Aianarie's Book of the Month: July

This month I had the very difficult task of choosing between two books that I absolutely loved, both of which deserve complete recognition. These two books were Stolen by Lucy Christopher and Linger by Maggie Stiefvater. These books blew my mind in storyline, substance, style, characters, and both had memorable endings. For my July Book of the Month, however, Linger slipped ahead.

First off I’ll mention that I picked up the recommendation of Stolen from Maggie Stiefvater, so yeah. I owe her that. It was a fantastic story. You can read my review of Stolen at my Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3683656

Although it definitely helps, I don’t think you have to have read Shiver to enjoy Linger, but I recommend reading Shiver if you haven’t. One of the best books I’ve ever read, way up there with Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings on my list of favorites.

If you have read Shiver, you will find that Linger is an excellent sequel. Like the first book, it is lyrical, subtle; with metaphors of beauty only capable by Stiefvater. Characteristically, the humor is delightful, and of course, the romance is near flawless. Sam and Grace are definitely my favorite book couple.

An interesting aspect of this book is the addition of Isabel and Cole as first-person characters. That makes four speakers, which adds interesting depth to the story. It may sound confusing to some, but Maggie has done an excellent job of writing from the perspectives of four very different teenagers, and I didn’t find it difficult to follow along (like some people complained about in Shiver).

The ending leaves you breathless, heartbroken, and anxious about the third book, Forever (coming next summer!). That book is going to blow my mind. I can feel it.

Linger is pure and beautiful; full of hope and promise, like a flower growing out of melting snow.

Five stars.

What I've been listening to...♫

I like to listen to new artists, so I’ve heard a lot of…interesting stuff. But sometimes, probably more often than I think, I stumble upon some real talent. Lately I've really been into the whole pop-punk thing. Bouncy stuff. I hope you enjoy my muscial randomness today.

And lately I’ve had this one song stuck in my head by a budding electropop star. I heard Love Like Woe by a one-man band called The Ready Set; this song is totally awesome. Maybe I’m just weird, but I freakin’ love this song. It’s fun, shiver-inducing pop that is reminiscent of Owl City (another one-man electronica band that I happen to adore) with a touch more attitude.

Check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh6Oz-L156c/ (NOTE: the vid’s weird-o-ness level is pretty high, but hey; focus on the big picture here, AKA: Jordan)

The Ready Set has a handful of other catchy tunes on his new album: I’m Alive, I’m Dreaming, including Spinnin’, Stays Four the Same, Limits, and more. He definitely catches the Owl City vibe with titles like Atmosfears and Melody’s Song.

Plus, Jordan’s a hottie, so yeah. Maybe I’ll marry him someday.

How could I say no?

~*~

AND HERE'S SOME MORE POP-PUNK!

I’d also like to introduce another breakout band that I’m currently enjoying, Stereo Skyline. You can visit their fansite here:

http://stereoskylinefansite.blogspot.com/

Their CD is called Stuck On Repeat. Songs include A Little More Us, Heartbeat, and Tongue Tied. I saw the video for “Tongue Tied”, and wowzers—music vids these days are weeeeeeeird. Brian Maddox is totally hot though. I’m finding it hard to choose a favorite between him and Jordan (above). Ha ha ha…

You can see the video for "Tongue Tied" here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxN4cnyqqe4/


~*~

And finally, here's this week's playlist:

ASHLEY'S PLAYLIST 8/5/10

1. There For You – Flyleaf
2. So I Thought – Flyleaf
3. Love Like Woe – The Ready Set
4. Monsoon (Gateway Version) – Tokio Hotel
5. Tongue Tied – Stereo Skyline
6. Valentine’s Day – Linkin Park
7. Save You – Kelly Clarkson
8. Like We Used To – Rocket to the Moon
9. Through Glass – Stone Sour
10. Collide – Howie Day
11. Queen Bee – Nickasaur!
12. Heaven Can Wait – We the Kings
13. Teenage Dream – Katy Perry
14. Never Alone – Barlowgirl
15. Hanging By A Moment – Lifehouse
16. Touchin’ On My – 3OH!3
17. The Truth – Kris Allen
18. The Only Exception – Paramore
19. Somewhere I Belong – Linkin Park
20. Leave Out All The Rest – Linkin Park

~*~

That was fun! Maybe I'll do this again sometime! ;)

P.S. If I've hurt your brain, I am immensely sorry.

Hmm, boredom. (Oh, and OTHERKIND coverart...)

I usually like to post every week, but I haven't found anything interesting to blog about as of recent. Or maybe I'm just too lazy to put something together. That's a complete possibility too.

I've been reading a lot, writing a lot. Driving myself insane trying to finish writing my first book. Oh, that reminds me, I put this together last week:

Ta-da! It's some random coverart for my book. Made it myself, using Photoshop CS3. I gotta admit, it looks pretty spiffy. Thank you to JELLYKA NEREVAN for the awesome fonts. :) I have every single "Jellyka" font and I love 'em. You can visit her at http://www.cuttyfruty.com/ She has some pretty cool stuff.

I think I'll post about music later this week, I'm itchin to babble about some recent pop singers that I've fallen in love with (more with the singer and not the music though, har har). AND, I'll have the review for my Book of the Month: July next week.

Ciao!