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melmarian's reviews
60 reviews
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Museum Teman Baik by Ruhaeni Intan, Reda Gaudiamo, Cynthia Hariadi, Bageur Al Ikhsan, Rassi Narika, Kennial Laia, Teguh Affandi, Awi Chin, Sri Izzati
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Crying Is Like the Rain: A Story of Mindfulness and Feelings by Heather Hawk Feinberg
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist: Understanding What Happens When We Write and Read Novels by Orhan Pamuk
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
Ever wonder what's happening inside our minds when we're reading a novel? Nobel Prize-winning Turkish author Orhan Pamuk tried to explain it, quite successfully, in a series of lectures which now can be read in this book, The Naive and Sentimental Novelist. It opens with a catching phrase: "Novels are second lives." On a later chapter Mr Pamuk compares a novel to a museum: while a museum preserves objects, a novel preserves our personal encounters with the said object--or our perception of them.
It is quite extraordinary how the human mind works when reading a novel: we are able to transform words into images in our heads. No wonder some people call reading "It's like watching TV! But in your head!" One thing to point out is that what makes a novel 'magical' is both the workings of the author and the reader. Overall, I find this book enjoyable and and mostly understandable (for a person who doesn't have any academic background in literature). I recommend this to every reader, aspiring novelists, and to those who belittle the utmost importance of the novel for us human beings.
Anyway, which of Mr Pamuk's many novels would you recommend to a newbie?
"Writing a novel means painting with words, and reading a novel means visualizing images through someone else's words. By "painting with words", I mean evoking a very clear and distinct image in the mind of the reader through the use of words."
"When we've finished reading the book, what remains in our mind is not history and its meaning, but our thoughts on the fragility of human life, the immensity of the world, and our place in the universe..."
It is quite extraordinary how the human mind works when reading a novel: we are able to transform words into images in our heads. No wonder some people call reading "It's like watching TV! But in your head!" One thing to point out is that what makes a novel 'magical' is both the workings of the author and the reader. Overall, I find this book enjoyable and and mostly understandable (for a person who doesn't have any academic background in literature). I recommend this to every reader, aspiring novelists, and to those who belittle the utmost importance of the novel for us human beings.
Anyway, which of Mr Pamuk's many novels would you recommend to a newbie?
"Writing a novel means painting with words, and reading a novel means visualizing images through someone else's words. By "painting with words", I mean evoking a very clear and distinct image in the mind of the reader through the use of words."
"When we've finished reading the book, what remains in our mind is not history and its meaning, but our thoughts on the fragility of human life, the immensity of the world, and our place in the universe..."
The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.75
Cerita tentang Carl, Pak Tua Juru Antar Buku, dan Schascha, bocah kenes berusia sembilan tahun yang menemani Carl menjalankan misinya (mengantarkan buku-buku kepada pemiliknya). Uniknya, Carl menamai pelanggannya dengan nama tokoh-tokoh fiksi, sehingga kadang bingung antara nama asli tokoh A atau B dengan nama yg diberikan Carl pada mereka.
Plot terasa agak lambat di awal dan baru agak seru menjelang akhir buku, namun ini tetap bacaan yang hangat & menyenangkan, terutama bagi penyuka buku tentang buku.
Jadi, kamu tipe pembaca kelinci, kura-kura, atau ikan? Cepatlah jawab, ayolahayolahayolah!
Plot terasa agak lambat di awal dan baru agak seru menjelang akhir buku, namun ini tetap bacaan yang hangat & menyenangkan, terutama bagi penyuka buku tentang buku.
Jadi, kamu tipe pembaca kelinci, kura-kura, atau ikan? Cepatlah jawab, ayolahayolahayolah!
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What are you looking for?
That's the question Ms. Komachi asked the five main characters in this book. Five different characters with their own different stories, but interconnected in the little world Michiko Aoyama built.
Ms. Komachi is the librarian who works in the Community House Library. She is a pale and huge, Baymax-like woman with a formidable air and uncanny voice. Whenever she recommends a book to someone, she also adds a bonus gift: a small, hand-made felting object she chose at random. Mysteriously, she somehow seemed to know exactly what a person needs; and even though the books she recommended might seem weird at first (a book titled "How Do Worms Work" for someone who wants books on opening a business? Strange!) but it turns out all right in the end. Not only that, but from the books she recommended, they eventually were moving in the right direction in their lives.
It feels magical yet very ordinary at the same time. It's hard to explain.
I finished this book feeling envious of the Japanese people. There, a library is active and dynamic, alive.
A solid 5 star rating from me for a book that makes life a little more beautiful, a little more bearable.
That's the question Ms. Komachi asked the five main characters in this book. Five different characters with their own different stories, but interconnected in the little world Michiko Aoyama built.
Ms. Komachi is the librarian who works in the Community House Library. She is a pale and huge, Baymax-like woman with a formidable air and uncanny voice. Whenever she recommends a book to someone, she also adds a bonus gift: a small, hand-made felting object she chose at random. Mysteriously, she somehow seemed to know exactly what a person needs; and even though the books she recommended might seem weird at first (a book titled "How Do Worms Work" for someone who wants books on opening a business? Strange!) but it turns out all right in the end. Not only that, but from the books she recommended, they eventually were moving in the right direction in their lives.
It feels magical yet very ordinary at the same time. It's hard to explain.
I finished this book feeling envious of the Japanese people. There, a library is active and dynamic, alive.
A solid 5 star rating from me for a book that makes life a little more beautiful, a little more bearable.
Gadis Kretek by Ratih Kumala
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.25
Gadis Kretek / Cigarette Girl 🚬 oleh Ratih Koemala
Toean dan Njonja, akhirnja saya membatja boekoenya dan kemoedian menonton Gadis Kretek di Netflix.
Oentoek fiksi sedjarah, boekoenya termasoek ringan, boektinja saya bisa menamatkan dalam empat hari sadja. Baik boekoe maoepoen adaptasinja mempoenyai kekoeatan sendiri-sendiri.
Di boekoe lebih banjak ditjeritakan tentang kisah tjinta orang tua Jeng Yah: Idroes Moeria dan Roemaisa, dan awal persaingan Idroes Moeria dan Soedjagad. Bahwa Soedjagad mentjoeri ari-ari Dasiyah tidak ditjeritakan di dalam adaptasinja; itoelah jang mendjadi tanda bahwa soeatu hari nanti Soedjagad akan mengalahkan Idroes Moeria. Tidak djoega ditjeritakan bahwa Jeng Yah diseboet sebagai titisan Rara Mendhoet; idhu-ne legi (air loedahnya manis) sehingga tingwe (linting dhewe) boeatannya soenggoeh nikmat rasanja. Hoeboengan Tegar-Karim-Lebas djoega lebih banyak dieksplor di dalam boekoenja: di adaptasinja diganti dengan adegan-adegan Lebas bersama Aroem mengorek masa laloe menoeroeti keinginan Soeraja agar mereka mentjari Jeng Yah.
Namoen, menoeroet saya boekoe dan adaptasinja sama-sama bagoes. Semoea pemain berakting dengan loear biasa dan penggarapannya poen tjantik. Ditoenjang poela dengan remake lagoe lama milik Chrisye Kala Sang Soerya Tenggelam. Boekoenya lebih terasa djenaka dibandingkan dengan adaptasi jang djauh lebih emosional dan sedih. Oentoek ending alias adegan penoetoepnya, saya lebih menyoekai versi boekoe. Namoen setjara keseloeroehan bagoes.Karena itoe, toean dan njonja, saya bisa bilang bahwa saya menikmati kedoeanya. Semoga toean dan njonja djoega demikian!
Toean dan Njonja, akhirnja saya membatja boekoenya dan kemoedian menonton Gadis Kretek di Netflix.
Oentoek fiksi sedjarah, boekoenya termasoek ringan, boektinja saya bisa menamatkan dalam empat hari sadja. Baik boekoe maoepoen adaptasinja mempoenyai kekoeatan sendiri-sendiri.
Di boekoe lebih banjak ditjeritakan tentang kisah tjinta orang tua Jeng Yah: Idroes Moeria dan Roemaisa, dan awal persaingan Idroes Moeria dan Soedjagad. Bahwa Soedjagad mentjoeri ari-ari Dasiyah tidak ditjeritakan di dalam adaptasinja; itoelah jang mendjadi tanda bahwa soeatu hari nanti Soedjagad akan mengalahkan Idroes Moeria. Tidak djoega ditjeritakan bahwa Jeng Yah diseboet sebagai titisan Rara Mendhoet; idhu-ne legi (air loedahnya manis) sehingga tingwe (linting dhewe) boeatannya soenggoeh nikmat rasanja. Hoeboengan Tegar-Karim-Lebas djoega lebih banyak dieksplor di dalam boekoenja: di adaptasinja diganti dengan adegan-adegan Lebas bersama Aroem mengorek masa laloe menoeroeti keinginan Soeraja agar mereka mentjari Jeng Yah.
Namoen, menoeroet saya boekoe dan adaptasinja sama-sama bagoes. Semoea pemain berakting dengan loear biasa dan penggarapannya poen tjantik. Ditoenjang poela dengan remake lagoe lama milik Chrisye Kala Sang Soerya Tenggelam. Boekoenya lebih terasa djenaka dibandingkan dengan adaptasi jang djauh lebih emosional dan sedih. Oentoek ending alias adegan penoetoepnya, saya lebih menyoekai versi boekoe. Namoen setjara keseloeroehan bagoes.Karena itoe, toean dan njonja, saya bisa bilang bahwa saya menikmati kedoeanya. Semoga toean dan njonja djoega demikian!
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0
The cover made me do it. Today, we do judge a book by its cover (and rightly so), even though there are also cases when you find gems inside books with simple, uninteresting covers.
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop tells the stories of: 1. Takako, a 20-something woman who broke up with her boyfriend, fell into depression and quit her job, then met again with a distant uncle, Satoru, and agreed to work in his secondhand bookshop in Jimbocho. Here she found a love for reading which she had never had before.
2. Satoru himself, an eccentric little man whose wife left him years ago. Suddenly, she walked back into his life, just like that, like she never left. After bonding with Takako, the real reason why she left became clear.
Maybe I'm so used to depressing Japanese literature that when I read this book (that's supposed to be light and heart-warming, I guess), I couldn't find the warmth. Even though Takako was described to have depression, I don't think it was translated well into writing. There is nothing special about the writing and the story. Aside from the description of Jimbocho (Tokyo's famous book district) and it does have some noteworthy quotes, I do not find it as charming as I expected.
One good thing about the English translation of this book is that it's very easy to understand and rarely uses any 'big' words, so it is suitable for beginners.
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop tells the stories of: 1. Takako, a 20-something woman who broke up with her boyfriend, fell into depression and quit her job, then met again with a distant uncle, Satoru, and agreed to work in his secondhand bookshop in Jimbocho. Here she found a love for reading which she had never had before.
2. Satoru himself, an eccentric little man whose wife left him years ago. Suddenly, she walked back into his life, just like that, like she never left. After bonding with Takako, the real reason why she left became clear.
Maybe I'm so used to depressing Japanese literature that when I read this book (that's supposed to be light and heart-warming, I guess), I couldn't find the warmth. Even though Takako was described to have depression, I don't think it was translated well into writing. There is nothing special about the writing and the story. Aside from the description of Jimbocho (Tokyo's famous book district) and it does have some noteworthy quotes, I do not find it as charming as I expected.
One good thing about the English translation of this book is that it's very easy to understand and rarely uses any 'big' words, so it is suitable for beginners.
Kiat Menjadi Diktator: Pelajaran dari Para Pemimpin Edan by Irwan Syahrir, Mikal Hem
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.25
Manusia biasa saja bisa absurd kelakuannya, apalagi manusia dengan kekuasaan (nyaris) tak terbatas.
Di dalam buku ini ada panduan praktis (Bagaimana cara menjadi diktator? 1. Lakukan kudeta., 2. Dapatkan dukungan luar negeri., dst.) dan apa saja yang dilakukan oleh diktator dari seluruh penjuru dunia. Awas mual ketika membaca bab "Main Perempuan", dan siap-siap ilfil pada pangeran-pangeran Arab yang biasa dipuja karena ketampanan mereka itu.
Penulis jelas memiliki selera humor yang tinggi, dan terjemahannya pun renyah sehingga membaca buku ini menjadi pengalaman yang mengasyikkan. Sayangnya bapak yang kita kenal dengan The Smiling General hanya disebut 1 kali di sepanjang buku, entah kenapa. Padahal diktator dari negara tetangga, Ferdinand Marcos, disebut berkali-kali. Hehehe.
Di dalam buku ini ada panduan praktis (Bagaimana cara menjadi diktator? 1. Lakukan kudeta., 2. Dapatkan dukungan luar negeri., dst.) dan apa saja yang dilakukan oleh diktator dari seluruh penjuru dunia. Awas mual ketika membaca bab "Main Perempuan", dan siap-siap ilfil pada pangeran-pangeran Arab yang biasa dipuja karena ketampanan mereka itu.
Penulis jelas memiliki selera humor yang tinggi, dan terjemahannya pun renyah sehingga membaca buku ini menjadi pengalaman yang mengasyikkan. Sayangnya bapak yang kita kenal dengan The Smiling General hanya disebut 1 kali di sepanjang buku, entah kenapa. Padahal diktator dari negara tetangga, Ferdinand Marcos, disebut berkali-kali. Hehehe.