"A good book on your shelf is a friend that turns its back on you and remains a friend."-Unknown
"Screws fall out all the time, the world's an imperfect place."-Bender from The Breakfast Club
"Read to your heart's content. Though if you are a reader, the heart is never content."-from
Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

the music post

As you all know by now, K and I are very passionate about music of mostly all sorts. Therefore, I thought I should share what I've been listening to....list style (because lists make everything better). Before I begin, though, I'd like to dedicate this list to Owen, quite possibly the greatest character ever developed by an author and a true freak for music just like us :)

CD's I've Checked Out From the Library Recently:
-¡Uno! by Green Day
-¡Dos! by Green Day
-¡Tré! by Green Day
-21st Century Breakdown by Green Day (notice a pattern yet?)
-Dookie by Green Day
-Sky Full of Holes by Fountains of Wayne
-Codes and Keys by Death Cab for Cutie
-Lonely Avenue by Ben Folds
-B.R.M.C. by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
-There Is Nothing Left to Lose by Foo Fighters
-One by One by Foo Fighters
-Wasting Light by Foo Fighters (Great album....seriously there was only one song that I didn't particularly care for, the rest were amazing. Arlandria is the best in my opinion)
-Subterranean Jungle by Ramones
-Stadium Arcadium by Red Hot Chili Peppers
-Take Off Your Pants and Jacket by Blink-182
-Enema of the State by Blink-182
-Suck it and See by Arctic Monkeys
-Humbug by Arctic Monkeys
-Get Behind Me Satan by The White Stripes
-Icky Thump by The White Stripes
-The White Stripes by The White Stripes (bet you didn't guess who this album was by)
-X&Y by Coldplay
-Mylo Xyloto by Coldplay
-The Clash by The Clash (gee they're really original with their titles aren't they?)
-Daisy by Brand New
-Holy Smoke by Gin Wigmore
*As you can see, I'm kind of all over the place musically, but stick in the vein of rock for the most part.

Twenty-Odd Songs That I've Come Across Elsewhere and Really Enjoy:
  1. Surfer Girl--Home Grown
  2. Definitely Maybe--FM Static
  3. Sheena Is a Punk Rocker--Ramones
  4. If It Kills Me--Jason Mraz
  5. Shiver--Coldplay
  6. To Be With You--Mr. Big
  7. Layla--Eric Clapton
  8. Calypso--Spiderbait (which reminds me of "Hate Spinnerbait" from Ms. Dessen's novels)
  9. Fight For Your Right--Beastie Boys
  10. Summertime--Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (I actually love this song...and all versions thereof but this is my favorite cover)
  11. These Roses--Gin Wigmore
  12. Holding On To You--Twenty One Pilots
  13. Jude Law and a Semester Abroad--Brand New
  14. Mix Tape--Brand New
  15. The Sky is Crying--Albert King (also a great cover of a great song)
  16. Play Crack the Sky--Brand New
  17. Happy Together--Filter
  18. Kissing You Goodbye--The Used
  19. I'll Be Seeing You--Billie Holiday
  20. Master Celebrator--No Fun At All
  21. Goodnight Moon--Go Radio
  22. Drive Away My Heart--Ida Maria
  23. Shark in the Water (Blame Remix)--VV Brown
  24. New Born--Muse
  25. Crave You (Adventure Club Dubstep Remix)--Flight Facilities
  26. La Vie en Rose--Louis Armstrong (He truly has the richest voice I've ever heard)
  27. Just Like Heaven--The Cure
  28. Leona--Millen Colin
  29. Flavor of the Weak--American Hi-Fi
So, I realize this post was essentially just lists, but I thought I'd give you guys some suggested music to listen to this summer :)
-M

Thursday, July 11, 2013

numbers 30 & 31

alright guys it's been one of those days when a lightbulb pops on and it can't be stifled by any force, be it the realization of being in the real world or the realization that life isn't like a chick lit book. so, to keep the light burning i thought i'd share with you guys. today i went into my brother's room to use his cd player to listen to some music. while i was in there i found a library book that i'd picked up a couple weeks ago offhandedly because i got pulled in by the cover due to my fondness for Converse and had since forgotten. i thought to myself "well i might as well read the first 3 or 4 pages and see what it's like." several hours and 432 pages later i reentered the real world with a huge smile on my face and a sense of peace in my heart that only comes from a great book. this book, Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay, was just so perfect and unique and full of drama that it sucked me in quickly and i couldn't put it down until it was finished. short summary: Marcie's dad cheats on her mom with a guy. Marcie and her mom move to New Hampshire. Marcie is upset about leaving behind all her friends and amazing boyfriend in Idaho. Marcie meets a new East Coast guy and things get complicated as she doesn't know whom to break up with or if she should even be interested in this new guy with her boyfriend still in the picture.
As i said, short summary. and i realize that it sounds ridiculous, but i love that it was written as a bunch of poems and Marcie was such a relatable character that you really feel like you're her best friend getting sucked into her problems, however shallow they may seem. also, may i point out that i was already halfway through the third Harry Potter book in my annual summertime quest to read the whole series in a timely manner. and i am NOT the type of person to read more than one book at a time or just forget about a book i'm in the middle of, so the fact that i "cheated" on Harry Potter with this book should tell you something (it's also quite ironic seeing as how the book is about the main character cheating on her boyfriend). anyway, it definitely deserves a spot (31) on The List of 55.
now, i have to backtrack and explain number 30 on the list. the book with the honor of holding the spot is The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. i loved how it was so realistic. i really felt connected to Esther and all of her reasoning was solid throughout which scared me as she continued to spiral into depression and landed herself in a mental facility. it scared me because i could agree and sympathize with her and therefore questioned my own sanity and happiness. the book really screwed with my mind, but i absolutely loved it despite it's dark tone and depressing topics. thus, as i read it earlier than Love & Leftovers, it's number 30. i simply had to rant a little about L&L first because it was on my mind.
so, from here i will continue reading Harry Potter and hope that nothing else steals my attentions away.
happy reading and enjoy the sunshine :)
-M