Top Ten Tuesday #3, and another apology.

So, another apology: I haven't been doing things on this blog as often as I would like. I know I keep saying I'll keep up with it. This summer shall be a bit different, with this Top Ten meme. I have little to do and more will to do anything at all.

With that said, this Top Ten might be a little difficult. Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish. This week's theme is a freebie, so I thought I should mention my Top Ten Song-Book Character Matches.

(Or, the top ten songs that match a certain book character really well. Look at the title of this blog again, if you expected me not to take this opportunity to share great books AND music.)

As a side note, the music is written artist:song title, and each link goes to a video with lyrics. (Or most of them do, anyways.) If I don't list an author in my little summary, then it is either easily searchable or extremely popular.

1. Sebastian (Black Butler manga) -- Pirates of the Caribbean: Pirates Montage

Yes, it's a manga, not a book. But the difference between manga and novels is a post for another day. Sebastian, a demon butler, fits the suaveness of this piece really well. The adventure caught up in both the music and the manga fit together better than some puzzles. (Don't get me started on puzzles.)

2. Kelsier (Mistborn) -- Imagine Dragons: Ready Aim Fire

Kelsier is a true revolutionary in a dystopian future. The mood of both Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series (specifically the first one, which is the only one I've read) and this song fit really well, and the lyrics do, too.

3. Katniss's Mum (The Hunger Games) -- The Civil Wars: Kingdom Come

I don't remember Katniss's mum's name. I know. But I like this song for her because you cannot tell whether she is good or bad. She is a very gray character; she is not at all the sort of stereotypical mom you usually find in media, but neither is she the demonized "bad" mom that you might also find. She's not high on drugs, but neither does she take care of her children. She cares for them -- she takes care of Prim while Katniss is away in the Games -- but her grief after her husband's death has subsumed her character. And this song (which, I know, is from the Hunger Games movie soundtrack) captures that grayness.

4. Lia (Wintergirls) -- Helio: To Write Love on Her Arms

Lia definitely deserved to hear this song. She was dark and sick; mentally ill. This song is made for the TWLoHA project (To Write Love on Her Arms), which is meant to help self-mutilators and raise awareness. This song both fits her and would have been an inspiration to her. Lia's anorexia and her grief after her best friend dies combine in a spiraling way, and this song both acknowledges the pain and the mental illness, and tries to comfort.

5. Jennifer Strange (The Last Dragonslayer) -- Superchick: Not Done Yet

Jennifer Strange is a very tough character, but not in the muscles-and-kicking-butt sort of way. She sticks things out and is always fair, even if that means being forced to kill a creature who is the last of the kind. She is one of the only people in Jasper Fforde's world who wants to stick out and give a dragon the fair end of the deal. And this song represents that willingness, in the same easygoing way that Jennifer herself has.

6. Maddy (Gamer Girl) -- Britt Nicole: Headphones

Now, Maddy is not a music person, and the song, of course, tells you to put on your headphones. But both are about that escapist healing. Maddy disappears and grows through her manga drawing and her video game, which this song captures so perfectly. Put on your headphones, pick up a video game, find something to distract you and make you happy! (This book is by Mari Mancusi, in case you want to read it.)

7. Luna Lovegood (Harry Potter) -- Owl City: Fireflies

Yes, I have to pair two famous, widely loved things. Luna and Owl City just go together. They both have that scatterbrained, chaotic splendor that makes them such compelling dreamers. Although they seem somewhat random (Fireflies? Nargles?), their randomness shows perfectly an undercurrent of emotion that speaks deeper than the practical characters around them.

8. Joe Zabbidou (Black Book of Secrets) -- One Republic: Secrets

Okay, this song is less Joe and more the people he deals with. He deals in secrets, and records them in a big, black book. (Hence the title.) F.E. Higgins wrote this quirky book, and it is quite a good read. The mysterious pawnbroker of secrets has a knack for making people feel that yearning to share what's on their mind, the same compelling that is behind this song.

9. Devon (After) -- Linkin Park: What I've Done

I wasn't overly fond of Amy Efaw's novel, After. Devon is a very unlikeable character, but I am not sure that is why I didn't like this novel. In any event, she is a very complicated young woman -- the book revolves around the aftermath, as she waits for the trial to convict her of putting her newborn in the trash. And, while the Linkin Park does not match the atmosphere of this novel -- Linkin Park has a darker, deeper, timeless quality to their music, where After has a much more contemporary feel to it -- I think the message behind this song does match an undercurrent to Devon. "Let mercy come/and wash away/what I've done" and all that.

10. Doctor Who -- Celtic Woman: A Spaceman Came Traveling

Okay, this is totally cheating. Doctor Who may be a TV show, but I feel that there is enough fanfiction written and published on this show that I can sneak this one in last. Really, this song is perfect for Doctor Who; the background singers are even wearing TARDIS blue! I can imagine a fanfiction somewhere about the Doctor showing up at the birth of Jesus.

Those are my Top Ten this week. What're yours? Leave a comment!

    

Music Monday: Meav

Here's an interesting song for you to contemplate:

"One I Love" by Meav.  (Meav has an accent over the e, but I have no clue how to manage that in a blog post.)

This is a rather strange, strong song. I just randomly found it on youtube (I love Meav's version of "Maid in Bedlam" and "Wicked Sister"), and listening to it just gives me this sense of something deep and pure. I bet it's that high soprano voice and those echoey harmonies during the chorus. It's beautiful.

About Meav -- a quick Google search reveals she is both an Irish singer and a lawyer. At one point (2004), she was part of Celtic Woman (who sell millions, even today), but left in 2008 to resume a solo career.

I know I said I would post more personal stuffs on the blog, but technically, this is rather personal -- this song is the latest in my favorite music. (Not as in, it was composed recently; rather, this recently became my favorite song ever.)

So, have a blessed Monday (if there is such a thing)! Hope you enjoy this random sampling of Irish music.

  

Monday Music

Since I'm in the middle of reading my book, instead of having a book review ready for you -- I know, I'm awful at organization -- I decided to recommend a song that fits with the book I'm reading.

(And while I'm at it, hope you had a lovely September! It's the last day of a month, which is significant to me for some reason. Looking forward to October, though.)

I should have a review for you by Wednesday, which is why I'm not telling the title of the book. Suffice to say, it's a fairytale retelling. Not your typical Cinderella retelling, though. A fairytale I know because I'm a reader who loves these sorts of tales, but that I would assume the majority of America doesn't know, because America is obsessed with its own tales.

And so: Across the Burren, a piano piece by Michele McLaughlin. A very pretty piece.

9/11 and Terrorism

It's the 11th of September... and in America, that means remembering tragedy.

I cannot remember the day this actually happened. It was 2001; I was five years old, a kindergartener whose only thoughts belonged to curiosity and books. But as I grew up, I heard the story, over and over, every year: the planes, the crash, the death and terror and mourning. Especially of the heroes, the firemen and police officers, and the civilians all doing the right thing when it was far from easy.

Sometimes, I am glad I am young enough that I do not remember that. That on such a terrible day, ignorance was bliss. I lost no one but fellow countrymen. Which, now that I'm old enough, I realize is bad enough. Can you imagine it? Just for a second? Being buried under rubble, your breath catching, smoke trying to cough its way out of your lungs? I am lucky not to have any relatives who died in the 9/11 attacks, but I am sorry and horrified by the deaths of strangers.

And that might sound strange, to be sorry for the deaths of strangers, when I can't even remember the attack. This is a desensitized culture, after all -- we aren't sorry when we hear of the Bubonic Plague, when 2/3 of Europe's population was wiped out. But we are also a culture that becomes outraged over the death of one boy; in the age of digital information and digital personal relations, we freak out over smaller disasters. And, of course, I am not immune to culture. It probably doesn't help that I have an over-reactive imagination and a writer's tendency to dwell on internal conflict.

So, yes -- on this day, of all days, I can feel both sad at the deaths of strangers over ten years ago, and very lucky that I do not remember it. It's a strange feeling, to be sure -- it's not distant, like hearing of the earthquake in Japan, but it's not as immediate as a death of a family member.

And what compounds such a feeling is the fact that another human being is behind this. I will not add my opinion about Osama Bin Laden and whether he's dead and whether that happened in the ethical way. I do wonder, though, how a human being -- a person who breathes, or breathed -- a person who knows or knew that we are also humans, that we are also sentient creatures, could knowingly cause such harm. It's hard to wrap my mind around. He's like a storybook villain, the way he's portrayed to Us Youngsters. But what is the psychology behind such a thing? What went on in that head while planes crashed and people died? It's morbidly fascinating question, one where you know the behavior is wrong but you still have to wonder why the person is doing it, what past experiences made this sort of behavior a viable option.

Which, while I'm sure the information is out there somewhere -- published in some book or science journal -- I'm not perfectly sure I want to know. It's enough just to feel, for one profound Moment of Silence after the Pledge of Allegiance is spoken, the full ramifications of actual human suffering. My cynical side tells me that there is no justification, and anyways, I am generally not one for searching out information. But my nicer side just wants to spend a moment remembering heroes, and a moment of humility remembering how easy I could be remembering more than a stranger's death on this day.

But now, I do not want to be profound and deep-dark-thoughtful. I want to live a life free and deep. The life I can live, because terrorism failed to terrify us for long. Because it just saddens us once a year, and because it can seem like a faraway event, a world away.

So, instead of continuing to pontificate upon personal feelings, I found a couple of my favorite songs. Old favorite songs, that I knew in childhood and occasionally still listen to, especially on the day they're written about.

 

A Song

A song that tells a story, albeit a rather tragic one: "The Wicked Sister" by Meav. It's Celtic, and sort of upbeat despite being about a wicked woman who drowns her younger sister in order to steal her bridegroom.

Have a blessed weekend!

Happy Easter Sunday!

Happy Easter and last day of March! I also believe it's the end of Lent, so happy that, as well!

Easter is so much more than bunnies and Easter eggs. It's so much more than candy, gifts, and going to church in your best clothes.

Today, of course, is a blessed day: it's the day of that most central event of Christianity, the resurrection of Christ. It's that symbolic day that Jesus came back to life.

The Easter bunny and eggs are symbols,of course: the white bunny for innocence and purity, the eggs as a symbol of rebirth. But they are poor substitutes for the real story behind the holiday. It's one of the reasons I am glad I am not atheist: because it's a holiday with meaning behind it.

(Not that I have anything against atheists. I'm just kinda sad that holidays like Christmas and Easter mean nothing to them, because they don't believe in the story behind them.)

It's the day Jesus came back, guys. For the three days He was dead, Christians died for Him. There was no quabble between Catholics and Protestants, no debating the methods of baptism. There was a single type of Christian: those who upheld the belief that God's Only Son died for them, and would come back.

And He did. He rose from the grave on Easter, to show the world that He is God's Son, and death cannot hold Him.

If you're not Christian, that's cool. If you don't believe, then that's fine. But I do believe, so I wrote a short post on why this story means a lot to me. It's Easter Sunday, and a Christian holiday, so I feel entitled to write a post on my Christian beliefs.

Have a truly blessed day. And here's an Easter song from Veggietales ('cuz that's how I roll) for you to listen to. =)

On History Stuffs #2

So, every Wednesday, I'm going to post random little spots of history, for your use as the beginnings of research or just for fun (because trivia IS fun). This week's topic:

The French Revolution "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"

What it Was:

• began in 1789
• overthrew the Bourbon monarchy
• created a republic
• ended with Napoleon's rise and the creation of his empire

Causes:

• changes in ideology (the Enlightenment)
• social changes (population growth --> not enough food)
• First Estate and Second Estate were the clergy/nobles, who were small social class: most of the people were the Third Estate, or the day laborers.
• Sharp economic slump, that King Louis XVI tried to fix with unpopular tax reforms

The Rev:

• Third Estate formed a new assembly (National Assembly), made of non-noble property owners
• They wrote Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen --> advocated freedom of thought/equality for all
• They formed a strong parliament
• Stormed the Bastille (a prison), where they didn't free many but started the rev
• Eventually captured the king and queen -- Queen Marie Antoinette organized an escape for the royal family, but failed.

The Reign of Terror:

• Led by Robespierre and his Committee of Public Safety
• excessive use of the guillotine (including on King Louis)
• try to replace the church/religion with nationalism and Enlightenment reason
• Robespierre himself is eventually beheaded by the guillotine

The Final Phase:

• Napoleon Bonaparte takes charge, becomes emperor
• reduced parliament, limited freedome of expression
• powerful police system, universities to train bureaucrats, male equality, religious freedom
• Aggressive expansionism, gaining territory for France all through Europe
• Eventually stopped by Russia --> it was winter, in Russia... his soldiers could not survive.

Results:

• Congress of Vienna (1815) --> France not punished as long as European balance of power is restored.
• Revolutionary ideas spread across Europe inspiring other revolutions and demanding changes (and to other parts of the world, i.e. Latin America)

Now, this scrapes the bare minimum of the French Rev. This is all I gleaned from my notes, since I'm in a bit of a rush. There's a TON more stuff about this particular topic, and it's quite fascinating. I recommend at least googling it.

This is one of my favorite topics, actually. I don't know why, it's just all the... blood, and spirit, and how everyone really believed that killing the King and Queen would solve an economic/social crisis. I mean, America did something similar, in declaring their rights as equal to their "superiors", Britain, but America always struck me as less bloody, perhaps because it was a formal war.

I didn't really put how all this affected other places, but it did. It seriously screwed up Europe: part of the Congress of Vienna was going back and rearranging the borders of all the countries again, because France took so much. And it disturbed American politics, as well, and as I said, inspired a bunch of other revolutions in Europe. But this post is more on the Rev itself, on France in this time period. If you want more specifics, Google it.

Again, I have a historyteachers Youtube video. It'll give you a bit more specifics.

[I used my history notes from AP World History last year on this post. And a spot of info from a notebook I kept in elementary school, which I didn't remember until I flipped through it. Weird. Anyways, citing my sources and all that.]

What do you think of the French Revolution? Have a blessed day!

On History Stuffs #1

I've decided to do a series of posts on Wednesdays on random spots in history. Fun facts, easy research, or an idea -- history is pretty useful, so here's a little extra knowledge:

The Bubonic Plague, aka The Black Death

What It Was:

• a plague that wiped out 1/3 of Europe's population.
• a person might be in full health one day, and die miserably within 24 hours.
• Recurrence of plague thoughout the 14th century (1300s).

Short Term Effects:

• population decline.
• normal rituals/ordinary routines were thrown out the window as panic ruled.
• Attacks on the Jews, who were thought to be spreading the pestilence (though we know nowadays, of course, that it was fleas on rats, not Jews).
• Rational theology (the study of God) was replaced with mysticism and fear of God's wrath.
• fear, horror, and panic as people died rapidly.

Long Term Effects:

• Decline of Latin as a language.
• rise of vernacular (spoken) tongues as a medium for serious writing.
• Art: sterner portrayals of religious figures/scenes; death was a prominent theme.
• Social tensions were intensified.
• economy (specifically, wages/price patterns) declined sharply due to fewer workers and people  who needed work; this differed from place to place.
• Anticlericalism: priests/monks died and were replaced with the less competent, less trained.
• Saints were featured in church life more (ex.: St. Sebastion, St. Roch).

A lot of people know what the Black Death was: a plague that wiped out quite a bit of Europe's population sometime centuries ago. A lot of people DON'T know what the Black Death caused: it was one of the reasons English became a popular written language. English was spoken at this time, of course, but no one wrote in it; the Black Death changed that. Latin died, and English replaced it.

History's funny that way. Can you wrap your head around that? That the language you speak and read and write every day only came about as a serious written language because of a plague? And not just English, but Italian and several other languages, as well: some of the languages spoken at the time became written languages.

It also was one of the reasons the Renaissance came about. And the Renaissance -- and consequently the Enlightenment -- is pretty much why we aren't also English peasants right now. When the Bubonic Plague came about, people started reverting to Roman ways. Some of the ideas you are familiar with, it being part of American government and all: consent of the governed, certain unalienable rights, etc. And these theories are popular in European thinking as well: probably other countries, though I don't know to what extent.

Here's a song from historyteachers on the Bubonic Plague. Historyteachers, for those who don't know, is a youtube channel that makes historical parodies. This one is of the song Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani. Historyteachers saved my neck before my AP exam last May -- not a replacement for studying, but makes that studying stick in your head a little more.

Have a blessed day, and hope you've found this interesting!

[this is literally copied directly from notes I took in AP World History last year, all except the last two paragraphs. But the bullet points I randomly found in my notebook and copied here, with my shorthand notation removed so you can understand it. And, obviously, the youtube video is from youtube, not me.]

Weekend Melodies #4: Snowflake

Weekend Melodies is a weekly feature here at Inky Melody, in which I choose a random word and a song that relates to it. You are welcome to join in with your own song in the comment section!

This week's word is: Snowflake. Yes, I know it's Spetember, but it's never too early for Christmas.

[And by the way, I have 100 followers! *Meep!* Thank y'all so much. :D]

[How It Connects]

The Carol of the Bells is a Christmas song, and is one of my favorites. This version isn't the original - it has other Christmas songs mixed into it - but it is still fast-paced and awesome. And, of course Christmas = winter = snow. Snowflake. Yea.

[My Favorite Line]

This version doesn't have any lyrics. Hah. Of the original song, though:
Cristmas is here
Bringing good cheer
To young and old
Meek and the bold...

Have a blessed weekend! What song do you think of?

Weekend Melodies #3: Restless

Weekend Melodies is a weekly feature here at Inky Melody, in which I choose a random word and a song that relates to it. You are welcome to join in with your own song in the comment section!

This week's word is: Restless

[How This Connects]

This one is pretty obvious. Belle wants adventure, more than her normal life. She's restless in this tiny French village. In case you didn't know, I love Disney movies: Mulan, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King... Beauty and the Beast is my fourth or fifth favorite.

[My Favorite Line]

With a dreamy, far-off look
And her nose stuck in a book...

(Doesn't that describe me so well? Haha.)

Have a lovely, blessed weekend!

Weekend Melodies #2: Accusation

Happy first day of September! Don't you just love the uncertain feeling in the air, as if nature is wavering between the end of summer and the beginning of fall?

Weekend Melodies is a weekly feature here at my blog, started because of a love of words and music. Over the weekend (depending on how busy I am on Saturday), I share a random word and a song that connects to this word in some way. Anyone can comment on this post with a link to the song they thought of.

This week's word is: Accusation.

(I created a list of words a few weeks ago as a writing prompt, and I'm pretty much following that. It's not that I actually feel like making accusations. :D)

[How does this connect?] This song is sort of an accusation against a king. It asks this king, "what will people think of you when you're gone? I know they'll think of me as a hero." Heather Dale has such a beautiful voice and sings these rather fabulous songs about medieval times. This one stands out to me as speaking up against someone in power and accusing them of what they're doing wrong. [My favorite Line] I know what they'll remember in the words of every song What will they say about you... when I'm gone? What song do you think of? I love feedback!

Weekend Melodies #1: First

I've decided to do a weekend feature here called Weekend Melodies. As the name implies, I'll post my favorite song or a song relative to a book I'm reading on a Saturday or Sunday, and include a line or two of my favorite song. The song has to include or relate to the one (random) word I choose. I may or may not explain my connection between the chosen word and the song if the connection is obscure enough.

Since this is the first post, the word is: first.

(Have you ever noticed just how wierd that word looks? First. It even sounds funny. I love funny sounding words. *Happy sigh*)

(In other news, Rose's Competition has officially ended! I rearranged some of the thingies around my blog. Also, I go back to school in a little over a week, on the 4th. Wish me luck on that. My computer's acting up, so the spacing on this post is a little off... I think this is enough "other news". On to the song!)

[How Does This Connect?]    -------    I love this song so much. To me, it describes a moment of perfect happiness, of sincerity, for the first time in a long time.    ------- [My Favorite Line] -------
        This innocence is brilliant, I hope that it will stay.  
-------
I do not mind if y'all join me in this feature. Post a song in the comments or on your own blog (with a link to it in the comments, so we can see) with or related to the word of the weekend! I love to hear new songs.   

Have a blessed weekend! :)

Monday Minute

I had an awesome weekend! I went to see Brave with my sister - it was wonderful! I love accents and magic and mythology and strong heroines and... well, pretty much everything else. :D

I don't really have anything planned. I'm not even perfectly sure why I'm posting this. I'm just a little hyper on lack of sleep (the Brave movie ended about midnight last night) and that feeling you get after you've done something productive (which was just halfway cleaning my room without being told).

So, here is a video of a song I've been obsessed with for the past few days, and some pictures from Tumblr:

Which concludes my randomness for the day. Yea, I love Disney a lot. I love a lot of things a lot. :)

FF#3 and Friday Favorites

Wow, it's been a whole week since I posted. I got caught up in doing nothing. :)

FF is hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee and, well, you know the rules. Answer the question, follow people, link them back to this post so they can follow you, etc.

Today's Question:

Q: If you could "unread" a book, which one would it be? Is it because you want to start over and experience it again for the first time? Or because it was THAT bad?

My answer... This is a tough one. I might say the Warriors saga by Erin Hunter. I loved that series, but I haven't read it in a long time, and I want to know whether or not I'd love it the first time around if the first aound was now. I mean, I first read it back in the 4th grade, and then again (and again) throughout middle school. But now, after I just finished my sophomore year, and I've read a great number of "higher-level" reading material? Would I still feel the magic, now that I look for the grammatical errors, the plot holes, etc.?
As for one I'd "unread" due to its horrible-ness, I would say... erh.... well, probably Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Not because of anything the author did intentionally, mind you, I just found the end devastating. I won't spoil it for those who've never read (or heard) of it, but it was just mindblowing in a not-so-great way for me. For those who have read it, you might understand what I mean with the whole Game thing. I don't know, I guess sci-fi isn't my favorite genre of all time.

What about you? Leave a comment with your link! Don't forget to follow! <3

As for my favorites? Here are some music videos and quotes:

Quotes:

"That might sound boring, but I think the boring stuff is the stuff I remember the most."
~Up (the Disney movie)

"If everyone is yelling, no one can be heard."
~Jennifer Donnelly, Revolution

"Remember the small things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."
~Robert Brault

"What a sad era when it is easier to smash an atom than a prejudice."
~Albert Einstein

It's been a busy week full of reading and daydreaming and sleeping. Sorry I haven't posted all week - I've been too lazy to do much, because I've been reveling in my first week of summer vacation. :)

Have a blessed Friday and keep writing!

Friday Favorites

It's Friday! I am so glad the week (and all the testing) is done. A good thing about the week is that I've been hit with that proverbial lightning strike, Inspiration. I feel like my book might actually get past point A now.

Music:

I've been listening to several different artists. I hate that I only know one or two of their songs, but they've been stuck in my head all week: Death Cab for Cutie, Krystal Meyers, Barlow Girls, and Tim Mcgraw.

Tim Mcgraw - Let It Go

Barlow Girls - Mirror

Quotes:

"I am irritated by my own writing. I am like a violinist whose ear is true, but whose fingers refuse to reproduce precisely the sound he hears within." -Gustave Flaubert

"I personally believe we developed language because of our deep inner need to complain." -Jane Wagner

"A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle." -Gloria Steinem

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." -Albert Einstein

"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong." -Joseph Chilton Pearce

"If you expect nothing from anybody, you'll never be disappointed." -Sylvia Path

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first." -Mark Twain

"When you consider things like the stars, our affairs don't seem to matter much, do they?" -Virginia Woolf


Books:

I read surprisingly little this week. I've been so busy with tests, I didn't notice. Also, I had to drag out reading this one book because my mom promised to buy me the sequel today (which she did - yay!). That book is The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan. He writes such awesome books that are both filled with ancient myths and magic and written like a modern teenager's thoughts. You know what I mean? (Which you should if you've ever read The Percy Jackson series. That's quite popular; have y'all read it?)


Overall, it's been an exhausting week. My AP World History exam, the state-approved tests that happen in May (they're called SOLs here, but I think that changes from state to state, right?) as well as some personal problems (I mean, my cat's problems technically, but I loved her newborn kittens; I was so devastated when they died).

Anyways, here is a quote in picture form, from Tumblr: