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Posts Tagged ‘music’

Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith

Posted in reviews, tagged , on January 20, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Wild AwakeWild Awake by Hilary T. Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow. I want to say that this was such a full on read. I was expecting a fun, slightly coming of age story with a girl and a guy and music. And it was all of that but so much more. As I got into the story and got to know Kiri, I felt like I was losing myself in her fractured yet solid world. She was all over the place yet seemed to know exactly where she was going. And Skunk. What can I say about Skunk. He was just as broken as Kiri and it was like they were two pieces of a puzzle that fit together perfectly.
There were so many elements to the story; grief, anger, trust, determination, denial, acceptance but love was always there as well.
And that title. It is the perfect title for this book.

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This song will save your life by Leila Sales

Posted in reviews, tagged , on January 20, 2014| Leave a Comment »

This Song Will Save Your LifeThis Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So good, so so good. I knew within the first ten minutes I was going to read this in one sitting.
Have to gather my thoughts though before I write anymore.
……………………………………………………………………………………
It might have been my mood but I found at least the first half of this book heartbreaking. Bullying is such a horrific experience and in this book, the thoughts and feelings of Elise, who was being bullied, were so real, I felt like I was experiencing it along with her.
And so thank god for music and DJs and dance party warehouses. Watching Elise slowly make new friends, with people who didn’t go to her school, was very nice and although I had some reservations about some of them, they were still the people that helped her realise she was not worthless.

Elise was a young girl, going through what so many young people go through and who was actually very strong and very brave and so important and in the end, I am so glad that she knew it.

Some of Elise’s words that broke me a little:

‘Why are you being nice to me? I wanted to know. But I didn’t ask. If I asked that, they might realise their mistake’

‘I scampered after them as they turned a corner, down a small alleyway between warehouses. I was probably about to get kidnapped. But, honestly, I would have rather been kidnapped by these girls than remained un-kidnapped among my classmates.’

‘Sometimes you just have those days where everything goes wrong. But sometimes, and totally unexpectedly, something can go right’

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Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

Posted in reviews, tagged , on January 3, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Five Flavors of DumbFive Flavors of Dumb by Antony John
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Quote, p187: I would have cried too, but then I pictured Jimi bringing his guitar to life, his whole body transported by the pure power of music. And he didn’t look sad or regretful – he brimmed with energy, savoring every stolen moment of untainted joy. Live in the moment, he seemed to be saying. And for once, I heard the words perfectly. Live in the moment. I could do that. We could all do that.

So, this book wasn’t about Jimi Hendrix. It was based in Seattle and so Jimi and Nirvana both got a few mentions but I just had to add that quote because I love it. And I also love this book. I always enjoy books that have anything to do with music and this one didn’t disappoint. You find out at the beginning that Piper is deaf, and also that she has landed herself in the role of Band Manager for DUMB, the local high school band who are coming off a win at the Battle of the Bands. The first half of the book, I found it to be more about Piper and her relationship with her mother, father, younger brother and baby sister. The band members are hovering around the story and don’t get me wrong, it is a good story and Piper is a great character but I wasn’t really connecting with her.

And then somewhere in the middle it was like BANG, I was emotionally invested in her and her father and her mother and her brother and..the band. Now the band – Will didn’t really feature for me until the end but his role was so very important. I found Tash to be a proud, tough girl but it was all part of her exterior. Josh was….well there had to be a Josh and I held out hope for the entire story that he would be the kind of lead singer that I wanted him to be….Kallie was a bit like Will for me, although she was definitely a part of the story she didn’t really feature until the end and then there was Ed. A sweet, kind, coffee making drummer. I can’t leave out Finn, Piper’s younger brother who was like the invisible cord that bound the story together for me. And Piper, she had a few issues she was dealing with but I loved watching her discover music and how it can make you feel. So, this was a great book. A book about music, a book about relationships, about friendships and a book about a band (and i guess because I secretly wish I was in a band, this book really did it for me!).

Quote, pg 332: With a final deep breath I leaped in the air and began throwing my body back and forth, my right hand yanking the strings of my silent guitar like I needed my fingers to bleed. And when I closed my eyes, it wasn’t out of fear. It was because what I was feeling right there on that stage consumed me. I felt every part of that animal music, felt it eat me up and spit me out, and what emerged was a me a thousand times more powerful that Piper Vaughan. I was Piper Vaughan, guitar hero – spiritual descendant of Jimi Hendrix and proponent of pure anarchy. And I ROCKED.

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