My first bibliothon try - 2018 Winter Biannual Bibliothon Wrap Up

This is my first try joining an event like this and I quite satisfied with my wrap up result. 

This event is like when we are book lovers agreed to read along together for the specific time and specific kind of books. 2018 Winter Biannual Bibliothon was hosted by several booktubers and have seven reading challenges that you have to fulfill. This read-a-thon happens on one whole week long from 21st January until 26th of January.

So here is my wrap up result:

1. Read the group book

The group book for this time is Otherworld by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller which I don't interest in reading it. I quickly browse the review on Goodreads and the rating was low for my average taste, it only has 3.66 stars. When I read the summary I don't think I will enjoy it. So I decided that this book will be my last reading material for this challenge if I still have spare time. I don't want to push myself to read something that I know I have no interest in and it would be throwing myself into reading slump. I ended up with not reading this group book at all because I ran out of time. Big fail for me on this challenge but I don't regret it. All is well.

2. Read a sequel

For challenge number two, I decided to go easy on myself and decided to pick two volumes of my favorite manga ever, Cardcaptor Sakura volume 10 and 11. This series has been my favorite since I was a kid and I'm glad that my local publisher decided to republish the whole series. When I go back to the Sakura's world as an adult now, I pick several things that the kid in me never realize before. CLAMP did a subtle job here to represent LGBT relationship as well as the age-different relationship. As always, Eriol is my favorite character ever and with the volume 11 end, my kid heart loves the closure CLAMP gave for Eriol characters. That's where I said goodbye to my childhood crush, Mr. Eriol. It's really great story, great characters, great journey. And now I'm waiting for the final volume to republish.

3. Read a book that you have never heard of before

Now, I'm a bit cheating on this challenge. I HEARD a lot about the hype surrounding on this book. So many people LOVED this book and the movie. The movie got so many praise and compliment. BUT, I never knew what exactly this book is about. Just from the cover itself, I know this is not the happy-rainbow type of book. So yeah, I'm putting my result for this challenge with The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. While this book is in simple read in letter format, I found myself hardly believe that I read from the perspective of 15 years old boy. I found a lot of immature in his letter and the way he thinks things. Another mistake I did was the fact I read it while listening to the audiobook as well. And the narrator just sucks. He has that deep old man voice. I really couldn’t fully concentrate while him describing teenager’s thoughts and opinions with that adult voice. 

4. Read a book about mental illness

I have several book options for this challenge. I have considered Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella and also The Rest of Us Just Lived Here by Patrick Ness. I heard both of the books have mental illness representation and both have the average ratings on Goodreads, not really 4 stars high, though. And I decided to pick up Turtles All the Way Down by John Green. This is the newest John Green's book and everyone said it has great mental illness representation there, OCD in this case, with own voices novel coming from the author himself. Turns out, I really love this book. The main character is my favorite teenager in John Green's work. I've also written the whole review of for this book.

5. Read a book that was mentioned in another book/movie/TV Show

One of The winter biannual bibliothon rules is you can use 1 book for up to 2 challenges and I ran out the time. So this is the same book I use for this challenge like challenge number 3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower was mentioned in Gillmore Girls TV series. So, I can check my challenge number 5 done, can I?

6. Read a book under 200 pages

This is an easy challenge. I have several mangas that I own and need to read. But when my Hai, Miiko! volume 30 copy has arrived on Monday, I absolutely knew what's the perfect book (or manga) I need to read ASAP. Miiko volume 30 has 200 pages listed on Goodreads and with the justification of there are the title page, copyright page, etc, the story itself should be under 200 pages, right? ;) If I have to choose one manga over every other manga I could buy, I would always pick Miiko 100% sure. Hai, Miiko! has always and will always be my number one favorite manga ever. Also, I finished it in less than 30 minutes.

7. Read a backlist book

Read a backlist book aka any book released prior to 2017. You by Caroline Kepnes was first published in 2014. "You" was the psychological thriller from the perspective of the stalker himself. He stalked this one young woman through her public social media. Honestly, I had a mixed feeling about this book, somewhere in between intrigue and don't care for the victim's well-being at all because she got stalked by her own actions, I might say. I don't justify the stalker but if only the author made the victim more, I don't know, more lovable? Smarter? Then maybe I will enjoy this book more.

So this is my first read-a-thon wrap-up. I think I partially success with the challenges. I manage to read 6 books during one week, 3 are the full novels and the other 3 were mangas that I love, was a good achievement for me. I don't want to push myself really hard like I have to 100% success with all of those 7 challenges because reading is something that myself loves with all of my heart. Why do I need to push myself if I know I wouldn't enjoy it.

Will I join another bibliothon later? Yes, absolutely, if time and challenges are fit for me. 

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green Review

Book Summary

Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.

Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts. 

In his long-awaited return, John Green, the acclaimed, award-winning author of Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars, shares Aza’s story with shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant novel of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship.

My Thoughts

With my previous John Green's experience, I never felt I could relate to his characters. Admittedly, I only have read two of them, The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Town, and even one of them I DNF-ed it. While TFIOS was pretty okay for me, I couldn't connect with Hazel Graze, thus it was 4 stars okay reading for me. 

When Turtles All the Way Down was released last year, everyone was excited and raving about it nonstop just like when his previous book has been released. I don't feel the impulse to read another John Green soonest. But I got curious about how everyone talks about this book about this is the own voices novel about anxiety and OCD. So, why don't I try to give John Green another go?
Yes, thankfully I did and I could personally relate to Aza even though I don't have mental illness problem. She's the most human-teenager in the John Green world.

Even though I laughed with them, it felt like I was watching the whole thing from somewhere else, like I was watching a movie about my life instead of living it. 

What is my favorite part of this book? 

I could literally say EVERYTHING. Yes, in the first couple chapters I was skeptical about the story. Aza Holmes and her best friend Daisy hear news about a billionaire who runs off and the police offers some huge money to those who can give a tip about his whereabouts. And actually this billionaire's son, Davis was Aza's childhood friend, well, if you can say he friend. 

The story goes from there, Aza and Daisy start to investigate where Davis's dad trough Aza's long lost connection with Davis. 

I love how Aza starting her friendship (or relationship? I don't know how to call it) with Davis. For the most part, Davis's understandable about Aza situation was very cute and I felt grateful for it. But at the same time, I pity him. And I pity Aza. 

Not only I pity those two, I pity Daisy as well. Throughout this novel, Aza realizes how deep her friendship with Daisy. Daisy was not some random character who at the beginning of the book seems like important to the main character but as the story goes down, the author threw away and forget about her. Daisy is not the two-dimensional character, she has her own brain and feeling. She's constantly being there. I even feel Daisy was the imagination from a real person based on the authors real life. 

When I was little, I knew monsters weren't, like, real. But I also knew I could be hurt by things that weren't real. I knew that made-up things mattered, and could kill you. 

Turtles all the way down is very different with John Green's other books. It was way too personal and I even feel like I don't deserve to read it. Through this book, I learned a lot about anxiety, panic attack. I think this is the closest thing I could understand being touched by anxiety. And OCD, it's not just like those people who purposely shows through their Instagram page, like those childish matching color or something. No. OCD is mental illness, not something that you should proud to have it and through Aza, I learned a lot about the ugliness of it. The way John Green's explained to his reader was very personal and it was very valuable reading material.

You are as real as anyone, and your doubts make you more real, not less.

5/5 stars rating! 

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones (Wintersong #1) Review

Book Synopsis

Beware the goblin men and the wares they sell.

All her life, nineteen-year-old Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, mysterious Goblin King. He is the Lord of Mischief, the Ruler Underground, and the muse around which her music is composed. Yet, as Liesl helps shoulder the burden of running her family’s inn, her dreams of composition and childish fancies about the Goblin King must be set aside in favor of more practical concerns.

But when her sister Käthe is taken by the goblins, Liesl journeys to their realm to rescue her sister and return her to the world above. The Goblin King agrees to let Käthe go—for a price. The life of a maiden must be given to the land, in accordance with the old laws. A life for a life, he says. Without sacrifice, nothing good can grow. Without death, there can be no rebirth. In exchange for her sister’s freedom, Liesl offers her hand in marriage to the Goblin King. He accepts.

Down in the Underground, Liesl discovers that the Goblin King still inspires her—musically, physically, emotionally. Yet even as her talent blossoms, Liesl’s life is slowly fading away, the price she paid for becoming the Goblin King’s bride. As the two of them grow closer, they must learn just what it is they are each willing to sacrifice: her life, her music, or the end of the world. 

My Thoughts

Shame the story is not as beautiful as the gorgeous cover itself. 

I found character's thoughts inconsistency as we follow Elizabeth's journey from a dull innkeeper's daughter to a wife of the Goblin King. 

At first, she's very hesitant toward the Goblin King, because she only agreed to marry him just to save her sister back to the above world. Then in the instant after they are married, she wanted the Goblin King to want her. *insert rolling eyes*

Girl, can you have a bit of backbone here??

The sentences were beautiful and poetic but contrast with Strange the Dreamer, it didn't please me and only made me bored throughout the story. The pace was slow, nothing much ever happened here only to listen to Elizabeth's longing for her brother. I almost forgot the main interest was the Goblin King not her brother, Joseph. 

Elizabeth's worry for Joseph was taken much often than thoughts of her husband. Not that I didn't grateful she remembers her family, but it felt like the main direction of this story was shifted from the original purpose.

I just glad when this is over.

My rating 2/5 stars.

Originally posted on my Goodreads page, January 11, 2018

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

Book Synopsis

What if everything you set yourself up to be was wrong?

Frances has always been a study machine with one goal, elite university. Nothing will stand in her way; not friends, not a guilty secret – not even the person she is on the inside.

But when Frances meets Aled, the shy genius behind her favourite podcast, she discovers a new freedom. He unlocks the door to Real Frances and for the first time she experiences true friendship, unafraid to be herself. Then the podcast goes viral and the fragile trust between them is broken.

Caught between who she was and who she longs to be, Frances’ dreams come crashing down. Suffocating with guilt, she knows that she has to confront her past…

She has to confess why Carys disappeared…

Meanwhile at uni, Aled is alone, fighting even darker secrets.

It’s only by facing up to your fears that you can overcome them. And it’s only by being your true self that you can find happiness.

Frances is going to need every bit of courage she has. 

My Thoughts

People move on quicker than I can comprehend. People forget you within days, they take new pictures to put on Facebook and they don't read your messages. They keep on moving forward and shove you to the side because you make more mistakes than you should. Maybe that was fair. Who was I to judge, really? 

Oh my God, way to go off with spectacularly, 2018! 

I have yet found another gay couple I'm shipping so so much after Simon and Blue from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. Now, I proudly say, I found them. ❤️

Whereas Simon and Blue made me giggle and put my big grin on the entire book, Aled and Daniel made me feels completely on the contrary. They made me FEEL EVERYTHING. 

No, this is not a usual love story, the romance is not the main point. This book also tackles a lot of other things. LGBTQ++ characters, the platonic friendship between boy and girl, the pressure on how good your grade is at school, the disappointment if you are into art, not math. 

I should also mention about the rainbow from this novel, the relevance of pop culture and social media nowadays. The fame and the consequences you got when you put yourself open on the internet. It was just as enchanting and scary as it normally should be. 

The chapters were short, as short as it can be. The story just flowing itself without much conflict at the beginning. It was just like any other slice of life story but suddenly you couldn't stop reading because you just realized how deep the story was.

I can't say anything other than please do me a favor, just pick this book and don't read the synopsis (and this my crap review), they justify nothing about the book. 

God, what a ride. 

Why should I have to go just because everyone's telling me to? My m-mother? Nobody should be able to make my decisions for me. I'm here now and I'm waiting and it's going to happen. Was there even any choice involved? Do I sound like I care about school? I don't remember it happening. I don't remember anything I've done, or why. Everything's very confused. Everything's better under the stars, I suppose. If we get another life after we die, I'll meet you there, old sport... - transcription from Universe City: Ep. 126 - ghost school 

My Rating: 5/5 stars all of the stars in the sky.

Originally posted on my Goodreads page, January 5, 2018

Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West Review

Book Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Abby Turner’s summer isn’t going the way she’d planned. She has a not-so-secret but definitely unrequited crush on her best friend, Cooper. She hasn’t been able to manage her mother’s growing issues with anxiety. And now she’s been rejected from an art show because her work “has no heart.” So when she gets another opportunity to show her paintings Abby isn’t going to take any chances.

Which is where the list comes in.

Abby gives herself one month to do ten things, ranging from face a fear (#3) to learn a stranger’s story (#5) to fall in love (#8). She knows that if she can complete the list she’ll become the kind of artist she’s always dreamed of being. But as the deadline approaches, Abby realizes that getting through the list isn’t as straightforward as it seems… and that maybe—just maybe—she can’t change her art if she isn’t first willing to change herself.

This is the first in a set of three standalone books with crossover characters.

My Thoughts

This is my first reading in 2018 and I don't regret it!

I always trust Kasie West's works because they always success to make me warm with her those adorable cute scenes. Having to read all of her novels, unfortunately, it also has a downside. It made her predictable for me. I got bored with her previous book, Lucky in Love which I only rated 2 stars. No, it was not terrible, it was far from terrible actually. But I got bored, it was like reading the same book over and over with the only difference at the characters name. Nevertheless, my faith for Kasie West has not crushed completely. Thankfully, she picked her pace forward. This book offers me something different yet it still holds Kasie West's magic.

It has mental illness subject, a piece of heart-broken, normal friendship, and unrequited love. For the first time, I didn't know where Kasie West heading with her characters, she told us a story about how to heal a broken heart, how to get move on, and I got a bit teary in the middle of her books (!!!) and it was everything I didn't know I needed. Thank you, Kasie West! I'm glad, she still my auto-buy author because this one is my favorite so far.

My rating: 4.5 stars

Originally posted on my Goodreads page on January 4, 2018