My July Playlist & Holiday Books

As July dawns, and the anticipation of ice cream days and lazing around grows, I have something much more important (or at least, more important to someone who is as addicted to music & books as yours truly!), so I've decided to show you my Summer playlist, and the books I'm planning to devour over my expansive holiday. 

First up, the playlist - 

1. Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know? -

2. Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana -

3. Lana Del Rey, Paradise - 

4. Lana Del Rey, Young & Beautiful -

5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Sacrilege -

Of course, these aren't all the songs I'll be listening to, but this is just a taster. I'm also in love with The Great Gatsby soundtrack, the music is utterly perfect for TGG. 

Holiday Books - 

1. Battle Royale, Koushun Takami,

A slightly (very) Hunger Games esque series, set in the conservative and restrictive society of Japan, those traits only increased and magnified by its current totalitarian government portrayed in this series. Perhaps ont of the most controversial books in recent history of Japanese literature (I'm taking the internet's word for it, as I have not nor do I plan on studying Japanese literature & its history, in the forseeable future, anyway.)  As a part of the ruthless government's agenda, each you a handful of teens are taken to a small island with limited amenities, with the intent of them fighting for survival, three days straight, until the lone victor is left. Much like THG, one could arguably be wondering "So, who copied who?" with this storyline, and frankly, I don't know whether it is actually *that* similar. Although the concept and storyline seem, when line up with one another, rather the same, I don't know whether it is the same, but I guess I have the whole summer to find out. Anyway, you can find the book (in English, of course!) here. Also, there has been a film adaptation, so I'm sure you'll find that on Amazon if you're uninterested or too lazy to read! 

2. The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath -

Esther Greenwood is at college and is fighting two battles, one against her own desire for perfection in all things - grades, boyfriend, looks, career - and the other against remorseless mental illness. As her depression deepens she finds herself encased in it, bell-jarred away from the rest of the world. The book follows her journey back into a stable life. Sometimes disturbing, yet wittily hilarious, Sylvia Plath describes mental illness with a light hearted, though still suicidally beautiful, quirky way. What it has to say is valuable and relevant to women, what others expect of us, and what we expect of ourselves, which, even in 2013, 50 years exactly after this book takes place, its message is still as moving & relevant as ever. I would recommend this to 14 & up, as my experience with such books that hint on these matters usually contain hints of what one could argue could be traumatic to younger or more sensitive readers. 

3.  Legend, Marie Lu 

Set in California, 

He is Day.The boy who walks in the light.
She is June.
The girl who seeks her brother's killer.

On the run and undercover, they meet by chance. Irresistably drawn together, neither knows the other's past.

But Day murdered June's brother.
And she has sworn to avenge his death.

Another recommendation for THG fans, a series where people can be so oblivious to the other's past, and be so drawn to one another. It displays how you never know what or who you're dealing with, and that lies and deceptive first impressions can lead you on, especially when you're just merely a vulnerable teenager. A beautiful re-imagining of Les Mis, apparently, according to Amazon. This is also set to become a film, produced by the names who brought us Twilight.

So there's 3 books you may want to check out, this is only 3 out of a lot of books I plan to read, so if you like what you see and you're looking for more recommendations, don't hesitate to ask for a little run down by yours truly.

Some recommendations I'd give from books I've read in the past -

Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher,
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chobsky,
Chaos Walking Trilogy, Patrick Ness,
Girl Over The Edge, Amy Kinzer,
Elsewhere, Gabrielle Zevin,
Identical, Ellen Hopkins (for older readers only, I must stress!!),
Girl, Interrupted, Susanna Kaysen,
The Virgin Suicides, Jeffery Eugenides,
Looking For Alaska, John Green,
The Killables, Gemma Malley,
The Decleration, Gemma Malley,
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury,
Beautiful Creatures, Kami Garcia.
If you need any more than that, do ask!

Also, comment if you've read any of these books, or if you have any suggestions for books you think I'd like!

-E