Hello friends! How are you?
In this new blog post, as the
title said, I’m going to share all books I’m going to read for the month of
November. On November, I’m not going to participate in any readathon, so I
choose some books I want to read (some are for so long in my TBR list) without
any prompts. Also a little disclaimer, this is not a sponsored post. Even though
the title mentioned an mobile phone app, I just find it appropriate to use it
since 80% of my November books will be in digital formats and I’m reading them
through Gramedia Digital app. I usually go back and forth between some reading
apps, that’s a bit confusing, for this month I’m going to use only one mobile
app, and maybe switch to another different app for the next month, for fun.
1. Daughter of the Deep by Rick
Riordan
Since the first half of November
is Scorpio season which is a water sign, I chose a book with ocean theme. I got
this book on September, and I don’t want to wait for too long to read this
exciting book.
Keyword : Middle Grade, Fantasy,
Adventure, School, Nature, Ocean
Where I Got it : Owl Book Store
Blurb :
"Ujian sudah seharusnya
menegangkan, tetapi bukan berarti berbahaya apalagi sampai mengancam nyawa.
Namun, tepat itulah yang dialami para murid kelas 9 Akademi Harding-Pencroft
(HP), sekolah yang telah menghasilkan para ilmuwan dan prajurit laut terbaik di
dunia.
Sekolah rival menyerang dan
perang resmi meledak. Keempat asrama Akademi HP harus bersatu untuk menguak
rahasia mengenai kekuatan teknologi dahsyat yang diperebutkan kedua kubu. Ujian
naik kelas itu kini menjadi misi mematikan yang dipenuhi teka-teki dan taktik
militer rumit.
Namun, satu perintah resmi yang diumumkan sang profesor pembimbing membuat
seluruh murid kebingungan: Ana Dakkar harus selamat, apa pun yang terjadi.
Ana hanya gadis 15 tahun biasa.
Dia memang mampu membaca gerak bibir, tetapi dia jelas bukan murid unggulan.
Kenapa mendadak dia menjadi sangat istimewa? Kenapa nyawanya harus dilindungi? Kenapa
Ana Dakkar tidak boleh mati?" (source : Mizan Store)
English Blurb :
"Ana Dakkar is a freshman at
Harding-Pencroft Academy, a five-year high school that graduates the best
marine scientists, naval warriors, navigators, and underwater explorers in the
world. Ana's parents died while on a scientific expedition two years ago, and
the only family's she's got left is her older brother, Dev, also a student at
HP. Ana's freshman year culminates with the class's weekend trial at sea, the
details of which have been kept secret. She only hopes she has what it'll take
to succeed. All her worries are blown out of the water when, on the bus ride to
the ship, Ana and her schoolmates witness a terrible tragedy that will change
the trajectory of their lives.
But wait, there's more. The
professor accompanying them informs Ana that their rival school, Land
Institute, and Harding-Pencroft have been fighting a cold war for a hundred and
fifty years. Now that cold war has been turned up to a full broil, and the
freshman are in danger of becoming fish food. In a race against deadly enemies,
Ana will make amazing friends and astounding discoveries about her heritage as
she puts her leadership skills to the test for the first time." (source : Goodreads)
Other place where you can buy this book :
Amazon
Mizan Store (for Indonesian translated version)
BookDepository
2. Perpustakaan Tengah Malam (The
Midnight Library) by Matt Haig
Keywords : Adult, Magical
Realism, Science Fiction, Mental Health Books About Books
Where I got it : Gramedia Digital
Blurb :
"Di antara kehidupan dan kematian
terdapat sebuah perpustakaan yang jumlah bukunya tak terhingga. Tiap-tiap buku
menyediakan satu kesempatan untuk mencoba kehidupan lain yang bisa dijalani
sehingga kau bisa melihat apa yang terjadi kalau kau mengambil
keputusan-keputusan berbeda... Akankah kau melakukan apa pun secara berbeda
jika kau mendapat kesempatan untuk membatalkan penyesalan-penyesalanmu?
Benarkah kehidupan lain akan jauh lebih baik?
Nora Seed harus membuat
keputusan. Ia dihadapkan pada kemungkinan bisa mengubah hidupnya, memiliki
karier yang berbeda, tidak putus dari mantan kekasih, dan mewujudkan mimpinya
sebagai glasiolog. Ia menjelajahi Perpustakaan Tengah Malam untuk memutuskan
apa sebenarnya yang menjadikan hidup pantas dijalani. Setelah kehidupan yang
diisi berbagai penyesalan dan kegagalan, akankah Nora Seed akhirnya mendapatkan
kehidupan yang bisa memberinya kebahagiaan sejati?" (source : Gramedia)
English Blurb :
"Somewhere out beyond the edge of
the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each
one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along
with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a
different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives
might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for
yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?
In The Midnight Library,
Matt Haig’s enchanting new novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this
decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one,
following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of
becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through
the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes
it worth living in the first place." (source : Goodreads)
Other places where you can buy this book :
Amazon
BookDepository
Gramedia (Indonesian translation version)
3. Dua Belas Pasang Mata (Twenty
Four Eyes / 二十四の瞳)
by Sakae Tsuboi
Keywords : Classics, Japanese
Literature, War, Children
Where I got it : Gramedia Digital
Blurb :
"Sebagai guru baru, Bu Guru Oishi
ditugaskan mengajar di sebuah desa nelayan yang miskin. Di sana dia belajar
memahami kehidupan sederhana dan kasih sayang yang ditunjukkan murid-muridnya.
Sementara waktu berlalu, tahun-tahun yang bagai impian itu disapu oleh
kenyataan hidup yang sangat memilukan. Perang memorak-porandakan semuanya, dan
anak-anak ini beserta guru mereka mesti belajar menyesuaikan diri dengan
perubahan zaman." (source : Gramedia)
English Blurb :
"Twenty-Four Eyes tracks the
growth of twelve innocent children from childhood to adulthood through their
relationship with a young school teacher. The naivetT of youth and the harsh
reality of war-torn Japan clash in this honest coming-of-age story." (source : Goodreads)
Other places where you can buy
this book :
Amazon
Gramedia (Indonesian translated version)
4. Circe by Madeline Miller
Keywords : Fantasy, Greek
Mythology, Magic
Where I got it : Gramedia Digital
Blurb :
"Di istana Helios, dewa matahari
dan yang paling berkuasa di antara Titan, lahir seorang anak perempuan. Tetapi
Circe anak yang aneh---tidak berkuasa seperti ayahnya, juga tidak berbahaya dan
memikat seperti ibunya. Karena tak punya teman, Circe mencarinya di dunia
manusia, dan mendapati dirinya ternyata memiliki kemampuan---sebagai penyihir
yang dapat mengubah lawan-lawannya menjadi monster dan membahayakan dewa-dewa.
Karena merasa terancam, Zeus mengasingkannya ke pulau terpencil.
Di sana Circe mengasah bakatnya, menjinakkan hewan-hewan liar dan bertemu
dengan banyak tokoh paling termasyhur dalam mitologi, di antaranya Minotaur,
Daedalus dan Icarus putranya, Medea yang pembunuh, dan tentunya Odysseus yang
lihai. Tetapi wanita yang hanya sendirian juga mesti menghadapi bahaya, dan
Circe tanpa sengaja membangkitkan murka manusia dan dewa-dewa, sehingga dia
mesti berhadapan dengan salah satu dewa Olympus yang paling menakutkan dan
pendendam.
Untuk melindungi apa yang paling dicintainya, Circe harus mengerahkan seluruh
kekuatannya dan memilih dengan tegas, apakah hendak berpihak kepada dewa-dewa
yang telah melahirkannya, atau manusia yang telanjur disayanginya." (source : Gramedia)
English Blurb :
"In the house of Helios, god of
the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange
child - not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother.
Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does
possess power - the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters
and menace the gods themselves.
Threatened, Zeus banishes her to
a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and
crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology,
including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous
Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.
But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly
draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against
one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she
loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all,
whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come
to love." (source : Goodreads)
Other places where you can buy
this book :
Amazon
BookDepository
Gramedia (Indonesian translated version)
5. Menghardik Gerimis by Sapardi
Djoko Damono
Keywords : Short Stories, Fiction,
Indonesian Literature
Where I got it : Gramedia Digital
Blurb :
“Kalau hujan sekalian tidak
apa-apa, aku suka,” katanya kepada istrinya selalu. “Tetapi gerimis selalu
jatuh pelan-pelan, diam-diam, tidak memberi tahu, dan dengan licik membasahi
lantai,” katanya melanjutkan. “Aku mencintai hujan sebab kalau jatuh bilang
terus terang dan jelas suaranya, tidak membiarkan aku terpeleset.” (source : Gramedia)
Other places where you can buy
this book :
Amazon
Gramedia
6. The Murder Before Christmas
(Charlie Kingsley Mysteries #1) by Michele Pariza Wacek
Keywords : Cozy Mystery, Culinary
Mystery, Women Sleuths, Twist
Where I got it : ARC provided by Love-Based
Publishing and BookSirens
Blurb :
"If you've got a problem, Charlie
Kingsley probably has a tea that’ll help make it right. EXCEPT when it comes to love. She
does NOT do love potions.
Not even for Courtney, her
pregnant new client who showed up three weeks before Christmas seeking a love
potion because her husband was cheating on her. So, Courtney asked about poison,
instead.
She said she was joking. That's
what happens between wives and husbands. They get angry and talk about killing
each other. They don't really mean it.
It seems to make sense… until
Courtney’s husband turns up dead on Christmas Eve. He was poisoned, of course. And who is the number one
suspect? Courtney. Of course.
But did she actually do it? Or is
she being set up? It's up to Charlie to sort
through all the twists and turns in a case that gets more complicated the
deeper she digs." (source : Goodreads)
Other places where you can buy
this book :
Amazon
BookDepository
7. Seratus Tahun Kesunyian (One
Hundred Years of Solitude) by Gabriel García Márquez
Keywords : Classics, Magical
Realism, Spanish Literature
Where I got it : Gramedia Digital
Blurb :
"Bertahun-tahun kemudian, saat
menghadapi regu tembak yang akan mengeksekusinya, Kolonel Aureliano Buendía
jadi teringat suatu sore, dulu sekali, ketika diajak ayahnya melihat es.
Riuh rendah pipa dan drum panci
yang berisik mengiringi kedatangan rombongan Gipsi ke Macondo, desa yang baru
didirikan, tempat José Arcadio Buendía dan istrinya yang keras kepala, Úrsula,
memulai hidup baru mereka. Ketika Melquíades yang misterius memukau Aureliano
Buendía dan ayahnya dengan penemuan-penemuan baru dan kisah-kisah petualangan,
mereka tak tahu-menahu arti penting manuskrip yang diberikan lelaki Gipsi tua
itu kepada mereka.
Kenangan tentang manuskrip itu
tersisihkan oleh wabah insomnia, perang saudara, pembalasan dendam, dan hal-hal
lain yang menimpa keluarga Buendía turun temurun. Hanya segelintir yang ingat
tentang manuskrip itu, dan hanya satu orang yang akan menemukan pesan
tersembunyi di dalamnya." (source : Gramedia)
English Blurb :
"One Hundred Years of Solitude tells
the story of the rise and fall, birth and death of the mythical town of Macondo
through the history of the Buendiá family. Inventive, amusing, magnetic,
sad and alive with unforgettable men and women—brimming with truth, compassion,
and a lyrical magic that strikes the soul—this novel is a masterpiece in the
art of fiction." (source : Goodreads)
Other places where you can buy
this book :
Amazon
BookDepository
Gramedia
8. Ayat-Ayat Api by Sapardi Djoko
Damono
Keywords : Poetry, Indonesian
Literature
Where I got it : Gramedia Digital
Blurb :
“api adalah lambang kehidupan
itu sebabnya ia tak bisa
menjadi fosil
api adalah lambang kehidupan
itu sebabnya kita luluh-lantak
dalam kobarannya” (source : Gramedia)
Other places where you can buy
this book :
Gramedia
It’s fun when I look at the book
covers, the first couple books are in cool toned covers, then it gets warmer
and more fiery by reaching the end of this TBR list. So, that’s all for today’s
blog post. If you have a November reading plans or TBR list, let me know in the
comment box below. I love to see some book recommendations. See you on the next
blog post, bye bye!
