6/28/2023 0 Comments In the Country by Mia Alvar![]() It’s the author’s narrative ability-her power to surprise and weave thoughtful, intricate stories-that keeps you reading. Despite the darkness, Alvar’s prose satisfies. In doing so, Alvar brings to light the individual experience, giving a human face to struggles large and small. Through male and female voices, models and nurses, past and present, Alvar speaks on behalf of a Filipino community, dispersed throughout the world. Alvar wields her fiction as a tool to give voice to those who have witnessed and suffered at the hands of fate and human cruelty. These are rich, meaty, fulfilling stories in which everyone’s hiding something-from extramarital affairs to murder. ![]() ![]() ![]() While Alvar writes in subtle, descriptive language about Filipino characters, their jobs, and the places they live, she’s setting the reader up for jarring plot twists and shattering surprises that leave us questioning everything she’s previously written about her characters. ![]()
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6/28/2023 0 Comments Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby![]() ![]() For Duncan, the toilet is a holy place for Annie – well, for Annie the place is, not unusually, a toilet. The aforementioned toilet is allegedly the place in which Tucker gave up the rock’n’roll life forever. Duncan and his longstanding girlfriend Annie are on a pilgrimage of sorts checking out the key geographical locations that figured in the life of long-lost reclusive cult singer songwriter Tucker Crowe. Juliet Naked begins in a toilet in Minneapolis. I’m going to try and hold off doing that with Nick Hornby’s latest Juliet, Naked. ![]() Even if it delivers on all fronts, even if it excels your wildest expectations, it’s still the latest jigsaw piece in a jigsaw puzzle of their other books. ![]() Arguably, a debut allows you to review a book almost as a standalone object the instant you pick up a book by an established author, an author you’ve presumably read other books by, there is a part of you (possibly a teeny-tiny voice at the back of your head, hiding in the metaphorical undergrowth, but present all the same) playing ‘is this as good as X?’, ‘will this drop the ball like Y did?’ or ‘will this be as good or better than Z?’ You can’t help yourself. Reviewing a debut is a little bit different from reviewing a novel by an established author. ![]() 6/28/2023 0 Comments Lord of scoundrels goodreads![]() ![]() ― Loretta Chase, quote from Lord of Scoundrels ![]() "Jess." In one furious flurry of motion he threw down the reins and hauled her into his lap.” "-slippers to match," she continued." Black mules with-" "Jess." Her name was a strangled whisper. ![]() From here" -she pointed to her hip-"down to the hem. "And openwork on the right side of the skirt. "And there's the loveliest openwork over my.well, here." She drew her finger over the curve of her breast a bare inch above the nipple. Here." She traced a plunging U over her bosom. "Wine red," she said, "With narrow black ribbons threaded through the neckline. Which is absurd, when an evening gown reveals far more, not to mention-" "But if it were left to Aunt Louisa," she went on,"I should be covered from my chin to my toes in thick cotton ruffled with monstrosities with little bows and rosebuds. Jessica heard him suck in his breath, felt the muscular thigh tense against hers. She said only Cyprians wear such things, and it leaves nothing to the imagination." "It was ghastly expensive," she said, "but the silk is as fine as gossamer, and the eyelet work about the neckline is exquisite. I should not have put the modiste to so much trouble about the negligee." "Well, if I must, I must, for you have the advantage of experience in these matters. ![]() "Truly?" She shot him a glance from under her lashes. I cannot think why I should need strength," she said, ignoring a host of spine-tingling images rising in her mind's eye. “You'll want all your strength for the wedding night." ![]() 6/28/2023 0 Comments Forrest Gump by Winston Groom![]() ![]() It was in 1986, however, that Groom’s most beloved character took form. The book was a nonfiction finalist for a Pulitzer Prize. ![]() In 1983 Groom, alongside journalist Duncan Spencer, published Conversations with the Enemy: The Story of PFC Robert Garwood, the harrowing account of the longest-held U.S. Prior to finding fame with Forrest Gump, Groom had already published three novels: Better Times Than These, As Summers Die, and Only. His death, reports the Washington Post, was unexpected, with his wife Susan Groom adding that they “believe it was a heart issue.” Winston Groom, Vietnam veteran and famed author of the novel Forrest Gump, which was later the basis for the beloved film starring Tom Hanks, died at his home in Fairhope, Alabama on September 17. Winston Groom, Famed Author of Forrest Gump, Dies at 77 Close ![]() 6/28/2023 0 Comments Blonde ambition by zoey dean![]() ![]() ![]() Anna accepts an after-school internship with Margaret and her first assignment is to escort a screenwriter to an upcoming industry party. ![]() Susan meets Cammie, Dee, and Sam at the hotel and they all agree to join Sam and Anna at V's for the weekend.Īnna meets with her father's girlfriend, Margaret Cunningham, at her new entertainment agency that she co-founded with Clark Sheppard, Cammie's father. Anna is concerned, especially since Susan claims to have checked out of rehab early but Susan brushes off her concerns. ![]() At school, Adam asks Anna out on a date and she agrees, in hopes of getting over Ben, who continues to send grand romantic gestures.Īnna's older sister Susan arrives in Los Angeles and takes up residence at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Anna writes the screenplay, which impresses Sam and she begins to develop a crush on Anna, much to her confusion. They agree to film their project at V's, an exclusive spa and resort in the Ojai desert. She and Sam partner up on an English project to create a short film based on The Great Gatsby. It was published in April 2004 through the Poppy imprint at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.Īfter rejecting Ben, Anna tries to focus on her studies at Beverly Hills High. Girls on Film is the second novel in the A-List series by Zoey Dean. ![]() 6/27/2023 0 Comments The affair at styles![]() Poirot says this to Hastings as they cross the lawn toward Styles Court shortly after Emily Inglethorp's death. So beautiful, so beautiful, and yet, the poor family, plunged in sorrow, prostrated with grief. This is the first moment in the novel where Poirot introduces his concept of clues as "links in a chain," a metaphor to which he frequently returns in the course of trying to solve the mystery. Here, Poirot outlines his method to Hastings, who, ironically, before he realized he would be working alongside Poirot, claimed to Mary Cavendish to have far surpassed Poirot's simple methods of deduction. And that little curious fact, that possibly paltry little detail that will not tally, we put it here! Hercule Poirot, p. This next little fact-no! Ah, that is curious! There is something missing-a link in the chain that is not there. Does the next fit in with that? A merveille! Good! We can proceed. One fact leads to another-so we continue. Another irony is the fact that Evelyn Howard will turn out to have been at the center of the scheme to murder Emily Inglethorp, and she manages to evade suspicion for the duration of the novel. Her comment is especially humorous and metafictional in the context of a detective novel-as if Christie were speaking through Howard to set her debut novel apart from the "lot of nonsense" being written. Evelyn Howard chimes in with her personal gripes about detective novels. 9ĭuring Hastings' first tea at Styles, Mary gets him to admit that he dreams of being a private detective. ![]() 6/27/2023 0 Comments Undermajordomo minor![]() ![]() ![]() Thus begins a tale of polite theft, bitter heartbreak, domestic mystery, and cold-blooded murder. In the local village, he also encounters thieves, madmen, aristocrats, and Klara, a delicate beauty whose love he must compete for with the exceptionally handsome partisan soldier, Adolphus. ![]() While tending to his new post as undermajordomo, he soon discovers the place harbours many dark secrets, not least of which is the whereabouts of the castle’s master, Baron Von Aux. Then Lucy accepts employment assisting the majordomo of the remote, foreboding Castle Von Aux. Friendless and loveless, young and aimless, Lucy is a compulsive liar, a sickly weakling in a town famous for begetting brutish giants. Lucien (Lucy) Minor is the resident odd duck in the hamlet of Bury. On the The Scotiabank Giller Prize 2015 LonglistĪ love story, an adventure story, a fable without a moral, and an ink-black comedy of manners. ![]() 6/27/2023 0 Comments Red moon and black mountain![]() ![]() Spy a beautiful homage and mural dedicated to Flack on the side of Black Mountain Brewing. ![]() We like to dip in here to see what is new as well as leave a donation.īlack Mountain is also Grammy-award-winning Roberta Flack’s birth home. In fact, you can visit the Black Mountain College Museum & Art Center in downtown Asheville to learn more – which is free to the public. The Cherokee used to live here, and Black Mountain, NC is best known for its Southern Appalachian arts and crafts scene. If you are wondering what to do in Black Mountain, the historic and walkable downtown area is filled with sugary treats, brews, and restaurants. Located about 15 miles east of Asheville, if you are looking for a small-town feel, head to Black Mountain, NC.īlack Mountain is less than a 30-minute drive from Asheville, and you’ll find yourself enveloped in gorgeous mountains around a glittering lake. ![]() This gorgeous mountain town is filled with breweries, restaurants, shopping, and hikes. Uncover the best things to do in Black Mountain, North Carolina. ![]() 6/27/2023 0 Comments Video night adam cesare![]() ![]() Which sounds like pretty standard YA angst stuff, I know, but the kicker is that she’s arrived in Kettle Springs, Missouri at the exact same time that a rash of brutal murders has begun. Quinn, our protagonist, is a city slicker who’s having to adjust to life in the midwest. that I’d be taking from.Ĭlown in a Cornfield is about a young woman who travels across country with her father to start a new life in the wake of a family tragedy. The irony of working in a subgenre that’s so codified is that, yeah, I probably could be accused of taking heavy inspiration from horror legends, but it’s John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Bob Clark, et al. ![]() JJ: Can you give us a brief description of Clown in a Cornfield?ĪC: I’ve had conversations with a lot of people where they see the cover, they see the title, and their first reaction is “Lol, okay Stephen King.” And clearly it invites that comparison, with the choice of font and general stylization, but the book’s not a King pastiche, it’s a slasher. After all, I’m launching my YA debut, living the dream! How are you holding up in 2020?Īdam Cesare: It’s, uh, a challenging year. ![]() Janelle Janson: Hi Adam! Thank you so much for giving us your time. ![]() ![]() ![]() Shortly before those events, Quoyle's elderly parents die by suicide together. The police return Bunny to Quoyle, informing him that Petal sold her to a black market adoption operation for $6,000. Soon after, Petal and her boyfriend are killed in a car accident. ![]() Petal runs off with a lover, taking Bunny with her. Petal is an unfaithful wife and a negligent mother to their six-year-old daughter, Bunny. He becomes infatuated with and marries a vivacious local woman named Petal. Quoyle, now an ink setter at a small newspaper in Poughkeepsie, New York, lives a lonely life. Images of flailing in water and nearly drowning often resurface in Quoyle's memory when he is under stress. When Quoyle was a young boy, his father, Guy, tossed him into a lake, expecting him to swim naturally. Cate Blanchett, Pete Postlethwaite, Scott Glenn, Rhys Ifans, Jason Behr, and Gordon Pinsent appear in supporting roles. It stars Kevin Spacey as Quoyle, Judi Dench as Agnis Hamm, and Julianne Moore as Wavey Prowse. The Shipping News is a 2001 Canadian-Swedish-American drama film directed by Lasse Hallström, based on Annie Proulx's Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same title. ![]() |