monthly roundup: nov 2013

Although I've been pretty terrible at blogging in November it's been a pretty good month pop culture-wise. I spent the first part of the month riding a huge nostalgia wave and rewatching Dawson's Creek!I should clarify that I basically spent a fortnight obsessing over 2 seasons of the show (s3&4) and odd episodes in S6 because they're the only ones worth bothering with (read: I only care about Pacey/Joey!). After years of being burnt by TV shows I've learned to become selective as a self-preservation tactic! Fandom should be fun - why subject yourself to stories/characters etc. you don't like?! That petered out and now I'm in the midst of my anticipated Hunger Games spiral. Unfortunately this is the one series where my self-preservation instinct falters - there's too much that I love to bail completely but there also so much to be frustrated with and bitter over!

Anyway! I've watched a lot of new movies that I really enjoyed.this month and I really love some of the music in the mix - if the Demi Levato track isn't one of your faves of the year then I'm not sure we can be friends!

books read

Holly Black - Black Heart (7/10)
Marcus Sedgwick - Midwinterblood (7/10)
Craig Thompson - Blankets (6/10)
Yann Martel - Life of Pi (9/10)

new movies watched

To Catch A Thief (6/10)

Philomena (7/10)

Gravity (8/10)

The Royal Tenembaums (8/10)

Thor: The Dark World (8/10)

On the Town (8/10)

The Kings of Summer (9/10)

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (8/10)

music

Listen

Neon Lights (Betty Who Remix) - Demi Levato
Elastic Heart - Sia [feat. The Weeknd and Diplo]
The Habit - Lissie
About The Boy - Little Mix
Falling - Yuna
Such Great Heights - Anderson .Paak
Boy - Little Mix
The Boy Is Mine (Kulkid Remix) - Brandy and Monica
Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Lorde

monthly roundup: oct 2013

This is just a little late! I thought that I had posted it already - the mix has been up for weeks! Ooops!

books read

Patrick Ness - More Than This (6/10)
Holly Bourne - Soulmates (4/10)
Cheryl Strayed - Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (7/10)
Cathy Brett - Everything is Fine (and Other Lies I Tell Myself) (6/10)
Holly Black - White Cat (7/10)
Veronica Roth - Allegiant (6/10)
Holly Black - Red Glove (6/10)

new movies watched

(I'm not sure if this is entirely accurate - if it is it's a little sad!)

Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs (6/10)

craft projects

A Cowl & Crochet Mitts
Geraldine the Giraffe

music

Listen

Move - Little Mix
Rikki - Blende
Here We Go Again - Johnny Stimson
We Sink - CHVRCHES
Keep on Walking - Gabrielle Aplin
You're Lucky to be Alive - CHVRCHES x Empire of the Sun
Unbound - CATHEDRALS
Electric Feel (Kygo Remix) - Henry Green

monthly roundup: september 2013

After a pretty stressful summer, I could not have had a more stress-free September. There was the odd twine of anxiety as I tried to get registered for my PhD and find somewhere to live but I spent most of last month reading, shopping, watching movies and The West Wing and crocheting. I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep up that level of stresslessness or the same frequency of blog posts as I begin my PhD but it was fun while it lasted!

books read

034 Mary Ann Shaffer - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (7/10)
035 Marissa Meyer - Cinder (7/10)
036 Marissa Meyer - Scarlet (7/10)
037 Katie Coyle - Vivian Versus the Apocalypse (9/10)
038 Maggie Stiefvater - The Dream Thieves (9/10)

new movies watched

The King and I* (5/10)

About Time^ (8/10)

The Princess Bride (7/10)

Rush^ (7/10)

craft projects

'Bozwonk', The Crochet Cat

Crochet Cushion Covers

music

Listen

Forest - Park, Squares, And Alleys
Renaissance Girls (Nick Zinner Remix) - Oh Land
We Can't Stop - Bastille
Cannabutter Kisses - Elli Ingram
Elliot - Roosevelt
Grand Union - Arthur Beatrice
Darling Are You Gonna Leave Me - London Grammar
Stay With Us - Seoul
Cry No More - Vaults
Rescue - Yuna

monthly roundup: august 2013

This month my head was completely wrapped up in my dissertation so it was a bit of a wash-out in terms of reading and blogging - it's only thanks to my progress earlier in the year that I'm still on track to complete my 50 books in 2013 challenge. It hasn't been a totally wasted month however - Matter Loved Dust has a new layout! As much as I liked the black it was just a little too gloomy! I'm also really happy with how quickly I've taken up crochet - I've already completed a couple of projects and have a ton more waiting to be done! I only went to the cinema once in August but as we head in to the autumn and Oscar season I'm sure that I'll get back up towards one cinema trip a week.

books read

033 D. H. Lawrence - Lady Chatterley's Lover (6/10)

new movies watched

Monsters University^ (6/10)

Celeste & Jesse Forever (8/10)
My Fair Lady* (5/10)

craft projects

'The Office' Granny Square Blanket

Knitting Basket

String Bag

music

Listen

(Everything Is) Debatable - Hellogoodbye

Young Love (feat. Koko LaRoo) - Felix Cartal

Think of You (RAC Remix) - MS MR

Anxious People - Sunboy

Minnesota, WI (Oliver Nelson Remix) - Bon Iver

Black Crown - Silent Rider & Camille Corazón

Waves That Rolled You Under - Young Summer

One Last Time - Jaymes Young

monthly roundup: july 2013

Between my dissertation and my holiday I've been a little distracted this month. I didn't love any of the books I read on holiday but I saw Pacific Rim the other day and it was AWESOME! Sure it was an epic CGI-fest but it had so much heart and was wayyyyyyy less heavy than I was anticipating! Definintely recommend it! I should also confess that I never watched The Office when it was on the air but I found it on Netflix earlier in the month and devoured the 6 seasons up there in a terrifyingly small amount of time! In my defence I've been using the time to practice my crocheting!

My dissertation deadline is the 28th August so I might not be around much until then. I hope you all enjoy the rest of the summer!


books read

029 Evelyn Waugh - A Handful of Dust (6/10)
032 Libba Bray - Beauty Queens (7/10)
031 Ken Follett - Jackdaws (4/10)
032 Will Schwalbe - The End of your Life Book Club (6/10)

new movies watched

Despicable Me 2 (6/10)

Pacific Rim (8/10)

music

Listen

Flatline - Mutya Keisha Siobhan
Back Seat Lover - Mayer Hawthorne
My Type - SAINT MOTEL
Release You - Megan & Liz
All of the People - Panama Wedding
Desert Night - RÜFÜS
Emmanuel - BASECAMP
Stay Inside - Raleigh Ritchie
No Diggity (AA 'All Inside' Edit) - DJ AA

monthly roundup: june 2013

My dissertation has continued to kick my ass this month but fortunately June was a good enough month pop culture-wise to make up for it. The books I read this month ranged from the 'more-readable-than-I-thought-they-would-be' modern classics I'm reading for my dissertation to the !!!!!!!!!!!!!-inducingly wonderful Rose Under Fire. While none of the movies I watched quite made it to a 5* rating, I really really liked all of them: like good rom-coms should both When Harry Met Sally and Populaire left me feeling all warm and fuzzy;  I loved the first half of Man of Steel so much that even the last act's violence fest didn't entirely turn me off and although Before Midnight didn't make for the most comfortable viewing, the writing was so great (both in terms of its honesty and its snappiness) that I could quite happily have sat watching them for another half hour!

Coming up in July: more books and some movies for my dissertation (up next: Evelyn Waugh and D. H. Lawrence), kids movies (Despicable Me 2 and Monsters University) and my holiday!


books read

Connie Willis - Doomsday Book (6/10)
Katie McGarry - Pushing the Limits (6/10)
Elizabeth Wein - Rose Under Fire (9/10)
Ford Madox Ford - The Good Soldier (6/10)
W. Somerset Maugham - The Painted Veil (6/10)
Rainbow Rowell - Eleanor & Park (8/10)

new movies watched

When Harry Met Sally (8/10)

Populaire^ (8/10)

Man of Steel^ (8/10)

Much Ado About Nothing^ (7/10)
Before Midnight^  (8/10)

music

Listen

Happy - Pharrell Williams
This Head I Hold (Rudi Zygadlo Remix) - Electric Guest
Pony Come Back (Ginuwine x Kill Paris x Daft Punk) - BootOX
Undressed (Oliver Nelson Remix) - Kim Cesarion
Cold Front - Laura Welsh
Cosmic Shadow (KT Tunstall x Florence & the Machine x Seven Lions) - ElectroSound
What You Know About Staying Awake? (Two Door Cinema Club x Ellie Goulding) - Flipboitamidles
Say Yr Name (Destiny's Child x Slow Magic) - The Hood Internet
Warm Water - Banks

monthly roundup: may 2013

Not a lot of commentary this month as I'm currently spending my days in the British Library Newspaper Archives in London. On the plus side, there's a little more music in the monthly mix today! The news in brief: book of the month = Paper Aeroplanes, movie of the month = Fast & Furious 5.


books read

Dawn O'Porter - Paper Aeroplanes (7/10)
Graeme Simsion - The Rosie Project (5/10)
Andrea Cremer & David Levithan - Invisibility (5/10)
Natasha Farrant - The Things We Did For Love (6/10)

new movies watched

Iron Man 3 (8/10)

Little Miss Sunshine (7/10)

Scott Pilgrim vs The World (6/10)

Star Trek Into Darkness (9/10)

Casablanca (9/10)

Fast and Furious (6/10)

Fast and Furious 5 (8/10)

Fast and Furious 6 (7/10)

The Great Gatsby (6/10)

music

Listen

Get Lucky (Vanderway Remix) - Daft Punk
Get Free (Vacationer Remix) - Major Lazer
Dreams (Fleetwood Mac Cover) - Bastille ft. Gabrielle Aplin
Midnight Scrubs (TLC vs. M83) - lobsterdust
Peaks - SPEAK
Diamonds - The Boxer Rebellion
Modern Hearts (feat. St Lucia) - The Knocks
Right Here (feat. Foxes) - Rudimental
Adornocene (Bon Iver vs Miguel) - The Hood Internet
Radioactive vs Radioactive - Imagine Dragons & Marina and the Diamonds
Crosses (Dinner Date Remix) - Jose Gonzalez
Fireproof - The National
Get Lucky (Daft Punk cover) - Daughter

monthly roundup: april 2013

I hope that everyone had a lovely April! I got to spend most of mine at home which was lovely - I didn't do a whole lot of work but I did get to play a lot of MarioKart, watch lots of musicals and spend time with my family!

In addition to the books and movies I'm also really loving this season of Mad Men. Knowing that I like Mad Men is a constant in my life but it's only when it's airing that I remember just how much I love it. I'm so into it at the moment that I can't cope with just one ep a week so I'm rewatching the whole series! It's so interesting being able to directly compare S6 with the much earlier stuff. I just love that it rewards close watching.

I also started listening to the NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast this month and I love it - their commentary is intelligent and engaged and so full of love. I'm so jealous that people get to talk about pop culture as a job!

Anyway, here's the monthly run-down. There are lots of remixes/mashups in this month's playlist - it's spring, time for the upbeat music!


books read

Rachel Hartman - Seraphina (7/10)
Lydia Syson - A World Between Us (6/10)
Ernest Cline - Ready Player One (8/10)
James Dasher - The Maze Runner (5/10)
Sally Gardner - Maggot Moon (8/10)

new movies watched

The Host (5/10)

West Side Story (8/10)

Oblivion (7/10)

Funny Face (7/10)

A Late Quartet (8/10)

music

Listen

Hollywood Blvd - RAC x Penguin Prison x Empire of the Sun x Felix da Housecat x TEED
We Belong Together (It Ain't Over 'til It's Over) - Mariah Carey x Lenny Kravitz x K'naan x Max Herre
Ignition (1901 Remix) - R. Kelly vs. Phoenix
Ghost Machine, Where Have You Been - Rihanna, Florence Welch x Deadmau5
I Knew You Had A Heart Attack - Taylor Swift vs. Demi Levato
How Ya Doin'? - Little Mix
Habits - Tove Lo
Analyser - Aluna George
Imagine It Was Us - Jessie Ware
Oblivion (feat. Susanne Sundfør) - M83

monthly roundup: march 2013

As expected my workload has been really intense over the last few weeks so I've barely had any time to do any reading but as of today I'm on Easter break! I'll be writing my MRes dissertation between now and August so I have a plenty of reading to do for that over the break but I'm hoping to use the huge pile of YA books I've accumulated over the last few months as an antidote to that!

I know I haven't posted anything about my 50 musicals challenge in a while. It might be a little longer (the laptop I'm taking home doesn't have photoshop and half the fun of musicals are the visuals) but I'll try to get on it ASAP. I did watch Calamity Jane for the first time last weekend and LOVED it! Doris Day is so lovely! Over the break I'll be rewatching the High School Musical trilogy - I've been saving them to watch with my sister! EXCITED!


books read
012 Anna Richards - Little Gods (8/10)
013 Morgan Matson - Second Chance Summer (5/10)

posts/memes

ttt: 10 books tbr in spring 2013
ttt: 10 books I rec the most

new movies watched

Lore (9/10)
Robot and Frank (6/10)
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (7/10)
Rebecca (7/10)
Side Effects (6/10)
Calamity Jane (8/10)

Wreck-it Ralph (7/10)

The A*Team (6/10)

music

Listen

The Hood Internet - Suit and Commercial (Justin Timberlake vs Daft Punk)
Fenech Soler - Maiyu
PLOY - X I X
Mutya Keisha Siobhan - Lay Down In Swimming Pools
Dan Croll - From Nowhere
MS MR - Dark Doo Wop
Rihanna - Stay (Branchez Bootleg)
Lance Herbstrong - Finally Moving (Pretty Lights x Jimi Hendrix x Lance Herbstrong Remix)

monthly roundup: feb 2013

I hope you've all had a fine February! I can't say that mine has been particularly eventful but that has left plenty of time for reading and movie watching! I'm still ahead of schedule on all of my 2013 projects though I only watched 1 musical this month! I have several uni deadlines at the end of March that could mean that my reading will tail off in the next couple of weeks but I may well end up using books to procrastinate!

In terms of recs, I definitely recommend 'Tell the Wolves I'm Home' - it was by far my favourite of everything I read this month and I can almost guarantee that it'll be on my best of the year list. If you like gorgeously filmed, theme based movies I recommend 'To The Wonder', otherwise my movie rec of the month is 'Beautiful Creatures' which I enjoyed wayyyyy more than I was expecting. As both movies suggest, I'm easily swayed by excellent faces!


books read

Ally Carter - Perfect Scoundrels (7/10)
Gayle Foreman - Just One Day (8/10)
Maggie Stiefvater - The Raven Boys (8/10)
Carol Rifka Brunt - Tell the Wolves I'm Home (9/10)
Bill Bryson - A Walk in the Woods (6/10)

new movies watched

Last Night (7/10)

Lincoln (8/10)

High Society (6/10)

Warm Bodies (7/10) 

Beautiful Creatures (7/10)

To The Wonder (8/10)

music

Listen

Lana del Rey - Summertime Sadness (Monsieur Adi Remix)
BASTILLE - Pompeii (Monsieur Adi Remix)
Chloe Howl - Rumour
MS MR - Fantasy
Atlas - Thinking Bout You (Frank Ocean cover)
James Blake - Retrograde
Frank Ocean - Pyrite (Fool’s Gold)
Foxes - Warrior (acoustic)
Miley Cyrus - Jolene

monthly roundup: jan 2013

At least from a pop culture POV, 2013 has got off to a pretty good start. I'm ahead of schedule in my challenges to read 50 books/watch 50 musicals this year. My reading pace has already dropped off a little but I'm hoping to get sucked in to some good YA this month so that should pick up!


books read
McFly - Unsaid Things...Our Story (5/10)
Gillian Flynn - Gone Girl (7/10)
Courtney Summers - This Is Not A Test (6/10)
Connie Willis - Blackout (8/10)
John Green - The Fault in Our Stars (7/10)
Connie Willis - All Clear (8/10)

new movies watched

Pitch Perfect (8/10)

Life of Pi (9/10)

Easter Parade (7/10)

Swing Time (8/10)

Les Miserables (7/10)

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (6/10)

Annie Get Your Gun (4/10)

music

Listen

First Aid Kit - Winter Is All Over (Bauuer Remix)
Gabrielle Aplin - Please Don't Say You Love Me (Cyril Hahn Remix)
Katy B x Geeneus x Jessie Ware - Aaliyah
Metric - Gold Guns Girls (Glasnost Remix)
HAERTS - Wings
Misun - Battlefields
Theophilus London x Rihanna - Jump (Club Cheval Remix)
Avicii x Coldplay x Matthew Koma x Krewella - Teardrops (Troika Remix)