5 Songs I'm Currently Addicted To! (Blogmas Day #13)

   Welcome to Blogmas day 13!
   Today I'll be telling you about the five songs I currently can't get enough of. I've posted a list like this once already a while back and I thought, hey, why not do it again. Maybe you'll discover something new and, since Christmas is right around the corner, you'll be able to buy the CD as present. Perfect, right?

   #1 - Afraid by The Neighbourhood
   I found this song while listening to a fan made Mara Dyer playlist that goes along with the books absolutely perfectly. I have mad respect for the person who made that playlist. Anyways, 'Afraid' is a beautiful and haunting song that I could just listen to on repeat while writing the story I'm currently working on. It's a sadder song but I love it. The lyrics are simply on point, the music perfection and the singer's voice just tops if off, making the entire thing definitely one of my favorite songs of 2015, even though I don't even know if it's a song that even came out in 2015.

   #2 - World Princess Part II by Grimes
   Grimes album 'Art Angels' is odd to say the least but something about this certain shade of odd makes it incredibly good. When I first heard some other song by Grimes during the BBC Radio One Internet Takeover hosted by Dan and Phil I didn't really enjoy it that much but after hearing her once more, a different song this time from the new album, I decided that I wanted to hear the whole thing. During my first couple run throughs of this album I didn't really notice 'World Princess Part II', but then it came on when I was in the underground on my way to the city and suddenly something clicked. I found myself listening to this song on repeat until I arrived.

   #3 - Blue by Troye Sivan feat. Alex Hope
   Troye Sivan is amazing, what else can I tell you? He is the only YouTube artist whom I'm actively listening to, whom I really know of (yes, I know Charles from CTFxC is part of We The Kings but that doesn't count). I fell in love with 'WILD' when I first heard it so of course I was waiting for Blue Neighbourhood to drop, wanted to hear the entire thing. Luckily, I was not disappointed. The album is great, but 'BLUE' is definitely my favorite song off of the album, 'TOO GOOD' coming in at a close second. It's filled with so many emotions, hauntingly beautiful, I cannot get enough of it. I've written an entire chapter while listening to it on repeat since it went along with my chapter so well, with the emotions I wanted to bring across. I hope Troye will make it big, he certainly deserves it since his voice and music are brilliant.

   #4 - Dark Times by The Weeknd feat Ed Sheeran
   We all know that The Weeknd is an amazing artist making amazing music so naturally, just like so many others, I absolutely love his album 'Beauty Behind The Madness'. His voice is unlike any other, inviting you to get lost in it. Listening to the album I immediately noticed 'Dark Times', probably because I wasn't expecting Ed Sheeran's voice to suddenly appear but, wow, it fits perfectly into the song and contrasts greatly with The Weeknd's voice. I love this song and I wish I had a friend with whom I could record a cover version of it since it just screams for that. If you've not heard it yet, what are you doing? Go listen to it asap! 'Angel' was a close second behind 'Dark Times'.

   #5 - Love Yourself by Justin Bieber
   I'll give you a moment to take that in. 
   I don't even know what happened, but something did happy to Justin Bieber's music which turned it into not being unlikable anymore. To my surprise, and many other people's too, his new album 'Purpose' actually sounds pretty good and I enjoy listening to it. When I first gave it a run through I was expecting to hate it, I just wanted to do it for research purposes, wanted to know what all the fuss was about, yet I found myself actually enjoying it. 'Love Yourself' is my favorite none-single song of the album.

   And that's it, those are the five songs I'm currently loving the most! I hope you enjoyed this post and will come back tomorrow for the next Blogmas post!

5 Songs I've been loving lately

   Hey guys!
   Today I want to talk about five songs I've been obsessing over lately. These are completely random songs but, I don't know if it's because of the shitty weather outside or the season itself, most of them have a sad/melancholic tone to them. 
   But, let's just get to the songs now so you'll see what I mean.


#1 - The Courage or The Fall by Civil Twilight
Album: /
Year: 2014

    I really like Civil Twilight. Their music is great so it came as no big surprise to me that I fell in love with this song. I love the tragic feel that this song has to it, and let's face it, it's a great song to write to if you are amidst a dramatic scene.

 

#2 - Break the Rules by Charli XCX
Album: Sucker
Year: 2014

    I discovered Charli XCX through The Fault in Our Stars and its amazing soundtrack. But, I admit, I didn't really dive further into her music until I heard Break the Rules on the radio and fell in love with the energy that this song has. The song immediately makes me want to jump around, break stuff and just have a good time. It's a great song to listen to when you have a not that awesome day. It'll make you feel much better really fast.

 
 
#3 - England Skies by Shake Shake Go
Album: /
Year: 2014

    The melody of England Skies is really beautiful, alongside the lyrics and the voice of the singer. It's a peaceful, evening type of song which always makes me think of happy things somehow. I stumbled upon this one while listening to a playlist on spotify, one that of course wasn't created by me, and I ended up playing it on a repeat for a while because I immediately liked this song.
 

#4 - Kommando Untergang by Anna Depenbusch
Album: Die Mathematik der Anna Depenbusch
Year: 2011

    This one is quite the surprise I'd say. I'm not a big fan or music in German, simply because I dislike the way songs sung in German sound like and the fact that I immediately understand what the lyrics mean. I know, sounds weird considering that I also understand English songs immediately but, it's just hard to explain what exactly bothers me. But, with this song it's different. I enjoy listening to it a lot and I love the lyrics and the story they tell. I love the pain filled passages and the singers voice.

 
#5 - B a noBody by SOAK
Album: /
Year: 2014

Another very nice, soft and slightly melancholic song. It reminds me of a peaceful sundown on the beach or near a lake with a soft breeze and small, soft waves. I think this would be a nice song to listen to during a summer evening.

 

   And that is it. Those are the five songs I am currently listening to almost on repeat whenever I get the chance to listen to music. If you want to, tell me which songs you are currently loving down in the comments or tweet me about it (@Alice_Reeds).

    Cheerio!

Review: Ruin by Rachel Van Dyken

Ruin by Rachel Van Dyken

Published: August 11th 2013 

Number of pages: 250 (Kindle edition)

Series: Yes, #1 

   I'm not your typical girl. I've been running away from the memories that haunt me for so long that depression has become my only comfort. I was content in the darkness...until Wes Michals offered to be my light.
   I didn't know that time wasn't my ally -- that every second that ticked past was one step closer to the end of something that was beginning to mean the end of myself. He tried to warn me. He promised me all he was able to offer--each moment as it came--but it would never be enough.
   Sometimes when you think it's the end, it's only the beginning. Wes thought he could save me, but in giving me everything, he ruined me. Because after one kiss, one touch, I couldn't--I wouldn't ever be the same.
   And from that moment on, his heartbeat became my own. (goodreads)

“Goodbye – whoever invented that should burn in Hell.” (Kiersten)

   So basically I was looking for some emotion filled reading material, because it simply was that kind of evening, and I stumbled upon Ruin… Let’s just say, starting to read it around midnight wasn’t the smartest of my ideas, because somehow I ended up reading until 4am, while twice writing a friend of mine an e-mail telling her how much I love this or the other scene and how nicely the song, that was playing from a playlist in the background, fit to it.
Yes, I’m that kind of a friend.
   Anyways, I enjoyed Ruin a lot. I admit, though at times it had me in tears, yet other times I was bursting out laughing, while waking my sleeping dog who shot me a death stare for waking him. The story is more than unrealistic, because things like this simply don’t happen in life. But, at the same time, it’s a beautiful journey filled with raw and heartfelt emotions.
   One thing that I found was great about Ruin was the message it tried to convey to the reader, being that no matter how hard live might be, no matter which curve ball you have to deal with, it all is in your hands as to how you want to deal with it and that life is worth living.

“Maybe the darkness wasn’t closing in like I first assumed. Maybe I just invited it without knowing?” (Weston)

   Kiersten is a young college student who struggles with how to deal with loss of her parents. She is one of those typical innocent, small town girl characters who somehow still manages to make you fall in love with her. She’s said to be really beautiful, which I guess comes as no surprise. 
   Weston, on the other hand is the typical sexy and breathtakingly handsome quarterback with a secret he tries to deal with. I will not spoiler what it is, though one gets to know it very quickly. And, on top of his stunning looks and charm, he is filthy rich. But, as the story unfolds he turned into every girls dream boyfriend. 

“Living is hard - dying is easy. You close your eyes and never open them up again. What's so difficult about that? Nothing really - except it hurts like hell to those you leave behind.” (Weston)

   I must say that I liked both characters. They surely were nothing that outstandingly different, though both their situations gave the story an interesting twist. They both have different demons to battle, but they help each other to deal with them. Besides that, they gave each other quite cute nicknames – Kiersten, Lamb and Weston, Wolf – which fits their characters.

“And the Mr. Insensitive Award goes to…Weston Michels. I. Am. An. Ass.” (Weston)

   All in all, the story is beautifully written and takes you on a very emotional journey which will reach deep inside your soul and make you think about your own life and how valuable life and time really is. Why you ask? Well, read the book and find it out!
   I’ve read Ruin on my iPad and I ended up highlighting so many lines, passages and quotes which either made me laugh, were really cute, honest or almost ripped my heart out. I must say, that I really love novels like this which are filled with sadness, grief and loss, or sickness with that wonderful splash of romance.

   This novel surprised me. I was sure it’ll be just really cheese and maybe a maximum of 3 stars worth, but it ended up being quite the contrary. The story had me reading while being unable to stop, despite my mind trying to tell me that it’s WAY too late to still be awake. So, if you are looking for an emotional read that will have you on edge, Ruin might be what you are looking for!

I give Ruin by Rachel Van Dyken 5 out of 5 stars.