Search

Search only in certain items:

Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Bridgertons, #4)
Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Bridgertons, #4)
Julia Quinn | 2002 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance
8
8.2 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
I think that this has by far been my favourite of the Bridgerton series that I have read so far! After not enjoying An Offer From A Gentleman quite as much as the first three, I’m glad to see that Julia Quinn seemed to have gone back to her original style rather than retelling a fairytale.
We follow Penelope Featherington as she resigns herself to a life as a spinster after no proposals in all of the time that she has been out in society. I felt for Penelope that she’d not even interested one man. Despite being intelligent and witty, Penelope never was noticed at the balls and was a wallflower who only had eyes for one man, Colin Bridgerton.
I spent so much of the book wishing for Colin to notice Penelope and notice how talented she was, rather than be like the rest of the ton men. And once he finally did, it was amazing to read on as his feelings grew. Although I wasn’t too keen when he lost his temper with Penelope multiple times, but I understood the reasoning behind him doing so but just wished that he would listen to Penelope’s side a bit more.
I also love the fact that we found out the identity of Lady Whistledown in this book, but will however miss her summary of the parties and her comments about the goings on around town. I think Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers were such a fun addition to the stories and the mystery behind who she was was a puzzle that occupied me throughout the first four books of the series.
I’m hoping the next book is just as good as this one, and I am enjoying this series immensely.
  
Eden Summer
Eden Summer
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I keep falling behind on wiring my reviews, sorry! I really need to get back on track. I finished this on Tuesday I think? I really enjoyed it, although it isn't quite worthy of five stars.

I'm going to put in a trigger warning as there are mentions of substance abuse, physical abuse, death, adoption and suicide.

Jess's best friend has gone missing. Through interviews with the police and Jess's personal recollections, we begin to build up a picture of Eden's life before her disappearance. Her sister had recently been killed in a car accident, and her seemingly perfect relationship with Liam was more complicated than anyone realised. Bit by bit, Jess - and we - begin to piece things together and discover where Eden has gone.

The girls are only young - 15 I think? - and very much have the all-consuming passion that young teens feel. As in, every little issue feels huge, and things feel far more serious than they might to an older person. I remember feeling this way. I think it was portrayed so accurately, the way fighting with your best friend feels like the end of the world and a family argument overwhelms you with guilt. It was a bit annoying in some ways, though; no fault of the author, of course, I just get a bit annoyed at kids taking things too seriously. I look back at myself and think how stupid it was to get so caught up in such little issues. So the things that Jess gets so worked up over just seemed a bit trivial to me, like she was exaggerating too much. But as I said, this creates the teenage voice really well in my opinion.

The things that both these girls have gone through are massive, though - Jess was attacked and Eden's sister killed. That's pretty hard for a young girl to deal with, and these are not the problems I'm saying are trivial. These are hugely important and emotional issues and I think it's great to talk about. I love books with these real, albeit sad, events. I think it is so good to discuss all the feelings and situations that follow, and also emphasise how it is not the end of the world if something bad happens. life will continue. Eden says how she feels her sister's death becoming more distant, more bearable, and how she doesn't want that to happen. She feels guilty, as if she's forgetting her and moving on. This is so important. She also thinks about killing herself due to guilt - which I won't ruin too much - but then realises how she shouldn't take life for granted. Her sister would've given anything to be alive still, and she shouldn't be throwing that away.

It was a really good read and I found myself wondering what was going to be revealed next. It was wel written and perfectly captured the young voice of Jess. If I read this when I was younger, I think I would've adored it. I would've understood it and connected to Jess more than I did now I'm older. 4 stars, definitely worth a read.
  
The Umbrella Academy
The Umbrella Academy
2018 | Action, Fantasy
Deserving of the hype
I have to admit, I was pretty impressed with this show. It's not every day when you watch something that meets all of the hype surrounding it, and I was quite sceptical to begin with.

The show manages to brilliantly blend action, the supernatural and dark humour to form an intriguing and interesting adult plot, with just enough twists to keep you hooked without going too OTT (Lost style). It also has some brilliant fight scenes (with a decent amount of blood and gore) that are paired with a truly killer soundtrack. And it has fortunately gone down the adult route rather than making this suitable for kids like some of the Marvel type shows/films.

The characters too for the most part are witty, deep and well thought out, from the family members to the villains Hazel and Cha-Cha. My favourites are by far Five and Klaus. Robert Sheehan is a great actor, I've loved him since Misfits and he's really perfect for Klaus. And Aidan Gallagher is brilliant as the old man in a child's body Five, there's something very humorous seeing a thirteen year old outsmarting and killing people. He's a true delight whenever he's on screen. My only real issue with the characters is with Vanya. For me I found her very dull to begin with and I thought her entire storyline was a teeny bit predictable. She does pick up and get more interesting towards the end, it's just a shame she puts a downer on the earlier episodes. Luckily the rest of the show more than makes up for it.

I can't begin to say how devastated I was at the end of the final episode. I could've quite happily watched more, so I really hope they renew this for another season.
  
Blood in the Water - Single by Empara Mi
Blood in the Water - Single by Empara Mi
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Empara Mi is a London-based singer-songwriter from Guernsey. Not too long ago, she released a music video for her “Blood in the Water” single.

“I feel like everyone acts out the end of a relationship in their heads before it happens. Maybe as a coping mechanism; to prepare ourselves for the worst and to see how we will take it. This video was meant to capture that mental snapshot, the beginning of the end and all the fighting and anxieties that come with it.” – Empara Mi

The music video tells an interesting tale of a pre-breakup mental state which symbolizes phases of love, argument, and fighting amid vibrant allegory.

Apparently, the woman who shares this dying relationship with her significant other senses that they might be too far gone to resuscitate the love that they once had for each other.

Later, she admits that because they were lying in a bed filled with roses and thorns, that’s why they are torn apart now.

‘Blood in the Water’ contains a dramatic storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and lush instrumentation flavored with a commercial pop aroma. Also, it’s the follow-up single to “Crying”, which is an intoxicating introduction to the vision of Empara Mi.

“The video is the journey of the breakup. It begins in a dreamlike state where everything feels safe, but suddenly you can’t control the involuntary warnings flooding your brain. Slowly the walls begin to crack and the other person’s colors start to show.” – Empara Mi

Empara Mi emerged in 2016 with her critically acclaimed debut single, entitled, “Wanderlust”. Since then, her music has amassed almost 3M streams online via Spotify.

https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/empara-mi-blood-in-the-water/
  
No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith by Motorhead
No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith by Motorhead
1981 | Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"When I first this record I thought, ""What's wrong with the singer's voice?"" The second time I heard it I thought, ""Fuck, that guy looks like he's a savage killer!"" By the third time I'd heard it and seen the video, I thought, ""I like these guys…"" You need the right amount of exposure to these kinds of possibilities. People have certain prejudices against certain bands based on how they look but unless you're open-minded, you never know what you're missing out on. On top of the actual music, Motörhead embodied a lifestyle too. If you looked at Phil 'Philthy Animal' Taylor, may his soul rest in peace, he looked like a punk. He was the embodiment of cool. The only other guy who ever had that for me was when Chris Cornell had long hair! You just thought, ""That guy has got it going on."" Looking at Lemmy, who looked like a badass biker, and then Fast Eddie's darkness, Motörhead was all so cool. People ask me so often to comment on Lemmy's death and I always try to switch it to a comment on his life. How about we celebrate his existence? I saw a picture of him the other day and I found myself just staring and missing him a lot. Lemmy never hurt anyone or anything as far as I know. He never had to back up that dangerous attitude with anything else, like some of the things you're seeing on the internet just now with people shouting offensive things from the stage. That's an interesting breed of frontman and Lemmy was never like that. He knew who he was. It's hard when you can't understand when someone you know is gone. They're here, then they're gone and it's final. One of the most important lessons in that is to love people that are important to you and just be nice to people. You never know how long they'll be around."

Source