watch, read & listen: the mortal instruments, palo alto, afi

♥ watch, read & listen a weekly feature where we share and recommend

our current movie, book and music obsessions to you every monday. ♥

Watch: The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Set in contemporary New York City, a seemingly ordinary teenager, Clary Fray (Lily Collins), discovers she is the descendant of a line of Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of young half-angel warriors locked in an ancient battle to protect our world from demons. After the disappearance of her mother (Lena Headey), Clary must join forces with a group of Shadowhunters, who introduce her to a dangerous alternate New York called Downworld, filled with demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and other deadly creatures.
Directed by Harald Zwart. Based on the novel by Cassandra Clare. Screenplay by Jessica Postigo.

IMDB Rating: 6.9/10.

Read: Palo Alto by James Franco

A fiercely vivid collection of stories about troubled California teenagers and misfits--violent and harrowing, from the astonishingly talented actor and artist James Franco. Palo Alto is the debut of a surprising and powerful new literary voice. Written with an immediate sense of place--claustrophobic and ominous--James Franco's collection traces the lives of an extended group of teenagers as they experiment with vices of all kinds, struggle with their families and one another, and succumb to self-destructive, often heartless nihilism. In "Lockheed" a young woman's summer--spent working a dull internship--is suddenly upended by a spectacular incident of violence at a house party. In "American History" a high school freshman attempts to impress a girl during a classroom skit with a realistic portrayal of a slave owner—only to have his feigned bigotry avenged. In "I Could Kill Someone," a lonely teenager buys a gun with the aim of killing his high school tormentor, but begins to wonder about his bully's own inner life.

These linked stories, stark, vivid, and disturbing, are a compelling portrait of lives on the rough fringes of youth.

Listen: 17 Crimes (LA Riots remix) // AFI

budget-friendly college materials

Starting college this year? Back to school? Still hassling around for textbooks? One of many issues that most college students run into are expensive textbooks for class. While many go to the campus bookstore to buy them, the rest of us are looking for a more affordable outlet.

Chegg. While Chegg does not have a physical store, they do have a website where you can order to buy or rent a textbook. If you sign up for their mailing list on their website, they email coupons of discounts and free shipping. The books they provide are more affordable whether you’re looking forward to buy or rent from them. On top of that, their customer service is reliable. Might want to hurry because classes start soon.

Valore Books. As per Chegg, Valore Books provides affordable books — some may be cheaper or more expensive than the other, so it’s advisable to compare the sites to fit your budget better. Also signing up for their mailing list will assure some discounts of their own. And when you’re done with the semester, send the rented ones back or sell the books you bought right back to them. 

College Book Renter. Another reliable and affordable site to buy, rent, or sell textbooks.

eCampus. If you need another comparison, this would the one. One of the lowest prices I’ve come across so far.

eBates. This doesn’t help your textbook needs necessarily, but if you’re a struggling college student, using eBates every time you shop online you will receive a check. Free money mailed out to you without any catches, who can refuse?

UPromise. It’s a bit similar to eBates except the money goes straight to your college fund whether you’ve opened an account for it or not — it’s a great start. It’s not common to receive money just for shopping, so might as well seize the opportunity when it presents itself. Now that we’ve got the textbooks out of the way, that leaves back to school clothes and supplies. I have an eclectic taste, so if you’re not into urban styles, ignore the rest of this post. A few stores have launched their Fall lines, and everyone is already diving for some new clothes for the forthcoming fall season.

Ever felt that you needed an assistant to help balance college life and personal life, but couldn’t afford one? Well, Fancy Hands has you covered.

What’s Fancy Hands? It’s an internet savvy personal assisting service. No worries, you can trust founder Ted Roden to hire their most smart and savvy employees to complete every task you throw in their lap. Need to reschedule an appointment, email your manager or professor, book a hotel? They can take care of that for you. They can do any task that doesn’t involve the need of being present in person, so they unfortunately can’t FedEx a package for you. The best part of it is it’s wallet-friendly: $25 gets you 5 requests. While they take care of the smaller tasks for you, you can balance college and personal life without breaking a sweat.