We’re 100% sure that it’s not “For the watch.”
14 Times Tumblr Was A Little Too Accurate About The Hogwarts Houses
Even the Sorting Hat didn’t get this in depth.
When it came to shopping:
When Tumblr combined killing and cinnamon rolls:
When a non-Gryffindor didn't care for year two:
When someone who woke up in the middle of the night had Harry Potter on their mind:
17 Of The Most Beautifully Illustrated Picture Books In 2015
THERE’S NO “EARTH” WITHOUT “ART.”
Loryn Brantz for BuzzFeed
Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova illustrated by Julie Morstad
Chronicle Books
Julie Morstad's illustrations are detailed in all the right places. Both strong and delicate, they really capture the essence of ballet itself.
Find it here.
Chronicle Books
The Little Gardner by Emily Hughes
Flying Eye Books
10 Incredibly Cute Ways To Give A Gift Card
Or cold hard cash.
Amy Sefton / Lauren Zaser / BuzzFeed
So we teamed up with the crafty folks at Etsy to come up with a few clever ways to present this perfect last-minute gift and make it actually look cute.
Wrapped in yarn.
One way to make a gift card more fun to receive is to make it harder to open. For this simple yarn ball project, all you need is an extra skein. Just tie one end of the yarn around the card and continue wrapping until you have a hefty ball. Then add a little tag to the other end of the strand with the instruction: Pull!
Lauren Zaser / BuzzFeed
Tucked in a mixtape.
Well, not a real mixtape. These adorable cassette-shaped boxes (Claudine Hellmuth, $5) are a cinch to assemble and can be downloaded instantly.
Pro Tip: Print on cardstock, if your machine can handle it, and inscribe with clever titles or track listings to tease the contents.
Lauren Zaser / BuzzFeed
21 Great Books About Music From 2015
You’re in for some great reading, whether you want to explore the history of hip-hop and EDM, learn about how music piracy exploded in the ’00s, or read memoirs by female rock legends.
How Music Got Free by Stephen Witt
Stephen Witt’s masterfully reported book tells the story of exactly how music piracy worked in the ‘00s, tracing the rise and fall of the people who created peer-to-peer communities, the competition between gangs of rival pirate groups to leak hot records before anyone else, and a CD manufacturing plant employee who was the source of a staggering number of high-profile album leaks.
Viking/Penguin Random House
Real Life Rock by Greil Marcus
This book collects all of music critic legend Greil Marcus's "Real Life Rock Top Ten" columns published between 1986 and 2014 in the Village Voice, Artforum, Salon, City Pages, Interview, and The Believer. This is a truly amazing body of work, with Marcus delivering insightful thoughts on a wide range of topics, including books, movies, art shows, concerts, spam emails, and, more than anything else, music. This is essential reading for anyone interested in critical writing.
Yale University Press
The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic by Jessica Hopper
The title is not a lie, which is pretty depressing. This book collects Jessica Hopper's work over the past decade or so, including essential pieces about the misogyny of the emo scene in the early 2000s, the way the public mostly ignored R. Kelly's alleged sex abuse scandals, and how indie musicians have survived by teaming up with the ad world.
Featherproof Books
Schubert's Winter Journey: Anatomy of an Obsession by Ian Bostridge
Ian Bostridge’s book is a comprehensive interpretation of Franz Schubert’s Winterreise, delving into the song cycle’s literary, historical, and psychological themes. Bostridge is a scholar, but also an accomplished singer with an intimate knowledge of the work in question, having performed the piece over 100 times.
Knopf
We Gave Musicians An Elf On The Shelf And Here's What Happened
Surprisingly, no one named him “Buddy The Elf”.
You've probably heard of Elf on the Shelf. You know that "sweet" and "adorable" toy that is always ~watching~ you.
Instagram: @alfrescoemporium / Via instagram.com
Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy named him after one of the greats.
"Buzby Berkeley"
April Salud/BuzzFeed
James Bay gave him a proper name, with a silent "P".
"Ptolamey (pronounced TOL-A-MEE)"
April Salud/BuzzFeed
24 Things People Slightly Obsessed With Books Know To Be True
It’s not just a book; it’s a whole world.
You know nothing beats the smell of a brand new book...
CW
CW
