Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Songs I Wish Were Books

Time for Top Ten Tuesday, an awesome meme held at The Broke and the Bookish. This week, the music-lover portion of the book blogging community is in for a treat as this Tuesday is reserved for books and music!

Top Ten Songs I Wish Were Books

"World Princess Part II" - Grimes
This song is like a modern epic. It's my personal favorite from Grimes' latest album Art Angels. The whole thing sounds like a cute yet serious video game, so that aspect in itself would be interesting to see translated into words. But a large part of the reason I love this song is that it's so empowering - I want to see our kickass World Princess in action in story format. I want to be further inspired by her and further moved by her demise at the end of the song: "My eyes are feeling heavy, my feet are moving slow..."

"Mountains" - Radical Face
This song would be contemporary beauty. Well, let me rephrase: It would technically be historical beauty because all the songs on this album are part of Radical Face's Family Tree series of albums, and "Mountains" is from the first one, The Roots. This song sounds so perfect, and the lyrics are so moving: It's about a boy who's lost his mother and believes she is still watching him. It'd be a tear-jerker; it'd be delicate and gritty all at the same time.

"What the Water Gave Me" - Florence + the Machine
"What the Water Gave Me" sounds like a lazy summer day that progresses into something bigger and crazier. Once again, we might have a contemporary - or not, because for one thing, it references Virginia Woolf's death, and for another thing, Florence's connection is borderline mystical and fairylike. Maybe historical fiction about Virginia Woolf's death... plus mystical water stuff? Sounds like an A+ novel to me.

"Design Your Universe" - Epica
Now this one is EPIC. (And I honestly didn't even mean for that pun to happen.) "Design Your Universe" is a nine-minute symphonic metal masterpiece that reminds me of magic and battle scenes. Since the song itself is about quantum physics and how humans have more control over our world and universe than we realize, this could easily be a science fiction novel about the power of the human mind.

"Brooklyn Baby" - Lana Del Rey
This one would be a great summer-time contemporary with a sassy protagonist. I mean, look at these lyrics: "Yeah my boyfriend's pretty cool / But he's not as cool as me / 'Cause I'm a Brooklyn baby." I want to read about this hipster and her boyfriend, and I want to be sucked into story that mimics the chill feel of this song.

"Army of Dolls" - Delain
"Army of Dolls" could go a couple different ways. This awesome symphonic metal track deals with body issues and the pressure women face to look perfect in a world that only glamorizes the thin: "Army of dolls stole your reflection / Army of dolls stole all your perfect imperfections." But, if someone really wanted to, this story could become very Twilight Zone-ish (and let's be real, some of the truest and most genius statements about beauty and perception have come from Twilight Zone episodes).

"Turn Loose the Mermaids" - Nightwish
To be honest, a lot of Nightwish songs could have made this list, but "Turn Loose the Mermaids" is easily one of my favorite Nightwish songs of all time because of its folky feel. More than any of the other tracks, I want to be stuck in a story-world that feels like this one. Nostalgia with a bit of fantasy? Yes, please.

"The Dance" - Within Temptation
The creepiest of creepy songs! A work of genius that lends itself so well to being a novel as it actually does tell a story in a more traditional way than most songs. This book would be about awakening the dead - it could be a bunch of them. And it would be from one dead person's point of view, of course, with lyrics like this: "I hear a laugh / It awoke my soul." The beauty and the beast vocal contrast can be epitomized in a beauty and the beast-type story. Good God, it would be beautiful.

"The Cross" - Within Temptation
The story this song tells has always intrigued me, and while I cannot for the life of me find the source (as I read this shortly after the album "The Cross" comes from - The Heart of Everything - was released in 2007) I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that the song was written about conflicts with the band. I'm not necessarily sure if I'd like to see the exact story in a book, but I'm definitely interested in seeing this deep conflict show through in some story or another: "I'm still wondering why I'm still calling your name, my dear."

"Imaginary" - Evanescence
I realize that this song's premise isn't exactly one of those novelty ideas - drifting into a dreamworld to escape reality has been done in different forms before. But I want to experience this specific song in a specific book form. The overall feel is quite epic, and a writer could easily create a world of paper flowers and candy clouds that only really exists in the protagonist's head. Sounds like a good plan to me.


As always, let me know what you think of my selections if you know any of them and feel free to leave your Top Ten Tuesday link in the comments!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I've Recently Added to My TBR

This is the first Top Ten Tuesday (hosted at The Broke and the Bookish) I'm participating in this year: Top Ten  Eight Books I've Recently Added to My TBR. For this one, I went into my Goodreads to-read list and picked out the recent ones I was most interested in. My TBR is always growing; I always have a nice big list to choose from when wondering what I should read next. However, I don't get to most of them, and if I do it might take a few years... so I didn't bother trying to make this recent TBR list ten items long. Instead, I picked the ones I've added that I'm most likely to actually read someday.

Stars Above by Marissa Meyer
Lives of Girls and Women by Alice Munro

The Animal Gospels by Brian Barker

Memories by Lang Leav

 Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh

The Astrologer's Daughter by Rebecca Lim

As always, feel free to leave me the link to your Top Ten Tuesday and let me know what you think of my selections!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Leaving Under My Tree This Year

Time for a another Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted at The Broke and the Bookish. Today, book bloggers were asked to reveal the Santa list. We're usually given this topic around this time of year; I've participated in it before, and there are actually a couple books on it this year that were also on it in previous years. (My book-buying priorities get a little weird sometimes.)

Top Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Leaving Under My Tree This Year

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Zodiac by Romina Russell

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielwski

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Alien Secrets by Annette Curtis Klause

The Collected Poems by Sylvia Plath

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

The Diminishing House by Nicky Beer

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Let me know what books you hope to receive for Christmas this year and have a fantastic holiday!

Best Books I Read: 2015 (Also Top Ten Tuesday)

Every year since I began blogging I make a big post about the best books I read. Since then, I've added a ton of end-of-year lists, and I wanted to try and spread them out a bit. I saw that today's Top Ten Tuesday (a lovely meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish) would be our best books list, so I decided that today would be the day - a little earlier than usual. I'm going to make this list only include what I've read from the start of the year through December 14, and anything I read from today until the end will just go on next year's list.

The books selected are the only ones I gave 5/5 on Goodreads. This list is a bit weirder than in previous years - I didn't read nearly as much YA as I usually do. (I still love YA - I simply read a different kind of variety this year... Primarily because of the university workload as an English Education major.) I found some new favorites in places I least expected this year!

Looking for Alaska 
by John Green

Well, I finally read it, and I must say, John Green knows how to write a damn good book. Looking for Alaska, which follows a teenager nicknamed Pudge who goes to boarding school for a more exciting life, was beautiful in just about every way. Green's writing style is immaculate: Not only are this man's sentences linguistically pretty, but he also does an exceptional job of describing emotions and making readers feel them. I cried - but that's hardly a surprise. The themes are easy to connect with as this book heavily deals with guilt and forgiveness, and the characters are so wonderful and flawed - it would be hard not to love Looking for Alaska. On a personal level I feel as though I picked a really good time to read this one.

To the Lighthouse 

by Virginia Woolf

To the Lighthouse is the first Virginia Woolf novel I've read, and it surely won't be the last. It resonated with me quite deeply - I still think about it all the time. I've wanted to reread it since I put it down, and that doesn't happen often. I could really find myself in the painter Lily Briscoe and her relationships with a number of other characters; I could make connections between the Ramsay dynamic and my own family's way of functioning. Woolf uses her complicated stream-of-consciousness writing style to unravel psychological states and to show time's slow progress, giving us a perfect, clear picture of several characters over the span of two days (separated by ten years). She is clearly showing readers rather than telling them. All aspects considered, To the Lighthouse instantly became one of my favorite books this year.

A Room of One's Own 
by Virginia Woolf

See, I told you To the Lighthouse wouldn't be my last Woolf novel (although A Room of One's Own is a big essay... you get the idea). Woolf addresses the needs of women (and really, of all writers) in order to write something and write it well: Financial security, education, and space to herself. Naturally, it is a feminist essay, but from a literary nerd's standpoint this was especially interesting to read because Woolf uses classic authors as examples, namely William Shakespeare, Charlotte Bronte, Emily Bronte, and Jane Austen. The connections she makes and the theories she comes up with are equally fascinating and powerful.

Go Set a Watchman 

by Harper Lee

Yep, I consider Go Set a Watchman one of the best books I read this year. I enjoyed this pre-To Kill a Mockingbird manuscript thoroughly for what it was - and what's really unique about reading this is you can take it as seriously or as not seriously as you want - there are details about To Kill a Mockingbird that are inconsistent with what became the actual novel. I accept the argument that Harper Lee likely changed her mind about what she wanted Atticus Finch to be, but regardless, the fallen idol concept of this book really moved me, and there's something about Lee's writing that makes me plow through pages at high speeds.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 
by Mark Twain

I first read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 2013 for a high school class and I really enjoyed it. I gave it a four out of five on Goodreads. I reread it for a college class this year and somehow my appreciation for this novel really expanded. I don't think I fully realized how much I loved Huck's story and how it's really everyone's story to some extent until this reread. Plus, Twain can be quite funny, thus making this book even more enjoyable to read. It has a good comibination of feels. I imagine I'll reread it a third time someday.

Wide Sargasso Sea 

by Jean Rhys

Wide Sargasso Sea is essentially wonderful Jane Eyre fanfiction, as Jean Rhys writes about Bertha (Antoinetta) Mason's troubling childhood and her eventual marriage to Mr. Rochester. This book is written beautifully. I read it for a university class, so I learned about why Rhys slightly shifted the time it was written and how Rochester's typical British culture clashed with Antoinetta's unique one (as a British girl raised in the Carribbean). Rhys' cultural and historical considerations offer an interesting perspective on the characters Jane Eyre fans have already been so fascinated by. Many who read this prequel seem to hate Rochester afterward, but I did not - for a variety of reasons that I won't get into. I ultimately feel the same way as I always have: He's flawed, but I feel sorry for him. I think he truly tried to do the best he could in his situation. Altogether, I think this is a very valid prequel.

The Handmaid's Tale 
by Margaret Atwood

I kind of dreaded reading The Handmaid's Tale because I expected it to be kind of scary and morbid. It definitely was, and that's why it's good. Imagine a futuristic society that restrict's women's freedom in every sense - that's what's in this book. Some of the ideas this society argues for may seem so ridiculous, but people make them even now. Offred's story is told from her present standpoing along with flashbacks, and Atwood strategically reveals information to keep readers asking questions. It's definitely thought-provoking - a nightmarish scenario that can go on society's list of futures to avoid encountering.

Redeemed 

by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Once again, I use my best books list to honor the series everyone loves to hate. Redeemed is the final installment of the Cast girls' House of Night series and I thought it was an incredibly fun and satisfying read. The characters are silly and the magic is awesome, as per usual. There are also some twists in Redeemed that I definitely was not expecting. Perhaps the biggest theme of this series is forgiveness (an element I have always appreciated), and of course this came full circle in Redeemed. I really enjoyed this conclusion.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas 
by John Boyne

I was nervous about this one. I heard the author was pretty ruthless with readers' hearts in the end, and the Internet was right. A book about Nazi Germany from a child's perspective is bound to dampen eyes and help gain perspective - the Holocaust is even more confusing and stupid when examined from the eyes of a child. The simplistic writing tackled a scary world ever so innocently from beginning to end as Boyne traced the friendship of Bruno, the son of a lead Nazi officer, and Schmuel, a Jewish boy at "Out-With." This book shows that sometimes a whole other world is just over the fence, if we care to look.

Gruesome Playground Injuries

by Rajiv Joseph

I somehow stumbled into an acting class at my university this semester, and Rajiv Joseph's play Gruesome Playground Injuries was required reading (and performing). I don't read a ton of plays and when I do they're usually older literature, and I guess I just didn't expect to love this one as much as I did. It's a peculiar story - two people cross paths time and time again throughout their lives as they hurt themselves and each other. Between intentional self-harm and merely reckless behavior, these characters go through a lot together. Quite a few themes and emotions are represented; it's so easy to get something out of this short read. I loved it.

Feel free to share your list with me. I hope you had a fabulous year in books! More fun lists are coming - I have a two-part countdown of the year's best musical singles, a book survey, and a new kind of music list scheduled.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Top Ten Tuesday Topics

Today marks a very special Top Ten Tuesday. This meme has officially been held by The Broke and the Bookish for five years! Obviously I think Top Ten Tuesday is pretty special since it's the only meme I participate in (and we all know how many other memes there are in this wonderful, crazy place we call the Internet). It allows us book bloggers to think about our reading habits and see how we compare to others, and it leads us to exciting blogs we've never encountered before. As a blog that still doesn't get a lot of traffic, I'm always super grateful for the extra traffic Top Ten Tuesday brings because these readers occasionally lurk and I end up getting to look at there blogs as well. Granted I've only participated in twenty five before this post, but without further ado,

 

Top Ten Favorite Top Ten Tuesday Topics

 

Books I'd Give a Theme Song To

Series I'd Like to Start But Haven't Yet

Favorite Heroines

Favorite Book Covers of Books I've Read

Inspiring Quotes from Books

Books on My Summer TBR List (2013)

Favorite Classic Novels

Books I'm Not Sure I Want to Read

Nonfiction Books on My TBR List

Popular Authors I've Never Read

 

As always, feel free to leave me your links so I can see how we all compare!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I'd Love to See as Movies

Time for another Top Ten Tuesday! Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at The Broke and the Bookish; it's fabulous. This week we have one of those topics that cause us book bloggers to dream about a perfect bookish world that gives us what we want. 

Top Ten Books I'd Love to See as Movies

 

Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi

(A live action sequence of five films for each of the story arcs: The Dark Kingdom, Black Moon, Infinity, Dreams, Stars)
Just imagine the special effects. The galactic landscapes...

 

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

(Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, Winter)

Such badassary must be translated to film immediately. Meyer confirmed that the rights have been sold, but as we book lovers know, that means nothing. Pre-production is the place where adaptations die.
 

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

This book is an emotional rollercoaster despite being middle grade. Even though this story is full of death, it's full of youth, and it think such a story would translate really well to the big screen.
 

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

(Across the Universe, A Million Suns, Shades of Earth)

If these books were movies, they'd be visually stunning, action-packed... Just all-around amazing.
 

Villette by Charlotte Bronte

 While I imagine this one would be difficult since a lot of the story is about Lucy's psychology (kind of like with Holden in The Catcher in the Rye), I feel like this would make a great indie film.
 

Crossing the Threshold by Amanda Dirlam and Melanie Overmyer

This would be a great teen movie. There's a perfect combinatino of happy and sad, contemporary and fantasy. But first more people need to read this book before it can ever be adapted.

The House of Night by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

(A six-film franchise which combines books.)

P.C. Cast confirmed ages ago that we could be getting a franchise... Unfortunately it seems as though this project has been neglected. Probably because a lot of people hate this series. BUT I LOVE IT AND I WANT MOVIES.
 

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

(The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dead-Tossed Waves, The Dark and Hollow Places)


Let's all think about this for a moment; These would be some freaking frightening movies. And there's certainly a market for them since a lot of people are into the whole zombie scene. Personally I'm not fond of zombies but I love these books, so there's certainly cross-over appeal. So... why the hell not?


Let me know which books you want to be adapted! If you leave the link to your Top Ten Tuesday, I'll take a peek!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Inspiring Quotes from Books

Of course, Top Ten Tuesday is a fun meme held at The Broke and the Bookish. Today, we're talking about our favorite inspirational quotes from books. For me, what a quote says is only half the reason to love it - it's also about how it's said. It's amazing how beautiful certain clusters of words can sound and what feelings a specific arrangement can evoke. Sometimes it's just the placement of a quote in context of a story. It's really the magic of reading and writing. Without further ado, here are my favorites.

 



Top Ten Inspiring Quotes from Books

“Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between. Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, and our lives. But neighbors give in return. We never put back into the tree what we took out of it: we had given him nothing, and it made me sad.”
Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

 

“Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! – I have as much soul as you – and full as much heart!”
Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre

 

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?”
J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

 

“Behind this mask there is more than just flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea… And ideas are bulletproof.”
Alan Moore, V for Vendetta

 

“All right, then, I’ll go to hell.”
Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

 

“You must try to forget all you have learned […] You must begin to dream. From this time on you must shut your ears to the roaring of the voices.”
Sherwood Anderson, Winesburg, Ohio

 

“We accept the love we think we deserve.”
Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

 

 

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot

It’s not going to get better. It’s not.”
Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

 

“The sun persists in rising, so I make myself stand.”
Suzanne Collins, Catching Fire

 

“I have never listened to anyone who criticized my taste in space travel, sideshows or gorillas. When this occurs, I pack up my dinosaurs and leave the room.”
Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing

-
 

Feel free to leave the link to your Top Ten Tuesday - I love reading through quotes!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Heroines from Books (...and Movies!)

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun bookish meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish and today bloggers were asked to compile lists of our favorite heroines from books. I decided to stick to novels for this list so I wouldn't have to get crafty and find a way to include all of the Sailor Scouts from the Sailor Moon manga by Naoko Takeuchi as there are so many and they all kick ass. Also, I decided to include some favorite movie heroines at the bottom just for fun.

 

There are so many reasons to read, and one of those reasons is for the sake of connecting with characters. Any person in the world can find themselves represented in some book somewhere, but we can also find who we strive to be. That's what the characters on this list mean to me.

 

The best heroines are strong but also acknowledge their vulnerabilities, and they come in every variety; whether it's someone like Katniss Everdeen, Linh Cinder, or Somni-451 who are revolutionaries even though they struggle with their fates; or a Bronte heroine such as Jane Eyre, Lucy Snowe, or Helen Graham, who fight for independence and happiness even though it seems that society itself would condemn them for coveting such liberation. These are women who kept going and did the right thing, whether it was for personal reasons or for the sake of doing what they believed was right for the world. They found themselves even if others wouldn't like it, and I know they've definitely helped me find myself and what I strive to be. Who knows where we'd be without having their influence in mind?

 

Top Ten Favorite Heroines from Books

Left to right: Hermione Granger as portrayed by Emma Watson, Jane Eyre as portrayed by
Mia Wasikowska, Katniss Everdeen as portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence.

1

Hermione Granger

from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

 

2

Jane Eyre

from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

 

3

Linh Cinder

from the Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer

 

4

Katniss Everdeen

from The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

 

5

Scarlet Benoit

from the Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer

Left to right: Vivian Gandillon as portrayed by Agnes Bruckner, Helen Graham as portrayed
by Tara Fitzgerald, and Somni-451 as portrayed by Doona Bae.

 6

Vivian Gandillon

from Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause

7
Helen Graham
from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
 

8

Lucy Snowe
from Villette by Charlotte Bronte
 

9

Mary

from The Forest of  Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

 

 10
Somni-451
from Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell


...And My Favorite Movie Heroines

1
Selene
portrayed by Kate Beckinsale
from Underworld

2
Pocahontas
portrayed by Irene Bedard and Judy Kuhn (singing)
from Pocahontas 

3
Mulan
portrayed by Ming-Na Wen and Lea Salonga (singing)
from Mulan

4
Elle Woods
portrayed by Reese Witherspoon
from Legally Blonde

5
Sarah
portrayed by Robin Tunney
from The Craft

*

Who are your favorite heroines?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Contemporary Books I Can't Believe I Haven't Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun bookish meme held at The Broke and the Bookish, and this week, bloggers were asked to create a list of books we can't believe we haven't read from any genre we chose, and I chose contemporary. I love contemporary. It has a way of making me feel feelings, and in result so many of the contemporaries I read become favorites. The thing is... I don't read it a lot. I don't know why, but I just don't. I guess part of the reason is that a lot of contemporaries make me cry (and I'm not fond of crying... I will wait forever to read a book if I think it'll make me cry) and I just love genres like science fiction, paranormal, and fantasy too. I read a little bit of everything, yet somehow contemporary is what I probably read the least (well, aside from non-fiction... I don't read enough non-fiction either).

 

I'll warn you all ahead of time: You will probably be shocked when you read some of the titles this list. You will probably think I live under a rock, and then question how I fit my computer under the rock to type all this. You will wonder how it is possible for a lover of young adult fiction to have not read these books. Frankly, I wonder the same things...

 

Top Ten Contemporary Books I Can't Believe I Haven't Read

1

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

2

Looking for Alaska by John Green
 

3

A Note of Madness by Tabitha Suzuma
 

4

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
 

5

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

6 & 7

Eleanor and Park & Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

8

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

9

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

10

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie


As always, feel free to let me know what you think of my list (in all of its ridiculousness) and leave me a link to your Top Ten Tuesday... perhaps there are others who apparently live under a reading rock as I do? Probably not, but we shall see. Have a great Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I'd Give a Theme Song To

I'm participating in Top Ten Tuesday today, a weekly meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish. Every week we get a topic for our lists, but once in a while we get a freebie to pick whatever topic we want. I decided to backtrack to a topic I missed a while ago that I thought would be fun and fitting for me as a music lover:

Top Ten Twelve Books I'd Give a Theme Song To

1

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath | "Asleep" by The Smiths

"Asleep" is widely known as the essential theme song to Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I do not disagree with this; "Asleep" is perfect for that book in every way. But I also think it's perfect for The Bell Jar. This song has an incredibly sad tone to it in my opinion, which matches the protagonists ongoing battle with depression, and I always believed that this song is about suicide, and the protagonist is always trying to kill herself in The Bell Jar. It's a beautifully written book and "Asleep" is a beautifully written song.

 

 

2

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan | “Powerless” by Linkin Park

Linkin Park's "Powerless" may be recognizable to book lovers as it was used in the trailer for the film adaptation of Seth Graham-Smith's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I posted the promo video that Linkin Park did for the movie, and if I'm not mistaken, it doesn't include the entire song but I wanted to post something official. I always associated this song with Carrie Ryan's Forest of Hands and Teeth follow-up The Dead-Tossed Waves because I think it really matches the conclusion. It matches a post-apocalyptic world and a love story, and The Dead-Tossed Waves appeals to both.

 

3

The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan | “Edge of the World” by Within Temptation

 Much like its predecessor The Dead-Tossed Waves, The Dark and Hollow Places appeals to both the post-apocalyptic world and a love story, except this one's a bit darker. Within Temptation's bone-chilling power ballad "Edge of the World" always struck me as a perfect theme song for this book and all the travelling. The first half is soft, distraught, but then the second half ricochets into something huge and powerful, thus reflecting all of the book's intensity.

 

4

Across the Universe by Beth Revis | “Rise with Me” by In This Moment

 Everything about "Rise with Me" screams something along the lines of "the beginning of an epic science fiction adventure" with its electronic and dark instrumentation and Maria Brink's distant, echoey vocals. It definitely captures the feel of being stuck on a spaceship, and that's exactly what Beth Revis' Across the Universe is about. It's the tension before shit hits the fan and everything's about to explode. It's Elder's curiosity.

 

5

Night by Elie Wiesel | “Willow” by Emilie Autumn (the instrumental from Laced/Unlaced)

 *Keep in mind that I only really associate the first half of "Willow" with Night... the second half is just too happy-sounding*

Both times I've read the Holocaust autobiography Night, I've wanted to hear Beethoven in my head when Juliek is dying. Not only because the piece was probably beautiful, but because it's so utterly important that a Jewish person was playing Beethoven even though they weren't allowed - it's like sticking up one's middle finger right at the Nazis. But every time I read it, I hear the first half of "Willow" repeating and repeating because it's so sad and there's something about the way that scene is written hat feels more emotional. It's always been a perfect fit in my opinion.

 

6

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell | “Introspect” by Epica

 "Introspect" is the orchestral introduction to Epica's celebratory tenth anniversary show, Retrospect. I was watching this concert DVD right as I started reading David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, and the first time I heard "Introspect," I thought it was so fitting. It captures the urgency of each storyline, for Cloud Atlas is about a series of lives intertwined throughout history due to reincarnation. It's hard to describe it... "Introspect" simply feels like Cloud Atlas.

 

7

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork | “Tomorrow” by Daughter

 Marcelo in the Real World had a perfect combination of emotions, and so does Daughter's "Tomorrow." It's a fantastic match on a musical level, if I may say so. The wonderful indie vibe of Daughter's music is great for this book in general, but I really think this is THE track for the novel. It has the summertime feel, and it seems to echo some of Marcelo's anxiety throughout with the lyrics "So don't bring tomorrow, for I already know I'll lose you."

 

 

8

The Host by Stephenie Meyer | “Towards the End” by Within Temptation

"Towards the End," which happens to be one of my favorite songs EVER MADE, matches The Host on more of a musical level than a lyrical level, for when I hear these lyrics, I think of war, but I suppose one could put enough spin on it to match The Host in a couple ways. The very beginning of the song is full of lightness with its pretty harp line, which always makes me think of Wanderer's first experiences on Earth (and even her experiences on other planets), but after about a minute of the song passes, the feel completely changes. It's dark. It's large-scale - this is when Wanderer ends up in the caves and faces new challenges.


 

9

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer | “Blindness” by Metric

Coincidentally, I started listening to Metric's music when Twilight began to really skyrocket to popularity. But apparently Stephenie Meyer was also appreciating their music because "Blindness" is in fact featured on her Short Second Life of Bree Tanner playlist on her website. She really hit the nail on the head, because this song really is perfect. Both the music and the lyrics describe a somewhat bleak accept of fate: "What it is and where it stops, nobody knows / You gave me a life I never chose."


 

10

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green | “We’re On Our Way” by Radical Face

I discovered Radical Face's wonderful music when I heard "We're on Our Way" in the trailer for The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and within the next month or so, I picked up The Fault in Our Stars. This song was in my head for nearly the entire time I read it. It's lighthearted and serious all at once, and if that doesn't describe the laugh-cry-laugh-cry effect of John Green's masterpiece, I don't know what does. I almost fell off my chair when they used this song in The Fault in Our Stars' movie trailer.


 

11

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte | “Severus and Stone” by Radical Face

 This song does not fit Wuthering Heights on a lyrical level. "Severus and Stone" is a sad song about the death of a twin brother, while Wuthering Heights doesn't deal with this specific theme (albeit that book does have a hefty dose of death though). But when I hear this song, I think of the moors. I think of Heathcliff's misery, I think of how his son would suffer, and I think of Hareton. And at the end, all I see is Lockwood looking out (I won't spoil what he's looking at) thinking (in modern terms) "Well that was a mess."

 

12

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher | “The Little Things Give You Away” by Linkin Park

 Once again, not the best of examples on a lyrical basis. "The Little Things Give You Away" is about natural disaster, but Thirteen Reasons Why deals with suicide. Like I've mentioned about every song, it just feels like Thirteen Reasons Why. Because whether there's a natural disaster or a suicide, people are bound to suffer.

So, what do you think of my choices? Do you agree/disagree with any of them? Let me know what some of your bookish theme songs would be and feel free to link my your Top Ten Tuesday freebie for the week. It'll be fun to look at various different lists this week! Have a fabulous day!

End of 2014 Book Survey

Once again, I am participating in a fabulous bookish survey held by none other than Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner. I always think her end-of-year surveys are a blast, so I'm quite happy that the tradition has been continued for 2014! Unfortunately I tend to not read as much as most book bloggers so there are quite a few repeats as some books fit into several categories. Enjoy!

2014 Reading Stats:

Number Of Books You Read: 26 (I seem to read slower than most)

Number of Re-Reads: 1 (pathetic, I know)

Genre You Read The Most From: Classics and science fiction

Best in Books:

1. Best book you read in 2014?

My complete list of the best books I read this year is right here.

2. Book you were excited about and thought you were going to love more but didn’t?

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Please don't yell at me. I was SO EXCITED to finally read it... But I just found it incredibly dispassionate. I like to feel all the feelings when I read, but that just didn't happen with this classic. I couldn't believe Elizabeth feelings for Mr. Darcy in the end. I suppose when it comes to 'soap opera' classics I'll have to stick to the Bronte sisters.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2014?

I was really surprised by how much I loved Marissa Meyer's Cinder. I didn't think I'd enjoy it nearly as much as I did - in fact, I adored it. But The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin also surprised me - I wasn't too sure what to expect before opening it, and it ended up being way more unique than I anticipated.

4. Book you “pushed” the most people to read (and they did) in 2014?

I'm not much of a book pusher... Primarily because I don't know many people who read as much as I do. But I did buy my bestie Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork for Christmas; hopefully he likes it.

5. Best series you started in 2014? Best sequel of 2014? Best series ender of 2014?

Best series started: The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer, The Changeling trilogy by Amanda Dirlam and Melanie Overmyer

Best sequel: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer, Cress by Marissa Meyer

Best series ender: Shades of Earth by Beth Revis

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2014?

Anne Bronte, David Mitchell, Marissa Meyer, and the team of Amanda Dirlam and Melanie Overmyer.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

-I usually don't read fairytale retellings, but I finally bought Cinder by Marissa Meyer - and I absolutely love her Lunar Chronicles series. These are fairytale retellings done right!

-In fact, I typically don't do retellings period, but I tried Black Spring by Alison Croggon (which is a Wuthering Heights retelling). It wasn't fantastic by any means but it wasn't bad.

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

I was gulping Marissa Meyer's Scarlet and Cress whole.

9. Book you read in 2014 that you are most likely to re-read next year?

If the next Changeling book comes out this year, I'll likely reread Crossing the Threshold to refresh my memory.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2014?

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork. It's incredibly beautiful. Black Spring by Alison Croggon takes second place; it's so creepy and awesome!

11. Most memorable character of 2014?

Oh goodness, there were so many fantastic characters... Basically everyone from the Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer, Lucy Snow and Paul Emmanuel from Villette by Charlotte Bronte, Somni-451 from Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, and Marcelo from Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2014?

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Night by Elie Wiesel, and Villette by Charlotte Bronte.

13. Most thought-provoking/life-changing book of 2014?

George Orwell's 1984 was definitely the most thought-provoking. And scary. Of course, Elie Wiesel's Night always provokes some thought and it definitely changed me the first time I read it.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2014 to finally read?

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork. That needed to happen YEARS ago.

15. Favorite passage/quote from a book you read in 2014?

"They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God."

-Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God

"To the person in the bell jar, blank and stopped as a dead baby, the world itself is the bad dream."

-Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

16. Shortest and longest book you read in 2013?

Shortest: The shortest novel I read was Night by Elie Wiesel at 120 pages, but if plays and short stories are included, I read Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Ernest at about 70 pages.

Longest: Villette by Charlotte Bronte at 559 pages. (It's actually a bit longer if you include the pages of French translations.)

17. Book that shocked you the most?

(Because of a plot twist, character death, left you hanging with your mouth wide open, etc.)

-The ending of Villette by Charlotte Bronte... Did she really just end this book like this? Yep, she did. Unconventional and genial storyteller that she is.

-Weirdly enough, finding out who exactly Wolf is in Scarlet also surprised me because it had been a while since I read Cinder and the obvious answer wasn't catching my attention. I know, I don't understand how I didn't see it coming either; it was pretty obvious.

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

(OTP = one true pairing if you aren’t familiar)

-Wolf and Scarlet from Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

-Cress and Thorne from Cress by Marissa Meyer (so cute!)

-Gilbert Markham and Helen Huntington from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte

-Annah and Catcher from The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

19. Favorite non-romantic relationship of the year?

Cinder and Thorne! (From Scarlet by Marissa Meyer.) Their contrasts are so fantastic! But I also love Cinder and Iko; they're best friends for life.

Luna and Kakeru from Sailor Moon Short Stories 2 by Naoko Takeuchi... Okay, so it may have seemed romantic from Luna's point of view, but at the end of the day, it's utterly complicated and sweet. (For those who don't know Sailor Moon, Luna is a cat and Kakeru is a human.)

20. Favorite book you read in 2014 from an author you’ve read previously?

Villette by Charlotte Bronte - I adored Jane Eyre when I read it a couple years ago and determined that I will everything by Charlotte and her sisters, and one of the books by them I was most eager to read was Villette. It's such an unconventional story even by today's standards... It's genial, really.

I was also really impressed by A Million Suns and Shades of Earth by Beth Revis. Her Across the Universe trilogy is fabulous through and through, and I suppose if I had to choose between the two, I'd pick Shades of Earth because it's so different yet so full of intensity and mystery all the same. I was really impressed by how Revis handled it.

There is a story in Naoko Takeuchi's Sailor Moon Short Stories 2 called "The Lover of Princess Kaguya," and I absolutely loved it. I've always loved it since I was little and saw the Sailor Moon Hearts in Ice movie.

21. Best book you read in 2014 that you read based SOLELY on a recommendation from somebody else/peer pressure?

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. I only read it because one of my teachers highly recommended it. I didn't know anything about it when I started reading it, and I was pleasantly surprised. It's very good.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2014?

Wolf from Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series.

23. Best 2014 debut you read?

Crossing the Threshold by Amanda Dirlam and Melanie Overmyer. This is a short self-published book which is the first in a trilogy. I really enjoyed this one; I've never read a fantasy that felt so contemporary before, and I love that. (It sort of reminds me how Annette Curtis Klause writes her paranormal romance novels to flow like contemporaries, and I love me some Annette Curtis Klause.) The characters may seem typical at face value - the nerdy, unpopular girl and the jock with a more sensitive side - but they're actually much more interesting than that. I could relate to Shea in ways I can't relate to other characters.

24. Best worldbuilding/most vivid setting you read this year?

Shades of Earth by Beth Revis. I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't read these, so I'll just have to keep my mouth shut on this one.

25. Book that put a smile on your face/was the most FUN to read?

-Scarlet by Marissa Meyer, because of all of Thorne's dialogue. And Iko is always adorable.

-My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick, because George is so adorable!

26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2014?

Night by Elie Wiesel. Again. It's a Holocaust autobiography, so it's only natural that the tears would come. And Wiesel's beautiful writing doesn't help matters much in the emotional department either.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston... Because it's just not fair. Although I acknowledge that even though it's sad, (I'm trying really hard not to spoil) it's good that a certain character was able to find what they were looking for. But it's still not fair. I actually cried a lot at the end.

Villette by Charlotte Bronte had me tearing up a smidge at the end, but I know it's not supposed to be sad. The point is that the character can let go and be independent... But this really wasn't fair either - to the point I reread the last four pages like half a dozen times before I could really believe what just happened. Charlotte Bronte, why do you play with my soul so much?

27. Hidden gem of the year?

I read quite a few "hidden gems" this year. I don't understand why more people aren't reading these - they're all fantastic books!

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork - Marcelo is a contemporary about a boy with autism who hears music in his head as he finally dives into the "real world" and realizes that it isn't all that great. The blend of feelings is just right.

Crossing the Threshold by Amanda Dirlam and Melanie Overmyer - Crossing the Threshold is the first book in these 2014 debut authors' Changeling series about two teens with a larger purpose than they realize who are pushed together by some outside force. It's basically a contemporary/fantasy... Yes, I just said a contemporary/fantasy - that in itself should be an incentive to go buy a copy and start reading!

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte - Poor Anne just gets no attention in the grand scheme of Brontemania. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is such an important feminist novel, AND it's interesting and has some of those heavy Bronte-esque emotions.

Villette by Charlotte Bronte - Charlotte is really just popular for her classic novel Jane Eyre, but Villette is also a profound piece of literature. I realize that the first half is pretty slow and it isn't initially grabbing as Jane Eyre is, but Charlotte really accomplished something here; this book is WAY ahead of its time, and it's even beyond the time we're currently in.

28. Book that crushed your soul?

For the most part, my soul is unscathed by the books I read in 2014, except for Elie Wiesel's Night. My heart was mostly what took the impact.

29. Most unique book you read in 2014?

Villette by Charlotte Bronte - Like I said, this book is beyond our time. I've never read a book with such a plot... The way it ended, the emotional note it ended on... It's not what anyone would've expected. Ever.

Crossing the Threshold by Amanda Dirlam and Melanie Overmyer - It's a fantasy that flows like a contemporary. There are a lot of Irish influences. AND I can relate to Shea in ways I haven't been able to relate to other characters. Needless to say, this book is one of a kind.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell - A series of stories intertwined because of reincarnation? Not that unique. All the stories are completely different genres and are written to suit each genre? Incredibly unique.

The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin - This story is about a mock-Egyptian society, and I've never read such a fantasy before. The concept of dreamblood and all of that other complicated stuff that I'm struggling to remember (it feels like forever since I've read it) made for a very interesting and unique story.

30. Book that made you the most mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

Keep in mind that I liked these books:

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick - Samantha's mom. 'Nuff said.

Revealed by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast - Zoey needs to get it together. But, considering the next (and final) book of this series is called Redeemed, I imagine she'll be, well, "redeemed."

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork - The way that certain characters treated Maracelo because of his autism is bound to anger anybody. The worst part is that there are people who are like this in the "real world" outside of this book.

Blogging/Bookish Life

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2014?

I discovered a couple of new book blogs, but now neither of them are active, but I did discover a couple of music blogs:

The Metal Pigeon (which, of course, is centered around metal music)

Hapfairy's World (centers around symphonic metal and female-fronted metal in general - we all know how much I love symphonic metal)

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2014?

I don't really have favorite reviews... But I suppose I'll say my review of Epica's latest album The Quantum Enigma is my favorite because of how happy I was as I was listening and writing.

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?

Probably my concerts post because it was the most fun to write. Going to concerts is one of my most favorite things I life; it's about time I shared some thoughts about my experiences.

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

I got to go to a local Q&A event in which Amanda Dirlam and Melanie Overmyer talked about their debut novel Crossing the Threshold.

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2014?

Discovering that two of my favorite former teachers (Dirlam and Overmyer, as mentioned above) wrote a book and being able to read and review the manuscript before it was released was awesome! I'm so proud of them! And I promise that the fact that I know the authors personally didn't sway my opinion on the book whatsoever. If I didn't like it, I wouldn't have praised it as highly in my review or in any of these categories.

6. Most popular post this year on your blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

Here are the top 5 by views:

1 - Tuomas Holopainen of Nightwish Releases First Solo Video: "A Lifetime of Adventure"

2 - Aftermath by Amy Lee (Review)

3 - Hydra by Within Temptation (Review)

4 - I Love Gilmore Girls

5 - Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I'm Not Sure I Want to Read

7. Post you wished got a little more love?

Some of my poor book reviews just have a lack of love, particularly Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork, The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan, and My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick.

8. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

-HALF PRICE BOOKS. It's the most amazing store that could ever happen to the bookish world. Unfortunately all the Half Price Book stores are far away from me so I always have to make a bit of a road trip. But, when I went there, I got a paperback for $4 and a hardcover that's usually $40 for $6. While I was there, I sold some books and got $8 out of it... So I got a $35 purchase for $2. You just can't beat that.

-I went to a Barnes and Nobel for the first time in my life. (Calm down, I used to go to Borders all the time and I frequent Books-A-Million. Barnes and Nobel is located farther away than where I usually shop.)

9. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

I just try to read 20 books a year or more (I know, it's low) and I did it.

Looking Ahead:

1. One book you didn’t get to in 2014 but will be your number 1 priority in 2015?

The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell. After reading my first book by him this year, I can't wait to see what Mitchell has in store! And I also really need to read Redeemed by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. And Thorne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. And - okay, I'll stop now.

2. Book you are most anticipating for 2015 (non-debut)?

All of the next Lunar Chronicles books by Marissa Meyer (Fairest and Winter) and The Last American Vampire by Seth Graham-Smith, which is a sequel to Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

3. 2015 debut you are most anticipating?

I never seem to know about debuts until they happen. (I don't get ARCs.)

4. Series ending/a sequel you are most anticipating in 2015?

I'm really anxious for the sequel to Crossing the Threshold in the Changeling series by Amanda Dirlam and Melanie Overmyer as well as Winter by Marissa Meyer.

5. One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging life in 2015?

Stay consistent with the post flow. I was SO GOOD at this year - SO GOOD, I TELL YOU, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER. But then university happened and I only posted once in October. Fail. Furthermore, I need to find balance between reading for school and reading for fun, because it just didn't happen during my first semester at the university. Like, at all.

6. A 2015 release you’ve already read and recommend to everyone:

Again, I don't get ARCs.

 

 

I hope everyone's having a great new year!