But finally, several months late, I have a second Band Highlights for you all! Today's focus artist is a slightly more popular Christian artist (okay, significantly more popular), SKILLET!

A song that has helped me in some of my darkest moments (especially in the latter half of 2016), this is a rock-ballad that reminds me that I'm not alone in my suffering. Others feel the same thing as you do. Other people want to surrender. But Jesus is there in the darkness.

From Skillet's newest album Unleashed. This song marks a landmark for them as their first real dance song, but while it sounds fairly generic, the lyrics are amazing. For most of their first decade and a half, Skillet was in the closet about their faith--doing generic sounding lyrics and working to ensure that their songs appealed to a secular audience as well as a Christian one. But with this song, they have come exploding out in a loud, unashamed celebration of their faith. And I love it. It's anthematic, explosive, and compelling. I play it in the car on the way to places I don't want to go, usually. This is definitely one of my favorite Skillet songs.

Sometimes it feels like heaven on earth, but sometimes the Christian walk feels an awful lot like a taste of hell. This song doesn't shy away from that feeling and is incredibly encouraging--it's a great reminder that life here is not always or even usually smooth sailing. One of the heaviest songs on Unleashed, it's a pretty darn great song. 

One of my favorite pro-life songs, the story of this song is a friend of John Cooper's (the lead singer for the band) whose girlfriend had an abortion, and the regret he felt afterward. It's heartbreaking, scorching, and doesn't shy away from the fact that abortion kills a living child. Cooper's voice captures the raw emotion of a parent in this position beautifully.

This song is precious to me for personal reasons. It's kind of a breakup song about two folks who don't really want to break up, or just a song about goodbyes between two friends. It's a ballad from Comatose, widely regarded as one of Skillet's best ballads, and is just emotional and sweet. 

Another one I love just because it's fun but also very deep. John Cooper had a tough childhood, and this song is about a dear friend who helped him get through it. I love it. It's got personal meaning to me too, although I'm not sure exactly why--I just really love it.

A power rock song about how Christians are called to be heroes, but also need a Hero, the ultimate Hero from Heaven. We're not perfect and we can do far from everything, and this song is a powerful reminder of that fact. 

For me, as a social activist, this song is a pump-up that I like to play whenever I'm getting ready to do something powerful. In the pro-life movement, it's especially precious to me. "I AM A MILLION FACES FORMED TOGETHER MADE FOR ELEVATION." It's more than just a fun rock song--Christians, we ARE the Resistance. We have to fight against the dark powers of this world. 

No matter how dark it gets, no matter how evil the evil seems, no matter how close to a flat line my heart seems, I'm not alone. "When everything you love is leavin', you hold on to what you believe in," shouts John Cooper on this rock anthem, and it's true. This is just a good song. 100% recommend. (I'd also recommend you check out the official lyric video for that one--it's incredible.)

Here it is: My ultimate favorite and perhaps Skillet's best song. The mood of the song is desperate, the key determined, and the lyrics despondent and driving. We go on a roller coaster of emotion from despair ("every day you need a bullet proof vest/ to save yourself from what you could never guess") to resolve and revolt ("you can't give up if you wanna keep what you love/NEVER GIVE UP NO"). It's my ultimate pump-up. It's a song with a great message. I love it so much. 

Listen to it today, please.

(Also watch this lyric video because it is legit one of the coolest things ever.)

Do you like Skillet? Which songs are your favorites? Do you agree with my choices? Chat with me in the comments!

I'll go with Kira from Gathering Blue. She's sweet and quiet, and I feel like she'd be an interesting addition to this party. 

This is a super hard question!!!!!!!

How about Percy from the Scarlet Pimpernel? That works. We'll go with that. XD

Easy--Prince Lionheart! (I would be sure to have a peacock around to cause trouble for him, too, because that would be absolutely hilarious.) I'd also just love to have him around so I could, you know, get him to ask me out or something. (#BookCrush)

Well, I don't think I've laughed at a character ever as much as I have at the Florid Sword, so this spot goes to him! (He'd have to come as that character, though, not as his...superhero alter ego. XD Becuase that guy just isn't as funny.) 

Well...I don't think Doug would appreciate this, but I'm going to invite him anyways. He's pretty introverted and possibly autistic--I wouldn't be the one to know--but he's hilarious and so serious, all the time, that his dry brand of humor is just wonderful and refreshing. He never seeks people out, but they seem to flock to him like a flock of Arctic Terns. So Doug it is!

I'll go sort of post-modern here and say the monster from A Monster Calls. The monster isn't really a villain--he's more anti-heroic, I guess you could say--but I'd want him there to entertain with weird stories. And maybe he could bring Conor along and we could all give Conor some hugs. I don't think he'd really want them, but he needs hugs. Poor kid.

But why waste the opportunity to invite a ship I love???

I'll go with Leith Torren and Renna Faythe. Leith can impress everyone by telling crazy stories about his time as a Blade, and Renna can help Kira with the cooking. Sheesh--I just realized the two of them are the only girls besides me at this party! 

Only one????!!!!!!

Ummm...I'll go with...my beloved Rose Red from Goldstone Wood. She's a precious little thing, and I feel like she wouldn't be crazy about a party (although Lionheart will also be there! So maybe she won't mind) but she can also help Kira with the cooking. I think the two of them would really get along well. 

Sheesh! How about...Kalmar from Wingfeather Saga? 

After all, Janner tends to get all the attention as the wonderful protagonist. I mean, I love Janner too (I have a sticker of him on my phone, for heaven's sake, he and Lionheart are tied for my affections as book crushes go) but Kal usually seems to get the short end of the stick. 

Let's say Fern from The Girl Who Could See for this one.

I mean, everyone thinks Fern is crazy. Everyone thinks I'm crazy. We're tied. Score!!!!

And Fern seems like the kind of person I could talk to for hours and not be bored for one second.

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Best of the three, perhaps? That's a matter of opinion... but there's no denying that this movie has so much heart, humor, and originality that there's really no way to watch it too many times.

This is the story of Emmet, an ordinary, generic construction worker who discovers on a normal day that he's the Special, prophesied by a wise old blind wizard to stop the evil Lord Business from taking over the world using the Kragle. (I know this sounds super cliché, but trust me... it's NOT.) It's the story of Wyldstyle, who's not a DJ. It's the story of Batman, who needs to feel free to party with random strangers whenever he feels like it. It's the story of Vetruvius, who's blind and cannot see; of Unikitty, who always thinks positive; and of Benny, who wants nothing more in life than to build a spaceship.

Sound silly? Well, it gets better, I promise.

Despite the opening song, which is incredibly annoying if you listen to it more than three times, this movie is epic. The messages that come out in the closing scene are so touching, and I just basically want everyone to watch this movie. 

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Me, basically

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While I read the whole Hunger Games series, the middle installment is definitely the best...(because FINNICK AND JOHANNA AND OMG I LOVE THEM)


I guess I must really love the middle books in series or something...while I'm a huge fangirl for the whole Blades of Acktar series now, this one is my favorite of the four. And that's saying something.


My bestie actually bought me this book for Christmas a couple days ago! I'm SO INCREDIBLY HAPPY! I've read 3 Diana Wynne Jones books so far this year, but this one is my favorite. No competition. <3 Because HOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWLLLLLL.

These two are better when viewed as a whole rather than one book at a time. It's alternate history, asking the question "What if Hitler won World War II?" And it's heartrending and destructive and violent and gritty, but it's beautiful. Ryan Graudin's characters stole my heart. I can't really recommend them, but they're still wonderful for those who have the stomach.


I've found so many good indie-published Christian speculative fiction novels this year, and it makes me ridiculously happy. This story takes place in a dystopian America where Christians are persecuted, and it's kind of in the same genre as my novel Watched.


One of the few non-fiction books I've read this year that wasn't for school, and it's amazing. I can't really say much about it, but Jonathan has an amazing review here that you should definitely read if you're at all interested in this book.



This adorable little novella is a Cinderella retelling that takes all the cliches and flips them on their head. It's written by my dear friend Allison, and it's so incredibly good :)


Another novella, although I really wish that this one were a full novel. It's just too good to be so short. Kara Swanson is an author to watch.


Last but definitely not least is this one I read at the beginning of the year. It's a gorgeous, sweeping, heartbreaking story. You can find my full review for Rebellious Writing here.

Top 3 Classics

In my Christmas Carol post (last week), I mentioned how much I love Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This is his epic poem Evangeline, about the plight of the Acadian people in Canada when Britain expelled them from their land. It's a very American story, which is cool; I don't know how much I agreed with the characters' motives, but I did appreciate their devotion. Definitely recommend this as an easy-to-read story that's both a classic and a poem!


Heartbreaking. Eye opening. Pulls in classic tropes but often actually allows you to forget that they're tropes. Makes you cry. Definitely recommend if you feel like crying and being inspired to change the world.

Best Movies of the Year

Best dang movie of the year. Yeah, yeah, I know it came out last year, but who cares????!!! (Not me.) It's epic, it's heartbreaking, it's incredibly quotable ("I'm capable of running my own diagnostics!") and it's classic. Jyn and Cassian are two of my favorite fictional characters (and so are Bodhi and Chirrut and Baze; Krennic is a villain I love to hate; Saw Gerrara is my favorite dude to raise eyebrows at.) I just love this movie. It's so incredibly good. All the heart eyes.

Got to see this one in the theater. I'm not a huge fan of Lloyd (center, in black and green) on the show (please don't lynch me) but in the movie, he's...pretty darn epic. I love Lloyd now.  (Also, why is Cole not in that image? That's really bothering me now. Grrrr.)


Saw this one in the theater too and I love it. Lego Batman, y'all. There's really no way to go wrong with it. XD

A film that's grown on me with time, just like Benedict Cumberbatch. I loved it. It felt like Marvel, but still different enough to really make a splash.

Best superhero movie to come out this year. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

I think I watched this one four times this year. I regret nothing, you guys. This is the best movie ever made. The best movie I've ever seen. It is so beyond good and you must watch it yesterday. (IF YOU'VE ALREADY SEEN IT TALK TO MEEEEEE ABOUT IT!!!!!) This is the story of William Wilberforce, England's greatest abolitionist. He was able to stop slavery without a war in Great Britain and his story is so inspiring for me as an activist.

Best Songs of 2017

Here's a playlist of my favorite songs this year. (Note: One of them, "Imperfection" by Evanescence, does contain one f-word, and "The Last of the Real Ones" has a d-word.) Other than that, I'm pretty sure they're all pretty clean.

Rather than talking a whole lot about each of these indivually, I'll just throw the playlist at you and let you listen to them. XD But please know that lots of Band Highlights posts are coming next year, dealing with all sorts of artists and my favorite songs by them.

Blogging World

Have some stats from me:

• This will be my 70th published post
• I have 53 followers on GFC, 16 on Bloglovin', and something like 6 email followers (supposedly I have 416, but most of those seem to be spam)
• I'm at 15,190 views all time
• My Top Five Posts:

An Open Letter to the LGBT Community

The "I Finished Watched!" Post

I am a Pro-Life Person, and Here's Why

The Cookie Book Tag

Why I'm Not Seeing Beauty and the Beast

I think we can all agree that the controversial posts are a good thing...
And thanks to Mary Kate for getting the Cookie Book Tag up there (mayonnaise!!!!)

Shoutout to my blogging friends whose links have brought me the most views:

Gray
Faith
and Lila!

as well as to everyone else who posted my link on their blog! It really does mean a ton to me and warms my heart every time I see my blog linked on someone else's site.

Writing

My Walk with God

I hope you all enjoyed this little look into my world this year! So much has happened, and yet the year has gone by like a blur. I'm so glad to have gotten to know you all, and I can't wait to make even more friends and content in 2018. God bless you all, and have a great New Year's! See you all very soon!

Chat with me! Have you seen any of these movies/read the books/listened to the music? What are your favorite books and movies of the year? Was 2017 a great year, a decent year, a crummy year...tell me all the things!!!!!!

A note on the Ebooks Only page. Many of the books there will be listed as "Sold out," because they're not being sold directly through that page. Clicking the products will take you to the places where you can buy those epic stories ;) 

There's also an AWESOME giveaway going on, which you can find below:

Honestly? At this point, it's been so long, I have no idea. 

Here's a synopsis for book 1, The King's Daughter, which is not at all solid and very likely to change: 

Secrets//inner turmoil//friendship//blazing fire//ice everywhere//cups of tea//midnight horseback rides//blank walls of a prison cell//gleaming metal//a king in council//ball gowns//lost hearts

I shall kindly provide you with a snippet to describe each of these characters. Heh heh. 

Esma Pentegreen--the protagonist and titular King's Daughter.

At four feet and six inches tall, Esma was the smallest teenager she had ever met, and while her body was small and compacted, she was also the daughter of an extremely slender woman, and had inherited her body. She also was never very hungry, which meant that she couldn’t get any additional weight through eating food.

That's not the best characterization you'll ever see from me, and Esma is a much more complex character than this. She's got insomnia and horrific nightmares. She's passionate. She has a tendency to fling herself headfirst into things without thinking them through at all, which has the unfortunate side effect of bringing horrible consequences. She's not a perfect girl by any means, but she's constantly struggling to do the right thing by her family and her subjects. 

I like her. A lot. 

Rishatta Woods- the general's son

I love him too. He needs a lot more development, but he's my precious child. He has a very evil father, and is still trying to sort out where his loyalties lie in this war. One thing I'm playing with a lot in this series is the idea in fantasy of characters having loyalties to people and only people, rather than what seems to be the norm of completely nationalistic loyalty. I do have plenty of people in this series with that latter mindset (my protagonist, for example? XD) but it's cool to play with that idea.

            “But it’s like eighty—”

            “I NEED TEA!” Kariana bellowed. Derek stepped away from her, his eyes growing so big that they could have been bulging out of the sockets for all he cared. “I’ve been away forever and I need tea.”

            “Fine, fine, I’ll make you tea! Sheesh!” Derek flung his head back before straightening with a perplexed expression. “Wait, why do you want me to make you tea? I thought you told me not that long ago that you absolutely  hate my miserable excuse for tea and that your brother would string me up from a curtain rod if he ever tasted it.”

            “Well, he would,” Kariana said. “But you’re my friend. And when friends have been out in the wilderness for a really long time and have had no tea whatsoever for two entire months, they make each other some tea, no matter how horrible it is.”

“I am so sorry,” he said, stuttering out the words like he did not know how to speak. “I – I was never trying to hurt you, and I apologize for doing so. You are the only woman I’ve ever loved, and I will never stop loving you.”

                “Are you sure?” she asked, her hand rising to his beard. 

                “Yes,” he said. His hand found her hair and he buried his nose in the top of her head. “I promise I will always be here for you. Always.”

They're married and I love them so, so much. <3 

There are a few other principals. Such as the villains (spoilers) and a certain antihero (also MAJOR SPOILERS) and Esma's adopted younger brother (of whom I cannot speak because I have no picture at the moment :(  )) 

Esma is going to learn that she's not as wimpy and incapable as she's always believed, and that she actually has a place amongst the circle of her friends. She's not strong in the same way as they are, but she is still incredibly strong. 

Much stronger than she knows. 

I want them to feel...hopeful. A major theme in my story is hope and its effects on people. How it feels to have no hope. 

I also want to bring across the fact that, no matter how strong the evil around us might seem, good is still stronger. No matter how underdog-ish it seems.