Archives for April 2017

MONTHLY RECAP • British Bands + Bookselling (April 2017)

April 30, 2017 Comments : 2

I can’t believe it’s the end of April.

Summer is upon us, and that is not okay. My April consisted of concerts, proud bookselling, and a store reset that fucked my sleeping schedule.

WHAT’S UP?

In April—

I got to see The xx and BASTILLE in concert!

AND THEY WERE BOTH FANTASTIC!!! I have so much love for both these British bands.

.@the_xx are complete magic. 😍❤️💛💚💙💜💕💞💓💗💖 pic.twitter.com/DKkwF1FVLI

— Cee ✨🔮 (@tnhcee) April 18, 2017

BASTILLE. @bastilledan. So much love and 🙌. pic.twitter.com/AOsNgcw740

— Cee ✨🔮 (@tnhcee) April 24, 2017

Comics

FROM PANEL TO PANEL • April 2017 Graphic Novel Releases To Look Out For

April 30, 2017 Leave a Comment

from panel to panel

I love comics and graphic novels, so what do I do with that love? Well, I turn it into a new feature!

From Panel to Panel is a new feature where I talk about the awesome (and perhaps not-so awesome) comic books and graphic novels I’ve read. Basically, this will be me pushing them onto your laps. You’re welcome.

In April, there were a lot of comic volume 2s and 3s I would drop everything to get my hands on them. Those comics are Green Arrow (and my bb Black Canary), the legendary archer back at it again; Barbara Gordon has reunited with Dinah Lance and Helena Bertenelli to form Birds of Prey; a complete collection of Phonogram, and plenty of awesome comics I need you to put in your TBR list!

Get your shopping carts loaded with all these comics!

*GREEN ARROW • VOL. 2: ISLAND OF SCARS*

In a tale from happier but no less dangerous times, Green Arrow labors to train a new apprentice who’s every bit as deadly as his fiercest villains: a teenage girl, that happens to be his half-sister! But before Emiko and Ollie can embrace as family, they have to save Seattle from a foe that can see the future of anyone he chooses–anyone, that is, except for Emiko Queen…

DC Universe: Rebirth continues with this fresh take on GREEN ARROW from horror novelist Benjamin Percy and rising star artist Otto Schmidt! Collects GREEN ARROW #6-11.— DC Comics

Publication date: April 5, 2017 by DC Comics

Buy: LCBS · Amazon · Barnes & Noble · The Book Depository · Indigo · Comixology

Why I’m excited: Anything with Dinah in the picture, I will make grabby hands for it. I’ve read a couple issues of this volume, and Green Arrow Rebirth continues to knock my socks off. It’s really one of the top Rebirth titles I’ve read.
Read More

Discussion

CURRENTLY READING • Bette & Joan, Dead Letters, + Live from New York

April 22, 2017 Leave a Comment

I haven’t been great at keeping with my TBR books this past month. (Blame that on all the stress! Ack.) Currently Reading will act as my check-in, letting you guys know what I’m forever reading at the moment, and what I’m enjoying about it. Today, I’m sharing with you three books I’m juggling/reading

Bette & Joan: The Divine Feud by Shaun Considine

They were two of the most talented beauties Hollywood ever produced: the elegant Joan Crawford, a former chorus girl who shot through the ranks at MGM, and the brash, tempestuous Bette Davis, a Broadway star notorious for refusing to bow to the studio bosses.

Their work together in the hit film Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? sowed the seeds for a mutual hatred that would consume their lives. As each fading star tried to outshine the other, lives were upended and reputations were destroyed. Glamorous, merciless, and cruel, their feud became the stuff of legends.

Based on interviews the author conducted with both actresses and more than a decade of research, Bette & Joan shows the hard-drinking, hard-fighting duo at their best and worst. The epic story of these dueling divas is hilarious, monstrous, tragic, and the inspiration for the Ryan Murphy TV series Feud starring Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange. Now updated with two new chapters and a sixteen-page photo insert.

Why did I want to read Bette & Joan? It certainly wasn’t because of Ryan Murphy’s TV show about the pair. (No sarcasm.) What’s not to be interested in Old Hollywood feuds? I had always been fascinated by Bette and Joan’s relationship. These divas have been butting heads for decades, and I wanted to know more details about their feud.

What do I like about it so far? Wow, their lives were so fascinating. So many tragedies and affairs and jealousy and whatnot. That’s Old Hollywood for ya. As I read this book, I was honestly more interested in learning more about Bette, even though Joan had more exciting stuff happening to her.

Letters

SINCERELY, CEE • A letter from yours truly to Mackenzi Lee & The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue

April 14, 2017 Comments : 3

**Dear Mackenzi Lee & The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue,**

[quote cite=”Goodreads” url=”https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29283884-the-gentleman-s-guide-to-vice-and-virtue”]An unforgettable tale of two friends on their Grand Tour of 18th-century Europe who stumble upon a magical artifact that leads them from Paris to Venice in a dangerous manhunt, fighting pirates, highwaymen, and their feelings for each other along the way.

Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.

But as Monty embarks on his grand tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.

Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.[/quote]

Reviews

REVIEW • Love Is Infinite (The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz)

April 12, 2017 Comments : 2

The first day of senior year: Everything is about to change.

Until this moment, Sal has always been certain of his place with his adoptive gay father and their loving Mexican-American family. But now his own history unexpectedly haunts him, and life-altering events force him and his best friend, Samantha, to confront issues of faith, loss, and grief.

Suddenly Sal is throwing punches, questioning everything, and discovering that he no longer knows who he really is—but if Sal’s not who he thought he was, who is he?[/note]

myreview

[note note_color=”#BFD1D1″ text_color=”#ffffff”]I received this book for free from Clarion Books for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.[/note]

First sentence: “I have a memory that is almost like a dream: the yellow leaves from Mima’s mulberry tree are floating down from the sky like giant snowflakes.”

Love.

I can only describe The Inexplicable Logic of My Life as being full of love. The kind of love that is so pure and that you’d want to keep that feeling with you forever and forever. That is this book for me. Everybody is brimming with love for each other, and I love that. It makes my heart soar.

The Inexplicable Logic of My Life is a slice of life into the beauty family that Salvador Silva has and makes for himself.