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H Is for Homicide (Kinsey Millhone, #8)
H Is for Homicide (Kinsey Millhone, #8)
Sue Grafton | 2007 | Fiction & Poetry
6
5.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Over the last couple of months, Kinsey has become friends with Parnell, an investigator at California Fidelity. So, she is shocked when Parnell is shot in the parking lot. With no leads, the case begins to fade, and even Kinsey is given a new case to investigate Bibianna for potential insurance fraud. Her plan is to get close to Bibianna and confirm the fraud, but Bibianna has secrets that complicate Kinsey’s plans. What will happen next?

This book starts well with an interesting first half, but then the second half really bogs down. The climax is almost anti-climactic in fact, and a huge change to Kinsey’s life is dashed off in a sentence. Furthermore, insurance fraud is the focus more than the homicide, which is disappointing for the “H” entry in the series. It’s not a bad book, but it’s definitely the weakest in the series to date.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/09/book-review-h-is-for-homicide-by-sue.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
The Karate Kid (1984)
The Karate Kid (1984)
1984 | Adventure, Drama, Family
I wish I had a friend like Mr. Miyagi!
When high schooler Daniel moves to California with his mother, he soon discovers life on the West Coast is more intense then what he is used to back home and starts getting bullied by the local hooligans.

Enter Mr. Miyagi.

Daniel meets a quiet, Japanese man who gives Daniel odd jobs to do when he is supposed to be teaching Daniel to defend himself.

What does it all mean?

I could use so many phrases to describe the perfect elements of this film like coming-of-age, heroes, mentoring, positive role models, underdog story and none of them would do this movie justice.

I'm sure the younger generation would find some of this cheesy now (like the standard 80s montages), but the message is what's important and that has not changed.

It really is one of those films that just makes you feel good while watching and you always get swept up in the drama and want Daniel to succeed.

A triumph!

  
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Chino Moreno recommended Born to Mack by Too $Hort in Music (curated)

 
Born to Mack by Too $Hort
Born to Mack by Too $Hort
1989 | Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I remember hearing this when I was a little kid, I probably shouldn't have because it's lyrically so dirty. In the neighbourhood I grew up in every car would be driving by playing that record. Too Short is from Oakland California which is pretty close to where I grew up in the Bay Area. It was a local rap record in a way. I wanted to put a rap record in there because rap was such a huge influence on my youth. That is one that's probably less well known. It's very minimal, it must have been made on 808 and then there's the rapping. The way that he builds his vocals, he pretty much rapped the whole thing twice and then made it stereo, so it's got this kind of cool sound. I think he was one of the first people to do that. The lyrical content is really vulgar, but super fun to listen to. When I listen to rap today, well it's hard for me to say I'm a fan of rap music, the majority of it I don't like."

Source
  
Velvet Underground &amp; Nico by The Velvet Underground
Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground
1967 | Experimental

"The whole New York thing was kind of like the Bowie outer space thing – you’d see it on films. And when I first went out to New York I thought how right the music was for the place. It was the antithesis of the California thing. I bought a Velvets compilation with ‘I'm Waiting For The Man’ on, and every title fascinated me. When I got Banana everything about it was cool, a different kind of cool to Bowie, just this disrespective, narky cunt, with the greatest rock & roll band in the history of time. Technically it doesn’t matter, the chemistry between them was incredible. Every rhythm guitar part I’ve ever played I’ve just nicked from Lou Reed, even some of the punkier stuff. There were all these punky little rhythms. Not as important as Bowie in what he decided to do, but up there because it was a band with a definite front man. When I met the right people later in life I would use the Velvets model."

Source
  
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John Taylor recommended Monterey Pop (1968) in Movies (curated)

 
Monterey Pop (1968)
Monterey Pop (1968)
1968 |
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Take great care with this documentary film of an all-day concert staged by John Phillips in small-town Monterey, California, for it holds within it the greatest single performance by any electric-music instrumentalist you have ever seen, or are likely to: the U.S. debut of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Known as the man who revolutionized the electric guitar, Jimi Hendrix appears onstage in this film a man possessed. As David Bowie sang in “Ziggy Stardust”: “He could lick ’em by smiling/ He could leave ’em to hang/ They came on so loaded, man/ Well hung and snow-white tan/ . . . He was the nazz/ With God-given ass/ He took it all too far/ But boy could he play guitar.” Never will you see a performance so sensual. There are many great films to be found of Jimi playing, but none to rival this. In Monterey Pop, there are many performances worth watching, seminal, even—Janis Joplin, Otis Redding among them—but they are all just warm-up acts to Jimi, the greatest rock-and-roll star to ever tread the boards."

Source
  
Alex, Approximately
Alex, Approximately
8
7.8 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
“My name is Bailey Rydell, and I’m a habitual evader.”

This was one of those books that I’ve seen everywhere from Kindle store to the Target book section. I did grab it while it was on sale, so that’s a bonus for me. This book read almost like a teenager version of You’ve Got Mail. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing at all. I actually enjoyed this book.

Bailey “Mink” moves from her mother’s home and into her father’s home in California. Before that, she was chatting with a classic movie buff online with someone by the SN Alex. He happens to live in California and wants Bailey to accompany him to a film festival where classics are shown, including North by Northwest. Bailey doesn’t tell Alex that she up and moved to California, and for some reason, wants to try and find him on her own.

Why she would want to do that…I had no idea but I kept reading. Her father gets her a summer job and during the first day of training, she meets a guy she titles him her ‘arch nemesis’. Only villains from Disney have arch nemesis, I’m just saying.

Porter Roth is rude, inappropriate and gets on Bailey’s nerves – you can’t help but like the guy anyway; and clearly, neither could she.

So, I say that it almost read like You’ve Got Mail, because when Bailey starts to see Porter, she kind of stops messaging Alex – and so does he, but the summary gives it away that Alex IS Porter, so I don’t have to worry about spoiling it. Then again, the movie already lets you know he’s the one anyway.

Bailey is an evader and wants to avoid any kind of conflict, confrontation, etc. I can relate to that, so I can’t really fault her on being that way. I really found it disheartening that her mother didn’t bother to give her a call or even a simple text to see how she’s doing after she moved in with her father. That is addressed, but it’s still hard for me to grasp it. I know she feels guilty (sorry, won’t spoil as to why she does), but it’s still disheartening to make your daughter think that you don’t really care about her.

“That’s the thing about being an evader. You have to be flexible and know when to bail before it all gets weird. Better for everyone, really. I’m a giver.”

This is the first novel I’ve read by Jenn Bennett. There was an excerpt from her other novel in the ebook, but I didn’t read it. I don’t know why. I don’t like reading excerpts from other books after I’ve finished one. I always want to read it straight from the book itself. I’m not sure if that made any sense at all.

The book was a cute read. Don’t let Bailey get to you right away, she has her reasons and she’s a good and strong person. Porter is a goober, but you’ll love him just as much as Bailey does. I ADORE Grace. Wish she was a bigger part in the story, just because I like her that much. And now the book makes me want to check some of the older classic movies I have not seen yet.
  
Mayhem, Murder and Marijuana
Mayhem, Murder and Marijuana
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Adam Copland is the master when it comes to the legal marijuana business in Los Angeles, California. But not everyone in the business plays nicely. Adam has to deal with the good, the bad and the ugly of this industry. The book focuses on Adam expanding his business to other parts of California as well as other parts of the country. There are a lot of highs and lows he experiences with this expansion. His wife is not happy with the business he is in although it makes him lots of money. Will Adam be able to continue to live and survive being in the marijuana industry?

Thank you to NetGalley and BookBaby/Independent Book Publishers Association for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was excited to read this book because I have an interest in the marijuana industry and how it has changed so much over the past few years. Being legalized in many states for medical as well as recreational purposes. The overall story was interesting and filled with characters I loved to hate, but there were some issues with the writing that made me give the book three stars.

First off, we're introduced to several characters all at once with similar names(Jamal, Jam) and I had to go back to make sure I was with the right person. Then all throughout the book, the main character would go by different names in the same sentence and paragraph. His name is Adam Copland, sometimes it was just Adam, sometimes Copland and sometimes AC. And there never seemed to be any rhyme or reason as to why it was this way. I'm used to a name shift when a person has a title(eg. Dr. Jones, friends may call him/her by the first name or a detective), but not for an average person. At first this left me very confused because I wasn't sure if they were talking about the same person or different people. Other than that, I had to find out what was going to happen.

This is the first book in the series, I'm not sure how many books there will be all together, but I want to know what is going to happen next, because this book left us with a bit of a cliffhanger.
  
Lost Without You - Single by Teasley
Lost Without You - Single by Teasley
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Teasley is an LA-based singer-songwriter who was raised in Oakland, California. Not too long ago, he released a danceable pop tune, entitled, “Lost Without You”, produced by Buchanan Westover.

“I don’t wanna leave too soon ‘cause I’m lost without you. I don’t wanna seem too rude when I’m leaving town. Hoping I come back to find out that you miss me too. And you’re not upset, screaming out loud, ‘I been so lost without you’.” – lyrics

‘Lost Without You’ tells an interesting tale of a young guy who thinks about a special woman in his life while on a one-way flight to Brooklyn.

Even though he’s successful and making money, he doesn’t want to spend it alone because he feels like he owes her something, since they started out with nothing.
But things have changed between them and he’s been so lost without her. Later, he admits that if she’s gone, then he won’t live on.

What he really wants is one more dance before he lets go completely. Hopefully, he can get her to stay on the phone long enough to convince her that their relationship doesn’t have to end.

“I wrote this song reflecting on the relationships that have fallen to the wayside in the process of chasing something bigger than myself. So much time is spent on self-improvement that I’ve had to give up most late nights at the club with friends and love interests. I’m hopeful that I will continue to attract everything that is meant for me and that’s what this track speaks too. Hope.” – Teasley

Teasley draws inspiration from the chill coastal lifestyle. Whether on the beach or in the gym, he strives to embody a laid-back California vibe.

Not too long ago, the bubbly crooner released his debut EP, entitled, “Feeling Better”, co-produced by EDM trio Cheat Codes.

The project featured “Hit It”, which reached over 1 million streams online. Also, the accompanying music video was sponsored by Red Bull and reached the top 10 on MTV dance charts.

‘Lost Without You’ contains a relatable storyline, pleasing vocals, and summer-inspired instrumentation flavored with a dance-floor friendly pop aroma. Also, the likable tune will be featured on Teasley’s upcoming project, entitled, “Pineapple Juice”.
  
MN
Maya's Notebook
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Maya Vidal may only be 20 years old, but she has been through a lot in that short time. Sent to live in a remote village in Chile after battling great challenges in her life, Maya uses her notebook to write about and learn from those challenges. The mistakes from her past will help her to hopefully lead a more productive and promising future.

Told from Maya's point of view, we are transported all over the world. Most of the book takes place in Chiloe, Chile, but you will also spend time in Berkeley, California, in Oregon, in Las Vegas and other countries throughout the world. Taken back and forth in time from Maya's present to the events of her past that brought her to Chile in the first place. This book is full of strong family ties that help Maya to keep her head on somewhat straight.

Overall this was a great story, but it took way too long to read. Full of great details it makes you feel as though you are in the setting of the book.

Favorite quote from the book: "...there's no fuel for the bonfires of despair."
  
Heart to Mouth by LP
Heart to Mouth by LP
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
LP is a singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. Not too long ago, she released a dynamic emo-alternative tune, entitled, “Shaken”, produced by Fred Gibson.

“All night, sipping on a feeling. Won’t lie, was nervous for this evening. Then you arrive. Oh god, why you gotta look so, so hot? Remembering your body on mine, I wanna cry. I, I knew that you’d be here tonight but suddenly I’m paralyzed. Who’s she by your side?” – lyrics

‘Shaken’ tells a heartbreaking tale of a young woman who sees her ex-lover at a public place.

Apparently, she is hidden in the corner, shaking, and jealously looking at her ex and the ex’s new girlfriend having a great time.

Later, when her ex gets up to leave, the woman admits that it feels like she’s watching someone else living her life.

‘Shaken’ contains a gripping storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and dynamic instrumentation flavored with musical highs and lows.

The likable tune is featured on LP’s “Heart to Mouth” album, which can be streamed online via Spotify.

LP’s “Heart to Mouth” album recently hit #1 in Italy and will continue to break charts around the world.

https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/lp-shaken/