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So You Want to Sing Rock 'n' Roll: A Guide for Professionals
Book
Rock 'n' roll is a style that was born out of the great American melting pot. An outgrowth of the...
This is the fourteenth book in my #atozchallenge! I'm challenging myself to read a book from my shelves that starts with each letter of the alphabet. Let's clear those shelves and delve into that backlist!
Driving home to Utah to see her dying mother, college student Darby Thorne gets stuck in a terrible snowstorm. It forces her to stop at a rest area in Colorado. There she finds four other strangers stranded as well. When going back out to her car to try to get a cell signal, Darby makes a horrible discovery: in the van next to her vehicle, there's a little girl locked in a crate. Darby has no cell signal, there's no phone at the rest stop, and no way of knowing which of the four strangers has abducted this child. She's trapped and must find a way to rescue the kid. But how?
When I first picked up this book, I found it a little slow. Honestly, I think it's just because it stressed me out completely. One young college student trapped in the snow, trying to save a kid. It's a lot. I will say that Darby Thorne is a total badass (much like my hero, Darby Shaw, of The Pelican Brief).
This book is basically just a horror show, filled with violence, terror, and suspense. You don't know who Darby can trust, or what on earth will happen next. Adams packs a lot of tension into a book set in a rest area, and into a story that spans over less than half a day. It's pretty impressive.
Overall, while I can't say I completely enjoyed this book, because I was constantly worried, it's very well-done and suspenseful. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4 here.
Driving home to Utah to see her dying mother, college student Darby Thorne gets stuck in a terrible snowstorm. It forces her to stop at a rest area in Colorado. There she finds four other strangers stranded as well. When going back out to her car to try to get a cell signal, Darby makes a horrible discovery: in the van next to her vehicle, there's a little girl locked in a crate. Darby has no cell signal, there's no phone at the rest stop, and no way of knowing which of the four strangers has abducted this child. She's trapped and must find a way to rescue the kid. But how?
When I first picked up this book, I found it a little slow. Honestly, I think it's just because it stressed me out completely. One young college student trapped in the snow, trying to save a kid. It's a lot. I will say that Darby Thorne is a total badass (much like my hero, Darby Shaw, of The Pelican Brief).
This book is basically just a horror show, filled with violence, terror, and suspense. You don't know who Darby can trust, or what on earth will happen next. Adams packs a lot of tension into a book set in a rest area, and into a story that spans over less than half a day. It's pretty impressive.
Overall, while I can't say I completely enjoyed this book, because I was constantly worried, it's very well-done and suspenseful. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4 here.
Kurt Vile recommended Journey in Satchidananda by Alice Coltrane in Music (curated)
Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) rated Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) in Movies
Apr 22, 2021
What the hell was that?
I've never watched a full Tarantino movie. They're long. They drag on. I get bored. I've heard that they're ultraviolent, which usually isn't my thing but since I'm interested in true crime and this movie is based in LA at the time of the Manson murders, when I had nothing better to do on a Saturday afternoon and it was on the station the tv was tuned to when I turned it on, I decided to give it a go. I missed most of the Leo parts. I think he was throwing a fit in the trailer when I flipped it on. Either that or Brad Pitt was driving down the strip and picked up a cute girl and drove her to her friend's place (you know where it was.) So, okay. Very long scenes with not much dialogue happening. Lots of establishment of mood and atmosphere. I'm pretty sure I lost three hours while Pitt walked around her friend's place. Eventually, and I dunno when, I got confused, we come to the night of the event, and I was expecting a fact-based, but a gruesome retelling of the Manson murders. Is that what I got? Hell no! What did I get? I don't have any idea. It certainly wasn't that. Seriously, it was so stupid. It was laughable if it wasn't so embarrassingly stupid. Unrealistic and stupid. Obnoxiously stupid. Why did I waste my time watching the part of this movie I watched? Those are hours I will never get back.
This kind of cinema is lost of me, guys. I'm glad you enjoy it. But I'll never watch anything like it again. It's okay, though. I'm sure Tarantino will be just fine without my money. He seems to be doing all right for himself.
This kind of cinema is lost of me, guys. I'm glad you enjoy it. But I'll never watch anything like it again. It's okay, though. I'm sure Tarantino will be just fine without my money. He seems to be doing all right for himself.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2173 KP) rated Murder Comes to Call in Books
Oct 28, 2020
Thefts and Murder
When Beryl Helliwell goes to court for reckless driving, she meets Declan O’Shea, an Irish immigrant trying to start a life for himself in the English village of Walmsley Parva. However, being Irish, he is viewed with suspicion, and the string of thefts happening in the village only make things worse. When the police start to question him about the thefts, he hires Beryl and Edwina Davenport to clear his name. The stakes are only raised when a dead body turns up at the scene of the latest burglary. Couple that with another client who needs his case solved right away, and Edwina and Beryl have their work cut out of them. Can they figure out what is really happening?
While this is the fourth book in the series, you could easily jump in here. You would miss out on the growth in the characters and their relationships, which is definitely part of the charm of the series. Plus these are just great characters to spend time with. Fans will be delighted to check in with these friends and catch up with the latest going on in their lives. The plot seemed to be a bit scattered early on, but I suspected that events would tie together, and my faith was rewarded. In fact, I was impressed with just how everything came together by the end. The setting, both location and historical, come to life well. We get a great feel for the impact of World War I on this village without it ever slowing things down. I was fully absorbed in another time and place as I read, and if you are looking for a great historical mystery, you will be, too.
While this is the fourth book in the series, you could easily jump in here. You would miss out on the growth in the characters and their relationships, which is definitely part of the charm of the series. Plus these are just great characters to spend time with. Fans will be delighted to check in with these friends and catch up with the latest going on in their lives. The plot seemed to be a bit scattered early on, but I suspected that events would tie together, and my faith was rewarded. In fact, I was impressed with just how everything came together by the end. The setting, both location and historical, come to life well. We get a great feel for the impact of World War I on this village without it ever slowing things down. I was fully absorbed in another time and place as I read, and if you are looking for a great historical mystery, you will be, too.
Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Band a Part (1964) in Movies
Jan 28, 2021
Of all the directors I have flirted with in my opening months with the BFI player, Godard is the one I am finding most accessible and least intimidating. He is the guy whose movies I am most tempted by when I don’t want to think or analyse too much, but simply sit back and enjoy for being cool. I also wanted to see why Quentin Tarantino named his production company after this movie. And now I have seen it his whole oeuvre makes total sense, at last! The exact feel of this Nouvelle Vague cornerstone is exactly what you find in 80% of what Tarantino is trying to do. The plot is incidental, of course. What is happening is only there to pin the characters and quirky dialogue on. Being cool is all. And this mid 60s confection is so cool, so French and so much style over content in the best possible way.
On the surface it is about two dodgy guys who take a shine to a girl and rope her into a heist. But the most memorable moments are the trivialities of them dancing the Maddison in a cafe because they are bored; reading the news aloud from newspapers whilst sat in the woods; driving erratically in a speedy little jalopy with a broken roof; and just making faces at one another as they flirt and express the bittersweet tediousness of being alive. It epitomises the time and place almost more than A Bout de Souffle, and in my opinion is the more mature, more knowing film. Ultimately it means very little, but is impossible not to like. It also sparked a greater interest in Anna Karina as a film icon, being the 2nd film on this list in which she impressed me.
On the surface it is about two dodgy guys who take a shine to a girl and rope her into a heist. But the most memorable moments are the trivialities of them dancing the Maddison in a cafe because they are bored; reading the news aloud from newspapers whilst sat in the woods; driving erratically in a speedy little jalopy with a broken roof; and just making faces at one another as they flirt and express the bittersweet tediousness of being alive. It epitomises the time and place almost more than A Bout de Souffle, and in my opinion is the more mature, more knowing film. Ultimately it means very little, but is impossible not to like. It also sparked a greater interest in Anna Karina as a film icon, being the 2nd film on this list in which she impressed me.
Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated We Were Kings - Single by Neon Dreams in Music
Jun 25, 2019
Neon Dreams (Frank Kadillac, Adrian Morrisis) is a pop outfit based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Not too long ago, they released a music video for their “We Were Kings” single.
“The video for ‘We Were Kings’ was shot by my close friend Alex Gayoso and directed by me. We were driving through Utah and found this piece of land that was incredible. It had all the landscapes in one place. As a Coldplay fan, I had this idea for doing a one-take video like ‘Yellow’ but making it our own.” – Frank Kadillac
‘We Were Kings’ tells an interesting tale of a young man who reminisces on his teenage years when he was thirteen and six-feet-tall.
Back then, he was shy and the new kid in town, until he obtained a friend. Together, they skipped classes; he wrote songs that his friend sang along to.
Later, he admits that the other children used to beat him up because of the color of his skin. Even then, his friend was there to pick him up.
Even though he hasn’t seen his friend since then, he still remembers the days when they had crowns before they were kings.
“I want to be honest about who I am. I was raised by a single mother who had me when she was only 17. We moved around a lot. I was sleeping in closets, couches – wherever we could stay until we got evicted. I was the new kid in 10 different schools. ‘We Were Kings’ is a heartfelt thank you to those that helped me get through my difficult teenage years. I wanted to make a song that shows these people they’re always in my heart. Nothing has ever changed about my feelings towards them.” – Frank Kadillac
“The video for ‘We Were Kings’ was shot by my close friend Alex Gayoso and directed by me. We were driving through Utah and found this piece of land that was incredible. It had all the landscapes in one place. As a Coldplay fan, I had this idea for doing a one-take video like ‘Yellow’ but making it our own.” – Frank Kadillac
‘We Were Kings’ tells an interesting tale of a young man who reminisces on his teenage years when he was thirteen and six-feet-tall.
Back then, he was shy and the new kid in town, until he obtained a friend. Together, they skipped classes; he wrote songs that his friend sang along to.
Later, he admits that the other children used to beat him up because of the color of his skin. Even then, his friend was there to pick him up.
Even though he hasn’t seen his friend since then, he still remembers the days when they had crowns before they were kings.
“I want to be honest about who I am. I was raised by a single mother who had me when she was only 17. We moved around a lot. I was sleeping in closets, couches – wherever we could stay until we got evicted. I was the new kid in 10 different schools. ‘We Were Kings’ is a heartfelt thank you to those that helped me get through my difficult teenage years. I wanted to make a song that shows these people they’re always in my heart. Nothing has ever changed about my feelings towards them.” – Frank Kadillac
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2173 KP) rated Beaches, Bungalows, and Burglaries in Books
Jun 27, 2019
The Campground Isn’t the Only Thing That Needed Fixing
Mae West’s life has turned upside down. Unbeknownst to her, her husband Paul was running a Ponzi scheme. When the dust from the FBI raid settles, Mae is left with no money, no home, and no friends. All she has is an RV and a campground in Kentucky. She heads there, hoping to figure out what she wants to do next with her life while she sells the place. However, when she arrives, she finds the place has been neglected and needs a lot of work. Then Paul escapes from prison and turns up dead in the campground’s lake. With Mae a logical prime suspect, she begins to work to clear her name. Can she do it?
I grew up camping, and I wanted to love this series set at a campground. Unfortunately, the flaws were just too many. The plot was good, including a logical killer and motive. However, there is a major plot hole in the final quarter of the book – one big enough to drive an RV through. Then there’s the law enforcement character who is supposed to be FBI but acts more like the local sheriff. The characters are pushing the edges of quirky, but they definitely grew on me. There are multiple issues with the grammar, something I am usually able to ignore pretty well, but here they were pretty bad. I think most of the flaws could have been fixed with a good, solid edit, but instead the book feels like it was rushed out. It is a quick read, and includes three delicious recipes and some household tips at the end. I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately, I will have to keep driving until I find a better campground cozy series.
I grew up camping, and I wanted to love this series set at a campground. Unfortunately, the flaws were just too many. The plot was good, including a logical killer and motive. However, there is a major plot hole in the final quarter of the book – one big enough to drive an RV through. Then there’s the law enforcement character who is supposed to be FBI but acts more like the local sheriff. The characters are pushing the edges of quirky, but they definitely grew on me. There are multiple issues with the grammar, something I am usually able to ignore pretty well, but here they were pretty bad. I think most of the flaws could have been fixed with a good, solid edit, but instead the book feels like it was rushed out. It is a quick read, and includes three delicious recipes and some household tips at the end. I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately, I will have to keep driving until I find a better campground cozy series.
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) in Movies
Aug 26, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is the 9th film by Quinton Tarantino. Set in 1969 the film follows Rick Dolton, an actor whose career is on it's way down and his stunt double and friend Cliff Booth. Although this is a Tarantino movie it is not an action movie but more of a ‘slice of life’ movie with some action scenes.
Like all Tarantino movies, when there is no action, and there is very little action, the film crawls at a slow pace with lots of set up, dialog and driving meaning that nothing much happens for the first hour and a half. This time is used to set up the characters and the three intertwining time lines; The main one with Rick and Cliff, one that follows Sharon Tate and one that follows the Manson family.
As with most Tarantino film’s the narrative isn't linear with a lot of Rick’s back story being told by flashbacks and clips from films and T.V. shows, both real and fictional.
I have said that this is not an action film but it does have a few violent scenes, including people getting burnt with a flame thrower. The film culminates with the Manson family's murder of Karen Tate and Roman Polanski, however, as with Inglorious Bas****ds the film goes off on a different tangent from what really happened.
There are a few ‘meta' moments in ‘Once upon a time in Hollywood’ including a moment where Rick is reading a book that is echoing his life and other moments where Rick and Cliff interact with other real actors, most of whom don't play themselves (partly because some of the real actors are dead) creating and oddly unreal atmosphere.
Like all Tarantino movies, when there is no action, and there is very little action, the film crawls at a slow pace with lots of set up, dialog and driving meaning that nothing much happens for the first hour and a half. This time is used to set up the characters and the three intertwining time lines; The main one with Rick and Cliff, one that follows Sharon Tate and one that follows the Manson family.
As with most Tarantino film’s the narrative isn't linear with a lot of Rick’s back story being told by flashbacks and clips from films and T.V. shows, both real and fictional.
I have said that this is not an action film but it does have a few violent scenes, including people getting burnt with a flame thrower. The film culminates with the Manson family's murder of Karen Tate and Roman Polanski, however, as with Inglorious Bas****ds the film goes off on a different tangent from what really happened.
There are a few ‘meta' moments in ‘Once upon a time in Hollywood’ including a moment where Rick is reading a book that is echoing his life and other moments where Rick and Cliff interact with other real actors, most of whom don't play themselves (partly because some of the real actors are dead) creating and oddly unreal atmosphere.
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