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They Both Die At The End
They Both Die At The End
Adam Silvera | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10
9.0 (22 Ratings)
Book Rating
Stop and imagine for just one minute what it would be like if you received a phone call telling you that you were going to die within the next 24 hours. How would you live your last 24 hours? Would you have a funeral with your family and friends so that you have a chance to say goodbye, or would you try and make a new friend going through the same thing you were so that you don’t have to be alone on your last day on this planet? This is exactly what happens to both Rufus and Mateo.
Rufus is outgoing and not afraid to stand up for himself. He’s had a pretty crappy few years but he’s managed to make friends with the other kids in his foster home. They have become his family. He gets the call that everyone dreads informing him that he’s going to die today. He decides to download the Last Friend app so that he can get paired up with someone to spend his last 24 hours with.
Mateo is a quiet and somewhat sheltered teenager who has been living on his own since his dad is currently in a coma. He gets the call that he is going to die today and he is instantly terrified to leave his apartment. He quickly decides that he doesn’t want to die alone, so he downloads the Last Friend App in hopes that he will come out of his shell on his last day.
Mateo and Rufus meet through the Last Friend App and have an amazingly memorable final 24 hours together. The bring about change in each other that they never thought was possible.
These characters are so easy to relate to and its so hard not to love them. I couldn’t help but laugh with them and cheer for them, and though I did everything in my power not to cry with them I couldn’t stop myself from crying crocodile tears over their trials and tribulations. This story is about growing, changing as a person and allowing yourself to love and be loved in the wake of great adversity.
They Both Die at the End is the first book I’ve read by Adam Silvera, and I can’t wait to read more. Silvera has a way with words that can suck the air from your lungs, bring you to your knees and in the next sentence completely revive you. After turning the final page of this book and wiping the tears from my eyes I closed the book with a new found appreciation for the life I have and the awareness that it can all be taken away in a moment.
  
Reborn (The Awakening Series #1)
Reborn (The Awakening Series #1)
Dean Murray | 2015 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is the story of Selene, a high school girl who has inner strength and wisdom but is trying to keep her head down and be as invisible as she can be until high school is over. This is mainly because her dad works at the local factory that is owned by the father of the bane of her life, Sandra. Sandra is a bully and is content to pick on Selene. This appears as nothing more than a spoilt little rich girl to start with but, as is typical in Dean's stories, nothing is quite as it seems.

These characters are all multi-dimensional with very real fears, laughs and loves. There is no insta-love in this story (thank goodness) although there is a reconnection that is made. The back story is given to you in a drip-feed fashion so that it doesn't overpower the current story but you are still getting the information needed for a deep understanding of what is happening.

This is a gripping story that will draw you in but one warning, it does come with a cliffhanger ending that will sucker-punch you and leave you gasping. If you like paranormal romance that comes complete with intense emotion then I can highly recommend this one. Another fantastic series by Dean Murray starts with a bang!
 
* 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!
August 28, 2016
  
Deadly Curiosities
Deadly Curiosities
Gail Z. Martin | 2014 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
4
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
DNF at 60%.
 
The cover grabbed me and the synopsis made me think this could be quite a fun read.It turned out it took a lot of reading. That’s not to say it was bad or anything, for me it was just okay; nothing special. I just prefer shorter books. And ones with less description. (I’m probably the only one who feels like that!)

And for them to have at least a bit of romance in them. By the half way point I’d given up on anything romantic happening. There wasn’t the slightest whiff of it at all. I like a bit of action in stories but I love it when it ends in some sexual tension between characters and there was nil. I’m a romance reader and I, wrongly, assumed that this would be like every other UF book I’ve read where there would be some romance mixed in the storyline.

Getting past the lack of romance, I liked the abilities of Cassidy and Teag. It was a refreshing change to read about something different. Not that I don’t love my shifters and vampires but every so often it’s nice to get a different take on things and seeing the history of items when you touch them and being able to piece together information on the internet and through books as a Weaver were definitely new to me.

I must confess that the lack of romance in the book put me off and I struggled to become interested in the storyline. I’m not the biggest fan of ghost stories and I’m no history buff so having to read all the back story of the Charleston really put me off.

Being honest, I have to say that this wasn’t my sort of book at all but if you like urban fantasy books with lots of description/back story with the occasional flashbacks and no romance, then this is likely perfect for you.
  
Se Taire Pour Une Femme Trop Belle by Fille Qui Mousse
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"This is off the back of Faust IV being my all-time favourite record. Fille Qui Mousse translates to 'Girl Foam' which is the best name for a project. I found this, again, about a year-and-a-half ago when we were trying to buy records for the apartment. I was in a record shop called Permanent Records in Eagle Rock [in Los Angeles]. I sometimes struggle going to record shops as they are often overwhelming, but in Permanent Records everything was in its right place and the staff would write little notes on the records. There was a sticker that said, ""Do you like Faust IV? Then you will love this record!"" That was enough for me, so I bought it. It's one of those records I put on when I have started cooking or something and I will forget that the record is on. Something will happen on the record and I will think, ""Oh my god, this is amazing!"" It is just the spilling out of someone's brains – it's playful and has hints of the United States Of America at points but then it is totally steeped in this weird jazz-Krautrock. There is a track on it called 'Magic-Bag' which is just the guy singing along to the drums and playing the same rhythm as what he is singing and there is water running in the background. The first time I took notice of the song I thought it was so shit. I don't know exactly what he is singing, but it sounds like ""I like my chunky rocky lane"" and then there is a huge gap and there is water running and he comes back singing ""I like my chunky rocky lane"". The fact that he liked his 'chunky rocky lane' made me realise it was one of the best songs on the album. It's a record that can suddenly surprise you. It's when you are trying to get your teeth into something and at the beginning it is difficult but it keeps reappearing and ends up being something absolutely incredible that you end up loving. It's hugely playful, weird and beautiful at points and abrasive at others. It's huge fun to listen to."

Source
  
I usually try to stay away from books featuring short stories because usually they aren't that great. However, there was something about Snuggle with the Strange: 9 Twisted Tales by Liane Carter that jumped out at me. I felt compelled to read it, and I'm glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and all the short stories.

I didn't really know what to expect with Snuggle with the Strange except that the stories would be a bit out there. The first two stories gave me Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz vibes but for adults. These stories were more paranormal/supernatural in nature, and I really enjoyed them. The next six stories were more realistic in the fact that they could actually happen to anyone (which is a scary thought!). The last story returned to being supernatural again. I loved each and every story, and I thought the pacing and world building for each was done very well. Each story has an original feel and isn't like any of the other stories in the book. Even though this is a fairly short book, all the suspense makes it seem as if time has stood still. My favorite stories in Snuggle with the Strange were "Life in the Shed" and "He Looked Like My First Mistake." Although all the stories are written very well, I just loved those a little extra. Oh, and something else I loved was that the cover of the book links each of the nine stories. I thought that was very cool!

All of the characters are well fleshed out in each story. There's just enough information on each character so you can love them or love to hate them. At times, I felt like I was the main character in the story!

As this is an adult horror book, there are quite a few trigger warnings for Snuggle with the Strange which include demons, underage drug use (a few mentions of marijuana), implied rape, implied child rape, attempted rape, death, murder, violence, attempted murder, domestic abuse, child abuse, and profanity.

Overall, Snuggle with the Strange is a breath of fresh air for those who love the genre horror. With it's interesting cast of characters and original short stories, this is one book that every horror lover should read. I would definitely recommend Snuggle with the Strange: 9 Twisted Tales by Liane Carter for those aged 16+ who like their horror with a flair of originality instead of rehashed fiction. If that sounds like you, this is your kind of book!
--
(A special thank you to Liane Carter and Lola's Blog Tours for providing me with a paperback of Snuggle with the Strange: 9 Twisted Tales in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
  
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Merissa (13419 KP) rated Chartreuse in Books

Apr 6, 2023 (Updated Apr 10, 2023)  
Chartreuse
Chartreuse
T.E. Ridener | 2014 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is the third book of T. E. Ridener's that I have read and I have to admit to this one being my favourite by far.

This is a story about love, through and through. It is about how hard it can be to have any relationship and make it work, let alone when you think the whole town is against you because of some thick-headed bigots. This is a very emotive book, written with great depth of feeling and I'm not ashamed to say that I was in tears at the end. Whether they were good tears or sad tears I'll leave it for you to find out when you read it.

The characters in this book grow into themselves in a way that everyone, regardless of sexuality, can relate to. It is a general part of growing up, of finding out who you are, of what you can do, of experiencing new things like going to a new restaurant or bar for the first time.

Absolutely loved this book and would (and will!) totally recommend it.
 
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *


September 10, 2016
  
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Caribou recommended Spiritual Unity by Albert Ayler Trio in Music (curated)

 
Spiritual Unity by Albert Ayler Trio
Spiritual Unity by Albert Ayler Trio
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I came to this record through the Encyclopaedia Of Jazz. As a teenager I played a lot of jazz piano, but more like learning how to play bop or more traditional types of jazz. And I was getting to the point where I was starting to find out about Sun Ra and some of the weirder stuff that was out there, and I was working through the encyclopaedia and I crossed every record off the list if I thought it would be far out and interesting. We had a scam going at the time. HMV in Toronto was pretty relaxed and you could return things for cash value immediately. So I'd go in and buy a stack of ten CDs and I'd just got a CD burner - this was like 1997 - so I'd take them home and burn them all and then take them straight back. And they'd be like, ""You've got the entire recorded work of The Beatles here - you didn't find anything that you liked on there?"" And I'd be like, ""No these are all rubbish, sorry."" And I did the same with John Coltrane. Then I can remember getting to the Albert Ayler page of the encyclopaedia and you know how there's that snooty canonisation thing with jazz music where somebody like Wynton Marsalis or one of those conservative types would be like, ""This guy lost the plot. He went off the deep end."" But this record blew me away. I got this and Interstellar Space, the John Coltrane album, and they both have long periods of free-form wildness on them. But the thing I loved about Albert Ayler is the melodies on the songs - again, a lot of them sound the same, but they feel so elemental to me. It's another record where I feel like those melodies have been there since the beginning of time and it just took him to play them. The sound of his saxophone is so amazing. It's super far-out and forward-looking. If that's too out there for you, there's this album by him called New Grass, where he hired a rock band, and it's like some A&R man had tried to make him have a hit record. There's a song on it called 'Heart Love' - it's less far-out but it has his crazy saxophone playing on it, but with a beautiful melody and this free-soul singing on it."

Source
  
Vacation - Single by Janine
Vacation - Single by Janine
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Janine is a singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist from New Zealand. Not too long ago, she released a sensual contemporary R&B tune, entitled, “Vacation”.

“I’ll be your vacation, hit all your locations. I know that you like this so come here and bite it. I’ll be your vacation, reach your destination. I know what you like and I’m down to ride. Let me get you right.” – lyrics

‘Vacation’ tells a pleasure-seeking tale of a young woman who’s been drinking and feeling a tad-bit-lonely.

During that time, her significant other tells her that he wants to come over to touch her in all the right places, and he does just that. The next morning, she wakes up with his hands feeling on her voluptuous body.

‘Vacation’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and lush instrumentation flavored with contemporary R&B and neo-soul elements.

“This song is my first release since being dropped from a major label and I took it back to my roots and what my fans fell in love with. I fully produced and wrote this song myself. It’s been a while and it feels good to be back. This song is about having that loving so good you are transported away from the real world like an in-body out-of-body vacation. I hope lots of babies are made to it.” – Janine

Janine is a self-sufficient artist whose musical journey began at the age of five when she recorded herself singing her favorite tunes on a double cassette player.

By the age of fourteen, she was performing original songs with a guitar at open mics, mostly held at bars she wasn’t technically allowed into.

https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/janine-vacation/