Music Monday (204): FKA Twigs, Nova Twins, H.E.R.

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: FKA Twigs released a new song. I wasn't expecting more music this soon after Caprisongs, but I'm glad it's here. It's called Killer, and I like it.

Adri: Another new album! This time it's Supernova from Nova Twins. I may talk about it later, but for now I'm listening to Choose Your Fighter and Toolbox.

Andrea: Hi all! I hope everyone is doing well. This week I'm listening to Sometimes by H.E.R. I'm excited to discover what everyone is listening to. Have an awesome week!

What are you listening to this week?

The Friday 56 (218) & Book Beginnings: Middlegame by Seanan McGuire

     

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...

New York Times bestselling and Alex, Nebula, and Hugo-Award-winning author Seanan McGuire introduces readers to a world of amoral alchemy, shadowy organizations, and impossible cities in this standalone fantasy.

Meet Roger. Skilled with words, languages come easily to him. He instinctively understands how the world works through the power of story. Meet Dodger, his twin. Numbers are her world, her obsession, her everything. All she understands, she does so through the power of math. Roger and Dodger aren’t exactly human, though they don’t realise it. They aren’t exactly gods, either. Not entirely. Not yet. Meet Reed, skilled in the alchemical arts like his progenitor before him. Reed created Dodger and her brother. He’s not their father. Not quite. But he has a plan: to raise the twins to the highest power, to ascend with them and claim their authority as his own. Godhood is attainable. Pray it isn’t attained.

Beginning: "There is so much blood."

56: "Doger drops to the floor, hugs her knees to her chest, and tucks her head against them, creating a small, private space with the frame of her body."

Comments: It's been a while since I last read anything by Seanan McGuire. Earlier this year, Middlegame was a Tor eBook Club title, and I finally got around to reading it. I really loved the story. What are you reading this week?

I Listened to Hypnos by Ravyn Lenae

Crush EP is one of my all-time favorites. I enjoyed it for how well it took classic R&B with a splash of disco and synth sounds, and gave them a fresh spin. I’ve been waiting for more music by this artist too, and yet I somehow missed the announcement for Ravyn Lenae’s debut album, Hypnos.

Crush left a big impression. As I said above, it’s one of my favorite Eps, and what it lacked in length it more than made up for in quality. With a tracklist sitting at sixteen songs, Hypnos is a much bigger offering of Lenae’s artistry. It’s thoroughly entrenched in R&B with the same soft and soulful edge that I was first introduced to in Crush. As far as debut albums go, Hypnos is one of the best.

Hypnos is an album that’s arranged well, and I’d suggest listening to it in the order of its tracklist. The intro, Cameo, is short and to the point. M.I.A. feels a little like it was influenced by dancehall music. And while some of the middle section dips into a slightly mellower tone, it picks up again as the album moves toward the closing, Wish.

All-in-all, Hypnos was a solid album.

Music Monday (203): Ravyn Lenae, Les Friction

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: Last month, Ravyn Lenae released her debut album, Hypnos. Its one of my favorite releases of the year. My pick for Music Monday is Cameo. It's one of the shortest tracks on the album, but it's a fantastic song. I wish it was longer.

 

Adri: I was, and still am, super excited about Les Friction's new album The End of the Beginning. I've had it on repeat since release and had a hard time picking a song. But, for today, my picks are Unhuman and World with No Sun.

 

What are you listening to this week?

I Listened to Harry's House by Harry Styles

Its only recently that I started listening to Harry Styles’ solo music (thanks Coachella livestream), but I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve put on my playlist so far. So I was pretty excited when I learned that Harry Styles was releasing a new album not too long after that.

I waited up for Harry’s House, and I listened to it in one sitting. Some parts can feel mellow, but I actually like Styles’ slower songs. For the most part, there’s something that feels effortlessly bright, summery, and catchy about this album; which I appreciated so much. Even what I thought would be the simplest songs, instead offered a lot of good beats and lyrics to explore.

Music For a Sushi Restaurant is light and fun, as well as the perfect hook that offered an entry to the tone of the rest of the songs. The album’s single, As It Was, is already familiar (and its still one of my personal favorites). But there’s plenty more to latch onto. Some of my other favorite tracks included Cinema, Keep Driving, and Satellite. While Love of My Life offered a truly memorable and excellent closing note.

Harry’s House is definitely one of my top favorite albums of 2022 so far.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

Title: A Psalm for the Wild-Built
Series: Monk & Robot #1
Author: Becky Chambers
Source/Format: Tor ebook club; ebook
More Details: Speculative fiction
Publisher/Publication Date: TorDotCom; July 13, 2021

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Centuries before, robots of Panga gained self-awareness, laid down their tools, wandered, en masse into the wilderness, never to be seen again. They faded into myth and urban legend. Now the life of the tea monk who tells this story is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered. But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how. They will need to ask it a lot. Chambers' series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?

It’s been years since I’ve read one of Becky Chambers’ stories. A while ago, Tor.com ebook club had a free copy of A Psalm for the Wild-Built included in a bundle, and I thought I would give it a try.

This one was just fine for me. It’s a really slow and contemplative tale about a tea monk, Sibling Dex, who eventually crosses paths with a robot. The synopsis is true to form, and much of what happens is about questions and answers. It’s basically like one long conversation once the two characters get through their introduction to each other.

Even though A Psalm for the Wild-Built had all the hallmarks of the kinds of books I’ve been into lately, I never clicked with the story as much as I thought I would (The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is one of my favorite books). I did like the commentary about environmental issues, as well as the robot and the part of the plot specific to the history of Panga.

Music Monday (202): The Weeknd, Jody Watley

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: Lately, I've been listening to a lot of The Weeknd's recent music. Dawn FM is pure excellence, and it was hard to choose just one song for Music Monday. But, for the sake of keeping this post at a reasonable length, my pick is Is There Someone Else?

Adri: This week I am listening to Photographs and Clouds by Jody Watley. I had to bring her up again because found out she released a house album rightfully titled Midnight Lounge. I love it. 

What are you listening to this week?

The Friday 56 (217) & Book Beginnings: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

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...                                                                                                                                            Centuries before, robots of Panga gained self-awareness, laid down their tools, wandered, en masse into the wilderness, never to be seen again. They faded into myth and urban legend. Now the life of the tea monk who tells this story is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered. But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how. They will need to ask it a lot. Chambers' series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?

Beginning: "If you ask six different monks the question of which godly domain robot consciousness belongs to, you'll get seven different answers."

56: "Every two hundred days. That's it."

Comments: I finally read A Psalm for the Wild-Built. The story was fine. What are you reading this week?

Music Monday (201): Harry Styles, Jody Watley

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 Harry Styles' latest release: Harry's House. I rarely stay up for an album, but I couldn't wait till the morning to listen to it. I love it a lot (more about that on a different post later this month). For today, I wanted to mention two of my favorite songs. The first is Satellite.

 

My second pick is the last song on the album. It's called Love Of My Life. 

Adri: I've been listening to a lot of old school artist lately, and my pick is Dance To The Music by Jody Watley.

What are you listening to this week?

I Played Horizon: Forbidden West

Title: Horizon: Forbidden West
Developer/Publisher: Guerrilla Games; Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release Date: February 18 2022
Platform: PS4 / PS5
Source/ format: Purchased, Disc
Other: Played on PS4

What I Thought:

I tried my best to keep this review vague, but there may be minor spoilers since I talk about specific parts of gameplay. 

I played Horizon: Forbidden West. Some of  what I said and felt in my review for Zero Dawn applies here, but it's done even better. All of this culminated to an enjoyable and dynamic playing experience.

The main plot was a wild ride with many expected and some unexpected twists. Needless to say, I’m glad that it didn’t hesitate to go in a more fantastical direction. Plot aside, like Zero Dawn, the side missions colored and expanded on the world, environments, and the plethora of characters both new and old. Each character felt super individualistic in their personality and in the way they spoke, moved, etc. Besides Aloy's interactions with different characters, it was nice being able to hear more of her personal feelings via periodically examining objects. Also nice was seeing more self realization developments for Aloy, especially by the end. The environments were straight up gorgeous, colorful, and felt broader. Finally, I have to mention Cauldrons. I enjoyed playing through them since, in a way, they seemed darker and more menacing. It's the same ambience I loved from the Frozen Wilds DLC.

To list my favorite new additions: the weapons (especially Spike Throwers),  different ways to get collectables, the ability to climb in countless areas, face paints, and armor dyes. Then there were others like a board game (Strike), racing, Melee Pits, additional mounts, and swimming. Swimming, sadly, ended up being frustrating during one of my favorite main missions. It felt a little awkward at times, even later when it was a lot easier. I enjoyed the added complexity to some of the puzzles like the Relic Ruins that used multiple Datapoints. Or how Tallnecks take additional and varied steps before being able to override them. The custom difficulty –where players can adjust a handful of options like the damage Aloy deals to or is dealt to for a truly customized experience. Last but not least, my absolute favorite and most important on my list –that I didn’t know I wanted –is none other than the Infinite Stash! With the Workbench based crafting system, it worked out great. Though, I definitely had to get in the habit of stopping by a bench to find out what was required for said upgrades.

My less enjoyed parts were mainly the later Melee Pits and combo chaining. The earlier ones, as well as the Pit Master and Enduring, were fine. But the instructions for the advanced combos weren’t as clear. After figuring those out, I then had to face the timing.  With that being said, I appreciated the combos in that they added more variety rather than a plain heavy or light attack.

Well, I loved how vibrant it got at times. And something I forgot to mention was, after going back to Zero Dawn, the controls felt smoother. Honestly, I want to see more. Overall, I had a swell time playing.

Thanks for reading.

We Free The Stars by Hafsah Faizal

Title: We Free The Stars
Series: Sands of Arawiya Duology #2
Author: Hafsah Faizal
Source/Format: Purchased; Paperback
More Details: Fantasy; Young Adult
Publisher/Publication Date:

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble 

Synopsis from Goodreads...

The battle on Sharr is over. The dark forest has fallen. Altair may be captive, but Zafira, Nasir, and Kifah are bound for Sultan’s Keep, determined to finish the plan he set in motion: restoring the hearts of the Sisters of Old to the minarets of each caliphate, and finally returning magic to all of Arawiya. But they are low on resources and allies alike, and the kingdom teems with fear of the Lion of the Night’s return. As the zumra plots to overthrow the kingdom’s darkest threat, Nasir fights to command the magic in his blood. He must learn to hone his power into a weapon, to wield not only against the Lion but against his father, trapped under the Lion’s control. Zafira battles a very different darkness festering in her through her bond with the Jawarat—a darkness that hums with voices, pushing her to the brink of her sanity and to the edge of a chaos she dare not unleash. In spite of the darkness enclosing ever faster, Nasir and Zafira find themselves falling into a love they can’t stand to lose…but time is running out to achieve their ends, and if order is to be restored, drastic sacrifices will have to be made.

Lush and striking, hopeful and devastating, We Free the Stars is the masterful conclusion to the Sands of Arawiya duology by New York Times–bestselling author Hafsah Faizal.

**Note: there may be mild spoilers for We Hunt The Flame.**

It’s always nice when the follow-up to a favorite book sticks its landing, and delivers an ending that was satisfying in drawing the story to a close. We Hunt The Flame is one of my favorite young adult fantasy novels, and the sequel (and final book of the Sands of Arawiya duology) has sat on my shelf for way too long. At long last, I’ve finally read We Free The Stars.

This book—THIS BOOK—was so good from the very first page. The aftermath of We Hunt The Flame’s ending was immediate and visceral in its intensity. And for a group of characters I was clearly rooting for to succeed, it was hard to watch them experience the consequences and the subsequent turmoil brought about by accident and their decisions. But the conflict they were embroiled in was quickly spiraling into a war. Sides were already clearly drawn, and the greater part of the plot was already set in motion. I knew exactly what kind of story I was in for.

One thing that this duology did so well was the characters. Zafira: her desire to protect and help, to change the system that treated her unfairly, and reclaim magic as well. Kifah: who wanted her revenge, but was loyal and just as determined to restore magic. Altair: with his plans and web of allies. And Nasir: who was haunted by his past, who strove to atone and grasp a better future. Clearly I liked the dynamics of the team. What I was surprised by, however, was how deeply Faizal examined the characters. The story delved into the layers of who they were—their motivation, goals, and what they were willing to do to ultimately achieve them. No one was perfect. Mistakes were literally made (and some of them had really terrible consequences). The emotional stakes were just as high as the journey/battle to restore magic to Arawiya.

Lofty ambitions abound, but there was a cost for it.

We Free The Star was a fitting sequel and an excellent ending to the duology. I’m looking forward to Hafsah Faizal’s next book.

Music Monday (200): Harry Styles

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 Harry Styles lately. So far, one of my absolute favorites is She.

What are you listening to this week?