Inferno – Dan Brown

Brown, Dan. 2013. Inferno. Yogyakarta: Penerbit Bentang.

Rating 5 stars AND BEYOND!
(review in Indonesian, click here)

Is it just me or this book really has the I'm-so-legit wave?

Why I read it in the first place?

Bhahahahhahahaha. It’s a silly question, really. So let’s not dwell too much on this. I read this book because I am obssesed on every piece of Dan Brown’s works. People who enjoy reading, who appreciate art, who adore clever and generous character, and who have curiosity toward science and religion, MUST at the very least puke rainbow on Dan Brown’s books, and this book is no exception. How so? Well, this book successfully made me reach my orgasm point, just like a total nerd when it comes to an awesome book with too much awesomeness to bare. In some point I thought my brain is exploded for consumed over dose of amazingness in this book. So, why read this book? Pfft. That’s not even a relevant question if we’re talking about Inferno here.

Inferno – Dan Brown

Brown, Dan. 2013. Inferno. Yogyakarta: Penerbit Bentang.

Rating 5 bintang ditambah semua bintang-bintang yang ada!
(review in English, click here)

Terasa enggak sih aura 'keren' dari buku ini? Hahaha.

Kenapa saya baca buku ini?

Bahahahahhaahahha. Sebenarnya ini pertanyaan konyol. Jadi mari tidak berlama-lama di bagian ini. Saya baca buku ini karena saya memang terobsesi dengan semua karya Dan Brown sejak awal. Penikmat kegiatan baca, pengapresiasi seni, penggemar tokoh cerita cerdas baik hati, dan orang yang penasaran akan ilmu pengetahuan dan ilmu agama, PASTI sedikitnya memuntahkan pelangi atas karya-karya Dan Brown, termasuk karya teranyarnya yang satu ini. Bagaimana tidak? Inilah buku yang bisa membuat saya mencapai orgasme, persis seperti anak culun garis keras ketika dihadapkan dengan buku yang terlalu menakjubkan. Rasanya otak meledak saking kagumnya. Jadi, kenapa baca buku ini? Pfft. Itu bahkan bukan pertanyaan relevan kalau Inferno yang kita bicarakan.

Emerald City and Other Stories – Jennifer Egan

Egan, Jennifer. 2012. Emerald City and Other Stories. United Kingdom: Corsair.

Rating 2 stars
(review in Indonesian, click here)

 

Don't judge a book by its cover (reminding myself).

Why I read it in the first place?

Somehow, I never too fond of short story. I don’t have a valid reason why is that, and it bothered me a little (I’m annoyingly a reasonable person). And when I stumbled on this book at Periplus, I thought I’d give it a try. One, it’s on the bargain section, means I got this book much cheaper than it should.  Two, I like the cover, it’s really pretty. Three, I didn’t buy any romance book lately and I THOUGHT it is a lovey dovey romance book just like what I was looking for. Come on, from a cover like that you’ll judge like I did. But, I learn not to judge a book by its cover anymore. Such an old saying but I need to keep reminding myself that. Four, I saw this book gets high rating and great reviews in Goodreads. But from my rating, you know I kind of disagree with them. Five, its author, Jennifer Egan, is a Pulitzer Prize winner for her novel A Visit from the Goon Squad. I haven’t read that (now I don’t intend to) but she seems legit, people in Goodreads (again) repeatedly praised her for her works. So, why not, right? I have FIVE excellent reasons to buy it, I must not regret and beat myself too much (sigh).

Emerald City and Other Stories – Jennifer Egan

Egan, Jennifer. 2012. Emerald City and Other Stories. United Kingdom: Corsair.

Rating 2 bintang
(review in English, click here)

 

Jangan nilai buku dari sampulnya (ngomong sama diri sendiri).

Kenapa saya baca buku ini?

Enggak tahu kenapa saya enggak terlalu suka baca cerita pendek alias cerpen. Iya, enggak tahu kenapa. Artinya saya enggak punya alasan jelas itu tuh kenapa enggak sukanya, dan hal tersebut cukup mengganggu saya (soalnya saya tipe orang menyebalkan yang selalu menuntut alasan). Makanya ketika melihat buku ini di Periplus, saya merasa ingin memberi kesempatan lagi kepada cerpen untuk memikat hati saya. Satu, buku ini ada di bagian buku-yang-murah-sekali, dan memang saya jadi bisa beli buku ini jauuuh di bawah harga aslinya. Dua, saya suka sampulnya, menurut saya sangat cantik. Tiga, belakangan saya tidak pernah beli buku-buku romantis dan saya TADINYA mengira ini buku romantis seperti yang saya sedang cari. Lagian dari sampul kayak begitu, orang pasti bakal berasumsi sama dengan saya kan? Ah, tapi saya mesti ingat-ingat lagi ke depannya supaya enggak menilai buku dari sampulnya. Empat, saya cek di Goodreads, buku ini dapat rating bagus dan ulasan-ulasan bernada memuji. Tapi, dari rating yang saya berikan, jelas saya agak berbeda pendapat dengan mereka. Lima, si penulis, Jennifer Egan, adalah pemenang penghargaan Pulitzer untuk karyanya berjudul A Visit from the Goon Squad. Belum baca itu (dan sekarang memang enggak ada niat untuk coba baca itu) tapi kelihatannya Jennifer Egan ini boleh juga. Orang-orang di Goodreads yang sudah membaca karya-karyanya (berkali-kali) memuji-muji dia. Terus, saya butuh alasan apa lagi coba? Saya punya LIMA alasan bagus untuk beli buku ini waktu itu, jadi lebih baik saya enggak usah terlalu merasa sesal sekarang....

Quote #1

November Biggest Wish!

GAAAAAAAH! I want this SO MUCH! Nothing Left To Lose by Kirsty Moseley! Want want want want want want.... I've already read it like three or four times when it still on Wattpad. Now, Kirsty is going to published it on November and I REALLY WANT TO HAVE IT IN PRINTED WORDS! I am hooked. I want my Ashton (the main male character, HE'S THE BEST). For a synopsis, go to Kirsty's website.
If anyone want to be my new most awesomest bestest friend, now you know what to do *wink*

George’s Cosmic Treasure Hunt – Lucy & Stephen Hawking

Hawking, Lucy and Stephen Hawking. 2012. George Berburu Harta Kosmis. Jakarta: PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama.

Rating 4,5 stars
(review in Indonesian, click here)

Very bright cover indeed.

Why I read it in the first place?

Okay, I bought this book because I actually have hidden interest on space, stars, and anything cosmic since a long time ago. But I never really tried to explore and learn more about those because apparently my brain capacity was insufficient for that kind of information (shame on me). Then, like a week ago, I saw this book in the book store. Its authors are Lucy and Stephen Hawking. STEPHEN HAWKING. STEPHEN. HAWKING! Judging from the cover, it’s clearly a children book. I know another Stephen Hawking’s book, A Brief History of Time that I always want to buy and always end up put it back on its shelf. I doubted myself I can really comprehend its content, it looks too intellectual or something. But with children book like this one, I must be able to understand most of it, right? I was on the verge of jumping like maniac when I found George’s Cosmic Treasure Hunt (okay, I might have jumped a couple of times). From the title, I knew it has something to do with cosmic and other space thingy. What a joy! If you want to learn more about space and stuff with understandable explanation, what’s the better choice than a children book written by the scientific genius STEPHEN HAWKING himself? With further reading, I know that Lucy Hawking is Stephen Hawking’s daughter and is an expert in delivering science and space knowledge to children. So, I knew I was on good hands.

George Berburu Harta Kosmis – Lucy & Stephen Hawking

Hawking, Lucy dan Stephen Hawking. 2012. George Berburu Harta Kosmis. Jakarta: PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama.

Rating 4,5 bintang
(review in English, click here)

Sampulnya 'jreng' banget.

Kenapa saya baca buku ini?

Oke. Saya beli buku ini karena sudah lama saya punya ketertarikan khusus terhadap luar angkasa dan bintang-bintang namun tidak benar-benar mencari tahu lebih banyak karena ternyata kapasitas otak saya belum memadai untuk ilmu pengetahuan yang sebegitu canggihnya. Kemudian saya tidak sengaja menemukan buku ini di toko buku. Penulisnya adalah Lucy dan Stephen Hawking. STEPHEN HAWKING. STEPHEN. HAWKING! Melihat sampulnya saja saya tahu kalau ini pasti buku anak. Saya tahu buku A Brief History of Time-nya Stephen Hawking dan berkali-kali nyaris beli tapi enggak jadi terus karena ragu bisa enggak yah mengerti isinya, kelihatannya intelektual banget, tapi kalau buku anak kan saya pasti mengerti lah kan barang sedikit. Saya hampir jingkrak-jingkrak sendiri di toko buku itu (oke, mungkin saya memang sudah sedikit jejingkrakan waktu itu). Dari judulnya, jelas membahas yang berkaitan dengan luar angkasa. HORE BANGET KAN?! Nah, kalau mau tahu lebih jauh sesuatu tentang luar angkasa dengan penjelasan yang tidak rumit, apa pilihan yang lebih baik daripada buku anak tulisannya si jenius STEPHEN HAWKING sendiri? Dan setelah membaca lebih jauh, ternyata Lucy Hawking adalah anaknya Stephen Hawking dan memang sudah ahli dalam penyampaian ilmu sains dan luar angkasa untuk anak-anak. Jadi, saya tahu, saya berada di tangan yang tepat.

Kisah Sukses J. K. Rowling: Di Balik Proses Penulisan Harry Potter - Indra Ismawan

Ismawan, Indra. 2003. Kisah Sukses J. K. Rowling: Di Balik Proses Penulisan Harry Potter. Jakarta: GagasMedia.

Rating 3 stars
(review in Indonesian, click here)

 

Errr, Ismawan should considered a less hassle title...

Why I read it in the first place?

This book’s title, if I free translate it into English will be ‘The Success Story of J. K. Rowling: Behind The Writing Process of Harry Potter’. I bought this book long long time ago when I was a maniac for Harry Potter (I’m still kind of are). The Harry Potter series are, undoubtedly undebatedly, THE best children book EVER, although its reader is so beyond that. J. K. Rowling also became one of my obsession at that time, when I had Harry Potter fever (again, I’m still kind of are), so I smartly bought many biographies of her. Yes, many biographies. This book by Indra Ismawan is one of them. I re-read it because I’ll say byebye to it pretty soon (insert sad backsong). If you notice, I joined a bookblogger community recently, Blogger Buku Indonesia (BBI). There, I got myself in a book-swap deal with other fellow member, Roro. This will be my second book-swap I have ever experienced. My first was when I was an elementary kid, I swapped my Sailor Venus comics for Sailor Moon comics (cute, I know). Roro seemed desperately wished to own this book and was in an intense hunting for it, so I just offered mine. I thought, this book is better be in hands of those who really appreciate it. Because of that, I just felt the need to re-read it, you know, as a farewell ritual, and decided to make a rambling too about it. I read it in a hurry, finished it in one day, because I'm actually currently reading another book, Stephen Hawking’s, I paused that for reading and reviewing this book.