Book Review: Stars Around My Scars

 A lyrical journey through Taylor Swift’s poetic genius, this book unravels the rich tapestry of her songwriting with a scholar’s precision and a fan’s reverence. In this review, Kritika celebrates McCausland’s thoughtful annotations, illuminating the subversive storytelling, literary devices, and emotional depth behind the lyrics. A must-read for Swifties and literature enthusiasts alike, it bridges the worlds of pop and poetry with grace and wonder.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC)

Andrews McMeel Publishing does it again: they are always ahead of the curve when it comes to the publishing industry's edge. From Dr Elly McCausland, the creator of the English Literature (Taylor's Version) course at Ghent University aka professor of Swifterature, comes the collection of annotated poetry of Taylor Swift. Very timely, seeing as the pop star is constantly in the news, sweeping awards, and breaking records…the cultural (and economic) impact of The Eras Tour alone is explanation enough. I flew from India to Ireland for the concert, and I know fans who’ve attended the concert multiple times (whatever your guess is for the number of times, rest assured its an exponent of that). All of this happened for the experience, yes, but it also happened because the fans have often felt heard and seen in the singer-songwriter’s poetic lyricism. So it's no wonder, then, that the phenomenon that is Taylor Swift has also spawned an academic field deciphering the poetics behind her lyrics; conferences have been organised, literary magazines and journals have been inspired, and now we have “Stars Around My Scars” doing a closer reading of the songwriting. Even the dedication of the book is laced with that Taylor magic! I am a fan for multiple reasons, but most of all because of Taylor's lyricism, and this book is a sheer delight for other Swifties like me. Taylor employs a rich array of poetic & literary devices in her writing – unpacking that is a soothing exercise if not downright healing. Its subversive storytelling is only made obvious briefly through folklore-style world-creation. Fans have, therefore, revelled in the fun parts - decoding easter eggs, Now, coming over to the book: McCausland remains utmost respectful of the songwriter as she embarks on the decoding adventure — she is clear she isn’t going to play muse-whodunit here. And the result is a collection of songs, annotated with a plethora of poetic devices employed by Taylor. In short, this is any literature student’s dream. (For me, personally, this was a door to the many poetry-related world-building concepts, and for that I am thankful) The book offers cohesive as well aa standalone insights into the words: that Swift likens relationships to an ongoing story (manuscript, the story of us and so on) in a metaphor that surpasses eras. That she writes about her life — fame is explored in a biting way, for she is thankful for what’s happened, yet the downsides of fame don’t elude her. In some places, I felt that the interpretations were inconsistent — not aligned with Taylor's ideas and interviews, but I can overlook that because the poetry is still a separate entity from the songwriter. McCausland herself uses a beautiful prose to describe songs, “The ink bleeds so she doesn’t have to.” or “We are the sum of our trials & tribulations.” I highly recommend that Swifties read it and write their own poetry if that’s their jam! I know I will.

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Fable: Kritika

When your favorite book turns into Damon Salvatore

Does the title of this article make sense to you?

Let me explain- I personified our favourite thing in the world- books. 

Books have now taken the identity of the sexy Damon Salvatore. 

Read on for a sarcastic banter and an exchange of witty dialogues!

1. When you sleep with your book, with the lights on. The next day you wake up cuddled with it, drooling all over it!

Image credits: teen.com

2. When you find a book at a street shop, or a garage sale - dog eared corners, that rusty smell, yellow pages. 

Credits: tumblr

3. The book just took a really, really unbelievable twist. And you just feel like your whole life was a lie. Think "We were liars" or "Everything, Everything"

Image: tumblr.com 

4. You still feel deceived. The book had been playing you throughout its plot- and you do what is the natural response in this situation. You throw the book away while you wait for the tears to dry. The book doesn't like how yooutreat it, and it blackmails you or it might just throw another cruel revelation.

Image credits: rebloggy.com 

5. Your favourite character dies. It's over. It's all over. But the book isn't over yet. While you are doing your job of being a burrito of sadness, here's what your book says

Image credits: pinkymccoversong.deviantart.com 

6. You are re-reading THIS book for the nth time. Maybe its your book boyfriend, maybe its the quotes, maybe the story.

Image credits: theodysseyonline.com 

7. It's either a mystery/thriller. Or this is a major cliffhanger in a series. 

Image: peress2.skyrock.com

8. The sequel was nothing you expected it to be!

Image Credits: wifflegif.com

9. You've tried to forget it, but that's the thing about pain- it demands to be felt. Your reservoir of tears refuses to dry up. The book is all drowned in your tears. And it just can't take it anymore.

Image Credits: Giphy.com

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Are you reading enough? : Work-life balance for the bibliophile

I've often heard people say how work-life balance is a myth. The first time this concept was introduced to me was in a business class- and clearly we were learning some utopian concept, it may now seem
I'm still just in college- and I realise how difficult it becomes to have a balance between these two pillars of life, and yet there seems to be no definite solution as such. 

I chanced upon this article "8 ways to a work-life balance" at Reward.me site. This blogpost will elaborate on why the aticle was useful.
And it gives some really handy tips for the same: they may strike as obvious but we always fail to implement these- we need to be told time and again and again.

Two of those concepts, however, have an unprecedented relevance for us bibliophiles, we are always trying to get more time to read and our professional/academic obligations take priority- leaving us sad and guilty of not having read enough!

One of them is cut-off time. 
The virtual world has brought us fandoms together, and we can interact and squeee together, unlike ever before. We rejoice in this convenience. However, an evident drawback has been the opportunity cost of this time. The time spent uploading, chatting, commenting and updating status on facebook, instagram, twitter is time not devoted to reading. 

Image credits: mashable.com

Sometimes, we just need to make a choice: it is a simple decision to turn off your gadgets, unless it is a kindle, and just dig in the book, As I write this, I realise that I spend hours and hours on social media- one link leading to another- which I could have easily saved for reading. After all the deadline-induced tasks have been accomplished, all my reading time often goes waste. Because instagram.

Another of those tips is me-time. It is like repeating what had been said before. And it is similar to the concept of cut-off time. We definitely need to demarcate time intervals as me-time. This time will be for introspecton, journalising, indulging in any hobby, watching that hilarious show, or ofcourse, reading that book gathering dust on our shelves. I could have read 10 more books than I have this year, alone by cutting-off from social media. 

Less talking, more reading. Image credits: driftingpages.wordpress.com

I suggest no such extreme- cutting off entirely-no, but I certainly do realize that the evils of excess are showing their effects.
I am participating in the ‘Ready For Rewards’ activity for Rewardme in association with BlogAdda.

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The charm of reading in the rains

Monsoon has arrived. For us in India, monsoon connotes special somethings through its name alone. While for a rain-dependent agricultural nation, it heralds good news, it is also the most romanticized in popular culture. 
We always complain about the summers- nobody likes the scorching heat, we despise the winters for making us lazy among other things. But when it comes to rains, nobody can right away dismiss the charm. 

Even lesser beings like me, who are already messy and unbalanced, rains aren't very enjoyable, especially when you have to use the public transport. Bearing my belongings, which is obviously a book, I am often stranded at places. Umbrellas shield me, but more often than not I do not carry one lest the weight of my bag becomes unbearable. So yes- I am often stranded at places. I try to enjoy the rains, but when I am outdoors, I somehow just cannot let it go. 
However once home, I like it all- when I have to change into dry clothes, and enjoy the spectacle from indoors. Sometimes, when we are lucky we are also treated to the sight of the hues of a rainbow- and although the city structures don't let all colors bloom in their glory, we make do with whatever we have. 

There is something ethereal, an otherwordly feeling about sitting by the window, listening to the falling rain, and the smell of wet soil. Cliched as it may sound, it is even cathartic. Here's the books you can read when it rains to enhance your experience:

1. Harry Potter
The entire series, that's right. Seriously though, When is not the right time to catch up On your favoruite series?

2. The Great Gatsby

Yes- magic outside, magic inside: the magic of the opulence of the most tragic and beautiful story.

3. Memoirs of  Geisha

Now, I haven't read it yet- so next time it rains, i am definitely picking this one up. Romance, erotica, suspense- all in one, who could resist it, no?

4. Any Jane Austen Book
Pride and prejudice, Sense and sensibility, Emma: always is a good time to read 'em up! Or reread if you have already

To me, the sheer joy of reading snippets and quotes from my favourite classic is the best version of a rainy day read- do tell me yours in comments below!


This post is inspired from the post here.
When I thought about enjoying rains, reading was the first thing that came to my mind, hence the post! I am participating in the ‘Ready For Rewards’ activity for Rewardme in association with BlogAdda.

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Book Review: Flirty Dancing by Jenny McLachlan

About the book:

Title: Flierty Dancing

Published by: Bloomsbury

Published on: July 3rd 2014

Pages: 300

Genre: Children/YA

Rating: 4/5

Blurb: Bea Hogg is shy but fiery inside. When national dance competition Starwars comes to her school looking for talent, she wants to sign up. It's just a shame her best friend agreed to enter with school super-cow Pearl Harris. Bea will fight back! But when school hottie, Ollie Matthews, who also happens to be Pearl’s boyfriend, decides to enter the competition with Bea, she will have more than a fight on her hands.

This warm, nuanced, hilarious story about friendship, fortitude . . . and dancing is impossible not to fall in love with. Jenny’s voice is fresh and convincing, and she handles both darker and lighter elements of the story with equal panache. 

About the author

Jenny McLachlan teaches English to secondary and sixth form pupils. She is also an Advanced Skills Teacher, delivering master classes to pupils, parents and teachers throughout the country. In her spare time, just like Bea, Jenny loves to jive. She is based in Eastbourne.

Find the author here: 

Social media:

       

My Review:

This is a story of how harsh school life is- everyone at war with the other for friendships, in pursuit of that achievement the glory of which might not last, and being mean over a boy. Friends become strangers, and bullies become allies. The point here is- at high school, weird things happen.
Life has just taken a turn for the unexpected- the should-never-happen unexpected for Bea Hoggs.
The plot goes like this: we have a bunch of people crazy for dance. The passionate crazy. Bea is not our model. She won't fit into skinny jeans, and dancing will take a lot of hard word, because she isn't a natural. So her friends and estranged friends ditch her, form groups and start preparing for the competition. By some really interesting quirks of fate, she is now supposed to pair up with the college hottie, and dance with him.

You should read this book. I say this for two very important reasons.
a) You are so tired from the day that you need to read, and you are so tired that you just cannot dig into some serious fiction with deep philosophical strands, or imagine that impossible sci-fi world. You need this book to make you smile. And, smile you will!
Because, throughout the book, I was smiling: the plot is predictable, right, but the author carries the narration so effervescently that one cannot help but love the vivaciousness of the plot.
b) High school is hard as it is. And then life intervenes. Everything becomes crooked, plans are thwarted, all balance is twisted upside down! You deal with it all, and as it turns out, the destination is worth all the pains. This book is the most humourous and light-hearted example of dealing with the serious issues.

So, yes, i'd recommend you read this book when you are looking for a couple hours of entertainment, similar to that teen movie!

Links to the book:

Quotes from the book:

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Source of the review copy: A gift from #brunchbookchallenge

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