Summer reads

My book-buying addiction is getting a little severe. Every time I am halfway through a book I find myself wandering over to a bookstore to buy one I can read straight after I finish the one I'm currently reading. The summer is a great time for literature nerds like me because of all the endless spare time we have (most of us like to keep to ourselves due to our stacks of books we must finish before summer is over!!!) Sooo, I thought it would be fun to share with you my current book favorites!

This summer I've purchased a few books and I've chosen them very carefully. I know that most people don't think a book is a big purchase but for me it kind of is. I don't want to spend money on books I will only read once, I want to spend money on books I will have for the rest of my life - books I can read over and over again. Most of these books are classics so I doubt you will be unfamiliar with their names (if you don't read much literature I suggest you should move on to another post of your interest, reading about something you have no clue about is never a particularly entertaining experience..). I will leave a little review or a recommendation by the books so you can choose if you're ready to dive into some of the most amazing books I've ever read!

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (1963)

Review: 
When I read this for the first time I knew nothing of Sylvia, her life or even her poetry. My mind had not been filled with negative opinions that a lot of people tend to think have about Sylvia Plath. I read this with a completely neutral state of mind and it drew me in and after that there was no turning back. This book is about Esther Greenwood who lives the "perfect life" but is very depressed and suicidal. As you get deeper into the book you can almost feel the depression and insanity so clearly you start to wonder if this book was written especially for you. Sylvia Plath was an amazing poet but also an exceptional novelist. 
Rate: 10/10

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (1991)

As the name gives away this book is about an American psycho, literally. I don't recommend reading this book if you're sensitive when it comes to murder/rape/drugs. There were a few times that this book made me feel sick but it is completely genius. Patrick Bateman (the "hero" of the story) tells you about his life in an insane way, he describes what every single character is wearing head-to-toe and gives you graphic descriptions when he murders homeless people, cops and hookers. Writing this down it sounds completely awful but when you pick up this book you won't be able to put it down. 
Rate: 9.5/10

Mad Girl's Love Song: Sylvia Plath and Life Before Ted by Andrew Wilson (2013)

Review: 
I haven't finished this one yet but I'm getting closer and closer to the final chapter. I can honestly tell you that this is much more than I expected. I had sort of given up on biographies but this one really captures the Plath-spirit in a neutral way. I had read somewhere that a lot of biographies about Sylvia are either on her side or against her but this one describes her life and personality perfectly, you'll be able to form an opinion of your own.
Rate: 8.5/10





Orange Is The New Black by Piper Kerman (2010)

This one has gone through a lot with me, traveled to Latvia and back but also accompanied me on a family roadtrip. Most people are familiar with the TV series that were made from this book (if you're not then why???) but you've got to be able to distance yourself from the show when you're reading it because otherwise you won't enjy it as much. This book is kind of an autobiography about Piper who goes to a women's prison and spends a year surrounded by fellow criminals. At first she is rather frightened and on edge but as she gets to know the prisoners she realizes that they aren't horrible human beings just because they've committed crimes. The main thing you'll learn from this book is you've got to stop judging people because of their looks/actions/skin color. This book should be taught in schools, it's such an eye-opening masterpiece. 
Rate: 9/10

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (2000)

Where do I begin to describe this life-changing book? It is a graphic novel and I finished it within three days. It's also an autobiography and tells the story of a little girl growing up in Iran. The struggle and violence that nation has had to deal with is perfectly described and will often leave you close to tears. This book had me staying up way to late and thinking about going home to read as I was hanging out with friends. A must read for people that are interested in sociology and such.
Rate: 10/10

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (1937)

Everyone must be familiar with this book but I can't resist to put it on my list. I can honestly tell you that this book had me both laughing and crying out loud. Tolkien is of course a complete master when it comes to writing fairy tales that are suitable for both grownups and tiny children. I adore this book so, so much, it is such a great work of art. 
Rate: 10/10

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1940)

This is a strange but wonderful story that tells the tale of a pilot that meets a little prince in Sahara. The prince tells stories of a little planet of his that are quite amazing. You won't ever forget this book.
Rate: 10/10











Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronté (1847)

I can't say I'm a huge fan of love stories but this one held me captive the whole time. This story is no ordinary love story, the tale of Cathy and Heathcliffe is so god damn emotional it will bring you to tears more than once. I have nothing else to say about this book except for it's absolutely perfect and I can't wait to read it again and again.
Rate:10/10

Poems by Sylvia Plath collected by Carol Ann Duffy (2012)

Have you noticed my Sylvia Plath obsession yet? Probably not, I mean, only 3 out of these 9 books have to do with her.. Ever since I read The Bell Jar I've been infatuated with her and these poems are definitely not a let-down. Sylvia was one of the greatest poets ever and has been such an inspiration to young poets all around the world. This is a great read for people that want to crawl deeper into Sylvia's head and read some amazing poetry while at it.
Rate:9.5/10



Thanks for stopping by!
Punk hugs, 
Maria

HOW TO: Not care about what people think of you

I once spent all of my days obsessing over other people's opinions of me. I have so many memories of standing in front of the mirror, wearing something I completely adored and tearing it off me, just because it was not "fashionable". Aka it wasn't exactly identical to everyone else's clothing. Growing up in my neighborhood life was pretty normal and it seemed frightening to do something different from everyone else. I was so scared of getting picked at that I never let myself be myself.
It soon got tiring and just plain boring to hide in the shadows and after years of fitting in I decided to stop pretending to be someone that wasn't interesting at all. I knew that the first step of that process was to stop caring about other people's opinions. If I'm going to be completely honest it took me a whole summer to break out of my shell and that summer did not involve a lot of socializing. I don't know if this is the right way to do this but me spending almost every day by myself for a whole summer really helped with understanding that opinions of strangers don't matter, at all. That summer it dawned on me that I have to spend the rest of my life with me and no one else. I'm stuck in my own head for the rest of my life. My thoughts have to be positive because I don't think I can survive otherwise. Another thing that I realized that summer was that I'm going to leave this city as soon as I'm ready and that means I'll probably never see my schoolmates or neighbors again. When that thought had been planted in my brain I simply stop caring. 
Although, after that epiphany it took me some time to be able to get the confidence to wear the clothes I wanted to. I still found myself trying on tons of outfits before I found the one that I could be seen in public in. 
What I'm trying to say here is that no matter what you're going to live your whole life as you and you can't change that. It is simply not fair to yourself to spend your days, weeks or even years obsessing about what other people think, it's not worth it. You only get one chance on this earth and I know you've all heard that a billion times before but if you let it sink in you'll realize that it shouldn't matter what other people think. It just shouldn't. Once you get enough confidence to do what YOU want and wear what YOU want your life will be totally different. I can tell you from experience that hiding in the crowd is just no fun. That doesn't mean you have to dance like crazy in the spotlight, just don't be like everybody else. Sticking out is so much more fun than being identical to the majority of the universe. 

A Coco Chanel quote and a poem that helped me a lot during my time of shy and shadow life:

Please don't hide who you are because of other people. You'll miss out on so many great characters and friends that will like you for exactly who you are, they are worth a million people that judge you.

Punk hugs,

Maria

Topshop and Vagabond Haul!

July is always a bad time for my wallet but a great time for my wardrobe. It's the month of sales here in Iceland and you can't turn on the radio without someone telling you so. I had made a pointless promise to myself to not buy anything this month and save my money but obviously that didn't work. I wouldn't be making this post if it had. 
Sooo, the temptation got the best of my and I made my way to the mall. And I walked into Topshop. And I walked out with a bag. I bought a black and gorgeous maxi skirt, a denim dress and a new wallet. It wasn't too expensive so I was able to forgive myself for my sin. Then I walked into a shoe store and walked out with a bag. It looked like I'd bought myself some Vagabonds. But when do you own too many Vagabonds? I highly doubt you ever do. To celebrate this accidental shopping spree I decided to do a blogpost. Like usual I took some photos (inside because the weather here sucks) and you can check them out below. I am in love with everything I've bought and to be honest I haven't taken off the dress since I got home. Sacrifices have to be made if you're supposed to call yourself a fashion blogger, at least a few money sacrifices. Hopefully I won't start killing goats or anything like that..

Crop top: H&M

Maxi skirt: Topshop

Shoes: Vagabond

Tights: Falke

Lipstick: The Body Shop

This is how I feel when I wear this dress, not even exaggerating. 

Top: H&M

Dress: Topshop

Tights: Falke

Shoes: Vagabond

Closeups:

Yep this photo confirms I'm a total loser.

I also sneaked into Body Shop a few days ago and here's what I got:

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed this post!
Punk hugs, 
Maria

Chanel Fall 2014 Couture

It seems like Karl Lagerfeld it getting everything right. His collections for Chanel keep getting better. I especially love this one because it was not overdone. I feel like sometimes Lagerfeld goes overboard and it all becomes way too much (for example Fall '14 RTW collection, I did not like that one at all..) This one is a lot more simple, it was couture of course, and I can see much more of Chanel herself in these clothes. I love that the models are wearing sandals (which are to die for, of course) and how their hair was styled. This obsession over sky-high heels is finally over and all I can say is: Thank god. The flats are hopefully here to stay. 

I picked out a few favorite looks that I'm going to share with you but if you haven't checked this collection out, please do, because it is truly a work of art.

I love the layering here (Jacket, dress shorts)

I would sell my soul for these sandals, for sure

The shoulder pads..... *stares dreamily out of window*

Punk hugs,

Maria

Songs that make me feel powerful

Today I'm going to write about music and how music makes me feel. A few special songs can instantly make me feel independent and powerful and in this post I am going to share them with you. 

If I'm being honest I have hardly been around grown-up females who are perfectly independent and don't rely on men to make them happy. I'm not going to go into details but my point is that when I first started to use the internet a whole new world opened up to me. Suddenly tons of incredible women started to pop up and I would read about them and admire them. It took me a couple of years to get independent myself, I constantly relied on other people's opinions, and it didn't happen overnight. I can't say that one song, one person or even one moment was a turning point in my life, it just happened. 

A big part of my progress was of course music. When I was feeling hopeless and lonely I would pick up my ipod and blast some classic rock. I can't even begin to tell you how much that comforted me. 

I want to share these songs with you, so if you ever feel weak, lonely or just plain depressed I hope you can find some comfort in this post and these songs. 

The songs below are all classics and you've probably heard them before but they make me happy so I hope they make you happy too!

Keep Your Head Up - Tupac

"But please don't cry, dry your eyes, never let up

Forgive but don't forget girl, keep your head up."

"Cause I think we can make it, in fact, I'm sure

And if you fall, stand tall and come back for more."

Bad Reputation - Joan Jett

"I don't really care if you think I'm strange,

I aint gonna change"

Flawless - Beyonce

"I took some time to live my life

but don't think I'm just his little wife"

Heroes - David Bowie

"Though nothing, will keep us together

We could steal time, 

just for one day.

We can be Heroes, for ever and ever"

Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac

"Loving you 

Isn't the right thing to do

How can I ever change things that I feel?"

Dancing In The Streets - David Bowie ft. Mick Jagger

"All we need is music, sweet music,

There'll be music everywhere

There'll be swingin' swayin', and records playin,

Dancing in the streets"

Rio - Duran Duran

"Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand

Just like that river twisting through a dusty land

And when she shines she really shows you all she can

Oh Rio, Rio dance across the Rio Grande"

Hooked on a Feeling - Björn Skifs

"I, I'm hooked on a feelin'

I'm high on believin, that you're in love with me"

Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Pat Benatar

"Knock me down, it's all in vain

I'll get right back on my feet again"

Eye of the Tiger - Survivor

"Rising up, back on the street

Did my time, took my chances

Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet

Just a man and his will to survive"

Hope you enjoy this slightly different post!

punk hugs, 

Maria