![]() ![]() ![]() I was also into how religious the story was, which surprised me because I’m usually not into that. But her magic was only limited by what the gods were willing to grant and could be done more on the fly. There was also Nadya’s magic, which was completely different because she got hers from communicating with the gods, asking for help, and then maybe receiving it. The blood mages would get special spellbooks made, then they’d cut themselves open and bleed onto a page they ripped out with their chosen spell, and then *poof* magic! The spellbooks provided some balance and limitation to the power of blood magic and were almost a unique kind of weapon the blood mages kept with them at all times. Jokes aside, I actually did think the magic system was pretty cool, or what I understood of it, at least. Wow, I’ve only just started this review, and I’m already WAY off topic. Forget magic textile-making, sewing, and dry cleaning-THOSE are the skills to have in this world. Anyone who works in the clothing industry in this country must make a shit ton of money because these characters’ clothes are constantly getting ruined. ![]() ![]() And most of the time, they did so without even flinching. These characters were always covered in blood, or dripping blood, or slicing open themselves and others. I’m glad I read reviews before reading this one and had some idea of what to expect and could just enjoy the dramatic, blood-drenched goodness. ![]()
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![]() ![]() We’ve celebrated maker culture here in the Bay Area for decades, so to celebrate San Francisco’s 90th anniversary we’re looking forward. Set to eerie, carnival-inspired music, MADCAP offers an unusual task for the dancers: using their voices, with recitation, singing, percussive hisses and hoops and hollers throughout the ballet. Rowe's love of storytelling and theatrics is brought to the fore in this premiere, which dissects the anatomy of a clown and uses its motion as inspiration for the choreography. ![]() MADCAPĭanielle Rowe creates her second repertory work for SF Ballet with MADCAP. Roberts is influenced by his studies in visual art in his youth: "The idea of the cinematic lives rent free in my mind," Roberts said. Roberts' Resurrection, set to Gustav Mahler's dramatic Totenfeier for orchestra, involves a "witchy" lead woman who enlists the help of her community to resurrect and control a dead man, when something goes awry. ![]() Jamar Roberts enters a new era of his choreography by creating a narrative ballet for the first time. For Haffner Serenade, set to Mozart's Serenade for orchestra in D major, Garland has created a solo which involves West African movement set in a classical context, adding "There are elements to older music that retain what I feel are African American and African-centered rhythms and syncopation." Resurrection Robert Garland finds motivation in the African word Sankofa, which represents the need to understand the past in order to move into the future. ![]() ![]() Author Patrick Lee has written a chilling, hair-rising sci-fi novel with never a dull moment. The highly trained killers were after the dark metal cylinder Paige had been demonstrating to the President an open doorway to step into the future. Additionally, Bethany had to inform Travis that Paige was either dead or missing after the motorcade she had been travelling in from the White House had been attacked. ![]() Running down the stairs to the entrance he was told by Paige’s colleague Bethany, that she had an urgent message for him and they had to move quickly. Only one person knew he was in hiding as Rob Pullman and he realized this stranger must have been sent by Paige Campbell, the woman who had set up his secret identity. She called up to him shouting his name Travis. Looking out the window to the entrance below, he saw a girl somewhere in her twenties, looking back at him. After eating a late dinner Travis retired to the bedroom waiting for sleep to takeover when his buzzer rang echoing around the rooms of his apartment. ![]() For the past 2 years, Travis Chase lived a quiet life by staying under the radar as Rob Pullman. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() In fact, both books are concerned with whether morality is changeable from decade to decade or society to society, and specifically, it is something the respective main characters wrestle with, though they find themselves on different sides of the argument once they reach their conclusions. Our cultural awareness and standards for diversity were remarkably different in the late ‘90s something that is more reflective of the realities of systemic racism and other forms of xenophobia rather than the malleability of morality and equality. The cause of this paradox is quite easy to ascertain, as Babel was published in 2022, while The Secret History hit shelves in 1997. There is a paradox in the reality that Babel, a fantasy book, is set in the 1830s and The Secret History in the 1980s, and yet it is the latter that exists in an imaginary world where the West is completely devoid of people of color. ![]() Spoiler warning: This article contains major spoilers for both The Secret History and Babel. ![]() Kuang succeeded in responding to the new-age classic The Secret History by Donna Tartt, and what exactly Babel adds to the conversation. Babel was one of the most highly anticipated books of 2022, and now that we’ve sat with it for a moment, let’s explore whether beloved author R.F. ![]() ![]() I appreciated that for things like longer sentences and harder to 'translate' parts, but when it's something like "amor" meaning love, I think I could figure that one out. There were one or two times when I thought the Spanish explanations were a bit much - I know in America, Spanish is widely taught in schools and here in Canada, it is close enough to French that I could piece together what he was saying. Elkeles does a great job of developing Carlos's character and keeping the nuanced layers of who he is as a Mexican living in America. ![]() ![]() He talks of his life in Mexico, his mother and younger brother. Carlos switches from English to Spanish constantly, especially when he is angry. Similar to the first book in the series, I loved the Mexican elements of this book. Soon, their relationship develops from strongly disliking each other to well, a romantic one! After a mishap at school, Carlos is forced to find a new living arrangement, one that ends up being at Kiara Westford's house, where her parents decide to take him under their wing. ![]() ![]() Carlos has had some trouble with a gang in Mexico and his mother sent him to live with his brother in Colorado. This book follows the story of Carlos Feuntes, Alex from book one's younger brother. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Because there’s someone in her new life, her real life, who wants her to stay. But there’s an emotional toll to returning to a world where Freddie, alive, still owns her heart. Lydia is pulled again and again through the doorway to her past, living two lives, impossibly, at once. A life where none of the tragic events of the past few months have happened. So, enlisting the help of his best friend, Jonah, and her sister, Elle, she takes her first tentative steps into the world, open to life-and perhaps even love-again.īut then something inexplicable happens that gives her another chance at her old life with Freddie. But Lydia knows that Freddie would want her to try to live fully, happily, even without him. Of course, THE TWO LIVES OF LYDIA BIRD could contain a commentary about the temptations and dangers of substance abuse. So now it’s just Lydia, and all she wants is to hide indoors and sob until her eyes fall out. On Lydia’s twenty-eighth birthday, Freddie died in a car accident. They’d been together for more than a decade and Lydia thought their love was indestructible. Written with Josie Silver’s trademark warmth and wit, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is a powerful and thrilling love story about the what-ifs that arise at life’s crossroads, and what happens when one woman is given a miraculous chance to answer them. Sold by Impact Sales Force and ships from Amazon Fulfillment. What a beautiful, emotional gift Josie Silver has given us.”-Jodi Picoult This item: The Two Lives of Lydia Bird: A Novel. ![]() “I read The Two Lives of Lydia Bird in a single sitting. From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Reese’s Book Club Pick One Day in December. ![]() ![]() ![]() “Gibbs never scrimps on creating belly-laughing hullabaloo for his protagonists… Never slumping into the formulaic doldrums, the FunJungle series keeps on chugging. He begins to realize that the zoo is far more exciting than he thought it was, and soon the mysteries at FunJungle are piling up… There’d be the occasional elephant stampede and water balloon fight with the chimpanzees, of course, but when Henry the Hippo dies from not-so-natural causes, Teddy suspects foul play. When Teddy Fitzroy moved into FunJungle, the nation’s largest zoo, with his scientist parents, he expected things to be kind of quiet. So when Nina Stack, the commander of Moon Base Alpha, mysteriously vanishes, the Moonies are at a total loss. After all, it's only the size of a soccer field. There's nowhere to hide on the world's first moon base. Join FunJungle’s resident zoo sleuth, Teddy Fitzroy, as he solves mysteries and strives to protect the animals at the zoo with the first three funny and suspenseful novels of the bestselling FunJungle series from New York Times bestselling author Stuart Gibbs, now available together in one collectible boxed set! The second mind-boggling mystery of the Moon Base Alpha series from beloved author Stuart Gibbs. It all starts when the hippo goes belly up-and it’s a wild ride from there. Charlie Thorne and the Curse of Cleopatra. ![]() ![]() ![]() "This is an excellent survey of the Halloween scene, informative and accessible, far more treat than trick."-Kim Newman, author of "Nightmare Movies" and "Anno Dracula" It's a delicious blend of cultural history and pop-culture savvy that is a true delight to read!"-Jonathan Maberry, author of "Flesh and Bone" and "Assassin's Code" "With Trick or Treat Morton gives us a charming, creepy, insightful, and thoroughly fascinating history of Halloween. Well written and illustrated, informative and entertaining."-Fortean Times "From an authority on Hallowe'en lore comes all you need to know about this 'misunderstood' festival. This book is an excellent example of the scholarship on holidays as a means of accessing many facets of history. " playfully sets the record straight on the origins of Halloween. "If you want to know anything at all about the subject, you ought to find it in Trick or Treat."-Times (UK) ![]() ![]() ![]()
![]() Okay, so there’s nothing particularly groundbreaking in this premise, but trust me when I tell you that this book is seriously addicting. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book so addicting that I couldn’t resist pulling it up on my phone every time I got a spare ten seconds throughout the day, but here we are.Ī Fugitive in Grass Valley tells the story of Lev, part-time artist/part-time barista in a Sacramento suburb, who falls in love with Ernie, a mysterious stranger with a Tragic Past. I think this is the first romance novel I’ve ever read, and let’s be real, probably the last, because romance is decidedly Not My Thing, but I’m going to be honest here. ![]() |