Today's Saturday Soundtrack comes from Vampire Weekend. According to Wikipedia,
Vampire Weekend is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 2006. They are currently signed to XL Recordings. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Ezra Koenig, guitarist/keyboardist and backing vocalist Rostam Batmanglij, drummer and percussionist Chris Tomson and bassist and backing vocalist Chris Baio. The band released its first album Vampire Weekend in 2008, which included the singles "Mansard Roof", "A-Punk", "Oxford Comma", "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" and "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance". The band's second album, Contra, was released in 2010. Their third studio album, Modern Vampires of the City, was released on May 14, 2013, winning them a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 2014.
Chances are you've heard some of their music on sitcoms or in commercials.
Vampire Weekend - A-Punk
or Vampire Weekend - Holiday
But have you taken the time to listen to some of their lesser known songs? My 16 year-old made the comment just this week that it's impossible to stay mad while listening to Vampire Weekend and I agree. If you don't believe me, just give it a try the next time someone is wearing on your last nerve.
Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.It is a list of what books you have received over the previous week, either for review, from the library, from the bookstore, or from trades.
Flashback Friday is a meme hosted by our friends at Fiction Fare and Swoony Boys Podcast. The Objective - Pick a book... any book that meets the following criteria:
1. Must have been published at least 2 years ago or
2. Preferably is still in print or available to read
Misty from Kindle Obsessed told me that I need to read this series A.S.A.P. I can't believe I let this series slip by me like this.
Title: The Program
Author: Suzanne Young
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: 4/30/2013
Synopsis:
In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program.
Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.
Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.
Suzanne Young is the New York Times bestselling author of The Program, The Treatment, and several other novels. She currently lives in Tempe, Arizona where she teaches high school English and obsesses about books. Learn more about Suzanne at www.suzanne-young.blogspot.com.
Sometimes the only thing standing
between fear and hope is yourself.
Almost a year ago, nineteen-year-old Cassie Harlen had a lot to deal with. A
stack of college acceptance letters waiting for answers, a proposal from the
boy next door, and a mother whose most recent bipolar episode left Cassie hurt
and confused. Tired of cleaning up the messes caused by her mother's disorder,
of resenting her mother for not being there, and scared of being trapped by an
inevitable future—which included marrying Graham Tucker—Cassie did the only
thing she could think of to keep from ending up like her mother: she left.
Graham never knew why Cassie walked away. He woke up one morning and she was
gone—along with the life that he’d created around her. After eleven months,
Graham has a new plan for his future. One that doesn't involve Cassie Harlen.
When Cassie's mom nearly burns down her house, Cassie’s forced to return home.
Back to a mother she’s tried to ignore and the guy she’s been unable to forget.
Graham doesn't know how he's going to spend the whole summer living next door
to the person who broke his heart without letting those old feelings push
through to the surface.
About the Author Danielle
Ellison spent most of her childhood reading instead of learning math. It's
probably the reason she can't divide without a calculator and has spent her
life seeking the next adventure. It's also probably the reason she's had so
many different zip codes and jobs.
When
she’s not writing, Danielle is probably eating cookies, fighting her
nomadic urges, watching too much TV, or dreaming of the day when she can be
British. She has settled in Northern Virginia, for now, but you can always find
her on twitter @DanielleEWrites.
Sweet Emotion - Aerosmith Angel - Fleetwood Mac Never Going Back Again - Fleetwood Mac Tiny Dancer - Elton John Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd Moaning Low - Billie Holliday Gentle On My Mind - Dean Martin All I Could Do Is Cry - Etta James You Go to My Head – Frank Sinatra And it Spread - The Avett Brothers River - Joni Mitchell You and I - Johnnyswim It Ain't Me Babe - Johnny/June Cash You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go - Bob Dylan The One You Should’ve Let Go – The Lone Bellow The Morning Comes - Delta Rae
If you could read my mind, you wouldn't be smiling.
Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off.
Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn't help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she'd be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam's weekly visits to her psychiatrist.
Caroline introduces Sam to Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more "normal" than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear.
TAMARA IRELAND STONE is the author of Time After Time and Time Between Us, which has been published in over twenty countries to widespread acclaim, and hailed as "an exciting debut novel" by Booklist and "a warm, time bending romance" by Publishers Weekly. It has been optioned for film by CBS Films.
Her next novel, Every Last Word, is about a teen girl with OCD who's hiding part of herself from the world, until she discovers a secret poetry club that changes her in unexpected ways. Every Last Word releases on June 16, 2015.
A former Silicon Valley marketing executive, Tamara enjoys skiing, hiking, and spending time with her husband and two children. She lives just outside of San Francisco. For more information, visit her website atwww.TamaraIrelandStone.com.
Love. Love. Love. Every Last Word is a fantastic young adult novel, but it is also so much more. It deals with some very heavy stuff and I thought it was a great way to let teenagers know that being different doesn't equal being wrong. Tamara Ireland Stone did an amazing job showcasing OCD and sharing the healing power of words.
Samantha works hard to fit in with her 'friends'. Despite the harmful thoughts that often flood her mind, Samantha has everyone fooled into believing that she has everything under control. Her therapist is proud of Samantha for branching out and making a new friend at school this year. Her old circle of friends at school are the very embodiment of 'mean girls' and as much as Samantha hates to cross them, she is coming to rely on the friendship of her new friend, Caroline, more and more.
Caroline is not afraid to talk about the hard things. She is very free to share about her past and her battles with depression. She makes Samantha feel like maybe it's okay to not be just like everyone else, to not think the same as those around her. Caroline introduces her to poet's corner, a hidden group at school who spend their lunches sharing poems and words that have touched their lives in some way. Samantha likes who she becomes when she is around Caroline and her new friends. She likes being 'Sam' who has the courage to stand up in front of the people in poet's corner and share some of the words that bombard her brain.
Samantha cannot seem to stop thinking about the poet's corner and AJ, whose guitar playing and lyrics have touched her soul. It's too bad that he seems to hate her and nothing she does appears to break through his walls. Nothing but the words that Sam finally finds the courage to share.
Around her new friends, Sam feels more honest, more real, more normal, than she has in a very long time. AJ is learning to see her as more than just one of the popular 'mean girls' that she was for many years. But always tickling at the back of Samantha's mind is a thought that is scarier than any of the others.
Still, I can hear this one thought hiding in the dark corners of my mind. It doesn't attack like the others, but it's frightening in a totally different way. Because it's the one that never leaves. And it's the one that scares me the most.
What if I'm crazy?
What will Samantha to do if she discovers that this one terrifying thought is actually the truth and everything that she has come to love is really just one more way her mind has betrayed her?
I love the fact that more and more Young Adult authors are finding ways to share mental health issues in books. Teenagers need to feel that they are not alone. They need to see that different isn't wrong or broken, it's just different. I know that this story may not match up to everyone's experience with OCD, but that's okay. It doesn't have to. Because everyone's OCD story is going to be a little different. I appreciate the way Tamara Ireland Stone shared this story of growth and acceptance while shedding a light on a disorder that is often misunderstood.
Title: The Devil You Know Author: Trish Doller Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Publication Date: 6/2/2015 Source: ARC from Publisher
Synopsis: Eighteen-year-old Arcadia wants adventure. Living in a tiny Florida town with her dad and four-year-old brother, Cadie spends most of her time working, going to school, and taking care of her family. So when she meets two handsome cousins at a campfire party, she finally has a chance for fun. They invite her and friend to join them on a road trip, and it's just the risk she's been craving-the opportunity to escape. But what starts out as a fun, sexy journey quickly becomes dangerous when she discovers that one of them is not at all who he claims to be. One of them has deadly intentions.
A road trip fling turns terrifying in this contemporary story that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.
Arcadia Wells is stuck. She's in a small town with her dad and little brother, stuck with the responsibilities of being his pseudo parent after her mom dies and she's forced to give up everything she loves- including her boyfriend, who moves on with another girl.
She's dying for some freedom and adventure.
In a bout of long awaited rebellion, Cadie goes out to a party one night when she was expected to babysit, and instead of feeling guilty, she feels freed. She meets up with friends at a campground party, where the two gorgeous, intriguing boys from out of town definitely fit the bill for Cadie's thirst for adventure. And then she decides to go on a road trip with them...
Let's just say that Cadie makes some questionable choices throughout this book. Really bad ones. But two hot boys in a classic muscle car, the prospect of adventure, and a little romance are too tempting to turn down. Then add in a dying cell phone, a missing girl, a dead hiker, and well, things start to get ugly pretty fast. But Cadie's a teenager- so stifled and rather sad, and Doller writes in such a way that it's definitely believable that she'd abandon all common sense just to get a few days of freedom. And the swoons:
Noah leans down close so his lips brush against my earlobe, and my insides feel as if someone has set off a string of firecrackers. "I haven't made out with anyone in the back seat yet. Wanna break it in?"
I can't keep from smiling. "Might be fun."
"I guarantee it." Noah's hand comes up and curls softly around the back of my neck as his mouth touches mine. No one has ever kissed me the way he does. Intense, but not hard. Sweet, but not soft. Like if he drew his lips away right now a piece of my soul might just follow along behind. Which sounds completely insane in a head with a history of being level, but I can't help thinking it. And wanting more even if I'm just a tourist attraction.
One of the things I loved about this was the inclusion of the backdrop of Florida. Just as she used the sponge fishing and Greek culture in WHERE THE STARS STILL SHINE, she adds a rich backdrop of the back woods Florida swamplands that is lesser known and very detailed. Great little nugget of Florida landscape.
This one was different for Trish Doller. Her previous two books were contemporary and very emotionally driven, whereas this one was a thriller and more plot driven. And she definitely pulled this off. The book is very suspenseful, creepy and yet kind of fun because you have no idea who to trust. It’s quick read, partially because I was so busy biting my nails off to get to the end! And just where I thought I figured out the mystery part of the story, she throws in a twist that's fabulous, and it all unravels. Definitely check this one out.
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