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sous-le-signe-de-la-lune · 2 years ago

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JANUARY WRAP UP

Noël à la librairie des cœurs brisés by Annie Darling - 3 ☆

I've never heard of this series before I was gifted this book, but I liked the idea of following the life of booksellers / coffee shop owner as they fall in love. It made me think of a Hallmark movie when I read the blurb. Sadly, I was disappointed. I don't mind slow burn but this one didn't do it for me: they barely had cute scenes together, most of the time they were arguing and being rude.

2. Bluets by Maggie Nelson - 3.5 ☆

Bluets is an interesting poetic essay / memoir, that through the flow of the author's ideas, offers a collection of facts from poets, authors, artists, philosophers about the color blue. At some point, she focuses a lot on the vision: what it means to see blue? What if you don't see it? She offers clinical examples to discuss these ideas, which I found interesting. But sadly, I don't think there was a good balance between the facts she had collected and her memories. I liked when she mentioned her friend, but the memories about the prince of blue weren't always going well with the flow of the text.

3. Kiss & Tell by Adib Khorram - 3 ☆

I loved Darius and knew I would read anything Adib Khorram would write after that. So, I was looking forward to reading Kiss & Tell, and even if it wasn't exactly what I expected, I'm still glad it managed to open up a discussion about being queer in the public eye, the sanitization that can comes with it, and the slut shaming. There's also a focus on sex, because Hunter is sexually active but has to have a "virgin" persona because he's in a boy band. It could have had a better impact if there had been a better balance between the romance and Hunter's interactions with his bandmates, which were almost non-existent.

4. It's Lonely at the Centre of the Earth by Zoe Thorogood - 3 ☆

I love the way she played with her art style and the overall structure of the graphic novel, it was really fun and clever (especially when it starts again). Because I've never read her other comics, I felt detached from what she was mentioning, and to be honest sometimes I was lost between the different flashbacks. It was interesting and raw, but I didn't connect with the story, which doesn't mean it's bad, I do think others can gain something from it. It's different from other stories I've read about depression and suicidal ideation. Overall, it's a really good graphic novel / memoir.

5. The Angel of Khan el-Khalili by P. Djèlí Clark - 3 ☆

(art by Kevin Hong)

I recently recommended A Dead Djinn in Cairo to my friend and realized I haven't read this short story yet. I loved the narration in the second person, it's one of my favorite when it's done well, and it was the case. I wanted more from the story, but it was still satisfying and i can't wait to read the next book in the series.

6. The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow - 5 ☆

It was more a 4.75 stars but I rounded up because it quickly became one of my favorite short stories. In 30 pages, the characters and their motives were well-developed. They is a Girl, a Squire, A King, a Priest, a Devil and a Saint. Some of them are limited in the perception of themselves and other because of the role that was imposed on them and it was done so well, especially thanks to the poetic prose. I wish this novella could exist in a physical format so I could highlight everything again.

I figured out what was going on right when they started to explain everything and it was gut-wrenching to realize that every line could mean different things, because then you realize how clever the narration was. Not only that, but I love narration that are "traditional" and here, the use of I, She and You was interesting.

my goodreads

#wrap up #reading challenge #books #book recommendations #book review #la librairie des cœurs brisés #annie darling #bluets #maggie nelson #kiss & tell #adib khorram #it's lonely at the centre of the earth #zoe thorogood #the angel of el-khalili #P. Djèlí Clark #the six deaths of the saint #alix e. harrow

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rhetoricandlogic · 2 years ago

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Review: The Six Deaths of the Saint

November 13, 2022

The Six Deaths of the Saint (Into Shadow)The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow

When you die, little Devil, a kingdom will fall to its knees and crawl to your bier. In a thousand years and a thousand after that, they will still sing of the Prince and his Devil.

Everything I love in a book condensed into one bite-sized story. Lady knights, oaths of fealty, timey wimey shit, and 2nd person POV payoff! Trust me, the blurb does not even scratch the surface of the story.

“I would rather love a coward than mourn a legend.”

Gold stars for Alix E. Harrow because she has yet to disappoint me with any of her books, novellas, or short stories! What makes her work even more impressive is that all her stories are so different from each other. There isn’t such a thing as a “typical” Harrow book and I feel like that versatility is something that makes her books very fresh.

The Six Deaths of the Saint is Harrow’s darkest book yet. The palette is very limited and that works perfectly considering the length of the short story. There is a lot of physicality to the story, given that it’s about war and the relationship between the soldiers and the people calling the shots. A lot of thematic resonance to The Poppy War and The Locked Tomb trilogy. Harrow does not shy away from the topic or sugar coat it, the ugliness and terribleness seep through the pages, but at the same time, the gore isn’t oversaturated for the thrill factor.

“I could have killed you,” you said, and he had answered, obscurely, “You never do.”

I’m usually super picky about short stories and I rarely ever like them, because mostly they don’t manage to convey the depth in 30-50 pages. The Six Deaths meanwhile, is brimming with emotions. The whole story only works because the writer was able to convey the main character’s and Gwynne’s emotions so well. Imagine being ride or die for a couple only introduced in a handful of pages! Another reason why I instantly loved this was that it was timey wimey and everyone knows I eat that shit up.Apparently, this short story is an experiment for a proper novel the author might later write, and I have to say I’ll be down to read it for sure! The strength of The Six Deaths does lie in its short and concise length but I am curious to how she would handle a full novel.

#Alix E. Harrow #The Six Death of the Saint #mahreviews #long post

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thereadingpond · 4 months ago

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The Six Death of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow

(30 pages)

(4.5⭐️Definitively recommended 👍🏻)

Description

A young servant’s life is saved by the Saint of War. Wanting to leave her old life behind, she follows the Saint’s calling, to become a hero of war. But maybe the life of a hero isn’t as great as she hoped it to be. How much is she willing to give to escape her old life, and was it really worth escaping from?

My Review

Before the review, I want to point out that even though it only shows Kindle Unlimited, you can also read the books for free with an Amazon Prime account. (Into Shadow collection)

I liked it. It was interesting and a good story. It didn't feel like something was missing, which I sometimes feel with short stories. It felt longer than 30 pages, but in a good way. I loved the unique narrative structure. The author pulls it off without being boring. It feels true; humans do stupid things to feel loved and not alone. I loved the end. It's cute, sad, nice, and a great short story. Nothing is missing. Everything fits together and feels grand in just 30 pages. Incredible.

I gave it 4.5 stars. I'm not sure why not 5, but 5 stars felt wrong even though I loved the story.

I'd definitely recommend it, especially if you're in a reading slump. It's only 30 pages but feels like a whole book.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Check out my notion site, The Reading Pond, for more book reviews 😊

#book thoughts #books #bookblr #book worm #booklr #book #bookworm #book review #book blog #bookaddict #bookish #booklover #books & libraries #books and reading

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jeanmoreaux · 10 months ago

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I come bearing a book recommendation! A post you recently reblogged instantly reminded me of a novella I love - The Six Deaths of the Saint. I can't tell you which post because the story is only 30 pages and I don't want to spoil anything, but based on it I think you will be as obsessed with it as I am!

That is all, I hope you have a lovely day<3

ohhhh thank you so much!!! very very curious which post it was (i am not sure i’ll ever figure it out on my own but it won’t really matter i guess djjdjdjd) i put it on my tbr and i’ll try to get to it asap!! thank you so much for the rec <333

#looove ot when people drop recommendations like this!!!#((based on themes ideas vibes you get from my blog and my posts))#thank you thank you thank you 🙏#if you ever wanna come back and tell me #which post it was i’d ofc love that!!#anon #answer #i hope you had a lovely weekend <3

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hagatha-christie · 2 years ago

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Books I read in January:

I’m really trying to not be On Here but doing this scratches an itch in my brain even though no one besides me cares or reads these.

The bad:

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim: my sister, who historically is not a reader but has gotten into reading the past few months, really enjoyed this book and asked me to read it. I tried so hard to like it but I did not. The whole time I was very much aware that I was way too old to be reading this, mostly because the writing was shockingly bad. There’s a way to write well for young readers and this...was not it.

The fine:

Honeytrap by Aster Glenn Gray: a novel about a Soviet government official and FBI agent who get assigned to the same case and fall in LOVE except they’re kept apart for Reasons. Honestly the most interesting parts were the time jumps (1959, 1978, 1992) and when the Soviet guy discussed his very complicated feelings towards the USSR. Entertaining enough but I’ve mostly forgotten about it.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandana: a very cute and very average story about found family and not allowing your past to define you. I needed more interactions between the adult characters and the kids, but it was fine.

American Primitive by Mary Oliver: this might be user error because I read this very quickly (within a day, I usually have better luck with poetry if it’s spread out) but I was really underwhelmed, and I love Mary Oliver!

The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon: I fear that contemporary/literary fiction is simply not for me. This is about two college students who begin a relationship, one of whom has just left a very intense version of Christianity and one who ends up joining a Christian cult. One of those books where everyone in it is pretty toxic and not a lot happens, or at least not as much as I wanted.

The good/great:

Redshirts by John Scalzi: Look. Both Scalzi books I’ve read so far have been very gimmick-y but extremely fun and deliver exactly what I’ve wanted from them. This is a book from the point of view of a “Redshirt” type character (In Star Trek, the unnamed Redshirt crew members got killed off like at least once per episode). Very silly, I stopped a couple times to read passages out loud to my dad.

An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo: a really great, and really accessible poetry collection about the enduring trauma of the Trail of Tears. I think this would be a perfect collection for, like, high schoolers learning about poetry (not that I know a ton about poetry myself).

Why I Wake Early by Mary Oliver: this was a much better read for me than American Primitive! Idk what else to say, it’s Mary Oliver. There are like 6 poems in this book about a pond. It’s great.

Real Phonies and Genuine Fakes by Nicky Beer: full of poems that are a little sad and and little funny and full of pop culture references but not in a cringey way. Hadn’t heard of her before but when browsing Milkweed’s website I stopped on it because the cover is incredible.

The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow: an Amazon short story (I know, I know) that I did not want to end. Gorgeous and creative and thought provoking, and somehow manages to do a LOT in only 30 pages???

Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark: dark and a little gross but so, so good. It’s got a lot of African American and Gullah mythology in it which was really interesting to read. Also I feel like this would pair well with Assembly by Natasha Brown because of the discussion of ownership of one’s own pain, from the perspective of Black women specifically.

#reading

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shaziskhalid · 2 years ago

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the six deaths of the saint by alix e. harrow- 5 ☆

nothing but pure awe with this book. this only consists 30 pages but alix e harrow has already put the readers into so much emotions.

･｡°*. ﾟ2023 ･｡°*. ﾟ

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pamphletstoinspire · 4 years ago

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August 30 - Today is the feast day of Saint Rose of Lima. Ora pro nobis.

Born Isabella de Flores, Saint Rose was the daughter of a Spanish immigrant father and a Peruvian mother. She was personally confirmed by the Archbishop of Lima, Saint Turibiuis de Mongrovejo, and took the name Rose. Her family and friends had been calling her “Rosa,” as when she was still an infant, one of the family’s servants had seen her face miraculously transform into the vision of a mystical Rose. All of Saint Rose's sufferings were offered for the conversion of sinners, and the thought of the multitudes in hell was ever before her soul. She died in 1617, at the age of thirty-one.

by F. M. Capes, 1899

We may not say that St. Rose was the first saint of the New World, for God only knows His own; but she was the first of America's children to be placed in the calendar of canonized saints–the first flower gathered from that part of the great garden over which St. Dominic has been placed as the husbandman of Jesus Christ.

Almost before she was out of her infancy, that love of Our Lord's suffering, which was afterwards to become the ruling passion of her life, began to lay hold of little Rose's heart. How God speaks to the baby souls of those early-chosen children of His special delight; by what channels the Divine secrets are imparted to their barely-opened minds; what marvelous gift enables them to entertain and understand thoughts far beyond their years–we cannot know; but that such special communications are made to some of the Saints even as little children is certain.

In St. Rose's case the working of these mysterious operations in her heart was witnessed to by the fact that, as a little thing barely able to walk, she would often be found, having managed to escape from her guardians or companions, absorbed in deep infantine contemplation before a picture of the thorn-crowned Christ, in His mantle of scorn, which hung in her mother's room.

Her own apprenticeship in her Master's school, too, began early; for from the time that she was three years old Rose de Flores was the subject of one accident or complaint after another, and was kept perpetually in states of suffering which were sharp trials to her childish patience.

This ideal she realized in her life. It is this life of penance and mysticism which is presented to the reader in these pages. Everything in her life calls for admiration, many things for imitation, some, maybe, for explanation. The reader of this record of her ways and works will perforce exclaim: ‘Wonderful is God in His saints'–wonderful in their number, in their graces, in their variety.

St. Rose's life was eminently wonderful in its marvelous penance, its deep, earnest, and all but continuous prayer, its perfect union with God. She studied in the school of Christ; her book was the Cross; her Master the Crucified. Naturally of delicate health, weak in body, and physically feeble, hers was a life of chronic suffering. To this she added much fasting, abstinence, and penances of every kind, as will be seen from the perusal of this interesting and instructive life. But all her sufferings, whether sent by God or self-inflicted, were borne for God, with God, and in God.

She could say with the Apostle: ‘With Christ I am nailed to the Cross; and I live, now not I, but Christ liveth in me. Her suffering life was a life of detachment from the world–a life of union with God. If she could make her own the words of St. Paul, ‘The world is crucified to me, and I to the world, she could add with equal truth, ‘I live in the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me and delivered Himself for me.'

ST. ROSE OF LIMA, VIRGIN BY FATHER FRANCIS XAVIER WENINGER, 1876

God gave to the Christians of America, and all over the world, a beautiful example of holiness, at the end of the sixteenth and the beginning of the seventeenth century, in the Saint whose festival is this day commemorated by the Catholic Church. Her native place was Lima, the capital of Peru. She was named Isabel, but while yet in the cradle, she was called Rose, as her face, in its loveliness, resembled a rose. She took the surname of St. Mary, by order of the Blessed Virgin. Already in her childhood, her conduct was holy. Her intention was to follow the example of St. Catherine of Sienna, whose life she had read, and therefore she entered the third order of St. Dominic. When five years old, she consecrated her virginity to God, and was such a perfect hand-maiden of the Lord, that during her whole life, she never offended Him by a mortal sin, nor even intentionally by one that was venial. Her time was divided between prayer and work. Twelve hours she gave to devout exercises, two or three to sleep, the rest to work.

When grown to womanhood, her hand was sought by several, but she always unhesitatingly gave the answer, that she was already promised to a heavenly spouse. That, however, her parents might no further urge her, she herself cut off her hair, as a sign of her consecration to God. She treated her innocent body with extreme severity. From her childhood she abstained from fruit, which, in Peru, is so delicious. Her fasts and abstinences were more than human; for, when scarcely six years old, her nourishment consisted almost entirely of water and bread. At the age of fifteen, she made a vow never to eat meat, except when obliged by obedience. Not even when sick did she partake of better food. Sometimes for five or eight days, she ate nothing at all, living only on the bread of angels. During the whole of Lent, she took only five citron seeds, daily. Incredible as this may appear to the reader, it is told by unquestionable authority. Her bed was a rough board, or some knotted logs of wood. Her pillow was a bag filled with rushes or stones.

Every night she scourged her body with two small iron chains, in remembrance of the painful scourging of our Saviour, and for the conversion of sinners. When, however, her Confessor forbade her this, she, after the example of St. Catherine of Sienna, bound, three times around her body, a thin chain, which in a few weeks, had cut so deeply into the flesh that it was scarcely to be seen. Fearing that she would be compelled to reveal it, she prayed to God for help, and the chain became loose of itself. Hardly were the wounds healed, when she again wore the chain, until her Confessor, being informed of it, forbade her to do so, She then had a penitential robe made of horse-hair, which reached below her knees, and occasioned her intense suffering. She wore under her veil, in remembrance of our Saviour's crown of thorns, a crown which was studded inside with pins, and which wounded her head most painfully. To attend the better to her prayers, she loved solitude above everything.

To this end, she asked the permission of her parents to build a small cell for herself in the corner of the garden. This cell was only five feet long and four feet wide; but she lived more happily in it than many others do in royal palaces. O, how many graces she obtained from heaven in this place! How many visions she had there of St. Catherine of Sienna, her Guardian Angel, the Blessed Virgin, and even of Christ Himself! She was also frequently favored with visions in other places. The most remarkable of these was one which she had on Palm Sunday, in the chapel of the Holy Rosary, before an image of the Blessed Virgin. Rose, gazing at the picture, perceived that the Virgin Mother, as well as the divine Child, regarded her most graciously, and at last she heard distinctly from the lips of the divine Child, the words: “Rose, you shall be my spouse.” Although filled with holy awe, she replied, in the words which the Blessed Virgin had spoken to the Angel: ” Behold, I am a handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.” After this, the Virgin Mother said: “May you well appreciate the favor which my Son has accorded to you, dear Rose!”

I leave it to the pious reader to picture to himself the inexpressible joy which this vision gave to Rose. It served her as a most powerful incentive to the practice of all virtues. Among these virtues, surely not the least was the heroic patience which this holy virgin showed, as well in bodily suffering, as in interior, spiritual anguish. The Almighty permitted her, for fifteen years, to be daily tormented, at least, for an hour, by the most hideous imaginations, which were of such a nature, that she sometimes thought that she was in the midst of hell. She could think neither of God nor of the graces He had bestowed upon her; neither did prayer or devout reading give her any comfort. It sometimes seemed as if she had been forsaken by God. In this manner, God wished to prove and purify her virtue, as He had done in regard to many other Saints. Her patience was also most severely tried by painful diseases, as she sometimes had a combination of two or three maladies at the same time, and suffered most intensely.

During the last three years of her life, she was disabled in almost all her limbs; but her resignation to the will of God was too perfect to allow her to utter a word of complaint. All she desired and prayed for was to suffer still more for Christ's sake. She, at the same time, encouraged other sick persons, whom she served with indescribable kindness, as long as she was well. She endeavored to comfort them when it was necessary to prepare them for a happy death; for, her greatest joy was to speak of God and to lead others to Him. One day when she was greatly troubled about her salvation, Christ appeared to her and said: ” My daughter, I condemn those only who will not be saved.” He assured her at the same time, first, that she would go to heaven; secondly, that she never would lose His grace through mortal sin; thirdly, that divine assistance would never fail her in any emergency. God also revealed to her the day and hour of her death, which took place in her thirty-first year. After the holy sacraments had been administered to her, she begged all present to forgive her faults, and exhorted them to love God. The nearer the hour of her death approached, the greater became her joy.

Shortly before her end, she went into an ecstasy, and after it, she said to her Confessor: ” Oh! how much I could tell you of the sweetness of God, and of the blissful heavenly dwelling of the Almighty!” She requested her brother to take away the pillow that had been placed under her head, that she might die on the boards, as Christ had died on the cross. When this was done, she exclaimed three times: “Jesus, Jesus, be with me!” and expired. After death, her face was so beautiful, that all who looked at her were lost in astonishment. Her funeral was most imposing. The Canons first carried the body a part of the way to the church; after them the senate, and finally, the superiors of the different orders, so great was the esteem they all entertained for her holiness. God honored her after her death, by many miracles; and Clement X. canonized her in 1671 and placed her among the number of the holy virgins.

#st rose of lima

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tabloidtoc · 4 years ago

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Globe, October 26

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Jeffrey Epstein’s madam Ghislaine Maxwell’s love letters to Prince Andrew

Page 2: Up Front & Personal -- Melanie Griffith looks alarmingly skinny in L.A., Machine Gun Kelly hangs out the passenger side of his ride in West Hollywood, Cynthia Nixon

Page 3: Pierce Brosnan takes it easy in Hawaii, pot-puffing rapper Snoop Dogg looks mighty mellow while playing DJ at a California concert, Jennifer Garner hits the beach in Malibu

Page 4: Rod Stewart’s wife Penny Lancaster didn’t think she was sexy after pigging out during the pandemic and having a hormone- and booze-fueled breakdown -- Penny says she and Rod treated lockdown like a grand vacation until she resolved to change her ways after seeing an unflattering selfie, Kim Kardashian is desperate to dump husband Kanye West but she is thinking with her head not her heart as she negotiates a pre-divorce deal to carve up their $3 billion fortune and she aims to avoid a dirty public divorce war over their fortune and their daughters North and Chicago and sons Saint and Psalm and Kim has all the paperwork ready to go but Kanye is burying his head in the sand and refusing to sit down and mediate -- Kim knows the moment she pulls the trigger all hell will break loose so she’s content to sit it out in the hope Kanye comes to his senses and makes this as amicable as possible after six years of marriage

Page 5: Warning signs are blinking for Katie Holmes’ red-hot romance with Emilio Vitolo Jr. because his mom doesn’t like their romance -- Emilio upset his mother by dumping his fiancee just hours before pictures of him canoodling with Katie surfaced and his mom thinks she brought him up better than that and she didn’t like how Emilio handled this at all, Mariah Carey never did the horizontal mambo with former fiance James Packer and when asked why Packer wasn’t mentioned in her memoir she said if it was a relationship that mattered it’s in the book but if not it didn’t occur and said they didn’t have a physical relationship

Page 6: Whoopi Goldberg is riding roughshod on The View and her co-hosts are whining she’s a self-obsessed and money-grubbing pain tyrant -- Whoopi’s disenchanted with her role on the show and that’s become a problem for everybody -- she’s nailing the political commentaries but she’s been badgering the other ladies to step up and quit expecting her to be The View’s political know-it-all

Page 7: Despairing Lisa Marie Presley wants to spend her final days at Graceland and then be buried next to her father and son -- since her only son Benjamin Keough committed suicide Lisa Marie is still beside herself with grief and she’s losing the will to go on -- her liver problems have roared back and she faces almost certain death if the vital organ fails

Page 8: Dolly Parton is ready to splurge $2 million for a total head-to-toe cosmetic surgery makeover in a grand last hurrah before her 75th birthday in January and she intends to wow the world with her new younger look while she parades her just released holiday album and new Netflix movie -- Dolly can’t wait for people to get a load of her and they’ll never believe her age

Page 9: Tommy Lee swears he’s been sober for a year but says before his last rehab stint he was swilling two gallons of vodka a day, blabbermouth talk show star Sharon Osbourne boasts that even after 38 years of marriage she and husband Ozzy Osbourne still do it at least twice a week, Led Zeppelin’s rockers are feeling like they’re in paradise after winning a long lawsuit claiming they stole the beginning of their monster 1971 hit Stairway to Heaven -- the band was accused of stealing the guitar opening for the tune from the song Taurus by the late Randy Wolfe of the band Spirit and the lawyer for Wolfe’s estate grumbles the band won on a legal technicality and Zeppelin rockers are the biggest art thieves of all times

Page 10: A bitter feud that’s ripped apart the family of the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin could end after his niece Rebecca Lobie extended an olive branch to his pregnant daughter Bindi Irwin -- the two had been at odds since Rebecca left her gig as managing director of the family’s Australia Zoo in 2015 and now Rebecca hopes to mend ways with her cousins Robert Irwin and Bindi, Sadie Robertson reveals she developed an eating disorder when she was body-shamed after competing on Dancing with the Stars in 2014, Ghostbusters star Rick Moranis was socked and knocked to the ground in a cowardly sneak attack by a thug while taking a 7:30 a.m. walk in the Big Apple and he suffered head and back and hip pain and was checked at a hospital before heading to a police station to report the vicious attack that was caught on video

Page 11: Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle are about to get clobbered with a whopping megabucks tax bill if they stay in the U.S. for too much longer because any foreigner who spends at least 183 days in the country is liable for federal and California state taxes and that means if they’re still here after the first week of November the taxman will be sending the pair who are worth an estimated $26 million a massive tab, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have snubbed his grandma Queen Elizabeth’s annual Christmas get-together for the second year in a row even though at age 94 this will likely be her last holiday season -- Harry and Meghan are not ready to leave their cushy life in Montecito and at this stage they are really enjoying their new life in California and their new home

Page 12: Celebrity Buzz -- Colin Hanks stocks up on supplies in West Hollywood (picture), Rumer Willis is in kinky online snaps leaving little to the imagination in an image from her aptly named Bondage photo series the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore wears nothing but thigh high boots and black rope binding her nude body, Kylie Jenner has taken obnoxious to a whole new level when she proudly shared online snaps of her two-year-old daughter Stormi wearing a $12,000 Hermes backpack to start at-home preschool, Kathie Lee Gifford’s daughter Cassidy Gifford brought her husband Ben Wierda for a Celebrity Family Feud taping but his game show debut ended up showcasing that his snug-crotched khakis outlined too much below-the-belt junk

Page 13: Kate Moss in London (picture), Chiwetel Ejiofor shoots the heist flick Lockdown in London (picture), Gwen Stefani gets into the Halloween spirit in L.A. (picture), Drew Barrymore says she is terrible at keeping things but she does have the red cowboy hat she wore in E.T.

Page 14: Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli’s daughter Olivia Jade’s boyfriend Jackson Guthy who is the son of cosmetics magnate Victoria Jackson and direct-marketing mogul Bill Guthy was arrested for DUI in Santa Monica, Justin Bieber and bride Hailey Bieber made it through a whole year of marriage and made a splashy display of the milestone on social media, Fashion Verdict -- Arica Himmel 8/10, Katherine Waterston 4/10, Alessandra Ambrosio 3/10, Josie Canseco 9/10, Maisie Williams 2/10

Page 16: Following the heart-breaking crash of a two-year romance Reba McEntire is sporting a loving glow bouncing back into the arms of CSI: Miami hunk Rex Linn -- the two had their first date in January and have been virtual dating during the COVID-19 lockdown -- she said it’s just great getting to talk to somebody who she finds very interesting and funny and smart and who is interested in her too plus he’s very into her music and she’s into his career

Page 17: Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas have agreed to a trial separation after their sizzling affair was chilled by work-forced separation -- the pair were red hot until Ben split to film in Ireland and his long-distance calls with an eight-hour time difference to Ana turned into bicker-fests because they’ve both been getting defensive and bickering over even trivial things and frustrated with the small window they’ve got to talk and the connection isn’t great and they end up hanging up on each other -- Ana’s tired of being stuck in that big house of his alone in Los Angeles and she feels like the hired help doing chores and walking dogs so they agreed to take a few weeks of chilling out and see where they are after that, beloved TV icon Regis Philbin spent his final desperate months wallowing in gloom over the pandemic; according to Kathie Lee Gifford Regis couldn’t perform anywhere and he couldn’t be Regis for people and it broke his heart

Page 19: 10 Things You Don’t Know About Sara Gilbert, Pretty Woman boosted Jason Alexander’s career but the 1990 blockbuster had its downside because he was known around the world as the a-hole who tried to rape Julia Roberts and women would say mean things to him and punch him and he even got spit on by one woman, devastated Chrissy Teigen had a tragic miscarriage of a baby boy she’d named Jack -- the mom of two and wife of John Legend has been hospitalized in L.A. after experiencing complications and weeks before the miscarriage she was treated with Botox to relieve really bad pregnancy headaches

Page 20: True Crime

Page 24: Cover Story -- Ghislaine Maxwell’s love letters put Prince Andrew on the spot -- murdered sex predator Jeffrey Epstein’s accused madam Ghislaine is burying Prince Andrew under an avalanche of love letters proclaiming she’ll defend the disgraced British royal and begging for him to return her loyalty and affection -- now being held in a New York federal jail as she awaits trial on sex trafficking charges related to the late billionaire pervert Ghislaine writes Andrew most days saying how badly she fells about what he’s gone through and urging them to get through this nightmare together -- Andrew’s made some terrible decisions but even he knows it would be suicide to make any contact with Ghislaine and he needs to keep his distance and hope she stops writing these letters

Page 26: Health Report

Page 38: Real Life

Page 40: John Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono is telling friends she’s knocking on heaven’s door -- the ailing 87-year-old is confined to a wheelchair and needs round-the-clock care and she’s been privately confiding she’s on her way out sparking worry and confusion -- the question swirls does she really think her days are numbered or is she just fishing for sympathy and attention and premature eulogies from VIPs all over the world

Page 44: Straight Talk -- After living through a nightmare of false prosecution and imprisonment and persecution for a murder of her roommate Amanda Knox has been sucked into the criminal cult world of NXIVM whose kinky leader Keith Raniere has been convicted of sex trafficking children

Page 45: Kirstie Alley is set to chuck hectic Hollywood for the quiet life on a farm with a down-to-earth country guy -- Kansas-born Kirstie has been quarantining in Wichita for the past seven months and now realizes how little she misses Hollywood and how much she loves living a more simple laid-back life so she’s decided to buy a farm and has sold her 21-bedroom in Maine which has been her second home for the past 30 years so she can move to the country

Page 47: Hollywood Flashback -- Al Pacino in 1983′s Scarface, Bizarre But True

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ncnpareil · 8 years ago

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all the world’s sinners and all the world’s saints are just wearing different shades of the same war paint.

—– Milan had been perfect. That company she had stumbled upon was one of surprise but not unpleasant. If she were honest, she could have admitted that she had enjoyed Marlowe. However, Juliette wasn’t in the mood for honesty. While a mere few hours before she had been enjoying the look over the items she had purchased, news and reached her. A sort of news that slowly had the lithe woman sitting down in her plush, a glass of wine nearly forgotten in her hand. Betrayal hadn’t been a surprise. They were immortals. True loyalty was just as likely to be found as someone without a single skeleton in their past. That wasn’t what had her icy gaze looking towards the balcony of her home in Rome with a lost expression on her face, if only for just a moment. Viktor was awake.

Just thinking over the elder made a curl in Jules’ lip appear. He was a man of the old ways. There had been a time when he was exactly what she enjoyed. Vicious and cruel with his own agenda. Problem was he didn’t adapt. He simply bent the world to who he was. With the whisper of his name came all of the other information. Those that had fallen or disappeared, other near death. It made a strange feeling swell in her chest. That sort of feeling she could have sworn was dead long ago. A protective streak. A loyal streak that nearly left a bad taste in her mouth. They were her people. Paris had been her home. If what they said was true the walking skeleton of the old world had been slowly tearing the world she tended to enjoy apart.

A thin finger tapped the delicate stem of the 18th century wine glass in her hand as she thought. There were truly only a few options. She could of course stay out of it. Keep to herself and have nothing to do with the war or anything of the like. Juliette recognized that too was an option. One option out of two. She was tempted of course to keep to herself and do nothing. However, that feeling still twisted and danced in the back of her mind. Thinking of Milan for a moment, she remembered a certain werewolf that if Viktor had it his way an artist would be out of the world. An animal to be certain but nonetheless. Nonetheless. Downing her drink quickly she cleared her throat before standing. Placing her glass on a table she walked towards her phone before also grabbing her phone book.

Opening the pages quickly she hunted down the names she was looking for. One call each that stated the same thing in all - no matter the language. I am coming.

Juliette began with the smaller covens she had ties to by way of council business. Each coven close to a home she owned in the world. Never by accident, of course. Each area had been chosen specifically. So they understood that if they were in need of her expertise it could be provided. Which of course meant it would also bend the other way. If she ever needed them - a favor was always repaid. Their small sizes usually meant that not many would look towards them for anything. She of course knew better...

Rome had been quick. Barely a blip on the map. Carmilla had met her at her own home. A bottle of wine and happiness on her lips. “My love,” nearly ran off Juliette's tongue at the sight of the caramel toned woman. “Unfortunately tonight isn’t social,” quickly followed as they took a seat and glasses were poured. Her explanation was brief. There wasn’t much to it other than the simple need. They had been ‘friends’ for ages. The other vampire had showed her the home they stood in. The blonde had assisted her in matter more than a century ago. Hiding the small coven from the Council’s eyes then but asking them to step into the light in the particular moment. When the other’s hand covered her’s, she was offered a smile. “I am with you,” was said towards her and a true smile tugged at her lips. The smaller Roman coven was no more than twenty souls but they were older than many. Just as old as she was.

Here home in Ljubjana was just as beautiful as all of her others but in a smaller and gentler way. The architecture was what truly sold it for her. Her town care had a bit of a drive but soon enough she was in her own driveway with Bojan standing at the gate waiting. The other vampire was one that had known her maker. A different sort that she didn’t find a way to kill which obviously meant he was worth the immortality he was gifted. Their conversation was quick. A simple table between them and a glass of wine for both. “Bojan,” moved from her lips like honey and his dark eyes were on her as if he needed to be. “You’ve heard the rumors. What happened to Paris and that treaty of a place in England,” she leaned on the table as Slovenian flowed from her lips easily, a small tilt of her head. For a moment she was young again. Looking at a vampire that was actually willing to teach her thing when the one that made her only wanted to play. “I need your help,” they were words she hadn’t uttered in centuries. The last time had been when she told him her plans for Nikolas. He had nodded back then and once again she found him nodding. “You have it,” the details were simple. She provided them and he swore he would be there. His coven was no more than thirty souls but it would work just as well as one hundred. They were old - older than her.

Zamość was in Poland. An older home with stone mason work that reminded her of the old days. Many of her homes brought memories to the surface that would make her frown and smile alike. When Gabriel stood before her, he was wary. Every line in him showed the skittish nature he had always held within his blood. The years had taken a toll on him, she was certain. Juliette had always been silently amazed that there was a coven of people similar to him. Ones that hid so far in the shadows that perhaps their names no longer existed. She could do nothing to ease his fear when she asked him to Paris. She could promise no true safety for his people but they had never been ones for war anyway. Speaking of a place that had been chasing peace had his interest. She remembered he had welcomed young lycans into his fold years ago. It hadn’t go well but his coven had been spared. She had made sure. Fifteen vampires weren’t large numbers but they were skilled in simply not existing. Their shadows barely casting a silhouette on the ground.

The Czech Republic, Brno, housed a coven of retired warriors. The type that didn’t wish to live their life in blood shed. Anděla in her old glory with scars from before her immortal life. They didn’t speak about the past or anything before, But Juliette could nearly feel the energy beneath her skin. It was unspent and cooped up just waiting for a moment to be free. Their conversation was short and not even close to sweet. She offered something to fight for and the other accepted readily. A simple, “Are you in for a fight,” was all she had to offer before the other woman was nearly packing up and signaling her coven to go in that single moment. Out of the covens she had in her deck of cards they were the largest. Forty people strong of old warriors waiting for a chance to taste enemy blood on their tongue once more.

A simple phone call she could make on the move. New Orleans was a hub of the New World that had seen more than it’s fair sure of sorrow. Guy was the last coven leader for her to contact. Him with his young french immortal blood that found his way into a leading position simply by being older than all the rest. He was no more than hundred but he picked up at least twenty five souls that found their way under his wing. Juliette had rented her home just outside of the main city to their little coven. “Come to Paris,” was all she truly needed to say to get his attention. He had wished to get involved with the old world but knowing the politics were dangerous he refrained on her suggestion. When she explained that they were chasing peace between vampires and lycans - he instantly agreed. It seemed he had a wolf or two under his wing as well.

Taking in a breath that wasn’t needed, she paused for a moment and remembered six more options to call upon. Ones she was more than willing to risk. Each and every single one of the six had been within the council's radar at one time. Each and everyone of them had been people she assisted. Hid there dirty little secrets just so they didn’t end up dead. They weren’t lackeys. They were people that had ties to the old world and she would be damned if she didn’t use every single one of them. Blackmail was not beyond her and they were nearly wastes of space if not for their connections and knowledge.

It was a strange sort of sensation that filled her when she hung up the phone up and leaned back in her seat before getting ready to leave her home in Brno. Juliette had never called upon them. Not all of them at once. There was a small slightly humane portion of her soul that hoped it wouldn’t be something she regretted. They were people she cared about in her own way. She had steered them away from harm for some time. To think that she was now steering them towards it was a strange occurrence in her thoughts. She refused to believe it was fear. It was the simple need to find the possible outcomes in a chess match. Nearly her entire vampire life had been nothing but moves and counter-moves. To not be able to see the board was simply a leap of faith. To think that all of the people that had said yes to her, yes to the cause she offered even when they knew lycans weren’t on the top of her list in the past, they trusted her.

It was almost a sickening feeling….

Carmilla brings 20 Vampires

Bojan brings 30 Vampires

Gabriel brings 15 vampires

Anděla brings 50 vampires

Guy beings 20 vampires and 2 werewolves

High standing old vampires are six in number

Total: 143

#plot: vivere militare este #{.you may bury my body: all solos}#{.a favor for a favor: 002}#bolstering the ranks #i hope this is acceptable! I pretty much ran with it lol

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asfeedin · 5 years ago

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Latest Romance Book Releases – 04-28-2020

HAPPY TUESDAY NEW RELEASE DAY!! It’s a BIG list fully loaded with 85 books!!!! And yesterday’s list rocks worlds too, and then… I reviewed and awesome one so we have PLENTY to read, my friends.

In fact… Jan was already prepared!

Jan: Three new release preorders arrived on my kindle this morning. Whoops! I’d forgotten I’d ordered two of them. Where the Lost Wander (which I think I might read first), A Duke by Any Other Name by Grace Burrowes and another HR, Heiress for Hire by Madeline Hunter.

And while you’re here, don’t forget to check out:

AUDIOBOOK LVERS!

Not a member of Audible yet? Get a free 30 day audible trial (which includes 1 free audiobook + 2 audible originals)

READER RECOMMENDATIONS & BARGAIN FINDS:

TWO MONTHS FREE KINDLE UNLIMITED DEAL!!! <— If you haven’t tried it yet, now’s your chance (it’s still going on through the end of April).

and…

Infinite Us by Eden Butler <— EDEN BUTLER RE-RELEASE! “…Nash Nation loves zeroes and ones, over-sized monitors, and late office hours. He’s too busy taking over the world to make time for relationships—that is, until his new neighbor Willow O’Bryant barges into his life, and now Nash can’t shake the feeling that this isn’t the first time she’s interrupted his world. Then, the dreams start. And in the dreams—memories...”

Kathy: On Amy Harmon’s Facebook page, she posted that she read Eden Butler’s Infinite Us and highly recommended it.

Mony: Just finished The Cornerstone by Kate Canterbary and loved it! Steamy story about Hot Guy & Sassy Girl as they steer through one night stands into something more. Sassy Girl is great – sharp-witted & a tough nut to crack. H is a great alpha. Loved the slow burn & Hot Guy’s transformation. Banter between h & H is clever and even sharper in second half.

A 4.5-star read (deduction cause too much about h’s family). Plan to read The Spire (#6 in series)…story about Hot Doctor & Rebel Girl. Thanks Jan for mentioning this author!

Cicely: Hi Maryse! I just want to share that Absolution, the third book from The Disenchanted series from L.D. Davis is out now too!! The series is great and is worth some extra love.

Angst loving fanatic like me would love it!!!

Michele G: Tasha, where are you? I read it because of your high marks….you weren’t wrong!! I just finished The Sun Down Motel and it was AMAZING!! I listened to the audiobook and felt like I was in an episode of the Twilight Zone …or something at times…..so so good!!! I highly recommend!

Tasha J: YESS!! *claps hands* So glad you loved it

PARANORMAL/FANTASY/SCI-FI/DYSTOPIAN NEW RELEASES:

Shadowborn Academy: Year Three (Dark Fae Academy Series Book 3) by G. Bailey and Scarlett Snow <— REVERSE HAREM FAE!!

Possessive Alien Mate (Savage Martians Book 2) by Sue Mercury

Dragon Hero: Guardian Dragons of Prospect Falls by Serena Meadows

Playing Cards With Aliens (Kilbus Lord Book 1) by Erin Raegan

Mating Fever (Morgan Clan Bears, Book 3) by Theresa Hissong

The Unbound Queen: A Novel of the Four Arts by M.J. Scott

Wishes, Wings, and Woes: Reverse Harem Urban Fantasy (Gods and Demons Book 2) by Kaye Draper

The Impassioned Choice (Etherya’s Earth Book 5) by Rebecca Hefner

The Rising Queen Discovery in Water (The Elemental Chronicles Book 3): Reverse Harem Fantasy Romance Series by Gina Manis

Hidden Princess (The Elements Series Book 1) by M.A. Roth

Flourish: A High Fantasy Reverse Harem (The Blooming Courts Book 3) by Kendra Moreno and Poppy Woods

Kissed by the Alien Mercenary (Warriors of the Lathar Book 12) by Mina Carter

The Fourth Power: A Paranormal Women’s Fiction Romance Novel (Order of Magic Book 3) by Michelle M. Pillow

Starbreaker (Nightchaser Book 2) by Amanda Bouchet

Embracing Destiny (The Fae Chronicles #6) by Amelia Hutchins <— ELA FOUND IT!!!

Ela: MARYSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Embracing Destiny (The Fae Chronicles #6) by Amelia Hutchins IS LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CONTEMPORARY NEW RELEASES:

Where the Lost Wander: A Novel by Amy Harmon <— AMY HARMON ALERT!!! “…The Overland Trail, 1853: Naomi May never expected to be widowed at twenty. Eager to leave her grief behind, she sets off with her family for a life out West. On the trail, she forms an instant connection with John Lowry, a half-Pawnee man straddling two worlds and a stranger in both. But life in a wagon train is fraught with hardship, fear, and death...”

Tasha J: I finished Where the Lost Wander and I’m in . I cried a little when it was over. *sigh* Such a good book. …Where the Lost Wander is my best of read of the year for sure.

Mony: Where the Lost Wander is now on TBR list…thanks Tasha!

Michele G: I’m also reading Amy Harmon’s Where the Lost Wander and loving every word! She is such a versatile writer. I’m always amazed.

Rafe: An Arizona Vengeance Novella by Sawyer Bennett <— SAWYER BENNETT HOCKEY STAR SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE ALERT!! “…Now I’m home and when I’m not on the ice with my new team, I’m helping care for my dad. And in the midst of my grief, I find comfort from the one person I never expected.��Calliope Ramirez stole my heart at a very young age. The beautiful, smart, headstrong girl next door, she was my first… everything. She has never forgiven me for leaving her, believing that I chose hockey over a future together. What she doesn’t understand is that every decision I made was for her, and I’ve never given up hope that one day we’d be together again...”

To My Arrogant Boss (The Inappropriate Bachelors Book 2) by J. S. Cooper <— SHE TOLD OFF HER GRUMPY BOSS! “…I thought it was time that someone addressed your big head and told you straight to your face that you’re not all that. Just because you have an Ivy league education doesn’t mean you’re the smartest man in the world. In fact, I’m not even sure if you would have gotten in if you didn’t have rich parents. Yes, I went there…”

Can’t Fight The Moonlight (Whisper Lake Book 3) by Barbara Freethy

Enchanted (The Accidental Billionaires Book 4) by J. S. Scott

Mayhem’s Betrayal: Operation Mayhem Book 5 by Lindsay Cross

A Monster’s Beauty (In the Arms of Monsters Book 3) by Sam Crescent <— TRILOGY CONCLUSION ALERT!!

Nailed (Four Bears Construction Book 2) by K.M. Neuhold

Heiress for Hire (A Duke’s Heiress Romance Book 1) by Madeline Hunter <— HISTORICAL ROMANCE ALERT!! “…Now he’s insisting that Minerva has inherited a fortune from his uncle, a wealthy duke. Only one thing could surprise her more: her sudden attraction to this exasperating man...”

Taking Liberty (The Next Generation Book 7) by Riley Edwards

Fierce Shadows: Shadows Landing #4 by Kathleen Brooks

Dirty Desires by Crystal Kaswell <— SHE NEEDS MONEY FOR HER SISTER’S MEDICAL BILLS... “...Ian Hunt has specific tastes. The feisty student is perfect. He has to have her. His offer is simple. Six figures. Thirty days. Him introducing her to every kind of pleasure. It’s ridiculous. The British businessman is richer than sin and hotter than hell. He can have any woman he wants. Why her?…”

Ransom for a Song (The Rockwater Suite Book 3) by Phyllis Clark Nichols

Still Wicked (The Wickeds Book 6) by Kathleen Ayers <— HISTORICAL!!!

Counting On Cole (Wilde Ways Book 8) by Cynthia Eden <— SHE HAD BEEN KIDNAPPED & HE RESCUED HER… “…Evangeline “Evie” Lake fell hard and fast for her tall, dark, and dangerous rescuer. Then he flew her back to her home, kissed her goodbye on the doorstep, and walked his sexy self away with looking back. He broke her heart into a million little pieces, and she swore off the “bad boys”—they were just trouble she didn’t want. Case closed...”

Hard Edge (Cobra Elite Book 4) by Pamela Clare

Cole’s Mistake (Haven, Texas Book 8) by Laylah Roberts

B*stard: Royal B*stards MC (Texas) by Sapphire Knight

Finally (Neighbor from Hell Book 12) by R.L. Mathewson <— R.L. MATHEWSON’S LATEST NEIGHBOR FROM HELL!!! “…After years of putting off taking the next step, Charlie was finally ready, mostly because her best friend had threatened to make her life a living hell if she didn’t. Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to pull this off unless she made some changes, Charlie somehow finds herself moving into the in-law apartment of the man that seemed to go out of his way to avoid her only to find herself wondering if she was chasing the wrong dream after all...”

Treasure Island SEAL: Pirate SEAL Rescues his Mermaid (Sunset SEALs Book 3) by Sharon Hamilton

Torque (Wicked Mayhem MC Book 1) by Harley Wylde

An Officer, Not a Gentleman: A Traditional Regency Romance (Brethren in Arms Book 3) by Elizabeth Johns

The Billionaire’s Fake Fiancée by Annika Martin <— HE NEEDS SOMEONE THAT IS NOT HIS TYPE AT ALL… “...my people go and hire Tabitha. My hairdresser. What were they thinking? Yes, I said annoying, but I didn’t mean Tabitha, the most frustrating woman in the world. Tabitha is sunshiny. She has a pet hamster. She loves Hello Kitty, and she gets under my skin like nobody else. As if that’s not bad enough, the minute we step on deck, she thinks that certain people on the yacht are up to something shady–based completely on her soap opera knowledge. She won’t listen when I tell her she’s being ridiculous...”

Saint (Heartlands Motorcycle Club Book 4) by Hope Ford

Hot SEAL, Bachelor Party: A Brotherhood Protectors Crossover Novel (SEALs in Paradise) by Elle James

Carpentry and Cocktails: A Heartfelt Small Town Romance (Green Valley Library Book 5) Nora Everly <— HE’S HER NEW NERDY-HOT LANDLORD!! “…Willa Hill has finally left her teen runaway past behind and wants a fresh start—alone. Men are nothing but trouble and she’s had enough man-trouble to last a lifetime. Too bad her irresistibly sexy, nerdy-hot landlord doesn’t agree. When their mutual yearning becomes a white-hot fling and passion crosses carefully drawn, albeit one-sided boundaries, Everett finds himself in love and Willa finds herself in a pickle. Because, unfortunately, when she returned to Green Valley, her problems came too…”

The Virgin and the Rogue (Rogue Files Book 6) by Sophie Jordan <— HISTORICAL!!

Unmatched Love: Henry & Lei Lu: A SEAL & Strong Heroine Military Romance (Black Swan Book 6) by KaLyn Cooper

Lessons in Lemonade (Starving for Southern Book 3) by Kathryn Andrews

Island Affair (Keys to Love Book 1) by Priscilla Oliveras <— THE FIREFIGHTER IS HER FAKE FIANCÉ!! “...Sought-after social media influencer Sara Vance, in recovery from an eating disorder, is coming into her own, with a potential career expansion on the horizon. Despite the good news, her successful siblings (and their perfect spouses) have a way of making her feel like the odd one out. So, when her unreliable boyfriend is a no-show for a Florida family vacation, Sara recruits Luis Navarro—a firefighter paramedic and dive captain willing to play the part of her smitten fiancé…”

A Shot at Redemption: The Detectives of Hazel Hill – Book Four by Liz Bradford

Losing It All (The Hellfire Riders Book 7) by Kati Wilde

A Duke by Any Other Name (Rogues to Riches Book 4) by Grace Burrowes <— HISTORICAL!!

Airborne by DiAnn Mills <— A VIRUS WAS RELEASED... “…As the virus quickly spreads and dozens of passengers fall ill, Heather fears she’s witnessing an epidemic similar to ones her estranged husband studies for a living—but this airborne contagion may have been deliberately released. While Heather remains quarantined with other survivors, she works with her FBI colleagues to identify the person behind this attack. The prime suspect? Dr. Chad Lawrence, an expert in his field . . . and Heather’s husband…”

Head Over Paws (Rescue Me Book 5) by Debbie Burns

Honey Buns: An Opposites Attract Romance by Cat Johnson

The Run Around by Bernadette Franklin <— SHE’S PLANNING HIS WEDDING... “…He wants her to plan his wedding. She wants to be his bride. Diving into the treacherous world of wedding planning, Hope keeps her word and arranges the vows for the one man she believes she could love...”

A Date for Midnight (The Dating Series Book 1) by L.P. Dover and Heidi McLaughlin <— THE ROCK STAR & THE NURSE ALERT!! “…There, amongst the craft beer and pork rinds, she comes face to face with her high school boyfriend, Brennan McLean. He’s a rockstar. She’s a nurse. To say life led them in different directions would be putting it mildly. Still, time hasn’t lessened the electric chemistry between them. By the end of the night more was dropping than just the ball...”

Her Seafaring Scoundrel (The Crawfords Book 3) by Sophie Barnes

The Highlander’s Lady Knight (Midsummer Knights Book 2) by Madeline Martin

How to Not Fall for the Guy Next Door: A Sweet and Humorous Romance by Meg Easton

At My General’s Command (Men of Fort Dale Book 4) by Romeo Alexander <— M/M ROMANCE!!

Swimming in the Dark: A Novel by Tomasz Jedrowski <— M/M ROMANCE!!

The Thief by Bonnie Dee <— M/M ROMANCE!!

The Wedding Dress: A Novel by Danielle Steel <— DANIELLE STEEL ALERT!! “…The Parisian design houses in 1928, the crash of 1929, the losses of war, the drug culture of the 1960s—history holds many surprises, and lives are changed forever. For richer or for poorer, in cramped apartments and grand mansions, the treasured wedding dress made in Paris in 1928 follows each generation into their new lives, and represents different hopes for each of them, as they marry very different men...”

Royally Treasured (Royal Sons MC Book 4) by Elle Boon

A Duke Too Far (The Way to a Lord’s Heart Book 4) by Jane Ashford <— HISTORICAL!!

Duke of Misfortune (Dukes of Destiny Book 4) by Whitney Blake <— HISTORICAL!!

The Rakess: Society of Sirens, Volume 1 by Scarlett Peckham <— HISTORICAL!!

The Hating Season: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance by K.A. Linde <— K.A. LINDE ALERT!! SHE WAS HIRED TO CLEAN UP HIS IMAGE! “...I’m hired to clean up his badboy image, which would’ve been easy if my life wasn’t falling apart. First, I catch my movie star husband having an affair with his co-star. Then when I return to work, my job is at stake, because Court has gotten himself into trouble…again. Instead of getting him back in line, I find myself falling for his charm...”

Wicked at the Library: A Curvy Woman Romance (Curvy Librarians of Sugar Hill Book 1) by Liz Fox

Reid: An Eidolon Black Ops Novel by Maddie Wade

The Billionaire’s Navy SEAL (Sutton Billionaires Book 5) by Lori Ryan

Knocked Up by the Wrong Prince: An Accidental Pregnancy Romance (Knocked Up Royals Book 6) by Lilian Monroe

Who Will Save Your Soul: And Other Dangerous Bedtime Stories by Skye Warren <— SKYE WARREN ANTHOLOGY ALERT!! “…Features four novellas by New York Times bestselling author Skye Warren. Each standalone story ends in a happily ever after….”

Kyler’s Blind Date Seduction (Hot Hunks Steamy Romance Collection Book 4) by Stephanie Morris

Not the Bodyguard’s Boss: Sweet Bodyguard Romance (Hastings Security Book 3) by Lorin Grace

Necessary Risk (Aegis Group Task Force Book 4) by Sidney Bristol <— SHE HAS TO INFILTRATE A HAREM… “...Ivy Ashley is striking out. Fired from her gig as a live-in bodyguard, she’s at the end of her rope when she is asked to join a special task force for a one-off undercover job. It’s easy. All she has to do is infiltrate a harem. She even has back-up in the form of a lone-wolf spy with the sexiest lips she’s ever kissed…”

ImPerfectly Happy by Sharina Harris <— “…When four college friends formed the Brown Sugarettes Mastermind Group, they had very different goals—but matched each other in ambition. Yet ten years later they can’t help wondering what happened to the hopeful, confident, driven women they used to be—and how to get them back . . .”

Asking for Trouble (Credence, Colorado Book 3) by Amy Andrews

The Letter by Anthony Sciarratta <— FORBIDDEN LOVE SOULMATES ALERT!! “...Victor Esposito mysteriously dedicates every novel he’s ever written to one woman. His trademark protagonist fits the description of Eva Abrams, the bright-eyed and blonde Long Island housewife. Tragedy suddenly strikes Victor’s life when a courageous act leaves him in a coma. Hearing the news from a television broadcast, Eva finds herself suddenly overcome with the memories of a love affair she’d left behind a decade ago…“

Undeniably Perfect (Perfectly Imperfect Love Series Book 1) by S.E. Rose

Promise Me Always (Against All Odds Book 4) by Savannah Kade

How To Date Your Brother’s Best Friend: A snarky, steamy contemporary romance by Karigan Hale

Hook Up (Taking Chances Book 2) by TC Matson <— HER BOYFRIEND IS IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE ELSE... “…While I’m helping my best friend plan her wedding, I get hit with a bomb. One that ruins all my hopes and dreams of marriage and starting a family. My long-term boyfriend isn’t only a lying, cheating, piece of worthlessness, He’s also in love with the woman he’s been seeing behind my back. Now I’m forced to act like my best friend’s wedding isn’t going to hurt my soul while I try to mend my heart. What’s the best way to get over a broken heart? A no strings attached hook-up…”

Spooning Leads to Forking (Hot in the Kitchen Book 2) by Kilby Blades

Gone With the Rogue (First Comes Love Book 2) by Amelia Grey <— HISTORICAL!!!

Searching for Signs by Mandy Lee <— “…Fans of the award-winning and beloved television series “The Office” will enjoy a story reminiscent of Jim and Pam’s long-awaited and championed romance, while readers less familiar with the show will enjoy a bilateral story of two sensible people navigating the hardships of love and loss while stuck in their small Southern town and surrounded by quirky personalities...”

Deep in the Alaskan Woods (An Alaska Wild Novel Book 1) by Karen Harper <— SHE MOVES TO ALASKA FOR A NEW START… “…Alexandra Collister came to her estranged cousins’ B&B in Falls Lake, Alaska, looking for a fresh start. The surrounding forest can be harsh and unforgiving—luckily, rugged wilderness tracker Quinn Mantell offers to be her guide. Still recovering from a toxic previous relationship, Alex is wary of getting too close, but when savagely deep claw marks appear outside her bedroom window, keeping her distance from Quinn is no longer an option. Then a body turns up exhibiting the same ruthless slash marks, and Alex knows it isn’t a coincidence…”

The Ingredients of You and Me: A Novel (Hopeless Romantics Book 3) by Nina Bocci

Under an Alaskan Sky (A Wild River Novel Book 2) by Jennifer Snow

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caveartfair · 7 years ago

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9 Famous Artists’ Studios You Can Visit, from Jackson Pollock to Barbara Hepworth

From Francis Bacon’s famously disheveled creative hive to Constantin Brancusi’s workspace, which featured his own handmade furniture, the studios of history’s most famous artists provide a trove of insight into their practices and personas. Whether they ultimately become museums or are managed by foundations (like The Easton Foundation, which is in the process of readying Louise Bourgeois’s New York studio for public view), restoration efforts allow these spaces to be preserved and appreciated long after an artist’s death. What follows are nine artists’ studios—in locations from Cape Town to Cornwall—that you can visit in person.

Joan Miró

Mallorca, Spain

Joan Miró’s studio. Photo by Alexandra Moss, via Flickr.

Spanish painter, sculptor, and printmaker Miró—known for his biomorphic sculptures and abstract compositions inspired both by the Dada scene he had been involved with in Paris and by Japanese calligraphy—had grown up spending time in Mallorca with his grandmother. When he relocated there permanently from Barcelona in his sixties, he destroyed many of his previous works entirely, making way for a new phase of creativity that having his own studio (for the first time) afforded.

The Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró, which he established to preserve his studios, in part as inspiration to future artists, includes not only Miró’s first studio and a museum of his works, but also Son Boter, an 18th-century Mallorcan country estate house behind his own home that he bought as a space to make large-scale works. Today, its garage houses a functioning printmaking workshop, updated from Miró’s time.

Barbara Hepworth

Cornwall, England

Barbara Hepworth’s studio. Photo by Zoer, via Flickr.

At the onset of World War II, British sculptor Hepworth settled in the town of St. Ives in Cornwall, with her second husband, artist Ben Nicholson. She found Trewyn Studio a decade later, and lived and worked there for some 25 years. Hepworth forged her sculptures—signature stone and wood pieces, and plaster casts for her bronzes—in the house’s yard, in two outdoor studios, and in the house itself.

Per her instruction, the property—including the garden that she curated to display her sculptures—was turned into a museum after she died, and has been operated under the auspices of London’s Tate since 1980. The carving studio remains virtually how she left it, while the plaster studio now includes tools and in-progress works intended to give the space an educational and narrative focus. The museum is open through October 29th, before it closes for conservation until spring 2018.

Constantin Brancusi

Paris, France

Reconstruction of Constantin Brancusi’s studio at the Centre Pompidou. Photo by Piero Sierra, via Flickr.

Romanian-born sculptor Brancusi was based in Paris for over 50 years. Originally located along an alley called the Impasse Ronsin, his home and studio drew prominent artists including Yves Klein, Jean Tinguely, Max Ernst, and Niki de Saint Phalle, in the 1950s and ’60s. During Brancusi’s tenure, he not only created his sculptural works there, but also developed a sort of personal museum in which to display them. He envisioned his pieces in groupings and rearranged them to achieve a sense of perfect harmony, eventually ceasing to make new works and filling the empty space with a plaster cast if he sold a piece.

When he died, Brancusi left everything in his studio to the French government—and specified that the space must be perfectly recreated. The reconstructed, relocated studio now exists inside a Renzo Piano-designed, museum-like space beside the Centre Pompidou—and houses some 137 of Brancusi’s sculptures.

Georgia O’Keeffe

Abiquiú, New Mexico

In 1949, long after she had begun creating her iconic, abstracted paintings of flowers, O’Keeffe left New York and moved cross-country to continue her close observations of the natural world in the desert plains of New Mexico. There, her home and studio, in Abiquiú—which she purchased in 1945—is now a National Historic Landmark, operating in tandem with the Santa Fe campus of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, about 60 miles away. While she lived and worked in the building over the course of some 30 years, O’Keeffe created dozens of paintings based on the house and its surroundings, including its view of the Chama River. Visitors can reserve tours until just prior to Thanksgiving, before the building closes for the season, through March.

Francis Bacon

Dublin, Ireland

Six years after Bacon’s death in 1992, a team of archeologists, curators, and conservators moved his entire London studio to The Hugh Lane, a municipally run art gallery in Dublin, Bacon’s birthplace. The space has been recreated to reflect the exact condition Bacon left it in—namely, a mess. It was the artist’s home and workplace for three decades, and the Dublin reconstruction includes everything from the physical structure itself to the accumulated dust that gathered in the space.

Bacon’s notorious drinking and debauchery are evident in the chaos of paints and brushes; clothing that he used to transfer textures to his canvases; photographs of him and his acquaintances; destroyed, in-progress paintings; works on paper; the door and walls where he mixed paints in lieu of using a palette; loose book pages that served as source material; and a replica plaster cast of William Blake’s head. Both the relocation effort and the accompanying cataloguing of thousands of objects left in the studio were groundbreaking in museum archival practice.

Irma Stern

Cape Town, South Africa

Irma Stern Museum. Photo via Flickr.

Born in South Africa to German parents and educated in the arts in Germany (Max Pechstein was her mentor), Stern drew artistic inspiration from her travels around Africa and Europe. She painted expressionistic, psychological portraits, as well as still lifes and landscapes, and also made sculptures. Her avant-garde work was at first met with criticism in South Africa (the police were alerted to her first solo show there on the basis of immorality), despite a positive early reception in Europe.

Eventually, however, she came to be lauded as one of South Africa’s preeminent artists. The 1830s house where she lived and worked for some four decades is open to the public as the Irma Stern Museum. Stern’s studio, as well as her dining room and sitting room, are furnished as she left them, with eclectic artifacts from her travels, as well as a selection of her work, which the museum has hung from the walls. The second story, added to the space later on, operates as a gallery dedicated to contemporary South African art.

Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner

East Hampton, New York

Pollock-Krasner studio. Photo by John Griffin. Courtesy of the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center.

Pollock and Krasner met in 1941, in advance of a group exhibition that included both of the young Abstract Expressionists. They would marry in 1945, and, just two weeks later, move into their home in East Hampton. Pollock renovated and used a barn on the property as his studio, where Krasner worked after Pollock’s death in 1956. The floorboards are splashed and speckled with the vestiges of Pollock’s action painting—which conservators found and preserved during renovation.

The walls, meanwhile, display photographs and texts related to both artists’ careers and show physical traces of Krasner’s paintings. Krasner’s will stipulated that the home (where she originally painted) and the studio both be a place of insight into her and Pollock’s practices and a broader educational resource for students of modern art in America, and the site now features a study center that includes archives and interviews. This National Historic Landmark is open seasonally, from May through October.

René Magritte

Brussels, Belgium

In his home at 135 Rue Esseghem in Brussels, Surrealist artist Magritte routinely organized salons for his compatriots—so frequently, in fact, that the space became a homebase for the Belgian Surrealists. There, he also painted close to half of his strange and thought-provoking works, often using his own household items as inspiration.

Magritte and his family moved in 1954, and the house passed through the hands of several tenants before it was purchased and restored as a museum in the 1990s. Using historical documents, including auction records, photos, and interviews, the René Magritte House Museum recreated the studio as it had looked in the artist’s day. In the upstairs part of the house, the museum displays Magritte’s paintings and archival materials and mounts rotating exhibitions of likeminded artists. It is also in the process of expanding to the building next door in order to display more of its collection of some 650 works of modern art.

David Ireland

San Francisco, California

The David Ireland House. Photo by Henrik Kam. Courtesy of The 500 Cap Street Foundation.

When Ireland purchased an 1886 rowhouse in San Francisco’s Mission District, the Bay Area Conceptual artist envisioned a combined live-work space. During the some three decades he was based there, he transformed the house into what is often considered an artwork in its own right. As a kind of performative act—a “maintenance action,” as he called it—he not only cleaned the house but also removed window trim and baseboards, sanded the floors, and preserved cracks and discolorations in the walls with polyurethane, to expose the house’s skeleton and excavate its history.

Meanwhile, he created sculptures and installations from objects and materials he found while cleaning, like rubber bands, brooms, and dirt. Reopened to the public last year after conservation and renovation (the managing 500 Capp Street Foundation preserved the existing space and added square footage to display and archive work), the house and garage feature rotating exhibitions of Ireland’s works, as well as a visiting artist series.

—Rachel Lebowitz

from Artsy News

#Artsy News

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travelswithzoe-blog · 8 years ago

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December Book List

I know that I am almost three weeks late with this for which I have no excuse. But prior to heading home for the first time in over eighteen months for Christmas break, I managed to read 15 books which brought my yearly total up 116. In 2016, I had to the goal to read 100 new books so I completed that goal just in time for the New Year. At the end of this post is a list of all of the books that I read. But first, the 16 new ones.

First up, Across the Lines of Conflict edited by Michael Lund and Steve McDonald. This comparative analysis book is compromised of six different conflict-resolution and peace building case studies across countries including Estonia, Tajikistan, Cyprus, Burundi, Sri Lanka and Guyana. While the exact programs in these case studies are not universally applicable, there are many common lessons learned and it made for a really interesting read particularly for anyone interested in the conflict resolution field.

Sister of Mine by Sabra Waldfogel. I got this historical fiction novel for free from Amazon Prime but it turned out to be one of my favorite novels of the month. Set in the lead-up to and during the Civil War, it tells the dual tales of two sisters, one a slave and the mistress, and their lives, trials, their fights and ultimately the forgiveness between them. It was well written and touching.

Next, The Gates of Rome and The Death of Kings by Conn Iggulden. This series by Iggulden focuses on the life of Julius Caesar starting when he was child and presumably going to his death. This first book was interesting since it started years before Julius Caesar was the Caesar who is famous today. I then read the second in the series, which shows Caesar at the beginning of his fame. However, for some reason, I couldn’t get into this Iggulden series like the Mongol series so I stopped after the second one.

The Girl From Krakow by Alex Rosenberg. Another free historical fiction novel set during WWII, it follows a Polish Jewish woman who escapes a Nazi ghetto, fakes an identity and ultimately works for the Nazis in order to survive. It was actually an interesting read but I thought it could have lost fifty pages and been just as good.

Govern Like Us by M.A. Thomas. This book starts with the fundamental argument that poor and developing countries can never govern like rich, first world countries and that the first world governments (including the American government) should stop expecting that of developing countries. Rather, we (first world governments) should try to meet developing countries where they’re at more and seek to understand why these countries often have to depend on governing methods such as corruption, patronage and cronyism.

Appalachian Daughter by Mary Salyers. This novel (which draws from Salyer’s own experience) tells the coming-of-age story of a teenage girl who hails from a poor, conservative and religious family in Appalachia who is struggling to both define herself and escape where she came from. It is well written and I think, portrays a part of America that is often forgotten where it is easy to feel hopeless.

Hope’s Peak by Tony Healy. A good old-fashioned murder mystery (also free on Amazon Prime), it wasn’t a bad read but the ending wasn’t as twisting as I would like in a mystery novel.

All The Beautiful Brides by Rita Herron. Here was a murder mystery that I enjoyed as it had a fair amount of characters and enough plot twists to keep it interesting. If I had to recommend one, it would probably be this.

Dear Departed by Cynthia Harrod Eagles. Amazon Prime certainly does give a lot of murder mysteries for free. Changing the location to urban London, this mystery had some twists but wasn’t my favorite. However, unlike the others, it wasn’t about a serial killer so that switched it up a bit.

Die For Me by Cynthia Eden. My final free murder mystery of the month, this one center’s on a woman who fled from her ex-fiancé when she discovered he was a serial killer. Now he is after her. Not a bad read but not particularly memorable.

While You Were Mine by Ann Howard Creel. A romance novel about a woman who adopts her roommate’s baby once the roommate walks on the whole parenting thing during WWII, this novel is okay. Not particularly memorable but not badly written. I understand why it was free on Amazon Prime.

Worth the Wait by Jamie Beck. A classic romance involving the girl-next-door and the hot boy she has always pined for, this book was predictable but not badly written. If you get your hands on it for free (Amazon Prime) and you need something to read, why not.

Where We Fall by Rochelle B. Weinstein. Almost all of my books this month, I got for free via Amazon Prime and this was no exception. This is a novel about a deteriorating marriage and secrets that emerge after years of lying. Out of all of the free Amazon books I read in December, this is one of the better ones.

Mooncop a graphic novel by Tom Gauld. My first (and only) graphic novel of the year which was actually a Christmas gift for my boyfriend. It was funny in a melancholy way but a very short read. I wouldn’t necessarily buy it but if you read it for free, why not?

And now to list all of the books that I read this year (feel free to stop reading at this point).

1) Parallel Worlds: Rebuilding The Education System In Kosovo 2) Charlie Wilson’s War 3) Fire Season 4) My Brilliant Friend 5) The American Ambassador 6) Between the World and Me 7) Between Serb and Albanian: A History of Kosovo 8) Go Set A Watchman 9) Going Rogue 10) Liberating Paris 11) The Emporer’s Blades 12) The Providence Of Fire 13) Dress Your Family In Corduroy And Denim 14) Oxygen 15) Wave 16) The Sixth Extinction 17) Asking For It 18) Boomerang 19) Catherine the Great: Love, Sex and Power 20) World Order 21) Gang Leader For A Day 22) Bad Feminist 23) A Mother’s Reckoning: Living In The Aftermath Of A Tragedy 24) Dark Places 25) For All The Wrong Reasons 26) Three Cups Of Tea 27) Wuthering Heights 28) American Gods 29) Afterimage 30) The Ten Thousand Things 31) Guns, Germs, And Steel 32) The Last Days Of Dogtown 33) Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything 34) The Glass Palace 35) The Old Man And The Sea 36) The Balkans, 1804-2012: Nationalism, War and the Great Powers 37) Flights Of Love 38) Faceless Killers 39) The Last Mortal Bond 40) The Flood 41) Before Versailles 42) The New Jim Crow 43) Portfolios Of The Poor 44) Reporting Disasters 45) Baby Proof 46) Love The One You’re With 47) First Comes Love 48) The True Story of Hansel and Gretel 49) The Invisible Bridge 50) Skeletons At The Feast 51) Lovely Green Eyes 52) Beautiful Bodies 53) The Places In Between 54) Saint Anything 55) It’s Not Okay 56) American Taboo: A Murder In The Peace Corps 57) Intrusion 58) Inheritance 59) The Daughter Of Union County 60) A Journal Of Sin 61) The Abducted: The Beginning 62) Three Sisters, Three Queens 63) Rogue Lawyer 64) Harry Potter And The Rogue Child 65) Dealing With China 66) Why Nations Fail 67) An Abundance Of Katherines 68) Rescue In Albania 69) On Immunity 70) The Unbroken Line Of The Moon 71) Blood Against The Snow 72) Annette Valon 73) The Old Cape Magic 74) 1222 75) Monique And The Mango Rains 76) Inside The Kingdom 77) Someone Knows My Name 78) All Is Well 79) Wisdom Sits In Places 80) The Princess Bride 81) 1325: Facts And Fables 82) The Taliban Shuffle 83) Birth Of An Empire 84) Lords Of The Bow 85) Keeping Faith 86) Change of Heart 87) Plain Truth 88) Bones Of The Hills 89) Empire Of Silver 90) Against A Crimson Sky 91) We Should All Be Feminists 92) Modern Albanian 93) The Rational Optimist 94) Outpost 95) Daughter Of Fortune 96) May We Be Forgiven 97) Small Great Things 98) The Audacity Of Hope 99) Lady Elizabeth 100) Captive Queen 101) A Secret Kept 102) Across The Lines Of Conflict 103) Sister of Mine 104) The Gates of Rome 105) The Death of Kings 106) The Girl From Krakow 107) Govern Like Us 108) Appalachian Daughter 109) Hope’s Peak 110) All The Beautiful Brides 111) Dear Departed 112) Die For Me 113) While You Were Mine 114) Worth The Wait 115) Where We Fall 116) Mooncop

And with that long list, that’s a wrap folks.

#peace corps #reading #book list

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caveartfair · 7 years ago

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How Basquiat Became a Muse for So Many Artists

Jean Michel Basquiat NY, Free, 1987. Tseng Kwong Chi Eric Firestone Gallery

Twenty-nine years ago, Jean-Michel Basquiat died from a heroin overdose in his East Village apartment. His death, at just 27, was also the death knell of a scene otherwise decimated by drugs and AIDS. In his lifetime, however, he was one of the most prominent faces of downtown New York.

Now, perhaps more than any artist of his generation, he lives on in movies, books, music, and, of course, visual art, which isn’t terribly surprising, given that he was at the forefront of massive shifts in art, culture, and race in America. Yet the enduring power of his portrait also owes a lot to paparazzi and public-access TV.

Downtown New York of the late 1970s and early ’80s had more than its fair share of debauchery and party people. There was Mudd Club, Club 57, Area, seemingly infinite lofts, and plenty of drugs. Before he was 20, Basquiat was on the scene, first as one half of the graffiti duo SAMO, whose tags dotted the dilapidated city.

His band, Gray, played all the hip venues, while his girlfriend Jennifer Goode helped create the otherworldly sets at Area, and his friend and mentor Andy Warhol co-founded Interview magazine, the literary guide to downtown cultural figures.

Jean-Michel Basquiat Florence, Italy August 1985, 1985. Michael Halsband McCaig-Welles

Basquiat painting on floor, New York, 1983, 1983. Roland Hagenberg Sin Sin Fine Art

If Interview and the Village Voice were the publications that documented Basquiat’s world, TV Party was their television counterpart. Created and hosted by writer Glenn O’Brien (who also wrote and edited at Interview), the public-access TV show was a live, low-budget, frequently unhinged visual record of downtown personalities—Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, Fab Five Freddy, John Lurie, David Byrne, and countless others.

Each episode was essentially a party, and Basquiat was a frequent guest there as well as at the other, untelevised parties scattered across downtown New York.

But remember: This was pre-Instagram. So how did the rest of the city spy on all the invite-only fêtes, the unmissable shows, and the revelry behind the velvet rope? That responsibility fell to photographers (those who were invited, anyway) like Tseng Kwong Chi and Michael Halsband, who shot for themselves, their friends, and for taste-making publications like ARTnews.

Then, as now, consumers across New York and the world paid to see what celebrities were up to, and Basquiat—young, handsome, cool, and eventually extremely successful—was most certainly a celebrity. Being a Warhol protégé didn’t hurt.

Blue Notes (Basquiat): Who's Who or a Pair of Aces #1, 2014. Carrie Mae Weems MARUANI MERCIER GALLERY

Reel Basquiat, . Andy Warhol Christie's

On the mercenary side, photographers like Ron Galella (fortunately or unfortunately known as the godfather of paparazzi in America) would shoot the stars for gossip rags and Page Six featurettes, where Basquiat made numerous appearances. According to Galella, the paparazzi game was more dignified back then.

“Today they hound celebrities because they are out for money,” he has said. “They seek pictures showing cellulite and fat—I never did that, I wanted beauty.”

Basquiat had beauty. On his first TV Party appearance, when he was still known as SAMO, a female viewer called in to let him know: “I love Samo’s eyes. He has beautiful eyes. I want everyone to see that.”

Now, nearly 30 years after his death, Basquiat’s name still pops up on Page Six, but usually only in news stories about collectors and auction houses buying or selling his work for millions of dollars, as in this past May when he set the record for a work sold by an American artist at auction.

Basquiat, 2010. Shepard Fairey MUCA

Basquiat, . Otto Duecker Plus One Gallery

Meanwhile, much of what Basquiat represents—artistic rebellion, uncorked creativity, a 20th-century tragedy—is still alive in poster-ready portraits from a variety of artists today.

Whereas artists of antiquity tended to depict religious figures, philosophers, patrons, and the ruling class, today’s iconography is defined by celebrity and pop culture. Celebrities, dead and alive, are the new saints. For street artist Shepard Fairey, that means Basquiat’s portrait joins those of Michael Jordan, Barack Obama, George Harrison, and Ice T. For painter Otto Duecker, Basquiat joins Jimi Hendrix, Mick Jagger, Paul Newman, and Yoda.

Basquiat’s visage is just one volume in a library of famous faces that have accrued a tremendous amount of cultural currency.

Yet a few artists use Basquiat’s portrait to take a more nuanced view of his legacy. After all, the partying, the drugs, and the fame only glance at an essential characteristic of his story: being an artist of color in an art world that was, and is, overwhelmingly white.

In Carrie Mae Weems’s “Blue Notes” series (2014–15), she features a blurred portrait of Basquiat, his face slightly obscured by a block of color. “It’s about the way people live behind color,” she told the New York Times. “They live behind this wall of color that made it impossible for them to emerge as singular voices on their own.”

Basquiat, 2013. Bernard Pras Sergio Gonçalves Galeria

Cojones Basquiat, Gold, . Knowledge Bennett Art Angels

Even in New York, where Basquiat seemed to feel most at home, his voice sometimes didn’t come through. In the early ’80s, TV Party host O’Brien wrote a half-true documentary about a poor, young, black artist trying to make it in the city. Basquiat played the lead in what was essentially his own story.

The unfinished film, eventually called Downtown 81, was shelved and forgotten about until it was released in 2000, 12 years after Basquiat’s death. It’s now considered a cult classic, even though Basquiat died before he could record his dialogue. Most of his lines were dubbed, resulting in what is yet another incomplete portrait of a complex and deeply influential cultural figure.

—Ryan Leahey

from Artsy News

#Artsy News

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