Fireworks and Rollerblades is the debut album of American singer-songwriter, Benson Boone. Over the past 2-3 years he has released a few singles including the viral hit “In the Stars.” Finally, he had a huge breakthrough moment with the song “Beautiful Things.” I always admired his lyrics because I found them quite emotionally sensitive in a way no other male pop artist has (except Conan Gray). The production is nothing special but also it fits the songs perfectly. I was not really looking out for this album, but once I listened to it, I could not stop. Here are my favorite tracks:
-Cry
-Be Someone
-There She Goes
They follow similar ideas many other artists have sung about in the past. However, not many artists (especially men), have such a strong vocal performance. His singing, aesthetic, and stage presence remind me of Freddie Mercury. I think he is too young and has not had the impact of Mercury, but he has many similarities. He also has the beautiful lyrics of another Gen Z male singer, Conan Gray, who also just had an album release. Boone’s album has been a commercial success so far and currently, he is scheduled to perform as an opening act on Taylor Swift’s “The Era’s Tour”. He was also on stage with Lana del Rey recently. I hope through his performances he will be able to gain more recognition and hopefully, Grammy’s next year.
In the 21st century, teens and adults alike are bombarded by notifications ranging from depressing news stories to shocking exposés regarding beloved celebrities. Social media has made people emotionally numb as they swipe from one heartwarming post to a sob story on the next page, disrupting their capability to process emotions. In such a mentally taxing world, it seems only natural that some would seek escape through other mediums- this being literature, mainly fiction.
But what do I mean by “escape?” The term for mentally excusing oneself from reality and seeking a sense of calmness, namely through fantasy, is how Oxford Dictionary defines the word “escapism.” While exploring fantastical worlds is okay in moderation, escapism is the excessive use of material to sever one’s connection from reality, resulting in an unhealthy relationship with the real world. This makes it difficult for people to address the root of their problems- whether it be an unfulfilling career, lackluster social life, or an underlying mental health condition, escapism shrouds the problem and allows it to be forgotten in exchange for temporary relief.
Chief offenders of indulging escapist tendencies include the renowned Harry Potter and Percy Jackson series which are known for their elaborate worlds of magic and Greek mythology. While the authors of the franchises themselves aren’t to blame for the problems of others, they certainly provide a plethora of spinoffs and merchandise to keep legacy readers sucked in for several years (if not decades). With the Harry Potter fans, known as “Potterheads,” a thriving community of middle-aged Millennials are present on platforms such as Discord, Reddit, and Twitter. While being a longstanding fan of a book series is not problematic in itself, it becomes an issue when individuals become so enthralled with the stories that they cannot distinguish reality from itself.
For example, when entering a Google search of “Potterheads are convinced Harry Potter is real,” a plethora of social platforms with questions about whether Harry Potter could possibly be real pop up. Through Google’s Q&A system, a worrying, question of “Is it possible that Harry Potter is real?” can also be noticed. As Miriam Margoyles, the actor who played Pomona Sprout in the Harry Potter series concerningly stated, “I worry about Harry Potter fans because they should be over that by now” (Margoyles Miriam, “Miriam Margolyes jokingly tells Harry Potter fans to grow up | Seven Sharp,” 2024). If even those who stand to gain the most from this disillusionment take issue with escapism, it is time for us to address it as well.
Of course, this analysis of human behavior is all in good fun and I appreciate you reading!
I recently saw the movie, The Goldfinch, and when I learned it was based on a book I knew I had to read it. After researching the book I realized that the author, Donna Tartt had another book called The Secret History, so I decided to read both of them.
Set in New England, at Hampden College, a transfer student Richard Papen is the protagonist coming from an average middle-class household, Richard is thrown into a world of classic literature and wealthy individuals. Richard joins an exclusive class with only five other members studying classic literature. He believes that to connect with his classmates, he needs to disguise himself as wealthy. He succeeds, and the six of them begin to grow close. Richard soon discovers that this eccentric group of misfits he’s joined has more secrets than what meets the eye.
I liked this book I think that the characters and storyline were well-developed. These characters all have unique characteristics that make them seem real to the reader. I thought that Tartt’s use of Richard’s observant nature to establish the setting and characters was ingenious. The twists create an incredible amount of suspense throughout the second half of the novel. Another thing that I liked about this novel was the realistic nature of the main characters when I was reading, I felt that I connected with the characters and understood their point of view and overall nature. I also enjoyed the overall vibe of the story it felt like a “dark academia” and eclectic type of novel.
I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys realistic fiction or likes classical literature. Although it does have some dark undertones and is quite lengthy, it is a fun read with lots of twists. I would also recommend Donna Tartt’s other book, The Goldfinch, which has some similar themes that The Secret History reflects.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.
Recently, I read Your Inner Fish, a book about the evolutionary origins of mankind, as well as talking about the research that the author directly went through in order to gain more information about how humans came to be through evolution, as well as how surprisingly, we share some similarities with prehistoric fish (as the title implies).
The Book starts with Shubin introducing and explaining his experience with using fossil evidence to determine the origin of mankind, travelling around multiple locations in the world and multiple fossil sites looking for clues. The book also goes over the influence of geography on how they look for fossils, with different rock layers signifying older fossils. The author also talks about different traits we have in similarity to other animals throughout the book. Furthermore, the author also goes over the usage of embryology, or the comparison of the embryos of two different species in order to find similarities to prove common ancestry. In his research, the author found that the human embryo had several similar traits with a shark embryo, implying that we are in some way related to a prehistoric fish. The author also covers the fascinating subject of using DNA to determine changes in an animal throughout the world’s long history, and also talks about the degree of similarity human DNA has to other species, as well as more fundamental theories such as the theory that the mitochondria was once its own independent organism, but later combined with others to form the cell structures we know today.
Overall, I think this book was very interesting, because of the fact that the author was able to make otherwise boring and complex topics interesting by explaining it in a simpler way. I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in learning more about topics in biology.
Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin is available to download for free from Libby.
I first read Paper Towns when I was 14, and it quickly became one of my favorite books of all time. I would consider this book to be a “classic” that any teenager should read. John Green writes about the teenage experience in a way that many pieces of media fail to capture. Paper Towns follows teenagers Quentin Jacobsen and Margo Roth Spiegelman. Quentin, being neighbors with Margo since they were kids, watches Margo from afar, and she never seems to notice him. One day, Margo approaches his window with the promise of an adventure. The next day, she goes missing.
On their adventure, Margo and Quentin drive through their hometown of Orlando Florida in the middle of the night on a sort of scavenger hunt, and it places the reader right into the action. I love this scene, and I think it is the perfect introduction to the rest of Margo’s journey.
This book is full of adventure, mystery, and anticipation. It is funny, and witty and keeps you on the edge of your seat. All the characters are loveable and relatable, and by the end of the book you’ll either love or hate Margo’s quirky personality. The last chapter is a long adventure, with twists and turns, and one of my favorite endings I’ve ever read. The concept of a “Paper Town” is explained, and it’s something I had never heard of before, but it was really cool to learn about. Throughout the book, you get to see the characters evolve. Quentin, who was perceived as uncool and dorky seems to find himself, and Margo, who was a stereotypical popular girl, shows her true personality as she spends time with Quentin and his friends.
Ultimately Paper Towns is an essential novel for teenagers and a classic in the YA genre. This book is perfect for any age, and I believe everyone should read it at least once in their life. Someone recommended this book to me when I was younger and browsing the YA section at a bookstore, and I thank the person who gave it to me.
Paper Towns by John Green is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Libby.
Looking for a new game to play? Try 2016’s indie Metroidvania: Hollow Knight by Team Cherry. In this game, you play as a silent protagonist known simply as the Knight. You start off with nearly nothing but slowly grow to be the strongest bug in the kingdom of Hallownest. You collect permanent upgrades like the wall jump, dash, and double; that will help you to discover new areas. There are many different areas in Hollow Knight that make the game feel fresh and interesting, like the lush, verdant landscape of Greenpath, the never-ending downpour of the City of Tears, and the gleaming gems of the Crystal Peak.
Every area of this game feels extremely atmospheric and immersive. The music is elegant and uses lots of instruments that are considered to be reserved only for classical music. You have probably heard some Hollow Knight music before without realizing it because it’s often used as background music in lots of videos online. The art style is charming and the gameplay feels very natural. The combat and platforming is easy to pick up and quick paced. There are a lot of unique enemies and bosses for the player to discover and battle.
You can also customize the Knight to your play style with the use of charms; equipable items that give you a perk. You could make builds that focus around the use of the main weapon, the nail, or you could create a powerful mage build that specializes in casting spells. You could create a build that allows you to summon allies to fight on your side, or you could make a build that covers your defenses. The player receives a massive amount of customizability and can adapt to any situation with the right charms.
I won’t spoil it, but Hollow Knight has lots of little bits of lore for the player to find and piece to get her as they dive deeper and deeper into the kingdom of Hallow Nest. When the pieces come together an amazing story is revealed and adds even more purpose to your main goal. After the goal is complete, there’s still lots of content in the game. The average player typically gets a completion percentage of around 50-60 out of 112. That’s right, the completion percentage goes up to 112 because Team Cherry, being the best devs ever, decided to add not one, not, two, not three, but four free DLCs for the game, after it came out. They were actually going to make a fifth one but it was taking so long and growing to be so big, that they decided to make it a sequel to Hollow Knight. It’s called Hollow Knight: Silksong and you know it’s going to be good when they have been working on it for five years at the time of this.
So, why not try Hollow Knight? It’s got an immersive atmosphere, magnificent music, dense lore, intuitive combat, insane customizability, and a planned sequel that has been five years in the making.
I know that high school may seem like this big daunting thing that is super scary and stressful. I can tell you from personal experience that while it can get stressful at times, it truly isn’t as bad as it seems. I have complied some tips that I have learned along the way that I wish freshman me had and I wanted to share them with you today.
Time Management
I know this may seem cliche but I truthfully believe this is the one thing that will lead you to success. Time management doesn’t mean getting a planner out and planning out every single second of your day, it could just mean writing a reminder in your phone about when an assignment is due. I cannot stress the importance of using your phone as an academic tool. I personally like to use my phones calendar as a reminder system because I can set it to be a lock screen widget. I can say that the calendar has saved me stress more times then I can count.
2. Join Clubs!
Another cliche but it really is true. Clubs are the way to make yourself stand out in a crowd. I know thinking about college right now may seem scary but thinking about the little things you can start freshman year that your future self will thank you for is very important. I personally didn’t start joining clubs until my Junior year and that is when you should be going for leadership positions and trying to make your extra curriculars stronger. If your school provides it, I think CSF or California Scholarship Federation, is the best club to join your freshman year. It is a volunteering based club which means it teaches you how to time manage as well as make an impact on the community!
3. Try Sports Out
Now, I’m not saying go all into sports and make that the only thing on your mind, but if you generally are not an athletic person, joining a no cut sport may help boost your athleticism and make more friends. I decided to give a no cut sport a try my Sophomore year and I can say that some of my best friends came out of that sport. Remember, if you don’t like it you don’t have to stay! No one is forcing you to do that sport, you are always free to say I don’t like this and quit. Nothing is wrong with quitting if it doesn’t make you happy to be there, happiness is always the main priority.
These were some simple tips and tricks I have complied to help out the future class of freshman before going into high school. The main tip I have is to have fun! Not everything is as serious as it seems, everyone is learning and everyone will make mistakes. You got this 🙂
Recently, me and my family went to Knott’s Berry Farm over the spring break. I had a very good experience visiting there, so here are a few tips and ride suggestions for anyone planning to visit there.
There were many rides and attractions throughout the park, and many rides are roller coasters but there were still a variety of types of rides as well, including rapids and a train ride. Here are some of my personal favorite rides to go on at the park.
Calico River Rapids: One of my favorite rides at Knott’s is Calico River Rapids. This ride uses inner tubes which go down a long stream of rapids. This ride is fairly mild but is still very fun and is one of my favorite rides at the park. This ride also can get you wet as well so it is great for the hottest part of the day.
Ghostrider: Another one of my personal favorite rides at Knott’s Berry Farm is Ghostrider. This ride first goes up a large hill giving you a good view of the entire park, and it then goes down several drops and through many turns, so even though it has no loops, it was still a very thrilling and exciting ride. It is also a longer ride at over 3 minutes long, so despite the usually long wait times, it is still one of the best rides to go on at Knott’s Berry Farm.
Jaguar: Another great ride to go on is Jaguar. This ride is a longer ride compared to many other of the other roller coasters there, as it is over 2 minutes. It also is good for people of all experiences and ages as it was very fun but not too intense as it did not have very steep drops or inversions but still remained very thrilling.
Overall, I had a great time visiting Knott’s Berry Farm, but I also learned many new things about the park when I visited, so here are some tips for anyone visiting there for the first time.
Go to your favorite rides first.
One thing that you can do to get the most out of your day at Knott’s Berry Farm is go on your favorite rides and the ones you want to go on first. Wait times can be very long for many of the more popular rides, especially on weekends and later in the day, so if you want to go on a specific ride, be sure to go on that ride first earlier in the day, and try to go on rides with lower wait times later in the day.
2. Get to the park early.
Another useful tip for visiting Knott’s Berry Farm is to arrive early at the park. Try to arrive slightly before the park opens, as the line to enter the park and the lines for the individual rides often get longer later in the day, and I personally found this very helpful in avoiding having to wait in long lines.
3. Pack a lunch.
Another tip that I found helpful was to pack a snack or lunch to bring to the park. This allows you to wait in more lines so you can go on more rides while you are there. Lines are also often shorter during lunchtime, so you can eat lunch while waiting in line so you can make the most of your time and not wait in lines for as long as you would otherwise.
Overall, I thought that Knott’s Berry Farm was a great theme park! I would recommend this park to people of all ages since there is such a variety of activities and events to do there.
The Witch and the Beast by Kousuke Satake is a manga series about a young woman named Guideau who is cursed by a witch, in which the curse suppresses her extreme power. Her partner, Ashaf, is a mage who is dedicated to helping her find the witch who cursed her. Additionally, they both work for the Order of Magical Resonance who solve the murders and crimes of dangerous witches and magical beasts.
I particularly love the art style and the time setting of the series. The series carries a strong gothic theme that plays a part in the manga covers, settings, and even the clothes each character wears. I also love how the side characters play such a large role in the plot, and how each arc goes into so much detail of each character. I especially love Phanora and Johan, and the small amount of chapters they’re in. Satake did an amazing job developing these characters, their personality, and their charismatic personas in a way that definitely captures the reader’s attention.
I would recommend this series to anyone who appreciates gothic, fantasy stories as well as manga as a whole. The scenes do become a bit gory, so if someone does not appreciate blood or injury, try to avoid this series! Overall, I think this an amazing series and it was recently adapted into a show with twelve or thirteen episodes, so please give that a watch as well if you are interested in the series.
Video games have been an admittedly large part of my life, and so has Greek mythology (I mean, my name is literally Artemis), so a game that combines both is bound to be one that I like. Hades is probably my favorite single-player game, and I want to share it with y’all!
Hades is an isometric hack n’ slash rogue-lite game available on macOS, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Series X/S, PlayStation 4/5, Windows, and Netflix Games. The goal is to make it out of the Greek Underworld by getting through different rooms and defeating enemies. The game has no checkpoints and you lose almost all of your resources and progress if you die, but it’s a lot less frustrating than you might expect. That’s because there’s a lot of permanent upgrades that can make the game easier over time!
There are four types of currency: Charon’s Obol, Darkness, Gemstones, and Nectar. They’re all used for different types of items, but Charon’s Obols can be used for upgrades within your run, while the other three are used outside of your run to give you permanent character upgrades, or for trades between the currencies or for other artifacts.
The gameplay is very fun and interactive. You can use one of six different weapons with four versions of each. This along with the different boons from each god can really switch up how you play in each run. I usually just use the Varatha and get a ton of boons from Zeus and Ares, and Athena’s Dash boon if possible and mash buttons, but you can play in a ton of more engaging ways. It can be very difficult at first, but it gets exponentially easier as you unlock more permanent upgrades.
So if you like action-filled single player video games, I would highly recommend Hades. It’s a great roguelike with good theming and very fun gameplay.
Mission Viejo Library Teen Voice 