And we have a winner! I wanted to thank everyone for entering and participating in the blog hop. Thanks also go to our wonderful hosts, I Am A Reader Not A Writer and All-Consuming Books! Okay, okay... now for the winner. Congratulations...
Again, thanks to everyone for entering and congratulations to Melanie for winning Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs! I had a blast and I hope you guys did too!
Tune in Tuesday is a weekly music feature hosted by the fabulous Ginger at GReads. As some of you may know, I am ridiculously addicted to music. One of my favorite things to do is share new and favorite songs with anyone willing to listen. Or not so willing. I'm not picky. Anyway... Each week you can post a song and share the love of music. So link up and join the fun!
I'm super excited Darling Parade recently released their newest EP, Until We Say It's Over! I'm even more excited that one of their songs, Remember, features Stephen Christian from Anberlin!!!! I'm a HUGE fan of Anberlin, so this pretty much rocks my polka-dot socks.
Never Wrong is their first video and single from the new EP, so I thought I'd share that as well.
I also wanted to share a song from their first album, but I couldn't decide between Far Away or Bells Are Ringing... so I picked both! Now maybe one day they'll release a full-length album. Happy listening!
Hi all! I'm sure everyone who entered the Gratitude Giveaway is eager to know who won... but you'll have to wait a bit. Sorry. I don't want to announce it until I have a confirmed winner, so it might take a little while. But don't worry, I have emailed the winner and they have 48 hours to email me back with their choice of book... and then I'll make the big announcement. I'm so excited!
So yeah, I didn't want to leave ya hangin' so I figured I'd drop a quick little note. While you're waiting, feel free to wander around my blog, check out some reviews or featured music, and have fun! And as always, thanks for following. You're amazing!
In the meantime, watch the brand new book trailer for Clockwork Prince. It's AWESOME!
Tune in Tuesday is a weekly music feature hosted by the fabulous Ginger at GReads. As some of you may know, I am ridiculously addicted to music. One of my favorite things to do is share new and favorite songs with anyone willing to listen. Or not so willing. I'm not picky. Anyway... Each week you can post a song and share the love of music. So link up and join the fun!
I am very much in the mood for one of my favorite Seattle bands, The Classic Crime. This was the first song of theirs I ever heard, and I fell in love with it instantly. Really, everything they've released is spectacular. I seriously love this song and I hope you will too!
As many of you know, I am a HUGE fan of everything to do with books. While wandering around some of my favorite blogs, I noticed there was this awesome giveaway being held by the ever-amazing Beth Revis. She wanted us to give thanks to the book we are most grateful for and, in return, we could win a sweet pack of books! Amazing, right?!
Yeah, I thought so too... until I had to think of that ONE book I'm most grateful for. One book? Oh man. Tough! It seemed near impossible to narrow it down to just one! GAH! Then my Mum reminded me of the one book that helped reignite my love of reading: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling. That's right, Harry Potter will forever be a book I will love, cherish, and be grateful for.
So why is Harry Potter such a cherished series for me? I was a "reluctant reader" in school. Growing up, I devoured books like they were as important as oxygen. Even before I knew how to read, I could be found surrounded by books - there's even a picture of me sleeping on a bed covered in my books, hugging one close to me, when I was no more than three years old! I'll have to find that picture... Anyway! Though I loved reading, once I got into school, things changed. Suddenly I was forced to read what my teachers wanted me to read. They made us read out loud in class (which, for a painfully shy child, was torture), write book reports, have assigned reading... I hated that! I wanted to read what I wanted to read, when I wanted to read it! So, what did I do? I stopped reading all the time. Yeah, I was stubborn. As for school reading, I did as little as possible to get what the teacher wanted me to do and that was it. There were a few books that I opened long enough to capture my attention (and heart): Tuck Everlasting, The Outsiders, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Phantom Tollbooth. I mean, I was still a reader at heart, even if I was being dumb.
I had heard of Harry Potter when it first came out. I heard how people were raving about some wizard boy and his friends fighting evil and going to school with other wizards. I heard the controversies too, of course. I just couldn't imagine why this book was such a big deal. At that point, I didn't really pay attention to "the next big thing."
My second year in college, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire came out. I went up to Phoenix to visit some family friends and we went to a bookstore that was going out of business, so they were having a massive sale. Well what do you know, but they had the first four Harry Potter books on sale as well. I figured getting the first book (hardcover, too!) for a mere $6 wasn't that big of a loss if I didn't like it, so I bought it. We had some downtime for some reason or another, and I decided to pick up the oh-so-famous-and-raved-about Harry Potter... the next day I went back to the bookstore and purchased the other three books. Yeah, I read it that same day. Knowing I had to wait a WHOLE YEAR for the next book to come out, I was crushed! How could I wait that long? What would I do to help fill the void now?? Well, I read another book. And another one... and another... and, you get the picture.
Since that first day I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I haven't stopped reading. I'll have short periods of time where I won't be reading much, but I still have something I'm reading. I will forever be grateful for the Harry Potter series and J. K. Rowling for reigniting my lifelong love of reading.
I'd love to hear what book you are most grateful for, so please leave a comment and let me know!
It's here! Welcome to my stop on the Gratitude Giveaways blog hop hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer and All-Consuming Books. What better way to thank all my wonderful followers than by giving stuff away?! I am so excited for this giveaway hop, you have no idea.
For me, this has been such a wonderful year for blogging, reading, and making new friends! I have decided that I will give away one book from a list of my favorite books read (or reread) this year. If the winner would like another book in the series other than the one pictured, just let me know! AND just because I'm curious, if you'd like to leave a comment letting me know which book you're interested in, that would be awesome... but it's not for an extra entry, sorry. I just like comments. :) I wanted to be sure any international followers would be able to enter as well, so I've decided to make use of The Book Depository (just make sure they ship to your country by clicking here). Seeing as this is a follower appreciation giveaway, there is only one mandatory entry: you MUST be a follower of this blog. So just enter your information in the Rafflecopter and good luck!
Tune in Tuesday is a weekly music feature hosted by the fabulous Ginger at GReads. As some of you may know, I am ridiculously addicted to music. One of my favorite things to do is share new and favorite songs with anyone willing to listen. Or not so willing. I'm not picky. Anyway... Each week you can post a song and share the love of music. So link up and join the fun!
I've been in such a happy, goofy mood the last couple days and I think Hey Na Na is a perfect fit for it! This is one of my ALL-TIME FAVORITE songs! EVER! Yes, it does deserve all caps. She is such a nutter and I can't help but sing loud, dork dance, and act like a loon when I hear this song... just like Katie in this video. Love it! Dork dancing rocks!
Do you remember this lovely teaser trailer Lionsgate released ages ago? It definitely left me wanting more, that's for sure. Yeah... it doesn't even show a glimpse of the District 12 male tribute, Peeta! So not fair.
Then, not too long ago, they released some character posters. I was excited, but at the time I was more like, "These are all well and good, but where's the trailer?!"
Well, now we have a full-length theatrical trailer! AHHHHHHHHHH!! I'm just a little excited, if you can't tell. Watch it! Watch it now! Watch it over and over again (like me... ahem)!
So what did you think? I still don't know that I'm totally sold on Jennifer Lawrence, but Peeta and Prim are perfect! When they call Prim's name in the reaping? Oh man, rip my heart out, why don't you?! I'm also not sure about the look they gave Haymitch, but whatever. I'm really liking it for the most part... so far anyway.
Tune in Tuesday is a weekly music feature hosted by the fabulous Ginger at GReads. As some of you may know, I am ridiculously addicted to music. One of my favorite things to do is share new and favorite songs with anyone willing to listen. Or not so willing. I'm not picky. Anyway... Each week you can post a song and share the love of music. So link up and join the fun!
Holy spite, I love this song. It's so wonderful! And the video? He really looks so broken! What a cutie. I have to credit the wonderful Michelle Hodkin (author extraordinaire of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer) for introducing me to this great song... and I owe it to my obsession with compiling author playlists. I think I have a problem. Ahem. Anyway... I hope you enjoy this wonderful song!
*EDIT* They finally have the album here in the US!! Woo woo! Check it out on iTunes or Amazon. So happy!
Tune in Tuesday is a weekly music feature hosted by the fabulous Ginger at GReads. As some of you may know, I am ridiculously addicted to music. One of my favorite things to do is share new and favorite songs with anyone willing to listen. Or not so willing. I'm not picky. Anyway... Each week you can post a song and share the love of music. So link up and join the fun!
The month of October was extra exciting on Tune in Tuesday. Why, you ask? Because it was Soundtrack Edition! October was such a fun theme that my sister, Sarah, had all sorts of ideas for soundtracks she would love to share if she had a blog... so, naturally, I asked if she wanted to do a guest post here at Kaleidoscopic Reveries! Without further ado, here are some of Sarah's favorite soundtrack tunes. Take it away, sister!
Hello all! I'm Melissa's little sister Sarah and I'm very frightened and excited to be here. So as my sister already said, I saw that she was part of this awesome idea of Tune in Tuesday and naturally I couldn't hold back my suggestions. I threw out little hints like, "Oh sister, if I had a blog I would use this song" or "I love this song! You should use this for your blog!" until she finally asked me to guest post. (Thanks a heap SEESTAR!) I was nervous because I never know what to say, but she assured me you're all pretty amazing!
So I have a serious obsession with anything and everything musical theatre which is why this post is full of nothing but some my favorite musicals. My sister and I don't always agree on TV and such but we do share our love of musicals and that makes me happy! Okay, I'm done talking now, hope you enjoy my picks... Woot Woot!
The Sound of Music from The Sound of Music - So for my first pick....... THE SOUND OF MUSIC! This musical is one of my oldest and most favorite musicals. Not only do Melissa and I love this one, but it will always remind me of my Grandma. This was her favorite and we would watch this everyday I went to visit.
Matchmakerfrom Fiddler on the Roof - So I watched this for the first time my freshman year of High School and fell in love. I laughed, I cried, I sang this song in a musical (which I believe shows my love). Sometimes I joke about needing a matchmaker, but I'm only going to be 20 so I think it'll be a while before that needs to happen. I get a little over-dramatic sometimes...
Suddenly Seymourfrom Little Shop of Horrors - I watched this one while I was really sick one weekend just to see if it was any good... it was. This song is probably my number 3 go-to shower song, which is impressive considering I sing at least 50 (just the parts I remember) the whole time I'm in there, but I guess you didn't need to know that. :)
Honestly Sincere from Bye Bye Birdie - Ah-hahahahahaha This is by far the funniest and best song in this movie! My favorite part? When he talks about the tree, when Ursula starts spazzing out, there's just too many awesome points to this song so just... AW SUFFER!! :D
Carrying the Banner from Newsies - I owe my love of the Newsies to my sister. She made me watch it once and from then on I was hooked. Not only is this song amazing for being the opening song but it also has lots of shirtless or semi-shirtless boys to swoon over! These boys are so talented.
Without Love from Hairspray - I know I've been throwing love around lately, but I really love this song. I love Zach Efron. I love the costumes and I love the theme of this movie. I realize this is a remake and the original is "a classic" but I like this one more!
Elephant Love Medley from Moulin Rouge - Melissa and I used to listen to this whole soundtrack over and over again in the car, so this song has good memories. I love mash-ups and since this song has a million different songs in it, it makes me happy. I also love that when you hear one of the real songs on the radio or something, you at least know a little snippet of it!
Jewish Wedding Song (Trinkt Le Chaim) from Thoroughly Modern Millie - I'll say one thing about this movie: it's very weird. This movie fits my sister and I so well! This song is amazing. I like how fun it is. I just like everything about this scene. The dancing is also a big plus. AYE AYE AYE CHITTY BUM BUM!!!! ( I know this was a random blurb, but it fits the movie)
Bye-um Pum Pum from The Happiest Millionaire - I think I should start taking advice from these two! Melissa introduced me to this musical as well and that makes her even more amazing than she already is. This is a must-see musical, and it was so hard to pick just one song to feature. Melissa and I like to dance and sing to this one. We are very strange sisters, but we like it! ( We liiike it.... inside joke hehehe)
On the Front Porchfrom Summer Magic - And to conclude my post, I'll leave you with this song. When I was little, my sister and I signed this song for her Sign Language class in college. It was fun because I got to do something special with my big sister. This song is so nice and pretty and....sigh. I love everything about this song.
I hope you enjoyed my songs, and thanks again seestar for letting me guest post on your sweet blog for these cool cats! Enjoy!
You are most welcome, Sarah! Isn't she awesome? I lobe my sister! She's also completely correct... we don't always agree on tv shows, but we sure do love our musicals. I'm so glad she was willing to guest post and I'm ecstatic she chose to feature musicals! I really wanted to do some of my favorites, but there were just too many... I simply could not narrow it down to a reasonable number. So thanks to my sister for her awesome post! Happy listening!
My second year in college, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire came out. I went up to Phoenix to visit some family friends and we went to a bookstore that was going out of business, so they were having a massive sale. Well what do you know, but they had the first four Harry Potter books on sale as well. I figured getting the first book (hardcover, too!) for a mere $6 wasn't that big of a loss if I didn't like it, so I bought it. We had some downtime for some reason or another, and I decided to pick up the oh-so-famous-and-raved-about Harry Potter... the next day I went back to the bookstore and purchased the other three books. Yeah, I read it that same day. Knowing I had to wait a WHOLE YEAR for the next book to come out, I was crushed! How could I wait that long? What would I do to help fill the void now?? Well, I read another book. And another one... and another... and, you get the picture.
