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The Wild by The Rural Alberta Advantage
Album Watch
Late in 2016 the trio of Nils Edenloff, Paul Banwatt and Robin Hatch hit the road for a unique set...
rock

Debbiereadsbook (1444 KP) rated Crimson: A Dark Sidhe Faerie Tale in Books
Mar 10, 2023
First time author nailed it!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Ok so! As far as I can see this book is the only book currently written by this author. And if this is her FIRST book?? Oh my days, I cannot wait to see what she delivers next!
Because, bar two things, I bloody LOVED this book.
It's dark and deadly, with so much going on sometimes, I had to double back to check I fully understood. And that, for ME, is a good thing! I didn't find it especially explicit, for Kara and Alak, but for the Fae in general, it is. There is a lot of violence here too, but I think it is needed to get the way these folk live across. It's a truly multi-layered story and it takes time to get to where it's going.
Or rather, it takes time to get the whole point of the story across. And again, for ME, a very good thing. It kept me fully engaged from start to finish.
BUT.
It is a long LONG book, some 500 pages and it's not all easy reading. As I said, it takes time to build up to things. Some peeps don't like such long books. I did here, but it did take me a long time to finish. Mostly because of my next point.
AND.
Only Kara has a say. And if Alak had been given a voice, it would have broken this up a bit, and made it not seem quite so long. Because I really needed to hear from him at points along the way, especially when Kara is in danger.
Having said all that, I really REALLY enjoyed it, and I really REALLY hope we get a second book. Because while there is a HFN ending, Kara and Alak's story is by no means finished. And some other characters need a HEA, too!
So, for a first time author, I'd say Ms Speelman nailed it!
4 most excellent stars
Ok so! As far as I can see this book is the only book currently written by this author. And if this is her FIRST book?? Oh my days, I cannot wait to see what she delivers next!
Because, bar two things, I bloody LOVED this book.
It's dark and deadly, with so much going on sometimes, I had to double back to check I fully understood. And that, for ME, is a good thing! I didn't find it especially explicit, for Kara and Alak, but for the Fae in general, it is. There is a lot of violence here too, but I think it is needed to get the way these folk live across. It's a truly multi-layered story and it takes time to get to where it's going.
Or rather, it takes time to get the whole point of the story across. And again, for ME, a very good thing. It kept me fully engaged from start to finish.
BUT.
It is a long LONG book, some 500 pages and it's not all easy reading. As I said, it takes time to build up to things. Some peeps don't like such long books. I did here, but it did take me a long time to finish. Mostly because of my next point.
AND.
Only Kara has a say. And if Alak had been given a voice, it would have broken this up a bit, and made it not seem quite so long. Because I really needed to hear from him at points along the way, especially when Kara is in danger.
Having said all that, I really REALLY enjoyed it, and I really REALLY hope we get a second book. Because while there is a HFN ending, Kara and Alak's story is by no means finished. And some other characters need a HEA, too!
So, for a first time author, I'd say Ms Speelman nailed it!
4 most excellent stars

Debbiereadsbook (1444 KP) rated Stone The Crows (Wolf Winter #2) in Books
May 29, 2018
much better read than book one!
I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book two in the Wolf Winter series, and you probably should read book one, Dog Days, before you read this one. I didn't much care for that book, though.
This one, however, is a whole different matter!
I said in my review for Dog Days that I was left with so many questions about the Wolves, and the Prophets and what was going on. I'm STILL left with questions about what's going on, but I'm feeling better about being left waiting, you know? Does that make sense?? I still have questions, but I'm not left hanging, right? Sorta, kinda!
Nothing is settled here. The Prophets are still doing despicable things to the people and indeed to Jack and Gregor. They took Gregor's Wolf and Jack's skin. The Prophets are still trying to get the upper hand on the Gods, but it's HOW they are doing it: preying on ordinary folk, in extraordinary situations, that gives this book the horror tag I've given it.
Nick is human, but Gregor takes a shine to Nick after he saves him. I wasn't sure about Gregor, not in the beginning. we heard such horrible things about him from jack in Dog Days, and I did NOT want to like him, but he grows on you! He has that "Mine" moment you get with werewolves, and I loved that, even though he refused to admit what was going on, even to himself, it was NICK he wanted to save first, not his brother Jack.
Who the Prophet turned out to be was a bit of a shocker, and what she did to Nick was no picnic, and she's STILL out there. So there is more to come. Or at least I HOPE there is! Because you know, I still have questions!
I found this a much better read than Dog Days, and I read it in two sittings, cos that darn dayjob got in the way.
Thank you to Ms Moore for my copy.
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
This is book two in the Wolf Winter series, and you probably should read book one, Dog Days, before you read this one. I didn't much care for that book, though.
This one, however, is a whole different matter!
I said in my review for Dog Days that I was left with so many questions about the Wolves, and the Prophets and what was going on. I'm STILL left with questions about what's going on, but I'm feeling better about being left waiting, you know? Does that make sense?? I still have questions, but I'm not left hanging, right? Sorta, kinda!
Nothing is settled here. The Prophets are still doing despicable things to the people and indeed to Jack and Gregor. They took Gregor's Wolf and Jack's skin. The Prophets are still trying to get the upper hand on the Gods, but it's HOW they are doing it: preying on ordinary folk, in extraordinary situations, that gives this book the horror tag I've given it.
Nick is human, but Gregor takes a shine to Nick after he saves him. I wasn't sure about Gregor, not in the beginning. we heard such horrible things about him from jack in Dog Days, and I did NOT want to like him, but he grows on you! He has that "Mine" moment you get with werewolves, and I loved that, even though he refused to admit what was going on, even to himself, it was NICK he wanted to save first, not his brother Jack.
Who the Prophet turned out to be was a bit of a shocker, and what she did to Nick was no picnic, and she's STILL out there. So there is more to come. Or at least I HOPE there is! Because you know, I still have questions!
I found this a much better read than Dog Days, and I read it in two sittings, cos that darn dayjob got in the way.
Thank you to Ms Moore for my copy.
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**

Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated You Got My Heart - Single by Charlotte Morris in Music
Jun 18, 2019
Charlotte Morris is a singer-songwriter based in New York. Not too long ago, she released a lovely sunshine-pop tune, entitled, “You Got My Heart”.
“I don’t always know what I wanna say when I look at you. And every time I think that I’ve made up my mind, you do something new. When I spend the whole day wondering if you’re ever gonna call, you never do. But as soon as I decide that I’m walking away, then I hear from you.” – lyrics
‘You Got My Heart’ tells an interesting tale of a young woman who is head-over-heels in love with a guy who she shares a long-distance relationship with.
But she wants to know if her beau loves her the same way how she loves him. Also, the answer to that question kinda bothers her deep down to her soul.
Later, she admits that she doesn’t know if their relationship will last because she doesn’t know if she really has him as a committed partner.
‘You Got My Heart’ contains a relatable storyline, pleasing vocals, and guitar-driven instrumentation flavored with sentimental elements.
“‘You Got My Heart’ is a sunshine-pop take on the struggles of long-distance relationships. This isn’t your typical summer song about falling in love, but it has the upbeat, bop-along groove while expressing something that can be difficult to face. Instead of wallowing in a sad ballad, this became my pump up jam as I figured out where to go next. ‘You Got My Heart’ is a great song for summer, windows-down road trips, and anyone looking to find the silver lining in a less-than-ideal situation.” – Charlotte Morris
Charlotte Morris draws inspiration from many of her favorite artists including Delta Rae, Brandi Carlile, Christina Perri, and folk legends like Peter, Paul and Mary, and Simon & Garfunkel.
Her songs, which are mostly auto-biographical, also reflect her years in the theatre. Also, when she’s not writing and releasing music, Charlotte can be seen performing in theatrical productions across the country, playing with dogs, and eating cheese.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/charlotte-morris-you-got-my-heart/
“I don’t always know what I wanna say when I look at you. And every time I think that I’ve made up my mind, you do something new. When I spend the whole day wondering if you’re ever gonna call, you never do. But as soon as I decide that I’m walking away, then I hear from you.” – lyrics
‘You Got My Heart’ tells an interesting tale of a young woman who is head-over-heels in love with a guy who she shares a long-distance relationship with.
But she wants to know if her beau loves her the same way how she loves him. Also, the answer to that question kinda bothers her deep down to her soul.
Later, she admits that she doesn’t know if their relationship will last because she doesn’t know if she really has him as a committed partner.
‘You Got My Heart’ contains a relatable storyline, pleasing vocals, and guitar-driven instrumentation flavored with sentimental elements.
“‘You Got My Heart’ is a sunshine-pop take on the struggles of long-distance relationships. This isn’t your typical summer song about falling in love, but it has the upbeat, bop-along groove while expressing something that can be difficult to face. Instead of wallowing in a sad ballad, this became my pump up jam as I figured out where to go next. ‘You Got My Heart’ is a great song for summer, windows-down road trips, and anyone looking to find the silver lining in a less-than-ideal situation.” – Charlotte Morris
Charlotte Morris draws inspiration from many of her favorite artists including Delta Rae, Brandi Carlile, Christina Perri, and folk legends like Peter, Paul and Mary, and Simon & Garfunkel.
Her songs, which are mostly auto-biographical, also reflect her years in the theatre. Also, when she’s not writing and releasing music, Charlotte can be seen performing in theatrical productions across the country, playing with dogs, and eating cheese.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/charlotte-morris-you-got-my-heart/

Sarah (7800 KP) rated Hellboy (2019) in Movies
Dec 31, 2019
Why?!
I know the original Hellboy films didn’t do well critically, but they got a fairly decent fan following and I personally loved them, so I really didn’t see why they wanted to remake it. And after watching this disaster, I definitely cannot understand why they bothered to remake it!
I’ll start with the good bits, which won’t take long as David Harbour and Ian McShane are pretty much the only decent things about this film. Ian McShane seems to be playing his usual charismatic, crazy old man character (very reminiscent of Mr Wednesday) and I’m not complaining, as this is exactly what I love about him and he’s a rather good less nice version of Professor Broom. And David Harbour is a good Hellboy and gets the very few laughs there is in this, although I think he’s very let down and not able to shine properly because of the dodgy script and just general terribleness of this film. There’s also a decent rock soundtrack accompanying the fight scenes and a fairly fun amount of gore.
And now the bad. There’s far too much cgi in this and it isn’t always good, and they should’ve toned this down a lot. The plot and progression of the entire story is just bizarre, it was just downright ridiculous. They seem to have decided to try and fit in a strange assortment of folk tales and historic legends, like the Pendle Hill witches and King Arthur, and this is alongside the already crazy (but just about believable) origin of Hellboy himself and the Nazis. Even the bad guys in this are cheesy and not particularly threatening - Milla Jovovich with a horrendous English accent and a pig creature with a Scouse accent?! I know Stephen Graham is from Liverpool but that accent on that particular character was possible the most bizarre and frustrating thing I’ve ever seen. And also despite the main lead up being slightly different, the end result to Hellboy personally is exactly the same as the original. Why not try and come up with something completely different to avoid yet more negative comparisons to the original?
This is one film that should never have seen the light of day.
I’ll start with the good bits, which won’t take long as David Harbour and Ian McShane are pretty much the only decent things about this film. Ian McShane seems to be playing his usual charismatic, crazy old man character (very reminiscent of Mr Wednesday) and I’m not complaining, as this is exactly what I love about him and he’s a rather good less nice version of Professor Broom. And David Harbour is a good Hellboy and gets the very few laughs there is in this, although I think he’s very let down and not able to shine properly because of the dodgy script and just general terribleness of this film. There’s also a decent rock soundtrack accompanying the fight scenes and a fairly fun amount of gore.
And now the bad. There’s far too much cgi in this and it isn’t always good, and they should’ve toned this down a lot. The plot and progression of the entire story is just bizarre, it was just downright ridiculous. They seem to have decided to try and fit in a strange assortment of folk tales and historic legends, like the Pendle Hill witches and King Arthur, and this is alongside the already crazy (but just about believable) origin of Hellboy himself and the Nazis. Even the bad guys in this are cheesy and not particularly threatening - Milla Jovovich with a horrendous English accent and a pig creature with a Scouse accent?! I know Stephen Graham is from Liverpool but that accent on that particular character was possible the most bizarre and frustrating thing I’ve ever seen. And also despite the main lead up being slightly different, the end result to Hellboy personally is exactly the same as the original. Why not try and come up with something completely different to avoid yet more negative comparisons to the original?
This is one film that should never have seen the light of day.

Down the Crooked Road: My Autobiography
Book
For the last thirty years, singer Mary Black has been a dominant presence on the Irish music scene,...
HM
Henry Mancini: Reinventing Film Music
Book
Henry Mancini, the first publicly successful and personally recognizable film composer in history,...

Alex Kapranos recommended track Lady Rachel by Kevin Ayers in Confessions of Doctor Dream and Other Stories by Kevin Ayers in Music (curated)
