February 11, 2014

Do You Read Manga?


According to Wikipedia, "Manga" as a term used outside Japan refers specifically to comics originally published in Japan.

It actually saddens me that some readers do not consider mangas as real books. I mean, mangas are wonderful! They have stories, and they have pictures too! (RIGHT) I never review a manga except to give it three-five lines of comments, but actually, YES, I've been a manga reader for a VERY long time. I think my fondness of these Japan comics started at the same time I started reading and loving books. Doraemon and Crayon Sinchan were my favorites as a toddler! Middle grade Tirta pretty much read any mangas that attracted her eyes, and she also regularly bought Hanalala & Nakayoshi (comic magazine...?) every month.

Now, several years later, I do not read mangas as much as I used to, but I still have some absolute favorites mangakas (authors) whose works I always read whenever it's out in bookstores. I don't want to miss even a single one.

Usami Maki writes the most adorable school romance mangas, ever! Her works are always cute and fluffy, the drawings are simple and clean with not so much details. I always love how she dresses and plays with her female characters' hair. My favorites from Usami Maki are Haruyuki Bus (Bus for Spring) and Kokoro Botan (Love Button) :3


Kaoru Mori won me over with only one series: Emma! It's a story set in victorian regency era, where a maid named Emma fell in love with William, a gentleman from the upper class. Kaoru Mori's magnificent drawing style is rich with exquisite details but also clean at the same time. The lines are soft and quite unique, different from other mangakas.


This shouldn't be a secret. Everybody loves Miiko! Ono Eriko is famous for her Hai, Miiko! series. I grew up with Miiko. I've read the stories of Miiko's life since I was younger than her, and now I'm already 18 and Miiko is still in the 5th grade. Ha ha. It's a super HILARIOUS series about the everyday life of Yamada Miiko, with her family and friends. The big head and big mouth of the characters are Ono Eriko's trademark. I was a sad panda because I couldn't come to Ono Eriko's meet & greet fan event in Jakarta last year :( But then she wrote about it (the event) in the latest installment, volume #26, yay!


Hanalala (Indonesia's version of LaLa) introduces me to Matsuri Hino's works. I'm ADDICTED to her works! Not only her drawing style are rich (but it's a different kind of 'rich' than Kaoru Mori) and detailed (especially in eyes, hair, and clothes), but the plot of her stories are always good! Her skill is amazing. She writes about romance and dares to tackle different topics such as pirate & vampire story. My favorites: Vampire Knight, Wanted, Merupuri.



Other than the 4 mangakas I've mentioned above, I also love these three with their particular works:

With her Goong! series. It's a very famous series (manhwa) from Korea that has been made into a tv drama called Princess Hours (2006). Though I don't really fancy her drawings, Park So Hee can draw clothes and rooms (Korean traditional clothes as well as common wear, and Korean palace interiors with all the details) wonderfully. Goong also has a quite solid plot.


With his Ingenuo. It's actually from Taiwan; the story about Ding Jiayu who's interested in photography. She pretends to be a guy in order to join Yangzhao's team (which apparently, refuses to hire a woman in their team). It's funny, lovely, and the romance is so swoooooony :3 Ryan's drawing is so 80-ish, in my opinion.


With his Yotsuba&, a series about the daily life of Yotsuba, a five year old (super adorable) girl who lives with his Dad. It's so fresh and funny! Yotsuba is still a little girl with huge curiosity and lots of questions about life. Not so much plot, but the drawings are totally lovely! A perfect cure for when you're bored, tired, or when you need something refreshing.


So! Do you read mangas, too? What's your favorites? Have any recommendation for me to read? I'll be very happy if you're willing to share with me! :D

Have fun and read some more,


February 09, 2014

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

Ignite Me

by Tahereh Mafi
published on February 4th, 2014 by HarperCollins
Young Adult/Dystopia/Romance
Last book of Shatter Me  series
416 pages
I'M WARNER-ING YOU. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNER-ED.

***

The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, called "a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love"

Juliette now knows she may be the only one who can stop the Reestablishment. But to take them down, she'll need the help of the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner. And as they work together, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew-about Warner, her abilities, and even Adam-was wrong.

In Shatter Me, Tahereh Mafi created a captivating and original story that combined the best of dystopian and paranormal and was praised by Publishers Weekly as "a gripping read from an author who's not afraid to take risks." The sequel, Unravel Me, blew readers away with heart-racing twists and turns, and New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia said it was "dangerous, sexy, romantic, and intense." Now this final book brings the series to a shocking and climactic end.


First of all, how much Juliette's character has changed SHOCKED me. It's a big surprise, really. She went from this super insecure girl who always view herself as unworthy, a danger to everyone else because of her power, constantly keeping people away (I really dislike her old character, to be honest, with all those crossed words, weeping, self-hating, remember? And if it wasn't for the beautiful prose or the BOYS, I might have neglected this series long time ago), to this new girl who has realized how precious and powerful her ability is. This new Juliette Ferrars is BRAVE, she doesn't hesitate anymore to do what she thinks right, and most importantly, she's very determined. Now she knows what she wants, and she'll kick anyone who dares to stand in her way. There's no stopping her. YAY.

"I don't know how to be sad when all I feel is an unrelenting determination to do something.
I am no longer afraid of fear, and I will not let it rule me.
Fear will learn to fear me."

Secondly, Kenji! Really, this guy's one of the best things in Ignite Me. He's the true light of the story! To read all of his moments and conversations with Juliette really warmed my heart. He's utterly awesome for being SUPERfunny, genuine, and very supportive toward his bestfriends. It isn't easy being stuck in the middle of all the dramas and angsty times, but Kenji strictly knows where he should stand. No bullshit here. I would be ecstatic to have a guy bestfriend like him! A message to Tahereh Mafi: Please tell us where we can order and have this human being delivered to us instantly. Also, this guy deserves his own story. Pls, thx and kbye.

“I am going to MURDER YOU—”
“No,” he says, pointing at me as he shifts backward again. “Bad Juliette. You don’t like to kill people, remember? You’re against that, remember? You like to talk about feelings and rainbows—”

“Can you, like, see invisible people, too?"
"No," Warner says to him, eyes focused in front of him. "I can feel your presence. Hers, most of all."
"Really?" Kenji says. "That's some weird shit. What do I feel like? Peanut butter?"

“Are you out of your goddamn mind? You think we can take on two hundred soldiers? I know I am an extremely attractive man, J, but I am not Bruce Lee.”
“Who’s Bruce Lee?”
“Who’s Bruce Lee?” Kenji asks, horrified. “Oh my God. We can’t even be friends anymore.”
“Why? Was he a friend of yours?”
“You know what,” he says, “Just stop. Just—I can’t even talk to you right now.”

There aren't so many things happening in Ignite Me, though. Most of the time it's persuasing, planning, discussing, strategizing, practicing their powers, and all. Their goal is to bring down The Reetablishment, and to kill Anderson, of course. But even with all of these 'preparations', I feel like the dystopian aspect isn't the focus of the story, anymore. From all the build up, we expected that there's gonna be an epic battle, or a tough fight, at least. In reality, it seems like the resolution happened too easily, too rushed, with not so much resistence from the other party. Minimum explaining on Anderson's part is also kind of a problem. I mean, I won't mind to know a little backstory, actually. About what makes him such a horrible person, the reason that he is the way he is, and all that, but there's none of that. Actually, I can say that this applies to almost all characters, even our Juliette herself. Have you ever asked, like, what about her family? How could they abandoned Juliette just like that? Where did all these powers came from? How did it start? Lots of questions don't get answered. And there are SO MUCH thread left hanging on the edge. This is quite disappointing, but wellllll, I do not mind very much because it means most of the focus is centered around....

The romance.
NYAAAAAAAH, the romance.
I'm trying so hard to restrain myself right now because
CHAPTER    FIFTY   FREAKING   FIVE, PEOPLE. Holy moly. Remember this. FIFTY FREAKING FIVE!


You have to understand that I'm not a person who can easily change #team, if you know what I mean, but then Tahereh Mafi successfully did it *kicks self* While one boy cannot stop being annoying (and kinda clear somehow that Tahereh is TRYING to make us dislike this one person... Just my two cents), the other boy continues being utterly awesome and totally desirable. Oh, and while we're at this, I want to say that I'm also kinda surprised by the amount of STEAMINESS in Ignite Me. NGGGGGH. It's hot. Mmmmm, too hot, even. Is this still categorized as a young adult book? I asked myself. Ha. Beware of the fifty-ish chapters, that's what I'm saying! There are LOTS of sexytimes that will make you squirm in your seat and make your face goes red from all the blushes. It's hard, but try to control your face when you read Ignite Me in public.


Lastly, which makes the whole series from Tahereh Mafi most awesome is the amount of FEELS it will expose you to. I cry, I feel mad, I'm embarassed, I LAUGHED, I giggle uncontrollably, I blush, I'm angry, I want to fight, I want to hug Juliette, I want to lie on the rooftop with Kenji and talk to him all night, I want to tease James, I long for Warner, I.... Ugh, I just can't. ALL the emotional levels! Ignite Me is a quite satisfying series-ender, and though not without some imperfections, Tahereh Mafi has managed to give us a good closure (Though I won't mind if there's ever gonna be another book from this world) which makes me a very happy reader! :)

A treat for you all, behold the beautiful proses, Tahereh Mafi's style:

“Words, I think, are such unpredictable creatures.
No gun, no sword, no army or king will ever be more powerful than a sentence. Swords may cut and kill, but words will stab and stay, burying themselves in our bones to become corpses we carry into the future, all the time digging and failing to rip their skeletons from our flesh.”

“This isn't about Adam or Warner," I tell him, "This is about me and what I want. This is about me finally understanding where I want to be in ten years. Because I'm going to be alive, Kenji. I will be alive in ten years, and I'm going to be happy. I'm going to be strong. And I don't need anyone to tell me that anymore. 
I am enough, and I always will be.”

“He and I would end up like water going nowhere. Water that never moves-- It's fine for a little while. You can drink from it and it'll sustain you. But if it sits too long it goes bad. It grows stale. It becomes toxic. 

I need waves. I need waterfalls. I want rushing currents.”

“Hey--jazz hands!" Kenji barks. "Get your ass back over here." He makes it a point to look as irritated as possible. "Back to work. And this time, focus. You're not an ape. Don't just throw your shit everywhere.”


Read what other readers think about Ignite Me: Kai from Amaterasu Reads | Mimi Valentine on Goodreads

Have you read Ignite Me? Have you read SHATTER ME, even? (Because, if you haven't, really, what kind of planet do you live in?!) WHAT DO YOU THINK? Any book similar to this one that you think I have to read next? Do not hesitate to share with me! And as always,
have fun and read some more 





February 06, 2014

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken


by Alexandra Bracken
published on December 18th 2012 by Disney Hyperion
Young Adult/Dystopia/Science Fiction/Romance
part of The Darkest Minds series (book #1)
488 pages

***

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government "rehabilitation camp." She might have survived the mysterious disease that's killed most of America's children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she's on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her-East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can't risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

“The Darkest Minds tend to hide behind the most unlikely faces.”

Here's what really happened.
Me, at the opening pages of The Darkest Minds:


Me, at the last pages of The Darkest Minds:


Basically, I was a mess. I read the synopsis before I read the book but at those opening pages, I felt like nothing make sense. I couldn't remember the colors or what they meant; Green what? Blue what? Red what? All I know was this 'desease' that made little kids being put into horrible 'rehabilitation' camps where they're forced to do *things*. Ruby managed to escape from her camp (called Thurmond) by the help of someone that I cannot even remember the name.

Skip to dozen pages later, Ruby was on the run, with 3 people she met (can't remember how they met, really) on the way. They travelled with a Black Betty, and their goal was to reach the East River to seek help from a figure named Slip Kid. From this point on, I started to understand the basics of it. Weird, really. Like reading a book written by two different authors. The first half was confusing, words jumbled out without a clear picture, I was having a hard time to comprehend it all. But after you go through 100-150 pages of it, the fun finally came. The slow pace may be unbearable for some, but all in all, The Darkest Minds was quite a strong series-starter. It has action, suspense, good humor, romance, friendship, kids with special powers...

The kids in The Darkest Minds were treated badly for things that out of their control. These children didn't understand where their ability came out of, or how to handle the thing, but they're being punished when they accidentally used it. The guilt of unintentionally causing harms to other people and the pain from being separated with their family also sucked, big time. The situation was horrible.

On the way, things definitely weren't easier. They struggled to escape from the authorities that kept chasing them, and at the same time they started to form a strong bond, trying to help each other and survive. We got to know more about Ruby and her companions. Liam, their brave telekinetic leader. Chubs, the brilliant mean boy. Zu, the silent electricity manipulator. Ruby herself was an Orange, which meant she could control people's minds, but she kept this fact hidden to keep other people from herself. Things that happened to them, eventually, brought them closer.

By this point, I was getting attached. Their friendship didn't start easily, with the basic of things like trust and honesty missing, but it was lovely to read the whole dynamics. These 4 teens really invigorate each other eventhough they have their own story, their own weaknesses and strength. Not to mention the relationship between Ruby and Liam which started to bloom. It was no insta-love, really, so plus point for it. They were truly adorable together. Their romance is not even the most important part of the book, but it was what got me hooked for realz. I LOVE LIAM! He's such a good leader, always trying to be optimistic and to do the right things. He had this *ability* to say the most awesome or the most swoon worthy things ever.

"Let's carpe the hell out of this diem."

“Ruby, give me one reason why we can’t be together, and I’ll give you a hundred why we can. We can go anywhere you want. I’m not your parents. I’m not going to abandon you or send you away, not ever.”

“Cause, frankly, the way I see it, you and me? Inevitable.”

(Believe me, there are more than those three)

The thing that BLEW ME AWAY and officialy sealed my 4 stars for this book, however, was the ending. My, oh, my. Someone really ought to tell me about the ending, really. It was OUT of my mind. I mean, HOW DARE YOU, MRS BRACKEN? I was horribly shocked, gutted, and saddened by Ruby's action, but then I remembered that it's only the first book. I need to read Never Fade, like, omg, RIGHT NOW.

Need more to convince you? Read these reviews of The Darkest Minds by: Serena Smiles | Kristy from Book Nerd

Have you read this series yet? What do you think of it? Got any recommendation that is similar to this one? Share it with me! I'll always love to read your thoughts and opinions.
Don't forget to have fun and read some more! ;)



February 04, 2014

World After by Susan Ee


by Susan Ee
published on November 21st 2013 by Hodder & Stoughton
Young Adult/Post-Apocalypse/Urban Fantasy/Romance
part of Penryn and the End of Days series (book #2)
314 pages

***

In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

“It is painful to see that people prefer a bad guy who looks like an angel to a good guy who looks like a demon.”

I read the first book of this series, Angelfall, last year, but didn't review it because I couldn't get absorbed enough in the story. I felt like the hype was too much and was disapponted when I didn't get it. But here I am, two days after finishing the second installment and still can't stop thinking about the book! Now I know. I think once you get past the gore and all (It took a while to get used to, because, well, there's cannibalism, low demon creatures in the form of little kids that could yank out your flesh with its sharp razor teeth, scorpion demons with long tail that sting and suck your body liquid until it dried... Things like that), once you're ready to read the *disturbing* parts of it, you'll start to enjoy the story better. I did.

Penryn continued to be her awesome kick-ass self in the second book. All along her motivation didn't waver a bit  To make sure her mom and Paige safe. World After is still filled with a lot of fighting scenes with SO much badassery. Seriously. Usually when an author write about a scene where the female main character was part of a fight, lots of sugarcoating ensued. The words were refined to soften the whole thing. But Susan Ee didn't do that! The fights were real. Penryn knew where to go, how to stand, what to do, which body part to kick to defeat her opponent in the best way. You'll want to stop a while or take a breath when she fights, for it's like watching an actual fight in front of your eyes.

My favorite fighting scene? The one in the ocean. SO MUCH WIN.

And the dark humor in Susan Ee's writing is definitely not like any other. It's the best thing, actually. From Penryn naming Raffe's (powerful, respected, strong archangel) sword with such a ridiculous name like POOKY BEAR, or where she dressed herself with a leopard jacket, tie, and color-mismatched socks. It's really strange that even with all the gore, horror, dark, sickening, super-creepy parts of the book, you still got a good laugh from it. Every aspects are so well-put. I'm in love.

“Pooky Bear."
He’s silent for so long I’m beginning to think he didn’t hear me when he finally says, “Pooky. Bear.” 
“It was just a little joke. I didn’t know.” 
“I’ve mentioned that names have power, right? Do you realize that when she fights battles, she’s going to have to announce herself to the opposing sword? She’ll be forced to say something ridiculous like, ‘I am Pooky Bear, from an ancient line of archangel swords.’ Or, ‘Bow down to me, Pooky Bear, who has only two other equals in all the worlds.’ ” He shakes his head. “How is she going to get any respect?”

Bad news: There wasn't much Raffe this time. Not as much as in the first book, at least. Thanks to POOKY BEAR, though, we all could get a glimpse to his memories of some events that happened in book one. Apparently Pooky was like a recording tape of her owner. And once Raffe and Penryn reunited (yes, don't you worry), umf, things got A LOT BETTER. THE SHIP SAILING HARD, people. The amount of obnoxious giggles that came out of me everytime they *flew* together, oh, you wouldn't believe.

I love their relationship even more in World After! They were strong as two individuals, but AMAZING when together. Now that it's clear for Raffe not to let Penryn be hurt (or dead) again, this pair's bond is better and stronger. And though I hope Raffe will still get his (original, beautiful snow white angel) wings back, it's good to see him started embracing and already knew how to handle the demon wings better.

It's rare to like the second book more than the first, and I hope the next books will continue to stay on this path. It's one of two series which features angels (or nephilim, or seraphim, well, similar creatures like that) that I actually like. The other one is Daughter of Smoke and Bone series (Akiva! Weee). Up to this date, Penryn & the End of Days is planned to have 5 books. Another awesome thing about this hugely praised series? It started out as a self-published eBook before Holder & Stoughton bought it! :)

“She wasn’t made to be alone.” 
“I guess none of us are.” 
Our eyes meet and an electric tingle runs through me. 
“She missed you,” I say in a whisper. 
“Did she?” His voice is a soft caress. His gaze into my eyes is so intense that I swear he sees straight into my soul. 
“Yes.” Warmth flushes my cheeks. I… “She thought about you all the time.” 
The candlelight flickers a soft glow along his jawline, along his lips. “I hated losing her.” His voice is a low growl. “I hadn’t realized just how attached I’d gotten.” He reaches and moves a strand of wet hair out of my face. “How dangerously addictive she could be.”


Hop on the boat! What other people said about World After: Jaime Arkin from Fic Fare | Jen from The Starry Eyed Revue

PS: Rumour has it that Angelfall is going to be made into a movie!!!!

Have you heard about the series before? Have you read this book? What do you think of it? Do you have any recommendation with similar themes like this one? Read anything good lately? Tell me!
Have fun and read some more! :)

February 02, 2014

2014: Joyful January


January had been a very lovely month for me. I didn't have to attend any classes because first semester break is still going on, so all 31 days long I turned myself into a cute bundle of sloth. READ, EAT, SLEEP, REPEAT was my motto of the month. Days felt like nights, nights like days, flattening my b*tt in front of my notebook screen most of the time, read books when I should be sleeping, and sleep when I should be up doing something productive. I don't even know what the word 'productive' means anymore. Huh?

But between those times I spent lying around in bed, I also made time to meet a lot of my old friends from middle & high school. That was what excited me most about the break. We went out and tried some new places to eat around town (the donuts above are VERY yummy!), we chatted, we watched movies, we took photos, we chatted some more, and then we went home. Few days later (I need to take a one/two days break to re-charge myself after a full day of going out with lots of people. What can I say, I'm an introvert that way), I repeated the routine with another group of friends. And I had more time to spent with my family, especially with Mom! :)





1. Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller
2. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
3. The Journeys #3 by various authors
4. Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
5-7. Under the Never Sky Trilogy by Veronica Rossi
8. The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
9. God-Shaped Hole by Tiffanie DeBartolo
10. Hai Miiko! #26 by Ono Eriko (manga)
11. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
12. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
13-14. Clockwork Angel & Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Aside from that, on the blog I also posted:
On My Wishlist | Fog on My Mind | Top Ten Tuesday: Things I Want to Read in Books | Reading Challenges that I Decided to Take Part in 2014 | Review of Inferno | Review of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn & The Revelation of My Secret Santa




If you really know me, you'll know that I'm the type of person who isn't really into music (gasps!) but these days I replayed these three songs a lot.

Holy Grail (Jay Z ft JT, but I prefer the one without the rap part. Just because.)
The Monster (Another new song from Eminem & Rihanna. Love it as much as I Love the Way You Lie)
XO (All hail queen Beyonce. She's reaaaal pretty in the music video)



Holiday is the right time to catch up on movies that I missed or old ones that I have never watched before. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit was so-so (it was too predictable but my eyes were oh-very-happy to see Chris Pine on the big screen), American Hustle blew me away (Amy Adams was SO gorgeous in that movie!), Frozen and Ten Things I Hate About You were very enjoyable, but my favorite fell on the Before trilogy (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight). LOVE, LOVE, LOOOOVVVVE. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy won me over the smart, clever, enganging conversations and remarkable acting. It's such a beautiful thing to see them age in front of our eyes and to notice the changes over the years. :)

I also watched some episodes from EXO's Showtime and Running Man.

Bunch of mad boys running on the beach IN WINTER.... 

Silly Kwangsoo. Everytime.



Favorite book blog on the moment: Writer of Wrongs by Gilliane Berry
Writer of Wrongs is such an entertainment! Her posts remind you of that one friend who will always successfully make you laugh no matter what the situation is. G also has a truly awesome skill of using the right gifs on her reviews, which I admire. Foor good laughs and fresh writings, hop over her blog here!


Several posts from around the internet that I love...

Book & Blog
  • Ashley from Nose Graze hosted a book blogger survey and here's the result. Part I | Part II
  • Loving this new feature on Jessi's blog Novel Heartbeat: Life of a Blogger. I like it when bloggers get personal
  • Those of you who live in Indonesia, Lendabook and EstafetBuku are two generous websites/communities available if you want to borrow books. YAY-ness!

General
  • DROOL-WORTHY: A Beautiful Mess' food, drinks, and sweets recipes
  • Lately, I've been frequently visiting Style Me Pretty. NO, I'm NOT getting married anytime soon (well, at least not in the near future), I just love seeing all the beautiful pictures. Don't ask me why.


February: The month of IGNITE ME! AAAAAAHHH
I hope this month is going to be another month full of awesomeness! In term of book releases, I know it will! Ignite Me and Cress (third book from the Lunar Chronicles) will be out in a matter of days, along with some awesome new titles like Tsarina, Alienated, and Something Real.

From local publishers: Gramedia will release (the translated version of) Frankeinstein (with a new cover) and another new novel by Laksmi Pamuntjak (author of Amba), titled The Question of Red. GagasMedia already announced their new book project, SCHOOL (Seven Complicated Hours of Life), and the book titles under the project will be named after a school subject! How creative. Penerbit Haru with The Last 2% and You are the Apple of My Eye.

This month's BBI #Posbar themes: 1) Indonesian Historical Fiction, 2) Culinary
Bookish event: Kumpul Penulis Jakarta on February 23rd, at Jakarta Design Center.

The second semester will start on February 10th. I'm pretty scared and excited about it, both at the same time. I want to start studying (This one and a half month holiday has turned my brain into a mush potato) BUT I'm not ready to give up my sleeping hours yet! And gosh, my new term schedule is SCARY. I'll have classes on 8AM everyday, and the hours are packed until 4PM :( But I will not whine, okay. Let's get this going!


Thank you, Joyful January. Looking forward to a more productive February ;)