Music Monday (70): Lizzo, Jessica Hernandez, Lion Babe, Sam Smith, & Normani

   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: A full month of 2019 is almost over, and already, there have been some truly great singles released on the music side. I’ve talked about music by Lizzo and Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas before. Now, I’m talking about them again, because Lizzo dropped a new song, Juice. That’s not all. Now, Jessica Hernandez is also back with another single: Baby. Honestly, I enjoy both of these songs. Juice is such an addictive song, and whenever I listen to it, I always have it on repeat....

Baby is another fantastic song. I love the sound and lyrics. It’s pretty in line with what I’ve come to expect from Jessica Hernandez.

Adri: For this Music Monday, my pick is The Wave by Lion Babe ft. Leikeli47. I've been listening to it since they sang it at Coachella, and I was so excited when I saw that they recently released a video for it....

Andrea: I just wanted drop in to share one of the songs I'm listening to this week. Check out Sam Smith and Normani's song, Dancing With A Stranger.... 

What are you listening to this week?

The Friday 56 (146) & Book Beginnings: Dracula by Bram Stoker

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...

Written in the form of letters, diary entries, and news bits, Dracula chronicles the vampire's journey from his Transylvanian castle to the nighttime streets of London. There, he searches for the blood he needs to stay alive - the blood of strong men and beautiful women - while his enemies plot to rid the world of his frightful power. The now-famous cast of characters includes the English solicitor Jonathan Harker; his fiancee, the enchanting Mina Murray; and Van Helsing, the mysterious Dutch doctor and expert vampire killer...

Beginning: "Left Munich at 8:35 p.m. on 1st May, arriving at Vienna early next morning; should have arrived at 6;46, but train was an hour late."

56: "Close at hand came the howling of many wolves. It was almost as if the sound sprang up at the raising of his hands, just as the music of the great orchestra seems to leap under the baton of the conductor." 

Comments: I finally read Dracula by Bram Stoker and can officially cross it off my TBR list. What area you reading this week? 

Review: Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

Title: Small Spaces
Series: Small Spaces #1
Author: Katherine Arden
Source/Format: Borrowed from the library; Hardcover
More Details: Fantasy; Middle Grade
Publisher/Publication Date: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers; September 25, 2018

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Bestselling adult author of The Bear and the Nightingale makes her middle grade debut with a creepy, spellbinding ghost story destined to become a classic... 

After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie only finds solace in books. So when she happens upon a crazed woman at the river threatening to throw a book into the water, Ollie doesn't think--she just acts, stealing the book and running away. As she begins to read the slender volume, Ollie discovers a chilling story about a girl named Beth, the two brothers who both loved her, and a peculiar deal made with "the smiling man," a sinister specter who grants your most tightly held wish, but only for the ultimate price. Ollie is captivated by the tale until her school trip the next day to Smoke Hollow, a local farm with a haunting history all its own. There she stumbles upon the graves of the very people she's been reading about. Could it be the story about the smiling man is true? Ollie doesn't have too long to think about the answer to that. On the way home, the school bus breaks down, sending their teacher back to the farm for help. But the strange bus driver has some advice for the kids left behind in his care: "Best get moving. At nightfall they'll come for the rest of you." Nightfall is, indeed, fast descending when Ollie's previously broken digital wristwatch, a keepsake reminder of better times, begins a startling countdown and delivers a terrifying message: RUN. Only Ollie and two of her classmates heed the bus driver's warning. As the trio head out into the woods--bordered by a field of scarecrows that seem to be watching them--the bus driver has just one final piece of advice for Ollie and her friends: "Avoid large places. Keep to small...."

I read Arden’s Winternight trilogy and was interested to see if her middle-grade novel was just as good. So, the first book I read in 2019 was Small Spaces. It was an excellent choice. While the beginning was a little shaky, once I reached the middle point of the book, the plot picked up and the creepy and mysterious aspects of the story kicked in. What followed was an excellent story about bargains, the price that must be paid, a field trip gone wrong, and scarecrows set against the backdrop of a seemingly ordinary town with some sinister ghosts in its past.

Between the mystery surrounding the book within the book as well as the truth behind the enigmatic Smiling Man, there was a lot to like about Small Spaces. One such thing was the fantastical elements of the story, especially how it tied into the plot by taking ordinary places and dressing them up with ghosts, scarecrows, and mist. And you know what? It worked to the stories advantage by providing some genuinely creepy moments.

The narrator, Olivia (Ollie) Adler, initially came off as very abrasive. She was angry over a personal loss and somewhat impulsive. She hurt others, stole a book that wasn’t hers to take, but she was still caring and felt—somewhat—guilty over her actions. Once Ollie started reading the book and more about Beth’s life was revealed, I was immediately became interested. During the first half of the book, I almost wished the actual story was from Beth’s perspective, because Arden was able to craft an intricate and eerie story about what happens to those who cut deals with the Smiling Man in such a small amount of words. And oh, it was excellent. However, as the story progressed, I was more appreciative of Ollie’s perspective and the connections she formed with the other characters.

Overall, Small Spaces was good. If you’re looking for a quick read with small towns and ghosts, then I recommend giving this one a try....

Music Monday (69): Two Steps From Hell, Spiritual Machines, and Patti LaBelle

   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: At first, I was going to skip the epic music edition of Music Monday, but then Two Steps From Hell dropped some new music a couple days ago. And, well, it’s epic. I don’t know what else I’m supposed to say about it....

Adri: My pick for our first Music Monday back is Brave New World by Spiritual Machines. It was only six day into the New Year when they announced on Twitter there was a new song. Ever since then I've been listening to it nonstop!

Andrea: I recently saw Patti LaBelle on a lot of talk shows. It brought up memories of all her songs that I've enjoyed over the years. If Only You Knew is one of my all-time favorites. Enjoy the video below! Also, check out when Patti LaBelle surprised her fan who sang If Only You Knew on The Steve Harvey Show...

What are you listening to this week?

The Friday 56 (145) & Book Beginnings: Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

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...

Bestselling adult author of The Bear and the Nightingale makes her middle grade debut with a creepy, spellbinding ghost story destined to become a classic...

After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie only finds solace in books. So when she happens upon a crazed woman at the river threatening to throw a book into the water, Ollie doesn't think--she just acts, stealing the book and running away. As she begins to read the slender volume, Ollie discovers a chilling story about a girl named Beth, the two brothers who both loved her, and a peculiar deal made with "the smiling man," a sinister specter who grants your most tightly held wish, but only for the ultimate price. Ollie is captivated by the tale until her school trip the next day to Smoke Hollow, a local farm with a haunting history all its own. There she stumbles upon the graves of the very people she's been reading about. Could it be the story about the smiling man is true? Ollie doesn't have too long to think about the answer to that. On the way home, the school bus breaks down, sending their teacher back to the farm for help. But the strange bus driver has some advice for the kids left behind in his care: "Best get moving. At nightfall they'll come for the rest of you." Nightfall is, indeed, fast descending when Ollie's previously broken digital wristwatch, a keepsake reminder of better times, begins a startling countdown and delivers a terrifying message: RUN. Only Ollie and two of her classmates heed the bus driver's warning. As the trio head out into the woods--bordered by a field of scarecrows that seem to be watching them--the bus driver has just one final piece of advice for Ollie and her friends: "Avoid large places. Keep to small."

And with that, a deliciously creepy and hair-raising adventure begins....

Beginning: "October in East Evansburg, and the last warm sun of the year slanted red through the sugar maples."

56: "Eyeing the silent room, he added, "You guys good on the ghost stories?"

Comments: The first book I read in 2019 was Small Spaces by Katherine Arden. I've read Arden's Winternight Trilogy and decided to give this one a try. I liked it a lot. It had a number of genuinely creepy moments, and I liked the story. What are you reading?