Wednesday, May 06, 2020

[Book Review] Persuasion - If it not for pride and prejudice, this would be my favorite Jane Austen book

this is a re-post from my instagram.

Persuasion
Originally published: 1818
Author: Jane Austen
Genres: Novel, Romance, YA fiction 



𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞 of the book: Anne received proposal from Mr. Frederick Wentworth, accepted, and broke it off because she was persuaded to. Nobody except the two and Lady Russel (Anne’s confidant) knew about the it. 8 years passed, she regretted it still, and (newly made) Captain Wentworth still resent her for doing so. Unplanned by them, they were obliged to be in the same society or circle for a while.

𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 💭
I want to say right off the bat, this is a love story. A much more of a slap-you-on-the-face romantic love story than pride and prejudice, i think. (On first read. So let me re-read this a few times more lol)

What makes me wonder after reading this, is how i think persuasion would be necessary at some points should it be needed. Some matters should be consulted, and persuasion might do it good. (But still, persuasion also have boundaries)

If you, were persuaded to break an engagement by a close family member or a close confidant, would you do it?
If the reason is because he doesn’t have any connection or name of his own, and you are still so young by the age of 19, would you even consider their suggestion?

This is one of the lines in the book that made me realized it is indeed a love story:

“There could have never been two hearts so open, no tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison, no countenances so beloved. Now they were as strangers; nay, worse than strangers, for they could never become acquainted. It was a perpetual estrangement.”

Tuesday, May 05, 2020

[Book Review] Steal Like an Artist

this is a re-post from my instagram post.

Steal Like an Artist

Originally published: February 28, 2012
Author: Austin Kleon
Genres: Self-help





I was recommended to read this book a few days back, and today i had the opportunity to sit 7-8hours without internet. Okay the last part isn’t relevant. Anyway.⁣⁣

⁣⁣
This book is great for creative workers like artists, the ones who wanna be creative but don’t know what to do yet, and for me who needs any sorts of help to get through everyday life.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
You dont have to be a creative person to read this book. You just need to have the thoughts, even once, of wanting to be creative, to be deserving this book.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
It’s quite short and plain simple, no “special terms” like the kinds only certain group understand so you have to find its description on a business or designer (is there even one) vocabulary. So you can enjoy reading it between your lunch break, before bed, or on those rainy days where you dont wanna go anywhere.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
It’s a light reading. In the lightest way possible. Although it’s not as light as 4 squared comics.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
The book has 10 chapters, with the first chapter titled the same as the book’s. It goes on with many quotes from various persons, and it’s own taglines (like the most important aspect of the paragraph) as well. I really like the tiny drawings that the book has. And the quotes are thrown inside like a thought bubble? So it’s not plain texts. My kind of books.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
I have a few things I’d like to upload here, but to make it simpler, i only put one. As usual ✨⁣⁣

Monday, May 04, 2020

[Book Review] Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

This book is between a memoir and a marketing book. Well, at least for me. 
I mean, why else would this book be put on the "marketing" section in my local bookstore?

This review is a re-post from my instagram post.



Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

Originally published: April 26, 2016

Author: Phil Knight
Page Count: 386
Genres: Biography, Autobiography, Memoir





"So? What do you think about onitsuka now?" Panji asked me when we were passing by that store in Shinjuku area.


"I think, Kitami's way of doing business was dirty. Mr. Onitsuka himself was professional to let Buck handled the northern market, to even out the market with so-called marlboro man at that time. Like how Buck had hoped to do. What about you?" i asked him.

⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
He was thinking the same, and wonder why the shoes are so hyped right now.⁣
And this post is not about them actually.⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
Phil Knight vs Onitsuka was Blue Ribbon first battle as a startup. And many more would followed. Countless more. ⁣⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣Mr. Phil Knight (a.k.a Buck) made Blue Ribbon as a way of introducing Onitsuka shoes to US market, starting from Oregon. And this is all started by his 𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺 𝘐𝘥𝘦𝘢. After 10 year or so, Blue Ribbon had fully expanded and evolved entirely into its new chapter which is Nike. Nike’s first real shoes production and sales were one of the gang’s rebellion toward Onitsuka unfairness. After that rebellion, their journey is yet about to begin.⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
Buck and the gang’s story is very interesting. It’s an example of entrepreneurship and it does look much more alive than what I’ve learned as theories at school. Here the problem solving were faced with many dilemmas and the x factors that followed.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
I recommend this to you all who wants to know about or aspire to be entrepreneur. The writing style is like a novel, if i may say. But it’s not exaggerated with dramatic words? IMO. He kept it real with how he and the gang experienced it, with jokes and irony here and there. So it’s a great autobiography book to read.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
Anyone else had read this before? Or maybe you are reading it? Might it still be in your tbr list?⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

Sunday, May 03, 2020

[Book Review] Who Moved My Cheese? - Who would've thought this book slapped so hard

My review overall, obviously 5/5. 10/10.

I think it is available on so many languages. If you are not sure to read it in english, make sure to find it on Bahasa. You need to read this!! Especially during this difficult times. When our daily life is changing, and we are coping with it in any possible way.

Who moved my cheese?

Author: Spencer Johnson
Originally published: September 8, 1998
Pages: 32pp (Japanese version: 94)



I really, really, really recommend this book! Anyone could benefit from this book. It taught me how to change your perspective when your cheese has moved. Cheese here, is the equivalent to our job, money, goals in life, relationships, anything that we want or desired, which we think will lead us to happiness. Once obtained, we tend to preserve that situation, hoping that it will not change.

Truth is, things are constantly changing and we don’t realize it most of the time. This book will reflect human’s behavior towards that changes in our every day lives, using 2 mouses and 2 little-person. The 2 mouses are called Sniff (sense changes early) and Scurry (act fast), while the little-person are called Hem (denies changes, fearing it would lead to something worse) and Haw (realize that changes are good so he adapt to the situation).

So, the short version of the story is like this:

There are 2 mouses and 2 little humans living in a maze. They live everyday trying to find this cheese that they thought so incredible, it will make them happy and live sufficed hence not needing any other things. One day, that cheese disappeared, and the real story began.

The book is divided into 3 parts:
1. an opening, where there are these old school classmates who among them had known the story. Thus, the main part begin when he start telling the story to his old classmates.
2. main part
3. discussion part. Here, the classmates talk about the story they've just heard and reflect upon it.

You should read this book. This is a light reading. It claimed that it could be read for 2 hours. The Japanese version also claimed that it is a 2 hours reading. Well, i spent more than 2 hours for sure for sure lol. But it is a light reading, i cant stress this enough already. It is a fun thing to read, because the writer told it in a story telling way.


Have a nice/calm/productive/bearable quarantine! We. Can. Do. This!

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Bought the same book, Twice


So ehm.... I bought this book yesterday, hoping for another "new" book to read. I started reading the first few pages when suddenly i thought i remember this line of poirot. About his retiring yet his grey cells were still working. THEN it crossed my mind, did i ever have read this before? Or maybe the intro of the story is similar to another one (which I believe not).

I took those read poriot novels out, then i found it. i have had bought and read peril at end house in bahasa indonesia.

I can't resell it because it would be such a waste right now. Okay, I'll just read it all over in english -_-

Note to self: always check you bookshelf and match it with you to-be-read book list