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Defiance (The Wolfborne Saga #1)
Defiance (The Wolfborne Saga #1)
Cheree Alsop | 2018 | Paranormal, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Defiance is the first book in The Wolfborne Saga and you get a very different take on vampires and werewolves! It starts with Zev escaping in wolf form, from who or what you don't know. It's a close call though, nearly his last call, but he is saved by a young man driving a car. This opens up a whole sort-of-new life for those Zev meets and for him himself.

This was brilliantly written, with plenty of world-building and information given without it being an info-dump. There is definitely character growth from Zev but the others are just as interesting.

As the first book in a series you expect to get a lot of the ground-work, sometimes to the detriment of the story. Not so here. Ms. Alsop has provided a great start and I am looking forward to the next book in the series. Definitely recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
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Nick Beaty (70 KP) rated Mindhunter - Season 1 in TV

Jan 14, 2020 (Updated Jan 14, 2020)  
Mindhunter - Season 1
Mindhunter - Season 1
2017 | Crime
Cameron Britton steals every scene...
I went in to Mindhunter with high expectations and ended up with a mixed bag of emotions by the end.

The scene's in which they interview the 'Serial Killers' are fascinating and make up the best parts of Mindhunter by far. They were intense, creepy and completely captivating. Cameron Britton's portrayal of Ed Kemper in particular, is absolutely superb and he steals every scene.

A few people have mentioned the slow pace of the show as a problem, I personally didn't mind this. For me the main problem lies with the lead character Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) who is very unlikable to say the least, he is arrogant, manipulative and very selfish. However his partnership with FBI agent Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) is another highlight, as they do have a good on screen chemistry.

Without adding any spoilers, I would say that for me the ending to season 1 is a bit of an anticlimax.

After all is said and done Mindhunter is still a good watch and I am looking forward to seeing where they take it in season 2.
  
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
1977 | Fantasy, Sci-Fi

"And then I’ll go to my third one, which of course I would say… Most people would go with The Empire Strikes Back, but I gotta go with Star Wars, the original. The Summer tentpole, it was something we had never seen before. I remember, back in the day it was all those exorcism movies, you know, it was the same time when all that was going on when they were like, “The Tempter!” and you turn around and it’s a scary movie. And then there was Taxi Driver, and all these weird… Everything had a weird aura to it, you know what I mean? And my mother was like, “I can’t take you to the movies! You’ll see something crazy!” So my aunt took me to see Star Wars. That was the only thing that we could see as kids. It was either that or The Apple Dumpling Gang, and I was like, “We can’t go that young!” [laughs] But Star Wars, man, I mean… It was really the sci-fi thing. Still to this day, I’m a sci-fi nut. I love it. It’s one of those things that influences me to this day."

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Cee-Lo Green recommended Raw Power by The Stooges in Music (curated)

 
Raw Power by The Stooges
Raw Power by The Stooges
1973 | Punk, Rock
8.4 (9 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"Iggy reminds me a lot of me. And it's all in that name; it's all in the title of that album. It’s raw power, you know? I like the funk that David Bowie was able to get behind Iggy. Believe it or not, I first saw an image of Iggy Pop at church, and they were talking about secret messages and backward masking - and they had [a picture of] Iggy Pop looking crazy. I didn't get into it until later, but I think how I was introduced to it was 'I Wanna Be Your Dog'. And what I like about Iggy is it's just genuine raunch. And the album seems like it’s all done in one take. 'Let's do that one, leave it, just try something else'. With his energy on stage, it seems as if the studio was just destroyed after that album - or at least you'd like to believe that. I just read an interview with him in which he said he wrote a lot of it in Hyde Park sitting under a tree wearing pyjama's too, which gave it a cool twist as well. I just love 'Search And Destroy' and 'I Need Somebody' as well."

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Tom Chaplin recommended Melody A.M. by Royksopp in Music (curated)

 
Melody A.M. by Royksopp
Melody A.M. by Royksopp
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"It was great times, I was living in London. Actually, I should probably temper that. It was shit times, but there were one or two great times, it would have been like 2001, living London, having no money. I was working in shitty, office temping jobs, typing numbers in to computers, it was soul destroying and, in the evenings, we’d rehearse but I lived for the weekend. I remember that album came out and there hadn’t been any albums that had come out that had grabbed me that had the combination of being real songs that you could dance to, almost like house music dancing. Around that time, I was taking so much ecstasy and every weekend I’d take a couple of pills and go dancing. That album was a perfect companion for those times. I remember going to see them on my birthday at the Astoria or somewhere like that, and just having such a wicked time. These days I just don’t have the energy to go out dancing, but I loved it, it was truly brilliant. For me it’s still the greatest dance record that I know of."

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Rev Run recommended The Wizard of Oz (1939) in Movies (curated)

 
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
1939 | Fantasy, Musical

"Another favorite movie of mine is The Wizard of Oz. It’s just a beautiful movie all the way around. It would get a little dark and scary for me as a kid when those flying monkeys came out. Hoo-Hoo! Yeah, the flying monkeys kind of threw me off. I’d start watching the movie at three o’clock, by five o’clock the movie’s about to end, and I’m scared and dinner’s ready — I’m giving you too much info. When Dorothy first lands and the house falls on the shoes and the feet curl up, and then she goes walking and finds all these different characters — all of that was beautiful — gorgeous. Matter of fact, it was straight-up genius and it hasn’t been matched… It was too incredible. Who ever penned that was genius. And the director was genius. And the Lion was genius. And the Tin Man was genius — everything about it. I love all the characters but Dorothy was the best character. She was everything. She was a great singer. She was a great actress. She was kind. She wanted to take everybody with her."

Source
  
Wake Up With You - Single by Pugglefox
Wake Up With You - Single by Pugglefox
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Pugglefox is a trio of funkin’ jazz punks from Pittsburgh, PA. Not too long ago, they released a groovy indie-rock tune, entitled, “Wake Up With You”.

“I love the days when I wake up with you. Nowhere to be, and nothing to do. Wake up and show me the sun in your eyes. Oh, what a beautiful surprise. Come take a break, you’ve been working hard. I read the face on my birthday card. Kiss me in pink sheets and pain floats away. I’ll buy you flowers today. Let’s go, woo!” – lyrics

‘Wake Up With You’ tells an interesting tale of a young guy who cherishes the sensual moments shared with his significant other.

The likable tune contains a relatable storyline, pleasing vocals, and vibey instrumentation flavored with indie-rock and alternatives elements.

“‘Wake Up With You’ is about the sacred moments shared with a lover in the early mornings when all other life commitments sink away. A feeling that gets harder and harder to achieve in the fast-paced, modern world.” – Pugglefox

Pugglefox consists of Evan Isaac (keys, guitar, vocals, synth, percussion), Jordan Kaye (bass, background vocals), and Mike Mills (drums, congas).
  
Farm to Fabre
Farm to Fabre
Dahlia Donovan | 2022 | Contemporary, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A warm and gentle love story
FARM TO FABRE is a gentle love story between two asexual people during a time when the world was in crisis. Andie and Doc had a moment under the apple trees before Doc fled. Andie carried on as usual as Doc travelled the world, trying to understand what happened and find his missing words.

I loved the pacing of this story. It continually moves you forward, without the frantic scenes that sometimes happen. Andie is a wonderful character who doesn't hold grudges, accepts people for who they are, and tries to make the best of any situation. This is completely character-driven, with Andie, Doc, and Rupert being the main ones we interact with. The other characters are seen through zoom, email, or mentioned in passing.

A brilliant standalone story that mentions covid but doesn't allow it to take centre stage. Absolutely recommended by me.

** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
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David McK (3623 KP) rated Eruption in Books

Dec 1, 2024  
Eruption
Eruption
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
First, the obvious question: if this novel was only released in 2024, and Michael Crichton died in 2008ish, how can he possibly be the author?

The answer is he left notes for a project he had been working on, which his wife held in trust until she could find another author to take forward the story (enter, James Patterson).

While I've only read a few Patterson novels before, I have read more of Crichton works (Jurassic Park , The Lost World, Sphere, Timeline, Congo, Next, Micro, Eaters of the Dead, Prey and Pirate Latitudes all come to mind).

And, unfortunately, I have to say I was a little bit disappointed in this one.

I don't know why: maybe because I didn't really find any of the characters all that fleshed out, the set-up didn't grab me nor did the exotic location (Hawaii) but, for me, this was just one of the weaker entries in the afore-mentioned list of Crichton novels I've read: definitely not up there with the pinnacle of Jurassic Park or Prey; maybe more in line with (IMO) the weaker Pirate Latitudes or Next.

Your mileage, of course, may vary.