June 2011 In Films, Books and Music

This month has been absolutely mental. Not in the wild, exciting, not-getting-up-until-it's-dark and never remembering how you got home kind of mental. The kind of mental that means being so busy you regularly write '4th June 2011' on important documents, when it's actually the 21st. June 2011 has gone so fast I'm surprised it hasn't left a stream of dust behind it, and - to be honest - thank God. With the end of June comes the end of exams, the end of exam-related stress, exam-related insomnia, exam-related breakdowns, exam-related weeping and non-exam-related my 18th birthday. But that's not relevant. Somehow (and I really have no idea how - though it might have something to do with the afore-mentioned insomnia) I've still managed to watch films, listen to music and read books.

Films
Once again, I must plug my other blog ( http://www.filmnerdsftw.blogspot.com ), on which I (sort of) regularly review, discuss and generally drool over the wonder that is films. In terms of movies, this month has been...varied.
Evil Dead - watched this (and the sequel) at a movie-night, and have to say the atmosphere added to the film. I've spoken about my wariness of horror films, but this, whilst apparently trying to be scary, was stomach-crampingly funny. Ridiculous, cliche, gruesome and bloody hilarious.
Shaun Of The Dead - I'd avoided this film for a really long time because I didn't think it would appeal to my kind of comedy at all. How wrong I was. Having been forced to watch Paul at the cinema and enjoying it far more than I expected to, I decided to give this a go and was, again, pleasantly surprised. Now and then a bit too silly, generally speaking I found this hilarious and far superior to what is arguably it's American counterpart Zombieland.
Timeline - this little-known (well, little-known in comparison to, like, Harry Potter) Michael Crichton adaptation is a good'un. Adventure-y, funny in places, romantic, action-y, exciting and with eye candy for every taste. Rarely remember I own it, always enjoy it.
Wimbledon - a rare example of a genuinely funny rom-com, plus the ever-appealing Paul Bettany, plus a sports movie I actually know a bit of background too. Watching the real Wimbledon always puts me in the mood for this film, and other than one or two howlers in the dialogue, I love it every time.
P.S. I Love You - watched this on my own, late at night, whilst feeling slightly fragile. Thought that, since it's about the eighth time I've watched it, I'd be able to keep a grip on myself. Failed utterly. People can say what they like about this film, I really like it; it makes me laugh without fail and it makes me cry without fail and, really, what more could you ask for?

Music
These albums came to me in dribs and drabs over the month, so I've listened to them all different amounts of time. Though I have no excuse as to the bizarre range of my music taste.
Simon and Garfunkel, 'The Simon And Garfunkel Collection' - I've always loved a bit of Simon and Garfunkel (together moreso than separate), largely because I find their acoustic, harmonising style haunting, memorable and mesmerisingly beautiful in it's simplicity. Have always and will always love these guys. Favourite tracks - 'Homeward Bound', 'The Boxer', 'The Sound Of Silence' and 'Cecelia'.
Pixie Lott, 'Turn It Up' - I listened to this through twice, then deleted it from my iPod. Not rubbish, just not at all my thing. The one song I kept - 'Cry Me Out'.
The Baseballs, 'Strings 'n Stripes' - These guys really are a band like no other, literally. They take modern, often dance-y, occasionally crap songs and give them a 1950s style makeover; it almost always produces WICKED results. I adored their last album, and whilst being mildly annoyed by the fact that many of my fav tracks from this album were 'live' (I dislike live versions on albums. No reason. I'm just picky), I loved this. Didn't think it packed the same punch as the first album, but still well worth a listen. Favourite tracks - 'Tik Tok', 'Candy Shop', 'I'm Yours' and 'Paparazzi'.
Adele, '21' - I only borrowed this album from a friend a few days ago, but I've had it on repeat incessantly since. Generally speaking, anything that makes Number One in the charts either flies past unnoticed by me, or I hear it blaring from my brother's bedroom and loathe it. Not so with Adele. I love the raw, bluesy sexiness of her voice and think this is certainly one of the best albums I've listened to this year. Favourite tracks - 'Someone Like You', 'Set Fire To The Rain', 'Rolling In The Deep', 'Turning Tables' and 'One And Only'. Also, my friend Amy wrote a blogpost about this album which more or less sums it up to perfection: http://music-is-my-refuge.blogspot.com/2011/04/sort-of-album-i-want-to-make.html

Books
I will make no excuses for the fact that everything I read this month was pure entertainment. I spent so much time revising, I didn't have the brain space to read anything heavy. More 'classics', doorstoppers and 'literary' books next month, I promise.
Anna And The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - my Walking Library of a best friend leant this to me with her usual proviso 'I really enjoyed this and I think you will, but it will also irritate you'. As usual, she was spot on. I really enjoyed this, in the sense that it was easy to read, sweet, romantic and funny. That said, it didn't escape from the genre's standard trap of being very predictable and, here and there, a touch too cliche.
Dear Fatty by Dawn French - I love Dawn French, and I love autobiographies, so I was delighted to find this on my Mum's shelf. I thought the style of being written in letters would irritate me, but I actually REALLY liked it - it gave the book a personable tone that was really easy to relate to. I was surprised by how much Dawn French's story moved me, but it also had it's fair share of laugh-out-loud moments. Highly recommended.
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson - on a similar vein to Anna And The French Kiss, this is cheesy and teenage but in a good way. That said, I didn't actually find it as funny or as compelling as Anna And..., and I found the main character considerably more irritating (she just MOANED incessantly), I also found the romantic interest much more attractive. Matter of opinion, really.
It's Not What You Think by Chris Evans - still haven't quite finished this but I've enjoyed it more than expected. I love Chris Evans radio show and love the fact that he's from the North-West (inexplicable but true), and I've found his autobiography a funny and interesting read. That said, he goes on about radio technicalities a bit too much, and is a bit too light on himself (in my opinion) regarding some of the stupider things he's done in his life.