APRIL 2021 PLAYLIST + WRAP UP

April was an eventful month. I had mixed feels about it.

HEALTH + WORK + BIRTHDAYS + SUPERHEROES

For the first time in I dunno how many years, I fell sick. I had coughs, colds and body pains so I had to self-quarantine. Thankfully they petered out after three days. I always thought I had a good immune system but I guess all the nightshifts I had to do last March must have taken its toll. Which is funny because I stay up all night all the time doing random non-work related things and feel perfectly fine.

Work was shit for a couple of weeks. There was additional workload, I fucked up on a couple of tasks and my work PC died and never woke up. I had to lug the whole thing, including the huge ass monitor, to our office to get it replaced. I realized clerical office work is really not for me but I’m hanging on because it’s hard to find a new job these days. Also, this job allows me to work from home which is really important to me.

On a happier note, April is birthday month. Three people in my immediate family have their birthdays, plus various cousins, dead and alive, as well as a nephew or two. We don’t do parties anymore. We prepare a noodle dish (for long life since noodles are long) and share it with every relative’s house in our small family compound.

On the movie front, I was super excited to see the new Mortal Kombat movie. I played the game way back when. My favorite character was Raiden. I thought he was supercool and badass because he can shoot lightning. I also thought he would always be a sure win because, well, lightning bolts but I still lose most of the time. I never learned the combos. I really suck at video games.

The Mortal Kombat Movie Trailer Is Here, And The Internet ...

Anyway, I enjoyed the movie. Scorpio and Sub Zero were awesome! I wished Raiden had a fight scene. He was played by an unrecognizable Tadanobu Asanu, one of my favorite Japanese actors. Cole Young was meh. It wasn’t the best but it was a good movie adaptation of the game. Give us a sequel please!

Justice League: The Snyder Cut Will Be a 4-Hour Miniseries ...

I also watched Justice League Snyder Cut. The previous Justice League movie wasn’t bad. I thought it was better than Batman vs Superman but I feel it only touched the surface. For me, the Snyder Cut was how it should have originally been. Again, it wasn’t perfect but I think they were able to put enough focus on each superhero and explore their characters just a bit deeper. Also, the Amazons had the best fight scenes in the entire movie.

Dorky Barry Allen made my day when he went beyond the speed of light. I never really paid attention to The Flash before, I thought he’s just a really fast runner. But then I learned he’s a hell of a lot more powerful than he seems.

Ben Affleck came close to convincing me he was Batman. His arch-nemesis only had a very short screen time but I have to say I’m tired of the Jared Leto Joker. I’m a fan of the Joker but I think they’re overplaying this version too much. Or I’m just not into Jared Leto.

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SONGS OF APRIL

For April, we have indie favorites Royal Blood, Half Alive and Des Rocs, as well as new discoveries Yoke Lore, Boy Pablo and Andy Samford. We also have 80s solo artist Missing Persons, 90s alternative band Screaming Trees, supergroup Puscifer and the classic Aqualung.

APRIL READS

How To Lure A Hunter – Alice Winters (4.5 stars) paranormal, mystery, contemporary, vampires, law enforcement, sunshine/grumpy, humor, slow burn
This Is Not Revenge – Romilly King (5 stars) dark, psychological, abduction, Stockholm Syndrome, contemporary, delusions, magic, mystery, psychopath, serial killer, psychologist, thriller, suspense,
Giorgio – Silvia Violet (2.5 stars) erotic, contemporary, BDSM, insta-lust, size difference, ex-military, bodyguard, stalker, vigilantism, crime, mystery
Niall – Silvia Violet (3.5 stars) erotic, contemporary, BDSM, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, former federal agent, vigilantism, crime, mystery
Shadows Deceive – S.C. Wynne (4 stars) paranormal, murder mystery, contemporary, psychic procedural, law enforcement, psychic, ghosts, family, established couple
Sweet As Honey – Lucy Lennox (4 stars) contemporary romance, small town, nerd, biker, bullying, mystery, humor

A bit of this and that for April. We got vampires, psychos, vigilantes, psychics and some regular joes.

Went complete gaga over a sweet magical psycho and his captivated captive in the Stockholm Syndrome romance, This Is Not Revenge. This darkly enchanting book earned the rare and much coveted 5-star rating. So will the rest of the series, I’m sure.

And as predicted, Alexei and Claude’s story was the best one in the VRC: Vampire Related Crimes series. How To Lure A Hunter was a delightful mix of humor, snark, ridiculous fashion choices and all out tsundere goodness.

Psychic procedural Shadows Deceive was also the best installment in the Psychic Detective Mysteries. The first two books were average but this one has greatly improved in terms of character and relationship development. Small town contemporary romance Sweet As Honey was as sweet and delicious as advertised. The only thing that kept me from giving it a perfect score were the bad guys that almost spoiled the experience.

Vigilance was a much-anticipated series but opener Giorgio was a huge disappointment. There was too much surrendering and barely any plot. Its follow up, Niall, was a great improvement overall. The relationship felt more balanced and believable. Niall and Marco were actually doing their jobs.