Author Archives: Alexandra

2023 Book Challenge- January Reviews

A new year has begun and so has my yearly Book Challenges. My goal this year is 45 books. I’ve felt that I’ve been spending so much time doing unnecessary things in between work like watching youtube and scrolling when I could be reading so I’m working on filling that time with reading instead.

With the end of January, I am off to a promising start but the problem is, I have very few books on my To-be Read List. In need of recommendations, STAT! Please flood my messages with books you think I need to read and I will add them to the list for this year 🙂

5 Books read within the first four weeks of 2023. Here is how they were:

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Dublin eats, shops, and sights

In part 2 of the Ireland Diaries, we find ourselves in the heart of Dublin for the sights and eateries of the city.

Temple Bar

The Temple Bar area is filled with things to do, from nightlife (or so I’ve heard, I am a grandma and go to bed early ;p) to delicious food and shopping. The main Temple Bar building is beautiful with hundreds of string lights, especially at night. The Temple Bar Trading Company has great Ireland souvenirs for all the people in your life. They had some great postcards which I got for my uncles and they had other cool things like shamrock seeds and lots of shamrock-shaped jewelry.

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Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles the sequel. A movie about a girl, her grandparents, and a global pandemic shutting down international transportation just at the end of the girls first trip abroad.

Here is the plot twist. It isn’t a movie. It is real life. I am that girl. Those are my grandparents, and that was my trip.

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2022 in Books- reviews of the top books of the year

2022 is coming to an end which means my annual Year in Books Review post!

If you want to read a review for the first six months of the year click below:

6 Months of Books

Reading has felt slow this year. I haven’t felt too excited about any books lately. Lots of decent books but not much that was WOW. My favorite book of the year was probably The King of Attolia. I really enjoyed reading the whole series and miss the characters. You can read my review of that book in my 6 Months of Books post.

With starting a full time job I scaled back my book goal to 45 books and just scraped by with it after reading 7 books in December. Without further ado, here are reviews of a book from each month.

(You can find the full list of books read this year at the end of the post)

*indicates a reread

July

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

“Humans were so circular; they lived the same slow cycles of joy and misery over and over, never learning. Every lesson in the universe had to be taught billions of times, and it never stuck.”

Blue Lily, Lily Blue follows Blue Sargent and her Raven Boys- all of which have their own problems that they begin to find out are intertwined. Now that they believe they have figured out how to solve their problems together their lives unravel further. Betrayal, disappearances and misleading vision. What do they have to do to find the answers they really seek.

Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle Series had me in the first half and then it all went down hill. My best friend told me I had to read the whole series just so I could scream about the end with her. This is the third book out of four and once you get here, for me, the excitement started to wear off. Instead, I was agitated with all the characters and their choices, and the way in which the story plot was being unfolded to us. Aka: things that were really important slowly began to be thrown out the window. Much of what brought me into the story in the first place, quickly made me want to leave. I see why many love the series, but in the end, with so many inconsistencies, it wasn’t for me. 3/5

August

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

“Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?”

Mysterious Benedict Society is made up of 4 gifted children all brought together by a newspaper ad. They are given what feels like an impossible task. Go undercover at at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened and learn everything they can about the Emergency and stop it before it’s too late.

If you don’t know, Disney made a series of this book (currently on it’s second season) and after watching the first part of season one I knew I wanted to read the book myself. Stewart does a great job and making the characters feel real and raising the stakes as it went on. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and I also think the tv show does a fantastic job at adapting it while also taking some license to make it more screen friendly. The written has some similar qualities to Lemony Snicket’s work which I love, though there were moments that dragged as the almost 500 pages forces some things to dawdle. Overall 4 / 5

September

What if Love is the Point? By Alexa and Carlos Penavega ⅘

Carlos and Alexa Penavega both known for their respective performing roles (Spy Kids and Big Time Rush) discuss their own paths towards finding faith in God and that has helped them face the struggles throughout their life. Including the way in which it led them to each other. The autobiography is written with each chapter switching off between the two.

It was funny and moving. Though I didn’t feel either had the strongest writing style, their stories are each interesting as they tell how being in the entertainment industry has effected their lives and how they grapple with it all.

In the past few years I have come to like reading autobiographical novels and this was a quick and simple read. 3.75/5

October

Return of the King by JRR Tolkien

“I am glad you are here with me. Here at the end of all things, Sam.”

I did it. Only took me 2 years, but I officially finished Lord of the Rings. I’m sorry to all the super fans of the series but Lord of the Rings was such a tough series for me to get through. Beautifully written, but I got bored and especially at the end of this book when the issue with the ring is finally solved… and there is still 100 pages left. I was like “ I thought the quest was the ring?? What is all this.” I am still glad I read it but I am also glad it is over. 3/5

November

Better than the Movies by Lynn Painter

“I did what I had to. All is fair in love and parking.”

Liz Buxbaum have been in constant fights with Wes Bennett over anything and everything since they were kids. Liz has always found Wes to be a pain in the butt, but flashforward to their senior year and Liz finds she needs Wes’s help. In exchange for talking her up to her crush and their childhood neighbor, he can have complete access to ‘the spot’ for his car. But as her scheme to get the magical prom night of her dreams is enacted she begins to find Wes maybe isn’t all that bad. Who really is the one she wants the magical prom night with?

A feel good romance. Cheesy and predictable with the ever welcome Pride and Prejudice like themes, Better than the Movies is a great book to add to a quick read list. I read it in one day and found myself quickly rooting for the supposed trouble maker next door. Just the story line I was looking for in the midst of the crazy November. 4/5

December

(Because I read so many books in December I decided to review 3 instead of just one)

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

“I was not a natural. . . . This is the story of becoming . . . the Hard Way.”

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III son of the chief of the Hairy Hooligans is in the midst of passing the most important test of his life. The initiation test to become a member of the tribe, by training his own dragon.

If you know me, you know that How to Train Your Dragon is one of my top movies of all time, so this was the year I finally decided to read the book. (There are like 12 books but I just wanted to try it out first)

The book is completely different than the movie. The only same things are Hiccup, although he is 10 in the book he is pretty much the same, and… there are dragons. Yeah that is about it. In the books the task is to train a dragon, as dragons as kept as pets, instead of having to kill a dragon. The characters are all much younger, many are totally different or not there at all. Toothless still exists, but is a small common dragon, and dragons have their own language which Hiccup can understand. I actually liked the book and thought it was really cute but honestly, this is a shock, I do like the movie 10x better.

I may read some more of the series in the new year to see how to goes but overall: 3.5/5

Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer

“None of this happens, of course. My dreams of cosmic justice never do come true.”

Pru is an overachiever and is quick to judge the aspects of all those around her that she finds not to be up to par with her own standards. Especially the actions of her Biology partner Quint Erikson. She dreams about everyone around her having to deal with karmic justice, and sometimes dreams do come true. Pru wakes up one morning finding she has the power to enact her justice on those around her. Although it never seems to work on her lab partner.

I am a fan of Marissa Meyer books, but after being thoroughly disappointed by her novel Gilded I was worried to read another and find a similar let down. Instant Karma did not disappoint in its charming witiness and lovely YA romance. A goofy plot, but it is a quick read which is just what I was looking for to help reach my reading goal. Although the main character Prudence could be really irritating, I enjoyed the book, though still nothing compares with Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles. 3.25/5

The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix

“You should all remember what it’s like to be a second grader. There’s lots of stuff I don’t know or understand, and I’m fine.”

The Greystone kids, Finn, Chess, and Emma were a happy family. At least they were until they came home to find their mom staring shocked at the tv watching the news. Three children had been kidnapped and the scary part? They seemed too similar to the Greystones. The same first and middle names. The same ages. The same birthdates.

Unsettling, but must be a strange coincidence right? But when their mother leaves unexpectedly and they find a strange coded note behind, is anything as it seems?

When I was in elementary school I always remember seeing books at the Book Fair with HADDIX in big letters across the page. I never picked one up though, because the plots always seemed too stressful for me. As my reading goal seemed just out of reach I decided now was the time to finally pick one up. The Strangers storyline is very intriguing and I flew through the novel. Although I think the ended fell in gusto from the first half I will be reading the next book in the series as soon as I can pick it up from the library. I need to know how in the world it all gets resolved.

In the meantime I am breezing through another of Haddix’s novels and may even finish it before midnight and bring the total up to 46/45 books read. 3.5/5

I am currently searching everywhere for some new books or series to add to my list for my books for 2023. Please give me some suggestions of your favorite books 🙂 I would love to read them all next year, and hopefully find a new favorite among the bunch.

Here’s to good readings in the new year!

January- June

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
The Two Towers by JRR Tolkein
The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
Go to Heaven by Fulton Sheen
Circe by Madeline Miller
The Latin Mass Explained by George J. Moorman
St. Joseph, Fatima, and Fatherhood by Joseph A Cirrincione
A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner
The Song of Achielles by Madeline Miller
Thick as Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner
The Return of the King by Megan Whalen Turner
*The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
The Library of Lost Things by Laura Taylor Namey
Saint Philomena the Wonderworker by Paul O Sullivan
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
*Story of a Soul by St. Therese of Lisiuex
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim
The False Prince by Jennifer A Nielsen
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

July-December

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater
The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
The Secret Book and Scone Society by Ellery Adams
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
*The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
What if Love, is the point? by Alexa and Carlos Penavega
*The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan
The Return of the King by JRR Tolkien
The Greenglass House by Kate Milford
Searching for and Maintaining Peace by Jacques Phillipe
Better than the Movies by Lynn Painter
The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Laurence
Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart
1984 by George Orwell
Geekerella by Ashley Poston
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
39 Clues The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
39 Notes One False Note by Gordon Korman
Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer
Introduction to the Devout Life by Francis de Sales
The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix

5 Must Do South Lake Tahoe Summer Experiences

Lake Tahoe is one of my favorite places. I have been going up there since I was 2. My grandparents have a house and I would always go spend up to 3 weeks with them in the summer, doing swim lessons, being on the lake and winning library reading contests.

Did you know Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake in the U.S? It has a ton of cool history and was even frequented by Frank Sinatra.

The lake goes across the California and Nevada border so it’s easy to spend the day going back and forth between states depending on what adventures you are having.

There are apparently a ton of cool trails for hiking but as I am not at all a hiker, I have compiled a list of fun things to do that do NOT involve hiking.

Nevada Side

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Tahoe Times

Summers spent in Lake Tahoe have always been some of my favorite memories. I got to go up with my family last week for a few days and spend some time with my grandparents. I am always quick to recommend checking out South Lake Tahoe because there is so much to do.

There are always certain nonnegotiable items on the to-do list but this year we tried some new things too!

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6 Month Book Dump -2022

The first six months of the year have FLOWN BY! Does anyone else feel this way? I had planned to do a reading update or book reviews earlier but I just never got around to it. So now you get a 6 Month Book Dump!

Last year I did my 50 in 52 weeks challenge, but with working more this year I decided to cut it down to 45 books for 2022.

The count as of this first week of July, I have read 23/45.

I am slightly behind what I thought I would be at but am not too worried. As not to overwhelm with 22 separate reviews I am going to review one book for each month. A complete list of the books I’ve read will be at the end of the post!

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2021 in Books- 50 in 52 Weeks Results

Happy New Year!

I can’t believe I am already writing the wrap up of all the books I read in 2021. If you read my first post last year “50 books in 52 weeks,” then you know I had a goal to read 50 books with at least 40 of them being new books (since I always just reread a ton of books every year).

In Total for 2021 I read:

Total Books- 55

9 Rereads – 46 New Books

* Indicates reread

5 more than my goal and actually succeeded with reading way more new books than rereads this year, which I am pleasantly surprised with.

I think that 55 books may be a tad bit too many to write a review on each one individually. Can you imagine how long that post would be?? So instead I am going to give you a list of everything I read each month with their ratings, and choose one from each month to write a short review on.

I hope this gives you some ideas of books you can add to your own reading list for the new year!

January

Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien 3.3/5

I wanted to totally love it. The Lord of the Rings is the series I get told to read the most and I was ready to be enamored. But I wasn’t and I’m sad about that. The book just took SO LONG TO READ, it isn’t even that long of a book at all, the writing style is just one that takes more time to go through and I wasn’t prepared. I even sent a text to my friend when I was about 3/4s of the way through saying “Do they do anything besides WALK and describe the setting???” I plan to finish the series in 2022, and maybe it will go smoother now that I know what I’m getting into… We will see

*Enchanted by Alethea Kontis 4/5

February

*Hero by Alethea Kontis 3/5

*Dearest by Alethea Kontis 3/5

Love and Olives by Jenna Evans Welch 3.7/5

I’ve read her other books Love and Luck and Love and Gelato and this one was a fun enjoyable read but not my favorite. It was pretty long for what the plot was and some of it felt a bit tedious but I liked the characters and think it’s a good easy read.

Nancy Drews and The Clue of Whistling Bagpipes by Carolyn Keene 3/5

Nancy Drew and The Phantom of Pinehill by Carolyn Keene 4/5

March

*Cress by Marissa Meyer 4/5

Walking with Mary by Edward Sri 5/5

Fairest by Marissa Meyer 3/5

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott 3.5/5

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel 3.8/5

Renegades by Marissa Meyer 4/5

After binge reading Meyer’s the Lunar Chronicles in November of 2020 I was excited to read more of her writing. From the get go this book was darker than the Lunar Chronicles but the premise is really fun and I dove into the characters’ lives gladly. Highly recommend it.

The Magician by Michael Scott 2.5/5

April

Archenemies by Marissa Meyer 4/5

The Anti-Mary Exposed by Carrie Gress 3.5/5

*Winter by Marissa Meyer 4/5

Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli 3.5/5

Supernova by Marissa Meyer 3/5

May

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo 2/5

What Once was True by Jean Grainger 0/5

So, so utterly disappointed with this book to the point that I had to force myself to finish it. I hated all of the characters. The plot sounded great and just felt poorly executed to me.

Tell me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum 3/5

June

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig 3/5

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis 3.7/5

Heartless by Marissa Meyer 4.5/5

This may be my favorite Marissa Meyer book. I was skeptical of how a story focusing on a backstory of the Queen of Hearts would go, but I loved it. Though my friend and I are incredibly angry at certain events that transpired towards the end… I would read this again. It was well done.

Prince Caspian by C.S Lewis 3/5

The Liar’s Dictionary by Eley Williams 1/5

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran 3/5

July

The Horse and His Boy by C.S Lewis 3.5/5

The Voyage of the Dawntreader by C.S Lewis 3/5

Kisses and Croissants by Anna-Sophie Jouhannaeu 2.5/5

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie 3/5

This was the book most outside my reading comfort zone. Aside from Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys I never read murder mystery but I thought it would be fun. While I was reading it my grandpa who apparently has read a lot of her books said this is his least favorite and her worst one. As I have only read this one I can’t vouch for how her other books are but I will say the ending was severely underwhelming. I think I will have to try another one to make a case for my like or dislike of her novels.

August

*The Magician’s Nephew by C.S Lewis 4/5

I think this is my favorite Narnia book. I love that it is the backstory of everything. Of Digory Kirke and even of the White Witch, Narnia and the Wardrobe. It helps everything that comes about later in the Narnia series make sense and I liked it even more this second time reading it.

*Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson 4/5

The Silver Chair by C.S Lewis 4/5

September

*Disney at Dawn by Ridley Pearson 4/5

The Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coelho 4/5

The Last Battle by C.S Lewis 3.5/5

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo 4/5

I didn’t think jumping ahead to this book would be that big of a deal. I read (and loved) the Six of Crows duology which I’ve reviewed before and assumed I could read this too without reading the original trilogy. The only reason certain aspects of the book made sense was that I watched the show over the summer. So if you want to read this book don’t follow my lead. Go read Shadow and Bone first (but after Six of Crows cuz if you don’t you probably won’t think you want to read this book). But anyway aside from that I really really enjoyed this book. Nikolai is a great character and I still can’t believe it, but I love Zoya too. I couldn’t read fast enough, I had to know what was going to happen. So read if you enjoy witty characters with seemingly impossible odds.

October

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo 3/5

I have seen a lot of mixed reviews on this series, and especially with the show having come out, there is discussion that the show actually fixed some of the book errors. I would agree to that. It is a decent series, especially the first book, but the writing in this debut novel is very weak compared to the other series’. I think her use of first person narrative was a detriment to the story and I found I liked her characters more in the show than the book. I wanted to punch them multiple times but reading this helped everything make sense in the final duology so it is necessary if you want to read those.

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo 3/5

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo 2.5/5

Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo 3.7/5

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers 4/5

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander 3/5

November

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow 3/5

The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander 3.7/5

I have always enjoyed watching the movie version of this book. I didn’t know until recently it was a book. Obviously I then had to read it. This is actually the second book of the series, The Book of Three being the first one. The movie is the first two books put together and after reading the books, I think it was a good move, though of course the book is better. I enjoyed this better than the first book because it had more adventure. Gurgi and Fflewddur Fflam are my favorite characters and I would read a book just about them. Overall, a good book.

Go Bravely by Emily Wilson 4/5

Gilded by Marissa Meyer 2/5

Worthy of Wearing by Nicole Caruso 4/5

December

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins 2.2/5

The Martian by Andy Weir 4.5/5

This book was just the script for the movie. The only difference is the movie took out all Mark Watney’s extensive cursing and most of the math. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was fun seeing any differences. The writing is well done, the voice of Mark is engaging and pulls you in from the get go. Despite it being almost entirely written in basically journal entries it isn’t hard at all to imagine everything that is happening super clearly and for the plot to flow. Two thumbs up from me.

*The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan 5/5

Curses by Lish McBride 2.5/5

Augustine’s Confessions by St. Augustine of Hippo 4/5

Would you like me to do more book challenges on the blog this year?

Tell me in the comments how many books you read and let me know what your favorite book of all time is so I can add it to my reading list for this year!

If you have read any of the books I did this year and have things you want to discuss don’t hesitate to message me, I LOVE to talk about books!

OVERVIEW

Total Books- 55

Total Pages- 18,858

Least Favorite Book- What Once was True by Jean Grainger

Favorite New Book- Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Month with most books read- March with 7 books

Author that I read the most books of- Marissa Meyer with 8 books

Series Finished- 5. Shadow and Bone Trilogy. The Rule of Wolves Duology. Chronicles of Narnia. The Renegades Trilogy. The Woodcutter Sisters.

Longest Book- *Winter by Marissa Meyer with 827 Pages

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RED TV at a Glance

RED (Taylor’s Version), or RED 2.0, as I have been calling it, came out today. I thought I would write my first impressions review as there is no way for me to have a full opinion of the album as a whole until I have listened to it a bazillion times for a week straight.

Before we get into it, the background context on my relationship to RED, the original.

It is my favorite Taylor Swift album. For sure, the one I have listened to the most. The one with my favorite Taylor Swift song. It was also the album for which I went to my very first concert at the start of my freshman year of high school. I have distinct moments attached to songs from when it came out my 8th-grade year. Thus, I am sure I will have a lot to say as the album is very near and dear to my heart. So here we go, a non-comprehensive first impressions reaction review, as I listen to the rerecorded songs for the first time.

Songs I Listened to First:

Here are the first 5 songs I listened to in the order I listened to them. In between each one, I then listened to the original version for comparison.

All Too Well 10 min version

“It’s supposed to be fun turning 21” may be my fav new lyrics in the 10 min version. It made me actually pause the song to process those first 5 minutes.
This will probably be an unpopular opinion- remember all my opinions are subject to change with continued listening- I was… underwhelmed? I don’t know I didn’t love it like I thought I would love a 10 minute of this, one of my all time favorite TS songs, but I didn’t.
My favorite parts of the song were all the ones from the original version. Is this because I don’t like change or because I don’t think all the extra lyrics bring anything that makes the song better than the original condensed version. We will find out after I listen some more.

The Last Time feat Gary Lightbody

This is my favorite song. It started and my breathe caught in my throat. I just sat with my eyes closed and listened to it to soak it all in. Is it… more beautiful than before somehow. The opening chords feel echoey and I love it. I think the strings underscoring the song are amped up to extra stunning. Whatever the new drum sound thing going on at the beginning I could do without but yes to the extra strings.

Is Taylor’s part slightly different?? Sounds great though.
The harmonies are on point. I have nothing further to say for this song at this time.
“You break my heart in the blink of an eye” Yes yes you do song.

Treacherous

1 minute in, is the very subtle harmony voice new?

Upon review it is just more noticeable now.

The maturity of her voice now really changes the tonal quality of this song. The softness of the original isn’t there but there is a different depth to it. “This slope is treacherous and I I I like it”

Although I really miss the more airy quality of the original bridge, it sounds more full in this version which isn’t bad at all just different.

All Too Well

This is the 5 and a half minute version.
The way she sang the end of the first verse hooked me, too good.
Ooh… the subtle echo part before the first chorus… I don’t think I like it.
“Maybe I asked for too much” The emotion. Strong. Great. Love it.

Short and sweet review. I still love this song.

State of Grace (acoustic version)

Again the drums. Scale it back, this is too harsh.

This song had a lot more of the airy softness that is in the original album. Which when listening you can tell the main difference is just how much her voice has strengthened but hearing her purposely add it into this song was lovely.

This song so far has given me the most OG RED vibes. I really enjoyed it. “And I’ll never be the same”

Then after this I went back to the beginning of the album and listened to them in order.

With the new from the Vault songs the album is now 30 songs long totalling 2 hours and 10 minutes. The album came out for me at 9pm PST meaning I did the first five song listen and then went to sleep to prepare myself for a 2 hour intense listening session in the morning.

Red, the song, sounds exactly the same, so does I Knew You Were Trouble.

Opening of 22 sounds more pulled back, original her voice and the drums are on an even plane but now drums are in the background for that part.

I may like We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together better now, while Stay Stay Stay is not as good on this version. I also don’t think I like Holy Ground 2.0 as much either… I can’t tell why yet.

Everything Has Changed Feat: Ed Sheeran 2.0 is slightly slower than the original and Ed’s vocal lines are also a bit different on his verse and some of his harmonies. I’ve seem them sing this live and I think the new version has more of that “live” quality versus the original recording.

Begin Again still perfection. The harmonies sound like they may be crisper too. It’s gorgeous.

Girl at Home is a completely different song. Now it sounds like it could have been on 1989 instead of RED. I like it. I love the original but this is fun.

Songs ‘From the Vault’ Surprises:

I really liked Nothing New feat: Pheobe Bridgers.

Message in a Bottle felt like something I could see in a movie soundtrack.

Forever Winter and Run Feat: Ed Sheeran are beautiful. Will be playing on repeat for a while.

The Very First Night is a great song to have as the last one before All Too Well 10 min. It is incredibly catchy and is like a mix between Lucky One and Starlight. A song you can dance while doing your makeup too.

Overall First Impressions After Listening to the Full Album:

The original RED to me seems like a more raw scaled back version compared to the Taylor’s Version which has a more produced feel. There is a lot more added tonal qualities in the accompaniments coupled with a juiced up drum section that I am not sure I like better than how it sounded.

All of the songs have a fuller sound than before, much to do with her voice and how she sings the lines. There are fewer lines she throws away when she sings- a good adjustment, it helps with understanding the lines.

This album is still so so good. Dancing around my room, belting the lyrics alone in the car, adding songs to your party with your friends playlist good.

Alright that is all I have for you from my first impressions. This was a tad bit longer than a quick first glance post that I expected it to be… Hope you enjoyed. Do you have a favorite song from RED?

Let me know if you would like me to do more music reviews.
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Reading Challenge update and Book Reviews (50 in 52)

For 2021 I am rekindling my love of new books and actually reading more new books than rereads this year. You can read more about my goal in my past post here.

The Book Challenge.

Books to read: 50.

Books Read: 19

Books to go: 31

Now four months into this year I am doing surprisingly well at this goal. With having to read 4 books a month to keep it up I am ahead of schedule!

I have read 19 books so far… though six of them were rereads oops…

Meaning I am going to have to read 4 extra books already to get to 50 new books, but I am on track if I shoot for only 40 new ones. Although I will say I would have read less of the old books if the online library database would actually have some of the books I am looking for. Either they don’t have them at all OR one ebook has a hold list of up to 6 months (true story). I am on hold for a book with a 6 month wait on it and am slightly obsessed with refreshing the webpage everyday to see if somehow it is available for me to download.

Because I want to do a comprehensive book list at the end of the year, for these challenge check-ins I am only going to tell you one stand out book for each month.

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