An analysis of the Morals in Game of Thrones: Sex, Honor, Power, and Loyalty

Game of Thrones season three is coming in March and I finished season one in December. I've had a lot of time to think about this decision, and I've decided I'm not going to watch GOT anymore. I was going to title this "why I've decided not to watch GOT anymore" but then I came up with a classier title.  In this post, I'm taking a look at some of the themes of GOT and how it has a great deal of violent and sexual content.

There is too much nudity and sexual content in game of thrones, which is to be expected as almost every television show or movie contains sexual elements in modern day. I don't think that people should go out of their way to put in the movie, but it is most likely going to be there. I personally felt like there was only one really unnecessary and bizarre sex scene and that was the one with Petyr talking about Catelyn Stark and being creepy. Apparently there is also another similar sex scene in season 2.

Sex in Westeros comes from the failure of men to love and treat their women well. Prostitutes live in every city. Fathers, uncles, brothers arrange political marriages for their daughters, nieces, sisters. Most often these arranged marriages have abusive husbands. An exception to this is Nedd and Catelyn Stark who do genuinely love each other. Joffrey abuses Sansa, his betrothed and leaves her to be  raped (she is rescued however).

Game of Thrones is also very violent with death, blood, guts, and traitors, lies, secrets all in a war over power. Everyone is trying to get the Iron Throne and none do it honorably. Honor is a theme in GOT and is possessed by only one true character----Nedd Stark, lord of Winterfell. Everyone else disregards honor, because, well, if they were to act honorably, none of them would have any power. Loyalty also comes into play here, because no one in King's Landing (the capital of Westeros) is on Nedd's side. The saddest part about GOT is that Nedd gives up his honor to save his daughters, but fails. Sansa ends up a captive of the Lannisters and Arya is headed to the wall alone, a long journey that is sure to be full of adventures. In the Game of Thrones, you win or you die. If you have a code of honor or a sense of morals, you die is what GOT says.

The biggest theme is power. Everyone is trying to get it, no matter the cost. Robb Stark sends 2,000 men to be killed so that he can defeat Jamie Lannister's army and capture the man. Robb Stark, who was supposed to be as honorable as his father turns out to be a failure, because he breaks his promises and can't keep his word. As for the other claims to the throne, Stanis Baratheon kills his own brother and joins a mysterious cult that worships fire and forces everyone in his army to join it. Theon Greyjoy, who has been raised alongside Robb Stark, abandons him and returns to his father's house and takes up an army and murders Bran and Rickon, the two youngest Stark children. So much for loyalty. Joffrey, my least favorite character, orders the murder of many people, abuses Sansa and his younger siblings.

Power corrupts and makes monsters out of men in Games of Thrones.

Other themes that I disagree with are the idea of destiny. Jon Snow, Daenerys, and Arya all have great destinies, but at the loss of people they love. They all lose everything and I wish I could see where they could go. The three of them and also Nedd are my favorites. I don't think that "only death begets life." That's only in GOT where death is an ever present force that influences the choices of the characters. In reality, death cannot do anything, only life can.Life begets life and children are born despite it all.

My main issue with GOT is that it's written as there there is no right and wrong, and I disagree. Right and wrong and morals exist. In GOT the characters just ignore them and do whatever it takes to get power.

On a final note, the characters I liked the best are those who refused to play the game of thrones. Maybe that is the lesson to be learned from GOT after all. That we can look at the world of Westeros and our own world and choose not to let power rule us. We can walk away and find our own purposes and create  our own destinies.

The Outsider Once Upon a Time

I know I'm kinda going backwards in episodes, here but I wanted to write about Belle. She is one of my favorite characters on the show. The Outsider is two episodes before Tiny and is about Belle and Mulan and Belle's adventures between leaving Mr.Gold/Rumple and getting captured by Regina and locked away.

Thus, in FTL, Belle is still with the dwarfs, hiding out with them, reading a book. She overhears a group of men come in and talk about the Yaogui, a fierce fiery beast. Dreamy, the dwarf in love with Nova, comes up to thank her and tells her that he and Nova are going to run away together. Dreamy tells Belle that she should go take a chance on the adventure and find the Yaogui. She tells him thank you and closes her book. Before Belle jumps on the wagon, though, Dreamy gives her fairy dust that is "good magic." Belle thanks him and says she will use it for good.

Belle travels with some men to another, far off land (possibly China?) reading her book that is written in Chinese. The men laugh at her and ask where the Yaogui is. She tells them it is near a lake, which is a lie, and they throw her off the wagon. Belle picks up the book and travels to the mountains, where the beast really is.

Belle uses the book to find the Yaogui's cave in the mountains, but it comes out trying to attack her, but Mulan appears and shoots at it. The beast runs away and Mulan helps Belle up. Mulan tells Belle she has been tracking the beast for weeks and is angry she missed her shot. Belle shows Mulan the book and offers to help her find it again, but Mulan refuses.

Later, in a somewhat looking Chinese town, Belle is fetching water from the well, when the men who ditched her find her and attempt to beat her up. Mulan shows up and fights them off. She then asks Belle for help tracking the Yaogui so that Mulan can kill it, as Belle's tracking skills are better than Mulan's. Belle agrees and notices that Mulan's leg has been injured in the fight, to which Mulan ignores.

They track the beast, but as they find it, Mulan's injury prevents her from fighting. She gives Belle her sword and tells her that she must defeat the beast,that she must save Mulan's village from the Yaogui. She tells Belle that once people said she wasn't strong enough, but once she found something worth fighting for, she never gave it up.

Belle goes to the field and gets the Yaogui's attention and it comes after her as she runs down the road to the town. She breaks a water pipe as it attacks her, putting out it's fire. The beast starts to write something in the mud in chinese that stands for "help me." Belle takes out the fairy dust and sprinkles it on the beast who turns into Prince Philip! So Belle is the "beauty" for two beasts, Mr. Gold and Prince Philip! Yay Belle!

Belle and Philip go find Mulan and he tells her them that Malificent (what is it with this witch???) cursed him and sent him to their land. This implies that Mulan's land really is different than the others. Mulan agrees to help Philip go back to his land, which is Aurora's also I believe. Belle decides that she needs to go back and fight her own beast and leaves them. This is my favorite moment of Belle, when she comes back having defeated the Yaogui. She has so much promise to her life, but sadly...

At the top of the hill, Belle looks back saying she will never stop fighting for him. She turns around hearing Regina, who has found her with the help of the two men Belle traveled with. Belle is locked up, but screams that one day she will be reunited with Mr. Gold and that Regina cannot keep them apart forever and that Belle will never stop fighting for him.

As we know, Belle is locked away for 28 years. In present day Storybrooke, Mr. Gold has made a potion spell to get across the town line without losing his memories as long as he sprinkles the item on whatever he values most. Which happens to be a shawl that used to belong to his son. I guess this means that he loves his son more than he loves Belle? Belle asks if she can come with him (as she so longs to be with him and to go on adventures) but he says he must go alone.

Belle goes to the library and finds Hook waiting there for her. She recognizes him as the man who came to her jail cell once while she was prisoner trying to kill Mr. Gold. Hook says that he wants to kill Mr. Gold but will settle for her. She runs and slams the book cart into him and then locks herself in the elevator and calls Gold, but they have bad connection and he cannot hear her very well. He comes and rescues her and they walk back to his shop, which has been ransacked and the shawl stolen.

Mr. Gold is angry, as now he is trapped in Storybrooke and cannot find his son. He tells Belle that he will find Hook and get the shawl back. He tells Belle to go back to the library. which she does. In the library, Belle is working on organizing books and finds the book that Hook was reading before she came in. She realizes that he came by ship and heads to the dock.

At the dock, Belle notices a seagull perched on something invisible and throws sand onto the stairs of the ship. She walks through the invisibility spell and begins searching for the shawl. She finds Archie Hopper and frees him and tells him to go find Mr. Gold. Hook appears and tells Belle the truth, how Milah left Gold because he was a coward and that she loved Hook. He tells her that he loved Milah and took her away, but that when Gold later found him he almost killed him, but instead he killed Milah for leaving him and their son.

I feel sorry for Hook, but I hope he finds someone new to love. Maybe he fall in love with Regina, after all they both need someone and have both lost someone in the past. The writers have said that Hook will find some allies in Storybrooke. I hope that there is still good left in the two of them bad guys!

Mr. Gold arrives as Belle runs away from Hook, whom he starts beating with his cane. Belle convinces Gold not to kill Hook and that she believes that there is good in him still. How Belle keeps believing amazes me. She has so much hope and so much promise. Gold tells Hook he never wants to see him again and he and Belle leave taking the shawl.

And this happens.

 And after it happens Emma, David, and MM don't let him see Belle.

And Mr. Gold cashes in his favor, and he, Emma, and Henry go on a road trip to find his son.

And Hook recovers and lives after getting hit by a car, and gets to have a great conversation about how he's a dead man with Emma.

Favorite scenes from The Outsider!

(this one above is from S1 Episode Dreamy)

I love Belle a lot and I hope she gets her memories back (actually the writes have said that she will, but that it will require a great sacrifice from Mr. Gold). I also hope that one day she gets to meet Mulan again and Prince Philip and Aurora. I hope she gets to go on so many adventures! 

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Once-Upon-Time-Spoilers-Kitsis-Horowitz-1058181.aspx

Until next time, everyone. Love, Rachel 

Tiny Once Upon a Time

Hi yall. I know it's been a while since I've written about Once UAT. I've just been busy with school. I've missed a few episodes of OUAT, like I'm missing queen of hearts and the name of the brother, but for the most part I'm on track. The giant is back in this episode! We find out who Jack is and what the real story is concerning the giants, the magic beans, and how they got destroyed. A few questions get answered and a whole lot more come up.

In fairy tale land, the giant's realm, we see five or six giants sitting down to eat and celebrate the bean harvest. One of the giants, called Tiny by his brothers because he is smaller than the others, doesn't understand why they don't have interaction with the human world down below the beanstalk. The humans believe that the giants are dead (why?). The eldest  giant, Arlo, tells Tiny that the humans would kill the giants and steal their beans if they knew that they were alive, because all humans do is kill while the giants foster and create life. Tiny doesn't understand why they make the beans if no one uses them, to which Arlo replies it is their labor that is important, that it is their labor that defines them.

Tiny decides to climb down the beanstalk and find out about humans for himself. A flashback to the past takes us to Prince James (Prince Charming's twin brother) holding in his arms a woman in white with dark hair. King George comes in and tells James that he needs to go find a giant who is running around and find out why the giant is there.

So James and the woman, who dresses herself in much more Snow White esp garb, find the giant and welcome him to their realm. The woman, who introduces herself as Jacqueline, "but most people call me Jack," gives the giant a piece of mushroom that will temporarily make him smaller. She tells Anton/Tiny that she was given it by a village after she slayed a terrorizing jabberwalk for them. Jack's adventure happened in a far off land and she was given the mushroom by a "wise woman who swore by it's powers." I speculate if this land was Wonderland and if the wise woman was Cora. I also wonder about this woman, Jack, because from this episode very little is revealed about her.

Jack, James, and Anton go into the taven, but Jack gets up to argue with a knight. Jack tells Anton that the kingdom is heading for bankruptcy and Anton let's slip about treasure and tells them that he will bring them some of it. Back at the beanstalk, Anton is gathering treasure when Arlo comes in and asks where he was and Anton says he went down below and met some humans and that he wants to live in the Enchanted Forest. At that moment, century birds alert them of humans in their world.

James and Jack have climbed up the beanstalk because they believe that there are magic beans and they wanted them. They have tricked Anton/Tiny and claim that the giants should hand over the beans. Arlo says they cannot and Jack unsheathes her sword and they go to war. Soon only Arlo and Anton are left and Arlo tells Anton he must destroy the beans and salt the fields.

While Anton is doing so, Arlo is fighting, but Jack stabs him with her poisonous sword. He however catches her and stabs her with her own sword. Jack cries out to James, but he continues to gather treasure saying he has a kingdom to run and leaves her to die alone. In his dying breath, Arlo gives Anton a seed that can grow a beanstalk, but tells him that he will have to leave their home to do so, as the bean fields have been salted so nothing can grow. He tells Anton that he is the last of their kind, the giants, and that one day he will find a place to belong.

In the real world Storybrooke, Mary Margaret and David have Hook take them to his ship where they discover that Cora has make Anton small and brought him to Storybrooke. MM wakes him up and tells him it's all right and that's he's safe. However, as soon as the giant sees David,  he starts screaming at David and attacking him, because well James, the guy who looks just like David, took everything from him. However, Anton is shrunk so he cannot do much and MM, David, and Leroy (one of the dwarfs) stop him. Anton stomps off the ship saying he will get David (who he thinks is James) back.

David, MM, and Leroy go to the inn and discuss and figure out why the giant was angry. Regina also finds out and finds Anton sitting alone in the woods. She gives him a piece of mushroom to make him bigger and he goes slamming cars around and scaring people. David tells Anton the truth and MM says they are on his side and that Emma is their daughter, but she has gone out of town with Mr. Gold and Henry to find Mr. Gold's son (who I'm pretty convinced is Neal Cassady, Henry's father, based on the promo).

David offers his life in exchange for everyone else's in Storybrooke, but as the giant goes to stomp on him, Mary Margaret pulls him out of the way. The mushroom effects wear off at the moment and Anton falls down underground and is seen hanging onto a pipe. David goes down and the people of Storybrooke help pull him up. Although Anton says he does not want to live, David tells him that if he had wanted to die he would have let go already. They take Anton to the diner and he tells them everything Prince James and Jack did to him. David says that there are good people who exist and MM tells Anton he can stay at the inn, as Storybrooke is their home since they cannot go back to FTL. Anton pulls out the seed he was given and says maybe they can. He inspects the soil and plants it with the help of the dwarfs who give him an axe with and Tiny appears on it. I wonder if dwarves and giants are somehow related? Although, according to the writers Anton is not a dwarf and that the axe merely symbolizes his belonging. I guess that makes sense, because in FTL Anton was a giant. But he shrinks to normal human size in Storybrooke, so he's a dwarf there.

I want to know more about Jack, Prince James, and giants/dwarves, and I want to know what will happen with Emma, Henry, and Mr. Gold as they find his son. I am also looking foward to the tension growing between MM and David about returning to FTL. I don't know that they should, after all it's not their home anymore and it's not what it was. Maybe FTL is best left in the past.

Clips from this episode!

The last clip is just one I found. I haven't seen Astrid/Nova since season one and I think she needs to come back! There's so much unfinished to her story!

Update!

Hey yall,
So I cracked the LCD screen on my computer and had to get it fixed, which is why I haven't been blogging in the past couple of weeks. You can expect in the future some more song reviews and Once Upon a Time posts. As far as college is going, it's been busy since coming back from winter break. I feel like time is always flying from my hands!
Tell me how you are doing in the comments below!
Love, Rachel

FROI OF THE EXILES

Summary from Good Reads:
Blood sings to blood, Froi . . .
Those born last will make the first . . .
For Charyn will be barren no more. 

Three years after the curse on Lumatere was lifted, Froi has found his home... Or so he believes...

Fiercely loyal to the Queen and Finnikin, Froi has been trained roughly and lovingly by the Guard sworn to protect the royal family, and has learned to control his quick temper. But when he is sent on a secretive mission to the kingdom of Charyn, nothing could have prepared him for what he finds. Here he encounters a damaged people who are not who they seem, and must unravel both the dark bonds of kinship and the mysteries of a half-mad Princess.

And in this barren and mysterious place, he will discover that there is a song sleeping in his blood, and though Froi would rather not, the time has come to listen.

Gripping and intense, complex and richly imagined, Froi of the Exiles is a dazzling sequel to Finnikin of the Rock, from the internationally best-selling and multi-award-winning author of Looking for Alibrandi, Saving Francesca, On the Jellicoe Road and The Piper's Son.

Favorite quotes: 

“I'm not interested in those who do me wrong. There's not enough time in the day for them.”
“...the greatest weapon against big stupid men was a sharp mind.”
“If we forget who we lost, then we forget who we once were, and if we forget who we once were, we lose sight of who we are now.” 
“Imagine who she would be if we unleashed her onto the world. I think she would rip the breath from all of us.” 
“In a kinder world," he whispered, "one I promise you I've seen, men and women flirt and dance and love with only the fear of what it would mean without the other in their lives.” 

Review: 

Froi of the Exiles is the second book in the Lumatere trilogy by Melina Marchetta. It takes place three years after Finnikin of the Rock where Lumatere is back on its feet, but Charyn, the neighboring kingdom is falling down. There are returning characters from FOTR such as the Queen's Guard, Perry and Tessadora, Lucian of the Monts and Froi. The whole of Lumatere has been trying to recover from their devastation, trying to grow crops, and trying to get along with their neighboring kingdoms. 

In Finnikin of the Rock, Froi was found by Queen Isaboe who he gave his bond to. He was one of the exiles who has no memories of ever living in Lumatere because he was a young child when he left. No, Froi's life began three years ago. He has been tending the land and loves being a farm boy. He is also very loyal to the queen and king and the Guard. 

In the river valley that is the border between Charyn and Lumatere, Charynites are starting to gather there hoping for sanctuary in Lumatere because the land and the people of Charyn are barren. No child has been born to them for nearly 16 years. The last of these is Quintana, the half mad daughter of the king
Froi is sent on a mission to kill the king, but finds himself caught up with the secrets in the castle towers. 
Froi meets many people, Quintana who he intensely falls in love with, the old and crippled Gargarin, the architect/designer/builder and his gay brother the priest Arjuro, the king's imprisoned wife and Gargarin's former lover Lirah, and De Lancy, ruler of Paladozza the enchanting city. 

My first thoughts about this book were "oh Froi, I'm sorry you had to go through so much." FOTE is a much darker and much sadder book than FOTR, which was more hopeful. Froi finds his family in Charyn but he loses his bond to Queen Isaboe. He gives his heart to Quintana and creates a new bond to protect her. He breaks his bond to those he loved and swore to protect for her. Oh, Froi. And Froi's family is nothing like he dreamed of. They are grieving, angry, violent people who hide their feelings. Oh, Froi. 

Then there's Quintana. She's half mad with a spirit inside of her, the reginita "little queen", who is the spirit of her younger dead twin sister Regina. In Charyn, you must say the names of the dead in order for the dead to have peace. Quintana is cold and dark with everyone against her. She carries Froi's son, the first to be born in the land, but there are men who chase after her for the unborn child.  

Both Froi and Quintana are very strong characters who are finding out where they came from, where they are going, and who they are. I'm eager to see what happens in the next book.

While the two of them are journeying through Charyn over and under, the mountains and the rock caves, back in the river valley, Lucian of the Monts marries Phaedra, daughter of the province Alonso and the last born of the ruler there. However, Phaedra is not accepted by the Mont people and instead tends to the people who have come to the river valley. She works alongside Tessadora. She grows stronger and eventually Lucian does come to accept her. Phaedra was one of my favorite characters in FOTE. 

Finnikin of the Rock was the story of a girl, a boy, a thief, and a wise man on a journey to reclaim their kingdom. It was full of mystery, sacrifice, hope and ultimately about the power of choices. Froi of the Exiles is about a boy on the brink of manhood and a girl on the brink of womanhood on a journey both physical and emotional, trying to find who they can be, where we've come from. 

Melina Marchetta sums it all up, "It explores nature versus nurture and blond bonds versus friendship, but ultimately it's a love story between a whole bunch of people who should have gien up on each other long ago, and yet still find it in themselves to hope again." 

Well I look foward to seeing where their hope will go in the next book, Quintana of Charyn. 

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

“She looked up. “A world of nevers under a never sky.”She fit in well then, he thought. A girl who never shut up.”  --Perry, Under the Never Sky 

Summary from Good Reads: 

Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered. This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland - known as The Death Shop - are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild - a savage - and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile - everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky. 

Book Trailer: 

On one of the last days of December 2012, I read Under the Never Sky. My first reaction was why did I wait so long to read this book? It's a really great dystopia and I liked it more than Matched and definitely more than the Hunger Games. I loved it as much as I loved Delirium by Lauren Oliver, which is me saying a lot.
I really enjoyed all the two main characters, Aria and Perry. They both lose a lot, gain a lot, and find out a lot--most importantly about themselves. Aria finds out that she can survive, adapt to the world and that there is more outside of Reverie. They both find out that they can love, despite it being taken away from them. Perry learns how to hope and Aria learns how to live on the outside.
I also enjoyed the secondary characters, Roar, Talon, Cinder. the guy with braids, the doctor, and the guy who Aria stays with. They are all very strong characters, and even though Liv was only mentioned in this book I'm eager to meet her, hear her story, and see what happens between her and Roar. I also want to know more about Cinder, his background, and how he can control the Aether.
The world building for UTNS is excellent. First is the enclosed city of Reverie, where everything is perfect. The people who live there are known as Dwellers to those who live in the Death Shop, the wasteland outside of Reverie. Perry is an outsider and Aria is a Dweller who is banished for crimes she didn't commit. There are the Aether storms, huge fierce lightening storms  that can kill people they are so powerful. Aria isn't likely to survive, but she does with Perry's help and the two fall in love.
Their love is different. It's like Alex and Lena's from Delirium, because it's a foreign thing to both of them. The way it's written is similar to Lauren Oliver's but has Maggie Stiefvater's descriptive flow pattern. Overall, Under the Never Sky is not one to be missed and is a great dystopian love story with a very hopeful ending. I look forward to finding out more about the world under the never sky and about Perry and Aria's adventures in it. I am very eager for Through the Ever Night. Finally words to Veronica Rossi, well done, well done.

I knew you were trouble by Taylor Swift (Song Review)

Video

Lyrics

(Verse 1)
Once upon a time, a few mistakes ago
I was in your sights, you got me alone
You found me, you bound me
You bound me-e-e-e-e
I guess you didn't care and I guess I liked that
And when I fell hard, you took a step back
Without me, without me
Without me-e-e-e-e

(Pre-Chorus)
And he's long gone
When he's next to me
And I realise, the blame is on me

(Chorus)
Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now, flew me to places I'd never been
Till you put me down
Oh I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now, flew me to places I'd never been
Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground

Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble
Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble

(Verse 2)
No apologies, he'll never see you cry
Pretends he doesn't know that he's the reason why
You're drowning, you're drowning
You're drowning-ing-ing-ing
And I heard you moved on from whispers on the street
A new notch in your belt is all I'll ever be
Now I see, Now I see
Now I see-e-e-e-e
(Pre-Chorus)
[From: http://www.elyrics.net ]
And he was long gone
When he met me
And I realise, the joke is on me

(Chorus)
Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now, flew me to places I'd never been
Till you put me down
Oh I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now, flew me to places I'd never been
Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground

Oh, Oh, trouble, trouble, trouble
Oh, Oh, trouble, trouble, trouble

(Bridge)
And the saddest fear comes creeping in
That you never loved me or her or anyone or anything
Yeah

(Chorus)
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now, flew me to places I'd never been
Till you put me down
Oh I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now, flew me to places I'd never been
Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground

Oh, Oh, trouble, trouble, trouble
Oh, Oh, trouble, trouble, trouble

I knew you were trouble when you walked in
Trouble, trouble, trouble
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
Trouble, trouble, trouble

Review
I honestly wasn't a big fan of this song when I first heard it, and I'm still not sure of it. Although, I do have some little cousins who absolutely love this song and the video is AMAZING. It might just be one of my favorite music videos that Taylor has ever done. 
I knew you were trouble is about falling in love with the wrong boy. It's about losing yourself in the process of being in love. It's about being in a bad relationship. 
About the video, Taylor said, "My favorite thing [about the video] is that this girl not only gets sucked into this relationship with him but she loses who she was before and that's the saddest part of losing him, is that she can't remember who she was before she met him." 
I love the clips of her and him, showing just how dangerous and risky the boy she loves is. 
I also love the symbolism of the key that she wears and how when she lets it go at the end, she's letting that part of her go. The ending is very hopeful, because even though she's lost herself, she can get herself back. The last line of the video goes something like "how do you know who you are unless you lose yourself." 
The video is amazing; YOU HAVE TO WATCH IT. 
About the song itself, I like the fast tempo and beat. I like how it flows. I like that it's fast. My favorite lines are "And the saddest fear comes creeping in That you never loved me or her or anyone or anything." I think it is this realization that Taylor has that forms the whole song. That's the problem with troubling boys, they might not know how to love anyone.

I found another review of I knew you were trouble that I thought was very well done, so here it is if you want to check that out as well: http://countrymusictattletale.com/2012/12/23/taylor-swift-i-knew-you-were-trouble-is-a-different-yet-more-intriguing-end-of-the-world-video-review/

Wishing everyone a good day! Comments are appreciated and welcomed. Tell me what you thought about I knew you were trouble, the song and/or the video.

Come Back Be Here by Taylor Swift (Song Review)

Video

Lyrics

You said it in a simple way,
4 AM, the second day,
How strange that I don't know you at all.
Stumbled through the long goodbye,
One last kiss, then catch your flight,
Right when I was just about to fall

I told myself don't get attached,
But in my mind I play it back,
Spinning faster than the plane that took you...

And this is when the feeling sinks in,
I don't wanna miss you like this,
Come back... be here, come back... be here.
I guess you're in New York today,
I don't wanna need you this way,
Come back... be here, come back... be here.

The delicate beginning rush,
The feeling you can know so much,
Without knowing anything at all.
And now that I can put this down,
If I had known what I'd known now,
I never would have played so nonchalance.

Taxi cabs and busy streets,
That never bring you back to me,
(From: http://www.elyrics.net)
I can't help but wish you took me with you...

And this is when the feeling sinks in,
I don't wanna miss you like this,
Come back... be here, come back... be here.
I guess you're in London today,
I don't wanna need you this way,
Come back... be here, come back... be here.

This is falling in love in the cruelest way,
This is falling for you and you are worlds away.

New York... be here.
But you're in London and I break down,
'Cause it's not fair that you're not around.

This is when the feeling sinks in,
I don't wanna miss you like this,
Come back... be here, come back... be here.
I guess you're in New York today,
And I don't wanna need you this way,
Come back... be here, come back... be here.

I don't wanna miss you like this.
Come back... be here.
Come back... be here.

Review
I really love Come Back Be Here. It has a really catchy melody and tempo. It moves very well, not too fast or too slow. I love the chorus because it is so catchy and easy to sing along to. It's not just another sad slow song, but it is still a love song. 
I like it because while Taylor is longing for her boy, she is also moving on because she realizes she has to live without him. It's hard for her, because she misses him so much. I really like the lines "This is falling in love in the cruelest way, this is falling for you when you are worlds away" because it sums up the song so perfectly in just a few lines. She misses him but can't be with him. She has to learn how to live without him until the day he comes back. I like to believe that the boy Taylor sings about will come back.
Come Back Be Here is one of my favorite songs on Taylor's album Red. It's just overall a really nice song and Taylor's voice isn't so pop-ish like in some her other songs, like We Are Never Getting Back Together. It's a good pop-country mix song, and I really tend to favor songs of hers that are in the middle (even though I love her older more country-ish songs) Taylor is definitely headed more toward the pop genre and I will be doing some more song reviews in the coming weeks. 

Wishing everyone a good day! Comments are appreciated and welcome. Tell me what you think about Come Back Be Here. 

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn't given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen. (summary from Good Reads) 

I have wanted to read the SR for a very long time. Close to when it first came out, just over a year ago. I absolutely love the Maggie's writing style and how she can switch narratives/character perspectives. I really enjoyed Shiver, Linger, and Forever although the ending of Forever not so much. It was the same for the SR; while I appreciated it, the ending fell flat for me. 
The story itself is based off the legend of Celtic water horses and takes place on the small island of Thisby that is owned by Benjamin Malvern. Sean Kendrick, who mostly goes by his last name, watches his father die when he is just ten years old. He is then taken in by Benjamin who raises him like a son, almost. Sean works for Malvern training horses, esp the water horses. He loves one of them, Corr, his father's horse and the one he races with. But Malvern will not let him have Corr. Sean, now 19, has ridden in the Scorpio Races for the past five years and won. 
But this year, Kate or Puck Connolly is racing. Only she's not riding a water horse. She's riding the pony she has, Dove, in hopes that she can win and save her and her brothers from eviction. 
Everyone believes in Sean Kendrick.  Few believe in Puck Connolly, but she believes in herself. Puck is the first woman ever to ride in the Scorpio Races and all the women of Thisby stand behind her. This includes Peg Grattam, the butcher's wife, and the three Fathom sisters, especially the oldest of the three, Dory Maud. 
With Puck stands these women, her brother Finn, their cat Puffin, and her horse Dove. And also Sean Kendrick comes to think she can win, even though the odds are against her. Sean and Puck come to respect each other and he even falls in love with her. But Sean Kendrick cannot have everything, and when he has to choose between Corr and Puck...SPOILER
He chooses Puck! Yay! END SPOILER
I love Puck and I'm really glad that she and Sean get together. I'm glad she realizes that she loves him too, even though their love is different from others. It's unique. I wish I could explain it. Puck is one of my favorite characters. She grows from just-another-island-girl/that-Connolly-girl to being a respected woman with hard fought pride and honor. She gains her courage to take risks and to love, which is the biggest risk of all. Her and Sean's love is really something special. 
I really enjoyed Sean's character, as well, though not as much as Puck's. Sean goes through somewhat of an identity crisis, realizing that the life he has known working for Malvern is not what he wants forever and also that he is in love with a wild girl, Puck. They both grow in the novel, and at the end they both have a lot to show for their effort. 
The Scorpio Races is ultimately about love, death, life,  sacrifice, family, home, letting go and holding on, all happening on a small island called Thisby where the water horses rise up from each year. 

Resources
Official website of The Scorpio Races book: http://maggiestiefvater.com/the-scorpio-races/
The book trailer on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tojCn2Y41ig
My review on Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/234764300

Please comment below! Tell me what you thought of the Scorpio Races! 

Begin Again by Taylor Swift (Song Review)

Video

Lyrics

Took a deep breath in the mirror
He didn't like it when I wore high heels
But I do
Turn the lock and put my headphones on
He always said he didn't get this song
But I do, I do
I walked in expecting you'd be late
But you got here early and you stand and wait
I walk to you
You pull my chair out and help me in
And you don't know how nice that is 
But I do

And you throw your head back laughing
Like a little kid
I think it's strange that you think I'm funny
Cause he never did
And I've been spending the last 8 months
Thinking all love ever does is
Break and burn and end
But on a Wednesday in a cafe
I watched it begin again

You say you never met one girl who
Had as many James Taylor records as you
But I do
We tell stories and you don't know why
I'm coming off a little shy
But I do
But you throw your head back laughing
(From: http://www.elyrics.net)
Like a little kid
I think it's strange that you think I'm funny
Cause he never did
And I've been spending the last 8 months
Thinking all love ever does is
Break and burn and end
But on a Wednesday in a cafe
I watched it begin again

And we walk down the block to my car
And I almost brought him up
But you start to talk about the movies
That your family watches
Every single Christmas
And I want to talk about that
For the first time
What's past is past

Cause you throw your head back laughing
Like a little kid
I think it's strange that you think I'm funny
Cause he never did
And I've been spending the last 8 months
Thinking all love ever does is
Break and burn and end
But on a Wednesday in a cafe
I watched it begin again

But on a Wednesday in a cafe
I watched it begin again

Review

I think that Begin Again is one of the best songs of Taylor Swift's album, Red, because her vocals, the tempo, the lyrics work together so well. It's a catchy song, somewhat slow, but not too slow. The chorus is somewhat faster than the rest of the lyrics. 
Begin Again is about Taylor's recovery from a relationship with a boy who did not understand her at all. She has a hard time recovering, but then a much better understanding and well-bred boy comes into her life and helps her see that she needs to give love another chance, that she can heal and love again. Begin Again really could be called Love Again. 
Her voice projects the sadness and yet the hope she still has for the future. She can love again, even though so many relationships have failed. I feel like the lines, " Thinking all love ever does is break and burn and end, but on a Wednesday in a cafe, I watched it begin again" are true for her. She hasn't found true love yet (although it might be with the guy who helps her begin again, maybe) but she still hopes that one day she will. 
I also really love the video. It's visually and artistically well done. The setting is just beautiful. I love how they put her by the river, int a garden, and on top of the roof when she's not in the coffee shop. It really makes the setting stand out more. This video was set in a really beautiful place. And also the guy in it is really cute, and so is Taylor. 

Wishing everyone a good day! Comments appreciated and welcomed. Tell me what you think about Begin Again. 

Books I didn't get to in 2013...But will get to in 2013!

Here's a list of books I didn't get to in 2012, but will hopefully get to in 2013! 

The Probability of Miracles of Wendy Wunder 

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Alanna: the First Adventure by Tamora Pierce

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

The Fault in our Stars by John Green

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen 

Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer 

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that can't stop Talking by Susan Cain

Through my Eyes by Tim Tebow 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

There's a lot more books on my TBR list, but these are the ones I really wanted to read in 2012 and didn't get to them. 2013 HERE I COME!!!!

 

2013 Challenges

So as everyone knows, I go a little bit crazy during January over challenges. Last year I did signed up for 7 challenges--completed 3, forgot about 2, partially completed 1, and then read 92 books out of 110 for my GR challenge.

This year, I've set the same number of books for my GR challenge--110 in hopes that I can do it this year. I feel like it's a good goal for me still, although I do watch more tv in college and read less.

Other than that the I've decided only to participate in 2 other challenges. I'm telling myself now that I will not sign up for more.


I did this one in 2012 and I really enjoyed doing it. Last year I read Wuthering Heights and  Pride and Prejudice ( I read it every year) for the classics. I read some Nicholas Sparks: Nights in Rodanthe, Safe Haven, The Choice, A Walk to Remember, Dear John, ect. I also read the Lauren Holbrooke trilogy which I really loved as well as some other stand along contemporaries.

This year I want to read some more classics, such as Sense and Sensibilities and Wives and Daughters. I also want to read The Princess Bride because I love the movie and want to read the book. I also have a few more of Sparks' books to read, such as The Guardian and The Best of Me. I'm very excited for Safe Haven (by NS) to come to theaters this year! I'm going to be very sad the day I find out that I've read all of Nicholas Sparks' books.


The other challenge I'm doing is the YA Contemporary Challenge. I don't know what books I'm going to read for it yet, but my GR shelf (blank) is here: http://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/592855
I'm going to look through some books and add them throughout the year. My goal is to read five books for this challenge.
Also looking back at last year's challenges, I realized I signed up for this one last year, see here

If you would like to participate--
challenge one is hosted at bookworm 07
challenge two is hosted at katie's book blog

What challenges are yall doing in 2013???? I love comments!

Happy New Years!

(picture made by Eileen Li at Singing and Reading in the rain

Let's recap 2012 first!
1. I graduated high school
2. I went off to college in Florida
3. I found out that I love Florida even though I think I'm still a Missourian at heart
4. I read 92 books toward my goal of 110
5. I finally reached 150 followers on my blog
6. I completed the Read Dystopia Challenge (hosted at the Book Journey)
7. I completed the Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge (hosted at readwithtequila)
8.  I completed the Romance Reading Challenge (hosted at the bookworm 7)
9. I participated in the Literary Reads blog hop giveaway
10. I participated in Cover Love Thursdays and found that I really do love covers
11. I joined Tuney Tuesday and started doing song reviews
 12. I passed my goal of having a book blog for 2 years




I don't really have any goals or resolutions for my blog, because I really didn't expect to be blogging this long, but I would like to do song reviews of some songs of Taylor Swift's CD Red, so expect that in the coming months. I'm also going back to college which is exciting! I love college.

I have many personal goals/resolutions about faith and exercise, just simple ones like getting exercise every day and doing daily devotionals.

The big one is that I've decided to write every single day. Starting with today. And I don't mean on this blog, I mean toward a book.

I want to write a book.

Best Books I read in 2012

Best Books I read in 2012

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

The Karma Club by Jessica Brody

The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti

Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Eve by Anna Carey

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Waiting for you by Susanne Colasanti

 North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Until there was you by Kristen Higgins

Marley and Me by John Grogan

To Come and Go like Magic by Katie Pickard Fawcett

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg

Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks

The Choice by Nicholas Sparks

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

Flight of Blue by A.E. Howard

Three Rivers Rising by Jame Richards

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

Thunder and Rain by Charles Martin

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Can’t Wait to get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

13 Gifts by Wendy Mass 

It's not about that!

I was going to write a blog post about the whole Merry Christmas vs Happy Holidays debate/argument. Now I'm not going to. 
Because that's not what Christmas is about. 
Christmas is about CHRIST. 
After all that's why it's called CHRISTMAS. 
The whole MC vs HH is not about freedom of speech vs being politically correct and not offensive to other religions. 
¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. --Luke 2:10-11 (NIV) 
Do you see it????? 
The good news of Christ's birth is for everyone!!! 
Jesus came to take away the sins of the world, because 
HE LOVES US THAT MUCH 
It's not about what you say, it's about how you LIVE
so all we can do in 2013 is try to live the best we can!
How to do that, you might ask?
My advice would be to read the Bible about how Jesus lived and try to live that way.
Jesus lived a life of love and compassion.
I don't think he would be offended by people saying Happy Holidays or Seasons Greetings. In fact, I think Seasons Greetings is a really cute, um, greeting actually:)
The Christmas season is about love and compassion, because it is about celebrating Christ's birth.
I know there's a big debate out there about secularism and Christianity and I know that to be a Christian means to be against the world.
I think that Jesus would want everyone, even people who don't believe in him, to be with their families on Christmas.
Maybe those people will come to believe in him one day.
I hope so.
I hope everyone had a  lovely Christmas and I encourage you to think about Jesus this season as you drive past the nativity scenes and the lights (Jesus is the Light of the world), as  you snuggle with your kids or grand kids or pets (Jesus loved), and as you exchange gifts with your loved ones.
Jesus Christ was the best gift that was ever given and I would encourage you to take time to remember that.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Seasons Greetings everyone! Love, Rachel

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
--Isaiah 9:6 (NIV) 

2012 End of the Year Book Survey

Hosted by Jamie @ the perpetual page turner
See here for questions and to link up: http://www.perpetualpageturner.com/2012/12/end-of-year-book-survey-2012.html

Best In Books 2012

1. Best Book You Read In 2012? (You can break it down by genre if you want)

I must highly recommend Nicholas Sparks books: Nights in Rodanthe, A Walk to Remember, The Choice (It's Nicholas Sparks so pretty much every book I've read this year by him) 

I would also recommend the Lauren Holbrooke trilogy. It's about a modern day matchmaker, chocolate and coffee addict, oh and a Jane Austen Addict. 

I'm never going to be able to finish this question, because I love books too much, so I guess I will just leave it here. There will be a upcoming post on all the books I've read and loved this year coming soon. 

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

Anna and the French kiss by Stephanie Perkins. I read Lola and the Boy Next Door first which I absolutely loved, but Anna's story just fell flat for me. 

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter. I had read so many good reviews of this one, but I didn't like it at all. 

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2012? 

A lot of books surprised me this year. I read a lot that I didn't plan on reading, pulled off the shelf randomly at the library. Talk about a vague answer:) 

4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?

I thought I answered this already, but if I had to pick only ONE book it would be Delirium by Lauren Oliver. I am just crazy about Delirium and Pandemonium and cannot wait for Requiem to come out!!! 

5. Best series you discovered in 2012?

I discovered a lot of good dystopian/fantasy series: Eve, Shatter Me, Matched, Starcrossed, Graceling. I've only read the first book in the series for most of these, with the exception of Matched; I have read and do own Crossed as well. Eagerly awaiting for the moment I get my hands on a copy of Reached. I would buy it on amazon if I weren't a broke college student. 

 6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?

Fannie Flagg. My mom gave me Can't Wait to get to Heaven for my birthday and I loved it. So funny. 

Susane Colastanti. I thought Waiting for You was so beautiful and I look forward to reading more of hers in 2013!!! 

Elizabeth C. Bunce. I absolutely loved A Curse as Dark as Gold and am eager to read her two books about a thief. Book trailer for the first book is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9L4uH3f0b8

Justina Chen Headly. She wrote the completely beautiful book about a beautiful girl's journey: North of Beautiful. 

Erynn Magnum for the Lauren Holbrooke series. 

Lauren Oliver for Delirium, of course. 

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Foreman. Absolutely stunning and beautiful works. Deals with loss, love, and forgiveness. 

 8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson. 

 9. Book You Read In 2012 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year

Pride and Prejudice. I re-read it every year. I love it. I also re-read Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta every year too. She and Miss Austen are my favorites. 

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2012?

A Million Suns by Beth Revis. The covers for these books are so stunning and beautiful.

11. Most memorable character in 2012? 

I-I don't know! There are so many memorable characters. I would have to go with Francesca from Saving Francesca, Terra from North of Beautiful, Mia from If I Stay, Anna from Moonglass, Taylor from Jellicoe Road. 

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012?

Even though I didn't like the plot or the characters, I loved the writing of One Day by David Nicholls. 

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2012? 

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. It's an absolutely tragic and sad book about the persistent determination of a man and his love for his cancer striken wife and their daughter. 

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2012 to finally read? 

I can't believe I waited so long to read A Million Suns and I'm so glad I finally did! 

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2012? 

There are way too many, but I will share my favorite Bible verse of the year. 

Ephesians 1:4-6 

⁴ For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love⁵ he^[a] predestined us for adoption to sonship^[b] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasureand will— ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. (NIV) 

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2012? 

I don't keep track of how long the books that I read are, so I really don't know. 

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!

The girl of fire and thorns, A million suns, Delirium/Pandemonium, Eve, The maze runner, Finnikin of the Rock...

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2012 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).

My favorite friendship is Emmy and the guys in Take a Bow, another book I really loved. My favorite romantic relationship is Nash and Marissa in Waiting for you. 

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2012 From An Author You Read Previously

I had read Jellicoe Road before this year (remember I re-read it every year) and this year I got to read Saving Francesca, which was really excellent as well. 

20. Best Book You Read That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else

Well I read the Lauren Holbrooke trilogy based on a recommendation from my Best College Friend. It also helped that she owned all the books and just let me borrow them:) 

Well that's the end of the survey. It was actually tremendously helpful because it made me realize that I did actually read If I stay and where she went this year. I forgot because I didn't review them or list them on GR. 

I wish yall Happy Reading in 2013!