Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Book Review: TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY by Jay Asher (2007)




I actually intend to write this around last week, but because of the busy schedule (school, UGH), I ended up late with the new review and I couldn't wrap my head around that fact. I wanted to blog but school deprives me of it... ACK!


But here I am, as promised at least from my last book review, I will be posting this new one. Hope you guys enjoy it... And somehow you fall apart as I did...



(Hopefully, there won't be harsh reactions to any of my reviews... THANK YOU!!!)


I've read the book almost a month ago. It was the time of the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan/ Yolanda struck the Philippines and my province, Batangas, was put into a storm signal of 2. I was bored. There was no electricity which means there's no TV, no WIFI and no laptop to plug in. You really couldn't go out because of the weather. It's like risking your sweet, simple life.

So, I cooped myself in my room around 5 PM; when the sun was down and you couldn't really see anything. But I was really into the idea of reading the book to let it pass without turning a page and I was in a "bookish" mood , so I lit up a candle, perched it on the side table next to my bed and read away. And while the remaining hours of day turned to night, I suddenly realized that I could not put the book down, even for a sec. I was too engulfed by the story that I was not worried about the fragility of my eyes.. (I wear glasses guys...)




I've had a few share of tears (actually, buckets of it), from all the Young Adult and contemporary teenage novels I've read. Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher is one of those books that made me cry, worked it's miracles, and made me dysfunctional.





Here's my brief description of what the novel is about:

Saturday, December 14, 2013

MUSIC POD: December Playlist, TOP 10

Here's my first post for my MUSIC POD page! This post includes my current favorites for the month of December, but it could also change in the course of time. This may also include old songs that I feel like listening to during the month... Let's get started...


TOP 10:

1. PURE HEROINE by Lorde (ALBUM)

Now, if you don't know who Lorde is, then I'm completely sorry for you. She's a girl from New Zealand who writes her own music and was discovered after releasing her EP The Love Club. From then on, her career exploded. Her first single out of her debut album, PURE HEROINE, "Royals", topped the BillBoard 100 Alternative, making her the 2nd woman to take the top spot in the alternative charts after 17 years. At the age of 16, Lorde has definitely a lot to show and prove and her album does not disappoint.

Tracks:
1. Tennis Court
2. 400 Lux
3. Royals
4. Ribs
5. Buzzcut Season
6. Team
7. Glory and Gore
8. Still Sane
9. White Teeth Teens

The songs included in the album are not your typical high school girl who just felt like writing about a break up or a certain achievement. The album boasts of dark tunes and melodies that introduce the ideas of death as well as pain. Of course, it is typical to have songs about teenagers since Lorde is one but she puts twists in it, making an ordinary idea seem so much more complex. An example is "White Teeth Teens" which basically just talks about good looking individuals but actually talks about vampires (this is my opinion on it... Yours?)
"Glory and Gore" is a much darker take on a song for Lorde but that's what's so amazing of what she can do. There will be people who would not appreciate Lorde's music especially in this age of dance music but with the success of Royals, I don't think that Lorde will fail in this industry. As long as she works hard for it, I don't see any reason for her to lose to any big guns.

Here's her biggest hit out of PURE HEROINE: ROYALS: 




2. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Original Movie Soundtrack by Various Artists (ALBUM)

Fans of The Hunger Games series delved into the world of Catching Fire as it premiered worldwide on November 21/22, 2013 in all cinemas. I love movie soundtracks. I really do. It allows you to hear so many new artists that you've never heard of or at least tried to listen to more of their songs. While watching Catching Fire, I was also attentive enough to listen to a bit of music playing in the background, maybe get an idea of what exactly was playing or what I would be hearing from the soundtrack. I only had the chance to hear "We Remain" by Christina Aguilera and "Atlas" by Coldplay, so getting to hear the soundtrack was something I looked forward to after watching the movie. OH YEAH, the movie was on FIIIIAAAAAHHH! HAHA!

Well, the songs in the album did not disappoint. I loved every single one of them! "We Remain" was an instant favorite and "Gale Song" by The Lumineers, though I did not entirely approved of the title, once heard, I cried over it. It's that good! And "Shooting Arrows at The Sky" by Santigold is my jam! I love this album so much!!!

Here are five songs from the album for you to listen to. Download your own copy now on iTunes.




3. Story Of My Life by One Direction (SONG)

I already have the Midnight Memories album of One Direction. It's actually pretty good. But there's just this one song that speaks to me every time. I dunno. I'm not a guy though to be so emphatic with the situation of the guy in the story. But I guess in a way, the idea of being able to keep something got to me. Plus the music video helped.

I like the lyrics to the song. It reminds you of Gotta Be You from their album Up All Night though a lot more mature. The song also caters all the voices of the boys. I actually find it a problem sometime in their boy band that at most times, only Zayn, Harry and Liam would sing like CRAZY! HEEELLLLOOOO! Niall and Louis are there too! And they have good voices to boot. So it's great that I actually got to hear more of them in the song and also the album!

Anyway, yeah. It talks to me, really, like in my sleep and that's why I keep on playing it. It hurts but it's a feel good song.

Here's the song. Credits to beatricef for this clip...



4. Yours Truly by Ariana Grande (ALBUM)

I saw a baby grow so fast! Ariana Grande may be older of a few months from me, but because of her character as Cat Valentine in Victorious and Sam and Cat, I just couldn't grasp how fast she's becoming a superstar. Her debut album, YOURS TRULY made hits on the BillBoard 100 and on iTunes. He first single in the album, "The Way" featuring Mac Miller, garnered her 1 million copies sold, making it a platinum record.

The thing about Yours Truly is that you couldn't actually tell if it's actually Ariana Grande. What I mean is that her voice could actually be that serious. Coz she always plays this crazy little Cat Valentine with the high pitched voice on TV that it's hard to imagine her singing about heartbreak or love. But she makes it all work. And I love her for that.

The whole albums sings of love and fun which depicts Ariana's character and personality so perfectly. I actually listen to this album on repeat sometimes just to savor each song. And the "whistle" register to her voice is something to be envious about! Like a young Mariah Carey in the making only much sweeter and cuter...HAHA!

My favorites from the album would have to be "Honeymoon Avenue", "Daydreaming", "Almost is Never Enough" and "Popular Song" featuring MIKA. But I guarantee that every song in this album is worth your headphones stuck to your ears all day just listening to the miracle of Ariana's voice.

Listen to YOURS TRULY here:

YO! T'WAS MY BIRTHDAY! THANK YOU!




Happy December misfits! I know I haven't been around lately coz of school! I'm sorry! But thank you to all those who still view my posts! ME LOVES YOU!

Anyway, if a few of you know, I celebrated my birthday a few weeks ago, November 27 and I officially turned 20... (OH GOD! I keep reminding myself! WRINKLES! ACK!) But even with the numbers rolling in, I must say that my 20th is one of the most amazing birthdays evaaaah!

So before the actual date of my birthday, I went on Twitter to stalk a few people that I love from AUTHORS, TV personalities, musicians, and of course, one of the best ones yet, RYAN HIGA... *warm and fuzzy feeling seeping through*



So imma insert some print screens of these fantabulous tweets. Please be minded of the tweets I sent them just so that they'd actually reply back... Blackmail inducer right here. LOL!

AUTHORS (These will be included in the BOOK NERD page of the blog) :


This one is from Kiera Cass, author of The Selection Trilogy. Go check that out! I flipped a bit coz of this... She's also a huge One Direction fan! Directioners there who read this, go follow her on Twitter.


Rainbow Rowell is one of my favorites though I haven't actually read all her books. She's just so sweet! I wish you saw the emoticons. But t'was too late. Anyway, those are hearts! :) She also favorites and retweets my tweets. She replies a lot too! You gotta love her! <3
Rainbow Rowell is the author of the New York Times Best Seller books, Attachments, Eleanor and Park and FANGIRL


Jay Asher is a recent favorite though he's been an author for a while now. He's the author of Th1rt3en Reasons Why (which I will review on. This will be updated) as well as The Future of Us with  Carolyn Mackler. He's been an amazing guy to talk to, even though they were short... I look forward to his new book! :)


And of course, the very first person I actually stalked on Twitter for a birthday reply greet! Meet Mr. Neil Gaiman. He's the author of many best sellers such as The Graveyard Book, Anansi Boys, Stardust, Coraline, Good Omens, American Gods and he's most recent success, The Ocean at the End of The Lane, which I'll also review on soon! :)
He's such a fantastic character and he's so funny! Go follow him!


Well, that's it for authors. The next ones that I bombarded with tweets to reply to me are famous TV personalities. :)
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...