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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Lola on Fire in Books

Feb 25, 2021

A dark, fast-paced thriller

Brody Ellis has lost his job: desperate for cash to pay rent and to help take care of his younger sister, he robs a gas station. On his way out, he bumps into a woman. It's only once he's home that the realizes he's lost his wallet. He's waiting for the cops to arrest him when he receives a call. A woman named Blair Mayo, the one whom he ran into, has the wallet. She'll return it if he'll do something in return: steal her late mother's diamonds from her father's hateful new wife. But when Brody executes Blair's plan, he finds something else: a murdered woman and a security camera watching his every move. After he flees, slipping in blood, Blair tells him someone has already taken care of the footage. The woman's husband, the notorious mobster Jimmy Latzo. But he wants his own special revenge on Brody (and his sister, Molly, by default). The two flee, with the mob hot on their tail, and get caught up in a tangled web that involves Jimmy, Blair, and a woman named Lola Bear who came up against Jimmy years ago.

This book was amazing: completely raw, emotional, and brutal. Reading it felt like watching a "shoot 'em up" movie (one with a little heart, though). It's gory and dark, so if you're not able to handle some blood and violence, this read isn't for you. However, I found it nearly impossible to put down. I was completely invested in Brody, Molly, and Lola. This book weaves a tangled web, and I was there for every little spin.

It was honestly great to read a book where there's a pretty clear delineation between "good versus bad." Still, the story is certainly complex, filled with deep emotions and complex familial tensions, but you always know who to root for. It takes your mind off things (aka real life) for a bit.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I love violent movies, where the good guys are good and the bad guys really bad. It was fun seeing that translated into a book. I also loved the rawness of this book and the underlying tenderness that accompanied it. It's a fast, dark read. 4.5 stars.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and William Morrow / Custom House in return for an unbiased review. It releases in the U.S. on 2/16/2021.

Kudos

Laetitia Sadier recommended Club de Esquina by Milton Nascimento in Music (curated)

Club de Esquina by Milton Nascimento

1972 | Classical, Pop

(0 Ratings)

Album Favorite

"I remember when we first got it I could only see the darkness of it. I couldn't get underneath it where all the light is. I was impermeable to it somehow. And one day, you wonder what happens, why did I not get this? One day the door opened and I received all of its beauty. I could not believe that I had not been able to hear it before. In terms of being a composer, for me Milton Nascimento is on the top shelf. There is such a power in the chord changes. He's got to be the king of those, in my world at least. What I like about music is that it's transformative and it's transporting, and I think he's my favourite transporter of all. You go on such journeys with his songs, and this is difficult to do. He obviously has a gift and also works very hard at it. He's very dedicated to his art. But I've rarely been so transported as when listening to this album, and I don't ask much more of music sometimes than just to be transported. I was not really aware of the lyrical content that much. The sleeve tells you a lot, for sure, about people struggling or just being resigned to certain conditions. I've been to Brazil a couple of times and you see quite a lot of poverty, but a lot of poorer people do own a big TV to watch the football on, and I didn't feel like 'oh my god this is about to explode', like I did in America in certain quarters. In some poor quarters of North America there is such tension, but I didn't feel the same tension in Brazil. It's more mellow even among the poorer classes. I know that it's very divided, with a lot of walls and high security buildings for the richer middle classes, but I felt that the poorer people weren't on the verge of rioting: somehow there was more acceptance. I don't know; obviously there are very complex societal issues, but this album captures a sense of joy and beauty and it's amazing to put that into music. We all have joy: it's inbuilt, and music can help us find that joy, that joi d'vivre."

Source

Kudos

Matt Martin (12 KP) rated Google Home in Apps

Sep 18, 2020

Google Home

Entertainment, House & Home, Utilities

8.5

(2 Ratings)

App Rating

Syncs with everything (0 more)

The app ui could use a little fine tuning (0 more)

Unbeatable

This is my first review here and I chose this because it's my most used and most raved about product. I tell everyone to get this. Philips hue smart lights all over my house RUN THROUGH GOOGLE. Three nest thermostats for my 3 zones in my house RUN THROUGH GOOGLE. The 2 nest hub maxes, 4 nest mini's, 3 nest wifi points, 6 chromecasts all RUN THROUGH GOOGLE. My nest yale locks for my 2 doors, nest home security system with points in every window and door, my nest video doorbell & 4 outdoor cameras all RUN THROUGH GOOGLE. The dozen tp link casa smart plugs I have for everything around the house, the multiple govee light strips behind tvs and furniture all RUN THROUGH GOOGLE. You get the point. When comparing Google to Amazon Alexa I think it's a no brainer. Google is far more user friendly. Google works with everything a lot easier. The routines are amazing. At night instead of walking around my whole house turning everything off, the lights, the tvs, the fan, remembering to lock the door... None of that, just say "shut it down" (or whatever you choose to say) and it does it all for you. In the morning the routines can wake up by a phrase, by sunrise or by time and can play music, then read you the news, then turn on the lights, then make you coffee. Nothing to remember to do everyday. It really does make life so much easier. Hot day and you forgot to turn the Ac's on before you left for work? Don't even trip dawg, just tell Google it's time to go home and it'll turn all that on and give you the estimated time of your commute and then start playing your favorite podcast from where you left off. You can create groups of speakers, so if I tell Google to play Colter Wall downstairs it plays on all 6 downstairs speakers. The things this can do are literally endless. I can't say enough good things about it. If you know your tech especially this is the way to go. Google has become a part of our families everyday life.