Music Monday 01/10/2018

of course, the way that i break my hiatus is by telling you what music i have been listening to during this time of hibernation. i hope you enjoy! (and tune in for the next blog post – i’ll explain my absences.)

I Don’t Lack Imagination // EˆST • this song is definitely blasted when i’m angry. and it’s the best way to get your emotions out with a catchy beat and melody. EˆST is definitely one to watch.

i don’t lack imagination to my own goddamn frustration …

Go Fuck Yourself // Two Feet • i heard this song in ‘Atypical’ (gah i love that show!!) and holy smokes!! that beat drop gets me every time. it’s a sultry piece of music!

play these little games …

Chicago // sufjan stevens • let’s be honest here: sufjan stevens is an angel that has been sent to grace us with his beautiful music. this song is one of his older ones (and quite a different one from others on his ‘carrie and lowell’ album!). i definitely recommend checking out this album. the amazing song titles are just the beginning!

i’ve made a lot of mistakes …

Soul Lay Open // Terence Ryan • ooft that chorus is the most catchy chorus that i have heard this week. i can’t get it out of my head!

threw pennies in the whole time I was growing up …

whisper // serpentwithfeet • i found this artist just a couple of days ago and i fell in love. his unique voice paired with orchestral music makes the most interesting sound. it’s even better if you use headphones. ‘whisper’ itself is a brooding song which creeps upon you from its inception.

I Feel Like I’m Drowning // Two Feet • you can definitely find the on-brand guitar riffs and beat drops in this song. yes, it’s two songs from the same band in the same post. but, damn. their songs are so sultry and enchanting.

you’re a poison and i know that is the truth …

invoice // serpentwithfeet • yep-a-doodle-dee! another song from this artist. ‘invoice’ begins with josiah wise’s classic vibrato voice and comes together with an amazing beat drop. please listen to this one.

whatever makes you cold …

Big God // Florence + The Machine • okay, any song with florence welsh is going be the best. ooft, i can’t get over the beat and the haunting guitar playing in the background below florence’s unique voice.

jesus christ it hurts …

Me and The Devil // Soap&Skin • if you’re not listening carefully, you would confuse this song with something from florence + the machine. anja plaschg creates a dark, soul-stirring sound in this song. the string instruments with their incessant playing of the same notes echoes throughout the song.

hello satan, i believe that it’s time to go. me and the devil, walking side by side …

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what have you been up to while i was away?

 

Shadowhunters: A Door Into the Dark

Season 2, Episode 2 

Promo 2×02 “A Door Into the Dark”

Rating:

This episode begins with Jace and Valentine returning to the ship after escaping a risky situation where Jocelyn tried to kill Jace.

This fuels anger between all of the characters especially Clary and Jocelyn, who reveals that Jace has demon blood in him and shows a scene where Jace is a baby and turns the flowers all black.

Everyone says that Valentine is the monster but you—you just tried to murder your own son! 

Victor Aldertree is continuing to stir things around at the Institute and I still feel something shady about him. We’ll see in the coming episodes.

Now, Valentine is beginning to build his army, going to fight clubs to find the best and strongest. I love how Alec and Izzy’s relationship are shown in these scenes. I enjoyed their fighting scene very much. So badass!

This episode is the time when Clary is beginning to question her role as a Shadowhunter. She feels unwanted, Alec fuels this feeling even more, and wants to return to the way things were before—when she was a mundane. This causes her to ignore everyone around her and try to become human again, returning to painting and blocking the world away. However, she gets sucked into Valentine’s trap by seeing that Dot is alive and trusting her!

At the same time, Simon is trying to find Camille after Raphael (yes!) talked to him. Simon enlists the help of Magnus and they travel all the way to India (how convenient is portal travel?) to find her. In this scene, I began to view how Harry Shum Jr plays the role of Magnus. Don’t get me wrong, Matthew Daddario and Harry Shum Jr are probably the best at depicting their characters, but in this part with Simon, I felt the acting to be a little forced. I love Harry Shum Jr and how he plays him, but I really didn’t connect with Magnus this time around. Maybe I’m a bit too harsh? I know it’ll definitely get better as the episodes go by and I’ll begin to loosen up!

Jocelyn and Luke are trying to find Clary after being taken, and after some deliberation, the only way they can track her down is to use Alec and his parabatai bond with Jace as they think Clary is with Jace. Luke uses an adamas stone made by the Iron Sisters (Lisa Berry will be playing Sister Cleophas in the show. Instead of taking the role of Luke’s mother, Sister Cleophas will now be Luke’s sister) with a parabatai rune marked on it and they gather Alec to start tracking Jace and Clary. They are aware of the consequences which can end badly for Alec, but begin despite some trepidation.

Alec is able to find Clary and Jace, but he suffers a lot and the adamas is beginning to hurt him. My heart was beating incredibly fast at this time! MY POOR ALEC! The pain transpires to Jace who is trying to escape off the ship with Clary. This slows them down and they are incredibly close to being killed. It’s now that Dot opens a portal for them to escape to, risking her life which results in her later being killed.

This episode was good and the tension was at an all time high! I’m so pumped for episode three when Maia makes her appearance.

Catch my next review tomorrow!

Shadowhunters: This Guilty Blood

Season 2 is finally upon us! If you’re new to the Shadowhunters fandom or you still haven’t caught a glimpse of season 2 catch the trailers down below:

Shadowhunters Season 1 Trailer

Shadowhunters Season 2 Trailer

Rating: 🎥🎥🎥🎥 (4 video cameras!)

Season two is definitely proving to be a step-up from the first season. The props are better, the makeup (in terms of the runes) are how we all wanted, the relationships are all developed, the drama and tension is rising, and the characters are more three-dimensional.

Of course, I was super stoked to finally watch This Guilty Blood. After a year of waiting, after the cliffhanger of Jace leaving with Valentine, I was eager to know more. I think the first episode definitely made the wait worth it.

To start off with, the new intro to the show is so much better. The original theme song “This is the Hunt” by Ruelle is the same, but everything else is different and I like it a lot more.

The episode picks up moments after the end of season one. We see Jace and Valentine on the infamous ship that will be a place for many more scenes to come throughout the season. Just as you think Clary has arrived to rescue Jace and they’re about to return to the Institute, we see Valentine who Jace later kills. Actually, Valentine has been using shape-shifters and isn’t really dead. And Clary, well she’s not really there. Valentine shape-shifted into her to test Jace’s loyalty. And Alec! he’s so heartbroken and confused about Jace’s departure and he’s pushing everyone away (especially Magnus) and I feel sorry for him.

The relationship between Jocelyn and Clary feels somewhat strained to me, and maybe it’s because I really want them to sit down and tell each other everything. Jocelyn, especially what with everything about Jonathan. Jace found out that he has demon blood, but is that really true? You’ll just have to wait and find out … I can’t stand not having Sebastian on screen yet!

Victor Aldertree. Nick Sagar plays this character really well! He is handsome but there is something about Aldertree that has us all suspicious. Also, #Climon. I never really used to ship Simon and Clary in the books, though I did feel sorry for him, but in the show it’s so cute how much Simon likes Clary and how he was so close to telling her how he felt about her! I can’t wait until #Sizzy.

The soundtrack for season two is already proving to be the best. I loved the music in season one and now it’s even better. Like everyone knows, music conveys emotions to the viewer so they definitely made the right choice with the music score.

Sometimes with adaptions from books, I can get really picky at how certain aspects of the show or movie are conveyed. This can sometimes make the cliffhangers hardly cliffs at all, more like pebbles because I’ve been expecting it from the show. While everyone else who has not read the books is freaking out about the whole Jace-is-my-brother-and-Valentine-is-my-father situation, I’m over here thinking about the whole They-think-Jace-is-Jonathan-and-they-have-it-all-wrong-and-I’m-desperately-waiting-for-Sebastian-to-arrive situation. (By the way, Sebastian has been cast according to Cassandra Clare, we’re just waiting to find out who it is!)

So, all in all, season two is already so much better! Having the characters now more developed and comfortable in their positions and roles stands out and makes this show much better than how it was before.

Catch my next review later!

New Year, New Me, New Content

2017! That fantastic magical number that by December of last year we desperately wanted to come faster! Well, finally, here we are!

Often at the beginning of the new year, people set resolutions that they would like to accomplish throughout the twelve months of the year. Instead, I decided to set goals for the year. Here they are:

• Post more // Especially on this blog! I want to keep everyone up-to-date and entertained.
• Practice taking photos of books // I see all of these bookstagrams and turn green in envy—they’re so good!
• Exercise more // I want to start becoming healthier throughout this year and already have a few ideas up my sleeve.
• Read as many books as possible // Last year, I read a meagre amount of 25 which is less than half the amount of books I read the year before. This year, I definitely have my sights set.

Let’s see if I can tackle these. I’ll keep everyone posted!

As you can see from the title, I’m going to be posting new content on my blog. I have other interests that definitely tie in with books and I’m going to be incorporating that on my blog. For example, Shadowhunters season 2 came out and each week I’ll be posting my review on the recent episode. I will be posting more movie reviews as I did in the past and I want to take you around with me on all the little DIY projects I do.

Also, I wanted to say thank you for supporting me yet another year! We’re so close to celebrating our TWO years on this blog! x

Let’s tackle this year! Just 11 and a half months to go!

In a One Horse Open Sleigh

Christmas is in five days!? Whaaaaaat!? 2016 has flown by sooooo fast! I thought to tell you all what I want for Christmas, all the little bits and pieces that I wouldn’t mind having for 2017. Mind you, there is A LOT of books, but that’s to be expected, right?

• A scrapbook // I’ve had this idea for months! Maybe it’ll inspire you! But I want to get an A4 scrapbook so that next year I can use it to stick pictures in it of anything that is happening throughout 2017. I’ve never been good at keeping a diary, so I’m hoping by being able to use pictures and a small amount of words, I’ll be able to keep track over the year!
• Speakers // As you know, I LOVE music, who doesn’t? But unfortunately blasting music from my phone is just not the best. I’ve tried to make my own speakers but they were terrible and were later thrown out by my mum who thought it was rubbish L . Anyhow, speakers have been on my mind for while … I NEED THEM!
• Books, books, books … and more books // So I specifically asked for The Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling, Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and It Gets Worse: A Collection of Essays by Shane Dawson, but I wouldn’t mind a few more!

Merry Christmas! What do you want this year? Comment it down below!

12 Days of Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! As per last year, I will once again be doing a twelve days of Christmas whether this be about fashion, make up, decorations and presents!

You can find the links from last year’s Christmas here:

1st day: https://thebooktypegal.wordpress.com/2015/12/12/on-the-first-day-of-christmas/
2nd day: https://thebooktypegal.wordpress.com/2015/12/14/on-the-second-day-of-christmas/
3rd day: https://thebooktypegal.wordpress.com/2015/12/14/on-the-second-day-of-christmas/
4th day: https://thebooktypegal.wordpress.com/2015/12/16/on-the-fourth-day-of-christmas/
5th day: https://thebooktypegal.wordpress.com/2015/12/17/on-the-fifth-day-of-christmas/
6th day: https://thebooktypegal.wordpress.com/2015/12/18/on-the-sixth-day-of-christmas/
7th day: https://thebooktypegal.wordpress.com/2015/12/19/on-the-seventh-day-of-christmas/
8th day: https://thebooktypegal.wordpress.com/2015/12/21/on-the-eighth-day-of-christmas/
9th day: https://thebooktypegal.wordpress.com/2015/12/21/on-the-ninth-day-of-christmas/
10th day: https://thebooktypegal.wordpress.com/2015/12/23/on-the-tenth-day-of-christmas/
11th day: https://thebooktypegal.wordpress.com/2015/12/24/on-the-eleventh-day-of-christmas/
12th day: https://thebooktypegal.wordpress.com/2015/12/30/my-true-love-gave-to-me/

Enjoy! I will be beginning it tomorrow!

Interview: Lili Wilkinson!

Surprise! We have an interview with fantastic Australian author Lili Wilkinson! You’ll love her answers—they’re absolutely hilarious!
Lili Wilkinson has written a ton of books (ten award-winning to be exact!) such as Green Valentine, Scatterheart, Angel Fish and recently released her book The Boudless Sublime, all about cults. Interested? Then read on!

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What could your personality be described as?

Bossy. Opinionated. Overachieving. Messy.

At what age did you realise you had a passion for writing? 

As long as I’ve been able to read. For me, reading has always been like breathing in, and writing is breathing out. They’re such a part of me I can’t imagine doing anything else.

Where do your inspirations for books come from?

EVERYWHERE. The Boundless Sublime was born from my obsession with cults and new religious movements. I read a book called Going Clear by Lawrence Wright, about Scientology, that really kicked things off for me. 

What is the Boundless Sublime about?

It’s about a girl called Ruby who is vulnerable and broken after a tragedy tears her family apart. She meets a boy called Fox who she has an instant connection with. He seems wise and soulful, but he’s also strangle naive – he’s never been to school or handled money. He belongs to a community called the Institute of the Boundless Sublime, led by an enigmatic man called Zosimon, who everyone calls Daddy. Ruby is a bit sceptical about it all at first, but slowly she gets sucked in, and then it’s too late to leave.

You created a seven part YouTube series about cults called “Lets Talk About Sects”. What started your fascination with cults and new religious movements? 

I grew up in a non-religious household, but my extended family contains Scientologists, fundamentalist Christians and followers of Guru Maharaj Ji. I’ve always felt like a bit of an outsider looking in, when it comes to religion. I’m fascinated by the idea of belief and how it can be used as a tool to manipulate people.

Describe the Boundless Sublime in three words. 

Cults are bad.

How does the whole publishing process work? 

It’s different for different people and publishers, but for me: I meet with my publisher and we have a conversation about what I’m going to write next. I then go away and write a proposal – usually a synopsis and the first two chapters. After that I get offered a contract, and I go away and write the first draft, which takes 6-9 months. Then it goes through a period of revision. Several people read different versions – my editor of course, as well as people from my writers group and other writers whose feedback I value highly. The book gets reworked and refined through levels of editing – big structural stuff early on, through copyediting which is more finicky, and finally typesetting and proofreading at the end. Then it gets sent to the printer and becomes a real book!

Where do you see yourself in the future?

Hopefully doing this! Writing books, and being excited that people are reading and enjoying them.

If you would like to see more of her, catch her on her Twitter, Instagram and Facebook! Visit her website here: http://www.liliwilkinson.com.au/

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Hey guys!

I’m trying to follow up on these book reviews! A quick reminder to check out my previous post to see if you won my competition. I’ve linked the people so you can check out their gorgeous websites.

Summary:

A mysterious island.
An abandoned orphanage.
A strange collection of curious photographs.
A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.
As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for a good reason. And somehow – impossible though it seems – they may still be alive.
A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

Rating: 

I received this book for Christmas and I was super excited (not just because it came with a collectible postcard) but I was scouring for this book for so damn long!

And now I have it in my hands.

So abandoning the books I was still reading, after I finished I Hate Myselfie by Shane Dawson, I decided to begin reading Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Initial reaction at the beginning: SCARED TO MY BONES BECAUSE OF THOSE PHOTOGRAPHS!

The writing is incredible! Descriptions are so in-depth and create such great images in your head. I’m in awe of the writing style – kudos to Ransom Riggs! This being said, the world-building was truly magnificent. An encyclopaedia of Peculiardom could be published yet that still wouldn’t cover other aspects of the settings Riggs has created.

Now focusing back on a recent statement: why was I scared of those images? 1. They’re black and white – old photos with deep and scary meanings. 2. The people in the photos looked like they wanted to murder somebody and clearly I wasn’t up to that. 3. They all had special powers and it creeped me out how the powers were depicted in the images.
But, as I went further into the story, I began to enjoy the photos. They’re unique and really well done. It’s also something to look forward to, a break, after so much reading. And really, it just makes the story more special and memorable.

When characters are given a superpower it’s the usual: flying, invisibility, fire and more. And yes, some characters such as Emma Bloom, Millard Nullings and Olive Elephanta have these powers but, let’s face it, they also have some special characteristics to them.
The other peculiars such as Enoch O’Connor, Claire Densmore, Jacob Portman and Hugh Apiston have powers I haven’t heard of such as bees living in the stomach! So what I’m trying to say, Ransom Riggs gave something no one is expecting and it’s not another fantasy novel that is too cliché to even begin.

The plot was interesting and chilling, and although there were no MAJOR plot twists, I did receive a couple of surprises! However, there was a character in the story who is a “bird watcher” and whom Jacob’s father despises and looks like a Hobo Santa that confused me. I felt there wasn’t a clear indication to who he really is at the end though I had my perks about him but I still had to end up searching the internet to find out. Either it was mentioned and I didn’t pay attention or no one really gave a clear statement that Hobo Santa Bird Watcher was actually … (SPOILER AHEAD) Dr Golan.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and have been doing so that I’ve flown through the series and I’m currently reading the last book. It is a unique, exceptionally written book that I’m so excited to see as a movie in December (BRING IT ON!) P.S. It already looks amazing and sounds amazing because my beautiful, sweet, lovely, handsome, cute, baby ASA BUTTERFIELD is playing Jacob Portman!

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Stay crazy! xx

 Ransom Riggs is an American writer and filmmaker best known for the book Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.