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Hadley (567 KP) rated Gods Go Begging in Books
May 8, 2021
Amazing writing (2 more)
Great storytelling
Good characters
Not many books can visit the Vietnam war so gracefully, especially fictional books that aren't political thrillers. Of course, there's a reason for that, other than drug use and the orders to kill innocent civilians, it was a war that drove soldiers to madness, but this is only the tip of the iceberg in Alfredo Vea's third novel Gods Go Begging.
Mai and Persephone are as close as sisters, one was born in America, and the other was born in Vietnam; the two met because their husbands had fought in the Vietnam war, but had never returned, sealing an unbreakable bond between the two women. While the two spent most of their time cooking together, they decided to open up a luncheonette, and share their love of food with the city - - - until one night, when two young men showed up to smash their dreams by murdering both of them in cold blood. Little did the defense attorney for one of the young men, Jesse Pasadoble, know that these women would not only leave a scar on him, but they would also cause memories from a hill in Vietnam to haunt him all over again.
While Pasadoble is working the two women's murder case, he's also working another heart-wrenching case involving a white supremacist who has possibly molested and raped his own niece. Pasadoble tries his best to distance himself from the case, especially because he has to defend the man in question, but sometimes he lets his temper get the best of him. Pasadoble comes face-to-face with his client in an angry stare-off. After putting up with racial statements from the client, Pasadoble puts him in his place. The client may be a big man who can frighten most people, but Pasadoble pacifies him with his own anger, threatening to kick his ass in front of everyone that is in the jail setting the tone of what type of person Pasadoble can be for the reader.
The readers get flashbacks of Pasadoble's time in the Vietnam war, specifically one fight that happened on a hill near the Loatian border. These flashbacks happen suddenly throughout the book, but I personally believe that they are so important to understanding the world in which Vea has created in the novel because, near the end of the book, these flashbacks make everything come full circle. One of these flashbacks introduces an important character who is the Padre in Pasadoble's platoon - - - during such flashback, the Padre has devastating things happen around him that begin to make him question his faith in God.
Although the flashbacks happen here and there, the story easily continues on with Pasadoble's double homicide case getting more complicated by the page when the second of the two suspects is suddenly found dead on a hill that the locals call 'Tourette's Hill.' One such local that lived near the hill is one of the victims' mothers, Mrs. Harp, who is a very odd character: she's an aging beauty queen whose home is covered in photographs of only her, and none of her deceased son, and even while Pasadoble questions her about her son, she seems to get lost in a reverie of what her life was like before the son existed.
Pasadoble is the key character in this story; without him, connections would not have been made and characters would not have mattered. Pasadoble, a man who has a way with words, such as speaking with an ex-girlfriend about a 'hill' : "Carolina, think about the stratifications of an open hillside, a place where earth has given way and time itself is left exposed, layer upon layer - - - silica, clay, diatoms, and ash. Down here at this level is the time of the swelling sea; here, the time of the desert when hot, rising air would have haunted our eyes; here is a jagged karst, a time when the world shook an abrasion into its own skin; and here are the fossil dead, here you will find love and war in the same shamble of strewn bone. Here and there, where the world has shifted and cracked open, one era will touch another. And once upon the rarest time, human hands and eyes from the distant past can seek out and find... search for and contact... hands and eyes of the present time... our time. " Pasadoble reveals that everyone has a 'hill' that they constantly battle, his just happens to be the one where he lost brothers on in Vietnam.
I can't go much further into the story without giving away some of the great details that made up this book, but I can say I was blown away by this story. This is by far one of the best crime fiction books I have ever read; this is one of those crazy good books that you have never heard of that will change how you view things after you read it. Vea is one of the few authors that exist today that can make a story read like poetry. I highly recommend this novel to people who like crime fiction.
Mai and Persephone are as close as sisters, one was born in America, and the other was born in Vietnam; the two met because their husbands had fought in the Vietnam war, but had never returned, sealing an unbreakable bond between the two women. While the two spent most of their time cooking together, they decided to open up a luncheonette, and share their love of food with the city - - - until one night, when two young men showed up to smash their dreams by murdering both of them in cold blood. Little did the defense attorney for one of the young men, Jesse Pasadoble, know that these women would not only leave a scar on him, but they would also cause memories from a hill in Vietnam to haunt him all over again.
While Pasadoble is working the two women's murder case, he's also working another heart-wrenching case involving a white supremacist who has possibly molested and raped his own niece. Pasadoble tries his best to distance himself from the case, especially because he has to defend the man in question, but sometimes he lets his temper get the best of him. Pasadoble comes face-to-face with his client in an angry stare-off. After putting up with racial statements from the client, Pasadoble puts him in his place. The client may be a big man who can frighten most people, but Pasadoble pacifies him with his own anger, threatening to kick his ass in front of everyone that is in the jail setting the tone of what type of person Pasadoble can be for the reader.
The readers get flashbacks of Pasadoble's time in the Vietnam war, specifically one fight that happened on a hill near the Loatian border. These flashbacks happen suddenly throughout the book, but I personally believe that they are so important to understanding the world in which Vea has created in the novel because, near the end of the book, these flashbacks make everything come full circle. One of these flashbacks introduces an important character who is the Padre in Pasadoble's platoon - - - during such flashback, the Padre has devastating things happen around him that begin to make him question his faith in God.
Although the flashbacks happen here and there, the story easily continues on with Pasadoble's double homicide case getting more complicated by the page when the second of the two suspects is suddenly found dead on a hill that the locals call 'Tourette's Hill.' One such local that lived near the hill is one of the victims' mothers, Mrs. Harp, who is a very odd character: she's an aging beauty queen whose home is covered in photographs of only her, and none of her deceased son, and even while Pasadoble questions her about her son, she seems to get lost in a reverie of what her life was like before the son existed.
Pasadoble is the key character in this story; without him, connections would not have been made and characters would not have mattered. Pasadoble, a man who has a way with words, such as speaking with an ex-girlfriend about a 'hill' : "Carolina, think about the stratifications of an open hillside, a place where earth has given way and time itself is left exposed, layer upon layer - - - silica, clay, diatoms, and ash. Down here at this level is the time of the swelling sea; here, the time of the desert when hot, rising air would have haunted our eyes; here is a jagged karst, a time when the world shook an abrasion into its own skin; and here are the fossil dead, here you will find love and war in the same shamble of strewn bone. Here and there, where the world has shifted and cracked open, one era will touch another. And once upon the rarest time, human hands and eyes from the distant past can seek out and find... search for and contact... hands and eyes of the present time... our time. " Pasadoble reveals that everyone has a 'hill' that they constantly battle, his just happens to be the one where he lost brothers on in Vietnam.
I can't go much further into the story without giving away some of the great details that made up this book, but I can say I was blown away by this story. This is by far one of the best crime fiction books I have ever read; this is one of those crazy good books that you have never heard of that will change how you view things after you read it. Vea is one of the few authors that exist today that can make a story read like poetry. I highly recommend this novel to people who like crime fiction.
RəX Regent (349 KP) rated Sing (2016) in Movies
Feb 19, 2019
I admit, I went into this with low expectations. It looked like a karaoke kids movie from an animation studio that I do not rate that highly. But what do I know?
Illumination studios have managed to rack up a “Stinker” on this blog with The Lorax (3D) (2012), which was filled with songs which did not seem to go with the movie and maybe that was in my mind when I first saw the trailer for this, but I must admit, that I was wrong.
The story focuses around a Koala Bear (Matthew McConauhey) who owns his dream theatre in New York, but it is about to fail big. He ends up setting up singing contest in order to try and save it and a verity of animals from this this Zootopia styled world inhabited solely by animals, are entered into the competition.
The writing was good, strong and simple. The characters had enough depth, the song choices were good and the antics surrounding Matthew McConauhey’s efforts to keep his theatre open against the odds were genuinely funny.
It was also nice to see that several character tropes were not pandered too, such as the house wife pig (Reese Witherspoon) goes to elaborate lengths to take part, by automating her house to get her litter of piglets to school and her middle management husband to work, all of whom take her for granted so much that they fail to even notice that she is not there.
But instead of attacking her housewife status and saying that she was being hampered by this “boring” life and should be a singer and follow her dreams as many films would suggest, this simply asks for a balance. That impressed me… a lot.
Well worth a watch and defiantly one for the whole family.
Illumination studios have managed to rack up a “Stinker” on this blog with The Lorax (3D) (2012), which was filled with songs which did not seem to go with the movie and maybe that was in my mind when I first saw the trailer for this, but I must admit, that I was wrong.
The story focuses around a Koala Bear (Matthew McConauhey) who owns his dream theatre in New York, but it is about to fail big. He ends up setting up singing contest in order to try and save it and a verity of animals from this this Zootopia styled world inhabited solely by animals, are entered into the competition.
The writing was good, strong and simple. The characters had enough depth, the song choices were good and the antics surrounding Matthew McConauhey’s efforts to keep his theatre open against the odds were genuinely funny.
It was also nice to see that several character tropes were not pandered too, such as the house wife pig (Reese Witherspoon) goes to elaborate lengths to take part, by automating her house to get her litter of piglets to school and her middle management husband to work, all of whom take her for granted so much that they fail to even notice that she is not there.
But instead of attacking her housewife status and saying that she was being hampered by this “boring” life and should be a singer and follow her dreams as many films would suggest, this simply asks for a balance. That impressed me… a lot.
Well worth a watch and defiantly one for the whole family.
Peter Russell (61 KP) rated Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle in Tabletop Games
Mar 21, 2019
A friendly jaunt through the world of Harry Potter
This is a cooperative Harry Potter Board game for 1-4 players. A cooperative board game puts all players on the same team against the board with challenges that are randomly generated by a deck of cards in this case. This game is a deckbuilder/ card drafter and each play you build a new deck thoughout the gameplay. This game also has elements similar to a legacy game (a game that has more content that is unlocked after each playthough), however, this game does not require any destruction of parts and can be completely reset. There are 7 boxes, corresponding to the 7 books/ years of Harry Potter. You start at year 1 and after each play through and defeating the villains, the group can choose to move on to the next year, adding the secrets of the next box to your next play through. Each year does get more difficult. I love this game for the theme, the cooperative working together part and the thrill of getting a new experience with each playthough. The only bad aspect of this game I have experienced is that because the random generation of challenges by the board, a scenario can become unbeatable, the good news if that happens, ypu just reset where ypu are, shuffle everything and try again. I really love this game and after writing this review I even increased my rating from 7 to 9, as writing this made me happier about the game.
If you get through year 7, there is an expansion with more boxes to open and work through.
If you get through year 7, there is an expansion with more boxes to open and work through.
Jessi Bone (48 KP) rated Murder in the Reading Room in Books
Apr 30, 2019
Storyline (1 more)
Characters
How Far Would You Go For The Truth
Jane goes on a search to the Biltmore Estate to find Edward and discovers far more than she thought she knew about her own past. Now she must discover what she really wants for her future and her family she has created for herself and her sons. When enemies from the past and the present collide Jane must decide if the secrets of the library should be open for the world to see and read. As more of the story of the Templars and Guardians becomes unwound Jane discovers that everyone is keeping secrets from her both friends and foes that make her want to take a stand and change the rules of what has always been at Storyton Hall.
“Your Stories are their stories' said Uncle Abysius” By Jove, I think I like it.”
Mrs. Adams takes us beyond Storyton Hall to the walls of the Biltmore Estate. She outdoes herself again. As a long time Ellery Adams fan she blew me away with this story-line and how she evolved the characters in this five Book Retreat Series. I must say this is my favorite book of the series. I really recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a who done it, thriller, bibliophile or even a little romance it has all of those and a little history too. It is really worth your time to pick up the book and take a trip to Storyton Hall even if only for an hour at a time to escape to a place where books are protected and cherished and the characters will make you feel like you are coming home.
“Your Stories are their stories' said Uncle Abysius” By Jove, I think I like it.”
Mrs. Adams takes us beyond Storyton Hall to the walls of the Biltmore Estate. She outdoes herself again. As a long time Ellery Adams fan she blew me away with this story-line and how she evolved the characters in this five Book Retreat Series. I must say this is my favorite book of the series. I really recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a who done it, thriller, bibliophile or even a little romance it has all of those and a little history too. It is really worth your time to pick up the book and take a trip to Storyton Hall even if only for an hour at a time to escape to a place where books are protected and cherished and the characters will make you feel like you are coming home.
Sheridan (209 KP) rated Minecraft in Video Games
Sep 11, 2018
Create your own world (2 more)
Relaxing and fun
Lots of Mods to expand your play
Bought for my daughter, played by me.
I told my partner time and time again, we shouldn't buy this game, because it doesn't end and I'll play it all the time lol I wasn't wrong. I really do adore this game it's a lot of fun, especially in Survival Mode. There's so much to explore and the aquatic part is breathtaking. So far I've got two houses and an underwater monument base and I don't see it stopping there. I will eventually build a house in each biome, I think. The terrible graphics holds its own nostalgic charm for me and it's mostly easy to play. Brewing and Enchanting is a lot of work and there are so many steps I feel like I've always got to have Google open on my phone to figure out how to do it. Using experience points to mend and enchant is super annoying because the more advanced your item the most xp points you use to fix it. I currently have an awesome iron pick with several good enchantments on it but I can't use it because otherwise it will break and it costs 33 xp to fix. Another annoying point that gets me is some things that are drops are useless to the player (magma rock, zombie flesh for example) it would be nice to have some use for these items at some point. My 8 yr old can only play in creative mode or on peaceful in survival otherwise she continuously dies and gets super frustrated with it so unless your kids are seasoned xbox gamers I probably wouldn't start them on this. Personally, apart from a few annoying features I love the game. It's creative, relaxing and fun.
Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated Vacation - Single by Janine in Music
Jun 17, 2019
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/
“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/
ClareR (5879 KP) rated Beneath the World, a Sea in Books
Jul 26, 2019 (Updated Jul 28, 2019)
My first, but certainly not my last Chris Beckett book
I really enjoyed this strange, singular work of science fiction. Inspector Ben Ronson arrives in a mysterious forest in South America: the Submundo Delta. It’s a place unlike any other: purple flora and unrecognisable fauna, and a humanoid race called Duendes. They can’t hear or speak, live in the waters of the Delta, and their mere presence causes people to expose their innermost thoughts and fears. Which is why the people who live there, the Mundinos, kill any that they find near their villages, as they don’t see them as equal to humans - and this is why Ben is there. He and the human rights people in Geneva want to stop the killings.
The writing style and the language used in this book really appealed to me - it’s poetic, descriptive and the story meanders along as we learn about the characters and the Submundo Delta. This is no action packed story, and that’s just fine with me. Instead it looks at how these characters deal with knowing their innermost thoughts, desires and fears. It also briefly looks at the morals of bringing science and technology to a shut off part of the world.
What really appealed to me, is how our memories construct our views of ourselves, and how we portray ourselves to others. It also looks at those parts that we keep hidden from others, and what happens when they are laid open to everyone. Rather scary, to be honest! We don’t always like those parts of ourselves.
This was my first Chris Beckett book, and I don’t think it will be my last.
Many thanks to Readers First for my copy of this book.
The writing style and the language used in this book really appealed to me - it’s poetic, descriptive and the story meanders along as we learn about the characters and the Submundo Delta. This is no action packed story, and that’s just fine with me. Instead it looks at how these characters deal with knowing their innermost thoughts, desires and fears. It also briefly looks at the morals of bringing science and technology to a shut off part of the world.
What really appealed to me, is how our memories construct our views of ourselves, and how we portray ourselves to others. It also looks at those parts that we keep hidden from others, and what happens when they are laid open to everyone. Rather scary, to be honest! We don’t always like those parts of ourselves.
This was my first Chris Beckett book, and I don’t think it will be my last.
Many thanks to Readers First for my copy of this book.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2352 KP) rated Into the Fire in Books
Mar 17, 2020
Evan Heads Into the Fire for His Latest Client
As this book opens, Evan is planning to retire. He is going to take on one last case to help someone in trouble, but then he is out. Now, it’s just a matter of waiting for a phone call from his new client. That phone call comes from Max Merriweather. Max’s cousin Grant was just brutally killed, but he left Max with a mysterious envelop that should only be opened if Grant has died. The problem is, someone else knows that Max has the envelope, and now they are after Max. Evan uses his usual tricks to find out who is after Max, but will his final case be that simple?
Every time I open one of these books I am in awe once again at how well drawn the characters are. Evan and the people who populate his world come vividly to life and continue to grow, which includes Max and the people he brings into this story. But the book never forgets it is a thriller with plenty of action scenes and twists that kept me reading as quickly as I could. Everything comes together for a satisfying climax while setting up Evan’s next adventure. Yes, the book does include more language and violence than I typically read, but I expected that going in. I was surprised at some of the lighter scenes involving Evan’s neighbors. These scenes always break the tension of the story while helping us get to know Evan better, but we got some of the funniest scenes with the neighbors yet. If you aren’t already reading Gregg Hurwitz, you need to fix that. This book is nothing short of superb.
Every time I open one of these books I am in awe once again at how well drawn the characters are. Evan and the people who populate his world come vividly to life and continue to grow, which includes Max and the people he brings into this story. But the book never forgets it is a thriller with plenty of action scenes and twists that kept me reading as quickly as I could. Everything comes together for a satisfying climax while setting up Evan’s next adventure. Yes, the book does include more language and violence than I typically read, but I expected that going in. I was surprised at some of the lighter scenes involving Evan’s neighbors. These scenes always break the tension of the story while helping us get to know Evan better, but we got some of the funniest scenes with the neighbors yet. If you aren’t already reading Gregg Hurwitz, you need to fix that. This book is nothing short of superb.
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