I'm Now On Instagram...

I’m now on Instagram 

It’s taken me a while to set up an account, because initially I didn’t know what I would really want to do with it. Then I decided that I would use it similar to how I blog on Our Thoughts Precisely: posting a little bit of anything that interests me. So, there'll be pictures of books, art, items I’ve recently  bought, and so on. So yeah, I’m now on Instagram. There’s nothing much yet, but you can check out my profile HERE...

Music Monday (48): Panic! At The Disco

   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: Excuse me, Pray for the Wicked by Panic! At The Disco is finally here. It was one of my most highly anticipated albums of 2018, and my hype for it only grew with every song that was released prior to June 22. I've essentially listened to it on repeat since then, because I love it! So, today, I’m going to mention just two of my favorite songs from Pray for the Wicked. The first one is King of the Clouds. I adore this song. It’s so good!

The second song is Roaring 20s. The name of it is so fitting. The energy and sound of this song is not only awesome but also catchy. It strongly reminds me of electric swing music. I dig it....

Pray for the Wicked is one of my favorite albums by Panic! At The Disco. If you’re a fan of this band and haven’t listened to it yet, well, what are you waiting for? I highly recommend it....

Have you listened to any music by Panic! At The Disco? If so, what's your favorite song by them? Also, what are you listening to this week?

The Friday 56 (134) & Book Beginnings: Art Deco by Victoria Charles & Klaus H. Carl

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

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Art Deco style was established on the ashes of a disappeared world, the one from before the First World War, and on the foundation stone of a world yet to become, opened to the most undisclosed promises. Forgetting herself in the whirl of Jazz Age and the euphoria of the “Années Folles”, the Garçonne with her linear shape reflects the architectural style of Art Deco: to the rounded curves succeed the simple and plain androgynous straight line… Architecture, painting, furniture and sculpture, dissected by the author, proclaim the druthers for sharp lines and broken angles. Although ephemeral, this movement keeps on influencing contemporary design

Beginning: "Decorative and industrial arts, like all forms of art, are an expression of life itself: they evolve with the times and with moral or material demands to which they must respond."

56: "The monumental staircase and the hall designed by Charles Letrosne were to lend themselves to large and brilliant ceremonies."

Comments: I'm reading about art deco this week. I was thinking about doing a painting inspired by it, but then I also wanted to know more about the it. My beginning is from the introduction, and my 56 is from page 58. What are you reading this week?

Mid-Year Resolution Check-In

It’s hard to believe that it’s already more than halfway through the month of June. So much has happened and half the year is basically gone. I got summoned for Jury duty at the beginning of June—although I was only on standby, and there went most of that week. I haven’t been reading as much as I thought I would. However, I've done other stuff like finishing the first draft of a novella. So I figured that now was as good a time as any to check my blogging goals and see where I’m at with them....

• Finish a sketchbook… 

I have not finished my current sketchbook. I’ve made steady progress on it but am nowhere near done with it. That’s perfectly fine since I’m not trying to rush myself along, and it’s a big sketchbook with plenty of pages. I have noticed that I’m having an easier time sitting down and making quick sketches, which I’m happy about. Other than that, I might make or buy a smaller sketchbook so that this goal is a little more manageable. I have watched a couple of book binding tutorials so I might go with the DIY option since it would be easier to personalize it to the exact specifications I want (for the cover and paper combination).

• Finish more series… 

Well, I haven't finished more than one series in the past two months or so. In fact, I’ve done the exact opposite and started a lot of new series. In my defense, there have been a lot of books that I’ve wanted to read including Sarah Kuhn’s Heroine Complex series (the third book will be out in July). So, I haven’t really finished as many series as I would have liked to, but I’m still working on it.

• Actually read some poetry… 

For the past two months, I haven’t read any poetry. After a handful of misses, I decided to put this goal on the backburner. I also had a hard time writing reviews for the poetry books I didn’t enjoy, because it’s such a hard thing to critique. More often than not, I didn’t end up writing anything about them and moved on to books I was more likely to enjoy. That being said, poetry is something I’ll eventually return to but just not right now.

• Allow more flexibility with the blog… 

Out of all my blogging goals, this one is the one I’ve had the easiest time with. I came into 2018 with the mindset of not stressing out over how many books I’m reading, or how many reviews I’ve written. I was also willing to adjust the style, function, and schedule whenever I need to—that's why the general look of the blog got overhauled, the ever broadening range of post types, and the more frequent week-long breaks. 

So, that’s where I’m at with my blogging goals for the year. I’m not disappointed. What were some of your 2018 resolutions? Have you accomplished anything?

Music Monday (47): Charli XCX

   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: Today, I want to talk about one of my favorite albums: True Romance by Charli XCX. I believe I mentioned this one before but recently I was listening to it again. True Romance was the album that introduced me to Charli XCX’s music. Even now, a couple years later, I still love it as much as I did the first time I listened to it in 2013—it’s hard to believe that it's already been four years. Between the vocals, lyrics, and catchy beats, True Romance is just good album to listen to on repeat. As such, my first pick is Grins. Oh gosh, I love this song a lot…

My second pick is Black Roses, also from True Romance. I think this is my top favorite song from the album and I remember a time when I would listen to it on repeat. Even now, when I listen to Black Roses, I get the urge to sing along...

Have you listened to any music by Charli XCX? If so, what are your favorite songs?