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Daisy Jones & the Six
Daisy Jones & the Six
Taylor Jenkins Reid | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry
I adored this book.
It's so completely different from anything I've recently read. I do love my psychological thrillers, but sometimes it's nice to jump into a totally different world. Daisy Jones & The Six perfectly fits the bill.

There's been so much hype surrounding this book that I'm sure you know the premise by now: set in the mid-sixties through late seventies, Daisy Jones & The Six is about the rise and eventual fall of a fictional rock band. It reads like a Rolling Stone interview, or an episode of Behind the Music, which is an interesting and effective approach to the subject matter. I was immediately immersed in the story, but this also means I flew through it so quickly that I was sad when it was over. It drew me in so completely that I actually forgot this was not a real band.

Sex? ✔ Drugs? ✔ Rock 'n' Roll? ✔
Daisy Jones & The Six has all this and more. I've heard that it bears more than a passing resemblance to Fleetwood Mac's history, which makes sense as the author herself states that she was very much influenced by Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks (a living goddess if there ever was one). Every character is flawed, because, life. The descriptions of the songs, the music, are so complete, I could almost hear them in my head.

Last summer, Amazon ordered a 13-episode limited series of the book. The series will be co-produced by Amazon Studios and Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine banner. ALSO: Amazon will be distributing original music from the television adaptation exclusively through Amazon Music. ?
And I.Can't.Wait.

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Show all 4 comments.
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Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) Apr 7, 2019

It was such a good book and read like a Rolling Stones interview. I was hooked from the first page and devoured the book after that. It was so goooood. I really hope there's a sequel.

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MelanieTheresa (997 KP) Apr 8, 2019

@Dianne Robbins I can't wait for the TV series!

Chili has grown and changed over the years. But one simple fact remains. Chili is a dish that continues to bring us warmth and comfort.

Robb Walsh not only gives us 60 delectable recipes for the ever favorite dish. But he also dives into the history and the evolution of chili. The book is divided into four parts: Chili's Family Tree, Tex-Mex Traditions, Chili Road Trip and Modern and Vegetarian Chilies (Because vegetarians have to eat, too - pg. 1). There are many vibrant pictures, so that your mouth begins to water just by flipping through the pages. Walsh not only instructs us on the main course, but how to roast green chiles, make fresh corn tortillas and stone ground cornbread. There is also a detailed guide to peppers and chili powders that I found very helpful. With dishes like Lobster Chili, Three-Bean Chipotle Chili and Old-Fashioned Tex-Mex Enchiladas, there is no doubt that this will be my go-to cookbook as the winter months quickly approach.

Chili...Need I say more? I love making chili, but also enjoy a variety of styles. The Chili Cookbook has such a wide selection of chili to choose from that I don't think I will ever tire of it. I enjoyed reading about the history of chili. From the Aztecs to the Chili Queens. Ready your taste buds for the ride of their lives as you dive into this delicious cookbook from beginning to end.

I received a free copy of The Chili Cookbook from the publisher, through Blogging for Books, in exchange for my honest review.
  
DL
Dead Letter Office
6
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review

This book started off with great promise, but for me went downhill rather quickly. I love the idea of a young girl dealing with the loss of losing her father, and moving to a new place; however, the story began to seem extremely far fetched when the ghost started coming into play. I had trouble understanding how the person murdered now was related to the past, and that never really seemed to be explained at all. I guess you just have to accept that its paranormal and that's all there is to it.

Celia, is a very well written character, and its really easy to like her and root for her. Regardless of the way she acts, she means well, and cares about others. I even cried when she received closure at the end in regards to her father's death. It was very moving. Donovan and Tilly were very one dimensional and I would have loved to learn more information about these characters.

I think the thing that in essence killed this book for me was that it was a choose your own adventure book. I think if the fates of the characters had been decided and the book written as normal it would have been more exciting for me. I do have to admit that this book did remind me of reading the choose your own adventure books I read as a kid.

I might be inclined to read more books in this series to see how the characters develop. I gave it 3 stars out of 5.
  
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Kelly Reichardt recommended Ugetsu (1953) in Movies (curated)

 
Ugetsu (1953)
Ugetsu (1953)
1953 | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I mean the thing with Ugetsu, and the whole Apu Trilogy [discussed next], that I was really looking at when I was making First Cow, was that they are super low-to-the-ground films. You get to the ambition of the potter in Ugetsu, and the sort of dream sequences of it. I love the way it’s filmed, in the way the small villages are filmed, and the way you’re in this hutch all the time and everyone is super low-to-the-ground. I mean everyone’s sitting on the floor all the time and you’re wandering through these small towns and you’re inside these hutches, and I liked that Cookie [in First Cow] is sort of a down-to-the-ground guy – he’s a forager. There are caste systems in both Ugetsu and the Apu Trilogy, and both of the protagonists are sort of at the bottom of the food chain and surviving hand-to-mouth. In the case of Ugetsu, I found that character relatable as far as King Lu [in First Cow] goes – he really wants to get a toe hold in the next level, and he’s very seduced by getting there; he just has kind of a narrow vision of like, “I’ve got to get to this place.” He also knows that he has to find a backdoor into it. And they’re all craftspeople in Ugetsu, and in First Cow Cookie is a cook and they’re constantly making things, and King Lu is sewing his slippers – it’s a life of just endless making of things because it’s how you’re surviving."

Source
  
TT
The Tycoon's Make-Believe Fiancée
6
5.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Oh yeah. I forgot that this book follows [b:The Prince's Resistant Lover|19004327|The Prince's Resistant Lover|Elizabeth Lennox|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387898260s/19004327.jpg|27026471].

Hello again, Tamar.

I'd ask if you'd kidnapped any other naked women, but this book takes place directly after your story, so you wouldn't have had any time.

Wyndi finally gets to meet up with her long-lost brother, Royston, who had been told by the foster care system that Wyndi was dead, because he wouldn't stop running away to try to find her to take care of her. He doesn't believe her at first, until she tells him things that only she would know.

Royston is overjoyed to have her back, but Wyndi is worried that he isn't happy, because in the few pictures of him that Tamar managed to find, he was never smiling. To convince her that he's fine, he makes up a story about being engaged, and is stuck having to find someone to pretend to be his fiancee until Wyndi leaves.

I'm still not sure how he was expecting that plan to work. Wyndi would expect there to be a wedding at some point, because they're going to stay in touch. I mean, it all works out in the end, but still. I thought you were supposed to be this master planner, Royston!

After Royston decides to implement his ridiculous plan, we cut to Miranda, who works for Royston's company. She is offered up as a sacrifice to turn in some reports late, which Royston is notorious for despising. Her boss needs a scapegoat, because the reports were all of FIVE MINUTES LATE.

Anyway, rather than killing Miranda on sight, Royston asks her to lunch, and pitches his plan to her, because he likes the way she looks. Miranda refuses on principal, laughing at his offers to pay her to lie to his sister. Royston is even more impressed by the fact that Miranda won't let him tell her what to do, or take money from him.

He manages to sway her by playing on her emotions, telling her how he lost Wyndi through the foster care system, and she agrees to pretend to be his fiancee for a weekend, but only on the condition that if she thinks Wyndi will be hurt, she can shut the operation down.

He even respects her wishes to not act like they're in a relationship around the office, in case someone thinks that she's trying to sleep her way to a promotion.

Of course, pretend love gives way to real love, and the two end up actually engaged, after a passion-filled weekend and several whacky misunderstandings.

I liked this story better than The Prince's Resistant Lover. Mostly because Royston actually bothered to get consent from Miranda at every stage of their relationship. And while he was a demanding man, he wasn't overbearing or creepy, the way Tamar came across as.
  
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Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated You in Books

Apr 27, 2018  
Y
You
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
While reading—and after finishing—You, I really had no idea what to say about it. I let it sit in my brain for a while, and I think I’ve decided how I feel. It’s a funny book though, because honestly, you have to be the right kind of reader for it. I’m not yet sure what that kind of reader is.

First, as you can see above, I can’t really say what genre it was. It wasn’t really young adult, though I’m sure some young people will enjoy it. It’s not really adult either though, because it’s about a group of people who play videogames for a living. So I wasn’t sure what category to put it into for my brain.

There was some fantasy aspects, because the videogame they made was fantasy. The videogame characters would come to visit Russell, the main character, in his dreams or daydreams. Once he took one of them on a date. That was kind of weird.

Then there was the plot. They’re making this game, another game in the series, and there’s a bug that’s causing all sorts of problems. They have to play the game to get rid of the bug. Now I’m not a game designer but that doesn’t seem very probable to me personally. I’d do a control search for the line of problem code, and just take it the hell out. But like I said, I’m not a designer.

The subplot to the bug mystery had something to do with the past, the founder of the company, a mysterious death, and an “ultimate game.” It was all very vague, and not a lot of it was wrapped up.

Finally, I didn’t particularly like the conclusion. Suffice to say I thought the whole novel would take a different turn than it did, and it wasn’t what I wanted.

But the good parts were good! The writing was funny and descriptive, the characters were well developed—I loved Lisa so much!—and it was fast paced.

Personally, I liked it. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it, but I probably wouldn’t read (or listen to) it again.

Content/recommendation: some language, no sex. Ages 16+