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Ian Anderson recommended Aitara by Varttina in Music (curated)

 
Aitara by Varttina
Aitara by Varttina
1994 | Folk, Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I think I heard Värttinä first on an album of so-called world music that EMI put out on a label it owned at the time of this record [1994]. They sent me some tracks and opened me up a little bit to Scandinavian folk music - some great stuff from Sweden and Finland that I was very enthused to hear. Although I speak not a word of Finnish and I have no idea what these Finnish fishwives, as I call them, are singing about, we want to immerse ourselves in some notion of what the words mean. It’s just in the same way I don’t speak Hindu or any other Indian language, but love Indian music. Curiously, the marriage between Indian music and Finnish music occurred officially a few years ago when AR Rahman, the great Indian contemporary composer and arranger, discovered Värttinä too and did an album where he used Värttinä’s voices singing in Finnish in some of his sophisticated Bollywood music. He, like me, had fallen under the spell of these fishwives, although I’m sure he too speaks not a word of Finnish. So it’s something about the sound of the words, how the sounds are enunciated, that lets the imagination roam free, unconstricted by what might turn out to be the awful truth, that it’s yet another boring love song."

Source
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2103 KP) rated Swift Run in Books

May 23, 2021 (Updated May 23, 2021)  
Swift Run
Swift Run
Laura DiSilverio | 2012 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Running Down Gigi’s Ex
With Charlie out recovering from their last case, running Swift Investigations has fallen to her partner, Gigi. And Gigi is very reluctant to take on their new client when the last person she wants to see walks through the door – Heather-Anne, the woman that Gigi’s ex-husband Les ran away with over a year ago. Now Heather-Anne is back in town and wants to hire Swift Investigations to track down Les, who she also claims is back in Colorado Springs. Can Gigi and Charlie find him?

Sadly, this appears to be the final book in this series. Fortunately, it is another fabulous book. Once again, we are treated to a great mystery with plenty of twists and turns. And we get lots of laughs from the situations that Charlie and Gigi find themselves in. Since this is more Gigi’s story than Charlie’s, she takes over first-person narration duties, but Charlie still gets plenty of time in the spotlight thanks to chapters from her third-person point of view. We also get some good character growth, especially for Gigi, something she has needed. While a couple of threads aren’t wrapped up, I was satisfied with how the series ended. If you are looking for a light mystery, check out these books.
  
Deceived
Deceived
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
They say a soul is the immaterial essence, the animating principal, the actuating cause of an individual life.

But what if you had to share yours with the one person you hated the most?

The soul mate principal states that for every one soul there is another that will recognize its match, hence creating the perfect union.

But what if you had two soul mates, which would you choose?

What if your choices had eternal ramification?

Deceived, the debut novel in the Soul Keeper Series, is a modern day love story about the implications of having more than one soul mate, and having to choose between the two of them. The decisions of the gods has left the next generation, their heirs, torn between fate and reality, and the balance of the future hangs in anticipation of what's to come.


<strong>Brilliant</strong>

Absolutely loved this book. I love anything with stories based around Greek mythology the stories are just always so interesting. This may be a little teeny for some at first but I highly recommend sticking with it. Following Dan and Julie so closely I actually found myself crying at Julia's death, not something I do very often must have caught me at a weak point haha. Definitely recommend it you liked Fallen by Lauren Kate.



⭐⭐⭐⭐

  
Rise of the Fallen (All the King&#039;s Men, #1)
Rise of the Fallen (All the King's Men, #1)
Donya Lynne | 2012 | Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
134 of 200
Kindle
Rise of the fallen (All the kings men book 1)
By Donya Lynne

 
 
In the streets of Chicago exists an uneasy, centuries-old truce between vampires and their distant cousins, a race of shifters called drecks. Vampire enforcement agency, All the King's Men (AKM), is charged with maintaining the truce, but when volatile enforcer Micah Black loses his mate and falls into the biological agony that results from the broken bond, he tests the boundaries of the truce by seeking out Apostle, a leader in the dreck community. Micah wants Apostle to kill him, a request Apostle is more than happy to fulfill.

When ex-Army medic-turned exotic dancer Samantha Garrett inadvertently disrupts the plot and saves Micah's life, a chain reaction sets Micah's heart on a collision course with hers, but he will have to protect her from Apostle and her obsessive ex-husband if they will have a chance at forever.



It was good and I did like the writing style of this author. I have read a few of these books with the hot tortured supernatural men finding themselves and their life mates and as it goes this was a solid book. I do like the fact it’s not just female life mates or love interests we are seeing!
  
D(
Descent ( Immortal chronicles book 1)
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
109 of 230
Kindle
Descent ( Immortal Chronicles book 1)
By Sloane Murphy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Six hundred years after The Outbreak, the human population stand side by side with the Fae & the Vampyrs to stop the Demon King from starting a second Dark War.
Seventeen year old Adelaide Tate is in her last year of the Academy, with her eyes set on becoming part of the Red Guard.
Who cares that no female has ever joined?
When a dark force develops an unhealthy liking for her, Adelaide needs to fight for her life and figure out what makes her so different from the others.
Betrayal. Fear. Anger.
She must overcome it all in order to turn her world the right way around again.
Adelaide has one choice. Accept the help offered to her by Xander Bane, or face the Demon Hoard alone.
One thing is for sure. The descent will be bloody.

That had me totally engrossed it was a cross between Lauren Kates Fallen and the House of night series by PC Cast. I really enjoyed it. It had me remembering how much I enjoyed this YAs. It may not be perfect but I found it really enjoyable and looking forward the next book. The only thing stopped it being a 5⭐️ was I saw the ending coming!
  
Fallen (Everwood Falls #2)
Fallen (Everwood Falls #2)
Kat Kinney | 2024 | Mystery, Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
FALLEN is the second book in the Everwood Falls series, and this time we follow Lucien and Isabel as they navigate Lucien's curse and Isabel's lack of memories. She is also dealing with her own problems, such as a stalker who is trying to kill her.

It was wonderful seeing the familiar characters again, although it did take me a moment to get them sorted in my head. I love seeing how they all live and work together with their different strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately for me, that means I also forget which one is a what. I get there though!

I thought the mystery side was well done, giving plenty of opportunities to see it all building as it comes together. The only part that got me (as such) was how Lucien and Isabel went from avoiding each other to declaring their love. It just seemed a little fast (if you ignore the prior two thousand years) with no real build-up to it.

A great addition to the series and a welcome return to Everwood Falls. I look forward to reading more in the future.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 12, 2024
  
Fallen (Fallen, #1)
Fallen (Fallen, #1)
Lauren Kate | 2009 | Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
8
7.3 (37 Ratings)
Book Rating
This bestselling genre-crossing book has a captivating start and end, and I’m already looking forward to reading the next in the series!

The gist of the book is given away on its cover, so there’s no element of surprise here. It’s a love story between a human girl and an angel.

Although it clearly lies under the paranormal genre, the book is predominantly a romance, and the characters, even though they’ve been alive centuries, are presented as come-of-age teenagers, placing the book under the young adult genre also. It also comes under the urban fantasy genre, with its edgy beginnings at a reform school.

The prologue is enchanting with its snippet of the angel’s love for the girl in her previous life. The rest of the story is written from the viewpoint of the girl, Luce. Lucy would be your typical, if a little nervous, American girl, if it weren’t for her visions of black shadows that seem to appear only to her. With no reasonable explanation for the shadows, she was put on anti-psychotic medication.

Her story begins when she’s placed at a reform school, following the death of a friend that for some reason she has little recollection of, and (perhaps therefore) blames herself for. As you can imagine, the reform school has some lively, dramatic and intriguing characters! A love triangle is sparked on her first day. There’s the somehow familiar Daniel, who smiles, then flips her the bird, and the charming charismatic Cam, who can’t wait to spend time with her.

Luce finds herself drawn to Daniel, but he keeps giving her the brush off. Cam meanwhile takes a special interest in Luce. Once Luce has her “first” kiss with Daniel, she decides to meet Cam to apologise for leading him on. However, she ends up kissing Cam and the black shadows come after them. Daniel’s identity as a fallen angel is revealed to Luce and a battle (rather than their previous fist fight) begins. Luce flees for safety, only to find herself in further danger!

The obvious comparison here is with Stephanie Meyers Twilight Saga, which has a similar love triangle, but with a vampire and werewolf rather than fallen angels. Lauren Kate’s writing is not as good as Stephanie Meyers’, but is just as good as some of the other YA paranormal authors such as L J Smith, and Cassandra Clare. Although the romance is the central feature of the book, there are no erotic scenes.

I watched the film before reading the book, and found the film quite forgettable - but the book had me hooked! My interest in the next book in the series isn’t so much for the romance between Luce and Daniel, but for the inclusion of the other characters and the clear impression that there’s a lot more to the story than what’s been discovered so far!
  
TB
True Born (True Born Trilogy, #1)
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fantastic read! Well written with a great plot and characters. It took me a few chapters to get into this book, but once I did I couldn't put it down. I feel it is a cross between X-Men, Divergent and the 100. Lucy and Margot Fox are twins and they have a unique bond. They are daughters of the Chief Diplomat of Nor-Am. Being born to the Upper Circle sets Lucy and Margot apart from the rest of her dying world. The world has fallen victim to the plague. The breakdown of society wasn't fast, but it was messy, leaving three types of people in the world: Lasters, the ones who don't survive the plague. Splicers, humans whose bodies can be spliced with alternate genes to help them fight off the plague and survive. And the True Born, those who are immune to the plague, but they come with animal attributes (fins, claws, fur...). People don't learn if they are Lasters, Splicers, or True Born until their reveal on their 18th birthday. Lucy and Margot's 18th birthday is coming and they don't understand why they keep having to go through Protocols to determine their path in life. Lucy meets True Born Jared and do they have chemistry. Lucy and Margot's new security detail, is the True Born leader Nolan Storm. I love this series already! I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Netgalley.
  
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Brenna (3 KP) rated Libby, by OverDrive in Apps

May 17, 2018  
Libby, by OverDrive
Libby, by OverDrive
Book, Entertainment
8
8.2 (26 Ratings)
App Rating
free to use (3 more)
pretty interface
automatic book return
both audio and ebook files!
need a library card to use (2 more)
selection can be limited
can take some getting used to
A Must-Have App for Any Book Lover
I discovered Libby at the suggestion of another internet user, and while I didn't even have a library card to begin with, I have since fallen in love.

Why I Love it: As a college student, I don't have a lot of spare money. As a college student who loves to read, this can be a problem! Libby solves some of these issues for me. It's basically an easy way to access the digital content from your local libraries. All you need is a library card. If you like audiobooks or ebooks, this is an app for you.

The Downsides: There are a few downsides to Libby. For one, you need a library card - but those are easy enough to come by, right? Second, the selection can be somewhat limited depending on what your library system houses. The best solution to this is to get multiple library cards, but while this is good for college students and out-of-towners, its not a viable option for everyone. Another issue is waiting lists on both ebooks and audibooks, much like you're actually checking out a book at a library. This is kind of annoying, but it's a small price to pay for an app that is otherwise really great.
  
Bosch - Season 5
Bosch - Season 5
2019 | Crime, Thriller
Cast are superb (1 more)
Taut thriller with many plot lines.
Some supporting actors are poor (0 more)
A slow burn but worth it.
Bosch season 5 is another slow burning police procedural following several cases being investigated by the LAPD West Hollywood Division.

Harry Bosch was created by Michael Connolly in a series of books and has been adapted very well for the small screen. Titus Welliver (Lost, Deadwood) is perfect in the lead role as the gifted detective who has a troubled past.

 This series opens with Bosch having fallen on hard times. With ruffled hair, leg in a brace and a cane, he is ushered off a bus in a make shift camp in the desert. Shuffling in a line of desperate addicts he waits for his reward for a day's work, a dose of opioids. After a run in with another addict he is caught snooping around the camp by one of the guards. He is taken to the head kingpin who thinking he is spying on them puts one bullet in the gun found in Bosch's backpack and points it at his head about to pull the trigger...

This series is possibly one of the best crime/detective shows around at the moment. It's pace is deliberate and slow with detectives taking their time finding vital clues (or missing them) but cleverly working multiple plot lines throughout the entire 10 episodes.