TMST

 

 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

11/12/2024 Which types of reviews help you decide what books to read?

Not 5 stars one if I am honest. I saw these posts on threads where people talked about how 4 star reviews are bad and negative and I was all wtf?! Sure I read 5 star ones, but I do not buy books from them. Some people are real, but then there are those fake 5s.

4s are great. They tell it. 2s are also great. Oh you did not like that? Well good for me, I love that. I really need the full spectrum. I could never get a book if it only had glowing reviews. I need the bad too. I need everything.

11/19/2024 Have you ever met someone famous? Tell us!

11/26/2024 Which books are you looking forward to reading this Winter? (Dec-Feb)

12/3/2024 What is your favorite breakfast food?

12/10/2024 What are your favorite books/audiobooks that you read in 2024? 

12/17/2024 Do you enjoy reading holiday-themed books at the holidays or year-round?

12/24/2024 Taking a break (no question)

12/31/2024 How do you celebrate New Year's Eve/the new year?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

If you are interested in participating in TMST or receiving periodic emails that list the upcoming TMST topics and questions,  please fill out this GOOGLE FORM.  Participation is optional and never required.

Carole´s Monday: Daisy Jones and the Six

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Title: Daisy Jones and the Six

Genre: Historical Fiction

Format: ebook

Pages: 369

Published: March 5, 2019

Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

A gripping novel about the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous break up.

Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six, but nobody knows the real reason why they split at the absolute height of their popularity...until now.

Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go-Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it's the rock and roll she loves most. By the time she's twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.

Another band getting noticed is The Six, led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she's pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.

Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

Review:

I've eyeballed this one and funnily enough this was picked for Book Club soooooooooo sure why not. 

Told in the format of an interview we get to the heart of the raise and fall of Daisy Jones & The Six. We'll get the behind-the-scenes that everyone has wanted. 

First thing first.....the format was wildly different. You know those documentaries where they interview people to tell the story? The author attempts this here. We get multiple people telling us the story of the band. It was interesting and refreshing. It was done alright. I do wish we had more descriptives of HOW the people were talking and feeling and looking. You could assume. There were some instances of the author putting a few descriptives like "[pauses]", but there should have been more instances and more descriptives. I'm sure if I had done the audiobook, the narrator would've taken liberties and it might've helped. But yes, more would've been a great benefit, because the reader is left to pretty much assume.

The beginning had me curious...and then it lost me for a few, but after a certain scene it had me in it's grasps again. I could only read small chunks at a time, but I was hooked. I had to know what the final straw to break the camel's back was. There was SOOOO much drama in this band. It was bound to erupt, but it was just waiting for that last straw to fall. 

I hated everyone BUT I was enraptured with them all. They are all selfish, emotional, and immature. But you gotta remember....they are young and they are "stars". LOTS of ego in the room. 

The ending felt...rushed in a way. And I don't agree with a certain email. Gah. I'm just going to say it.......no I'm not.....I am. EEE. Okay [SPOILER ALERT] Billy's wife passes and pretty much gives the AOK for Billy and Daisy to reconnect and make another "song". Which YOU KNOW was her giving them permission to finally be together. Gag. They are so toxic for each other. Billy being Billy, though, he'll do it. :S Plus it felt so reductive of the characters. You can love someone but it doesn't mean that you should be together. SIGHS. Plus....I feel like Camila would've NEVER wanted that. IDK. It just didn't vibe with the whole story [SPOILER END]

Other then that ending and how I wanted more from the format.....I did like this. It was different and entertaining. Toxic characters doing toxic things in the 60s and 70s. What more can you ask for?

All-in-all, I did find myself liking this. I had some issues especially the ending little curveball. Bleh. Other than that I liked it. I can't wait to discuss this one. I'm sure we will have a lot to talk about. Rating???? Mmmmm. This has been a struggle for sure. 3....yes....3 stars seems fine. 

ONE WORD SUMMARY: Conflicting

The bastard king by Donna Grant

By: Donna Grant

Narrated by: Antony Ferguson

Series: The Bastard Duology, Book 1

Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins

Release date: 10-15-24 by Tantor Audio

Paranormal romance/to review

It took me way too long to realise that this is part of a series. I thought it was a new book, but it is a new series, within a series. Ooops. So yes sadly I felt throughout that I did not understand this world at all. Like why was he saying he had a Scottish accent when they were in a fantasy world?? Oh, cos there are a lot of dragon books that came before. This is an old fight.

So in this fantasy world we meet Kora who wants to kill someone called Villette because she has slaughtered all of Kora´s kin. Kora then meets Derek, together they travel to the city and has their fair of issues. Oh and he does not tell her that he is a dragon and serves Vilette. Ohhh drama!!

The underlines in the story I missed. Like why are things as they are. But then some other books seems to be set in Scotland so I have actually no idea about other Sora books if there are any. I could still follow along, it was first when there was more dragon talk that I felt I was missing something. I can not say more as Derek thinks all other dragons are prisoners.

There is passion, lots of danger and even more intrigues. Who can be trusted?

I like the narrator as I have listened to lots of historical romance books by him. Aye, all set in Scotland too

I am fire and death. My very presence brings terror and panic. For most, I am the last thing they will ever see. For there is only one thing I live for — freeing my kin.nEvery action, every battle brings me a step closer. Nothing distracts me from my purpose.nUntil she crosses my path.

Brave and fearless, she holds me utterly enthralled. I have to know her. Her past and her future. But especially the secrets she keeps closely guarded.

One taste of her lips, and I’m caught. Trapped. Seized. The more I’m with her, the harder it is to leave. But I have sworn allegiance to another who promises to free the dragons.

Her or my kin. It was once an easy choice.

Before my heart got involved.

Audio: Mail order minotaur by Lilith Stone

By: Lilith Stone

Narrated by: Rachel Leblang

Series: Motham City Monsters, Book 1

Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins

Release date: 10-22-24 by Tantor Audio

Paranormal romance/to review

This turned out to be a fun and sweet, but smexy too. Ivy works as a tour guide in the monster city of Motham when she sees a hunky minotaur. Boom, she is smitten

Bryn owns an escort service and he used to sell his services too. But yeah it is boom for him too when he sees an innocent tour guide in trouble.

She is human from a posh town. He is a minotaur from a poor town. Their beginning is him helping her branch out in town. But they soon realise that that thing between them can¨t be stopped.

And as the book promised low angst it really was. Yes there is some drama, but it works out so well. And they will live happily ever after.

Sweet, smexy, and lots of monsters around

Good narration. I am not sure I have listened to this narrator before and she did a great job and she kept me entertained

A shy human. A minotaur sex worker. A powerful chemistry neither can deny.

Tour guide Ivy has always secretly fantasized about minotaurs. So when a Beast Hunters tour to Motham City goes horribly wrong, she’s thrilled to be rescued by wickedly handsome minotaur, Bryn. Until she finds out that he runs a male escort agency with the sole purpose of pleasuring humans.

And Ivy just isn’t that sort of girl…

Bryn isn’t looking for love. He sells it. Besides he’s too busy caring for his disabled mom and four brothers and sisters to have time for romance. But when a sweet and innocent human literally catapults into his life, Bryn might just have to change his mind about love…

Mail Order Minotaur is the first in The Motham City Monsters series. It’s a low angst sweet monster romance with plenty of spice and a guaranteed HEA, set in Motham City, a place where humans and monsters meet… and fall in love. Each book in the series can be read as a standalone.

TMST

 

 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

11/5/2024 What are five things that make you happy?

Well it used to be chocolate, but then I had a bloody kidney stone and chocolate is evil so no longer does it make me happy. Small amounts, blergh. 

Right, happy things:

The woods. Alone. Just being

Books

Weekends

A perfect summerday

Something really good to eat, that just wows you

And that was my random list for today

11/12/2024 Which types of reviews help you decide what books to read?

11/19/2024 Have you ever met someone famous? Tell us!

11/26/2024 Which books are you looking forward to reading this Winter? (Dec-Feb)

12/3/2024 What is your favorite breakfast food?

12/10/2024 What are your favorite books/audiobooks that you read in 2024? 

12/17/2024 Do you enjoy reading holiday-themed books at the holidays or year-round?

12/24/2024 Taking a break (no question)

12/31/2024 How do you celebrate New Year's Eve/the new year?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

If you are interested in participating in TMST or receiving periodic emails that list the upcoming TMST topics and questions,  please fill out this GOOGLE FORM.  Participation is optional and never required.

Best of October

 

Here are our bests from October!!!! 

Best Book of the Month:

Blodeuedd - The tainted cup by Robert Jackson Bennet

"Amazing!

Carole -  Never Been Witched by Molly Harper

"So much fun!"

Best Movie of the Month:

Carole - The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) 

"This has to be the best. Had a rip-roaring time."

Blodeuedd - Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019)

"Best movie. Watched this one with the kid"

Best TV show of the Month:

Blodeuedd - Love is Blind (S7) , Our Flag Means Death , & The Rookie (S6)

"I watched LiB s 7. And well love is not blind. And omg Our flag means death is great! Now I can´t give up Hbo before I have finished it all. Only done one season so far. And season 6 of The Rookie!"

Carole - Tacoma FD (S4)

"Watched the whole thing PLUS the new season. I am so sad to see that this is over esp with that ending. WAH."

Best Cover of the Month:

Carole's pick:
Love the colors and that dress! *chef kiss*

Blodeuedd's pick:
Very xmassy and pretty

Special Mention:

Carole's: Lake Silence by Anne Bishop 

"I would be remiss if I didn't give a special nod to this gem. Not only is this a great book and continuation of the series (a slight spin-off), but that cover? I love it so much. It would win both categories but it is a re-read and I felt weird giving it both categories SOOOO a special mention pin it shall get."

A darkness absolute by Kelley Armstrong

Series: Rockton/Casey Duncan (#2)

Format: 445 pages, Paperback

Published: March 1, 2017 by Sphere

Crime/library

Book 2 was impossible to get. It was out of stock, and ebook, eh, no I did not want that. So I checked and only 2 libraries in the entire country had this book. And an interlibrary loan was actually really cheap. So I got it! Phew. Oh and I have already ordered books 3 to 6 from a bookstore ;)

So this place is still rather hellish. I have no idea who thought this was a good idea. Sure on paper a place where you can go if you are in danger is good. But that is the thing, people with money can also get it. People who have done terrible terrible things. And now innocent people and killers live in the same town. And outside is bad too. In the woods there are settlers (who can be bad), and hostiles (who are effed up and will kill you.)

Casey and the town sheriff found each other in book 1. At least she has some peace there. In this book they find a woman who has been held in a cave for a year. (because yes this place is bad.)

Who is the man? Someone from town? Outside town? Feelings run hot and I had no idea who did it because everyone is bad.

A thrilling book that makes you never want to visit this place.

When experienced homicide detective Casey Duncan first moved to the secret town of Rockton, she expected a safe haven for people like her, people running from their past misdeeds and past lives. She knew living in Rockton meant living off-the-grid completely: no cell phones, no Internet, no mail, very little electricity, and no way of getting in or out without the town council’s approval. What she didn’t expect is that Rockton comes with its own set of secrets and dangers.

Now, in A Darkness Absolute, Casey and her fellow Rockton sheriff’s deputy Will chase a cabin-fevered resident into the woods, where they are stranded in a blizzard. Taking shelter in a cave, they discover a former resident who’s been held captive for over a year. When the bodies of two other women turn up, Casey and her colleagues must find out if it’s an outsider behind the killings or if the answer is more complicated than that...before another victim goes missing.