The Book Thief

So on my way back to school my dad and I stopped at a Border's and he told me he'd buy me a book. Chelsey had previously mentioned that The Book Thief was something I may enjoy since it was set in Nazi Germany and narrated by Death. Oh yes, I was intrigued. So I bought that book.

It took me awhile to read because I've been busy with school and it's kind of a heavy book. However, it is beautiful. Beautiful in the way it describes life. The metaphors and personifications just pulling you into Death's world and seeing the world through his (is it a he?) eyes. Not just that though, but the story in general. A young girl growing up in Nazi Germany, not knowing that what is happening in the war is bad. Well, not until she befriends a Jew when her family hides one in their basement. It's a look at World War II from the eyes of youth. And innocence. Her struggle with learning to read. The death of her brother. Adjusting to living with her foster parents. Watching books being burned. Stealing others. Her best friend. Death. Life. Learning to use her words. The importance of them. Their strength. Their power. The image of a Jew in a fist fight with Hitler. Describing the sky. Reading to the broken and fearful.

It's a tragedy.

It's historical.

It's a love story.

It's poetic.

It's unique.

It's motivational.

And I like to think that Liesel and Max got married.

Death just forgot to mention that.

Old Playlists

Bella: Every time my music gets screwed up the playlists I have from you always get messed up and I never know what the songs are, so I'm putting them on here as I fix them yet again.

Rosalie: I love looking back on these. I will be adding updates on some more songs I think fit the playlists.

Hopelessly Romantic

"More Than A Love Song" Augustana, Midwest Skies And Sleepless Mondays

"When You Love Somebody" Fruit Bats, Mouthfuls

"Sun" Daphne Loves Derby, Daphne Loves Derby

"Say It Again" Marie Digby, Unfold

"Be Still My Heart" The Postal Service, The Postal Service

"A Walk Through Hell" Say Anything, Menora Majora

"You Told Me You Loved Me" Cinematic Sunrise, A Coloring Storybook And A Long Playing Record

"Forever And Almost Always" Kate Voegele, A Fine Mess

"Calling You" Blue October, History For Sale

"Just Like Heaven" The Cure, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me

"The Best Of You And Me" Number One Gun, The North Pole Project

"Cute" Stephan Jenkins, Peace.Love.Truth (EP)

"The Man Who Can't Be Moved" The Script, The Script

"The Truth About Heaven" Armor For Sleep, What To Do When You Are Dead

"Rhapsody Of The Seas" School Boy Humor, School Boy Humor

"Can Anyone Really Love Young" The Higher, The Higher

"Write You A Song" Plain White T's, Every Second Counts

"Bruised" Jack's Mannequin, Everything In Transit

"Love Hurts" Incubus, Light Grenades

"Hum Along" Ludo, Ludo

"Inevitable" Anberlin, Lost Songs

"Falling in Love At A Coffee Shop" Landon Pigg, Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop

"Marry Me" Train, Save Me San Francisco

"To Be Alone With You" Sufjan Stevens, Seven Swans

"I Caught Fire (In Your Eyes)" The Used, In Love and Death

"Stolen" Dashboard Confessional, Dusk and Summer

Saddest Songs

"Bullet With Butterfly Wings" Smashing Pumpkins, Rotten Apples: Greatest Hits

"The Kill" 30 Seconds To Mars, A Beautiful Lie

"Up Against The Wall" Boys Like Girls, Boys Like Girls

"Car Underwater" Armor For Sleep, What To Do When You Are Dead

"All Hail The Heartbreaker" The Spill Canvas, Sunsets And Car Crashes

"Note To Self" From First To Last, Dear Diary My Teen Angst Has A Body Count

"The Quiet Things No One Ever Knows" Brand New, Deja Entendu

"Bite To Break The Skin" Senses Fail, Let It Enfold You

"Not Good Enough For Truth Or Cliche" Escape The Fate, Dying Is Your Latest Fashion

"Adam's Song" Blink-182, Enema Of The State

"White Horse" Taylor Swift, Fearless

"Bliss Tearing Eyes" Dead Poetic, The Finest

"I Can Barely Breathe" Manchester Orchestra, I'm Like A Virgin Losing A Child

"I'm A Fake" The Used, In Love And Death

"Miserable At Best" Mayday Parade, A Lesson In Romantics

"Emo Kid" Adam And Andrew, Music Pimp$

"What Hurts The Most" Rascal Flatts, Me And My Gang

"Hear Me Now" Framing Hanley, Framing Hanley

"Studying Politics" Emery, The Question

"We Are Broken" Paramore, Riot!

"Ohio Is For Loves" Hawthorne Heights, The Silence In Black And White

"A Time For Yohe" Between The Trees, The Story And The Song

"You're So Last Summer" Taking Back Sunday, Tell All Your Friends

"The Greatest Fall (Of All Time)" Matchbook Romance, Stories And Alibis

"No. 5" Hollywood Undead, Hollywood Undead

"Live Fast" Pensive, Artifacts

"Fall For You" Secondhand Serenade, A Twist In My Story

"Goodbye (I'm Sorry)" Jamestown Story, Broken Summer

Coming Up:

Oh What Tangled Webs We Weave

The Valentine's Day Mix

Awesome Incredible Music

California Knows How To Party

Christmas By Stephanie

Good Worship

Video Blog Numero Dos!

Music I Would Like You To Download For Me

Because you are much braver than I am at this and because you love me so much and because I am always always always super appreciative.

And because you're the bestest best friend ever.

Now, enough of that saccharine, sticky sweet (but TOTALLY and COMPLETELY true) mush and onto... The List.

Music I Would Like You To Download for Me:

(an ever-compiling compilation of music)

Sheryl Crow by Sheryl Crow. (done)

Parallel Lines by Blondie. (done)

It's Kind of a Funny Story soundtrack. (having trouble finding...)

Everything Lykke Li. (done)

Everything Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes. (done)

"Beautiful" by Moby. (done)

"Telephone" and "Alejandro" by Lady Gaga. (done)

The Runaways soundtrack. (done)

Everything by The Runaways (the Joan Jett band). (done)

"Fire Escape," "Fools," "Rewind," "Mirror Mirror" by Diane Birch.

Anything Boyce Avenue that we don't already have (especially "Teenage Dream"). (done)

"Whip My Hair" by Jimmy Fallon. (done)

"Let The Drummer Kick" by Citizen Cope.

"New Slang" by The Shins (done)

"L.E.S. Artistes" by Santigold. (done)

"Walking On A Dream" by Empire Of The Sun.

"What Else Is There?" by Royksopp. (done)

"Glory Box" by Portishead. (done)

"Soft Shock" and "Heads Will Roll" by Yeah Yeah Yeah's. (done)

"Mushaboom (Postal Service Remix)" Feist.

"Fade Into You" by Mazzy Star.

"Loud Pipes" by Ratatat.

The Vampire Diaries soundtrack.

The first two Ashlee Simpson albums. Shut up.

"Girls" by Beyonce.

"Who Says" by Selena Gomez & The Scene.

Teenage Dream by Katy Perry.

"I Need A Doctor" by Dr. Dre.

"Tonight Tonight" by Hot Chelle Rae.

"Save The World" by Swedish House Mafia.

"Coming Home" by Diddy.

"Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO.

"Just Can't Get Enough" by The Black Eyed Peas.

"Don't Wanna Go Home" by Jason Derulo.

"Look At Me Now" by Chris Brown.

"S&M" by Rihanna.

"Roll Up" by Wiz Khalifa.

"Run The World (Girls)" by Beyonce.

"Backseat" by New Boyz.

"Dirty Dancer" by Enrique Iglesias.

"Fuckin' Perfect" by Pink.

"California King Bad" by Rihanna.

"Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac.

"Barefoot Blue Jean Night" by Jake Owen.

"Where Them Girls At" by David Guetta.

"What The Hell" by Avril Lavigne.

"Brighter Than The Sun" by Colbie Caillat.

"Til The World Ends (The Femme Fatale Remix)" by Britney Spears.

"Stereo Love" by Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina.

"Never Gonna Leave This Bed." by Maroon 5.

The Hunger Games

I usually have enough self-control to put down a book and get some sleep, but this was not the case with The Hunger Games by Suzanna Collins. In fact, my rest was the last thing on my mind through the gripping story of survival and love. The book begins in a post-apocalypse type of world in North America. There is the Capital, the ruling and ruthless center of the remaining world which hold dominion over the twelve districts that surround it by not only forcing them to live in poverty thus showing how much power and control the Capital has, but by forcing each district to participate in the Hunger Games. The games are an annual event in which each district sends one boy and one girl to be 'tributes' and fight the other chosen children until there is only one left alive. This tribute will gain wealth and comfort for themselves and their family for the rest of their lives.

This story revolves around Katniss, a young girl struggling to support her sister and mother after her father passed away in a coal-mining accident. She took what she learned from her father and hunts in the woods outside of her district, District 12, risking her life every day by breaking the law in order to support her family. When the day comes to choose tributes, her sister is chosen and, in order to save her, Katniss offers to have herself to go instead. This is allowed and Katniss, along with the boy tribute Peeta, begin a journey to the Capital and are forced to go through all the formalities of the games, and then are put into an arena where they must fight to survive.

That's as much as I am willing to divulge on the storyline since it is a book I would highly suggest everyone to read. It was a gripping story even before the games begun as Katniss struggles with her fear and tries to understand the motives behind everyones actions. Once the games begun though, I could not put the book down. The story moved from action to survival to relationship in such a way that not one subject was overdone. Each chapter held some new development and I had to keep reading in order to find out what happens next. Even now that I am done, I feel the need to go buy the next book (so far there are three). I could relate to the main character, which I always think makes a book more interesting, and I lost myself completely in the story.

Also, this book should definitely be made into a movie. It would be incredible.

Go read it.

Now.

And The Winner Of Reading Competition 2010 Is...

Rosalie!!

Rosalie:
Brisingr by Christopher Paolini. 748 pages.
A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux. 464 pages.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. 244 pages.
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. 230 pages.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. 360 pages.
Friend Me by Cathy Hopkins. 497 pages.
The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle by L.J. Smith. 492 pages.
The Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion by L.J. Smith. 520 pages.

Nightlight: A Parody by The Harvard Lampoon. 154 pages.

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. 173 pages.

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers. 414 pages.
Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead. 489 pages.

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. 218 pages.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smithe. 317 pages.
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. 485 pages.
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare. 453 pages.
City of Glass by Cassandra Clare. 541 pages.
Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead. 594 pages.

Total: 7348 pages.

vs.

Bella:
Splendor by Anna Godbersen. 391 pages.
Vampire Diaries: The Awakening & The Struggle by L.J. Smith. 492 pages.
Vampire Diaries: The Fury & The Dark Reunion by L.J. Smith. 520 pages.
Anthem by Ayn Rand. 90 pages.
Youth In Revolt by C.D. Payne. 498 pages.
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. 352 pages.
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. 332 pages.
Vampire Academy: Frostbite by Richelle Mead. 327 pages.
Vampire Academy: Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead. 443 pages.
Vampire Academy: Blood Promise by Richelle Mead. 503 pages.
Vampire Academy: Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead. 489 pages.
The Second Short Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer. 192 pages.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling. 652 pages.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling. 759 pages.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. 550 pages.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling. 119 pages.
Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin. 322 pages.

Total: 7031 pages.

I Hate To Break It To You Baby, But I'm Not Drowning. There's No One Here To Save.

You know what I have realized lately? I am extremely blessed. Now, I don't say this to boast or brag, I just want to relay how extremely thankful I am for every good thing (and the bad things too) that I have in my life.

First, my family. My parents are incredible, and I feel so honored to have their beautiful marriage and love to be a guide to me and to everyone who witnesses it. They try so hard to provide for me everything I could need and teach me what I need to know to live a good life, but also let me make mistakes so I can learn on my own. Then there's my brother, who I may complain about and not quite understand, but I have always looked up to him. He is a good brother, and if anything, I learn from his mistakes.

Second, my friends. Specifically my best friend. Not everyone has someone they can talk to about their insecurities and their deep dark secrets, but I have Bella, who understands, and is willing to listen and give me her honest opinion. God sent her to me for a reason, and I am loving whatever that reason is. She is a great influence in my life and I love her very mush. There are also my other friends who each bring some new spark into my life. I am so blessed that my new roommates have become my friends and that we get along and don't try to kill one another...often...

Third is the wonderful churches that God has brought into my life. The community of the church, I have realized, is a key in my spiritual growth and life, and after Brandon left our high school group I went searching for a new church and found the Stirring. Now, in this new town, I have been brought to Nexus, and the wonderful group of followers there. Also, the Christian group at my school that I have become very involved in is a great part of my walk, and is very much needed as I go through this year of school.

It's probably the holiday season, but it feels right to think about all the good things in life right now, and realized just how blessed I am for what God has put in my life.

I believe in...

The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit

Love as the answer to everything

The healing power of music

Wonder and romanticism

Finding one true love, the person we are meant to be with

Forgiveness. 2nd chances.

Having community with others, keeping each other in check and encouraging one another

The idea that everyone is created equal and we should not judge others' faults

The sanctity of human life

Heaven and Hell

Living life every day to the fullest

Truth, Beauty, Freedom and Love (yes, Moulin Rouge)

Taking time to look at the world

Love languages, Spiritual gifts and Seasons

Prayer, even though God doesn't always answer in the way we expect

Angels and Demons (not the book, the actual beings)

Worshiping in every way we can

Being faithful and loyal

Stepping outside of my comfort zone

The Pacific Coast Highway