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The Dirty Streets Of Heaven (Bobby Dollar #1)
The Dirty Streets Of Heaven (Bobby Dollar #1)
Tad Williams | 2012 | Mystery, Paranormal, Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Characters (0 more)
Bobby Dollar AKA Doloriel is a snarky, stubborn, cynical, jazz loving, wiseass of an angel. As an angel of the Third Circle his job is that of an Advocate Angel. He's on your side to argue for your soul to get into heaven. When souls start disappearing Bobby is on the hook and finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy that has Heaven and Hell in a tizzy.
This book is a supernatural noir type, Set in Heaven and San Judas, California-named after the patron saint of the hopeless, the unloved, and other lost causes. Told in a first person narrator pov. (Think similar to Brust. The narrator is talking to 'you personally'). The characters are phenomenal and the descriptions are great. As this is not his normal writing style it shows and can be a bit rough at some places.
This fast paced mystery is a delight with its unique show of how heaven and hell could work it makes you think. Even though it is about angels it isn't overly religious it also isn't anti-God. There is drinking, cussing, and violence. Yep the angels drink, some even to the point of drinking their Earthly bodies to death.
Heaven's most problematic angel is figuring out how he can survive being stuck in the middle of this ancient battle.
  
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Shirley Manson recommended Combat Rock by The Clash in Music (curated)

 
Combat Rock by The Clash
Combat Rock by The Clash
1982 | Rock
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"They were one of, if not the first, rock & roll male bands that I was really attracted to. I am definitely a female-orientated person, that's just the way I am. I don't go gaga over every single male rockstar that comes out, I sort of tend to be way more interested in the female narrative. But who can resist The Clash? [Laughs] even I could not resist The Clash. 

 I was thrilled by the sound and also the style; they felt like a real gang to me. It really captured my imagination and I wanted to be in The Clash. They still are, arguably, one of the coolest male rock bands of all time, if not the coolest rock band of all time. There's not anybody really that touches them. I love the political bias in their writing and I love the raucousness of it – and I thought they were fucking hot as fuck [laughs]. 

 Again, just amazing songs. Like, I associate 'Rock the Casbah' with a lot of great parties that I went to around about that time. There was a lot of finger-fucking going on to The Clash, an innocent but erotic memory. My sexuality was beginning to really explode when I discovered The Clash so I always associate it with that kind of hotness. It's just The Clash equals hotness. End of story."

Source
  
Academia de Dancas by Egberto Gismonti
Academia de Dancas by Egberto Gismonti
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"This one I discovered more recently. I'm a big Hermeto Pascoal fan; I was turned onto Hermeto by Kamasi Washington when we were teenagers. But, again, it's Brazilian and stuff like that you have to seek out, you have to want to find it yourself because it doesn't always get translated. I didn't know about Egberto Gismonti at first, but I spent a lot of time listening to Hermeto, and I remember I went on tour with Miguel Atwood Ferguson in the band with me at one point. And Miguel is also an astute follower of music, to say the least. We were listening to Hermeto Pascoal backstage and Miguel turns and he goes 'Is this Hermeto? Do you know about his friend Egberto Gismonti?' and I was like, 'no'. Miguel proceeds to tell me this is the person that plays bass with Hermeto Pasqual, and he's a beast of a composer. He played me the album, and I was floored. I was completely overtaken by this album and the composition. It tells such a story – Egberto Gismonti's albums in general tell a story – but this specific album, there's some moments on it that are so intense that it's hard to listen to them. It's hard to play one song for somebody, but if I've ever played the record for somebody, it has to be listened to very loud."

Source
  
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Sep 9, 2020  
Sneak a peek at THE EDGE OF BELONGING, a Christian contemporary fiction novel, by Amanda Cox on my blog. Be sure to enter the GIVEAWAY to win a copy of the book, a fern tote bag, and a $25 or $10 Barnes & Noble gift card - three winners!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2020/09/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-edge-of.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
When Ivy Rose returns to her hometown to oversee her late grandmother's estate sale, she soon discovers that the woman left behind more than trinkets and photo frames—she provided a path to the truth behind Ivy's adoption. Shocked, Ivy seeks clues to her past, but a key piece to the mystery is missing.

Twenty-four years earlier, Harvey James finds an abandoned newborn who gives him a sense of human connection for the first time in his life. His desire to care for the baby runs up against the stark fact that he is homeless. When he becomes entwined with two people seeking to help him find his way, Harvey knows he must keep the baby a secret or risk losing the only person he's ever loved.

In this dual-timeline story from debut novelist Amanda Cox, the truth—both the search for it and the desire to keep it from others—takes center stage as Ivy and Harvey grapple with love, loss, and letting go.
     
You Are Not Alone (2014)
You Are Not Alone (2014)
2014 | Horror, Thriller
Something my friends and I would have rented from the video store in 2011 on a Friday night after school and loved - and much to my delight this is actually pretty good stuff. One half reasonably fun "day in the life" with a perfect rural small town feel and really likable characters, one half most easily avoidable horror movie situation ever with one creepy motherfucking killer played out at enticing length. Doesn't really get all it can get out of the first-person gimmick but it's done well overall, at times feels like you're watching yourself get stuck in this situation and there's nothing you can do about it - which of course I was fully on board for. Genuinely shocked how stellar the acting is, how many good songs are on the soundtrack, and how little the budget shows all for a Kickstarter film. Has a few damn scary moments but sometimes this can feel a little *too* calculated - a loud, cued score and over-obvious slowed motions where silence and more natural movements would succeed. But I can't complain too much, it looks great and doesn't mess around with any stupidly obvious whodunit twists or predictable jump scares or whatever - routinely wrings the fear out of something as simple as looking around a corner. The biggest reason this isn't rated any higher is because I desperately wanted more of it.
  
Contains spoilers, click to show
Cocky Biker was, all in all, a pretty good read. I enjoyed the story line and I loved the characters. I especially liked how they were bikers, but they did good, instead of just looking BA and kicking butt. But I feel like it could have been written a bit better - there were a lot of grammatical errors and moments where the wording just didn't sound right. Also, I'm a bit biased when it comes to perspective and prefer first person point of view, so some of my issues with how it was written could totally just be because of that. Also, though I know it was supposed to be a character trait of Jett's, the fact that he hardly ever used a 'g' at the end of his words drove me absolutely insane. The story, in a way, was predictable.

**SPOILER ALERT** I wasn't surprised when Luna ended up pregnant, though I will say it was a sweet way to end things.

It was nice, however, to read about a man who's more than ready for commitment and a woman who's not; I'm not saying these stories aren't available, just that I don't run across them often and the role reversal was refreshing.<br/>P.S: I did not appreciate the times when Jett called Luna a bitch, especially when it was behind her back. Not necessarily "good guy" material.
  
Dim Sum of All Fears
Dim Sum of All Fears
Vivien Chien | 2020 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fear Not, This is a Fun Book
A new souvenir shop has opened next to Ho-Lee Noodles, the restaurant that Lana Lee’s parents own and where she works. Over the last few weeks, Lana has become friends with Isabelle, one half of the newlyweds who own the new store. That makes it person when Isabelle and Brandon, her husband, are found murdered in the back of their store one morning. Despite warnings to stay out of the investigation, Lana begins to poke around. Can she figure out what happened?

Too many books got in the way of me returning to this series sooner, but I’m glad I was able to revisit the characters. The plot is strong, with plenty of secrets and suspects that kept me guessing until the very end. Lana is a relatable, sympathetic heroine, and I really like her friends as well. There is some room for growth in her relationships with her family, and I hope that happens as the series progresses. There are some spoilers for the first book in the series here, so if you are interested in the series, I definitely recommend you read them in order. I’m glad I got to return to Ho-Lee Noodles, and I hope it isn’t so long before I move on to book three.
  
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Darren Fisher (2454 KP) rated Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007) in Movies

Dec 17, 2020 (Updated Jan 31, 2021)  
Mr. Bean&#039;s Holiday (2007)
Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007)
2007 | Comedy, Family
8
7.3 (9 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Mr. Bean (0 more)
The tragic yet comical story about a man who suffers from acute mental health issues. After winning a camera and a trip to Cannes, socially awkward and mostly misunderstood, Bean is mistakenly accused of kidnapping a young boy. Little does Bean know that the young lad is the son of a pretentious, self-gratifying film director, who will stop at nothing to assure the safety and return of his son. Bean and boy head for Cannes on a deranged road-trip where each new incident strengthens the bond between them.
Although the films message is clear and isn't afraid to pull any punches, the interspersed comedy throughout is hilarious as it is touching (are we laughing because Bean is seemingly a fool? or are we laughing with Bean because these situations are actually funny?).
 It's sad to think that, even in todays times, that mental health is still misunderstood by many people and is upon reaction based on fear and a lack of understanding. The sons father takes on that role, whilst the son himself takes on the role of those that do not judge a person by their wellbeing alone. And, with all of Beans supposed misgivings, he does come through at the end. Thought provoking stuff to be sure...
Joking of course!
Great fun and a big improvement on the first film.
  
Deceived
Deceived
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
They say a soul is the immaterial essence, the animating principal, the actuating cause of an individual life.

But what if you had to share yours with the one person you hated the most?

The soul mate principal states that for every one soul there is another that will recognize its match, hence creating the perfect union.

But what if you had two soul mates, which would you choose?

What if your choices had eternal ramification?

Deceived, the debut novel in the Soul Keeper Series, is a modern day love story about the implications of having more than one soul mate, and having to choose between the two of them. The decisions of the gods has left the next generation, their heirs, torn between fate and reality, and the balance of the future hangs in anticipation of what's to come.


<strong>Brilliant</strong>

Absolutely loved this book. I love anything with stories based around Greek mythology the stories are just always so interesting. This may be a little teeny for some at first but I highly recommend sticking with it. Following Dan and Julie so closely I actually found myself crying at Julia's death, not something I do very often must have caught me at a weak point haha. Definitely recommend it you liked Fallen by Lauren Kate.



⭐⭐⭐⭐