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Build Your Home Around My Body
Build Your Home Around My Body
Violet Kupersmith | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I loved this enchanting, horrific, beautiful story. Build Your House Around My Body is a difficult book to describe. There are at least three timelines, all relevant to what is happening in the present day to the main character, Winnie née Ngoan.

Winnie is a lost soul - she has gone to Vietnam to stay with family while she teaches English to Vietnamese students, hoping to find herself, but she seems to become more and more lost as the story progresses. She struggles with her dual identity as her mother is American, and her father is Vietnamese. The fact that she seems to deliberately sabotage her own life is the most tragic thing about her.

The time does jump around a bit, but this didn’t confuse me at all - the chapter headings made sure of that - in fact they gave some interesting history lessons (e.g. French colonialism, Japanese occupation).

It’s a weird and wonderful one (my favourite kind!), sometimes bordering on the grotesque (ditto). Bodily functions and food that I wasn’t sure about, galore! (I’d still try the food though, although I draw the line at dog…).

The supernatural elements showed that these things are still very much a part of Vietnamese culture (spirits and demons both feature).

Some parts are achingly sad, some made me feel a bit ill, and others were actually quite amusing. I couldn’t put this book down. The joy of it was that I didn’t know, couldn’t predict, what was going to happen next!

I’m really interested to see what Kupersmith writes next if this is her debut - what an imagination!
Many thanks to Jellybooks for giving me the chance to read this wonderful book.
  
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Gordon Gano recommended track Do You Love Me by Heartbreakers in L.A.M.F. by Heartbreakers in Music (curated)

 
L.A.M.F. by Heartbreakers
L.A.M.F. by Heartbreakers
1977 | Punk
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"The amazing thing about this song is that I heard this album after I had seen and heard Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers play it live at Max’s Kansas City, and it was basically the same group doing the same songs. “I think it was 1977 or 1978. I was 15 and I went for an Easter break vacation from high school, it was my first trip by myself; I had an older brother living in New York City and my family was living at Wisconsin at that time. I went and stayed with him and he was into all the punk stuff that was going on. He looked to see what was playing he said ‘Johnny Thunders is great and he’s playing at Max’s Kansas City.’ “It was the most exciting experience I ever had with rock and roll. I think it’s because the music appealed to me, I’d never heard it before, I never heard any recording or anything about this Johnny Thunders, any of the songs or anything. I think it’s also because of the age I was, because being fifteen everything was this great discovery in the world of music for me at that time, particularly with all things of rock and roll. “Punk music was this thing that just hit me; it hit me in a perfect place, and of course there’s a great variety. That live show is riveting and inspiring in every way. With the music, the sound, guitar and then the attitude, the swagger and the craziness of it. Everything was appealing to me. I felt that this is what I wanted to do, and this confirmed it."

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Wolfhunter River (Stillhouse Lake, #3)
Wolfhunter River (Stillhouse Lake, #3)
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
126 of 250
Kindle
Wolfhunter River (Stillhouse Lake book 3)
By Rachel Caine

Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments

She can’t ignore a cry for help. But in this remote hunting town, it’s open season.

Gwen Proctor escaped her serial-killer husband and saved her family. What she can’t seem to outrun is his notoriety. Or the sick internet vigilantes still seeking to avenge his crimes. For Gwen, hiding isn’t an option. Not when her only mission is to create a normal life for her kids.

But now, a threatened woman has reached out. Marlene Crockett, from the remote town of Wolfhunter, is panicked for herself and her daughter. When Gwen arrives in the small, isolated rural community, Marlene is already dead—her own daughter blamed for the murder. Except that’s not the person Marlene feared at all. And Gwen isn’t leaving until she finds out who that was.

But it may already be too late. A trap has been set. And it’s poised to snap shut on everyone Gwen loves. Her stalkers are closing in. And in a town as dark as Wolfhunter, it’s so easy for them to hide…


Another brilliant book in the series I really really enjoyed it! Only one star off a 5 because I did find some bits a bit of a rush. I love the strong chap the kids are dealing with it all so much better. It’s just a shame we only have 2 books left knowing we’ll never get a 5th is heartbreaking. I have nothing but love for this author.
  
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Lorene Scafaria recommended GoodFellas (1990) in Movies (curated)

 
GoodFellas (1990)
GoodFellas (1990)
1990 | Crime, Drama, Thriller

"For me, it is the most alive and electric filmmaking. [Martin Scorsese is] obviously one of the greats, but he brought that ’70s filmmaking to 1990, which… I can’t believe it’s a 1990 film. I love gangster films and I love The Godfather, but I am a Goodfellas girl. I thought there was just so much captured in the masculinity of it and the relationships between men, the family dynamic, the structure of it, the mafia, that sort of hierarchy and camaraderie. I just think it’s one of the most exciting films ever made, of course. The writing is extraordinary, as is the improvisation of it. And seeing what he puts in a frame during a scene, like Joe Pesci telling the story, and you think it’s a funny scene when you realize it’s really just like these two setups over and over and that these… You sort of see the layout of the guys in the background who’s listening and the tension that he’s able to create by just hanging on something. That was something that I was trying to bring into [Hustlers]: in terms of how he treated violence, that was something that I felt about how to treat the nudity, in a way. So it was a touchstone for me in how to, not just approach anti-heroes or an underworld, but also just… What’s the difference between the gun and a body as being used, being weaponized? And an outfit, a bandage dress, being weaponized, you know? And the role that each of them play in that hustle and in the group."

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Are We There Yet?
Are We There Yet?
Kathleen West | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A heartfelt look at parenting and growing up
Alice Sullivan is an interior designer and mom whose nearly perfect life goes off the rails when her son Teddy gets in trouble bullying at school. The same day she learns her daughter Adrian is having trouble keeping up in second grade. Soon Alice learns Teddy is caught up in a social media battle with another kid and she's rapidly being subjected to the judgement of the other moms. This includes her good friend, Meredith, whose daughter Sadie may be more involved than Meredith realizes. Then, Alice finds herself reeling further when her mom, Evelyn, reveals a long-held secret. Alice needs to stop caring what other people think--and starting focusing on her family. Fast.

This book was one of those happy surprises, where it was even better than I expected. It was real and captivating, highlighting how difficult it is to be both a parent and kid in the digital age. The story is expertly told from a variety of perspectives--Alice, Meredith, Teddy, Evelyn, and Sadie.

West does such a great job of portraying the interconnected people, both kids and parents, in her tale. All are mostly trying their best but often failing while some are judging others. Yet it seems like their world falls apart anyway. Everyone's story was told in such a unique voice, and I could not help but feel so sorry for these kids trying to survive in a digital age, and their parents attempting to maintain some type of control.

Overall, this is excellent book--very timely, realistic, and both heartbreaking and hopeful. 4.25 stars.
  
Blood in the Mirror (The Haunted Collection #3)
Blood in the Mirror (The Haunted Collection #3)
Ron Ripley | 2017 | Horror, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
58 of 250
Kindle
Blood in the Mirror ( Haunted Collection book 3)
By Ron Ripley

Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments

Stefan Korzh is at it again, and while Ivan's deadly ghost has thrown a wrench into his son's plans, the spiteful road to revenge continues. More haunted items from the family's notorious collection are appearing with new owners. Worst of all is a pen possessing an inviting glimmer that can destroy whoever spills its demonic ink.

Jeremy Rhinehart and Victor Daniels are in a desperate rush to stop the mayhem, and seem to be headed in the right direction...but somehow, the closer they get, the harder things become. And they are slowly finding that they're not the only ones who want Stefan dead.

As the histories of the possessed collectibles continue to reveal themselves, more objects emerge, and old family secrets are contained within the elegant ridges of the compact mirror. Everything hangs in the balance, and it's up to Victor to discard his tragic demons and stop Stefan before the streets are lined with more bodies.

But as Victor and Jeremy continue their quest against evil, they discover a terrifying force lurking in their midst. Nothing is ever as it seems....

This was my favourite so far! The walls are closing in on Stefan from all sides. This one was saw a Goblin gone crazy and oh no Anne is on the loose but where? We saw Jeremys demise (though I’m thinking not for long) leaving poor Victor with another death to avenge. Looking forward to book 4.
  
Siamese Dream by The Smashing Pumpkins
Siamese Dream by The Smashing Pumpkins
1993 | Indie
8.0 (9 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I've got some family in Canada, and when I was about 12 we went over for a holiday. When we came back, my cousins had given my brother a load of American music, and that was really the first time that I had heard Smashing Pumpkins. And he'd come back and play these tapes and it was like: ""Wow! Music from America!"" This was the time before the internet, and we didn't have a TV either, so this was all kind of exotic. I remember not really realising that they were playing guitars because it didn't really sound like that. I couldn't tell what it was made of. It sounded like machinery and that it was made of fiddly twiddly weird tones, and obviously with his voice on top of it, I was like, ""What the hell is this?!"" I remember for a year not really liking it, but my brother kept on playing it, and it slowly crept into me. That whole album is so deeply produced that the playing on it, the sound on it, is just fucking awesome. The breadth of different sounds are amazing. Every intro is like a perfect little new world opening up. You always think of Billy Corgan being a total egomaniac locking the other band members out of the studio as the story goes, making Jimmy Chamberlin rehearse for 12 hours a day until the drums were perfect. The end result is this perfect dreamy, shoegaze-y album with a hard core, yet it's also quite gentle as well, which I think is a common theme with all the albums I've chosen."

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Such a Quiet Place
Such a Quiet Place
Megan Miranda | 2021 | Mystery, Thriller
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The accused killer returns home. Is she guilty? If not, who is?
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

The setting for Megan Miranda's latest thriller, Such a Quiet Place, is Hollow's Edge, a picture-perfect, idyllic neighborhood where neighbors become family. That is until the Truetts were killed. Now, a year and a half later, new evidence emerges, and the convicted killer returns home to Hollow's Edge. Once a warm and open community now finds neighbors locking their doors, spying out their windows, and hiding secrets from each other. Did the jury get it right? Was Ruby guilty? If so, what should they do? If not, the killer is hiding among them.

Such a Quiet Place is a suspenseful roller coaster from beginning to end. She kept me guessing until the big reveal.

Megan Miranda's suspenseful writing immediately made her an author on my "I have to read" list. Her most well-known novel is All the Missing Girls, with a 3.77 rating and more than 146,000 reviews. The Last Guest House was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club selection, and my review can be found at https://philomathinphila.com/last-house-guest-by-megan-miranda.

I first found her through her YA novels and know, whichever age group she is writing for, it will be a story to remember. The ratings for her novel average 3.72 on Goodreads.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com.
  
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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Summer of 84 (2018) in Movies

Sep 26, 2020 (Updated Sep 26, 2020)  
Summer of 84 (2018)
Summer of 84 (2018)
2018 | Horror
Contains spoilers, click to show
I have mixed feelings about Summer of 84, another 80s love letter following in the wake of the cataclysmic popularity of Stranger Things. Probably easier to break this one down into bullet points.

- The four main characters are pretty hit and miss. The actors are all fine, but some of the dialogue and pop culture references seem very forced. They provide the movie with some funny moments for sure, but their characters are fairly cliché and the chemistry goes through some flat moments.
- The story is pretty straightforward and decent, and provides an entertaining mystery, but some of the plot points are odd and a lot of the characters are just insufferably stupid.
- The ending is conflicting as well. Considering the majority of the film is quite comedic and seems intended towards a family audience, the ending is pretty bleak. My initial thoughts were "fair enough, quite ballsy" but now I can't decide whether it was in fact just plain mean spirited. Either way, it left a nasty taste in my mouth, and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing.
- A couple of positives - I really enjoyed the music score, and the cinematography. The film has a lovely aesthetic to it.
- Not sure how the babysitter character was supposed to be portrayed, but she seemed a bit too old for a love interest to the 15 year old protagonist. Made me feel uncomfortable...

Summer of 84 is an entertaining enough psuedo-slasher thriller, but it suffers from pacing issues amongst other things that stops it being as good is it could have been.
  
The Big Sick (2017)
The Big Sick (2017)
2017 | Comedy, Drama, Romance
One of those products that feels fresh and generic in about an equal ratio, but this just *soars* off of the chemistry of its cast. Zoe Kazan and Kumail Nanjiani are wonderful, simply wonderful together here; Ray Romano and Holly Hunter are faultless; and Kumail's family + stand-up partners are as well cast as can be even if the latter add nothing more than mostly tired jokes that don't land to the story. I admit this is still pretty scattershot, but for me that's part of what makes it so interesting? If anything is subversive here it's two things: 1. the way this flips the typical romcom on its head by taking on multiple different styles of execution as it goes along (the mostly unfunny but charming as hell opening romance, the anxious but amiable [and more funny] first meetings with the parents, the harrowing confrontation of grief, and the confusing [for the characters] but unfortunately rather rushed through ending resolutions) and 2. Kumail playing himself during a real life tumultuous period in his life. Even though dozens of liberties were taken to make this more palatable for a studio romance, the broad side of things remains rooted in truth even down to supporting scenes - and seeing Kumail as himself act out those real life events and formulate them into a positive story add a whole new level of emotional heft. Plus he's just a rock-solid comedic force in general and he handles the sad scenes nearly just as well. Even if there are still some tropes in this, the base story still feels rather nuanced. Very flawed but so nice, so wholesome.