So here is yet another blog post detailing my current favorite songs. Maybe it will help you find some new artists to check out. Enjoy the jams, and let me know in the comments what you've been listening to lately.
AlunaGeorge - I Remember:
This upbeat track combines pop and electronic musical elements to create a very catchy earworm. Between its smooth vocals and artistic lyrics, it is certainly worth a listen.
Haelos - Dust:
I recently discovered the band Haelos and love the sound that they create with their music. Their song "Dust" features paradoxically subtle yet extremely powerful vocals, layered magically with a unique blend of instrumental notes.
The xx - Fiction:
I've actually known about this song for a while now, and I'll be honest and say that at first I didn't really care for it. However, for some reason beyond my understanding I've been drawn into the unique sound that The xx manages to create with their music.
Chelsea Lankes - Paralyzed:
The last song on my recent favorites list, Paralyzed is a discovery I made just a few days ago. It's just a good blend of ethereal vocals and a catchy melody that results in a great track to listen to.
Sunday, May 1, 2016
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Book Review: The Memory Of Light
The Memory of Light by author Francisco X. Stork is a newly published book that I had recently added to my "to read" list. So when I happened to see that my local library had it available, I jumped on the chance to give it a read.
The book begins by introducing Vicky, who has just been admitted into a hospital for attempted suicide. Upon recommendation from her doctor she stays at the hospital for an extended period in order to receive treatment for her depression. It's here that she is introduced to several influential peers who help her sort out her problems and realize what life has to offer. After Vicky leaves the hospital and faces her old life that drove her to the brink of ending her own life, she must find the strength inside her to face the dark thoughts invading her mind.
While reading The Memory of Light, I found myself constantly going back and forth on what my opinion of it was. There were brilliantly written moments that did a fantastic job of describing the visceral feeling of mental illness. The author was very poetic in the way that he described several themes throughout the book, and his personal experience with depression and suicide certainly lended themselves to this strong descriptive writing. I also liked all of the main characters in this book and thought that they all captured unique points of view regarding just how varying mental illnesses can be from each other.
However, this is where the positive elements end. First of all, I had an issue with a lot of the writing and the general flow of the words in this book. Several paragraphs needed to be read multiple times in order to grasp who was saying what. There was a clunkiness that was hard to overlook and it impeded the reading process. I also found myself not emotionally connecting with any characters in The Memory of Light. They were all well-developed and likeable enough, I just simply did not care what happened to them or have any empathy for their conditions at all. A final issue was with how this book deals with the treatment of the main characters. Their doctor randomly up and takes them to her ranch for two weeks, which simply struck me as odd and extremely unrealistic. I understand that this is a work of fiction, and authors have the freedom to write whatever they desire in the pages of their work. However, it just seemed out of context with the rest of the book and didn't bolster the storyline at all.
So in conclusion, The Memory of Light was a somewhat disappointing book. I wanted to love it, but in reality it was somewhat of a struggle to get through. I had to mentally motivate myself to pick it up and read a few chapters, and ended up just marathoning through the last 100 pages just so I could finish it and write this review. There are a few short-lived moments of pure brilliance and wonderful writing where the author transcends the printed word and you can physically understand what mental illness feels like. But these moments are severely masked by the mundaneness of the rest of the book. Overall, I would let this novel be and choose a different book to quench your thirst for a good read.
Author: Francisco X. Stork
Genre: Drama/Mental illness/YA
The book begins by introducing Vicky, who has just been admitted into a hospital for attempted suicide. Upon recommendation from her doctor she stays at the hospital for an extended period in order to receive treatment for her depression. It's here that she is introduced to several influential peers who help her sort out her problems and realize what life has to offer. After Vicky leaves the hospital and faces her old life that drove her to the brink of ending her own life, she must find the strength inside her to face the dark thoughts invading her mind.
While reading The Memory of Light, I found myself constantly going back and forth on what my opinion of it was. There were brilliantly written moments that did a fantastic job of describing the visceral feeling of mental illness. The author was very poetic in the way that he described several themes throughout the book, and his personal experience with depression and suicide certainly lended themselves to this strong descriptive writing. I also liked all of the main characters in this book and thought that they all captured unique points of view regarding just how varying mental illnesses can be from each other.
However, this is where the positive elements end. First of all, I had an issue with a lot of the writing and the general flow of the words in this book. Several paragraphs needed to be read multiple times in order to grasp who was saying what. There was a clunkiness that was hard to overlook and it impeded the reading process. I also found myself not emotionally connecting with any characters in The Memory of Light. They were all well-developed and likeable enough, I just simply did not care what happened to them or have any empathy for their conditions at all. A final issue was with how this book deals with the treatment of the main characters. Their doctor randomly up and takes them to her ranch for two weeks, which simply struck me as odd and extremely unrealistic. I understand that this is a work of fiction, and authors have the freedom to write whatever they desire in the pages of their work. However, it just seemed out of context with the rest of the book and didn't bolster the storyline at all.
So in conclusion, The Memory of Light was a somewhat disappointing book. I wanted to love it, but in reality it was somewhat of a struggle to get through. I had to mentally motivate myself to pick it up and read a few chapters, and ended up just marathoning through the last 100 pages just so I could finish it and write this review. There are a few short-lived moments of pure brilliance and wonderful writing where the author transcends the printed word and you can physically understand what mental illness feels like. But these moments are severely masked by the mundaneness of the rest of the book. Overall, I would let this novel be and choose a different book to quench your thirst for a good read.
Author: Francisco X. Stork
Genre: Drama/Mental illness/YA
Pages: 325
Year Published: 2016
My Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Conspiracy Theories
Conspiracy theories are something that come with the territory of our internet-saturated world. These crazy beliefs usually start with one person making claims about someone or something, and after making a post online their idea can spread like wildfire to scores of many more people.
Although some conspiracy theories are truly wild and crazy and clearly stretch the truth to make them seem more believable, I do believe that there can often be some truth behind many theories that exist. Lately I've been interested in doing research surrounding some seemingly unimaginable conspiracy theories floating around the internet, and lets just say that many are not as far-fetched as you would think.
Most people seem to laugh off conspiracy theories as bogus claims that have no scientific basis whatsoever, catering to a completely ignorant and uneducated audience. But this is far from the truth, and if more people began to even scratch the surface of them they might be surprised by the amount of fact that is to be found. Why do so many people simply allow the media to spoon-feed them information that could be completely false, yet the minute a conspiracy theorist makes a statement it's ignored?
My personal belief is that as a society, we all need to start questioning everything that is told to us. Don't agree with everything that CNN is reporting, and also don't laugh at every conspiracy theory you hear. We need to start approaching news events from a very unbiased position, taking in every bit of information we can find from every resource available: news websites, YouTube videos, blogs, eyewitness reports, etc. Only then can we make an educated guess as to the truth surrounding these events.
To conclude, I'll say that it is pretty much impossible to obtain a completely unbiased account of the news unless you personally experience an event. What other people tell us is not always the truth. The next time you find yourself shaking your head at the absurdity of a conspiracy theory, ask yourself why you have this mindset. Does the conspiracy theory in question truly have no factual basis, or are your preconceived notions just getting in the way? We need to stop relying completely on news corporations to receive the events of the world and open up our minds to a larger spectrum of information.
Although some conspiracy theories are truly wild and crazy and clearly stretch the truth to make them seem more believable, I do believe that there can often be some truth behind many theories that exist. Lately I've been interested in doing research surrounding some seemingly unimaginable conspiracy theories floating around the internet, and lets just say that many are not as far-fetched as you would think.
Most people seem to laugh off conspiracy theories as bogus claims that have no scientific basis whatsoever, catering to a completely ignorant and uneducated audience. But this is far from the truth, and if more people began to even scratch the surface of them they might be surprised by the amount of fact that is to be found. Why do so many people simply allow the media to spoon-feed them information that could be completely false, yet the minute a conspiracy theorist makes a statement it's ignored?
My personal belief is that as a society, we all need to start questioning everything that is told to us. Don't agree with everything that CNN is reporting, and also don't laugh at every conspiracy theory you hear. We need to start approaching news events from a very unbiased position, taking in every bit of information we can find from every resource available: news websites, YouTube videos, blogs, eyewitness reports, etc. Only then can we make an educated guess as to the truth surrounding these events.
To conclude, I'll say that it is pretty much impossible to obtain a completely unbiased account of the news unless you personally experience an event. What other people tell us is not always the truth. The next time you find yourself shaking your head at the absurdity of a conspiracy theory, ask yourself why you have this mindset. Does the conspiracy theory in question truly have no factual basis, or are your preconceived notions just getting in the way? We need to stop relying completely on news corporations to receive the events of the world and open up our minds to a larger spectrum of information.
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Book Review: The Program
The Program, both a science fiction and romance novel bound into one book, is my most recent addition to my list of reads. This book was overall pretty solid, but I feel that I should review it here on my blog for anyone who is looking to give it a read. There are both positive and negative elements about Suzanne Young's novel and I want to share my thoughts on them.
This book begins by introducing the main character Sloane and describing the suicide-ravaged world that she lives in. Young people are killing themselves at unprecedented rates and so a program has been enacted to cure them of their illness. Both Sloane and her boyfriend, James, are coping with the suicide of her brother and several close friends, and trying to avoid falling prey to the illness themselves. They must persist through the toughest of times in order to hold on to their love for one another.
The begining of The Program I found to be a particularly good read, and I thoroughly enjoyed the well-developed characters and the unfolding storyline. I also found the entire premise of a world infected by suicide very intriguing and unique, something that made this book stand out to me. The author did a good job of describing the strong bond that exists between the two main characters, Sloane and James, and I also liked how the book is divided into multiple parts.
However, there are some things about The Program that left me sorely disappointed. Although very alluring at the begining, this book took somewhat of a strange turn at part two. The character of Roger was just bizarre and frankly unnecessary in my opinion, and I also didn't enjoy the relationship between Sloane and Realm. These two characters are introduced around the same time in the book, and this is right when The Program starts to take a downhill turn. The last part just wasn't strong enough to save this book, leaving me a bit dissatisfied with how things end.
In conclusion, The Program is a unique novel that is very appealing but is likely to disappoint readers somewhat. Essentially, part one is brilliantly written and engrossing, part two begins to take the reader down a very bizarre path, and part three tries unsuccessfully to redeem any remaining pieces. I think whether you will enjoy this book or not depends entirely on personal taste and what genres you typically enjoy.
Author: Suzanne Young
Genre: Science Fiction/Romance/YA
This book begins by introducing the main character Sloane and describing the suicide-ravaged world that she lives in. Young people are killing themselves at unprecedented rates and so a program has been enacted to cure them of their illness. Both Sloane and her boyfriend, James, are coping with the suicide of her brother and several close friends, and trying to avoid falling prey to the illness themselves. They must persist through the toughest of times in order to hold on to their love for one another.
The begining of The Program I found to be a particularly good read, and I thoroughly enjoyed the well-developed characters and the unfolding storyline. I also found the entire premise of a world infected by suicide very intriguing and unique, something that made this book stand out to me. The author did a good job of describing the strong bond that exists between the two main characters, Sloane and James, and I also liked how the book is divided into multiple parts.
However, there are some things about The Program that left me sorely disappointed. Although very alluring at the begining, this book took somewhat of a strange turn at part two. The character of Roger was just bizarre and frankly unnecessary in my opinion, and I also didn't enjoy the relationship between Sloane and Realm. These two characters are introduced around the same time in the book, and this is right when The Program starts to take a downhill turn. The last part just wasn't strong enough to save this book, leaving me a bit dissatisfied with how things end.
In conclusion, The Program is a unique novel that is very appealing but is likely to disappoint readers somewhat. Essentially, part one is brilliantly written and engrossing, part two begins to take the reader down a very bizarre path, and part three tries unsuccessfully to redeem any remaining pieces. I think whether you will enjoy this book or not depends entirely on personal taste and what genres you typically enjoy.
Author: Suzanne Young
Genre: Science Fiction/Romance/YA
Pages: 405
Year Published: 2013
My Rating: ★★★☆☆
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Molly's Music: Entry 3
I have decided to do yet another rundown here on my blog of the songs that I have been listening to a lot lately. Hopefully this will help introduce a few people to some new and interesting artists that I think are pretty talented. Enjoy, and hopefully this list will get you inspired to seek out some new songs that you can add to your Favorites playlist.
Moxiie - Jilted:
This song is a bit more on the pop side of my taste in music, but I've found myself listening to it quite a bit in the past few weeks. I initially was drawn to this song's music video as I think it is really well done, but the song grew on me over time.
HANA - Clay / Underwater:
I recently discovered the singer HANA and enjoyed the style of her music from my first listen. She just released the music video for her song Clay, and soon after unveiled a second song titled Underwater that is equally enjoyable.
Oh Wonder - Without You:
The music video for this song by the duo Oh Wonder randomly appeared in my recommended section on YouTube, and after giving it a listen I found myself really liking this song.
VÉRITÉ - Underdressed:
Although it admittedly is not my favorite song that VÉRITÉ has released, I still am really enjoying this most recent track of hers. It's got a catchiness to it that's slightly addictive.
Grimes - Vowels = space and time:
This song has a very unique sound to it, one that you probably will either love or hate (that pretty much sums up all of Grimes' songs). Although this is one of her older tracks that has been released for a while now, I only just discovered it and I think it's one of her better songs.
Moxiie - Jilted:
This song is a bit more on the pop side of my taste in music, but I've found myself listening to it quite a bit in the past few weeks. I initially was drawn to this song's music video as I think it is really well done, but the song grew on me over time.
HANA - Clay / Underwater:
I recently discovered the singer HANA and enjoyed the style of her music from my first listen. She just released the music video for her song Clay, and soon after unveiled a second song titled Underwater that is equally enjoyable.
Oh Wonder - Without You:
The music video for this song by the duo Oh Wonder randomly appeared in my recommended section on YouTube, and after giving it a listen I found myself really liking this song.
VÉRITÉ - Underdressed:
Although it admittedly is not my favorite song that VÉRITÉ has released, I still am really enjoying this most recent track of hers. It's got a catchiness to it that's slightly addictive.
Grimes - Vowels = space and time:
This song has a very unique sound to it, one that you probably will either love or hate (that pretty much sums up all of Grimes' songs). Although this is one of her older tracks that has been released for a while now, I only just discovered it and I think it's one of her better songs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)