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Listening Through the Noise: the Aesthetics of Experimental Electronic Music

Joanna Demers

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Contemporary electronic music has splintered into a dizzying assortment of genres and subgenres,...

Hazel (1853 KP) rated Dreaming of Antigone in Books

Dec 17, 2018

This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Dreaming of Antigone is a contemporary tragedy about sixteen-year-old Andria in the aftermath of the death of her twin sister Iris. It has been almost six months since Iris overdosed on heroin, and also the same amount of time since Andria last had an epileptic seizure. Feeling overwhelmed by her mother’s overprotectiveness, Andria is counting down the days until she can reapply for her driving license – freedom. Only fourteen days to go; unless she has another seizure…

Although she is not over her sister’s death, Andria is keeping her emotions in check; but then, Iris’ ex-drug addict boyfriend, Alex, comes back to school. Andria feels hatred toward him and angrily blames him for what happened to her sister. She is beyond frustrated to discover that she has to work alongside Alex in the library after school. However their love of poetry begins to bond them together, causing Andria to question how she really feels. When more tragedy strikes in the form of her stepfather, Andria is glad to have Alex by her side.

Dreaming of Antigone is a mix of high culture and pop culture. It is written for the contemporary teenager who enjoys love stories, yet it also contains a few highbrow topics. Firstly, as referenced in the title, is the Greek play Antigone. Andria is studying this tragedy at school and likens herself and Iris to the key characters, Antigone and Ismene. Secondly is astronomy. Andria is passionate about the stars and educates the reader a little about the names of constellations and the position of the stars and planets in the solar system. Thirdly, as already mentioned, there are lots of poetry citations.

I was a little disappointed that there was not more focus on Antigone, as this is what attracted me to the novel in the first place. Robin Bridges gives a brief overview of the play for the benefit of readers who are unfamiliar with it, however for readers, like myself, who have studied Sophocles’ tragedies, there is not much more to gain from this reference.

Bridges tackles quite a number of difficult subjects in Dreaming of Antigone. There is the obvious issue of drug abuse, which killed Iris. In this case, Iris was a victim of the addiction, however Bridges counters this with Alex, the survivor, thus saying that it is possible to recover from such a dangerous habit. Later on in the story other challenging problems crop up, for example suicide and sexual abuse. Thankfully Bridges deals with these in a mature and gentle manner, so as not to distress the reader. Having said this, some readers may struggle with this triggering content.

Overall, whilst this was not a terrible book, it was not exactly what I was expecting, and therefore a bit of a disappointment. It is for this reason that I am not giving Dreaming of Antigone more than three stars. Other readers with fewer expectations may enjoy this novel a lot more.

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Sarah (7800 KP) rated Black Mirror - Season 5 in TV

Jun 15, 2019

Black Mirror - Season 5

2019 | Drama, Sci-Fi

6.4

(17 Ratings)

TV Season Rating

Not up to it’s usual high standard

Black Mirror is known for having a dark and futuristic take on modern society, and this is why it has always succeeded. It’s bleak and harrowing at times and whilst it’s not a happy programme to watch, it’s bloody good. The problem with series 5 is that it feels like an entirely different show, and not for the better.

Whilst each episode has it’s own take on modern society and technology (VR, social media and musical pop culture), none of this felt particularly new or unique. Don’t get me wrong, the episodes aren’t bad at all. But they’re just not brilliant. There are good performances (Andrew Scott especially) and the storylines are vaguely interesting, they just don’t get pushed far enough into the dark and bleak Black Mirror world we’re used to. Not only that, but none of these stories have particularly bad endings. It all just feels a little bit meh and after the rather wonderful Bandersnatch, I’d been looking forward to another great season. Sadly, it’s been a bit of a letdown. I’m really hoping that this is just a blip and that the next series is back on form, and not a sign that Black Mirror has run out of decent ideas...

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BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated Shelter of the Most High (Cities of Refuge, #2) in Books

Jan 2, 2019

Connilyn Cossette continues to bring a refreshing voice to Biblical Fiction. Expanding the horizons and bringing us thrilling and captivating stories to satisfy this nerd girl's heart.

I absolutely love discovering what life was like in ancient times. Cossette brings the lives of these people and their cultures to life in ways that will astound you. Sofea grew up in an isolated culture. Throughout this story, she is on a journey to learn who this God of the Hebrews is. His gentleness, His kindness, His love for His children. Eitan is a swoony hero in all his long-haired, bearded manliness...A protector and a fighter. Don't you dare come between him and those he loves...You will regret it. I loved watching their romance unfold. With two cultures clashing, you can imagine that it wasn't all smooth. But the results were definitely worth it.

I highly recommend Connilynn's stories (yes, all of them). She opens the history books for us in a way that is unique and compelling. I can not get enough of her stories, and neither will you!

I received a complimentary copy of Shelter of the Most High from the publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.