Movie Review

Episode VII The Force Awakens

I want to do this as a spoiler free review first, then go into more detail starting at a point that I will designate. For those who still haven't seen it, first of all, get to your closest theater and get on that. Secondly, read only the first bit of this post. I will do my best to do a clean review, then get into the nitty-gritty nerd zone afterward. Read on for my reaction to Episode VII!

Concert Review

Knuckle Puck, Real Friends, & All Time Low

Last Friday, I went to the first concert of the season. All Time Low was supposed to do a show in the middle of May with Issues, Tonight Alive, and State Champs, but it got cancelled. As disappointed as my Issues-loving brother was, I'm pretty glad that ATL decided to do a later show with even more emotion. I think it was worth the wait. 

Book Club | David Lodge

Changing Places by David Lodge

I am currently majoring in English, so I have the privilege of exploring some pretty wacky, thought-provoking, sometimes just plain crazy literature. But this term, I decided to take a Contemporary Literature course, considering I need it for my major and also because I specialize in Medieval and folklore--the complete opposite of a postmodern novel. I've been loving the books we've read so far, and I thought I would work through them one by one and recommend them based on how well I liked them. Get ready to read!

Spring 2015

TV Review

Sometimes, we just have to go back to watching shows that never did us wrong. For me, one of those has to be The Vicar of Dibley. It might have been made over twenty years ago, but there isn't a single episode that doesn't make me laugh.

Music Review

Guess what? 

Warped Tour came to Milwaukee. 

Guess who was there?

Me. 

Haul

When I went to Warped Tour, I thought I would budget for one shirt and maybe a CD. I ended up leaving with three shirts, a CD, and a poster.

Oops.

Book Club | Octavian Nothing

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Volume I by MT Anderson

Admittedly, I picked up this book thinking it was something completely different than I found out it was. MT Anderson wrote the middle school classic Feed, so I assumed from the ingriguingly vague jacket description that this one would similar, but in a fantasy kind of way. 

I was completely wrong, but I'm so glad I was. This book is one of the best I've read in a long time. I can't wait to read the sequel.

Music Review

In 2012, the iTunes album of the year had a lot of people confused, if not a little angry. An Awesome Wave certainly was awesome, but at that point in their career, not many people knew about the upstart band from London, England. Since then, they’ve become alt-rock legends. 

Point one for iTunes.

TV Review

Okay. I finally gave in to the Tumblr pressure and started Orange Is The New Black. 

Like I needed another show to watch.

But it’s conveniently located on Netflix, and I have a bunch of time to watch while I work out, so I thought I’d break up my geeky sitcoms and crime fighting shows with this. Let's just say I was not expecting what I got.

Concert Review

New Politics, Paramore, & Fall Out Boy

In the past year, I've gone to more concerts than my entire life previously. But none have been as eventful, exciting, or heartfelt as Monumentour. If there's still a chance to go, get on it. You won't regret it. Read on for the review I gave it the next morning!

Book Club | Awaken

Awaken by Meg Cabot

Meg Cabot has always been a favorite of mine, and her new series had a particular hold on me--it's the final installment in a re-imagining of the myth of Persephone. Though I've started to grow out of the young adult section, I decided to give this one a try. Though I prefer the original Greek myth over this story, the Abandon trilogy is a must read for any teen who loves history.

Music | One Year Later

I remember it well—the eve of Spring Break 2013, driving to O’Hare International Airport to fly to the Caribbean, and a new song comes on the radio. Much like when I heard Imagine Dragons for the first time, I knew that Chocolate by The 1975 would be a big hit... but no one knew or cared about it just yet.

TV Review

After hearing loads about Little Dorrit, I finally checked it out from my library last weekend after learning that it not only starred Matthew McFadyen (aka the man of my Austen dreams) and Russel Tovey (the loveable werewolf from the original Being Human), but was written by Arthur Davies (the mastermind behind the Knightley version of Pride & Prejudice).

The Boys Are Back

Awhile ago, I tweeted that @twinatlantic should make more music, since they are one of my all time favorite bands. Little did I know that they would be listening.