in a while What? What happened? When? How? Before I continued on the next part. And the constant flood of information didn't help! Seriously, throughout the book I was like Wait wait wait! and had to go back one or two pages so I could process the informations properly. Please understand that English isn't my native language and yes, it took me awhile to really understand all the gene thing. This is actually my main complain about he book, because all two books before talked about factions, factions, factions, factionless, and now suddenly it's all about genes. All the factions happened and created because of genes. Gene this, gene that....

The next complain was, the characterizations. Our two main characters have a very special place in my heart and I love them dearly, but duh God, Allegiant made me want to slap them. Tobias, mostly. There was this kind of love/hate feeling for him. He changed so much in Allegiant, to be someone who's weak and indecisive. It seemed as if he couldn't keep his mind on one thing, and he became so stupid about his decisions! It was very contrast to the Tobias we've got to known from Divergent and Insurgent, when he was portrayed as  strong, intuitive, tough, a Dauntless legend, even! He's somewhat untouchable. But now that I have read The Transfer and Free Four, it's hard not to sympathize with this boy. So yeah, I was annoyed a lot by his actions, but really, it was all just the insecure part of him, the broken part that was caused by the neglect of his parents which made him so lost and wanting to feel secure. This dark side slowly catched up with Tobias and eat him from the inside. All I want was to hug him tightly and kick him afterward.

"I guess I always knew there was something wrong with me, but I thought it was because of my father, or my mother, and the pain they bequeathed to me like a family heirloom, handed down from generation to generation."

While for Tris... No, no. Let's not talk about Tris for a while. Let's put a hold on this matter until the end of my review. Now let's talk about... The plot. Yeah, the plot.

Allegiant was very fast-paced. Big things instantly happened or done right after a character tought or talked about it, with no break at all. It was so full of tension, and for me, it's a good thing, up until the moment where I had to stop reading it, because I didn't want the book to end sooner. I want the experience to last, yo! Veronica Roth was consistent about the pace. Allegiant was full of BANG! BANG! BANG! moments all the way that would make you constantly feeling surprised. While it can be exhausting for the readers, I do think this one point is good to keep us interested.

Another good thing about the Divergent series, is the romance. Of course. Because unlike any other series where authors have a thing for the other boy or love triangle, Veronica Roth kept her words on not adding a second option for our Beatrice. This fact somehow made me feel secured about their relationship, because I don't have to worry about choosing a team! (Yea) This is also the part where Tris became the real heroine. It seemed like our girl can do no wrong in Allegiant. There were lots of moments when Tris & Four's relationship was tested, mostly caused by Tobias' stupid actions and annoying demeanors, but Tris, being the kickawesome girl that she was, was able to forgive him and decided to move past all that! Even for this one fatal moment when it seemed like Tobias' fault was unforgivable. Tris just kept reminding him that he's whole, worth-loving, he's strong and someone who's good enough for her... What a girl. At a certain way, I think Veronica Roth had made Tris too perfect in Allegiant. Not only she's strong, brave and tough as usual, but she's also generous, capable of forgiving AND most importantly, so selfless.

“I fell in love with him. But I don't just stay with him by default as if there's no one else available to me. I stay with him because I choose to, every day that I wake up, every day that we fight or lie to each other or disappoint each other. I choose him over and over again, and he chooses me.”

Wait. Selfless Tris. That bring us to the ending.

Oh god, the ending.

[WARNING: THIS PART OF THE REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILER ABOUT THE ENDING! Highlight the lines to read it.]

I cannot, until this day, decide on what to feel about the ending— happy (or in peace, at least) or extremely upset about it. Mostly I just want too look out for Tobias :(

Somehow I feel like I know this kind of ending would happen from the moment the author announced that the last book will be told in both POVs of Tris and Tobias because why else would we need dual point of views, right? But I was kinda hoping that my gut was to be proved wrong. I mean, how could Veronica Roth be so cruel on him?! Of all the people in his life (from an abusive father, passive mother) Tris was the only good thing about it AND THEN THE AUTHOR TOOK HER AWAY? CRUEL. I had so many emotions going on while reading the last pages of Allegiant. Shocked came first. Blank moment second because my brain, of course, denied to process the words. After that, rage toward the author for taking away one of my favorite heroines. Then this sorrow and despair I also felt alongside Tobias, especially at the part where he broke down beside Tris' lifeless body AND THE PART WHERE HE WANTED TO DRINK THE SERUM! OH GOD WHAT A JOKE. Also, the part where he had those flashback moments of Tris jumping into the net first and "I suppose a fire that burns that bright is not meant to last," UGGGGGH. Tons of tears were shed that night, and a heart was wrenched in the worst possible way. 

But to think again, and after reading Veronica's reason for pulling a very controversial move like that (if you haven't read the post, please read it), the act of sacrificing herself for his brother was, undoubtedly and absolutely, so very Tris. It's one thing that of course Tris Prior would do, don't you think so? It shows how much of a Dauntless AND Abnegation she was. Total act of bravery and selfless-ness, a reader said. I have to agree with this point. It's one thing that would make Tris one of the most unforgettable, most powerful and one of the best heroine in the history of YA dystopian worlds, because at the end, she could finally prove that she had become someone she wanted the most to be—not a Divergent, not a Dauntless, not an Abnegation, but the real Tris Prior. 

“I don't belong to Abnegation, or Dauntless, or even the Divergent. I don't belong to the Bureau or the experiment or the fringe. I belong to the people I love, and they belong to me—they, and the love and loyalty I give them, form my identity far more than any word or group ever could.” 

(Does my words somehow sounds like I was okay about the whole thing? Because, let me assure you, I was totally NOT OKAY with it, even until now. I couldn't even stand to hear or read anything, anything related to Allegiant for some days after I finished the book. I was bitter about it. I had another moment of worst-book hangover-ever and boy, it was bad. I decided to distance myself for a while before writing this review because I don't want to write a negative one filled with exclamation marks and capitalized words that would come out as harsh. But yeah. Tris' death was not okay for me. The same way it was not okay with Dumbledore's death, Finnick's death, and any other beloved fictional characters' death that happened in books—only this one was worse because Tris is our MAIN CHARACTER. Ugh.)

To sum up, reading Allegiant was a powerful experience for me. Up until the end, Veronica Roth was totally consistent about the message she wanted to tell: Be brave. The book was page-turning, filled with tension and suspense, and the romance was so good, but the ending left me completely at loss about what to feel about the whole book. As a series, does Divergent is worth to read? YES, definitely. First book was a BANG, second book happened to have this second-book syndrome where it fell as so-so, and the third, even though not perfectly, at least managed to finish the series with a mark on every readers' heart. Thank you, Veronica Roth, for introducing me to the Divergent world, where I get to know such admirable characters like Tris, Tobias, Natalie Prior, Christina (what a good friend that girl is), and for reminding us the power of being brave, selfless, clever, honest... The power to choose.

“I love you," I say.

"I love you, too." He says. "I'll see you soon.”

How to Love by Katie Cotugno

How to Love

written by Katie Cotugno
published on October 1st 2013 by Balzer + Bray
389 pages
Young Adult/New Adult/Realistic/Coming of Age/Contemporary
other books by author: None (yet...)

***

Before: Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he’s never seemed to notice that Reena even exists…until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in a messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated—and pregnant—Reena behind.

After: Almost three years have passed, and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: Her daughter, Hannah. Reena’s gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she’s finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn’t want anything to do with him, though she’d be lying if she said Sawyer’s being back wasn’t stirring something in her. After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?

Oh, shout-out to books with lovely covers!

Seriously, and while we're talking about How to Love, which has a very simple yet SO awesome book cover (Don't you want to own the book just so you can shelve it at home and stare at it anytime you want?) here here, a full first star for Katie Cotugno's debut novel.

The second star goes to Serena, or Reena in short. This girl is basically a good girl who happens to be unlucky. Just having a shitty bestfriend is already enough to make your life uncomfotable, yeah? But that's not only what Reena has to deal with, because later her boyfriend suddenly disappears, then she finds out that she is pregnant with the said-boyfriend's baby. Uh oh.

But this girl has some pretty admirable characteristics. Reena is strong, no doubt. With a witty personality that makes her so fun to be around. Being a mom at 16 is never easy (and really, this girl has been through A LOT. She comes from a very religious family so being pregnant in Reena's case was pretty much unforgivable), but Reena did a good job with taking care of baby Hannah! The only problem I have with her is her inability to resist Sawyer, which makes her seems childish and indecisive at times. I was disappointed to read about the end of her relationship with Aaron (even though I've seen it coming), because let's be honest here, Aaron is obviously the better option!

“The hideous thing is this: I want to forgive him. Even after everything, I do. A baby before my 17th birthday and a future as lonely as the surface of the moon and still the sight of him feels like a homecoming, like a song I used to know but somehow forgot.” 

Teenage pregnancy is not actually my favorite subject to read, since there will (of course) be so much angst and all. But all the reviews I've stumbled upon before reading How to Love were mostly positive, and I can see why. How to Love was a very enganging read. Katie Cotugno doesn't offer a new angle on seeing this unwanted pregnancy problem, but she presents it raw, honest, and real. She's so good at describing emotions, making me (as the reader) feel as much as Reena feels. We can easily understand Reena's desperation, her anger, her resentment toward everyone who treated her badly since the thing happened, her family included, who didn't exactly do their job at being a strong support system when Reena needed them the most. The part where she finally exploded at their family dinner was my favorite! It's unhealthy for her to just keep all the emotions inside so I was like 'YES YES YES you go girl!' when she lashed out in front of everyone. That moment was epic and the way Katie Cotugno describes it... Ugh, all the feels! Third star for this point.

The story was told in before and after parts, but I prefer reading all the afters, most of the time I just skimmed the befores... I couldn't bring my self to really like Sawyer as a character. Aside from being manipulative toward Reena sometimes, there were very minimal explanation on why he did the things he did on his bad boy days (Also, the drug problems? Why why why why WHY? I need a backstory!), that's why I think his part of the story kinda lacks of depth. The after version of Sawyer was so much better, I love him and Reena together, even though I still think he doesn't deserve that girl *shrug*

In short, How to Love isn't perfect, but to read the book was worth it. For a debut novel, How to Love was enganging, enjoyable and quite a page-turning one. I love Katie Cotugno's writing style. Did I mention how the dialogues are so realistic? (Its exactly the way people would talk in real life!) and I will put her on my radar so that her next books will not be missed!

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl

written by Rainbow Rowell
published September 10th 2013 by St. Martin's Press
genre Young Adult/Contemporary/Romance
433 pages
read in English/Indonesian
other books by the author Attachments, Eleanor & Park

***

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.
Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .
But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.
Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.
Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone. For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?
Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories.

Reading Fangirl is an upsetting but thrilling experience.

Why? Because, honestly, it feels a lot like I was reading about my ownself. No, seriously. Cather is a carbon copy of middle grade Tirta! She's a closeted introvert, doesn't talk much in real life but of course talks a LOT on internet, an active participant in a fandom that takes up so much of her time, has this irrational fear about meeting new people and getting out of her comfort zone... Oh, hello, me, three or four years ago.

And this is what keeps making me frustrated when reading Fangirl. I dislike how Cather always seems to be negative toward such a simple action like going into the cafetaria with her roommate. Sometimes I want to yell at her for sulking and locking herself in her room all day, writing fanfiction and going over the internet ALL THE TIME, because hey Cath, I've been there, and while I agree that internet is the best invention ever in the world and people in the fandom are so much better than real life, but there's sooo much more to live out there! Believe me. Confidence and feeling comfortable with your ownself are not gained by shutting everyone outside you and your fandom, but by actually going out and experience things! (yea)

On the other hand, I sympathize a lot with Wren. These twin girls cope together and stay beside each other on the first years after their Mom left the family, but  as they grow older, Wren feels like she needs to get away from Cath (who knows too much of their family problem), she wants to be independent in her own way. While I do not support the smoking, partying, doing crazy stuffs with her new bestfriend, I can understand. All I see is a broken girl who needs to seek attention that she supposedly get from a mother. At least Wren isn't being negative about her surrounding or holds prejudice against other people.

“Do you think I absorbed all the impact? That when Mom left, it hit my side of the car? Fuck that, Wren. She left you, too."

"But it didn't break me. Nothing can break me unless I let it."

"Do you think Dad let it? Do you think he chose to fall apart when she left?"

"Yes!" Wren was shouting now. "And I think he keeps choosing. I think you both do. You'd rather be broken than move on.” 

Go Wren!

source

The romance is okay. Cath and Levi have some swoony moments and I'd love to find a boy like Levi to be a boyfriend! I love every part where Levi asked Cath to read her stories for him, and he's such a sweet guy for understanding how to cope with a girl like Cath. They're adorable together! The only problem is that at some parts I was annoyed because the story gets a little sidetracked by their lovey-dovey moments.

“It's okay if you're crazy," He said softly. 

"You don't even know-"

"I don't have to know," He said. "I'm rooting for you.” 

“You look so blindingly cute right now, I feel like I need to make a pinhole in a piece of paper just to look at you.”  (AWWWE)
Another good thing about Fangirl is the story actually tells so much more: not only romance, but also the dynamic of a family relationship. Cath and Wren's dad is such a strong man, raising TWO GIRLS alone at the same time. And then there's this side of Cath and Wren trying to adapt into college life, which I'm also experiencing at the moment, so I can relate a lot and it makes reading Fangirl become so much fun.

It's both refreshing and touching to know that there's an author who could fully understand of what it's like to be a devoted fangirl. Attending or streaming every premieres, getting excited over sneak peeks, writing or reading fanfictions, gathering with other people from the fandom, wearing a shirt with a quote from your fandom and feeling like you're baring yourself out to the world... And by so many positive reviews I read on the internet, I know that there are people who feel the same toward Fangirl, and that makes us united! It's always nice to know that people understand you.

In comparison to Rainbow Rowell's previous books, Attachments and Eleanor & Park, I feel sorry to say that Fangirl ended up in the third place. But I'd still recommend it to anyone (that anyone includes those who loves reading YA, those who are a fangirl themselves, those who are actively participate in a fandom, or else, you will LOVE this book!). Rainbow Rowell is an author that I've positively put in my auto-read list and her books are worth to read (at least once!)

Books I Need to Tackle Soon (AKA Tirta's Recent Book Haul)

Udah lama nggak posting book haul atau books to read, hihi. Kali ini mau pamer ah, beberapa. Berikut adalah buku-buku aku yang udah dibeli sejak beberapa bulan lalu tapi sampai sekarang masih numpuk dan nggak sabar menunggu untuk dibaca berikutnya:

Just Friends by Robyn Sisman

I'm currently reading the book right now and have been enjoying it so far! Bukunya lama, terbitan tahun 2000, edisi bahasa Inggris. Aku beli hanya dengan harga 20k saja sewaktu lagi ada pameran buku murah di fakultasku beberapa hari lalu :D

(Ealah. Bukunya udah diterjemahin GPU, toh? Tapi aku nggak suka ah cover edisi Indonesianya yang pake muka asli orang. Ngerusak imajinasi, ahaha)

Yes, You Can! by Ollie

Nonfiksi. Aku sesekali suka beli buku sejenis ini, its good to keep me motivated. I've been following Mbak Ollie on Twitter for quite a long time and regularly check her Tumblr. She's inspiring!

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

Selesai baca buku kedua dari IQ84, aku bingung karena masih kepingin baca tulisan dari penulis yang sama tapi terjemahan buku ketiga belum terbit. Akhirnya aku putusin buat beli Norwegian Wood aja. Cuma entah kenapa baru beberapa halaman baca udah agak nggak nyaman... Akhirnya beralih ke buku-buku lain dulu, hehe.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Best buy! Ini juga 20k, belinya juga sama, di pameran buku murah sewaktu lagi ada acara Kulturfest 2013-nya anak Sastra Jerman. Seneng deh, jurusan-jurusan di fakultasku lumayan sering ngadain acara, dan tiap kali acara pasti ada lapak pameran buku murahnya :D

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Yang sebenarnya udah lama dibeli, dari pertengahan bulan Juli kalau nggak salah. Tapi kemudian dia keselip di suatu tempat dan baru aku temuin belakangan ini. Karena belum dibaca akhirnya aku masukin book haul ini aja, deh. Bagusan mana sih antara An Abundance of Katherines sama Paper Towns, by the way?

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Ini pinjem dari Sarah, murni karena penasaran sama tulisannya Jenny Han. Soalnya Aul pernah bilang trilogi yang The Summer I Turned Pretty itu bagus, tapi karena series itu ada love triangle-nya aku males baca. Kata Sarah yang ini juga bagus, sih. Aku juga lumayan penasaran sama upcoming book-nya Jenny yang To All the Boys I've Loved Before, judulnya apa banget (haha) tapi covernya bagus!

Diluar buku-buku di atas, antrian ebooks juga lumayan banyak yang masih ngantri. Dan seringnya malah yang ebooks itu duluan yang dibaca dibanding printed books ini, ehe he he. Belakangan jarang ke toko buku... Soalnya dua bulan ini lagi hectic banget awal-awal kuliah dan pergi ke toko buku bisa dibilang jadi semacam rare ocassion gitu buat aku, dan sekalinya mampir malah bingung mau beli buku apa :( Sekarang aku lagi baca Cinder-nya Marissa Meyer (ebook), ganti-gantian sama Just Friends.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer - Lagi baca. Ceritanya unik banget, fairytale retelling Cinderella tapi tokohnya cyborgs.
Major Crush by Jennifer Echols
Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover - Sekuel dari Hopeless, yang kata aku lebih bagus dari Slammed (Slammed udah diterjemahin Gramedia). Kali ini dari POV-nya Holder
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - YANG INI UDAH BACA! Tapi jujur bingung gimana mau bikin reviewnya....
The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider - Udah baca! Seru, aku suka. Meskipun bete sama Cassidy.
The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes - Penasaran banget pengen baca ini tapi masih males menghadapi emotional heartfelt-nya hahaha
You Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle
Unbreak My Heart by Melissa Walker
Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols - Baru baca sampe halaman 20-an dan entah kenapa berat banget buat dilanjutin.....
Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

Book haul ini aku submit ke Buying Monday Oktober, meme bulanan buat nunjukin book haul atau books to read-nya teman-teman di BBI. Rame nih makin banyak meme sama feature di BBI, yay!

 Salam!

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

The Beginning of Everything

written by Robyn Schneider
published August 27th 2013 by Katherine Tegen Books
genre Young Adult/Contemporary/Coming of Age/Romance
a stand-alone
335 pages
read in English/Indonesian (not yet translated)
originally titled as Severed Heads, Broken Hearts

***

Golden boy Ezra Faulkner believes everyone has a tragedy waiting for them—a single encounter after which everything that really matters will happen. His particular tragedy waited until he was primed to lose it all: in one spectacular night, a reckless driver shatters Ezra’s knee, his athletic career, and his social life.

No longer a front-runner for Homecoming King, Ezra finds himself at the table of misfits, where he encounters new girl Cassidy Thorpe. Cassidy is unlike anyone Ezra’s ever met, achingly effortless, fiercely intelligent, and determined to bring Ezra along on her endless adventures.

But as Ezra dives into his new studies, new friendships, and new love, he learns that some people, like books, are easy to misread. And now he must consider: if one’s singular tragedy has already hit and everything after it has mattered quite a bit, what happens when more misfortune strikes?

"We move through each other's lives like ghosts, leaving behind haunting memories of people who never existed. The popular jock, the mysterious new girl. But we're the one who choose, in the end, how people see us."

Ezra Faulkner was the 'it' guy, the guy you would exactly want to date in high school: A popular jock who's also the captain of a team (tennis varsity, in this case), President of Junior Class, hanging with the popular crowd... And you would want to be the popular girl she's dating. But it was all in the past, before an accident left Ezra with a shattered knees and removed all the dreams he had.

Now Ezra's suffering in silence. He sees himself as the one whose life is screwed by the tragedy; having to use a crane to walk, not talking and keeps avoiding his old buddies, fired from the tennis varsity team, cheated by his girlfriend, and all. It's horrible. All those big plans he had about getting a scholarship for college is no longer exists. He used to had all his life planned ahead, now it's all just a fragment of memory. Ezra is no longer the guy who has high confidence and happy, he's now quiet, has a lot of insecurities about himself, and feeling sad pretty much all the time.

At this time Toby, a guy who used to be Ezra's bestfriend in the past (before Toby's own tragedy strikes) comes and invites Ezra into his own crowd: the debate team. Then Ezra meets Cassidy, the girl whom then he fall in love with. Being in Ezra's head is kinda depressing since he's full of these negative vibes directed toward himself, so reading about how he falls in love with Cassidy was a relief. They do many things together, one of my favorite part was when Cassidy took him sneaking into a university class unnoticed. This experience ended up with Ezra's feeling 'freshened' and I love reading what he thought about it.

"I've never been walked out of a classroom with my mind racing with what I'd learned, and I wanted to savor the feeling as long as possible. It was as though my brain was suddenly capable of considering the world with far more complexity, as though there was so much more to see and do and learn."

I know how much fun college could be, Ezra, I know! ;)

The first pages of The Beginning of Everything was truly enjoyable. Robyn Schneider didn't waste much time to laid out the problems, and she mastered the art of writing a story from a high school boy's point of view excellently; not once I ever stopped for a moment feeling that this isn't how a boy supposed to think! No. Ezra's voice, eventhough like I said above, kinda depressing at times, but also believable, full of charm, witty and likeable (On another note, he reminds me a lot of John Green's characters. Particularly Looking for Alaska's Pudge). I instantly understand how easy it was for Ezra to be the it guy, because everyone who know this guy will simply love him. He's clearly the main factor that made reading The Beginning of Everything fun.

Ten Books I'd Like to See as a Movie or TV Show

Sometimes when you read great books you just want the movies that are playing in your head to be something real; you start imagining this actor as the main character, this particular scene to be located in a certain place.... Plus point, movies attract more people to watch it (first, then they'll read the book later). It's a win-win situation between book lovers and movie goers.

So here is the list of books I'd like to see as a movie (in which the world is a perfect world where they don't ruin movies based on a book...) :

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

To be honest, I didn't fancy the book as much as I expected to but I think it would be great to see it on the big screen. Circus screams joy and wonderful tricks being showed, and the romance between Marco and Celia would be a great addition to the storyline.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

I have so much love for this series and I would be pretty terrified if they plan to make movies out of it. But who wouldn't want to see Akiva & Karou being portrayed beautifully, also all those chimaera and seraphim creatures? Daughter of Smoke and Bone would make a great fantasy movie.

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

The main reason of why I want this book to be a movie is because I want to hear the actual song of Audrey, Wait! so bad. I wouldn't mind if they pick someone else (not a boy with ginger hair) as James, though...

Stolen: A Letter to My Captor by Lucy Christopher

Australian wilderness. London. Camel. Being completely surrounded by desert with no one else beside your captor. Paints. Stockholm Syndrome. This is totally random, but my version of Tyler while I was reading the book was Jake Abel. I'm sure there will be tears running down the audience's faces at the end of the movie.

Jika by Windy Ariestanty, Alanda Kariza, Rahne Putri dkk

Jika
dan hanya jika

Oleh Alanda Kariza, Artasya Sudirman, Bella Pangabean, Desiyanti, Feba Sukmana, Gita Romadhona, Hanny Kusumawati, Mita M Supardi, Nanette Isdito, Novi Kresna Murti, Stella Ang, Windy Ariestanty
Kumpulan cerita
Diterbitkan Agustus 2013 oleh Gagas Media
224 hlm

***

Apa yang tebersit dalam hatimu, saat kaki sudah menjejak di masa sekarang, tetapi sebuah ingin masih tertinggal di masa lalu? Kau mungkin berharap semesta mengulang jika. Apa yang memenuhi harapmu saat melihat esok masih terlalu gulita dan gelap tak mampu kau kira? Kau mungkin mendamba banyak jika. Jika, dan hanya jika. Tiga belas penulis mengabadikan rentak yang mereka temui di perjalanan dalam foto. Lalu, mereka beri “jika” ke dalamnya, ditambah rindu, cinta, dan harapan yang kadang hampir selesai. Menjelmalah, tiga belas “jika” penuh warna.

Angan-angan. Bersama napas yang kuhidup dan 

kuembus, jutaan khayal bertransformasi menjadi energi 

yang memompa nadi, mengirimkan pesan pada hati

mengajak diri untuk memulai suatu perjalanan.

Don't judge a book by it's cover lama-lama nggak berlaku lagi buat saya. Dari dulu, buku dengan cover cantik-menarik-dan ciamik selalu berhasil menarik perhatian, entah apakah isinya sepadan dengan bentuk fisik tersebut atau tidak. Begitu juga dengan Jika. Cover ini buat saya gorgeous banget! Penggunaan ambigram kata Jika di cover sangat unik (Ambigram: Jenis typografi dimana sebuah kata bisa tetap dibaca sama meskipun dari berbagai sudut pandang. Coba bolak balik cover buku Jika ini sebagai contoh), kayaknya baru sekali ini saya nemu buku dengan ide desain cover yang pakai ambigram.

Tapi Jika tidak hanya memuat kumpulan cerita. Halaman-halamannya dihiasi dengan foto-foto indah yang membuat pembacanya lebih menikmati dan meresapi setiap cerita maupun sajak yang ada. Pada Setumpuk Jika di Manhattan, Alanda Kariza menghadirkan sosok Navita yang sedang mencari Ayahnya di New York demi menjadi wali dalam pernikahannya dengan Leo. Jika saja aku tidak membuat Ayah dan Bunda berpisah, semuanya tidak akan menjadi seperti ini adalah premis dari cerita pembuka tersebut.

Lalu Rahne Putri hadir dengan Kisah Cinta di Balik Pintu Renta yang sangat menyentuh. Saya sudah lama follow beliau dan selalu terkesan tiap kali membaca sajak-sajaknya di Sadgenic, dan bagian partisipasi Rahne dalam omnibus Jika punya sebuah paragraf yang jadi favorit:

Sebuah mimpi tidak selayaknya egois terhadap mimpi yang lain. Biarkanlah mimpi berkembang, dan biarkan cinta tersimpan di sela-selanya. Biarlah jarak dan waktu menjadi benalu sementara, dan jika kau percaya, cinta bisa kau bangunkan sewaktu-waktu bersama-sama.