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Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Norman F**king Rockwell by Lana Del Rey in Music
Mar 3, 2020
I have had a mixed relationship with the music of Lana Del Rey since her sensational debut album, Born To Die in 2010. I loved that album, and played it a lot! I still do. But always felt like it wasn’t really for me, yet I couldn’t help replaying it and humming the tunes. I also loved the lyrics, with their scathing satire of American life and values, and their downbeat vibe, always on the point of mania or depression, but never crying out for help, merely saying “look, this is our world, fuck it!” The trouble was, for the next 4 albums, despite one or two standout songs, the message and tone got mired in monotony and lack of memorable melodies – although the lyrics were still there.
I had all but given up hope of her becoming an artist of real worth by the end of the decade. It was a case of “remember when Lana Del Rey was the next big thing?” So, I was not expecting her sixth album to be not only very very good again, but potentially her best work to date, even surpassing Born To Die! You could hear it on the first listen – which for me took till December last year, despite its late August release. The reviews had been great, the award nominations rolled in and my attention was caught by this artist once again.
It took only a handful of listens before I had decided this was a great album! And now I am playing it a couple of times a week, continuing to get more out of the lyrics every time. It also plays really well as quiet background music, or loud, as a melancholy rock-out – a trick that isn’t easy to achieve. Her knowing nod to pop culture references, and the divine mixture of 50s Americana, folk and blues, can be a wonderful thing when it works. With six singles already released, there is proof this album has a more solid backbone tune-wise than the previous four efforts.
The task now is making her brand popular again in the singles market, as not one of the six released made it into the top 40, either stateside or in UK. However, the album was #3 in America and #1 in the UK, which gives me more hope that what we are seeing is the maturing of a genuine music artist, and not just an act, existing for sales. There are many, especially solo female artists, that could follow that example; worry more about making good music and less about “the product” and great things can happen.
For me, I love tracks 1-5 played in that order: they are all great tunes, and Venice Bitch at a playing time of 9:38 is an epic pop opus that makes me want to stand up and applaud! The final track, Hope is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have, But I Have It, is also highly praiseworthy, summing up the message of the whole work beautifully. And it is a fine, honest, feminist, strong yet always vulnerable message. California is a long way away from my world, but I feel I know what she is talking about, somehow.
Look out also for some mesmeric retro home-movie videos on YouTube that segue some of the songs into a dreamy montage. Big fan!
I had all but given up hope of her becoming an artist of real worth by the end of the decade. It was a case of “remember when Lana Del Rey was the next big thing?” So, I was not expecting her sixth album to be not only very very good again, but potentially her best work to date, even surpassing Born To Die! You could hear it on the first listen – which for me took till December last year, despite its late August release. The reviews had been great, the award nominations rolled in and my attention was caught by this artist once again.
It took only a handful of listens before I had decided this was a great album! And now I am playing it a couple of times a week, continuing to get more out of the lyrics every time. It also plays really well as quiet background music, or loud, as a melancholy rock-out – a trick that isn’t easy to achieve. Her knowing nod to pop culture references, and the divine mixture of 50s Americana, folk and blues, can be a wonderful thing when it works. With six singles already released, there is proof this album has a more solid backbone tune-wise than the previous four efforts.
The task now is making her brand popular again in the singles market, as not one of the six released made it into the top 40, either stateside or in UK. However, the album was #3 in America and #1 in the UK, which gives me more hope that what we are seeing is the maturing of a genuine music artist, and not just an act, existing for sales. There are many, especially solo female artists, that could follow that example; worry more about making good music and less about “the product” and great things can happen.
For me, I love tracks 1-5 played in that order: they are all great tunes, and Venice Bitch at a playing time of 9:38 is an epic pop opus that makes me want to stand up and applaud! The final track, Hope is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have, But I Have It, is also highly praiseworthy, summing up the message of the whole work beautifully. And it is a fine, honest, feminist, strong yet always vulnerable message. California is a long way away from my world, but I feel I know what she is talking about, somehow.
Look out also for some mesmeric retro home-movie videos on YouTube that segue some of the songs into a dreamy montage. Big fan!
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Labor Day in Books
May 10, 2018
It's Labor Day weekend and Henry needs new clothes for school. His mother, Adele, rarely leaves the house anymore, since the divorce from Henry's father. They go to the local store and pick out a few things. There they meet Frank, a recently escaped convict. Frank has them take him to their home and stays with them through the long weekend until he can move on.
Henry and Adele aren't really sure what to do, but they do their best not to be too afraid so they can make it through. When Frank turns out to be more than they bargained for, they are in for a lot of surprises. This is a story about love. Love lost, love shared and new love. What happens when love is lost or gone forever.
Joyce Maynard has put together quite a great book. Filled with different kinds of love without being a romance novel. This book teaches you that you can never judge a book by its cover and that the world is full of surprises.
Henry is your typical teenage boy going through all of the strange changes that happens to a boy at 13. His mother has been so shut off from the world since losing her father and a baby, that Henry often has to play the role of husband as well as son. When Frank enters their lives, it's an interesting change for them both. Adele seems to have come out of her depression and Henry has a relationship with a man, that he has been unable to get with his own father.
Together these three bake, dance, and try not to get caught during the long holiday weekend. This is a must read for anyone who is in love with love.
Henry and Adele aren't really sure what to do, but they do their best not to be too afraid so they can make it through. When Frank turns out to be more than they bargained for, they are in for a lot of surprises. This is a story about love. Love lost, love shared and new love. What happens when love is lost or gone forever.
Joyce Maynard has put together quite a great book. Filled with different kinds of love without being a romance novel. This book teaches you that you can never judge a book by its cover and that the world is full of surprises.
Henry is your typical teenage boy going through all of the strange changes that happens to a boy at 13. His mother has been so shut off from the world since losing her father and a baby, that Henry often has to play the role of husband as well as son. When Frank enters their lives, it's an interesting change for them both. Adele seems to have come out of her depression and Henry has a relationship with a man, that he has been unable to get with his own father.
Together these three bake, dance, and try not to get caught during the long holiday weekend. This is a must read for anyone who is in love with love.
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Becs (244 KP) rated Confined to His Basement: The Complete Dark Romance Series in Books
Oct 2, 2019
Audience/ Reading Level: 18+
Interests: Kidnapping, Sexual Assault, Heartbreak, Depression, and Murder.
Point of View: Third Person
Insights: When I first picked this eBook up, I was surprised by the style of read this was. It honestly wasn’t anything like I expected it to be. I was expecting a more romance/erotica feel of things, but this read more as a thriller. There were quite a few grammatical errors and the overall story was alright, but I wouldn’t reread it again and actually deleted it off my kindle once I finished it. It was fast-paced for me, almost too fast-paced. Causing parts of this series to be written in a very juvenile way and in turn, that made it just plain hard to read.
Will I reread? No. But that’s just because it wasn’t an appealing storyline worth a reread. Do I recommend? I mean, if you like cheesy written thriller’s that are just average. Then sure, read it.
Favorite Quotes: “He was supposed to shoot for the stars, not me…”
“Have you ever felt so carefree about something that you just forget that time affects your every action and you feel okay with losing all of it.”
○ interested in its physical book
○/● a continuous read / page-turner
○ diverse in any way
● something’s lacking
○ took me a long time to finish
○ an LMAO read
○ I laughed more than a few times
● it’s j u s t awkward
○ gave me goosebumps
○ one of the best books I’ve read
○ painful & sad
○ tear-jerker
○ a roller-coaster of emotions
○ thrilling
● confusing
○ sooo relatable
● it is kind of annoying
○ it has a lot of flashbacks
○ it moved me
○ would recommend!
○ great even for a reread
○ definitely a YAY
○ I’m sorry it’s a NAY
● it’s between YAY and NAY
Interests: Kidnapping, Sexual Assault, Heartbreak, Depression, and Murder.
Point of View: Third Person
Insights: When I first picked this eBook up, I was surprised by the style of read this was. It honestly wasn’t anything like I expected it to be. I was expecting a more romance/erotica feel of things, but this read more as a thriller. There were quite a few grammatical errors and the overall story was alright, but I wouldn’t reread it again and actually deleted it off my kindle once I finished it. It was fast-paced for me, almost too fast-paced. Causing parts of this series to be written in a very juvenile way and in turn, that made it just plain hard to read.
Will I reread? No. But that’s just because it wasn’t an appealing storyline worth a reread. Do I recommend? I mean, if you like cheesy written thriller’s that are just average. Then sure, read it.
Favorite Quotes: “He was supposed to shoot for the stars, not me…”
“Have you ever felt so carefree about something that you just forget that time affects your every action and you feel okay with losing all of it.”
○ interested in its physical book
○/● a continuous read / page-turner
○ diverse in any way
● something’s lacking
○ took me a long time to finish
○ an LMAO read
○ I laughed more than a few times
● it’s j u s t awkward
○ gave me goosebumps
○ one of the best books I’ve read
○ painful & sad
○ tear-jerker
○ a roller-coaster of emotions
○ thrilling
● confusing
○ sooo relatable
● it is kind of annoying
○ it has a lot of flashbacks
○ it moved me
○ would recommend!
○ great even for a reread
○ definitely a YAY
○ I’m sorry it’s a NAY
● it’s between YAY and NAY