M1984

Almost finished listening to the audiobook 'The Quarterback', by Mackenzie Blair and narrated by Greg Boudreaux. Synopsis. Matt Lancaster is the star quarterback at Bodine College, a small Southern Division II school with an ultra-conservative dean of athletics. Matt is also very much in the closet, and he thinks he’s kept his secret well hidden, until his best friends take him to a happy endings massage parlor and request a male masseuse for him. In walks Trevor Kim, a gorgeous, pierced, tattooed fellow Bodine student who does massages - without happy endings - to pay for school after his family kicked him out for being gay. Trevor takes one look at Matt and breaks all his own rules about mixing business with pleasure. Matt needs to keep his scholarship, win the National Championship, and survive his asshole father. Instead, he falls in love. Trevor needs to accept that the football god is meant to end up with him rather than a perky cheerleader. It’s time for a "happily ever after" for both of them. While some can argue that there's nothing brand new to the plot, it has been a good listen. I would recommend it.

I enjoyed the first two. The last episode was OK. It didn't really feel like Black Mirror. My favourite episodes are The National Anthem & White Bear, from the earlier series. I like the shock factor in the show. Those two episodes are unlike anything else I've seen on TV. But Smithereens from this series is very high up on my list, too. Very intense, and made me get quite emotional at the end.

That's exactly how I feel. I would have been happy with 5 or 6, like the past couple of seasons. But 3 episodes after more than a year's break, really sucks. That said, I think the shorter series might have been sacrificed for much better written episodes. In series (seasons if you're in the US) with 20+ episodes, some of them feel rushed out, like something in a factory. Episode after episode pumped out without great care given to the episodes. Black Mirror episodes feel meticulous in the writing and production. Even if the plot didn't win me over in some of them. The quality of the episode itself has never let me down.

No planned vacation for me, but I do live on the beach, and I am down on it almost every morning. Usually on long walks to try keep in shape. It's a tourist spot so there's ice cream parlors, a couple of pubs and restaurants to stop at, too. That said, the weather here's not that great. We're lucky if we get more than a few weeks of "summer weather".

First of all, this is my first topic, so I'm not sure if it's in the right place. Second, I'm pretty rubbish at writing in-depth reviews without unintentionally dropping spoilers, so I tend to err on the side of caution and keep it vague. I've only seen the first episode of season 5, so far; "Striking Vipers". It was a pretty wild episode, really well written, well produced and the actors did an amazing job, too. It also touched upon one or two themes that might be relatable with many readers here. But again, I don't know how much to reveal about those themes without spoiling them, so I'll rely on the wisdom in any comments below to figure that out. Do you watch the show at all? And if so, have you seen any episode of the new season? It's an anthology series, so with Black Mirror you can watch it in any order. Each episode is a stand alone. (with one exception; the season 4 finale).

I haven't read it yet, but it sounds interesting. I've added it to my bookmarks. 🙂

Another recent read (listen) was an audiobook called Straight Boy. By Jay Bell It's exactly what it sounds like, a gay boy with a crush on a straight boy. But it's also much more than that too, as it takes on some serious issues. Part romance & friendship, with some thriller going on in the background, which sees the main protagonists face some serious danger.

I've just finished re-reading C James' work, for the third time over the last ten years or so. They're all really good, but I particularly recommend 'Circumnavigation', and 'Let The Music Play.' I'll attach them as well as a couple of other great stories I've enjoyed.

"The way I see it every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don't always soften the bad things, but vice-versa, the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things or make them unimportant." Another one from Doctor Who. As you can probably tell, I am a fan.😄

I thought the narration was excellent. The best part of it. I liked the fact that the story itself didn't really follow the tradition of creating a romance, and just focused on his sticky situation instead. 🙂

"We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one." Matt Smith aka the 11th Doctor.

Have they announced the new Bond yet? I heard DC is quitting the role. Or maybe he already has?

The most recent non-GA story I've finished was one called They Both Die At The End, by Adam Silvera. (LGBT fiction). It left a weird impression on me. I can't really go into why without spoiling it. It was well written, and the plot was intriguing. But it lingered on my mind for a while afterward. Made me think about what I'd do in the situation the characters found themselves in. I would recommend it, but expect to be provoked, if you do.

I recently finished Jack of Hearts, on Audible.com, if you've still to read it.

Can't say I am that familiar with Captain America, but he is hot, for sure. 😏

I can't see it myself, but I have been surprised in the past with odd casting decisions. I'll keep an open mind.

I don't know who is more frustrating to read, Lisa or Ned. Ned's acting like a child, and Lisa is being careless, putting both herself, and Joel in danger.

Sex scenes. Especially after the first one. I'm not a prude or anything like that. I just find those scenes uninteresting after the first time. Although I try to make sure I'm not missing anything relevant to the story in doing so. Some stories have way too many, imo, and it can get in the way of the flow of the story. Although that's not something I encountered on here, but on an Audible book, recently.

All I kept thinking was, Jane's going to walk in on Eric and Jansen training, and it's going to look like something it isn't - yet anyway, get the wrong idea, and have a meltdown. 😆

I don't know about that. Alcohol affects people in different ways. I get all emotional when I drink vodka. When I drink JD's, I just get drunk. I can believe that Tequila could make someone behave badly. Whether or not it happens, is another matter.

My second time reading this. It's been a while, though, and I'm already, once again, enjoying it. 😊

A very sweet, and fitting, ending. I was hoping they'd marry and eventually have kids. I feel a little bit sad about Carter losing his memory of that body swap experience. But I guess it was the right thing to happen, now that everything was right. I think Alex, too, will be better off now, without Aron. Clearly they didn't work well together. Maybe he can find someone who can make him a better person? After all, this a big part of this story is about second chances. Thanks again for sharing this wonderful story with the rest of us. 😊

I wasn't curious about the way the accident (or non-accident) unfolded, until Mark made it kind of a big deal. I just assumed a typical, unfortunate accident. But now I really want to know what happened. 😆

That was a really fun chapter. One thing that has got me wondering though, are these odd remarks about Mark's eyes. A couple of times, now, something about Mark's appearance, has had Carter thinking. I'm not sure what's going on, if anything. Perhaps Mark's just got attractive eyes? 😄

What a steamy chapter! ♨️ This part made me think about how strange it must be to to hold, and pleasure someone else's sex organs, but as your own. I mean, they're attached to you, and you feel the stimulation, but everything must be different to experience, through somebody else's body, because you're so used to your own. I imagine it would be even stranger if Carter had been body swapped with a female, or vice versa. 😆