Review : The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

Title : The Ghost Bride

Author : Yangsze Choo

Publication date : August 6th 2013 by William Morrow

I bet you also find the title intriguing. Well, how common it is for a ghost to get married? Ah! And the cover, people! Look at it! It's clearly for us to admire. Intriguing title and a pretty cover is a combo for a high expectation for me and I kind of believe this was going to be a lovely read.

Set in the 1800s of Malaya (now Malaysia) Li Lan was a girl from a quite rich family, but her family fell apart because her father's love of opium. So he told her, that there was this silly offer from a rich family that wanted her to be a ghost bride to their deceased son, Lim Tian Ching.

Just like any book with cliche, Lim Tian Chin was portrayed as a spoiler brat that even after his death, he still pestered the livings. He haunted Li Lan in her dreams, intimidating her to become his bride and he wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted. So, Li Lan looked for help, and this one witch doctor gave her a potion which induced her suspended animation thus led her spirit the into the ghost world. I forgot what it was called, but you get the idea.

World's Book Day Mini Book Haul

As a bookworm, I consider myself lucky because my birthday is on the World's Book Day (April 23). How neat can that be? Now you can ignore those sentences because who cares about my birthday, anyway. I am not talking about it, so let's talk about books instead as we usually do.

That morning, I got this email from Scoop (an app where you can buy books, newspaper, magazines) offering for discounts to celebrate World's Book Day. I love discounts and what I love the most about it is many the books become dirt cheap. At least the ones I selected were. And gosh, the books which I have been coveted for years were available too!

So, I bought a half dozen of them. They're not my typical go-to books, but I lately I crave for something different. It has been a long time since I last read Indonesian literary fiction and I am so ready to have a happy reunion with it. Here they are, don't ask me what they're about because I haven't read them yet *scoffs*

Seperti Dendam, Rindu Harus Dibayar Tuntas (Eka Kurniawan)

Currently reading it. I fell in love with Eka Kurniawan's Cantik Itu Luka and I want to read all of his works. His witty and often vulgar writing style was a little unusual for Indonesian literature but, yeah, I am an offical fan. Let's see if I am still a fan-girl after I read this one.

Western Movies I Watched During Reading Slump

To be completely honest, I am not really familiar with western movies despite of being the daughter of a lady who is a cowboy movie maniac. They're not my type of go-to movies, well if it weren't for my mom, I couldn't care less about them. It's not that I think they're not good enough, but to me, they are a bit dated compared to action-packed superhero movies I love so much. I mean, look at the special effects they make these days and try compare it with cowboys and their guns and horses. The western movie simply doesn't stand a chance.

Or so I thought.

I believe it runs in the family, because I noticed my uncle (my mom's brother) was also into it as well. You know, when we still meet regularly, she would ask me if there's new cowboy movie coming out. I simply said:

"No, Ma. They don't make that kind of movie anymore nowadays."

"Why not?" I would try to made things up, something that hopefully make sense. 

"Well, because the horses, you know, it's hard to find trained horses that are not afraid of the sound of the guns." I shrugged and she'd just nod.

See, how annoyingly ignorant I was! It is only recently that I realized that the movie makers are still producing western movie. I was living under a rock and as a movie lover I am, this is shameful. It stayed that way until this movie came along and rescue my stupid self:

The Revenant

The reason why I watched this is because of the hype. This is also the movie that convinced me to be an official fan of DiCaprio. Even though The Revenant doesn't really have much dialogue but this movie speaks volume. This is one of the the best western movies I've ever watched (says a person who've watched only a handful of cowboys on screen).

Review : Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

Title : Burial Rites

Author : Hannah Kent

Publication date : September 10th 2013 by Little, Brown and Company

It might sounds a bit weird but I came to this book because of a movie. I was exhausted at work and even convinced that I hate it, so I approached Google, our good friend and searched for "movies to watch if you hate your job". 

And I watched this: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and magically. I felt so much better. Maybe it is because I actually made time to laugh at myself, I don't know but that movie was good for my mind.

And some of the scenes were set in Iceland. As a tropical gal, I always admire Iceland. It's a totally different world compared to where I live. You know, when you're used to having the sun all year, you're bound to admire the snow, or the fjords or the northern light. We don't have 'em here.

Freebies Time : Printable Bookmarks with Quotes

What's up, people? I hope you guys are doing great. Gosh, it has been a long time since I posted anything. I miss blogging so much and the last two months were a new beginning for me. Well, I was transferred to a another office and I am still adapting. Everything is new to me and I have to learn everyday. It's not easy because I am not as sharp as I used to be, blame it on my age. Thankfully, my new co-workers are nice and they help me patiently. 

 

I really hope I can start blogging regularly again. All I have to do now is to figure out how to shove it into my new daily routine. Nevermind that, I am not writing this post to complain. In fact, I have freebies to share with you guys!

Available for download are three printable bookmarks and since I love pretty words, I added some quotes on them, too. I love flowers, so you'll see that they're sprinkled with floral images as well. They're in standard bookmark size, you can use regular cardboard to print them on. 

Review : Harry Potter and The Cursed Child by John Tiffany & Jack Thorne

Title : Harry Potter and The Cursed Child (Harry Potter #8)

Author: John Tiffany, Jack Thorne

Publication date: July 31st 2016 by Arthur A. Levine Books

Raise your hand if this book seemed too good to be true to you! Well, in my case it did. At first, I was almost sure that it was a hoax made by the lunatic fan people. But heck, here it is. A book about characters that I miss oh so much.

I have to admit that even though Harry Potter doesn't belong in my childhood (because I read it when I'm an adult) nor I think that it's the best series ever (err.. I prefer ASOIAF but alright... alright, it's an idiotic comparison!) but somehow there's something (that I cannot pinpoint) in it that makes me miss it everyday. I wish I know about Harry's family, or whether Neville gets to reunite with his parents after all this years, yeah. Something like that.

The first thing I did when I started reading Harry Potter and The Cursed Child is to lower my expectation. Why? Because, it's a play, people. I am a novel kind of gal and I know nothing about a play. It's too fancy for me and I didn't expect myself to totally understand it. And yet, it amazed me. I enjoyed reading this book very much and I cannot describe how satisfied I am to finally get some news from those characters that I really miss.

How to Suck at Converting People into Bookworms

What's up, everyone? It has been a while since the last time I posted How to Suck at Everything, ain't it? Since, I am one the the sorriest blogger in this universe, you must have known that inspiration is never been my best friend. I felt blank often, wanting to write a new blog post but I stare at the wall instead.

Ahem.

Now, for today's topic, let's talk about every bookworm's dream. Converting a new soul into our kind. It's a hard process and what sucks the most is, it requires lots of luck (which most of us are lack of) and of course...

 *drum rolls*

Patience.

Because who has patience? None, silly. Actually there are some ways. My ways. The lamest ways. I wouldn't do that if I were you, but since this is my blog, I am free to blab about anything. I can talk garbage, if I want to. Like this post you're reading. So, the first ingredient of the disaster is to...

Stop talking to them imbeciles

... and tell me what differs us from the non-readers mortals? Yes, we're bookish and that's our superpower. There's no need to talk to them, what for? All you need to do is to act like a coolest person ever and fake that you're too busy to socialize. Show them books keep you occupied. The best way to attract people is to make it looks exclusive or mysterious. Humans are curious, entice them and once there's someone silly enough to notice your attitude and show interest...

Review : The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Title : The Snow Child

Author Eowyn Ivey

Publication date : February 1st 2012 by Reagan Arthur Books

Hello, everyone! Nice to see you again. The first time I heard about this book was around 2 years ago. It had glowing review and people even mentioned that they nearly cried so I was instantly interested. I love books that can make me cry. Only the bittersweet one, mind you. Tears are good, as long as it's not overdone. 

Set in 1920s of the snowy Alaska, Jack and Mabel were too elderly couple who longed for a child. They felt their marriage was falling apart and Mabel even felt if their decision to move to Alaska was a mistake. One night, out of the blue, the couple released their inner child by building a snow girl, and since them a little blonde mysterious girl started to appear out of nowhere.

I have to admit that Ivey is a superb writer. As a person who lives in a hot tropical country, The Snow Child let me experience the cold snow of Alaska and gosh, it even gave me the chill. I also love the dialogue, the magical bits and pieces, but for the life me, I cannot feel for the character. To me, they lack depth and I wish they were written in a more complex way so I can believe that they were human. So, no. I do not get the same reader experience as some of the reviewers might do.

Authors I Want to Read More of

I thought being a bookworms means impossible to have a favorite author. See, "most favorite book" is the most despised question ever, so a favorite author must be a similar thing, right? Fortunately, no. Well, as am omnivorous reader, I read almost any genre (except for what I am not comfortable of, actually), but just like eating food, of course you will have your favorite, too!

If you check my profile on Goodreads, you will see the names listed below are on my favorite author list. I can say that I want to read every book written by them and I pray that they will continue writing for as long as possible. And of course, I wish that they get the attention they deserve because, gosh! They're too good to ignore. Let me introduce to them (yeah, as if they're not famous already!)

Tracy Chevalier

If you're a fan of historical fiction, you must be familiar with this name. She has written 9 books so far which some I have read and I am always satisfied. It didn't take me long to add her into my favorite author list and gosh! Chevalier is so underrated. The Hollywood so far only has made one movie out of her books. Can you believe that? One! (start with : The Virgin Blue, The Girl with a Pearl Earring).

Review : Jack : The True Story of jack and the Beanstalk by Liesl Shurtliff

Title : Jack : The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk

Author : Liesl Shurtliff

Publication date : April 14th 2015 by Knopf Books for Young Readers 

If you hang out on this blog often, you'd know that I am a big fan of fairytale retelling and middlegrade fiction. Jack : The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk is both, so yay for me! Well, a few years back, YA fiction was filled with lots of retellings (and dystopia, ugh!), but not in middle grade books. I am glad I found this one and was so excited to read it.

I am sure as heck that all of you are already familiar with the classicstory Jack and The Beanstalk. The novel is pretty similar, though it has a few differences as well. This book involves a curse, the naughty boy Jack, the magic hen who lay eggs non-stop (yeah I know the magic hen also exists on the original story, but for the life of me, I swear it doesn't lay egg non-stop, yes?) and a sister! Guys! Jack has a sister, do you know that? I bet you don't!

Review : The Midwive's Confession by Diane Chamberlain

Title : The Midwive's Confession

Author : Diane Chamberlain

Publication date : April 26th 2011 by Mira 

The Midwife's Confession is my second time reading Chamberlain's work. I read The Good Father a few years ago and I liked it. This book has been sitting on my to-read list for a while. I was actually on a mild reading slump and by picking this up, I was hoping to chase it away.

The Midwive's Confession is a story about three best friends, Noelle, Tara and Emerson. Met at college, their friendship grew but despite of the closeness, one of the girls (the midwife, of course) hid a very dark secret that changed their life forever.

As cheesy as it sounds, I had to admit that I expected this book to be a novel version of a soap opera. Well, I wasn't completely wrong, but The Midwive's Confessions is just more than that. I like the way Chamberlain describes the friendship. I envy those girl.

“If you have a friend, a good friend, a woman you love, and you learn she’s done something abominable, do you stop loving her?” 

Er... I take that back. I am not envious. Sorry.

Favorite Books I Read in 2016

So, the year 2016 was a unfortunate when it comes to blogging. However, I managed to read more books compared to the previous year, so yay! This is not something worth bragging about, I know, since many bookworms out there even tackle hundreds of books a year. It's a skill I am very envious of. I finished 35 books last year, the very number I input on Goodreads. I usually only able to finished more or less 25 books. The audio books helps, and I am glad I discovered them. Don't ask me why it never crossed my mind to try them in the past, because I don't have the answer but my own silliness.

Out of those 35, two were DNFs. I just could not continue because they were so not my taste. Below are my top 3 favorite. Please do let me know in the comment section your version of 2016 top books!

A Memory of Violets by Hazel Gaynor (Review)

This is my #1 favorite a.k.a the best book I read in 2016. It is the kind of books that I called "toys with your emotion" and it successfully made me cry like like it's the end of the world.

Audio Books I'd Been Listening To

Happy new year everyone! Great to see you again. As I have mentioned before, I am so very new to audio books. They caught my attention because I was tired of listening to music (which I usually do whenever I need to chase the bad mood away). See, many people of my age are not that up to date when it comes to recent music, so we listen to songs from our teenage days over and over. Most of our favorite artists have stopped performing because they get too old to be on stage or something like that. It's boring you know, listening to the same album over and over *shrugs*

But thanks to audio books, I don't have to deal with it anymore. I can listen to books, how wonderful is that? They're too long to memorize, they're impossible to sing along to, but still they kick ass. The saying that bookworms rarely get bored is accurate. We always find a way to devour books. Now here are some audio books I listened to:

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. A nautical thriller set in Scandinavian sea. This is the first audio book I tried and I enjoy it, thanks to the wonderful narrator. The story itself was nothing special. I honestly dislike the main character because she was drunk all the time even while she was on medication. I just loathe characters that lack of self control. The ending is a bit rushed, still a decent thriller book, if you ask me.

Review : Cantik Itu Luka by Eka Kurniawan

Title : Cantik Itu Luka

Author : Eka Kurniawan

Publication date : January 2015 by Gramedia Pustaka Utama

First of all, I wouldn't have heard about this book if it wasn't for a phone app I downloaded about a month ago. A bookish app, a virtual library to be precise where users can borrow ebooks and read them on their phone. An awesome app, if you ask me. It is called iJakarta, and if you are from Indonesia (or speak Bahasa Indonesia), it is a good source for reading materials. 

People rave this book and it got me curious so I borrowed it. Cantik Itu Luka has been translated into several language as well, English included, which called Beauty is a Wound. I read this in its original language, Bahasa Indonesia (because I speak it, duh!) and well, here's what I think of it.

So I Started to Workout and This Is How I Feel

I am one of the most nonathletic person in this planet. I am skinny, petite and sport is just too intimidating for me. I am not built for it. I don't have any reason as to why I should workout. Don't blame me, if you watch Youtube videos or look at Pinterest infographics, 99% of them are labelled with "weight loss". I don't want to lose weight, heck I need to gain more pounds, to be honest. I felt grumpier and grumpier.

And guess what, feeling grumpy is one of the signs that you need to workout. 

Ironic isn't it? So I started digging. I didn't like the way I feel, didn't like the way I looked. After giving birth of two children, this body really needs to be toned up a bit. I started with what they called the easiest and cheapest workout ever. Running. 

So, there's a jogging track just beside my workplace. A perk that I didn't take advantage of even after (almots) 7 years of working at this building. Everybody goes there, young and old. Not only for running, there are also kids practicing with their skateboard in the afternoon. It's a fun place, actually but I overlooked it.

Review : Sophie Quire and The Last Storyguard by Jonathan Auxier

Title : Sophie Quite and The Last Storyguard (Peter Nimble #2)

Author : Jonathan Auxier

Publication date : April 5th 2016 by Harry N. Abrams

Hello everyone, happy to see you again? If you come to this blog often, you'd notice that Jonathan Auxier has a place in my heart. I blabbed about how much I love his stories many times. And it is not without reason, of course. Ever since I read The Night Gardener, I knew that this magical writer is my new favorite author.

This book we're talking about is the second installment of Peter Nimble series (read the review here : Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes). Sophie Quire and The Last Storyguard is an adventure story of Sophie Quire (duh!) and of course, Peter Nimble (another duh!). Sophie here is a kick-ass bookworm, also a daughter of a bookshop owner and her mission is to save all the books from a wicked Inquisitor Prigg.

5 Reasons Why I love Reading Your Blog

I love reading various blog posts. Not just the bookish type, actually. I also subscribe to beauty, fashion, fitness and lifestyle blogs. It is amazing that today there's a blog for every niche possible. I also prefer blogs to a magazine website, for example, because I get to see the writer behind is and somehow it makes it more interesting.

I have seen bloggers come and go, many of my favorites decided to stop blogging and it saddened me. Well, I guess that's just what life is, but I also learned that blogging, in general is here to stay. As long as there's the internet, blogs will stay alive. If any of you recognize me as one of your subscriber/follower, consider your blog has one (or more) of these traits:

You write with your own voice, this is the reason I landed on your blog home page in the first place. Your voice and personality captured me. You are unique and know how to make yourself stand out from the crowd. You make sure that your blog doesn't look (or sound) like governmental website. Where's the fun in that, really?

Freebies : Three Printable Quotes to Brighten Up Your Day

Hello everyone! Here I am again bringing you more freebies. I actually enjoy turning quotes into something decorative. Who doesn't love pretty words, anyway. I decided that this will be a continuous feature, though I can't say it's going to be regular thing because sometimes inspiration won't come as you want it to. Ugh! So, below are three printable quotes for you to download. They're absolutely free for all my readers. No need to sign up for anything, no string attached. I just want to share these lovely quotes to you and hope you will enjoy it as much as I do!

Oscar Wilde (Live!)

"Live! Live the wonderful life that is in you! Let nothing be lost upon you. Be always searching for new sensations. Be afraid of nothing."

Rumi (Fly!)

"You were born with potential. You were born with goodness and trust. You were born with ideals and dreams. You were born with greatness. You were born with wings. You are not meant for crawling, so don't. You have wings. Learn to use them and fly."

... and say hello!

These prints are in standard 8 x 10 inches standard photo size (10R). You can print them with your home printer. For best result, I strongly recommend to have them professionally printed at photo lab or print shop. They have better paper, they know how to set the colors ... well, it's just easier. You can download them here : Printable quotes

I hope you like them, people. Thank you so much for reading (and downloading), see you again at the next post!

Don't forget to click the "Freebies" section at the top of the page for more free stuffs!

Review : The Paris Key by Juliet Blackwell

Title: The Paris Key

Author : Juliet Blackwell

Publication date : September 1st 2015 by NAL 

Family secrets is one of my new soft spots. A book about locksmith is unusual and since The Paris Key has a nice combo, I decided to read it, especially since it is set in Paris. Ever since I read more and more contemporary/chicklit books, I discovered that there are so many books set it France. I wonder why?

Genevieve Martin's marriage was crumbling apart and to make things worse, her locksmith uncle who loved in Paris passed away. Genevieve thought it was time to move on and take over her uncle's lock business despite of her minimal knowledge of lock and keys. As Genevieve unlocked more and more doors she found out that she also unlocked the family secrets that had been buried for decades that almost no one had discovered.

So, I Tried Listening To Audio Book and This Is What I Think of It

I never thought I would give a try on audio book. I believed it is not the same as reading because you actually don't hold the book on your hands. See, I was naive and being a cow. So, after all these years I finally decided to try it and I am glad I did. There are some reasons that caused my hesitation, though. First, I am not a native English speaker. Although I can understand different accents, I am still not confident enough when it comes to dialects. What if the narrator has a heavy accents that is hard to understand?

Now that I have given audio books a try, I realized that it's actually a stupid reason. Why? Because I found out that audio book narrators are carefully selected people, many of them are even real actors/actresses, they know what they're doing. It's very unlikely that they narrate it with some weird accents nobody can understand. Narrating a story also means that they also have to read dialogues between two or more people, and as an actor/actresses, it's like their daily meal. The narration is the monologue, the dialogue is the... well, dialogue. 

Second, I am into quotes. Audio book doesn't allow me to highlight a sentence to quote it later. Maybe this is the minus of audio books, but I learned to deal with it. Nothing is perfect, but it has a different way to compensate it, by being extremely convenient. What I love about audio books is you can read listen to them while you're doing your daily activity. In my case, I listen to it while at work, doing my task. Mind you, my task doesn't demand full concentration, so having my attention divided between work and book is not really a problem. This might not work if you are trying to solve a math problem or something like that.