Best Discovery of My Life

No joke.
Library of Congress Flickr

Highlights in order to entice you to check it out:
Click any picture to send you straight to where it came from. It's a magical, magical site.

Magical Music Monday

Beach House

I saw Vampire Weekend Saturday night (which, hello, amazing) and Beach House opened for them. It got me thinking about what exactly makes one band magical and another simply awesome. Because while Vampire Weekend is one of my favorite bands, they're not exactly magical. Maybe it has to do with being ethereal. And slightly off your rocker. I don't know. Either way...they were one of the best live bands I've ever seen.
(And if you want a completely watered down version of what it's like to have been there when their black backdrop exploded into hundreds of sparkling lights reminiscent of stars --> BING)

Already heard of Beach House? Try
Givers

I Capture the Castle

I Capture the Castle.
Haven't read it?

Read it.

Haven't seen it?

See it.

I'm very much a fan of media that feel magical. The kind that leave you looking at the world through crisp yet bleary eyes.

Like most movie adaptations, my favorite of course is the book. But as far as movie versions of the book go, not terrible. Just not quite as bewitchingly quirky as the book. I think it mostly has to do with Romola Garai. She herself has a somewhat enchanting history that has a tendency to seep into all of her acting endeavors. Having been born in a British Colony in Hong Kong, she seems to be of a different time, the kind of time that is far more enchanting than the present.

The book, though, is anything far from terrible. It's one of the kind that make you scrunch up in your bed all warm inside as you read. I rarely show emotion (ever) while reading or watching movies but I actually let a smile form on my lips while reading.

Plus I'm now thinking in a British accent, which makes me feel incredibly smart.