Pages

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

When You Really Don't Have Time To Read


Oke mungkin judulnya lebih sering dipake sama orang yang ngga suka baca, kayak misalnya,
reader: kok kamu ngga suka baca sih?
Nonreader: ngga punya waktu, udah buat ini itu.
Dalam hati pasti nyinyir "nonton film bisa, baca ngga bisa." But sometimes, even a reader need a break from all those books.

Ketika dituntut untuk bekerja 12 jam sehari demi mengejar deadline, baca buku berubah menjadi hal yang melelahkan. Rasanya pengen ambruk aja di kasur, atau setel tipi sambil tiduran, ngga pengen bangun selain buat kerja.

Satu bulan lewat tanpa baca buku, dua bulan lewat lagi tanpa baca, sampai akhir deadline pun lewat tanpa baca.
Meskipun waktu sudah senggang, tapi kebiasaan membaca tetap saja tak datang.

Aku sering nanya nanya mbah gugel obat mujarabnya reading-slump, dicoba coba satu cara, gagal, dua cara, gagal, tiga cara, gagal juga. Sampai akhirnya menyerah dan memutuskan menunggu reading-slumpnya lewat.

Emang sih, sebulan dua bulan juga sembuh dan bisa asik baca lagi, tapi rasanya menunggu selama itu aneh. Apalagi membaca itu hobiku yang masih bertahan dari dulu, atau setidaknya ngga kabur selamanya.

Sigh.

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

[Meme] TTT: Books I've Recently Added To My TBR



The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

No matter what he does or the decisions he makes, when death comes, Harry always returns to where he began, a child with all the knowledge of a life he has already lived a dozen times before. Nothing ever changes.

Until now.

As Harry nears the end of his eleventh life, a little girl appears at his bedside. ‘I nearly missed you, Doctor August,’ she says. ‘I need to send a message.’

This is the story of what Harry does next, and what he did before, and how he tries to save a past he cannot change and a future he cannot allow.



A Darker Shade of Magic by v.E.Schwab

Kell is one of the last Travelers—rare magicians who choose a parallel universe to visit.

Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London is ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. People fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Once there was Black London—but no one speaks of that now.

Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see. This dangerous hobby sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to another world for her 'proper adventure'.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive—trickier than they hoped.

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

In the three kingdoms of Mytica, magic has long been forgotten. And while hard-won peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest now simmers below the surface.

As the rulers of each kingdom grapple for power, the lives of their subjects are brutally transformed... and four key players, royals and rebels alike, find their fates forever intertwined. Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus are caught in a dizzying world of treacherous betrayals, shocking murders, secret alliances, and even unforeseen love.

The only outcome that's certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?

It's the eve of war.... Choose your side.

Princess: Raised in pampered luxury, Cleo must now embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of magic long thought extinct.

Rebel: Jonas, enraged at injustice, lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished. To his shock, he finds himself the leader of a people's revolution centuries in the making.

Sorceress: Lucia, adopted at birth into the royal family, discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.

Heir: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, firstborn son Magnus begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword....

Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder

The apprenticeship is over—now the real test has begun.

When word that Yelena is a Soulfinder—able to capture and release souls—spreads like wildfire, people grow uneasy. Already Yelena's unusual abilities and past have set her apart. As the Council debates Yelena's fate, she receives a disturbing message: a plot is rising against her homeland, led by a murderous sorcerer she has defeated before...

Honor sets Yelena on a path that will test the limits of her skills, and the hope of reuniting with her beloved spurs her onward. Her journey is fraught with allies, enemies, lovers and would-be assassins, each of questionable loyalty. Yelena will have but one chance to prove herself—and save the land she holds dear.


Red Rising by Pierce Brown

"I live for the dream that my children will be born free," she says. "That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them."

"I live for you," I say sadly.

Eo kisses my cheek. "Then you must live for more."

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.

Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.


The Bronze Horseman by Paullina simons

The golden skies, the translucent twilight, the white nights, all hold the promise of youth, of love, of eternal renewal. The war has not yet touched this city of fallen grandeur, or the lives of two sisters, Tatiana and Dasha Metanova, who share a single room in a cramped apartment with their brother and parents. Their world is turned upside down when Hitler's armies attack Russia and begin their unstoppable blitz to Leningrad.

Yet there is light in the darkness. Tatiana meets Alexander, a brave young officer in the Red Army. Strong and self-confident, yet guarding a mysterious and troubled past, he is drawn to Tatiana—and she to him. Starvation, desperation, and fear soon grip their city during the terrible winter of the merciless German siege. Tatiana and Alexander's impossible love threatens to tear the Metanova family apart and expose the dangerous secret Alexander so carefully protects—a secret as devastating as the war itself—as the lovers are swept up in the brutal tides that will change the world and their lives forever.

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City—and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult.

Evie worries he’ll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer.

As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho hides a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened.

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

An untested young princess must claim her throne, learn to become a queen, and combat a malevolent sorceress in an epic battle between light and darkness in this spectacular debut—the first novel in a trilogy.

Young Kelsea Raleigh was raised in hiding after the death of her mother, Queen Elyssa, far from the intrigues of the royal Keep and in the care of two devoted servants who pledged their lives to protect her. Growing up in a cottage deep in the woods, Kelsea knows little of her kingdom's haunted past . . . or that its fate will soon rest in her hands.

Long ago, Kelsea's forefathers sailed away from a decaying world to establish a new land free of modern technology. Three hundred years later, this feudal society has divided into three fearful nations who pay duties to a fourth: the powerful Mortmesne, ruled by the cunning Red Queen. Now, on Kelsea's nineteenth birthday, the tattered remnants of the Queen's Guard—loyal soldiers who protect the throne—have appeared to escort the princess on a perilous journey to the capital to ascend to her rightful place as the new Queen of the Tearling.

Though born of royal blood and in possession of the Tear sapphire, a jewel of immense power and magic, Kelsea has never felt more uncertain of her ability to rule. But the shocking evil she discovers in the heart of her realm will precipitate an act of immense daring, throwing the entire kingdom into turmoil—and unleashing the Red Queen's vengeance. A cabal of enemies with an array of deadly weapons, from crimson-caped assassins to the darkest blood magic, plots to destroy her. But Kelsea is growing in strength and stealth, her steely resolve earning her loyal allies, including the Queen's Guard, led by the enigmatic Lazarus, and the intriguing outlaw known simply as "the Fetch."

Kelsea's quest to save her kingdom and meet her destiny has only just begun. Riddled with mysteries, betrayals, and treacherous battles, Kelsea's journey is a trial by fire that will either forge a legend . . . or destroy her.

The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

I am the perfect weapon.
I kill with a single touch.

Twylla is blessed. The Gods have chosen her to marry a prince, and rule the kingdom. But the favour of the Gods has it's price. A deadly poison infuses her skin. Those who anger the queen must die under Twylla's fatal touch.

Only Lief, an outspoken new guard, can see past Twylla's chilling role to the girls she truly is.

Yet in a court as dangerous and the queen's, some truths should not be told...



The Wrath And The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

One Life to One Dawn.

In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.

Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?


Friday, January 15, 2016

[Book Tag] Conquering Kindoms


IN MYTICA, THERE ARE CONSTANT BETRAYALS AND YOU CAN’T TRUST ANYONE! WHICH BOOK CHARACTER WOULD YOU TRUST TO BE YOUR SIDEKICK ON THIS ADVENTURE?
Liam Stewart from The Darkest Minds series, because he is so loyal towards his friends, and you want your sidekick to be loyal to you, so you can trust him, so he will not betray you, and won't stab you in the back.

YOU WILL COME ACROSS MANY WHO WANT YOU DEAD IN MYTICA, SO YOU NEED TO BE READY TO FIGHT. WHAT KIND OF WARRIOR ARE YOU?
An Archer. I always want to be an archer. I tried it once but it was so haaarddd. I need practice, yep let's practice. Wait, I need a bow and arrows, where would I get those? Oh I have a better idea, let's be Katniss and make them myself. Wait, I need woods then.


WHAT FANTASY WORLD WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONQUER?
The Seven Kingdoms in Gracelling. 


WHICH FICTIONAL CHARACTER WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO RULE BY YOUR SIDE?
Elias Vitorius from An Amber In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. He seems like a good King, or Emperor. He has seen many wrong doings in his world that he would know what to do to make it right.

WHO WOULD YOU THROW INTO THE DUNGEON?
Queen Levana from The Lunar Chronicles. Come on, it's Levana, you need to get rid of her. And don't put any guards in the dungeon, they're just going to be her puppets. We need to isolate her so she can die painfully lonely.

WHO GETS STABBED IN THE BACK?
Theron from Ice Like Fire. Because I just don't like him, and he deserves it.

WHAT ELEMENTAL MAGIC WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO WIELD AND WHY? (FIRE, AIR, WATER, EARTH)
EARTH!! I always want to control earth and because I admire Toph from The Legend of Avatar Aang. Wouldn't it be cool if you just flow your hands and earth will move on your will? Imagine all those things you can built.


Tag! You're it!

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

[Meme] TTT : I Meant To Read You, But Maybe Later


This week's theme "Top Ten 2015 Releases I Meant To Get To But Didn't".
I didn't get ten though.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

WTH, right? I know. I kind of anticipated this particular book since 2014, but when it was finally released, I didn't read it, up untill now. I like the cover and the summary, and I know that many people loved this book, and currently waiting for the sequel (or is it the third book?) to come out, but I still couldn't bring myself to read it. There's just too much hype.
Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray

I loved the first book, the complexity of the story (let's be frank, it's complex), the characters, the plot, and all the things Claudia Gray wrote in this book. So maybe I didn't read it in 2015, but hey, it was released in November (which was only two months ago), which didn't particulary means that I would never read it.

Hello, Goodbye, And Everything In Between by Jennifer E. Smith

I loved her writing. My favorite book of hers is Happy Again, a novella of This Is What Happy Looks Like. So, I should probably read it now. It's Jennifer Smith's book!

Nightfall by Jake Halpern

It has such a beeaauutifull cover ever. I could almost feel the mistery and horrors in this book. What can i say, I am a sucker for this kind of book cover, like these ones : 
  

Air Awakens by Elise Kova

'It all began when the Fire attacked' scratch that, it's not The Legend of Avatar Aang. But that is exactly what I thought when I read the title, Air, Aang is an air bender, soooooo... What? I freaking loved Aang, Korra is nothing compared to Aang, Aang is the best, I wish they rerun it again on my TV.


Invaded by Melissa Landers

Oh my, I loved Alienated, or it's novella. It's just somehow, I'm not interested in reading the sequel. It's as if the story ended in the first book (for me anyway), and there's no reason to read Invaded. But I don't know, maybe I would read it, someday.

Friday, January 8, 2016

The Best Of 2015


2015 introduced me to many awesome books. According to goodreads, I read 74 books in total, that's great, right? Although it's a book less that my goodreads chalenge. Speaking of challenge, no, scratch that, I don't wanna speak of any reading challenge. Anyway, there are many awesome books that I read in 2015, and these are the best ones (according to me anyway). What are yours?

01. The Archived by Victoria E.Schwab


It's just soooooo beautiful! I like it so much. I have a hard time choosing between this or the sequel because both of them are equally great. I like the flashbacks, the times when Mackenzie tells the reader about her grandpa, about his advice, and his stories about the Archived itself. I like it especially when she is running on a mission on the second book, run-flashback-run-flashback, oh it's just so awesome! And Wesley, oh I like him so much. I wish V.E.Schwab will published The Returned sooner, I hate it when an author published a new work when there's still an unfinished work, oh please just give me Wesley Ayers! The World Need Guys Like Wesley Ayers!

02. Winter by Marrisa Meyer


Obviously. I was a bit frustrated because the plot takes too longgg and I had to endure waiting anxiously for the guys to attack the palace, it's not a healty experience if you ask me. But it is such an amazing book, not to mention that it's not too different from the original fairytale, but the final book of my favorite series is the best. Though I would love it if Marrisa Meyer write the epilogue for Cinder and The Gang.

03. The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows


Oh you don't know how much I hung over after reading this one. The ending is probably not as suspend as The Darkest Minds, but the next book will only come out in March, that's three months away! I think I'm going to die waiting. Anyway, the book is really great, the magic, the romance, the action, oh hell it's a complete package. I highly recommend it.

04. All The Bright Places by Jenniver Niven


Do I really have to tell you why? Because it's kind of obvious. It's a suicide story about a boy named Finch, He is bipolar and started having dark mood after he saw a bird died at his house. I can hardly move on after reading this book, crap I'm going to cry again.

05. Unwind by Neal Shusterman


I don't actually have nightmares while or after reading this, but I did have a few breakdown remembering the scenes, or shuddered whenever I saw the cover. It's not about ghost, or even a psycopath, it's about transplantation all human parts, and yes, it's really sick. It's like a slaughterhouse for humans.

06. Kiss Of Deception by Mary E. Pearson


I remember my frustration when I discover the truth, it was not pretty. The twist, OMG, I don't want to spoil you but I'll tell you this one thing, keep an eye on clues. There are a lot of clues that'll only make sense when the revelation happens, and you will not like it if you have the wrong answer (I did not have the right answer, damn it!)

07. Saving Francesca by Malina Marchetta


I just loved it. It has friendship, romance, family. It teachs us to face the problem, talk about it, not just bury, and forget it altogether. I loved it, and I reread it all the time.

08. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Or Never Fade, whichever is fine. I like the ending in The Darkest Minds, and the scene when Liam remembers in Never Fade, it's so heart breaking. Oh, the feels.

09. Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

I read can You Keep A Secret? a year ago and like it. DNFed I've Got Your Number -I kind of bored-. And then read Finding Audrey a few months ago and I really really really like it. Sophie Kinsella does have that trait to be a comedian because I laugh out load all the time I read Finding Audrey. It's funny slightly romantic and have a caring family everybody wish they have. Mom is so funny and a bit scary, I like it when she's threw Frank's laptop out because of his addiction with Video Games. I like Frank and Audrey's closeness. I like her little brother as well. And her bravery of facing her enemies is just admiring.

And for Tenth, 
Well, I can't just cut them out from the list, right?


Friday, January 1, 2016

[Blogtour] Cinderella Teeth : Winner Announcement


Sudah dua minggu berlalu, berarti Blogtour Cinderella Teeth di blogku sudah berakhir. Tenang aku ngga lupa kok ngumumin para pemenangnya. Ngomong-ngomong jawaban kalian lucu-lucu (aku baru tau kursi/tempat tidur pasien di ruang praktek dokter gigi bisa di naik turunin), ada yg bikin ngeri juga, dan bikin kagum karena bisa mengatasi ketakutan mengunjungi dokter gigi. Buat kalian yang masih takut, tenang kalian ngga sendirian kok. Tapi mungkin setelah baca Cinderella Teeth, ada rasa kepengen pergi ke dokter gigi (aku juga gitu soalnya, tapi ngga jadi, hhe).

Speaking of, dua orang pemenang Blogtour Cinderella Teeth di blogku adalah

Celina Faramitha @sampanbiru
Leny @Lenny66677291

Kedua pemenang akan aku hubungi via twitter dan mohon konfirmasi data diri
Nama:
Alamat lengkap:
Nomor yg bisa dihubungi:
ke alamat emailku diyah.nur815@gmail.com dalam waktu 2 x 24 jam. Lebih dari batas waktu yang di tentukan maka akan di pilih pemenang yang lain. Hadiah akan dikirimkan setelah rentetan blogtour berakhir ya.

Sekali lagi Selamat! Bagi yang kurang beruntung mungkin masih bisa nyoba keberuntungan di blog lain yg masih berlangsung blogtournya, may the odds be ever in your favor -in another blog-.


Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...