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veraveruchka's reviews
411 reviews
Princess on the Brink by Meg Cabot
2.0
I know this book is intended for teen (as I stated repeatedly in my review of previous books), but it's annoying how there seems to be no two sensible character in every scene. When Mia was being cool-headed (which was not happen too often), she would be shouted at by the selfish, power-crazed Lilly. If the other party is being calm and and try to explain something, then we have our Princess freaked out of nothing! It's quite tiring to read, and considering this SHOULD be a light reading, that ought to count for something.
Also, If you are binge-reading this series, you will notice some details are inconsistent, especially with book 7. And far too many sex-centered diary entry for my liking, I start to question if it's really normal for a 15 years old teenager to know all this? Even in America?
Spoiler
it's good that in this book they ceased to be friend because honestly I don't know what's the point of befriending a girl who always bossed you around like that.Also, If you are binge-reading this series, you will notice some details are inconsistent, especially with book 7. And far too many sex-centered diary entry for my liking, I start to question if it's really normal for a 15 years old teenager to know all this? Even in America?
Princess in Training by Meg Cabot
3.0
Mia's speech at the end of this book is really good, almost mature, considering her rambles throughout the book about how the biggest problem she'd ever face is whether her boyfriend wanted to DO IT or not.
Um, you know what I mean.
Um, you know what I mean.
Princess in Pink by Meg Cabot
4.0
Why am I going into a marathon of Princess-Diaries reading? I mean, I know these books are intended for teenager --which I'm no longer one. I might enjoy the first three books as a preteen, but there's a big chance I might not enjoy it now, being a grown up and all. I reread the first three books for the sake of nostalgia, but WHY DID I CONTINUE? I honestly don't know myself.
Anyway, the fifth book is enjoyable enough for me. Finally a real conflict (the whole Jangbu thing) yet our overly dramatic preteen princess focused on the other thing entirely. Prom. Lame prom. Why such a big fuss? When at the same time she have to deal with a strike unintentiously sparked by her Grandmere's hairless poodle, Rommel, and her bestfriend Lilly behaving really weirdly (although apparently being genius = being weird and clueless about it). Mia was being so completely un-feminist which is fine for me, her being a teenager smitten by love. Well, her antics are annoying sometimes, but hilarious for most of the time, so I think I will forgive Mia.
At this book Mia is so worried about 'getting to second base'. It's culturally inappropriate in the country where I live, but in more liberal country, maybe Mia's worrying is an accurate portrait about how teenage girls perceive their romantic relationship. I don't know. One thing for sure, I'm not going to let my (hypothetical future) daughters to read this series without supervision and open discussion. Especially if in the latter books Mia is worried about...ahem, getting to the next base.
However, I feel emotionally involved with some of the characters, which honestly I don't expect. Satisfying ending, somewhat unrealistic, but we're talking about a series in which a teenager suddenly proclaimed as a princess of tiny principality, so what do you expect.
Warning : Major spoiler of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, so go read them first if you haven't already.
Anyway, the fifth book is enjoyable enough for me. Finally a real conflict (the whole Jangbu thing) yet our overly dramatic preteen princess focused on the other thing entirely. Prom. Lame prom. Why such a big fuss? When at the same time she have to deal with a strike unintentiously sparked by her Grandmere's hairless poodle, Rommel, and her bestfriend Lilly behaving really weirdly (although apparently being genius = being weird and clueless about it). Mia was being so completely un-feminist which is fine for me, her being a teenager smitten by love. Well, her antics are annoying sometimes, but hilarious for most of the time, so I think I will forgive Mia.
At this book Mia is so worried about 'getting to second base'. It's culturally inappropriate in the country where I live, but in more liberal country, maybe Mia's worrying is an accurate portrait about how teenage girls perceive their romantic relationship. I don't know. One thing for sure, I'm not going to let my (hypothetical future) daughters to read this series without supervision and open discussion. Especially if in the latter books Mia is worried about...ahem, getting to the next base.
However, I feel emotionally involved with some of the characters, which honestly I don't expect. Satisfying ending, somewhat unrealistic, but we're talking about a series in which a teenager suddenly proclaimed as a princess of tiny principality, so what do you expect.
Warning : Major spoiler of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, so go read them first if you haven't already.
Princess in Waiting by Meg Cabot
3.0
Major spoiler of Jane Eyre, so I suggest that if you plan to read both of these books, read Jane Eyre first.
Not that this is a kind of book you would normally pair with Jane Eyre, anyway.
Princess in Waiting focused on Mia's first journey to Genovia as the heir to the throne and her insecurity about her relationship with Michael Moscovitz, Mia's one-month boyfriend and best friend's brother.
As an adult, Mia's insecurity,immaturity, and head-in-the-cloud-ness are sometimes annoying. I swear she turns everything into a drama. It might be more enjoyable if you read it for the sake of nostalgia, or if you are still a teenager yourself.
Also, since Mia's bestfriend parents are psychologist (or psychoanalyst, or psychiatrist, used interchangeably along the series...which, I have to say, are different, please don't regard them as a same profession), the book refer to psychological term a lot. Might incite further inquiry for unfamiliar reader to psychological literature, so I think, overall it's acceptable.
Not that this is a kind of book you would normally pair with Jane Eyre, anyway.
Princess in Waiting focused on Mia's first journey to Genovia as the heir to the throne and her insecurity about her relationship with Michael Moscovitz, Mia's one-month boyfriend and best friend's brother.
As an adult, Mia's insecurity,immaturity, and head-in-the-cloud-ness are sometimes annoying. I swear she turns everything into a drama. It might be more enjoyable if you read it for the sake of nostalgia, or if you are still a teenager yourself.
Also, since Mia's bestfriend parents are psychologist (or psychoanalyst, or psychiatrist, used interchangeably along the series...which, I have to say, are different, please don't regard them as a same profession), the book refer to psychological term a lot. Might incite further inquiry for unfamiliar reader to psychological literature, so I think, overall it's acceptable.
Princess Mia by Meg Cabot
2.0
I was prepared to love Mia again, really. Almost there, when her depression made her seem to grow up a bit. But then came the Princess Amelie's diary and democracy thingy...and I was like, really, Mia? Really? What a reckless thing to do as a princess! My love meter decrease to near zero.
Nyaris Terjebak by Enid Blyton
3.0
Satu-satunya buku seri Lima Sekawan yang saya punya. Tadinya pengen beli secara berurutan, tapi terpaksa beli random karena...yah, di Gramedia dulu nggak selalu ada berurutan. Dulu pengen koleksi, tapi belum kesampaian karena uang jajan nggak cukup. Hiks. Sekarang pas udah punya duit sendiri untuk ngoleksi seri ini sampai tamat sekali pun, bukunya udah dicetak ulang dengan desain sampul berbeda. Hmmm...saya rasanya lebih suka desain sampul yang lama. Juga nggak tahu perasaan saya aja atau gimana, rasanya jadi lebih tipis. Saya baca review edisi-edisi terbaru dalam bahasa Inggris dan banyak yang kecewa karena banyak yang diubah (bahasanya dianggap terlalu kuno buat anak sekarang). Moga-moga siiih edisi terbaru dalam bahasa Indonesia nggak mengalami hal yang sama. Gaya terjemahan edisi yang saya punya bikin saya merasakan nuansa 1970-an (walau sebenarnya seri ini terbit tahun 1940-an). It's my mother's favorite childhood book series too, and somehow it's soothing to share the same childhood nuance with her.
Pada buku Lima Sekawan kedelapan ini, Julian, Dick, Anne, George, dan Timmy melancong naik sepeda karena Bibi Fanny dan Paman Quentin harus pergi menghadiri konferensi. Petualangan mereka dimulai ketika bertemu seorang anak bandel dan cengeng bernama Richard Kent yang ngotot ingin bersepeda bersama mereka. Ternyata Richard ini anak seorang miliuner dan jadi sasaran penculikan. Apesnya, penculik-penculik itu salah orang. Bukannya Richard, mereka malah menculik Dick (yang namanya merupakan kependekan dari 'Richard', selain juga berarti bahasa slang untuk menyebut kemaluan laki-laki. Poor Dick, so unlucky with names).
Lima Sekawan benar-benar membangkitkan keinginan masa kecil deh. Mereka boleh berpetualang tanpa pengawasan orang dewasa (saya ga boleh). Mereka bisa ke mana-mana naik sepeda (saya ga bisa). Mereka punya abang kayak Julian yang sopan dan bisa diandalkan (saya ga punya). Agak aneh sih excuse yang dipakai untuk membolehkan mereka jalan-jalan. Bibi Fanny dan Paman Quentin nggak bisa membiarkan anak-anak di pondok karena mereka mau pergi, dan nggak ada yang jaga anak-anak. Namun mereka boleh melancong tanpa ada orang dewasa yang jaga karena "ada Timmy, dia sama seperti dua orang dewasa." Guess what, kalau anak-anak ini ditinggal di pondok pun mereka bakal bareng sama Timmy, nggak ada masalah kan? Penjahatnya agak tolol di buku ini --untunglah. Meninggalkan anak-anak di halaman, bukannya menyekap mereka di ruangan tertutup? Tiba-tiba saya ngerasa lebih berbakat jadi kriminal dibanding penjahat-penjahat ini karena saya bisa mikirin cara-cara lain yang lebih efektif supaya anak-anak ini nggak jadi ancaman.
Saya nggak pernah menyadarinya waktu baca buku ini di masa kecil dulu, tapi Lima Sekawan ini ternyata memang lapar melulu, hehe. Saya juga jadi lapar. Juga pengen coba limun jahe yang kayaknya jadi minuman wajib mereka di setiap seri.
Menawan imajinasi buat anak kecil, gaping plot hole and one-dimensional villain buat orang dewasa. Apa pun, sepertinya buku ini akan jadi buku yang asyik untuk dibaca bareng dan didiskusikan bersama anak-anak saya nanti :)
Pada buku Lima Sekawan kedelapan ini, Julian, Dick, Anne, George, dan Timmy melancong naik sepeda karena Bibi Fanny dan Paman Quentin harus pergi menghadiri konferensi. Petualangan mereka dimulai ketika bertemu seorang anak bandel dan cengeng bernama Richard Kent yang ngotot ingin bersepeda bersama mereka. Ternyata Richard ini anak seorang miliuner dan jadi sasaran penculikan. Apesnya, penculik-penculik itu salah orang. Bukannya Richard, mereka malah menculik Dick (yang namanya merupakan kependekan dari 'Richard', selain juga berarti bahasa slang untuk menyebut kemaluan laki-laki. Poor Dick, so unlucky with names).
Lima Sekawan benar-benar membangkitkan keinginan masa kecil deh. Mereka boleh berpetualang tanpa pengawasan orang dewasa (saya ga boleh). Mereka bisa ke mana-mana naik sepeda (saya ga bisa). Mereka punya abang kayak Julian yang sopan dan bisa diandalkan (saya ga punya). Agak aneh sih excuse yang dipakai untuk membolehkan mereka jalan-jalan. Bibi Fanny dan Paman Quentin nggak bisa membiarkan anak-anak di pondok karena mereka mau pergi, dan nggak ada yang jaga anak-anak. Namun mereka boleh melancong tanpa ada orang dewasa yang jaga karena "ada Timmy, dia sama seperti dua orang dewasa." Guess what, kalau anak-anak ini ditinggal di pondok pun mereka bakal bareng sama Timmy, nggak ada masalah kan? Penjahatnya agak tolol di buku ini --untunglah. Meninggalkan anak-anak di halaman, bukannya menyekap mereka di ruangan tertutup? Tiba-tiba saya ngerasa lebih berbakat jadi kriminal dibanding penjahat-penjahat ini karena saya bisa mikirin cara-cara lain yang lebih efektif supaya anak-anak ini nggak jadi ancaman.
Saya nggak pernah menyadarinya waktu baca buku ini di masa kecil dulu, tapi Lima Sekawan ini ternyata memang lapar melulu, hehe. Saya juga jadi lapar. Juga pengen coba limun jahe yang kayaknya jadi minuman wajib mereka di setiap seri.
Menawan imajinasi buat anak kecil, gaping plot hole and one-dimensional villain buat orang dewasa. Apa pun, sepertinya buku ini akan jadi buku yang asyik untuk dibaca bareng dan didiskusikan bersama anak-anak saya nanti :)
Surga Juga Buat Remaja, Lho... by M. Iwan Januar
4.0
Beli ini tahun 2004, saat baru menginjak masa remaja, gara-gara dikomporin teman dekat saat itu. Nggak secara langsung diprospek buat beli sih, cuma waktu itu dia suka bawa buku ini ke mana-mana, kayak yang suka banget. Saya juga ternyata suka, walau nggak tahu pakai 'banget' kayak si teman dekat atau nggak. Nasihatnya mudah dicerna dan bahasanya kena di hati anak SMP pada masa itu.
Sekarang, hampir 10 tahun kemudian, saya baca buku ini lagi. Bedanya dulu saya baru jadi remaja dan sekarang saya sudah bukan remaja.
Nasihat-nasihat dalam buku ini masih relevan bagi remaja masa kini, walau contoh-contohnya akan segera obsolete. Sepertinya buku ini akan lebih berguna dan 'ngena' kalau dibaca oleh siswa SMP/SMA, karena ciri-ciri remaja yang dihadirkan pun lebih ke ciri remaja awal-tengah. Saya pribadi, pada masa SMP merasa bahwa masalah yang dibahas di buku ini 'gue banget'. Bahkan beberapa topik dibahas saat mentoring berkali-kali. Menjelang dewasa awal, alhamdulillah saya merasa sebagian besar sudah tidak lagi menjadi isu.
Secara garis besar, bacaan yang recommended buat remaja muslim yang ingin mendekatkan diri pada Tuhannya. Buat saya sendiri, nice refreshing and nostalgic reading!
Sekarang, hampir 10 tahun kemudian, saya baca buku ini lagi. Bedanya dulu saya baru jadi remaja dan sekarang saya sudah bukan remaja.
Nasihat-nasihat dalam buku ini masih relevan bagi remaja masa kini, walau contoh-contohnya akan segera obsolete. Sepertinya buku ini akan lebih berguna dan 'ngena' kalau dibaca oleh siswa SMP/SMA, karena ciri-ciri remaja yang dihadirkan pun lebih ke ciri remaja awal-tengah. Saya pribadi, pada masa SMP merasa bahwa masalah yang dibahas di buku ini 'gue banget'. Bahkan beberapa topik dibahas saat mentoring berkali-kali. Menjelang dewasa awal, alhamdulillah saya merasa sebagian besar sudah tidak lagi menjadi isu.
Secara garis besar, bacaan yang recommended buat remaja muslim yang ingin mendekatkan diri pada Tuhannya. Buat saya sendiri, nice refreshing and nostalgic reading!
Twilight: The Complete Illustrated Movie Companion by Mark Cotta Vaz
4.0
I have this book from my Twihard days, sent free by Twilight Indonesia as a prize from winning an essay contest. My fangirling mood kind of ruined with the release of the second movie, but when I got this book I'm still one of those squealing fangirl every time I see things Twilight-related (I sort of still am for Jasper/Jackson Rathbone, though, haha).
It's nice having this book, really. The first movie is my favorite (with Eclipse coming close as the second because the total time of Jasper-filming and XAVIER SAMUEL ASGHAGDAGDJ...sorry). I agree that Bella-Edward interaction is kind of wooden and the screenplay could be better, but the color palette and overall ambience catch the 'feel' perfectly. I also love the promotional photograph made for this movie. Photographs from inside the book can easily be found everywhere by a simple click on google, but that day, they were like gems. I felt so exclusive, hahaha.
Whenever reading this book, I can feel that this movie was made with love. The result might be not perfect but I can appreciate it more. Reminiscence of old squealing-giggling fangirl, ah! What a nostalgia!
It's nice having this book, really. The first movie is my favorite (with Eclipse coming close as the second because the total time of Jasper-filming and XAVIER SAMUEL ASGHAGDAGDJ...sorry). I agree that Bella-Edward interaction is kind of wooden and the screenplay could be better, but the color palette and overall ambience catch the 'feel' perfectly. I also love the promotional photograph made for this movie. Photographs from inside the book can easily be found everywhere by a simple click on google, but that day, they were like gems. I felt so exclusive, hahaha.
Whenever reading this book, I can feel that this movie was made with love. The result might be not perfect but I can appreciate it more. Reminiscence of old squealing-giggling fangirl, ah! What a nostalgia!
Ketika Hidup Bercahaya by Serdar Özkan
2.0
Actually one star. Plus one for the beautiful cover design that made me pick up this book without giving it much thought.
Buat saya buku ini penuh dengan alegori-alegori yang membuat saya mengernyit. Saya tidak bisa menikmatinya, apa lagi mengartikan makna-maknanya, padahal buku ini tampaknya menitikberatkan pada pemaknaan, semacam The Alchemist dari Paulo Coelho.
Just not my cup of tea. Sekarang saya berpikir untuk mendonasikan atau memberikan saja buku ini buat orang lain yang mungkin dapat menarik makna dari rangkaian katanya.
Buat saya buku ini penuh dengan alegori-alegori yang membuat saya mengernyit. Saya tidak bisa menikmatinya, apa lagi mengartikan makna-maknanya, padahal buku ini tampaknya menitikberatkan pada pemaknaan, semacam The Alchemist dari Paulo Coelho.
Just not my cup of tea. Sekarang saya berpikir untuk mendonasikan atau memberikan saja buku ini buat orang lain yang mungkin dapat menarik makna dari rangkaian katanya.