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Laetitia Sadier recommended Cap Waller by Bertrand Belin in Music (curated)

 
Cap Waller by Bertrand Belin
Cap Waller by Bertrand Belin
2016 | Pop, Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I discovered his music through a friend in Paris, Armelle Pioline, who used to be in a very good French group called Holden. They were very singular, and quite similar to Stereolab, actually: very poetic. And anyway she had worked with quite a lot of French people and she introduced me to a scene of French musicians that were kind of successful in their field but that I had never really explored. Bertrand Belin had a sort of hit in his own world called 'Hypernuit' and that song really shattered me. It had such depth: it was kind of a ray of light into a deep darkness. It's a little bit spooky, but incredibly poetic and haunting. It's the kind of tune you can't really put your finger on. It's kind of diffused but it creates a beautiful picture with touches of darkness and light. I'm very attracted to this type of songwriting; there's a singularity in the writing that I love very much. For me the hit on this particular album is 'La Mot Juste'. Pretty much everyone who's been through my kitchen I've played this record to, and they've all flashed on it: what's this? They've taken the name and really showed interest. It resonates; there's a deep resonance with the beauty of it. I'm not particularly a big fan of Bertrand's voice, which a lot of people seem to go for, but certainly the songwriting and the lyrics are quite sharp. He's also an author: he writes books. And the production on the record is very beautiful. It's 'La Mot Juste': the just instruments, the just notes, the just amounts of whatever it took. I like that. There's no excess, no fat. It's what it is. I love it."

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Born of Hatred (The Hellequin Chronicles #2)
Born of Hatred (The Hellequin Chronicles #2)
Steve McHugh | 2020 | Horror, Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
201
Kindle
Born of Hatred ( The Hellequin chronicles book 2)
By Steve McHugh

There was a time when Nathan Garrett was feared. When the mention of his name was enough to stop his enemies in their tracks. That time has long since passed.

When Nathan's friend asks for help investigating a pattern of horrific crimes, he reluctantly agrees. But his investigation leads to a serial killer who is something more, or less, than human, a creature of pure malevolence and hatred.

There are some things that even a 1600-year-old sorcerer hesitates to challenge. But when evil targets those Nathan cares about, his enemies will discover exactly who Nathan used to be. And why they will learn to fear him once more.

Born of Hatred is an action-packed, Urban Fantasy set in modern-day England with historical flashbacks to late nineteenth century Montana. It's the second book of the Hellequin Chronicles, following the widely praised Crimes Against Magic, which introduced sorcerer Nathan Garrett.

I did t think I could enjoy the second as much as the first, I was so wrong!
Loved it!! Written by a Brit the character is English it’s set in England and what’s not to love about Nate!! I love the bloke he’s powerful and funny! This one be brings Hades and Persephone In to the picture and I absolutely love all Hades parts in books! The werewolf pack are brilliant, Tommy and Kasey are great I even warmed to Olivia!! Shame about the romance not working out but a mere mortal isn’t enough for our Nate! The big bad was really chilling along with his ghouls and the barren! We are one step closer to finding the assholes in Avalon. Brilliant read! Ooo and yes the Hellequin is back!!!
  
Dancing in Circles (Circles Trilogy #1)
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
So once again I was stuck for choice for what book to read next so I random number generated (RNG) it and got this, #22, which just shows you how old it is (2012).
I'm hoping my tastes haven't changed that much that I won't like it but we'll see what happens.

Okay, I'm going to DNF this at 35%. It wasn't that bad a story but as I mentioned in my status update, I can't help but picture Robert/Bob as some sort of Mexican thug/drug lord/drug runner with how he talks. I know he's from the wrong side of town but I'm sure they don't necessarily have to talk like he was doing. Then the fact he's in a gang...meh.

The main reason I'm not going to finish this is because I got a little bored. It was a bit too predictable. Bad boy, good girl. Meet, fall in love. Live happily ever after. Now if it had been the other way around; bad girl, good guy...then I might have stuck around for completion because I haven't read that situation often and I find it much more intriguing.

The characters were also a little strange in their actions. Stuff happened that a normal person would freak out about and instead our characters just sort of got on with life as if nothing had happened.

My taste in books has changed a fair bit in the three years since I downloaded this, when I downloaded almost everything that was free in the romance category.

I'm now going to go read something that I've paid for and actively sought out.

Not necessarily a bad book just not to my tastes.
  
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ClareR (5841 KP) rated Memorial in Books

Jan 19, 2021  
Memorial
Memorial
Bryan Washington | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, LGBTQ+
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Memorial is the story of Mike and Benson’s relationship and about their separate lives. They have lived together and loved one another for a few years, but when Mike gets word that his estranged father is dying back in Japan, it seems to come at the right time for their relationship. They clearly need the space to think. Except “frying pan” and “fire” comes to mind. Benson is left to live with Mike’s mother who has come to visit her son, and Mike is propelled in to caring for a dying man, a stranger to him, and running his bar.
It was so interesting to read about their lives and motivations. What starts out to be a purely selfish move by Mike (I felt that he was running away at first), actually becomes a selfless act. Of course, there is the advantage that he gets to know his father before his death, but he is there for him until the end.
Even though Mike’s childhood was much harder, it’s Benson who, to me, seemed to have been more affected by his parents break up. His father’s alcoholism, his mother leaving them and starting a new family, and his HIV+ diagnosis, all added up to a difficult mental space for him. But I didn’t feel that any of this became sentimental. It’s a joint decision when Benson and Mike realise that their relationship is coming to an end.

I really enjoyed this book. Its gentle pace where small acts and occurrences form the bigger picture really appealed to me. It’s an original and engrossing story from an author that I’ll be looking out for in the future.

Many thanks to Atlantic books for providing me with a copy of this book through NetGalley.
  
Smith's Corner: Storm & Stone (The Heartwood Series #5)
Smith's Corner: Storm & Stone (The Heartwood Series #5)
Jayne Paton | 2022 | Contemporary, Romance
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
love it when Stone fully lets go!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 5 in the Smith's Corner series. While it can be read as a stand-alone book, I recommend that you read the other books before this one. It will give you a better and bigger picture of this family group, and how Stone's brothers have fallen one by one. It will also show you just how long Stone and Storm have been dancing around each other.

Storm needs honesty, and she will walk away if she thinks she isn't getting it. Stone, on the other hand, was burnt, badly by his ex when he was honest, so tries hard to keep it all in. Storm can see right through Stone though! And I loved that she could.

Because that ex does try hard to get to Stone and what I especially LOVED about this book, was that Storm never once doubted Stone. She knew, KNEW that he was a good man, and the ex just wanted to destroy him. Ex doesn't, just so you know, but Storm makes sure that Stone sees STORM, rather than the ex.

It's quite emotional in places, but equally there is laughter. Stone messes up, but his heart is in the right place! I loved that, when Stone lets himself really go, they are so great together! He really needs to trust Storm.

We catch up with the other brothers and their ever-growing families, and we get a taste of what's to come with Hunter and Holden. Cos ooooooeeeee those boys are getting close to breaking!

A lovely edition to this series, I am thoroughly enjoying them all.

4 solid stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
A Fallen Spark (Windows to the Soul #1)
A Fallen Spark (Windows to the Soul #1)
Stephanie Beverly | 2023 | LGBTQ+, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A FALLEN SPARK is the first book in the Windows to the Soul series and my review is a 3.5 star rating.

This is a long book, told from different perspectives and at different times. As such, it can be a little confusing to stay with the story as it jumps timelines and people. I would say this has romantic elements, but it certainly isn't a romance. Also, if you are sensitive to subjects, then I absolutely recommend you read the TWs as there are some horrible moments on page.

Adler is the prophesied dragon child, here to save the world. Unfortunately, choices he wasn't even aware of were taken away from him, and he became the villain of the story. But don't worry, there are plenty more in here, and a lot worse than Adler.

Mark is his childhood best friend, the one he loves, and the one he will die to protect. There is also Tabitha, Mark's sister. Skye, a journalist who lives with their brother, Darren, also has a role to play, as does Darren.

Laine is a wild card, kept apart from everyone, and forced to do experiments to keep her parents safe. I'm not sure if she is supposed to be a character you sympathise with or not, but I didn't. I found her to be quite spoilt and close-minded, unwilling to even try to see the bigger picture.

All in all, I found this book to be interesting, with a unique idea of things costing spells in a world where magic is fading, and the effects that would have.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* 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!
Nov 27, 2023
  
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Hazel (2934 KP) rated Sing, Memory in Books

May 21, 2023  
Sing, Memory
Sing, Memory
Makana Eyre | 2023 | History & Politics
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I have read a few books about the Holocaust but Sing, Memory is something quite different.

Focussing on the life of Aleksander Kulisiewicz, a non-Jewish Pole, this tells the story of his life before, during and after World War 2. He was imprisoned in the notorious concentration camp Sachsenhausen and paints a disturbing and vivid picture of the horrors he and other prisoners had to endure from being forced to take part in 'sport', to back-breaking work and endless hours of roll call.

In Sachsenhausen, music and singing were forbidden unless used as a form of punishment however, this didn't stop a secret choir being formed and led by conductor Rosebery d’Arguto, a Polish Jew. Aleksander became friends with Rosebery and as a result of Aleksander's amazing ability to memorise songs, Rosebery asked him to memorise his songs and ensure they are shared with the world after the war.

This became Aleksander's mission - to meticulously memorise songs from all the camp inmates and ensure that he survived so they would not be forgotten. After 6 long years of captivity, Aleksander was free however, his promise to those that did not survive was to become his life's work but also an obsession which, along with the horrendous experiences he endured, affected him and those around him deeply.

Sing, Memory is a detailed story written from meticulous research undertaken by the author with the help of a lot of other people and is a remarkable story of one man's mission to ensure a part of history is told and not forgotten.

Thank you to W.W. Norton & Company and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Sing, Memory.
  
Stone of Doubt (Stones of Iona #5)
Stone of Doubt (Stones of Iona #5)
Margaret Izard | 2025 | Paranormal, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I liked that we heard from Evie, Aodhan and Munix
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 5 in the Stones of Iona series, and I think *I* maybe should have read them first. I'll try to explain.

Evie has met Aodhan before, but we don't get a full recap here. I felt it was kind of glossed over: they met in Egypt, Aodhan gave Evie a stone, says to call when she needs him, and then promptly disappears. I would have liked a much more detailed recap, especially as this book is a sort of starting point to join the series, if you haven't before.

And I think that's my biggest thing. I asked if I needed to read the other books first, and was told that it wasn't strictly necessary. But I would say, you DO need to read them. There is a huge back up cast and I wasn't fully able to place everyone, and fill in a mental timeline for everything.

The world building was good, but I still missed something. I wasn't able to fit the bits and pieces together to get a full picture.

All that aside, I did like this book. It's fast paced and I liked that we heard from Evie, Aodhan and Munix, the bad guy (sorta!)

It's dark and deadly in places, the romance is a bit of the sweet side, and not very explicit.

This is the first I've read of this author, I'd like to read something else, not this series, but a series from the beginning, so I can fully appreciate the world building and the writer's skill.

3 good stars, but only because I felt I missed a lot by not reading the others.

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
RF
Ruby's Fire
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
(This review will be available on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a> in August).


You know when you get a book, and it's much better than you thought it was going to be? Well, Ruby's Fire by Catherine Stine was definitely one of those books! I absolutely loved it, and it's definitely one of my favorite books that I've read in 2013!

Ruby is a 17 year old girl who, with her 8 year old brother Thorn, escapes from a cult which pairs young girls with much older men. Ruby and Thorn arrive at a school known as The Greening. Here she meets a whole cast of characters. When an act of bullying goes horribly wrong, Ruby and her brother Thorn are left with extreme changes that alter their DNA. When a contest in announces with a prize of a hefty cash sum, all the students are The Greening are excited! However, this competition reveals that all is not what it seems.

I do like the title, and I find it very interesting! However, I don't really get the meaning of it. Maybe I'm just being thick, but it makes no sense to me.

I think the cover does an amazing job at depicting the plot of the book. In fact, this is one of the best book covers I've ever seen that is actually relevant to the book. Whoever came up with this idea for the cover is a genius!

I enjoyed the setting of this book very much! I like the futuristic/dystopian world that Stine has created. Catherine Stine does an awesome job at making this world come alive. The world in which Ruby lives has become unbearably hot, and people must wear masks and burn suits if they don't want to burn. The author paints a vivid picture of this throughout the book. I can very much see this happening in the future.

The pacing was done really well! Not once in the book did I feel like the pacing was going too slow or too fast for my liking. I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. If it was possible to eat books by reading them quickly because they are amazing, this would would've been gone in flash!

What an amazing plot! Besides the main plot, there were lots of sub-plots! Will Ruby figure out what is wrong with her and Thorn? Will she choose Armonk or Blane since she cares for both? Can she escape her past? That's just some of the questions answered in the book. Also, there is a fantastic plot twist that I didn't see coming!

All of the characters were written superbly! I loved Ruby and how willing she was to take care of her little brother. Ruby was a very down to Earth character who had went through a lot of hardships. I believe this made her a better person. What I didn't like about her was the fact that she kept going on about how beautiful she was. However, this is probably just a personal thing. I found Thorn to be so cute!! It would've been interesting to see things from his point of view as the book is told from Ruby's point of view. Armonk seems like such a sweet guy, and I loved how he was willing to defend his friends. I feel like Armonk was an all around nice guy. I really loved Blane! I like how he grew as a person going from a mean brute to a gentle warrior. It was nice to see this change in him. Like Armonk, I loved how he was willing to protect his friends at all cost.

The dialogue was fantastic! It is told in a first person point of view with Ruby being the narrator. I usually don't enjoy first person reads as much as third person ones, but this one was done fantastically! Some books that take place in the future have really cheesy dialogue, but Ruby's Fire wasn't one of those books. The dialogue was also easy to understand with no futuristic terms getting in the way. There are a few swear words though.

Overall, Ruby's Fire by Catherine Stine is such an amazing and interesting read! While it is a part of a series, it can be read as a stand alone. I usually don't read books out of series order because I feel like I'll miss so much information, but this book can actually be read as a standalone without missing much. (The first book in the series talks about a minor character in this book).

I'd recommend this book to those aged 14+ who want some adventure in their life!

I'd give Ruby's Fire by Catherine Stine a 5 out of 5.


(I received a free paperback copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review).