i've been told i was born to endure this kind of weather. (day 10)

sorry you didn't get a christmas craft related post yesterday, nor do you today (later this week, i promise). i was too hooked buy a book i was reading, one that i mentioned on the Christmas Reads post and here's my review on that.

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares
by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan 
★★★★

Lily is about to spend her Christmas practically alone since her parents have flown to Fiji for their 25th anniversary and her grandfather is in Florida visiting his girlfriend. the only person to keep Lily company is his older brother Langston who is ignoring Lily to spend time with his boyfriend. though Langston has arranged something special for Lily, he has persuaded Lily to leave a red notebook to her favorite bookstore, a book of dares, so that when the right kind of person finds it, he will answer the dare and maybe Lily will finally get a boyfriend, and be out of Langston's hair.

Dash is also spending his Christmas alone, but by choice, he has tricked his divorced parents to be able to do so by telling his mother he is spending the Christmas with his father and vice versa. so with his mother out of town he has the whole place to himself. one day he stumbles upon a red notebook stuck between the books of his favorite author in his favorite bookstore, curious Dash can't resist the dare and so begins the treasure hunt and game of dares that takes Dash and Lily around New York city to places they never thought they'd go. like Macy's during the worst shopping season or a night club full of hipsters and a man dressed in drag as a bouncer. but is Dash the right guy to pick up the book of dares, could the treasure hunt and words in the notebook turn into something more.

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares is a book written by two authors, David Levithan and Rachel Cohn, David wrote Dash's parts and Rachel Lily's. this style of writing works in this book very well, both characters have their own explicit voice. both of the characters are very relatable, Lily is this very happy-go-lucky kind of girl and complete Christmas enthusiast where as Dash is cynical and doesn't care for the Holiday season. he is a word nerd who likes to use big words in his conversation. some may thing that makes him pretentious but i didn't see him that way.

one of the most enjoyable things in the book for me was the side characters, from Lily's brother and his boyfriend to Dash's friends. i also really liked the fact that there are quite a lot of characters of different sexual orientations that are introduced very casually and naturally which doesn't happen too often in books, something similar that i noticed in Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, a movie based on a book written by these two authors, a book that's going on my to read list.

i really recommend this modern fairytale for Christmas read to everyone who doesn't shy from romance. this book is witty and smart and laugh out loud funny! a perfectly light holiday read.

“I was attempting to write the story of my life. It wasn't so much about plot. It was much more about character.” 

if i die before my time bury me upside down. (Day 8 a little late)

it is time for the annual Stu's year in music post! also my apologies for not posting anything yesterday, i was busy christmas shopping, expect another christmas crafting related post later today.

Fun. ^

2012 music survey;

What song sums up 2011 for you?

Fun. - Some Nights

What albums did you listen to over and over?

• Fun.: Some Nights
• Taylor Swift: Red
• Josh RItter: Golden Age of Radio
• Josh Ritter: The Animal Years
• Spring Awakening Soundtrack
• The Book of Mormon Soundtrack
• Markus Krunegård: Mänsklig Värme
• Walk The Moon: Walk The Moon
• Olavi Uusivirta: Elvin Istuu Oikealla
• First Aid Kit: The Lion's Roar
• Imagine Dragons: Continued Silence EP

Markus Krunegård ^

What was the best gig you went to?

this was probably the best gig year of my life! it started with Cat Power, whom i've loved for years and was so happy to finally see her. then i was Michael Bublé with my best friend and we have both been hoping and wishing for him to do a gig here for years. during the summer i saw Pulp! also one of those bands i've been waiting to see for years, well over a decade for this one, and it was amazing. they played at a music festival where i also saw Flogging Molly wich was amazing and Olavi Uusivirta was really good too. both of them i've seen before so it' wasn't that amazing but still pretty cool. i also stumbled upon cheap tickets for Lady Gaga's concert so we went to see her with a group of friends. that was alright, but not mindblowing. (funny thing, the first time i did this survey i said i hated her....) then later this year i saw Fun. and their opening act Walk The Moon, probably one of the best gigs ever. really, the best gig year ever!

What songs did you have on repeat?

• Taylor Swift - We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
• Fun. - Carry On
• First Aid Kit - Emmylou
• Olavi Uusivirta - Nuoruus
• Josh Ritter - Harrisburg
• Patrick Wolf - Born To Die (Lana Del Rey cover)
• Spring Awakening Cast - Don't Do Sadness/Blue Wind
• The Book of Mormon Cast: Hello!
• Cider Sky - Where To Now
• Darren Criss - Teenage Dream (acoustic Glee version)
• Walk The Moon - Iscariot
• Imagine Dragons - It's Time
• Relient K - (If You Want It)
• Of Monsters and Men - King and Lionheart
• Piste Piste - Elän Sut Uudestaan
• Meghan Tonjes - The Fault is in Our Stars (Lastufka Remix)

Meghan Tonjes ^

What was your best musical discovery this year?

Josh Ritter is probably my best musical find in years! other great finds this year were Walk The Moon, Imagine Dragons, Shovels & Rope, Daughter, Passenger.

What 5 musicians/bands did you listen to the most?
last.fm says; Taylor Swift, Josh Ritter, Fun., Glee Cast and First Aid Kit.

What was the best CD you bought?
Fun.'s Some Nights, Taylor Swift's Red, Josh Ritter's Golden Age of Radio and Markus Krunegård's Mänsklig Värme.

 
Did you buy any music DVDs this year?

no i didn't.

Daughter ^

What are the best lyrics you heard this year?

i'm completely in love with Josh Ritter's lyrics, all of them, but i have to say that the opening line of Kathleen is the one i fell in love with first;

all the other girls here are stars, you are the Northern Lights.
they try to shine in through your curtains, you're too close and too bright.
they try and they try but everything that they do,
is the ghost of a trace of a pale imitation of you.

also Fun. has some great lyrics too, like this line from Carry On;

Cause we are
We are shining stars
We are invincible
We are who we are
On our darkest day
When we're miles away
So we'll come
We will find our way home

Did you stop liking any musicians/bands?
not that i can remember.

Did you learn an instrument this year? If so, did you play any gigs?

no, tho i did get this urge to buy Ukulele and learn to play that. i haven't tho, maybe next year.

Josh Ritter ^

What band did you hate this year?

Pitbull, everything he dies sounds exactly the same to me.

Did you have a musical guilty pleasure this year?
well, the same old Justin Bieber i had last year. i tried to get into One Direction but i just don't care for them that much...

What was the worst song of the year?

there probably was one like super annoying song but i can't remember any. Gangnam Style is one of them but to be honest i think i've only heard it once or twice.

What was the coolest music video you saw this year?

Fun. - Carry On, it made me want to go and have night out with the guys from the band, it's such a fun and cool video.

Did you watch Idol/the arias/grammys/mtv awards?

no i didn't.

Blur ^

What was the worst musical comeback of the past year?

i'm not sure, didn't even see the Spice Girls performing at the Olympics so i can't say if that was good or bad.

What was the best musical comeback of the year?

Blur! well, they already sort of did a comeback in 2009, but now they released a new song and they had gigs and there will be more gigs next year! also Pulp had a comeback like year before but cause i only saw them this year i'm counting it!

Who were your favourite female vocalists?
Taylor Swift, Cat Power, Lea Michele (Spring Awakening & Glee), Johanna & Klara Söderberg (First Aid Kit).

Who were your favourite male vocalists?
Josh Ritter, Darren Criss, Nate Ruess (Fun.), Andrew Rannells (The Book of Mormon), Markus Krunegård, Bob Dylan (always).

What radio station did you listen to most?
i listened to Spotify's country station, but that's not really radio. i wanted to find a good radio station to listen to but i never did.

What was the biggest band you saw this year?
Michael Bublé and Pulp were probably the biggest ones.

Pulp ^

If you have one, how often did you listen your iPod/mp3 player this year?
i listen to music from my phone and i do that almost every night i go to bed and also when traveling with a bus or a train or anything i don't have to drive myself.

What was your favourite soundtrack to a film this year?
The Hunger Games soundtrack.

What was your favourite music themed film you saw this year?

well, i watched Katy Perry: Part of Me few weeks ago and even tho i'm not Katy Perry fan it was quite moving and fun.

What was the best local band you heard/saw this year?
well i consider anything from Finland local and that has to be Olavi Uusivirta.

Did you meet any famous musicians?
well Walk The Moon guys came to hang out with the audience before and after their gig but the place was crowded with teenage fangirls so i didn't talked to them, so no, i didn't. Cat Power gave me her setlist tho and smiled, does that count?

Did you put up any music posters around your room/house?

no.

Totalled, how much do you think you spent on music this year (cds, merch, tickets, etc)?
i spent around 300€ on tickets, 50€ on merch, 100€ on cds so about 450€.

What type of music did you find yourself listening to most this year?
folk, country, pop.

Best song to be happy to you listened to this year?
Fun.'s Some Nights.

Best song to be sad to you listened to this year?
Patrick Wolf's cover of Lana Del Rey's Born To Die.

Patrick Wolf ^

Band/singer with the best style this year?
Nate Ruess from Fun. at the gig he was wearing jeans and an oversized blue sweater, so comfy and adorable.

What shows are you looking forward to in the new year?
well i'm hoping to go see Patrick Wolf's acoustic gig, also i'm waiting for Blur to announce more gigs, so maybe i finally get to see them.

Did you buy any band merchandise this year?
i bought Fun. and Flogging Molly shirts, i don't remember if i bought anything else.

Did you pirate any music this year?
....maybe.

Did you miss out on going to any really good concerts this year?
Markus Krunegård, i just didn't have the time.

What was the last gig you went to?
Fun. & Walk The Moon.

Taylor Swift ^

How many songs are on your computer/itunes?
i don't know cause i mostly just use Spotify.

What are you listening to now?
First Aid Kit - Dance To Another Tune

Let is snow! Let it snow! Let it snow! (Day 7)

i wish i was homeward bound. (Day 6)

Northern Lights in Finnish Winter 

Colorful Aurora Borelis in Finland.

Wild Nature in Kilpisjärvi, Finland.

Singing Huskies in Hetta, Finland.

Pallas, Finland.

Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, Unesco World Heritage.

Helsinki Cathedral in a winter mist.

Happy 95th Finnish Independence day to all my fellow Finns! to the rest of you this might not seem very Christmas-y post (as i promised you'd get everyday this month), but to me this day is strongly associated with the holidays. and winter, and snow! which we have plenty this year. so i thought i'd share some pretty pictures from my homeland via Visit Finland's flickr. and to the rest of you, happy thursday! tomorrow i will teach you how to make animated snow.

Last christmas i gave you my heart. (Day 5)

Gift Ideas For Photographers:
1. Gerogia Neon camera bag, $107 from Jo Totes.
2. The Get Into Focus lens mug, $15 from Photo Jojo.
3. The handy Dandy hand strap, $40 from Photo Jojo.
4. I Shoot People scrapple tile pendant, $6.50 from Etsy.
5. Holga 135BC camera, $52.49 from Holga Direct.
6. Four Corners film collection, $10 from Four Corners Store.
7. The Lensbaby Spark lens for Canon or Nikon, $80 from Photo Jojo.
8. The Polaroid Z2300 digital instant camera, $160 w/10 prints, $205 w/110 prints from Photo Jojo.
9. The Lens bracelet set, $15-$25 from Photo Jojo.
10. LONDON Backpack camera bag, $224.99 from Epiphanie bags.

All i want for Christmas is you. (Day 4)

Christmas Reads

1. Christmas at The Cupcake Café by Jenny Colgan | Chicklit | 351 Pages | Published October 25th 2012

2. Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle |YA | 352 Pages | Published October 2nd 2008

3. Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan | YA | 260 Pages | Published October 26th 2010

4. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens | Classic | 112 Pages | Published December 1843

5. Skipping Christmas by John Grisham | Comedy | 117 Pages | Published November 6th 2001

6. Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson | Children's Novel | 139 Pages | Published 1957

7. Silent Night by Stanley Weintraub | History | 256 Pages | Published 1995

8. Merry Christmas, Alex Cross by James Patterson | Crime | 400 Pages | Published November 12th 2012

come on y'all it's christmas time! (Day 3)

do you know any fun Christmas facts?

But baby it's cold outside (Day 2)

1. John Green The Fault in Our Stars art print by Sarah Turbin, $13.15 from Society6.
2. The Great Gatsby sweater, $42.00 from Out of Print Clothing.
3. Star Wars bookends, $59.99 from ThinkGeek.
4. Kindle e-reader, $69.00 from Amazon.
5. Hedgehog fabric buttons bookmark set, $6.00 from Etsy.
6. Personal Library Kit, $15.00 from Amazon.
7. Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt, $13.99 from Amazon.
8. Virginia Woolf A Room of One's Own Penguin Books mug, £8.95 from The Literary Gift Company.
9. Behind The Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo, $15.63 from Amazon.
10. The Complete Novels of Jane Austen box set, $59.99 from Amazon.

Thank God It's Christmas (Day 01)

Doctor Who
A Christmas Carol
Season 6, 2010 Christmas Special

Amy and Rory are trapped on a crashing space liner and the only way The Doctor can save them is to save the soul of a lonely, bitter old man Kazran Sardick. 

My favorite of the traditional Doctor Who christmas specials.

Six Feet Under
It’s The Most Wonderful Time of The Year
Season 2, Episode 8

 As the Fishers get ready for the holidays they all start remembering, in flashbacks, the last time they saw their father and husband who died the Christmas before.

A darker take on christmas episodes, but utterly brilliant.

The Big Bang Theory
The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis
Season 2, Episode 11

Sheldon hates the idea of gifts, but since Penny is giving him a Christmas present he has to go and find something for her.

This episode has one of the most adorable Sheldon moments.

Misfits
Christmas Special
Season 2, Episode 7

The week before the Christmas the gang learns about a man named Seth who can trade and deal powers.

A bit different Christmas special just in the traditional Misfits style!

Community
Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas
Season 2, Episode 11

When Abed wakes up everything has turned into stop motion animation. Professor Duncan and the study group help him to discover the true meaning of Christmas in order for things to turn to normal again.

One of the most original Christmas episodes and my absolute favorite.

Community
Regional Holiday Music
Season 3, Episode 10

A holiday-themed musical-parody episode of the popular TV show Glee, in which Abed tries to convince the rest of the study group to join Greendale’s Glee club in order for them to qualify for regionals.

Another brilliant Christmas episode from Community.

The O.C
The Best Chrismukkah Ever
Season 1, Episode 13

It’s Ryan’s first Christmas with the Cohens, but they don’t celebrate Christmas like other people, Seth has invented a bi-religious holiday he calls Chrismukkah, that is the combination of his parent’s religions, Catholicism and Judaism.

Seth's holiday enthusiasm is contagious.

How I Met Your Mother
Symphony of Illumination
Season 7, Episode 12

Robin tries to come terms with a revelation about herself she has recently learned. Marshall tries to decorate their house with Christmas lights when a neighbor’s kid plays pranks on him.

A bit darker than HIMYM usually is but still uplifting and amazing.

Glee
Extraordinary Merry Christmas
Season 3, Episode 9

The New Directions glee club has two different events they are asked to perform at and a tough decision to make about which one to choose.

The Holiday special within this Holiday special is one of my favorite holiday special! Also check out this most adorable scene that was sadly cut out.

Friends
The One With The Holiday Armadillo
Season 7, Episode 10

Ross wants to introduce his son Ben to Hanukkah, but Ben get disappointed when he hears Santa isn’t going to visit him this year. Ross tries desperately to find a Santa costume in the last minute but without such luck ends up dressing as something he calls The Holiday Armadillo.

This episode of Friends is an absolute classic!

What are some of your favorite Christmas episodes?