April 29, 2014

Galila by Jessica Huwae


sebuah buku oleh Jessica Huwae
diterbitkan 17 Maret 2014 oleh Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Metropop/Drama/Romance
331 halaman
buku lain dari penulis: Skenario Remang-Remang, Soulmate.com
selesai dibaca 19 April 2014

***

Berusaha mengubur masa lalu dengan meniti karier hingga menjadi diva negeri ini, Galila justru dipaksa menghadapi kenangan itu lagi tepat ketika hidupnya mulai bahagia: Prestasi gemilang, nama tersohor, dan Eddie, pria yang ia cintai, akan menikahinya.

Ia pun kembali ke pulau asalnya jauh di timur Indonesia. Menyelami lagi jejak masa silam yang membentuk dirinya sekarang. Menengok kampung halaman yang sempat luluh lantak akibat kerusuhan antar agama. Bertanya pada diri sendiri, apakah perempuan tanpa nama belakang dan masa lalu seperti dirinya masih memiliki masa depan?

"Galila."
"Hanya Galila?"
"Tanpa nama belakang."

Pernahkah kamu belajar dari batu karang?

Galila, si gadis tanpa nama belakang, berasal dari kota kecil di Pulau Saparua sana, nun jauh di timur Indonesia. Kisah hidupnya pelik. Setelah mengalami kejadian tidak menyenangkan bertubi-tubi dalam hidupnya, mulai dari ayah yang abstain dan ibu yang tidak menaruh banyak perhatian, lalu serangkaian peristiwa lain yang berusaha ia tutupi erat-erat, Galila mencoba peruntungan dengan mendaftar audisi Indonesia Mencari Diva. Tak disangka, ia berhasil di Jakarta. Setelah jadi pemenang, Galila membuat gebrakan-gebrakan baru dalam dunia entertainmen. Untuk menghadapi dunia penuh persaingan yang sengit ini, citra Galila dibangun sedemikian rupa oleh pihak manajemennya, dengan sangat hati-hati, sehingga ia dinilai sebagai bintang baru yang jauh dari berita-berita tak enak. Ia berusaha menutup kehidupan pribadinya rapat-rapat. Namun pada akhirnya masa lalu itu mengejarnya juga....

Galila adalah buku dari Jessica Huwae pertama yang aku baca. Cover depan hasil karya Riesma Prawesti yang lumayan catchy bikin aku tertarik membelinya di acara Kompas Gramedia Fair kemarin. Secara keseluruhan, Galila merupakan kisah solid yang cukup menarik, dibangun dengan narasi-narasi panjang, deskripsi mendetail, dan konflik silih berganti. Rangkaian kejadian dalam hidup Galila tidak diceritakan secara kronologis dalam runut maju, melainkan berupa flashback-flashback yang secara rapi diungkap satu persatu. Cerita dibawakan melalui sudut pandang orang ketiga, permainan diksinya menarik, hampir lirikal dan berima, meskipun seringkali panjangnya narasi bisa bikin agak 'kelelahan' bacanya.

Sinopsis di belakang buku menurutku bisa agak 'menipu', nih. Tadinya kupikir cerita Galila ini akan menaruh lebih banyak porsi pada bagian dimana Galila kembali ke kampung halaman guna menenangkan diri dari berbagai masalah yang menimpanya di Ibukota, namun ternyata tidak. Bagian itu justru rasanya sedikit banget, yang bikin aku merasa penyelesaian konflik disini agak terburu-buru. Sebagian besar kisah Galila justru terfokus pada jalan karirnya menjadi bintang ternama dan masalah-masalah seputar hubungan percintaannya dengan Eddie, putra seorang pengusaha. Untungnya, semua ini diungkapkan dengan cara yang enak, menarik dan mengalir, jadi bukan suatu masalah.

Lewat kisah cinta Galila dengan Eddie, Jessica Huwae juga menampilkan konflik tentang budaya dan hubungan keluarga. Edward Hamonangan Silitonga berasal dari keluarga Batak yang masih memegang teguh adat dan usaha melestarikan garis keturunan keluarga. Adalah mama Eddie, Hana Silitonga, yang secara tegas tidak menyetujui hubungan anaknya dengan Galila. Selain tidak separibanan, Galila pun dicurigai karena asal-usulnya yang tidak jelas. Ditambah lagi profesinya sebagai artis yang berarti hilangnya privasi Galila dan juga orang-orang yang terlibat dalam kehidupannya. Mati-matian Hana berusaha menghalangi niat Eddie untuk melamar Galila. Mulai dari menjodohkan anaknya itu dengan perempuan lain, hingga menyewa orang untuk mengorek masa lalu Galila dan menjauhkannya dari Eddie. Mati-matian pula Eddie berusaha memberontak dari kungkungan mamanya itu. Seumur hidup, Eddie merasa seolah bukan manusia bebas yang berhak atas kehidupannya sendiri, karena segala sesuatu sudah diatur oleh kedua orangtuanya. Ia hanyalah 'boneka' yang harus mematuhi segala perintah orangtua. Disini, keinginan Eddie untuk berbakti pada orangtua yang telah mengurus sejak kecil bertabrakan dengan haknya sendiri untuk menikmati hidup seperti yang ia mau.

“Aku cuma mau bilang, kamu adalah sebentuk kebahagiaan yang selama ini aku cari dan akan terus aku perjuangkan. Kebahagiaan adalah cita-cita.” 

Kagum rasanya sama karakter Galila yang diciptakan oleh Jessica Huwae. Pada awalnya, aku sempet ngerasa Galila ini kurang bisa menunjukkan emosi, karena apapun yang terjadi, mulai dari pemberitaan aneh di media sampai omongan tidak enak dari orangtua Eddie, Galila nggak terasa begitu panik ataupun terganggu. Sedihnya tidak terasa benar-benar sedih, marahnya tidak terasa benar-benar marah. Mungkin banyaknya narasi dan minimnya dialog yang ngebuat dia seolah kurang ekspresif? Atau mungkin... Segala pengalamannya dalam menghadapi kejadian-kejadian buruk yang menimpanya saat masih di Saparua sana telah menempa Galila menjadi orang yang kuat, tegar dan tidak gampang 'patah' saat terkena masalah. Rangkaian tragedi yang harus ia jalani di usia yang masih muda banget itulah yang membentuknya jadi seorang Galila, sang diva yang sekarang ini. Pembawaannya tenang, profesional, tekun dalam bekerja. Ia tidak memperoleh kesuksesan melalui cara-cara yang tidak enak, dengan menjatuhkan orang lain, misalnya. Bukti kekuatan perempuan yang luar biasa tercermin dari diri Galila. Dirinya bisa dianalogikan serupa sebuah batu karang (seperti disinggung penulis di bagian paling akhir cerita), yang meski telah berulang kali diserang 'gelombang' tetap mampu berdiri tegak. Pada akhirnya, Galila bisa membuat segala musibah dalam hidupnya menjadi kekuatan baru yang menghasilkan sosok yang lebih baik di masa depan, meskipun ia tetap butuh menenangkan diri dari 'ganas'nya Jakarta sesekali waktu.

Pada intinya, kisah Galila karya Jessica Huwae ini enak, menyenangkan dan layak dibaca. Secara keseluruhan bagus, meski tidak tanpa kekurangan. Unsur-unsur metropopnya masih kental, terutama dari sisi kehidupan Galila sebagai artis ibukota, diselingi dengan beberapa topik dan konflik yang lebih serius. Banyak kata-katanya yang mengena dan bikin 'deg' sendiri, hihi. Beberapa typos ada dalam buku (meiliki, kecang), tapi nggak begitu seringnya hingga bisa mengganggu keasyikan baca cerita kok. Di beberapa bagian, ceritanya bisa memancing kita untuk merefleksi kehidupan sendiri. Karakter Galila yang tangguh dan tenang juga merupakan contoh baik bagi perempuan, jadi nggak salah kalau aku pilih buku ini untuk posting bareng BBI dengan tema 'Perempuan' :)

“Hidup, sepahit apa pun, harus tetap punya mimpi. Setiap orang harus punya sesuatu untuk dia kejar setiap hari. Masalah akhirnya tercapai atau tidak, itu urusan nanti…”


Have fun and read some more,

April 25, 2014

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

Open Road Summer

a debut book by Emery Lord
published on April 15th 2014 by Walker Books
Young Adult/Contemporary/Romance/Road Trip/Music/Drama
342 pages
finished reading at April 24th

***

After breaking up with her bad-news boyfriend, Reagan O’Neill is ready to leave her rebellious ways behind. . . and her best friend, country superstar Lilah Montgomery, is nursing a broken heart of her own. Fortunately, Lilah’s 24-city tour is about to kick off, offering a perfect opportunity for a girls-only summer of break-up ballads and healing hearts. But when Matt Finch joins the tour as its opening act, his boy-next-door charm proves difficult for Reagan to resist, despite her vow to live a drama-free existence. This summer, Reagan and Lilah will navigate the ups and downs of fame and friendship as they come to see that giving your heart to the right person is always a risk worth taking. A fresh new voice in contemporary romance, Emery Lord’s gorgeous writing hits all the right notes.


I expected soo many things upon reading Open Road Summer. Other reviewers and fellow readers have mentioned that this debut book by Emery Lord contains my usual go-to-keywords in books such as summer, road trip, music, celebrity life, cute romance, and all that... Well the 'road trip' part was kinda a let down, because the cities were not mentioned descriptively, just in passing, but other things were delivered greatly, much to my satisfaction. For a YA debut book, it's such an excellent one! Allow me to fangirl for a while about this book. :D

Emery Lord started Reagan O'Neill's story with the right amount of exposition. Reagan, soon to be a senior in high school, is touring on the bus with Delilah Montgomery, after an ugly drama happened with Reagan's ex-boyfriend. Dee (or Lilah, as the public knows her) is not only Reagan's bestfriend, but she is also a teenage hearthrob, a successful young country singer which the country loves. When a love-from-the-past scandal strikes to jeopardize Dee's career, Dee's management team decided to invite Matt Finch, another young artist from the same record label, in their summer tour. Matt will act as the opening for Dee's every concert stop, and their closeness was hoped to avert the public's attention into their 'relationship' instead of Dee's past. But wait, this is Reagan's story. What happened to Reagan? Well, Reagan and Matt unexpectedly fall in love with each other...

I'm glad that Emery Lord keeps the drama of the story away from Reagan and Dee's friendship. I adore these girl's connection! For every ups and downs, they support and never hesitate to be frank with each other. It just seems so fun, having the genuine proximity that these girls have since they were basically little ordinary kids, until now when they're both in high school and one of them is living such a glamorous life as a newborn star. Somehow, Open Road Summer reminds me a lot of Taylor Swift and her friend, Abigail, which she wrote about in one of her songs too, titled 'Fifteen'. 'Open Road Summer' is Dee's song about Reagan. They're both superclose, and just like Swift, Dee is a country singer.

Reagan is an interesting character who I quickly liked and felt close with, with all of her complexities. Coming from a family which mother ran away when Reagan was still a kid, she becomes a rebellious teen, someone whose names scribbled in the bathroom stalls, has so many boyfriends and sham relationships, a drunk heartbroken father, isn't close with her stepmother, ever got arrested once for DUI, ever had a therapyst... All the things that are basically every mother's nightmare about a girl. But I love this girl! New Reagan is meany-snarky-sarcastic most of the time, but underneath all her 'tough girl' image, she's actually just a broken girl who fears being abandoned, because every person in her life had done nothing but that. I also love that Reagan is a rational, strong-willed girl who always knows what she wants to pursue in life (photojournalism in NYU, which is just so cool), and despite all the 'troublemaker girl' reputation, still make efforts to top her academic classes. In addition, she makes a great bestfriend too! A totally pleasurable girl to know, we'll surely get along in an instant.

Reagan and Matt's romance in Open Road Summer is such a delight to read! They cannot deny the sparks of attraction, though both tries to avoid (all while being passive-agressive, subtly flirting with each other) it first. Matt is supposed to be Dee's fake-boyfriend while Reagan... well, she isn't ready yet to start a new romantic relationship after what happened before the summer started. Not sure how to start trusting someone again, wearing a heart on your sleeve waiting for it to be crushed, something like that. I love all the moments Emery Lord writes about them. I love how Matt dares to confront Reagan, insisting that they're 'good for each other'. The kind of confident-attitude from a boy that is just so hard to resist. By being together, they heal and comfort each other. My favorite part of the book is the festival! In a Fourth of July celebration, Reagan and Matt took a break from the 'hollywood' scene to play all day, riding the elephant machine, ferris wheel, and swimming in a lake. Not to mention the picnic scene! Oh, such a gentleman, Matt Finch is. Adorable southern boy with boyish looks and cute dimples. All of their scenes give me such a fuzzy, warm, feeling and my cheeks hurt from grinning too much. These lovebirds are just so cute :>

“When his eyes land on me, something about his expression changes—like he recognizes me from somewhere, too. I look back, appraising him quickly. He’s kind of beautiful, in an understated, comfortable-looking way—the kind of guy who doesn’t mind seeing a rom-com with you and gives you his hoodie when you’re cold.” 

The music aspect is a big element of the story, and I love Emery's way of exposing it. Both Dee and Matt are singers, though Reagan is not, and they write songs together. In addition to Dee's 'Open Road Summer', there's also 'Middle of Nowhere, Tennessee', Matt's 'Human', 'Yet', and 'Give'... The fictional lyrics that Emery created were lovely! I love imagining how they would actually sounds as real songs. Aside from the tour, the 'celebrity-ness' side of the story also included music award, soundchecks, interviews, tabloid gossips, backstage hustles, and the loss of freedom and privacy that every 'star' experienced. The whole 'build' is convincing.

The story flows seamlessly. I continued to be amazed as the pages went on, as every chapter just got better and better than the previous ones. Emery Lord has a way of choosing the right words; her gorgeous song lyrics-like writings are sometimes exxagerated but could evoke some magical feelings nonetheless. Most of the chapters ended with such beautiful passages of words that are enough to make me stop, smiling and absorbing the words for a while before continuing to the next chapter. The change in Reagan as she is maneuvering to a 'new' version, better version of herself continues to happen as we read the book, and it's such a lovely journey to follow. Open Road Summer has an appropriate mix of cuteness, lovey-dovey, angst, and 'realness' to make up an excellent story, so I will totally recommend this book to you who want to read a fresh, enthralling YA. And this is just a debut! GAH. I cannot wait to read other books by the author. Good job, Emery Lord, you nailed it! :)

“If we could capture feelings like we capture pictures, none of us would ever leave our rooms. It would be so tempting to inhabit the good moments over and over again. But I don't want to be the kind of person who lives backwardly, who memorializes moments before she's finished living in them. So I plant my feet here on this hillside beside a boy who is undoing me, and I kiss him back like I mean it. And, God help me, with the sky wrapped around us in every direction, I do mean it.”


***

Read other reviews of Open Road Summer by: Jamie, from The Perpetual Page Turner | Hannah, from So Obsessed With | Sara, from Forever 17 Books

What are you currently reading right now? Have read Open Road Summer? Any book recommendation that you want to share? 
Shoot me with your words!

Have fun and read some more,

April 18, 2014

Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor


written by Laini Taylor
publised on April 8th 2014
last book of Daughter of Smoke and Bones series
Young Adult/Fantasy/Romance
613 pages
Spoilers are whitened. You have to highlight to see it, so read this review at ease! 

***

By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz.

Common enemy, common cause.

When Jael's brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.

And, perhaps, for themselves. Toward a new way of living, and maybe even love.

But there are bigger threats than Jael in the offing. A vicious queen is hunting Akiva, and, in the skies of Eretz ... something is happening. Massive stains are spreading like bruises from horizon to horizon; the great winged stormhunters are gathering as if summoned, ceaselessly circling, and a deep sense of wrong pervades the world.

What power can bruise the sky?

From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.

At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of? And does anything else matter?

“How could you tell if your instincts were just hope in disguise, and if your hope was really desperation parading as possibility?”


Going back into the world of seraphims and chimaeras that Laini Taylor created was not a bumpless road, I admit, for I had forgotten almost of what happened at the end of the second book. Within few pages in on Dreams of Gods and Monsters, though, all the memories slowly came back. Dreams of Gods and Monsters started right away at the moment where Akiva (and Liraz, though unwillingly) tried to persuade the chimaeras (Karou, of course, and The White Wolf, Thiago, who wasn't actually Thiago anymore because the body was inhabited by Ziri.) to join forces with them, the Misbegotten, to defeat Jael and his army. Of course, to unite two creatures who have been a lifelong enemies clearly was not an easy thing to do. Would Akiva Karou make it? And how could they unite their people if the relationship between them was still so fragile, so strained and heavy?

At this moment, Jael had already 'came down' to earth, wanting to ally with human in order to conquer both worlds. With the advice of Razgut, Jael believed that human would make the best army with our 'weapon of mass desctruction'. Also, by then, we've got to know a new human character named Eliza, who somehow kept dreaming about angels and monsters... things like that. Is there more reasons behind this strange, weird occurence in Eliza's life?

"There are maps in me but I am lost, and there are skies in me but they are dead."

Despite having read the two previous books, Laini Taylor still continued to amaze me with her eerie, magical, flowing words. To dwelve into her world was such an enjoyable journey. The pace of Dreams of Gods and Monsters is achingly slow, but in a very, very good way. I have to keep my self from flipping the pages too fast because I didn't want it to end! The book was filled with messages of forgiving, of love reunited, of struggle, vengeance, loss and sacrifices. All elements blended beautifully, making it a truly satifsying ending to the series.

I've said that the Karou we met in second book wasn't my favorite person, because she kept assuming and not seeing reasons beyond what her eyes showed her, but in Dreams of Gods and Monsters, Karou completely owned herself back. We could see that she had changed from book 1 Karou, but at the same time, she was still herself. She was now both Madrigal the chimaera and Karou the human. What I love best about her was that she finally dared to 'follow' her heart, just like what Issa told her. LOTS of torturous, ache-in-your-stomach, jab-to-the-heart, pent up sexual tensions come from Akiva and Karou (YESH!) as the result of this. My internal fangirl here was so busy screaming and flailing. All those darker, depressing times from Days of Blood and Starlight were definitely paid off.

Liraz, in the book, was the character with the most progressive character development. This murderous, brutal angel mostly came out as annoying, for me, but then she gradually changed beautifully through some turn of events and she ended up as a really different person at the end of Dreams of Gods and Monsters. (Spoiler: I SHIP HER HARD WITH ZIRI. SRSLY. LAINI PLS WRITE A NOVELLA ABOUT THEM THANKYOU) Violin boy Mik and our lovely rabid fairy Zuzana, another favorite couple, kept providing the 'lightness' of the story in the midst of all violence, suspenseful tension between the seraphims and chimaeras, with their humour and witty, lovely, sharp remarks. And this time they actually contributed something big to the plot! Thank Laini for Mik and Zuzana <3

“You are a conniving, deceitful hussy. I stand in awe." 
"You're sitting."

"I sit in awe.” 

But what is a perfect, dashing book without one downside? The information dumpings on Dreams of Gods and Monsters was quite a letdown. It's not hard to be absorbed in them and understand the whole thing, but because this book is the last book of the series, it all just felt too much for me. About Eliza and her backstory, about Razgut and what actually happened to him in the past, about the Stelians and why they're chasing Akiva... There were lots to catch up. Nevertheless, my overall reaction about this book is just  the same because Laini managed to incorporated those things in the plot carefully. I was happy, I was astonished, I was impressed, I was woo-ed once again seeing the effort of Akiva (Akiva? SWOOOOONS) and Karou in making Eretz a much beautiful place for seraphims and chimaeras. Their never-ending attempt to build a longtime dream, to see both parties live peacefully alongside one another. It was one of a hell journey, going through a lifetime and more, and that's exactly why the ending becomes so much more meaningful and beautiful for me.

Kudos to Laini Taylor for creating such a magical fantasy! :'''')


"I want you, at the end of all this. The dream, peace, and you."


***

Read other reviews of Dreams of Gods and Monsters: Kristy from Book Nerd | Jen from The Starry Eyed Revue | Nara from Looking for The Panacea


If you haven't started this series.... Well you better do it right now!

Have fun and read some more,

April 14, 2014

Guest Post: Traveling with a Bookish Twist


Setiap kali saya mendapat kesempatan traveling – entah berlibur atau tugas kantor – saya selalu mencuri-curi waktu untuk mampir ke toko buku setempat. Tidak penting apakah saya akhirnya berhasil menenteng belanjaan atau tidak (seringnya sih iya, haha), yang lebih penting bagi saya adalah menemukan tempat yang bisa mengobati rasa kangen rumah alias homesick. Karena buat saya, toko buku di mana-mana itu hanya berarti satu hal: membuat betah.

Berikut adalah beberapa toko buku yang sempat saya sambangi dan menjadi favorit, dan sukses membuat saya menemukan wujud rumah bahkan di pelosok yang jauh sekalipun :)


Omuniuum, Bandung


Source
Toko buku merangkap musik ini terletak di lantai dua sebuah ruko, tepat di seberang kampus Universitas Parahyangan (UNPAR). Saya sudah menjadi penggemar toko buku ini sejak masih kuliah dan tinggal di Bandung. Alasan utama kenapa saya suka nongkrong berlama-lama di sini adalah karena koleksi buku secondhand –nya yang unik dan murah. Saya sering mendapat harta tak terduga di sini, seperti buku-buku pemenang Newbery dengan harga IDR 20k saja, atau novel bahasa Inggris yang sudah susah dicari. Omuniuum juga memungkinkan saya melengkapi ulang serial Trio Detektif dan Agatha Christie versi jadul. Yang lebih menyenangkan lagi, salah seorang pemiliknya adalah pencinta buku juga, dan sangat asyik untuk diajak berdiskusi atau mengobrol tentang buku.

+ Omuniuum +
Jl. Ciumbuleuit 151 B lantai 2 Bandung 40141
ph. 022-2038279 | 087821836088
www.omuniuum.net
@omuniuum


Books Actually, Singapura


Saya menemukan toko buku ini karena bisik-bisik seorang kenalan yang sudah menetap di Singapura. Books Actually adalah toko buku independen yang banyak menjual buku-buku collector's edition, termasuk buku-buku karya penulis lokal Singapura. Yang membuat betah adalah interior toko ini yang sepertinya bisa menggoda pencinta buku mana pun. Deretan rak yang dipadati buku dengan cover cantik, berpadu dengan pernak-pernik vintage, membuat waktu sangat cepat berlalu di dalam toko ini. Yang juga seru, di bagian belakang toko terdapat ruangan khusus barang-barang “gift ideas”, dari mulai bookish totebag sampai teko bermodel kuno. This is a heaven for all kinds of geeks! Oiya, lokasi toko ini yang terletak di area residensial tua di Singapura juga membuatnya tampil beda dari kebanyakan toko yang berlokasi di daerah Orchard Road yang modern. Di sekitar Books Actually, banyak terdapat toko-toko vintage mulai dari toko interior sampai coffee shop bernuansa cozy.

Books Actually
No. 9 Yong Siak Street
Tiong Bahru
Singapore 168645
+ 65 6222 9195
booksellers@booksactually.com
www.booksactually.com
@BooksActually


Kinokuniya, Bangkok


Naaah... Sebenarnya, Kinokuniya itu nuansa tokonya sama di mana-mana, di Jakarta, Singapura atau Bangkok. Lantainya didominasi kayu, sementara rak-rak bukunya dibuat tinggi sampai ke langit-langit. Tapi apa yang membuat Kinokuniya di Bangkok berbeda? Waktu itu kebetulan saya sempat mampir di Kinokuniya Siam Paragon, salah satu mall paling besar di Bangkok. Yang membuat saya tercengang-cengang adalah harga bukunya yang lebih murah dari di Jakarta maupun Singapura. Koleksinya sama lengkapnya, malah banyak buku yang sudah masuk di Bangkok dan belum ada di Jakarta. Salah satu harta karun yang saya dapatkan adalah Cuckoo’s Calling dengan harga sekitar 100 ribu IDR lebih murah dibandingkan harga di Jakarta! Lumayan banget kan? Coba deh mampir ke sini kalau kebetulan kamu sedang ada di Bangkok.

Siam Paragon Store
3rd Level Siam Paragon, 991 Rama I Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 Thailand
Tel: (66) 2610 9500
Fax: (66) 2610 9510


American Book Centre (ABC), Den Haag

Source
Source
Tempat ini menjadi rumah kedua saya waktu saya mendapat kesempatan kuliah S2 di Den Haag, Belanda. Gedung tua tiga lantai ini tidak terlalu luas, memanjang ke belakang, dan dipadati oleh rak buku di semua sisinya. Favorit saya adalah loteng di lantai 3 yang agak sempit tapi memiliki tempat duduk empuk di dekat jendela yang menghadap ke jalan. Selain suasananya yang cozy, ABC adalah satu dari segelintir toko buku yang menjual buku-buku berbahasa Inggris, karena kebanyakan toko buku di Belanda hanya menjual buku-buku berbahasa Belanda. Di hari-hari paling galau, kangen rumah, pusing dengan tugas kuliah atau sekadar butuh tempat untuk refreshing, saya biasanya mengambil sepeda saya dan mengayuhnya ke toko buku yang terletak di daerah Centrum Den Haag.

Lange Poten 23
2511 CM The Hague
The Netherlands
tel: +31 (0)70 364 2742
fax: +31 (0)70 365 6557
email: dh@abc.nl


Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe, Washington DC


Yang unik dari toko buku ini adalah suasananya yang selalu ramai, karena selain toko buku, di bagian belakang bangunan ini juga ada cafe merangkap bar, tempat orang-orang bebas duduk, nongkrong, sambil minum atau ngemil dan baca buku yang baru dibeli. Lokasinya di tengah Dupont Circle, daerah yang memang selalu “hidup” dengan deretan restoran dan cafe. Yang lebih seru, Kramerbooks buka sampai tengah malam, bahkan buka 24 jam di saat weekend. Benar-benar tempat yang tepat untuk para insomnia :D Saya sendiri sempat nongkrong lama banget di toko ini, tanpa ada perasaan bersalah sedikitpun karena setiap orang memang menikmati waktunya di sana, bahkan bila akhirnya nggak beli apa-apa!

1517 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036
www.kramers.com




Mbak Astrid atau Astrid Felicia (BBI 1301004), sesama anggota BBI denganku (terutama di Bajay Jabo, hehe), adalah penulis dari artikel Traveling with a Bookish Twist di atas. Seru-seru yaa tempatnya, lumayan bikin ngiler pengen traveling dan mengunjungi toko buku-toko buku tersebut :D

Untuk sedikit mengenal Mbak Astrid lebih lanjut, berikut adalah hasil interview aku dengan beliau yang dilakukan bersamaan dengan proses penulisan guest posting, salah satu dari rangkaian kegiatan perayaan ultah ketiga Blogger Buku Indonesia.

Pertama-tama, ceritain sedikit dulu dong tentang diri Mbak Astrid. Misal: TTL, tinggal dimana, pekerjaan sebagai apa :D
Aku lahir di Bandung, 23 November 1980, anak kedua dari 3 bersaudara. Dibersarkan di keluarga kutu buku, dari kecil aku sudah sangat suka membaca. Aku tinggal di Bandung sampai lulus kuliah, dan pindah ke Jakarta untuk kerja. Sekarang aku kerja di AMINEF, yayasan yang mengelola beasiswa Fulbright, yaitu beasiswa yang fundingnya berasal dari pemerintah Amerika Serikat. Selain buku, education adalah bidang yang jadi passionku. Sebenernya masih related sih satu sama lain... Sekarang aku tinggal di apartemen kecil mungil sama suami dan anakku yang umurnya 4,5 tahun :)

Buku-buku jenis apa yang biasa Mbak Astrid baca dan tulis reviewnya di Books to Share?
Mungkin aku termasuk pembaca yang lumayan omnireader, tapi khususnya aku suka buku-buku anak (terutama yang menang Newberry), misteri/thriller (aku fans berat Agatha Christie!), dan sastra kontemporer (semacam buku-bukunya Khaled Hoseini, Jhumpa Lahiri, dan sejenisnya). Aku juga cukup suka genre fantasi dan historical fiction. Yang nggak begitu aku suka itu romance XD

Beberapa postku yang lumayan sering dikunjungi orang-orang: Seri Lima Sekawan  | Dongeng Grimm Bersaudara
Trus pernah juga menang lomba review antara lain untuk review The Hobbit.

Mbak Astrid, sehari-harinya kan multiperan tuh. Antara kerja, jadi Ibu (mengurus keluarga dan Yofel yg lucuuu), sosialisasi, baca dan ngeblog. Gimana sih, cara Mbak untuk membagi waktu dengan baik sehingga semuanya terlaksana?
Hehehe ini sebenernya sih pinter-pinternya kita aja :D Aku sendiri masih suka keteteran kok...Yang pasti kalau baca buku itu aku sering nyuri waktu malam hari sebelum tidur, sama pagi-pagi sebelum ngantor. Weekend juga aku usahain baca di setiap kesempatan. Sementara kalau ngeblog... hmmm... Aku banyakan ngeblog di kantor, hahahaha.... jangan bilang-bilang bos aku ya XD

Meme buatan Mbak Astrid, Wishful Wednesday, bisa dibilang termasuk meme diantara pembaca blog buku Indonesia yg paling lama dan paling banyak diikuti kan tuh (FYI, Wishful Wednesday sudah berlangsung sekitar 2 tahun lebih lamanya! Wow). Gimana caranya supaya bisa konsisten mempertahankan WW sejauh ini tiap hari Rabu? Pernah nggak tuh, ada kelewatan sekali atau dua kali untuk posting?
Di tahun pertama WW, aku sering absen beberapa kali, apalagi waktu itu kan pesertanya masih sedikit, jadi aku belum sekomit sekarang untuk konsisten posting tiap minggu. Tapi masuk tahun kedua, aku bertekad untuk lebih konsisten, apalagi karena pesertanya mulai bertambah, aku coba untuk lebih tanggung jawab. Kadang suka kelupaan schedule postingan padahal hari Rabunya aku tugas ke luar kota atau meeting seharian, nah ini paling aku woro-woro di Twitter kalau WW bakal terbit telat. Ini tantangan juga sih buatku, apalagi aku biasanya orangnya angin-anginan.. Tapi so far aku seneng banget bisa hosting WW :)

Awal Mbak Astrid join BBI, bagaimanakah ceritanya?
Hehehe, aku kebetulan salah satu member yang masuk di awal BBI berdiri. Aku sering saling blogwalking dengan para pendiri BBI, Ana, Mia, Ally, dan beberapa member awal BBI lainnya. Awalnya aku diajak join via FB. Aku sendiri kaget dan seneng banget karena tahu ada komunitas keren yang anggota dan kegiatannya relate banget sama aku. Nah, setelah BBI resmi jadi organisasi, aku diminta Helvry untuk bantuin di kepengurusan sebagai sekretaris sampai sekarang. So far sih pengalaman jadi member/pengurus ini banyak banget yang berkesan...

Menurut Mbak Astrid, bagaimana perkembangan dunia perbukuan Indonesia termasuk komunitas reviewer buku seperti BBI ini? Adakah sisi positif atau negatifnya?
Aku lihat di Indo semakin banyak blogger yang mengkhususkan blognya sebagai blog buku. Perkembangan dunia buku juga makin semarak. Tapi kadang suka berharap juga animo pembaca dan penerbit nggak sekadar sebatas diskon buku murah aja XD Memang masih susah untuk mencari-cari event yang pas untuk komunitas reviewer di Indonesia. Tapi mudah-mudahan ke depannya kita semakin menemukan formula yang tepat, sehingga komunitas reviewer tidak hanya berkembang dalam hal jumlah saja, tapi juga kualitas dan kontribusinya di dunia literatur.

Harapan untuk BBI kedepannya.....
Semoga BBI bisa semakin berkembang dan memberikan kontribusi berarti di dunia literatur Indonesia. Semoga anggotanya tidak hanya semakin banyak, tapi juga semakin kompak dan punya komitmen bersama dalam memajukan dunia buku di Indonesia. Mudah-mudahan suatu saat nanti kita bisa seperti Kirkus Review atau komunitas reviewer internasional yang sepak terjangnya diakui di dunia industri buku :)

Terima kasih banyak Mbak Astrid untuk artikel dan interviewnya <3
Blog Mbak Astrid bisa diintip di Books to Share

PS: Untuk interviewku sendiri bisa dilihat di blog Kak Nina @ Diarinya Pecandu Buku (Mampir-mampir yaa!). Post lengkap BBI Anniversary Guest Posting bisa dilihat disini.

Have fun and read some more!


April 13, 2014

BBI's 2014 GIVEAWAY HOP: Winner!

Pagi teman-teman,
Hari ini adalah jadwal pengumuman pemenang dari Giveaway Hop BBI dalam rangka perayaan ulang tahun ketiganya! Buat yang sebulan belakangan ini udah 'bergerilya' di giveaway-giveaway yang diadakan oleh banyak anggota BBI, silakan cek setiap tempat dimana kalian ikutan yaa, siapa tau beruntung ^^

Buat yang penasaran, berikut adalah jawaban (judul dan nama penulis) dari Cover Guessing Game yang jadi tema giveaway hop di IPR. Meskipun ada yang bilang susah (susah nggak sih? Hehe), rata-rata yang jawab hampir semuanya benar kok, jadi bisa masuk undian deh! Horeeeee


Nah, 22 peserta yang berhasil menjawab benar keempat cover diatas diurutkan dan nomornya diundi melalui Random.org generator, dan ternyata yang terpilih oleh si Mr. Random adalah........... *drum rolls*

NOMOR 3!


SELAMAT, ZULFA NURUL (@zoelulla)
Kamu berhak mendapatkan hadiah berupa buku pilihan sendiri dengan total Rp 100.000,-!

Untuk Zulfa, mohon menghubungi aku lewat email untuk konfirmasi pemenang yaa. Harap mencantumkan judul buku yang diinginkan, alamat rumah, serta nomor yang mudah dihubungi. Waktunya 2x24 jam dari.... Sekarang! :D

Bagi peserta lain yang belum menang dalam Giveaway Hop BBI di IPR, jangan berkecil hati! Siapa tau peruntunganmu ada di giveaway hop blog lain. Terima kasih banyak atas partisipasinya dalam acara ini :)


PS: Tepat pada hari ini, BBI merayakan ulang tahunnya! Yuk ikutan meramaikan ultah BBI melalui jejaring sosial dan media-media lain. Cara untuk ikutannya bisa dilihat disini.

Dan juga bagi teman-teman yang suka baca buku lalu hobi ngereview, pendaftaran anggota baru BBI sudah dibuka kembali, lho! Kalian bisa langsung email alamat blog ke membershipbbi@gmail.com untuk pendaftaran. Mengenai syarat dan ketentuan-ketentuan lainnya, bisa dilihat di laman web BBI bagian FAQ ya. Yuk bergabung!

Have fun and read some more,

April 08, 2014

What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick

What I Thought Was True

by Huntley Fitzpatrick
(will be) published on April 15th 2014 by Dial Books for Young Readers
Young Adult/Contemporary/Romance/Summer/Drama
416 pages
finished reading on March 23rd
other book by the author My Life Next Door

***

From the author of My Life Next Door comes a swoony summertime romance full of expectation and regret, humor and hard questions.

Gwen Castle's Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, is slumming it as a yard boy on her Nantucket-esque island this summer. He's a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she hails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island's summer people happy. Gwen worries a life of cleaning houses will be her fate too, but just when it looks like she'll never escape her past—or the island—Gwen's dad gives her some shocking advice. Sparks fly and secret histories unspool as Gwen spends a gorgeous, restless summer struggling to resolve what she thought was true—about the place she lives, the people she loves, and even herself—with what really is.

A magnetic, push-me-pull-me romance with depth, this is for fans of Sarah Dessen, Jenny Han, and Deb Caletti.

Woooooohoooo. This book has officially sealed Huntley Fitzpatrick's status as one of my AUTOREAD YA authors. I LOVED her debut book My Life Next Door to bits (those charming Garretts family! Jase Garrett was my ultimate 2012 book boyfriend. HA) so it set up quite a big expectation for this second book. I knew I was going to love it just by looking at the cover only (dominated with purple! luvs), and I was not wrong. This story of Gwen entertained me as much as My Life Next Door, reading it feels like eating a comfort food. Such a lovely light YA read and a perfect summer book.

The story, indeed, is set up in summer, on a fiction island called Seashell. Gwen's family is not from the rich side, they're struggling to keep the economic aspect of the family balanced by doing whatever works available (Mom: House-cleaning, Gwen: 'Accompanying' an elderly woman). Gwen lives not only with her Mom and lil brother, Emory, who's not autistic but not exactly normal either. Included in the pack are her grandad, her cousin Nic, and her aunt. Gwen's parents are divorced. In short, it's not an easy life our narrator is going through.

On the other side, there are other people at the Seashell Island. These people are from the rich side. One of them is Cassidy Somers, a boy who's currently taking a summer job and lately have been on frequent encounters with Gwen. There's something about Cassidy that rubs Gwen the wrong way... Though we don't know the reasons at first, Ms Fitzpatrick slowly reveals to us the whole 'what actually happened to them' in such a sweet, torturous way. I really like Gwen and Cassidy's romance! SOO ADORABLE. They're from the opposite kind of families (one is rich while one is... well, not), but I think Ms Fizpatrick successfully navigates us through the rich vs kind fiasco in a much better way than other authors who have brought similar case (take example: Kasie West's The Distance Between Us). Their relationship is healthy and constructive, once they've managed to be honest and real with each other (and so cute. so, sooo cute!). Ms Fitzpatrick is the expert of creating such swoon-worthy boys; Cassidy Somers is no less than the super wonderful Jase Garrett, only he comes from a wealthier family ;)

Unlike My Life Next Door, though, What I Thought was True does not only focus big time on the romance of Gwen and Cass, but also exposes us to the complex dynamic of a family (Divorced parents, unnormal brother, remember?) Gwen is a 'real' teenage girl who's trying to make up her mind about her life, about what she wants in life, what she's going to do in the future... She's in the phase of discovering and learning. I love how Ms Fitzpatrick molds such a personality in Gwen, how with all the mistakes that she has made, she's still proud to own herself. Gwen reminds us that as a girl, we have to always put our dignity first, above anything else. We have to be aware of the consequences of our actions. Nic is also going through a hard phase in this story. This guy has to choose between his dream and the comfortable life he has lived his whole life. The friendship side of What I Thought was True also plays an important part of the story, and it was brought nicely through the bond between Gwen and Viv. How far should you be honest in order to keep your loved ones from being hurt?

I recommend this book to you big time! I LOVE IT. Treat yourself with What I Thought Was True if you want an excellent contemporary YA that can warm your heart with vivid summery vibe and terrific romance. Perfect for a sunny day accompanied by some ice creams or cocktails while you're in your sunny dress :) Oh, and if you haven't, My Life Next Door is never a bad choice, as well!


Other reviews of What I Thought was True.... Jaime Arkin of Fiction Fare | Keertana of Ivy Book Bindings | Gillian of Writer of Wrongs

Have you read any of Huntley Fitzpatrick's books? Believe me, she's one of the authors that should be more popular than they already are! Are you interested enough to read What I Thought Was True? Have some summery YA with lovely romance recommendations? Hit me with your words! :)

As always, have fun and read some more,


April 02, 2014

Mournful March...

March started out okay for my family, but then in the last two weeks, things went awry. It was so out of hand. This problem that we're currently having was totally unexpected, so we had quite a hard time accepting it. We're still adapting with the new situation while still hoping that everything will get back to normal in the near future. *crossing fingers!* This occurence, unfortunately, had affected my reading and blogging time last month. I only managed to finish 8 books and posted 9 posts at IPR (It still exceedsthe monthly minimum number that I set up as this year's blogging goal, but still...)





  • Bidadari Santa Monica by Alexandra Leirissa Yunadi, a Metropop from one of my favorite local authors. Not flawless, but I enjoyed it! Read my review of the book here
  • What I Thought was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick. MY FAVORITE READ OF THE MONTH. I loved My Life Next Door so much and this second book from Ms Fitzpatrick has officially sealed her status as one of the many contemporary YA authors that I love. Cassidy & Gwen <3
  • The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski. Last book from March. There is such a big hype regarding this book, and I liked it (lovely romance, nice worldbuilding), but not as much as I hoped I would. Maybe because the book is told from third POV? I had quite a hard time 'connecting' my self with Kestrel.
  • Hothouse Flower by Krista and Becca Ritchie. NA. I should've listened to what everyone said, 'read the previous books first'.... The story was enjoyable with well-fleshed out characters, but it didn't left much impression.
  • The Choice by Nicholas Sparks. Got this book for only $1,7! Anddd I was satisfied because the story didn't end with tears running down my face. I love, looove happy ending.
  • Dunia Mara by Sitta Karina. I'm sorry, but it seems like Sitta's good days are over? This one was so disappointing I couldn't believe it comes from the same author who wrote such masterpieces like Lukisan Hujan and Pesan dari Bintang.




John Legend's All of Me has been ringing in my head too much I get dizzy whenever I listen to it now (HA! Kidding. See what I did there...) Also, One Republic's Counting Stars.

If you remember, YESH I watched Divergent (TWICE) and talked about it in the blog last week. Such a satisfying adaptation. I'm still starstrucked on Theo James.




Not a movie, but My Mad Fat Diary is my newest addiction from March. It's a british TV series starring Sharon Rooney and (God's gift to girls!) Nico effin-HOT Mirallegro. The plot revolves around some big issues that are still relatable even for now (body image, suicide, dysfunctional family, sexual orientation, things like that...) I can't begin to tell you how PERFECT and impeccable this show is. British teens in the 90s, gorgeous landscapes, excellent music, super touching story, friendship, laughters, romance.... all in one.






I've been an audience of The Reader's Den as long as I've been having IPR. Jasprit and Rachel's blog were one of the very first blogs that I follow. I love their honest and convincing reviews. The Reader's Den covers quite a lot of book types (YA, NA, adult, fantasy, contemporary, paranormal..) If The Reader's Den loves a book, there's a big chance that I will love the book too. :)




I can't believe we're on the fourth month of the year again. Just, please take care of the things that March had brought my family into, ya hear me, April? This week is my midterm tests week, fingers crossed (again!) that the result will be satisfying. Also, I'm so stoked for Laini Taylor's finale, Dreams of God and Monsters, EEEEEK

APRIL 8TH COME AT ME NOW

Other exciting things....

  • Festival GPU 40th at JCC Senayan, April 2nd - 6th. Lots of bookish events and bazaar! More information about the celebration: http://GPU40th.tumblr.com
  • Blogger Buku Indonesia's Third Anniversary on April 13th. The giveaway hop is still ongoing on IPR until April 11th, if you haven't joined it yet, well what are you waiting for? And don't forget to be on the lookout for a guest post from Books to Share next week, it's also part of the anniversary celebration. :)
  • Another EXO comeback?  Are they going for 'vampire' or are they going for 'opera' concept?AHHHHH I'MSONOTREADYBUTI'MALSOVERYVERYEXCITEDABOUTTHIS


What's your best read from March? What are you most excited about in April?

See you on another monthly recap! Meanwhile, have fun and read some more! :)