Music Monday (6) Tinashe, Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas, and the trio of Jaded(s)

   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 

Normally, I don’t participate in two memes in one day, but today I’m going to do it. So, in addition to Music Monday, I'm also participating in Musing Mondays for the first time in a couple of weeks. And, of course, Adri is back today, and we’re going to talk about more of the music we’re currently listening to.

For my first pick today, I'm going with one of my favorite songs,  Feels Like Vegas by Tinashe. I first heard about Tinashe while listening to a radio station—I don’t remember which it was—but I do remember really liking All Hands on Deck, which led me to search for more of her music. And that's how I discovered Feels Like Vegas.

Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas are so underrated, which is a shame because I really love their music, especially Tired Oak. There are other fantastic songs like Caught Up and Sorry I Stole Your Man, but for today I'm sticking with Tired Oak.

Hi, Adri here again, I'm back for another round of Music Monday. This week, I wanted to share music in a slightly different way. Hence, the last part of the title for this post "...and the trio of Jaded(s)". For my picks this week, all the songs have the same name, but they are different.

For Jaded by Deadmau5, I only found it because I went hunting for other songs after listening to ALL the versions of Ghost N Stuff.

I've been listening to a lot of songs by Lone after finding the song Pineapple Crush. So, I was around when Reality Testing dropped. Naturally, I tried to listen to all of the songs when I found Jaded. Lone has too many songs, and I don't favor one over the other (he can't put out any songs that I don't like). 

And the last song from the trio of Jaded(s). I've been listening to Disclosure since their song featuring Sam Smith. So, like Lone, I was following them when their album dropped. After listening to the song and watching the video a couple of times, it was then that I realized that Jaded looked familiar. And I was right. Dun-dun-dun!

Have you listened to any songs that have the same or similar name?

The Friday 56 (85) Gemina by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed...

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminaecontinues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy's most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station's wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands. But relax. They've totally got this. They hope...

"Donnelly, H: I'm not even sure what I'm trying to ask.

Guest591: Um, Okay.

Donnelly, H: Just...

Donnelly, H: If nothing was ever going to happen with us--and I know in what passes for reality for you that's obviously not true, but just pretend--if nothing was ever going to happen, would you want to be my friend?"-- Gemina by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Comments: I have waited so long for this book to come out. I was really excited for it, and while the story wasn't exactly what I was expecting, it was still a good book,

What are you reading this week?

Review: The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

Title: The Star-Touched Queen
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Source/Format: Borrowed for the Library; Hardcover
More Details: Young Adult; Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Martin's Griffin; April 26, 2016

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you’re only seventeen?

Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of death and destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father’s kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran’s queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar’s wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire. But Akaran has its own secrets—thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most…including herself...

I’m late to the ban-wagon for this one…

You know, The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi has all the elements I like about fantasy, so I really don’t know why it took me so long to get to this one. Now that I have read it, I can firmly say that The Star-Touched Queen is one of my favorite books of 2016. From the characters to the plot, I adored everything about this story.

The world was just awesome. The customs and traditions of the society in The Star-Touched Queen were woven with the fantasy elements in the story, and the effect was really cool. I loved all the little details that Chokshi put into the world building. It was complex and layered, and added depth to the story.

The plot itself was also good. I do like that Chokshi took some time to introduce the key players and the society that Mayavati (Maya) lived in, as well as establishing the relationship between the MC and the secondary characters. The style of writing in The Star-Touched Queen is very descriptive. I could picture the various scenes as they were happening. In the end, I liked the descriptiveness because it was easy to picture the setting as the characters moved from place to place, and the various scenes as they were happening.

I really liked Maya as a character, and that’s a good thing since The Star-Touched Queen is primarily told from her perspective. I enjoyed her story, and liked how Chokshi portrayed her character and the circumstances she was subjected to. Amar wasn’t a bad character. He was mysterious and he kept secrets from Maya, but the two did have some chemistry.

The Star-Touched Queen was a story rich with detail, a cast of awesome characters, and a story that had me hooked from page one. And now, I just have to wait until the second book comes out.

Music Monday (5) Janelle Monáe, Breach, & Lianne La Havas

  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 

Before I get to what I’m listening to this week, I want to take the time to welcome Adri to Music Monday. Adri has blogged a couple of times on Our Thoughts Precisely, and today, she’s going to share some of the music she’s been listening to down below.

Recently, I’ve been listening to more of Janelle Monáe's music. Her style of music and vocals are just amazing. I like all of her albums—The Electric Lady, The ArchAndroid, and even Metropolis: The Chase Suite. Some of my favorite Janelle Monáe songs are Primetime featuring Miguel, Q.U.E.E.N., Electric Lady, Dance Apocalyptic, Sincerely Jane, Tightrope, and Come Alive (War of the Roses), just to name a few.

Primetime is one of my favorite songs, because it had the one collaboration that I didn't know I needed in my life. And if Janelle Monáe and Miguel ever made a full album together, I would definitely buy it.

Electric Lady is on the same album as Primetime. Not only is the beat catchy, but the lyrics are too. 

Hi, Adri here, I'm back, long time no see. Coincidentally, I found both of the songs by thumbnail browsing. For Unstoppable by Lianne La Havas, her hair in the thumbnail captured my attention (#NaturalHairMoment #HairGoals), and I couldn't help but to check it out. I instantly loved the song. 

When I fist saw the thumbnail for Everything You Never Had (We Had It All) by Breach featuring Andreya Triana, my immediate reaction was: "Wait what?". I just had to drop what I was doing and listen to it. Some parts of the song reminded me of my two other favorite songs: Finally by CeCe Peniston and It Takes Two by Rob Base and D.J. E-Z Rock. I just like it and have had it on repeat. P.S. I love the music video. (Fun fact: Did you know that the Woo! Yeah! loop originated from Think (About It) by Lyn Collins?) 

What are you listening to this week?

The Friday 56 (84) The Sleepwalker Tonic by Jason Segel & Kristen Miller, illustrated by Karl Kwasny

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Nightmares! The Sleepwalker Tonic is the sequel to the hilariously scary New York Times bestselling novel Nightmares! by multitalented actor Jason Segel and bestselling author Kirsten Miller. You thought the nightmares were over? You better keep the lights on!

Charlie Laird has a dream life.

1) He has a weirdo stepmom who runs an herbarium.
2) He lives in a purple mansion with a portal to the Netherworld.
3) Since they escaped from the Netherworld, he and his best friends have been sleeping like babies.

But Charlie can’t shake the feeling that something strange is afoot. Charlotte’s herbarium used to be one of the busiest stores in Cypress Creek. Now her loyal following is heading to Orville Falls for their herbal potions.
Weirder, though, Orville Falls is suddenly filled with . . . zombies? At least, they sure look like the walking dead. Rumor has it that no one’s sleeping in Orville Falls. And Charlie knows what that means. Things are getting freaky again...

"Paige took off down the sidewalk as if she didn't have a concern in the world. Charlie swallowed again and rushed to catch up with her. Orville Falls may have been the kind of town you'd see on a Christmas Card, but it was the middle of summer and there was no one around."--The Sleepwalker Tonic by Jason Segel & Kristen Miller, illustrated by Karl Kwasny

Comments: As it so happens, I was in luck. My local library had the next two books in the Nightmares series, and I was able to put a hold on them before anyone else did.

What are you reading this week?