Courtesy of Ika Natassa

Ika Natassa has a busy weekly routine as a banker and novel writer rolled into one. As a teen/chick-lit veteran, Ika has so far written A Very Yuppy Wedding, Divortiare, Antologi Rasa (Anthology of Feeling), Twivortiare and Underground.

She's now managing LitBox, an online-based literature promotion for new novels. The initiative connects writers and readers and helps publishers introduce new talent to the market. Within a year of its establishment, LitBox has more than 900 subscribers and has gained support from major publishers.

Ika shares three favorite books that have inspired her.

Supernova: Ksatria, Putri
dan Bintang Jatuh
by Dewi Lestari

I read this novel [Supernova: Knight, Princess and the Falling Star] for the first time when I was at university. Dewi is a writer who's able to intertwine fiction and fact ' scientific facts, especially ' and put them into an engaging story that is easy to read.

She does very well in weaving a good plot and has a quirky sense of humor.

Annie Leibovitz at Work
by Annie Leibovitz

I love photography and I was a fan of Leibovitz's work since I first saw it in Vanity Fair. In the book, Leibovitz expresses her love for photography. She also reveals how she learnt to take pictures and build her career as well as her favorite subjects for her pictures. She also gives advice and tips for young photographers.

'You should take pictures of something that has meaning for you,' says Leibovitz. I apply the advice not just in photography, but also in my writing. As she puts it: 'You really have to care about what you do. You might even be obsessive about it.'

This is Water
by David Foster Wallace

This book originates from a commencement speech that Wallace gave to a graduating class at Kenyon College in Ohio, US.

Wallace shows how we tend to comply with our current existence and become self-centered ' seeing things around us from our own and only perspective, while neglecting the facts.

I admire him for being able to use words that aren't superficial and have deep meaning. He's a brilliant writer.

- JP/Niken Prathivi

Popular

Why Indonesia must write ASEAN’s green rules

Freeport Indonesia pushes back full copper mine restart

Growth without gain: Why Indonesians don't feel the economy