First of all, just like any other short story collection, we might not like everything there but the question is: do the ones that we like have enoughFirst of all, just like any other short story collection, we might not like everything there but the question is: do the ones that we like have enough force to make us fall for them as a whole? This one charmed me!
Written by the creator of Bojack Horseman, I thought this would be comedic and satiric but it was.. romantic? While our definitions of romantic are probably different, I think the story of "A pair of lonely commuters who ride the subway in silence, forever, eternally failing to make that longed-for contact" in 'Missed Connection - m4w' is one of mine. Or a story about how a city turned scary because every part of it reminds you of a broken love stories or dating failures. Romantic because they are painful and heartbreaking yet felt relatable at some level.
My other favorites help me to understand the term 'Transcendent tragicomedy' ...more
Probably will write longer review later, but in short: I love it. (Please note that I'm work as illustrator and a fan of graphic and charts.)
This bookProbably will write longer review later, but in short: I love it. (Please note that I'm work as illustrator and a fan of graphic and charts.)
This book is about thinking and presenting our ideas through drawings (icon, map, charts). The goals are simplicity, clarity and higher possibility of acceptance. This book gives us the concept (including some scientific background about our brain and evolutionary stuff) and the technical how-to. Easy to understand and practical. The examples, although limited, were clear and interesting.
Would recommend it to those who are interested in graphic recording / graphic facilitation....more
Saya akan mengulasnya dalam Bahasa Indonesia dan mungkin akan menulis terkait buku ini lebih panjang nanti.
Matt Alt adalah penulis asal Amerika SerikaSaya akan mengulasnya dalam Bahasa Indonesia dan mungkin akan menulis terkait buku ini lebih panjang nanti.
Matt Alt adalah penulis asal Amerika Serikat yang telah tertarik akan budaya Jepang sejak sekolah. Dia menikah dengan perempuan Jepang dan bersama istrinya telah menulis beberapa buku tentang budaya dan sejarah Jepang. Hal ini penting saya sebut di awal sebagai konteks sudut pandang penulis yang memiliki jarak optimal dengan apa yang ditulisnya: paham secara mendalam tapi tetap punya perspektif orang asing.
Buku ini menjelaskan tentang berbagai inovasi asal Jepang yang mendunia bahkan membentuk dunia, mulai dari mainan mobil-mobilan yang mengangkat Jepang dari keterpurukan setelah perang dunia ke-2, asal usul manga dan dinamikanya, karaoke, walkman, Sanrio dan kawaii culture, Nintendo dan video games sampai 4chan!
Walau terdengar 'menyenangkan', namun buku ini boleh dibilang cukup berat karena membahas hal-hal tersebut dari aspek sejarah, politik, sosio-ekonomi dan perilaku masyarakat. Hal ini memberi kita pemahaman soal bagaimana intellectual property bukan hanya soal gagasan tapi juga bisnis yang tak pernah lepas dari dinamika politik dan ekonomi makro. Matt Alt merangkai banyak fenomena dan coba menguraikan sebab-akibatnya. Bagi saya upayanya masuk akal dan memberi (setidaknya secercah) jawaban atas rasa ingin tahu saya soal pop-culture Jepang, misalnya bagaimana the famous Japan Economic Bubble Burst yang terjadi saat Jepang sedang ada di 'atas' dan 'bergelimang' kemajuan teknologi berdampak pada karya bertema fantasi yang gelap.
Untuk pecinta pop culture Jepang atau pelaku industri bisnis IP, buku ini sangat saya rekomendasikan....more
Saya membaca edisi Bahasa Indonesia yang diterjemahkan langsung dari Bahasa Jerman. Ini hal yang perlu saya sebutkan di awal sebagai bentuk apresiasi Saya membaca edisi Bahasa Indonesia yang diterjemahkan langsung dari Bahasa Jerman. Ini hal yang perlu saya sebutkan di awal sebagai bentuk apresiasi karena buku ini diterjemahkan dengan indah. Sungguh dibutuhkan kepiawaian alih bahasa untuk mengantarkan buku ini kepada pembaca di belahan dunia yang berbeda.
Mengutip 'The New York Times' buku ini dikategorikan sebagai 'Fiction/Essay'. Buku ini terdiri dari 12 tulisan tentang objek yang sempat tercatat dalam sejarah namun telah hilang, mulai dari 'Tuanaki', sebuah pulau yang pernah tercatat di peta namun 'hilang' karena gempa laut, Harimau Kaspia yang punah pada tahun 1950-an, sampai peta bulan yang dibuat oleh ahli botani dan selenografi bernama C.A Kinau yang tidak terlacak dalam sejarah.
Judith Schalansky membuat narasi atas kehilangan-kehilangan ini dengan pendekatan dan gaya menulis yang berbeda-beda. Ada yang ditulis dari sudut pandang orang pertama, ada yang dirangkai sebagai cerita dengan deskripsi lanskap alam yang sangat mendetail. Ibarat merekonstruksi dinosaurus, ada riset dan gagasan yang kuat sebagai kerangka fosil yang tidak sempurna tapi meyakinkan, Judith Schalansky mengisinya dengan dugaan-dugaan yang begitu pas sehingga kita bisa membayangkannya sebagai makhluk yang hidup di masa lampau.
Sebagai pembaca, buku ini membuat saya memahami dan jatuh cinta pada apa yang disebut 'fiksi/essay'. Menarik sekali namun saya rekomendasikan untuk meluangkan waktu dan energi saat membacanya karena butuh konsentrasi demi mendapatkan pengalaman terbaik saat membacanya ...more
Full of feelings and emotions, woven beautifully into a hauntingly intricate story. The sadness and confusion were so descriptive they left a lingerinFull of feelings and emotions, woven beautifully into a hauntingly intricate story. The sadness and confusion were so descriptive they left a lingering pain even after I finished it....more
What can I say, I think I'm pretty geeky and I was quite a misfit during high school so I can relate with the 'geek chic' Lisa here. This book is fun What can I say, I think I'm pretty geeky and I was quite a misfit during high school so I can relate with the 'geek chic' Lisa here. This book is fun and witty, with interactive pages such as field guide (a booklet attached on the page), lift the flap pages of geeky 'Barbie dolls', letter for later Lisa (on a paper folded neatly detachable from the page), cards & stickers! The jokes are naturally geeky and not overly annoyingly stereotypical. I love it....more
Mhairi McFarlane is my #1 favorite chicklit author (there, I declared it) and this book justified it. This is not just another romantic chicklit; it'sMhairi McFarlane is my #1 favorite chicklit author (there, I declared it) and this book justified it. This is not just another romantic chicklit; it's romantic alright (Mhairi's has always been exceptionally good at love letters) but it's not the kind of chicklit that let you know the ending at the blurb. It is realistically painful. It talks about friendship, unrequited love, adulthood, family problems and... death. Well, it's not 'A Little Life'-good and I didn't even cry. But. Still. It sets the bar high for chicklits.
"This is what I never knew about loss—It's also about what you gain. You carry a weight that you never had before. It's never behind you. It's alongside you."...more
First of all, this a book that would be categorized as business & management book, while today I'm a housewife with 5 years experience of working in aFirst of all, this a book that would be categorized as business & management book, while today I'm a housewife with 5 years experience of working in a French multinational company. So, in short, I don't work in multicultural work environment anymore but I had some experiences. I felt the need to tell it as a context because I'm giving it 5 stars and would definitely rate it 10/10.
This book told us different culture may affect workers' behavior from 8 aspects: communication, giving feedback, persuasion, leadership style, decision making process, building trust, dealing with disagreement, and scheduling. Erin Meyer started with some notes about culture, variation in people from same culture and how we need to really zoom out so we can see a pattern. It is practical but at the same time gives the reader some anthropological backround (such as a theory of why people from Scandinavian country are more egalitarian; because Vikings were egalitarian!)
Again, I would emphasize that this is more a business and management book so there are a lot of practical tips on how to deal with multicultural teams at work. However, it can be applied in general situation such as traveling of studying. Also, it is well written and not boring. LOVE IT!...more
I honestly didn't expect it to be so humble and personal; yet powerful and moving. Even when I thought I knew enough women living in poverty and hardsI honestly didn't expect it to be so humble and personal; yet powerful and moving. Even when I thought I knew enough women living in poverty and hardship; I was still surprised by many of the stories in this book. A must read if you're still wondering about the urgency of gender equality and women empowerment....more
'Sweet Bean Paste' menceritakan tentang Sentaro seorang pria yang berjualan dorayaki di toko bernama Doraharu. Doraharu adalah milik bos Sentaro yang 'Sweet Bean Paste' menceritakan tentang Sentaro seorang pria yang berjualan dorayaki di toko bernama Doraharu. Doraharu adalah milik bos Sentaro yang sudah meninggal sementara Sentaro masih memiliki hutang kepadanya. Hidup Sentaro berubah setelah kedatangan seorang wanita berusia lanjut bernama Tokue dengan tangan yang terdeformasi; wanita itu menawarkan diri untuk bekerja di Doraharu untuk membantu Sentaro membuat isian dorayaki dari kacang merah (sweet bean paste). Semuanya baik-baik saja sampai masa lalu Tokue terungkap.
Dengan premis yang cukup sederhana, buku ini mengangkat topik yang sebetulnya sangat berat; tentang diskriminasi pesakit di Jepang dan kehidupan mereka. Saya menyempatkan diri untuk membaca artikel tentang fenomena diskriminasi ini dan saya rasa buku ini menggambarkan berbagai perasaan dengan sangat baik; rasa sedih, putus asa, dan kehilangan. Saya? Nangis tentu saja. Bagus sekali, sampai bikin patah hati....more
Buku ini menceritakan tentang sebuah kafe unik yang dapat membawa seseorang ke masa lalu dengan sejumlah syarat termasuk tidak boleh berpindah tempat Buku ini menceritakan tentang sebuah kafe unik yang dapat membawa seseorang ke masa lalu dengan sejumlah syarat termasuk tidak boleh berpindah tempat duduk dan harus segera kembali sebelum kopinya habis. Semua karakter yang ada pada buku ini hadir melalui 4 cerita pengalaman menyebrangi lini masa yang berbeda.
Saya pribadi suka sekali buku ini. Walau diceritakan dengan tenang Toshizaku Kawaguchi bisa membuat saya merasakan suasana kafe yang sejuk dan magis. Pengalaman yang terasa 'mistis' pun tetap terbayangkan bersama dengan pergulatan hati para karakter. Tidak heran, 3 dari 4 cerita membuat saya menangis....more
I think I've found my favorite non-fiction book this year :') This book tells a lot about model, framework, & problem mapping through charts. As someoI think I've found my favorite non-fiction book this year :') This book tells a lot about model, framework, & problem mapping through charts. As someone who doesn't expect deep business / management / leadership theory, this book is perfect. It also talks about personality, society, and connection between human being.
Some might think it's unfocused and it tends to oversimplify everything, but for me, this book is straight forward and not intimidating. I believe in this theory that "If you can't explain it simply, then you don't understand enough."
It also has a chapter explaning how to use various chart types... and, there are insightful quotes ending every chapter. Yes, I'm the type who like quotes on books :p...more
I know that some people will find it... too much. It talks about too many things: from feminism to aid development in Gambia, from dance history to moI know that some people will find it... too much. It talks about too many things: from feminism to aid development in Gambia, from dance history to mother-daughter relationship and everything went back and forth.
But I definitely gave 5 stars and put it on my all time favorites. It's brilliant and powerful....more
I remembered that I loved "The Rosie Project" but not enough to make me longing for the sequel, especially when it was so soon (only a year?) So I gotI remembered that I loved "The Rosie Project" but not enough to make me longing for the sequel, especially when it was so soon (only a year?) So I got this copy on a book sale for a good price this year, without much expectation.
Turned out that I LOVE THIS ONE, and in fact, I could relate to this book that I just had experience on pregnancy last year. It is funny and touching and full of geeky trivial facts. From this book, I can imagine how simple and yet complex it is to love for people with autism. But love is not all about feelings and this book is all about love (and family and friendship).
I enjoyed it a lot.
(PS: Don't put too high expectation on it. It's a chicklit eventhough it was written by a man, a PhD, a former IT consultant who just decided to write fiction at age 50. Brilliant!)...more
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