The Friday 56 (161) & Book Beginnings: Dead Voices 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 author Katherine Arden returns with another creepy, spine-tingling adventure in this follow-up to the critically acclaimed Small Spaces. 

Having survived sinister scarecrows and the malevolent smiling man in Small Spaces, newly minted best friends Ollie, Coco, and Brian are ready to spend a relaxing winter break skiing together with their parents at Mount Hemlock Resort. But when a snowstorm sets in, causing the power to flicker out and the cold to creep closer and closer, the three are forced to settle for hot chocolate and board games by the fire. Ollie, Coco, and Brian are determined to make the best of being snowed in, but odd things keep happening. Coco is convinced she has seen a ghost, and Ollie is having nightmares about frostbitten girls pleading for help. Then Mr. Voland, a mysterious ghost hunter, arrives in the midst of the storm to investigate the hauntings at Hemlock Lodge. Ollie, Coco, and Brian want to trust him, but Ollie's watch, which once saved them from the smiling man, has a new cautionary message: BEWARE. With Mr. Voland's help, Ollie, Coco, and Brian reach out to the dead voices at Mount Hemlock. Maybe the ghosts need their help--or maybe not all ghosts can or should be trusted. 

Dead Voices is a terrifying follow-up to Small Spaces with thrills and chills galore and the captive foreboding of a classic ghost story.

Beginning: "Winter in East Evansburg, and just after dusk, five people in a beat-up old Subaru peeled out of town in a snowstorm."

56: "Coco's mom sat back on her heels, a smudge of ash on one cheek. "As a matter of fact, I do," she said."

Comments: I finally read the sequel to Katherine Arden's Small Spaces. Dead Voices was such a delightfully spooky story. I loved it. What are you reading this week?

Pencil #1:

When I first sat down to brainstorm about what I was going to do, art wise, in October, I already knew I wasn’t going to participate in Inktober. I wanted to work in pencil instead of ink, and I wanted to get them done before October. And that’s what I ultimately decided on. Note: I’m not posting these in order, so I know the dates on the pictures aren't in chronological order.

The first drawing I worked on is called Halloween in a Bottle for $5.99. The idea behind it is along the lines of being able to buy a little bit of Halloween that’s, of course, in a bottle. You can see some of the early sketches I did for it. There are some pretty big difference between where the idea began, and where it ended up. Originally, there was supposed to be a bow, but then I scrapped that idea in favor of the box. And the box went from being simple and clear to decorative.

What are you working on this October?

Music Monday (92): Tove Lo

   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: I’m currently listening to Tove Lo’s new album, Sunshine Kitty. It was one of my most anticipated albums of 2019, and it didn't disappoint. One of my favorite songs from it is Are U Gonna Tell Her? featuring MC Zaac.

Sunshine Kitty by Tove Lo

Sunshine Kitty, Tove Lo’s fourth studio album, was released on September 20th. Out of everything I was looking forward to this year, it was my most anticipated album release of 2019 and the one I had the highest expectations for. I mean, the lead singles, Glad He’s Gone and Bad As The Boys, were excellent hints at what to expect from the rest of the album. In that regard, Sunshine Kitty delivered. I loved it. I liked every track from the album, which is a thing I rarely get to say, but in this case it’s true. What I liked most about Sunshine Kitty was the difference in the tone and sound of the music from earlier releases, like Lady Wood (2016) and Blue Lips (2017). However the same quality as the previous albums was also present here. It was electropop through and through, and it was undoubtedly an album by Tove Lo. There were also a number of songs with features on this album with artist like ALMA, Jax Jones, MC Zaac, Kylie Minogue, and Doja Cat. They were all excellent choices, and their collaborations were some of my top favorite songs from Sunshine Kitty—such as Equally Lost featuring Doja Cat, Bad As The Boys featuring ALMA, and Are U Gonna Tell Her? featuring MC Zaac. From start to finish, Sunshine Kitty was great. It was a solid album. And I’m looking forward to Tove Lo’s next project.

Have you listened to music by Tove Lo? Are you planning to listen to Sunshine Kitty?

Quarterly Recap: July-September

Well, it's time for another Quarterly Recap. The year is definitely flying by, and it feels like it hasn’t been that long since I last sat down to compile a list of links for a Quarterly Recap. However, October is here, and I finally have a legitimate excuse to rewatch all of my favorite Halloween themed movies. It's also been hot lately, and I have my fingers crossed that cooler weather is on the way.

July Reviews:

• n/a

August Reviews:

• It Devours! by Joseph Fink and Jeffery Cranor
• Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffery Cranor

September Reviews:

• Well Met by Jen DeLuca
• Word to the Wise by Jenn McKinlay
• The Unkindest Tide by Seanan McGuire

Other July Posts:

• Watercolor: Return of the Puffins
• Upcoming Music I'm Waiting For: Second Half of the Year
• Release Day Excerpt & Giveaway: Blastaway by Melissa Landers
• Quarterly Recap: April-June

Other August Posts:

• Let's Talk About Dark Crystal
• The Perks of Watching the Movie and Reading the Book

Other September Posts:

• Favorite Recipe: Waffle Cones/Bowls

Looking ahead, I have some Halloween themed art posts that’ll be up on the blog later in the month. I also have a post about Tove Lo’s new album, Sunshine Kitty. It’ll be on the blog this Friday. As far as books, I had a couple of reviews ready since August, which kept the blog active during September. So I had time to pick up a couple of spooky/horror novels in preparation for October—a book like Dead Voices by Katherine Arden (sequel to Small Spaces)  The review for it will be on the blog later in the month.