[Review] Chasing the Devil's Tail - David Fulmer

Title of Book: Chasing the Devil’s Tail: A Valentin St. Cyr Mystery
Series: Storyville #1
Author: David Fulmer
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Year: 2001
Language: English
Format: Hardback
Pages: 226

Not New Orleans--but Storyville--noir...and all that jazz!

1907 Storyville. Cultures, races, and religions more often blend than clash in a rich gumbo only New Orleans could serve up. But trouble brews. In this red light district, prostitutes ply their trade whether in cramped cribs or elegant houses of French ancestry, while music surges through its streets and helps harmonize the light and dark elements. King Bolden rules the Storyville brass with his golden coronet and his gift--jasser--to blow a riff on the city's music that pulses with new rhythms and notes. But the real King of Storyville is Tom Anderson, the district's powerful property owner and political fixer, who employs Creole detective Valentin St. Cyr to dig into the deaths of a string of prostitutes. Each victim is found with a black rose. Is a serial killer leaving a calling card? Is King Bolden losing his mind as he stretches his genius to its limits? Why is an elderly priest sent away under care?

[Review] And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie

Title of Book: And Then There Were None (Lalu Semuanya Lenyap)

Author: Agatha Christie

Publisher: PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Publication Year: 2008

Language: Bahasa Indonesia

Translator: Mareta

Format: Paperback

Pages: 291

Sepuluh orang diundang ke sebuah rumah mewah dan modern di Pulau Negro, di seberang pantai Devon. Walaupun masing-masing menyimpan rahasia, mereka tiba di pulau itu dengan penuh harapan, pada suatu sore musim panas yang indah.

Tetapi tiba-tiba terjadi serentetan kejadian misterius. Pulau itu berubah menjadi pulau maut yang mengerikan. Panik mencekam orang-orang itu ketika mereka meninggal satu demi satu... satu demi satu...

Top Ten Best Books I Read in 2015

Hi! It's time for Top Ten Tuesday again. The year almost ends which makes it the perfect time to kind of wrap up my reading year. Today's topic is best books I read in 2015. I include mangas in this list. Because why not? These are good mangas and they are in book form so that counts, right? Anyway, I made this list in chronological order from the oldest to the latest I read this year.

[Review] Table for Seven - Whitney Gaskell

Title of Book: Table for Seven
Author: Whitney Gaskell
Publisher: Bantam
Publication Year: 2013
Language: English
Format: ebook
Pages: 256

A warm and witty novel about friendship, fine dining, and learning that life doesn't always turn out quite how we expect it to--perfect for fans of Barbara O'Neal and Nancy Thayer 

On New Year's Eve, Fran and Will Parrish host a dinner party, serving their friends a gourmet feast. The night is such a success that the group decides to form a monthly dinner party club. But what starts as an excuse to enjoy the company of fellow foodies ends up having lasting repercussions on each member of the Table for Seven Dinner Party Club. 

Fran and Will face the possibility that their comfortable marriage may not be as infallible as they once thought. Audrey has to figure out how to move on and start a new life after the untimely death of her young husband. Perfectionist Jaime suspects that her husband, Mark, might be having an affair. Coop, a flirtatious bachelor who never commits to a third date, is blindsided when he falls in love for the first time. Leland, a widower, is a wise counselor and firm believer that bacon makes everything taste better.

Over the course of a year, against a backdrop of mouthwatering meals, relationships are forged, marriages are tested, and the members of the Table for Seven Dinner Party Club find their lives forever changed. 

[Review] They Do It with Mirrors - Agatha Christie

Title of Book: They Do It with Mirrors (Muslihat dengan cermin)
Author: Agatha Christie
Publisher: PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Publication Year: 2011
Language: Bahasa Indonesia
Translator: Julanda Tantani
Format: Paperback
Pages: 286

Untuk memenuhi janji kepada seorang teman sekolah lama, Miss Marple bersedia tinggal di rumah di daerah pedesaan---bersama dua ratus remaja yang mengalami gangguan jiwa dan tujuh ahli waris harta seorang nyonya tua. Salah seorang dari mereka pembunuh, yang mempunyai keahlian untuk berada di dua tempat sekaligus.

[Review] The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding - Agatha Christie

Title of Book: The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (Skandal Perjamuan Natal)
Author: Agatha Christie
Publisher: PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Publication Year: 2007
Language: Bahasa Indonesia
Translator: Suwarni A.S.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 352

Jangan makan puding itu.

Puding Natal khusus itu terhidang dengan segala kemegahannya di piring hidangan dari perak. Pudding itu berbentuk bola kaki yang besar. Setangkai daun holly tertancap di atasnya, seperti bendera kemenangan, dan nyala api biru dan merah cemerlang semarak di sekelilingnya. Terdengar pekik sorak kagum dari semua yang hadir.

Hercule Poirot memandang kue di piringnya dengan ekspresi agak aneh. 

Itu karena dia telah menemukan secarik surat pendek di tempat tidurnya, yang berbunyi:

JANGAN MAKAN SEDIKIT PUN PUDING PLUM YANG DIHIDANGKAN.

DARI SESEORANG YANG BERNIAT BAIK TERHADAP ANDA

[Review] The Catcher in The Rye - J.D. Salinger

Title of Book: The Catcher in the Rye
Author: J.D. Salinger
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Year: 1991
Language: English
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 214

Since his debut in 1951 as The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has been synonymous with "cynical adolescent." Holden narrates the story of a couple of days in his sixteen-year-old life, just after he's been expelled from prep school, in a slang that sounds edgy even today and keeps this novel on banned book lists. It begins,

"If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them."

His constant wry observations about what he encounters, from teachers to phonies (the two of course are not mutually exclusive) capture the essence of the eternal teenage experience of alienation.

[Review] The Choice - Nicholas Sparks

Title of Book: The Choice
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Publisher: Vision
Publication Year: 2009
Language: English
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 317

Travis Parker has everything a man could want: a good job, loyal friends, even a waterfront home in small-town North Carolina. In full pursuit of the good life -- boating, swimming, and regular barbecues with his good-natured buddies -- he holds the vague conviction that a serious relationship with a woman would only cramp his style. That is, until Gabby Holland moves in next door. Despite his attempts to be neighborly, the appealing redhead seems to have a chip on her shoulder about him...and the presence of her longtime boyfriend doesn't help. Despite himself, Travis can't stop trying to ingratiate himself with his new neighbor, and his persistent efforts lead them both to the doorstep of a journey that neither could have foreseen. Spanning the eventful years of young love, marriage and family, The Choice ultimately confronts us with the most heartwrenching question of all: how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive?

Top Ten Scariest Book for Halloween Reads

It's Tuesday! which means it's time for Top Ten Tuesday. Ooh I miss writing Top Ten Tuesday list. This week is a Halloween themed freebie week. So for today I'm gonna show you my top ten scariest books I've read.

[Review] Torso - Brian Michael Bendis & Marc Andreyko

Title: Torso

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis & Marc Andreyko

Illustrator: Brian Michael Bendis

Publisher: Marvel

Publication year: 2012

Language: English

Pages: 280

The gripping tale of Eliot Ness' chase of America's first serial killer: the mysterious torso killer! This 1999 Eisner Award-winner for Comic Book Excellence is completely reformatted, and perfect for both new readers and old! "A four-star must read!" - Comic Shop News "Literally some of the best comics i've read indecades." - Todd McFarlane

Top 5 Banned Books I've Read

Top Five Wednesday is a weekly feature created by Lainey at gingerreadslainey. This week's topic is top five banned books that you've read. 

5. Harry Potter series - J.K. Rowling

Honestly I don't understand why this series is frequently challenged or even banned. One of my favorite series and I don't think I need to explain why.

[Review] Love The One You're With - Emily Giffin

Title of Book: Love the One You’re With
Author: Emily Giffin
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Publication Year: 2013
Language: English
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 384

Ellen and Andy Graham have the perfect marriage. There is no question how deep their devotion is, and how naturally they bring out the best in each other. But one fateful afternoon, Ellen runs into Leo. The one who brought out the worst in her. The one who left her heartbroken nearly a decade ago. The one she could never quite forget. When his reappearance ignites long-dormant emotions, Ellen begins to question whether the life she’s living is the one she’s meant to live.

Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Brooke and The Bookish. This week's topic is top ten books on my fall TBR. This topic is kind of tricky to me as where I live, there's no fall season. I live in a country where we only have two seasons. So I've never experienced the cold but cozy weather, the seasonal pumpkin-everything, or even Halloween. Still, I'd like to set a TBR for the next three months.

[Review] Every Day - David Levithan

Title of Book: Every Day
Author: David Levithan
Publisher: Ember
Publication Year: 2013
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 324

I wake up.

Immediately, I have to figure out who I am. It's not just the body - opening my eyes and discovering whether the skin on my arm is light or dark, whether my hair is long or short, whether I'm fat or thin, boy or girl, scarred or smooth. The body is the easiest thing to adjust to, if you're used to waking up in a new one each morning. It's the life, the context of the body, that can be hard to grasp.

Every day I am someone else. I am myself - I know I am myself - but I am also someone else.

It has always been like this.

[Review] Nocturnes - Kazuo Ishiguro

Title of Book: Nocturnes: Five Stories Of Music And Nightfall
Author: Kazuo Ishiguro
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Publication Year: 2009
Language: English
Format: Hardback
Pages: 211

In a sublime story cycle, Kazuo Ishiguro explores ideas of love, music and the passing of time. From the piazzas of Italy to the Malvern Hills, a London flat to the 'hush-hush floor' of an exclusive Hollywood hotel, the characters we encounter range from young dreamers to cafe musicians to faded stars, all of them at some moment of reckoning. Gentle, intimate and witty, this quintet is marked by a haunting theme: the struggle to keep alive a sense of life's romance, even as one gets older, relationships flounder and youthful hopes recede.

Top 5 Favorite Things About Blogging

Hello! Top 5 Wednesday is a feature that was created by Lainey over at gingerreadslainey. It's been a while since I last doing Top 5 Wednesday and I miss it. There's also a goodreads group for Top 5 Wednesday if you want to know more about the feature. This week's topic is top five favorite things about booktubing/blogging. I've been book blogging for about two years and I enjoyed every second of it. Though I admit there are times when I was on a book blogging slump, especially when the lazy part of me took over. Still, it has been a fun experience maintaining this blog.

[Review] A Very Accidental Love Story - Claudia Carroll

Title of Book:A Very Accidental Love Story
Author: Claudia Carroll
Publisher: Avon Books
Publication Year: 2012
Language: English
Format: ebook
Pages: 432

Eloise Elliot is one of the youngest newspaper editors in the country. Respected and revered by her peers, she’s at the top of her game.

But, on the eve of her thirtieth birthday, finding herself surrounded by some pathetic looking balloons and mangy sandwiches in The Daily Post’s conference room, Eloise is hit but a long sharp pang of loneliness.

Suddenly, and with dazzling clarity, she realises what she wants to make her life more complete. A baby.

One successful trip to the sperm bank and almost three years later and she is the adoring mother of a gorgeous little girl, Lily. Juggling a high-powered job with motherhood is not easy and when she finds herself without childcare she sends an SOS to her sister Helen. Yet it’s when Lily starts asking about her ‘daddy’ that Eloise really starts to panic. What will she tell her?

August Characters Giveaway Hop 2015 Winner Announcement

Hi! August Characters Giveaway Hop sudah selesai tanggal 31 Agustus kemarin. Sekarang waktunya kami mengumumkan dua pemenang dari giveaway ini.

[Review] A Night In With Audrey Hepburn - Lucy Holliday

Title of Book: A Night In With Audrey Hepburn
Series: A Night In With #1
Author: Lucy Holliday
Publisher: Harper
Publication Year: 2015
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 400
BookDepository | Periplus

Actress Libby Lomax has retreated into the world of classic movies, where the immortal lives of her favourite screen goddesses seem to offer so much more in the romance department than her own life.

After a terrible day on set where she embarrasses herself in front of the entire cast and worst of all, it’s sexy bad-boy star, Dillon O’Hara, she plonks herself down on her battered couch to watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s for the trillionth time.

Suddenly, Libby is astonished to find screen icon Audrey Hepburn, complete with little black dress, trademark sunglasses and vintage cigarette holder, sitting beside her and proffering advice.

Has Libby got what it takes to turn her life from a Turkey to a Blockbuster? Perhaps with a little bit of Audrey Hepburn magic, she might just pull it off…

A Night In With Audrey Hepburn is the first in a series of three books following the life and loves of Libby Lomax as she blossoms from Z-lister to A-lister and all of the stages in between with a little bit of help from some very special friends.

[Review] Everything, Everything - Nicola Yoon

Title of Book: Everything, Everything
Author: Nicola Yoon
Publisher: Delacorte
Publication Date: 1st September 2015
Language: English
Format: ARC
Pages: 320

This innovative, heartfelt debut novel tells the story of a girl who’s literally allergic to the outside world. When a new family moves in next door, she begins a complicated romance that challenges everything she’s ever known. The narrative unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, texts, charts, lists, illustrations, and more.

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

[Review] An Ember in The Ashes - Sabaa Tahir

Title of Book: An Ember in the Ashes
Series: An Ember in the Ashes #1
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Publication Year: 2015
Language: English
Format: Hardback
Pages: 450
BookDepository | Periplus

Set in a terrifyingly brutal Rome-like world, An Ember in the Ashes is an epic fantasy debut about an orphan fighting for her family and a soldier fighting for his freedom. It’s a story that’s literally burning to be told.

What if you were the spark that could ignite a revolution?

For years Laia has lived in fear. Fear of the Empire, fear of the Martials, fear of truly living at all. Born as a Scholar, she’s never had much of a choice.

For Elias it’s the opposite. He has seen too much on his path to becoming a Mask, one of the Empire’s elite soldiers. With the Masks’ help the Empire has conquered a continent and enslaved thousands, all in the name of power.

When Laia’s brother is taken she must force herself to help the Resistance, the only people who have a chance of saving him. She must spy on the Commandant, ruthless overseer of Blackcliff Academy. Blackcliff is the training ground for Masks and the very place that Elias is planning to escape. If he succeeds, he will be named deserter. If found, the punishment will be death.

But once Laia and Elias meet, they will find that their destinies are intertwined and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

In the ashes of a broken world one person can make a difference. One voice in the dark can be heard. The price of freedom is always high and this time that price might demand everything, even life itself.

[Review] The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing - Melissa Bank

Title of Book: The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing
Author: Melissa Bank
Publisher: Penguin Books
Publication Year: 2000
Language: English
Format: paperback
Pages: 274

Hailed by critics as the debut of a major literary voice, The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing has captivated readers and dominated bestseller lists. Generous-hearted and wickedly insightful, it maps the progress of Jane Rosenal as she sets out on a personal and spirited expedition through the perilous terrain of sex, love, relationships, and the treacherous waters of the workplace. With an unforgettable comic touch, Bank skillfully teases out universal issues, puts a clever, new spin on the mating dance, and captures in perfect pitch what it's like to be a young woman coming of age in America today.

[Giveaway] August Characters Giveaway Hop 2015!!

Halo! Agustus ini saya lagi jarang ngisi blog ini. Bahkan rasanya terakhir ngepost bulan Juli lalu. Waduh, memang lagi sibuk ngurusin yang lain sih. Tapi untungnya, saya nggak lupa buat ngadain giveaway di bulan Agustus. Kali ini, saya bersama beberapa teman BBI yang berulangtahun di bulan Agustus mengadakan giveaway dengan tema August Characters Giveaway Hop. Aturannya mudah, antara lain:

[Review] Before I Fall - Lauren Oliver

Title of Book: Before I Fall
Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Publication Year: July 2010
Language: English
Format: paperback
Pages: 344

They say ‘live every day as if it’s your last’—but you never actually think it's going to be. At least I didn't.

The thing is, you don’t get to know when it happens. You don’t remember to tell your family that you love them or—in my case—remember to say goodbye to them at all.

But what if, like me, you could live your last day over and over again? Could you make it perfect? If your whole life flashed before your eyes, would you have no regrets? Or are there some things you’d want to change...?

[Review] The Girl Who Went Missing - Ace Varkey

Title of Book: The Girl Who Went Missing
Author: Ace Varkey
Publisher: Mysterious East
Publication Year: 2015
Language: English
Format: ebook
Pages: 245

When June Warner arrives in India to visit her sister Thalia, a trip to take her mind off her jilted engagement, she is greeted by the bright hot chaos of Mumbai but not her sister. She goes to the YMCA where Thalia is staying, only to find that she is not there.

Convinced that Thalia’s no-show is a sign that she is in danger, June begins a desperate search for her younger sister.

Police Commissioner Oscar D'Costa, scarred by the tragedies of his past, swears he will never again ignore his gut instinct when it comes to a missing girl. And with more and more dead foreign women being found in his precinct, he becomes convinced a conspiracy is at play.

Through the two worlds of American naiveté and Indian chaos, they must find the girl who went missing.

[Review] Everlasting - Alyson Noel

Title of Book: Everlasting
Series: The Immortals #6
Author: Alyson Noel
Publisher: Mizan Fantasy
Publication Year: 2012
Language: Bahasa Indonesia
Translator: Reni Indardini
Format: Paperback
Pages: 389

Kau harus melihatnya. Mempelajarinya. Memahaminya. Perjalanan tersebut panjang dan berat,tapi imbalannya sangatlah luar biasa... hanya yang berhati suci yang dapat memperolehnya. 

Setelah berhasil mengalahkan musuh bebuyutan mereka, kini Damen dan Ever bisa mulai berkonsentrasi mencari penawar racun bagi Damen. Namun perjalanan mereka mencari penawar akan membawa mereka ke dalam pusat kegelapan Summerland. 

Di pulau yang tak pernah berhenti hujan, Ever dan Damen akan menemukan rahasia mereka di masa lalu yang tak pernah mereka bayangkan sebelumnya dan berbagai fakta tentang penyebab perpisahan mereka. Dan saat rahasia terakhir mereka terungkap, masa depan hubungan Ever dan Damen pun telah ditetapkan dalam sebuah keputusan absolut… dan tidak akan bisa diubah lagi untuk selamanya.

*spoiler alert*

[Review] Night Star - Alyson Noel

Title of Book: Night Star
Series: The Immortals #5
Author: Alyson Noel
Publisher: Mizan Fantasy
Publication Year: 2011
Language: Bahasa Indonesia
Translator: Nuraini Mastura
Format: Paperback
Pages: 377

Kisah cinta segitiga Ever, Damen, dan Jude masih berlanjut. Setelah Jude membunuh Roman, Ever yang kecewa karena tidak berhasil mendapatkan ramuan penawar untuk Damen, benar-benar marah pada Jude. Berbagai cara dilakukan Jude agar Ever memaafkannya. Namun, Ever tidak peduli.

Ever hanya peduli tentang bagaimana menyelamatkan Damen. Dan kini, Ever mengetahui cara untuk mendapatkan ramuan itu kembali. Satu-satunya cara yang tidak mudah, karena Ever harus berhadapan dengan Haven, sahabatnya sendiri.

Di tengah usahanya mendapatkan ramuan, Ever melakukan perjalanan ke Shadowland-dunia bagi jiwa-jiwa yang tersesat. Sebuah perjalanan yang menguak siapa sebenarnya orang yang selama berabad-abad telah dicintai Ever.

*spoiler alert*