Top 5 Wednesday: Top Characters You Hate

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image source: here. edited by me.

So, sorry I missed out on last week's Top 5 Wednesday; not because I didn't make it, but I have no idea what to list.... That's why I decide to skip it. But here we are now with the last topic of the month, on the last day of April! Time really flies. It's almost halfway through 2014. Today's topic, as you can see in the image above, is Top Characters You Hate. I probably hated a lot of characters through my reading journey over the years; but because I read many more books after that, I tend to forget them rather quickly (because why would I waste my energy hating on fictional characters for so long?). So I might as well choose some characters that I hate from books that I read rather recently. And here goes the list!

April Wrap Up // May TBR | 2014

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image source: here. edited by me.

Starting this month, I will start making Wrap-Up posts (following the footsteps of other book-bloggers out there) and also my TBR (To-be-Read) list for next month. Hopefully this can help me be more organized and see my reading progress each month - because I really want to start tackling my mountain-like TBR pile (although little by little, because each month I keep having new books to read...). April was a pretty good reading month for me, at least it was far better than March - I only got to read 4 books last month. In this post, I will show you what I have read and reviewed this month (as well as a short conclusion about those books), my non-review posts in April, as well as books I'm planning to read in May :)) Oh, and my wrap-up posts will also talk a little what happens to me during the month - and this month I'll talk about getting a-year older.

Book Review: Teater Boneka by Emilya Kusnaidi, Orinthia Lee, Ayu Rianna

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BOOK review

Started on: 22.April.2014
Finished on: 24.April.2014

Teater Boneka by Emilya Kusnaidi, Orinthia Lee, Ayu Rianna

Judul Buku : Teater Boneka

Penulis : Emilya Kusnaidi, Orinthia Lee, Ayu Rianna

Penerbit : Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Tebal : 320 Halaman
Tahun Terbit: 2014

Harga: Rp 51,000 (http://www.pengenbuku.net/)

Rating: 3.5/5
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"Erin tidak pernah menduga akan membiarkan orang lain membaca ceritanya yang belum jadi. Biasanya ia akan menyembunyikan tulisannya rapat-rapat. Tapi Awan memang aneh. Selain misterius, Awan juga dengan cara yang tidak terduga bisa membuat Erin merasa nyaman berada di dekatnya - membuat Erin merasa membutuhkan lelaki itu."

Teater Boneka Poppenkast adalah warisan yang amat berharga bagi Erin Anindita. Poppenkast sudah berdiri selama lima puluh tahun; dan meskipun teater boneka ini mengalami banyak kesulitan, Erin sama sekali tidak berniat untuk menyerah. Ia ingin terus memperjuangkan Poppenkast beserta seluruh staf yang sudah amat setia bekerja keras. Akan tetapi tindakannya tersebut menimbulkan pertengkaran antara Erin dan kekasihnya, Robert - yang menganggap bahwa usaha Erin sia-sia. Keterpurukan Erin menemui titik terang saat ia melihat seorang lelaki dewasa datang untuk menonton di Poppenkast - sesuatu yang sudah lama tidak dilihatnya. Lelaki misterius bernama Awan itu membawa perubahan bagi Erin dan Teater Boneka Poppenkast.

Book Haul: April 2014

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It's time for another book-haul! Starting from now, I will separate my book-haul post and the monthly greeting post (which will become a monthly wrap-up that I will post at the end of the month) - so this post will only focus on the new books that I got this month (if there is any - but I think a month never goes by without a new book). In this book-haul post, I will post pictures of the book cover and also the synopsis of the book - and of course the reason why and how I got the book. Hopefully this new format will be constantly posted each month; and now let's see the new books I've got in April.

Book Review: Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup

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BOOK review

Started on: 17.April.2014
Finished on: 21.April.2014

Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup

Title : Twelve Years a Slave
Author : Solomon Northup

Publisher : Dover Publications / Hesperus Press
Pages : 325 Pages (e-book) / 208 Pages
Year of Publication : 2012

Price : $ 9.81 (www.bookdepository.com/)

Rating: 3/5
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"Let not those who have never been placed in like circumstances, judge me harshly. Until they have been chained and beaten - until they find themselves in the situation I was, borne away from home and family towards a land of bondage - let them refrain from saying what they would not do for liberty."

12 Years a Slave is an autobiography/memoir written by Solomon Northup about the times when freedom was taken away from him and he was turned into a slave. Solomon Northup is a freeman who lives in Saratoga, New York, with his wife and children. He's a skilled carpenter and violinist; so when one day two men offered him a high-wage job as a musician for a traveling circus, Northup doesn't hesitate and quickly agreed to it - without informing his wife who was away for work. He traveled with the two men, Brown and Hamilton. But then Northup started feeling really sick until he fell unconscious. Unfortunately, when he's awake, he found out that he was drugged and chained in the cell of a slave pen.

Movie Adaptation Review: Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

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 MOVIE ADAPTATION of Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters read my short review on The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #2) by Rick Riordan  

This has been on my Coming Soon list for the longest time, and I know this movie is not the trend anymore; but it has been really difficult for me to make time to watch this movie. So now I am determined to finally make this post. Percy Jackson and the Olympians series is one of my favorite series that I read back in 2010 (before this blog existed) - and I have to honestly say my memory about this series is vague. Which is why I probably won't compare the movie to the book too much. And even though I know this post is sooo late, here's a non-spoiling, just-an-opinion review by me about the movie adaptation for Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters.

How I Rate the Books I Read by Bookie-Looker

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Setelah tahun lalu menulis tentang "How I Write My Book Reviews", aku terinspirasi untuk menuliskan berbagai macam How-to yang berhubungan dengan buku dan juga book-blogging. Sesuai judulnya, kali ini aku akan menuliskan tentang "How I Rate the Books I Read". Setiap orang tentunya mempunyai cara dan standar yang berbeda-beda dalam memberikan rating buku bacaan mereka. Dan saat pertama kali masuk ke goodreads, beberapa orang pernah komentar tentang rata-rata rating-ku yang cukup tinggi. Oleh karena itu, dalam post ini aku akan menjelaskan apa saja yang menjadi pertimbanganku dalam memberikan rating untuk sebuah buku :))

Book Review: God is Not Mad at You by Joyce Meyer

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BOOK review

Started on: 13.April.2014
Finished on: 16.April.2014

God is Not Mad at You by Joyce Meyer

Title : God is Not Mad at You
Author : Joyce Meyer

Publisher : Faith Words
Pages : 239 Pages
Year of Publication : 2013

Price : $ 10.54 (www.bookdepository.com/)

Rating: 5/5
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You may think, "There is absolutely no reason for God to love me," and you are absolutely right. But God does love you. He chooses to do so, and because He is God, He has every right to do so.... God loves us because He wants to, not because we deserve it.

God is Not Mad at You is a book written by Joyce Meyer who is a Charismatic Christian author and speaker; and it discusses about our fear of God based on Christian teachings. This book explains why we should fear God, but not be afraid of Him. And the book also discusses the reasons why most of the time we are afraid of God being mad at us. The title itself is very encouraging and it calms my heart, knowing that God is not mad at me. There are 20 chapters in total, and I will briefly describe the contents (with tons of quotes!) for you to have a better idea about this this book ;)

The Book Depository Online Bookstore Review

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  { http://bookdepository.com/ }  

After reviewing two online bookstores last year (Periplus and Opentrolley), now I am back with one of my most favorite online bookstores ever: The Book Depository! I wrote my review in Indonesian last year - because those two are based in Indonesia; but this time I'm writing the post in English (and I think those who will be interested in this post are also interested in English books, so I hope you don't mind ;)). The Book Depository (TBD) is UK's largest dedicated online bookseller that started back in 2004, and the best thing about TBD is: free shipping worldwide! I have made so many purchases in TBD, and so far I am always satisfied. For those of you who loves buying English books, TBD can be an alternative for you. So here's my review on my shopping experience at The Book Depository.

If I Stay: Official Trailer

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"Sometimes you make choices in life and sometimes choices make you."

Oh the FEELS! I didn't know 'If I Stay' trailer released yesterday; but thanks to Tumblr I know now! I am so anticipating this movie adaptation because If I Stay is one of my most favorite YA book ever! It is full of heartwarming scenes and I'm pretty sure I will get emotional when I watch the movie - just like I did with the book. The trailer is two-and-a-half minutes long, so it shows quite a lot of highlights in the movie. One thing I'm a bit disappointed about though: Adam! Jamie Blackley is definitely not the Adam I imagined as I read the book :'(( He better deliver Adam's character perfectly in the movie, or I will rant in my movie adaptation review. So without further delay, here is the trailer - for those who haven't seen it ;)

Top 5 Wednesday: Top Siblings

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image source: here. edited by me.

I was quite hesitant about this week's Top 5 Wednesday, because I find it difficult for me to make a choice. Not because I had too many choices (like the Top Quotes), but rather I don't have that much choices in mind. This week's topic is to choose the Top 5 Siblings - in the fictional literary world, I think. So I started browsing through my mind, and it seems like most of the books that I read doesn't include much significant siblings in the story. But I have promised myself to keep joining this tag, so that I can keep the blog updated when I haven't finish my book reviews. So here goes my best try in choosing my favorite literary siblings :))

Book Review: Wishing Her to Die by Jung Soo Hyun

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BOOK review

Started on: 8.April.2014
Finished on: 12.April.2014

Wishing Her to Die by Jung Soo Hyun

Judul Buku : Wishing Her to Die (그녀가 죽길 ,바라다)

Penulis : Jung Soo Hyun (정수현)

Penerbit : Penerbit Haru

Tebal : 408 Halaman
Tahun Terbit: 2014

Harga: Rp 56,950 (http://www.pengenbuku.net/)

Rating: 5/5
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"Di dunia ini, hanya ada satu orang yang memercayai ucapannya. Ironisnya, orang itu adalah orang yang bersangkutan dengan situasi ini, juga satu-satunya orang yang bisa mengungkapkan situasi ini. Namun, ia juga musuh yang harus saling membunuh dengannya agar bisa tetap hidup. Orang itu adalah Min-ah."

Yoon Jae-hee merasa terpuruk saat ia ditolak dari sebuah audisi, karena ia sangat ingin menjadi artis musikal. Jae-hee memiliki suara yang kuat dan jernih, namun sayangnya penampilannya di bawah standar. Di hari itu pula, ia mengalami kecelekaan saat berusaha menyelamatkan seorang anak. Ketika tubuhnya dalam keadaan koma, jiwa Jae-hee yang masih sadar mendengar sebuah Suara yang misterius. Suara itu mengatakan jika Jae-hee ingin hidup kembali, ia harus masuk ke tubuh orang lain dan kembali ke tubuhnya tepat jam 12 malam. Saat itulah ia melihat gadis yang sedang memarahi seorang wanita tua dan Jae-hee memutuskan untuk memasuki tubuh gadis itu. Sejak hari itu, Jae-hee menjalani kehidupan Lee Min-ah, pengacara terkenal yang cantik dan kaya dengan kehidupan sempurna.

✮ Giveaway Hop BBI 2014 Winner(s) & Happy 3rd Anniversary BBI ! ✮

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image source: here. edited by me.

Happy Anniversary Blogger Buku Indonesia!

Sudah lebih dari 2 tahun aku menjadi member BBI (Blogger Buku Indonesia), dan lewat komunitas ini aku mendapat banyak teman sekaligus pengalaman yang baru. Saat ini BBI sudah punya kepanitian dengan berbagai divisi yang terus mengembangkan komunitas ini agar menjadi lebih baik; dan aku sangat senang dengan banyaknya acara yang diadakan (meskipun aku tidak sempat untuk mengikuti semuanya). Semoga di tahun-tahun selanjutnya, BBI semakin dikenal sebagai komunitas membaca yang bisa bermanfaat bagi banyak orang dan juga memperkenalkan mereka pada dunia membaca yang menyenangkan ( ' 3 ')~♥

Selain itu, hari ini adalah hari pengumuman pemenang Giveaway Hop BBI 2014 yang diadakan di blog ini. Sebelumnya, aku mengucapkan terima kasih sekali lagi kepada semua yang telah ikut dan meramaikan Giveaway Hop ini. Aku juga menampung semua komentar yang memberikan saran untuk posting non-review di blog ini, dan berencana untuk membuat beberapa post yang sudah disarankan (list-nya ada di akhir post ini) ;) Dann, berikut adalah pemenangnya~

Book Review: The After-Dinner Mysteries by Higashigawa Tokuya

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BOOK review

Started on: 4.April.2014
Finished on: 7.April.2014

The After-Dinner Mysteries (Nazotoki Wa Dinā No Ato De, #1) by Tokuya Higashigawa

Judul Buku : The After-Dinner Mysteries

Penulis : Higashigawa Tokuya

Penerbit : Penerbit Haru

Tebal : 291 Halaman
Tahun Terbit: 2014

Harga: Rp 50,150 (http://www.pengenbuku.net/)

Rating: 4/5
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Hosho Reiko adalah seorang polisi detektif yang bertugas di kantor Kepolisian Kunitachi dan bekerja di bawah Komandan Kazamatsuri - yang kemampuan menyelidikinya patut dipertanyakan. Komandan Kazamatsuri adalah putra dari pemilik perusahaan pembuat mobil terkenal, Kazamatsuri Motors; ia selalu membawa mobil Jaguar silver-nya ke TKP dan selalu membuat analisa yang sebenarnya tidak perlu dipertanyakan lagi kebenarannya. Sedangkan Hosho Reiko sendiri adalah putri tunggal pemilik Grup Perusahaan Hosho yang kaya raya, namun ia menutupi identitasnya tersebut selama ia bekerja sebagai polisi detektif. Tak jarang ia mengalami kesulitan saat berhadapan dengan kasus yang rumit. Hosho Reiko selalu menceritakan kasus-kasus tersebut kepada pelayannya, Kageyama - dan tanpa ia ketahui, Kageyama ternyata memiliki kemampuan analisa yang luar biasa.

Top 5 Wednesday: Top Quotes

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image source: here. edited by me.

We're in the second week of April, and it's time for another Top 5 Wednesday! This week, the topic is to choose Top 5 Quotes. I have to admit it's a very tough topic for me, not because I don't have any to list, but because there's too many I want to put on this list - not just five. Some of you can probably tell from my book reviews that I absolutely love good quotes that delivers emotions and deep meaning. To limit my choices, I will choose quotes from the books I read in late 2013 - 2014. So here are my list of favorite quotes, in no particular order - because I love them all! ♥ (Oh, I made a list of Top Five Most Memorable Quotes for last year's Book Kaleidoscope; you can also check that out because I made different choices this time ;))

Book Review: You're Only Human by The Gecko

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BOOK review

Started on: 3.April.2014
Finished on: 3.April.2014

You're Only Human by The Gecko

Title : You're Only Human: A Guide to Life
Author : The Gecko

Publisher : Workman Publishing
Pages : 176 Pages
Year of Publication : 2013

Price : $ 12.69 (www.bookdepository.com/)

Rating: 3/5
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I think this is the first time I'm reviewing an illustrated book with only a little bit of text like this one. It was quite an impulsive buy, as I've said in my March post, but I had fun reading it. Before getting into the review itself, let's talk about The Gecko. The Gecko is a mascot for GEICO, an insurance company, and turns out to be very popular in commercials (although I didn't know this before I searched in Google, because I never watch TV - and I think The Gecko wouldn't appear in my country's advertisements). Anyway, this book is filled with wisdom and guide to life by Gecko. And this book is actually quite difficult to review for me; but I'll try my best by showing you some of the interesting things I found in this book ;))

Book Review: Scarlet Preludium by Silvia Arnie

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BOOK review

Started on: 1.April.2014
Finished on: 3.April.2014

Scarlet Preludium by Silvia Arnie

Judul Buku : Scarlet Preludium

Penulis : Silvia Arnie

Penerbit : Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Tebal : 296 Halaman
Tahun Terbit: 2014

Harga: Rp 44,200 (http://www.pengenbuku.net/)

Rating: 3/5
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"Aku tak pernah berpikir aku akan sanggup melalui ini, aku sudah tidak pulang berhari-hari. Aku bahkan rela membunuh untuk mendapatkan obat laknat itu. Tapi kini semua berubah, aku harus sembuh. Aku harus bersih. Aku ingin hidup normal lagi."

Kehidupan Scarlet sudah hancur berantakan, dan meskipun ia berusaha keras untuk membenahinya, masalah terus datang bertubi-tubi. Ia bekerja sebagai seorang kolumnis yang memberikan saran kepada para pembaca mengenai masalah mereka (meskipun ironisnya, kehidupan Scarlet sendiri tidak bisa dikatakan luar biasa baik) dan juga menjadi seorang pianis di sebuah lounge. Sepulang kerja dari lounge, ia menemukan mobilnya dalam keadaan menyedihkan - kaca pecah, wiper patah, hingga bumper yang terlepas dari tempatnya. Ternyata kesialan tersebut berawal dari sebuah kesalahpahaman, menyangkut seorang lelaki bernama Devon - penyanyi dari band yang juga tampil di lounge. Hari itu adalah awal mula segalanya; perubahan dalam hidup Scarlet yang telah hampa setelah bertahun-tahun lamanya.

Book Review: The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

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BOOK review

Started on: 26.March.2014
Finished on: 31.March.2014

The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

Title : The Longest Ride
Author : Nicholas Sparks

Publisher : Grand Central Publishing
Pages : 398 Pages
Year of Publication : 2013

Price : $ 16.03 (www.bookdepository.com)

Rating: 4/5
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"Sophia reflected that spending time with Luke not only was easy, but felt indefinably right. With him, she could be herself; it felt as though she could say anything to him and that he would intuitively understand. With their bodies nestled close, she felt a sense of wonder at how effortlessly they seemed to fit together."

The story begins with a ninety-one year old man, Ira Levinson, who just got into an accident and is stuck inside his car under heavy-snow. While he was struggling to stay alive, he suddenly saw his wife, Ruth, who has passed away, sitting on the passenger's seat. Ruth started talking to Ira about the memories of their lives to keep him from giving up. On the other hand, four months before the accident happened, a girl named Sophia Danko visited a local bull-riding event to recover from her recent breakup with Brian - who cheated on her several times. When Brian found her, a cowboy called Luke Collins came to her rescue. It turns out he was the winner of the bull-riding, and that night was the beginning of their relationship.

Top 5 Wednesday: Top Genres

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image source: here. edited by me.

Hello, there! I recently joined the Top 5 Wednesday group on Goodreads, and so hopefully this will be a monthly post that you will get to see on this blog every Wednesday. The first topic for April is Top Genres. This is actually quite tough because I have very little understanding about genres and their differences. I basically divide books into two kinds: fiction and non-fiction. So I had to ask Google about it to help me make this post. And finally, here are my choice of Top 5 Genres (in no particular order).