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    Sleep Songs

    Sleep Songs

    Medical and Music

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    Sleep Songs offers 12 STUDIO QUALITY, lossless instrumental song tracks to put you in a relaxed...

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Cate Le Bon recommended Jardin Au Fou by Roedelius in Music (curated)

 
Jardin Au Fou by Roedelius
Jardin Au Fou by Roedelius
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"It was probably one of the first times I picked up some listening headphones in Spillers Records in Cardiff, and I was looking for a gift for my best friend. I knew [Hans-Joachim Roedelius' band] Cluster existed but I was never really a fan – I hadn't found the time to get into them. So, I didn't know anything about who Roedelius was, but I was really intrigued by this record. I listened to it and it was absolutely incredible. I bought it for my friend and then realised that I had to have it for myself, so I went back the next day to get myself a copy. It's been an important record for me because it was the first time I heard a record that included synth and pianos and percussion and that was mechanical in parts but also very beautiful in others. It was the first time I started to visualise arrangements on different instruments and started to exit the view that everything had its place. The album has beautiful recurring themes that sweep in and out of the record. So for me, I could hear things mathematically but it also made me think about how you can piece music together as well. It's beautiful and some of the songs are playful - one of them sounds like the theme to an awful TV cop drama - but it then evolves into these beautiful soundscapes. A song like 'Le Jardin' just transports you to this different place. I always want a song that can remove you from your current situation."

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ClareR (5603 KP) rated Ghosts in Books

Feb 21, 2021  
Ghosts
Ghosts
Dolly Alderton | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Romance
9
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Ghosts was a great listen. I liked the character of Nina - she seems to be a great friend and a good daughter who wants to help both friends and family when she can. This doesn’t always seem to be reciprocated though. Nina is a successful food writer and owns her own home; the only thing missing in her life is someone to share it with. After the break up with her boyfriend, Joe, who she stays best friends with, Nina decides to try a dating app called Linx. She meets Max through the app, who is a handsome, enigmatic accountant. He announces on their first date that they will get married - and that’s where alarm bells started ringing for me, like the old cynic that I am.

Nina’s parents are lovely people, and her dads worsening dementia is heartbreaking. Her Mum is a bit of comic relief at times, changing her first name and joining clubs - but the reasoning behind her actions are understandable. She’s a lot younger than Ninas dad, and watching him forget more and more must be frightening and upsetting for her.

This book had me experiencing ALL the emotions - it’s funny, sad, worrying and infuriating. I laughed aloud whilst listening, had a bit of a cry, and shouted at Nina at one point (it was a Max thing and I was wearing headphones 🤷🏼‍♀️). The narrator was the exact right choice and it helped that the writing was really engaging too. It’s a really good book - and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.
  
    Kerio Operator Softphone

    Kerio Operator Softphone

    Productivity and Utilities

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    Kerio Operator Softphone is a software-based phone client that lets you make and receive calls on...

    Sway

    Sway

    Health & Fitness and Productivity

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    Sway is an ‘interactive meditation’ experience. It uses your phone to track movement and...

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ClareR (5603 KP) rated The Split in Books

Nov 4, 2021  
The Split
The Split
Laura Kay | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Humor & Comedy, LGBTQ+, Romance
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
There aren’t many books that make me laugh out loud, but The Split did just that - and more than once. It doesn’t seem like it’s going to be a book with much to laugh about. I mean, Ally is dumped by her girlfriend who is already seeing someone else, she’s having a career crisis after managing to escape teaching, and she moves back in with her dad in Sheffield - which is a long way from London. At the last minute, Ally impulsively takes the cat - Emily’s cat. I think this surprises Ally too, as the cat doesn’t seem to like anyone, least of all Ally.

So not the cheeriest subject, but the way it was written - and the narration by Imogen Church - was what made me empathise with Ally. And the situations Ally found herself in were so relatable. I felt really mean laughing at her and Jeremy going out for their first few runs, but they were hilarious (and I’ve been there too!).

I even found myself talking to Ally (should I own up to this, and the fact that I was wearing headphones at the time?!), and was helpfully reminded by the 17 year old, that telling a fictitious character not to email her ex-girlfriend was pretty pointless. I stand by what I said though!

I loved this book, and it brightened my day for a week of dog walks and (the dreaded) dinner preparation!
Recommended!
Many thanks to Quercus for my original e-copy (even though I listened to it on Audible!).