Music Monday (39): Transviolet, and Oshun

   Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: My pick this week is Bloodstream by Transviolet. I head this song while listening to google music and instantly loved the sound of it. Since then, I’ve listened to more music by Transviolet…

Adri:  My pick this week is Parts by OSHUN. I absolutely adore this song. From the futurism/sci fi right down to the beat, I have had it on repeat. I also love the clothes, especially from the later half of the video.

What are you listening to?

The Friday 56 (126) & Book Beginnings: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines--puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win--and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape...

Beginning: "Everyone my age remember where they were and what they were doing when they first heard about the contest."

56: "Ogden Morrow was a brilliant programmer in his own right, but his true talent was his knack for business."

Comments: Earlier in the week, I received Ready Player One by Ernest Cline for review and liked the story more than I originally thought I would. There were as many 80s references as I expected, and overall I found the story to be interesting. What are you reading this week?

Review: Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody

Title: Daughter of the Burning City
Series: N/A
Author: Amanda Foody
Source/Format: Borrowed from the library; Hardcover
More Details: Young Adult; Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Harlequin Teen; July 25, 2017

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Sixteen-year-old Sorina has spent most of her life within the smoldering borders of the Gomorrah Festival. Yet even among the many unusual members of the traveling circus-city, Sorina stands apart as the only illusion-worker born in hundreds of years. This rare talent allows her to create illusions that others can see, feel and touch, with personalities all their own. Her creations are her family, and together they make up the cast of the Festival’s Freak Show. But no matter how lifelike they may seem, her illusions are still just that—illusions, and not truly real. Or so she always believed…until one of them is murdered. Desperate to protect her family, Sorina must track down the culprit and determine how they killed a person who doesn’t actually exist. Her search for answers leads her to the self-proclaimed gossip-worker Luca, and their investigation sends them through a haze of political turmoil and forbidden romance, and into the most sinister corners of the Festival. But as the killer continues murdering Sorina’s illusions one by one, she must unravel the horrifying truth before all of her loved ones disappear...

I’ve wanted to read Daughter of the Burning City for a while now. I freely admit that I was drawn in by the gorgeous cover and premise, which promised a magical and dangerous circus-y type setting—which is a favorite trope/element of mine that I don’t read often enough. I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would. It was a deeply atmospheric story. There were so many things about it that were cool and unique that I almost wish I’d read it sooner, but it is what it is.

Overall, I liked the story. There was a lot going on between the mystery about who was killing Sorina’s illusion, and the broader conflicts surrounding Gomorrah’s travels through the Up-Mountains. There were a lot of unexpected twists. And the setting was sort of fun—it’s a festival after all—but it carried through on some darker themes. In that way, the burning city lived up to its name. And Foody succeeded at capturing the atmosphere of Gomorrah: the danger and mystery; how something of its nature moves from place to place, and what the way of life was like for the people who lived and worked there. The lore surrounding the smoke that clouds Gomorrah’s sky was as unexpected and cool as the scenery and members of Sorina’s show. There was, of course, a world outside of Gomorrah. There could have been…more to it, but there were clear hints of the landscape and brutal extremism in the Up-Mountain beliefs that often ended in violence.

Now the characters—for the most part, I liked them, particularly Sorina and her illusions. Sorina is a character I would best describe as somewhat naïve, but considering the story, her upbringing, and age, it ultimately worked because it fit with her personality. Now, Sorina is a character without eyes, and some of the expressions used to describe her emotional reactions were a little confusing. Such as when she was crying, but without eyes I wasn’t certain how it worked. I wish that her emotions had been better reflected in her illusion jynx-work. But otherwise, I thought her character and abilities were fine.

I don’t know. There was something about Daughter of the Burning City that I loved, a certain charm to the characters, story, and setting. And I liked the end. It was a satisfying conclusion for the characters, despite some lingering questions. Needless to say, I will definitely read more books by Amanda Foody...

The Longest Book Tag

Today, I’m here to participate in another book tag. I haven’t done one in a long time, but recently I was tagged by Ronnie @ParadiseFound for The Longest Book Tag. And I thought: “Why not?” It’s a short tag. But then, I ran into a dilemma: Some of the longest books I’ve read were ones I didn’t enjoy, and in the end, I made the decision not to include them on this list. Instead, I want to focus on books I did like and ones I'm looking forward to. 

Before I get started, I have to get to the technical details of this post. The nitty gritty: This book tag was originally created by Bewitchingly Paranoid. You can find the original post HERE. You can also check out Ronnie’s post HERE

The rules…

• Make a list of the 5 longest books you’ve ever read
• Select 2 of the longest books on your tbr
• Discuss
• Tag others

Longest books I’ve read and enjoyed...

1. Cold Magic by Kate Elliott; 528 pages
2. The Ultimate Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams; 815 pages
3. The Portable Nineteenth-Century African American Women Writers edited by Hollis Robbins and Henry Louis Gates Jr.; 656 pages
4. The Diviners by Libba Bray; 578 pages

Longest books on my TBR…

1. The Inheritance Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin (I actually read the first book in the omnibus edition, but have yet to get to the other two. So, it’s still on my TBR list.); 1442 pages
2. Cold Steele by Kate Elliott; 614 pages

My thoughts on long books…

I like long books but don’t think they’re any better or worse than something that has a lower word count. I try not to judge writing based on length. I read short stories and novellas and know that a good story can be told no matter the length.

Who I’m tagging…

Generally...

• everyone

Specifically...

•  Adri @Toile, Think, Go
• Lauren Stoolfire @Always Me

What are your thoughts on longer books? Does the length of a book matter to you?

Upcoming Albums I'm Waiting For

You know, in early February it occurred to me that in January I failed to talk about the upcoming music I was waiting for during the time I was discussing goals and 2018 books. Music is a regular subject that I and my co-bloggers discuss on the blog, particularly for the weekly meme, Music Monday. So, this post makes sense in the grand scheme of things and is long overdue. Plus, there’s a lot of new music coming out this year by some of my favorite artist…

New album by Grimes — Grimes’s music has a very particular sound. Art Angels (2015) was one of my favorite albums of the year. It includes songs like Butterfly, Realiti (studio and demo version), and Venus Fly featuring Janelle Monáe. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to new music by Grimes.

Joyride by Tinashe—Tinashe is an artist that I sporadically listen to. Her music has been catchy in the past, and there are specific songs that I really love. And then, No Drama happened. I’m so hyped for this album, plain and simple.

Rihanna 9th Studio Album—I’ve listened to Rihanna’s music on and off through the years. But then there was Anti. Anti is my favorite album by Rihanna, and since its release I’ve been eagerly waiting for her next album. No release date yet.

Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe—EXCITED SCREAMING!!! There was rumors of a 2017 release, but it didn't happen. However, last Friday, Janelle Monáe released the title and a short teaser trailer for her upcoming album Dirty Computer.

Cardi B Studio Album—Bodak Yellow was one of the catchiest singles to come out of 2017. I’m looking forward to whatever music Cardi B releases next, whether it’s another single or a full album.

Twenty One Pilots—Who knows when we’ll get an update on their next album, but I’m willing to patiently wait.

Florence and the Machine 4th studio album—Ceremonials was the album that introduced me to Florence and the Machine. I still love it seven years later. It’s been a while since I’ve heard anything about the band, and I recently checked for news and saw that they’re working on another album. No release date as of when I wrote this post.

Childish Gambino’s next album—I’m sad about this one. I really am. If you google his name + new album, you’ll see that Donald Glover is retiring his Childish Gambino pseudonym after this next album. I’m so sad, but I’m also looking forward to it.

So, that is my list of music I’m looking forward to. I’m certain that as the year goes on more and more music is likely to be added.

What albums are you waiting for?