Book Review: The Financial Diet by Chelsea Fagan

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BOOK review
Started on: 18 July 2019
Finished on: 22 July 2019

The Financial Diet by Chelsea Fagan

Title: The Financial Diet

Author: Chelsea Fagan
Publisher: Regan Arts

Pages: 208 pages / 212 pages (e-book)
Year of Publication: 2017
Price: Rp 239,487 (https://www.bookdepository.com/)

Rating: 3.5/5

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"Saving money isn't about depriving yourself. It's about deciding you love Future You as much as you love Today You."

The Financial Diet is a personal finance book for people who don't have any idea where to start about how to get good with money. Whether you’re in need a solution for overspending, struggling with debt, or just trying to figure out how to live on an entry-level salary, this book gives you tools to make a budget, understand investments, and deal with your credit. The writer, Chelsea Fagan, gathered a range of experts to help readers make the best financial decisions. She also knows that being smarter with money is not only about what you put in the bank, but it's also about the clothes you put in your closet, financial relationship habits, until the food you put in your kitchen.

Book Review: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

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BOOK review
Started on: 3 July 2019
Finished on: 17 July 2019

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Title:Where the Crawdads Sing

Author: Delia Owens
Publisher: G.P Putnam's Sons

Pages: 370 pages / 379 pages (e-book)
Year of Publication: 2018
Price: Rp 392,000 (https://www.periplus.com/)

Rating: 4.5/5
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"There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot."

At the age of six, Kya watched her mother abandon her and her siblings; leaving them with their abusive father. As time goes by, her mother never returned and Kya watched her older siblings leaving as well, due to their father's drinking and physical abuse. Throughout the years, Kya only went to school for a day and stopped going because everyone at school made fun of her. Without money and family, Kya learned to rely on herself, alone in the marsh—finding ways to make money and food to eat. She grows up with the prejudice of the townspeople of Barkley Cove who called her  "The Marsh Girl". Everything changed when two young men came into her life. After living by herself for so long, Kya craved companionship but on the other hand, she also fears abandonment that she's experienced at a very young age.

Book Review: The Midnight Star (The Young Elites, #3) by Marie Lu

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BOOK review
Started on: 22 June 2019
Finished on: 2 July 2019

The Midnight Star (The Young Elites, #3) by Marie Lu

Title: The Midnight Star (The Young Elites, #3)

Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: Putnam Books

Pages: 316 pages / 332 pages (e-book)
Year of Publication: 2016
Price: Rp 152,000 (https://www.periplus.com/)

Rating: 4/5
*for those who haven't read the first and second book, this review may contain spoiler.
Review for The Young Elites (The Young Elites, #1) by Marie Lu here.
Review for The Rose Society (The Young Elites, #2) by Marie Lu here.

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"After a lifetime of darkness, I want to leave something behind that is made of light."

Adelina Amouteru has finally turned her back on those who betrayed her and has achieved the ultimate revenge: victory. Her reign as the White Wolf brings fear upon the people, and with each conquest her cruelty grows even worse than even before. The darkness within her starts to spiral out of control, threatening to destroy all that she has achieved. The letter that came from Raffaele mentioned that a new danger arises; putting not only Adelina at risk, but every Elite and the world they live in. In order to save herself and preserve her empire, Adelina has no other choice but to join the Daggers once again as they went on a perilous quest that put their lives on the line.

Book Review: The Rose Society (The Young Elites, #2) by Marie Lu

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BOOK review
Started on: 3 June 2019
Finished on: 21 June 2019

The Rose Society (The Young Elites, #2) by Marie Lu

Title: The Rose Society (The Young Elites, #2)

Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: Putnam Books

Pages: 398 pages / 396 pages (e-book)
Year of Publication: 2015
Price: Rp 168,000 (https://www.periplus.com/)

Rating: 3.5/5
*for those who haven't read the first book, this review may contain spoiler.
Review for The Young Elites (The Young Elites, #1) by Marie Lu here.
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"Once upon a time, a girl had a father, a prince, a society of friends. Then they betrayed her, so she destroyed them all."

Adelina Amouteru has been abused, rejected, and betrayed by her family and friends. And it has left her heart cold, bitter, and hungry for revenge. She and her sister, Violetta, flees Kenettra to find other Young Elites in the hopes of building her own army of allies. Her goal is to strike down the Inquisition Axis, and ultimately to take vengence on Teren Santoro who has made her suffer. On the other hand, Adelina's former friends from the Dagger Society has their own plan to accomplish. They tried to stop Adelina's thirst for revenge; however, Adelina seems to be consumed by the darkness that continues to fuel her power.

Book Review: The Young Elites (The Young Elites, #1) by Marie Lu

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BOOK review
Started on: 26 May 2019
Finished on: 2 June 2019

The Young Elites (The Young Elites, #1) by Marie Lu

Title: The Young Elites (The Young Elites, #1)

Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: Putnam Books

Pages: 355 pages / 370 pages (e-book)
Year of Publication: 2014
Price: Rp 152,000 (https://www.periplus.com/)

Rating: 4/5
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"Fear creates the strongest illusions. Everyone has darkness inside them, however hidden."

A decade ago, a deadly illness swept throughout the nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. These survivors, malfettos, are regarded as abomination, a disgrace to their families. And that includes Adelina Amouteru. Her father despised her because of her scars and markings, and has treated her badly over the years. However, some of the fever's survivors possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Book Review: Competing Spectacles by Tony Reinke

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BOOK review
Started on: 22 May 2019
Finished on: 25 May 2019

Competing Spectacles: Treasuring Christ in the Media Age by Tony Reinke

Title: Competing Spectacles: Treasuring Christ in the Media Age

Author: Tony Reinke
Publisher: Crossway Books

Pages: 160 pages / 160 pages (e-book)
Year of Publication: 2019
Price: Rp 160,684 (https://www.bookdepository.com/)

Rating: 4/5
*This e-book was received as a review copy from Crossway
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"In a consumer society, images are the language of transaction. Images aim to provoke something in us in order to get something from us. New images ask us for all sorts of things—our time, our attention, our outrage, our money, our lust, our affection, and our votes. Is it possible to resist them? Should we try?"

We live in a world full of shiny distractions, faced with an onslaught of viral media constantly competing for our attention and demanding our affections. These ever-present visual “spectacles” can quickly erode our hearts, making it more difficult than ever to walk through life actively treasuring that which is most important and yet invisible: Jesus Christ. Through this book, Tony Reinke shows us just how distracting these spectacles in our lives can be and encouraged us to ask critical questions about what we're focusing our attention on. It offers practical steps to redirect our gaze away from the spectacles of this world and onto the Ultimate Spectacle, which leads to the joy and rest that our souls truly crave.