Joy Williams - Venus CD Review

Venus

Joy Williams 

Available on: iTunes & Amazon

Joy Elizabeth Williams was only 17 when she was first signed to Reunion Records. Though she was originally a Christian contemporary singer, she is most notably known for being half of the folk/rock band, The Civil Wars. Before the band broke up, the duo won four Grammy awards. Some have been holding their breath as to what Williams's solo album, Venus, will turn out to be: insanely amazing or horribly disastrous.

The truth is - it's neither. It's a solid album with promises of even better things to come. Venus, which Williams describes as her "coming-of-age album" is the perfect description for an album full of truthful lyrics, universal emotions, and an overall feeling of self-acceptance.

In just under 40 minutes, Williams tackles how she handled the breakup of The Civil Wars (What A Good Woman Does), heartache and pain (Until the Levee), and the duality in which women are often portrayed (Woman (Oh Mama)).

Before I Sleep is the first track on the CD and it's a good opener. It has strong vocals, a catchy tune, and it's easy to pick up the words and sing along. But don't get me wrong, Williams has not turned away from her folk-y roots, she's just added unexpected elements to them.






Woman (Oh Mama) is one of my favorite tracks on the album but its upbeat tempo doesn't seem to fit in with its otherwise slower sisters. Despite its simplistic lyrics - the song gets stuck in your head and feels empowering.


Until the Levee is probably the track the most similar to The Civil Wars. With great drums and an ethereal feel, her voice stands out powerfully against the music.







With 11 total tracks on the album, I found that I like and constantly listen to three-quarters. While listening I heard similarities to Dido, Florence + the Machine, and something that wouldn't be out of place in a Disney movie.

This solo album, she said in an interview, is about a "way to move forward. To heal." It sounds as if she has accomplished that. With Venus, she has weaved all the emotions of her life into lyrics and melodies.



I participated in the Joy WIlliams Venus album review program as a member of One2One Network. I was provided an album to review but all opinions are my own.

Old MacDonald Had a Farm

I've been a city girl my entire life. But if I were given acres of land on which I could raise a farm of animals, I would probably take them up on that offer.

But of course this is me we're talking about so my farm would include some of my favorite animals...most of which you probably wouldn't find on your normal farm.

I absolutely love alpacas! I mean they are just so fuzzy and their faces are so cute! They look like they would be totally cool if you went up to them and give gave them a big ol' hug.

I love owls so much. Besides being amazingly smart animals they are insanely cute and will even deliver your Hogwarts letter to you.

Have you ever seen a giraffe drink water? It is the cutest most hilarious thing ever. Because they are so tall they have to splay their legs and dip their necks way down. Besides this occasional ungracefulness I think under normal circumstances they are just majestic creatures.

If it were possible to pet a porcupine, we'd probably have one as a pet. I think they are the cutest little animals! They have their cute little faces and they waddle around. Did you know that porcupines are good swimmers? Their quills are hollow so they float pretty well.

Besides the fact that baby camels look like little fluffy alpacas, camels are very versatile, hardy animals. There's a reason they are the ones who cross the desert carrying most of the luggage.

Highland cows are FURRY COWS that live in Scotland. Just another reason I have to visit.




I think by now you can see a definite trend on this list. I love anything furry, bushy, or fluffy. These aren't even all of the animals I would want on my farm. I haven't delved into the water animals (beluga whales, penguins, manatees) or some specific types of animals like Pulis (dog). But maybe that is for another picture post.

If you had a farm what are some of the animals you'd let roam around? 

Thorn by Intisar Khanani

Thorn
Author: Intisar Khanani
Published by: Intisar Khanani

Side Note: I would just like to mention that if you decide to buy this book, a portion of the price will go to Heifer International which is a charity that provides livestock to families to learn self-reliance. 

When Brothers Grimm stories get retold, newer versions have a way of missing the mark when it comes to the original bleakness. In her debut novel Thorn, Khanani stays true to the darker elements of this Grimm fairy tale.

Khanani is off to a rough start with this novel; the beginning slow and uncertain. When we meet Alyrra we know nothing about her except the arranged marriage between her and Prince Kestrin. When we learn that her brother physically abuses her and her mother is indifferent to her pain, we bind to her...but at a distance. This distance between me and the main character proved harder to cross the more I continued to read.

While traveling to her new home, a sorceress switches Alyrra's body with that of Valka, a vindictive girl from her own hometown. At first Alyrra is scared of the switch but soon she realizes that this may be the answer to all her problems. As Valka she won't have to be a princess. She will be able to live a simple life in anonymity with the other people of Tarinon.

With her plan set, Alyrra arrives in Tarinon and becomes the Goose Girl, one of the lowest positions available. With her true identity secret, Alyrra lives the life of a commoner. Through hard work and a difficult language barrier, Alyrra learns about the city and the people within. She learns about the thieves and the snatchers. She learns about not walking alone at night. She learns who to turn to when you need justice for your family.

It is here where Khanani shines. She does not water down the gross mistreatment of women, the social injustices of the lower class, and the hatred that can harden ones heart in the search for vengeance. Rape and murder seem to be commonplace and the king's court does nothing to stem the numbers of these attacks. Alyrra's first hand view of these occurrences makes her question which life she truly wants to live. The one of Goose Girl, with a makeshift family, a roof over her head, and meager earnings or that of Princess with an ability to change the wrongs and reverse the plight of the people.

The plot speeds up exponentially over the course of the novel. Unfortunately when you reach the end, you find that it finishes more quickly and abruptly than you would like. The answers when it comes to the sorceress are vaguely addressed. The climax takes place within the last 50 pages and Khanani seems to think that a heart hardened over years of anger can change in three days time.

Even to the end, I felt no closer to Alyrra. On the contrary, I grew to hate her judgement the further into the novel I read. Her attitude towards the prince seemed unwarranted. To subtly distrust him in the beginning is one thing but to continuously think him trouble despite his actions are another. I also hated the way Alyrra thought of herself. No compliment, even those that were earned, were ever true in her opinion. She thought she was nothing and could do nothing. Her negative thoughts about herself left me feeling as if I shouldn't have positive emotions towards her. Even if her intentions were good, why would I want to become attached to a person who doesn't think anything of themselves?

Overall the plot of the novel was excellent. I continued reading to learn more about Prince Kestrin and what kind of man he would truly turn out to be. The topics discussed made the novel feel as if it wasn't just a YA. It can easily be considered a novel for adults as well. Khanani did a great job turning The Goose Girl into a modern fairy tale. I just couldn't learn to love Alyrra, which left me feeling like an outsider the entire novel.

I give it three out of five cateyes.

*I received this eBook free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.*

I Don't Want to Adult Today

Internet bill. Netflix bill. Gas. Electricity. Water. Rent. Student loans. Alarm clocks. Business Casual. Overtime. 401K. Taxes.

These are adult things. These are the things that turn your hair gray, make you stress eat, and make wonder if you should gamble that dollar on the lottery or buy a burger at McDonalds.

These are the things no one tells you about when you're 10 and wanting to run away from home so you can be an adult and eat ice cream whenever you want, skip school, and stay up late.

Being an adult does have some advantages but for those days when you Just Can't Even.

Why don't you try some of these things and release your inner flower child.   

1.) Leave the work emails Unread. 
It's okay. They will still be there tomorrow. Believe me.

2.) Sing in the shower. 
The reason people love to sing in the shower is the crazy good acoustics. So go ahead and belt out those high notes, inflect those crazy warbles, and rock that shampoo mic.

3.) Bake something. 
Or eat the dough right out of the bowl. Go ahead and ruin your appetite.

4.) Go outside.
Whether it's with a blanket and a book or your dog and frisbee - go outside and enjoy it! Take in the sounds of nature, the smell of the grass and dirt, & throw that frisbee as far as you possibly can.

5.) Don't get out of bed.
Except to pee and get more food.

6.) Get a kid's meal.
Remember when you would beg your parents to just, please, one time get a kid's meal with the cool toy and this was the last time you promise?

7.) Cuddle up with your furbabies. 
I think this one is pretty self explanatory.

8.) Watch all the Disney movies! 
And yes of course you can sing along.

9.) Watch some nostalgic cartoons.
Rugrats. The Flintstones. Life with Louie. Bobby's World.

10.) Camp outside in your own backyard. 
There may still be creepy bugs but at least you know there won't be bears and you don't even have to worry about wiping with leaves.

For those days when you just can't even, what do you to get through it?

Old Lady Hobby

There is something soothing about making the same movement over and over again. About counting how many squares across and down you still need to go. About picking the right color thread. About seeing how much left there is to go. About seeing the work start to take shape. And then eventually it turns into a feeling of accomplishment when you see the finished product. What old lady hobby am I talking about?

Well cross stitch of course!

I think I've mentioned before that I love to cross stitch. I started it about a year ago as a way to pass the time. I wasn't even that interested in it. I found a dollar project in a bin at Michael's and I couldn't pass it up.

It came out pretty bad. The little kit I bought didn't have any instructions. Just a picture with the legend of colors to use. I had no idea what I was doing and I didn't know what to do with the outline. It was just a complete and utter mess.

I never even finished it. 

Fortunately I had bought more than one kit. For the next one I actually decided to look up some tips and tricks online before starting. This helped A LOT. By the time I was finished you could even tell what it was I was supposed to be making.

The back is a whole 'nother story though. 

By the time I finished the little kits I had bought, I was hooked. I bought a hoop and some cheap aida with a big bag of cheap thread in various colors. I started getting patterns from Pinterest, Google, Etsy. It was so much fun to make these little crafts. John even got in on it and would tell me which colors to use and fun accents to put on a project.

He'd also help in the naming. 

I loved doing the small, easy projects. Those that could be completed within a few hours. But after doing several of those everyone thought it was time to tackle a bigger project. I decided on a sugar skull pattern I had purchased off of Etsy. When completed it would fit into an 8.5x10 frame. Bigger than anything I had yet tried to do.

It came out great! There were a few spots I had to actually undo my stitches and redo them correctly but I love the finished product. I was going to frame it but the glass from the frame broke and I haven't quite gotten around to it again.

I love cross stitching. Even if the finished ones tend to end up crumpled and dirty hiding underneath books or strewn across tables. It's just a fun hobby, old lady or not.

What are some of your favorite hobbies? Any of you love cross stitching?

My First Media Kit- Whaddya Think?

This is the year I've really been taking my blog seriously. I'm actively trying to get more followers, loyal readers, get my writing groove on, and find my voice. Because of all this I've also started to wade into the deep end of the pool - sponsored posts.

I know that sponsored posts aren't anything to be too worried about but I do want to seem professional and like I am actually trying. I don't have that many followers on social media even though (shameless self-plug) I have doubled every single one of them!

For those of you with tens of thousands of fans my measly numbers may not seem like a big feat but let me tell you, as someone who is shy and introverted, this is the best! It is definitely a milestone for me each time I hit a new multiple of ten or hundred.

So with my wanting to work with some awesome brands I decided to tackle my first media kit. I went on Pinterest and Google to get some inspiration. I got some ideas, headed to Canva and voila!

My first attempt.

I'm pretty happy with it. I love minimalist design and I love that the colors and arrow theme come straight back to my blog.



Do you have a media kit? What does your look like? If you want, leave a link for other readers to see yours. If you have any suggestions for mine, don't hesitate to leave your two cents. I greatly appreciate it.