March-April-May '14 Book Haul!

YEP! YEP! I'M SO HAPPEEEEEH! Because, if you haven't notice, I have a new blog header there! Maybe I'll touch it up again, or maybe not. I don't know. I'm just glad to give this blog something fresh.

Guys, sorry I sum the three months book haul into one post. But really, If I remember it correctly, I didn't buy any book in March (YAY!)... but I'm not sure though (BOO~). Last March has been a lazy-updating-blog month for me, and my March TBR also failed completely. Fat chance you'll never see my TBR post again in the future, but you'll never know with me. I guess, I started buying books again in April and I decided to post the book haul in this May, because I really didn't have extra time last month.

I'm just going to say this upfront, my inner Voldemort is EXTREMELY SATISFIED by this book haul!

I crossed SO many books in my wish list!

The Transcriptionist - Amy Rowland [DNF!]

Rowland, Amy. 2014. The Transcriptionist. North Carolina: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.

Rating no star whatsoever!

(not going to review this in Indonesian, 'cause who cares anyway?)

I received this via NetGalley, but I wish I didn’t.

I don’t want to sound like an ungrateful douchebag because, well, I did requested it in the first place, and I didn’t finish reading it. Seriously, I had tried really hard to, at least, finish it. I even didn’t expect to be able enjoying the story anymore, I JUST WANTED TO FINISH IT.

Just now, I peeked reviews of this book in Goodreads... and shocked. I saw MANY glowing reviews about The Transcriptionist. Almost all the people that have read this, praise it. And now I get hesitated about my own brain capacity. The thing is, this book is constructed by supposedly ‘smart’ and ‘deep’ words and lines, and the author inserts some supposedly interesting facts and details (that BORED ME TO HELL). I felt the author just tries too hard to impress, really. And to be honest,

Tabula Rasa - Kristen Lippert-Martin

Lippert-Martin, Kristen. 2014. Tabula Rasa. New York: Egmont USA.

Rating 3,5 bintang
(review in English, click here)

Saya menerima buku ini melalui NetGalley, buku ini direncanakan akan terbit pada September 2014.

Pertama saya lihat buku ini di rak buku salah satu teman di Goodreads. Sampulnya keren, dan saya tertarik sekali setelah baca ringkasan bukunya. Katanya ini layaknya The Bourne Identity ketemu Divergent. Saya sih belum baca Divergent, tapi dinilai dari popularitasnya yang tinggi, kayaknya itu novel boleh juga. Dan tentu saja, saya penggemar berat The Bourne Identity, maka saya pun makin penasaran jadinya. Terus ternyata ini tentang perempuan yang semacam hilang ingatan begitu (selera saya banget, cuy). Kesimpulannya:

MAU MAU MAU! Kasiin ke gueee!

Dan saya coba minta ARC-nya (advance reader copy) ke NetGalley, walaupun penerbitnya bilang mereka cuma mengutamakan permintaan pembaca dari Amerika Serikat dan Kanada, saya tetap saja mengajukan permintaan ARC-nya, saya sudah kepingin banget! Dan saya pun dikasih ARC-nya. Reaksi saya:

Tabula Rasa - Kristen Lippert-Martin

Lippert-Martin, Kristen. 2014. Tabula Rasa. New York: Egmont USA.

Rating 3,5 stars
(review in Indonesian, click here)

I received this book via NetGalley, it is expected to be published in September 2014.

I first noticed about this book when I saw it in a shelf of a Goodreads fellow. The cover looks cool, and I became very interested when I read the blurb. It says, this book is The Bourne Identity meets Divergent. Well, I haven’t read Divergent yet, but judging from the hype so far, looks like it’s a pretty decent read. And of course, I was AND am a huge fan of The Bourne series, so I was instantly curious about this one. Further reading the blurb, this book is about a girl who lost her memories (my favorite kind of story!). In a nutshell:

Gimme da book! Me WANT!

So, I requested its ARC (advance reader copy) via NetGalley. Although the publisher notes that they are preferred members from US and Canada only, I couldn’t help but just tried my luck, I was really eager to be able reading this! Then, I got the book and I totally did this,

Quote #9

Sila ke-6: Kreatif Sampai Mati - Wahyu Aditya

Aditya, Wahyu. 2013. Sila ke-6: Kreatif Sampai Mati. Yogyakarta: Penerbit Bentang.

Rating 5 bintang
(review in English, click here)

Saya adalah pembaca buku sejak saya bisa mengingat. Bahkan ada foto saya saat masih berumur sekitar 2 tahun, sedang duduk membaca buku, walaupun bukunya terbalik, tapi itu tetap petunjuk awal kan kalau saya bakal jadi kutu buku ke depannya? Saya rasa, adalah hal yang otomatis saat seorang kutu buku juga pada akhirnya ingin menulis buku. Saya pun begitu, tapi belum kesampaian. Dari saya SD, saya sering bikin cerita-cerita pendek yang kebanyakan enggak ber-ending, puisi-puisi garing, bahkan sampai skrip drama ngaco. Hampir semuanya tidak pernah dilihat mata lain selain mata saya. Beranjak dewasa, saya semakin tidak produktif untuk ‘berkarya’, walaupun keinginan untuk menulis cerita sendiri selalu ada, sampai sekarang. Seringnya, saya punya ketakutan-ketakutan yang membuat saya mengurungkan niat untuk menulis cerita sendiri, yang pada akhirnya menjadi alasan untuk tidak melakukannya sama sekali. Kemudian buku ini datang menampar saya dengan kata-kata lugas dan simpelnya.

Rasa takut adalah musuh besar dari kreativitas.

Tidak benar-benar terasa seperti ditampar sih, soalnya ini buku lucu banget. Dibawakan dengan santai sesantai-santainya oleh Wahyu Aditya alias Wadit, penulisnya. Banyak saran Wadit yang, walaupun bukan hal baru, tetap terasa segar dan cara penyampaiannya benar-benar baik.

Sila ke-6: Kreatif Sampai Mati - Wahyu Aditya

Aditya, Wahyu. 2013. Sila ke-6: Kreatif Sampai Mati. Yogyakarta: Penerbit Bentang.

Rating 5 stars
(review in Indonesian, click here)

I read since I can remember things. In fact, I have this photo of maybe 2-year old me, was sitting and reading a book, an upside-down book, but still, it’s like a sign that I will become a booknerd, right? I guess, booknerds always end up on wanting to write their own books. I do want to write my own book too, someday. In my elementary days, I used to write a bunch of short stories with no endings, a bundle of corny poems, and even some messy drama scripts. Almost all of them are never to be seen by other people’s eyes but mine. As I grew up, I became less and less productive in creating my ‘work’, although I always have it in my mind to write my own book, up until now. I have these fears and insecurities that make me hesitate and stop me from writing my own book. Then, this book came and slapped me with its to-the-point and simple words.

Fear is the biggest opponent of creativity.

Well, not really ‘slapped’, because this book is so so very very funny, I mean it in a kind way. The author, Wahyu Aditya a.k.a Wadit, delivers all his ideas in a hilarious informal way. There are lots of Wadit’s tips, although not earthshakingly new, still feel fresh and are told really well.

Menanti Cinta – Adam Aksara [DNF... kind of]

NOTE: Dearest readers, I’m not going to review this in English. No more people should care about this book. You're missing nothing.

Aksara, Adam. 2014. Menanti Cinta. Malang: Mozaik Indie Publisher.

Rating 1 bintang

Saya mendapat buku ini dari penerbitnya, jika kalian tertarik bisa beli di sini.

Setelah buku DNF pertama saya di blog ini, saya enggak menyangka bakal secepat ini ketemu buku DNF lagi, ada satu buku lagi sih bahkan tapi saya masih belum memutuskan akan menulis ulasannya atau tidak untuk yang itu. Uuugh saya enggak suka baca buku enggak sampai selesai, tapi seriusan deh, saya. Enggak. Sanggup. Baca. Habis. Buku. Ini. Dan kalau saya diminta berusaha sekali lagi untuk menyelesaikan buku ini...

Dan saya merasa enggak enak hati, kan saya dapat bukunya gratis.... Hei kamu, Adam Aksara, JANGAN baca ulasan ini. Enggak perlu marah atau sakit hati yah. Tidak, saya mungkin tidak akan memaki-maki. Mungkin tidak juga berkata kasar. Saya cuma akan ngomong apa adanya.