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nabilasofia

nabilasofia

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The Discoverers: A History of Man's Search to Know His World and Himself
Daniel J. Boorstin
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
Jared Diamond
Rahasia Meede: Misteri Harta Karun VOC
E.S. Ito
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - Richard P. Feynman He led an awesome life. Period.

Being him (or with him) was never boring, I'm sure. My teacher told me that sometimes geniuses are weirdos. I think Feynman was one of them.

One of my favorite parts was when the dean Eisenhart asked his students if some of them would like to volunteer to be hypnotized. And Feynman screamed out loud, "MEEEEEEEEEEEE!" And he was the only one. The dean only said, "Yes, of course, I knew you would volunteer, Mr. Feynman, but I was wondering if there would be anybody else."

Another was when one day he realized that physics disgusted him a little bit, while he used to enjoy it before. He enjoyed it because he used to play with it. He didn't do it for the development of knowledge or whatever. He did it because he liked it, because it amused him. So he figured out the motion of a rotating plate for the fun of it, not because it was important.

That taught me something. Geodesy does bore me sometimes. I've lost the excitement I felt when I first learned it. Perhaps I should do what Feynman did: playing with Geodesy.

What I like about him most is his persistence. He would never give up until he solved whatever he was trying to solve--puzzles, physics problems, broken radio. He was also very curious. He learned how to play samba music and to paint. It made me realize that age doesn't, and shouldn't, stop you from learning. Sometimes, you think that you're too old to learn something--play the violin, learn a new language. Feynman proved it wrong, that you could be good--if not excellent--even if you didn't start at a very young age.

Lessons learned: Integrity; don't be afraid of trying new things; have fun with whatever you do.

"So I have just one wish for you the good luck to be somewhere where you are free to maintain the kind of integrity I have described, and where you do not feel forced by a need to maintain your position in the organization or financial support, or so on, to lose your integrity. May you have that freedom." (last paragraph)

Keruntuhan Teori Evolusi

Keruntuhan Teori Evolusi - Harun Yahya I give this book 2 stars because frankly I didn't understand most of it. I read it when I was 12 or 13, so that's to be expected. I am not a biologist and have never been a fan of biology (it involves almost no calculation; clearly bad news for lazy persons like me), so I couldn't say if I agree or disagree since I have no scientific basis for my opinion. My rating is solely based on my understanding of the content of the book (as with other books I read).

Perhaps I should re-read it. My knowledge in biology now is deeper than it was then (though I've stopped studying biology since starting college), so maybe I could understand it better. Unfortunately, I lent this book to my cousin and she lost it. I haven't found another copy to borrow. Clearly I'm not planning to buy the same book twice.
Looking for Alaska - John Green I don't usually read YA, and I was a little disappointed when I found out this book isn't about an adventure in Alaska. But, really, this book is simply amazing. It's totally worth reading.

Angus Si Kucing Jutek Dan Kursus Ciuman (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson, #1)

Angus Si Kucing Jutek Dan Kursus Ciuman  - Louise Rennison Baca buku ini pas SMP, gara-gara disuruh sama sepupu. Ceritanya sih biasa aja, tapi lucu. Sempet ngeliat buku ini di obral buku tahun lalu, sayang nggak dibeli. Padahal kayaknya seru baca buku ini lagi, hahaha... :)
Anna Karenina - Amy Mandelker, Constance Garnett, Leo Tolstoy I've tried to read this book several times before, but never got past the first few chapters. For one thing, it's a very thick book. And the label 'classics' made an impression that it's difficult to understand.

Then all of a sudden, I had the urge to read this book and finish it. So I did. And I love it. Yes, it's thick, but it's worth the effort.

Jebakan Kosmik

Jebakan Kosmik - Annie Dalton I read it when I was, like, 14. Quite enjoyable.

Harimau! Harimau!

Harimau! Harimau! - Mochtar Lubis Exceeds expectations!

Inheritance (Inheritance, #4)

Inheritance (Inheritance, #4) - Christopher Paolini,  Poppy D. Chusfani So, um, this book is not what I expected. I was expecting something more thrilling that would keep me up all night (well, actually, I did because I have to finish it as soon as possible to catch up my reading before school begins, and as a result, I catch a cold).

It's quite an enjoyable reading though. And the ending just makes sense. Defeating the evil villain/king is not the end of the story. What's next after that? How to keep the peace? Paolini described it very well, although I was like, "Hurry up... I'm sleepy..."

Perhaps I'm just too old for this kind of stuff :/

Now, I would like to know more about Angela. What made her so special? What's her history? What made her so respected and feared? Or perhaps Paolini saved it for his next book?

After all, there are some things that Paolini left out unexplained. The Ra'zacs (Galbatorix said they still existed). Murtagh and Thorn (though I'm very sure he'll come back and marry Nasuada--very transparent). The missing belt of Beloth the Wise. The location where Eragon and Saphira took the dragon eggs and Eldunari.

Yes, I know, it's in the east. But where exactly? As a geodetic student, I find uncharted territory attractive :D

Anyway, it's a good read during school break. Besides, it's so thick you may not need to buy another book until the school starts :P
House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski If the format of this book is 'conventional', it would be less than 700 pages or so. Imagine one page contains only one paragraph or even one word... You could have saved a lot of trees.

The story is actually good, and I think the story alone is enough. But the format and footnotes make this book exhausting to read. Sometimes you have to turn this book upside down. Or look up the footnotes (which happens very often). And there are so many footnotes. The footnotes even got footnotes. And the footnotes footnotes could be several pages long.

I never really like footnotes. It distracts you from reading the main topic. But sometimes it's necessary. And this book only made me dislike footnotes all the more. And some of the footnotes are pointless, referring some books or essays that don't exist. Oh, it even got an index.

I didn't mean to say that the format of the book made this book a bad one. The unusual format is good actually (and the using of different color every time the word 'house' or 'minotaur' appears is cool). Just not enjoyable for me to read.
Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri I couldn't stop reading this book. The short stories are simple, yet enchanting. You feel like you're part of them.
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak Quoting William Feather, "Finishing a good book is like leaving a good friend." That's exactly how I feel as I finish reading this book.

Definitely a beautiful book. A must read.
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer - John E. Woods, Patrick Süskind It's good... in a morbid way.
Great Expectations (Oxford World's Classics) - Kate Flint, Charles Dickens, Margaret Cardwell A book about overcoming an addiction :)

Across the Nightingale Floor (Kisah Klan Otori, #1)

Across the Nightingale Floor (Kisah Klan Otori, #1) - Lian Hearn This book was recommended by one of my friends. I wasn't interested because, frankly, the cover wasn't... interesting (I was still a judging-a-book-by-its-cover person then).

But, I decided to give it a try. AND I LOVED IT! It's one of those books you can't put down. And on the last page, I was like, "Give me more!" The other books are not as good as this one, but still a good read.

Oh, I don't know why, but I don't really like the characters, including the hero and the heroine. But the book's really, really worth reading.

Pahlawan Amerika (All-American Girl, #1)

Pahlawan Amerika  - Meg Cabot, Monica Dwi Chresnayani I read this book when I was fourteen or fifteen. This book is a quick read. I've read several of Meg Cabot's books, but this one is my favorite. And Sam is my favorite among her other characters. I don't read this kind of books anymore, though.

Sang Sejarawan (The Historian)

The Historian - Sang Sejarawan - Elizabeth Kostova This book is creepy without being too explicit. I couldn't sleep for days when reading this book.

I was confused at first, when the story switches from one time to another and another.

The book has almost everything I want from a story: the mystery, the historical facts, the traveling parts (Istanbul is one of my traveling destinations), the strong characters (I adore Helen), and the LIBRARY!

I wonder though, what's the teenage girl's name?