Heroes of Olympus #1: The Lost Hero

I keep forgetting that I own this blog. sorry.
I just finished reading The Lost Hero four days ago. yes, I know, I'm like 4 years late. and to be really really really honest, I think it was a little overrated.

I was the only one who rated it 3 out of 5 among my Goodreads friends. maybe it was my fault, maybe I read it the wrong way or anything but then I see a review by this Ana girl AND I THINK IT WAS VERY TRUE (fyi, she rated it 1 out of 5 stars).

tbh, while reading TLH, I can't help but keep comparing it to the PJO series. and it came out being very typical and predictable. even the writing style was not as good as if Rick Riordan was writing it first-person pov style. the pov changing also didn't help, I mean Piper and Jason's povs were sooo boring. I loved Leo, though (who doesn't?). but again, the other two were... drab. let's talk about them one by one.

Piper--ugh. I rant about her in my multifandomed whatsapp group as soon as i finished the book and got 90% defending replies lol. they said she's gonna be really helpful in the next book, excellent character development, etc. but let's just face it, without her rare ability to charmspeak, she would be just yet another pretty face from the Aphrodite Cabin. her memory + feelings was manipulated and so she felt she was connected somehow to Jason, and that's just how it goes. LET'S NOT COMPARE THEM TO PERCABETH but I think their relationship was just another bonus....of her mom's blessing. Aphrodite, of course, likes Jason (and most of the other gods do too). aaand we're moving on to Jason.

even before I start with HoO, I knew Jason isn't as cool as Percy. I skipped 'Leo Valdez and the Quest for Buford' in Demigod Diaries (30% to avoid spoilers 70% because I know nothing about the characters and what they do) so....never read anything about Jason before TLH. I DID GET SPOILERS FROM TUMBLR AND TWITTER THOUGH. everyone says Percy > Jason. they were all right. okay, I know this is still the first book and Jason got his memory stolen and no one knows where Percy is and Jason has blue eyes and perfect blonde hair and that cute little scar on his upper lip and that badass sword emanated from a strange coin and speak Latin and also he is Thalia's long lost brother. okay. even if he was the praetor--whatever that is--I still love that sassy dude Jackson more. but of course Jason....is better than....his love interest. OH. don't forget the fact that he survived goddess-turning-into-a-supernova thing when anyone else should've died...

I'm not saying that I hate this series though. I love the mystery about the rivalry between the Greek and Roman demigods. RICK RIORDAN IS HELLA AWESOME. I mean it was only the first book. I want to read the next one... maybe it can change my perspective (but mostly because Percy). some of my friends said it wasn't much, but the third one is the best of the five books, well, of course i'm gonna need to read the second one first.

I haven't say anything about why didn't I read this series at the first place even though a lot of my friends have. I only have one reason. I loved the ending of PJO and I don't want to see the characters I love suffers... especially Percabeth. after all they've been through, after all they gave up to save Olympus... they deserve a happily ever after, which won't happen in a world created by Uncle Riordan, guaranteed.

so what do you guys think about the HoO series?

Reading IS Fundamental

How do you define readers? The bookworm-type of people, mostly girls, often wears glasses and walk around in long-sleeved sweaters, usually carrying a book in their hands. Yep, that kind of readers. I want to tell you some things about them.

First things first, don’t ever underestimate a reader.

They may be quiet, nerdish, or freaky, anti-social even, they may look careless about their surroundings and keep their noses buried in a book, but that’s because they think the fictional world is, literally, more interesting than, you know, this one. But what’s the ‘plus’ of a reader? Read this carefully. Readers, at least most of them, NEVER judge a person just based on how they act. They will get curious and wonder what made that person act like so. Because, let me tell you what books told me.

Everyone has a problem. Some can’t hide their feelings, but some are the better actors. That’s why we need to be nice to everyone, because we don’t know what they are going through. Many people laugh a lot and smile the brightest, but guess what? There are these dark nights when they cry themselves to sleep. There are these dark days when they still have to pretend everything’s okay, even though it’s not.

And we don’t know that. Right?

Let me tell you some fictional examples. Leo Valdez, one of the main characters of Heroes of Olympus series, a funny guy, always was the class clown. Jokes and pranks was his first choice of weapon so he won’t get bullied. And the second choice was to run away. The truth is, Leo had a past more tragic than most of the demigods. He blamed himself for his mother’s death. Even his best friends didn’t know that at the first place; because he’d always seem happy.

Then, Tobias Eaton. Some of you may know him by the name Four, the badass, cool, good-looking guy from the Divergent movie. But if you do read the book, you’ll find out that even a guy with a reputation like him can have dark secrets, too. Tobias Eaton had a traumatic childhood. His father was abusive, and his mother faked her own death just so she could run away. She left Tobias in the steel-cold hands of a sociopath.

I also learn that even the ‘okay’ type of characters—the ones who don’t have sad background—will soon be pushed until they reach their limits, and that’s where they’ll learn to be better. Like June Iparis, one of the main character from Legend trilogy. Her goal was to be useful for her nation, but later, she changed. Because what’s the point of winning a war, without gaining any peace at all?

You see? Fiction novels are not only about dragons and fairies and futuristic technologies and superpowers. There are so much more than just the fantasies. If you really look into the story, you will find these important little details, moral values, life-changing lessons. And these are only some of the coolness of reading. It’s awesome how your brain visualizes what you read, instantly, like you don’t even see the words anymore. You see the events. You feel the excitement.

So maybe readers are nerdish and quiet, but if you try to read what they read, be in their shoes, maybe you won’t regret it. I hope this will change your perspective about readers, maybe convince you to read some books, or whatever. Some of you may not think the same, that’s okay, I just need to let it out. Thank you!

What books do you read?

so today my English teacher made us speak in front of the class one by one to give some speech and mine was about fiction books. when i was done my teacher asked me like

"Dhiya, what books do you read?"

and i didn't know what to say.

i was like what, i read regular books why

but i thought no, she wasn't asking about my meal proportion today.  then what? paperbacks or hardcovers? thick ones or thin ones? or books i'm currently reading now?

but why would she ask me about those stuff?

so i guess she was asking about the genres of books i read. then i answer her.

MY FAVORITE GENRES TO READ

first thing, fiction. of course. some biographies and histories may be okay but nope, i'd prefer fictions. oh wait, in case you didn't know, the three main categories of literary are poetry, non-fiction, and fiction. and each categories are divided into many specific genres.

my favorites are:

• fantasy
• urban fantasy
• realistic fiction
• sci-fi/dystopia
• supernatural/magic
• fairytale
• a bit (or maybe lot) of romance in... all of the above
• etc.

why do i love fiction so much? first of, quoting from this website,

"since it is based on the imagination, the subject matter in fiction works can be nearly anything. fiction can take place in the present day, future or the past. It can incorporate the most fantastical ideas or follow an everyday life."

they can be about space ships and planets and galaxies or about trolls and swamps and dark magic, basically just anything your brain can think of. and cause i'm a big fan of mystical creatures and i want to write a book about it someday, i read A LOT of fiction novels.

how about you?
what types/genres of books do you read?

Happy

(post ini ditulis buat ngebales postingan Sarah tentang kebahagiaan. i hope this helps!)

"Bahagia bukanlah saat seluruh kebutuhan kita terpenuhi, bahagia bukanlah saat seluruh keinginan kita terpenuhi.

Bahagia adalah saat kita dapat mensyukuri hasil yang kita peroleh dari usaha kita yang halal. Bahagia adalah saat kita dapat mensyukuri hal-hal yang kita punya.

Dan bahagia bukanlah saat kita menjadi lebih baik dari semua orang, tetapi saat kita menjadi yang lebih baik dari diri kita yang sebelumnya."

bener, itu yang namanya bahagia. tapi tau nggak? sebenernya lebih sederhana dari itu.

kebahagiaan bisa kita dapat dari mana aja, termasuk dengan ngeliat orang lain bahagia. tapi buat kita sendiri? bahagia itu ga harus kelihatan sama orang lain karena kita sendiri yang ngerasain.

dari hal sepele juga bisa menimbulkan kebahagiaan tergantung cara kita ngeliatnya. contohnya nemu uang 20ribu di saku jeans yang udah lama ga dicuci. atau ngeliat kamar setelah kita ganti posisi furniturnya. atau ngeliat foto lama yang kita pigurain terus digantung di dinding.

ga cuma kepuasan setelah ngerjain pr. sometimes you don't even have to try. don't push yourself!

don't think about the world. don't think about the goals you haven't reached yet, for now. THINK ABOUT YOU. all the stuff you can do. all the stuff you're good at. oke, mikirin tentang orang lain emang bagus, it shows how you care. but for now, i think you need some "ME time"! sing loudly. eat chocolate, jangan keripik maicih. do whatever, naik sepeda keliling kompleks atau bikin editan baru buat di post di tumblr.

Sarah, we haven't even met but i feel like i've known you since we were kids. and if i tell you there are friends like me who cares about you, will you be happy?

yang pengen gue bilang adalah, kita nggak harus 'nyari' si kebahagiaan itu. nantinya juga dia dateng sendiri, asal kita nggak diem aja dan terlalu banyak mikir.

always be happy! <3