Music Monday (315): Abi Ocia, Afro Celt Sound System

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: Abi Ocia, one of my favorite artists, is back with a new song: Messed Up Ways. I really like this one (and I appreciated how it used the Jersey Beat).

 

Adri: I was making some more playlists and came across a new-to-me musical group. I liked their stuff, so my pick this week is Whirl-Y-Reel 1 and Whirl-Y-Reel 2 by Afro Celt Sound System.

What are you listening to this week?

Short Stories I Read In March

It’s the twenty-ninth of April. So it’s time to write about the short stories, miscellaneous posts, and podcast episodes I read or listened to in March.

Vici by Naomi Novik [Buried Deep and Other Stories]

In March, I read a little more of Novik’s Buried Deep and Other Stories with the third story in the collection: Vici. This was an ancient Rome inspired tale set in the Temeraire universe about a man, Antony, who escaped death, seemingly got everything he wanted and then some, only to have a wrench thrown at him in the form of a dragon. Antony wasn’t a particularly likeable character, but the story surrounding his mishaps and misfortune was thoroughly entertaining enough for me to fly through the story (no pun intended).

From around the web…

• Taking the “Shoulds” Out of Reading [Molly Templeton; Reactor Magazine; February 27, 2025]: This was an essay on removing arbitrary “shoulds” (pressure, or maybe obligation is the better word for it) when approaching reading. It’s a good reminder to simply embrace your individual taste in fiction, or at least try to.
• Homes to Remember and Forget [Ai Jiang; Uncanny Magazine Issue Sixty-Two]: This was the second of the essays I read on Uncanny, and, as I’ve said a number of times on the blog, I like house stories—or stories with settings which act as another character, or have enough of a presence in a story to be memorable. So, it’s no wonder I liked an essay that essentially looks at the concept of home in genre fiction.
• A Mug of Insights: Books That Made Us Who We Are with Ruby Granger: I recently got into this podcast after checking out Robin Waldun’s YouTube channel. Specifically, I listened to this episode since anything about books (and other people discussing their favorite fiction or nonfiction) usually interests me, and this one scratched that particular itch.
• Everything You Didn’t Know You Needed to Know about Writing Swords [Suzanne Walker; Uncanny Magazine Issue Sixty-Two]: I enjoyed this essay a lot. It talks about craft, specifically—and as implied by the title—a look at swords from someone who actually trains with them.
• The Abyss: The Nuts-and-Bolts Approach to High-Pressure First Contact [Kali Wallace; Reactor Magazine; March 5, 2025]: I liked this column over on Reactor Magazine about the practical effects used to make the 1989 film, The Abyss.

The Shining by Stephen King

Title: The Shining
Series: The Shining #1
Author: Stephen King
Source/Format: Purchased; Paperback
More Details: Horror
Publisher/Publication Date: First published January 28, 1977

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Jack Torrance's new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he'll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote...and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old.

Admittedly, it’s been some years since I’ve seen The Shining, so some of the details I knew I’d forgotten about, but the more iconic scenes and most of the story I did remember. And, for a very long time, that was as far as my knowledge about the story went. But, as I’ve said on numerous occasions on the blog, some of my favorite kinds of stories—whether horror, fantasy, contemporary fantasy, and even, on rare occasions literary fiction—are ones with settings that are memorable and seem to come alive with as much personality as the characters. And as I’d heard, the book differed from the movie.

I like it better, actually.

The Shining isn’t for the faint of heart, though. It’s a horror novel through and through, and it deals with a variety of dark themes like murder, alcoholism, and domestic violence, just to name a few. Even so, I found the book to be engrossing and the writing style engaging.

One main area where the book is far more successful is how much space King devoted to exploring the interior lives of the Torrances. So, by the time they actually arrived at the resort for Jack’s job as the winter caretaker, there was a clear understanding of who the family was, and it made what happened to them at the Overlook so much worse.

And the Overlook, in all of its sinister glory, was something else. I loved how much detail went into the hotel and its history. I was fascinated by how King managed to make it such a menacing presence with how it encroached on the Torrances in more and more destructive and horrifying ways. It came alive, in a manner of speaking, and in a way that was thoroughly creepy.

I wasn’t particularly scared by anything in it, instead it was more atmospheric and eerie, and this sense of dread just crept up and permeated the majority of the story. There was a tipping point in The Shining, though, where the occurrences gained in intensity, and you just kind of know there wasn’t going to be a happy ending for everyone involved.

But its horror and a tragedy, and I knew what I was signing up for when I sat down to read it.

Music Monday (314): Banks, Kilo Kish, Muni Long

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 Meddle In Mold by Banks. This is one of my favorite songs from her recent album, Off With Her Head. This is the Colors version, though, which is equally as good as the original.

Adri: I've been waiting for new music from Kilo Kish and am excited for her upcoming EP. So my pick is Negotiate featuring Miguel.

Andrea: Hi all! This week my pick is The Baddest by Muni Long. Have an amazing week!

What are you listening to this week?

What I've Been Listening To (March)

When I’m not reading, I’ll often reach for music—and sometimes just to have noise in the background. Lately—and thanks to having the Spotify app on my tablet—I’ve gotten a lot of amazing recommendations, which has greatly expanded my playlist. That and the fact that some of my favorite artists returned in March and the end of February with new music. And with that, welcome back to the music minded corner of Our Thoughts Precisely.

Banks is one of my all-time favorite artists, and at the end of February, she returned with her latest album: Off With Her Head. This is one of Banks’s best (as well as cohesive) albums to-date, which leaned into this pop and alternative style of sound. Does it experiement as much as Serpentina? Well, no, but Off With Her Head still gets creative with what it does. At the end of the day, it was a VERY "Banks" kind of album, and that’s exactly what I was looking for.

Desires by Giift was an EP which popped up under my Spotify recommendations, and I’m so glad I gave it a chance, because it was fantastic. And, by the end, I was left wanting more. Desires had a particular vibe to it, which I enjoyed. It lands firmly in the R&B space, but it got creative with the sound, particularly on the closing song, All I Need (one of the best tracks).

Nao is another one of my favorite artists, and she was also back with new music. Jupiter was an R&B and Soul album done Nao’s way, and it was incredibly fun to listen to. Tonally, it was almost a sequel to her sophomore release, Saturn, back in October of 2018 (which remains one of my all-time favorite albums). And Jupiter lands pretty high on the list, when it comes to my the stuff I’ve listened to so far in 2025, and I appreciated it for its lighter tone and blend of genres.

Next, I checked out Antidote by SYNGA. This one was also a recommendation, and I was looking for something that had a similar vibe to Banks’s music, to tide me over during the seven days left before Off With Her Head was released. Antidote was moody pop music, so it checked all of those boxes and then some.

Michi is another new-to-me artist (found through a recommendation on Spotify), thanks to her new album, Dirty Talk. This was a solid funk and disco album with lyrics that often delved into the nuances of relationships, which offered a chill/smooth listening experience. If you listen to it, though, it’ll feel a little familiar around the edges, especially if you’ve listened to those genres before in any capacity, but it still feels lively and fresh—basically an updated and unique take while still paying homage to its inspiration.

And, of course, last but certainly not least was one of my most anticipated March releases: Lady Gaga’s Mayham. It was a callback to her other albums, but rather than remaining grounded in a vintage era, it was an upcycled affair doing what Lady Gaga does best with a blend of genres including rock, pop, and funk among others. The singles, Disease and Abracadabra, did have a bit of a different tone and substance than the later end of the album, but it was still a great album and a lot of fun to listen to. And it also reminded me of what makes Lady Gaga a great artist.

Some singles that have made it onto my playlist: Reprogram by Kilo Kish, Cut Up by SAILORR, Butterfly by Marina, Falling In Love by R.A.E., and Anxiety by Doechii.