Music Monday (167): Tinashe and Gallant & Brandy

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 really like this song by Tinashe. It's called Pasadena featuring Buddy, from Tinashe's latest album 333.

Andrea: This week I'm listening to Dynamite by Gallant & Brandy.

 

What are you listening to this week?

ARC Review: Mine by Delilah S. Dawson

Title: Mine
Series: n/a
Author: Delilah S. Dawson
Source/Format: Netgalley; eARC
More Details: Paranormal; Middle Grade
Publisher/Publication Date: Delacorte; August 10, 2021

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

A twisty, terrifying ghost story about twelve-year-old Lily, her creepy new home in Florida, and the territorial ghost of the young girl who lived there before her. Lily's new house is a real nightmare. . . . 

Lily Horne is a drama queen. It's helped her rise to stardom in the school play, but it's also landed her in trouble. Her parents warn her that Florida has to be different. It's a fresh start. No theatrics. But this time, the drama is coming for her. The Hornes' new house is awful. The pool is full of slime, the dock is rotten, and the swamp creeps closer every day. But worst of all, the house isn't empty . . . it's packed full of trash, memories, and, Lily begins to fear, the ghost of the girl who lived there before her. And whatever is waiting in the shadows wants to come out to play.

The trend of middle grade ghost stories is still going strong. The latest one I’ve read is Delilah S. Dawson’s Mine. I had high expectations for this one, because I’ve been hearing praise for Dawson’s novels for a couple of years now. And, you guys, this book was delightfully atmospheric and spooky with a heartwarming but somewhat bittersweet ending.

Mine ticked all the boxes when it comes to middle grade ghost stories. The setting was in Florida, and Dawson really captured the humid heat and dampness of the location, which added to the overall atmosphere and tone of the story. The house itself seemed like a character in its own right, with plenty of secrets hidden in its old walls. Both of the families who lived in the house, Lily’s and the previous owner’s, had their own stories to tell. And when those stories collided, it turned into a thrilling and also somewhat nightmarish tale with plenty of outright creepy moments.

Lily Horne is into acting. I liked that portion of her character, though in the beginning, it was a source of tension between her and her parents despite the fact that it brought her so much joy. The parents were portrayed as doing their best with their situation, but it seemed, at times, that their frustration could have been handled a bit better. I guess that was the point of the story, the lesson in it. Mine was, in the grand scheme of things, a story about a ghost, accepting oneself, and learning and growing from past mistake, no matter how little or big they were.

Overall, Mine was great. I’d recommend it to readers who have enjoyed the Small Spaces series by Katherine Arden, The Forgotten Girl by India Hill Brown, and What Lives In The Woods by Lindsay Curry (which will be released next month on the 15th).

About the author....

Delilah S. Dawson is the New York Times-bestselling author of Star Wars: Phasma, Black Spire: Galaxy's Edge, and The Perfect Weapon. With Kevin Hearne, she writes the Tales of Pell. As Lila Bowen, she writes the Shadow series, beginning with Wake of Vultures. Her other books include the Blud series, the Hit series, and Servants of the Storm. She's written comics in the worlds of Marvel Action: Spider-Man, Lore's Wellington, Star Wars Adventures, Star Wars Forces of Destiny, The X-Files Case Files, Adventure Time, Rick and Morty, and her creator-owned comics include Star Pig, Ladycastle, and Sparrowhawk. Find out more at www.whimsydark.com.

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Delacorte) via NetGalley for this review, thank you!

I Listened to Pink Noise by Laura Mvula

It’s been five years since Laura Mvula released The Dreaming Room (2016). And out of all the music I’m waiting for this year, Mvula’s next project has been one of my most anticipated. For months now, I have been excited by all the hints and singles we got for Pink Noise. And after such a long wait, my hopes were very high leading up to Pink Noise’s July 2, 2021 release date. The album is finally here, and all I can say is that the wait was worth it.

Pink Noise was actually everything I was hoping it would be. From the early singles—Safe Passage, Church Girl, Got Me and What Matters featuring Simon Neil—Pink Noise promised to be a romp through pop inspired by the 80s. The early visuals and singles clearly went in that direction, and the rest of the album’s substance—ten total tracks—delivered a spectacular and cohesive body of work that was defined by a clear theme.

I can only describe Laura Mvula’s third studio album as great and stylish. And, if you know anything about 80s pop, you’ll find many familiar sounds here with everything from synth, drums, and guitar riffs just to name a few. These hallmarks of 80s music were on full display, and they were mixed in a way that felt like a fresh spin on something that was already tried and true.

 

Music Monday (166): Florence + The Machine and Dax

 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: It's been a long time since I listened to Ceremonials by Florence + The Machine. It's one of my favorite albums, and the opening  track, Only If For A Night, is excellent.

Andrea: Hi all! This week I was searching for new music on YouTube and came across music by Dax. This artist is new to me. I watched several of his videos before selecting Self Proclaimed 3 & Self Proclaimed 4 due to the songs' messages.

I hope everyone has an amazing week! Stay safe!~~Andrea

 

What are you listening to this week?

Short Stories I Read In June

It’s the twenty-ninth of July. So it’s time to talk about the short stories, miscellaneous posts, and podcast episodes I read or listened to in June. This post is going to be brief.

The Life & Death of Mia Fremont: An Interview with a Killer by A.K. Hudson (Apex Magazine; May 4, 2021)

The only short story I read in June was The Life & Death of Mia Fremont: An Interview with a Killer by A.K. Hudson. This was an interesting story. It mostly felt like a character study mixed with a hefty dose of misogyny. It showed up in the form of the way society/family can treat and expect women to be and behave. This messaging is conveyed through what the main character records, while sitting down at an interview with someone who was initially said to be a literal criminal. But with this story, there’s a slight speculative angle. And the ending left off with an overall question, a “what if,” that isn’t quite answered by the time the story ended.

From Around the Web…

• The Fragmented Horrors of Josh Malerman’s Goblin (Tobias Carroll; Tor.com, June 11, 2021)
• Print Run Podcast Episode #142: Change the Frame
• Into the Woods: Hannah Whitten’s For the Wolf (Molly Templeton; Tor.come, June 15, 2021)
• Closing the Book on a World: Andre Norton’s The Warding of Witch World (Judith Tarr; Tor.com, June 7, 2021)
• The History and Politics of Wuxia (Jeannette Ng; Tor.com; June 29, 2021)

I Listened to Planet Her by Doja Cat

Hot Pink was a hit for me, and I liked how experimental the sound was throughout the entirety of the album. It had hits such as Say So, Streets, and Rules among others. So I’ve been waiting for the follow-up since then, and Planet Her is my top anticipated album of the year alongside Laura Mvula’s Pink Noise and Tkay Maidza’s Last Year Was Weird Vol. 3. 

Planet Her has finally arrived, and Doja Cat delivers a pop and R&B album with style. I had a great time giving this one a listen. And while there was a much more cohesive feeling and sound to this album, it didn’t stray too far from the fun and experimental edge that exists within the same vein as Hot Pink. Planet Her plays off Doja Cat’s strong suits, and there was, overall, a really catchy and memorable sound as well as a sharp delivery of rap and other verses to all fourteen tracks.

Besides the singles (Kiss Me More, Need To Know, and You Right featuring The Weeknd), there were many other earworms to jam to as well. I liked the entire album. However, some of my top favorites included Get Into It (Yuh), Aint Sh*T, and Woman.

Planet Her was pretty great, and I’m left with a positive impression. This one is going on my playlist.

Have you listened to Planet Her?

Music Monday (165): Kid Cudi, Robin Thicke, Billie

 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've been listening to Kid Cudi's music, and one of my favorite songs so far is Mr. Rager.

Adri: This week I'm listening to Nobody's Business (extended radio) by Billie. I think it's both fun and too true.

Andrea: Hi all! This week I'm listening to Look Easy by Robin Thicke. Have an amazing week!

Have you added any new songs to your playlist?

Review: The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

Title: The Return of the King
Series: The Lord of the Rings part #3
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Source/Format: Purchased; 50th Anniversary edition 
More Details: Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: First published October 20, 1955

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

In the third volume of The Lord of the Rings trilogy the good and evil forces join battle, and we see that the triumph of good is not absolute. The Third Age of Middle-earth ends, and the age of the dominion of Men begins. 

I haven’t read The Hobbit. But, I can finally mark The Lord of the Rings from my TBR list, because I have, at last, read The Return of the King. As a whole, this was a long but great story about the struggle against an evil so large it was the stuff of legends, as well as the cost of war on a large but also personal scale.

In The Return of the King, all the threads that were laid in the first two parts of the story came together for an epic confrontation that not everyone made it through. There was a moment of calm early on, but the tension was high. It was the proverbial calm before the storm, and once the story and action got going, it never seemed to stop. The character arcs came to a satisfying conclusion, and it seemed like everyone ended up where they were meant to.

I’ve known about the discussions surrounding the overarching themes of the story, even before I sat down to finally read The Lord of the Rings. Even so, the point of Frodo’s journey—and the way it came to its eventual conclusion—was done so well. The ending was achingly bittersweet, and yet it was a fitting final chapter to bring this story to a close.

Music Monday (164): Aurora, Diana Ross, Biz Markie, Lisa Shaw

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: Aurora released a new song called Cure For Me. It's one of my favorite songs by this artist.

Adri: I don't think I mentioned it before, but, I found a ton of new songs and artists by going down a rabbit hole of deep / chill / ambient / downtempo house. That's where I found the likes of Copyright, Kathy Brown, J. Axel, etc. I also found the artist I'm talking about today, Lisa Shaw. Two of my favorite songs right now are, All Night High (Vocal) and I'm Okay.

Andrea: Hi all! This week I'm listening to Thank You by Diana Ross and Just A Friend by Biz Markie.

RIP Biz Markie (April 8, 1964-July 16, 2021)

What are you listening to this week?

The Friday 56 (203) & Book Beginnings: The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

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 third volume of The Lord of the Rings trilogy the good and evil forces join battle, and we see that the triumph of good is not absolute. The Third Age of Middle-earth ends, and the age of the dominion of Men begins.

Beginning: "Pippin looked out from the shelter of Gandalf's cloak."

56: "A young man, Merry thought as he returned the glance, less in height and girth than most."

Comments: I have finally read The Return of the King, and so I can mark The Lord of the Rings off my TBR list. I had a great time reading this story. What are you reading this week?

Review: Your Favorite Band Cannot Save You by Scotto Moore

Title: Your Favorite Band Cannot Save You
Series: n/a
Author: Scotto Moore
Source/Format: Won from a contest; Paperback
More Details: Science Fiction; Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Tor.com; February 5, 2019

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Your Favorite Band Cannot Save You is a story of music, obsession, violence, and madness by Scotto Moore

I was home alone on a Saturday night when I experienced the most beautiful piece of music I had ever heard in my life...

Beautiful Remorse is the hot new band on the scene, releasing one track a day for ten days straight. Each track has a mysterious name and a strangely powerful effect on the band's fans. A curious music blogger decides to investigate the phenomenon up close by following Beautiful Remorse on tour across Texas and Kansas, realizing along the way that the band's lead singer, is hiding an incredible, impossible secret.

When Your Favorite Band Cannot Save You initially came out, I completely missed it. But better late than never, right? So I have finally read this book, and it was nothing like I was expecting it to be. The summary on the back is vague and kind of implied a story that might be somewhat surreal and mysterious (think contemporary fantasy). Yet that wasn’t totally the case, and I will get to that in a minute.

Your Favorite Band Cannot Save You was a really good read. I would describe the story as like looking at an album, or more specifically as going through the stages of listening to each song—seeing how you react to it. The music is mysterious in the beginning—from the identity of the band, to the effect it had on people who listened to the songs—but the story doesn’t have much of a central mystery. Instead it had a feeling to it, a certain kind of atmosphere that was built upon as the story went along. Somewhere along the way, it quickly took a turn into cosmic horror with a musical edge, and it never left that track.

What I liked best about this story was how hard Moore leaned into the love of everything about music—with characters who knew their stuff—as well as the speculative elements. It culminated into a fast paced, page-turner of a read.

Music Monday (163): Magdalena Bay, Brownstone

 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: There has been so much good music released between the end of June and early July. I cam across a group called is Magdalena Bay while exploring my Spotify recommendations. I really like their song called Chaeri, and I look forward to checking out their album when its released in October. Note: there is a strobe warning for the music video.

Andrea: Hi all! I'm listening to If You Love Me by Brownstone. Have a great week!

What are you listening to this week?

The Friday 56 (202) & Book Beginnings: Your Favorite Band Cannot Save You by Scotto Moore

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...

Your Favorite Band Cannot Save You is a story of music, obsession, violence, and madness by Scotto Moore

I was home alone on a Saturday night when I experienced the most beautiful piece of music I had ever heard in my life...

Beautiful Remorse is the hot new band on the scene, releasing one track a day for ten days straight. Each track has a mysterious name and a strangely powerful effect on the band's fans. A curious music blogger decides to investigate the phenomenon up close by following Beautiful Remorse on tour across Texas and Kansas, realizing along the way that the band's lead singer, is hiding an incredible, impossible secret.

Beginning: "Took me hours to even begin to understand what had happened, actually."

56: "Conveniently, those of you in the Houston area have a chance to find out TONIGHT."

Comments: Two of my most recent reads have been music related things, and I have to say that I enjoyed them both. The latest was this one: Your Favorite Band Cannot Save You by Scotto Moore. It was great, and I enjoyed reading it. My beginning comes from the second sentence, because the opening line is actually in the synopsis above. What are you reading this week?