Bookin' It Around the Web (5)

In Bookin' It Round the Web  I've found some interesting articles or fun posts that I've found while on my daily internet adventures.  Feel free to do this over on your blogs, and leave me links to any cool articles or posts in the comments!

• Oooooh, listen up!  Booktubers are pairing up with some of the hottest YA authors out there for a brand new anthology, called Because You Love to Hate Me, that will focus solely on villains!  Super excited to read this one!
  
  
• This list of 8 reasons why people buy books pretty much hits like all my reasons for buying books at one point or another within my life.
  
  
• Libraries are still an important part of the community, and in this growing digital age, here are some ways libraries are staying relevant and the go-to for all people.
  
  
• For all of us who weren't able to go to Yallwest, check out this photo wrap-up from Publishers Weekley.
  
  
• I am currently watching the documentary Twinsters on Freeform, and it is fascinating.  Very The Parent Trap-esque, two girls discover they are twins separated at birth.
  
  
• If you are a Beyoncé fan and you fell in love with Lemonade, then you have to check out the LibGuide so you can understand all the connections between the poetry, historical figures, and cultural references riddled throughout.  This elevates this masterpiece even more!
  
  
• The American Library Association just released their annual State of America's Libraries report.

Got any great links to share?

Tweet

September Recommendations!

Where I talk about the books, movies, tv, music, and little extras 

that I was loving in September and recommend to all of you!

Let me know your recommendations in the comments!

-----

Books!

Ashes by Ilsa Bick

Flesh and Bone by Jonathan Maberry

Movies!

ParaNorman

The Bourne Legacy

Tv!

The New Normal

Revolution

Music!

Ho Hey - The Lumineers

Home - Phillip Phillips

Etc!

For Audrey - China Glaze

Almost Famous - Color Club

Mustache - This one is different from mine but I want it!

Paris Amour - Bath & Body Works Candle

---------------

Song: Incoherent by Josh Woodward

Check out the full length versions: http://bit.ly/tGneIs

---------------

FTC Disclaimer:

All the items shown I have either bought or gotten as a gift.  None of the companies/producers/brands mentioned are paying me for this video or even know their items may be shown.  All opinions are my own and this is a 100% non-sponsored video.

Tweet

The Straight Road to Kylie (Review)

Title: The Straight Road to Kylie

Author(s): Nico Medina

Edition: Paperback, 320 pages

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: May 22, 2007

Source: Bought from Borders

Buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

The Summary

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Life is fabulous for Jonathan Parish.
He's seventeen, out and proud, and ready to party through senior year with his posse of best girlfriends. But the year starts off with the wrong kind of bang when Jonathan -- in an inebriated lapse of judgment -- sleeps with a friend of his... A girlfriend!
When word gets around that hot-but-previously-unavailable Jonathan might be on the market, the school's 'it' girl approaches him with a proposal: pretend to be her boyfriend, and achieve popularity like he's never known. But popularity isn't what Jonathan wants. And suddenly, going back into the closet becomes Jonathan's only way to get what he's after -- a trip to see Kylie Minogue.

(Goodreads)

My Opinion

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I picked this book up way back last year when all the Boarders were closing.  It looked funny and cute, so I figured, why not?  It wasn't funny and cut;, it was hilarious, adorable, and thought-provoking!  Totally exceeding my expectations, The Straight Road to Kylie by Nico Medina is a needed addition to your collection!

This sparkly story follows the journey of Jonathan Parish as he works to win tickets to see Kylie Minogue in concert.  There's just one catch: he has to go back in the closet, and come out a straight boy!  This is a hard task for an out and proud guy like Jonathan, but when the chance of a life time hangs in the balance he'll do anything!

While characters usually capture my attention first in books, this time it was the setting that hooked me in.  The story takes place in Orlando, FL, a city only an hour away from where I grew up.  I love books that take place in FL, as there aren't many, and especially ones where I know the city personally!  Every time a restaurant or street got mentioned I knew exactly where it was.  For me, it gave the book so much more life, and I kind of want to do a book road trip to see all the sites!

But characters were still a strong part of the story.  I adored Jonathan.  He was really funny and really dramatic, so much so that I laughed through the whole book.  He reminded me so much of my friend Jayson it was uncanny!  His obsession with Kylie Minogue, the hung-over work days at Target, even the crazy cliques of high school, everything about his life Jonathan navigates with pizzazz.  My other favorite character was Carrie, one of Jonathan's best friends.  She is sassy, smart, and one of the few bisexual characters I've seen in YA fiction.  While Jonathan goes through some hard times, Carrie is always there for him.  Great friendships like this always make books better for me!

Reading some reviews I saw the terms vapid and shallow, along with unrealistic thrown around.  I'm not trying to negate anyone's opinion, but it seems to me that these reviewers never experienced high school the way I did, which was very close to Jonathan's and his friends' experience.  Teenagers can be vapid and shallow, but they can also be fiercely loyal and caring, two traits also in the book.  Other reviews had issue with the underage drinking, but whether you agree with it or not, that is often a reality of teen life.  The fact is they were safe about it, and let's face it, when the parents are away the kids will play.  If Medina had tempered his portrayal of this aspect of teen life, or even wrote a huge anti-drinking part, I think the story would have felt less authentic.

I really enjoyed the book!  There were a couple of issues with dialogue tags that would throw me, but nothing that ruined the story.  Ultimately, The Straight Road to Kylie by Nico Medina is a fun, fast read with great GLBT characters!  Orlando gave a great background to the story, and each character added flavor.  I recommend you add this to your summer TBR list!

Extras
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Listen to some of Kylie Minogue's amazing songs!

Final Rating

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Book Cover: 4/5
Book Title: 5/5
Plot: 8.5/10
Characters: 9/10
Writing: 8.5/10
Ending: 8.5/10
Overall: 43.5/50: B+

Tweet

May Recommendations

My monthly recommendations of books, movies, tv, music, and misc. that I've been loving!

Goodreads:

Bittersweet

S.A.S.S. series

Movies IMDb:

The Avengers

Battleship

Television IMDb:

Community

Teen Wolf

iTunes Pages:

Back in Time by Pitbull

It's Time by Imagine Dragons

Love Interruption by Jack White

Etc:

Twistbands

Ramune Soda

Tweet

April Recommendations!

Here are my recommendations for books, movies, tv, music, and etc 

for the month of April.  

If you want to participate, leave a link to your post in the comments!

--------------
Books Goodreads:
Pink Smog by Francesca Lia Block
The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze - My Review 
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

Movies IMDb:
Iron Man
Iron Man 2 
The Incredible Hulk 
Thor
Captain America: The First Avenger

Television IMDb:
2 Broke Girls
Million Dollar Listing NY

Music iTunes:
Everybody Talks by Neon Trees
Some Nights by Fun. 
Payphone by Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Kalifa

Etc Links:
Minnie Mouse Ears
Yes to Blueberries Facial Towelettes
Nail Polish Palettes (ummm get some plastic?)
Scarf (From The Avenue, but out of season)

FTC Disclaimer:
All the items shown I have either bought or gotten as a gift. None of the companies/producers/brands mentioned are paying me for this video or even know their items may be shown. All opinions are my own and this is a 100% non-sponsored video.

Tweet

March Recommendations

I thought I'd start doing a recommendation video at the end of each month.
I know I like watching other rec. videos, so I hope you all enjoy this one!
Let me now any recommendations you have in the comments!

Tweet

Follow Friday (15)

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee at Parajunkee's View and Alison at Alison Can Read.  It is an awesome opportunity to network other book blogs.  

Welcome to Follow Friday! Let me tell you what is going on today.

• First Parajunkee & Alison will be featuring one blogger from this great community each Friday along with having the Follow My Book Blog feature. 

• Each week one blogger will be selected as a feature, so sign up for the Follow Feature. Future features are picked randomly.

This week's question is: Many readers/bloggers are also big music fans. Tell us about a few of your favorite bands/singers that we should listen to in 2012.

This is an awesome question, as I really love music. 

I'm going to try and pick things that I really enjoy and I hope that you will as well!

Drumming Song - Florence and the Machine

Saskia Hamilton - Ben Folds with Nick Hornby

Galaxies - Owl City

Safe & Sound - Taylor Swift with The Civil Wars

I hope you all enjoy the music!

Tweet

Harry Potter Extravanganza: Day 9 Part 1!

If you guys can think ALL the way back to Sunday July 3, you'll remember I posted an awesome post (in my humble opinion...yeah humble) all about an AWESOME wrock band, The Ministry of Magic.  In the world of wrock, however, these guys are youngins.  If you look back at the history of wrock there is one band which is the granddaddy of all: Harry and the Potters.

Harry and the Potters were the first wrock and that I listened to, and from there I discovered others, like The Ministry of Magic.  Because this is such a growing phenomenon, it has caught the eye of popular culture.  In the following documentary, We Are Wizards (directed by Josh Koury) follows big names in the Harry Potter wrock scene and fandom, giving people an interesting perspective on the start and acceptance of the fan world of Harry Potter .

Tweet

Harry Potter Extravanganza: Day Three!

I know that there are tons and tons of Harry Potter fans out there.  Fans who are so into Harry Pottet that they've made him an important part of their life!  Well today I'm going to be sharing a super awesome part of that intense fandom: Wizard Rock!

Wizard Rock, also known as wrock (pronounced rock), is a genre of music based on the Harry Potter series started by Harry and the Potters, Joe and Paul DeGeorge of Boston, Massachusetts, in 2002.  They were joined by Draco and the Malfoys in 2004, when Harry and the Potters were invited by Matt Maggiacomo, who later became The Whomping Williows, to a house show in Matt's apartment.

Wrock is really awesome, and all the bands are super inventive.  Most of the bands take on the persona stated in their names.  For instance Harry and the Potters often take the viewpoint of Harry Potter (go figure).  I love most of the bands but there is one band in particular that I really love:

Ministry of Magic

  

  

( Not shown in correct release date...sorry)

The Ministry of Magic is a headed by Luke Conard, Jason Munday, Aaron Nordyke, Ryan Seiler, Mark Jennings, and Jeremy Jennings.  They make some of (in my opinon) best wrock songs out there!

Below I've posted some of my favorites!  If you guys like what you hear be sure to go support the guys! You can buy each of the albums on iTunes, just click the cover and you'll pop over to the site.  

Check back everyday for more Harry Potter Extravaganza!!  

I might even post more than once so keep your eyes peeled!!!

(P.S. I have in NO way been asked by Ministry of Magic to promote them.  I just really like them!!)

Tweet

Things That Make Me Smile (02)

• Getting a great review and a raise at work!  Yay for hard work paying off!
• My sister buying me a cheer-up book.  This has been in my TBR pile for a while! 

• This awesome article on Adults and YA Fiction! If you want some good facts/opinions to use when people look down on you for reading YA fiction, this article will help! Thanks to Mundie Moms for sharing!
• The new Harry Potter Trailer!!  IT LOOKS SO AWESOME AND I'M SO EXCITED BUT AT THE SAME TIME MY CHILDHOOD IS ENDING!!!!!!!!!!!
  
• Learn Something Everyday.  Such a cool site, and a great web time-waster.
• OMG! JUST OMG!!
  
  
  
  
• Finally, if you want to listen to something heart-wrenching but amazing as we count down to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 then here is the song for you.

Tweet

Manic Monday (02)

Here's another Manic Monday for you!

This time I'm featuring an AWESOME song by the Wizard Rock group Ministry of Magic!!

A little history of WROCK if you don't know what it is:

Wizard rock is rock music  that evolved after the famous Harry Potter books, with the movement starting in 2002. The genre is known for bands performing songs about Harry Potter series, focusing on the characters and world in the books . Wizard rock (also known as Wrock) was conceived and cultivated in Massachusetts by a group named  “HARRY AND THE POTTERS”.  The band caught on and now is emulated world wide.  Wizard rock embraces a self-directed ethic; most bands self-produce their music and use social networks channels for distribution.  There are a ton of Wrock bands, fitting everyone's musical tastes.

My favorite song is from MoM's new album, Magic is Might.  It is called House Song and it's AWESOME x 10!!!  Check out the music video below!  Link to their YouTube: Ministry of Magic Check them out!  So good!

Tweet

Manic Monday (01)

Manic Monday is a feature I had on my blog before I changed focus to books, but yesterday I thought, "Why shouldn't I have music?  I like music.  It makes me happy."  So I'm bringing it back.  Manic Monday is so titled because that is my favorite workout and 80s song.  It is also usually how I feel when I listen to music.  I get really worked up and have to dance or sing or scream.  

Please enjoy my choice for Manic Monday, and feel free to do this on your blog, 

as long as you credit me back!

Saskia Hamilton by Ben Folds and Nick Hornby.  Music video by the awesome Charlieissocoollike

Tweet