Saturday Songs & Pages: #TLCReadAlong: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer!!

Hello guys!

Today I'm a mixed up sort of post since I was feeling quite unmotivated to write yet another review... so I got an idea for this post!

It's a mix of my usual Saturday posts, Saturday Song and Saturday Pages! I'll have a mini review of my re-read of Scarlet for the #TLCReadAlong and also a few songs that made me think of the characters!

To begin with, I'm sharing a song that I feel it's perfect for these amazing retellings, because they are familiar versions of a Once Upon a Time story but they're amazing stories on their own! (and I LOVE this song from the Maleficent movie!).

Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner




I remember being rather unhappy about how the focus in the book kept changing from Cinder to Scarlet the first time I read the book, before I realized that was how the series was, both consecutive/sequel like books but also with different main characters (and couples) at the head of each book, adding to the cast and the team, making the world richer and the plot even more complex!

So this time around I was ready to read again about Scarlet and Wolf with a different mindset and I found myself liking Wolf almost from the get go, and getting to warm up to Scarlet so much easily too! She's got quite a temper and I feel like teen-Pili would have related with her throwing tomatoes at the wall so much!

I have once again realized that I had forgotten quite a few details but holy cow! I totally had forgotten about some bigger things that I cannot mention because SPOILERS but damn, I'm so glad I re-read this before Winter! 

I also found that I had a few more issues with how Scarlet and Wolf's relationship progress, mostly in the time frame it takes place... somehow I don't think I felt it went too fast as much as I did this time. I can understand that for Wolf it is more of a primal thing, an Alpha finding his mate, but for Scarlet? Even after knowing what I know about her... it doesn't make the same sense for me. But by the end of the book I'm once again totally onboard with the ship and I find them so adorableee!!

Dear Captain Thorne, I had forgotten how conceited and irritating he read from Cinder's POV, since I got used to him being a lil different and seeing him way differently from Cress' POV! But I liked how he quite quickly became an ally for Cinder and how he and Iko ganged up on Cinder whenever Kai is involved!


And now for some more songs!

This Florence +  The Machine song is perfect for the relationship between Scarlet & Wolf, given how primal and visceral it feels at times!







 
This Metallica song is perfect for Wolf, even if it might refer to shape-shift at some point, the title is quite on point!




 

I had the harderst time finding the right song for Scarlet, because she's such a firecracker and strong character... And I think this one is pretty accurate after all! If you have any other suggestions, let me know!






And last but for sure not least I found this song that I'd say would be the perfect fir for Queen Levana! Found it while I was looking for the right song for Scarlet!!





Do you guys have any other songs that make you think of The Lunar Chronicles or any of the characters? I have a few ideas for Cress!

Saturday Song - The Talisman by Iron Maiden & The Invasion of the Tearling!

Hello there guys!

This week I've been rather out of motivation and time to blog, and the stupid heat wave has not been helping matters.

But today as I was driving back from my bro's house from hanging out with my sis-in-law, I was listening to Iron Maiden and one of the songs just clicked, made me think of a book and I decided I needed to do another of the rare Saturday Song posts that I do!




As I was thinking about the lyrics of the song and how they related to parts of the book, not completely but some parts are really relevant, I was also thinking that I really cannot explain all that much, because I'm afraid that there could be some serious spoilers involved!

The Talisman is a song that could refer to the crossing of the Pilgrims from the UK to the new land of the Americas, the Mayflower and the lot, though we don't know if they used any sort of talisman to guide their travels. But the lyrics really reminded me of another travel across the seas looking for a better place, like the Crossing that took place and it's explained on The Invasion of the Tearling, and in said Crossing, there IS a sort of talisman! And can't say anymore because... Spoilers sweetie!!

And for anyone that might have read the book and even those who haven't, here are some of the lyrics that made me think of the Crossing!

"We flee the earth and face our
Harsh reality."

"We run from the evil tongues,
Rash judgements, selfish men
Never to be seen on these shores again."

 "We're off now to seek all our fortunes
To the land of our dreams"

 "Holding on for our dear lives
And we're praying once again
rotten luck or just jonahed?
The talisman is in my hand"

And that's all folks! Have you read The Invasion of the Tearling? Do you think my brain did the right connection with the song or went completely off course?

Happy Saturday everyone!

Celebrating Diversity with Liars INC by Paula Stokes! Parvati and sarees!

Hi there guys!

Welcome to another scheduled post while I'm on hiatus and actually driving one of my besties to the airport for her honeymoon and freaking out like there's no tomorrow about going to BEA since I'll be flying tomorrow!!

Today I am gonna do a lil bit of a random post that I was inspired for while reading Liars INC by Paula Stokes! Not only I loved the plot and the mystery but I also LOVED Parvati, the half-Indian third of the Liars! And once I read about her wearing a white saree at the funeral (nope, not telling you whose funeral) I knew I wanted to talk about about sarees and how to wear them on the blog!


Being with an Indian guy for 7 years means I've learn a thing or two about what to wear for a shaadi (Indian wedding) and a few ways of draping a saree (thank Youtube for tutorials!).

Sarees are traditional and have been worn for thousands of years, but they continue to be worn either for special occasions only or every day and for every occasion. Depending on the woman's preference or how traditional their upbringing and where they live is. Given that Parvati is half Indian and she wants to keep her heritage but not let it define who she is, I'm sure she'd love to wear sarees for special occasions, both joyful and sad.

There are two main colours that are very traditional in India, red (or reddish shades, even orange and pink can work) for a bride on her wedding (for the main ceremonial day with the actual marriage taking place) and then white for mourning and funerals. Black is not a colour to be worn at either occasion, but it's perfectly fine for receptions or other events! Wearing red to a wedding is a big NO-NO unless you are close family of the bride or groom.

For weddings and events, sarees ought to be silk, net or a similarly luxurious fabric and the more embroidery and bling, the better! For funerals and mourning sarees should be white, plain and without much embellishment if any.

And now I'll show you a few pics! Too much writing in this post so far!!

As you can see, there are many colours and fabrics when it comes to sarees and according to Wikipedia, about 80 ways recorded of draping them! Sarees can be more traditional or more sexy and once you get the hang of putting them on, they can be even more comfy to wear for events than usual western formal wear!

Now, some more pics, these will be sort of a tutorial on how to wear a saree! You'll see me putting the saree on one of my besties! ;)

First of all, you put on the blouse & petticoat (underskirt)

The petticoat needs to be tied tightly (my friend Esther was complaining about that) but you don't want the saree fabric to slip off because it's too lose and whoops, lost your saree!

You tuck in the saree fabric around so the border barely touches the ground (remember to wear the shoes)

You grab the loose fabric, pleat it and throw it over your shoulder, till it hits knee lenght, then grab the rest of the loose fabric in front.

 You pin the fabric and then do the pleating (that's always the hardest part to learn to do) and then tuck it in front and pin it again!

Then you grab the pallu and let it fall from the shoulder onto the arm, and pin it again on the back so it doesn't fall off!

And you're good to go!

Namaste!

I'll show you now a few video tutorials for how to wear a saree in a few different ways! They're fun and easy to follow! And explain it much better than I did with the photos, I'm sure!

Nivi Style - it's the more typical, traditional way to wear a saree, and you can never go wrong for wearing a saree this way for any and all events!



Hourglass/Mermaid style - this is a more modern way to wearing a saree is fantastic to wear a net saree and still hide the tummy a bit but go less traditional. It's also great to move around without worrying about the pallu of the saree!



Siren/Variation of Nivi style - Very similar to the Nivi style but again a lil more modern and comfy to dance and move around, a lil more revealing too. Perfect for receptions and parties!




And oh boy, I think that's all! This has ended up being a massively BIG post and if any of you guys have read till the end... THANK YOU!!

Liars INC by Paula Stokes

For fans of Gone Girl, I Hunt Killers, and TV's How to Get Away with Murder.

Max Cantrell has never been a big fan of the truth, so when the opportunity arises to sell forged permission slips and cover stories to his classmates, it sounds like a good way to make a little money and liven up a boring senior year. With the help of his friends Preston and Parvati, Max starts Liars, Inc. Suddenly everybody needs something and the cash starts pouring in. Who knew lying could be so lucrative?

When Preston wants his own cover story to go visit a girl he met online, Max doesn’t think twice about hooking him up. Until Preston never comes home. Then the evidence starts to pile up—terrifying clues that lead the cops to Preston’s body. Terrifying clues that point to Max as the murderer.

Can Max find the real killer before he goes to prison for a crime he didn’t commit? In a story that Kirkus Reviews called "Captivating to the very end," Paula Stokes starts with one single white lie and weaves a twisted tale that will have readers guessing until the explosive final chapters.

Saturday Song: Wonderful Life by Alter Bridge!

Hey guys, given my work schedule and blue mood for this last pair of days, I just couldn't have a review ready for today...

And since I felt like I needed a good cry to get it out of my system since it had been brewing for a while... I'll leave you with a fantastic song by a brilliant band. I'm now going to bed to cry and then hopefully get some proper sleep so I handle another night shift at work tonight.

Saturday Song: Over The Love by Florence + The Machine

Hi there fine people!

It's Saturday, and for me it's another day going to work (and missing the qualifiers for F1!), but I wanted to share a song with you all for Saturday Song.

This week I've been a bit obsessed with the soundtrack for The Great Gatsby (which I haven't seen yet, will have to wait till the DVD release) and I really shouldn't be surprised, I always love Baz Luhrmann's movies and soundtracks and the twists songs get in them.

I've been particularly obsessed with Florence + The Machine's Over The Love, and even more with this live version I'm sharing with you all... she's got an absolutely WOW kinda voice!



Enjoy!

Saturday Song: May The Fourth Be With You!

Hello everyone!

Today is May 4th, and it's considered officially or unofficially Star Wars Day! I had considered making some cupcakes to celebrate it, but since I already have a dozen of them that I need to get someone to eat, I didn't want to push it!

If you are wondering why it is Star Wars day, just say May the 4th and May The Force, and you'll get it! ;)

So, to celebrate I'm sharing some Star Wars music for this Saturday Song! The ever so talented John Williams scored all six movies (so far) and his job was absolutely brilliant in all of them!

I'm gonna be sharing one song for each one of the Prequel movies, despite not being as equally loved by the fans and whether you can say they're not as good as the originals, the music is equally superb!

Duel of The Fates from Episode I: The Phantom Menace



Across The Stars from Episode II: Attack of the Clones



Battle Of The Heroes from Episode III: Revenge of the Sith



Here you go! Hope you enjoy! I'm gonna be wearing my geekiness proudly today and May The Force Be With You, Always!

Saturday Song: Beyond The Sea - Robbie Williams!

I wanted to share a song I've been wanting to listen to since yesterday at work, since for some reason it popped into my mind... must have been some reference to Finding Nemo, the movie, and every time I think of that movie, I think of this song! So, for this week's Saturday Song: Beyond The Sea, version by Robbie Williams!


Enjoy and maybe even do a little twirl around the house today!

Dear old bad boy Robbie singing old style music, brings a smile to your face!
 

Saturday Song: The Drunk Scotsman!

Hello everyone!


This is a scheduled entry, cause right now I'm on my way to the cottage, to play with Chipi, enjoy the weekend off, read some, take some photos and recharge my batteries!


But, I wanted to leave ya'll with something to make you smile and sing, and to chug a beer or two (or what other berverage of choice you might have!). Salud!

Saturday Song: Summer Wine by The Corrs & Bono

In the morning today I woke up to the happy surprise of having some amazing looking strawberries that my mum had bought, since she had found them in a shop and they weren't too expensive, and while I was washing one, the first line of a song came to my mind "Strawberries, cherries and an angel's kiss in spring..." and I knew what song I had to share with you all today as Saturday Song!





This is the first time I had heard the song, the version of The Corrs, with Andrea singing with Bono (from U2, in case there's still someone who doesn't know who Bono is...) and fell in love with the song! I know it's a version from an older song, and I heard the original while waiting for a lift in a mall in Delhi (of all places) but maybe cause I heard it first, or maybe cause I like Andrea's voice better, this one remains my favourite version!


Have a good Saturday!

Saturday Song: These Walls by Dream Theater!

Hi there everyone!


Today I was almost expecting not to have a blog entry for you all, but then I started listening to Dream Theater's Live At Budokan, and I knew I needed to share a very special song of them here, so there's a Saturday Song post after all!





These Walls, a fantastic song, and one that I relate quite so much, or should I say, I used to... in the early days, before G & me put the cards face up and told each other we were in love, this song was my inner shouting out my doubts and a way of not going crazy, so when I finally listened to this song live last summer with G by my side, it was such a glorious feeling, cause finally my walls were down, cause there were no need for them anymore!

Saturday Song: Merry Christmas by Apocalyptica!!

Hello everyone! Today just a short entry to wish everyone, friends, family and sporadic and regular readers a very Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!


Since it's Saturday and Christmas' Eve, I wanted to leave you with some Christmas music for Saturday Song, but not the usual kind, since I'm not very much into the usual kind... You also owe the two songs here to my dear twin Deb, from On Cupcake Moon, since she shared the discovery of the Christmas music played by Apocalyptica (metal music played with cellos!).


So while I bake some savoury jamón serrano and parmesan cupcakes for work, I leave you with Apocalyptica playing Little Drummerboy and Oh Holy Night.








I will be listening to these two, Dream Theater's version of Oh Holy Night, Wham's Last Christmas and All I Want For Christmas (Love, Actually movie version, of course!) on repeat today! ;)

Saturday Song: Apocalyptica!

Hey there!

For today's Saturday Song I want to share with you a heavy metal version with cellos of a classic music well know tune. It's "The Hall of the Mountain King" by Apocalyptica!

G & me saw this guys at the Sonisphere festival in July, and they are absolutely amazing! The can play anything on their cellos, from classical music to Metallica, to their own songs, and they absolutely rock!! And they can also headbang like nobody's business while playing their cellos!!

Saturday Song: Man of the Hour

The bf has been obsessed with Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder for a while now, and though it can be a bit annoying sometimes, it is good music, and some of it, even great! And so, this Saturday Song is by Eddie Vedder.

Who would have thought an ukelele and a guy singing could be such a masterpiece?

This song is just amazing, and part of the soundtrack of an equally amazing movie, if you haven't seen Big Fish, I highly recommend that you do.

Saturday Song: Always With Me, Always With You by Joe Satriani

Gaurav arrives today!


Since I'm gonna be spending all the time with him, and very little with the laptop these days, I'm gonna leave you all with a wonderful song, an instrumental amazing love song, by the uber talented and one of the best guitarists in the world, Joe Satriani.


Always With Me, Always With You!

Saturday Song: Iron Maiden - Dance of Death

Having a weekend off is nice, but when your sleep pattern is as messed up as mine is this week, it can mean not being able to fall asleep till 4 am, and only managing to sleep till around noon, with a rather fitful sleep...


So, to pump myself up I've decided to listen to Iron Maiden and one of my favourite songs by them, Dance of Death. Among the many curious things about me, two are my fascination with Pagan religions, culture & imaginery for an atheist, and my love for all things Celtic for a Mediterranean!


Listening to this song just makes me think of druids dancing around bonfires in the primeval forests... And the legends of the dance of the death abound in all & cultures, just a little food for thought, metal is not only for headbanging, but also for thinking! ;)





As a little anecdote, when G & me went to see Maiden in Valencia we thought they'd continue wit the setlist they played in the US, and G asked me what song I'd have them play that wasn't in the setlist, and I answered this one. Low and behold, they had changed their setlist and played Dance of Death instead of Paschendale!

Saturday Song: Where Did You Sleep Last Night - Nirvana.

After going yesterday for a shop opening of Isabel, one of my best friend's sister and meeting up there with a lot of people I hadn't see in years, I've woken up today feeling a bit old and thinking about a long time back...


And I decided that I wanted to listen to some Nirvana, and went straight for my favourite way to listen to them, their Unplugged in New York album.





Have a good Saturday!

Saturday Song: Take That, my guilty pleasure!

I just wanted to share a video and a song from a group that were my love & my obsession when I was 14-15 and that I've now rediscovered on their re-grouping, and that are now my guilty pleasure... ladies & gentlemen, Take That and The Greatest Day!





Take the advice of this song, stay close to the ones you love and think that always, this day could be the greatest day of our lives, and work to make it so!

Saturday Song: Sucker Punch Soundtrack!

Hello my dears!


Yesterday I missed my Feature Friday, but my excuse is that I spent most of the day sleeping after working Thursday night shift, and having to work night shift again.


So to make up for it, I'm leaving you with a song from the soundtrack of Sucker Punch, since I've been pretty obsessed with the music from that movie since I saw it with the bf.


Without further ado, "Where Is My Mind?"!