Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them Review (no spoilers)

70 years before Harry Potter was born, there was a new hero. Newt Scamander collects magical creatures, which he keeps in his enchanted suitcase. But when he arrives in New York, he meets Tina, an ex-auror determined to catch him and hand him in to get her position back. Yet when Newt accidentally swaps suitcases with a No-Maj who accidentally allows some creatures to escape, everything suddenly takes on a whole new level of complicated.

Especially when Newt’s beasts aren’t the only creatures causing havoc.

JK Rowling strikes again with this gripping film. From the effects to the set to the actors, Warner Bros has mastered it all. The beasts are all incredible realistic and the methods of capturing them are ingenious. Despite the plot being admittedly weaker than the original Harry Potter’s, it’s still gripping and includes some brilliant plot twists, keeping you on tenterhooks from the hilarious beginning all the way up to the tear-jerking ending. The basic plot-line, that Newt’s creatures escape into the city, creating havoc, and have to be recaptured, is supplemented with a dark subplot involving a dark, explosive force that wrecks havoc on the city and provides the film’s special-effects laden finale. As the film weaves the two plot lines, the visuals switch between a lighthearted, classic Bugsy Malone 1930’s New York and the darker, whichcraft-laden Amish-like community of a troubled boy, portrayed as if straight out of a Stephen King novel. The interweaving of these two narratives effectively switches the mood back and forth between light comedy and dark tension and keeps the viewer engaged. The ending provided closure to the two plot lines, but left the door open for Newt’s inevitable return.

Eddie Redmayne does a superb performance of the slightly geeky British Newt, rather unexpectedly playing him in a style that is extremely reminiscent of his portrayal of the young Stephen Hawking, while Dan Fogler’s comedy Non-Maj sidekick Jacob Kowalski was simply hilarious and, indeed, hilariously simple. The women Tina and Queenie (Katherine Waterston and Fine Frenzy) were brilliant as well, and Jonny Depp’s cameo was definitely appreciated, though the best actor was definitely the niffler who’s jewellery-stealing skills and cuteness completely stole the show.

Speaking of the niffler, all the beasts were fantastic and incredibly realistic, from the tiny bowtruckle with separation issues, right through to the huge thunderbird. Not only were they all true to the original Harry Potter books and well thought-out, some of the methods of capturing them were hugely entertaining. Whoever thought of using a teapot deserves a pat on the back.

Despite one slightly predictable plot twist and a slightly less clever and well thought out plot than we were expecting from JK Rowling, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them was brilliant, and I recommend it to everyone, whether you’re an adult who’s “too grown up” or a massive teenage fan. Can’t wait for the next one!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Definitely a five star film

 

-M

Thursday Tracks- 27/10/16

Wow. I feel like it’s been so long since we’ve posted anything. That’s probably because it has.

I’m really sorry about that. We’ve been busy and now we’ve kinda fallen out so realistically I don’t know whether this blog will survive our fall out. But I hope it does, because there’s something nice about having it, and something relaxing about updating.

So, today, for Thursday tracks, I’m gonna do some songs to listen to when you’re feeling mad at someone.

I’ve used these songs a lot and they always make me feel a lot better, so I thought I’d share them.

Be prepared for A LOT of Taylor Swift.

Let’s go.

 

First of all is Mean (by Taylor Swift).

Mean is an anti-bullying song with the rousing chorus “some day, I’ll be, living in a big old city, and all you’re, ever gonna be is mean.” It’s one of Taylor’s more country songs with the banjos, tambourines, and goat.

 

Next on this whirlwind tour of Taylor Swift songs to make you feel better about bullies is Picture to Burn.

My favourite line is “So watch me strike a match, on all my wasted time, as far as I’m concerned, you’re, just another picture to burn.” This line always makes me feel loads better. And the music video for this one has some great revenge ideas so long as you’re okay with breaking and entering…

 

Next is one that I try to avoid when I’m feeling mad or sad as it’s a pretty sad song (I adore it though as it’s amazing). However, sometimes a bit of wallowing in self-pity and some crying can be good, and make you feel better, so here’s White Horse:

All the lyrics in this one are perfect, along with the gorgeous melody and heart-breaking video. Honestly, I adore this song, from the opening with “Say you’re sorry, that face, of an angel, comes out, just when you need it to,” through the chorus of “I’m not your princess, this ain’t a fairy tale, I’m not the one you sweep of her feet, lead her up the stairwell, this ain’t, Hollywood, this is a small, town, I was a dreamer, before you went and let me down, now it’s too, late, for you, and your white horse, to come around,” all the way to the ending of “oh it’s too late, to catch me now.” AND Taylor manages to cry for the entire music video, which (though it sounds stupid and lame) is very hard to do and a  great achievement.

And finally, another brilliant, fiery, Taylor Swift song, comes Better Than Revenge.

With the uber-satisfying-to-sing-along-to chorus (it actually is- try it) of “she’s not a saint, she’s not what you think, she’s an actress, whoa whoa, she’s better known for the things that she does, on the mattress, whoa whoa.… she should keep in mind, there is nothing I do better than revenge *laugh* “. It’s wayyyy too satisfying to pretend to sing to the person you’re mad at.

When my friend was younger she listened to the song, and assumed this lady that Taylor hated was a gymnast, coz what else would she be doing on a mattress?!? My sister asked what Tay meant, and I said the lady slept all the time when she should be working. Ah, the naivity of children.

I think that’s all for now, so I hoped you enjoyed this and hopefully see you tomorrow for another post!

-M xxx

Thursday Tracks 9/6/16

Hey guys! Time for another Thursday Tracks! This week has flown by- it feels like I’ve only just posted my last one!

Again, this week, I’m struggling to think of a song, so I’ll do what I did last week (with a little more detail). I also have a while to write this so I think I’ll do… 7 songs!

Today, I’m going to dive into my 5sos playlist, in celebration of my new poster!!!

My new 5 seconds of summer poster!!!!! I got it for £3.99 in HMV when on a shopping trip with my friends and I absolutely L O V E it!!!!!!! As Lynette would say, squeeee!!!!

So, shuffle play here I come.

Song 1: Permanent Vacation:

(The actual song begins at about 3 mins if you don’t want to listen to everything beforehand)

This is my sister and her friend’s fave 5sos song which they didn’t stop singing once on our holiday. They’ve made dance routines and all sorts. Despite not really knowing the lyrics. We had some very odd lyrics, though their best one comes from She Looks So Perfect, where they kept singing about “Aronaut Apollo Underwear” (it’s American apparel underwear by the way). That was very amusing, especially when we went into a shop where by some amazing coincidence it was playing and they started singing along. I think the shopkeepers were judging them very badly. However, for me, this song isn’t my favourite (though I still love it) as it’s a bit shouty. I know your probably thinking “what did you expect?” but I love it for being shouty, as it’s so catchy, but I also find it’s not the most musically interesting piece. Though if you want musical interest your better of looking at some classical music rather than pop/rock!

Song 2: Voodoo Doll

I LOVE THIS SONG!!!!!! It is A M A Z I N G!!!!!!! The lyrics “I don’t know…… how I got this tattoo” just get me jumping up and down every time. It’s such a good song. (And Calum looks so sassy in that photo. And Luke looks sooooooo cute! And Ash looks cute too. And Michale looks Michael-y. Yep- he has his own look. And it’s a good one). I listen to this song over and over and I have actually started a dance routine to it!

Song 3: She’s kinda hot

(Excuse the swear word in the first line and Calum’s “accidental” backwards two with his fingers). This song rocks. It’s awesome!!! It’s one of the more popular and well known 5sos songs, and the music video rules. This song is a great one!

Song 4: Broken Home

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_cVLGjMOxSM

This is a more serious and sad song but I absolutely love it! (Luke in this one 😱❤️💛💚💙💜 (and on the topic of 5sos and hearts, they’re releasing a BLACK HEART EMOJI!!!! I LITERALLY CANNOT EVEN …………  I CAN FINALLY HAVE A JET BLACK HEART *double caps on* IN EMOJIS!!!!!!! *double caps off*) ). There a such deep and meaningful lyrics in there, set to such a good tune. It’s just 👌.

Song 5: Beside You

I just discovered this video right now, while looking for a video for Beside You and oh my god, please excuse me a moment while I drown in my feels. I literally- oh my god. This is just 👌👌👌👌! Perfection times 1,000!!!! I’m dying. When Luke started singing it was all over. In case you haven’t realised I have a huge crush on Luke and (what Vibha and Lynette didn’t know until they read this (if they’re reading this) ) crushes on all the others! Calum’s voice is just 👌 (the emoji means perfection for anyone who doesn’t get my frequent use of it), Ashton’s so sweet and Michael- he’s Michael! But this song is just amazing, and with this video now too, NEW FAVE SONG!!

Song 6: Safety Pin

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X2zoC7Wn7VQ

It took me A G E S to find a video for this song, and for some reason it won’t do the thing it usually does……. Oh well. You’ll just have to copy the link into a new browser or something, I’m sure you guys can figure out how to play it. Anyway, this song is really good and super catchy. “TWO WRONGS MAKE A RIGHT!” It’s a great song, though be warned, it will be in your head for the next few days! It’s impossible to get rid of it!

Song 7: Heartbreak Girl

Ash in glasses alert. SO ADORABLE!!!!!! SQUEEEEEE! And Calum and Luke’s voices!!!!! And Michael (I feel like Michael is always left out at the end but he’s Michael Clifford. You don’t need to say anything else. Though he looks pretty amazing bowling, even if it’s just a couple of seconds clip of his back). This song is amazing. I daydream about any one of the 4 boys singing it to me. *sighs dreamily staring into the distance*. And it’s a great song with great lyrics, and a great music video!!!!!

Ok, now I have to choose a fave. Can I say all of them? ALL THESE SONGS ARE SO GOOD HOW DO YOU CHOOSE A FAVOURITE???? Lets see, it would have to be either Heartbreak Girl, Voodoo Doll or Beside You. I’m gonna say….… Beside You, not just because of the video but it’s such a beautiful song.

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please like and follow! Also, please comment as I’d love to talk to you guys!

-M

Thursday Tracks 2/6/16 – #5

Ok, so, yesterday I went back through some of my old Thursday Tracks and I realised something: I promised you guys an extra special many weeks ago, and completely forgot. Problem is, I also promised you (and Vibha) that this week she would be helping. I had a very deep and meaningful Thursday Tracks planned. So, what I’m going to do is I’m going to write an extra long double one for all our wonderful readers!

(A short note: This blog is doing so much better than we expected, and every time I look at the stats I get a (pleasant) shock. Everyone who has read our posts, liked, commented and followed, you’re all amazing and I love you all so much)

So, I’ll start off with what I was trying to do when it deleted. I was going to use the same songs that it came up with but I can’t remember them so I’ll find some new ones.

As I can’t think of a song that I haven’t already used to sum up my week (this will probably happen more and more often- be warned) I’m going to take my playlist on Spotify and hit shuffle play. Then, I’ll take the first 3 songs that come up and choose a favourite. Let’s go!

(Before we start, can I ask if anyone else has been experiencing their Spotify doing weird things when on Shuffle? When I say weird, let me show you what I mean. I’ve been having many laughs over these:

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Anyone else’s Spotify doing that? Or is it just mine…)

So, time for some Spotify shuffle play. Are you ready?

Song 1: Who’s Laughing Now by Jessie J

Song 2: Love Me Like You by Little Mix

Song 3: Kiss Me Kiss Me by 5sos

Ok, so, Who’s Laughing Now is a song that I loved when it came out. My friend and I made countless music videos, dance routines and even entered the chop talent show with it. However, since then I’ve started to lose my love for it a little. I still like it a lot, but there are better songs out there.

Love Me Like You is just 👌. I love that song so much. And the music video ❤️💛💚💙💜! It’s so catchy too!

And Kiss Me Kiss Me is also sooooooo catchy. I think out of all these songs that one is probably my favourite.

I know this was a little random (and shorter than I hoped- I’m going out for dinner now) but I hope you enjoyed it! Please like, comment and follow (and please read the rest of this too!)!!!!!!

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Now I wanna look at something more serious. I did a car boot sale the other day, and I got chatting to the little girl at the stall next to me. She (like little kids do) was talking about just completely random subjects. After a while she picked up the cardigan she was sitting on and asked me to guess who’s it was. She told me it wasn’t hers or her mum’s. So I guessed grandma’s, and she said

“No, it’s my aunts. Even though she’s dead apparently. Cancer.”

She pulled a face on the last word, and it just made me really sad that someone young like that had lost someone to cancer, especially as I lost my great aunt (I didn’t really know her well and she was ill for a long time but it was still sad).

And then Vibha was talking about an MCR song (I can’t remember which one) about cancer, and so I decided we should do something serious on cancer. First I’m gonna raise some awareness for a Taylor Swift songs about cancer, and then Vibha can look at her song. This seems kinda pointless, but please, if you’re reading this, do something to help. Whether you buy Taylor Swift’s song (all proceeds go to finding a cure for children’s cancer), donate some money or do something a little hands on, please. Let’s stop cancer together.

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So, Taylor Swift’s song is called Ronan. It’s a heartbreaking song based on a true story. There was a little boy called Ronan who developed cancer. His mother kept a blog called Rockstar Ronan about the struggles they were going through, and to raise awareness. Poor Ronan died 3 days before he turned 4.

Taylor read the blog and then wrote this song using quotes from it, to raise awareness. All the proceeds from the song go to finding a cure to children’s cancer.

I listened to the song and read the blog and I’m not ashamed to say that I cried. I cried for the little boy who never got to experience the world. I cried for the parents who never got to see their son grow old. I cried for the little sister born after Ronan died, who is still too young to know what happened to him, and draws pictures for him and asks when she can meet him.

Cancer not only takes the person’s life, it takes their future, and often their family and friend’s happiness with it.

Please, listen to the song and read the blog, and raise awareness and help this worthy cause.

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My song is called Cancer by My Chemical Romance. Now I didn’t know what Mia wanted me to do for today’s Thursday Tracks, she just told me to read the draft and I’d know what to do. Coincidentally, my mum signed me up for Race for Life a few days back. For those of you who don’t know, Race for Life is basically a run to raise money for cancer. I’m terrible at running and I’m super unfit, but it’s for a good cause so :).

This is a really old song, and it doesn’t have an official music video, but if you watch the Youtube link above, you’ll see that someone has put together a random commercial to fit the lyrics to the song. The lyrics to the song are really sweet, do listen to it. And although the video is just a commercial, if you look past that you see a little girl with an older brother, who has cancer. His hair has fallen out, so when the girl is left alone, she cuts all her hair off, to give it to her brother. It’s really sweet, because she thinks that by giving him her hair, he will be cured, he will be alright, but it’s not that simple 😦

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Thanks for reading! We know that post was slightly depressing, but Thursday Tracks is one of the only opportunities we have to talk about non-bookish related topics on our blog. 🙂

-M

A-Z About Me (Mia)

Now, you’ve probably seen that Vibha has done this tag, and for some reason she decided not to tag me (grrrr Vibha) so instead of arguing I’m going to be the bigger person (despite the fact that she’s like, double my height) and pretend she did tag me and just do it because it looks fun!

A – Age: 12. And Vibha said she was young😂😂. I’m the same year as her, I’m just a very late birthday.

B – Book I’m currently reading: Well, I’ve literally just finished all my books, so I’m gonna mention The Trials Of Apollo (or LEO VALDEZ’S VICTORY TOUR OF THE WORLD- you’ll get it if you’ve read it) by Rick Riordan, which I’ve just finished and which is amazing!

C – Chore you hate: Can I say chores in general? No? Then making my bed. It really annoys me coz the duvet will never go on straight.

D – Dessert you love: Anything chocolate-y🤓🤓. I am an unhealthy person who likes chocolate too much for her own good.

E – Essential start your day item: Um, a good book? That’s always important. If I don’t start the day with a good read in bed I get cranky, and you don’t wanna see me cranky😂😂

F – Favourite author/book: Hmm, this changes practically every week. At the moment, probably The Mortal Instruments series (and the thousands of add ons) by Cassandra Clare. If it has to be one book, then probably Carry On. I know, Cassandra Clare can be my favourite author, and Carry On can be my favourite book. Sorted.

G – Gold or silver: Hmm, this is an odd question. Um, probably silver? I wear silver more often. Idk……

H – Height: I’m not really sure to be honest. I think I’m about 150cm which is 4 foot 11. I’m quite short. Not ridiculously short, but still pretty short. And don’t I know it.

I – Instruments you play: I play piano and oboe. I used to play recorder because I was too small for the oboe, but when I took up oboe I dropped it😂😂. I sing quite a bit too.

J – Job title: Student. And I do voice over things for TV (it’s not as exciting as it sounds- trust me) but mainly I just go to school and try not to fall asleep.

K – Kids: None. Duh. I did say I’m 12😂😂

L – Living Arrangements: I live with my sister, parents and two dogs.

M – Most overused word/phrase in your vocabulary: I use ‘like’ way too much, and also ‘but anyway’. I start nearly every sentence with ‘but anyway’. It’s weird and really annoying.

N – Nicknames: Um, my friends call me stuff like Vicious Peasant (don’t ask), Mini Villanous Goose (again- don’t ask), Guppy-faced Paperclip (still don’t ask) and Midget (I’m short. Thought the person who calls me that is even shorter than me. Which is quite impressive). My classmates call me MiMi or Mimes (pronounced M-ee-ms in case you were wondering, which you probably weren’t). My dad calls me Moo😂😂.

O – Overnight hospital stay other than birth: I don’t think I’ve stayed overnight. I went a lot when I was young with ear problems, but I don’t think I ever slept over. I’m a healthy child!

P – Pet peeve: Um, I don’t know really. Fake fans probably.

Q – Quotes I Like: OOh, tough one. Hmm. Anything from TMI, TID, TDA, PJO, HOO, TOA etc etc etc. Possibly “Sarcasm is the last resort of the imaginatively bankrupt” from The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, because I use that one a lot.

R – Right or left handed: I’m right handed but I’m trying to teach myself to be ambidextrous for piano reasons. At the moment though, that’s not going too well, so, we’ll stick with right handed.

S – Siblings: I have a little sister and wish I didn’t .

T – Time you woke up today: 6ish probably. I know- I am a very unlucky child.

U – Unique thing about you: Something unique about me. Um. I don’t really know to be honest. There’s some personal mush that makes me special that I’m not gonna share so maybe, my height? Or that I have lots of crushes? Does that even count?

V – Vegetable you love: POTATOES POTATOES POTATOES!!!!!!! I absolutely love potatoes, up to the point where it’s a bit weird (can that be my unique thing about me- I have an obsession with potatoes?). Any type of potato and I’m there to steal it off you.

W – Worst habit: My dad gets soooooooo annoyed with my hair fiddling and jiggling. Oh, and my pacing when I’m on the phone. I subconsciously pace round and round the kitchen. Oh and my laugh. My laugh……. Here’s another unique fact about me: I laugh like a maniac, a dolphin, a goose, a seal and a pig rolled into one. Yep, it’s as bad as it sounds. To make matters worse, it’s very loud and I can’t stop it. In fact, two days ago I got sent out of my Latin exam for laughing.

X – X-rays you’ve had: None. Like I said, I’m a healthy child! Oh wait no, not true, I just remembered that I had an X-Ray the first day of half term last year because I went back to my old school and played electric piggie (piggies in the middle but faster) with my old friends and then the ball hit my finger straight on and we thought I had broken it. Luckily I hadn’t, but it still wasn’t a great start to the holiday. Still at A&E waiting 3 hours after you arrived at 10 at night. Great holiday. Also, can I say how boring X-rays are??? It’s actually depressing. I expected at least some flashing lights or something, but I was there waiting for something to happen and it was already over!

Y – Yummy food you make: Ooh, I make cakes a lot. I like cake baking.

Z – Zodiac sign: Oh shoot, I did know this and I’ve forgotten…… CANCER! That was it! (And can I just say that my main celebrity crush is a Taurus, and Taurus and Cancer are great together in relationships, AND OFTEN ARE SOULMATES!!! Yippee! Unfortunately his current girlfriend is also Cancer though *sighs with the pain of shipping him and his girlfriend and also having a crush on him*.) Free cookies (virtual cookies I’m afraid before anyone gets excited) for anyone who can guess who it is! (And no Vibha and Lynette, you two can’t do it coz you know).

I hope you enjoyed that, and please like, comment and follow!!!

-M

Thursday Tracks 26/5/16 #4

YAS!!!!! Exams are over, and I now have 10 days off school! I’m gonna enjoy each and every one of them!

So, now exams are over I’ll be back to posting! This week’s Thursday Tracks is going to be slightly special, as Vibha asked if she could join in. She is going to talk about some new bands she’s become obsessed with (and when I say obsessed, I mean OBSESSED. She has been spamming us with lyrics and making us listen to her favourite word of her favourite song again and again and again until we get headaches). But first, I’ll put some songs on!

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Mia’s Music

Okay, so, I’ll start with a singer of the week. I’d like to do 5sos a) because I’m now a fan and b) because they’ve got me through exam week or Taylor Swift for getting me through exam week, but I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned them already so they can be my runners up.

(Just gonna say- I have never wanted to be a microphone as much as I do when I look at these pictures)

(Also, I haven’t had an opportunity before now to say that Taylor’s new hair makes me sad. I liked her old hair. And 5sos are changing their look too- Luke lost his lip ring and isn’t getting it replaced (noooooooo) and has gotten rid of his quiff (noooooooo again), Calum’s got rid of his highlights, ASH’S BANDANA IS GONE (disaster) and Michael’s no longer dying his hair. SO SAD.)

My singer of the week is going to be Meghan Trainor. For a start, she made an appearance in my maths exam along with Zayn Malik, Andy Murray, Simon Cowell, Justin Bieber and a few others (don’t ask- it was a strange maths exam). Also, I got my friend into her and now she is obsessed (though not quite as obsessed as Vibha is with her bands). Our Meghan Trainor session get quite intense.

And on the topic of my friend, can I just say that I am the champion on Taylor Swift songs? No matter who won the game we played, I am the true Swiftie. I’m gonna use this as a warning to any fake fans out there- if you try and do the “I’m such a huge swiftie” thing on me, it ain’t gonna work. I can tell a true Swiftie from a fake fan, and trust me, you don’t want to be on the receiving end of my fake fan anger. Warning over.

Now, for song of the week, I’m gonna choose Hair by Little Mix feat. Sean Paul. I rediscovered this song a few days ago and can’t stop listening to it over and over and over and over and over (you get the idea) again. It’s awesome.

And yeah, that’s all from me for this week, hope you enjoyed it, over to Vibha!

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Vibha’s Music

I’m so excited to do this Thursday Tracks! It’s my first one, and my second last one as well probably (Mia wants me to do it next week as well), so this is super cool! Like Mia said, over the past couple of weeks we’ve been away, revising for exams, I (with the help of a friend) discovered three new bands which I have completely fallen in love with – the Emo Trinity. So you may have noticed from above that Mia’s music taste is quite pop-y, but to be honest I hate pop music. Therefore when I discovered the Emo Trinity – i.e Panic! At the Disco, Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance – I loved it!

Now I myself am not emo, no – I just like the music. My Chemical Romance is definitely the best of them in my opinion, although my friends who also listen to these bands definitely think Panic! is the best. I don’t know though, MCR is pretty amazing.

Okay so from what I can tell you have to do a singer, album and song of the week if I’m right?

I’ll start off with the song of the week – and for this I’d have to choose I Write Sins Not Tragedies by Panic! At The Disco. I definitely agree that this is the most overrated of their songs, but that isn’t gonna stop it being my favourite Panic! song :). Panic! At the Disco is a one man band, with Brendon Urie singing and playing all the music. There were other people, but they all left, so it’s just Brendon now.

Now for the album of the week, I’m going to say Folie à Deux by Fall Out Boy. This album is amazing, one of their bests along with American Beauty/American Psycho. There are some pretty awesome songs in there, my favourites being Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes and 20 Dollar Nose Bleed.

And last, but most definitely not least, artist of the week has to be My Chemical Romance. Like I said earlier, MCR is my favourite of the three bands. When Mia said I’ve been spamming her messages with lyrics – she meant MCR lyrics. And when she mentioned my favourite word – it’s Gerard saying the word ‘letter’ in the song Mama. Now I don’t know if any of you have heard this song, but if you have tell me in the comments. It’s so cool the way he pronounces the word! Tell me (and Mia, because she certainly needs some convincing), that I’m not insane.

Back to My Chemical Romance, the main reason why I didn’t put them on song/album of the week is because they are so amazing it’s just impossible to pick a favourite. One minute I’ll say that Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge is my favourite album, next minute I’ll say Danger Days: The True Lives of Fabulous Killjoys is the best. I just cannot choose! But I think you’ve got the idea – My Chemical Romance is amazing – and I know they broke up three years ago before I discovered them, but I’m staying with the idea that they’ll get back together in 2019, year of the Killjoys.

Left to right: Bob Bryar (who left the band), Mikey Way, Gerard Way, Frank Iero, Ray Toro

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Hope you enjoyed that! It was much longer than the usual Thursday Tracks, but oh well 🙂
Thanks, and do tell us what you think about our favourite music!
-M & V

Thursday Tracks Apology-28/4/16 – #3

Hey guys,

I’m really sorry for a) this being a day late and b) there not really being anything on here. Thing is, I’ve spent ages on this Thursday tracks, and it was almost finished and I came on this morning to just finish it off, and then it had gone. All my work had been deleted.

So, I’m afraid for now, I’m just going to tag a song and that’ll be it for  this week, but I promise next week I’ll do an extra special one.

So, this week the song will be…… Permanent Vacation by 5sos! This is a great song, and kinda sums me up at the moment. I have literally zero motivation. “SITUATION: NO MOTIVATION. DESTINATION: PERMANENT VACATION!” I’m trying to revise for exams and some subjects (*cough* chemistry *cough*) I just cannot get it in my head. I just sit there looking at a page of words thinking, I need to learn this, and just sitting there. It’s a big problem. If anyone has any revision tips, however stupid or basic, please please please say them, because I really need some new methods.

Thank you!

-M

WIFSY Thursday-28th April 2016- Every Exquisite Thing

Hi guys! We’re back again for WIFSY! When I First Saw You is a weekly meme hosted on Sailing Through Books. Each week they post a new book cover of a YA book that we probably won’t have heard of, and we have to write what we think the blurb will be like, and then compare our one to the real one. It’s a lot of fun, and this is now our third time doing it! You can check out our first and second ones by clicking on those links. Enjoy!

This week’s cover is a hard one, but it looks quite cool. It’s of Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick.

Mia’s Blurb: Max has alway been different. It’s hard to blend in when you have learning difficulties (A/N. I’m not really sure of the name of the sort of learning difficulty I’m thinking of so you’ll just have to imagine it). His mum says he sees the world in different way. His learning specialist teacher says his brain is wired differently.  His classmates say he’s just stupid. 

Max might be stupid at maths, but that doesn’t mean his brain is small. Because Max notices things that other people miss. With no friends at school, and his home life falling apart, Max seeks comfort in the simple things in life: mainly, nature. He sits for hours in his own world, quietly drawing beautfiul landscapes in his school books. 

But this kind of peace can’t last long. Max must come out of his shell and embrace his differences, if he ever wants to move forward in life.

A beautiful story about fitting in, Every Exquisite Thing is a must read for everyone.

Vibha’s blurb: With a pen in his hand and some paper in front of him, Cal can get lost in a world of his own creation. When he is in his world, everything around him halts to a stop, everybody near him fades away and the voices are merely unimportant whispers. Because when Cal is in his world, he doesn’t realise what’s happening to the people around him, he doesn’t realise that the world he lives in, the world he has been in ever since he can remember, comes crashing down.

Because for Cal, dreams are dangerous, dreams are unpredictable, dreams can merge with reality in the blink of an eye. Cal’s art is blurring the sharp lines between two completely different worlds, merging them together in one dangerous combination.

One dream is all it takes for the world as Cal knows it to fall apart.

By the author of The Silver Linings Playbook, Every Exquisite Thing is a novel for everyone.

Lynette’s blurb:  Nate isn’t the smartest boy in the world, and he knows it. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t add simple numbers together, or even spell the easiest of words. His classmates and teachers find him stupid. But his parents think he isn’t trying. They think that Nate simply has a bad attitude and is trying to be useless for fun.

Nate wants to be clever. Nate wants to be the top of his class. But without anyone ever believing in him, he finds that he is slowly losing that drive, and changing into a complete different person. 

This story about self-confidence and pursuing your dreams is a book that everyone must read. 

The actual blurb:

From the bestselling author of The Silver Linings Playbook comes a heartfelt and unexpected novel in the vein of The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Nanette O’Hare is an unassuming teen who has played the role of dutiful daughter, hard-working student, and star athlete for as long as she can remember. But when a beloved teacher gives her his worn copy of The Bubblegum Reaper—the mysterious, out-of-print cult-classic—the rebel within Nanette awakens.

As she befriends the reclusive author, falls in love with a young troubled poet, and attempts to insert her true self into the world with wild abandon, Nanette learns the hard way that sometimes rebellion comes at a high price.

A celebration of the self and the formidable power of story, Every Exquisite Thing is Matthew Quick at his finest.

Our Verdicts:

Mia: Wow. That was not what I expected. I don’t really think it has much to do with the cover- I could never have got that plot from the cover. Also I don’t really see how to title fits… I guess it becomes clear during the story. But anyway, mine had nothing to do with the real one. This one was really hard- the cover doesn’t give much away. However, it was fun, and I can’t wait for next week! Fingers crossed I’ll do better.

Vibha: Wow, I was really off the original blurb. I knew from the start that the blurb would probably be some sort of contemporary novel, and my synopsis started off like that too, but then I kinda got carried away, and my contemporary morphed into this weird fantasy-type synosis which has literally nothing to do with the covers…oops! The original blurb sounds really cool though, I’m not sure if it’s my kind of book, but it looks pretty awesome.

Lynette: That was a surprise. I didn’t expect the actual blurb to be like that, and I also wasn’t expecting a girl as the main character. I’m also surprised with myself at how the name Nate is quite similar to Nanette, but as a male version. The only thing that I got sort of close to was that the main character changes at one point, but other than that I was really off. I wasn’t too fond of the cover, but the blurb sounds okay, although I don’t think I’m going to read it. 

– M, L, V

WIFSY Thursday- 21st April 2016- Essential Maps For The Lost

Hi everyone! It’s WIFSY day again, and so we’re back to see if we can come any closer to the real blurb. WIFSY – When I First Saw You – is a weekly meme hosted by Sailing Through Books, where using just a cover, all three of us have to think of a blurb for the book. You can read our first post here.

The book for this week is Essential Maps For The Lost by Deb Caletti. Here are our synopsises! Hope you enjoy them!

Mia’s Blurb:

Sinking. Down. Down. Down.

Lauren is a normal girl, living in the Scilly Isles. But one day, while on a family boating trip with her and her parents, their family boat capsizes and sinks. Lauren is sure she’s going to drown.

But by some miracle that no one quite understands, Lauren survives. Now an orphan, Lauren is no longer sure about her life and who she’s supposed to be. With a new fear of the ocean, yet inesplicably drawn to it, Lauren must journey to discover her past, and shape her future.

A heartwarming YA book about discovering ones inner self, Essential Maps for the Lost is a must-read for all.

Vibha’s blurb:

Emma has always loved the ocean. The smell of the salty air, the cool touch of the water, the beautiful colours. The amazing wildlife below, the coral, the sand…and the darkness. The darkness intrigued Emma. It always had. She’d never understood why nobody swam down to the bottom of the sea. But nearly her whole life’s worth of research on the darkness down below meant that Emma had noticed something no other person had ever spotted before. Emma had noticed something shocking, something strange…something fishy (I’m sorry I had to do that, ok! Don’t kill me 😂).

On her 18th birthday Emma forges a fake suicide note to her friends and family, and driving to the beach, Emma does something nobody has EVER done before.

A gripping story of love, loss and fantasy, Essential Maps For The Lost is a must-read for everyone.

Lynette’s blurb:

Carrie’s elder brother went missing a whole year ago and everyone assumed he was dead. But Carrie is certain that he has gone out to travel the oceans, as that had always been his secret dream. So when an adventurous sailor comes by for a stop and befriends Carrie, she knows she must join him when he sets off again. She wants to see the real oceans for herself, and perhaps find her brother. 

After she sets off without her parents’ permission and ventures into the ocean, she realises that the sea is far more dangerous than she could have ever predicted, and she also realises that she is far more lost than her brother had ever been.
This is a touching adventure book which also includes the love between siblings, and that some dreams may not be what they first seem to be like. Essential Maps for the Lost is definitely recommended for anyone to read.

The real blurb:

Sometimes people want to be lost. Madison—Mads to everyone who knows her—is trying her best to escape herself during one last summer away from a mother who needs more from her than she can give, and from a future that has been decided by everyone but her.

Sometimes the lost do the unimaginable, like the woman, the body, Mads collides with in the middle of the water on a traumatic morning that changes everything.

And sometimes the lost are the ones left behind, like the son of the woman in the water, Billy Youngwolf Floyd. Billy is struggling to find his way through each day in the shadow of grief. His one comfort is the map he carries in his pocket, out of his favorite book, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

When three lives (and one special, shared book) collide, strange things happen. Things like questions and coincidences and secrets—lots of secrets. Things like falling in love. But can two lost people telling so many lies find their way through tragedy to each other…and to solid ground?

Our verdicts:

Mia: Well, that’s a bit of a disappointment. I didn’t really get anything right, except the idea of being lost in life and the water, but they were kinda obvious. I was thinking about Listen to the Moon by Michael Morpurgo when I wrote mine, and I thought it would be something a bit like that. To be honest, I much prefer my blurb. This cover is so pretty and cool, but the book doesn’t actually sound that good. However, I really enjoyed my first WIFSY, and can’t wait for next week!

Vibha : Well, my synopsis had virtually no similarities with the real synopsis. I’m kinda disappointed with the original blurb, it doesn’t really sound particularly exciting, but I guess that’s my opinion, and perhaps this book is just not my kinda genre. However, I really enjoyed writing my second WIFSY, and I’m really looking forward to doing another one next week.

Lynette: The cover included a girl reaching her hand into the water, so that is where I got my idea of the sea from. I got the idea of her brother getting lost from the fact that the title had the word ‘lost’ in it. But in the end, my one was pretty different from the actual thing. As for the book, I don’t think I will read it. Its not really the sort of book I would find very interesting. 

Hope you enjoyed that!

– L, M & V

Thursday Tracks- 21st April 2016 #2

So, Thursday has rolled round again and it’s time for Thursday Tracks here on Geeky Fangirls. Unlike some of the others where we switch round, Thursday Tracks is my personal meme, so you’re stuck with me. If you have no idea what I’m babbling on about and don’t know what Thursday Tracks is, you can check out my first Thursday Tracks post (from last week- this is quite a new thing) where I explained it here.

So, this week I’ve had a huge party, so I’m going to use Katy Perry’s Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) to represent this. Though the party wasn’t quite as rebellious as hers (it was mostly my relatives so about 80% of the people there were over 70, most others not far behind) I love this song so I will use it. Being the “good girl” that I am (note the speech marks- good girls are bad girls that haven’t been caught- yes, I am becoming a 5sos fan! Be prepared for more of their songs coming up on future Thursday Tracks) I felt such a  rush of rebellion singing along to a song that dirty. I like the dirty songs- they make me feel more rebellious (mwah ha ha).

 

Now also, I’m feeling a bit nostalgic (oh god, you think, not again. Yep again. I tend to feel nostalgic a lot. Singers better start writing some more nostalgic songs coz I’m gonna run out quickly). I know I’m always feeling pretty nostalgic, but this time is different. I’ve reached the end of one stage of my life, and that makes me sad. I’m a very nostalgic person, and I take the fact that we can never go back very seriously. I’m trying to live on the moment a bit more, but sorta struggling. Anyway, it’s quite unlikely you’ve heard this song unless you are a die-hard Swiftie (like me), but it’s a really beautiful one and a avert nostalgic one. If you’re in a really nostalgic mood (like I always am) it can even bring tears. It’s called Never Grow Up, by Taylor Swift (duh) and it’s one of my favourite songs. Do listen- it’s truly beautiful.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fq34Zy0s1mA

Finally, comes my weekly singer/band, which is gonna be 5sos. This is coz I have my first 5sos lesson later today, and I’m very excited (before you ask, my friend takes being a fan very seriously, so I have to take lessons to make sure I know everything about them before I can call myself a fan).

Here’s 5sos (5 seconds of summer)- a band. From left to right: Michael, Luke, Calum, Ashton

As I said, each week is gonna be different so this week I’m not gonna do an album as I can’t really think of any that work. However, if you have a working/revising/exams song/album/singer/playlist then that also sums up my week, as exams are coming up so its revision time. Unfortunately, it’s day four of revision and I’ve got about four days worth of revision to do tonight, so that gonna be fun. Shoot me now.

I hope you enjoyed my second Thursday Tracks, do check out my first one, you can find the link at the top of the page, and please like, follow and check out our other stuff!

-M