November means getting ready for the end of the year and reviewing my 2025 goals. I feel like it’s inevitable to think about the number of books I’ve read so far (and how many more to read still), since I tend to write posts like in November too in the past 😂 As far as reading goals go, I’m actually doing pretty good this year—thanks to the one day I decided to hole up at the library and flip through a good number of children’s books. In fact, by the time I’m writing this post, I am only 3 books short of completing my yearly reading goal. And, as you will see further down this post, I’m technically currently reading 2 books at once, so I think I’m right on track.
That being said, recently I feel like I’ve been blessed with a flood of notable books in my life that I’d like to be able to finish before the year ends. Since there are quite a few of them, I thought I’d compile them into this one post as a mental note and reminder for myself later on. Some of these books were bought, some of them were borrowed and one of them was handed down to me—but they all have something in common: they pique my interest. So, without further ado, let’s take a look-see!
November means getting ready for the end of the year and reviewing my 2025 goals. I feel like it’s inevitable to think about the number of books I’ve read so far (and how many more to read still), since I tend to write posts like in November too in the past 😂 As far as reading goals go, I’m actually doing pretty good this year—thanks to the one day I decided to hole up at the library and flip through a good number of children’s books. In fact, by the time I’m writing this post, I am only 3 books short of completing my yearly reading goal. And, as you will see further down this post, I’m technically currently reading 2 books at once, so I think I’m right on track.
That being said, recently I feel like I’ve been blessed with a flood of notable books in my life that I’d like to be able to finish before the year ends. Since there are quite a few of them, I thought I’d compile them into this one post as a mental note and reminder for myself later on. Some of these books were bought, some of them were borrowed and one of them was handed down to me—but they all have something in common: they pique my interest. So, without further ado, let’s take a look-see!
Buah Leluhur dari Pohon Kehidupan
by Ahmad Arif
If you’ve been coming to this blog since at least 2020, you might be familiar with this author’s name. He is truly one of my favourite Indonesian nonfiction writers and journalists. This book is a brand new instalment to his Seri Pangan Nusantara series. I’ve loved this series so much that I’d written a dedicated post for it in 2020—and mentioned it several times in other posts (like here, here, here and here).
If he mentioned sago and sorghum before, this time Mas Aik talks about the wondrous breadfruit. Fun fact: I actually don’t like breadfruit. I find the taste to be disgusting. (Ironically, our neighbour has a tree and we always get the fruit for free.) Nevertheless, I’d love to learn about it. Give me the folklore, the traditions, the cultural context, everything.
Buah Leluhur dari Pohon Kehidupan
by Ahmad Arif
If you’ve been coming to this blog since at least 2020, you might be familiar with this author’s name. He is truly one of my favourite Indonesian nonfiction writers and journalists. This book is a brand new instalment to his Seri Pangan Nusantara series. I’ve loved this series so much that I’d written a dedicated post for it in 2020—and mentioned it several times in other posts (like here, here, here and here).
If he mentioned sago and sorghum before, this time Mas Aik talks about the wondrous breadfruit. Fun fact: I actually don’t like breadfruit. I find the taste to be disgusting. (Ironically, our neighbour has a tree and we always get the fruit for free.) Nevertheless, I’d love to learn about it. Give me the folklore, the traditions, the cultural context, everything.
Makanya, Mikir!
by Abigail Limuria & Cania Citta
Much like a lot of people in Indonesia (probably), I was very recently made aware of Abigail Limuria, the founder of What Is Up, Indonesia?—an organisation that breaks down social, political and cultural news into manageable chunks to make them easier to understand by the younger generation. Now, Abigail was one of the leading figures in the nationwide 17+8 Demands from the People protests back in August.
It turns out she has written a book about critical thinking, a rapidly diminishing skills among our people. I saw this book frequently on social media (perhaps around the time of those protests too) and I’ve been intrigued ever since. When I saw this was on sale the other day on Tokopedia, I grabbed a copy without a second thought.
Makanya, Mikir!
by Abigail Limuria & Cania Citta
Much like a lot of people in Indonesia (probably), I was very recently made aware of Abigail Limuria, the founder of What Is Up, Indonesia?—an organisation that breaks down social, political and cultural news into manageable chunks to make them easier to understand by the younger generation. Now, Abigail was one of the leading figures in the nationwide 17+8 Demands from the People protests back in August.
It turns out she has written a book about critical thinking, a rapidly diminishing skills among our people. I saw this book frequently on social media (perhaps around the time of those protests too) and I’ve been intrigued ever since. When I saw this was on sale the other day on Tokopedia, I grabbed a copy without a second thought.
How the World Eats
by Julia Baggini
I borrowed this book from my trusted friend Uta—you may remember her as the beneficiary for this book and this book. One day she took a photo of a spread of the book and posted it into her IG story. It intrigued me so much that I asked to borrow it from her when she’s done. While the title is self-explanatory, I have no other expectation—a book about food and culture? Sign me up! We’re both currently very curious about food diversity and its relationship to culture, so I know if she likes this book and takes so many notes of it—the insides are adorned with highlights and post-its—it must be a delicious read. It’s much bigger and thicker than I imagined, though, so I’m not sure if I could finish it before the new year.
How the World Eats
by Julia Baggini
I borrowed this book from my trusted friend Uta—you may remember her as the beneficiary for this book and this book. One day she took a photo of a spread of the book and posted it into her IG story. It intrigued me so much that I asked to borrow it from her when she’s done. While the title is self-explanatory, I have no other expectation—a book about food and culture? Sign me up! We’re both currently very curious about food diversity and its relationship to culture, so I know if she likes this book and takes so many notes of it—the insides are adorned with highlights and post-its—it must be a delicious read. It’s much bigger and thicker than I imagined, though, so I’m not sure if I could finish it before the new year.
Insects in Colour
Edited by N.D. Riley
If you’ve seen my Halloween post, you might recognise this book. I bought it back in August from Oh! The Pretty Books with the intention of using it as a reference for my illustrations. The book is a vintage classic, with the first English edition being published in 1963—although it is originally published in Sweden. It includes not only illustrations of pretty butterflies, but also other sorts of insects that you might never have seen before.
The book is actually pretty straightforward. The first 68 pages are adorned with illustrations of insects and their life cycles, while the rest give details on the insects at length. By all definitions, this is an illustration book, sure…but that doesn’t mean we can’t still read the little bits of text written throughout the pages.
Insects in Colour
Edited by N.D. Riley
If you’ve seen my Halloween post, you might recognise this book. I bought it back in August from Oh! The Pretty Books with the intention of using it as a reference for my illustrations. The book is a vintage classic, with the first English edition being published in 1963—although it is originally published in Sweden. It includes not only illustrations of pretty butterflies, but also other sorts of insects that you might never have seen before.
The book is actually pretty straightforward. The first 68 pages are adorned with illustrations of insects and their life cycles, while the rest give details on the insects at length. By all definitions, this is an illustration book, sure…but that doesn’t mean we can’t still read the little bits of text written throughout the pages.
Confessions of a Mask
by Yukio Mishima
This book is a surprise hand-me-down gift from my boss at work. He’s wanted to give me book recommendations for weeks and he knows I don’t read e-books. One day he told me he’s got a present for me and presented me with this book. He said, he and his wife used to buy books from used bookstores in New York and this is one of their finds—and they wanted me to have it! Eep!
Yukio Mishima is one of those authors I’ve been pretty intrigued by for years—thanks to Pewdiepie—but never got around to reading. I’ve seen some of his books haunting the shelves of my favourite used bookstores, but I was always beat to the punch, so I’m truly happy to get this one. I’m not sure which of his works is the most notable, but I’ll be happy to start with any title.
Confessions of a Mask
by Yukio Mishima
This book is a surprise hand-me-down gift from my boss at work. He’s wanted to give me book recommendations for weeks and he knows I don’t read e-books. One day he told me he’s got a present for me and presented me with this book. He said, he and his wife used to buy books from used bookstores in New York and this is one of their finds—and they wanted me to have it! Eep!
Yukio Mishima is one of those authors I’ve been pretty intrigued by for years—thanks to Pewdiepie—but never got around to reading. I’ve seen some of his books haunting the shelves of my favourite used bookstores, but I was always beat to the punch, so I’m truly happy to get this one. I’m not sure which of his works is the most notable, but I’ll be happy to start with any title.
Currently Reading
Pergulatan Transisi Energi Berkeadilan
Edited by Geger Riyanto
This is the book I read on my commute and at work. I bought this book recently from Gramedia.com on one of their big sales. I don’t know how I missed out on this book that talks about sustainability and renewable energy before—so I grabbed it instantly. After reading Possible earlier this year—which is a more global view on renewable energy transition—I’d always wondered how the situation actually is in the archipelago. The book itself consists of a number of essays and scientific papers on different aspects of the renewable energy transition, written by different authors. Each one is written more formally than I expected, which feels somewhat rigid but also really well-researched. As a newbie in the energy transition field—especially in Indonesia—the essays truly open my eyes to new information about the industry.
Bring The Noise
by Simon Reynolds
This is the book I read at home. Why? Because it’s so gargantuan. *cue Gargantua by Swellow* Anyway, you might have seen me write about this book before, but rest assured I am going through it at the moment. Very slowly, but I’m making steady progress. As I’ve mentioned before, this book is written by a proficient music writer, Simon Reynolds. It’s basically a compilation of his music interviews, reviews, essays and features from the early 2000s, covering mostly hip hop and alternative rock. At the end of each section, Reynolds includes notes from his present self to review his past work—which I highly respect as a writer myself—giving us a more well-rounded view of the music scene of the moment. Not going to lie, I’m often lost since I don’t really know the reference, but I’m so excited to finish this before the end of the year.
Pergulatan Transisi Energi Berkeadilan
Edited by Geger Riyanto
This is the book I read on my commute and at work. I bought this book recently from Gramedia.com on one of their big sales. I don’t know how I missed out on this book that talks about sustainability and renewable energy before—so I grabbed it instantly. After reading Possible earlier this year—which is a more global view on renewable energy transition—I’d always wondered how the situation actually is in the archipelago. The book itself consists of a number of essays and scientific papers on different aspects of the renewable energy transition, written by different authors. Each one is written more formally than I expected, which feels somewhat rigid but also really well-researched. As a newbie in the energy transition field—especially in Indonesia—the essays truly open my eyes to new information about the industry.
Bring The Noise
by Simon Reynolds
This is the book I read at home. Why? Because it’s so gargantuan. *cue Gargantua by Swellow* Anyway, you might have seen me write about this book before, but rest assured I am going through it at the moment. Very slowly, but I’m making steady progress. As I’ve mentioned before, this book is written by a proficient music writer, Simon Reynolds. It’s basically a compilation of his music interviews, reviews, essays and features from the early 2000s, covering mostly hip hop and alternative rock. At the end of each section, Reynolds includes notes from his present self to review his past work—which I highly respect as a writer myself—giving us a more well-rounded view of the music scene of the moment. Not going to lie, I’m often lost since I don’t really know the reference, but I’m so excited to finish this before the end of the year.
Recently Finished
Disobedient Bodies
by Emma Dabiri
One of my co-workers is a huge feminism enthusiast. She let me borrow this book that dissects beauty standards and the incessant value we’ve put on beauty. Not going to lie, initially, I thought this book would speak of body positivity and the like. But it goes beyond my expectations. Dabiri does so well by going back to traditional practices from diverse cultures to redefne what beauty is and what value it holds in society.
She speaks of beauty in a more transcendent way. It’s not merely physical, but may even be held in the personality or the soul or the relationship we have with one another. Beauty isn’t supposed to be a competition, but it should lift up the community and be able to be hold by everyone. It’s not about what beauty should or shouldn’t look like—but maybe beauty is more than meets the eye.
Disobedient Bodies
by Emma Dabiri
One of my co-workers is a huge feminism enthusiast. She let me borrow this book that dissects beauty standards and the incessant value we’ve put on beauty. Not going to lie, initially, I thought this book would speak of body positivity and the like. But it goes beyond my expectations. Dabiri does so well by going back to traditional practices from diverse cultures to redefne what beauty is and what value it holds in society.
She speaks of beauty in a more transcendent way. It’s not merely physical, but may even be held in the personality or the soul or the relationship we have with one another. Beauty isn’t supposed to be a competition, but it should lift up the community and be able to be hold by everyone. It’s not about what beauty should or shouldn’t look like—but maybe beauty is more than meets the eye.
After what feels like such a long reading rut, I’m finally excited to flip through books again. Maybe it’s because a lot of interesting books are getting published or my reading friends are in closer proximity again now. Or something much deeper in my psyche—a telltale sign of my personal life and the changes that happen of it. Reading has always been a part of who I am. This person who used to be so celebrated and revered. I think I lost that for a little bit, but I’m starting to reclaim it again bit by bit. At least until the end of this year, I shall be reading.
What does your TBR look like until the end of the year?
After what feels like such a long reading rut, I’m finally excited to flip through books again. Maybe it’s because a lot of interesting books are getting published or my reading friends are in closer proximity again now. Or something much deeper in my psyche—a telltale sign of my personal life and the changes that happen of it. Reading has always been a part of who I am. This person who used to be so celebrated and revered. I think I lost that for a little bit, but I’m starting to reclaim it again bit by bit. At least until the end of this year, I shall be reading.
What does your TBR look like until the end of the year?