2014

Saturday, July 26, 2014

K-HAUL #01


Hi there! =D
credit as tagged, gonna make a proper banner for this post haha~ enjoy the cute BAP for a while ;)
Probably this is my first post about KPOP in this blog. Yay for meeee~ \0/

Okay, so today before I go to vacation for 10 days ahead, I want to show you some K-goods I've gotten this month.
My sister and me ordered like tons of things and have expected to get most of them in the end of July, but we got only less than a half of the total *lesigh*. Well, at least they're nice though and I especially really happy to get them.
So yeah, here they are! =)

Pirate Roulette
Not exactly a K-pop thing, but if you like watching Running Man, this thing must be familiar for you =D. I've really wanted this since the first I saw Running Man playing with it and finally we can get it with a quite reasonable price. We have so much fun playing this game xD

INFINITE - Evolution and INFINITE - Paradise (Repackage)
I've grown loving INFINITE so much this year after I watch "Diss is INFINITE" and finally decided to collect all of their albums (where I've been all these years????). Originally I didn't plan to buy these two albums but I was sold by some unboxing videos and yeah I got this, YAY!
... and I got Myungsoo (a.k.a L) and Hoya PC! =D
I know I'm lucky, but actually I wanted Sungyeol one because he is my bias and looks really good in this album and also I already got Hoya from Second Season, ah but well it's okay, they are both look good though =). Too bad Evolution doesn't come with photocard, I bet the PC would be really awesome.

From EXO Planet #1 Official Concert Good - Lightstick
EXO will hold their first concert "From EXO Planet #1" here in Indonesia! OH YAY! So I bought myself an official lightstick to cheer them up. Can't wait!

Henry - Fantastic
YAYAYAYAY MA BOY! =DDDD
This just came yesterday and I'm really really happy! The songs are fantastic, the photobook is oh-so-gorgeous as well and aaaawwww they give Baby Henry as the photocard xD. It also came with a huge poster which sadly has a kind of rubber mark at the middle =( But well nothing i can do about it.

Those are all I got until this end of July =D Expecting a lot more to come next month, hopefully in early August *pray*
So what you think about things I got above? Do you have any of those? Or maybe you're still waiting for your K-goods to be arrived?

And yeah, have nice day everyone! =)



Saturday, February 1, 2014

Stacking the Shelves [07]



Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosting by Tynga from Tynga's Review. It's about sharing all new books, physical or e-book form, you're adding to your shelf. They could be bought, borrowed or given to you.


My first Stacking the Shelves at the first day of February, yay! Gosh time surely moves vary fast, where did January go???
So, here's my new babies this week :


The Bronte Sisters Three Novels (B&N Leatherbound Classic)
Burn for Burn - Jenny Han, Shiobhan Vivian
Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher
The Essence - Kimberly Derting
Boundless - Cynthia Hand
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Well they're not new books, only paperback version of The Essence and Boundless that just released last couple months but they are all very pretty! Can't wait to read them!

Those are on my Stacking the Shelves this week. What's on yours?
Have a great weekend guys =)



Thursday, January 30, 2014

REVIEW : Insurgent by Veronica Roth


Insurgent (Divergent #2)

Author      : Veronica Roth
Publisher   : Katherine Tegen
Source      : Bought
Pages        : 525 (Hardback)

Summary from Goodreads :

Fighting for survival in a shattered world… the truth is her only hope.

The thrillingly dark sequel to No. 1 New York Times bestseller, DIVERGENT.

I have done bad things. I can’t take them back, and they are part of who I am.

Tris has survived a brutal attack on her former home and family. But she has paid a terrible price. Wracked by grief and guilt, she becomes ever more reckless as she struggles to accept her new future.

Yet if Tris wants to uncover the truth about her world, she must be stronger than ever… because more shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead.

New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.


Book Trailer :


review

So you may ask, if I have read Insurgent like ages ago, why I make a review just now?

Simply because, you know, how hard it is to write a review for a book you absolutely, hardcore-ly adore, even though I've read it twice, my mind could not arrange right words for it (so I choose to procrastinating, okay I'm a bad, lazy ass-hat girl). But since I've finished Allegiant, the last book in this series, I feel so wrong if I don't write any reviews of Divergent's sequels, which one of the most beloved series of mine. So here I am, pouring down my thoughts about this book =). I think most of people already read the first book, Divergent. Nevertheless, I still have to warn you that this review might contains spoilers, though I'll my best to minimize it. I've already warned you in the beginning.

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"I wake with his name in my mouth. Will."

Okay, here's the fact : reading Insurgent was pretty tiring for me, pity my little brain.

I seriously got a massive headache once I finished this book (at the first time) because of the never-ending tension and adrenaline rush inside my head. My brain was lacked of oxygen (I held my breath a lot), it was nearly exploded into some ugly lumps. Okay I'm exaggerating, almost. Also this book is mostly depressing, self-destructive thoughts, sadness and grief which was altering my mood that day. But thankfully I still could keep my mind intact, could not put this book down once I started because I was so anxious yet super curious to know what would happen next. Even that massive headache I've got didn't prevent me to LOVE this book and read it once more, (and more in the future) because, well, it's still a FANTASTIC sequel from one of the most amazing series I've read.

Ms. Roth successfully put the whole things in a new different level in this sequel. The story develops more complicated and intense, danger seems constantly lurking, the stakes are higher that made my heart pounding very hard in every scenes. Seems there's no safe place for Tris, Four and the rest survivors of the tragedy that have happened at the end of Divergent. Most of characters step on the next stage of difficulties, especially Tris whom we see the whole story from.

Tris is tortured by grief and a guilt she could not tell anybody including Tobias, she blames herself and many times she acts recklessly and puts herself in a dangerous situation. Because Tris can't tell the whole ugly truth yet, she's also facing a great crisis in her relationship with people who are important to her, Tobias and Christina. Also because she's a Divergent, she's hunted, her life and automatically people who is sided her are in a great danger so she tries to protect them though it costs her own life. Sometimes it was pretty depressing, to see Tris facing so many problems in a time and acting so suicidal but it was quite understandable for me since Tris witnessed the tragedy herself and lost so many because of it. Tris is just an average 16 years old human girl after all.

Like I've said before, the relationship between Tris and Tobias also enters a new level. They face a big mistrust issue which puts their relationship into a bad condition. But thankfully it doesn't add a deep scratch on Tris' already-bleeding-wound and it is still so wonderful and respectable. I loved when Tobias isn't only loving and respecting Tris, he also doesn't hesitate to scold Tris and put their relationship in an edge. They also still maintain some sweet moments , not too explicit but enough to soften the hard tension I've felt through the entire book.

While Divergent told us more about Abnegation, Dauntless and a tiny bit of Erudite, in Insurgent we learn more about Aminity, Candor, Erudite and even Factionless. I really enjoyed those part and made me admired Veronica Roth more, how thoroughly she created this dystopian world, the factions and each characteristics, the politics and regulations in each faction also the reality that there are still an internal friction no matter how neat and structured it is, as realistic as what have happen in nowadays.

Insurgent, like I've said, is a fantastic, solid sequel for Divergent. It's better not to miss this if you're a fan of Divergent because it doesn't only give a great action, characters and drama, but also serves a story about struggle and forgiveness, how you forgive others and most importantly struggles to make a peace with your won self, then responsibly move on. Sounds cliche but I think it's a good thing to get from reading what you love =).
This book, like another great sequels, has quite a surprising ending which would make you questioning what is actually the whole 'Faction System' about and makes you definitely can't wait to read the next book, like I've felt half a years ago. Since I have finished Allegiant, I definitely can't wait to share my thoughts about it, hopefully very soon.

Happy reading! :)



Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Wishlist Wednesday #30



Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop where we will post about one book per week that has been on our wishlist for some tile, or just added (it's entirely up to you), that we can't wait to get off the wishlist and onto our wonderful shelves.
This blog meme is hosted by Pen to Paper, if you want to join please visit here to find more about this meme.



Alienated
by Melissa Landers

Summary from Goodreads :

Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them.

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class.

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.


Alienated receives such a stellar reviews, everyone seems loving this book so much.
I actually have set my eyes on this book since the news was announced, and it does sound very interesting like a mixing between contemporary and sci-fi. I also need to read more story about alien so I think this book is a great choice.
I can't wait to get this book and devour it! =)

What's in you Wishlist Wednesday this week?



Thursday, January 23, 2014

REVIEW : Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins


Lola and the Boy Next Door

Author      : Stephanie Perkins
Publisher   : Speak
Source      : Bought
Pages        : 368 (Paperback)

Summary from Goodreads :

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion...she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit--more sparkly, more fun, more wild--the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket--a gifted inventor--steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.


review

"I have three simple wishes. They're really not too much to ask.
The first is to attend the winter formal dressed like Marie Antoinette. I want a wig so elaborate it could cage a bird and a dress so wide I'll only be able to enter the dance through the set of double doors. But I'll hold my skirts high as I arrive to reveal a pair of platform combat boots, so everyone can see that, underneath the frills, I'm a punk rock tough."


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Because I had soooooo much fun with Anna and the French Kiss last time (Etienne luv luv!) and have already fallen in love with Stephanie Perkins' writing, I was both excited and terrified to read this book because my expectation were somehow already high. I was afraid I would not enjoy Lola as much as I've enjoyed Anna.

And after I finished reading Lola, I have to admit I still love Anna much more.
It doesn't mean Lola is bad. Generally I enjoyed this book quite much so I still give it 4 shining stars (you know I'm kind of too generous in giving stars =p). The story, the characters are still very lovely, relatable and realistic, about a unique girl named Lola who lives with protective two fathers (I loved them by the way) and a lovely dog with attractive name; has a loyal Korean best friend and also befriend with Anna and Etienne (LOVE THEM SO MUCH HERE), loves to wear not just an ordinary clothes as her usual attire, but a full costume; and out of the blue she's torn between 2 attractive boys in their own way. I was happy to meet different circumstances and unique people in this book. I also loved the relationship between Lola and people around her, and especially with her biological mother which develops more and more every page. I can say that somehow this book is more complex, if you compare to Anna's which seems common and normal. But because this book is very relatable and realistic; like I've said before; I could not help but analyzed and made several personal judgements based on my personal values and I found some of Lola's were not very suitable to me.

My problem with Lola was somehow I found a double-standard in Lola's wearing-costume habit---which actually the most unique point of her---as her daily attire. Actually this was a thing that made me a bit nervous to read at first. For me, wearing costume could have two meaning : you just like to be stand out and have a plenty confidence of it, or you don't have enough confidence of yourself without costumes covers it. And Lola is most likely the first and then develops to the second. So while I read this whole book from Lola's head, I also thought which was the real Lola. Thankfully Ms. Perkins vocalizes this question of mine through Max, Lola's former boyfriend so I could feel it wasn't only me who disappointed with her. And maybe a love triangle which involves 2 people who are already a couple, lies and cheating is really not my thing. Quite personal, eh? =)
Nevertheless, beside all the fuss about self-confidence, Lola is still a lovely girl and I really admired her guts to be different and very passionate about it. I also loved to read how she grows maturer and willing to give a chance to people who have ever hurt her in the past. She definitely stood out, unique and unforgettable.

Yes, of course this book has several fabulous side characters!
I was really happy when I heard Anna and Etienne make some appearances in here and was grinning like an idiot when I met this lovely couple. They stole my attention though they briefly shown up because.... THEY'RE JUST THAT LOVELY! *emotional*. And Ms. Perkins created a unique and fabulous boy for Lola, Cricket Bell *can you guess from who he gets the 'Bell' name? :)*.
I found Cricket was very very different from the other YA contemporary love-interest who is usually super popular hotty with hot body, nice hair, a party-go-er, a bad-boy, and another droll-worthy qualities; that made him unique. Cricket maybe has not fully developed his physical qualities yet (well, who knows?) but he was certainly hot in his own brainy way, I definitely agree with Lola for this one. Though sometimes I like, okay, love to read about bad-boys, in reality I appreciate good-and-smart-boy much more and Cricket is one of perfect good-and-smart-boy image for me (after Etienne). He's literally an inventor, very nice, slightly shy and awkward which makes him more adorable, and I LOVEEEEEEEEEED his preppy style (THANK YOU SO MUCH MS.PERKINS), it accentuates his smartness more. Fashionable brainy is new sexy =).

Lola and the Boy Next Door is a fun, cute and fabulous contemporary reading with realistic, imperfect but lovable characters you could not help but in love with. Despite my very personal issue, I still fully recommend this book if you love realistic contemporary story. Stephanie Perkins is officially my favorite contemporary author and I can't wait to read the next companion book, Isla and the Happily Happy After which (finally) will be released this year, silently hope I could meet either Anna-Etienne nor Lola-Cricket.

Happy reading! =)




Saturday, January 18, 2014

Stacking the Shelves [06]



Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosting by Tynga from Tynga's Review. It's about sharing all new books, physical or e-book form, you're adding to your shelf. They could be bought, borrowed or given to you.


My first Stacking the Shelves this year! Yay!
I just got four books in the beginning of this year, but they are quite lovely, love all of them!


Unhinged - A.G. Howard
Ink - Amanda Sun
The Complete Sherlock Holmes (B&N Leatherbound Classic) - Sir Conan Arthur Doyle
F. Scott Fitzgerald Classic Works
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Aaaah lovely books~ =D
I really want to read at least one classic work this year, after I watched BBC's Sherlock (and I absolutely love that series!), I think I would try to read Sherlock Holmes books. I surprise with Ink's book appearance, it's not usually this 'glossy' cover, instead they use like... Canson paper probably? Pretty, but worrying =p.

Well those are on my Stacking the Shelves this week. What's on yours?
Have a great weekend guys =)



Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday #13 : Top Ten 2014 Debuts I'm Excited For



Top Ten Tuesday is a feature/weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. It's the best and fun way to share lists of certain topics with other fellow bloggers. If you want to participate, please visit their blog for further information! =D


There are plenty debuts that will be released this year and they sound very interesting! Though I have many in my wishlist, this is ten debuts I'm really looking for this year =)

Top Ten Fifteen 2014 Debuts I'm Excited For
Eh, did I write 'fifteen'?
My bad, but I can't resist listing more than only ten =)

Hexed - Michelle Krys
Alienated - Melissa Landers
The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant - Joanna Weibe

Landry Park - Bethany Hagen
Nearly Gone - Elle Cosimano
Prisoner of Night and Fog - Anne Blankman

Stolen Songbird - Danielle L. Jensen
The Murder Complex - Lindsay Cummings
Summer on the Short Bus - Bethany Crandell

Camelot Burning - Kathryn Rose
The Art of Lainey - Paula Stokes
Illusive - Emily Lloyd Jones

... and those which haven't had covers yet :
The Beautiful Ashes - Jeaniene Frost
Jeaniene Frost is actually not a new name in literature world but I read this is her YA (or NA?) debut novel so I include her name here. Because I ABSOLUTELY LOVE her series 'Night Huntress', I once had a wish she would write a YA series and I ABSOLUTELY WILL BUY IT NO MATTER WHAT. Aaaaaaand here it is! =D SO HAPPY! xDDDDD

The Revelation of Gabriel Adam - S.L. Duncan
Of Scars and Stardust - Andrea Hannah

I'm pretty sure some of you have read some of titles up there so I hope you'll kindly give me your opinion about books I list above if you have read some of them =)

Do you have the same debut title you're excited as I have up there?
Leave your TTT list so I can check them back. Thank you for visiting and have a nice day! =D

Monday, January 13, 2014

REVIEW : Ten by Gretchen McNeil


Ten

Author      : Gretchen McNeil
Publisher   : Balzer + Bray
Source      : Bought
Pages        : 320 (Paperback)

Summary from Goodreads :

From Possess author Gretchen McNeil comes this teen horror novel inspired by Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. Perfect for fans of Christopher Pike’s Chain Letter and Lois Duncan’s I Know What You Did Last Summer, Ten will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very last page!

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie are looking forward to two days of boys, booze, and fun-filled luxury. But what starts out as fun turns twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine. And things only get worse from there.

With a storm raging outside, the teens are cut off from the outside world . . . so when a mysterious killer begins picking them off one by one, there’s no escape. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on one another, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?


Book Trailer :

(whoa, I must say the trailer is quite creepy 0_0)

review

Firstly I need to confess that I'm a big fan of Agatha Christie's 'And Then There Were None' (it's an amazing thriller novel and you should try to read it too! =D) and also since I'm one of those amazing 90's kids, I've watched a couple of that 90's horror and thriller teen movie (sadly I missed 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' but I was fan of 'Scream' series). So the summary above is very familiar to me and because I knew from where the idea was, I thought the storyline would be pretty predictable. Nevertheless, I was pretty excited to read this book. I also actually have never read any book from Gretchen McNeil and have never read any teen thriller and horror novels before (I dislike Goosebumps because I'm a coward and hate the horror-after-effect because I'm quite imaginative *facepalm*) so this was adding fuel on my excitement and wanted to know if this book and the author would work on me. And guess, it does work on me, definitely! =D

This book is even beyond my expectation; though I was excited, I didn't put too much expectation because, you know, it gets just so-so rating. I enjoyed this book quite much, could hardly put it down because I wanted to know what would happen next and was very curious who the hell the culprit is. I like McNeil's writing here. The story moves swiftly in a quick, fast pace without being too forced, I think there are no single unnecessary and wasted scene because, well, the whole things set in only three days, but I barely realized it. I also think McNeil created some nice twists and modifications in this teeny version of ATTWN so it would not exactly like the original one, like the appearance of mysterious DVD which reminded me of 'The Ring' (the japanese version btw, I don't watch the Western one because having watched 3 volumes in a row is already too overwhelming for me, ugh), changes the nursery rhyme and 'prediction' how each of them would die into a diary of a dead girl (it's bloody brutal, I've warned you), changes the reason why everybody should be dead, and of course with a cliche high school love story like a popular boy falls in love with just an average-but-smart girl (which is my favorite formula, actually =p). I know those are not so original but I think it's still enjoyable and add some interests into the story, especially if you haven't read 'And Then There Were None' or watched any 90's horror-thriller movies.

Saw the story inside Meg's head as the main character and the main voice, I also could feel the fear she feels (thanks to the great writing) and could not help but kept guessing the murderer along with her. Although she's a smart and a kind girl, I have to admit that there's nothing special about her, I even thought she's kind of pathetic. I think the other characters are actually more colorful and have certain traits although they mostly are not good person. Maybe because most people will die in the end, McNeil created some fellows that are actually jerks and would not be missed or make us feeling loss if they're gone. TJ as the love interest also... well, just the average nice and hot boy who has a crush on our Meg. Just... nothing special. Nevertheless they add their own stories in the bigger picture and since the start the focus of the story is not about character's development but more about their each role in this story. I was also surprised with the identity of the murderer at the near-end of the story, totally unexpected and never thought it would be 'you'! Wow!

I guess I'm a person who don't always take 'unoriginality' and 'familiarity' as a bad thing and just enjoy it as it is, so I give it solid 4 stars. It gave me a great high-tension and bone-chilling moments when I read it in the middle of the night.
I'm not ensuring you would absolutely enjoy and love 'Ten' since almost the whole thing in it is pretty familiar and also it has several flaws. But you should give it a try especially if you have an interest into horror-mystery-thriller reading but you don't know where to start and probably you'd enjoy or even love this book if you have never heard or read about Agatha Christie or never watched 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' or 'Scream'.
Happy reading! =D

"Vengeance is mine; I will repay.
For the time when their foot shall slide.
For the day of their disaster is near.
And their doom comes swiftly."



Thursday, January 9, 2014

Reading Challenge 2014


This year I participate in three reading challenge :


Goodreads Reading Challenge
The annual challenge I participate every year. I challenge myself to read 60 books this year, a descent number so I won't feel burdening myself.


Dystopia Reading Challenge 2014
Actually I'm a bit reluctant to participate in reading challenge aside of Goodreads', I'm afraid I would feel reading as an obligation and I couldn't finish it in the end. But I think I would enjoy this one. I love read Dystopia series, and I also have plenty Dystopia books that still need to be read so I decided to participate in this challenge. I set myself to reach Level 2 : Rebel first by reading around 7-12 books, though there's always a possibility to read more than that. If you love Dystopia and interest to join in too, visit Blog of Erised for further information.


2014 Series Challenge
I have some series I need to start and finish this year, so I think this is a great challenge for me this year. I'm optimist I can earn Bronze Badge =). If you also want to participate visit Read. Sleep. Repeat. for further information.


So yeah! I hope I would enjoy and have fun reading good readings this year =)



Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Wishlist Wednesday #29



Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop where we will post about one book per week that has been on our wishlist for some tile, or just added (it's entirely up to you), that we can't wait to get off the wishlist and onto our wonderful shelves.
This blog meme is hosted by Pen to Paper, if you want to join please visit here to find more about this meme.




Pawn
by Aimee Carter
Expected publication: November 26th 2013

Summary from Goodreads :
For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country.

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked - surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter.

There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed, and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.

First : the cover, somehow intriguing.
Second : dystopia, baby. That's cool and I love this genre.
Third : the premise sounds really promising and quite original, I've never heard something similar before.
I've also never read anything from Aimee Carter before, I see her series "Goddess Test" everywhere but still yet need to read it someday. I know this has been published a while ago so probably some of have read it. You may provide me your opinion about this book. =)
What's your Wishlist Wednesday this week? =)