My Problem with Shakespeare | Discussion

~ Holly ~ 19 Comments

Confession: I don’t particularly like Shakespeare.

Usually when I tell people I’m not a huge fan of Shakespeare I receive a piercing glare and a disapproving “Really?” This conversation inevitably results in me trying to defend my opinions while undergoing intense scrutiny from the opposing party. Apathy towards the Bard was the norm when I was in high school, but people’s expectations seemed to change as soon as I entered college. Some people apparently view being an English major and a Shakespeare enthusiast as characteristics that always go hand in hand, as though one cannot be the former without also identifying as the latter.

I hate that this stereotype of English majors exists. Though I love British authors like Charles Dickens and Charlotte Bronte, I’m actually much more interested in American Literature than British literature. Frederick Douglass, Mark Twain, William Faulkner, Willa Cather, Kate Chopin– these are the writers that fascinate me and make my little English major heart beat with bookish excitement. However, whenever I hear Shakespeare mentioned I can’t help but let out a little sigh of indifference.

The core of the problem is that I haven’t connected with Shakespeare’s works emotionally or deeply in any way. None of his plays have ever resonated with me personally like other texts often do. Does this come from my general disinterest in the time period? Or maybe it stems from the way I was taught to read Shakespeare in high school without actually seeing his plays performed? Whatever the reason, I find it difficult to empathize with his characters. For instance, Romeo and Juliet frustrated me endlessly with their impulsive decisions, melodrama, and plain foolishness. (Juliet, girl, you knew him for mere days!!)

Sometimes I feel like I’m missing the point of Shakespeare. I tend to take his works seriously and often literally when they’re probably meant to be comedic, ironic, sarcastic, or satiric. It’s probably safe to say that the Bard didn’t support the rash decision of the star-crossed lovers to give up their lives for one another; instead, he was probably trying to show how dramatic, emotional, and intense young love can be. (Never mind the fact that it makes for a really entertaining story.) I’m just not good at picking up on Shakespeare’s humor, which means that most of his works tend to fall flat for me. I completely recognize that this is an individual preference and I’m certainly not blaming Shakespeare for my inability to understand his intent– I just don’t the process of trying to figure it out!

I don’t mean to say that I hate Shakespeare’s works; rather, I’m sort of indifferent to them. Sometimes they’re enjoyable and entertaining, whereas other times I’m counting down the pages until I can close the play for good. However, I can say that I’ve recently gained a greater appreciation for his skill with language as well as his significant contributions to English literature in general. I still plan to continue reading as many of his plays as possible this summer to expand my Shakespeare horizons– fingers crossed I find one that I love!

Until then, the Bard and I will just have to agree to disagree.

What are your thoughts on Shakespeare? Do you have a favorite Shakespeare play? Have you encountered this English major stereotype before? Let me know in the comments section below!

Yours,

HOLLY

Liebster Award | 4

~ Holly ~ 9 Comments

I’m back with another Liebster Award! Being nominated for these kinds of awards and tags is always such a pleasant surprise and brightens my day considerably. Thanks so much to May @ Forever and Everly for nominating me!!

  • Thank the person(s) who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
  • Answer the 11 questions they gave you.
  • Nominate 11 blogs and let them know they’ve been tagged.
  • Give them 11 questions to answer.

If you were to stop blogging, what would be the reason?

Probably a lack of time. This happens to me sometimes when classes are in session because I go into total homework mode and basically lose all free time. Fortunately in the past I’ve been able to schedule enough posts in advance to avoid stopping blogging altogether during the semester, but a lack of time to blog is always a concern of mine. I miss it so much when I can’t do it often!

What are some hobbies you have?

Writing, taking bookstagram pictures, hiking, crafting, journaling, knitting, tap dancing… the list goes on!

Would you rather be dead or die? (Yes, there’s a difference.)

Hmmm… this is a difficult question! I think I’m going to say that I would rather be dead because I feel like the experience of dying could potentially be very painful and scary. Although neither of these is a preferred option!!

Do you like mangoes???

Not particularly. I would eat them if someone offered them to me, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to seek them out.

What book would you not feel guilty about stomping on, tearing, and burning in a fire?

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner. I loved The Maze Runner (the first book in this trilogy) but this second installment took the series in a disappointing direction. The story had so much potential but I can’t help feeling as though this sequel squandered it all by resorting to a bizarre, confusing, and unoriginal explanation for the mystery set up in the first book.

What blogs do you ALWAYS look forward to reading? (Or, if you’re afraid your dear readers might feel bad: What type of blogs do you tend to follow? ie. book blogs, lifestyle blogs, writing blogs, etc.)

I always look forward to reading posts by Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books. I’ve been following her blog forever and she writes such thought-provoking, interesting, creative discussion posts. She’s also just a really kind and thoughtful individual in general. Definitely check out her blog if you haven’t already!! ❤

What’s one moment in your life you’d choose to play over and over again (aka re-experience over and over again?)

I would definitely choose to relive the moment I learned that I got accepted to study abroad at Oxford for a year. I was sitting in the dining hall at school eating lunch with some friends when I first read the email with the good news and it was such an incredible moment. ❤

You have the choice of reading a book you HATE, every single day, or reading one good book per year. Which do you choose?

Oooh, this is a tough one! Although I would hate to read a book I dislike every single day, I think I would really miss the act of reading on a regular basis. On the other hand, I’d much rather read a book that I actually enjoy. So… I think I would rather read one good book per year.

What’s one food you will never get tired of eating??? (ONE food, people, ONE.)

My mom’s homemade granola. I have eaten this granola almost every day for breakfast for YEARS and I still love it. It’s so delicious!

What would you do if someone walked up to you and gave you 100 bucks?

Thank them immensely and then rush to the nearest bookstore.

How are you right now? ❤

So swell!!

Since I love May’s questions so much I’m going to pass them along to these bloggers as well!

What are your answers to these questions? What do you think of mine? Let me know in the comments section below!

Yours,

HOLLY

JULIUS CAESAR by William Shakespeare | Review

~ Holly ~ 4 Comments

If you’ve stuck around this blog for a while then you may be familiar with the love-hate relationship I share with William Shakespeare. The Bard and I have never really clicked, mostly because a) I’m easily frustrated by his use of tricky English puns and b) I’m easily annoyed by the melodramatic nature of many of his works. (Although I suppose that the melodrama is sort of the point, to a certain extent, but that’s a discussion for another day.) Despite our rocky past, I’ve felt myself sort of coming around to Shakespeare lately.

Case in point: I actually enjoyed Julius Caesar.

*gasp* What?! Did I just admit to actually liking a Shakespeare play?

Yes. And here’s why:

+ The plot is cut and dry. Unlike some of Shakespeare’s other plays (I’m looking at you Othello, Macbeth, and Hamlet), I was able to grasp the main gist of Julius Caesar pretty quickly and easily. There’s plenty of political intrigue and the events unfold quickly, clearly, and– dare I say– logically?! Usually I find Shakespeare’s plots to be lacking any semblance of logic or reason, but this play was almost realistic in this way. (It’s certainly not hard to imagine in today’s tumultuous, frenzied political climate.)The ending does possess the usual drama that his conclusions tend to exude, though I guess that’s to be expected from a tragedy.

+ Questions about honor, loyalty, and duty. I loved the major themes in this play because I think they’re so relevant to the current state of our world (as shown by this New York Times article about a recent controversial production of Julius Caesar). Should we be loyal to our government or personal relationships with others first and foremost? At what point does duty overrule loyalty or vice versa? Should honor or duty preside over common sense or morality? These are the kinds of questions that fascinate me and that really made this play stand out in particular to me.

+ Historical basis. One can probably guess from the title that this play centers around Julius Caesar, who was an actual Roman emperor. The fact that this play is based on actual historical events (with extra melodrama thrown in for good measure) makes me wonder what people thought about this at the time. Did they appreciate this play for its commentary on history or value it for its ability to entertain and captivate an audience?

+ I finally understand where the title of John Green’s novel The Fault in Our Stars comes from. At one point I knew that this was the Shakespeare play Green was referencing, but I had since forgotten that tidbit of info until I stumbled across the famous line:

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.”

I love exploring intertextuality and I’m actually sort of tempted to reread The Fault in Our Stars at some point to see if there are any underlying connections between the novel and the play.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by Julius Caesar. Of course, I must admit that this measure of enjoyment is relative– that is, I enjoyed it considerably more than other Shakespeare plays I’ve read in the past but considerably less than other texts that are not Shakespeare plays. (I just have this unintentional apathy towards the Bard, okay?)

You win this round, Shakespeare.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: If someone asks me for a Shakespeare recommendation I would probably tell them to read this play; however, if someone asks me for a drama recommendation in general than I would definitely go with something like Thornton Wilder’s Our Town or Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman.

What are your thoughts on Julius Caesar? What Shakespeare play should I read next? Let me know in the comments section below!

Yours,

HOLLY

Top Ten Tuesday: Series I Need to Finish

~ Holly ~ 59 Comments

Happy Tuesday!! This week’s Top Ten Tuesday theme is technically about book series that I want to start; however, the more pressing issue on my mind is the fact that there are SO MANY series that I need to FINISH. Once again I’m going to break the TTT status quo and switch it up a little by sharing the Top Ten Series I Need to Finish. 

What series do you really need to finish? What do you think of the books that I’ve mentioned? Let me know in the comments section below!

Yours,

HOLLY

I’m studying at OXFORD?!?! | Study Abroad

~ Holly ~ 87 Comments

I’ll be spending the entirety of my junior year of college studying abroad at Oxford University in England.

There. I said it.

I was accepted to study English literature at Mansfield College (one of the many colleges within the Oxford University system) back in late February of this year, yet I’ve put off actually talking about it on this blog until now. Why? There are a few reasons, the first of which being that part of me is afraid that it is too good to be true. What if something happened and I ended up not being able to go after I announced it to everyone? (In reality: nothing would happen. I would just have to explain to everyone that I wouldn’t be going abroad after all). Another part of me recognizes the stigma that can sometimes be associated with Oxford due to its academic and social status as a prestigious English university. But I can’t hold in my excitement any longer: I’ll be studying at OXFORD!!!

To be honest, when I first entered college I highly doubted that I would ever actually study abroad. I’ve always been sort of a home-body, preferring to hang out with friends and family in familiar locations rather than go out exploring and adventuring all of the time. There’s also the added wrinkle of being severely allergic to nuts, since airlines and international programs are sometimes not the most allergy aware organizations. Food allergies complicate everything, and travel is definitely no exception. I also worried about the financial expenses of studying abroad– how on earth would I pay for such an adventure? However, deep down I knew that the biggest thing holding me back was my fear of living on my own for an extended period of time. Living on the Wheaton campus an hour and a half from my childhood home was one thing, but living an entire ocean away?! I wasn’t sure if I could handle that much change all at once.

Then one day during my spring semester of freshman year my English major adviser suggested I think about applying to the Oxford program the following spring. He explained that several of the students he’s advised in the past spent their junior years there and absolutely loved the experience. Still skeptical that I would actually take the leap and apply, I thanked him for the suggestion and then proceeded to tuck it in the back of my mind.

I felt my feelings towards studying abroad slowly change as sophomore year progressed. The more I learned about the Mansfield College program, the more interested I became in the prospects of actually going. To think that I could also study at Oxford!! The idea seemed crazy to me, and in many ways it still feels surreal. As the application date neared I told myself that I would at the very least apply and see what happened– given the high GPA requirement and competitive application process, I highly doubted that I would even be accepted in the first place.

And then I received the acceptance email, and everything changed.

Suddenly it was happening– suddenly it is happening. I’m actually going to study abroad in Oxford, England for an entire academic year!! I cannot even begin to describe how excited (and nervous) I am, especially considering that I’ve never even traveled outside of the United States before. I can’t wait to walk through those Hogwarts-esque halls and visit all of the independent bookshops and drink tea in cute little cafes. Most importantly, though, I am beyond ecstatic to be able to spend an entire year focused solely on studying English literature.

I feel so lucky to have this opportunity and so indebted to everyone who has helped me along the way. This is by far the biggest leap I have ever taken in my twenty years of existence– fingers crossed that it’s the experience of a lifetime!

I wanted to bring this up on this blog because up until this point I’ve felt like I keep avoiding mentioning it, even though it’s constantly on my mind. Get ready for a lot more Oxford/England discussions coming your way!

Have you ever studied abroad or traveled to Oxford or England in general? Have any tips or advice? Let me know in the comments section below!

Yours,

HOLLY

The Happy Videos Tag

~ Holly ~ 25 Comments

Hello, hello!! I’m super excited about today’s tag because it was actually created by my awesome friend Christina @ The Penniless Optimist. She often talks about her “happy videos,” or the videos that she watches whenever she needs a bit of a pick-me-up. As a way to spread some smiles she decided to make this Happy Videos Tag, which I think is such a fun idea. ❤

  1. Create a playlist of videos that make you happy
  2. Profile ten of those videos in a blog post
  3. Embed your complete happy videos playlist at the end of your blog post (it doesn’t have to be only ten videos long)
  4. Tag someone else to make their own!

In no particular order, some of my happy videos are:

1. Looking for Alaska at My High School by John Green of the Vlogbrothers

This one is definitely an oldie but a goodie. I love John Green’s debut novel Looking for Alaska, so I was ecstatic when he made this video explaining the connections between the fictional boarding school in the book and the one he attended in real life.

2. Literally any video by Ariel Bissett

Ariel Bissett has been my favorite booktuber for years. She’s funny, brilliant, and has excellent tastes in books. I’m not joking when I say that I do a little happy dance every time I see that she has uploaded a video!

3. Company is Coming by Chris Fleming

THIS. VIDEO. If you ever need a chuckle then do yourself a favor and go straight to watching this hilarious Gayle clip. Not only will it make your sides hurt from laughing so hard, but it’s also SO RELATABLE.

4. Miscast 2015: “Cell Block Tango” from “Chicago”

I owe Christina (who tagged me for this tag!) a million boxes of macaroni and cheese for showing me this amazing video. Even if you’ve never seen Chicago before (which you should definitely watch!!) this is still worth seeing.

5. Jonathan Groff Performs “Anything Goes”

This video encompasses two things I love very much: tap dancing and Jonathan Groff. I also owe Christina for showing me this one as well. ❤

6. A Very Potter Sequel Act 1 Part 6

THIS. VIDEO. Like the previously mentioned Gayle clip, this specific scene of A Very Potter Sequel always cracks me up. I literally can’t get through it without bursting into tears from laughing to hard!! All of these musicals in general are HILARIOUS but this scene in particular is absolute gold.

7. Moral of the Story by Watsky

I’m sure you’re all pretty tired of hearing me talk about how much I love Watsky’s music, but that’s not going to stop me from talking about it even more. This music video has just the right amount of cringy cheesiness.

8. The Schuyler Georges

This video is yet another reason why Jonathan Groff is amazing.

9. All videos from this dance studio.

I’ve watched SO MANY dance videos from this particular studio. The choreography is always awesome and they allow me to vicariously live my dream of being a professional dancer (if you know me, you know this is impossible because I’m #awkward one hundred percent of the time).

10. Any video by ThatMatt (AKA my brother!)

My super talented brother has a Youtube channel! I especially love watching his videos when I’m living on campus because they remind me of home ❤ Definitely check out his channel!

Thanks so much to Christina for tagging me!! ❤

Have you ever watched any of these videos? What videos do you watch when you need a little extra cheer? Let me know in the comments section below!

Yours,

HOLLY

AN EMBER IN THE ASHES by Sabaa Tahir | Review

~ Holly ~ 25 Comments

Months ago I won a copy of An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir in an online giveaway. After enduring its impatient glare from my bookshelf for as long as I could, I finally picked it up and gave it the attention that all of the buzz surrounding it suggests it deserves. Unfortunately, this fast-paced fantasy novel left me with more conflicted feelings than I had initially anticipated. It wasn’t terrible, but it didn’t live up to the great expectations that had built up around it– a classic case of a hype monster attack.

What Worked for Me:

+ Significance of the title. All this time I’ve been curious as to what the significance of the title is; fortunately, this becomes obviously clear as the story unfolds and the title is mentioned word for word several times in the novel. (If you’re curious like I was, it refers to the fact that both Elias and Laia are like burning embers in cool ashes, meaning that they have the power to stir things up around them). As a sucker for clever metaphors and double meanings like this, I really enjoyed coming across the literal mentions of the title as applied to both of the main characters.

+ Two narrators. I was pleasantly surprised to find that An Ember in the Ashes is written with chapters alternating between the first person perspectives of Elias and Laia, the two main characters. Using alternating narrators can sometimes be risky, depending on how well they’re executed by the author. Fortunately, Tahir manages to carefully balance the two perspectives in a way that makes the novel more suspenseful and adds depth to Elias and Laia’s “worlds.”

+ Fast-paced, suspenseful plot. Despite my lukewarm feelings about the novel as a whole, I nevertheless managed to fly through it in a single weekend.  Coupled with Tahir’s writing style– short, choppy sentences that are easy to read and move quickly– the action-packed plot made this a captivating page-turner. Usually I only fly threw books that I really love, so reading this one so quickly was a strange experience. All I cared about was knowing how it was going to end. (To be honest, part of me also probably just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.)

What Didn’t Work for Me:

– Dual love triangles. One love triangle is usually bad enough– but two? Not only were they completely unnecessary, but they take away from the seriousness of the overall plot. It was jarring to read a passage about Elias struggling with his inner conflict about being a trained killer right next to a passage about his sudden infatuation with Laia. The biggest problem I have with these love triangles is that at some point they almost began to supersede the overarching plot of the novel; in other words, the romance became the driving motivation behind the plot. I was so disappointed when I noticed this was happening because the initial main plot had great potential to be really interesting if it wasn’t being overshadowed and shoved aside in favor of forced romance.

– Insta-love between Elias and Laia. Speaking of forced romance, the insta-love between Elias and Laia is one of the worst I’ve ever read. Their relationship is basically solely founded on his physical attraction to her. The feeling that this relationship is “forced” is further exacerbated by the presence of the two love triangles because the pairings of Elias/Helene and Laia/Keenan make much more sense (especially Elias/Helene because they have such good chemistry, are best friends, have known each other for years, they actually KNOW each other on a personal level, etc.).

– Problematic objectification of female characters. Physical attractiveness seems the most important quality of women in this novel, particularly regarding Laia’s relationship with Elias. Moreover, rape is offhandedly mentioned several times in this novel and it almost seems as though the threat of sexual assault is used as a device to forward the plot. Was Tahir planning on addressing how problematic that is?

Overall, what promised to be a fantastic fantasy story left me with conflicted feelings and the sour taste of disappointment. Though An Ember in the Ashes is certainly a gripping read, its fast pace could not make up for the many problems that plague this text.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: To be honest, probably not. There are so many fantastic books out there that I would not want someone to waste their time on something that is only meh.

What are your thoughts on this novel? Have you read the sequel? How do you deal with conflicted feelings and disappointment about hyped books? Let me know in the comments section below!

Yours,

HOLLY

Top Ten Tuesday: I Recommend Books to My Dad

~ Holly ~ 39 Comments

Happy Tuesday!! Father’s Day is right around the corner, and the lovely bloggers over at The Broke and the Bookish are celebrating by dedicating this week’s Top Ten Tuesday theme to those delightful dads. Since I recently made a TTT list about my mom, I’ve decided to make this TTT list about my dad. Here are my recommendations of ten books I think my dad would really enjoy:

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

My dad is an avid hiker, but since we live in New England we’re much more familiar with the Appalachian Trail than the Pacific Crest Trail on the west coast that Cheryl hikes and talks about in this memoir. I think he would find this really interesting!

One More Thing by B.J. Novak

My dad has an awesome sense of humor, and so does B.J. Novak. Plus, these short stories are perfect for reading in small chunks of time since my dad is usually really busy. This is a book that can easily be picked up and put down again over a longer period of time (hence why I took nearly two years to read it!).

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

This book is SO LONG but very worth the time commitment it takes to read it. It’s such a unique, dark, intriguing story and I would love to hear my dad’s thoughts on it. It’s also written by an author who graduated from one of the colleges I initially applied to.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Okay, I don’t actually know if he would enjoy this one because everyone but me seemed to hate it when I read it with my AP English class. But I know he really liked A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving and this classic reminds me of that book for some strange reason… maybe because of the younger protagonists?

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

I’m recommending this book because a) I’m a firm believer that everyone should read this because it’s fantastic and b) I really want to know if he can predict who the murderer is! (Side note: I was SO WRONG with my prediction when I first read it!)

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

He and my mom really enjoy watching the Hunger Games movies and I think he already read the first book in this trilogy, so the sequel would be a perfect summer read. It would also give me an excuse to make fiery summer puns (get it?).

1984 or Animal Farm by George Orwell

Talking about The Hunger Games made me think about darker, twisted versions of our own society—what better author to recommend than George Orwell? I would love to hear my dad thoughts on these novels, especially how they end.

Why I Write by George Orwell

While we’re already aboard the Orwell train, why not add another one? My dad is a great writer and he has to do a lot of it for his job, so I feel like he would find this both really interesting and really useful. It’s also fairly short, so it makes for a very quick read.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

I have a feeling he might have already read this book (or maybe another book by this author) but I’m going to put it down anyways because I think it’s the kind of touching story that my dad would really appreciate.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by Harry Potter

I’m recommending this purely because I feel like it will explain SO MANY of the references I make on a regular basis. (Also because it’s Harry Potter and literally everyone on this planet should read it.)

Happy (early) Father’s Day, dad! Thanks for being the best ❤

What books would you recommend to your dad? What do you think of the books on my list? Let me know in the comments section below!

Yours,

HOLLY

Summer is Here! | Book Haul

~ Holly ~ 38 Comments

Not long ago I wrote a post discussing book hauls and why I haven’t posted many in the past. However, the more I think about it the more I feel like this could be a fun way to share the books that I’m currently really excited about reading and discussing. Without further ado, here are some books that I’ve recently bought, received, or otherwise acquired:

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

I’ve been wanting to read Americanah for a while, and then my favorite professor recommended it to me and I knew I had to buy a copy for the summer. People seem to love Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s work– fingers crossed I fall in love with her writing as well!

How to Ruin Everything by George Watsky

Surprise, surprise! I feel like I’ve talked a lot about this book lately (with good reason because it’s fantastic). Initially my brother lent me his copy of How to Ruin Everything to read while I was living on campus; however, when I moved back home and went to return it to him he told me I could keep it because he’s not a fan of rereading books. (THANK YOU.) You can read my review of this essay collection here.

The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson

Recently I received this book as a gift from my wonderful boss for being accepted into a study abroad program (any guesses on where I’ll be going?!). In this sort of sequel to his 1995 book Notes from a Small Island, Bill Bryson travels across England and recounts his adventures and observations in each delightfully British location.

William Faulkner: The Yoknapatawpha Country by Cleanth Brooks

I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am that this book finally arrived in the mail the other day!! I’ve been really enjoying reading Faulkner lately and I’m super excited to read this study of how the fictional Yoknapatawpha County he created as the setting of many of his works plays a role in his texts. I read some criticism by Cleanth Brooks in one of my English classes this past semester, so I’m also really  interested to see what I think of this particular text. (Also, this edition is GORGEOUS!)

Have you read any of these books? What books have you recently acquired? What do you think of book hauls? Let me know in the comments section below!

Yours,

HOLLY

The Happiness Tag

~ Holly ~ 28 Comments

Need something to brighten your day? Look no further than the Happiness Tag! This tag is short and sweet, so let’s get started. Thanks so much to Anj @ Seaweed Books for tagging me!!

1. Visiting the library. Summer is always when I visit my local public library the most because a) I have more time to read b) I no longer have access to my college’s library and c) I love chatting with my former coworkers {I used to work at this library in high school}. Checking out towering stacks of books reminds me of visiting the library with my mom when I was younger.

2. My dogs. This is Eddie, one of my dogs. How could that cute little face not make you happy???

3. Hiking mountains. One of my favorite things about summer is the fact that I get to go hiking again. Fortunately I live within an hour or two of several gorgeous mountain ranges (perks of living in New Hampshire!) so there’s always something within reach.

4. Mornings. I’ve always been a morning person. There’s nothing like waking up on a warm summer morning with a cup of tea, a bowl of granola, and a good book.

5. Discovering new music. Hearing a new song that you love on the radio is one of the best feelings. Fortunately I’ve been listening to a lot of great new-to-me music lately!

Going off of the fifth item on my previous list, here are five songs that I’ve loved listening to recently:

  1. Little Slice by Watsky
  2. Don’t Take the Money by The Bleachers
  3. Return to Mine by Bird.Bird
  4. Daft Pretty Boys by Bad Suns
  5. Waving Through A Window by Ben Platt {Dear Evan Hansen}

Just for the fun of it, I’m going to tag some of the bloggers that I’ve most recently started following:

I hope you’ve enjoyed this quick tag! Let me know your most recent favorite song and thing that makes you smile in the comments section below.

Yours,

HOLLY