Book Review: Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee

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BOOK review

Started on: 21 April 2024
Finished on: 2 May 2024

 

Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee

 

Title: Untethered Sky

Author: Fonda Lee

Publisher: Tordotcom

Pages: 152 pages / 152 pages (e-book)
Year of Publication: 2023
Price: $5.99 (https://subterraneanpress.com)

Rating: 4/5

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"What I would give to return to those days, riding together across the country on a perfect morning, a roc balanced in the air above us like an angel guarding our happiness."

A manticore ruined Ester's life when it devoured her mother and baby brother, leaving her with nothing but her father's silence and the overwhelming need to kill the monster that took her family. And so she begins her journey in the King's Royal Mews, where giant rocs are flown to hunt manticores by trained and courageous ruhkers. Ester was paired with a fledgling roc named Zahra, with whom she found purpose and devoted her life to a calling that demanded absolute sacrifice. Their partnership leads Ester on the empire's most dangerous manticore hunt—which will challenge her perseverance. 

 

Book Review: Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family by Paul David Tripp

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BOOK review

Started on: 22 March 2024
Finished on: 19 April 2024

 

Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family by Paul David Tripp

 

Title: Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family

Author: Paul David Tripp

Publisher: Crossway Books

Pages: 216 pages / 226 pages (e-book)
Year of Publication: 2016
Price: Rp 410,000 (https://www.periplus.com/)

Rating: 5/5

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"In the middle of all the endless parenting activities, many parents get lost. They are doing lots of things, lots of good things, but they don't know why. They've been swallowed up into the daily grind of parenting, but they've lost sight of what it is that they're working for or building toward."

These days, parents tend to get lost in everything that needs to be done daily. Under the pressure to do everything right and raise good children, it's easy to lose sight of our ultimate purpose and calling as parents. Many are always looking for practical tips and guaranteed formulas to help them in their parenting journey. In this book, Paul David Tripp offers more than just a mere to-do list. He presents the big-picture view of God's plans for us as parents. With fourteen foundational principles centered on the gospel, the author shows that we need more than just a parenting strategy or a list of techniques. What we ultimately need is the rescuing grace of God that has the power to shape how we view everything we do as parents. This book's goal is to free us from the burden of trying to change our children's hearts and embrace a grand perspective of parenting.

"The one who called you to this very important job is with you and because he is, there’s hope. Sure there will be times when you’ll find yourself at the end of your rope, but fight fear and discouragement with expectancy; your Savior’s rope never ends and he will never leave you alone!"

Book Review: Teruslah Bodoh Jangan Pintar by Tere Liye

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BOOK review

Started on: 8 March 2024
Finished on: 18 March 2024

 

Teruslah Bodoh Jangan Pintar by Tere Liye

 

Title: Teruslah Bodoh Jangan Pintar

Author: Tere Liye
Publisher: Sabak Grip

Pages: 371 pages
Year of Publication: 2024
Price: Rp 89,100 (https://www.gramedia.com/)

Rating: 4/5

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"Mereka tahu sekali risikonya. Harga atas sebuah perlawanan." 

Selama puluhan tahun, PT Semesta Minerals & Mining sudah mengembangkan usahanya di dunia pertambangan secara luar biasa. Akan tetapi dampak dari tambang-tambang tersebut telah merugikan banyak orang—bahkan hingga merenggut nyawa. Hingga akhirnya, sekelompok aktivis berkumpul dengan tujuan menggagalkan izin konsensi proyek raksasa PT Semesta Menirals & Mining melalui sidang dengar pendapat yang dilakukan secara tertutup. Para aktivis berusaha keras mengumpulkan saksi yang hidupnya terdampak langsung oleh perusahaan tambang itu. Namun, mereka harus berhadapan dengan Hotma Cornelius, seorang pengacara handal yang merupakan spesialis pembela kejahatan. Meski perjuangan mereka penuh dengan rintangan, kelompok aktivis ini tidak menyerah dan mengerahkan segala kemampuan mereka untuk melakukan perlawanan.

 

Book Review: Hai, Miiko! Vol. 36 by Ono Eriko

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BOOK review

Started on: 9 January 2024
Finished on: 9 January 2024

Hai, Miiko! Vol. 36 by Ono Eriko

Title: Hai, Miiko! Vol. 36

Author: Ono Eriko
Publisher: m&c!

Pages: 126 pages
Year of Publication: 2024
Price: Rp 48,000 (https://www.gramedia.com/)

Rating: 5/5

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Tahun baru selalu membuatku semangat karena itu artinya jilid terbaru komik Hai, Miiko! akan diterbitkan! Setelah dikecewakan dengan volume sebelumnya, aku berusaha keras mengatur ekspektasiku saat akan mulai membaca buku ini. Sinopsis di bagian belakang buku ini berhasil membuatku penasaran dengan adanya kalimat "Tappei pun mulai bergerak" 😂; tapi mengetahui kemajuan hubungan antara Tappei dan Miiko selama ini, aku meragukan akan ada pergerakan yang signifikan 🤣. Walaupun aku agak sedih dengan harga komik Hai, Miiko! yang terus naik setiap tahunnya, aku tetap tidak akan melewatkan kisah kehidupan Miiko dan teman-temannya ☺️.

Book Review: All That Jesus Commanded: The Christian Life According to the Gospels by John Piper

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BOOK review

Started on: 22 September 2023
Finished on: 4 December 2023

 

All That Jesus Commanded: The Christian Life According to the Gospels by John Piper

 

Title: All That Jesus Commanded: The Christian Life According to the Gospels

Author: John Piper

Publisher: Crossway Books

Pages: 464 pages / 472 pages (e-book)
Year of Publication: 2023
Price: Rp 178,000 (https://www.periplus.com/)

Rating: 4/5

*This e-book was received as a review copy from Crossway

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"The ultimate goal of Jesus's commandments is not that we observe them by doing good works. The ultimate goal is that God be glorified. The obedience of good works is penultimate. But what is ultimate is that in our obedient lives God be displayed as the most beautiful reality in the world. That is Jesus's ultimate goal and mine."

In this book, longtime pastor and author John Piper walks through Jesus's commands that are found in the four Gospels and their meaning for the Christian life. In 50 short chapters, he explained their context and meaning to help readers understand Christ's vision how we should lead our lives. This is a helpful guide and resource for both new Christians as well as veteran believers.

"It deals with every command Jesus gave and how it relates to Christian living today. It draws out the meaning of these commands from the four Gospels themselves not the rest of the New Testament."

Book Review: Jade Shards (The Green Bone Saga, #0.75) by Fonda Lee

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BOOK review

Started on: 14 September 2023
Finished on: 21 September 2023

 

Jade Shards (The Green Bone Saga, #0.75) by Fonda Lee

 

Title: Jade Shards (The Green Bone Saga, #0.75)

Author: Fonda Lee

Publisher: Subterranean Press

Pages: 136 pages / 106 pages (e-book)
Year of Publication: 2023
Price: $5.99 (https://subterraneanpress.com)

Rating: 4/5

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In this book, Fonda Lee returns with four prequel short stories that dive into some of the personal histories of the Kaul and Ayt families. The first one tells the story of Ayt Mada before she became the ruthless leader of the Mountain clan, befriending Aun Ure—a renowned assassin who yearns for a simpler life. There's also the story of Kaul Lan as he challenged his grandfather to help a boy who had lost everything. The third story is about Kaul Hilo and Maik Wen, the son of a top Green Bone clan in love with a stone-eye girl from a disreputable family. Lastly, we glimpsed at Kaul Shae's life before she left and returned to Kekon, when she became a secret informer to a foreign country.