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When all the good in you
starts arguing with all the bad in you
about who you really are,
never let the bad in you
make the better case.Andrea Gibson -
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-rjve5idjM?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]
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Suki ni Nattara 10 made Kazoero – Takaido Akemi
A collection of oneshots, the main story features Yoshi Kagami From the Prince Charming series, and an appearance by hypochondriac Chihana from 35 Degrees of Love.
1-3 and extras) A college student locked out of his apartment finds out about the sleep disorder of his salaryman neighbor.
4) The charismatic chief’s beautiful bentos must be made with love. But whose?
5) Can the company president’s private secretary keep his cool when the president’s son needs a place to stay?
6) A young man inherits a house, and a garden that reminds him of his lost love.Count Up to 10 When You Fall In Love +
The Man Who Missed Out on Happiness: Slow-paced story peopled with nice characters and one asshole. With soft, calm atmosphere but also kind of blah.
A Gentleman’s Accomplishment: Young salaryman is crushing hard on ikemen chief. Discovers his unlikely hobbies and now has to put up with it. Chief is a keeper, that’s for sure.
The Lips of an Adult: Petulant teen with a penchant for eavesdropping secretly carries on with his dad’s private secretary. Slowly learns the ways of adults. Let’s hope nobody loses their job when dad finds out.
No Flowers in the February Forest: Poignant story of love and the language of flowers. The best oneshot of the collection.
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Her of the Wood – Veronica Watts
Determined to get out of a city where the lowest classes are subjugated into silent submission, Euodia sneaks onto a convoy of detainees being transported to the old lands to die.
Her hope is rewarded when her group meets scouts from a small but thriving community. As Euodia learns to live and work in her new home, she struggles to shake off years of conditioning so that she can be honest with Ailie about her developing feelings.
But just as she’s finding her feet, and maybe her courage, a deadly disease sweeps through the community…
Her of the Wood is a dystopian story about the search for freedom and finding a home where you can be yourself.
I liked the cover and the premise piqued my curiosity enough for me to take a chance on this novel. Solace is an ideal community where people are free to love whomever they please. I liked all the cozy couples in the story but the vast majority of the novel is about Euodia going about her daily business which is not the most riveting subject to read about. We are shown the development of hers and Ailie’s relationship which was sweet but the writing style, composed of short almost terse sentences makes everything come across as bland. And even though I was hoping none of them die and the couples stay together, I felt like I hadn’t connected with any of the characters. In addition, the conflicts were resolved a little too easily and the sense of danger was constantly muted.
The book’s highlights were the first and last parts which were ironically, moments that involve the city Dracon where Euodia came from. I am actually more curious about the city than Solace but I am also glad the plot was not the usual dystopian take-down-the-corrupt-government storyline.
The ending was certainly a big surprise which might have hinted on a sequel. I would like to find out more about Dracon. Would the city people ever know about Solace? Would people from Solace want to see the city?
Like I said, the premise shows promise but the execution could use some work, the characters need more depth and maybe an exciting event or two to shake things up in the middle part. However the book offers some positive messages I liked and the setting was good. It also has a YA feel to it which is also a plus. All in all, I rate this a pass.
P.S.
I received a copy of Her of the Wood from Less Than Three Press
via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked itSoundtrack: Solace
Artist: Tom Day
Album: Without Words(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40937955-her-of-the-wood)
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[spotify id=”spotify%3Atrack%3A2f36DetdtTB6K76Zo7ZBI4&view=coverart” width=”540″ height=”620″ /]Soundtrack to Her of the Wood by Veronica Watts
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Here soar
Not with wingsBut with your moving hands and feet
And sweating brows –Standing by your Beloved’s side
Reaching out to comfort this worldWith your cup of solace
Drawn from your vast reservoir of truth.شمس الدین محمد حافظ / Shams-al-Din Mohammad Hafez -
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Unmei No Koi Ni Naritai – Suzume Yura
Sometimes, destiny has other plans in motion. It can initiate love out of nowhere, and for Wataru, it’s a bad thing. But Tachibana believes that destiny will bring him the true love he’s been desperately searching for, only..
Cute confession!
Would you try out the possibilities with me?
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The Artist and the Soldier – Angelle Petta
Two young men come of age and fall in love, set against the backdrop of true events during World War II.
It’s 1938. Bastian Fisher and Max Amsel meet at an American-Nazi camp, Siegfried. Neither have any idea what to do with their blooming, confusing feelings for one another. Before they can begin to understand, the pair is yanked apart and forced in opposite directions.
Five years later, during the heart of World War II, Bastian’s American army platoon lands in Salerno, Italy. Max is in Nazi-occupied Rome where he has negotiated a plan to hire Jews on as ‘extras’ in a movie—an elaborate ruse to escape the Nazis. Brought together by circumstance and war, Bastian and Max find one another again in Rome.
Exploring the true stories of Camp Siegfried and the making of the film, La Porta del Cielo, The Artist and the Soldier is intense, fast moving, and sheds light on largely untouched stories in American and Italian history.
The Artist and the Soldier was right up my alley. A historical novel set in the WWII era featuring two young men who fell in love. And it started as idyllic. Max and Bastian met and became close in Camp Siegfied, a real life American-Nazi summer camp for young boys of Aryan descent. I think of it as idyllic even though they have to deal with bullies and other unpleasantness. This is the part where the two boys, in their relative innocence, felt drawn to each other though they don’t fully understand it yet.
The summer was interrupted by the pronouncement that Max’s father was death. This is followed by tedious scenes of dealing with grief and Max’s mentally ill mother which was made worse by Bastian’s monumental fuck up just right after the boys admit their feeling to each other. This effectively killed my enthusiasm for the book.
I understand this is a ME problem and maybe I’m so used to romance where HEAs are a given. Age-gap makes me cringe but I could shrug it off, abuse, dub-con or non-con might be pushing it but the ultimate turn off for me is cheating. And I couldn’t fathom what in the fucking hell made Bastian meekly follow that woman to her bedroom right after having sex with Max. Also, Bastian is possibly bisexual (he has been with girls) and if so, here we go with the cheating bi thing. Can we not with this trope, please?
And so with a heavy heart, I tried to read the rest of the story but like I said, the impetus is dead.
Objectively (because I need to take a step back from my own stupid biases), I love the premise. It combines two real historical events, the film La Porta del Cielo and the American-German camps. Stories about how Jews escape the Nazis are always fascinating and it always amazes me how resourceful and resilient people can be in order to survive. I think most readers would love this book. I recommend this for history buffs, especially those into WWII stories, and those who, unlike me, can move past Bastian’s mistake. Because deep in my heart, I know there’s more to the story than their love affair.
P.S.
I received a copy of The Artist and the Soldier from
Warren Publishing
via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating:
No stars because it’s a ME issue.Edit: Netgalley is asking for stars so I will give it 2 Stars – it’s a struggle to finish the damn book
Soundtrack: Submarine
Artist: The Drums
Album: Summertime(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39170800-the-artist-and-the-soldier)
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[spotify id=”spotify%3Atrack%3A3XT0LhWGvGUiiS6mD1RHWC&view=coverart” width=”540″ height=”620″ /]Soundtrack to The Artist and the Soldier by Angelle Petta
