Monthly Archives: February 2014

Music, Phillip's Opinion, StoryTime

I KNEW IT!!!!!

In my last post I argued that “Glory and Gore” should be Lorde’s new single from Pure Heroine and I have two important updates.

First, the song, when I wrote about it, was number 40 on iTunes, now it’s number 23!:

"Glory and Gore" at number 23, as of 2/27/14

“Glory and Gore” at number 23, as of 2/27/14

 

Second, “Glory and Gore” is actually going to be the next single from Pure Heroine!!!  Not to gloat, but I KNEW IT!!!

"Glory and Gore" will impact radio March 11th (keep your ears peeled).

“Glory and Gore” will impact radio March 11th (keep your ears peeled).

 

Perhaps when I was writing about this, Republic and Lava Records knew/was keeping track of the success of “Glory and Gore,” just as I was.  

When I was driving home from school today, I was actually planning on writing a post entitled “The Real Reason for the Failure of the Music Industry,” in which I would shame Republic and Lava Records for not taking “Glory and Gore”‘s recent success and growing it.  In all fairness, I read in multiple sources that Lorde’s next single was intended to be “No Better,” a left over track that is on the extended version of Pure Heroine.  

Listen to “No Better” here (could be her next single for the summer…it’s totally a summer song):

While I adore “No Better” and certainly believe it will be a #PhillipsSongOfTheDay in the near future and should be a single eventually, I was going to write that it doesn’t make sense to undercut the success of “Glory and Gore,” success which was garnered from the fans and the promotional use (see my post Lorde’s New Single for more details).  Like, there would be no ROMI (Return On Marketing Investment…learned about that today in class…) by choosing a different single that had less promotion than “Glory and Gore.”

What I’m suggesting may seem like common sense, and rather foolish that a record company would pull such a stunt of releasing a song as a single when a different song had more attention.  BUT IT HAS HAPPENED.  Let’s not forget Taylor Swift’s album Speak Now and her song “Sparks Fly.”  This song happened to be a huge fan favorite.  Swift played this song at one or two of her shows (apparently she wrote it for Fearless and played it at the live show to test it with an audience, but decided to scrap it for a different song), and a very rough live version could be downloaded online or listened to on youtube, such as:

Really rough quality, probably because it was recorded from a cellphone or cheap camera.  Regardless, us Swifties found this and loved it.  After much demand, Swift obliged her fans and put the studio version on Speak Now (insert tears of joy…our hard work paid off).  Once Speak Now was released, “Sparks Fly” rocketed to #1 on the iTunes Top Singles.  And what song did Big Machine Records release as her next single? “Back to December.”  I mean, it wasn’t a bad decision, given the fact the song was released as a promotional single weeks before as part of the “Count Down to Speak Now” campaign and had some exposure.  But still, I personally felt that anticipation grew for the release of “Sparks Fly,” and such anticipation could have be used to impact radio.  And I think Big Machine did know of this anticipation and knew it was radio friendly, given the fact that they released it practically a year later as a single. While “Sparks Fly” did manage to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs, it only went to #17 on the Billboard Hot 100.  I fear if it was released in the first week of November 2010 like “Back to December” was, it could have broken through the top 10 (it would have also made for a better pop radio version than “Back to December”); the fact that they waited so long to release as a single I think hurt it’s chart and commercial performance.  And let’s not forget “Back to December” only went to #3 on the Hot Country Songs and #18 on the Hot 100…so, there…

But, back to Lorde and “Glory and Gore:”  Republic and Lava Records are off the hook…for now…

 

P.S. I admire Big Machine Records for the fact that their business model puts music before business; they work with their artists and see their artists as partners, not employees (cough, cough….why they are one of the most successful independent labels…cough, cough….).


 

	

	
	




	
	

				

			Music, Phillip's Opinion
		

		
Lorde’s New Single.

		

			 		

	


		

		
“Glory and Gore” should be next single from Pure Heroine.  While “Team” is currently burning up radio here in the US, it is starting to fall on the iTunes top selling singles and the Billboard Hot 100, an indication that the single’s life is coming to an end.  While it is still in the bottom of the top ten in both iTunes and Billboard, it is time to think ahead.


“Glory and Gore,” while being a fan favorite, has started to gain traction with a wider audience.  I think perhaps it’s because it was used in a promotional campaign for the History Channel’s show Vikings:




I’m not entirely sure if that’s the only reason for it’s popularity (I don’t know if “Glory and Gore” was used in any other ads or promotions…I’m good, but not that good), but it has gone to number 40 on the iTunes Top 100:


"Glory and Gore" is currently #40 on iTunes, as of 2/25/14
“Glory and Gore” is currently #40 on iTunes, as of 2/25/14


The only other Lorde songs on the iTunes Top 100 are “Team” and “Royals,” her two hit singles.  Yesterday “Glory and Gore” was at number 41, so it’s position has been rising on it’s own accord (i.e. without any radio airplay or live performance promotion).  Given the fact that the History Channel, while a brilliant network, probably doesn’t serve a lot of viewers within Lorde’s target market (i.e. teens and college kids (although I know a lot of kids my age love the History Channel, so maybe it’s wrong to assume only older men watch the History Channel…)), if “Glory and Gore” is given the promotions within the given target then Lorde may have herself another Top 10 hit.


I also base this on the fact the song is one of the catchiest and more listened to songs on Pure Heroine.  With her usual dark and mystical vocals, “Glory and Gore” charms the listener within the first five seconds.  More specifically, during the chorus, Lorde and producer Joel Little added a background vocalized “oh, oh” which really draws the listener in.  Even her imagery within her lyrics of “gladiators,” “battles,” and “saviors” evokes this kind of brave fighter attitude that my generation espouses.  Don’t believe me this song is worth a listen?  Just listen to the clip in the Vikings commercial in the above YouTube clip and you’ll be listening to “Glory and Gore” on repeat!


***UPDATE***


“Glory and Gore” is now #28 on iTunes (cough, cough):


"Glory and Gore" is now #28 on iTunes Top 200, 2/26/14
“Glory and Gore” is now #28 on iTunes Top 200, 2/26/14


 


 


Quick poll for my fellow Lorde-ites:










 

	

	
	




	
	

				

			StoryTime
		

		
What College Has Done to Me.

		

			 		

	


		

		
Before I was in college I never checked my email.  What was the point?  Like, no one ever emailed me, unless I emailed them.  However, three years into business school later, I check my email like every five minutes.  Seriously.  It’s quite hilarious actually when I don’t check my email, because then I get like twenty-five unread emails, angry group members who are like “why didn’t you respond in time?,” and I find out classes were cancelled after I drove the twenty miles there.


I’m not complaining.  Seriously.  I actually think this has made me more responsible in my duties and more conscious of other people’s time.  But I just think it’s kind of funny how dependent I’ve become to email since starting college.  I’ve even figured out how to route out my email to different inboxes so an email from one particular class or group project will go into one folder, while emails from work will go to another, and so on.  This is me being #efficient and #prepared.


I decided to go to business school because business was the one thing I did not learn about in high school, and I felt I could do anything with a business degree.  Three years later, I have moments where I’ll be driving somewhere or I’ll be talking  to someone and I’ll say/think something business-like and kind of be like “where’d that come from?”  The other day, my parents and I were out shopping and we kept driving past nail salons, and I out of the blue thought “There must be a high demand for nail salons, at least I hope they’re aware of the market they’re in….I wonder if they’ve set up Google Adwords and verified their locations to help them stand out against their competitors.”  Then I stopped, took a moment to realize that I was thinking about what I discussed in my eMarketing class the day before and realize that I know stuff.


When I think about college and my experience thus far, my first inclination is to say I’ve learned nothing; I feel like the same old idiot I was three years ago.  But then I realize I’m really not.  I’ve grown, I’ve matured, I’ve become more confident (I recently just sang a presentation in one of my classes because I thought it would be funny (which it was)…something I would never have done three years ago).  I also check my email a lot more.  But I’ve learned a lot about business and how I would run my own company…I’m not as much of an idiot as I think I am…apparently…


 


 

	

	
	




	
	

				

			#PhillipsSongOfTheDay, Music
		

		
Tomorrow Things May Change…

		

			 		

	


		

		
I think I’ve said before that I tend to listen to music that reflects my mood, but lately I’ve been in a really weird mood that I feel is only embodied in the song “Tomorrow” by Avril Lavigne (thereby making it #PhillipsSongOfTheDay, Lavigne’s first).


I used to be the kind of person that had to know literally what a song would mean; my dad and I would often go on car rides, listen to music, and analyze what a song was precisely saying (my dad is freakishly good at doing this).  Recently, though, I’ve decided that I can’t digest exactly what a song is supposed to say, but I know what the song means to me.  For example, I’m kind of obsessed with Lorde’s music right now; I loved the song “Team” from the first time I heard it, but I remember telling my dad on one of our car rides “I love this song, but I have no idea what it means.”  I then thought about why I loved the song – I felt it displays a strong sense of camaraderie and sense of belonging to people who are different and stand out (people like me).  I don’t know if that’s what Lorde intended, but that’s what I got from it (and that’s all that matters to me at this point).


Anyway, I digress whenever I talk about Lorde.  For me, “Tomorrow” tells the story of the feeling just before getting over someone/something and moving on; you’re in the process of accepting your situation:




“I don’t know how I’ll feel,

tomorrow, tomorrow,

I don’t know what to say,

tomorrow, tomorrow

Is a different day”




Clearly here Lavigne is espousing that she doesn’t know how she’ll get over this person or feeling, but she knows things will change in the future (as the future is a “different day”).  It’s kind of an unusual song in that it’s not about breaking up with someone and it’s not about having moved on about some; it’s like you’ve been wounded, but the scab just formed and you’re not healed just yet.  It’s a transitional song.


I’ve just been getting lost in this song because of it’s beauty and the fact I honestly relate to it.  What stands out to me is when she says she wants to “believe” in this person, but feels that she can’t; there’s a breach in her trust of this person:




“And I wanna believe you,

When you tell me that it’ll be ok,

Yeah, I try to believe you,

But I don’t”




I don’t really know why I’ve been feeling exactly like this, but I think I’m in a transitional moment in my life where I want to believe in everyone and everything, and trust that everyone is my friend, but I’ve had a lot of friendships/relationships that did not pan out.  This is not a “oh, poor Phillip moment,” this is me stating how music really brings out different emotions in me and makes me reflect on my life; that’s the magic of music.  For example, if you asked me before listening to “Tomorrow” if I was happy with my life, I would probably have said yes.  It’s not exactly perfect at the moment, but it could honestly be a whole lot worse.  But upon listening to “Tomorrow,” I’ve realized that there is a big thing missing from my life, which is why I know I’m not at the top of mountain of life…if that makes sense at all…


Furthermore, I find “Tomorrow” to be such a beautifully composed and performed song.  In particular, I think the acoustic guitar is so warm and, want for a better word, fulfilling.  It just adds the right tone, a sort of rawness.  Also, I think the “hey yeah yeah”‘s during the bridge are just perfect.


Another reason why I’m in awe of this song is the fact that it was never a single, but it’s as though it was.  I kind of feel like Avril Lavigne’s album Let Go is my generation’s album.  I just remember growing up and everyone having a copy of that album and singing along to it.  Whenever you mention this song or play it, people tend to know it.  It’s odd, usually that only happens with singles.  Like you know all Beyoncé’s or Rihanna’s hits (songs that were singles), but can you name a song  of theirs that wasn’t a single but still a well known song?  I can’t.  It just goes to show how much success Lavigne had with Let Go, and it marks her as a great musician (at that time).


So, yeah, “Tomorrow” by Avril Lavigne is #PhillipsSongOfTheDay, and here’s to hoping tomorrow things may change!

	

	
	




	
	

				

			StoryTime
		

		
Vivere Una Vita Bella

		

			 		

	


		

		
You know what’s weird?  If you go to Google Translate and type in “vivere una bella vita,” it translates from Italian as “live a good life,” but “vivere una vita bella” translates from Italian as “live a beautiful life.”  Like, literally one word was moved and it changes the definition.


I’ve only had two years of Italian in high school, so I barely know any Italian, but I like to pretend I know a lot (I’m not crazy, I’m just an Italian-American who is very proud of his ancestry and family roots).  So today I was listening to Coldplay’s song “Viva La Vida” and I was like “hey, that’s Italian or something” (of course it’s not, but it sounds like it should be).  I did a Google Translate to see what language it is and what it means (I was assuming it had something to do with life).  According to Google, it is apparently Spanish for “live life.”  So then I decided to translate it to Italian, ’cause you know I’m Italian.  I then decided to change the Italian to say “Live a beautiful life” instead of “live life,” because, whatever.  Anyway, when I was playing around with this I remembered the adjectives in Italian go after the subject they are describing, instead of in English where our adjectives go before our subjects (I think…it’s been like four or five-ish years since I’ve taken an Italian class).  Whilst I was playing with my adjective, I noticed the translation changed from “beautiful” to “good.”  And I have absolutely no idea why.  If you know, let us know in the comments below (again, play nice children)!


My googling efforts
My googling efforts


One day I will go to Italy and recite the very little Italian I know: “Fa mi uno sconto?” (“can you give me a discount”), “la creme solar (“sunscreen”…I don’t know why I would randomly say that to someone in Italy…can you just imagine, me walking up to a random stranger at a piazza and being like “sunscreen!”), and “ho mal di gola” (“I have a sore throat”).


So, yeah…this is just a random fact/thing I learned today on my Friday and thought I’d share…a #PhillipsSongOfTheDay might be coming up soon, so look out for that!  And remember, “Vivere una vita bella!” (live a beautiful life!)


 

	

	
	




	
	

				

			#PhillipsSongOfTheDay, Music
		

		
I’m Not Beyoncé

		

			 		

	


		

		
When I was a junior in high school, we had a  project where we had to make some sort of satire (just like the movie Mean Girls, which is coming to its tenth anniversary…jeez, I’m getting old).  There were many forms of satire we could attempt, but I ended up choosing to “mock” a popular song.  Basically I had to take the melody and rhythm of some popular song and make fun of something.


Obviously I chose to utilize Beyoncé’s “Halo.”  Like, how hard would that be.


As it turned out, incredibly hard.  As a male with a deep voice, singing any kind of Beyoncé, let alone “Halo,” is not an easy accomplishment.  The funny part is that I did not realize this until the night before the project was due.  I had decided to record the song to see how I sounded before I would “perform” my hit in front of the class.  When I listened back to my recording I was all:




YIKES!!!!




I’m not a terrible singer or musician, I’m just not Beyoncé (sad face…sort of), and I was trying to be…make of that what you will….


Needless to say, every time I hear “Halo” I’m reminded of that disaster and I always cringe.  Which is why I can only listen to Beyoncé’s music in small dosages…any prolonged listening session reminds me of the night I decided to become Beyoncé.


Tonight, however, I decided to listen to “Halo” on repeat.  Apparently I’m a masochist.


Actually, no.  I’m tired of running from my fears or my mistakes.  I’m tired of being embarrassed of things that may or may not have happened.  I know life is too short to worry about things, but until now I never lived with that PHILosophy (see what I did there…my name is Phillip…philosophy…PHILosophy….hehehe).  I’ve just decided in the last five seconds that I’m not ever going to hide myself again or avoid being myself in the company of others.  A group of idiots may have had a problem with that when I was in high school, but you know what, I don’t care anymore.  It’s like what Hagrid says in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire:




“There’s some who’d always hold it up against yeh … there’s some who’d even pretend they just had big bones rather than stand up an’ say — I am what I am, an’ I’m not ashamed.” (HP4)




So, I may not be Beyoncé.  Who cares? I’m Phillip.  And I think he’s pretty awesome.


P.S. I decided to name "Halo" by Beyoncé as #PhillipsSongOfTheDay because of the above story, but also because I think Ryan Tedder did a #fab job with the production…the drum beat and piano really make the song, in addition to Beyoncé's vocal performance.



	

	
	




	
	

				

			#PhillipsSongOfTheDay, Music
		

		
Rihanna’s Russian Roulette

		

			 		

	


		

		
It’s creepy.  It’s dark, perhaps even sinister. But “Russian Roulette” by Rihanna is #PhillipsSongOfTheDay.


This song is incredible and awful at the same time.  I say that because while the songwriting and performance is phenomenal, the overall theme of the song is just too dark for my taste.  I first want to commend songwriters Shaffer Smith and Charles Harmon for their ability of telling such an in-depth story.  While it is simply a story of a person (or persons) playing a game of russian roulette, it captures the terrified emotion of the narrator, and it brings in the ideas of the meaning of life  and how one’s actions have consequences.  For example, the character in this song starts to realize while they are playing this game that they may actually die, the ultimate loss:




“I’m wondering, will I ever see another sunrise?


So many won’t get the chance to say good-bye


But its too late to think of the value of my life.”




The fact that this song has so many layers that are so intricately woven in themselves is just incredible, and I really admire that as a songwriter.  I personally find when I write songs that my songs need to convey the specific emotion or feeling while, if possible, telling a story, which “Russian Roulette” does.  I find poorly written songs tend to be so broad that it’s impossible to connect with or understand what the song is conveying.  On the opposite side of the spectrum, if a song is too detailed or has too much in it, it may deter listeners as it may be overly complicated or suggest a behavior that is not desirable.  “Russian Roulette” may possibly do this.


At the very last second of this song, a gun shot is fired off, suggesting that the character pulled the gun and died (sad face).  That, to me, is an example of how this song is inspiring and disgusting.  The gun shot furthers the story and causes the listener to paint their own mental image, but at the same time it’s not really a delicious image to envision.  This may be how Smith and Harmon put too much info into the song; like, we get it, Rihanna’s character is freaked out…does she really need to die?


I also want to commend Rihanna’s vocal ability of evoking such dark emotion.  Specifically, at the parts where she sings:




“And you can see my heart beating


You can see it through my chest.


Said I’m terrified but I’m not leaving


I know that I must pass this test


So, just pull the trigger”




It’s at moments like these where Rihanna’s vibrato is prominent and sheds the almost perplexed fear of the narrator.  I honestly think the song would not work if Rihanna’s vocal performance was not as strong as it is here.


Check out this lyric video of “Russian Roulette,” listen for Rihanna’s incredible vibrato/vocal delivery:



	

	
	




	
	

				

			#PhillipsSongOfTheDay, Music
		

		
A+ for Ed Sheeran

		

			 		

	


		

		
I was busy writing other posts, doing homework, watching tv, and listening to music (I’m a very talented multitasker) when I decided I wanted to stop and just commend Ed Sheeran for his song “Lego House,” which should have been #PhillipsSongOfTheDay but never has.  So it’s official today: “Lego House” by Ed Sheeran is #PhillipsSongOfTheDay.


I was first introduced to Sheeran’s music when his Grammy nominated song “The A Team” was available on iTunes as the Free Song of the Week, and I was taken with his vocal ability (he really can hit those high notes, I saw him perform live and, man, he got really up there) and the rawness of his music.  I didn’t really become a full fledged fan until I heard “Lego House,” which is just a phenomenal song, and saw him perform live.


The reason “Lego House” has deserved to be #PhillipsSongOfTheDay is because it is a wholesome sounding song.  From the soft guitar melody to Sheeran’s warm vocals, the song is like a tonic on a sad, rainy day.




“I’m out of touch, I’m out of love


I’ll pick you up when you’re getting down


And out of all these things I’ve done


I think I love you better now


I’m out of sight, I’m out of mind


I’ll do it all for you in time


And out of all these things I’ve done


I think I love you better now”




The thing that really makes this such a phenomenal song is the background vocals, which I assume are done by Sheeran.  Hats off to the person(s) who engineered/created the background vocals specifically during the chorus, particularly in the lines “I’ll pick you up when you’re getting down” and “I’ll do it all for you in time.” During these lines, Sheeran’s background vocals harmonize the last word of each line (“down” and “time,” respectively) and holds it out longer than the lead vocal.  I’m not entirely sure how to explain it, but if you listen for it during the chorus, you’ll pick up on it.  But, whoever thought of the idea to have Sheeran hold out those words, kind of like a faint sigh, is just a genius. Pure genius.


Listen for the background vocals here (and, yes, that is the same guy who played Ron in Harry Potter):




Watching Sheeran perform live was a real honor and inspiration because he performed without a band.  It was just him and his guitar.  It wasn’t an acoustic session; Sheeran is his own band.  He uses a foot pedal to record/loop different sounds he makes on the guitar, so he would bang out a beat on his guitar, step on his foot pedal, make another sound on his guitar, step on his foot pedal, and so on.


Sheeran performing during Taylor Swift's Red Tour
Sheeran performing during Taylor Swift’s Red Tour


He even tried to get different sections of the audience to perform different harmonies (I believe I turned to my dad, who was with me at the time and said, “God, where’s my sheet music…am I on pitch?”). It was a blast because it was just a guy and his guitar.  #TheMusicainIWantToBe


 

	

	
	




	
	

				

			StoryTime
		

		
The Snow Can’t Stop

		

			 		

	


		

		
She opened the back door, stuck the yard stick into the snow, and examined it.  “We’re at eleven inches” my mom said.


If you’ve been following this blog since it’s beginning (hi mom!), you probably have picked up two things: I hate the snow/cold and I live in a magical place where it currently has freezing temperatures and has been snowing like crazy.  Today was weird because the weather reports weren’t too clear what was going to happen.  In fact, my school insisted on staying open, then closed half way through the day realizing the weather was definitely not going to flake out.


While I was working on my homework, I would casually glance out the window and just think the snow was so minimal.  I’ve lived through blizzards and Northeasters where the snow is coming down; this snow just looked like a simple dusting.  So when my mom said it had snowed eleven inches I didn’t think anything of it, for some reason the number meant nothing to me.


Then I actually went outside to shovel.  Well, now is when I was shocked how much it snowed.  The snow was up to my knees.  My freakin’ knees.  It was me and my small shovel versus a sea monster of snow. Gulp.


I’m going to regret saying this, and if you ever mention it I will deny this, but I kind of like shoveling snow (cue gasps).  It’s just a great opportunity to plug the headphones in and jam to music while getting a good workout.  I typically create playlists of songs to jam to while shoveling (check out my post “You’re Snow Shoveling Playlist“), but today I listened to one song: “We Can’t Stop” by Miley Cyrus.


I was inspired to listen to this song by the simple fact that it had snowed eleven inches in like an hour and wasn’t stopping.  As I was shoveling, the snow would tumble down upon itself or fly back into my face.  Everywhere I turned, snow was there and not letting up; my efforts were fruitless.  I felt that the snow was literally singing “We Can’t Stop” to me:




“We can’t stop


And we won’t stop


We run things, things don’t run we


Don’t take nothing from nobody


Yeah, yeah”




Mocking me, taunting me, that’s what this snow and winter has been doing to me.  It’s like mother nature knows how much I hate winter that she has decided to make each winter the most painful and annoying.  Well, just a heads up to the snow, in a couple of months it will be summer and you will be melted while I’ll be the one outside celebrating.  So, there.



	

	
	




	
	

				

			Books, Harry Potter, StoryTime
		

		
Why is that Harry Potter Book There?

		

			 		

	


		

		
The other day, my friend and I had a discussion about why Harry Potter is considered a children’s book and not an adult book, given the rather lengthy nature of the prose, the darker themes (Rowling said once in an interview that her mother’s death was “splashed” across all the pages), and the violence (particularly in Deathly Hallows) in the books.  Ultimately we concluded that the magical environment of the Harry Potter books sort of align with fairy tales and could, rather lamely, be considered “childish.”  We did, however, argue with this conclusion given that other fantasy/science fiction books, like The Hunger Games and Game of Thrones, were classified as either young adult or adult even though they held magical/fantasy elements.  So what kind of book are the Harry Potter books?


Today I walked into the children’s room at the library where I work and the children’s librarian, as usual, said “So, how are we tonight?”  The children’s librarian is fairly new to our library, but we both happen to work Monday nights (I shelve in children’s where she works) and we have started having rather deep, in-depth conversations.  It’s not uncommon for these conversations to be about Harry Potter, both of us being huge fans and both having been sorted in Hufflepuff in Pottermore, so I said to her “I have an argument I need you to settle.”


The librarian who was half way looking through an older book trying to decide if she should get rid of it looked up startled, “Oh?”


“My friend and I have been having a debate on whether Harry Potter is a children’s book, and, since you’re the children’s librarian, I want to know why,” I boldly stated.


She marked her place in the book, set it aside, and sighed, “Well, part of it comes down to the fact that she intended the books to be written for kids.  A lot of it comes down to the intent of the author and publisher, like Scholastic doesn’t publish adult books.”


“So, for example, The Hunger Games books are young adult books because Suzanne Collins wrote it for young adults, and even though the violence level should make it an adult book?” I asked.


“That would be part of it, but you have to remember that the characters in The Hunger Games are teens, and in Harry Potter they’re kids who face kid problems.  Like, the Harry Potter characters are still in school, they think like kids, and face similar emotions.  It’s not like it’s written as a flashback or told from an adult perspective, the stories are told from the kids’ perspective.” She paused for a moment, shuffled her books, then continued, “Also, adult books tend to have people versus people, young adult books tend to have teen versus society, and children’s books tend to have kids versus some cause.  So, The Hunger Games  have Katniss taking on the Capitol and the revolution, and Harry is facing the usual growing pains while taking on Voldemort.”


“Okay, ” I said, trying to catch her off guard, “but don’t forget the books are incredibly long, arguably longer than most adult books.  Even her writing style, word choice, and descriptions are more adult style.  A lot of people think the books progress to be very dark and violent.  Like, why is Game of Thrones considered adult when it takes place in a fantasy world and holds violence like Harry Potter” (if I had long hair, this is where I would flip my hair…also, I haven’t read/seen Game of Thrones, this is just what I heard about it).


“They don’t get long until Goblet of Fire, so the first few are manageable for a kid.  And the themes of Harry Potter are darker, but they’re not like Game of Thrones that holds more violence and, from what I hear, a lot sex.  And people often underestimate what kids can handle in terms of violence in books, I think it goes back to the idea of kids thinking themselves invincible.”


She then paused, reached back for her book, and said “Huh, that’s some good food for thought.”