Best books, movies and music for post-quarantine boredom

The Fault In Our Stars – John Green

Published in 2012

This is possibly one of the saddest love stories I’ve ever read. Hazel Grace Lancaster has lung cancer, and her mom put her in a support group in a church. There she meets Augustus Waters. Okay, that’s a power couple right there. They’re there for each other even though Gus has been cancer free for about a year and a half. My favorite metaphor throughout this whole book is when Gus puts a cigarette in his mouth. What he says is “ “They don’t kill you unless you light them,” he said as Mom arrived at the curb. “And I’ve never lit one. It’s a metaphor, see: You put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you don’t give it the power to do its killing.” “ page 20, chapter one. That’s most likely my favorite line, aside from what Gus and Hazel Grace are on the phone and on page 73, chapter 5, “ “Okay,” he said after forever. “Maybe okay will be our always.” This is undoubtedly my second-favorite part in the book. I really recommend this book, even if you’re an easy crier. Just be sure to have your tissues handy!

 

The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins 

Published in 2008

This book shows how independent women can be if they’re given challenges that they need to overcome themselves. Katniss is a strong woman who sacrifices her life for her sister’s. She’s the first in decades to volunteer. The book doesn’t say exactly how long, so I can’t really assume anything either. She spends a few weeks in the Games, but in the wording and work of the author, it seems to be months that she’s away from her family. The saddest parts I remember from this book is when Rue dies. In both the book and the movie, it makes me cry every time. This story holds a lot of power and emotion, as do most. This is likely my favorite of the whole series. (I can’t say the newest one is since I haven’t read it yet).

 

Speak – Laurie Halse Anderson

Published in 1999

Melinda Sordino. Her story is sad yet beautiful. Since a party that she purposely crashed (and for good reason), she’s barely spoken a word to anyone. This story mainly takes place during her freshman year in high school. It’s quite relatable, and there is some sensitive content in the story. After she crashed the party, she made a mask for herself. A lot of people do that when something bad happens to them. It’s either a happy, neutral, quiet, angry mask that is the most common. Without her mask to protect her, everything around her, in a sense, would crumble. Toward the end of her second marking period (quarter) of school, she writes a runaway note and places it on her desk. When her mother goes into Melinda’s room, she’s found sleeping in the closet. Sometime shortly after that, “I open up a paper clip and scratch it across the inside of my left wrist. Pitiful. If a suicide attempt was a cry for help, then what is this? A whimper, a peep?” page 87. Her mother’s reaction to this is so hurtful, that it even hurts me when I read it. “Mom sees the wrist at breakfast. Mom: “We don’t have time for this, Melinda.” “ page 88. Her mom is so insensitive and blind to the fact that her daughter’s been through something traumatic and needs help. One big sign is that Melinda doesn’t speak much, which is sort of what the book is about. With every non-verbal sign that someone gives us, that’s a hint at what may be going on inside their head. If there’s something rattling around in their head that won’t leave, or something that hurts them, we don’t know until they tell us.

 

The Giving Tree – Shel Silverstien

Published in 1964

This is a childhood favorite of mine. The boy and the tree. This story is so old that it’s essentially become a classic. I don’t know about you, but I remember when the speech kids would come from the highschool to the elementary/middle school to act it out on us. It was always one of my favorite things about going to school. The storyline is so sweet. The boy goes and one day picks apples from a tree. She used to let him play in her branches and make crowns out of her leaves and play hide-and-seek together. He even got a few apples sometimes. It was him and the tree, right? As the boy got older, he came to the tree to ask if he could have her apples so he could sell them as a job. He got older, life went on, and the tree missed him. As an adult, he came and visited. She was so excited that she could hardly speak. She asked if he could come and play like when he was younger and he said no. He asked for her branches, and she gave him the branches and he didn’t visit for a while once more. Then, as an older man, he came back. He requested her trunk so he could build a boat and leave the city behind. She gave him her trunk and he built his boat and was gone. The tree waited patiently the whole time for his return. Over time, the tree grew sad. He hadn’t come to see her in a while and she was lonely. Nothing but a stump now. NOW, as an old man, the boy came back. The tree told the boy that she has nothing left for him to take. He said that all he wanted was a quiet place to sit and think. The tree, now a stump, straightened herself up and told him he could take a seat. That’s where the story ends. The sad part of this story is that while she was good to him and waited, he left often and rarely visited. She gave him everything but never got anything in return.

 

Divergent – Veronica Roth

Published in 2011

This story is a true story of individuality. Beatrice, who later changes her name to Tris, feels like she doesn’t belong in her faction, where she grew up. Once every person reaches the age of 16, they must take the aptitude test. This determines what faction they should be in. There are the Abnegation, who are selfless; the Dauntless, who are dangerous and bold; the Erudite, who are essentially the geniuses; the Candor, who are nothing but honest and truthful, even if it’s brutal; last but not least, the Amity. They’re the peacekeepers and nature lovers that are farmers. They essentially take care of the factions by providing crops and food for everyone no matter who they are. They’re kind people who love everyone. Tris, though, she’s different from everyone. She was born in Abnegation but doesn’t belong there. On her test, it said that she’s Divergent. This is a bad thing in their society. That means she can think for herself, which means that she can’t be controlled. She’s much like a lot of teenagers, even young adults, that still don’t know who they are. I relate greatly to this story, since it gives everyone an idea of what real individuality is, and if they can think for themselves. A lot of people will say that they do think for themselves, but your opinion and/or decisions could be altered by those that surround you. Think for yourself. Be selfish sometimes. Care for others. Be honest (at least when it matters). Be brave and fearless. Take care of others if they’re having a hard time. Be yourself. Don’t let anyone change who you are or how you think. This story takes you through one girl’s journey of self-discovery. I hope you find yourself as well.

 

TV Show Reviews

 

Alright, there’s not a favorite of mine that I can pick, since I love them all the same. There are times when one show can be more favored over the others, but it’s not very frequently. 

The Office (2005 to 2013)

This is one of my favorite tv shows. It’s a very easy-going, laid-back show. Even when things appear to be serious, there’s humor hidden everywhere. It shows how a workplace might work, even if it’s just a paper company. There’s times where you have to be serious or when you can joke around. I think my favorite character has to be Pam. She’s so sweet and funny. She’s also a jokester and observant. I feel like I can relate to her a lot. She’s quiet and reserved most of the time, but around the right people she can light up a room. Her jokes are often the best, along when her and Jim play pranks on Dwight. This show is always one of my well-loved favorites, along with the others on this list.

 

Criminal Minds (2005 to 2020)

This is my favorite crime drama. Spencer Reid is a genius and he’s beyond funny sometimes. I think one of my favorite quotes from him is when Gideon says “it’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack.” Reid, in response, says, “actually, that’s rather easy. It’s more like trying to find a needle in a pile of needles.” He always has smart comments to say like that. In the episode where the crew (Morgan, Reid, Garcia, Elle, Gideon, and Hotch) goes to investigate a situation at the CIA to find a mole, Reid helps the CIA team figure out where the Arabian informant is hidden. She went under witness protection because her husband, Hassan, had discovered that he had a leak in the only people that had information. It was staged that his wife and their two children were killed in an accident. I don’t have a favorite episode. They’re all amazing.

 

The Mandalorian (2019 to present)

All I have to say is Baby Yoda. There’s no more to this story than him. Wellll, I mean it is also a continuation of the Star Wars franchise. Other than that it’s mostly about the Mandalorian (commonly referred to as Mando) protecting Baby Yoda throughout the galaxy, doing bounty hunter work. Mando never found any “suitable” babysitter or place to put Baby Yoda while he was doing his jobs. As Baby Yoda travels the galaxy he encounters many people with Mando and befriends them. They encounter many evil forces throughout their travels, as well as some personal struggles. Baby Yoda has powers of the Force and Mando doesn’t have any background with it, so he is inexperienced in caring for Baby Yoda. Later we find out his name, but I’m not putting in any spoilers. Sorry! As their journey continues, they face many hardships together. Mando has to make some hard decisions along the way, but he cares for Baby Yoda (also referred to as The Child) with the very best of his ability. He treats the Child like his own, and it shows the attachment that grows between them. Only available on Disney+.

 

Friends (1994 to 2004)

We all know the famous crew from this late 90s sitcom. Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey, and Phoebe. The actors are almost as famous as the characters themselves. Although the show ended nearly 20 years ago, that doesn’t change how famous the show is. It’s like the Muppets of somewhat “adult” tv shows of today.

 

  1. The Big Bang Theory (ran from 2007 – 2019)

This is overall a good show. There’s humor hidden around every corner, much like the others on this list. Sheldon Cooper has to be the most famous of them. Regardless of his intelligence, his social skills are heavily lacking. That’s a part of being so smart sometimes. Depending on what your background is heavily influences your social skills as you get older.

 

Music Artist Reviews

 

Panic! At The Disco

Lead singer Brenden Urie and his band, consisting of Spencer Smith, Ryan Ross, Dallon Weekes, Jon Walker, and Brent Wilson. The band formed in 2004, and since then they have become an overall success. I love their music and listen to it a lot, as well as others on this list. My favorite album by them is A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out and on that album, a lot of the song names are very….unique. The names of most songs are lengthy but make sense once you listen to them.

 

NF

His name is Nate Feuerstein. He was born in Gladwin, Michigan and is married to Bridgette Doremus. His music started in 2010, with the album called Moments. His music is so real and relatable that not a lot of people can listen to it without getting emotional or mind blown. Not many people know about this one or listen to it. In 2015, he released Mansion, at the age of 24. At 25, he released Therapy Session in 2016. Next, Perception was released in 2017. The most recent album released was The Search in 2019. For me it’s impossible to pick a favorite track, let alone an album. On Thursday, February 18, 2021, he released a new single, “CLOUDS.” The video was insane!! I couldn’t take my eyes off the video. The transitions were so good and I can’t stop listening to ittt! He’s releasing a new album on March 26th of this year. I can’t wait! This is gonna be amazing, I can tell.

 

Three Days Grace

Made up of Adam Gontier (the singer), Niel Sanderson, and Brad Walst, until they added in Barry Stock in 2003. They started out in 1997. They have a lot of albums. My favorite I think is One-X. It was released in 2006. There are 12 songs on it and I think my favorite (if I could even try and pick) would be “Riot” (track 6) or “Pain” (track 2). Their music is loud and proud, no hiding behind anything. They embrace their style of music without hesitation. Oh and they’re from Canada.

 

Twenty One Pilots

Tyler Joseph, Nick Thomas, and Chris Salhi started their band in 2009, releasing their self-titled debut album in the same year. Nick Thomas and Chris Salhi left the band in 2011, leaving just Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun. They’ve released four albums since 2009, their latest being Trench in October of 2018. My favorite album, if this is possible, is Blurryface that was released in 2017. Tyler Joseph is gorgeous, I’m just saying.

System Of A Down

These guys started out in 1994 to 2006. They then took a break until 2010 and are currently still going strong. They consist of  Serj Tankian,  Daron Malakian, Shavo Odadjian, and John Dolmayan. There’s rumors that they’re in the process of making a new album. I grew up on these guys since the day I was born I think. My favorite album is Steal This Album! The name even means that it demands to be listened to, in my opinion anyway. They’re rockers from the ‘90s so be careful what you pick!

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