Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Wishful Wednesday #41

 

Call me shallow but if a good book is translated to English and got good words in TheNewYorkTimes then I will definitely read the book...


Cantik itu Luka by Eka Kurniawan

The epic novel Beauty Is a Wound combines history, satire, family tragedy, legend, humor, and romance in a sweeping polyphony. The beautiful Indo prostitute Dewi Ayu and her four daughters are beset by incest, murder, bestiality, rape, insanity, monstrosity, and the often vengeful undead. Kurniawan's gleefully grotesque hyperbole functions as a scathing critique of his young nation's troubled past: the rapacious offhand greed of colonialism; the chaotic struggle for independence; the 1965 mass murders of perhaps a million "Communists," followed by three decades of Suharto's despotic rule.

Beauty Is a Wound astonishes from its opening line: "One afternoon on a weekend in May, Dewi Ayu rose from her grave after being dead for twenty-one years…" Drawing on local sources—folk tales and the all-night shadow puppet plays, with their bawdy wit and epic scope—and inspired by Melville and Gogol, Kurniawan's distinctive voice brings something luscious yet astringent to contemporary literature.

About Wishful Wednesday:
  • Silakan follow blog Books To Share – atau tambahkan di blogroll/link blogmu =)
  • Buat posting mengenai buku-buku (boleh lebih dari 1) atau segala hal yang berhubungan dengan kebutuhan bookish kalian, yang jadi inceran kalian minggu ini, mulai dari yang bakal segera dibeli, sampai yang paling mustahil dan hanya sebatas mimpi. Oya, sertakan juga alasan  kenapa buku/benda itu masuk dalam wishlist kalian ya!
  • Tinggalkan link postingan Wishful Wednesday kalian di Mr. Linky (klik saja tombol Mr. Linky di bagian bawah post). Kalau mau, silakan tambahkan button Wishful Wednesday di posting kalian.
  • Mari saling berkunjung ke sesama blogger yang sudah ikut share wishlistnya di hari Rabu =)

Saturday, September 19, 2015

[COVER REVEAL] The Fifteenth Minute (The Ivy Years #5) by Sarina Bowen


The new cover for the latest series of The Ivy Years by Sarina Bowen... I haven't read the series and the only book by Ms. Sarina Bowen which I have read is Him, collaboration with Ms. Elle Kennedy... It's delicious... :D

Looking forward to read the book...
And you can find in on Amazon...


The Fifteenth Minute (The Ivy Years #5) by Sarina Bowen

Summary:

Freshman Lianne Challice is known to millions of fans as Princess Vindi. But sometimes a silver screen sorceress just wants to hang up her wand, tell her manager to shove it, and become a normal college student. Too bad that’s harder than it looks. 

She’s never lived a normal life. She hasn’t been to school since kindergarten. And getting close to anyone is just too risky — the last boy she kissed sold the story to a British tabloid. 

But she can’t resist trying to get close to Daniel "DJ" Trevi, the hot, broody guy who spins tunes for hockey games in the arena. Something's haunting his dark eyes, and she needs to know more. 

DJ's genius is for expressing the mood of the crowd with a ten second song snippet. With just a click and a fade, he can spread hope, pathos or elation among six thousand screaming fans. 

Too bad his college career is about to experience the same quick fade-out as one of his songs. He can't get close to Lianne, and he can't tell her why. And the fact that she seems to like him at all? Incredible.


~* Getting to Know the Author *~

http://www.sarinabowen.com 
https://twitter.com/SarinaBowen
https://www.facebook.com/authorsarinabowen?fref=ts

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Wishful Wednesday #40

 

Read this great recommendation of books read while traveling in 2016, and I want to read this one...


Someone to Run With by David Grossman

The story of a lost dog, and the discovery of first love on the streets of Jerusalem are portrayed here with a gritty realism that is as fresh as it is compelling.

When awkward and painfully shy sixteen-year-old Assaf is asked to find the owner of a stray yellow lab, he begins a quest that will bring him into contact with street kids and criminals, and a talented young singer, Tamar, engaged on her own mission: to rescue a teenage drug addict.


About Wishful Wednesday:
  • Silakan follow blog Books To Share – atau tambahkan di blogroll/link blogmu =)
  • Buat posting mengenai buku-buku (boleh lebih dari 1) atau segala hal yang berhubungan dengan kebutuhan bookish kalian, yang jadi inceran kalian minggu ini, mulai dari yang bakal segera dibeli, sampai yang paling mustahil dan hanya sebatas mimpi. Oya, sertakan juga alasan  kenapa buku/benda itu masuk dalam wishlist kalian ya!
  • Tinggalkan link postingan Wishful Wednesday kalian di Mr. Linky (klik saja tombol Mr. Linky di bagian bawah post). Kalau mau, silakan tambahkan button Wishful Wednesday di posting kalian.
  • Mari saling berkunjung ke sesama blogger yang sudah ikut share wishlistnya di hari Rabu =)

Sunday, September 13, 2015

[BOOK BLITZ] Anything but Broken (Hurricane Creek #1) by Joelle Knox


Anything but Broken (Hurricane Creek #1) by Joelle Knox

After five years, tragedy brings Hannah Casey back to Hurricane Creek to bury what’s left of her family. She’s flunking out of college, haunted by scandal, and the only person who cares is Sean Whitlow, an irresistible bad boy with a soft spot for her. The problem? He’s her dead sister’s ex.

Sean doesn’t bleed red, he bleeds motor oil. During the week, he struggles to turn his auto repair shop into a profitable business. But when Saturday night rolls around, he’s the reigning stock-car king of the local race track. He doesn’t know how to lose–or how to walk away and leave Hannah alone with her grief.

Between her grades and her wealthy family’s dark secrets, Hannah’s barely holding her life together. And the last thing Sean needs is to get tangled up with another Casey girl. As the attraction between them spins out of control, they’ll either find a love with no limits–or go up in flames. 


Meet the Author:

http://joelleknox.com/

https://twitter.com/authorjknox

​or you can find their alter egos

https://twitter.com/​kitrocha


BUY LINKS

– Amazon US
Amazon UK
– Barnes & Noble
– iBooks
– Kobo
All Romance eBooks
– GooglePlay


Sacked (Gridiron #1) by Jen Frederick


Sacked (Gridiron #1)
by Jen Frederick


ARC, ebook, 300 pages
Published September 6th 2015

What he wants he gets... 

Knox Masters is a quarterback's worst nightmare. Warrior. Champion. And...virgin. Knox knows what he wants--and he gets it. All American Football player? Check. NFL pros scouting him? Check. Now, he's set his sight on two things. The national title. And Ellie Campbell. Sure, she's the sister of his fellow teammate, but that's not going to stop him. Especially not when he’s convinced Ellie is the one. 

... but he's never met her before. 

But Ellie isn't as sure. She's trying to start a new life and she's not interested in a relationship...with anyone. Beside it's not just her cardinal rule of never dating her brother's teammates that keeps her away, but Ellie has a dark secret that would jeopardize everything Knox is pursuing.

Knox has no intention of losing. Ellie has no intention of giving in.


When Knox first met Elle, it's rather confusing... whether they actually have met each other before or haven't.... Because in an instant Knox is already head over heals over Elle, while Elle... she's very adamant for getting involved with an athlete, more over a football player due to her bad history with one...

But then, it's maybe because Knox is the type of person, when deciding something, they decide from the very beginning and work all the way to achieve the target...

And Knox is very heroic... He's saved her nevertheless...

Elle, her story is kind of sad... It's good that she have a good friend, a very supportive brother and a best boyfriend who would do anything for her... Her parents are being so unfair to her... I don't know if there're kind of folks like that... It's very fortunate that she met Knox...

While, Knox family is very nice, I love his twin and they are very cute together... but the test? I guess, it's not really a good idea...

This is my first book by Ms. Jen Frederick and I will looking forward to read her other books... I love the story, although I think there're a few things that needed to be reviewed again in the story... I'm sorry I forgot which part... XD

And I give this story 4 out of 5 stars for heroic Knox... I want to be saved by him anytime... ;-)


Find it here:

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Wishful Wednesday #39

 

Yay! Kebetulan banget nih update WW [hehe... sebenernya karena Astrid pengumuman di twitter :D], eh ada Anniversaty Giveaway... pengen nge-request ini aja, di BookDepo harganya sih $10.71 atau di Peri+ Rp135ribu (with cashback 15%), nanti klo aku yang menang [#fingercross], aku gantiin selisihnya aja gak pa2 yaaa... :D

Klo baca2 review-nya sepertinya buku ini agak2 bikin depresi gitu... tapi banyak yang bilang bagus [review 5 bintang], jadi mari kita coba buktikan... XD

Thanks ya Astrid, for the generous giveaway and happy anniversary for Wishful Wednesday... :3


Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously--and at great risk--documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives. Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.


About Wishful Wednesday:
  • Silakan follow blog Books To Share – atau tambahkan di blogroll/link blogmu =)
  • Buat posting mengenai buku-buku (boleh lebih dari 1) atau segala hal yang berhubungan dengan kebutuhan bookish kalian, yang jadi inceran kalian minggu ini, mulai dari yang bakal segera dibeli, sampai yang paling mustahil dan hanya sebatas mimpi. Oya, sertakan juga alasan  kenapa buku/benda itu masuk dalam wishlist kalian ya!
  • Tinggalkan link postingan Wishful Wednesday kalian di Mr. Linky (klik saja tombol Mr. Linky di bagian bawah post). Kalau mau, silakan tambahkan button Wishful Wednesday di posting kalian.
  • Mari saling berkunjung ke sesama blogger yang sudah ikut share wishlistnya di hari Rabu =)

Sunday, September 6, 2015

[BOOK BLITZ] All I Want (Animal Magnetism #7) by Jill Shalvis

All I Want (Animal Magnetism #7)
by Jill Shalvis


SUMMARY:

Pilot-for-hire Zoe Stone is happy to call Sunshine, Idaho, her home base. But her quiet life is thrown for a loop when her brother’s friend Parker comes to stay with her for a week. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife special agent is a handsome flirt with a gift for getting under her skin. And the situation only escalates when Parker hires her to fly him around the area while he collects evidence on a suspected smuggler.

Now she has to live and work with the guy. But when they’re in the air, she sees another side of him. He’s driven, focused, and sharp. And while he enjoys giving commentary on her blind dates, she quickly realizes with a shock that it’s Parker who gets her engines going.


EXCERPT:

Zoe Stone had tried on everything in her closet and not only did her room now look like an explosion in a mattress factory, not one single item of clothing had worked for her.
She was still standing there eyeing the carnage when her sister, Darcy, appeared in the doorway, arms loaded with clothing. “Got your 911 freak-out text. Here’s all the stuff I’ve ever borrowed from you.”

“You mean stolen?”

“Tomayto, tomahto.” Darcy dumped the entire pile of loot in the only space available—on top of the slightly tubby Bernese mountain dog snoring in the center of Zoe’s bed.

“The pretty little black dress of yours is in there,” Darcy said. “You should absolutely be wearing that for your date instead of the granny dress you’ve got on. Seriously, how old are you, eighty-five?”

She’d just had the first anniversary of turning thirty, thank you very much, but Zoe looked down at herself. Her floral print dress was soft and clingy, fell to just past her knees, and hid a multitude of sins—such as the fact that she’d been stress-eating her feels all week. “It’s not that bad.”

“Zoe, you could walk into any Denny’s before five o’clock and get a discount.”

“I like this dress,” Zoe said, “and so does Oreo.”

Oreo, the aforementioned Bernese mountain dog, cracked open an eye and looked up at Zoe with love and adoration. “See?” she said, ruffling the dog’s big head. “And not that I have time to change anyway, but I don’t see what’s wrong with this outfit.”

“Absolutely nothing,” Darcy said, “assuming that you don’t care if you ever get laid again. And for God’s sake, stop taking fashion advice from a dog who rolls in bear poo and thinks he smells good.”

Panting happily, Oreo smiled up at the both of them.

Through the open window came the sound of a vehicle pulling up. Darcy moved to the second-story window and peered out. “Looks like your blind date’s here. What’s his name again?”

“Newman Taylor.”

“Well, Newman’s in a black Jeep with the top off. Not his top, the Jeep’s top, but still very nice—Whoa.”

“What?”

Darcy’s nose was glued to the window now. “Holy crap on a stick—he’s hot for a guy named Newman. Way too hot for that dress you’re wearing. Quick,” she said, waving a hand at Zoe. “Exchange it for the LBD.”

“I’m fine in this,” Zoe said. Maybe because she couldn’t wear the LBD; she hadn’t shaved her thighs—her own little insurance policy against making any rash decisions tonight such as getting naked. No way would she be tempted knowing she had hairy thighs. “And get away from there and stop spying on him.” But then she moved to the window next to her sister and sucked in a breath because Darcy was right, Norman was hot. Dark hair, a little wavy, a lot wind tousled. Black shirt that fit him well enough to define broad shoulders. Dark jeans. An easy gait that said confident male.

Butterflies took flight low in her belly and she pressed a hand to it. “Oh boy.”

“And I bet he’s got a six-pack, too,” Darcy whispered. “Maybe even an eight-pack. I’m going to need you to remember every detail for me.”

For Darcy, abs were a requirement in a man.

But Zoe had learned a lot for a woman who’d just had her thirtieth birthday—again. She had a completely different list of requirements. Honesty and kindness. That was it. Easy to remember and simple. But she’d also learned that nothing about men was simple.

“I wonder what color his eyes are—” Darcy broke off as the guy stopped on the path to the house and unerringly looked up at the window where the two of them stood staring at him.

With a commingled squeak, they dropped to the floor.

Afraid he was missing some fun new game, Oreo barked happily and leapt off the bed and right on top of them.

“Oomph.” Darcy pulled the silly dog in for a hug. “You big lug. You need a diet.”

Zoe pushed Oreo’s tail out of her face. “Think he saw us?” she asked, panicked.

“Nah,” Darcy said.

Zoe let out a relieved breath. “Really?”

“No.” Darcy grinned and sat up. “He totally saw us.”

Oh for God’s sake. The guy’s a dentist, she reminded herself. By definition, that meant he most likely was a people person, right? Right, she decided. And him being a people person was a good thing since one of them needed to know what they were doing.

She and Darcy—and Oreo—crawled away from the window and stood.

“Feels a little like old times, doesn’t it?” Darcy asked, dusting herself off. “Remember when we sneaked out of the house to do that midnight full moon climb up White Eagle with the Connelly brothers? We climbed out the window and got caught by Grandpa and were grounded for the rest of the summer.”

“That was you and Wyatt,” Zoe said. Their brother had always been able to find trouble. “I never got grounded.”

“That’s right. Wyatt was way more fun than you.”

Zoe slipped into a pair of flats and Darcy rolled her eyes.

“What’s wrong with the flats?” Zoe asked. “You wear flats all the time.”

“Yes, because I have a spinal injury that makes me want to drop to the floor and curl up in a ball whenever I wear heels,” Darcy pointed out. “You don’t have such an excuse. Plus you have legs a mile long that look amazing in heels, which makes me hate you just a little bit.”

“Flats,” Zoe insisted.

“Fine. So what do we know about this guy?”

“He’s a dentist from Hennessey Flats,” Zoe said. “Karen set me up with him, he’s her neighbor.”

“The Karen who does your hair, the Karen who’s been married and divorced three times?” Darcy asked.

“Yeah, so?”

“Sooooooo,” Darcy said, “don’t you think if her neighbor was hot, she’d date him herself, if not make him husband number four?”

Well, crap. She hadn’t thought of that.

“Plus . . . a dentist?” Darcy asked doubtfully.

“What’s wrong with him being a dentist? At least he’s gainfully employed.”

“Nothing’s wrong with it at all,” Darcy said reasonably. “If you want to sleep with a guy whose hands have been inside other people’s mouths all day long. Do you know how many germs that is? A million. A million trillion.”

Zoe shuddered. “Great. Thanks for that. Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

“Yep,” Darcy said, but moved back to the window. “You got a reprieve; he stopped to take a call.”

Zoe grabbed her purse and turned to Oreo. “Hold down the fort for Mommy, okay?”

Darcy snorted. “If a bad guy showed up, he’d hide in your closet.”

This was probably true but the big, goofy dog was the only home security system she had right now. In the past few months both Wyatt and Darcy had moved out, Wyatt to live with his fiancée, Emily, and Darcy to live with her boyfriend, AJ.

Zoe had told herself she was good with that. Sure, she missed bossing them around as she’d been doing since the dawn of time because one, their foreign diplomat parents had never seemed to notice that they’d had children, and two, well, Zoe kind of just loved to boss people around. But she wasn’t going to complain. Not when she’d seen just about every corner of the world and knew exactly how good she really had it right here in Sunshine, Idaho, alone or not.

Besides, with her newfound freedom she had a lot planned for herself. She wanted to fix up the house, although she admittedly had very little talent in that area. She wanted to learn to bake, even though she had even less talent in that realm. She wanted to date—where she had absolutely zero talent.

It might seem silly, but to a woman who’d been uniquely unlucky in her love life, Zoe had never gotten the hang of dipping her toes into the wading pool, especially with the audience of her siblings.

But now, with the house empty, it seemed like a perfect time.

Hence blind date number one. And she was ready. She wanted this. She totally almost did.

“He’s off the phone,” Darcy reported, back at the window.

Oh God. “I changed my mind,” Zoe whispered.

Darcy turned to her. “No.”

“Yes!”

“Then why did you tell everyone to set you up with blind dates so that you could get laid?”

“I never said that! I really wish you’d stop saying it.”

“What?” Zoe asked. “That you want to get laid?”

Zoe shot Darcy a look that went completely ignored. “And that’s not why I wanted to go out, I just wanted . . .” She trailed off, because what she wanted was much more complicated than her short list of man requirements.

She had a job she loved: being both a pilot-for-hire and giving flying lessons out of the small regional Sunshine Airport. Sunshine was a sleepy ranching town at the base of the heart-stopping Bitterroot Mountains and didn’t see a lot of action, but she managed to keep busy enough to eek out a living.

She had Wyatt and Darcy, whom she loved fiercely even though on any given day she felt like strangling and/or smothering them, but she was working on that.

And then there was the ancient—and some might argue dilapidated—150-year-old Victorian house that her grandparents had left the three of them, which she loved with the same fierceness with which she loved her annoying siblings.

Not to mention Oreo, whom she’d rescued not all that long ago and who’d quickly become her favorite family member.

So yeah, her life was good and she was happy, blah blah blah.

But something had been missing for a while now.

Fun.

She’d never given that particular emotion much thought before. She’d always been too busy keeping things together. But now that she had an empty nest, so to speak, she’d decided she was due. Past due—

At the knock on the front door downstairs, she nearly leapt out of her skin.

Startled, Oreo gave a loud bark and farted at the same time, and then as he did every single time this happened, he whipped his big head around to stare at his own hind end in surprise.

Darcy grinned. “Killer protective instincts, this one.” She rumpled Oreo’s fur. “I’m going to sneak out the back door, okay?” At the door, she blew Zoe a quick kiss and then smacked her own forehead. “Oh, almost forgot! Wyatt told me to remind you that his friend Parker could be showing up any time over the next few days. And change your dress and shoes!”

“I’m not going to change!”

Darcy sighed the put-upon sigh of a sister who thought she knew everything. “Fine. But do me a favor?”

“Anything if you’ll leave.”

“For once,” Darcy said, “just once, act spontaneously, okay?”

“Spontaneously?”

“Yeah, like if when you open the door and he’s even hotter up close, step outside your comfort zone and kiss him. Right up front, you know? Set the mood.”

Zoe just stared at her. “Are you completely nuts?”

“Well, obviously,” Darcy said. “But what does that have to do with anything?” She laughed, but then her smile faded. “Listen, most people spend a first date filled with anxiety, obsessing over the good-night kiss. Will there be one, won’t there be one . . .”

“I don’t obsess,” Zoe said.

“Are you kidding? You’re the queen of obsessing. So just get it out of the way, okay? Act spontaneously. And then relax and go with the flow.”

“I always go with the flow,” Zoe said.

Darcy laughed. “You go with the flow never. Try it my way? Just this once? Trust me, if there are sparks, you’ll thank me.”

“And if there aren’t?” Zoe asked.

“Then you don’t need to worry that that dress makes you look like a grandma.”

And then the whirlwind that was Darcy was gone.

Zoe took one last look at herself in the mirror. Okay, so maybe the dress didn’t scream sex, but that was okay. She wanted a guy to want her for her, right?

Right.

The knock came again. Solid. Firm. And the butterflies in her belly once again took flight.

Oreo’s, too, given that he gave another ear-piercing bark and scrambled to hide under her bed. All he could fit under there was his big, fat head, which left the rest of him sticking out.
She thought about joining him, but she’d never been much for hiding her head under the bed. So she made her way down the creaky stairs, her dress catching on her legs. Dammit. Darcy was making her doubt the choice, but it was too late now. Still, if the dress wasn’t going to make a statement, then she’d have to make do with her personality.

No pressure or anything . . .

Oreo followed her, hiding behind her legs as she opened the front door and got her first look at her blind date and . . . stopped breathing.

Damn. He was even better looking up close. Tall, and that leanly muscled build of his spoke of a man who worked with his body, not a guy who sat on a stool with his hands inside his patients’ mouths all day. He had sharp, light green eyes that crinkled in the corners, like maybe he spent a lot of time in the sun or, better yet, smiled a lot. A scar bisected his left eyebrow, giving him a dark and mysterious air. His square jaw had a slight shadow of growth, shown off when his mouth curved at her scrutiny, and this time her heart kicked hard because he also had a killer smile.

“Hey,” he said in a deep, warm masculine voice.

“Hey,” she mirrored back as Darcy’s words flashed in her head. Act spontaneously. Step outside your comfort zone.

Kiss him.

Heart pounding, Zoe let out a breath and moved forward, having to go up on her tiptoes to brush her mouth across his.

His lips were warm, firm, and yet somehow giving at the same time. She could have easily lost herself in him, but sanity returned and stepped back.

His smile got a whole lot warmer, but he didn’t speak.

“Thought I’d get that out of the way,” she managed. “It’s nice to meet you. I’ve never met a dentist without having to be in a dentist’s chair.” Great, and now she was rambling. She bit her tongue to keep it from running off with the last of her good sense.

“Nice to meet you, too,” he said. “Who’s the dentist?”

Zoe’s smile congealed and her heart stopped, just completely stopped. “Uh . . . you,” she said, “You’re the dentist.”

Still smiling, he shook his head. “Not me.”

Oh God. “You’re not Newman Tyler,” she whispered in horror.

“No,” he said. “But if your next guess is Parker James, you’d be right.”

Oh God. Wyatt’s friend, to whom she’d agreed to rent a room for the few weeks he was in town. She’d had mixed feelings about it, but Wyatt had vouched for the guy, and Zoe could really use the money for some desperately needed renovations. “You’re my brother’s old friend.”

“Not all that old, really,” he said, and looked at her mouth.

The mouth she’d kissed him with. Good God, I kissed him.

He grinned.

And . . . she’d said that out loud. Perfect. She covered her face. “I’m sorry, I—”

“Don’t be sorry,” he said. “That kiss was the best thing to happen to me all week.”

Behind her fingers she moaned a little, and he laughed at her. “Wyatt didn’t mention the welcoming committee,” he said. “He did say you might be grumpy. I like this better.”

She was going to have to kill her brother, but since he was out of town for the weekend at a vet conference, that pleasure would have to wait.

Maybe she could just move to Iceland. Iceland might be far enough to escape the humiliation, but probably not. Dammit. She’d kissed a perfect stranger, just accosted him on her doorstep. And . . . now her chest hurt. Maybe an impending heart attack would explain her behavior. Still holding her chest, she used her other hand to point at him to stay. “I just need a minute,” she said.

And then slammed the door in his face.

Behind her, in the living room, a brick fell from the ancient old fireplace. It did that every time she slammed the door. She’d tried to get someone out here to fix it but the contractor had wanted her to promise her firstborn, so she’d just decided not to slam the door anymore.

But she kept forgetting. Note to self: Stop kissing strangers, and stop slamming the door. She ran to the kitchen, where she’d left her cell phone, and pounded out her brother’s number.

“Yo,” Wyatt said in greeting. “Hear you’re going out with some dentist guy tonight. Watch where he puts his hands. You don’t know where they’ve been.”

Oh, for God’s sake. Her siblings gossiped like a pair of old ladies. “You’re a veterinarian,” she pointed out. “God knows how many worse places your hands are all day long. Maybe I should tell

Emily to watch where you put your hands.”

Wyatt just laughed. Since Emily—the love of his life—was also a vet, it had been an idle threat and they both knew it.

Zoe sucked in a deep breath. “Listen, about your friend, the one who’s coming to stay—”

“Yeah, Darcy told you he’s coming early?”

“Uh-huh,” she said with what she thought was a perfectly even voice.

But Wyatt had been seeing right through her for years. He was the only one who could. “Zoe,” he said in his most annoying brother voice. “You’re going to be nice. You promised. At least until I get back to Sunshine.”

“Yeah,” she said, and grimaced. “About that . . .” She closed her eyes. “I might be a little short on nice as it turns out.” Try hoochie-mama on for size . . .

“Shit, Zoe. He’s there already? What did you do?”

“Hey, I didn’t do anything.” Well, except kiss him.

And then slam the door on his nose . . .

Crap. “So . . . just how good a friend is this guy again?”

“Very,” Wyatt said. “We met in college when we were bartenders at the same place. On my first night, we got jumped at closing by five drunk assholes. Parker saved my ass. Haven’t gotten to see him in years, though, so don’t chase him away before I get home.”

She grimaced again. “Gotta go.”

“Zoe—”

She disconnected. “Ooops,” she said. “My bad.” She glanced at herself in the microwave glass door. “Go make nice,” she told her reflection. She turned to do just that, stopping to grab one of the cooling chocolate chip cookies she’d baked earlier. She was a great cook but she’d never been much of a baker. Determined to change that, she’d used one of her grandma’s recipes—Zoe’s first-ever batch that wasn’t from the grocery store’s frozen aisle. She took a bite . . . and nearly gagged. They tasted like baking soda.

She spit the disgusting thing out in the sink and rinsed it down. Okay, so her baking needed a lot more work.

And maybe your attitude.

Brushing the crumbs from her hands, she went back to the living room. She let out a heavy breath and once again opened the front door.

Parker was crouched low, chuckling over Oreo, who’d stayed outside with her new roommate and was sniffing at the guy’s proffered hand.

“He’s not much for new people,” Zoe warned. “And especially not much for men. He’s a rescue and—”

And nothing because Oreo jumped up onto his two hind legs and licked Parker’s chin.

Traitor.

Parker winced, but the pained expression vanished so fast Zoe wasn’t sure if she’d imagined it. “Are you hurt?”

“Cracked a few ribs a couple of weeks ago,” he said lightly. “Still a little sore, that’s all.”

“How did you do that?”

“Wrangling some big-game poachers.”

She stared at him. “Is that code for none of your business?”

“I don’t talk in code.” Mr. Mysterious rose to his feet, Oreo in his arms like he weighed nothing instead of one hundred pounds of tubby Bernese mountain dog.

“Careful,” she said. “You’ll hurt those ribs.”

“I’m fine.”

The statement was so alpha male to the core that she laughed. “Of course, you’re fine. You’re a man. Good to know you’re all equally pigheaded.”

Not insulted in the least, he grinned. “You have us all figured out, then?”

“Not that much to figure out,” she said.

Those sharp green eyes held hers. “Maybe I’ll surprise you.”

The words brought a quiver to her long-neglected lady parts, but she was pretty confident he couldn’t surprise her. But then he let Oreo lick his face again.

“A real watchdog you’ve got here,” he said fondly, and set Oreo down with one last body rub.

Well, damn, she thought reluctantly. She had to give him at least a few brownie points for loving up on her big old silly dog. “Yeah,” she said. “He’s a real killer.” She slid the killer a long look.

Oreo pretended not to see it, which only served to prove her point about men. . . .

“So,” Parker said straightening. “Can I come in yet or do you want to slam the door on my nose again?”

She felt her cheeks flush but met his gaze.

He held it prisoner with his warm, patient one and waited her out.

Great, he was also a man who knew the value of silence. She’d never met anyone like him, that was for sure. “Okay,” she said, deciding to pretend that the past few moments had never happened, hoping that he’d already forgotten it.

Denial wasn’t just a river in Egypt. . . .


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Critical Eleven by Ika Natassa

Critical Eleven
by Ika Natassa


Paperback, 344 pages
Published August 10th 2015 by PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Dalam dunia penerbangan, dikenal istilah critical eleven, sebelas menit paling kritis di dalam pesawat—tiga menit setelah take off dan delapan menit sebelum landing—karena secara statistik delapan puluh persen kecelakaan pesawat umumnya terjadi dalam rentang waktu sebelas menit itu. It's when the aircraft is most vulnerable to any danger.

In a way, it's kinda the same with meeting people. Tiga menit pertama kritis sifatnya karena saat itulah kesan pertama terbentuk, lalu ada delapan menit sebelum berpisah—delapan menit ketika senyum, tindak tanduk, dan ekspresi wajah orang tersebut jelas bercerita apakah itu akan jadi awal sesuatu ataukah justru menjadi perpisahan.

Ale dan Anya pertama kali bertemu dalam penerbangan Jakarta-Sydney. Tiga menit pertama Anya terpikat, tujuh jam berikutnya mereka duduk bersebelahan dan saling mengenal lewat percakapan serta tawa, dan delapan menit sebelum berpisah Ale yakin dia menginginkan Anya.

Kini, lima tahun setelah perkenalan itu, Ale dan Anya dihadapkan pada satu tragedi besar yang membuat mereka mempertanyakan pilihan-pilihan yang mereka ambil, termasuk keputusan pada sebelas menit paling penting dalam pertemuan pertama mereka.

Diceritakan bergantian dari sudut pandang Ale dan Anya, setiap babnya merupakan kepingan puzzle yang membuat kita jatuh cinta atau benci kepada karakter-karakternya, atau justru keduanya. 


~* My Review *~

There are several reasons why we love books, most of the time we want to read a book because of the story's teaser, blurb, excerpt... you named it, the better then the higher chance people will pick the book and start to read it.

And sometimes, it's because of the author. After reading a good book, we'll remember the author and we'll get excited every time the author produces a new book, we might take in line to pre-order and can't wait to read it.

Also, nowadays, it's because of the advertisement. You get carried away by the enthusiasm of the crowd about the book. that makes you somehow have to read the book too.

For this book, for me it's kind of mix between the second and the later reasons.

I rarely hate book, story to be exact, but sometimes it happened unfortunately. I'm not a biggest fan of Ika Natassa, but even though some of my friends don't really find "Antologi Rasa"'s good, I loved it and that's why, though (again) I'm not that excited about this book, I found my self bought it and read it...

Until I become to hate the author!

Really... why is she making such a cruel cold hearted woman character? Meet: Tanya Baskoro...

I don't want to make a spoiler here... but I'll just warn you nevertheless...
Because if you are like me, who is really selective in reading review on books that I'm going to read, I really don't have clues what is going on until... I guess it's too late and I really hate both, the characters and also the author for making them like that...

It's just that... how come? That's what I keep asking...

It's just that they seem almost a perfect couple, without flaws at first, but then seems silly for being in "the situation" for six months...

Six months are not a short period of time, though perhaps half of the time, they spent separately anyway... but still I don't think we could live side by side with a person, even we hate so much that long without breaking our nerves... that's why I said she's one of a cruel cold hearted woman...

and for Aldebaran Risjad, why is he waiting for that long to come to his wife?

One other thing, that really disappoint me... (and I don't know why I disappoint though)... is the thing about Harris & Keara [characters in "Antologi Rasa"]... why... kenapa maksa banget yaaaa...

I didn't recalled Harris & Keara relationship like that... I also didn't remember that they were even together... much more getting married... not that I don't like they're getting married... I just couldn't find them like that... I think it's too much...

Just like one of the scene when Ale remembered when he bought a ring to propose Anya, it's when Ale noticed that Anya shoes were resemble the pairs his sister looked in the store, then her sister said they're Louboutin, and they're very vey expensive... is that even necessary?

I found it's not very make sense for a couple whose been married for more than 3 years yet not really have a clue what's going on with her/his spouse, yet claim to love each other over and over again... what a bullshit thing to declare!

Am I just become so emotional about this?

For me the whole story too much "in the making" not naturally being... That's the underline reason why I don't like the story.

Anyway... though I said that I hate the book, I still gave it 2 out of 5 stars.. since... sadly... I really do understand how is the feeling of want something, but we absolutely know for sure that it is never meant for us... and I do think that the author is somehow very good on combining words to become a story then to become a book... I admit that... she's good... but not that good, and I hate the story, I tell you again, because it makes me sad... and I wish I haven't read the book and don't have the feeling of want to have what Ale and Anya finally have...


ps. I don't really get the connection between "Critical Eleven" [explain at the beginning of the story] with the whole story... even with the main theme which is grieving on losing someone who means so much for us.

pss. one other thing: Anya in koq orangnya kaya'nya pasrahan banget yaa... [walaupun diceritakan lain sih...], coba deh...
- Dicium; gak nolak trus pacaran...
- Dilamar; nerima trus married...
- Marah; didiemin yo pasrah...
- Dibaikin eh gak bisa nolak juga...
- Laahh... XD

psss. I think my respond is really what the author wanted out of her book… damned!

updated ps. This scenes are really... WTH me all over...

Anya - pg. 24.
Aku mengiyakan. Mau tau kenapa? Aku ingat suaranya - .... - tapi aku agak lupa wajahnya. I needed to put a face to that voice

Ale - pg. 138.
Tapi dengan Anya, gue merasa akan beda. Jangan tanya dari mana gue bisa merasa begini. ... Gue sadar udah sebulan berlalu, nomor gue juga mungkin udah dia hapus, atau malah dia gak ingat gue sama sekali. Tapi dia ingat.

So? The conclusion is... they are both in a delusional relationship from the very beginning, when they met each other.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Wishful Wednesday #38

 

Lisbeth Salander is one my badass girl favourite of all times... I wish there are more of her story and more romance with Mikael Blomkvist, I know I wouldn't expect too much of this new book since it's not from the same author... but if Lisbeth in it... I should read... I definitely should read... ;-) and maybe you also want a little taste of the book? Read here...


The Girl in the Spider's Web (Millennium #4) by David Lagercrantz

In this adrenaline-charged thriller, genius-hacker Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist face a dangerous new threat and must again join forces.

Late one night, Blomkvist receives a phone call from a trusted source claiming to have information vital to the United States. The source has been in contact with a young female super hacker—a hacker resembling someone Blomkvist knows all too well. The implications are staggering.

Blomkvist, in desperate need of a scoop for Millennium, turns to Lisbeth for help. She, as usual, has her own agenda. In The Girl in the Spider's Web, the duo who thrilled 80 million readers in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest meet again in an extraordinary and uniquely of-the-moment thriller.

About Wishful Wednesday:
  • Silakan follow blog Books To Share – atau tambahkan di blogroll/link blogmu =)
  • Buat posting mengenai buku-buku (boleh lebih dari 1) atau segala hal yang berhubungan dengan kebutuhan bookish kalian, yang jadi inceran kalian minggu ini, mulai dari yang bakal segera dibeli, sampai yang paling mustahil dan hanya sebatas mimpi. Oya, sertakan juga alasan  kenapa buku/benda itu masuk dalam wishlist kalian ya!
  • Tinggalkan link postingan Wishful Wednesday kalian di Mr. Linky (klik saja tombol Mr. Linky di bagian bawah post). Kalau mau, silakan tambahkan button Wishful Wednesday di posting kalian.
  • Mari saling berkunjung ke sesama blogger yang sudah ikut share wishlistnya di hari Rabu =)

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

[BOOK BLITZ] Loud is How I Love You by Mercy Brown


As a favour for a friend... to promote this new book... but have to wait until January 2016... yeah...

Loud is How I Love You by Mercy Brown

Find it on:
- Amazon
- iTunes

Meet the Author:
- Web
- Facebook
- Twitter

One girl’s heart gets rocked to the core in the first novel in this sexy New Adult series.

Twenty-one-year-old front girl Emmylou knows that getting her band noticed in the ’90s indie rock scene will be no easy task. She definitely knows better than to break the number one rule of the band: Don’t sleep with your bandmates!  But after she ends up having the best sex of her life with her guitarist, Travis, she finds following that rule is a lot harder than it sounds.

When the band gets the gig of their dreams, making it big seems just within reach. But Emmy’s inability to keep her hands off Travis threatens everything they’ve worked for. Can Emmy find a way to break the rules and not blow the chance of a lifetime?