goldenelegy's reviews
136 reviews

Ranah Pusaka by Nellaneva

hopeful lighthearted reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

pertama kali baca cerita ini waktu masih on-going di wattpad. i enjoyed it, but not to the extend that it's the greatest book i've ever read. aku berharapnya sih plotnya bakal banyak tense-nya (pengalaman baca karya kak nella yang lain) tapi rupanya nggak, hehe. malah dia cenderung banyak refleksi dan realisasi. masih enjoyable sih bagiku.

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes by Hisashi Kashiwai

lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.25

just like the first book, i like it! however, i still think the first book is so much better. but what i'm amazed the most is the fact that there are some repeated actions and dialogues in each stories, almost like routines, but i didn't get bored reading each of them. 

The Healing Season of Pottery by Yeon Somin

reflective relaxing medium-paced

3.5

i almost dnfed this but i decided to give it a chance anyway. it doesn't spark that much interest in me like with other slice of life books like marigold mind laundry or the kamogawa food detectives. there are some parts that are a bit boring while some others get really exciting like hoya's appearance (the cat) and how it ended up living with jungmin. there's a bit that i'm sure most daughters would resonate: finding out your mom used to have a hobby that she had to forget just to raise the family. 

Mari Pergi Lebih Jauh by Ziggy Zezsyazeoviennazabrizkie

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

aku sedikit bisa bernapas lega di cerita ini kalo dibandingkan sama KPHI, haha. soalnya di sini lebih banyak porsi petualangannya, dan as usual, banyak unserious wordplays yang dijadiin nama-nama tokoh dan tempat. tapi tetep aja, sedih karena

ketika ada anak yang bebas satu, nanti hilang satu lagi

</3 aku juga suka deh di sini ada kayak kritik terselubung terhadap society kita (at least that was how i perceive it), misal kayak dalam kutipan ini:

sekarang mereka menggunakan kata 'sinting' sebagai kata ganti 'sakit jiwa'—maksudnya untuk menghinaku, tapi aku tidak merasa terhina karena itu bukan namaku dan karena sakit jiwa bukan keadaan terhina—mereka hanya membuatnya kedengaran seperti itu.

atau seperti ini:

tahukah kamu, bahwa orang tua sering bilang 'anak pintar, nggak nangis' supaya anak-anak mengalami kesulitan menangis .... tidak menangis tidak membuat anak menjaadi pintar .... karena aku tahu kalau menangis itu perlu.

atau secara subtle bahwa "orang tua tidak punya banyak waktu karena waktu yang dimiliki orang tua  harus dipakai untuk mencari uang," dan "uang di ranting pohon diambil oleh pengusaha kayu yang jahat." well ... #ytta 

Thank You by Adara Kirana

lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.0

this book is just not my cup of tea.

actually, i expected better since i've read other works from the author on wattpad before this and i liked them. but for this one, i don't know, the writing and the diction felt bland, like it was written by someone who just got into writing novels. some conversations would've been better if omitted or written differently. the chemistry between the characters felt too shallow. also the plot twist didn't feel plot twist-ing, rather it made me feel deceived. but maybe that's just me.

well, i like this idea of truth or dare game that is respectful and beneficial, not just some careless, unnecessary question or order. maybe that's the strength of the story. and maybe, because it's a light story about friendship with no overly complicated conflict and mystery, i was able finish this quickly. 

Tangerine Green by Cho Nam-joo

reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Ibu pernah berkata bahwa jeruk-jeruk yang kita beli di pasar swalayan dipetik ketika jeruk itu masih hijau, lalu dibiarkan matang sendiri selama tahap distribusi. Sedangkan jeruk-jeruk ini terus mendapatkan gizi dari pohon dan matahari sampai akhir.

Buku ini mengisahkan dinamika empat orang sahabat, So-ran, Da-yun, Hae-in, dan Eun-ji yang memiliki latar belakang dan sifat yang berbeda-beda. Tiap dari mereka punya porsi ceritanya sendiri, mulai dari masalah keluarga, finansial, perundungan, dan perpisahan dengan teman masa kecil. Nah, suatu hari, mereka bikin kesepakatan untuk masuk ke SMA yang sama.

Penyajian dalam buku ini termasuk ringan, konfliknya seputar pertemanan remaja jadi nggak terlalu complicated dan nggak menegangkan. Masalah pertemanan utama mereka kurasa cukup sering kita jumpai. Salah satu dari mereka merasa tersisihkan dan yang lainnya merasa iri sama temannya. Inilah yang bikin ceritanya terasa dekat dan apa adanya, dengan sikap-sikap remaja yang masih berproses menuju kedewasaan. Kayaknya ini juga alasan buku ini diberi judul Tangerine Green; terkadang buah yang belum masak dipetik duluan dan dibiarkan matang sendiri sedangkan yang lain terus dibiarkan matang di pohonnya, menggambarkan proses pendewasaan.   

Aku nggak merasa ini buku yang wah, tapi menurutku buku ini cocok untuk dibaca kalau kita lagi pengin baca yang ringan-ringan. 

The Girl With No Reflection by Keshe Chow

challenging emotional inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.25

The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette's by Hanna Alkaf

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

another work from hanna alkaf that i absolutely adore! 
im not a big fan of horror genre but this book convinces me with its haunted-southeast-asian-school premise. and like usual, hanna alkaf tackles mental health issues in her story. 

and surprisingly i actually don't find this story so horror. it focuses more on family problems and mental health issues than on the horror story. it seems that alkaf tries to insert a lesson that sometimes it's human that is the monster, not the ghosts, not the djinns. 

i wish i could see more of khad and rachel's friendship dynamics, though. they found out about each other after about 50% into the book. 

anyway, this book is worth given a chance!! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual assault

Moderate: Gaslighting

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop - Selamat Datang di Toko Buku Hyunam-Dong by Hwang Bo-Reum

informative reflective relaxing

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

it's a short-read telling stories of people who have died. 
those people are shown pictures of their whole life and they have to choose some pictures of their most treasured memories. i find that concept quite interesting. 

i admire how the author excellently makes connection about the characters. each stories are so touching, though not all the characters are perfect protagonists with perfect morals. it's so page turning, and i think the translation is really well done. i've read another work from this translator and i enjoyed the book as well.