Book Kaleidoscope 2012: Top Five Most Favorite Books

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image source: here. edited by me.

Well, this is the last and - probably - the most important part of 2012 Book Kaleidoscope: Top 5 Most Favorite Books of the year! Great characters can be one thing, and so does great covers; but great books which will become my favorites should have an amazing storyline and is written beautifully by the author. After quickly scanning my reads this year, it seems that I've given plenty of 5 stars rating - which also means there are a lot of good books to be nominated. So I'm choosing 5 Indonesian books as well as 5 English books! Yay! Here goes the list :))

*drumrolls*

5. Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
& Revelation (Ther Melian, #1) by Shienny M.S.

The number 5 position goes to my favorite romance-author: Nicholas Sparks and my favorite local fantasy story: Ther Melian series. The two books are kind of the opposite for me; Nicholas Sparks is one of my favorite authors which I've read all of his works and loved; while on the other side, it's my first time reading a local fantasy novel, written by my lecturer, and it turns out I loved it! Safe Haven is written Nicholas-Sparks-style; the romance feels natural and the characters are lovable - which makes the book easy to enjoy for me. Ther Melian is an adventure-fantasy story that takes me on an exciting journey along with the main characters; such a page-turner, I can't stop reading! :D

4. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
& Sunshine Becomes You by Ilana Tan

Number 4 position probably have something common: tear-jerking story. Books that succeeded in making me emotional have always got a special space in my heart; because it means the story is very well-written. Ilana Tan is also one of my favorite Indonesian authors; as for Gayle Forman, If I Stay was the first work I read and it leaves a good impression. The second book of If I Stay, titled Where She Went, is also a good one and not disappointing at all. I'm so looking forward to Ilana Tan's next book - as well as Gayle Forman's; hopefully it won't be as sad as these ones. :'(

3. The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1) by J.R.R. Tolkien
& Rembulan Tenggelam di Wajahmu by Tere Liye

This year I got a taste of Tolkien's work, and it was AH-MA-ZING. I read The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, and The Two Towers this year; and I was super wowed by his work, no wonder there are so many people admiring his creation. And so I'm putting the first installment of The Lord of the Rings trilogy in number 3 spot! :) As for Rembulan Tenggelam di Wajahmu, written by one of my most favorite Indonesian writers - Tere Liye - is the kind of book that teaches me a lot about life. The feeling of this book is a bit similar to Mitch Albom's, I guess that's why I thoroughly enjoyed it because there are so many life lessons learned through the story.

2. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
& Negeri Para Bedebah by Tere Liye

Number 2 position is not so much different from number 1, for me personally - because I love these books as much! Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is one of the most amazing book I've read this year - with a lot of uniqueness inside it and a very heart-warming story as well. While Negeri Para Bedebah is more dark, full of conflicts and betrayal - an intense story with amazing plot that suits my liking. Actually I wanted to put these 2 books in the number 1 position as well; but I guess I can't - so I forced myself. Anyway, these are awesome books!

1. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
& 2 by Donny Dhirgantoro

These two books will probably stay in my memory forever (or at least maybe until next year :P) ! Both has left great impression in me with the amazing characters in it: Christopher and Gusni. The two main characters of the book both have flaws - Christopher, a boy with Asperger's Syndrome, Gusni, the girl who grows fatter as days goes by. But I guess they have succeeded in making an interesting story because of those flaws. I am so amazed by Christopher's mind, as well as Gusni's determination to reach her dreams despite her weakness and disadvantages. Through these characters - and their stories - I learned so many things; and because of that they're both in number 1 spot :)

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"For those who wants to know more about the books that I choose as my favorite books this year, I provided the link to my book reviews on each of the book titles. Click away, I hope you're interested in reading the books that I enjoyed the most this year. Happy new year, and happy holidays!"
 

by.stefaniesugia♥ .