Music Monday (54): Res, RL Grime, Delta Heavy, & Meghan Trainor

   Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: I’ve been listening to some newer music—like Nicki Minaj's album, Queen—but instead I wanted to mention one of my all-time favorite songs. So, today, I’m talking about Ice King by Res. I don’t recall when I first heard this song. I just know that it was a while ago. I like Res’s style, but Ice King is extra fantastic and it also happens to be the song that introduced me to her music...

Adri: Lately I've  practically been listening to the same group of songs, so here's two of them. Reminder (feat. How To Dress Well) (Jonah Baseball Remix) By RL Grime, and Ghost (Infuze Remix) by Delta Heavy. With both of these songs I adore the originals, but these remixes really stood out to me.

Andrea: On August 6^th, Adri and I attended Meghan Trainor’s Jimmy Kimmel Live performance. Her live performance was amazing, and I absolutely fell in love with her new song, Treat Myself. You can check out the video below. It is available for pre-order now and will be released on August 31^st, which is this Friday. Needless to say, I’ll be purchasing a copy of her new album, Treat Myself, and adding it to my playlist.

What are you listening to this week?

The Cookie Book Tag

It’s been a very long time since I last participated in a book tag, and I kind of missed doing this type of post. Recently, I saw someone do The Cookie Book Tag, and even though I wasn’t tagged, I really wanted to do this one since the questions looked fun. So today, Adri and I are going to do The Cookie Book Tag. This is going to be a long post. However, before we get started, there are some technical details that need to be listed.

The Cookie Book Tag was created by Nicole @ Sorry, I’m Booked. And you can check out the original tag post here: Sorry, I’m Booked, The Cookie Book Tag.

The rules…

• Link back to the person who tagged you + the creator of this tag 
• Pick a book that corresponds with the cookies theme 
• Have fun 
• Tag 1-3 people

Chocolate Chip: A Classic Book That You Love or Really Enjoyed (interpret classic how you want, it can be a classic written 100 years ago or 20 years ago)

Breana: I’m going to go with Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott. It’s one of my recent classic reads, and it also happens to be one of the best stories I’ve read so far this year. It’s such a great story. The unusual narrator and setting are just two things I enjoyed about Flatland.

Adri: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is absolutely one of my favorite classics.

Thin Mints: A Fandom That You Really Want to ‘Join’ AND/OR a Hyped-Up Book You Want To Read (your source(s) of a book being hyped can be from anywhere)

Breana: There’s no particular fandom that I’m looking to be a part of right now. So, I’m going with a hyped book I want to read. This one is easy: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. I really enjoyed Uprooted for the world building. I read an excerpt of Spinning Silver and was immediately interested.

Adri: I'm actually looking forward to the sequel to the Dragon with the Chocolate Heart, The Girl with the Dragon Heart By Stephanie Burgis. As for fandom, I'm also not eyeing any.

Shortbread: An Author You Can’t Get Enough Of

Breana: Holly Black. I read The Spiderwick Chronicles when I was a kid, and since then, I’ve been hooked on her stories that focus on fairies. I love her interpretation of them since, more often than not, they’re tricksters that have a cruel streak.

Adri: Connie Amaden-Crawford. I’ve only read two of her books, but I’m looking forward to reading more of them to expand my sewing/design knowledge.

Samoas/ Caramel DeLites: An Emotional Rollercoaster (this cookie was hard … so any book that made you feel more than one emotion, strongly. The choice of emotions is up to you)

Breana: There was one book that had me on the verge of tears, the third and final book of The Divine Cities trilogy: City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett. There was no shortage of tragedies in this trilogy, but the finale book was on a whole other level. This book was a rollercoaster of emotions. The ending was incredibly bittersweet—so freaking sad—but I was also happy because it was a fitting end to one of my all-time favorite trilogies.

Adri: One of the most emotional books I’ve read is the Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury. The ending hit me in the feels once I started thinking about it.

Oreos: A Book Whose Cover Was Better Than The Story OR Vice Versa, Where The Story Was Better Than Its Cover

Breana: There are a number of books that fit the bill for the first half of this question, but I’m going to go with Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix. I really wanted to like this book. The premise was interesting and I loved the cover + how much it resembled an IKEA catalogue on the inside. But, I didn’t really enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

Adri: I find the cover for The Time Travelers: Book One in the Gideon Trilogy by Linda Buckley-Archer (and the other two books) absolutely gorgeous. Though interesting, the story wasn't my favorite.

Tagalongs/ Peanut Butter Patties: A Book That Wasn’t What You Expected (good, bad, or just different, interpret how you wish)

Breana: The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco was so unexpected. I mean that in a good way. The synopsis doesn’t do the book justice. It’s a slower paced fantasy, but I loved the magic system + the past and present storylines were fantastic. I need to get caught up on this series.

Adri: My most unexpected read was The Book of Elsewhere: the Shadows, by Jacqueline West. First of all, I never expected paintings to be so evil. Second I didn’t know I’d like it as much as I did (and I really need to finish reading the series).

Snickerdoodles: A Book You May Never Stop Rereading/ Loving

Breana: I’m going to go with Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. I loved the rest of the series, but Ancillary Justice will always be my favorite.

Adri: Can I add an s to book? Because I absolutely adore the Wondla Trilogy By Tony Diterlizzi. I don’t feel like I could read one without the other two! I love the art, the story, the characters. I feel like I could read the series forever and never get bored. However, if I must pick one, I'm going with the Search for Wondla.

Bonus: Choose a cookie I didn’t list and make up a question!

Monster Cookies have bold flavors and a long and varied list of ingredients such as M&Ms, chocolate chips, peanut butter, oats, and even sometimes raisins. It’s like a handful of cookie types mashed into one monster of a cookie. So… Monster cookie: name a book with a bold and whimsical title or a book title with four or more words.

Breana: The Hate U Give; The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet; and The House of Shattered Wings....

Adri: I’ve probably read more books with titles more than four words but I’m going with

 Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker by Stephen Galloway, and Dork Diaries: Tales from a not-so-glam TV Star by Rachel Renee Russell.

And that’s about it for today. We’re not tagging anyone specific. If you want to participate, then we tag you! Also, if you answer our Monster Cookie question, let us know in the comments down below.

Some Thoughts On Ready Player One (2018)

I finally watched Ready Player One. Before that, I read the book—my review—and was surprised by how much I liked it. And based off the trailers and feedback from my sister—who saw the movie before I did—I was expecting to like it. I don’t know why I was so worried, because I did enjoy the movie. And now I have a confession to make: I liked the movie more than the book. Usually, the book and movie are on equal footing, but in this case, I’m leaning more toward the latter. It was due to the changes. There were a lot of noticeable changes between the book and the movie adaptation, particularly the challenges and how the keys were found. However, I liked those changes. It had more of an emotional impact later on, because it put the some of the characters together sooner than the events in the book allowed. Even so, the 2018 movie adaptation remains true to the basic premise of the book.

The visual effects were on point. It was one of the aspects I liked best about Ready Player One as demonstrated by the transition from a more real-world setting to the virtual one, and one of the first major scenes to take place in the OASIS. There was no background track except for the noise to match what was happening on-screen. It was pure, fast-paced, chaotic adrenaline. And I loved it. There was a lot of action and a heaping dose of pop culture references with everything from the Iron Giant, Overwatch, Halo, and even a Batmobile just to name a few. For a movie of its kind—one that basically takes place in a virtual reality, video game-esque world—the references from other media franchises just sort of worked.

So, there was a lot I liked about Ready Player One movie. It managed to balance the story with narrative changes, good acting, and spectacular visual effects. It made for an enjoyable movie. And while the end is pretty complete—just like the book—I would be open to a Ready Player One 2 book or movie. Or should I say Ready Player Two?

Have you read Ready Player One or seen the movie? If so, what are your thoughts about it?

Music Monday (53): Twenty One Pilots

   Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: Originally, I wasn’t going to participate in Music Monday this week. However, I realized that Twenty One Pilots had released three new songs that's part of their next album, Trench, which is supposed to come out on October 5th. I must have missed that announcement. Needless it to say, the hype train is already rolling and I’m more than excited to see what else Trench has to offer. So far, my favorite song is Nico And The Niners....

Are you a fan of Twenty One Pilots? Are you looking forward to Trench?

ARC Review: Star-Touched Stories by Roshani Chokshi

Title: Star-Touched Stories
Series: The Star-Touched Queen #2.5
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Source/Format: Netgalley; eARC
More Details: Young Adult; Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: St. Martin's Press; August 7, 2018

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Three lush and adventurous stories in the Star-Touched world.

Death and Night...

He was Lord of Death, cursed never to love. She was Night incarnate, destined to stay alone. After a chance meeting, they wonder if, perhaps, they could be meant for more. But danger crouches in their paths, and the choices they make will set them on a journey that will span lifetimes.

Poison and Gold..,

Now that her wish for a choice has come true, Aasha struggles to control her powers. But when an opportunity to help Queen Gauri and King Vikram's new reign presents itself, she is thrown into the path of the fearsome yet enchanting Spy Mistress. To help her friends, Aasha will have to battle her insecurities and perhaps, along the way, find love.

Rose and Sword...

There is a tale whispered in the dark of the Empire of Bharat-Jain. A tale of a bride who loses her bridegroom on the eve of her wedding. But is it a tale or a truth?

Star-Touched Stories by Roshani Chokshi was gorgeous. Written in the same lyrical prose as the author's other books, these stories returned to the world of The Star-Touched Queen. There was happiness and new adventures; lost and found love; and bittersweet beginnings and endings. This is probably one of my top favorite collections of stories. In Death and Night, there’s the love story that tells a clearer history between the characters of The Star-Touched Queen. In Poison and Gold, Aasha got her own adventure and it was great. And in the Rose and Sword, the story is a little bittersweet but still as good as the other two in the collection. What worked for me is that this collection visited a lot of familiar character, places, and stories. The overall world building was excellent and rife with vivid detail that made for an immersive read. So, if you’ve read and enjoyed The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes, then Star-Touched Stories need to be on your TBR list....

About the author...

Roshani Chokshi is the New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen and A CROWN OF WISHES. Her middle grade debut, ARU SHAH AND THE END OF TIME, will release April 3, 2018 with Disney/Rick Riordan Presents. Her next young adult novel, THE GILDED WOLVES, is slated for Winter 2019. Chokshi's work has appeared in Strange Horizons, Shimmer, and Book Smugglers. She was a finalist in the 2016 Andre Norton Award and the Locus Top Ten for Best First Novel. Her short story, "The Star Maiden," was longlisted for the British Fantasy Science Award...

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by St. Martin's Press via netgalley for this review, thank you!