An Abundance of Katherines

Title: An Abundance of Katherines

Author: John Green

Publisher: Penguin Books 20013

226 pages

They like their coffee like they like their ex-boyfriend: bitter

I read lots of positive comments for John Green's works. Found this An Abundance of Katherines and curious about its plot since it's said '19 Katherines and counting…' It's about Colin. A prodigy child who has been dumped by 19 girlfriends, all named Katherines. Then continued with a road trip between Colin and his best buddy, Hassan. They encounter lots of unpredictable things yet no girl named Katherine. Tell you what, it's quite promising to be an exciting plot, right? 

But, it turns out to be a definite boring story. A strange plot, not very likeable characters and many many long boring passages. I completely missed it. I guess I chose the wrong book of Green to start. Perhaps I should try reading Green's other works. 

Landline

Title: Landline

Author: Rainbow Rowell

St Martin 's Press New York, 2014

310 pages

Continue my romance books reading week by finishing another book written down by Rainbow Rowell. Impressed by her Eleanor & Park thus I have high expectation towards Landline. 

Instead of telling about teenage love-story, this time the author delivers adult story. It's about a couple who have two children and a marriage in trouble. The problem is getting more complicated when it involves a magic phone. A landline that makes it's possible to communicate with the dead people. No, it's not a horror story. It's still romance though I am just not into it perhaps since I keep comparing with Eleanor & Park so Landline seems less enjoyable. I am in the middle of Rowell's other book Fangirl and will find out pretty soon whether this one is more exciting.

Happy Eid 1436 H

30-day of Ramadan has finished. 

The big day, Eid al Fitr also has been celebrated. All got together with the whole family.

Super yummy food and cookies were served all day long.

Laughter, happiness and mixed feeling were here as well.

Nevertheless everything must have an ending.

It's time to go back to reality. 

Dealing with messy house, 

several baskets of dirty laundry, 

listing down all available food delivery (since the domestic helper is still on holiday), 

checking the 'getting thinner' wallet yet the over-weight body; 

and bits of these and those.

But all in all nothing can beat the happy heart during Eid al Fitr.

Hope we still can meet Ramadan and Eid al Fitr next year, amin...

Hujan Bulan Juni Novel

Title: Hujan Bulan Juni Novel

Author: Sapardi Djoko Damono

Editor: Mirna Yulistianti

Publisher: Gramedia, Juni 2015

135 pages

Nasib memang diserahkan kepada manusia untuk digarap, tetapi takdir harus ditandatangani di atas meterai dan tidak boleh digugat kalau nanti terjadi apa-apa, baik atau buruk.   

I must name this week as a romance books reading due to I finished reading several love stories  during this week. The last one is Hujan Bulan Juni the Novel. An all-time-favorite work created by Sapardi Djoko Damono, one of Indonesian greatest poets. This epic poetry has been interpreted in several different media. From a poetic poetry into a romantic song, comic and now a novel and perhaps a movie in the future.   

The novel itself is actually just a simple love story between Sarwono and Pingkan but Sapardi always has his own way in capturing the readers' heart.  A must read. 

Eleanor & Park

Title: Eleanor & Park

Author: Rainbow Rowell
Orion Books UK, 2013

329 pages

I think I still have book hangover after finished reading All the Light We Cannot See and find difficulties to enjoy other books. Then I read this blog and curious about this young adult book, Eleanor and Park, the debut of Rainbow Rowell, written down back in 2013.  

This is simply a romantic love story about two misfit teenagers living in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1986. Eleanor, a sixteen-year-old with big red hair and Park, a half-Korean sixteen-year-old, meet on a school bus on Eleanor's first day at her new school. It's not an easy relationship at first but soon after they find out that they both into comic books and mix tapes of 80's rock music, they develop an epic love story.

Reading this book put me into nostalgic feeling. Bring back the memories (and realise that I am old now. Sigh). The author tells the story into two narratives, Eleanor and Park take turn to share the stories in their own version. You can just feel it. Young love in the age of your own teen years. Perhaps that's why people said that 'first love never dies'.

Find more on Rainbow Rowell's books here.

Dad's 77th Birthday

My dear Dad,

I wish nothing but smiles for you...

as long as you still have ...

some teeth remaining, hahaha...

Happy 77th birthday to you!!!

#dad's77thbirthday#july04th,2015

All the Light We cannot See

Title: All the Light We cannot See

Author: Anthony Doerr

Publisher: Fourth Estate, 2015

531 pages

So many windows are dark. It's as if the city has become a library of books in an unknown language, the houses great shelves of illegible volumes, the lamps all extinguished.

Pulitzer Prize winner will never let you down. Just like the latest book I read from Anthony Doerr. He won Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2015. The novel will keep you awake until the last page. A real page- turner.  

Set in occupied France during World War II, the novel centers on a blind French girl and a German boy whose path accross.The novel is having so much. The characters are developed beautifully. You will feel that you are invited into the page. You can even feel that you know how a blind girl thinks and lives for real. The descriptions are awesome that I could imagine the atmosphere through touch and sound. A total masterpiece. 

Once you start reading it , there is no putting down. You'll be curious to know the ending of the story while at the same time you also want to save the page longer since it's hard to say farewell to this masterpiece. 

Told in short paragraph back and forth between the blind girl in France and the prodigy boy in German. It's like you learn about history and love story in a very poetic way. A must read.    

He'll say, What took you so long, bluebird?
He'll say, I will never leave you, not in a million years.