#Gabrielle Prendergast

[bensbooks]

ARC Review: Flash Flood

Seventeen-year-old Zack has been living with his foster parents, the Tates, for three years. He used to be an angry mess with a broken heart, but with their love and support he’s doing better now—and managing his ADHD. His foster brother, troubled fourteen-year-old Peter, arrived three months ago. Struggling with ADHD and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, Peter reminds Zach of himself before the Tates took him in. During a massive rainstorm, Peter runs away. While the Tates are out searching for him, the town announces a mandatory emergency evacuation. The river is flooding! Peter finally shows up and Zack takes charge, gathering supplies and trying to make sure Peter is okay. As the water rises, Zack and Peter have to figure out whether to sit tight and wait or try to escape…before they get washed away.

My review:

Flash Flood is about Zach, a teenager in foster care who is suddenly having to look after his foster brother Peter alone when their street and home floods. Zach and Peter both have disabilities that mean things aren't so easy for them, and the high-stress situations that happen to them within the book certainly don't help.

This fast-paced book uses very simple language, which is suited more towards middle-grade or readers who prefer easier books. It's a gripping book that doesn't linger too long on each problem that comes up, but keeps moving the overall plot along. It also has good basic information about ADHD and other disabilities that the characters have.

[mediaevalmusereads]

2023 Reading Wrap-Up: the Good, the Bad, and the Meh

Below is a list of books that I read in 2023. I’ve sorted them into 3 categories: the good (books I loved), the bad (books I didn’t like), and the meh (books I thought were just ok). Other than these categories, the books aren’t listed in any special order or ranking.

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

The Good

The Beautifu Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Civilizations by Laurent Binet

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel

Baking Yesteryear by B. Dylan Hollis

Powers of Darkness by Valdimar Asmundsson

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

Say Yes to the Marquess by Tessa Dare

Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare

The Square of Sevens by Laura Robinson-Shepherd

Japanese Ghost Stories by Lafcadio Hearn

Unlocked by Courtney Milan

Writing Fiction by Janet Burroway

The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder

If We Were Villains by ML Rio

Under the Eye of Power by Colin Dickey

Proof By Seduction by Courtney Milan

Our Hideous Progeny by CE McGill

Bea Wulf by Zach Weinersmith

Hen Fever by Olivia Waite

The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh by KJ Charles

Lord Dashwood Missed Out by Tessa Dare

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe

Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare

A Lady by Midnight by Tessa Dare

A Rogue's Rules for Seduction by Eva Leigh

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

Perfume by Patrick Suskind

Affective Medievalism by Thomas Prendergast and Stephanie Trigg

A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare

The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin

Kent State by Derf Backderf

Anti-Christ by Mernard McGinn

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

The Meh

The Nothing Man by Katherine Ryan Howard

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

A Christmas Bride by Mary Balogh

A True Account by Katherine Howe

The Disenchantment by Celia Bell

Hazardous Spirits by Anbara Salam

The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare

Penguin's Poems for Love by Laura Barber

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

Marry Me By Midnight by Felicia Grossman

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

Trial By Desire by Courtney Milan

The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Lin

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

Beauty and the Blacksmith by Tessa Dare

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

Weyward by Emilia Hart

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

The Twenty Days of Turin by Giorgio de Maria

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sara MacLean

How the Wallflower Was Won by Eva Leigh

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

Erotic Medievalisms by Elan Justice Pavlinich

Hit Me With Your Best Scot by Suzanne Enoch

Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins

Prize for the Fire by Rilla Askew

Bisclavret by KL Noone

The Witches of New York by Ami McKay

A Natural History of the Romance Novel by Pamela Regis

The Bad

A Love By Design by Elizabeth Everett

Mr. Malcolm's List by Suzanne Allain

A Dangerous Business by Jane Smiley

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Finding Meaning by David Kessler

Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare

The Prince of Prohibition by Marilyn Marks

The Heiress Hunt by Joanna Shupe

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley

[the-literary-witch-blog]

I want my dash to be more lively so If you’re a book blog I want to follow you! especially if you’re a fan of and post any of the following

Trick by Natalia Jaster

Then Winners Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski

The Mara Dyer Trilogy by Michelle Hodkin 

The Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer 

The Die for Me Trilogy by Amy Plum

Maximum Ride by James Patterson 

Penryn and the End of Days by Susan Ee

Zero Repeat Forever by Gabrielle Pendergast 

Reblog and help me out if you don’t mind!

[unapologeticallya]

Review: Zero Repeat Forever by G.S. Prendergast

Stars: 4/5

Okay so I was really interested in the book because the description sounded like The 5th Wave and I did enjoy Zero Repeat Forever a lot, but it was pretty similar to T5W. Don't get me wrong-- this book could stand on its own and it really is a riveting YA sci-fi novel... but as someone who has read and loved T5W series, it's almost impossible to not make comparisons. I'm going to try not to in this review though. Just know that this is a YA books about alien invasions and, at least from my experience, there aren't a whole lot of them out there, except for T5W which happens to be addicting and popular and sets a high bar for alien YA novels, at least for me. Let's start with the good! I was so into this book. I read it in one morning and just did not put it down the entire time. And that's sort of weird because the pace is on the slower side and the book itself is almost 500 pages. So I'm not entirely sure why I found it so interesting... but it does have that X factor of hmm-this-is-fun-why-don't-I-spend-five-hours-out-of-my-day-unable-to-peel-my-eyes-from-these-pages. I thought the whole idea of the aliens was really cool and original. I don't want to spoil the specifics, but I love when an author can come up with something that's so intricate and unusual that I'm just sitting here like what kind of twisted mind came up with this??? Overall, I liked the writing and the creative ideas. I'm going to get into my complaints and it'll look like I didn't like this book that much, but I really did enjoy it. I'm not going to lie-- this wasn't groundbreaking fiction. I just thought it was fun-- I'd probably recommend it to a friend, but I wouldn't consider it one of my favorite books. Now for the elements that I wasn't such a fan of... I know it's strange to like a novel, but just not like almost any of the characters, but that's how I felt. I didn't care for Raven (the main character). I thought she was sort of textbook angsty YA narrator. And I get why-- she's in a really rough situation. And maybe I could have accepted that she is just sort of an unlikable character. BUT then when the love interest(s) describe her it's like she is this sweet, delicate angel. AND THAT IS JUST INACCURATE. I understand that their perspectives were biased based on their own feelings towards her (Eighth's especially, because of his backstory), but I just saw the contrast as more inconsistent and a way of the author trying to make Raven more relatable and likable to the reader, than her making some grand statement about manic pixie dream girls. This also definitely impacted my feelings on the romance aspect of the novel. There was quite a bit of emphasis on it and I just really preferred the whole alien-world-domination plot over the romance bit. I liked Eighth and I liked how he was portrayed as a second main character (even though his chapters were generally much shorter than Raven's). I also liked reading about the scenes when Raven and Eighth were together because they were filled with awkwardness and irony, but I didn't necessarily ship them at all. I plan on continuing on with this series. I'm not quite sure how long it will be, since Goodreads doesn't have the rest of the books in the series up yet, but I'm guessing it will be either a duology or a trilogy. I think this story works well as a series, because there is just no way any part of a worldwide alien invasion could have been resolved in just one book. There are some things I would be especially interesting in seeing Prendergast explore in the next book(s). I'm curious to see the international impact of the invasion. Raven even mentions some of the other characters she interacts with who traveled from different countries and can't return home, so how is everyone else handling it?? The novel takes place in Canada and the characters are in a pretty isolated location. BUT when they do get wifi, I was pretty shocked to see that everyone would just watch gory, alien-murder propaganda. I get that the whole situation is hella traumatic, but why wouldn't they try to reach out to more people?? Anyway, try out this novel if you're looking for a fun yet frightening story about killer (and cuddly?) aliens wiping out the human race. Despite my nitpicking, I really did enjoy this novel and am excited for the next one. Current release date: August 29, 2017 ***I received a free e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

***My review is also posted on Goodreads

[mr-studentbodypresident]

MSBP Update: Seasons 1-4 are on YouTube!

Mr. Student Body President (MSBP) seasons 1-4 are now available on YouTube via New Form. Links to the playlists:

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

If you didn’t get the chance to enjoy MSBP before Go90 shut down a few years ago, you can now <3

(Big thanks to @fantasticwolfpenguin for messaging me about this!)

[angelicimpression]

Cold Falling White

Check out Sammie’s review of Cold Falling White by Gabrielle S. Prendergast:

http://angelicimpressions.blogspot.com/2020/02/cold-falling-white-nahx-invasions.html

Lauren is getting better, so hopefully reviews will come out more regularly again.

[architectnews]

The Bryant concrete skyscraper by David Chipperfield completes in New York

British architect David Chipperfield's latest New York project is The Bryant, a 32-storey mixed-use concrete skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan.

David Chipperfield Architects undertook the project for New York-based developers HFZ Capital Group.

The skyscraper overlooks Bryant Park

The 402-foot-high (123 metres) building overlooks Bryant Park and the New York Public Library. In 2001, the practice renovated the Bryant Park Hotel in the American Radiator Building next door.

A hotel occupies the levels up to the 14th floor of The Bryant, with private apartments taking up the other 18 storeys.

The New York Public Library is nearby

There are two separate lobbies for each use on the double-height ground floor, along with two retail units.

The Bryant has a base that fills the plot and steps back after a few levels, to create an outdoor rooftop terrace on one side of the building.

The concrete facade is a "contemporary interpretation" of the local landmarks

At the very top is a crown, stepped back even further and containing two penthouses with private terraces.

Due to its location near the library and the Beaux-Arts style Knox Building, David Chipperfield Architects had to make sure the concrete facade did not look out of place.

"The facade relates to the historic buildings nearby, offering a contemporary interpretation," said the practice.

"The concrete mix contains different aggregates identical to the stone varieties found in the neighbouring buildings' masonry facades."

A rooftop terrace occupies the step back

This concrete continues as terrazzo walls in the interiors of The Bryant, where the apartments feature floor-to-ceiling windows.

To keep the perimeter free and maximise the views, built-in furniture is designed to hide appliances and provide discreet storage.

Terrazzo and floor-to-ceiling windows in the apartment interiors

Selected apartments have already been dressed, including one on the 24th floor by curatorial firm Standard Arts and another by the online design retailer Radnor.

David Chipperfield, who founded his eponymous practice in the UK, is the recipient of both the RIBA Stirling Prize and the Mies van der Rohe Award.

The studio recently completed another residential project in New York – a red concrete and brick apartment block in Greenwich Village.

Photography is by Simon Menges.

Project credits:

Client: HFZ Capital Group Architect: David Chipperfield Architects London Project director: David Chipperfield, Billy Prendergast Project architect: Mattias Kunz Project team: Mira Abad, Pau Bajet, Gonçalo Baptista, Kleopatra Chelmi, Florian Dirschedl, Gabriel Fernandez-Abascal, Micha Gamper, Ines Gavelli, Maria Giramé, Christopher Harvey, Johannes Leskien, Nic Moore, Sergio Pereira Contact architect: Stonehill & Taylor Architects Lighting consultant: George Sexton Associates Acoustic consultant: Shen Milsom & Wilke Structural engineer: Severud Associates Consulting Engineers Services engineer: Corcoran Sunshine Real estate consultant: Vidaris Facade consultant Contractor: T.G. Nickel & Associate

The post The Bryant concrete skyscraper by David Chipperfield completes in New York appeared first on Dezeen.

[bookaddict24-7]

New Young Adult Releases Coming Out Today! (November 19th, 2019) ___

Have I missed any new Young Adult releases? Have you added any of these books to your TBR? Let me know! ___

New Standalones/First in a Series:

Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer

Crying Laughing by Lance Rubin

Blood Heir by Amélie Wen Zhao

Force Collector by Kevin Shinick & Tony Foti

___

New Sequels:

Cold Falling White (The Nahx Invasions #2) by Gabrielle S. Prendergast

The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air #3) by Holly Black

Veiled by Desire (Laith #2) by Candace Robinson

From Flame & Ash (Elements of Five #2) by Carrie Ann Ryan

___

Happy reading!

[midsummernightsread]

Book Review: Zero Repeat Forever by Gabrielle Prendergast

Book Review: Zero Repeat Forever by Gabrielle Prendergast

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers August 29, 2017 496 Pages

He has no voice, or name, only a rank, Eighth. He doesn’t know the details of the mission, only the directives that hum in his mind.

Dart the humans. Leave them where they fall.

His job is to protect his Offside. Let her do the shooting.

Until a human kills her…

Sixteen year-old Raven is at summer camp when the terrifying armored…

[bensbooks]

Books 91-102 of 2024

22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson

Brother & Sister Enter the Forest by Richard Mirabella

If I Can Give You That by Michael Gray Bulla

Flash Flood by Gabrielle Prendergast

The Companion by E.E. Ottoman

Dark Room Etiquette by Robin Roe

The Only Light Left Burning by Erik J. Brown

Rascal by Jay H.D.

Welcome, Caller by M. Dean Wright

Last Living Girl by Kaitlin Shanks

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

[crushingcinders]

Zero Repeat Forever by Gabrielle Prendergast

Zero Repeat Forever by Gabrielle Prendergast

Zero Repeat Forever by Gabrielle Prendergast   Reminiscent of Stephanie Meyer’s The Host, Zero Repeat Forever features an apocalyptic alien invasion. But this story lacks the rich world building and the characters are one-dimensional. I am obedience. I am malice. I think Eighth’s character is particularly undeveloped and I struggled to connect with him, feeling zero emotional empathy (the…

[thebookwars]

Pandas on the Eastside by Gabrielle Prendergast

Pandas on the Eastside by Gabrielle Prendergast

2017/2018 Red Cedar Fiction nominee Pandas on the Eastside by Gabrielle Prendergast is the story of Journey Wind Song Flanagan, who loves her community and all the people that form it. The year is 1972. “There’s a Chinese boat down at the docks. You know about it?” “I heard, yes.” “I need to speak to someone from that boat,” I said. “I need to ask them about the pandas.” Mr. Huang folded up his…

[bforbookslut]

ARC Review: Zero Repeat Forever by Gabrielle Prendergast

This book was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This review edition is an ARC and may differ from the final edition.

I have given Zero Repeat Forever by Gabrielle Prendergast a ☆☆☆ rating. It is Book 1 of The Nahx Invasions series. It belongs to the Young Adult Fantasy genre with some Romance, Science Fiction and Retelling elements. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers publishes it. It was published August 29th, 2017.

The blurb reads:

The 5th Wave meets Beauty and the Beast in this fast-paced and heart-stopping novel about an invasion of murderous creatures and one girl fighting for her life at the end of the world.

He has no voice or name, only a rank, Eighth. He doesn’t know the details of the mission, only the directives that hum in his mind.

Dart the humans. Leave them where they fall.

His job is to protect his Offside. Let her do the shooting.

Until a human kills her…

Sixteen-year-old Raven is at summer camp when the terrifying armored Nahx invade. Isolated in the wilderness, Raven and her fellow campers can only stay put. Await rescue. Raven doesn’t like feeling helpless, but what choice does she have?

Then a Nahx kills her boyfriend.

Thrown together in a violent, unfamiliar world, Eighth and Raven should feel only hate and fear. But when Raven is injured, and Eighth deserts his unit, their survival comes to depend on trusting each other…

Add to Goodreads

Verdict:

If you want an amazing alien/robot creature falls in love with human, you’re better off with Defy the Stars. Zero Repeat Forever is indeed like a Beauty and the Beast retelling (I’ve never read The 5th Wave so I can’t make a comparison there) complete with kidnapping and some Stockholm Syndrome, insta-love and of course, a science-fiction/dystopian society. The setting of Zero Repeat Forever is unclear: science fiction or dystopian? I’m leaning towards the latter mostly because it seems to be set in a future United States of America. But what’s more confusing is the worldbuilding because there’s no prerequisite to the Nahx, one day they are there and the next, they aren’t. It is also difficult to get through and I almost gave up but Eighth was such a sweetheart and the Nahx are interesting enough. Zero Repeat Forever’s biggest crime however is that one of its lead characters is absolutely unlikeable. Raven is abusive, she’s rude and she’s annoying as fuck. Perhaps, a crime worse than having an unlikeable lead: having cookie cutter characters as background white noise. Shame, honestly. A great shame. The plot twist only occurs right at the end and ends in a cliffhanger, drawing the reader back for more.

To break it down,

[may contain spoilers]

The Good:

1. Eighth is the saving grace of Zero Repeat Forever. Because Eighth and the Nahx are a non-speaking race, communicating through sign language, the story is told from Eighth and Raven’s point of views, allowing the readers directly into Eighth’s head and motivation for his every action. His naivety and curiosity at the human world is adorable and endearing, finding every little thing that humans do fascinating. He’s like a helpless little puppy. And I also really loved that Eighth was almost human in his actions and his thoughts, feeling every emotion on the spectrum and being confused about it but also acting upon it. Like, in one instance, he hides and cowers while his “team mates” seek out and kill humans. And he is able to empathise with Raven and her friends’ actions. But I mostly love Eighth’s ability to love.

2. The diversity is refreshing. Raven isn’t your typical cookie cutter white girl heroine. In fact, she’s a mixed raced girl and a lot of times in Zero Repeat Forever, her struggles with being mixed raced are referenced. Other than that, Eighth is unable to speak but he can hear and understand humans, making him differently abled (which really makes sense when it comes to the plot twist). Amongst Raven’s friends, there is one Asian kid, but I cannot recall if there are any other races amongst her friends.

3. There was a great amount of creativity put into the creature building in Zero Repeat Forever. The Nahx have been described in great detail from their armour to their internal workings. It can come off a little confusing at times as we often learn about the Nahx from Eighth’s point of view and he’s not the most articulate alien-creature out there. But despite how much creativity went into creating the Nahx, there are still multiple gigantic gaps in the worldbuilding.

3.1 I think the Nahx sign language that was created was pretty creative although a little difficult to explain in a review. Zero Repeat Forever, the title, comes from the sign language that Eighth teaches Raven. It’s probably the only parts I did really like.

The Bad:

1. I’m bothered by the lack of worldbuilding. There isn’t a lot that the readers know about the world but judging by the fact that they have some sort of summer camp and a supposedly military bunker and it’s set in the sprawling woods, I’m assuming that it’s set in real time Earth. And not a dystopian society. But we still don’t know how the Nahx invaded the Earth or what the Earth has done to save their citizens or I might have missed that detail because it was probably in a throwaway line that I quickly forgotten about.

1.1 A good amount of the book was set in a) the forest, b) Eighth and Raven’s hideaway. Also, despite them being at a survival summer camp, none of them seemed to really know how to survive which was annoying af.

2. Oh god, not to mention, the pacing was so incredibly slow. I forced myself to push through and judging by the fact that I didn’t give it up, it’s somewhat engaging. If you can put yourself through all the boringness in the beginning. And if you’re expecting Eighth and Raven to come together and get the ball rolling? That doesn’t even happen until more than half the book had passed. The worst part? There wasn’t even any worldbuilding in the boring starting bits: it was just Raven and her friends and Eighth and his partner, Sixth, running about the woods trying to survive and kill people.

2.1 And once Raven and Eighth meet, it just consists of Eighth trying to nurse Raven back to good health and Raven being a complete bitch about being kept prisoner/kidnapped.

3. Raven is abusive. Okay, fine, I suppose she couldn’t just succumb to Stockholm Syndrome but Eighth is as naïve as they come and he was only trying to help her but she kept hurling verbal and physical abuse, hurting Eighth’s feelings even though she was aware that he HAD FEELINGS. She even mentions that it felt good but she also felt bad for yelling and insulting him. It was so difficult to get through that I mostly skimmed her parts so I could get to Eighth’s parts and have some semblance of rationality in the book.

4. Another thing I really didn’t like with Zero Repeat Forever is that Raven’s friends were cookie cutter cardboard characters there to decorate the background. They barely had any personalities of their own except that one was a gay pair, one girl slept with her boyfriend, her boyfriend’s brother and some other guys I can’t really recall. The gay pairing was merely just gay although one of them had some military background of some sorts and the girl who slept with her boyfriend was just a really good hunter. I would say that Topher, the boyfriend’s brother was the most developed mostly because she spent the most time with him. And if you’re wondering about the boyfriend? He gets killed within the first few chapters. Like hello I didn’t even get to know him yet.

4.1 And I cannot for the life of me understand why everyone seems to be attracted to Raven. Firstly, she’s a hot mess and honestly very whiny. I don’t quite understand the relationships she has formed either. Is Xander her friend or is there some lust thing going on there? Is Topher her friend or was he also in love with her? It added absolutely no value to the story.

5. Which brings me to my next point. I just cannot see the relationship or the chemistry between Eighth and Raven. It happened out of the blue. Eighth looked at her and fell in love. Even the whole kidnapped and nursed back to health part of the book where I suppose they were supposed to bond, could not save it. There was no bonding because Raven kept abusing Eighth. But, but, Raven managed to develop some feelings for Eighth in some strange Stockholm Syndrome situation.

Conclusion:

It took me a lot longer than I usually would to read Zero Repeat Forever which is testament to how much this story needs to improve. It clearly is the prelude to a second, possibly more action-driven and engaging story. However, Raven’s tone, attitude and behaviour in this one really has put me off from finding out more. I refuse to read about her whining and crying and throwing a huge hissy fuss instead of trying to save herself, be more independent and accept help where she can get it. I’m a little torn about whether the second instalment would be worth it. However, if the story can be focused on well, the actual alien invasion plot at hand instead of forcing Raven and Eighth’s romance, it will be salvageable.

[yawednesdays-blog]

Zero Repeat Forever Release Day Blitz & Giveaway

Zero Repeat Forever Release Day Blitz & Giveaway

We are so excited that ZERO REPEAT FOREVER by Gabrielle Prendergast is available now and that we get to share the news!  If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Gabrielle Prendergast, be sure to check out all the details below.  This blitz also includes a giveaway for a signed hardcover of the book courtesy of Gabrielle and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to…

[architectnews]

The Bryant concrete skyscraper by David Chipperfield completes in New York

British architect David Chipperfield's latest New York project is The Bryant, a 32-storey mixed-use concrete skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan.

David Chipperfield Architects undertook the project for New York-based developers HFZ Capital Group.

The skyscraper overlooks Bryant Park

The 402-foot-high (123 metres) building overlooks Bryant Park and the New York Public Library. In 2001, the practice renovated the Bryant Park Hotel in the American Radiator Building next door.

A hotel occupies the levels up to the 14th floor of The Bryant, with private apartments taking up the other 18 storeys.

The New York Public Library is nearby

There are two separate lobbies for each use on the double-height ground floor, along with two retail units.

The Bryant has a base that fills the plot and steps back after a few levels, to create an outdoor rooftop terrace on one side of the building.

The concrete facade is a "contemporary interpretation" of the local landmarks

At the very top is a crown, stepped back even further and containing two penthouses with private terraces.

Due to its location near the library and the Beaux-Arts style Knox Building, David Chipperfield Architects had to make sure the concrete facade did not look out of place.

"The facade relates to the historic buildings nearby, offering a contemporary interpretation," said the practice.

"The concrete mix contains different aggregates identical to the stone varieties found in the neighbouring buildings' masonry facades."

A rooftop terrace occupies the step back

This concrete continues as terrazzo walls in the interiors of The Bryant, where the apartments feature floor-to-ceiling windows.

To keep the perimeter free and maximise the views, built-in furniture is designed to hide appliances and provide discreet storage.

Terrazzo and floor-to-ceiling windows in the apartment interiors

Selected apartments have already been dressed, including one on the 24th floor by curatorial firm Standard Arts and another by the online design retailer Radnor.

David Chipperfield, who founded his eponymous practice in the UK, is the recipient of both the RIBA Stirling Prize and the Mies van der Rohe Award.

The studio recently completed another residential project in New York – a red concrete and brick apartment block in Greenwich Village.

Photography is by Simon Menges.

Project credits:

Client: HFZ Capital Group Architect: David Chipperfield Architects London Project director: David Chipperfield, Billy Prendergast Project architect: Mattias Kunz Project team: Mira Abad, Pau Bajet, Gonçalo Baptista, Kleopatra Chelmi, Florian Dirschedl, Gabriel Fernandez-Abascal, Micha Gamper, Ines Gavelli, Maria Giramé, Christopher Harvey, Johannes Leskien, Nic Moore, Sergio Pereira Contact architect: Stonehill & Taylor Architects Lighting consultant: George Sexton Associates Acoustic consultant: Shen Milsom & Wilke Structural engineer: Severud Associates Consulting Engineers Services engineer: Corcoran Sunshine Real estate consultant: Vidaris Facade consultant Contractor: T.G. Nickel & Associate

The post The Bryant concrete skyscraper by David Chipperfield completes in New York appeared first on Dezeen.

[tkbstpaul-blog]

Book Review: Capricious

Reader: Tori H.

Age: 13

Title: Capricious

Author: Gabrielle Prendergast

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers

Pub Date: 04/01/14

Galley: Yes

Top 25: No

Convince us to read the book: This book had great character development throughout the book and the plot, voice, and dialogue was well done. The stylistic elements were strong.

Memorable or Forgettable: It was another coming of age book so I won't remember it at all in a month or so.

Cover:  It was an odd cover that didn't reflect the book at all. It didn't tempt me nor turn me off though.

Age Range: 12 through 17

Quality: 2Q Needs more work

Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal