Books

Literature’s Most Awkward Moments…

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Characters are often awkward, plain and simple. That’s why we love them, right?! Well, sometimes the “awkwardness” goes a little too far and things get a bit…interesting. So this post is an homage to some of the most incredibly “awkward” moments in literature. Continue reading “Literature’s Most Awkward Moments…”

Classical Music Stories

Classical Music Stories: Alice in Wonderland

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Optional Bonus Challenge: Listen to the piece first before you read the rest of this post. (It’s less than 5 minutes long and you know your poor eyes could use a break!) While you’re listening, imagine who the characters might be and what they might be doing if the music was a film score to a book you’ve read. It could be Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or a different book– entirely up to you! Then you can read what I imagined below and compare the two stories (and comment letting me know how they ended up being similar or different!!).

Again, totally optional. And now without further ado: Continue reading “Classical Music Stories: Alice in Wonderland”

Books

Top 5 Inspiring Book Characters for the New Year

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It’s that time of year again when everyone makes resolutions to exercise, spend more time with family, or try something new. So in the spirit of New Year’s, here are five fictional literary characters to draw inspiration from for the new year: Continue reading “Top 5 Inspiring Book Characters for the New Year”

Books

Classic Literature: Winter Style

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Creating Classic Literature: Ghost Style (inspired by a Quirk Books Twitter prompt) was so much fun and people enjoyed it so much that I decided to make another one. So, in honor of this wintry season (and in slightly terrified expectation of what the weather will be like when I return to Chicago from South Carolina), here’s a list of classic literary titles with a wintry mix (pun intended)…

Hamlet It Snow (William Shakespeare) Continue reading “Classic Literature: Winter Style”

Books

Classic Literature That Would Make Great Video Games

literature-video-games-2Lately I’ve been considering buying some sort of video game console in order to take fun breaks from Ph.D. music theory reading. I can be bad at taking breaks, but I only have classes on 3 days of the week this coming quarter so I’m not Continue reading “Classic Literature That Would Make Great Video Games”

Books, The Other Stuff

5 (More) Literary Mashups That Totally Need to Happen

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When I stumbled across a post I made a while back called  Top 5 Literary Mash-Ups That Totally Need to Happen I thought…why not? So without further ado, here are five more that should also definitely happen: Continue reading “5 (More) Literary Mashups That Totally Need to Happen”

Music

Why Do the “Bad Guys” Listen to Classical Music?

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Have you ever noticed that in some movies the “bad guy” is really into classical music (particularly from the 18th-19th centuries)? Siegfried in Get Smart, Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows…etc. But why? As Continue reading “Why Do the “Bad Guys” Listen to Classical Music?”

Books, Music

The Weirdness of Time in Classical Music (And Books, Too)

Time is what you might call capricious. It can crawl at an agonizing pace or it can pass in the blink of an eye. It can steal an hour of your sleep in the spring or graciously bestow it in the fall. If you’re the Mad Hatter and tried to murder it, it can even freeze. And of course memories and hopes allow you to dwell in the past and future, respectively. Continue reading “The Weirdness of Time in Classical Music (And Books, Too)”

Songs For Every Book

A Choose-Your-Own-Adventure (…with Accordion Music)

Because this song reminds me of two different characters I decided to present both. You can choose which one appeals to you more, turning the music into a “choose your own adventure” of sorts. As always, I love hearing about what other characters the music reminds you of in the comments section so please feel free to share!

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Jane Eyre (Option 1)
and Anna Karenina (Option 2)

Continue reading “A Choose-Your-Own-Adventure (…with Accordion Music)”

Books

If Book Characters Celebrated Thanksgiving (And What They Would be Thankful for)

Thanksgiving may be a traditionally American holiday, but what if your favorite book characters celebrated it, as well? Amid the food comas and family visits, here’s what I think they might be thankful for:  Continue reading “If Book Characters Celebrated Thanksgiving (And What They Would be Thankful for)”