LitBox

A surprise box of books arriving at your doorstep every two months.

[literarybox]

Reading is Sexy: The Recto (or Verso) Side of Hamish Daud Wyllie

  Although it was through his small but memorable role in Rectoverse that Hamish Daud Wyllie has stolen everybody’s heart, it wasn’t actually his acting debut.  His first inauguration into acting was through Richard Oh’s Description Without Place, an indie film, where he plays a professional photographer who also acts as a tour guide for a visitor in Bali, which in real life happens to be the place where Hamish’s heart lies.   It’s also in this island that Hamish has been spending years exploring his creativity side as the Design Principle of Saka Group and Design Director of Tarita Furniture.  Recently, Hamish also shares his love of traveling as he takes on a new role as the co-host of My Trip, My Adventure, a new TV show that takes us around exotic places in Indonesia.   And here he is now talking about his other side of life: books.

  Did you have a favorite book when you were a kid?

Hmm.. I used to love Roald Dahl when I was a kid.

  What do books mean to you?  Are you a fiction or non-fiction person?

I use books everyday for work. Because I work in a creative industry the past few years the majority of books have been visual.  I like to learn from what I read.

  What would you say is the most influential book of your life, if any?

Influential book ... I usually read what I need to read at that particular moment. When I need to find inspiration for design and my other work, I would go looking for books on that matter, or about life and other interesting things.  So no particular title.

  If you could design a book store, what would you do differently?

I think the perfect book store is one you can hang out in and just read comfortably all day. Something out in nature with comfortable surroundings. It would have big daybeds and pillows where you can read, sleep. Wake up and read again. Oh and a really yummy cafe too :)

  Interviewed by Ika Natassa – Article by Ika Natassa – Picture courtesy of Hamish Daud Wyllie

[literarybox]

Reading is Sexy: Sunny Readings for Sunny Soon

The uniquely named Sunny Soon (given by his father, “Soon” is a modified from his family name, “Sun”) had no acting experience at all when he auditioned for the main role of “Cin(T)a” (2009) by friend’s recommendation. But his natural talent caught the director’s attention and helped propelled “Cin(T)a” to be an independent hit and won Audience Award for The Most Favorite Indonesian Film in Jakarta International Film Festival (JIFFest) 2009. This 29 year old Tionghoa descent was active in performing arts during school, but he hesitated to study acting and took graphic design instead. Thankfully, his acting talent didn’t go to waste as he has added 2 more films into his filmography: Paul Agusta’s “Parts of the Heart” (2011) which was screened in International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) 2012 and “Demi Ucok”, a first Indonesian film produced with “crowd sourcing” method (10,000 co-producers) in which Sunny also acted as the promo manager. Find out more about this one promising actor who hopefully will be featured in many more coming soon films.

  Are you a fiction or non-fiction person? Why?

 More towards non-fiction. I simply like to absorb random information and life hacks. I also like fiction, though, since I can let my imagination run free out of logic and boundaries we set in real world.

  Which section you’d head first in the bookstore?

Design. My habit since I was in college with majoring in graphic design.

  What is the most influential book you’ve ever read?

“Conversations with God”. It tells about the author’s life who put his life problems in writing to find unexpected answers to his questions in life one by one. Err, I can’t say I’m a religious person, and those religion leaders might flip to read this book, but I find my burden and questions in life during several years became way much lighter because of this book.

  Did you have favorite books as a child? What stuck in your memory the most?

A pictorial book titled “Buku Lalu Lintas” (“Traffic Book”). In this book, vehicles would stop to give way for pedestrians to cross in zebra-cross. This started my confusion as to why vehicles in Indonesia would speed up in zebra-cross instead.

  Do you have some kind of ritual when you sread?

No. But my ideal reading arrangement is in quiet  and cool outdoor scenery with a cup of hot tea.

  Upon hearing #ReadingisSexy, what comes to your mind?

Sexy is not limited to physical apperance. Wide knowlegde gained by reading is also an attraction. You can observe what someone is reading, then choose a proper pick-up line and way to flirt. How sexy is that?

  If you had a chance to write a book, what book would you like to write?

Sci-fi thriller about Earth in the future.

  Please share your favorite quote from a book.

“I have no judgement one way or the other. But you have all sorts of them-and I suggest that it is your judgements which keep you from joy, and your expectations which make you unhappy.” Conversations with God – Neale Donald Walsch

  Please recommend 3 books for your fans.

Fans? Friends, maybe. I’d like to recommend “Conversations with God” – Neale Donald Walsch, “Life of Pi” – Yann Martel, “Squeamish About Sushi” – Betty Reynolds.

  Interviewed by Haqi Achmad - Article by Nicholas Kevin - Picture courtesy of Sunny Soon

[literarybox]

Reading is Sexy: What Mouly Surya Is Gonna Talk About Next

Considered by many as one the most promising filmmakers in Indonesia, Mouly Surya bursted into the screen with her directorial debut, “fiksi.” (2008) which immediately gained her respectable reputation nationally by winning 4 Piala Citra including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay (co-written with Joko Anwar) as well as being recognized internationally with it’s world premiere held in 13th Busan International Film Festival. Mouly who obtained her BA in Media and Literature from Swinburne University, Melbourne and her MA in Film and Television from Bond University, Queensland followed his impressive debut this year with “What They Don’t Talk About When They Talk About Love” (2013) that became the first Indonesian film to compete in Sundance Film Festival. She will continue to explore her distinctive approach in storytelling about social and culture with her next project called “The Fandom Diary” consisting of three sets of stories about three different fans of Japanese idols connected through the internet wire. Set to start filming this year, it will be set in Indonesia, Japan and US. Her strong literature background naturally influences her works: Mouly’s first film was an inversion of “Alice in Wonderland”; the title of her second film is a wordplay of Raymond Carver’s book; and here she reveals whose books she’d like to turn into films.

What book genre you usually read? What are your favorites?

I read a wide range of books, from academic, autobiagraphy and fiction. There are two fiction writers I particularly like, Haruki Murakami (“South of the Border, “West of the Sun”) and Jeffrey Eugenides (“Middlesex”). For autobiography, I like Gelsey Kirkland’s, an American ballerina, titled “Dancing on My Grave”. I can’t pick one among those books because each book is intriguing in it’s own way.

How do you make time to read?

Mostly when I travel. Ever since I switched my reading method to e-book with Kindle, purchasing them directly from Amazon, I carry it with me everyday. It’s very comfortable, there’s no need to carry two to three heavy books when I’m on the road. I try to finish at least one book per month.

What’s the most influential book you’ve ever read?

The most influential? Probably ones related with my job. “The Sequence Approach” by Paul Joseph Gulino, “The Writer’s Journey” by Christopher Vogler and “Directing Actors” by Judith Weston. The first two are academic books about screenplay writing and the third book is about directing. For fiction, I’d have to choose Indonesian literature book which I read during high school, “Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk.”

As a filmmaker, is there a book you’ve read you’d like to adapt into the big screen?

If I could, someday I’d really like to adapt Haruki Murakami’s books. There are some choices, like 1Q84 or Dance Dance Dance. . .But basically I’d be happy to do any book of him, haha.

  Interviewed by Ferinda Partiningrum. L - Article by Nicholas Kevin - Picture courtesy of Mouly Surya

[literarybox]

Reading is Sexy: Anji in the Driver’s Seat

He was once a band vocalist before going on a solo career. Since then, he has added another title in his bio: a writer. Yes, Erdian Aji or better known by his stage name Anji co-wrote “Cemburu Itu Peluru” with 4 other writers, a book which was compiled from series of tweets. He also co-wrote another book, “Dear Mama #10”, a compilation of love letters for mothers. Now that he’s in the driver’s seat of his career, let’s see what kind of books fuel him to drive.

What book section you’d head first in a bookstore?

I usually head to ‘best seller’ or ‘new release’ section. I want to know what’s happening and currently being talked about. Though I know lots of books in there are not supposed to be placed in that section. I mean books which are not actually best sellers yet but being placed there as a ‘gimmick’ to boost their sales. It is similar in the case for cassettes and CDs in music as well.

Did you have favorite books as a child?

I really liked Tatang Suhenra (Tatang S)’s books with punakawans as the main characters in pewayangan (Javanese traditional puppet) tale which was being set in a village at the middle of nowhere, Tumarits Village. I also liked serials like Kung Fu Boy, Dragon Ball, etc. Mostly comics. I started to like longer and heavier books when I entered college in 1997.

Which character/figure in a book that impressed you the most?

I adore Jim Morrison. Because I didn’t like him or his band, actually. Just okay. I even only know one hit song of him. But after I read his life story in 2 biographies, I was in awe. He really was a genius. He was a very keen reader. He had a large collection of books and he liked to ‘show off’ his knowledge by inviting his friends and ask them to pick one book randomly from his bookshelf. And then he would ask that friend to read a sentence from the book and he would always rightly guess which book it was from and the name of the author.

If you had a chance to wirte a book, what kind of book would you like to write?

I want to write an autobiography. My life experience. To reveal the human side in my own life or others, particularly artists. Because in this era, public figures’ lives are not revealed with honesty. Media and society ‘prefer’ to expose the negative side of them until “bad news is a good news” phrase became very well known and used by instant celebs to get famous. Like me who initially didn’t like Jim Morrison but after reading his biographies, I believe there’s more to be dug out of every person’s life that would be even better if it’s written in books. Verba volant scripta manent.

  Interviewed by Ferinda Partiningrum L. - Article by Nicholas Kevin - Picture courtesy of Anji 

[literarybox]

Reading is Sexy: Ernest Prakasa Stands Up for Reading

Dubbed as Indonesia’s No.1 comic (stand-up comedian), Ernest Prakasa ditched his career in music industry for 6 years to audition for the first season of KompasTV’s Stand Up Comedy Indonesia (SUCI) where he placed third. And the rest is history. Along with Pandji Pragiwaksono, Raditya Dika, Isman H. Suryaman, and Ryan Adriandhy (previously featured here!) he is one of the founding feathers of the first stand-up comedy community in Indonesia, @StandUpIndo, which now has grown into 40-50 sub-communities in 15 provinces. Ernest also was the first Indonesian comic to go on tour, in 11 cities no less, for his show titled “Merem Melek” in 2012 as well as being the only comedian at the Jakarta International Fringe Festival (JakFringe) to perform a bilingual show. This year, being a proud Chinese himself and quite blatant about it in his jokes on stage, he staged a show with fellow Chinese comics titled “Ernest Prakasa & The Oriental Bandits” the day before Chinese New Year. And here’s our interview session with the comic.

Tell us about the most influential book you’ve ever read.

Bible. #pencitraan. Hahahaha . . .

The most influential book in my life is a book titled 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. He opened my eyes that life is supposed to be enjoyed, that you just should’t get trapped in metropolitan city’s rat race that just keeps on running and running, without guarantee of ever reaching the finish line. And even when the finish line is crossed, it might not worth the trip.

If you had a chance to write a book, what book would you like to write?

I’ve written a book, Dari Merem Ke Melek, it’s some kind of “how to be a stand-up comedian” but still very basic. I’m now in the process of writing my second book, a comedy essay. The inspiration comes from Ellen DeGeneres books.

Please recommend 3 books to your fans.

It’s difficult to answer because the range of books I read covers from marketing books to history. I think I should know the person first to recommend books for them. :p

What section you’d head first in the bookstore?

Sounds cliché, but I would definitely go see new releases. That’s no fun answer :-))

Did you have favorite books as a child?

My father used to read me Disney Classics for bedtime stories like Bambi, Jungle Book, 101 Dalmations, etc. Until now, I still keep those books and read them with my wife to our daughter, Sky.

Interviewed by Gloria Yesyuruni - Article by Nicholas Kevin - Picture courtesy of Ernest Prakasa

[literarybox]

Reading is Sexy: Endah N (What She Does Sans*) Rhesa

They have worked their way up to be one of the best alternative acts in Indonesia. This cutting edge musical duo described their music as a mixture of folk, jazz, blues, rock and roll and ballads. It all started when both Endah Widiastuti and Rhesa Adityarama left a rock band in 2003 and Endah released a solo mini-album “The New Beginning” independently the next year. Rhesa produced it and added some bass thumps in one of the tracks “When You Love Someone” and created a fascinating mix of three instruments (vocal, guitar and bass). They started to play together and received overwhelmingly positive feedbacks toward their minimalist acoustic format. From then on, they decided to create a stage name Endah N Rhesa and has since released “Nowhere To Go” (2005, old version) (2009, repackaged), “Real Live” (2006), “Look What We’ve Found” (2010) and recently released new album “Escape” (2013) with the lead single titled “Silence Island”. Being partners in marriage and work turn out to be just fine for Endah as she talks here about one activity she does without Rhesa: reading.

Are you a fiction or non-fiction person? Any specific reason?

Maybe I am a fiction person. . .I like to daydream and imagine. In term of book references, most of my books are fiction. But I also like biographies, particularly of figures I look up to like musicians and innovators like Steve Jobs. I sometimes read music business as well.

Who was a book character who impressed you the most?

Sherlock Holmes. I really like that novel of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I think Sherlock Holmes is uber cool! Reading it makes me pay attention to details and being logic more. His character is intriguing and also fun. It’s story plot never bores me even with repeated reading.

You’re a songwriter yourself. But if you had a chance to write a book, what kind of book would it be?

Hmmm. . .I’m not quite sure yet. But probably I’ll write books about characters featured on Endah N Rhesa albums, like Uncle Jim, Pirates, Kou Kou the Fisherman, and the main character, Shane Harden. I plan to start during Ramadhan.

What section you’d head first in the bookstore?

Lately I’d go to business and management section. Hahaha! Maybe because I’ve been running my own band’s management so I have to find some references to build a nice and fun management system.

How do you make time to read?

I don’t make specific time but I do it during my spare time. Like when I wait on a flight in boarding room, in the house while my husband does the mixing or is in the studio. Because in other times my interaction with my husband is pretty intense as we do a lot of our activities together.

Upon hearing #ReadingisSexy, what comes to your mind?

I picture Benedict Cumberbatch (who plays Sherlock Homes in TV series) reading a book of poems. Hahaha!

*without

  Interviewed by Claudia Von Nasution - Article by Nicholas Kevin  - Picture courtesy of Endah

[literarybox]

Reading is Sexy: Take A Bookish Look of Ryan Adriandhy

After winning the first standy-up comedy competition in Indonesia, Ryan Adriandhy has performed several shows of his own like a 1-hour “From Tiny To Funny” in Usmar Ismail Hall, Jakarta and this year he was on tour to 8 cities for “Take A Closer Look” beside other joint shows. The 23 year-old also hosts “Ala Ryan” in KompasTV. Although his signature style of observing little things that often overlooked by others has made him a rising star in Indonesian comedy scene he’s also an illustartor and has been doing illustrations, character designs, and personal short comic books since he was in elementary school. He currently studies Art and Design in Binus International. Let’s now take a bookish look of him.

 Tell us about the most influential book you’ve ever read.

Actually there are quite a lot of books that I consider influential, ranging from teenage novels, comic, fantasy and also comedy books. But if I were to choose the most influential one, it would be The Giving Tree, an illustrated children book by Shel Silverstein. It’s gonna sound like a nostalgic movie scene, but that book was read by my grandmother to me when I was 4 until 6. I consider it as influential because it made me believe in illustrations as storytellers, they can even  empower the written words. LUPUS series by Hilman Hariwijaya was also very influential to me, because it was the first time I felt a character in Indonesian pop book who felt so close to readers, grounded, yet still possessed a strong character and written with the right dose of comedy. Woody Allen’s essay compilation in Without Feathers also is very influential for me because Allen’s comedic writing style in that book is what made me fell in love with those kind of celebral comedy.

 Upon hearing #ReadingisSexy, what comes to your mind?

Hmmm. . .for me reading is the simplest activity for collecting and expanding knowledge which is also relaxing. Some kind like a mixture of study and relaxation. According to me, an interesting self (in this context, “sexy”,) is someone who possesses a broad knowledge and open-mind way of thinking because he/she has opened the window of the world. And I believe reading can present that to anyone. How bad the book we read, after the last page has turned, there must be something we can take of off it, whatever it is. And someone who constantly collects ways of thinking through reading, is sexy for me.

 Did you have favorite books as a child?

Yes. For comics, I liked Doraemon, Boulle et Bill, Tintin, Garfield, Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, and Spider-Man. For fiction novels, I liked LUPUS, Harry Potter, Roald Dahl’s, and R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps thriller series. I started to read non-fictions during my teenage, and my favorites are Woody Allen’s comedy books, Tina Fey, the late George Carlin, and Karl Pilkington.

 Which book character impressed you the most?

Peter Parker (Spider-Man) ought to be the character who impressed me the most. While reading comics and seeing superheroes like Batman and Superman was fun, I could relate to Peter’s character more since he was a student like me at that time. I could relate so much with his character because I wasn’t a millionaire like Bruce Wayne (Batman) and also not an alien like Kal-El (Superman). Peter’s problems were high schoolers’ problem like I had. I also adore Peter because he designed his own custome, and in the comic, Peter was portrayed having mind-set of design thinking.

Interviewed by Ferinda Partiningrum. L - Article by Nicholas Kevin - Photo courtesy of Ryan Adriandhy

[literarybox]

Reading is Sexy: Beauty, Brain, Behaviour & Books of Raline

Raline Shah reached top 5 rounds in Puteri Indonesia 2008 pageant and was awarded "Puteri Indonesia Lingkungan 2008", but unlike most pageant winners, she took her time to enter entertainment industry. She had to turn down many film offerings before starring in the film adaptation of "5 cm" (2012), which was a national box office success as the film with highest attendance record in 2012 with 1,8 million viewers and has surpassed 2 million mark. Here she talks about one thing she simply can’t turn down: books.

When you're at a bookstore, which section do you go to first?  Self-improvement or the spiritual section. Basically, I like books that teach me something. Books from which I can gain truth and wisdom. I don't really read fictions because I prefer movies for that.

Can you tell us about the most influential book that you've ever read? The Secret. I've always believed in the concepts that are in The Secret but I just never thought someone would write about positive energy like that and how to get what you want out of life. So when I read it, I really connected to it and realize that there is a growing movement of people who think the same way I do.

Do you have a book that left a big impression on you when you were young?  Yes, it's the Little Prince (Le Petit Prince). It taught me things like how we shouldn't be selfish creatures in this life. It's a really famous story and it's French! I've always been somewhat French-oriented in my taste and preferences. So that's why :)

When you hear the phrase #ReadingisSexy, what do you think about?  My opinion is that beauty is inside out and you have to have substance to be sexy. And reading is definitely a way to fill up your mind with unlimited knowledge and insights.

If you were asked to recommend three books to your fans, which books would it be? History of God by Karen Armstrong, if I'm not mistaken. First of all, she doesn't judge any of the religions. I think we should do a little bit of digging into the history of religions and gain more understanding on it. Blink. I like it because it gave me a lot of insights on how we should live our lives. Use our instincts and just a guide to living, basically. It's something about think without thinking.  Freakonomics (and Super Freakonomics). The book has amazing facts that we sometimes don't realize but are true, and also facts that are usually blurred.

  Interviewed by Eliysha Saputra - Article by Nicholas Kevin - Picture courtesy of Raline Shah

[literarybox]

Reading is Sexy: Jason Godfrey’s Big Smile, Perfect Teeth, Plenty of Books

Jason’s perfect smile has been gracing fashion and lifestyle magazines like Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Maxim, and Men’s Health for years, but it’s probably his playful TVC in a series of promo for America’s Next Top Model on StarWorld that really stole our attention, and our heart.  This Hong Kong based model-turned-TV personality has since then suited up to host live pre-Academy Awards show on Fox International Channel, hosted for Li, joined Star VIP Access, and got involved in Escapades for AXN.  But we’re here to dig other passion that Jason has: reading and writing.  He is an avid blogger (bigsmilenoteeth.tumblr.com), has a written a memoir, and is a columnist on The Star Online, sharing his smart and witty opinions on everyday life.

Would you say you're a fiction or non-fiction person when it comes to reading? When and where do you like to read?

I read mostly fiction. I think I prefer to be transported into a narrative no matter how fantastical. Mostly I read when I'm traveling. So in airports, planes, long rides. Good thing about books is they don't get shut down during take off and landing.

What book had the greatest impact on you?

Hard to say, I've liked so many books. The first book I read and couldn't get out of my head was F.N.G. by Donald Bodey. It's about grunts in the Vietnam War and was such a gritty, unpolished, retelling of war from a man's point of view, that it just resonated. I eventually bought it used off the internet 15 years later and read it again. 

I love your column on The Star Online. Are you considering about writing a book someday? 'Big Smile No Teeth' would be a catchy title 

Big Smile No Teeth is the name of my memoir, that I wrote a few years back. It's my retelling of what life is like as a far less than super model. I found a literary agent in New York and we shopped to publishers, and though they said it was funny, well written and a much needed alternate take on fashion, they told me I'd have to be famous to sell enough copies to make it worth their while. And yes, I am trying hard now that I have some sort of platform through TV presenting to sell my books and get them published.

Got any favorite quote from a book you've read?

Anything from Chuck Palahniuk is instantly quotable. I read a lot of comics and what sticks with me are a lot of the morals written by Mark Evainer from Sergio Aragone's Groo the Wanderer. "A friend is a friend until the end and sometimes even after that." Yeah, it's corny but the cheesy morals from that comic are always with me somehow, and I guess that's the power of writing; that something you scrawl onto paper will be read by a child and that child will remember it through out their entire life. Powerful stuff.

  Interviewed by Ika Natassa – Article by Ika Natassa – Picture courtesy of Jason Godfrey

[literarybox]

Reading is Sexy: Acha Doesn’t Just Zig, She Zags Too!

The last three films she starred in were adapted from fiction books, but just like her Twitter bio says: Acha Septriasa is a multi-faceted young woman with zigzagging interests (read on, folks, and you’ll find out what I mean by this). Let me tell you about this 23 years old actress/singer first. GADIS Sampul 2004 crown launched her career but by her second film, “Heart” (2006) she has claimed her spot on top tier of Indonesian leading actresses. Her next film, “Love is Cinta” (2007) earned her first Piala Citra nomination but it took her five years to get her hands on the prestigious award thanks to her portrayal of Tata in the film adaptation of the best-selling novel, “Test Pack” (2012). Despite her considerable success in singing tunes for the soundtrack of her movies, she proves her passion in film by studying film production at Limkokwing University in Kuala Lumpur. Now let’s see what kind of passion she has for books.  

Are you fiction or non-fiction person?

I love nonfiction books, because it’s nice to see something that’s really happening around you and you know the background conclusion and everything.  I think things we read in nonfiction books are more easily related to our lives and they can be good references because the source is more reliable.

Tell us about the most influential book you’ve ever read.

Well, I like books with psychological perspectives, philosophy, or books about techniques. The Secret Life of Pronouns by James W. Pennebaker is one of them because we can learn what kind of humanbeing people truly are from the way they communicate or express themselves.

What book section you’d head first in the bookstore?

Hmmm ... book section for philosophy or make-up techniques, because it all comes back to my passion I guess. These are the kind of things that I lean towards more :)

Upon hearing #ReadingIsSexy phrase, what comes to your mind?

I believe so because reading useful books is basically feeding our brain healthily with stuff that we can use to digest any information in a more responsible way.  And it’s not sexy enough if you don’t share what you know to others. Because I think sexiness is neither for one’s own indulgence nor self-proclaimed but it has to be acknowledged by other person or from other side’s judgment.  So when what you read is really useful to motivate yourself and others and that fact is being acknowledged by others, that’s when it becomes sexy.

If you had a chance to write a book, what kind of book would you like to write?

I would write “How to Understand Your Children and Make Them Understand You” hahaha. I don’t know ... I guess I just like psychology stuff and I think how a person was made starts from the way they develop inside their own family and home. Therefore if all parents and children had this book, there would be no more misinterpretations! :-D

Please recommend three books for your fans.

First, The Secret Life of Pronouns.  Second, the book I’m currently reading, FilmCraft: Editing. For anyone who likes film, this book is seriously interesting because we can learn editing in in such an easy a way that it's as simple as a magician doing his magic. When we know the tricks and we’ve got the taste, it'll be like a second nature to us.  Third, I like books which have been adapted to films, like The Great Gatsby or Life of Pi.

Interviewed by Haqi Achmad - Article by Nicholas Kevin - Picture courtesy of Acha Septriasa

[literarybox]

Reading is Sexy: What They Haven’t Talked About Karina Salim

Our very first #ReadingIsSexy article features Karina Salim. She recently graced Indonesian movie scene by debuting in “What They Don’t Talk About When They Talk About Love” where she plays a girl with limited vision and “Pintu Harmonika”. The former got some buzz as the first Indonesian film to compete in Sundance Film Festival. 21 years old Karina earned rave reviews herself with her solid performance alongside seasoned names like Nicholas Saputra and Ayushita. Karina who is currently studying Business Management at one of universities in Jakarta also showed off her skill in classical ballet in the film which she has been doing since she was 5 years old. Other projects she has involved in include Joko Anwar’s musical, Onrop!, and Joko’s short movie, “Durable Love”.  Now let’s find out how Karina Salim plays a role they haven’t talked about: an avid reader.

What genres of book you usually read?

I mostly enjoy self-enrichment books. Although I also like to read novels for fun but the thrills I got when I read self-enrichment books have enabled me to learn new things, particularly about life.

Who is your favorite author?

Haruki Murakami, often lauded as the world’s greatest living novelist.

How do you spare time to read?

I find myself most comfortable to read during my leisure time. However I also like to find new spots to read books I haven’t got to read when I’m traveling, like in beaches.

Tell us about the most influential book you’ve ever read.

There’s plenty, but probably The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey and Problem Solving 101 by Ken Watanabe.

If you had a chance to write a book, what kind of book would you like to write?

It would be a novel. I want to be a film producer, if I could realize my wish I would be more fulfilled when I can produce a film based on a novel of my own.

  Interviewed by Ferinda Partiningrum. L - Article by Nicholas Kevin - Picture courtesy of Karina Salim

[literarybox]

#ReadingisSexy

Starting this month, LitBox is launching a social movement campaign we'd like to call Reading is Sexy.  Each week we will feature an interview with a public figure you know and love in this blog, discussing about their reading habits and books.  You can help spread the word with the hashtag #ReadingisSexy. Follow our Tumblr and our Twitter @literarybox to get recent updates on our sexy campaign ;)

[literarybox]

Announcement for LitBox Apprenticeship

We  have received numerous applicants to join LitBox Apprenticeship Program.  After reviewing all the strength and weakness points of each application and analyzing the potentials of each candidate, we have decided that the 11 members of the first LitBox Apprenticeship are:

 Social Media Strategists

Claudia Von Nasution

Ferinda Partiningrum. L

Nicholas Kevin

Ragatnia Clara

 Client Service Team for Writers

Gloria Yesyuruni

Dixie Thamrin

 Client Service Team for Publishers

Raisa Nabila

Frisa Erika

Eliysha Saputra

 Assistants to Project Leaders

Lusiana Suwandi

Irma Nur Afiah

Congratulations to the selected candidates.  A Welcome Kit with your job description should be emailed to each of you soon, then the first learning kit of each position should be emailed after.

 We would also like to thank all applicants.  We keep all of your applicants in our file and you can still be considered for next openings that we may have.

  Regards,

[literarybox]

LitBox for Publishers

From time to time, publishers through their editors discovered new, talented writers they believe in and launch these writers to public by publishing their books.  But of course, the cycle of business doesn't stop there.  Publishers still need to get these new writers recognized by the market - readers.  Simply put, they need to get readers to buy the books, read them, and help promote them by writing reviews, spreading good words about the books through social media, and so on.  

This is where LitBox would be happy to help you.  You could send these new books that you want to promote to us, we will read them, and if we believe in these writers that much too, we won't hesitate to include their works inside our LitBox, getting them to the hands of our LitBox subscribers. 

They will read them, review them, and talk about them on social media.  Free buzzing for your books.

Not only that, our resident writer as the curator will also talk about the book a little bit in the personal letter we are inserting in each of the LitBox, introducing the book from the point of view of our curator.

If you would like to learn more about our LitBox for Publisher program, feel free to email our founder Ika Natassa at ika(at)ikanatassa(dot)com

[literarybox]

LitBox for Writers

Hundreds of new fiction books are released each month.  And each one of them is fighting for a slice of the pie in the readers' buying budget.  In our experience, readers nowadays are very selective in picking the books they want to buy.  They google the book, search people's sayings on Twitter, and read reviews on Goodreads before making the decision to buy.  So obviously, the key to getting more people to give your book a chance is to get as many people to read them in the first week of its release. 

How can we help?  Our resident writer would be happy to read any book that you want to promote and if we find it interesting, as in "Damn, more people should read this book!", we would include your book in our next LitBox.  And you will have our abundant list of subscribers as the next readers of your books.

If you want to learn more about our LitBox for Writers Program, feel free to email us at hi(at)lit box(dot)org

[literarybox]

LitBox for Readers

If you love books, LitBox would take you on a new experience in reading.  As you subscribe to our service, every two months you will receive a mystery box we'd like to call LitBox.  Inside is a package of three to four fiction books, curated by our resident writer, Ika Natassa.  From time to time, we will invite other writers to curate the titles.  The selections would range from newly released titles to out-of-print books our writer find interesting and enjoyable.  We will also try to score you signature copies of one of the books if we can.  We are currently inviting writers to join our LitBox for Writers program.

From time to time we will also pick one lucky LitBoxer who will receive an extra book.  This bonus title could be something off our writer's personal shelves or a new/preowned imported book.

  Inside every package, our curator of the month will insert a personal letter introducing you to the selection of books she/he picked for the LitBox.  Will we announce what titles inside the upcoming edition of LitBox?  No, because it'll be a surprise waiting for you to discover :) You'll just have to trust our curator of the month.  

What if you already have one of the books inside the LitBox?  You can trade it with friends or donate to any literacy program of your choice, spreading the joy of reading.

Here's another good news for you: the price of one LitBox will be generously lower than the individual price of the books combined if you buy them at book stores.

To sign up for LitBox for Readers, email us your name, complete address, and contact number to literary box(at)gmail(dot)com