Book Haul 30/4/2013

Pengakuan dosa lagi. Hari ini iman goyah gara-gara Periplus PIM menggelar diskon up to 50% (grrrr…). Siapa yang nggak ngiler beli buku seharga 12 ribuan?
Itu pun udah dipilah-pilah dan dengan sangat terpaksa tidak bisa membeli semua buku incaran mengingat ketatnya dompet.

Kebanyakan buku yang dibeli genre-nya paranormal romance/fantasy. Beberapa memang udah diincar/koleksi karena series.

Point: -16

List of books bought at Periplus PIM:

1. The Vampire Diaries: The Hunters Vol.1: Phantom – created by L.J. Smith (14rb)
2. James and the Giant Peach – Roald Dahl (41rb)
3. Crimes by Moonlight: Mysteries from the Dark Side – Charlaine Harris, etc (15rb)
4. Red Glove – Holly Black (24rb)
5. Art Geeks and Prom Queens – Alyson Noel (12rb)
6. Heresy – S.J. Parris (12rb)
7. How To Train Your Dragon Book 7: How To Ride a Dragon’s Storm – Cressida Cowell (9rb)
8. Vampire Academy: a Graphic Novel – Richelle Mead (19rb)
9. Tiger’s Quest – Colleen Houck (24rb)
10.Eternal: More Love Stories with Bite – P.C. Cast, etc. (14rb)

Total pembelanjaan untuk 10 buku = 184rb. Lumayan ya?!

Share juga dosa-dosamu ya 🙂

Pic credit here

[Book Review] White Lies by Riz Amelia @elfbooks

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Clara dan Elaine Fawne, saudara kembar yang terpisah karena perceraian orangtua mereka. Walau berjarak jutaan mil, hubungan keduanya tidak pernah putus. Hingga akhirnya Clara memilih untuk pergi dari Jepang dan menyusul Elaine di Manhattan.

Segalanya berjalan dengan sangat baik.

Namun ketika tanpa sengaja Elaine bertemu Keane Ackley, siapa sangka pertemuan itu justru menjadi awal masalahnya dengan Clara. Kemudian, perlahan kisah kelam saudara kembar itu terungkap.

Pahitnya sebuah kejujuran akan jauh lebih baik daripada manisnya kebohongan yang mengatasnamakan kebaikan. Karena percayalah, ketika kebohongan itu terungkap, semua akan tersakiti.

 

Clara dan Elaine adalah saudara kembar yang terpisah sejak lama. Elaine ikut dengan ayahnya, Nicolas Fawne, sedangkan Clara ikut ibunya, Mrs. Inoue.
Mereka bertemu di New York, dan pertemuan dengan Keane Ackley, penyanyi idola remaja, membuat mereka terlibat cinta segitiga.
Selain drama percintaan dengan Keane, Claire dan Elaine terlibat masalah keluarga yang cukup pelik, melibatkan masa lalu yang gelap. Semuanya seperti benang kusut yang memberi efek domino. Kematian Ray, si kakak tiri, menguak tabir masa lalu yang dikubur rapat.
Gue nggak akan kasih spoiler ya. Yang jelas, novel ini penuh kejutan.

Untuk penokohan, gue suka dengan Elaine yang cenderung ekspresif dan apa adanya. Clara terlalu banyak menyimpan rahasia dan terkesan egois (ini diakui oleh si tokoh sendiri). Elaine itu tipe what you see is what you get, if you don’t like me, it’s youe problem. Agak mirip dengan gue sih, walau gue nggak seekspresif Elaine.
Sedangkan tokoh Kris, gue masih agak bingung sebenarnya dia itu suka dengan siapa. Kemunculannya sering membuat gue bertanya. Kris seperti terlalu hati-hati (atau ragu-ragu) dalam bertindak.
Tokoh Mrs. Inoue digambarkan seperti ibu Dao Ming Si dalam serial Meteor Garden, perempuan tegas, ambisius, dan otoriter.

Sebenarnya gue mengharapkan Riz mengeksplorasi New York dengan segala kegemerlapannya, tapi gue malah merasa settingnya masih di Korea. Seperti kedai minum dan fans yang bergerombol di luar kantor management Keane. Kurang terasa New York-nya.

Overall, novel White Lies mampu membuat gue berkhayal tentang dunia teen idol di Amerika. Kalau kamu suka bacaan romance ringan yang disisipi drama keluarga, buku ini recommended.

 

Lust & Coffee berkesempatan untuk mewawancarai Riz Amelia. Novel White Lies merupakan novel debutnya yang diterbitkan oleh Elf Books.
Penggemar J.K. Rowling dan Cassandra Clare ini sudah menekuni dunia tulis menulis sejak duduk di bangku sekolah dasar. Riz juga sedang mengerjakan proyek selanjutnya yang akan diterbitkan oleh Eld Books.

1. Bisa diceritakan bagaimana proses kreatif “White Lies”?
White Lies itu aku tulis sejak September 2011, awalnya White Lies itu adalah sebuah fanfiction (cerita yang dibuat berdasarkan tokoh/karakter artis). Proses pengerjaannya memakan waktu sekitar enam bulan (lama sekali XD), dan aku post di blog pribadi aku. Awalnya gak ada niatan untuk menjadikan fanfiction ini sebuah novel, tapi antusias pembaca serta comment yang aku dapat di blog, membuat aku yakin naskah ini masih bisa dirombak dan layak untuk terbit. Setting yang kupakai awalnya itu Korea, aku coba kirimkan ke Elfbooks sekitar bulan Juli 2012, tentu saja sudah melalui proses self-editing dan membuang bagian yang gak perlu. Dan taraaaa tiba-tiba dapat telepon dari Kak Delia sekitar bulan September, yang merupakan CEO Elfbooks bahwa naskahku berhasil lolos. Dengan catatan : Karena banyak sekali novel bersetting Korea yang sedang menjamur, setting harus diganti. Karena ini novel pertama, tentu aku setuju dan mulailah proses revisi, dan terbitlah White Lies di bulan Desember 2012 dengan setting baru yaitu Manhattan.

2. Adakah sosok nyata yang menginspirasi tokoh Clara, Eliaine, dan Keane?
Untuk Clara dan Elaine itu sendiri hampir semuanya imajinasi aku, tapi ada satu sifat Clara yang aku ambil dari diri aku sendiri, yaitu sifat cueknya. Sedangkan tokoh Keane ini terinspirasi dari sosok Changmin TVXQ, salah satu member grup idola di Korea Selatan.

3. Kenapa memilih setting New York? Punya memori khusus dengan kota NY?
Saat revisi penggantian setting, sempat bingung pilih Negara mana atau kota mana untuk menggantikan Seoul ini. Ada teman yang ngusulin sebaiknya pake setting Amerika, dan rubah sedikit latar belakang Fawne Sister ini. Dimulailah pencarian kota-kota yang bagus, dan langsung suka sama Kota Manhattan (Thanks to google!). Memori khusus gak ada, karena saya juga belum pernah ke sana.

4. Apa kegiatan favorit Riz selain membaca dan menulis?
Aku suka banget nonton film. Setiap hari sabtu selalu sempatin diri ke bioskop untuk nonton film yang punya genre suspense-romance, action, animation, adventure dan fantasy. Untuk film yang genrenya drama romance, entah kenapa aku kurang suka.

5. Jika Riz terdampar di pulau terpencil (makanan, tempat tinggal dan aie minum sudah tersedia), benda apa yang akan kamu bawa?
Laptop, kertas, pulpen, pensil, sketchbook (soalnya aku suka gambar), novel sekardus, kamera!

6. Sekarang sedang membaca buku apa?
Delirium by Lauren Oliver, recommended!

7. Siapa penulis favoritmu?
JK. Rowling, Cassandra Clare, Orizuka, Windry Ramadhina

8. Apa yang dilakukan ketika terjangkit “writer’s block”?
Baca novel sebanyak-banyaknya, nonton film, dengerin lagu, kerjain tugas kuliah -__-“

9. Apa proyek selanjutnya?
Ada dua naskah yang sedang tahap revisi, mudah-mudahan bisa terbit tahun ini. Bocoran sedikit, salah satu naskahnya bergenre action-romance.

10. Ada pesan untuk pembaca/penulis pemula?
Hemm, untuk pembaca : mari menghargai karya anak negeri! Karena seburuk, sebagus, sekeren apapun karyanya, membuat naskah itu butuh perjuangan. Kritik yang membangunlah yang membuat para penulis ini berkembang dan menghasilkan karya yang lebih baik.

Untuk penulis pemula : terus berkarya dan jangan takut atau ragu dengan karyamu. Jika naskahmu ditolak, pelajari kesalahanmu, dan perbaiki. Biasakan naskah kita didiamkan dulu setelah selesai menulis, baru dibaca ulang dan melakukan self-editing, bisa juga minta tolong sama sahabat atau kakak untuk mengomentari naskah kita. Naskah yang dikirimkan ke penerbit sebaiknya dalam keadaan yang benar-benar siap!

Terima kasih atas waktunya, Iky.

Riz Amelia bisa ditemui di:
Twitter: @ikyamelia
Facebook: Rizky Amelia Yulistianingsih
Blog: http://maximumshim.wordpress.com

Katalin Kennedy Book Tour: The Women Gather

About The Women Gather:

Nora’s mission had been demanding. She wanted to find a way for women to rediscover their true selves, denied to them throughout the centuries ‒ and to make the world a better place. When the young girl Aideen asks Tunde if she may come to Lemuria, Ontario and learn about the beginnings of the Norean Order founded in 1998, she agrees. Tunde’s preoccupation, however, is with the smooth flow of the ‘Gathering’ symposium of 2066. Women from all the Sanctuaries throughout the world are in attendance and await the momentous event: the opening of the Portal to the Outerworld. She has little time to spend with Aideen who unravels layers and layers of stories found in letters, articles, diaries, newspaper clippings and videos about the struggles and triumphs faced by Nora’s family and by the Order itself. What Aideen also detects is something she considers to be mystical ‒ that no one wants to acknowledge.

‘The Women Gather’  – by Katalin Kennedy

Excerpt:  Chapter Seven, Visit with Lin Yao

E

xcept to get from one building to the other, Aideen hadn’t spent time on the grounds of Lemuria. Of course, she knew about Lin Yao’s Woods from the DVD ‘Remembering Patia’, but how to locate specific landmarks on the property was unknown to her. Rhianna offered to be her guide. In mid-afternoon the two found themselves on the outskirts of the Woods. Aideen remarked about the feeding-stations but sadly, at this time of the day, the deer were nowhere in sight. She had so much to take in. She did not want a single experience wasted. At the same time, she did not want to lose the focus of her next mission — interviewing Lin Yao…

“I found Lemuria through your web site — with colourful origami  birds flying into a temple window enticing me to follow. I have to say I was drawn in. It has a kind of charmed energy that made me feel like I really needed to search farther and deeper into the content of the web page.” Aideen wanted to confirm what Lin Yao had just described.

“Thank you little one. You must remember though that the technology which you experienced has come a long way from the earlier version some fifty years ago. The website of 2016 is hardly what you find there today.” Lin Yao paused a moment to glance at her COM Time Indicator. “Would you look at the time. Here comes Rhianna to fetch you.” She stood up to greet her niece…

Once she got back to her room, Aideen realized that it had been a very productive day. Finding Lin Yao was like receiving a surprise gift. First, you are overwhelmed by its sheer unexpectedness. Then you have to wade through all the layers of ribbons and paper and box to finally find the gift itself. And only much later, when you can be alone to relive the moment, do you begin to appreciate the value of the gift, in its entirety — including the astonishment of it. She understood that meeting Lin Yao was not only seriously significant but also an absolute joy.

“How kind and considerate and calm and radiant she is”, Aideen recalled. “She really has a way to draw you into her world. She called the place her meditative pergola. That must be why she goes there each day — to contemplate.” Aideen’s thoughts raced quickly now as she wondered if Lin Yao had special skills which she hadn’t yet revealed. It was time though for her to meet Rhianna and Tunde for dinner, so she quickly showered under the open window of the sky-light. She was mesmerized by the fragrance of the spring foliage and chuckled at the chattering squirrel that was peeking in over head.

Tunde sat at the back of the great dining hall. She had thought of wearing her gray caftan but at the last moment she threw all caution to the wind. She played back in her mind how she had pulled out the long, silken box from under her bed, as if performing a ritual of serious consequence. She remembered how she had gently opened the box and folded back the delicate mauve tissues which covered its contents. She thought about how she had removed the treasured garment in absolute reverence and had held it up to her, caressing its soft folds against her skin. He had always known what she liked. She knew she had to wear this sea-foam blue gown with a hint of lilac, this evening. He would be pleased, Tunde thought from her vantage point.

From this back seat, she could see everyone’s comings and goings. The hum of three hundred voices speaking so many different languages drifted high above the dark wood rafters into the peaks of the white ceiling. Unlike the first evening, when each group had sat together within the comfort of their own Sanctuaries, tonight the profuse colours of gowns flowed in muted shades, fusing with each other just as the harmony of their animated voices merged while they discussed the day’s events. At the touch of Rhianna’s hand, Tunde came back from her spellbound state.

.

About Katalin Kennedy:

On Christmas Eve, 1956, Katalin (Kennedy) and her parents escaped from Hungary, their homeland. The following April, they arrived as refugees in Saint John, New Brunswick. She spent most of her adult life in Ottawa, Ontario. Katalin graduated from Carleton University and joined Health Canada. She managed major national projects as Program Consultant on Seniors’ and Women’s Issues. Katalin is involved in various community activities including writing her monthly Kindness column for Cornwall’s Seaway News. Her first novel “The Women Gather” has been published by Baico Publishing Inc. http://katalinkennedy.com https://www.facebook.com/EmesesDreamProduction

Can you share with us a little bit about your writing process?

 

Because I’ve never tackled a large piece of writing before, and because I tend to be very methodical,  once I decided on the concept of the novel, I set about writing a general story line.  A chapter by chapter sketchy outline flowed from this. You will perhaps see that there are many  symbols throughout the novel, including the time frame of the 2066  Gathering symposium.  The research was ongoing: finding the appropriate names for the characters; delving into life events that took place from the late 1990s onward;  looking for specific topics which the key note speakers would address that would also link to the future; addressing issues that had significance in other parts of the world; and finding connections that would weave through all the seemingly dis-associated happenings throughout the novel. To my utter astonishment, I continued to find in my research lovely, unexpected pieces that added to, as well as strengthened the story line.  One specific discovery was the White Stag which plays a significant role all through the novel. I knew nothing about such a wonderful beast, which in fact is a mythological creature with roots in my own Hungarian heritage. The entire writing process was uplifting.  If the truth be told, I’m not sure I wanted to come to an end. The greatest joy was my discovery that at some stage, the characters, the events, the story line itself all began to take on a life of their own. While the author does need to orchestrate these meanderings, for me this is the best gift and magic of the writing process.

Where did you get the idea for The Women Gather?

My career in the Canadian Federal Government spans a 30 year period in the social services area. As my biography indicates, I have worked with major national organizations, including seniors' and women's non government groups, academic and religious institutions, the health care field as well as others. On looking back at all my experiences, it was clear that most of my dealings involved women ‒ whose voices were generally dismissed. My last years were spent as program manager on issues concerning violence against women.  In Canada, 1989 marked a horrible tragedy. 14 young women attending the School of Engineering at École Polytechnique, University of Montreal were systematically murdered by a man who wrote in his suicide letter: "...I have decided to send the feminists, who have always ruined my life, to their Maker." 
The outcry to this horror from women's organizations who came together in a united voice, influenced government approaches to address the issue of violence against women. Ten years later, women's organizations and their voices were starting to lose momentum. Twenty years later as I was conceiving my story line, it was again getting difficult to be heard as a woman. While I continue to believe that the world needs a balance of both women's and men's voices to affect necessary change, somehow we are not taken seriously.  
I therefore started to weave my story. What if some of us who feel this way could just take the time in a sheltered environment and explore what our histories are about as to why women continue to be perceived  (sometimes even among ourselves) as not quite smart enough, not quite committed enough and not quite worthy. 
I didn't intend this novel to be 'Feminist' per se, but rather 'Utopian'.  I believe that we as women have strengths which we have barely tapped into. We have tremendous insight and are very much aware that there exists a mystical life force within us and around us. What if we consciously began to explore all these things in a sheltered setting free from other responsibilities? Wouldn't we find great truths about ourselves and our abilities and our intuitive facilities ? And if we had finally learned about and accepted all that as proof of who we really are, would we not as a group be confident enough to go back into the "Outerworld"?  Would we not then acknowledge our inherent right and stand strong as equal partners beside our male counterparts, capable to work on any and all issues, that would help lead towards world harmony? I expect there are other ways we could accomplish this, but this was the approach that my imagination chose to pursue.

What character was your favorite to write in The Women Gather?

What an impossible question? My characters started out simply by me identifying ‘meaningful’ names for them like Tunde which means ‘fairy!’  At the outset, they were pretty much just ‘cut out’ characters. They came to life very quickly to my great delight and I think became quite three dimensional. I care for most of them, including for Veryalda, in one way or another.

Initially of course Nora was the one with whom I felt comfort. She was the real life ordinary woman with whom the story began, and who became a legend. Then Tunde started to develop a personality who put a smile on my face: serious with a mission but so very nurturing toward Aideen. I rather consider her the lead character depending on my perspective.  Lin Yao gives me a sense of completeness; we get to know all about her from the time she is adopted until she is an older lady and still alive in 2066. I loved writing bits in Lin Yao’s Diary because you get to peek into her youthful naivety and her dreams. When we see her as an older woman, I think of her as how I would like to be: wise, understanding and a tad mysterious if not mystical. But, if I must choose a favourite, it would have to be Rhianna. There is such a spark in her, such gumption visible only here and there; she had a lover whom she lost through death but she chose to mark that with life course with a new beginning. Her own story is part of the mystery and the mystical.

Where is your favorite place to write?

I keep trying to find it. In the winter, I must admit it is in my tiny office and my large screen computer with a key board. My chair is right beside a window and I can look out over the roof tops and trees covered with snow. I need to be able to look away from the computer screen from time to time and connect with the world around me. I am often distracted though by my cat Oliver who plunks himself on the desk, directly in front of the screen, demanding my attention and affection. In good weather, I like to sit in a comfy wicker chair and work on my laptop in my covered porch. Although I live in a small Canadian city, on this porch it feels a little like a cottage, away from business. Oliver takes another chair and is content  to be near me. Although I do need quiet solitude when I write, Oliver’s presence connects me with something warm and comforting.

What’s a book you have read lately and loved

I am grateful to belong to a book club, because it gives me a chance to read novels I might never pick up on my own.  I have to say that one of the other reasons I joined was so that I could indirectly hone-up on my writing skills by seeing the work of other writers. One of the novels that most impressed me is “Pope Joan” by Donna Woolfolk Cross. Joan was a legendary female pope who allegedly reigned for a few years some time during the Middle Ages. The story first appeared in 13th-century chronicles, and was subsequently spread and embellished throughout Europe as well as squelched and deleted by the church. In addition to finding such a potential historic nugget which I would like to think that the Norean Order researchers in “The Women Gather” would have championed, I was also intrigued to discover that the author had quite the time to market her novel.  Something about which I am beginning to discover a thing or two.

If you could travel one place in the world, where would it be?

Assisi in Italy. I have been there twice. It emerges in the distance like a mirage, far off on a hill in the heart of Italy, in the magical region of Umbria.  A mediaeval city first Christianized in 238 AD, Assisi is an unexpected oasis. I first heard about the place in the early 70s through the glorious film called ‘Brother Sun Sister Moon’ written and directed by Franco Zeffirelli.  The place is as enchanting as the film. It is impossible to explain the feeling of utter wonderment as one walks through the up-hill climbing, narrow, meandering, ancient cobble stoned streets lined with delightful stone homes and gardens, and finally reach the piazza at the top which houses  among others the Basilica di San Fancesco. The panoramic view of the valley below is breath taking. This was the home of St. Francis who gave up his family’s wealth to found the Order of Friars Minor, or the Franciscan Monks.  (Hmmm! There must have been subliminal messages left for me to create the Norean Order.) I was pleased that the new Pope chose the name Francis.  Assisi calls me to return once more.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned about writing?

There is deep magic that steeps into the work as the characters and story line evolve and take on their own entity. But, there is also a huge sense of loneliness involved in the process. One inevitably shuts out the world and becomes immersed in the content of the work. Over arching all this is the reality that discipline and commitment are required to keep writing on a regular basis. This is a lesson I am gradually trying to grasp.

Is there something you do that keeps you balanced in your life as a writer?

When I relocated from Ottawa, the capital city of Canada, to my current home ten years ago, I needed to feel that I could recapture a sense of belonging which I had experienced previously.  As a newcomer, I joined various different groups that still hold my interest. I take classes at a local college, write a monthly column for a community newspaper Seaway News. belong to the Probus Club, and the Canadian Federation of University Women’s local chapter where I am the current president. I also enjoy the artistic community which holds various theatrical and musical performances all year round. I do think that one needs to continue to learn in one way or another, else the well runs dry. I am not sure though that my  life is all that ‘well balanced’.  I continue having to remind myself that writing is what I want to do more than all the other busy things that creep into my daily existence.

W hat is your life motto?

I once found a poem attributed to (Stephen Grellet, 1773 -1855) which continues to resonate for me:

Through this toilsome world, alas,
Once and only once I pass,
If a good deed I may do,
If a kindness I may show
To a suffering fellow man,
Let me do it while I can,
No delay for it is plain
I shall not pass this way again.

Any message for Indonesian readers?

I am an ordinary woman. I don’t have any more wisdom than others like me. I’m not an activist, just a quiet voice that sees the world around me, and hopes that humanity can evolve. Over the years, through my work I have come to better understand the struggle that we women and women’s organizations face in my country, and in other parts of the world.   The representation of women  in positions of even minimal power is atrociously low, including here in Canada. Grass roots organizations, generally comprising women’s groups, struggle to survive financially owing to economic uncertainty and government cut backs at all levels. In as much as I believe we have come a long way if we look back 70 odd years or more, we seem not to be moving forward at any appreciable pace. I wonder what the world will look like 70 years from now. I tend to think that every generation has to be educated ‒ all over again ‒ just as those of us were, who are older. Awareness raising through education is the only approach I can offer. We continue to need to learn about who we are, what we want the world to look like for the next generation and find ways that we can influence the younger ones to hopefully have enough knowledge to move towards a next step in our equality. The world of technology is at their fingertips. What an exciting brave new world. In my novel, “The Women Gather” Tunde throws the torch to young Aideen. The other side of me says, there is still a few good years left in me to get my message out. All the best to each of us, wherever we are in our life journey.

Giveaway

You can win  a copy of The Women Gather via Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the publisher’s social links:
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You can buy The Women Gather here:
Baico Publishing Inc. Contact at: baico@bellnet.ca

Chapters Indigo

[Book Review] Heart-shaped Box by Joe Hill

Title: Heart-shaped Box
Author: Joe Hill
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published Date: February 13th, 2007
Format: Ebook
Genre: Fiction; Ghost/Horror/Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Website
ISBN: 0061262854
Literary Awards: Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel (2007), Locus Award for Best First Novel (2008), Macavity Award Nominee for Best First Mystery Novel (2008), British Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Novel (2008)

Judas Coyne is a collector of the macabre: a cookbook for cannibals…a used hangman’s noose…a snuff film. An aging death-metal rock god, his taste for the unnatural is as widely known to his legions of fans as the notorious excesses of his youth. But nothing he possesses is as unlikely or as dreadful as his latest discovery, an item for sale on the Internet, a thing so terribly strange, Jude cant help but reach for his wallet.

I will “sell” my stepfather’s ghost to the highest bidder…

For a thousand dollars, Jude will become the proud owner of a dead man’s suit, said to be haunted by a restless spirit. He isn’t afraid. he has spent a lifetime coping with ghosts–of an abusive father, of the lovers he callously abandoned, of the band-mates he betrayed. What’s one more?

But what UPS delivers to his door in a black heart-shaped box is no imaginary or metaphorical ghost, no benign conversation piece. It’s the real thing.

And suddenly the suit’s previous owner is everywhere: behind the bedroom door…seated in Jude’s restored vintage Mustang…standing outside his window…staring out from his widescreen TV. Waiting–with a gleaming razor blade on a chain dangling from one bony hand…

 

Judas Coyne, an aging rock star (who’s a dead ringer to James Hatfield according to the book), is a typical dark metal star who likes to collect macabre stuff. I was thinking about Nikki Sixx who was into paganism suring his hey day and the ghosts really haunted his house.
Judas impulsively bought a suit of a dead man and the creepy things followed.
It brought him to his past, when he had a relationship with a girl he called Florida.
The suspense was intense, I was hooked. Scary? Not really. Funny thing is the ghost appeared in my dreams.
The translated version was published by Gramedia.

At first I thought it’s the novel version of Nirvana’s song “Heart-shaped Box”. I guess it’s not.
Looking forward to reading more stuff by Joe Hill.

FYI, Joe Hill is Stephen King’s son. Blood is thicker than water 🙂

Blogger Interview: Astrid Lim

Welcome to my first post of book blogger interview. Kita bakal kulik tentang preferensi bacaan book blogger kita dan gimana kebiasaan bacanya.
Rencananya gue akan melakukan wawancara dengan book blogger (baik dari Indonesia maupun luar negeri) setidaknya sebulan sekali.

Untuk interview pertama gue milih Astrid Lim yang sudah cukup lama malang-melintang di dunia book blogging. Selain itu, Astrid juga aktif sebagai salah satu pengurus BBI.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gue punya pengalaman lucu ama Astrid. Kita sebelumnya kenalan secara nggak sengaja di situs Bookmooch. Gue minta satu bukunya Clara Ng yang judulnya “Tujuh Musim Dalam Setahun” (itu buku udah langka, terima kasih Astrid :*).
Akhirnya, nggak sengaja ketemu di dunia maya. Gue juga follow blog bukunya Astrid untuk mengikuti resensi buku-buku pilihannya yang keren-keren.

10 Questions for book blogger Astrid Lim

Apa yang mendorongmu untuk ngeblog?
Kebetulan aku emang udah ngeblog sejak tahun 2003, blog personalku itu http://astridfelicia.blogspot.com. Aku suka nulis, pernah kerja di beberapa media (online dan majalah) juga, dan seneng mengekspresikan pikiranku melalui tulisan, salah satu caranya dengan ngeblog. Karena aku suka membaca buku dari kecil, di blog pribadiku itu aku suka mereview buku juga. Akhirnya, karena sering berkunjung ke beberapa blog yang khusus membahas buku (ada blog Indonesia maupun internasional), aku memutuskan untuk membuat blog baru juga, yang khusus tentang buku, yaitu Books to Share.

Selain membaca buku, apa kesibukanmu sehari-hari?
Aku masih bekerja di salah satu US scholarship foundation. Bekerja di sektor non profit memang passionku sejak lama. Di sini aku mengelola program beasiswa yang mendatangkan para volunteer atau profesor dari Amerika Serikat untuk mengajar atau meneliti di Indonesia. Sehari-hari, aku tinggal di sebuah apartemen di wilayah Jakarta Barat, bersama suami dan anakku yang berusia 3,5 tahun. Selain membaca, aku juga hobby nonton film dan traveling.

Bisa ceritakan tentang blogmu? Mengapa memilih nama “Books for Share”?
Books to Share dibentuk sekitar tahun 2009, saat aku banyak bekerja dari rumah dan sedang hamil anakku. Waktu itu aku cukup banyak waktu luang, dan aktif mengupdate blog personalku. Seperti yang tadi sudah aku ceritakan, aku juga banyak blogwalking ke blog2 buku, sehingga akhirnya terinspirasi membuat blog buku sendiri. Books to Share tercetus karena tujuanku membuat blog buku adalah untuk menshare pandangan dan opiniku tentang buku2 yang sudah kubaca. Kadang, Books to Share juga bisa diartikan secara harfiah, karena aku sesekali mengadakan giveaway yang memang tujuannya membagi2 hadiah buku pada pembaca blog setiaku.

Biasanya berapa buku yang habis dibaca dalam satu bulan?
Tergantung kesibukan dan jenis buku yang dibaca, rata-rata per bulan aku membaca 7-8 buah buku.

Punya genre favorit? Apa saja?
Yang pasti kebanyakan buku yang kubaca adalah fiksi. Aku suka novel kontemporer, juga historical fiction, mystery, dan buku2 anak/young adult. Basically aku suka hampir semua jenis genre (terutama yang punya twist ending!), tapi nggak terlalu tertarik membaca romance, cerita horror/hantu2an, dan buku2 yang terlalu kental nuansa motivasinya.

Kapan mulai tertarik membaca? Buku apa yang membuatmu jadi kecanduan baca?
Aku suka membaca dari kecil…mungkin SD kelas 1 atau 2? Karena mamaku juga suka banget membaca, begitu juga dengan kakak laki2ku, jadi aku selalu punya supply bacaan cukup di rumah. Awalnya dari buku2 anak karangan Enid Blyton (serial kumbang dan Noddy adalah salah satu yang kubaca sejak kecil), dilanjutkan Lima Sekawan, Trio Detektif, Babysitter’s Club, sampai Agatha Christie koleksi mamaku. Aku lupa kapan pertama kali jatuh cinta dengan dunia buku, karena dunia ini sudah menjadi bagian hidupku sejauh yang aku ingat sejak kecil. Trip ke toko buku selalu menjadi saat yang ditunggu2, dan biasanya mamaku membawa anak2nya jalan ke toko buku at least seminggu sekali sejak kita kecil. Aku berharap bisa menerapkan kebiasaan yang sama dengan anakku sekarang ini.

Apa pendapatmu tentang perkembangan industri perbukuan saat ini?
Wah…yang jelas jauhhhh berkembang pesat ya, dibandingkan saat aku pertama kali mengenal dunia ini lebih dari 20 tahun yang lalu (hehe, membuka topik umur nih!). Pilihan yang ada lebih beragam, dan akses kita untuk membeli buku juga sudah lebih terbuka (apalagi dengan adanya internet). Tapi kekurangannya, menurutku, terbukanya akses ini juga menambah resource untuk marketing, dan akhirnya kita sebagai pembaca harus siap dijejali oleh promosi berlebihan dan penerbit, plus banyak buku yang akhirnya jadi sangat komersil. Penerbit lebih cenderung menerbitkan buku yang memang diminati oleh pasar, ketimbang buku2 yang memang berkualitas bagus. well susah juga sih ya…karena buku tetep merupakan industri yang orientasinya profit hehehe

Kalau jalan ke toko buku atau browsing online store, banyak banget pilihan buku. Gimana cara kamu memilih buku untuk dibeli?
Aku sering banget tergoda buku karena covernya! hehehe…makanya aku masih nggak baca e-book, menurutku sensasinya beda. Aku juga sering baca review orang dulu sebelum menentukan beli buku tertentu, biasanya dari Goodreads atau blog buku termasuk punya temen2 BBI.

Apa kamu menulis review tiap selesai membaca buku? Menurutmu, apa poin penting yang harus dimasukkan dalam review?
Pinginnya sih tiap abis baca langsung nulis review, tapi kenyataannya nggak segampang itu hahaha…tapi aku masih usahain sih, setiap baca buku, direview, at least biarpun reviewnya diposting beberapa hari setelah baca. Poin penting dalam review: sedikit sinopsis, opini kita tentang buku, poin plus dan minusnya, dan apakah buku ini recommended atau engga. Dan yang penting: NO SPOILER!! 😀

Jelaskan waktu/tempat/atmosfir membaca paling ideal!
Kalau sehari-hari, aku baca buku sebelum tidur, di kamar. Tapi kalo ditanya tempat yang ideal, aku paling suka baca buku sambil tiduran di sofa gitu, sambil ngemil/minum teh, dan yang pasti suasananya harus tenang, nggak banyak orang.

Thank you so much for this fun interview, Astrid. Terus sebarkan virus membaca ya.

Untuk yang mau ngintip blog Astrid, klik aja Blognya. Siapa tahu ada resensi buku yang kamu incar 🙂

Wishful Wednesday 11: A Reading Diary

Nggak kerasa udah hari Rabu lagi dan ketemu sama Wishful Wednesday. Dalam rangka memperingati World Book Day, wishlist gue kali ini adalah buku ini:

 

While traveling in Calgary, Alberto Manguel was struck by how the novel he was reading (Goethe’s “Elective Affinities”) seemed to reflect the social chaos of the world in which he was living. An article in the daily paper would suddenly be illuminated by a passage in the novel; a long reflection would be prompted by a single word. He decided to keep a record of these moments, rereading a book each month, and forming “A Reading Diary”: a volume of notes, reflections, impressions of travel, of friends, of events public and private, all elicited by his reading. From “Don Quixote” (August) to “The Island of Dr. Moreau” (February) to “Kim” (April), Manguel leads us on an enthralling adventure in literature and life, and demonstrates how, for the passionate reader, one is utterly inextricable from the other.

Setelah membaca Tolstoy and the Purple Chair gue nagih baca buku sejenis, tentang reading journey dan bagaimana buku bisa mengubah hidup seseorang. Gue punya rencana tahun depan untuk fokus membaca selama 1 tahun tanpa gangguan apa pun (stop nulis dulu). Selain mau menghabiskan TBR pile yang menumpuk, membaca juga bisa dapat inspirasi/referensi untuk menulis.

Seperti biasa, yang mau ikut Wishful Wednesday, langsung aja klik Books to Share.

Selamat hari Rabu.

Celebrating UN’s World Book Day

Buku dan gue = tidak terpisahkan. Kemana pun gue pergi, pasti gue bawa satu buku di tas (dan ebooks di tablet). Jadi kalo lagi mati gaya, tinggal baca aja.

Gue sebenarnya baru tahu kalo hari ini adalah hari buku sedunia versi UN. Dan di twitter ada hashtag #ReadShareWrite. Gue berpartisipasi dengan memasang Twibon sebagai bentuk kecintaan gue akan buku.

Nah, tadi sempet pamer beberapa koleksi juga:

Nah, sebagian kecil dari koleksi gue kira-kira seperti itu. Dan dosa gue adalah menimbun buku tapi belum sempat dibaca semua *self toyor*. Maka dari itu gue berjanji untuk menghabiskan bacaan dulu baru beli buku lagi. Tapi, belum apa-apa udah melanggar dannggak tahan godaan beli buku diskonan.

Gue sayang banget sama buku-buku gue. Sebisa mungkin gue akan sampul plastik dan kasih label sticker, kalo gue jual/kasih ke orang, ada kenang-kenangan berupa nama gue 🙂

Apa arti World Book Day untukmu? Share ya:)

Selamat hari buku.

 

Pic credit: here

 

 

[Book Review] The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

 

Title: The Notebook
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Publisher: Warner Books
Date of Published: February 1, 2004
ISBN-10: 0446605239
Format: Ebook
Website: http://www.nicholassparks.com/books/the-notebook

 

“Somewhere,” muses Noah Calhoun, while sitting on his porch in the moonight, “there were people making love.” The Notebook, a Southern-fried story of love-lost-and-found-again, revolves around a single time-honored romantic dilemma: will beautiful Allison Nelson stay with Mr. Respectability (to whom she happens to be engaged), or will she choose Noah, the romantic rascal she left so many years ago?

I’m not a huge fan of romance novels (though I adore chicklit), but this one really got me hooked.
Ada rasa yang berbeda ketika menonton film dan membaca bukunya. Dan ada beberapa adegan yang berbeda dari buku. Gue sebenarnya suka yang seperti ini, berarti sineasnya kreatif, nggak plek-plekan nyomot adegan dari buku mentah-mentah.
Di film, adegan pertemuan Noah dan Allie disajikan secara detil, sementara di buku tidak. Tentang ayah Noah, di film juga lebih detil, di buku tidak. Kepribadian Lon di buku memang dijelaskan lebih detil, sedangkan di film hanya sekilas saja.

Kesimpulannya, buku “The Notebook” melengkapi filmnya, dan demikian sebaliknya. Tapi kalau boleh memilih, gue lebih suka filmnya dibanding bukunya. Di film, kisah cinta Noah dan Allie sweet banget, sedangkan di buku banyak dialog mendayu-dayu. Gue kurang suka sih dengan gaya mendayu-dayu.

Tapi gue nggak kapok juga sih membaca buku Nicholas Sparks, walau dia bukanlah penulis favorit gue.

Film “The Notebook” memang layak disebut sebagai salah satu film paling romantis sepanjang masa. Ryan Gossling dan Rachel McAdams mampu menghidupkan Noah dan Allie dengan sempurna.

Us Magazine’s 30 Most Romantic Movies of All Time

Book Haul 20/4/13

Belum genap seminggu, gue kembali berbuat dosa. Gara-gara ke PIM ngajak main anak, iman gue kembali digoyahkan karena tiga buku ini:

Gue pertama kali jatuh cinta dengan buku terbitan Little Black Dress berjudul My Bollywood Wedding. Novel romantic comedy a la chicklit yang penuh kekocakan. Gue penyuka genre romance model gini, bukan Harlequin, Mills & Boon, etc. Beberapa lini Harlequin yang nggak edar di sini banyak juga model chicklit kocak gini, entah kenapa nggak diterjemahkan.
Selain didiskon, gue memang berniat mengoleksi novel-novel Little Black Dress.

Point: -6

List of books bought at Periplus PIM:

1. The Final Hitch by Samantha Scott-Jeffries
2. Moon Lighting by Kate Lace
3. Unlucky in Love by Jessica Fox

Share juga dosa-dosamu ya 🙂

Pic credit here.

Book Haul 17/4/13

Dosa pertama setelah bersumpah tidak membeli buku dulu sebelum menghabiskan 5 buku dari TBR list *siap-siap dirajam massa*.

OK, ketiga buku yang gue beli tadi sore adalah memang buku-buku yang ada di wishlist gue. Setengah mati menahan napsu ingin membeli buku di Gramedia. Setelah berhasil membeli stationery saja, kaki gatel melangkah ke Periplus. Disitulah terjadi dosa maksiat yang menyebabkan gue melanggar sumpah beberapa hari lalu.

Gue paling suka Periplus karena selalu ada diskonan walau lagi nggak musim diskon. Kebetulan minggu lalu posting wishlist Beastly. Girang banget pas lihat harganya yang mursidah sangat.

Lalu ada Eclipse Official Movie Companion yang harganya jauh banget dari harga awal dijual. Sebelumnya gue juga beli New Moon Official Movie Companion di Periplus. Ternyata dikeluarin juga Eclipse-nya dari gudang. Gue masih setia menanti Breaking Dawn dan Twilight Official Movie Companion supaya koleksi gue lengkap.

Dan yang terakhir, gue bengong lihat Ring of Solomon-nya seri Bartimaeus didiskon juga. Buku 1 dan 2 seri Bartimaeus gue dapat di Periplus juga dengan harga super miring sinting deh. Sekarang tinggal nunggu Ptolemy’s Gate aja. Moga-moga Periplus ngeluarin di rak diskonan.

 

Today’s book haul from Periplus Pondok Indah Mall:

1. Eclipse: The Complete Illustrated Movie Companon (The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion #3) by Mark Cotta Vaz

2. Beastly by Alex Flinn

3. The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud

 

Share juga dosamu ya 🙂

pic credit: here.