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Guy Garvey recommended Sky At Night by I Am Kloot in Music (curated)

 
Sky At Night by I Am Kloot
Sky At Night by I Am Kloot
2010 | Indie, Pop, Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I've known Kloot for years, I've known them before they had a name, I did their original demos, and I've known who John [Bramwell, I Am Kloot singer and guitarist] was for many years, longer than we've been pals. He is one of our best songwriters, and Peter [Jobson] from the band is my best friend. Well this has all come to pass through me loving their music and making Sky At Night with them and Craig [Potter, Elbow bandmate] at Blueprint Studios in Manchester, which we don't own, we've been there a long time. We just rent space there and every album is a kick-start these days, every album is a reboot for a band, because of what the industry is. So if you don't go in with absolute enthusiasm and confidence, there is no point in going in. And for the band to be as long in the tooth as Elbow is – not quite as long in the tooth, actually – but to be around as long as we have, going with the level of enthusiasm you have to have, and knowing The Sky At Night is that [good] – that's all you need to know, it's one of the most beautiful, optimistic things. So I chose the album, not because I'm proudly associated with, although I am very, very proud of my string arrangements on that record. It's John's songwriting, and I want more people to hear it. It should have won the Mercury Prize. When they put the floor down in the studios, in the big room, I put a copy of every album that had been made there to date underneath the floorboards, knowing they won't come up for 100 years, with a note saying, ""All these records were made in this space"", for somebody to find one day."

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Becs (244 KP) rated Always You in Books

Oct 2, 2019  
Always You
Always You
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Always You by Krista Carleson

Genre: Short Story, Novella, Contemporary, Erotica

Synopsis: The army took my first love and left me with a broken heart. That was ten years ago, but fate has a funny sense of humor. Not only is Aidan Dowell my best friend’s older brother, he happens to be my new roommate: the one who chose duty over love- who I thought had left my life forever. Now that I have to live in the same apartment as Aidan, I try to avoid him and guard my heart, but it’s impossible when the person in question is one gorgeous, sexy billionaire. The pull is too strong. The heat between us is going to burn me again. Little did I know that Aidan has a painful secret that threatens to come between us and now I have to make a choice: Fight for him or refuse this second chance at love?

Audience/ Reading Level: High School+

Interests: Erotica, Novella, Short Stories, Best Friends Brother

Point of View: first person

Difficulty Reading: Short, simple, sweet with a lot of hot and steaminess.

Promise: A short yet compelling read that will leave you wanting just a bit more.

Insights: Writing was a bit amateurish but for being the style of book it is, it was a good read. Would recommend to others who like Eroticas.

Ah-Ha Moment: When the boy gets the girl he’s been in love with for the past ten years. And vice versa.

What will you gain: A simple yet refreshing read.

Aesthetics: It was cool to see a billionaire and his brother living together with Cat. But other than that, there was really anything that stood out that’s worth mentioning.
  
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Merissa (12906 KP) rated Frozen Prospects (Guadel Chronicles #1) in Books

Apr 7, 2023 (Updated Apr 10, 2023)  
Frozen Prospects (Guadel Chronicles #1)
Frozen Prospects (Guadel Chronicles #1)
Dean Murray | 2013 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Dean Murray has done it again. I was entering uncomfortable territory in reading this as I have completely fallen for his Reflections and Dark Reflections series from the Paranormal genre. I was sure that I wouldn't be able to enjoy his Fantasy books with the same relish as I did the others. I really should know better by now than to a) assume ANYTHING where authors and genres are concerned and b) to even consider that this wouldn't be as good. It is!

Va'del is stuck in a world not of his choosing but he has no parents and this isn't the sort of place where you can go a-wandering whenever the mood takes you. There is a lot to learn about the traditions and restrictions of Va'del's world and not a lot of time to do it in as the action pretty much starts straight away.

Even though it is in the synopsis that Va'del's sponsors get killed, I was still upset when it happened because of the emotion that is written about Va'del and how he has to deal not only with the guilt of thinking that he should have been able to prevent it but also with facing what he had to upon arriving at the place he hoped would be his new home.

This is not a light and fluffy book - it is dark and gritty and will keep you turning the pages. I loved every moment of it and my review of Thawed Fortunes (book 2 of the Guadel Chronicles) will follow very shortly.
 
* 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!
July 21, 2016
  
Christmas Cocoa Murder
Christmas Cocoa Murder
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Drowning in Hot Chocolate
This story finds Siobhan O’Sullivan, the main character in the popular Irish Village Mysteries, a few weeks from joining the local police department in her small Irish village. Even though she’s not supposed to officially join until after the first of the year, she finds herself getting involved in a case just before Christmas. First, her family’s dog goes missing. Then the intermission entertainment at the holiday panto goes horribly wrong. Paddy O’Shea, the village Santa, has been obsessed over how to top the Santa from the neighboring village, and he’s come up with what he thinks is the perfect way. He’s had a custom-built dunk tank made, and he’s going to challenge people to dunk him in hot chocolate. However, before the show is over, Paddy is found floating face down in the hot chocolate. Who killed Santa?

This was my introduction to the characters, and I did struggle a bit keeping Siobhan’s family straight, and there are some references to things going on in her personal life that I didn’t get. However, these were very minor issues in an overall fun story and easy enough to ignore. As you might have guessed from the description of the story, there is some humor involved in the events, but it does have plenty of serious moments as well. These were balanced perfectly. I really enjoyed getting to know Siobhan and the suspects were all strong enough to be believable as the killer. The plot kept me engaged until we reached the great climax.

NOTE: This story is a novella, roughly 100 pages, and was originally part of the novella collection Christmas Cocoa Murder. If you have that book, there is no need to buy this ebook. If you haven’t read the story, now is the time to sit back and enjoy this Christmas mystery.
  
The Perfect Stranger
The Perfect Stranger
Megan Miranda | 2017 | Mystery
8
7.8 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Leah Stevens needs to get away from Boston. Due to an article she published, her job as a journalist is over thanks to fears of a lawsuit coupled with an in-place restraining order. So when she comes across her old friend Emmy in a bar, the timing seems perfect. Emmy is coming out a bad relationship and she suggests the pair--once former roommates--move to rural Pennsylvania and start over. Leah gets a teaching position at the nearby school, and Emmy picks up a series of odd jobs. But their fresh start is jeopardized when a local woman, with a startling likeness to Leah, is attacked. Then Emmy vanishes, and Leah really starts to worry. Leah works with the local police, but quickly fears she may be under suspicion as well, as it rapidly becomes clear that Leah didn't know Emmy well at all. In fact, Leah is starting to wonder: did Emmy even exist?

This is Miranda's follow-on to [b:All the Missing Girls|23212667|All the Missing Girls|Megan Miranda|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1452098621s/23212667.jpg|42755300], and I actually found myself liking THE PERFECT STRANGER even more. While GIRLS hooked you with its backward narrative shtick, STRANGER pulls you immediately with the strength of its story, and it never lets go. Everything in the novel is complicated and interrelated, it seems, and you're constantly digesting details and facts and trying to put these intricately interwoven pieces together, just as Leah is. Because she has a past as a reporter, she's great at digging through facts, but you also can't trust her as a narrator, and it puts you--the reader--in quite a bind. What is true? Who is real? It was a frustrating (in a good way) dilemma, and I loved it.

The novel gets progressively creepier as it unfolds: to the point that I found myself checking the curtains when I was up late at night (frantically reading the book, of course!). I kept wondering what on earth was going on and how everything could possibly fit together. At one point, there was a great plot twist that I totally didn't see coming. I love when that happens! The book kept me puzzling right up until the end. It's really quite spellbinding.

It reminded me a bit of a [a:Mary Kubica|7392948|Mary Kubica|http://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1447464986p2/7392948.jpg] novel; you really do start to doubt if Emmy exists. As mentioned, Leah is a very unreliable narrator in many ways. She brings her reporter instincts to this small town (despite trying to escape that part of her past), and it's truly fascinating watching her try to unravel the story. Her searches become really exciting, even if you don't completely trust her or know if you can believe her.

Everything ties together really well. The only downside for me was that the ending was a bit anticlimactic, but the "aha" moments when everything fits together are amazing. It's a really intricate and well-plotted novel. I stayed up late to finish it because I could not go to bed without knowing what had happened. I was more excited about finishing this book than Duke's defeat in the NCAA tournament - that should say a lot. :)

Overall, a very exciting and interesting (and often spooky!) thriller. Definitely recommend.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Edelweiss (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review; it is available everywhere as of 04/11/2017.

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