Hello Reader!
I have to admit, I feel like this past week has been a bit of a wash for me, reading wise. But, I have been writing quite a bit, and I had something absolutely fantastic happen over the weekend.
More on that later...maybe.😉
The books that I wrote about in this post are, Born A Crime by Trevor Noah, and The Valiant Trilogy by Lesley Livingston.
But First...
There were some other really cool wins, but these are the two artists want to talk about right now.
If you are unfamiliar with either of these artists, I highly recommend checking them out.
This Is America's music video is phenomenal, and takes several watches to get every nuance in the story telling; So many cultural observations and references. We live in a complex and complicated world. I say this completely acknowledging my privilege.
Honestly, I am struggling to find the right words for the importance of everything this brings.
Now, for Brandi Carlile, I have been a fan of her music for years. I had the serendipitous chance to meet her years ago (2013) when she co-headlined with the Avett Brothers. I think I got maybe 3 hours of sleep over the course of that entire weekend...
During the opening set, someone next to me who was also a big fan was looking around and noticed that Brandi was just walking around the open grass area in the back. She was kind enough to save my spot (front row baby!) as her daughter and I went and said hi.
Brandi has to be one of the nicest people. I even got a photo with her!
...I also got to see her in concert back in November and it was exactly what I needed. I had bought the ticket months prior, and I was pretty stressed at the time, and I was thankful for my past self almost predicting my need for self-care/ music therapy. The concert was flawless.
Needless to say, when I saw that there was a book coming out about a female gladiator, I was mightily intrigued.
I will admit that my copy of The Valiant did end up sitting on my bookshelf for quite some time before I finally picked it up. But, once I did it was easy to get into.
I have a tendency to do that; buy books and then they sit on my shelves for an unpredicted amount of time. I justify this by saying, and having yet to be proven wrong, that the books are then ready and waiting for the exact time that they are meant to be read. Because honestly, nothing sucks more than reading something that you are not in the mood for. It's not fair, to you, or the book.
I wasn't originally planning on talking about Valentine's Day and all of that, however I have to confess something. I AM IN LOVE. Completely besotted. With my nieces. That's right. I now have TWO. 😍 Congrats to my sister for creating two perfect tiny humans. Happy Galentine's Day Everyone!
Outrageous Acts & Everyday Rebellions by Gloria Steinem (Paperback, $20.00)*
Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard (Hardcover, $18.99)*
The Beast's Heart by Leif Shallcross (Paperback, $15.00)*
Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Petro (Hardcover, $19.99)*
All The Pieces Matter: The Inside Story of The Wire by Jonathan Abrams (Paperback, $17.00)*
Here are also a couple of books coming out this Friday (Instead of the traditional Tuesday):
Heart Berries by Therese Marie Mailhot (Paperback, $16.95)
Sealskin by Su Bristow (Paperback, $18.00)
I have to admit, I feel like this past week has been a bit of a wash for me, reading wise. But, I have been writing quite a bit, and I had something absolutely fantastic happen over the weekend.
More on that later...maybe.😉
The books that I wrote about in this post are, Born A Crime by Trevor Noah, and The Valiant Trilogy by Lesley Livingston.
But First...
💕
There were some other really cool wins, but these are the two artists want to talk about right now.
If you are unfamiliar with either of these artists, I highly recommend checking them out.
This Is America's music video is phenomenal, and takes several watches to get every nuance in the story telling; So many cultural observations and references. We live in a complex and complicated world. I say this completely acknowledging my privilege.
Honestly, I am struggling to find the right words for the importance of everything this brings.
🎵
Now, for Brandi Carlile, I have been a fan of her music for years. I had the serendipitous chance to meet her years ago (2013) when she co-headlined with the Avett Brothers. I think I got maybe 3 hours of sleep over the course of that entire weekend...
During the opening set, someone next to me who was also a big fan was looking around and noticed that Brandi was just walking around the open grass area in the back. She was kind enough to save my spot (front row baby!) as her daughter and I went and said hi.
Brandi has to be one of the nicest people. I even got a photo with her!
(See! That's Me! and Brandi Carlile!)
...I also got to see her in concert back in November and it was exactly what I needed. I had bought the ticket months prior, and I was pretty stressed at the time, and I was thankful for my past self almost predicting my need for self-care/ music therapy. The concert was flawless.
(photo credit: me)
💕
OKAY, BACK TO THE BOOKS!
💕
Born A Crime by Trevor Noah (Paperback, $18.00)
I read this book a couple of years ago, when it first came out... back in 2016?!
Born A Crime is a collections of essays, recalling Trevor Noah's childhood in South Africa during and after the apartheid.
His writing is so wonderfully true to him. I felt like I could hear his voice as I was reading the book. He has this great talent for story telling. He would describe something that he had experienced and on one hand it would be absolutely alarming, and but then I would also be laughing, because of the way he told it.
Someone told me that he actually narrates the audiobook, which I would love to listen to. Unfortunately, Audible (aka Amazon) currently has sole rights for the audiobook sales, and the wait at the library is still extremely long. So... it'll be a while before I get a listen.
I do actually want to go back and re-read it, to refresh my memory. I learned a lot of South African history, that I never actually learned about in school.
Every time I would read a part that was interesting, or entertaining, or let's be honest - both, I would call or text someone and try and tell to them about it. Unfortunately at the time they hadn't read it... but anyway.
And now, not only is the book available in paperback, there is a movie in the works. It is still in the really early stages, so it will be a while. But I look forward to the visual adaptation.
(My copy)
Someone told me that he actually narrates the audiobook, which I would love to listen to. Unfortunately, Audible (aka Amazon) currently has sole rights for the audiobook sales, and the wait at the library is still extremely long. So... it'll be a while before I get a listen.
I do actually want to go back and re-read it, to refresh my memory. I learned a lot of South African history, that I never actually learned about in school.
Every time I would read a part that was interesting, or entertaining, or let's be honest - both, I would call or text someone and try and tell to them about it. Unfortunately at the time they hadn't read it... but anyway.
And now, not only is the book available in paperback, there is a movie in the works. It is still in the really early stages, so it will be a while. But I look forward to the visual adaptation.
Last year, when I went to New York for vacation/ Book Con, I managed to get tickets to see a live taping of The Daily Show With Trevor Noah. It was pretty damn cool.
What's impressive, and maybe this is widely known already, but what is aired, is pretty much what is taped. No extra filming that ultimately gets cut, no retakes, no major edits.
Just a lot of waiting before hand. As in two hours... and it was the ONE time that I didn't have a book on me. NEVER AGAIN.
But ultimately, it was worth it.
What's impressive, and maybe this is widely known already, but what is aired, is pretty much what is taped. No extra filming that ultimately gets cut, no retakes, no major edits.
Just a lot of waiting before hand. As in two hours... and it was the ONE time that I didn't have a book on me. NEVER AGAIN.
But ultimately, it was worth it.
(yep, that's me! On the set of The Daily Show With Trevor Noah)
More Trevor Noah:
💕
The Valiant Trilogy by Lesley Livingston
(#1, Paperback, $9.99)* (#2, Paperback, $10.99)* (#3, Hardcover, $18.99)*
Princess. Slave. Gladiator.
(#1, Paperback, $9.99)* (#2, Paperback, $10.99)* (#3, Hardcover, $18.99)*
Princess. Slave. Gladiator.
Right out of the gate with book one, The Valiant, Fallon is a Celtic princess who is set on becoming part of her father's warrior band, just as her older sister once was. Then, things go terribly awry. Next thing she knows she is on a slave ship to Rome, where she will ultimately be sold off as a gladiator.
What I liked about this book was (in addition of the kickass female character), that gave light to a part of history that has traditionally focused on the male contributors. Because yes, female gladiators really existed and fought. They are now referred to as Gladiatrix.
In addition to that, Livingston takes Celtic lore, and blends it with Greek mythos. The Morrigan meets Wonder Woman....Meets Gladiator.
In addition to that, Livingston takes Celtic lore, and blends it with Greek mythos. The Morrigan meets Wonder Woman....Meets Gladiator.
Now, I have only read the the first book, but books two and three came out yesterday in paperback and hardcover respectively. For me it also serves as a reason to talk about one of my favourite movies ever.
Gladiator starring Russell Crowe and a pretty awesome cast overall. Not counting Titanic, which I first saw in bits and pieces, Gladiator was the first rated R movie I saw as a kid. (Although now, I would make the argument that it is movie PG-13 by today's standards...)
But Gladiator, and I think that it is safe to say this, I became a tad obsessed with.
My sister had rented the DVD from the local video rental shop, back in the ye olde days, and I was curious to see what she was watching. (I had little sister FOMO)
I initally only caught the last twenty minutes or so, but it was enough to make me cry. So, then I had to kick my sister off of our shared computer and watch it all from the beginning. I was NINE, what can I say.
I also remember cheering hardcore for this movie during the Oscars. I mean, it was the only nominee from that year that I had watched at that point, but no matter!
I initally only caught the last twenty minutes or so, but it was enough to make me cry. So, then I had to kick my sister off of our shared computer and watch it all from the beginning. I was NINE, what can I say.
I also remember cheering hardcore for this movie during the Oscars. I mean, it was the only nominee from that year that I had watched at that point, but no matter!
I don't even know how many times have watched that movie since. My copy of the dvd is now extremely scratched, and will probably need replacing soon. Not to mention my copy of the soundtrack... I listened to the soundtrack soooo many times on my portable cd player (YES, I KNOW, I AM OLD), to the point that the music now puts me to sleep.
What can I say, the battle scenes relax me...
I actually tend to wake up when it gets to the quieter music at the end. Which ,happen to be my favourite three tracks, so it all works out! Now, whenever I have trouble sleeping, I put the soundtrack on.
I feel like I am starting to ramble a bit so, I will refrain from going any further about the movie at this time...
What can I say, the battle scenes relax me...
I actually tend to wake up when it gets to the quieter music at the end. Which ,happen to be my favourite three tracks, so it all works out! Now, whenever I have trouble sleeping, I put the soundtrack on.
(The Gladiator Soundtrack via Spotify on my phone)
I feel like I am starting to ramble a bit so, I will refrain from going any further about the movie at this time...
I will admit that my copy of The Valiant did end up sitting on my bookshelf for quite some time before I finally picked it up. But, once I did it was easy to get into.
I have a tendency to do that; buy books and then they sit on my shelves for an unpredicted amount of time. I justify this by saying, and having yet to be proven wrong, that the books are then ready and waiting for the exact time that they are meant to be read. Because honestly, nothing sucks more than reading something that you are not in the mood for. It's not fair, to you, or the book.
(My Copy)
Okay, and here are the links for all three books in the trilogy (In Order) :
More Lesley Livingston:
💕
I wasn't originally planning on talking about Valentine's Day and all of that, however I have to confess something. I AM IN LOVE. Completely besotted. With my nieces. That's right. I now have TWO. 😍 Congrats to my sister for creating two perfect tiny humans. Happy Galentine's Day Everyone!
💕
But Wait! Here are some other books that came out yesterday:
Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard (Hardcover, $18.99)*
The Beast's Heart by Leif Shallcross (Paperback, $15.00)*
Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Petro (Hardcover, $19.99)*
All The Pieces Matter: The Inside Story of The Wire by Jonathan Abrams (Paperback, $17.00)*
Here are also a couple of books coming out this Friday (Instead of the traditional Tuesday):
Heart Berries by Therese Marie Mailhot (Paperback, $16.95)
Sealskin by Su Bristow (Paperback, $18.00)
💕
And Remember:
Physical books are available to order from Moon Palace Books , or your favourite indie bookstore
Prefer Ebooks? Check out Kobo
💕💕
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