Cool cover song of the week...

One of my favorite 80s heavy metal songs is Quiet Riot's Cum On Feel the Noize. Ironically, since this blog post features a cover version of that song, Quiet Riot's version is also a cover, of Slade's 1973 hit. While the song was Slade's fourth #1 hit in the United Kingdom, it never made it big in the U.S., peaking at #98 on the Billboard chart. Quiet Riot's 1983 version, on the other hand, hit #5 on the charts, and was actually the first heavy metal song to reach the top 5.

I've been a big fan of Oasis since I first heard their music in the mid-1990s. While the offstage antics of the Gallagher brothers got a bit exhausting, I've always loved their sound, and both brothers bring that sensitivity to their post-Oasis projects.

Here, Oasis brings their quintessentially-Oasis sound to their cover of Cum On Feel the Noize:

Here's Quiet Riot's version:

And here's Slade's original:

Check out my previous Cool Cover Songs of the Week:

Borderline by The Counting Crows

How Deep Is Your Love by The Bird and The Bee

Life in a Northern Town by Sugarland, Little Big Town, and Jake Owen

I Don't Want to Talk About It by The Indigo Girls

Only You by Joshua Radin

Pure Imagination by Maroon 5

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by Blake Stratton

What a Fool Believes by Neri Per Caso

Poker Face by Daughtry

Back to Black by Ronnie Spector

I Will Survive by Cake

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by The Stereophonics

Rolling in the Deep by John Legend

Go Your Own Way by Lissie

Winner Takes it All by McFly

What a Wonderful World by Joey Ramone

Careless Whisper by Seether

I Walk the Line by Live

Dear Prudence by Siouxsie and The Banshees

Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm

Who Wants to Live Forever by Breaking Benjamin

Redemption Song by Chris Cornell and Audioslave

Love Me Tender by Chris Isaak and Brandi Carlile

All You Need is Love by The Flaming Lips

Lovesong by Adele

I Love It by Robin Thicke

Billie Jean by The Civil Wars

Across the Universe by The Scorpions

Can't Hold Us by Pentatonix

Wicked Game by James Vincent McMorrow

Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) by The Postal Service

Jolene by The White Stripes

Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) by Justin Timberlake

More Than This by Norah Jones

Royals by Mayer Hawthorne

I Can't Go for That (No Can Do) by The Bird and The Bee

Ain't No Sunshine by Silent Rider

Crazy by Ray Lamontagne

Stairway to Heaven by Heart

Nothing Compares 2 U by Capital Cities

Roar by Oscar Isaac

Time After Time by Quietdrive

Book Review: "This Song Will Save Your Life" by Leila Sales

Wow, I loved this book. If you've ever felt like you don't fit in, or that no one understands who you really are, this book is for you.

Elise Dembowski has never quite gotten it right, socially speaking. Deemed a social misfit through no real fault of her own (except she's driven to try to hard), she's never really had any friends, and she's been the butt of every joke. Ostracized in every way, she has always turned to music for comfort, feeling secure with her headphones on and music playing.

"I was born to be unpopular. There was no other way it could have gone."

The summer before her sophomore year of high school, she is determined that this year will be different. She spends the entire summer studying the latest trends, the latest gossip about fashion, celebrities, and music, and spends more money than she'd like on trendier clothes. Yet when the first day of school arrives, she's virtually ignored by her classmates, and it becomes too much to bear.

"They will still see past that, see you, the girl who is still too scared, still too smart for her own good, still a beat behind, still, always, wrong. Change all you want; you can't change that. I know because I tried."

Nearly at the end of her rope, one night she accidentally discovers Start, an underground dance party. No one there knows her, and, more importantly, the people she meets seem to like her. Before long she is sneaking out of her mother's house every Thursday night to attend Start, and starts to develop some friendships—with Vicky, the confident singer who knows all too well what Elise has gone through; Pippa, a confident, cocky English girl and Vicky's best friend; and Char, a cute DJ who takes Elise under his wing.

It is at Start that Elise starts to blossom and feel more confident. Even though the rest of her life continues in the same fashion it always has, at Start, she is accepted, because no one knows the way she has been treated all these years. Char teaches her how to DJ, and she takes a shine to it—and to Char. But of course, she begins to realize that finally being accepted, finding friends as well as something that you love to do all comes with a price, and rules you never realized you had to be mindful of. And once again, Elise struggles with the isolation of high school and feeling like no one truly knows or understands the real her.

I thought this was pretty excellent. I certainly identified with some of the feelings Elise had and understood her isolation, loneliness, and lack of self-worth, so the story really resonated for me. The characters were clever and complex without being stereotypical teens, and they weren't too quirky—everything that happened was completely believable. Leila Sales really did a great job hooking me almost instantaneously on Elise's story, and I read the entire book in a little more than a day. (Of course, I was sad once I finished, because I could have spent more time with these characters.)

This Song Will Save Your Life is another example of how excellent the young adult genre is these days. I never once felt like the book was below my comprehension level, and it didn't seem necessarily geared to a younger reader. If you know how Elise felt, you'll be moved by this book. So glad I read it. While this book didn't save my life, it impacted me, even in a small way.

Book Review: "The Empty Chair: Two Novellas" by Bruce Wagner

"If it were possible to hold all of the people's stories all of the time in one's head, heart and hands, there is no doubt that in the end, each would be unvanquishably linked by a single, religious detail."

In The Empty Chair, Bruce Wagner tells of the Buddhist spiritual journeys taken by two utterly disparate people. Both stories, which happens years apart from each other, are linked in a tenuous way which might strain your memory a little bit, and are told to a fictional Bruce Wagner.

The first novella is the story of an aging gay Buddhist in Big Sur, California. He has led a difficult life, having been repeatedly molested by a priest in his local church, which led him to experience panic attacks as an adult. But he pursued a somewhat romantic relationship with a woman who was enchanted by Buddhism, and had a son, who was the center of their universe. As his wife taught a basic form of Buddhism in prisons (including San Quentin) and then in schools, he raised their son as a stay-at-home father. But their lives were rocked when their 12-year-old son committed suicide, and he has been unable to settle down since that tragedy, traveling in a Volkswagen bus.

The second novella follows Queenie, a larger-than-life woman who was a wild child, sleeping around with dangerous men and taking drugs. She met Kura, a criminal who longs to become a saint, when he saved her life after she was attacked by a boyfriend outside of a nightclub. Kura rescued her, took care of her, and brought her to India on his search for his spiritual guru. Although she ultimately left Kura to follow his own spiritual journey, she always thought of him, and when he calls her 27 years later to ask her to join him in finding the guru again (who has disappeared), she doesn't blink an eye.

I just didn't get this book. Admittedly, I don't know much about Buddhism, but while the book is upfront about its subject matter, I expected the religion to be touched on in a more superficial way, more an Eat, Pray, Love-type of journey than one that delves so deeply in its details. Buddhist terms and figures are used repeatedly without any real background—I honestly felt like the book should have come with a prerequisite that you know a certain amount first.

Wagner's literary device of a narrator recounting the stories he is told as if they're being told to him at that moment didn't work for me either. The narratives were tremendously stream-of-consciousness, which made them difficult to follow. In the first novella, for example, the main character went on extended riffs about the Beat poets and his relationship with the widow of Beat figure Neal Cassady, which detracted from the meat of the plot. And while his son's suicide was tragic, the way it was told, and the details he used, made me uncomfortable at times.

I've never read any of Wagner's books before, but I recognize his ability to give his characters strong voices, so I may try a different one. All of the reviews I've seen of this book have been tremendously positive, so it may be my lack of spiritual awareness buffered me from the book's appeal.

Book Review: "Steelheart" by Brandon Sanderson

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that left a number of human beings with extraordinary powers—some have the ability to change shape, some have superhuman strength, some can create powerful and believable illusions. The public called these people Epics, and had great hopes that they would be able to save the damaged world.

But great ability breeds arrogance, the need for power and control. The Epics kill whomever they want, whenever they want. And the strongest of all of the Epics—Steelheart—has taken control over Newcago, blocking out the sun, and leaving its citizens dependent upon his generosity for food, electricity, shelter, jobs, and their safety.

"I know, better than anyone else, that there are no heroes coming to save us. There are no good Epics. None of them protect us. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. We live with them. We try to exist despite them."

Steelheart is said to be invincible. But David knows the truth. Eight years ago, Steelheart killed David's father and countless others in a heartless attack. Steelheart thought there were no survivors of that day, but David escaped undetected. And he saw that Steelheart bled from a gunshot wound, so he is not as invincible as everyone believes.

"I've seen Steelheart bleed. And I will see him bleed again."

Since the day his father died, David has been quietly studying the Epics, memorizing their skills and their weaknesses, and plotting a strategy by which he may one day get his revenge on the Epic responsible for his father's death. He is determined to join the Reckoners, a shadowy band of ordinary people led by Prof, which is determined to fight and destroy as many Epics as they can. What they lack in numbers they make up for in stealth and innovative technologies. David believes he can encourage the Reckoners to adopt his plan and help him destroy Steelheart, but that is a decision that isn't readily shared by all of the Reckoners.

"'The work we do,' Prof said, 'is not about living. Our job is killing. We'll leave the regular people to live their lives, to find joy in them, to enjoy the sunrises and the snowfalls. Our job is to get them there."

Getting to Steelheart is even more dangerous and complicated than any of the Reckoners, especially David, ever imagined. And after 10 years of thinking about nothing but revenge, he is suddenly forced to confront the question of whether the people of Newcago will be better off without Steelheart, or if having no one to ensure they have food, electricity, and jobs is worse than living under the thumb of a mercurial, homicidal dictator.

How do you know what is the right decision? When you've been consumed with one thought and one thought only for so long, how do you allow yourself to consider a different path? Are you protecting people if you expose them to other hardships? Brandon Sanderson's Steelheart is a tremendously creative, compelling, and complex book, one I really enjoyed. The whole idea of the Epics and the Reckoners is fascinating, and the amount of detail Sanderson put into development of his characters really showed in the book. This is the first book in a projected series, and I look forward to seeing what comes next for these characters.

My favorite books of 2013...

I've been reading for as long as I can remember—it's honestly one of my favorite activities, because it exposes me to some amazingly creative minds and breathtakingly beautiful language. Reading also makes me feel a wide range of emotions—I've been moved to tears, I've been angered and/or frustrated, impressed, inspired, humored, and intrigued, and I've also been compelled to question things around me or shift my way of thinking. But more than that, reading relaxes me. And when you're a type-AAA personality like I am, you take every opportunity to relax you can!

This year I read 126 books. (I actually started, but didn't finish, a few more, as I just couldn't get into them.) I read some absolutely fantastic books, some good ones, and only a few I really disliked. Amazingly, some of the best books I read this year are classified in the "young adult" genre, although there's nothing "young adult" about the writing, the subject matter, or the way they made me feel. It goes to prove that this genre is so much more than books about vampires, wizards, other-worldly beings, and dystopia. (Not that there's anything wrong with those things.)

As I've done the past few years, I've selected 20 of the best books I read this past year, plus five more that just fell short of the top 20 but I still think they're too good to miss. I've linked to my original review of each so you can read more about each one.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on my selections, and what your favorite books were in 2013. One thing you know you can always talk with me about is books!

So here goes, in random order:

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes: The second book I read in 2013 has stayed with me all this time. (Plus it left me a sobbing mess.) Louisa has lived a fairly sheltered, uneventful life in the English town where she grew up. Will was a ruthless, take-no-prisoners businessman, who lived to the extreme in every aspect of his life, until a motorcycle accident left him a quadriplegic. When Louisa becomes Will's caregiver (despite not having any experience in this sort of work), the two begin a relationship of mutual respect and friendship, following a very rough start. When Louisa realizes that she could be the catalyst to changing Will's outlook on life and his desire to keep on living, she does everything in her power to make that happen, not understanding the toll it will take on her life and her relationships—not to mention how it will affect Will. Read my original review.

Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish by David Rakoff: A masterpiece of interconnected stories-in-verse about characters in some sort of emotional flux. Some of the connections come as an utter surprise, but the emotions they generate are truly genuine. As the title suggests, Rakoff's characters are involved with all of those verbs in some way. Beautifully written, and sadly, finished just before Rakoff's death. Read my original review (written mostly in verse, no less).

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan: Seventeen-year-old former boyfriends Harry and Craig are planning to set a new Guinness World Record for continuous kissing, over 32 hours. As their families and friends rally around and react to this decision, Levithan's fantastically moving book also follows two other young gay couples and two gay teens, dealing with their own issues. And it's narrated by a nameless Greek chorus of men who died of AIDS. Part lamentation for what they lost, part reflection on the struggles each of the characters are going through, since they've seen it all, their words are so insightful, so moving, so dead-on in many, many ways, I literally found myself tearing up multiple times as I flew through the book. Read my original review.

Indiscretion by Charles Dubow: Boy, did I love this book, about lifelong friendships, love, devotion, passion, infidelity, and desire. Can you truly love two people at once? Can you spend your entire life loving someone from a distance and be happy only with their proximity? Does betrayal truly kill long-time love? The world of literature is full of books about infidelity, so you may wonder what makes this superlative debut novel so good when there are so many books out there that tell similar stories. While the story may not be unique, Dubow draws you into his characters' lives and gets you so fully immersed that you can't help but be hooked by what happens to them. And even if you can predict what might happen, the journey to those incidents is so worthwhile it doesn't matter if you've seen it all before. Read my original review.

Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala: When the tsunami hit Asia in December 2004, Sonali Deraniyagala and her family were vacationing on the southern coast of Sri Lanka. After the water subsided, she survived, while her husband, two young sons, and her parents all died. While she sustained physical trauma, her emotional trauma was far worse. How could she continue living her life when her entire family was gone? Why did she survive while everyone else died? When every day of her life was defined by her being a wife, a mother, and a daughter, what would happen now? An emotionally powerful account of the days, months, and years of Deraniyagala's life following the tsunami. Read my original review.

Brilliance by Marcus Sakey: In the mid 1980s, children with exceptional gifts, labeled "brilliants," started to be born. More than extreme intelligence or ability, these children have talents beyond any ever seen—reading a person's thoughts or intentions just by looking at them, being able to transform themselves into what ever a person wishes, the ability to become invisible and move where no one is expecting. In the present (although in a world different than our own), a special branch of the U.S. government, the Department of Equitable Services, has been empowered to hunt down the brilliants, or "abnorms," as they're referred to insultingly. One elite member of the Department is Agent Nick Cooper—ruthless, intelligent, driven, and a brilliant himself, drawn to the department to create a safer world. An absolutely phenomenal, compelling, and intriguing read. Read my original review.

This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett: Contrary to the title, this isn't just a book about marriage, but a collection of articles and other writings (as well as two commencement addresses) that Ann Patchett has published in recent years. Many of the articles touch on relationships—with her husband; her brief, disastrous first marriage; her friendship with the late poet Lucy Grealy; her grandmother; her dog; one of the nuns that taught her in Catholic school; even her relationship with her work. Thought-provoking, humorous, and, at times, tremendously moving. Read my original review.

The Realm of Last Chances by Steve Yarbrough: Cal and Kristin Stevens are forced to leave their longtime California home and move across the country, after Kristin loses her job as a university administrator and finds a position at a lesser state school in Massachusetts. Matt Drinnan, an aspiring author forced to start his life over after some mistakes completely derailed his job and his marriage, spends his days trying to fill the emptiness. Filled with regret and what-ifs, he attempts to figure out what is next for him. As Matt and Kristin's relationship intensifies beyond friendship, they find themselves stepping into territory that has many potentially negative consequences for both of them, professionally and personally, as well as Cal. Moving, well-told, and beautifully written. Read my original review.

My favorite songs of 2013...

As I've said numerous times before, music is a huge part of my life. I listen to the radio whenever I'm in the car, I'm attached to my iPod when at the gym or on an airplane, and of course, I tend to find myself singing—a lot—whenever the opportunity allows. So, as I did last year, I've assembled a list of my top 20 favorite songs of the year (no small feat, this), and linked to a YouTube video for each.

While this list is in random order, my favorite song of the year is:

1. Same Love by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Mary Lambert: In January of 2013, I wrote about how much this song moved me, and it still does, every time I hear it. I am grateful to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis for bringing this message to mainstream radio. "I might not be the same, but that's not important...no freedom 'til we're equal, damn right I support it."

2. The Wire by HAIM: I love so much about this song, and everything about this trio of sisters. This song has an awesome 70s-ish vibe mixed with a terrific hook. Check out their entire album.

3. Wake Me Up by Avicii: You cannot escape from this song on the radio these days, plus they're fond of playing it in spin classes at my gym. But you can't miss with a beat like this, or Aloe Blacc's uncredited vocals.

4. Beneath Your Beautiful by Labrinth feat. Emeli Sandé: This is a fantastic pairing of newcomer Labrinth and the sublime Emeli Sandé, whom I would let sing me anything she wanted to just to hear her voice. Plus I think the lyrics are far less insipid than so many other songs out there right now.

5. Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke feat. Pharrell & T.I.: Yeah, yeah, I know. The lyrics are misogynistic, and Robin Thicke might not be the most upstanding gentleman out there. But I haven't been able to get this song out of my head since I first heard it, although I have refrained from asking, "What rhymes with hug me?" Gotta love a song that has generated so many parodies.

6. Cups (Pitch Perfect's "When I'm Gone") by Anna Kendrick: I was a little late to discover the magic of Pitch Perfect, but I am no stranger to the appeal of Anna Kendrick. Makes me want to pick up some flip cups, or something.

7. Brave by Sara Bareilles: Another awesome song with a terrific message that took the airwaves by storm this year. I've been a fan of Sara Bareilles' for years, and I'm thrilled about her success, as well as the popularity of this song. Be brave.

8. Locked Out of Heaven by Bruno Mars: Whether you think Bruno Mars is a spectacular talent or a Michael Jackson wannabe (and I definitely fall into the former camp), this song is almost guaranteed to make you start moving at least one part of your body. (Or at least do the refrain along with him. It's okay. I won't tell.)

9. Thrift Shop by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz: Hell, yeah. The song that single-handedly made thrift shops cool, plus an unbelievable hook. This is, indeed, f--king awesome.

10. Don't You Worry Child by Swedish House Mafia feat. John Martin: Yes, another song you can't get out of your head. But how can you hate on a song with a lyric like, "Don't you worry, don't you worry child, see heaven's got a plan for you"?

Movie Review: "Enough Said"

Everybody has their own opinions. Some are more willing to share them than others, and some people allow themselves to be guided by others' opinions. But does that make us wise, for protecting ourselves, or does that keep us from experiencing the ups and downs of life?

Eva (a less quirky Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is a masseuse. She spends much of her time listening to her clients without talking, and that passivity translates to her personal life as well—while she's sad about her daughter Ellen leaving for college, she can't seem to put her feelings into words. While she certainly doesn't lack for opinions, she's more willing to play peacemaker than create or add to any tensions around her.

At a party she attends with her somewhat-unhappily-married friends (Toni Collette and Ben Falcone), Eva meets two different people—Marianne (Catherine Keener), a poet interested in Eva's services, and Albert (James Gandolfini), who is more interested in Eva, although their initial repartee proves somewhat awkward. But when Albert asks her out on a date, she realizes that she enjoys his company and grows more attracted to him the more time she spends with him. The two share a lot in common, including the fact that they are both anxious about their daughters going across country for college in the fall.

Eva discovers that her newest massage client, Marianne, is a bundle of opinions and complaints, particularly about her ex-husband, whose habits, appearance, and very existence continue to trouble her long after their divorce. Although Marianne is prickly and particular, she and Eva become friends separate from the massages. Yet the more time Eva spends with Marianne, the pieces start to fall into place, and Eva realizes that Marianne's ex-husband, the supposedly slovenly, immature, obese loser, is actually Albert.

A person in their right mind, when put into this situation, would admit the connection she shares with both people. But Eva cannot seem to do this, and although she finds herself truly falling for Albert, she can't tear herself away from hearing all of Marianne's criticisms of him. And then she starts focusing on those foibles Marianne had problems with, to the expense of the good things. In her mind, it's still more effective to learn the bad things before getting more serious.

This is a tremendously funny and sweet movie. Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays a much more complex character than she usually does on television (but still one who resorts to humor in awkward situations), and her performance proves how gifted of an actress she is, for light drama as well as comedy. James Gandolfini plays a different role than he usually has as well, and is vulnerable, sensitive, funny, insecure, and (dare I say it?) lovable. Catherine Keener has the less sympathetic part, but tears into it with prickly gusto.

There's an underlying bittersweet quality to this movie, as it was Gandolfini's second-to-last movie before his sudden death last summer. Much like The Dark Knight following Heath Ledger's death, every nuance of Gandolfini's performance is magnified because of his loss. One can only wonder whether the success of this movie and the reviews he received would have encouraged him to seek out more vulnerable and sensitive roles in addition to the typical parts he often played.

I enjoyed this movie a great deal. You know you're invested in the characters when you want to smack them so they'll behave the way you want them to. Nicole Holofcener's script and direction are terrific, and the movie will make you feel both happy and sad when it's done, but so glad you've seen it.