#r m romero

[bensbooks]

ARC Review: Death's Country

Andres Santos of São Paulo was all swinging fists and firecracker fury, a foot soldier in the war between his parents. Until he drowned in the Tietê River… and made a bargain with Death for a new life. A year later, his parents have relocated the family to Miami, but their promises of a fresh start quickly dissolve in the summer heat. Instead of fists, Andres now uses music to escape his parents’ battles. While wandering Miami Beach, he meets two photographer Renee, a blaze of fire, and dancer Liora, a ray of sunshine. The three become a polyamorous triad, happy, despite how no one understands their relationship. But when a car accident leaves Liora in a coma, Andres and Renee are shattered. Then Renee proposes a radical solution: She and Andres must go into the underworld to retrieve their girlfriend’s spirit and reunite it with her body—before it’s too late. Their search takes them to the City of the dead, where painters bleed color, songs grow flowers, and regretful souls will do anything to forget their lives on earth. But finding Liora’s spirit is only the first step in returning to the living world. Because when Andres drowned, he left a part of himself in the underworld—a part he’s in no hurry to meet again. But it is eager to be reunited with him…

My review:

Beautiful. Heartbreaking.

This absolutely stunning novel-in-verse had me captivated from page one. Death's Country is about a violent teenage boy who has been given a second chance at life. After swapping out his anger for a future IOU with Death herself, Andres returns to the living and soon falls in love with girlfriends Liora and Renee.

When Liora is later taken down to the underworld herself, Andres and Renee risk everything to rescue her. The love the three characters feel for each other jumps from every word, and you can't help but to travel along with them in the hopes of them being able to rescue their girlfriend.

This book is a hard one to put down, and I will be purchasing a myself a physical copy as soon as I am able.

[readsofawe]

Come to our #readsofawe Buddy Read discussion with R. M. Romero TOMORROW at 7 est over on instagram!

[lilibetbombshell]

[diaryoftruequotes]

No one is ever really lost as long as their story still exists. R. M. Romero, The Dollmaker of Krakow

[homomilitia]

[jetwhenitsmidnight]

Death's Country by R. M. Romero

Publisher: Peachtree Teen

Source: NetGalley ARC

Release date: 7 May 2024

Genre: young adult magical realism

If you like:

Modern day retellings (Orpheus and Eurydice)

MFF romance

Novels written in verse

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐/5

Synopsis

Andres Santos of São Paulo was all swinging fists and firecracker fury, a foot soldier in the war between his parents. Until he drowned in the Tietê River… and made a bargain with Death for a new life. A year later, his parents have relocated the family to Miami, but their promises of a fresh start quickly dissolve in the summer heat. 

Instead of fists, Andres now uses music to escape his parents’ battles. While wandering Miami Beach, he meets two girls, photographer Renee, a blaze of fire, and dancer Liora, a ray of sunshine. The three become a polyamorous triad, happy, despite how no one understands their relationship. But when a car accident leaves Liora in a coma, Andres and Renee are shattered. 

Then Renee proposes a radical solution: She and Andres must go into the underworld to retrieve their girlfriend’s spirit and reunite it with her body—before it’s too late. Their search takes them to the City of the dead, where painters bleed color, songs grow flowers, and regretful souls will do anything to forget their lives on earth. But finding Liora’s spirit is only the first step in returning to the living world. Because when Andres drowned, he left a part of himself in the underworld—a part he’s in no hurry to meet again. But it is eager to be reunited with him...

Content warnings

Death

Emotional abuse

Car accident

References to eating disorders

Past self-harm

Medical content

References to war

Review

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! ☠️🎸

Going into this, I hadn't expected this to be written in verse, which is on me; I didn't read the synopsis properly.

That being said, I was rather pleasantly surprised! I am not one to read novels written in verse, as I find that the pacing or the style in general reads strangely. However, in Death's Country, the author does a great job, in that the story flows well, regardless, or perhaps because, of the writing style. There was so much story fit into this book, considering the fact that there are less words than typically would be in a full-length novel. The writing was excellent, every word was fully utilised such that I felt every moment of the characters' emotional journey.

The way each character's arc was handled, alongside their growing relationship was sooo good, the author gives each character their own screentime to develop, and also twines it together with their love story. I think teens would find this cast of characters relatable, especially with all the obstacles and uncertainty they face, which are real and prevalent issues today. I also liked how the book doesn't just provide a clean solution to everything, but the characters grow and learn how to manage things in a way that feels more realistic.

I find that this novel also provides a rather age-appropriate exploration of the concept of death, and how different people deal with it, as well as the different perspectives our main cast has about it. This could be an interesting discussion to have with youths about concepts of mortality and the afterlife.

All in all, an excellent read, one that is quite short in terms of word count, but makes a big impact <3

[tetedump]

Because that's the other part of being a Jew in Europe— each step I take is in defiance of everyone who didn't want me here.

- The Ghosts of Rose Hill, R. M. Romero

[ofdollz]

tag drop ♡ 

[ofdecode]

tag drop: canon

[starrlikesbooks]

About 70% of my brain is totally dedicated to thinking about Hozier, so here are some Hozier book recs!

Self Titled:

• Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

• The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones

• Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew

Nina Cried Power:

• No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull

• Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

• Soulswift by Megan Bannen

Wasteland, Baby:

• They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

• Milo and Marcos at the End of the World by Kevin Christopher Snipes

• The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

Unheard, Unearth:

• Icarus by K Ancrum

• Death's Country by R. M. Romero

• Summer in the City of Roses by Michelle Ruiz Keil

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

💖 Sapphic Books Coming Out May 2024

🩷 There's something especially sweet about a sapphic romance. Here are only a few of the amazing sapphic books hitting shelves in May 2024. Which ones are you adding to your ever-growing TBR?

Contemporary 💖 Here For the Wrong Reasons - Annabel Paulsen & Lydia Wang 💖 Perfume & Pain - Anna Dorn 💖 Cheryl - Jillian Fleck 💖 A Little Kissing Between Friends - Chencia C. Higgins 💖 Lavash At First Sight - Taleen Voskuni 💖 The Game of Giants - Marion Douglas 💖 We Were the Universe - Kimberly King Parsons 💖 Oye - Melissa Mogollon 💖 The Summer Love Strategy - Ray Stoeve 💖 Noah Frye Gets Crushed - Maggie Horne 💖 Halfway to Harbor - Nicole Melleby 💖 Sunhead - Alex Assan

💖 The 7-10 Split - Karmen Lee 💖 Trust & Safety - Laura Blackett & Eve Gleichman 💖 Second Night Stand - Karelia Stetz-Waters & Fay Stetz-Waters 💖 How It Works Out - Myriam Lacroix 💖 April May June July - Alison B. Hart 💖 The Ride of Her Life - Jennifer Dugan 💖 One Night With the CEO - Emily Hayes 💖 Dulhaniyaa - Talia Bhatt 💖 A Girl Can Dream - Emily Barr 💖 I Want You More - Swan Huntley 💖 Exhibit - R. O. Kwon 💖 Only a Bridesmaid - Haley Donnell

💖 Thirsty - Jas Hammonds 💖 Housemates - Emma Copley Eisenberg 💖 Don’t Be a Drag - Skye Quinlan 💖 True Love and Other Impossible Odds - Christina Li 💖 Murray Out of Water - Taylor Tracy 💖 The Redemption of Daya Keane - Gia Gordon 💖 Blame My Virgo Moon - Freja Nicole Woolf 💖 From Where We Are - Nicole Zelniker 💖 Cabin Fever - Tagan Shepard 💖 Channel Surfing in the Sea of Happiness - Guy Babineau 💖 Meet Me in Berlin - Samantha L. Valentine 💖 Behind You - Catherine Hernandez

Paranormal/Horror 💖 Primal Hunt - L.L. Raand 💖 Blood on the Tide - Katee Robert 💖 We Mostly Come Out at Night - (ed) Rob Costello 💖 Flowers from the Void - Gianni Washington 💖 My Darling Dreadful Thing - Johanna van Veen 💖 When the Devil - Emma E. Murray 💖 Honeybites - I. S. Belle 💖 My Favorite Thing Is Monsters - Emil Ferris 💖 The Worst Perfect Moment -Shivaun Plozza

Fantasy 💖 The Honey Witch - Sydney J. Shields 💖 The Fireborne Blade - Charlotte Bond 💖 Chained Destinies - D. Jordan Redhawk 💖 Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea - Rebecca Thorne 💖 Grand Slam Romance: Major League Hotties - Ollie Hicks & Emma Oosterhous 💖 Snake Charming - Genevieve McCluer 💖 The Witches of Silverlake - Simon Curtis 💖 Death’s Country - R. M. Romero 💖 Snowblooded - Emma Sterner-Radleygh 💖 Bird Suit - Sydney Hegele 💖 Farzana's Spite - Felix Graves

Historical 💖 The Good Women of Fudi - Liu Hong 💖 Spitting Gold - Carmella Lowkis 💖 Adrift - Sam Ledel 💖 A Heart Divided - Angie Williams 💖 A Liaison with Her Leading Lady - Lotte R. James

Mystery/Thriller 💖 The Deadly Spark - Roxie Key 💖 The Advice Columnist - Cade Haddock Strong 💖 The Lilies - Quinn Diacon-Furtado 💖 Loyalty - E. J. Noyes 💖 Clean Kill - Anne Laughlin 💖 Have You Seen This Girl - Nita Tyndall 💖 The Last to Pie - Misha Popp

Sci-Fi 💖 The Sunforge - Sascha Stronach 💖 Road to Ruin - Hana Lee 💖 Exile in Guyville - Amy Lee Lillard 💖 The Lily of Enarah - Arden Brax 💖 The Z Word - Lindsay King-Miller

[eddieredmayneargentinablog]

New post: Broadway Barks! 🐕🐶

Over 30 Celebrity Presenters Will Join Bernadette Peters and Sutton Foster for Broadway Barks

The annual pet adoption event will be held later this summer in Shubert Alley.

Celebrity participants have been announced for the annual pet adoption event in Shubert Alley, Broadway Barks, which will once again be hosted by Tony winners Bernadette Peters and Sutton Foster.

As previously reported, the 26th annual dog and cat adoption celebration—founded by Peters and the late Mary Tyler Moore—will be held August 3. The day kicks off at 3 PM, and celebrity presentations of the adoptable pets from 25 participating rescue groups and shelters will begin at 5 PM and continue to 6:30 PM.

Newly announced for the event are celebrity presenters Eric Anderson (The Great Gatsby), Philippe Arroyo (& Juliet), Jeannette Bayardelle (& Juliet), Shoshana Bean (Hell’s Kitchen), Dan Berry (The Outsiders), Maya Boyd (& Juliet), Stan Brown (Water for Elephants), Andréa Burns (The Notebook The Musical), Andrew R. Butler (Stereophonic), John Cardoza (The Notebook The Musical), Gabriela Carrillo (Six), Victoria Clark (Kimberly Akimbo), Jenn Colella (Suffs), Joe De Paul (Water for Elephants), Olivia Donalson (Six), Gregg Edelman (Water for Elephants), Jordan Fisher  (Hadestown),  Jasmine Forsberg (Six), Sara Gettelfinger  (Water for Elephants), Dorian Harewood (The Notebook The Musical), Nikki M. James (Suffs), Jeremy Jordan (The Great Gatsby), Sky Lakota-Lynch (The Outsiders), Storm Lever (Six), Isabelle McCalla (Water for Elephants), Wade McCollum (Water for Elephants), Paul Alexander Nolan (Water for Elephants), Brad Oscar (Wicked), Emma Pittman (The Outsiders), Maryann Plunkett (The Notebook The Musical), Eddie Redmayne (Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club), Jelani Remy (Back to the Future), Didi Romero (Six), Adi Roy (Aladdin), Austin Scott (& Juliet), Christopher Sieber (Death Becomes Her), Jennifer Simard (Death Becomes Her), Emily Skinner (Suffs), Steven Skybell (Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club), Alexandra Socha (Wicked), Dennis Stowe (Aladdin), Justin David Sullivan (& Juliet), Paulo Szot (& Juliet), Jordan Tyson (The Notebook The Musical), Michael Urie (Once Upon a Mattress), Ben Jackson Walker (& Juliet), Khaila Wilcoxon (Six), Betsy Wolfe (& Juliet), and Joy Woods (The Notebook The Musical).

Proceeds from the event benefit the participating shelters and rescue groups: 1 Love 4 Animals, Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniels Rescue, Adopt A Boxer Rescue, Animal Care Centers of NYC, Anjellicle Cats Rescue, Best Friends Animal Society, Bideawee, Bobbi and the Strays, City Critters, Francis’s Friends, Hearts & Bones Rescue, Husky House, Linda’s Cat Assistance, Little Shelter, Long Island Bulldog Rescue, Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League, Muddy Paws Rescue, North Shore Animal League, Pet ResQ Inc., Save Kitty Foundation, Second Chance Rescue, SPCA of Westchester, Urban Cat League, and Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue.

Foster first co-hosted with Peters in 2022. Both are returning to Broadway later this season: Foster in the revival of Once Upon a Mattress and Peters in Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends.

Since its inception in 1998, approximately 85% of the more than 2,000 cats and dogs showcased in Broadway Barks have found forever homes. Visit BroadwayBarks.org.

Broadway Cares is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources, and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 Broadway Cares has raised more than $300 million for essential services for people affected by HIV/AIDS, COVID-19 and other critical illnesses across the United States. Visit BroadwayCares.org.

[compneuropapers]

Interesting Papers for Week 13, 2024

The self and the Bayesian brain: Testing probabilistic models of body ownership through a self-localization task. Bertoni, T., Mastria, G., Akulenko, N., Perrin, H., Zbinden, B., Bassolino, M., & Serino, A. (2023). Cortex, 167, 247–272.

A whole-task brain model of associative recognition that accounts for human behavior and neuroimaging data. Borst, J. P., Aubin, S., & Stewart, T. C. (2023). PLOS Computational Biology, 19(9), e1011427.

Inhibitory tagging in the superior colliculus during visual search. Conroy, C., Nanjappa, R., & McPeek, R. M. (2023). Journal of Neurophysiology, 130(4), 824–837.

Hippocampal representation during collective spatial behaviour in bats. Forli, A., & Yartsev, M. M. (2023). Nature, 621(7980), 796–803.

Emergence of belief-like representations through reinforcement learning. Hennig, J. A., Romero Pinto, S. A., Yamaguchi, T., Linderman, S. W., Uchida, N., & Gershman, S. J. (2023). PLOS Computational Biology, 19(9), e1011067.

Error-independent effect of sensory uncertainty on motor learning when both feedforward and feedback control processes are engaged. Hewitson, C. L., Kaplan, D. M., & Crossley, M. J. (2023). PLOS Computational Biology, 19(9), e1010526.

Multiple memory systems for efficient temporal order memory. Jafarpour, A., Lin, J. J., Knight, R. T., & Buffalo, E. A. (2023). Hippocampus, 33(10), 1154–1157.

How awareness of each other’s mental load affects dialogue. Knutsen, D., & Brunellière, A. (2023). Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 49(10), 1662–1682.

Developmental trajectory of time perception from childhood to adolescence. Li, Y., Gu, J., Zhao, K., & Fu, X. (2023). Current Psychology, 42(28), 24112–24122.

A multi-layer mean-field model of the cerebellum embedding microstructure and population-specific dynamics. Lorenzi, R. M., Geminiani, A., Zerlaut, Y., De Grazia, M., Destexhe, A., Gandini Wheeler-Kingshott, C. A. M., … D’Angelo, E. (2023). PLOS Computational Biology, 19(9), e1011434.

The inhibitory control of traveling waves in cortical networks. Palkar, G., Wu, J., & Ermentrout, B. (2023). PLOS Computational Biology, 19(9), e1010697.

Inferring local structure from pairwise correlations. Rahman, M., & Nemenman, I. (2023). Physical Review E, 108(3), 034410.

Beyond ℓ1 sparse coding in V1. Rentzeperis, I., Calatroni, L., Perrinet, L. U., & Prandi, D. (2023). PLOS Computational Biology, 19(9), e1011459.

Linguistic law-like compression strategies emerge to maximize coding efficiency in marmoset vocal communication. Risueno-Segovia, C., Dohmen, D., Gultekin, Y. B., Pomberger, T., & Hage, S. R. (2023). Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 290(2007).

Mnemonic discrimination deficits in multidimensional schizotypy. Sahakyan, L., Wahlheim, C. N., & Kwapil, T. R. (2023). Hippocampus, 33(10), 1139–1153.

An imbalance of excitation and inhibition in the multisensory cortex impairs the temporal acuity of audiovisual processing and perception. Schormans, A. L., & Allman, B. L. (2023). Cerebral Cortex, 33(18), 9937–9953.

Spike-timing dependent plasticity partially compensates for neural delays in a multi-layered network of motion-sensitive neurons. Sexton, C. M., Burkitt, A. N., & Hogendoorn, H. (2023). PLOS Computational Biology, 19(9), e1011457.

Development of human hippocampal subfield microstructure and relation to associative inference. Vinci-Booher, S., Schlichting, M. L., Preston, A. R., & Pestilli, F. (2023). Cerebral Cortex, 33(18), 10207–10220.

Task-dependent optimal representations for cerebellar learning. Xie, M., Muscinelli, S. P., Decker Harris, K., & Litwin-Kumar, A. (2023). eLife, 12, e82914.

Dissecting the chain of information processing and its interplay with neurochemicals and fluid intelligence across development. Zacharopoulos, G., Sella, F., Emir, U., & Cohen Kadosh, R. (2023). eLife, 12, e84086.

[lilibetbombshell]

[crunchycrystals]

So is now a bad time to mention that R M Romero has also written an Orpheus and Eurydice poly retelling

clearing my inbox. owie owie owie owie

[mumu-thestan]

LINKIN PARK SOLDIERS FOR CEASEFIRE

“Turn my mic up louder, I got to say something” - Linkin Park - Hands Held High

As the band remains silent on the ongoing violence happening in Gaza and parts of the West Bank, we, the fans of Linkin Park, will not stand in silence as Palestinians face what humanitarian organizations such as the UN have categorized as genocide.

Hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, bakeries, fishing boats, solar panels, and water tanks have all been targets of bombing by the IDF, funded in large part by American tax dollars. Over 15,000 people have been killed, 6000+ of which are children. Electricity and water supplies have been cut off, affecting millions.

We urge members of the band to use their platform and speak up, to not be silent on their tax dollars being used to fund these atrocities. We call for an immediate ceasefire and a safe exchange of hostages. We call for an end to the siege on Gaza, the theft of homes and land, and the systemic oppression of Palestinians. Enough is enough.

Who cares if one more light goes out? Well, we do.

#LPsoldiers4ceasefire

linktr.ee/lpsoldiers4ceasefire

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