Angel of Music

Okay, lately I've been staying up until around midnight (Costa Rica time) listening to Josh Groban. I've already run my ipod out of batteries so many times because the voice of this angel has been causing a sort of feverish obsession inside my soul. So, I decided that I might as well make a very special post about how thankful I am to have had this angel of music as my all-time favorite singer my entire life.
In this picture (Artwork from here on down is by NoonDarkly) Josh Groban is shown standing in between an angel and a demon. I like to think that he's fighting off the demons of untallented music (just picture Brittney Spears and Katy Perry) with his beautiful voice. There are many ways this picture can be interperated, but that's my own personal way.
Here, God is calling Josh Groban to heaven. This picture makes me want to do good so I can go to heaven when I die. Then, I could sit on a cloud and listen to Josh Groban serenade me forever. I really want to see him live in concert. His voice is the most beautiful I've ever heard.
One thing about Josh Groban is that he sings all of his happy songs in English, then all of the pain from his soul comes out in the songs that most people don't even understand. Recently, I was looking up the English lyrics to some of his songs, and I was surprised at how much pain he holds inside. I think this beautiful piece of artwork by NoonDarkly describes that agony he feels that comes through in his voice. In this picture, the "Angel of Music" is singing passionately, trying to end the war and bloodshed int he background. This picture, in particular, touches me. Excellent job, NoonDarkly, excellent job.
I'm so thankful I don't like most modern music like the hitlist (If you're a really big pop fan or rocker, you're going to get really offended by this, so you probably shouldn't read this, just warning you. I respect your opinions, but this is mine.) When I was a little girl, I remember when my Mom got her first Josh Groban CD, "Closer". She'd play it as I'd sit in the bathtub, and I loved it. I'd also listen to it with my sister, Hayley (who is now a hard-core Linkin Park fan), while we did crafts. That's why Josh Groban has a special place in my heart. Throughout the years, I lived off that CD, having nothing but those few songs on my ipod and nothing else.

Then, one day, at school, a girl in my class found out I was a Grobanite, so she gave me her copy of the CD "Josh Groban". For the longest time, I listened to that CD, drinking it into my soul and letting it fill me up. That's when, honestly, I began to get really into the opera and classical genres which, I realized, had always had a special place in my heart but had never had a chance to expand. I'd sit in my room for hours and listen to his voice while I read books. My sisters made fun of me, telling me I was a "nun" and that I was trying to be a "goody-good". This made me really sad, so I listened to most of my music alone. I didn't want them to make fun of Josh Groban's voice, or my hunger for opera and classical music that was barely even being fed as much as attempted to be destroyed.

I got the CD "Awake" from a girl I knew from church. She was a Grobanite as well, and she was also kind of rejected and made fun of in her family for being into his music. Since we understood each other, she had mercy on me by getting me a copy of "Awake" as a present. When she brought it to church, I was so happy. I went home and loaded the CD onto my computer. I became addicted to the "February Song" because February was the month I was born. I can honestly say that, from that moment on, I was a changed person.

My mom bought me Josh Groban's "Noël" when she went down to Denver. I was so happy I felt that I was going to pass out. I loved that CD because it was my favorite singer singing about Christ, my savior. Even though it was a CD meant for only one time of the year, I listened to it on late nights throughout every month and loved to hear an angel sing about how Christ was born.

I began to search for other people who sang in the "opera", "vocal", and "classical" genres. I found Andrea Bocelli, the blind opera singer who'd won an Italy-wide singing contest when he was only 14. When I got an Amazon Gift Card for my fourteenth birthday, I used it to buy his CD "The Best of Andrea Bocelli: Vivere". This CD was so good that I was inspired to get more of him. Later that year, I also got his CD "Andrea".

One night, when I was at my friend's house, a married woman named Kim, she was showing me her CDs. Most of them were people I wasn't very interested in like Christina Aguilera and Brittney Spears, but one CD in particular caught my eye. It was called "Il Divo". A lot of the clients who came to my family's fishing lodge had told me they were a group I'd really like if I was into the classical/operatic genre. I asked her if I could borrow the CD. She guffawed. "Well, you can just have it. I picked it up at the store and it's not my kind of music anyway. But, if you like it... keep it."

I downloaded the CD on my computer, then, Kim told me she needed to let another friend of hers borrow it before she could give it to me. Eventually, the CD was lost, and I didn't end up having a copy. So, I just kept it in my music holder where only I had to worry about it. I loved Il Divo. From song #1, I was totally enchanted. Only opera music could make me feel this way, so good that it sedated me into my own land of bliss. During the summer, as I worked, I caught some time to go on the internet, and I looked their group up. I found out they had three other CDs (not counting their Christmas or live CDs). I asked my Mom if there was any way I could work to earn the three CDs. She said she'd agree to buy them for me if I organized the CD inventory and catalogued it. I agreed, and, I'll let you know, it wasn't a very easy task. First of all, we had nearly five hundred CDs and the inventory would only fit three-hundred. So, I removed most of the music our clients would find distasteful (like my Dad's hard-core screaming rock/metal). After doing that, I counted the CDs and found there would be plenty of room for the remaining. So, I worked for four more hours, alphabetically organizing and cataloguing all the CDs onto a pamphlet. Though it took a long time, it was totally worth it in the end when I got to listen to Il Divo sing their hearts out in their CDs "Ancora", "La Promesa", and "Siempre".

Around November, I discovered Josh Groban had a new CD out. I told my Mom, and she got it for me when she went down to Denver. When she came back, she gave it to me, and I was so happy that I wanted to share the beautiful music of his newest CD, "Illuminations", with my sister, Hayley. As I took her down to my room to listen with me, Dad laughed and said "Yeah, make sure you keep your door shut while you listen to that. I don't want to hear it." This comment made me sad, but I pretended not to care. After all, opinions are opinions, right?

Hayley sat in my room and listened with me, her face curling with disgust. "Are you kidding me? Surely, Josh Groban is gay. I don't know any straight men who sing about love and rainbows as elaborately as that." I told her she didn't have to listen to the music anymore if she didn't want to, and sent her out of my room. I didn't want the music my heart loved to be made fun of.

The only one in the whole family that supported my obsession with opera/classical music was my Mom. She introduced me to the classical artists Kenny G (who I'd also heard when I was a baby), Yanni, and some of the classic composers such as Chopin and Beethoven. I'm so thankful my mom doesn't judge me like the rest of the family, even though she isn't as into my type of music as I am. However, my sisters and my Dad harassed me (and still do) on a daily basis about how much I love listening to that music. Meanwhile, when I'm riding in the car on the way to the store or something, I'm forced to listen to the hitlist, which I can honestly say, I loathe. I mean, you can't say that all the music that is played on that radio channel are the national hits. I mean, people who like country probably have a country favorite, people who like rock probably have a rock favorite, and even those who like opera/classical have a favorite. You can't just say pop is the universal music. Anyway, I spoke up one day. "Why do we listen to this? All they sing about is unloving sex, violence, and demean women. It's stupid."

My sisters practically chewed my head off after that one, so I just stayed silent. As I listened I felt like I would much rather have someone stabbing knives into my ear canal. I hated it. But, then again, everyone was happy except for me, and my dad (who wanted to change the channel to the classic rock station), but as long as everyone else was all right, I'd just shut up. I'd already been on my soapbox enough.

Well, tonight (Dec 28th, 2010), my family went out to dinner while in Costa Rica. During the night I decided to wear my black and blue Josh Groban t-shirt (which my Mom had bought me for my 11th birthday). As I sat with my family, waiting for our tacos to get made, Dad started ridiculing me about Josh Groban. I was quiet and took everything he said quietly. "The only reason why your school's internet marketing content filter didn't block joshgroban.com was because they thought 'Who would want to buy that crap anyway." he said, mad at me because the school's blocks on my school laptop computer had not allowed him to look at sites where he could buy electric guitars.

Finally, Mom cut in. "That's enough, Steve. I don't see why you hate her music so much. As a parent, you should be clapping your hands with joy. She has a great role model who's won platinums for being himself and singing like an angel. Your other daughters listen to gangsta rap, computerized pop, and heavy metal that screams the "f" word, but you only get on Taylor for listening to music you don't like because it's about the good things in life. Maybe I'm not as into it as she is, but you can keep your opinion to yourself. Don't hurt her feelings when she's listening to beautiful, loving music. I will not have it."

I was so thankful she said that. Dad didn't bring it up again that night. Even Hayley, who was sitting next to me, whispered into my ear "I'm sorry for making fun of Josh Groban. He really has a beautiful voice, and I was wrong to be so rude to you."

I'm listening to Josh Groban's song "So She Dances" right now, and I'm thankful my Mom stood up for me. I'm thankful she can understand how I feel, especially since she's really into the soundtracks from Broadway musicals, which no one else in the family other than my youngest sister, Kennedy, and I can understand. I can testify and say I'm thankful I didn't just follow the way of the world, but the way of my heart. I'm thankful for the support I have and I thank God that he created beautiful voices like those of Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli, and Il Divo amid a chaos of Eminem, Lady Gaga, and Taylor Swift. I'm thankful I'm my own person and not just a wanna-be who will follow the crowd. I'm thankful I'm Taylor (this is starting to sound like a Thanksgiving speech, huh?). Well, to make a long thank you list short, I'm thankful I was able to put up with so much ridicule about music and still remain myself. Maybe now I won't get harassed about music. Maybe now, I can be at peace with my music while everyone in my family is at peace with theirs.

Thanks for reading. This post really came from my heart, and I had a lot to say. I didn't mean to offend anyone if I did. I realize everyone has their own opinions, but this was just the story of how I came to be who I am. And, I am proud to be me. No one can change me.

(The picture above is one of my favorite Josh Groban quotes. It's written in Italian, but in English, it says "In my thoughts this life is a desert of tears." Thanks for reading.)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year From TwilightWhales!

The Monk Downstairs by Tim Farrington

Rebecca Martin is a single mother with an apartment to rent and a sense that she has used up her illusions. "I had the romantic thing with my first husband, thank you very much," she tells a hapless suitor. "I'm thirty-eight years old, and I've got a daughter learning to read and a job I don't quite like. I don't need violin music." But when the new tenant in her in-law apartment turns out to be Michael Christopher, on the lam after twenty years in a monastery and smack dab in the middle of a dark night of the soul. Rebecca begins to suspect that she is not as thoroughly disillusioned as she thought.
Her daughter, Mary Martha, is delighted with the new arrival, as is Rebecca's mother, Phoebe, a rollicking widow making a new life for herself among spiritual eccentrics of the coastal town of Bolinas. Even Rebecca's best friend, Bonnie, once confirmed cynic in matters of the heart, urges Rebecca on. But none of them, Rebecca feels, understands how complicated and dangerous love actually is.
As her unlikely friendship with the ex-monk grows toward something deeper, and Michael wrestles with his despair while adjusting to a second career flipping hamburgers at McDonald's, Rebecca struggles with her own temptation to hope. But it is not until she is brought up short by the realities of life and death that she begins to glimpse the real mystery of love, and the unfathomable depths of faith.
Beautifully written and playfully engaging, this novel is about one man wrestling with his yearning for a life of contemplation and the need for a life of action in the world. But it's Rebecca's spirit, as well as her relationships with Mary Martha, Phoebe, her irresponsible surfer ex-husband Rory - and, of course, the monk downstairs - that makes this story shine.

Grade: 77%

Everlost by Neal Shusterman

It begins with an accident.

Nick and Allie don't survive the crash, and now their souls are stuck halfway between life and death in a sort of limbo called Everlost. It's a magical yet dangerous place, where bands of lost souls run wild and anyone who stands in the same spot too long sinks to the center of the Earth.
Frightened and determined, Nick and Allie aren't ready to rest in peace just yet. They want their lives back, and their search for a way home will take them deep into the uncharted areas of Everlost. But the longer they stay, the more they forget about their pasts. And if all memory of home is lost, they may never escape this strange, terrible world.

Grade: 64%

A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks

Recently selected as the Best Author by readers of Entertainment Weekly, Nicholas Sparks is one of America's preeminent storytellers. Now Sparks spins a tale about a man, a woman, and the devastating secret that threatens to keep them apart...

Miles Ryan's life seemed to end the day his wife was killed in a hit-and-run accident two years ago. Missy had been his first love, and Miles fervently believes she will be his last. As a deputy sheriff in the North Carolina town of New Bern, Miles Ryan not only grieves for Missy, but longs to bring the unknown driver to justice.
Then Miles meets Sarah Andres. The second grade teacher of his son, Jonah, Sarah had left Baltimore after a difficult divorce to start over in the gentler surroundings of New Bern. Perhaps it is her own emotional wounds that make her sensitive to the hurt she first sees in Jonah's eyes, and then his father's. Tentatively, Sarah and Miles reach out to each other. Soon they are both laughing for the first time in years... and falling in love.
Neither will be able to guess how closely linked they are to a shocking secret - one that will force them to question everything they ever believed in... and make a heartbreaking choice that will change their lives forever.
In A Bend in the Road, Nicholas Sparks writes with a luminous intensity about life's bitter turns and incomparable sweetness. His affirming message carries a powerful lesson about the imperfections of being human, the mistakes we all make, and the joy that comes when we give ourselves to love.

Grade: 88%

1st Annual TwilightWhales Awards 2010

Welcome to the 1st Annual TwilighWhales Awards 2010! This is the first year I've tried doing awards, but I hope everything goes as planned. Anyway, there are three different events individual books or series can fall under:

1) Most Emotional

2) Most Thrilling

3) Most Romantic

4) Best Series

Well, now that you've seen the Book Award Topics, I'm going to start with the award for the "Most Emotional" book. The most emotional books are the ones that made me cry or had a strong impact on my life and the way I see the world. These books are rare, not very often written in the modern day. That's what makes the "Most Emotional" Book Award so special to TwilightWhales. Here are the nominees:

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Somewhere In Time by Richard Matheson

It was a hard choice, I'll tell you that. All of these books are worthy of getting this award, but the book I chose was:

The reason why I chose this book above all the others was because I remember the most vividly how I felt when reading this book. I know what it's like to lose someone that is close to you, someone that is family. This summer, my grandma on my father's side passed away. She was very dear to me. The way I felt when I found out she'd died was similar to the way Ronnie felt when her father died of cancer. Losing is a hard part of life, and that's what Nicholas Sparks covers a lot in this book, along with some of my other favorite subjects: music and sea turtles. Truly, this book was a work of art, and that's what makes it the winner of the TwilightWhales Most Emotional Book Award 2010.

The Second TwilightWhales Book Award is the "Most Thrilling". These are the books that completely drug me in and wouldn't let me go. My pulse was raised and I began to sweat. All I wanted to know was what would happen next. I could feel the suspense so thickly in the air that I felt I could cut it with a knife! Here are the nominees:

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

The Lost World by Michael Crichton

Violets are Blue by James Patterson

Infected/Contagious by Scott Sigler

There weren't as many options for "Most Thrilling" because a book that truly thrills me is hard to find. All of these books were really good (a book can't get nominated unless it's good). However, the winner, to me, stood out. There was one book that truly grabbed me by the heart and wouldn't let go and that was:
Although Contagious is the only book shown, this includes Infected as well. These two books were truly amazing. I found these books breath-takingly amazing. I mean, who can think of all this? Truly someone with a complex, inventive mind could create something so scary. Scott Sigler knows how to write a story and twist a plot at the same time as making you cringe. In the first book, when the main character had to cut his penis off with a pair of chicken scissors, I felt like I was going to puke. Chemically, the brain can't tell the different between what is happening on the inside and what's happening physically. The way Scott Sigler's books make you feel is a concrete example of that. So, it is TwilightWhale's honor to give these books the TwilightWhales Most Thrilling Book Award.

Pssst! Scott Sigler! If you're reading this and realize your book just won an award, please write another book in this series. I can assure you it will most likely get the "Most Thrilling" Book Award next year as well!

Third, there is the TwilightWhales Book Award for "Most Romantic". These are the books that captured my heart and made me believe in love, because love is what always makes everything all right, right? These books sparked a flame in my heart and captivated my senses to times where better things were happening or to places where love wasn't so hard to come by. Here are the nominees:

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Once again, all these books were fair game. I am very fond of romantic books where the true point is of love and not some sick, twisted sex fantasy. The book I chose was one of great passion that definitely succeeded in making me believe in love. This book, actually, became my new favorite book:


The Time Traveler's Wife definitely has a special place in my heart. I promised myself that, someday, when I'm an adult and I own my own house, I'm going to own this book. This book was genius. I can't stress enough how much I love this book and the way it made me feel. I borrow it from the library every other month, and keep it for the maximum time possible and read a little bit of it every night. It's become a kind of bible to me. I can't live without this book. Wow, it's like I'd never read a true, loving romance until I read this book. Audrey Niffenegger, you go girl! I hope you're reading this (or that Scott Sigler, if you're reading this, will tell her for me, hahaha!). That's what makes this book the winner of the 2010 TwilightWhales Most Romantic Book Award. Audrey, you totally deserve it! You should win the Nobel Peace Prize for writing this book!

And finally, the last Book Award is for the TwilightWhales "Best Series". This award is pretty self-explanatory: this goes to a series that kept me hooked and refused to let go of its grasp. Here are the nominees:

The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins

The Wicked Series by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

The Alex Cross Series by James Patterson

Ellen Hopkins' Series (Crank, Burned, Tricks, etc.)

Honestly, this award was hard to pick. Between the Hunger Games and Ellen Hopkins Series, I really struggled to pick. Both had me hooked, but the one I had to settle with was:

There's just something about this series. Maybe it has to do with the parallels in modern life. I love the character of Katniss. I love it even more than she ended up choosing Pita. I can totally see why so many people love this series. How could you not? I mean, with the way our economy is and the bloodsucking leech we have for president (sorry if I offended anyone, I'm a strict working class Republican). So, it is with a great pleasure that TwilightWhales gives this book the 2010 TwilightWhales Book Award for Best Series.


Okay, now that we've gotten through the Book Awards, now we move on to the Special Awards. These are the awards that are the hardest to get and the most precise. They will be given in the following two categories:

1) Best Author

2) Best Book Character

Now that you've seen the topics, let's get started. The first Special Award is for "Best Author". Here are the Nominees:

Alice Sebold (For her book The Lovely Bones and Lucky)

Michael Crichton (For his Book Next)

Nicholas Sparks (For his books A Walk To Remember and The Last Song)

Ellen Hopkins (For her books Crank, Burned, Glass, and Tricks)

This was harder than usual to pick because all these authors have extremely different genres they write. So, I had to look at the number of books I liked by them and see if those books were worth the best author title. So, I chose:
I chose Nicholas Sparks because I love his writing. He touches me deep down inside. I already leaked this information a couple months ago, but still, I want to let you know just how much I love Nicholas Spark's writing. I think he is very deserving of the 2010 TwilightWhales Special Award for Best Author.

Next is the Special Award for "Best Book Character". Okay, I'm telling you right now, I'm not going to have an accurate picture of the book character, so just be prepared. However, I did choose a picture of hwo I imagined the character looking. Anyway, this award is for the Book Character that I wish, more than anything, was real for a number of reasons. Here are the Nominees:

James from A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb

Henry DeTamble from The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Jamie from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Odd Thomas from Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

I don't think you're going to be very surprised at who won and who I used as a picture representation of him:

(Henry DeTamble)

Oh, Henry DeTamble (Yes, I know, the picture is of Hugh Jackman)! He's the sexiest man forever! I just love Henry! I fall in love with him every time I read The Time Traveler's Wife. I wish he was my husband. Sometimes, he even shows up in my dreams. I want for him to be real. The sad thing, though, is that he could never be real because, in his book, he dies. To me, though, he still lives on in my heart forever. To me, one of his crowning moments was when Henry beat up Claire's old boyfriend and duct-taped him to a tree. Another I really liked was Henry's note to Claire after he'd died. However, his sexiest moment was when he made love to Claire in the meadow on her eighteenth birthday. He's so respectful and wonderful. I wish he was real! That is what makes Henry DeTamble the perfect book character to win the 2010 TwilightWhales Special Award for Best Book Character.

Well, that's it. Thank you for participating in the 2010 1st Annual TwilightWhales Awards. As for now? I'm going to Costa Rica for the rest of December! See you in January! Adios!

This event was brought to you by:
Silver Sea Adventures Fishing Lodge, Craig, Alaska
TwilightWhales blogspot

Please comment. In the future, send me some comments with suggestions for nominees, or I'll just pick for myself!!!

Somewhere In Time by Richard Matheson

Somewhere in Time is a story about love that transcends the boundaries of time. Richard Collier, a man of the modern era, becomes obsessed with a woman of another time, a celebrated actress at the turn of the century. His fascination with Elise McKenna proves strong enough to physically transport him back to 1896, where he meets her in more than just his dreams. But how long can a relationship in time stay with the relentless tide of history?

Grade: 97%

Additional Comments: This book was beautiful, set in a time similar, yet different than ours. I was crying so hard by the end of the book that I could barely breathe. The trick of this book is, though, whether or not you think Richard Collier really went back in time and found the love of his life. I won't let my personal opinion interfere, but do you think a man dying of a brain tumor found his true love in the final days of his life? Or, were they just hallucinations? Read the book and tell me what you think in the comments.

Reading Discussion: Do you think Richard Collier hallucinated, or did he really find love with Elise McKenna in the final days of his struggle with his brain tumor? Please comment and discuss. Be sure to give reasons and facts behind your opinion. Make sure to read the author's note at the end of the book as well to help you with your decision.