Choosing Sara

The last quarter of my 2013 is filled with music from The Blessed Unrest. It's Sara Bareilles' fourth album and I think, by far, her best. I love certain songs from her previous ones like "Gravity", "Bottle It Up", and "King of Anything" but the entire The Blessed Unrest is just exceptional.

It all began when my girl friend Mia made me listen to "I Choose You", a song about love found. It became my absolute favorite, I couldn't stop singing it everywhere in the house for a period of time that my sister sort of hates it now. Haha!

Anyway from then on, I've downloaded and found love myself, with the rest of the album. "Brave" and "I Wanna Be Like Me" both speak of self-empowerment and have perky beats that can pull you out of a funk. Same goes with "Little Black Dress" which is the perfect moving on song. "Chasing the Sun" and "Satellite Call" are poignantly haunting. "Cassiopeia" is as dreamy as the constellation itself. "Hercules" is a plea to strength and "1000 Times" is about unfaltering, resilient love.

Reviews on the record are mostly positive including one from the Rolling Stone, wherein an article mentioned that her songs "feel groomed for rom-com soundtracks". I agree. I can envision countless scenes with her singles setting the mood and highlighting emotions.

Bareilles is so talented. Apart from being a great singer with her smoky, captivating voice, she also plays the guitar and piano really well, and writes all of her songs. Her songwriting is exquisite, I want to post all her finest lyrics but I'm afraid this blog would be horribly long. So let me cut it short and let this video from YouTube do all the talking and the making-you-fall-in-love-you-can't-stop-singing thing. Enjoy! :)

-Martha

Fangirl

2013 is coming to an end. One of the best young adult books I've read this year is Fangirl. Penned by Rainbow Rowell, author of Eleanor and Park (which is also a must-read, by the way), this novel strikes close to the heart.

Cath Avery is a socially passive girl who writes Simon Snow (think Harry Potter) fan fiction with a massive following over the net. But when she reluctantly leaves the comfort of her home and enter college with her more adventurous, outgoing twin, things start to change. Suddenly she's being forced outside her fantasy world of dragons, vampires, and witchcraft and face, well...real life. This time, it's up to Cath whether she wants to see and create some magic of her own. With or without laptop in hand.

This is a really nice, cozy read. I've read it twice (No other book in between) because that's how much I love it. It's about family and sticking to them no matter what. It's about opening one's self and falling in love. It's about pursuits of passion and finding one's voice. Rowell's writing is easy, steady yet thoughtful, nostalgic, and just overall beautiful. 

Consider me a huge fan. :)

-Martha