Lovely Books and Things - 3.27.22

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update

Linking up with:
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

~*~

HAPPY THINGS:

1. Completed 2021 taxes - whew! what a chore
2. Emmentaler cheese fondue at the Matterhorn restaurant
3. Beads and Sequins art by Devi Vallabhaneni (details)

~*~
Library: audiobook

Pieces of Her
by Karin Slaughter
Thriller, Mystery | Published: 2018 | Goodreads

Library:

The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories:
A Collection of Chinese Science Fiction and Fantasy
in Translation from a Visionary Team of Female and Nonbinary Creators
edited by Yu Chen
Short Stories, SciFi, LGBTQ, China | Published: 2022 | Goodreads

Freebies: from Free Little Library

Envy
by Yury Olesha
illustrated by Natan Altman
translated by Marian Schwartz
Classics, Russian | Published: 2004 (first 1927) | Goodreads

A Mad Zombie Party
by Gena Showalter
YA, Zombies | Published: 2015 | Goodreads

~*~
AND watched: theatre

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Director/Writer: Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Stars: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan
Action, Adventure, Comedy | imdb | my rating: 5
mish mosh of all things fun and serious
An aging Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save the world by exploring other universes connecting with the lives she could have led.

The Batman (2022)
Director/Writer: Matt Reeves
Writer: Peter Craig
Based on creations by: Bill Finger, Bob Kane
Stars: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright
Action, Crime, Drama, Hero | imdb | my rating: 5
enjoyable origin story to add to the Batman film collection
When the Riddler, a sadistic serial killer, begins murdering key political figures in Gotham, Batman is forced to investigate the city's hidden corruption and question his family's involvement.

AND watched: Kanopy

Four Good Days (2020)
Director/Screenplay: Rodrigo García
Screenplay: Eli Saslow
Based on Washington Post article by: Eli Saslow
Inspired by: Amanda Wendler, Libby Alexander
Stars: Mila Kunis, Glenn Close
Drama | imdb | my rating: 5
heartfelt and hopeful
A mother helps her daughter work through four crucial days of recovery from substance abuse.

AND watched: AMC on demand

Flee (2021)
Original title: Flugt
Director/Writer: Jonas Poher Rasmussen
Writer: Amin Nawabi
Based on book:
Stars: Daniel Karimyar, Fardin Mijdzadeh
Documentary, Biography, Animation, Afghanistan, Russia, Denmark | imdb | my rating: 5
amazing
FLEE tells the extraordinary true story of a man, Amin, on the verge of marriage which compels him to reveal his hidden past for the first time.

AND watched: Apple+

Coda (2021)
Director/Screenplay: Sian Heder
Based on film: La Famille Belier
Stars: Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, Daniel Durant, Marlee Matlin
Comedy, Drama, Music | imdb | my rating: 5
coming of age, feel good end
As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her love of music by wanting to go to Berklee College of Music and her fear of abandoning her parents.

AND watched: VUDU

Parallel Mothers (2021)
Original title: Madres paralelas Director/Writer: Pedro Almodóvar
Stars: Penélope Cruz, Milena Smit
Drama, Spain | imdb | my rating: 5
oh, mothers
Happy Mother's Day in the UK today!
Two women, Janis and Ana, coincide in a hospital room where they are going to give birth. Both are single and became pregnant by accident. Janis, middle-aged, doesn't regret it and she is exultant. The other, Ana, an adolescent, is scared, repentant and traumatized. Janis tries to encourage her while they move like sleepwalkers along the hospital corridors. The few words they exchange in these hours will create a very close link between the two, which by chance develops and complicates, and changes their lives in a decisive way.


~*~

~*~
* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

Thanks for stopping by :-)

The Darkest Promise by Gena Showalter

The Darkest Promise
by Gena Showalter

Find out more about this book and author:
Amazon
Goodreads
Website
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest | Twitter

Just released: June 13, 2017
Publisher: HQN Books
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Hardback: 432
Rating: 3

Lords of the Underworld series:
The Darkest Fire (bonus story)
The Darkest Night-- Maddox (Violence)
The Darkest Kiss -- Lucien (Death)
The Darkest Pleasure -- Reyes (Pain)
*The Darkest Prison -- Atlas and Nike (bonus story)
The Darkest Whisper -- Sabin (Doubt)
The Darkest Angel found in the anthology Heart of Darkness -- Lysander and Bianka
Into the Dark-- a compendium of The Darkest Fire and The Darkest Prison printed inside, plus the original The Darkest Facts
The Darkest Passion -- Aeron (Wrath)
The Darkest Lie -- Gideon (Lies)
The Darkest Secret -- Amun (Secrets)
The Darkest Surrender -- Strider (Defeat)
The Darkest Seduction -- Paris (Promiscuity)
The Darkest Craving -- Kane (Disaster)
The Darkest Touch -- Torin (Disease)
The Darkest Torment -- Baden (Distrust)
The Darkest Promise -- Cameo (Misery)

First sentence(s):
Like Alice on her way to Wonderland, Cameo, host to the demon of Misery, tumbled end over end down a long, dark cavern.

Possessed by the demon of Misery, Cameo isn't allowed to experience joy. If she dares, her memory is wiped clean. With no other recourse, she sneaks into a land more fantastical than any fairy tale, determined to find the one man with the key to her redemption.

Lazarus the Cruel and Unusual rules his kingdom with a single unwavering focus: to build his army and annihilate his enemies. Nothing distracts him—until Cameo. He is relentless in his quest to make her smile…and seduce her into his bed.

As dark forces conspire against them, threatening to destroy the fragile bond they've forged, the once-calm Lazarus grows crazed. Every heart-stopping kiss and wicked touch causes Cameo to teeter on the brink of happiness. But if she falls, she risks forgetting him forever…

My two-bits:

The story takes you into the underworld with its own set of beings wielding various powers.

The romance moves slowly forward with lots of back and forth of "should i / should i not" vibes which kind of got frustrating.

Of course being otherworldly creatures, their individual set of problems aside from the usual stirrings of lust and love come into play for much conflict and difficulties for the couple.

~*~
* review copy courtesy of tour

Lovely Books and Things - 6.24.17

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update
Linking up with:
Stacking the Shelves (details)
Sunday Post (details)

~*~
Neglected to post last weekend as it was time to retrieve the young one from the college dorm. So nice to have the kid home again.

Lots of review books came in over the last two weeks. I am set for the next couple months.

And yet, I still request and pickup books from the library ;-)

~*~
For Review:

Lady of the Tarot
(Reign of Tarot Book 2)
by Juli D. Revezzo
-Historical, Gothic, France
audio version
courtesy of author -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads | Audible
THIS is a download from audible.com. It is my first experience using this service.

The Darkest Promise
by Gena Showalter
-Paranormal, Romance
courtesy of tour by BookSparks - Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads
THE paranormal romance reading continues this month with this latest. Also, another first for me... although I have mentioned Gena in a previous post regarding her Alice in Wonderland zombie series, I have yet to read her works.

That Crazy Perfect Someday
by Michael Mazza
-Women's Fiction, Sports
courtesy of Wunderkind -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads
THE surfing aspect of this story is what caught my attention.

Perfectly Oblivious
by Robin Daniels
-YA, Humor
courtesy of author -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads
THE premise for this sounds really cute.

The Baller
A Down and Dirty Football Novel
by Vi Keeland
-New Adult, Romance
courtesy of Romance Read-of-the-Month Club -Thanks!
BarnesNoble | Goodreads
AHHH, so behind with my romance book club reading.

Life Would Suck Without You
A Girlfriend Memoir
by Jennifer Preuss
-Memoir, Humor
courtesy of author -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads
THIS looks like a fun one.

The Brass Compass
by Ellen Butler
-Historical Fiction
courtesy of author -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads
LOOKING forward to reading the doings of female spies in this one.


UNBOXING:

From Owlcrate package (details & signup):
OwlCrate is a subscription service that sends you magical monthly boxes tailored to a chosen theme. Each OwlCrate will contain one new Young Adult novel, as well as 3-5 other bookish treats to help you get your nerd on. @owlcrate

JUNE Box includes:
theme: Make It Out Alive (dystopia)
- Owlcrate spoiler card with creepy mysterious tinge
- Owlcrate button - monthly theme
- The Sandcastle Empire by Kayla Olson
- Signed bookplate, letter and sticker sheet from author
- New World Rising by Jennifer Wilson
- Magnet inspired by An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir created by Little Inklings Design
- Bookmark inspired by A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas created by Hey Atlas Creative
- Bath bomb inspired by Divergent by Veronica Roth created by Fizzy Fairy Apothecary
- Sleep mask inspired by zombies from Archie McPhee
- Patch inspired by The Giver by Lois Lowry created by Laserbrain Patch Co.

The Sandcastle Empire
by Kayla Olson
-Dystopia, YA
Amazon | Goodreads
Before the war, Eden’s life was easy. Then the revolution happened, and everything changed.

Now a powerful group called the Wolfpack controls the earth and its resources. And even though Eden has lost everything to them, she refuses to die by their hands. She knows the coordinates to the only neutral ground left in the world, a place called Sanctuary Island, and she is desperate to escape to its shores.

Eden finally reaches the island and meets others resistant to the Wolves. But the solace is short-lived when one of Eden’s new friends goes missing. Braving the jungle in search of their lost ally, they quickly discover Sanctuary is filled with lethal traps and an enemy they never expected.

This island might be deadlier than the world Eden left behind, but surviving it is the only thing that stands between her and freedom.

New World Rising
by Jennifer Wilson
-Dystopia, YA
Amazon | Goodreads
Worlds collide in debut author Jennifer Wilson's graphic dystopian series where Divergent meets Mad Max. Since witnessing her parents' murders at the age of eleven, Phoenix's only purpose in life has been to uphold her mother's dying words - to be strong and survive. But surviving outside of The Walls - outside of The Sanctuary - is more like a drawn-out death sentence. A cruel and ruthless city, Tartarus is run by the Tribes whose motto is simple, "Join or die."

Refusing to join and determined to live, Phoenix fights to survive in this savage world.

But who can she trust, when no one can be trusted? Not even herself...

The first of a trilogy, New World Rising is an epic tale of survival, instinct, trauma, and the extraordinary power of human connection.


OTHER things (kinda book-related):

Heroine Training
Jane Austen Theme (details)
hosted by Xandra
at Crown and Crumpet
LOVED this mashup of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice themed tea party. There was much talk of P&P, Harry Potter and books with delicious tea and treats!

Check out Xandra's details for other literary tea party gatherings.


AND watched: in theatre

Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (2016)
Director: Steve James
Starring: Neil Barofsky, Ti-Hua Chang, Margaret Colin
-Documentary | imdb | my rating: 5
A small financial institution called Abacus becomes the only company criminally indicted in the wake of the United States' 2008 mortgage crisis.

After the show, we were treated to Q&A with the producer, Mark Mitten, and the Sung family. Topics of fraud, business dealings and justice relating to this family and case were fascinating to learn about.

FYI: This will be presented on PBS later this year.

Okja (2017)
Director: Bong Joon Ho
Writers: Bong Joon Ho, Jon Ronson
Starring: Seo-Hyun Ahn, Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano
-Action, Adventure, Drama, South Korea | imdb | my rating: 5
Meet Mija, a young girl who risks everything to prevent a powerful, multi-national company from kidnapping her best friend - a massive animal named Okja.

AS a fan of Bong Joon Ho's previous works, I totally enjoyed this latest creation. Definitely gets you thinking of the bond between man and animal.

Fans of The Walking Dead tv show will be thrilled to see Steven Yeun as part of this cast.

FYI: This will be available on Netflix later this year.


AND watched: online

Maya Angelou and Still I Rise (2016)
Directors: Bob Hercules, Rita Coburn Whack
-Documentary, Biography, History | imdb | my rating: 5
The first feature documentary about the remarkable writer, poet, actress, activist Maya Angelou.

INSPIRING, amazing and versatile woman. This documentary covered Maya's life from start to finish.

AND watched: on DVD

Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present (2012)
Directors: Matthew Akers, Jeff Dupre
-Documentary, Biography, History | imdb | my rating: 5
A documentary that follows the Serbian performance artist as she prepares for a retrospective of her work at The Museum of Modern Art in New York.

ANOTHER amazing woman artist. Wordless human connections.

~*~
* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

:-)

Happy Release: The Darkest Promise by Gena Showalter

The Darkest Promise
by Gena Showalter
-Paranormal, Romance
Release date: June 13, 2017
Amazon | Goodreads
New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter returns with a sizzling Lords of the Underworld story about an iron-willed sovereign and the somber beauty who melts him with a glance

Possessed by the demon of Misery, Cameo isn't allowed to experience joy. If she dares, her memory is wiped clean. With no other recourse, she sneaks into a land more fantastical than any fairy tale, determined to find the one man with the key to her redemption.

Lazarus the Cruel and Unusual rules his kingdom with a single unwavering focus: to build his army and annihilate his enemies. Nothing distracts him - until Cameo. He is relentless in his quest to make her smile and seduce her into his bed.

As dark forces conspire against them, threatening to destroy the fragile bond they've forged, the once-calm Lazarus grows crazed. Every heart-stopping kiss and wicked touch causes Cameo to teeter on the brink of happiness. But if she falls, she risks forgetting him forever

Excerpt:

“Don’t try to stay ten moves ahead of your opponent.
Stay behind him with a knife.”
—Excerpted from Becoming the King You Are Meant to Be,
a work in progress by Lazarus the Cruel and Unusual
LIKE ALICE ON HER WAY TO WONDERLAND, CAMEO, host to the demon of Misery, tumbled end over end down a long, dark cavern. When the bottom finally appeared, she braced for impact…only to slip through a glistening portal. The cavern walls vanished, and she spilled from a midnight sky—straight into a new realm.

Never should have touched the Paring Rod. One brush of her fingertips against the pretty glass bulb that tipped its handle, and the ancient artifact had opened a door between the physical and spirit world. Voilà! In a blink, her descent had begun.

As she plunged toward a flat clearing, she braced for impact…

Cameo smacked into the ground. A scream split her lips, her brain banging against her skull, her lungs emptying and multiple bones shattering all at once.

Agony seared her, black dots weaving through her vision. Warmth drained from her hands and feet, collecting in her torso. Her body was in shock.

Hours passed before she gained the strength to roll to her side, her wrecked heart tap-dancing a wild rhythm against broken ribs. Her head swam but thankfully her pain ebbed. Able to breathe again, she noted the sweet scent of ambrosia—the drug of choice for immortals—hung heavy in the air. She almost laughed. For once, lady luck had been on her side. If you had to crash-land, what better place than an ambrosia field?

She drifted in and out of consciousness, the passage of time evidenced by the healing of her injuries and the shift from dark to light. When a beam of sun stroked her, blistering her pale skin, she finally woke for good.

Her nose crinkled as she inhaled. The scent of ambrosia had been replaced by burnt foliage. Where had she landed? Hell? The sun blazed so hot it had scorched sections of land.

Cameo crawled into a shadowed haven, exhaling with relief when her skin cooled. She scanned the lavender sky with its pale green clouds then looked over an unfamiliar forest filled with towering pink trees and plots of azure grass.

Oookay. This is new. A forest fit for a storybook princess. Too bad Cameo was the villain of the tale. Browniebitch and the Twelve Immortals. For her and her family of demon-possessed warriors, nothing had ever been just right.

Cold fingers of dread crept down her spine as a butterfly the size of her fist fluttered past her. Over the centuries, the wretched insects had become an omen. Death and destruction await…

The heavy weight of depression settled on her shoulders, and she wallowed about the travesty of her life.

Lost so much already. All because she’d made one teeny tiny mistake when she’d lived in Mount Olympus.

That mistake? Helping her friends steal and open Pandora’s box. An appropriate punishment would have been a hand amputation or two. Maybe a few hundred years in the slammer.

Instead, she was forced to play host to the demon of Misery for eternity, free will a thing of the past.

To commemorate the occasion, a butterfly tattoo had appeared on her lower back.

The beginning of the end.

Cover reveal: Queen of Zombie Hearts by Gena Showalter

Today is the day!

The cover of Gena Showalter's THE QUEEN OF ZOMBIE HEARTS is here! We're so excited to be able to share this with you as it joins an already stunning set! Ready to see it? Not quite yet lets take a look a the first two covers in the series!

First there was ALICE IN ZOMBIELAND...

Then came THROUGH THE ZOMBIE GLASS...

Now get ready to EAT YOUR HEARTS OUT!!!

The Queen of Zombie Hearts
by Gena Showalter
On-sale date: Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Official White Rabbit Chronicles website

Add it to your TBR! Goodreads

Pre-order your copy! Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Official book description:

I have a plan.

We'll either destroy them for good, or they'll destroy us.

Either way, only one of us is walking away.

In the stunning conclusion to the wildly popular White Rabbit Chronicles, Alice "Ali" Bell thinks the worst is behind her. She's ready to take the next step with boyfriend Cole Holland, the leader of the zombie slayers…until Anima Industries, the agency controlling the zombies, launches a sneak attack, killing four of her friends. It's then she realizes that humans can be more dangerous than monsters…and the worst has only begun.

As the surviving slayers prepare for war, Ali discovers she, too, can control the zombies…and she isn't the girl she thought she was. She's connected to the woman responsible for killing—and turning—Cole's mother. How can their relationship endure? As secrets come to light, and more slayers are taken or killed, Ali will fight harder than ever to bring down Anima—even sacrificing her own life for those she loves.

About Gena:

Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of the wildly popular White Rabbit Chronicles, the Angels of the Dark, the Lords of the Underworld, and the Otherworld Assassins series. In addition to being a National Reader's Choice and RITA nominee, her romance novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan and Seventeen magazine, and have been translated in multiple languages. She lives in Oklahoma with her family and menagerie of dogs, and truly believes love conquers all.

Visit Gena:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
The White Rabbit Chronicles Facebook

Giveaway Details:

1 complete set of The White Rabbit Chronicles (first 2 sent as soon as the giveaway is over and the winner will get the first hardcover of book 3 when it's available!)

US/Canada Only

a Rafflecopter giveaway