BTT : 2 Questions in 1 Post

I haven’t participated in BTT for about 2 or 3 months…I missed BTT. But lately the questions were hard too answer or has no relation in my part of the world, such as winter book. I have never experience winter at all.

The last 2 weeks question have been my kind of question, but I was so busy and had no time to write it down…I don’t like posting BTT a day later, I like to do it on the same day it comes out…which is on Thursday.

Last week’s question:

God* comes to you and tells you that, from this day forward, you may only read ONE type of book–one genre–period, but you get to choose what it is. Classics, Science-Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Cookbooks, History, Business … you can choose, but you only get ONE.

What genre do you pick, and why?

Hehe this is a simple question…I don’t have to think about it. If I can only read 1 genre for the rest of my life I will choose thriller/suspense/horror without even thinking twice.

Why? Because that kind of genre keeps my imagination alive. It makes my mind drift away while reading it. I like reading on the bus, and the only book that can keeps my mind away from traffic jam is thriller/suspense/horror (I like to think that all 3 are in same genre because Horror book will give thrill and suspense to the reader)

If the book is really good (like most Stephen king’s book) I felt like a part of the people in the book and totally forgot how terrible the traffic is. I will winch if it’s too gory, my heartbeat rises when the character is being chased…all sort of feeling only thriller/suspense/horror book can give.

And if you want to make it more restrict, such as I can only choose 1 author…then Stephen king it is!! I won’t mind reading only his books for the rest of my life. He is the greatest horror writer EVER!

This week’s question

So … you’re halfway through a book and you’re hating it. It’s boring. It’s trite. It’s badly written. But … you’ve invested all this time to reading the first half.

What do you do? Read the second half? Just to finish out the story? Find out what happens?

Or, cut your losses and dump the second half?

That’s so easy!! I’ll dump it I’m not a patience person…I feel the book is too boring for my taste, I won’t spend the rest of my time reading it…It’s such a waste of time.

I better use my time to read something I really like. I’m very busy and time is precious…don’t spoil it for bad and boring books.

BTT: Complicated and surprising

Jackie says, “I love books with complicated plots and unexpected endings. What is your favourite book with a fantastic twist at the end?”

So, today’s question is in two parts.

1. Do YOU like books with complicated plots and unexpected endings?

2. What book with a surprise ending is your favorite? Or your least favorite?

I will answer these questions with short answers

1. YES I do like complicated plots and unexpected endings because I like being surprised  by a book.
2. So far I have no least favorite surprise ending. My Favorite surprise endings are My sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult and Naoko by Keigo Higashino

BTT : The Great Unknown

Who’s your favorite author that other people are NOT reading? The one you want to evangelize for, the one you would run popularity campaigns for? The author that, so far as you’re concerned, everyone should be reading–but that nobody seems to have heard of. You know, not JK Rowling, not Jane Austen, not Hemingway–everybody’s heard of them. The author that you think should be that famous and can’t understand why they’re not…

Well…I would choose Koushun Takami without much thinking! I haven’t read anything else by him yet…but his Battle Royale blow me away.

This novel really take my breath away…I was reading it out prejudice and became totally into the book. I love it so much.

(review can be read by clicking the picture)

I know that I haven’t read anything else by Takami and maybe his other works aren’t as great as this one, but I can easily said that this book should have made him well known.

…BUT…

It is sad to know that Suzane Collins’ Hunger Game seemed to steal his glory away

When I said I’m sad, it is not just a metaphor I am actually feeling sad. People should have known him better than someone who is writing the same thing as he is and become acknowledge by the world better that him…he should get that glory rather than Suzane Collins.

BTT : I Think I’m a Flapper

Do you read the inside flaps that describe a book before or while reading it?

After reading some answers from other bloggers…I come to a conclusion that Flap is the summary on the book cover.

Please correct me if I am wrong…because I don’t know what’s the true meaning of FLAP.

If my interpretation is right…Then I am a flapper when it comes to Library books.

I hardly ever read any book reviews made by professional reviewers, I started reading review after joining book memes.

But…the books in Japan Foundation Library are rarely reviewed by any bloggers I know…so my only recommendation is what’s written on the cover. And so far it has gone so well.

Crossfire by Miyuki Miyabe, Sayonara Gangsters by Genichiro Takahashi, and Strangers by Taichi Yamada are few of many books I’ve chosen simply by reading the cover….and I finished those books with full satisfaction

So how bout you?

Happy BTT

BTT: Nostalgia

It’s the last day of the year, and you know what that means … nostalgia and looking back.

What were your favorite books of the year? (books that were new to you in 2009, if not necessarily published this year.)

Wow This is a bit hard…Almost all the books I read in 2009 were great books.

After much thinking…I tried sorting it out into
12 books.

Here they are: (Randomly)

1. Onepiece Volume 50-53 by Eiichiro Oda. The story keeps on getting better and better and the actions are incredibly entertaining. I also re-read this the previous volume of this Manga every year and I still find it as great manga with amazing story.

2. Naoko by Keigo Higashino. I picked this up by sheer instinct and I really like it.

3. Battle Royale by Koushun Takami, it’s AWESOME!!! Too bad The Hunger Game seems to steal it’s spotlight.

4. Silence of the Lamb by Thomas Harris. I guess everyone knows about this book .

5. For One More Day by Mitch Albom. A story of a chance to meet our late mothers is so touching.

6. IT by Stephen King. No need introduction here .

7. Dreamcatcher by Stephen King. I love the friendship of the central characters.

8. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult…so beautifuly sad.

9. Supernatural and Mysterious Japan by Catrien Ross.
I guess the title said it all . This is the only nonfiction that I enjoyed this year.

10. Needful Things by Stephen King…love it so darn much. I couldn’t put the book down.

11. Congo by Michael Crichton. I always ejony Chrichton’s books…so full of knowledge.

12. Edensor by Andrea Hirata.
It’s about a difficult trip around europe.

That’s it

How bout you?

And Happy new year everyone…I wish you’ll find great books in 2010

BTT: History

Given the choice, which do you prefer? Real history? or historical fiction? (assuming for the purposes of this discussion that they are equally well-written and engaging)

Because I love fiction…I would choose reading historical fiction.

In my opinion, real history has to stay in its actual event no matter how boring it is … if not it can mislead the readers and that would coz a lot problems.

As for historical FICTION…the word fiction allowed the writter to exaggerate a bit and it’ll make the book more interested.

For example, let’s take a look at The DaVinci Code…I know Jesus has no children but the way Dan Brown explains the history is interesting. Another example is Michael Crichton’s Timeline, it was so much fun reading a bit of France’s history.I wouldn’t imagine my self reading the history of France.

I tried reading real history once…It was about the man that all Moslems adored…my beloved prophet Muhammad. I love Him and adore Him but reading his real story made me sleepy…But I watched His history more than 10 times and listened to it more than I can count.
(tho I really wish one day I can read it and it’ll be the only real history I ever read)

The conclusion is historical fiction has some amusing parts and real history is way better in form of movie or documentary or something we can watch.

I enjoy watching a lot of history and never read one

So… how bout you?

BTT: Bookmark

What items have you ever used as a bookmark? What is the most unusual item you’ve ever used or seen used?

Yaaii i love this question because it relates to my baby pets

My favorites bookmarks are pictures of my pets, Kame and Kroten. They are my baby turtles….I love them so much and I decided to use their pictures as a mark of something else that I love, books.

This is kame

This is Kroten

More pictures of my cute turtles>>> here and here

I sometimes used single picture, sometimes I arrange few pictures together using photoshop then I printed it out as my special bookmark.

The most unusual item was a receipt from a supermarket it rarely happened. I used this emergency bookmark when I don’t feel like I want to continue reading a certain book at that moment, but will continue it one day…so I’ll grab any object on sight.

A Lovely Community: Booking Through Thursday

But enough about you, what about ME?

Today’s Question?

What’s your favorite part of BOOKING THROUGH THURSDAY? Why do you participate (or not)?

I am posting this week’s BTT a bit late due to my mom’s condition. I’m happy I have spare time to write this week’s wonderful question

Why am I participating??

1. Because I love books, but I don’t like reading book reviews from official sites…by joining BTT I can read recommedations from fellow book lovers I prefer knowing about certain books this way.

2. I love talking about books with another book lovers Indonesia is not a good country when it comes to reading. Most of Indonesian prefer watching than reading…so I can only meet few people who enjoy talking about books…in BTT, I can talk about books as much as I want and I got to read other people’s opinion as much as I want too

3. The people joining BTT are so nice I really enjoy everyone’s honest and polite opinion. Everyone here never said bad things on other people’s taste of books, even though their books are the worst books in someone else’s opinion. It’s a lovely community

4. I enjoy all the questions tho sometimes I found difficult questions…these difficult questions challenged my brain to think, and I enjoy this moment of thinking as well as the moment without thinking . I gain new knowledge on every questions.

Those are the reasons why I enjoy BTT…a one lovely community ♥ ♥ ♥