Notes of The Dreamer

Friday, 9 October 2026

The Star-Touched Queen

Judul : The Star-Touched Queen (The Star-Touched Queen #1)

Penulis : Roshani Chokshi

Tebal : 368 halaman

Penerbit : St. Martin's Griffin

Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of death and destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father’s kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran’s queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar’s wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire.

But Akaran has its own secrets—thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most… including herself.

Judul : Adultery (Selingkuh)

Penulis : Paulo Coelho

Tebal : 320 halaman

Penerbit : Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Linda tahu dia perempuan yang beruntung. Tapi setiap pagi, begitu membuka mata menyambut hari baru, dia merasa ingin tidur lagi.

Teman-temannya menyarankan dia minum obat saja. Tetapi Linda ingin menajamkan rasa, bukan menumpulkannya.

Maka dia pun terjun ke dalam suatu petualangan nekat dan tak terduga yang membangunkan dirinya yang dulu, yang dikiranya telah hilang sejak dia menjadi istri baik-baik, ibu yang penuh cinta, dan jurnalis yang ambisius.

Dia sungguh tak bisa menebak apa yang akan terjadi berikutnya…

Kadang-kadang kau harus kehilangan dirimu dulu untuk bisa menemukan dirimu yang sejati.

Judul : Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games #0.5)

Penulis : Suzanne Collins

Tebal : 400 halaman

Penerbit : Scholastic Press

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch's name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He's torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who's nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he's been set up to fail. But there's something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.

Judul : The Shadow of the Wind (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books #1)

Penulis : Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Tebal : 505 halaman

Penerbit : Phoenix

One cold morning in 1945, a man brings his 10-year-old son Daniel to a labyrinth library of forgotten times, hidden in the old city of Barcelona. Allowed to choose one book, Daniel pulls out The Shadow of the Wind by Julián Carax. But as Daniel grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to discover the truth about the life and death of Julián Carax, and to save those he left behind…

Judul : The Amulet of Samarkand (Bartimaeus #1)

Penulis : Jonathan Stroud

Tebal : 512 halaman

Penerbit : Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Nathaniel, si penyihir muda, diam - diam memanggil jin berusia 5.000 tahun bernama Bartimaeus. Tugas untuk Bartimaeus tidak gampang — ia harus mencuri Amulet Samarkand yang berkekuatan dahsyat dari Simon Lovelace, master penyihir yang kejam dan ambisius.

Bartimaeus dan Nathaniel pun terlibat dalam intrik sihir yang penuh darah, pemberontakan, dan pembunuhan.

Judul : War Horse (War Horse #1)

Penulis : Michael Morpurgo

Tebal : 192 halaman

Penerbit : Egmont

Joey is a warhorse, but he wasn't always. Once, he was a farm horse and a gentle boy named Albert was his master. Then World War I came storming through and everything changed. Albert's father sells Joey to the army where the beautiful, red-bay horse is trained to charge the enemy, drag heavy artillery, and carry wounded soldiers not much older than Albert off of battlefields. Amongst the clamoring of guns and slogging through the cold mud, Joey wonders if the war will ever end. And if it does, will he ever find Albert again?

Judul : Frost Like Night (Snow Like Ashes #3)

Penulis : Sara Raasch

Tebal : 512 halaman

Penerbit : Harper Collins

Meira will do anything to save her world. With Angra trying to break through her mental defenses, she desperately needs to learn to control her own magic—so when the leader of a mysterious Order from Paisly offers to teach her, Meira jumps at the chance. But the true solution to stopping the Decay lies in a labyrinth deep beneath the Season Kingdoms. To defeat Angra, Meira will have to enter the labyrinth, destroy the very magic she’s learning to control—and make the biggest sacrifice of all.

Mather will do anything to save his queen. He needs to rally the Children of the Thaw, find Meira—and finally tell her how he really feels. But with a plan of attack that leaves no kingdom unscathed and a major betrayal within their ranks, winning the war—and protecting Meira—slips farther and farther out of reach.

Ceridwen will do anything to save her people. Angra had her brother killed, stole her kingdom, and made her a prisoner. But when she’s freed by an unexpected ally who reveals a shocking truth behind Summer’s slave trade, Ceridwen must take action to save her true love and her kingdom, even if it costs her what little she has left.

As Angra unleashes the Decay on the world, Meira, Mather, and Ceridwen must bring the kingdoms of Primoria together…or lose everything.

Prey

Judul : Prey

Penulis : Linda Howard

Tebal : 440 halaman

Penerbit : Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Angie Powell selalu dapat mengendalikan diri, tetapi kehadiran Dare Callahan menyulut kemarahannya. Tiga tahun lalu, Dare pulang ke Montana dan membuka bisnis trip berburu untuk menyaingi bisnis Angie, sehingga Angie terpaksa menutup usahanya. Veteran Perang Irak yang menjengkelkan itu bahkan berani mengajak Angie berkencan, tidak hanya sekali tapi dua kali. Sebelum menutup bisnis dan menjual rumahnya lalu pindah ke kota lain, Angie melakukan trip berburu terakhir untuk menemani seorang pelanggan dan rekannya. Namun, petualangan yang memompa adrenalin itu berubah menjadi bencana ketika Angie menjadi saksi pembunuhan berdarah dingin dan menyadari nyawanya terancam bahaya. Ketika itulah seekor beruang tiba-tiba menerobos keluar dari hutan dan mengubah keadaan. Untunglah, Dare sedang berkemah tak jauh dari tempat itu dan datang menolong Angie. Terpaksa bekerja sama bertahan hidup, Angie dan Dare harus menghadapi kemarahan, badai hebat, dan ketertarikan yang semakin besar—sementara seorang pembunuh nekat dan beruang berbobot 250 kilo mengendap-endap siap menerkam mangsa.

Judul : Ice Like Fire (Snow Like Ashes #2)

Penulis : Sara Raasch

Tebal : 483 halaman

Penerbit : Harper Collins

It’s been three months since the Winterians were freed and Spring’s king, Angra, disappeared—thanks largely to the help of Cordell.

Meira just wants her people to be safe. When Cordellan debt forces the Winterians to dig their mines for payment, they unearth something powerful and possibly dangerous: Primoria’s lost chasm of magic. The last time the world had access to so much magic, it spawned the Decay. So when the king of Cordell orders Meira and Theron on a mission to discover the chasm’s secrets, Meira plans on using the trip to garner support to keep the chasm shut and Winter safe—even if it means clashing with Theron. But can she do so without endangering the people she loves?

Mather just wants to be free. The horrors inflicted on the Winterians hang fresh and raw in Jannuari—leaving Winter vulnerable to Cordell’s growing oppression. When Meira leaves to search for allies, Mather decides to take Winter’s security into his own hands. Can he rebuild his broken Kingdom and protect his people from new threats?

As the web of power and deception is woven tighter, Theron fights for magic, Mather fights for freedom—and Meira starts to wonder if she should be fighting not just for Winter but for the world.

Judul : Satine

Penulis Ika Natassa

Tebal : 330 halamana

Penerbit : Gramedia Pustaka Utama

“I just need a proper date.”

“Saya cuma butuh teman bicara.”

Ada yang bilang hidup yang tertata sempurna ibarat makanan yang dikemas rapi. Semuanya tersusun pada tempatnya, cantik. Lalu, tanpa disangka terjadilah satu peristiwa, kemasan itu tersenggol, dan isinya berserakan di lantai.

Hidup yang selama ini dikenal Satine runtuh saat ia menyadari dirinya tidak lebih dari sekadar perempuan kesepian. Dalam kenekatan seseorang yang selalu bisa menyelesaikan apa pun dalam hidupnya, Satine menemukan solusi yang mempertemukannya dengan lelaki asing, Ash. Hubungan yang mereka mulai dengan keterikatan kontrak di atas kertas dan harus tunduk pada aturan, ternyata tunduk pada gejolak perasaan mereka sendiri. Lalu terjadilah peristiwa demi peristiwa yang menghadirkan pertanyaan: “Jika semua hal di muka bumi ini diatur oleh takdir, apakah pertemuan dan perpisahan juga harus takluk pada takdir?”

Judul : The Dragon Heir (The Heir Chronicles #3)

Penulis : Cinda Williams Chima

Tebal : 499 halaman

Penerbit : Litle Brown Books

The covenant that was meant to keep the wizard wars at bay has been stolen, and Trinity must prepare for attack. Everyone is doing their part—Seph is monitoring the Weirwalls, Jack and Ellen are training their ghostly army, even Anaweir Will and Fitch are setting booby traps around the town's perimeter. But to Jason Haley it seems like everyone wants to keep him out of the action. He may not be the most powerful wizard in Trinity, but he's prepared to fight for his friends.

Everything changes when Jason finds a powerful talisman—a huge opal called the Dragonheart—buried in a cave. The stone seems to sing to Jason's very soul, showing him that he is meant for more than anyone knew. Moral compasses spin out of control as a final battle storms through what was once a sanctuary for the gifted. With so much to lose, what will the people of Trinity be willing to fight for—and what will they sacrifice?

Judul : Any Duchess Will Do (Spindle Cove #4)

Penulis : Tessa Dare

Tebal : 375 halaman

Penerbit : Avon

What’s a duke to do, when the girl who’s perfectly wrong becomes the woman he can’t live without?

Griffin York, the Duke of Halford, has no desire to wed this season—or any season—but his diabolical mother abducts him to “Spinster Cove” and insists he select a bride from the ladies in residence. Griff decides to teach her a lesson that will end the marriage debate forever. He chooses the serving girl.

Overworked and struggling, Pauline Simms doesn’t dream about dukes. All she wants is to hang up her barmaid apron and open a bookshop. That dream becomes a possibility when an arrogant, sinfully attractive duke offers her a small fortune for a week’s employment. Her duties are simple: submit to his mother’s “duchess training"... and fail miserably.

But in London, Pauline isn’t a miserable failure. She’s a brave, quick-witted, beguiling failure—a woman who ignites Griff’s desire and soothes the darkness in his soul. Keeping Pauline by his side won’t be easy. Even if Society could accept a serving girl duchess—can a roguish duke convince a serving girl to trust him with her heart?

Books Read in 2025

Satu tahun lagi berlalu. Happy New Year 2026! Mari kita bertahan lagi setelah banyaknya bencana dan berita tidak menyenangkan di tahun 2025.

Seperti biasa, saya akan selalu merenungkan apa saja yang terjadi di tahun sebelumnya. Dan kebetulan tahun 2025 adalah tahun yang sangat besar buat saya. Akhirnya saya sudah tidak berstatus single lagi. Saya menikah pada bulan Juni lalu dan membuka lembaran hidup yang sepenuhnya baru sebagai istri. Hahaha... Saya cukup beruntung mendapatkan suami yang komunikasinya bagus, jadi selama masa transisi dan adaptasi ke rumah baru boleh dibilang sangat lancar. Kami sudah berhasil hidup berdua dan mengurus diri kami sendiri selama setengah tahun ini. Yay! What an accomplishment!

Sepanjang waktu peralihan itu, saya memang tidak sempat banyak membaca buku. Saya terlalu sibuk mengurus pernikahan di awal tahun dan setelahnya saya harus mengurus rumah yang banyak perbaikannya. Belum lagi saya harus memasak tiap hari demi menghemat uang. Dulu sih saya bebas mau jajan apa saja sendiri. Sekarang sih tidak bisa. Tapi saya suka tantangan ini. Nothing worthy is easily attained, right?

Dan karena itulah, saya tidak mencapai target baca 48 buku yang saya pasang di awal tahun kemarin. Tapi saya berhasil menyelesaikan 30 buku. Saya rasa dengan proses adaptasi saya yang sudah cukup mulus, saya akan membayar hutang baca 48 buku di tahun 2026 ini.

Berikut buku-buku yang saya baca di tahun 2025 (based on genre):

A. Romance & Metropop

1. A Week to Be Wicked (Spindle Cove #2) - Tessa Dare

2. A Lady by Midnight (Spindle Cove #3) - Tessa Dare

3. Sleepaholic Jatuh Cinta - Astrid Zeng

4. His Wedding Organizer - Retni SB

5. All That is Lost Between Us - Winna Efendi

6. Heartbreak Motel - Ika Natassa

7. Dirt on My Boots - Titi Sanaria

8. Broken Prince (The Royals #2) - Erin Watt

9. Twisted Palace (The Royals #3) - Erin Watt

10. Falling - Rina Suryakusuma

11. No Ordinary Billionaire (The Sinclairs #1) - J.S. Scott

12. Glaze: Galeri Patah Hati Kara & Kalle - Windry Ramadhina

13. Yozakura - Primadonna Angela

14. Stay with Me Tonight - Sofi Meloni

B. Young Adult

1. Me & My Prince Charming - Orizuka

2. Jingga dalam Elegi (Jingga dan Senja #2) - Esti Kinasih

3. Above the Stars - D. Wijaya

4. The Princess and the Fangirl (Once Upon A Con #2) - Ashley Poston

5. Bookish and the Beast (Once Upon A Con #3) - Ashley Poston

6. The Heartbroken Heartbreaker - Sam Madison

7. The Fill-In Boyfriend - Kasie West

C. Fantasy

1. The Blood Mirror (Lightbringer #4) - Brent Weeks

2. Snow Like Ashes (Snow Like Ashes #1) - Sara Raasch

3. A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3.5) - Sarah J. Maas

4. The Wizard Heir (The Heir Chronicles #2) - Cinda Williams Chima

5. Heartless - Marissa Meyer

D. Literature & Fiction

1. Salt to the Sea - Ruta Sepetys

2. Petals from the Sky - Mingmei Yip

3. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

4. Absolute Justice - Akiyoshi Rikako

Yah, lihatlah cara saya mengejar target baca. Saya pasti memilih romance supaya cepat bacanya. Kalau fantasi dan literatur, saya butuh mencerna lama untuk mengkhayatinya. Tapi saya senang karena semua buku yang saya baca tahun 2025 berasal dari tumpukan To Be Read saya yang menggunung. Rasanya tahun 2025 juga saya hanya membeli kurang dari 10 buku. Setidaknya ada pengurangan ya. Hehehe...

Sudah jelas saya akan membayar hutang target baca saya tahun 2026. Semoga target 48 buku tercapai!!!

Top 10 best books I read in 2025 (not in order):

1. A Lady by Midnight - Tessa Dare (historical romance)

2. Twisted Palace - Erin Watt (contemporary romance)

3. Stay with Me Tonight - Sofi Meloni (modern romance)

4. The Princess and the Fangirl - Ashley Poston (young adult)

5. The Heartbroken Heartbreaker - Sam Madison (young adult)

6. The Blood Mirror - Brent Weeks (epic fantasy)

7. Snow Like Ashes - Sara Raasch (young adult fantasy)

8. The Wizard Heir - Cinda Williams Chima (young adult fantasy)

9. Salt to the Sea - Ruta Sepetys (historical fiction)

10. Absolute Justice - Akiyoshi Rikako (mystery)

Sekali lagi... Selamat Tahun Baru!!! See you next year, folks!!!

Wednesday, 31 December 2025

The Fill-In Boyfriend

Judul : The Fill-In Boyfriend

Penulis : Kasie West

Tebal : 348 halaman

Penerbit : Spring

Saat pacar Gia, Bradley, memutuskan hubungan dengannya di tempat parkir prom, Gia harus berpikir cepat. Dia harus mencari pengganti Bradley karena harus membuktikan kepada teman-temannya bahwa Bradley memang nyata. Jadi, saat dia melihat seorang cowok keren yang sedang mengantar adiknya, Gia memohon bantuan cowok itu. Tugas cowok itu sederhana, menjadi pacar palsu Gia—selama dua jam, tanpa komitmen, dan beberapa kebohongan kecil. Setelah itu, Gia bisa mencari cara untuk mendapatkan Bradley kembali. 

Masalahnya, setelah prom, yang dipikirkan Gia bukanlah Bradley asli, tapi Bradley Palsu, cowok yang bahkan namanya tidak dia ketahui. Apa Gia bisa menemukan Bradley Palsu? Jika memang mereka akhirnya bisa bertemu, apa yang harus Gia katakan?

Judul : Stay with Me Tonight

Penulis : Sofi Meloni

Tebal : 280 halaman

Penerbit : Elexmedia Komputindo

Mereka bilang hubungan di atas tempat tidur dan cinta itu dua yang berbeda. Katanya lagi hubungan intim bisa dilakukan dengan ataupun tanpa cinta. Dengan cinta? Bullshit...!

Cinta hanya ada di cerita dongen belaka. Setidaknya itu kupercaya sampai aku bertemu dengannya...

Mungkin pertemuan kita diawali dengan cara yang salah dan mungkin juga pada dasarnya dua orang yang sama-sana terluka tidak seharusnya bersama.

Pada akhirnya kita harus mengakui kalau kita adalah dua orang yang salah untuk satu sama lain.

Judul : Twisted Palace (The Royals #3)

Penulis : Erin Watt

Tebal : 370 halaman

Penerbit : EverAfter Romance

These Royals will ruin you…

From mortal enemies to unexpected allies, two teenagers try to protect everything that matters most.

Ella Harper has met every challenge that life has thrown her way. She’s tough, resilient, and willing to do whatever it takes to defend the people she loves, but the challenge of a long-lost father and a boyfriend whose life is on the line might be too much for even Ella to overcome.

Reed Royal has a quick temper and even faster fists. But his tendency to meet every obstacle with violence has finally caught up with him. If he wants to save himself and the girl he loves, he’ll need to rise above his tortured past and tarnished reputation.

No one believes Ella can survive the Royals. Everyone is sure Reed will destroy them all.
They may be right.

With everything and everyone conspiring to keep them apart, Ella and Reed must find a way to beat the law, save their families, and unravel all the secrets in their Twisted Palace.

Judul : Yozakura

Penulis : Primadonna Angela

Tebal : 360 halaman

Penerbit : Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Sakura season this year will be the most beautiful. Do you know why? Because probably it’s my last time seeing them…

Nila dan Akane, dua perempuan dari budaya dan bahasa berbeda. Semesta menjadikan mereka sahabat, dan jarak serta status sepertinya malah mendekatkan mereka. Namun sahabat terdekat sekalipun kadang masih menyimpan rahasia...

Ketika Akane divonis mengidap kanker, hidup dua sahabat itu pun berubah. Bagaimanapun, entah Akane akan menjadi seorang penyintas atau kalah dalam pertarungan melawan penyakitnya, mereka berdua bertekad: apa pun tak boleh merusak persahabatan mereka. Tidak juga rahasia.

Namun seperti ungkapan mono no aware, segala sesuatu di dunia ini hanya sementara, Akane dan Nila harus berusaha menggapai bahagia... selagi bisa.

Judul : Glaze: Galeri Patah Hari Kara & Kalle

Penulis : Windry Ramadhina

Tebal : 400 halaman

Penerbit : Roro Raya Sejahtera

Kara merasa tidak bisa berfungsi begitu kekasihnya, Eliot meninggal. Saking sedihnya, dia menghabiskan waktu dengan tidur dan menangis. Dia bahkan lupa makan sampai hampir pingsan. Duka membuatnya depresi dan tidak lagi melanjutkan pekerjaannya sebagai guru pahat anak-anak di sekolah seni.

Kalle selalu membenci Eliot. Adiknya yang lemah dan punya kelainan jantung itu membuatnya harus bertanggung jawab. Ayah ibunya lebih memedulikan Eliot dan bahkan selalu menuduh Kalle jika ada apa-apa pada Eliot. Sejak itulah Kalle menjauh dan sebisa mungkin tidak bertemu adiknya itu.

Sampai Kalle harus membereskan rumah Eliot dan menemukan sebuah video. Eliot ingin dirinya menjaga pacarnya yang bernama Kara.

Judul : A Lady by Midnight (Spindle Cove #3)

Penulis : Tessa Dare

Tebal : 374 halaman

Peerbit : Avon Books

A temporary engagement, a lifetime in the making . . .

After years of fending for herself, Kate Taylor found friendship and acceptance in Spindle Cove—but she never stopped yearning for love. The very last place she'd look for it is in the arms of Corporal Thorne. The militia commander is as stone cold as he is brutally handsome. But when mysterious strangers come searching for Kate, Thorne steps forward as her fiancé. He claims to have only Kate's safety in mind. So why is there smoldering passion in his kiss?

Long ago, Samuel Thorne devoted his life to guarding Kate's happiness. He wants what's best for her, and he knows it's not marriage to a man like him. To outlast their temporary engagement, he must keep his hands off her tempting body and lock her warm smiles out of his withered heart. It's the toughest battle of this hardened warrior's life . . . and the first he seems destined to lose.

Judul : The Heartbroken Heartbreaker

Penulis : Sam Madison

Tebal : 424 halaman

Penerbit : Haru Media

"Kenapa kau bersama Seth Everett?" tanya Cedric. "Kau tahu cowok macam apa dia."
"Oh, jangan khawatir." Aku menghardik mantan pacarku itu. "Kau sudah membantunya menghancurkan hatiku lebih dulu."

Kemarin malam, Seth tiba-tiba menawarkan bantuan kepada Kyla untuk membalas dendam kepada Cedric. Cedric memang tidak menyukai Seth. Mungkin itu ada hubungannya dengan reputasi Seth yang suka gonta-ganti pacar.

Kyla juga tidak menyukai Seth. Namun tawaran itu terus-menerus ada di kepala Kyla. Jika ia bisa membalas Cedric yang memutuskannya demi sahabatnya… mungkin rasa sesak di dadanya bisa berkurang.