tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48497869799045003432024-03-18T13:33:49.632+10:30Nicki J Markus / Asta IdoneaA blog for author and book reviewer Nicki J Markus (mainstream genre fiction)/Asta Idonea (LGBT fiction).Nicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.comBlogger3751125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-80125061564717754012024-03-17T10:36:00.002+10:302024-03-17T10:36:20.459+10:30Book Review: Mysterious Setting by Abe Kazushige (Contemporary Fiction)Title: Mysterious Setting
Author: Abe Kazushige
Publisher: Pushkin Press
Publication Date: 7 March 2024 (2006)
Pages: 224
Format: eBook - PDF
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Source: ARC via EdelweissShiori knows at heart that she's a troubadour.
She may be completely tone-deaf, but she won't let that stop her living a
life dedicated to music. Even when her dominant older sister, Nozomi,
forces Nicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-3084726052733764012024-03-16T12:32:00.001+10:302024-03-16T12:32:03.315+10:30Book Review: Lady of Steel and Straw by Erica Ivy Rodgers (YA Fantasy)Title: Lady of Steel and Straw
Author: Erica Ivy Rodgers
Publisher: Peachtree Teen
Publication Date: 4 June 2024
Pages: 432
Format: eBook - PDF
Genre: YA Fantasy
Source: ARC via NetGalleyIn this YA fantasy debut, a tenacious heroine with a dark gift must defend her family's legacy and faith from a handsome enemy.Lady
Charlotte Sand was born to calm the restless dead, but her power has
grown Nicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-5640221090925315152024-03-16T12:16:00.000+10:302024-03-16T12:16:57.754+10:30Book Review: A Duke of Own's Own by Emma Orchard (Historical Romance)Title: A Duke of One's Own
Author: Emma Orchard
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Publication Date: 22 April 2024
Pages: 304
Format: eBook - PDF
Genre: Historical Romance
Source: ARC via NetGalleySummer, 1816. A notorious rebel is about to meet her match...Lady
Georgiana Pendlebury is no stranger to breaking the rules of polite
society. But when a so-called ‘friend’ invites her to a clandestine
party,Nicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-46433970514812566742024-03-16T11:38:00.004+10:302024-03-16T11:38:53.898+10:30Book Review: Gothic Tales by The Marquis de Sade (Short Stories)Title: Gothic Tales
Author: The Marquis de Sade
Publisher: Pushkin Press
Publication Date: 3 September 2024
Pages: 192
Format: eBook - PDF
Genre: Short Stories
Source: ARC via EdelweissNotorious for erotic novels that use satire and social critique to
challenge the aristocracy in pre-revolutionary France, his sexual
transgressive work made his name unmentionable in civilized circles.
Writing Nicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-23592811485813755582024-03-16T11:28:00.006+10:302024-03-16T11:28:55.948+10:30TV Review: A Time Called You (2023) (Sci-Fi Romance)A Time Called You (너의 시간 속으로)202312 episodesMA15+Sci-Fi RomanceNetflix A grieving woman magically travels through time to 1998, where she meets a man with an uncanny resemblance to her late love. (Synopsis)A Time Called You was an intriguing series. You need to bear with it for the first two episodes while all the setup takes place, but after that the story begins to unfold more clearly. Nicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-74138177286699448152024-03-12T09:00:00.010+10:302024-03-12T09:00:00.130+10:30ABC123 Book Challenge - PI spotted the ABC book challenge on a few blogs and Instagram
accounts and decided to join the fun. I have tweaked my version to call
it the ABC-123 book challenge, as for each letter I will share three
books I enjoyed, two authors I like, and one book I'd like to read.Today's letter: PNicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-30709331888067954772024-03-10T09:25:00.001+10:302024-03-10T09:25:09.631+10:30Book Review: The Moonlight Market by Joanne Harris (Fantasy)Title: The Moonlight Market
Author: Joanne Harris
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: 2 July 2024
Pages: 288
Format: eBook - PDF
Genre: Fantasy
Source: ARC via EdelweissFrom New York Times bestselling author Joanne Harris comes a richly imagined and captivating novel of two colliding worlds.Deep
in the heart of London, a photographer walks the streets and captures
whatever catchesNicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-53626828646324571602024-03-10T09:11:00.002+10:302024-03-10T09:11:48.513+10:30Theatre Review: Lost in Translation - Twilight (2024) (Comedy)Lost in Translation - Twilight9 March 2024Rhino Room - Adelaide FringeAdelaide
ComedyLost in Translation was a great hour of comedy. The premise of the show is that they take a famous movie script (in this case Twilight), trim it to 60 minutes, then run it through bad online translators into various languages before going back into English and performing the result. While most of the cast have Nicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-59572962490246900702024-03-09T15:26:00.004+10:302024-03-09T15:26:36.592+10:30Film Review: Badland Hunters (2024) (Action)Badland Hunters (황야)2024MA15+Heo Myung-haeng (Director)ActionNetflixAfter a deadly earthquake turns Seoul into a lawless badland, a fearless huntsman springs into action to rescue a teenager abducted by a mad doctor. (Synopsis)Badland Hunters had a fun premise but ended up being a mediocre movie. I found the storyline fun and the action sequences were well shot, but I thought some of the Nicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-74024574380295040552024-03-09T15:23:00.004+10:302024-03-09T15:23:35.761+10:30Film Review: The Parades (2024) (Drama)The Parades (パレード)2024MFujii Michihito (Director)DramaNetflixA mother searches for her missing son after a devastating calamity, only to realize that she has died and is now confined to a realm of restless spirits. (Synopsis)The Parades was a mixed bag for me. On the plus side, I liked the idea and I found the characters' individual stories all interesting. In terms of the performances, too, the Nicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-66842613199268437222024-03-09T15:20:00.005+10:302024-03-09T15:20:39.452+10:30TV Review: Let's Talk About CHU (2024) (Comedy-Drama)Let's Talk About CHU (愛愛內含光)20248 episodesMA15+Comedy-DramaNetflix Part-time vlogger Chu Ai uses her channel to speak candidly about sex. But in real life, she finds that subject to be so much trickier. (Synopsis) I found Let's Talk About CHU to be a fun and also thoughtful drama. It was part sexual comedy, but there was also a lot of depth and drama surrounding some of the characters' Nicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-46439838544705172062024-03-09T15:15:00.003+10:302024-03-09T15:15:29.594+10:30Book Review: The Ballad of Falling Rock by Jordan Dotson (Fiction)Title: The Ballad of Falling Rock
Author: Jordan Dotson
Publisher: BHC Press
Publication Date: 24 September 2024
Pages: 368
Format: eBook - EPUB
Genre: Fiction
Source: ARC via EdelweissTruth told, folks still ask if Saul Crabtree sold his soul for the perfect hymn. If he sold it to angels or devils. A Bristol newspaper once asked: “are his love songs closer to heaven than dying?” Others wonder Nicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-51744913508363358882024-03-09T15:07:00.002+10:302024-03-09T15:07:15.279+10:30Book Review: Tiananmen Square by Lai Wen (Contemporary Literature)Title: Tiananmen Square
Author: Lai Wen
Publisher: Swift Press
Publication Date: 23 May 2024
Pages: 528
Format: eBook - PDF
Genre: Contemporary Literature
Source: ARC via NetGalleyA stunning, deeply moving autobiographical
novel about growing up in Beijing in the 1970s and 80s and taking part
in Tiananmen Square protestsIt is Beijing in the 1970s, and
Lai lives with her parents, grandmother Nicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-6378850057529038922024-03-09T15:03:00.001+10:302024-03-09T15:03:02.856+10:30Film Review: My Name is Loh Kiwan (2024) (Drama)My Name is Loh Kiwan (로기완)2024MA15+Kim Hee-jin (Director)DramaNetflixAfter defecting from North Korea, Loh Kiwan struggles to obtain refugee status in Belgium, where he encounters a dejected woman who has lost all hope. (Synopsis)My Name is Loh Kiwan was a mostly good drama. I liked the idea, and the cast gave good performances, but occasionally I wished certain parts could have been explored in Nicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-23752583650805467412024-03-05T15:42:00.000+10:302024-03-05T15:42:04.325+10:30Book Review: The Contract Between a Specter and a Servant Vol. 1 by Fushino Michiru (LGBT Fantasy Light Novel)Title: The Contract Between a Specter and a Servant Vol. 1
Author: Fushino Michiru
Publisher: Yen On
Publication Date: 19 March 2024
Pages: 161
Format: eBook - PDF
Genre: LGBT Fantasy Light Novel
Source: ARC via EdelweissThat was the worst day of Masamichi Adachi’s
life. He failed the college entrance exam again, was fired from his
part-time job, and to top it all off, was fatally injured in aNicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-672596575243616682024-03-05T15:37:00.000+10:302024-03-05T15:37:19.412+10:30Book Review: The Uncanny Counter Vol. 1 by Jang E (Fantasy Manhwa)Title: The Uncanny Counter Vol. 1
Author: Jang E
Publisher: Ize Press
Publication Date: 19 March 2024
Pages: 240
Format: eBook - PDF
Genre: Fantasy Manhwa
Source: ARC via EdelweissThe word is that the noodle shop on the corner
serves broth that’s out of this world. But little do they know...it’s
actually run by people from the afterlife! To be more precise, the
restaurant is a front for Nicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-44491794463381347042024-03-05T15:22:00.002+10:302024-03-05T15:22:08.406+10:30TV Review: Copycat Killer (2023) (Thriller)Copycat Killer (模仿犯)202310 episodesMA15+ThrillerNetflixWhen a spate of grisly murders throws a city into chaos, a tenacious prosecutor must brace for a cat-and-mouse game against a dangerous manipulator. (Synopsis)Copycat Killer was a catchy series. The storyline (based on a Japanese novel) was interesting and I liked that the show revolved more around how to catch the killer rather than work outNicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-61060907438838307342024-03-03T09:38:00.000+10:302024-03-03T09:38:01.266+10:30Book Review: A History of Europe in 12 Cafés by Monica Porter (Non-Fiction/History)Title: A History of Europe in 12 Cafés
Author: Monica Porter
Publisher: Pen & Sword History
Publication Date: 30 April 2024
Pages: 216
Format: eBook - PDF
Genre: Non-Fiction/History
Source: ARC via NetGalleySince the seventeenth century, the café, or
coffee house, in Europe has been the key gathering place of innovators
and mavericks – the writers, artists, philosophers and political Nicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-78311447693613947172024-03-02T10:52:00.003+10:302024-03-02T10:52:47.068+10:30Book Review: The God and the Gumiho (Fantasy Romance)Title: The God and the Gumiho (Fate's Thread #1)
Author: Sophie Kim
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Publication Date: 4 June 2024
Pages: 421
Format: eBook - PDF
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Source: ARC via NetGalleyThey'll do anything to outsmart each other. Anything, except fall in love.In
this delightful Korean contemporary fantasy, a fallen trickster god
must pair up with a coffee-slinging, Nicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-65155401644422305232024-03-02T10:47:00.003+10:302024-03-02T10:47:25.428+10:30TV Review: Castaway Diva (2023) (Drama)Castaway Diva (무인도의 디바)202312 episodesMDramaNetflixFifteen years after being stranded on a remote island, an aspiring singer reenters society — stopping at nothing to pursue her dream of becoming a diva. (Synopsis)Castaway Diva was a pretty enjoyable drama. The idea, though a little far-fetched, was fun; however, I actually found some of the subplots more compelling than the main narrative as theNicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-81540659246810059402024-02-27T09:00:00.009+10:302024-02-27T09:00:00.136+10:30ABC123 Book Challenge - OI spotted the ABC book challenge on a few blogs and Instagram
accounts and decided to join the fun. I have tweaked my version to call
it the ABC-123 book challenge, as for each letter I will share three
books I enjoyed, two authors I like, and one book I'd like to read.Today's letter: ONicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-26438190766851752342024-02-26T10:46:00.003+10:302024-02-26T10:46:11.091+10:30Book Review: On Murder by Thomas de Quincey (Classics)Title: On Murder
Author: Thomas de Quincey
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 201
Format: Paperback
Genre: Classics
Source: Xmas GiftThomas De Quincey's three essays On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts
centre on the notorious career of the murderer John Williams, who in
1811 brutally killed seven people in London's East End. De Quincey's
response to Nicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-52954223647048251252024-02-26T07:00:00.001+10:302024-02-26T07:00:00.135+10:30Book Review: Butter by Yuzuki Asako (Contemporary Fiction)Title: Butter
Author: Yuzuki Asako
Publisher: Fourth Estate
Publication Date: 29 February 2024 (2017)
Pages: 464
Format: eBook - PDF
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Source: ARC via NetGalleyThere are two things that I can simply not tolerate: feminists and margarine.Gourmet
cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Center convicted of the
serial murders of lonely businessmen, who she is said to Nicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-48410354987686303752024-02-25T14:13:00.002+10:302024-02-25T14:13:38.959+10:30Book Review:n Case File Compendium Vol. 1 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou (BL Fantasy)Title: Case File Compendium Vol. 1
Author: Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou
Publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment
Publication Date: 13 February 2024
Pages: 436
Format: Paperback
Genre: BL Fantasy
Source: Bought CopyFrom the outside, He Yu seems to have everything
going for him: he’s handsome, rich, and smart. But beneath his perfect
facade, he’s hiding a dark secret – one that makes him a slumbering threat
toNicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849786979904500343.post-55759417139871672382024-02-25T13:55:00.000+10:302024-02-25T13:55:11.578+10:30Book Review: Universal Principles of Typography (Non-Fiction)Title: Universal Principles of Typography
Author: Elliot Jay Stocks
Publisher: Rockport Publishing
Publication Date: 16 April 2023
Pages: 224
Format: eBook - PDF
Genre: Non-Fiction
Source: ARC via NetGalleyExplore 100 key concepts, theories, and guidelines that are critical for choosing and using type.We
communicate with text every single day, but what does it mean to really
understand Nicki J. Markus / Asta Idoneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188802106885309139noreply@blogger.com0