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All About the Hype (Jessie Jefferson, #3)
All About the Hype (Jessie Jefferson, #3)
Paige Toon | 2016 | Romance, Young Adult (YA)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
So I'll be honest and say that I've forgotten a lot of what went on in the two previous books in this series but this starts with Jessie waking up on her sixteenth birthday, crying since it's also the anniversary of her mothers death, too. Her dad, Johnny Jefferson - famous rockstar, has a surprise gift for her of a trip to Disneyland with the rest of the family and one there, all her old school friends and the ones she's made while being in America turn up and they spend the day there. That same night, they throw a party for her and Johnny sings one of her bands songs sending their fame skyrocketing.

I feel i should mention my love of Johnny and Meg. I read their book, Johnny Be Good, years ago now and fell in love with them as a couple and then their second book, Baby Be Mine, tore my heart out a little with all the emotion it made me feel but they did get their HEA - although their story is also continuing through this series, too, and I think it came to a bit of a head in this one with the return of Dana.

As for Jessie, I didn't remember everything that happened in the previous books but my review of the last book on Goodreads threw some light on my feelings. I was a little torn in my feelings again, though, with Tom and Jack. It was like one minute Jack was being an arse and i wanted her to get back with Tom, and then the next Tom was shoving something in her face and I was happy for her to be with Jack. So confusing.

And also her band All Hype and their journey. It was cute to watch them slowly find success with the aid of Johnny when he thought they needed it. It was nice to read.

I will admit that I wasn't full invested in this story. Maybe it was the length of time I've left between books - about 3 years - but I was just waiting for the book to finish. That sounds harsh but I felt like I'd missed something.
  
40x40

Rob Halford recommended Paranoid by Black Sabbath in Music (curated)

 
Paranoid by Black Sabbath
Paranoid by Black Sabbath
1970 | Metal, Rock
9.0 (7 Ratings)
Album Favorite

""I chose this one because it has 'War Pigs'. It's quintessentially Sabbath even now. They have to play those songs because they are the ones that say everything about that band. Tony [Iommi, guitarist] has said that they were in and out in a few hours when they were making those first records, and this was a pretty quick follow-up. He's a riff master. It's just riffs. It's the essence and the purity of Sabbath that I love, and on this record they really nail it. If somebody were to ask me about Sabbath, what they represent and what they've done, I'd tell them to just go and listen to this record because it encapsulates them so well. They were a Birmingham band too and I think it just shows that a lot of bands from that Midlands region were very prolific. There was a lot of activity going on in and around the Birmingham area. I've always said that the Beatles were responsible for breaking the wall around London down, because before them there was this idea that you had to be from London to be successful. But them being from Liverpool and then later bands like Sabbath from Birmingham sent a message that it wasn't the case and I think that's great. The way that the scene was in Birmingham at that time, we had a fabulous club called Mothers where everybody played. I saw everyone play there: Cream, Sabbath, Pink Floyd. It made Birmingham a real hotbed outside of London for that style of music. We were friends with Sabbath, and I've always considered them to be the inventors of the heavy metal sound. We knew each other and for them to suddenly have this massive impact with this record and be on the radio and in the NME was thrilling. It was before the internet so it took time to get the word out but that made it more exciting to watch for me. When they went to America we were in awe of them because everyone wanted to go to America. Of course we did a few years later, but that was only because of this heavy metal sound that they were responsible for."

Source
  
The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
2016 | Comedy, Drama
Growing up is hard to do especially when your seventeen. When something bad happens it is easy to feel like it’s the end of the world. That’s why “The Edge of Seventeen” is such a great coming of age story with relatable characters.

The film opens with Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld), a uniquely dressed junior in high school who in a rush plops down in front of her English teacher (Woody Harrelson) to forewarn him of her impending suicide. While he is frustrated with her barging in and interrupting his lunch he shares that he was just in the process of writing his own suicide note and thus a sort of friendship is born. We are then flashed back into the past to Nadine’s childhood.

There we meet Nadine’s older brother (Blake Jenner) the “favorite” child at least in their scattered brained mothers (Kyra Sedgwick) eyes. We also meet her best and only friend Krista. After a night of partying Nadine ends up finding Krista in bed with her brother. Feeling like she has been betrayed by her bestie, she gives Krista an ultimatum.

 Either she chooses their friendship or her out of control hormones for her brother. Her brother wins yet again and this is where she is forced to find herself in all of the mess that is happening. This however can’t be done without the adorkable boy helping her along the way.

While I am an only child, I found myself relating to Nadine so much. She is portrayed in such a way that is not becoming as annoying as teenagers often are portrayed or as her teacher (Harrleson) may think she is. Steinfeld has done this perfectly with this role.

 She has been in a couple of films since her breakthrough roll as Mattie Ross but I think this one might be my favorite film she has done so far. Harrelson continues to impress with his performance as her teacher and I think in the end they help each other out. The film reminds me of an eighties John Hugh’s flick except for millennials. I definitely recommend seeing this film for a good laugh and to bring yourself back to those good old high school days.
  
Tapestry of Treason
Tapestry of Treason
Anne O'Brien | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Intrigue in Henry Vs Court.
A Tapestry of Treason follows the life and intrigues of Constance of York, Lady Despenser from 1399 through to the early 1400s. And she was an absolutely fascinating woman. Hers was a totally dysfunctional family - but you do wonder how anyone could have a ‘normal’ family when mothers gave birth, handed their baby over to a wet nurse and went back to the Royal Court as soon as they were Churched. And the fathers didn’t seem to be there either. But this did make for some pretty interesting family dynamics. I’m surprised that there weren’t more illegitimate children, what with all the arranged, loveless marriages that seemed to be going on (although there were probably loads, and plenty of loving marriages too!).

Anyway, Constance was involved with her family in two plots against Henry V. York had been big supporters and cousins of Richard II, and were luckily also relatives of Henry V. So when Henry ousted Richard and imprisoned him, the Yorks were relatively safe. That was until they tried to reinstate Richard. Constance was fully a part of this plot: she’s portrayed as a strong-minded, confident woman who made her own mind up, and was loyal to her family. I do like female characters like this, and I like that Anne O’Brien didn’t make her into a caricature of a strident, bossy woman, as often happens in these cases.

I thought that the whole book was sensitively done. Henry isn’t made out to be a villain, in fact he’s always fair, and in some instances he may well have been thought of as too soft towards his York cousins (they were certainly dangerous to know).

I loved this book, actually. My mum has been pointing out Anne O’Brien books to me for ages, but I’ve avoided them because I knew I’d want to read everything once I started. Ah well, looks like I’ve started then (and always listen to your mum!).

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for choosing yet another fabulous book, and to Anne O’Brien for reading along with the serialisation and answering questions. I had the best time!