2013 Book Recap and Survey!

So I've completed my mission on Goodreads to read 99 books and outcome my target to 106 books! And here goes my list:

1. Demigod Diaries by Rick Riordan.
2. Demigod Files by Rick Riordan.
3. Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monster by Rick Riordan.
4. Truth or Dare by Winna Efendi and Yoana Dianika.
5. Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan.
6. Getting the Boot by Peggy Gutthart Strauss.
7. Heart and Salsa by Suzanne Nelson.
8. The Winter Traveler by Erza S. T.
9. Paris: Aline by Prisca Primasari.
10. Last Minute in Manhattan by Yoana Dianika.
11. Menuju(h) by Aan Syafrani dkk.
12. Unforgettable by Winna Efendi.
13. Remember When by Winna Efendi.
14. Seasons to Remember by Ilana Tan.
15. The Maze Runner by James Dashner.
16. Matched by Ally Condie.
17. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.
18. Muller hoch Drei by Burkhard Spinnen.
19. Illusions by Apilynne Pike.
20. Looking for Alaska by John Green.
21. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami.
22. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.
23. Barcelona, Te Amo by Kireina Enno.
24. Berjalan di Atas Cahaya by Hanum Salsabiela Rais.
25. Benabook by Benakribo.
26. Haram Keliling Dunia by Nur Febriani Wardi.
27. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
28. Just One Day by Gayle Forman.
29. Requiem by Lauren Oliver.
30. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway.
31. Cerita Hati by Bernard Batubara dkk.
32. Autumn Once More by Ilana Tan dkk.
33. School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari.
34. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee.
35. The Help by Kathryn Stockett.
36. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney.
37. Stories by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio.
38. Leafie by Sun-mi Hwang.
39. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.
40. The Truth About Forever by Orizuka.
41. Roma: Con Amore by Robin Wijaya.
42. Refrain by Winna Efendi.
43. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
44. Setahun Berkisah by Dannie Faizal dkk.
45. Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver.
46. Melbourne: Rewind by Winna Efendi.
47. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver.
48. Delirium Stories by Lauren Oliver.
49. Storm by Brigid Kemmerer.
50. The Selection by Kiera Cass.
51. The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen.
52. The Elite by Kiera Cass.
53. How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True by Sarah Strohmeyer.
54. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.
55. Lola and the Boy Next-Door by Stephanie Perkins.
56. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell.
57. Infinite Sky by C. J. Flood.
58. Shards & Ashes by Melissa Marr dkk.
59. Thick as Thieves by Peter Spiegelman.
60. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson.
61. Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard.
62. Nobody but Us by Kristin Halbrook.
63. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
64. Emily the Strange: The Lost Days by Rob Reger.
65. London: Angel by Windry Ramadhina.
66. Little Snows in Zurich by Alvi Syahrin.
67. Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson.
68. Son of Sobek by Rick Riordan.
69. Forever by Judy Blume.
70. Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler.
71. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen.
72. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.
73. The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan.
74. The Transfer by Veronica Roth.
75. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green.
76. The Statistical Probability of Love at the First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith.
77. Pintu Harmonika by Clara Ng.
78. The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver.
79. Karena Kita Tidak Kenal by Farida Susanty.
80. A Dash of Magic by Kathryn Littlewood.
81. Every Day by David Levithan.
82. The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider.
83. Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan.
84. Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle.
85. The House of Hades by Rick Riordan.
86. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.
87. The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth.
88. Just One Year by Gayle Forman.
89. Allegiant by Veronica Roth.
90. Obsesi by Lexie Xu.
91. Runaway Ran by Mia Arsjad.
92. Memoirs of An Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks.
93. Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison by Brandon Mull.
94. Pengurus MOS Harus Mati by Lexie Xu.
95. Permainan Maut by Lexie Xu.
96. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson.
97. The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White.
98. How to Love by Katie Cotugno.
99. Tales from the Dark by Lexie Xu dkk.
100. Teror by Lexie Xu.
101. How to be A Writer by Primadonna Angela.
102. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead.
103. Jun!!! by Mia Arsjad.
104. The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead.
105. The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead.
106. The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead.
107. Paper Towns by John Green.

And nowww let's see my survey!

Best book you read in 2013?

Contemporary YA: So many, but my pick goes to Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson. Road trip across the states, the drawing, the bill, the short recap of each state, and the playlist. Love 'em all.

Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic: Requiem by Lauren Oliver. Sorry, Allegiant.

Historical Fiction: Is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak "historical" enough?

Paranormal: Bloodlines series, all books! All hail Richelle Mead!

Science Fiction: Is Bloodlines scientific enough?

Fantasy: House of Hades by Rick Riordan.

Book you were excited about & thought you were going to like it but didn't?

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Ugh I couldn't quite understand the language no matter how long I opened my dictionary. The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider also wasn't worth the wait. Oh, yeah, and Infinite Sky by C. J. Flood.

Most surprising (in a good way) book of 2013?

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman!

Book you read in 2013 and recommended it to most people?

Pintu Harmonika by Clara Ng. What a honest and genuine book.

Best series you discovered in 2013?

Bloodlines series of course!

Favourite new author you discovered in 2013?

Must be Rainbow Rowell!

Best book that was out of your comfort zone?

I think Every Day by David Levithan and The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth. Gay and lesbian thing... and more kissing! And maybe Forever by Judy Blume, soooo vulgar despite the YA genre.

Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan, The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead, and the unputdownable goes to How to Love by Katie Cotugno!

Book you read in 2013 that's most likely to re-read in 2014?

I honestly don't know but I always read Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler everytime I get my heart broken. I'm not planning to get it broken again or separate from my lifetime partner, though.

Favourite cover of a book you read in 2013?

   

They kinda warm my heart!

Most memorable character in 2013?

Lola from Lola and the Boy Next-Door for her unique style!

Most beautifully written book in 2013?

Unforgettable by Winna Efendi. I've never seen any Indonesian writer writes as brave as her.

Book that has most greatest impact on you in 2013?

Just One Day by Gayle Forman! It teaches me to say yes.

Book you can't believe you waited until 2013 to read?

Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns by John Green! Too beautiful.

Favorite passage/quote from a book you read in 2013?

From Wanderlove by Kristen Hubbard:

"It is better to try and fail than to wonder what could have been."

Shortest & longest book you read in 2013?

Shortest: The Transfer by Veronica Roth.

Longest: I think House of Hades. About 600 pages long, right?

Favorite relationship from a book you read in 2013?

Frankie and Hanny from Pengurus MOS Harus Mati. They're cute but not overrated.

Favorite book you read from an author you've read previously?

Paper Towns by John Green!

Best book you read based on a recommendation from someone?

Obsesi series by Lexie Xu! Thank you, Annisa Tiara Salsabilla.

Genre you read the most in 2013?

UMMM. Contemporary YA.

Newest fictional crush from book in 2013?

HAAAAA ADRIAN IVASHKOV!

Best 2013 debut book?

How to Love by Katie Cotugno!

Book that was most fun to read in 2013?

Benabook by Benakribo, Haram Keliling Dunia by Nur Febriani, A Dash of Magic by Kathryn Littlewood, and Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn-David Levithan!

Book that made you cry or nearly cry?

Every Day by David Levithan. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen. Leafie by Sun-mi Hwang. Truth or Dare by Winna Efendi-Yoana Dianika.

Most unique book you read in 2013?

Benabook by Benakribo.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn-David Levithan, the dares are awesome and inspiring me to write my novel.

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson. Helping me discover that America isn't just about Liberty Statue or NYC. Read it yourself and get caught!

Why We Broke Up. Ugh, the illustrations!

Wanderlove by Kristen Hubbard. I wish I could get Bria's drawing talent.

And now... my wishlist book for 2014!

 
  

  

 
 

Bloodlines Review

I guess I never posted anything related to single book but nevermind. I always feel this odd energy filling me out after I finish a book, eager to write my thoughts. I failed most of times, to be exact, but Bloodlines series really does make me swoon.

It's a run-off series after Vampire Academy series, which I--apologetically--haven't started any. It was a miracle I found Bloodlines, hard cover, on Periplus Year End Sale in Gandaria City. Its price was 59k, which made me frantic in disbelief. To my surprise, the price wasn't included in the sale, so I ended up bringing a hardcover book for 41k only.

Anyway, Bloodlines is about a religiously frigid girl named Sydney Sage, finding herself in such trouble. She serves an organization named The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho, remarked), the only humans who know about vampires. Vampire rave itself is divided into two... what? Subrace? Subcategories. Yeah, whatever it is, there are Moroi and Strigoi. Moroi is the friendly one and Strigoi is the wild one. Oh, and there's dhampir too, half-human and half-vampire person. Sydney went on mission to protect Jilllian Dragomir the Moroi princess, befriended with vampire mates Eddie and Adrian, and along the way she found friendship, and maybe love for a lifetime, too.

To be honest, I had hard times reading it for the first times. Too many terms and lack of explanation, though I understood it as I flipped the page. Bloodlines was a slow reading for me, while I expected more and more actions. I often felt blindfolded and had to turn the page to the previous one to see what I missed.

Bloodlines is not like Twilight, I have to warn you. The most transparent part... well, in Bloodlines you got a feeder/dhampir who would let you drink their blood because they enjoyed it. Very-not-Twilight, huh?

The ending... oh, well, is it just me who sensed the ending was too rushed? I don't know really. Maybe I expected more of vampire thing, which I must had found if I'd read Vampire Academy earlier. Bloodlines for me is more about Sydney's experiences dealing with human normal lives after being caged by her blinded race and homeschooled. She has no idea about friendship and dating looks like. She's really concerned about the burdens she endure, exquisitely responsible, and utterly a badass star pupil. It taught me a thing really, that books won't get you nowhere unless you experience the thing they teach in real life.

I shrieked for more as I turned flr the last page. That was it?! That was the ending?! It wasn't even an ending! At least for me. I hung by the ending and soon went to Gramedia for a copy of The Golden Lily, the sequel. Unfortunately, the ones they sold were in hardcovers and priced 225k. I wished earth would split in two and swallowed me for once.

But I finally managed to read The Golden Lily, and I felt the tense began to perch. Action and action. Fast-moving. I also enjoyed Sydney's dating life with a guy. Oooh, and Adrian appeared more, too, and I rolled my eyes over and over whenever he exclaimed his love wordlessly yet Sydney never got it right. Some mysteries added, and I really, really love how things seemed to unveiled one by one. But let me get it straight for you; if you want a book whose mysteries last for the whole series, Bloodlines defintely isn't for you.

I loved The Indigo Spells more and more. Now the actions seemed unstoppable, mostly because there were more things for Sydney to handle. Her self exclaim as a witch who could used spell while a witch-hunter (appearing to be two by the ending) traveled across the state for girls like her. And a guy named Marcus who successfully ran from the Alchemist. Things mixed up well and I loved it moreee because whenever there was Sydney, Adrian was nearby. I loved how Sydney and Adrian worked things out and eventually found a reason to fight for their love despite their scathing different worlds. Over all, love is true and unbeatable, whether you're a human or a vampire.

I haven't started The Fiery Heart becase I have to give my eyes chances to rest, but I'll let you know if I have. Goodnight and don't let the bugs--or vampire--bite you!

My Life in YA Titles

Hey folks, it's been two weeks already since I posted my last blog. Holiday's been great thus far, even though I did nothing but stayed at home, doing my job, visiting my friend's house, or hunting for end-year-sale. I've got a job this holiday and I'm pretty excited about that. But now on, I'm sitting next to this extraordinary guy finishing a paper for me, and I'm gonna write something.

So, my life in YA titles, originally came up from The Perpetual Page-Turner. Here we go:

YOU

How would you describe your 16 year old self? Adorkable

When You Looked Into The Mirror What Did You See:  Geek Girl

Your 16 your old self outlook on life/motto: Going La-La

How You Think People Would Describe Your Personality:  Freak Magnet

Describe An Insecurity In High School: Alienated

Describe Your Worst Trait As A Teen: Past Perfect. <I hardly moved on from something/someone.>

Describe the contents of your diary/journal: The Perks of Being A Wallflower

Your biggest Fear: Crossed

You excelled at: Pushing the Limits

You were always concerned about:  Why We Broke Up

You Thought Your Life Was:  A Really Awesome Mess

LOVE LIFE

How would you sum up your high school love life: Things I Can't Forget

Describe your most serious boyfriend from high school: Golden

Describe your first kiss: Unforgettable <Everything first is.>

Your philosophy on dating/love: A Walk to Remember

Describe Your Worst Break Up: Not A Drop to Drink <My tears, I mean.>

Broken and Screwed

FAMILY

Your relationship with your mom as a teen: Two-Way Street

Your relationship with your dad as a teen: Just Ask 

Your relationship with a sibling: Sweet Evil

What you thought about your parents rules/parenting style: Just Listen

FRIENDS

Describe you and your best friend at 16: The Way We Were

Your Social Status: Extras

Describe Your Group Of Friends: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

SCHOOL

Your Perception Of High School Upon Entering: Beautiful Ruins

Your relationship with academics: Perfect Chemistry

Your Weekends Were: All I Need

If Your High School Life Was A Movie It would be called: Don't Judge A Girl by Her Cover

A Class You Wish High School Would Have Offered: The Possibility of Miracles

Your Senior Year Was: Something Like Fate <I can't resist it.>

Describe prom: Someday, Someday Maybe <I'm not likely party pal.>

When High School Ended It Was: The Beginning of Everything

FUTURE

How You Felt About The Prospect of College: Battle Royale

How You Thought Your Life Would Be At 16 (insert whatever age you are now): Wild Awake

Your Life Now

Describe Your Love Life Now: This is What Happy Looks Like

Describe The State Of Your Friendship With Your High School BFF: Keeping the Moon

Your Relationship With Your Parents Now: Something Strange and Deadly

Your Thoughts On Your High School Reunion (either if you had it or if it’s upcoming): The F-It List 

Biggest Lesson You Learned In High School: Smart Girls Get What They Want

One Thing You WISHED You Had Learned: Ask the Passengers <I've always been a snob who barely ask something.>

Advice You Wish You Could Have Given Your Teen Self: Be Careful What You Wish For

Something You Could Learn From Your 16 Year Old Self: The Sky is Everywhere

In the end, it's always me again
Dancing round all alone
Making list of lullabies to play

In the end, it's always they again
Who leave first
After saying they're gonna be here

In the end, it's always you again
Caring if I'm coming home
Answering my midnight sob
Soothing me to sleep

In the end, it's always us again
Two people against the world
Without anything to unfold
But hope, and head, and heart

10/12/13, 10:48 pm