Don't Check Out this Book

"Maybe Appleton is where I belong after all." -- Rita

Source: Goodreads.com

Title: Don't Check Out this Book
Author: Kate Klise
Illustrator: M. Sarah Klise
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Year of published: 2020
I got this ARC directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Is the sweet town of Appleton ripe for scandal?
Consider the facts:     

 Appleton Elementary School has a new librarian named Rita B. Danjerous. (Say it fast.)       

Principal Noah Memree barely remembers hiring her.      Ten-year-old Reid Durr is staying up way too late reading a book from Ms. Danjerous's controversial "green dot" collection.       

The new school board president has mandated a student dress code that includes white gloves and bow ties available only at her shop. Sound strange? Fret not. Appleton's fifth-grade sleuths are following the money, embracing the punny, and determined to the get to the funniest, most rotten core of their town's juiciest scandal. Don't miss this seedy saga from the creators of the award-winning Three-Ring Rascals and 43 Old Cemetery Road series!

***

To be honest, I decided to receive this ARC and agree to make the review in March. But, I got a lot of hurdles by the time. Yeah, dealing with my reading slump, anxiety, and all of my negative thoughts, made me choose to bring my attention to another thing. Gratefully, I can overcome all of those things and back to writing again.

So, actually, this book isn't really a hard book. Yet, I have to admit that this book is a unique children book. It is still about elementary student girls that have big curiosity. It is still about how this girl tried to adjust herself to the new school. Yeah, it looks like an ordinary children book. But, more and more I read it, I have to give a big clap towards Kate Klise. She is indeed a genius at making the story become more engaging.

The story began with the announcement that Rita B. Danjereous will be the new librarian of Appleton Elementary School. The strange thing about her is, the principal, Noah Memree didn't remember about hiring her. Moreover, please, her name is very weird. Is that the pronunciation of dangerous?

The new school board has been chosen. Ivana Beprapwa is the name. She is the owner of the Beprapwa Attire. As the school broad, Ivana adjusts many rules there, including the outfit rule for students. The conflict began from the desire of Ivana to fire Rita B. Danjerous.

Well, what will happen then? Will the Appleton Elementary School could survive?

Edited by me via Canva

When the first time I put this book in my reader apps, I didn't expect anything. But, after I open the book, I know that this book is very unique. They use such a unique format. Yeah, if I have to recall back then, this book's format is quite similar to Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers. The story is been told through letters and memos. The letter and memo itself came from Ivana Beprapwa, Rita B. Danjereous as the librarian, Principal Noah Memree, the secretary of the school, and others. So, there's no real narrative here.

As I said before, I like that unique format. Then, I like the story too. It's not only about how the librarian and her daughter were adjusting their life into the new environment. It's more than that. One thing that I can assure you are, you will hate Ivana so much. Lol.

Okay, that's all for my today review. I got a lot of fun when reading this book. I hope you can feel it too.

4 out of 5 stars for Rita B. Danjerous.

Sincerely,

Ra

Ghost Writer

Ketika kisah keluarga yang emosional dibalut apik dengan unsur horor dan komedi

Sumber: imdb.com

Judul: Ghost Writer
Genre: Comedy, drama, horror
Tanggal rilis: 4 Juni 2019
Durasi: 97 menit
Sutradara: Bene Dion Rajagukguk
Pemain: Tatjana Saphira, Ge Pamungkas, Deva Mahenra, Asmara Abigail

An old diary containing dark secrets found by Naya, a novelist who has out of ideas for 3 years. This book is a good material for her latest novel, but something unexpected starts to happen.

***

Film Ghost Writer termasuk salah satu film horor yang dapat saya tonton. Yaa, saya mengakui kok saya bukan pecinta film horor. Jadi, please, jangan suruh saya menonton Pengabdi Setan atau Sebelum Iblis Menjemput. Saya pasti tidak bisa menontonnya.

Ghost Writer secara harfiah

Cerita bermula dari Naya (Tatjana Saphira) bersama adiknya, Darto (Endy Arfian), berpindah ke rumah kontrakan baru. Rumah itu adalah milik Pak Harja (Slamet Rahardjo) dan istrinya (Dayu Wijanto). Pekerjaan Naya sebagai penulis tidak sepenuhnya bisa berjalan lancar. Maka dari itu, meskipun rumah besar itu telrihat menakutkan, Naya tetap memilih untuk mengotrak di rumah tersebut.

Keadaan finansial Naya memang tidak dapat dikatakan baik. Di tengah upayanya menghadapi tekanan dari editornya, Alvin (Ernest Prakasa), Naya harus memutar otak supaya tetap bisa membiayai sekolah Darto. Di sisi lain, Naya tak ingin merepotkan kekasihnya, Vino (Deva Mahenra).

Tak disangka-sangka, sebuah titik terang hadir saat Naya menemukan sebuah diari tua di rumah kontrakannya. Dari situlah ide menulisnya muncul. Permasalahannya, Galih (Ge Pamungkas), pemilik diari tersebut yang sekarang telah menjadi hantu, tak menyetujui tindakan Naya. Berbagai argumen dilontarkan keduanya sampai pada akhirnya Galih pun setuju. Bahkan, ia pun betul-betul berperan sebagai ghost writer dalam arti harfiah. Akan tetapi, lagi-lagi permasalahan tidak berhenti begitu saja. Sosok Bening (Asmara Abigail), adik dari Galih yang juga telah menjadi hantu, menentang apa yang dilakukan oleh Naya dan Galih.

Premis yang biasa tapi cukup mengena

Picture edited by me

Bagi saya, film yang satu ini memang lebih kuat dominasi dramanya. Jadi, jangan harap ada adegan yang menyeramkan dalam film ini. Saya suka denan premis yang ditawarkan. Setidaknya, film ini sudah jelas punya awalan hingga penutup yang baik. Jadi, sudah jelas akhir dari konfliknya seperti apa.

Untuk adegan-adegannya, saya suka dengan campuran komedi di dalam film ini. Malah, unsur itulah yang membuat film ini menjadi kuat. Meskipun kadang ada bagian yang kurang dalam hal make up--iyaa, itu bedaknya Ge Pamungkas terlihat berbeda antara muka dengan leher. 

Akan tetapi, satu hal yang tidak saya sangka, saya menangis di akhir film ini. Saya merasa tersentuh atas emosi yang muncul antara Galih dan juga Bening. Sepertinya, film tentang keluarga bisa membuat saya mbrebes mili dengan tak terduga.

Penutup

Saya tidak menyesal menonton film ini. Bahkan, menurut saya film ini termasuk film Indonesia yang layak tonton. Sama seperti Sunyi, film horor yang diadaptasi dari Whispering Corridor. Setidaknya, kita masih bisa berharap bahwa film Indonesia akan terus meningkat kualitasnya, bukan?

6.5 dari 10 bintang untuk penampakan Galih.

Sincerely,

Ra

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl since January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

***

Hello, everyone!

Nice to meet you in another Top Ten Tuesday post. In my opinion, this week's topic is not as hard as the past week's topic. After I read the topic, I am starting to dig into my read shelf in Goodreads and took a note of all of the books with a single-word title that I ever read. So, check my list below.

Disclaimer, it would be a lot of Indonesian books here :)

1. Omen - Lexie Xu

The latest book I've reread before writing this post. Omen is the first book from Omen Series by Lexie Xu. This book has a unique genre which is a thriller. Why that genre can be unique? Because when the first time Lexie Xu wrote this book, there was no other thriller genre for teenagers in Indonesia. Hence I really appreciated what Lexie has done for this book.

I reread Omen because I want to read the whole series from the very start. Therefore, rereading Omen was being my pleasure for this year.

2. Interlude - Windry Ramadhina

My favourite teen lit book all the time. I like Windry's style to describe the relationship between Kai and Hanna. Then, this book is not only following the love story between the two main characters but with Hanna and Kai's experience of depression. Somehow, this book still can make my heart warm when I reread it again and again.

3. Lullabies - Lang Leav

The poetry book that I read in 2019! I love this book even though I didn't really remember the exact content from it. Still, I like how's Lang Leav put all of her words into poetry. One of my favourite lines was from Lullabies. Here it is:

 It happens like this. One day you meet someone and for some inexplicable reason, you feel more connected to this stranger than anyone else--closer to them than your closest family. Perhaps because this person carries an angel within them--one sent to you for some higher purpose, to teach you an important lesson or to keep you safe during a perilous time. What you must do is trust them--even if they come hand in hand with pain or suffering--the reason for their presence will become clear in due time.

4. Giselle - Akiyoshi Rikako

Giselle is a horror story created by Akiyoshi Rikako. It follows the story of the Tokyo Grand Ballet and its curse that related to Giselle, a play for a ballet performance. This book always reminds me that every person could be as dangerous as the devil.

5. Cinder - Marissa Meyer

The first book from the retelling series in Meyer's universe. I like the concept of this series, tho. This book is really captivated me and made me excited when reading it. If I remember correctly, I read this book in the middle of my midterm exam. At least, this book helps me to ease my stress.

6. Entrok - Okky Madasari

My all-time favourite from Okky Madasari so far. Entrok was the first book of Okky that I read. I love how Okky can capture the social reality around us. Moreover, she talked a lot about a sensitive issues like religion, politics, and also culture. I always want to read more of her work.

7. Frederica - Georgette Heyer

This classic romance book has landed on my shelf because my friend gave me back then. At first, I didn't really have the interest to read it. I mean, it's really thick! I couldn't expect that I could finish the book. But, the fact said otherwise. I was enjoying the book even though now I've forgotten the story. Lol.

8. O - Eka Kurniawan

I know that Eka Kurniawan is known for his biggest work, Beauty is Wound. But for me, O is the first book from Eka that I read. Well, I couldn't say much about this book. In my opinion, this book is not my cup of tea. Nevertheless, I still want to appreciate Eka's effort to make a modern fable that talked about social critique around us.

9. Bliss - Kathryn Littlewood

I love the middle-grade books and I love Bliss so much. I was always captivated by the magic world. Bliss is the definition of a unique book and enjoyable to read. This book will be your typical middle-grade book.

10. Confess - Colleen Hoover

I haven't read any Colleen Hoover's work other than Confess. As a romance reader, I know that I should give it a try for her other's work. Of course, I have that intention but hasn't executed it yet. Just wish me luck I will read her other's work later.

Yeay. Finally, I can finish this week's TTT. How about you guys? What's your list for this week?

Sincerely, 
Ra

Weekend Readaway is an original feature/weekly meme created by Zis from Your Clarity's Story and Ra from here at The Red Glow of the Dawn. It will be a place for you to share your experience from your currently-reading book. Please enjoy joining us and share your thought.

***

Hullo, guys!

Welcome to my new project--okay, actually this is me and my friend's project. After discussing a lot, finally, we decided to make another weekly book meme called Weekend Readaway. So, what's the content would be? Yep, in Weekend Readaway, you just have to share your currently-reading book and tell us your experience when reading it. It should be easy, right?

So, lemme share my currently-reading book for this first Weekend Readaway.

1. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
All right. To be honest, I got this book from my lecturer. It was from my first consultation for my final project in college. She suddenly gave me this book and said, "this book is on your reading list, right?". I just can freeze back then. I didn't know what to say. I mean, this book is from my lecturer! Someone you never thought would give some attention to your reading list. 
So, after two years, finally, I decided to read this book. I know that this book has a dark story. Moreover, many people assumed that this is the real story from Sylvia Plath. Well, I tried to read it so many times, but I just couldn't engage with the story. Hence when I have the interest to read this book again, I immediately open the book and start to read.
For now, I reached page 200+. I wanna finish it soon, tho. I want to know how's Esther life would be in the end. Wish me luck.
2. The Railway Children - E. Nesbit
First of all, the reason why this book landed in my currently reading list because I need a book to complete one of the categories from Balabala Reading Challenge 2020. It was "book with title starts with R". So, I asked a recommendation from Twitter and Mbak Bzee recommended me this children book.
As someone who is easily captivated with children book, I decided to choose this book. I've just downloaded at Gramedia Digital and start to read until page 30. Then, I got a lot of distraction from some manga that I read like The Promised Neverland and Perfect Girl Evolution. So, after all, this The Railway Children still on my list for this week.
That's all for my first Weekend Readaway. What about you, guys? Do you have fun experience regarding your currently-reading book? Just share what's your thinking through this book meme.
Sincerely,  Ra

Omen

Kurasa setiap orang pasti pernah membayangkan untuk membunuh seseorang, kan? -- Erika

Sumber: goodreads.com

Judul: Omen
Penulis: Lexie Xu
Series: Omen Series #1
Tahun Terbit: September 2012
Penerbit: Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Tebal buku: 312 halaman
Baca via Gramedia Digital

File 1 : Kasus penusukan siswa-siswi SMA Harapan Nusantara.

Tertuduh : Erika Guruh, dikenal juga dengan julukan si Omen. Berhubung tertuduh memang punya tampang seram, sifat nyolot, dan reputasi jelek, tidak ada yang ragu dialah pelakunya. Tambahan lagi, ditemukan bukti-bukti yang mengarah padanya.

Fakta-fakta : Bukan rahasia lagi tertuduh dan korban saling membenci. Perselisihan keduanya semakin tajam saat timbul spekulasi bahwa tertuduh ingin merebut pacar korban. Tidak heran saat korban ditemukan nyaris tewas di proyek pembangunan, kecurigaan langsung tertuju pada tertuduh. Masalah tambah pelik, karena sewaktu disuruh mendekam di rumah oleh pihak kepolisian, tertuduh malah kabur dengan tukang ojek langganannya yang bergaya preman. Akibatnya, tertuduh terpojok. Tertuduh juga orang pertama yang tiba di TKP korban-korban berikutnya. 

Misiku : Membuktikan tertuduh tidak bersalah dan menemukan pelaku kejahatan yang sebenarnya. 

Penyidik Utama,Valeria Guntur

***

Keputusan untuk membaca Omen pada dasarnya disebabkan oleh tantangan membaca yang saya lakukan bersama kawan saya, Chita @chitamania. Tema pertama yang dipilih untuk kali ini adalah genre horor dan thriller. Jadilah saya terpikir untuk membaca ulang Omen karya Lexie Xu. Iya, jadi saya sebetulnya sudah membaca Omen sebelumnya, akan tetapi, saya bermaksud untuk membaca ulang karena saya ingin membaca semua series-nya. 

Lexie Xu merupakan tipikal penulis yang menciptakan universe tersendiri. Maka dari itu, saya merasa kurang sreg ketika saya ingin lanjut membaca seluruh series tapi saya lupa detail ceritanya. Maka dari itu, akhirnya saya memutuskan untuk membaca ulan buku pertama dari Omen Series ini.

Saudara kembar: obsesi dan kebencian

Bagi Eliza, kakak kembarnya, Erika, adalah pembawa petaka. Dalam artian, selalu merugikan dirinya. Penampilan yang urakan dan bahkan dijuluki sebagai omen, membuat Erika betul-betul menjadi sosok yang susah diatur. Yang pasti, kelakukan Eliza dan Erika sungguh berbeda seratus delapan puluh derajat.

Di sisi lain, bagi Erika, Eliza adalah sosok yang sangat licik. Ia akan melakukan apapun degan cara licik supaya bisa mendapatkan apa yang ia inginkan. Lama-kelamaan, Erika merasa bahwa Eliza selalu berpura-pura baik hanya untuk menutupi kelicikannya.

Suatu hari, Eliza yang sudah seperti Cinderella, tidak pulang tepat waktu. Otomatis, sang Ibu merasa khawatir dan meminta Erika mencari adik kembarnya itu. Dengan bantuan dari tukang ojek langganannya--yang omong-omong kerennya setengah mati, Erika pun menyeret dirinya untuk mencari keberadaan Eliza. Tak dinyana, Eliza ditemukan telah terkapar dengan luka tusukan di tubuhnya. Darah ada di mana-mana dan Erika sangat syok melihat adiknya itu.

Belum cukup kengerian itu berakhir, ternyata semua bukti yang ada malah membuat Erika terancam menjadi tersangka. Sebagai anak yang urakan dan tidak pernah diproritaskan oleh orang tuanya sendiri, Erika dituduh dengan semena-mena. Lalu, siapa sebetulnya dalang di balik perlakuan keji tersebut? Apa yang harus dilakukan Erika untuk membersihkan namanya sendiri?

Kengerian kisah thriller khas Lexie Xu

Sejak membaca Obsesi Series, saya sepenuhnya sadar bahwa Lexie Xu memang piawai dalam membuat kisah thriller remaja. Ia mampu menyajikan misteri yang juga disertai dengan plot twist di akhir. Sebetulnya, genre yang ditawarkan oleh Lexie Xu kala itu memang merupakan genre yang tak biasa. Alhasil, banyak penggermar Lexie yang mendeklarasikan diri sebagai Lexycopath.

Untuk kisah Omen sendiri memiliki linimasa sebelum kisah Johan Series. Saya memang tak terlalu ingat sebetulnya. Berapa tepatnya selisih tahun yang diceritakan. Akan tetapi, kedua kisah ini masih berhubungan satu sama lain--ya, saya melihat sejumlah sinopsis di Dark Series. Jadi, memang keputusan yang tepat bagi saya untuk membaca ulang novel ini.

Saya masih senang dengan misteri yang ditawarkan oleh Lexie Xu di Omen. Faktor karena saya terakhir membaca buku ini tujuh tahun lalu, membuat saya masih terkaget-kaget dengan twist yang disajikan. Seiring dengan waktu, tentu saya bisa memperhatikan detail yang saya lewatkan dulu.

Sedikit spoiler

Sumber: google.com, edited by me

Secara cerita, Omen ini memang menarik sebagai kisah remaja yang tak biasa. Akan tetapi, kalau saya ditanya, ada beberapa hal yang cukup mengganjal. Sebagai contoh, meskipun pada penemuan sosok Eliza yang pertama, mengapa bisa Erika betul-betul tidak sadar? Iya, saya tahu kalau dia mengalami syok dan trauma. Akan tetapi, setelahnya, tidak ada sama sekali samar-samar ingatannya yang bekerja.

Lalu, untuk poin Ferly yang begitu saja mengikuti perintah Eliza, menurut saya cukup tidak masuk akal. Apa sebetulnya motivasi Ferly? Hanya cinta sajakah? Menurut saya motivasinya kurang kuat. Seharusnya, ada motivasi lain yang jauh lebih besar untuk membuat sosok Ferly mau mengikuti perintah Eliza.

Kemudian, jujur saya merasa banyak bagian-bagian yang tak terjelaskan dengan baik. Firasat Ojek--alias Viktor Yamada, yang merasa bahwa ada orang lain ketika ia dan Erika menginap di rumah Les hingga sikap Valeria yang tiba-tiba bersimpati pada Erika. Saya rasa hal-hal tersebut malah tidak dijelaskan oleh Lexie Xu di akhir.

Akibat perundungan

Sebetulnya, ada poin lain yang menarik dalam Omen ini, yakni mengenai perundungan di lingkungan keluarga. Erika sebagai sosok yang dianggap sebagai omen, betul-betul terbuang. Orang tuanya seolah tak mau mengakui dirinya sebagai anak. Padahal, tak ada hal yang salah dengan diri Erika. Asumsi dan juga ketakutan tanpa alasan lah yang membuat hidup Erika tak pernah mudah di lingkungan keluarganya.

Meskipun demikian, untungnya Erika tetap berpegang pada hati nuraninya dan menjadi sosok yang berhasil menjadi dirinya sendiri. Ia mencoba terus bangkit meskipun dunia begitu sulit padanya.

Dengan ini, maka saya memutuskan akan segera membaca buku lainnya dalam Omen Series.

4 dari 5 bintang untuk kepiawaian Lexie Xu membangun kehidupan Erika.

Sincerely, 

Ra