I'm not above embracing the year-end review trend here at BQDC, so using a series of nonsensical superlatives, let's take a look at the discussion-worthy music that I listened to this year. Without further ado, here's what I heard in 2014. (Note that this list reflects which albums I listened to in 2014, not necessarily which albums were [...]
Tag: Review
Let It Snow
At this point I've read all of John Green's books and enjoyed each of them immensely. I've also become a big fan of the VlogBrothers as I slowly make my way through their massive catalog of videos. Despite my age placing me slightly outside of the group's target demographic, I am proudly a Nerdfighter. If [...]
This Good Night Is Still Everywhere
Christmas music. It's kind of a divisive topic among music critics and fans. There are those who enjoy the seasonal novelty and those who are disgusted by the saccharine commerciality of it all. And then, of course, there's everyone who falls somewhere in the middle (i.e. most reasonable people). So if you're one of those [...]
The Fairy Tales of Hermann Hesse
I wrote earlier about the truth in the old cliché that you should never judge a book by it's cover. And while that remains true, sometimes reading a book because of its awesome cover can still be the right choice. Though I had read Siddhartha and enjoyed it, the book wasn't particularly transformational for me and [...]
Narco Debut
I've mentioned before how certain songs or moments can burrow into my brain so that I want to hear them over and over and over again. There is a reason that the term 'earworm' exists, after all. And Narco Debut's 'In Frustrate', from their self-title EP, has definitely wormed me. There is a fine line between inspiration and [...]
Soon I Will Be Invincible
Austin Grossman's Soon I Will Be Invincible is a book about superheroes that is neither a comic book nor a graphic novel. Drop the comic, drop the graphic. It's simply a book, a novel. About superheroes. And it is awesome. The story is told through the alternating viewpoints of a literal evil genius, Dr. Impossible, who suffers [...]
A Princess of Mars
If you've read a science fiction book or seen a sci-fi movie, odds are you have some familiarity with Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars even if you don't know it. Published almost one hundred years ago (1917), A Princess of Mars is a classic pulp adventure story and its DNA flows through the veins of [...]
The End Is Near
Well, not literally. But the end of the year? Yes. Very near, indeed. Which means that it's time to start putting together year-end lists of favorite books and albums, a task that I always intend to fly quickly through only to then spend an inordinate amount of time fussing over. My intent this year is to [...]
A Boy and A Bear In A Boat
When Dave Shelton named A Boy and A Bear In A Boat, he pretty much gave away the whole premise in the title. The book follows the adventures of a boy and a bear in a (you guessed it) boat as they take a journey of indeterminate origin and purpose. As the boy and bear venture to who-knows-where [...]
Twin Forks
A friend of mine once suggested that all music has its proper season and I'm inclined to believe him. Case in point: the folksy vibe of Twin Forks makes their music very appealing to me this time of year when everything is pumpkin-flavored and harvest-themed. There's something warm and comforting in the band's use of male-female harmony, group claps, [...]
Songs & Stories 