october + november 2020 | in review

Yes, I am aware that it's no longer October or November. Or 2020, for that matter. But I re-discovered this post, drowning in my sea of unfinished blogpost drafts, and decided it had some good thoughts that deserved publication. They're just... four months late.

[ the songs ]

music i've had on repeat (or just stuck in my head)

Before You Go // Lewis Capaldi

Why is this so relatable? I feel like it's one of those songs that seems like it's about a breakup (and could be applied to that), but it's actually so much more. It's about feeling the loss of a relationship, but also about not knowing that the other person was hurting as well - and desperately trying to fix your own mistakes, even if things will never be the same. It hit me in a very personal way.

(p.s. I just looked up the actual story behind the song - and it's not too far off from what I took it to be. You can read it here.)

Chinese Satellite // Phoebe Bridgers

It's a song about not belonging, about wanting to do better and escape reality at the same time, about feeling unlike yourself, about coping with reality... it's complicated. The lyrics are the heart of this song, and there are so many angles to it that it may take a few of listening to figure out what it means to you.

Cough Syrup // Young the Giant

It took me a while to understand the metaphor, but it grew on me. Most of what I said about "Chinese Satellite" applies to "Cough Syrup" as well, except that I think instead of asking "how can I escape reality?" it's asking "how do I face reality so I can stop giving in to escapism?" And that's something I ask myself a lot.

playlist: showtunes.

Basically where I've been compiling the best songs from every new musical I discover :)

[ the books ]

what thrilling stories i've been reading

Artemis Fowl // Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl is a twelve-year-old genius and criminal mastermind -- as in, he's more than willing to break laws and manipulate people for personal gain -- who kidnaps a fairy, Holly Short, as ransom for the fairy gold he's after. Yes, fairy gold. I think of the Artemis Fowl story like fan fiction for Irish folklore, where fairies are technologically advanced, slightly dangerous, and out of humans' reach... until one catches up to them. It's a blend of fantasy and sci-fi, and being someone with Irish ancestry and who's always been curious about things relating to Ireland, it was a fascinating concept.

Probably my highlight to reading this book was that I laughed -- out loud. And I almost never laugh out loud when I'm reading, even if it's actually very funny. So that says a lot for the quality of humor: it was amazing, a perfect balance to the story's darker undertones. 

On the other hand, I did feel like the ending was a little anti-climactic, as neither of the major characters, Artemis and Holly, seemed to have undergone any real growth. They were very similar people at the end of the story. (The upside is that there are six or so more books to read.)

There's a film adaptation on Disney+, but there are some major discrepancies from the original story, so I'd really just recommend to read the book in this case.

By the Book // Amanda Sellet

A contemporary story about adjusting to high school and figuring out feelings about a handsome guy. Cliché yet? Not quite...

Although this story did have quite a few common tropes, I thought it was a little different than most, because it was a book about books! The narrator, Mary, is a lover of 19th-century period novels, and her family and friends all have their own literary likes which come up throughout the story. Actually, the plot hinges on the fact that Mary (a total ISFJ) has a habit of relating tricky life situations to scenes from period novels she's read -- but real life tends to be a little more complicated than the items of her list of Mistakes That Have Been Made. 

All the other characters also have very unique, quirky personalities that had me trying to figure out their Myers-Briggs/Enneagram/Temperaments as I read along. Very enjoyable. 

But besides the bookish element, it wasn't a particularly outstanding story and I don't think it's something I'll read again, but it was absolutely worth reading if only for the literary references. It doesn't get much better than understanding an allusion to another book, while reading a book.