Who: Bernth, guitarist & shreducator from Vienna, Austria. He’s been playing since he was 13 years old. He’s only 30 years old. Oh, to be young and talented. The world is at his fingertips. Literally.
What: Bernth’s debut album, Elevation, will be available on May 14. Everyone can pre-order the album and merch at https://bernth.myshopify.com/.
Why:
“My biggest goal with ‘Elevation’ was writing the ultimate guitar album,” says BERNTH. “A mix of completely new sounds with traditional elements all guitar enthusiasts love: blazing shreds, inescapable hooks, and captivating songwriting!”
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The Summer of the Bear
My parents called me “Bear” or “Holley Bear” when I was a kid. I think they meant it in a cute, teddy bear kind of way. My dad bought this book for me several years ago when we visited a used bookstore. I think he was just glad to get out of the store for less than $10. Thanks Dad!
The book itself was not what I expected. However, the unexpected can be awesome as in the case of “The Summer of the Bear.”
I read this before ever personally knowing about abusive relationships. It was a good book and would read again. Still grateful that I’m not in hiding anymore.
‘One for the house, one for the Church and one for the sea.’
Long ago Miren O’Malley’s family prospered due to a deal struck with the mer: safety for their ships in return for a child of each generation. But for many years the family have been unable to keep their side of the bargain and have fallen into decline. Miren’s grandmother is determined to restore their glory, even at the price of Miren’s freedom.
If you had to choose which child to sacrifice to the sea, would you be able to do it? In “All the Murmuring Bones” by A.G. Slatter, if the O’Malley’s can’t make a choice, then they will be poor and unsuccessful. I’m already poor so I would stand by my choice of choosing not handing my child over to Ursula the Sea Witch. Ursula is one of my favorite villains but I wouldn’t want to give my child to her.
Miren is the last of the O’Malley children. She lives on a formerly magnificent estate with her grandmother. Her grandmother did not sacrifice her child to the sea.
Well . . . Miren’s mother, Isolde, eloped with Liam Elliott, had a child and then ran away from home with her husband but not the baby. Miren found out later that her mother stole something valuable from the grandparents. It’s a mystery until the very end but it is enormously unexpected. For her whole life, Miren believed that her parents were deceased.
It turns out that Miren’s parents never came back for Miren. They were alive. After the granparents passed away, Miren went off in search of her parents, Isolde and Liam. Everyone that she talks to about her mother believed that she had magical powers.
First, she had to escape from her creepy, abusive fiance, Aidan. She doesn’t like Aidan but the grandmother arranged the marriage. He had a lot of money. People forgive too much bad behavior in the name of money.
So Miren escapes from the fiance. She has a few clues about where her parents are located. Some nice traveling theater people help her along the way.
After searching for a little while, Miren finally finds the place that she is looking for – her parent’s home. However, the parents are not home but her Uncle Edward, Nelly the nanny and a baby sister, Ena, are at the home. Those three people are a whole other mystery.
Maybe I should have been a casting director. I am confident in the following choices for any films made based on the book.
Miren
Aidan
Nelly
Unce Edward
If you like Gothic fairy tales and mer-people, then you will enjoy this book. It is an actual fairy tale, which have tragic things happening throughout the book. It is not a Disney princess fairy tale. I read a review of this book that said how the reader was disappointed because it wasn’t a “real” fairy tale. However, that reader is wrong about the definition of a fairy tale. Plus, this is a Gothic fairy tale which is even creepier and more tragic than a regular fairy tale.
The people that only want pleasant endings to a pleasant story with beautiful princesses, loving mothers and happy mermaids will probably not enjoy this particular story. They might if they give it a chance. It’s such a good book, it would be a shame to miss out on it.
I received this ebook from NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Obviously.
Amazon affiliate link included in this post. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
Do you guys remember Sour Grapes? She was a Strawberry Shortcake character. In the original version, Sour Grapes was diabolical but a snazzy dresser. So this fashion board is how I imagine she would dress now.
Van Hunt, currently of Georgia, released the album Trim (The Reimagined Van Hunt) in 2019. How does it happen that not everyone knows about Van Hunt? As of April 3,2021, I was a first time listener and from then on will be a lifelong fan.
Actually, this album is a reimagining of his self-titled debut album. If you listen to both albums, you will hear the differences. Both albums are great but the Trim definitely shows how Hunt has changed as a musician and a person.
This album is very much rooted in the blues and soul. I don’t think this album has anything unworthy of the listener’s ears. My favorite songs are “Her December” and “Who Will Love Me in Winter.”
Hunt reminds me of D’Angelo in some ways. I think they both started out as Neo-soul musicians but they’ve both grown musically. They both still have neo-soul and R & B influences but incorporate whatever they need to to make the music work.
I want to listen to this album everywhere. I wish that I had a bag for carrying vinyl records and a record player just so that I could specifically carry Van Hunt’s album around with me. No one would expect me to be the DJ. It would be awesome.
We all need quiet time. Time to sit by the water and think about whatever is weighing us down. Check out the video for “Bluff” by Jupiter Dubois. Jupiter’s voice and the music are so quiet. Don’t forget to turn the volume down after the song is over – just in case you decide to play Slipknot afterwards. We wouldn’t want you to scare the cat that is probably lying near your computer.
What: According to their website, they are an “avant garde metal experience.”
Why: Do you guys remember the movie “Arsenic and Old Lace”? Those old ladies had an arsenic tea party on a regular basis. Anyway, check out the band called Arsenic Tea Party. They are probably more fun and slightly less deadly.
I would be willing to be that Ren Marabou has watched every fictional television show about Vikings, plus a few historical documentaries. Marabou could probably get a part as an extra or as a bard. What are viking musicians called? We would know more if they had a notation system. If there was a time machine, we could send Marabou back to write down Viking music and preserve it in the name of history.
The metal statue is The Gaelic Chieftain. It’s located in an area overlooking the Curlew Mountains in Ireland. If you go to Ireland, you could take a picture with the statue. I don’t know if you’ll look as cool but you can try.
Anyway . . . check out this interview with Ren Marabou.
Where have you been staying?
At home in the North West of Ireland.
What have you been doing during times of quarantine?
I kept busy writing and recording during my quarantine down time. I have a vault full of tracks awaiting release.
Have you found or re-found any hobbies?
I actually re-discovered my love for skateboarding and basketball which was great.
What have you been listening to lately?
I’ve been having a great time the last few months getting back into Amon Amarth, Tyr, Wintersun, Ensiferum, and Eluveitie. When I fancy chilling out I’ve been playing Wardruna records.
Has your songwriting process changed this year?
My creative process has definitely flourished. Just having more time not being on the road. I get a chance to try out every crazy idea I get now. Experimenting with different instrumentation and vocal styles has become a daily routine.
Is there any message that you would like to convey to fans or soon-to-be fans?
I guess I would like to promote appreciation of Norse Mythology and Norse Paganism.
What is something positive that has happened to you during 2021?
2021 has been great so far. I recently became and Endorsed Artist at Skull Strings and I signed to Misanthropik Records. I also just finished my new album ‘Valhalla Waits’ which is set for release on May 1st.
Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, tourists and foreign businessmen flood into Spain under the welcoming promise of sunshine and wine. Among them is eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson, the son of an oil tycoon, who arrives in Madrid with his parents hoping to connect with the country of his mother’s birth through the lens of his camera. Photography–and fate–introduce him to Ana, whose family’s interweaving obstacles reveal the lingering grasp of the Spanish Civil War–as well as chilling definitions of fortune and fear. Daniel’s photographs leave him with uncomfortable questions amidst shadows of danger.
The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys is set in Madrid, Spain. I have never been to Spain but it sounds like a beautiful country. It is on my list of places to visit. Visiting La Tomatina is on my bucket list. It was banned by Franco because it didn’t have any religious significance. This book is not quite as messy as a tomato throwing festival in a literal sense. At the time that the book takes place, people still have to be cautious about what they do, who they talk to and what they discuss.
Daniel is an aspiring photographer but some people don’t want him to take pictures of everything in Spain. The government is watching Daniel so he can’t attract too much attention or they will confiscate his camera and photographs.
He makes a friend with Ana, the person in charge of taking care of his family at the hotel. By the end of the summer, they are in love. It’s a dangerous time to be in love. They can’t flaunt their flirtations. Ana could lose her job, which is very important for helping to care for her family. If she and her siblings don’t pay for her mother’s burial plot, the powers that be will unbury their mother and place her in a mass grave. There are a lot of terrible things that people do but that has to be in the top ten worst things that anyone ever thought of in the history of the world.
The matador, Fuga, is an interesting character. He is the strong, silent type. However, Fuga might have a heart of gold under all of that bravado and silence.
Daniel is trying to win a photography competition, which could help him in a career as a photographer. He wants to photograph the real Spain, which is somewhat difficult because he is seen as an outsider because he is American. Ana and her family help him to see parts of Spain that he couldn’t find on his own. Even Fuga, who doesn’t like Daniel, reveals a huge conspiracy in order to help Daniel and the young people in Spain.
Here are my suggestions for a cast list for a movie or series. If you have another other contenders, let the author or Netflix know.
Ana
Daniel
Fuga
If you enjoy historical fiction with a sense of adventure or books set in places on your bucket list, then you might enjoy “The Fountains of Silence.”
Fascist dictators will not enjoy this book as much as they could. Being a fascist cannot be that much fun if you can’t enjoy life.
I received this book from The Write Reads, NetGalley and Penguin as part of a very casual book blog tour. Thanks! All opinions are my own. Obviously.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
