Search

Search only in certain items:

I(
Irresistible (Buchanans #2)
4
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
<b>POV:</b> Multiple. <spoiler>The biggest issue I have with this book.</spoiler>
<b>Descriptive Sex:</b> Yes.
<b>OW/OM:</b> Yes. <spoiler>Sort of? Walker does kiss an ex-<i>lover</i> while Elissa and Walker are together. Said ex is also married and I just do not see why it had to be included. Also, as mentioned in other reviews, if there's an ex or dead spouse that aren't physically there but still deters the relationship, I would include it OW/OM drama. In this case, Walker's (dead) ex-high school girlfriend is why he doesn't want to commit.</spoiler>
<b>Separation:</b> No.
<b>Content Warnings:</b> domestic abuse, child abuse, drugs, and mention of abortion.
<b>★★½</b>

If this book was purely Elissa and Walker's story, got rid of that ridiculous Naomi scene (re: OW/OM), and didn't rush the ending, then this would've easily been four stars for me. This book suffered from the randomly scattered scenes in the POV of Walker's siblings. I know it was done because this is a continuous story of these siblings that spans over four books, but I really don't want to read about these characters with OW/OM then in their book they end up with someone else <spoiler>(I'm only assuming this is the case in [b:Delicious|73069|Delicious (Buchanans, #1)|Susan Mallery|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388274581l/73069._SY75_.jpg|70723] since we see Dani with someone in this novel before her book. Also assuming <i>Delicious</i> involves Naomi and Walker which I'm glad I passed over otherwise I wouldn't make it through this. Although if it doesn't then that makes the Naomi scene even more pointlessly thrown into this book)</spoiler>. Which is why I don't plan on continuing or going back. I did really like Elissa and Walker individually as well as together though. It was touch and go since there is a lot of push and pull when I think Elissa deserved definitiveness.
  
Beerbongs &amp; Bentleys by Post Malone
Beerbongs & Bentleys by Post Malone
2017 | Rap, Techno
Post Malone is a rapper from Syracuse, New York. Not too long ago, he released his sophomore album, entitled, “beerbongs & bentleys”, featuring Swae Lee, 21 Savage, Ty Dolla Sign, Nicki Minaj, G-Eazy, and YG.

Malone wears his heart on his sleeve and speaks from the heart. His world is good and bad, and he blames himself for his dual reality because life is what you make it.


PARANOID

Malone opens the album speaking about his paranoia. He’s worked so hard to become rich and successful. Now, he can’t trust anyone around him. He fears that people are out to get him for his riches, which he has stashed in different areas of his home.

To protect himself, Malone sleeps with a gun by his bed. Also, he’s willing to shoot anyone trying to break in or enter his home unannounced.

SPOIL MY NIGHT (FT. SWAE LEE)

Malone addresses limelight-lustful females he encounters in nightclubs. The women know Malone is a celebrity, so they want their social-media world to know that they are hanging out with him.

Malone admits that what he’s doing is wrong. But there’s no need for these women to get star-struck. In a way, he’s suspicious about their move to go live on Instagram. He would rather them chill and keep things on the low.

RICH & SAD

Malone addresses his girlfriend. She’s the reason why he doesn’t want his female fans recording him in the clubs.

Apparently, Malone’s girl leaves him for unknown reasons. Malone claims it’s because his career is skyrocketing. So, that might’ve complicated their relationship. But the real reason is anyone’s guess.

After her departure, Malone feels lonely and depressed, even though he’s surrounded by fame and fortune.

Malone realizes that money can’t buy happiness. All he wants is his girlfriend back.

ZACK AND CODEINE

Malone solves his loneliness by indulging in his guilty pleasures. So, he parties in a hotel lobby, filled with women, drugs, and alcohol.

Malone celebrates his success and doesn’t plan on sleeping anytime soon. As long as he’s partying, he doesn’t feel alone. He even addresses the current state of urban music.

TAKIN’ SHOTS

Malone continues his pleasure-seeking. This time, he’s at another party, mixing unprotected threesome sex, drugs, and alcohol.

Malone is drunk before he gets to the party. Still, that doesn’t stop him from taking more shots. Also, he’s waiting for more drugs to come.

ROCKSTAR FEAT. 21 SAVAGE

Malone identifies what he is—a Rockstar, smoking weed like a Rasta, f*cking hoes, and popping pills.

The Emil Nava-directed video shows Malone as a deranged swordsman. Also, he is warring against the ops, and they are clothed in business attire.

OVER NOW

Malone stops partying and addresses his off-and-on relationship with his girlfriend. This time, he lets her know that he’s been a begging idiot. Now, he doesn’t want her anymore. It’s over!

PSYCHO FEAT. TY DOLLA $IGN

 Malone raps about making his first million, how much he charges for a walkthrough, and how the jewelry on his neck is making his neck cold. Also, all these things he has accumulated, have women asking, “Can I have some to hold?”

The James DeFina-directed video begins with Malone riding a tank in a deserted area. Also, later scenes show Ty Dolla riding inside the tank.

BETTER NOW

Malone reverts back to talking about his ex-girlfriend. He questions her saying that she is better now. But he doesn’t believe that, even though he sees her with a new guy.

Malone is trying to win back her love and faults himself as the problem of their separation. He puts his heart on his sleeve and lets it be known that he’s still in love with her.

BALL FOR ME FEAT. NICKI MINAJ

Malone ditches his relationship drama and puts on his ballin’ jersey. He’s busy on the road getting paid. So, he doesn’t have time to personally take her shopping on Rodeo Drive.

The girl wants to be styled in Saint Laurent fashion. So, Malone offers to pay $30,000 for the shopping spree and nothing more.

OTHERSIDE

Malone reverts back to talking about his ex-girlfriend. He’s been drinking and reminiscing about their rocky relationship. Also, he wants to know why she doesn’t answer when he calls her name.

It seems Malone’s girl did him dirty. She left him in the cold and now he’s burning inside trying to drink away the pain. But somehow, he still loves her and wants the waves to come and take him back to her.

STAY

Malone is stuck in a sunken place. The rocky relationship between him and his ex is starting to get to him and he’s starting to drink more and more.

BLAME IT ON ME

Malone reflects on a time when he didn’t have money and fame. Life was so simple back then.

Now, people around him are trying to take pieces of him, and everything he has worked hard for. He blames himself for them taking advantage of him, even though he knows they love when he’s in agony.

SAME BITCHES FEAT. YG & G-EAZY

Malone raps about being in Los Angeles. He questions, if the population is 4-million, how come he sees the same b*tches? Also, he questions their intention.

JONESTOWN (INTERLUDE)

Malone is depressed again. He mentions the Jonestown cult massacre when Jim Jones poisoned his followers with a poisonous Kool-Aid drink.

Malone raps about his 1992 Ford Explorer. Apparently, he purchased another one for $1,700 and got it customized by West Coast Customs.

CANDY PAINT

Malone continues his lavish talks about his lavish lifestyle, expensive vehicles, and his boss status. Also, he warns people not to plot on what he has because it can get ugly.

‘Candy Paint’ was originally recorded for “The Fate of the Furious: The Album” soundtrack.

SUGAR WRAITH

Malone continues with the car theme. He raps about his Rolls Royce Wraith and taking it out for a drive. Also, he covers other topics.

CONCLUSION

‘beerbongs & bentleys’ is a rhythmic/harmonious album with solid production and detailed songwriting.

Also, it highlights Malone’s struggles, pinpoints his weaknesses and addictions, which are lotion with tears of depression and materialistic happiness.

https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/post-malone-beerbongs-bentleys/
  
Silk Road (2021)
Silk Road (2021)
2021 | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Squandered a promising story
Silk Road is a 2021 thriller from writer/director Tiller Russell focusing on the true story of Ross Ulbricht who created and operated the darknet marketplace of the same name, selling drugs and other illegal items across the globe. On paper, Silk Road sounds like it should be a fascinating, interesting story and even the trailer makes it appear exciting, but unfortunately it never quite manages to pull off what it promises.

Ross Ulbricht (Nick Robinson) is a mid 20s libertarian from Texas who has a number of failed business ideas behind him, when he becomes convinced that he can strike a blow against the system by creating an illegal underground marketplace to seek drugs. The man on his tail is DEA Agent Rick Bowden (Jason Clarke), a former narc who botched his last undercover mission due to drug and alcohol addiction and transferred to Cyber Crime, where he’s introduced to the Silk Road marketplace. The story focuses on both men as they become increasingly involved in the darknet - Ross’s desperation to keep his site running and his identity hidden at all costs, even to the detriment of his relationship with girlfriend Julia (Alexandra Shipp), and Rick’s obsession to be back pursuing a case, resulting in corruption, extortion and even torture.

Silk Road promised so much, but unfortunately unlike Ross Ulbricht, just didn’t deliver. The story is fascinating and watching this has at least made me want to go out and read more about the truth behind this, as somehow this completely passed me by back in 2013. However Tiller Russell has taken this fascinating tale and turned it into something dull and clichéd. From the opening flash forward scenes to the cat and mouse chase between Ross and Bowden, there’s little originality on offer here. The story is long, dull and drawn out over 2 hours, and what makes it worse is that it seems to be lacking in any real detail on the true story. How Ross actually setup Silk Road has been glossed over in a brief montage, and the entire operation including Bowden’s entrapment and extortion haven’t faired much better and trying to figure out the timeline here too is impossible. I don’t know if Russell’s intentions were to avoid confusing and over facing the watcher with too much technical jargon, but whatever his motives, he only left us wanting more. There are ways to explain complicated technical matters without alienating the watcher (think The Big Short), but Silk Road just doesn’t bother.

On the surface Silk Road looks stylish and sleek, but on watching the entire film even the cinematography is questionable. Parts of the film look cheap and poorly made, and there are a lot of shots (especially those with any form of light involved) that seem hazy and have a lot of glare that detracts from the action in the scene. There was even some camerawork that made this look like a shaky cam documentary rather than the glossy thriller the trailer made it out to be.

The cast don’t fare much better either. Nick Robinson is a talented actor which was shown with Love, Simon, but here he’s given virtually nothing to work with as his character spends almost all the entire film staring at his phone or laptop. Alexandra Shipp too is sidelined as the generic girlfriend, and Jimmi Simpson, who I think is a rather engaging yet entirely underrated actor, is given the generic FBI agent role who barely gets a word in. Only Jason Clarke comes out of this unscathed, playing the most developed and interesting character (who incidentally isn’t actually real and an amalgamation of 2 agents on the real life Ulbricht’s tail), but even he suffers thanks to the faults with the story.

With a fascinating story and decent cast, Silk Road could’ve been good. In fact it could’ve been better than good. Instead it’s execution is it’s downfall, turning an intriguing story into a rather dull affair.
  
Only Ever Yours
Only Ever Yours
7
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am not sure what to think about this book.
I didn't like a single thing, I couldn't put it down for a second but I didn't like it: I didn't like the story or the settings, and the characters are horrible.
Then again I don't think this book is meant to be liked.
It disturbs me in a way that I cannot really understand: it disturbs me because it is so cliche that I would like to laugh at it, but in the same time I can see so much of my younger self in those girls that it scares the hell out of me: all the doubts, and the mean best friends, the willing to fit in no matter the costs - even if it means betraying yourself.
This book makes me feel uncomfortable.
At the beginning I didn't like the line that the author put between women and men, like saying "this is all men's fault, they did this, they are the bad guys", and then you meet this men and you realize that they are just scared teenager as well, with a life already decided for them. Maybe this book disturbs me because it just put you in the middle of the story but it does't explain how humanity arrived at that point: how is it possible that people just stopped to have daughters? Why women didn't fight this culture when it was spreading? Why did they accept all of that in the first place?
Maybe again, this is not the point of the book and maybe what it really bothers me about it is the complete lack of hope: there is not a single character that can be considered good (even though no one can be considered the bad guy), not a single character took the right path, they are all absolutely incapable. But worst than that I think is the complete lack of hope for the society, the resignation to a system that cannot be changed, drugs and death as the only way out.
I didn't like this book at all, I wasn't impress by it, I felt offended, angry, sometimes bored.
But I couldn't put it down until the end, and maybe this is why is worth reading it.
  
The Party
The Party
Robyn Harding | 2017 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Being a teenager is hard. You believe that all the events that are taking place now are going to be the end all of your life, but it's just the beginning of life. For Hannah, she wants to be a part of the cool kids so bad, she decides to invite a couple to her modest 16th birthday party. Nothing extravagant, just a few teenage girls in the basement for pizza and sleepover, what could go wrong? But when an unfortunate accident leaves one girl badly injured, the whole school will be turned upside down.

Hannah and Ronnie had been friends when they were little. As they grew older, they grew apart. Now Ronnie is part of the popular crew at school and Hannah is dating a popular boy, but still has her more down to earth friends as well. When her two worlds come together at her birthday party, chaos ensues. Given the house rules, everyone at the birthday party breaks them. They drink, take drugs, invite boys over and Ronnie gets seriously injured. After the incident, Hannah is torn between wanting to retain her popularity and keeping her friendship with Ronnie.

What would you do if a child was seriously injured while in your care? What if their parents wanted to ruin you financially, no matter how the child felt about it?

For me, I wasn't sure whose side I was on in this book. I knew I was on the side of the kids. I was a young dumb kid at one point in my life, doing all the things these kids did at this sleepover. The kids understood that what they did was wrong and dumb and that they had to deal with the consequences of their actions. I don't think that I met any people who have turned on their friends the way the kids in this book do. If something happened to my child at a party, I don't know if I would try and get money out of the other family. I don't think I could do that. But I've never been in that situation.
  
Dead Man&#039;s Shoes (2006)
Dead Man's Shoes (2006)
2006 | Drama, Mystery
British films don’t really come more powerful as this, Shane Meadows has delivered a film so intense it’ll feel like the quickest most terrifying ninety minutes of your life.

Richard (Considine) has returned home from active service in order to seek vengeance against those who tormented his mentally challenged brother Anthony (Kebbell) some years ago.

Those responsible, Sonny (Stretch) the local drug dealer and his gang, attempt to tackle Richard head on, but Richard is stone faced and not in the least bit afraid. All the while Anthony follows Richard around like a lost puppy, happy just to have his brother with him.

Meadows uses black and white flash backs revealing just what happend to poor Anthony, which puts you at ease that what Richard is doing is more than justified. Nobody likes a bully but everyone loves it when they get their comeuppance.

With the group realising that there efforts are all for nothing it becomes just a waiting game as to when Richard comes for them, and come for them he does. Richard initially makes his presence in the town known, subtly at first and in the beginning he toys with the gang before taking his intentions just that little bit further.

It’s a violent film make no question of that, you almost feel sorry for Sonny and his gang.

One particular scene sees Richard spike the kettle with a concoction of drugs that gives three of the gang the most spaced out cup of tea they’ve ever had. Watching it almost makes you feel like you’re high with them. Considine gives a breathtaking performance, Richard is a cold and calculated killer and he’s not in the least bit afraid. He plans everything meticulously, like a lion stalking its prey.

That said all the cast do an amazing job, and its a brilliantly written script as well, with Meadows delving into each character. The film also has a slight black comedy element to it, while we shouldn’t be laughing in some scenes although it is hard not to, this doesn’t detract from the fact its a brutally disturbing film, and is arguably the best British film I have seen.
  
Run All Night (2015)
Run All Night (2015)
2015 | Mystery
7
7.3 (8 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Run All Night” is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. The film stars Liam
Neeson, Joel Kinnaman and Ed Harris.
Liam Neeson plays Jimmy Conlon, an aging hit man who seems to be trying
to come to terms (and failing) with the bad things that he has done in
his life for Irish Mob boss Shawn Maguire(Ed Harris). Jimmy and his son
Mike (Joel Kinnamen) have no relationship, and Jimmy is alone in the
world except for Shawn.

In a convoluted story line, Shawns son Danny (Boyd Holbrook) tries to
“prove himself” to his father by arranging a deal with some drug running
Albanians, but since Shawn has taken his business away from dealing with
anything to do with drugs because of the people he has lost over that
sort of business, Shawn refuses the deal.
Things quickly head south, and in an even more convoluted story line,
Danny ends up dead, by Jimmys’ hand.

Shawn vows to get even, and the remainder of the movie is spent in car
chases, shoot outs, burning buildings, near escapes, and deaths.

I was pulled into the movie, and found myself caring what happened to
the main characters.
It was rather predictable, in the way that all “Mob” movies are
predictable, with the shooting and car chases etc.
What wasn’t so predictable was the amount of “caring” that Neeson was
able to project and portray and how invested he was able to make me as
an audience member. He played the part of an aging, emotionally and
physically beat down guy, with regrets about his relationship with his
son, trying against all odds to “make it right” this one last time, to
protect his family, at any cost to himself. I was pulling for him to be
able to get it done.

The one part of the movie that i didn’t like was the “swooping” with the
camera angles, when jumping (literally) from one scene or location to
the next in the movie. I found it to be dizzying and I had to close my
eyes until those parts were done.
  
40x40

Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Swap in Books

Jun 25, 2020  
The Swap
The Swap
Robyn Harding | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Low Morrison grows up on an isolated island, known for its free-loving ways. Her parents take this to the next level, living a polyamorous life that leaves Low embarrassed, ashamed, and a social outcast. When she spots the beautiful Freya at her school, she's enthralled. She sees Freya hanging up signs for a pottery class and knows she must join. She's Freya's only student and quickly becomes besotted with her teacher. Freya has no problem sharing all of her secrets and desires with her young apprentice. That's until Freya meets Jamie, who owns a local shop in town. The two become quick friends, leaving Low feeling left out and an outcast once again. One night Freya and her husband Max invite Jamie and her husband Brian over for dinner; they have no idea a jealous Low is lurking in the shadows. The foursome partake in drugs and a crazy night occurs, changing their lives forever. It also gives Low a chance to hold something over their heads.

This was a slightly insane and improbable thriller that I sped through in an entire day. It was fast-paced and nearly impossible to put down, as you just knew the characters were hurtling toward disaster. It's filled with a variety of fairly unsympathetic characters, though I felt for Low, unwanted in her own busy family and toyed with by Freya, who cares only for herself.


"I'd had to share all my life. I was done with it."


The story is told from Low's perspective, along with Brian, Jamie, and Max. We never hear directly from Freya, whom all of these characters seem to hold on a pedestal. Why exactly, we can never be sure, as she seems self-centered and cruel, playing with and torturing each of them to get exactly what she wants.

I found this to be a spellbinding read--it pulls you in as only Harding can do. Low's obsession, Freya's narcissism, Jamie's naivete. We can sense it all combining into something propulsive and horrible.

Overall, while I didn't love this one quite as much as The Arrangement, Harding's previous novel, I still enjoyed it. It's a fast-paced and creepy read, plus it's different and fun. 4 stars.
  
40x40

Johnny Marr recommended track Jean Genie by David Bowie in Platinum Collection by David Bowie in Music (curated)

 
Platinum Collection by David Bowie
Platinum Collection by David Bowie
2006 | Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

Jean Genie by David Bowie

(0 Ratings)

Track

"I wanted to mention this record because it’s almost taken for granted in David Bowie’s canon as just ‘there’s another great Bowie track’, yet it gets overlooked by something like ‘Let’s Dance’ or ‘Heroes.’ “If this came out now I don’t think it’d have any chance on mainstream radio and I think that’s because - and this might be incredibly subjective - he does this amazing thing where he manages to be completely remote whilst leading this band. It’s a really genius performance, the way he pitches his vocal and his persona, it’s cold and remote, but yet really sexy and it’s got no earnestness in it whatsoever. It’s not inciting you to get up and rock like ‘Jailhouse Rock’ or any of the Elvis Presley records, which is someone wanting to dance with you or encouraging you to do that. “To use an obvious comparison about Bowie, this has a really alien position because the voice is so cold, but it’s perfectly Rock and Roll. And it’s really white I think, probably because I can picture him in my mind when it came out and you’d never seen anyone more white, but it’s also as low down and Rock and Roll as any of the blues records that came out. It’s interesting, it’s got that sexuality in it. “I was about ten when it was released and to me and a bunch of kids experiencing it then it was so modern, because of what Bowie’s doing on top of what is essentially a Yardbirds or a Muddy Waters riff and using ‘The Jean Genie’, which back then was such a hip kind of slang. It’s a play on Jean Genet and he’s describing bits he’d picked up from Iggy, but in the early 70s’ everything was ‘Ziggy’, ‘Iggy’, ‘Genie’ and people were called ‘Mick’ and ‘Stevie.’ “There was a very urban, street Rock and Roll that was quite illicit; the threat of drugs, danger, confused sexuality and super-androgyny and the character he’s singing about personifies that in the mind, which leads me to Iggy."

Source
  
The Silent Patient
The Silent Patient
Alex Michaelides | 2019 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
10
8.3 (39 Ratings)
Book Rating
This complex story is told from two different perspectives, a story which was written down by Alicia, and another one, told by Theo, about his life. I really liked the characters in this book, they are very intriguing, some of them very charismatic, but at the same time very believable. I really liked Alicia’s story and her disturbed personality, but at the same time, I found her quite naive and sometimes annoying. Theo really surprised me, he is too messed up in his head to be a decent psychotherapist. His personality and thoughts were quite scary sometimes, but I absolutely loved the investigation he has done, to find out more about Alicia.

The narrative of this book is very layered, complex, and discusses many issues. The characters are sharing their thoughts about the relationships with their family and their spouses, and how that effected their present personalities. The author creatively incorporated his Greek heritage into this story, filled with Greek Gods and other bits and pieces. The story doesn’t stay still for long periods of time, there are plenty of surprising twists and turns throughout this book and it was a real page turner to me. The author discussed a very wide variety of topics, such as a difficult relationship with parents; blind love for their spouses; drugs; mental health issues etc.

The setting of this book feels very mysterious, and I liked that there are multiple locations used in this novel. The writing style is creative, well crafted, but easy and pleasant to read. The chapters are pretty short, and due to suspense, the pages just flew by for me. I really liked the ending of the book, it rounded the story well but there are many unanswered questions, which left me unsettled.

So, to conclude, this is a very amusing story, filled with complex and unique characters, and a plot, soaked in love, grief and betrayal. I strongly recommend to read this story and find out, whether Theo succeeds in his quest to make Alice speak again or not. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did