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Blood & Treasure
Blood & Treasure
2019 | Action, Adventure
7
7.4 (5 Ratings)
TV Show Rating
Good Summer Series That Works Well
Blood & Treasure is an action/adventure drama series created by Matthew Federman and Stephen Scaia. It was produced by Propagate, Lake June Productions and CBS Television Studios and distributed by CBS Television Distributions.


Art expert Danny McNamara recruits an old flame, Lexi Vaziri, a professional thief, to help rescue Dr. Ana Castillo, his mentor, who after discovering the tomb of Mark Antony and Cleopatra was abducted by terrorists. The tomb was missing the sarcophagus of Cleopatra and also contained the remains of dead Nazis who were sealed in by a mysterious cult. Lexi and Danny track stolen antiques to an auction and kidnap the terrorists middleman, Aiden Shaw. Lexi let's him escape so they can follow him and they pursue him over the border. Shaw tries to sell his antiques back to Karim Farouk, the terrorist leader involved in the abduction of Castillo and explosion of the Pyramid. Farouk shoots Shaw and escapes while Lexi chases after and Danny rescues Castillo. Danny determines two things with Castillo's help: the cult that killed the Nazis are the key to finding the bodies and Farouk plans to weapons the curse of Cleopatra and Antony.


This show has been consistently really good. I am excited to see where it goes plot wise and it's overall story arc. Very enjoyable, really good acting and fast paced. Lexi is such a great character, she's beautiful, kicks ass and doesn't ask for permission. People complain about how it shifts perspective from past to present but no think it has become a staple of the show and makes it unique. It does have a familiar feel to it something like Indiana Jones meets Da Vinci Code but nothing supernatural yet. I hope that this show does well enough for a second season or at least is able to finish the plot of the first season. Critics are tearing it apart online but its a pretty decent show. I really like how they are constantly shooting in different locations that look beautiful from around the world. I give it a 7/10.
  
Rust Never Sleeps by Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Rust Never Sleeps by Neil Young & Crazy Horse
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I remember when I was in high school someone signed my yearbook - this guy Guy Blakeslee who's now in the band The Entrance - amazing guitarist and he told me how to play the A minor chord. He signed my yearbook, "Hey hey, my my, rock and roll will never die", and I remember thinking, oh my god this guy's a genius, and then I found out it was the genius Neil Young. A genius steal. He probably thought I should have known it, but anyway I think I got the album after I found that out and it became one of those albums that feel like they're your own secret album. My mum listened to Harvest a lot so I knew the 'Heart Of Gold' era, which I also love. Rust Never Sleeps became my personal Neil Young treasure. It has such a raw sound, I guess because it was recorded live. I didn't even know there were overdubs on it. Actually a lot of the albums I chose were those live albums that are what is live, what isn't live?. But on one song on the musical we were stuck on the opening and I went back to Rust Never Sleeps and pretty much ripped off the song 'Thrasher' - the opening to that song. That was 'Fathers And Brothers' - it's just a stupid little simple [thing], we were just going for something really simple and I remember we worked on it all night, trying to get this arpeggiated thing working and we just went for the straight strum in the end, and the engineer/mixer guy came back and said, "Thank god you you went for the simple thing". 'Powderfinger', 'Pocahontas', they're all great. Young is somehow able to pull off these songs all about the plight of American man that would just seem so cheesy nowadays, but I think there was this experimentation with subject matter in 70s songwriting that was kind of innocent and is not really done today. I enjoy the storytelling of Neil Young, the simplicity of it all, and just that voice [that] can sing just about anything and make it sound good."

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Merissa (12934 KP) created a post

Feb 4, 2021  
šŸ’„AVAILABLE NOW with special release week's price $2.99!!!šŸ’„OF WICKED BLOOD by Olivia Wildenstein and Katie Hayoz
  An Upper YA Paranormal Romance series with magic, mystery, adventure, and a slow-burn romance, lots of cursing, and not just the magical kind...
TITLE: Of Wicked Blood
SERIES: The Quatrefoil Chronicles book 1
AUTHORS: @olives21 and @katie_hayoz
GENRE: Upper YA Paranormal Romance
BLURB
NO REST FOR THE WICKED . . . OR THE CURSED.
SLATE
I didn’t mean to steal the Bloodstone from the De Morel’s crypt.
Scratch that, I did mean to steal it.
Until I realized it was a curse-magnet that only comes off if I, along with a jolly trio, successfully defeat four curses.
If any of us fail, I’m dead.
I’ve never been a glass half-empty sort of person, but my glass looks in dire need of a refill right about now.
The only highlight of this wicked treasure hunt: feisty, entitled Cadence de Morel.
CADENCE
I was raised on tales of magic, in a small town reputed to be the birthplace of French witchcraft.
Did I believe all the stories I heard? Absolutely not. I mean, if magic existed, Maman wouldn’t have died, and Papa wouldn’t be stuck in a wheelchair, right?
Wrong.
The night Slate Ardoin waltzes into my life, wearing a ring he stole from my mother’s grave, I call him a monster.
But then I meet real ones, and Slate, well . . . he becomes something else to me.
Something frustrating to live with but impossible to live without.
Something I will fight for, no matter the cost.
**Warning: contains profuse cursing (and not just the magical kind).
---
GET IT NOW: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SJ1LKPL
ADD IT TO YOUR GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48915669-of-wicked-blood
CHECK OUT THIS AMAZING BOOK TRAILER: http://oliviawildenstein.com/the-quatrefoil-chronicles/
#Bookbloggers and #Bookstagrammers SIGN-UP for #BookBlitz (February 22-26) and/or #BookTour (March 22-26): https://forms.gle/GgnvSaGDNfaCwjpT7
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#OfWickedBlood #TheQuatrefoilChronicles #OliviaWildenstein #KatieHayoz #MagicPenBookTours @magicpenbooktours #NewRelease #AvailableNow #PNR #ParanormalRomance #UrbanFantasy #matureyoungadult #bookstagram #romancereadersofinstagram #instareads #igreads #bookaddiction #BookCommunity #bookaholic #witchyromance #paranormalromancenovels #witchcraftbooks
     
Before Today by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
Before Today by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
2010 | Alternative, Pop, Psychedelic
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I sometimes worry that I don't like current music. I remember when I was thinking about today's interview that I was so glad this is a current album. Well, actually it's four or five years old. When I first heard this album it blew my mind – it has hit after hit. There is a conviction he has when he does things that could possibly be deemed as being cheesy or not cool and this conviction overshadows all of that and it is wholly satisfying. I knew of him before, but it was a wonderful surprise to hear this music. You hear a song like 'Round And Round' and it is epic – it's like a mini-musical with all the different parts – and everything is so intricate, be it the percussion or the different vocal parts. I think it is a masterpiece. It was really wonderful discovering him and finding that he had a trail of all these really bizarre records that he had been doing for years. You could buy all these weird albums - he was beatboxing on some of them - and I loved generally finding out all of his history. He would tour and not turn up at gigs, or just lie on the ground and shout ""I'm too ill to do this!"" and leave, or he would just turn up with a bag of mixtapes and put them in a tape machine and sing karaoke. I think there are a lot of faux eccentrics knocking around, so it is nice to find someone who is genuinely eccentric. It's satisfying to know it comes from a real place. I was lucky enough to see him play in a church in Koreatown [in Los Angeles] about eight months ago. There is always a worry when you really love a record that a gig might not be as good. He came on stage wearing leopard-print trousers and a floral shirt and carrying a basket of flowers and told us he was Little Miss Riding Hood – it was just wholly entertaining. He is a real treasure."

Source
  
Thirteen Reasons Why
Thirteen Reasons Why
Jay Asher | 2009 | Children
10
8.4 (49 Ratings)
Book Rating
It hurts. I hurt - my heart, most of all. Thirteen Reasons Why spoke to me on a deep and personal level, one I try to ignore more often than not. Listening to Hannah Baker explain, in great detail, the stories, events, and people, that lead to her decision to commit suicide, was jarring. The way she chose to reveal her past, to expose the cause, was more effective than if she had just walked through the story in real time. Reading the discoveries through Clay's point of view made things more interesting. From Hanna's first official kiss, to the rumors that spread afterward (and who can honestly say they've never had a single rumor said about them?), to out of control parties and signs of depression ignored, we're lead through a sort of "treasure hunt". Each moment builds and builds as her tolerance withers away, crumbling under thoughts of not being wanted or cared about. This book, Hannah's story, is something that should open every eye to who we are as people, how we act, what we believe without verification, and how we treat others. Some events in Thirteen Reasons Why are textbook examples of bullying, while others are moments where, if they had happened separately from all the other moments, probably wouldn't have amounted to much. It should make you realize how every little thing can effect someone. Your words have an effect; your actions have an effect; your behavior has an effect. If you don't stop to think to how you've treated people throughout your life, or even wondered if something you have said or done has ever meant more to another person than they did to you, then perhaps you need to reevaluate your life. Thirteen Reasons Why is a breath of truth, if not a breath of fresh air. Nothing has slapped me in the face as serious or as hard as this book. Please, if you feel like you didn't feel the same reaction, reread this book and try to look at it through a different mindset. Because each word is important and the moral of this particular story is life changing.
  
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Merissa (12934 KP) rated Severus (Fueled By Lust #2) in Books

Apr 6, 2023 (Updated Apr 10, 2023)  
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Severus (Fueled By Lust #2)
Celeste Prater | 2014 | Erotica, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am LOVING this Fueled by Lust series. Drusus started off with a bang (quite literally), Severus has more of a gentle build-up. This is because Cassie and Severus have already met and spent some time together, thereby negating the need for a quick pesky 'get-to-know-you' session. Cassie is already attracted to Severus although she's been trying to put him off as she thinks he is too good for her. Severus already knows that Cassie is something special but refuses to think that it could be anything else and he's too damn stubborn to put his necklace on. Yeesh, that man had me shouting at my Kindle!

Cassie has been through the mill and found a wonderful and true friend in Lina, the likes of which you look after and treasure if you're smart which Cassie is. Seeing Lina with Drusus makes Cassie yearn for the same thing but is convinced that with all the baggage she carries no one will be good enough - or too good.

I won't give away any spoilers but I will say this - one thing I really loved about this story was Marcus. He is Cassie's ex-boyfriend, the one she mentioned at the beginning of Drusus. He could have been a real 'nasty' character but instead, Celeste turned him into a likeable, heartfelt hero who, although I wanted Severus and Cassie to be together, I now want Marcus to get his HEA too.

This book has everything you could wish for - amazing characters, wit and humour all the way through, a 'baddie' that you may or may not see coming but even if you do, you won't care as the story is that good, and steamy scenes that are "out of this world" (sorry, I couldn't resist!).

Book 1 was brilliant and I really enjoyed it. Book 2 stepped up to the bar, ordered a double and raised it. I can't wait for Cato's story.
 
* 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!
September 2, 2016
  
W&
Windswept & Interesting
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
143 of 230
Book
Windswept and Interesting
By Billy Connolly
ā­ļøā­ļøā­ļøā­ļøā­ļø

In his first full-length autobiography, comedy legend and national treasure Billy Connolly reveals the truth behind his windswept and interesting life.

Born in a tenement flat in Glasgow in 1942, orphaned by the age of 4, and a survivor of appalling abuse at the hands of his own family, Billy's life is a remarkable story of success against all the odds.

Billy found his escape first as an apprentice welder in the shipyards of the River Clyde. Later he became a folk musician - a 'rambling man' - with a genuine talent for playing the banjo. But it was his ability to spin stories, tell jokes and hold an audience in the palm of his hand that truly set him apart.

As a young comedian Billy broke all the rules. He was fearless and outspoken - willing to call out hypocrisy wherever he saw it. But his stand-up was full of warmth, humility and silliness too. His startling, hairy 'glam-rock' stage appearance - wearing leotards, scissor suits and banana boots - only added to his appeal.

It was an appearance on Michael Parkinson's chat show in 1975 - and one outrageous story in particular - that catapulted Billy from cult hero to national star. TV shows, documentaries, international fame and award-winning Hollywood movies followed. Billy's pitch-perfect stand-up comedy kept coming too - for over 50 years, in fact - until a double diagnosis of cancer and Parkinson's Disease brought his remarkable live performances to an end. Since then he has continued making TV shows, creating extraordinary drawings... and writing.

I grew up watching Billy my dad absolutely loved him. The only swearing we were allowed to watch. I have always loved him the one comedian that I took from my childhood and kept watching. I discovered so much in this book that I never knew and you have to admire him. He went through so much but never seems bitter, he never really flaunts his fame in this book and plays a lot down. Such an amazing insight into his life and a really good read.
  
Uncharted (2022)
Uncharted (2022)
2022 | Action, Adventure
After numerous attempts which saw talent attached only to depart before filming began, ā€œUnchartedā€ has finally arrived on the big screen.

The movie is based on the hit Playstation series of games by Naughty Dog and stars Tom Holland as Nathan Drake, a young man who is as adept at history as he is with pickpocketing which he uses to offset his income from Bartending.

Nathan’s brother fled the law years earlier and aside from Postcards has had no contact with him over the years. Things change when Victor Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) arrives and recruits Nathan by showing him that he used to work with his brother. Despite misgivings and unresolved feelings; Nathan joins with Victor and finds himself in a daring caper to steal a valuable object that could unlock the key to a gold supply that has been lost for over five hundred years.

Naturally, there are others who want the money, and Nathan, Victory, and their dubious partner Chloe (Sophia Ali); as they rush around the world in one adventure after another to solve the ancient puzzles and stay one step ahead of some very deadly individuals.

The movie has elements of ā€œNational Treasureā€ and ā€œRaiders of the Lost Arkā€ in terms of the quests to find ancient treasures mixed with action but keeps things in a simpler context. The focus is not on plot development, character development, or plausibility but considering the film is based on a video game, it does a good job with the source material.

There has been some controversy about the casting of Holland as Nathan is older in the game series, but he goes all-in with his performance even when the acrobatic action sequences does offer many reminders of his Spider-man role.

The action in the game is fun and over-the-top and more than once I thought I should be pushing my X and Square button to help him make the moves necessary to complete the task and survive.

The post-credit scenes offer some great possibilities for future adventures and those would be more than welcome for those looking for some no-brainer escapist entertainment.

3.5 stars out of 5.
  
The Twyford Code
The Twyford Code
Janice Hallett | 2022 | Fiction & Poetry
9
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Twyford Code is written in the form of a transcribed voice recording from a mobile phone. It was a bit of a ā€˜Marmite’ book on The Pigeonhole (where I read it), and I came firmly down in the ā€˜love’ camp. It was such an original idea.

Steve a former criminal, has recorded messages to the adult son he has only met a couple of times. His son has decided that he doesn’t want to see him, but Steve has something important that he wants to share with him. He repeatedly says that he hopes his son will get to listen to what he has to say. But as the book goes on, it looks increasingly less likely. Danger is around him at every turn.

Steve has joined the hunt for hidden treasure, and he believes the clues are hidden in a series of children’s books by Edith Twyford.

Ok, so apparently the clues can be found in this book, but I’m afraid my brain just doesn’t seem to work like that. So, I’m here to say that I read this, enjoyed it immensely, and was just happy to sit back, read the book, and let the story unfold. If you like puzzle solving, you might enjoy that aspect to it. But it’s not imperative!

I thought it was fascinating. The writing style took a couple of pages to get used to, and often the words were written phonetically. Steve’s Remedial English teachers name was written as ā€˜missiles’ instead of Miss Isles, for example. There are lots of spellings that follow this pattern, because the recordings have apparently gone through a computer programme that changes the spoken word into text. I did wonder if Steve’s own writing would have been much different, as we learn that he only really learnt to read and write whilst in prison.

I don’t want to say too much and spoil the book, but I will say that this had me hooked. I enjoyed each and every stave on The Pigeonhole. This book deserves the hype!

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and to Janice Hallett and her publisher.
  
Little & Lethal (Little Paws Haven #2)
Little & Lethal (Little Paws Haven #2)
JP Sayle, Layla Dorine | 2024 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Loved that Cosmo pushed, just to get punished.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 2 in the Little Paws Haven series. I don't think it totally necessary to have read book one, Little Treasure He Hides, before this one. I loved that book.

And while I really enjoyed this one, I found this one a bit...disconnected.

Oh don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it, I just found some bits went off and I lost my concentration.

Nomad and Harley have been mated for 20 years. Harley, though, is certain they should have a third. Meeting Cosmo, and all three of them knew they were mates but Cosmo was not letting them have it easy. Getting up close and personal with another Dom in the club, just to rile Nomad and Harley up. But Cosmo is more than a Little. He is deadly. And not incapable of looking after himself. Nomad and Harley need to get with the programme. Cosmo also needs to get with it, but he struggles. Having only himself to rely on for so long, it takes him time to let Nomad and Harley in.

I liked that all three men have a say. I loved that Cosmo gave the other two a run for their money. I loved that Cosmo, once settled into the relationship, pushed all the boundaries and then some, JUST so he could take the punishment.

I found the issue with The Council a bit confusing as to what was really going on, so reading about those bits, I kinda switched off. It all comes clear, I just took twice as long to get it!

Gabai and Asher from book one take part, but you don't need to have read their book to follow this one. The next book is laid here, well, I mean I hope it is! Looking forward to reading about hippos!

I liked this well enough, but something didn't quite click for me.

4 very good stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere