Harvey and Lukas Gage dancing it up on the set of Companion.
Hi, my name is Mosab, and I just want to take a moment to say thank you. Your kindness, your generosity, and your willingness to listen have meant more to me and my family than I can ever express.
When I first shared my story, I didnāt know what to expect. I was scared, exhausted, and uncertain if anyone would care. But you did. You showed up. And because of you, hope feels a little less distant today.
With your support, weāve been able to find small moments of relief in the midst of overwhelming hardship. Every donation, every share, and every kind message has given us the strength to keep going.
But our struggle isnāt over. Every day, we are reminded of what weāve lost and the challenges that still lie ahead.
š Still Searching for Stability: We are doing everything we can to secure a safe and steady future. š¢ The Pain of Loss Never Fades: The absence of 25 loved ones weighs heavily on us every day. š Dreams Still on Hold: Survival takes all our strength, but we still believe in rebuilding.
Even the smallest act of kindness can make a difference:
š A $10 donation may seem small, but to us, itās a lifeline. š A reblog can help us reach someone who can support us.
If you canāt donate, just sharing this post helps more than you know. Every share is another chance for someone to see our story, to care, and to help.
Your support isnāt just about donationsāitās about reminding us that we are not forgotten. That there is still kindness in the world. That even in the darkest times, there are people who care.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for helping us get this far. You are part of our story now.
With love and endless gratitude, Mosab and Family ā¤ļø
in light of Trump's inauguration speech declaring multiple national emergencies that require him to take god-knows-what executive actions immediately, I'd like to remember this chapter of "On Tyranny" by Timothy Snyder:
Already seeing people on tiktok saying āI still hate trump but he ate with this oneā like ⦠babes ⦠you just got propagandized ⦠thatās literally exactly what he created this situation in the hopes you would say ā¦
"I am trying to write a poem that doesn't scream your name"
- Abhilasha (via @letsbeapoemtogether)
These men just stole the personal information of everyone in America AND control the Treasury. Link to article.
Akash Bobba
Edward Coristine
Luke Farritor
Gautier Cole Killian
Gavin Kliger
Ethan Shaotran
Spread their names!
I will be the first to admit that itās a little late for a February wrap up when itās nearly April, but I wasnāt planning on doing one until recently, so fuck off.Ā
Ushers by Joe Hill - Short Story (4 stars)
Iāve been a Joe Hill kick recently, since his new novel comes out in October. Ushers is a short story that follows a young man who can see grim reapers, and this ability affects his life in both positive and negative ways. I gave this story 4 stars. It was okay, but I donāt really like short stories for the simple reason that they are too short! It was creepy, it was well written, and an overall interesting read, so if you want something spooky, you want to give Joe Hill a shot, or you just have a free lunch break, take a gander at it.Ā
The Pram by Joe Hill - Short Story (3.5 stars)
Another Joe Hill short story, this entry follows a husband who comes across a supernatural pram and, as you can imagine, creepy chaos ensues. This was a fun read. I didnāt enjoy it as much as Ushers. I donāt enjoy stories that are particularly hopeless, and I also donāt fully enjoy stories where the main character is evil, an unreliable narrator, or crazy, because it tends to make me sympathize with them less. It was well written, just as Ushers was, and I would like to know more about the lore of the story. The background of the story seems so much more interesting than the story itself.Ā
Ancestor by Scott Sigler - Novel (3 stars)
Ancestor follows a team of experts as they attempt to craft a brand new species with the specific purpose of xenotransplantation. In the process, they create hungry entities that stalk the humans they were created to help. Youāll like this novel if you enjoyed Jurassic Park. It has a healthy balance of likable and unlikable characters. This was a fine novel. I gave it three stars. I wasnāt angry, I read it, but had I known what my experience would be, I probably wouldāve gone with something else. Ancestor has the feel of a big budget action movie that you go to see on a weekday because nothing else is playing that evening. Or better yet, some random action thriller you found on Netflix that you turn on while you clean the house. Itās fine. My only major problem with the story is that the monsters werenāt scary to me. The descriptions made them sound like mutated chickens, and the image was more surreal than it was scary. I donāt know if I can recommend this. I donāt think Iām in the target demographic. Youāll probably like this novel if you enjoy James Patterson or Michael Crichton.Ā
Stones to Abbigale by Onision - Novel (0 stars)Ā
Holy shit. This was the worst book I've ever read. Ever. Iām not kidding. I read this as part of a reading challenge, and I have so many regrets. The only good thing to come out of it was my new skill of being able to stop reading books that I hate. If I start a book and I donāt jive with it, itās a DNF now. I canāt ever get the time back that I wasted reading this garbage. At one point, I crumpled up a page, threw it in the toilet and pissed on it. Click here or here for more details.Ā
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson - Novel (4.5 stars)
Iāve been hearing about Brandon Sanderson for years so I was excited to read his stuff for the first time. This book was good, had some really solid worldbuilding, but Iāll warn you, it is long and it is part of a series. The final 15% made me feel like I was on drugs and I was losing my goddamn mind. Trying to explain the ending to the uninitiated is like trying to explain Endgame to someone who has never seen a marvel movie. It would be five stars but I didnāt enjoy the pacing of the novel. For a more in-depth review, click here.
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer - Novel (0.5 stars)
Annihilation follows a government funded team as they enter a mysterious land afflicted with paranormal activity known as Area X. I didnāt like this book. The issue is that I donāt enjoy ambiguous stories and I didnāt know thatās what I was walking into. Who is that? What is this? What does that mean? Why is this happening? How does the story end? Who knows? Who cares?! If Iām going to devote my time to a novel, I would like to A) relate to the characters, B) understand what is going on, and C) know that there was a point to what I just read. Even stories that arenāt inherently deep, like the Fast and the Furious franchise, have a point. And the point of the Furious franchise is to entertain. The Hunger Games is a critique of elitism and power structure. A story should be about something and if itās not about anything, it should at least try to entertain. I didnāt know what Annihilation was about or what it was trying to do. My problem with ambiguous stories is that a lot of them are pointless meanderings masquerading as deep and complex story telling. You can write virtually anything and say, āWell, itās not supposed to make sense!ā When I finished Annihilation I was left no different than the start of the story. It made me feel nothing.Ā
And this is a side tangent, but what is with the Snowbird thing? For the uninitiated, the main characterās husband had a nickname for her, and the nickname was Snowbird. He kept repeating it over and over again in every flashback and it annoyed me. A part of it made have been the fault of the narrator, as I listened to the audiobook and her drawl on the word made me want to slit my wrists.Ā
Iām left asking, what was the point? It was a six hour audiobook, why did I devote so much time listening to that when I gained nothing? Not even entertainment? I was bored and annoyed. The climax was confusing and lackluster. I saw the sequel on sale this week for 1.25 and I had to remind myself how much I hated the first book, but come on! A 1.25?! Can you think of a place where you can get a book for a 1.25? I might go back and see if itās still there. For a 1.25 Iād buy twelve more Onision books.Ā
Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham - Novel (4 stars)
It should surprise nobody that I am a Gilmore Girls fan. When I discovered Lauren Graham had a memoir, I jumped at the chance to read it, and it was splendid. The novel includes dozens of anecdotes (funny, sad, and everything in between), focused on Gilmore Girls and the overarching structure of Grahamās career. I highly recommend this if you like Lauren Graham or Gilmore Girls. Itās funny, itās touching, and I just discovered that Graham has written a fiction novel which I will be reading very soon.Ā
Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare - Novel (3.5 stars)
Clown in a Cornfield follows Quinn Maybrook, who, after moving to a small town, finds herself trapped in a cornfield with her new friends and several chainsaw-wielding psychopaths wearing clown costumes. This was a good book, though I was a little disappointed. If youāre on BookTok, you know people have talked up this novel, and I was expecting a little more. For one thing, I didnāt feel very connected to the protagonist. We know how she feels and we know about her past, but we donāt really see a lot of her personality. In larger conversations, it feels as if sheās just a bystander. Other than that, things were okay. It was enjoyable, and I wasnāt really creeped out while reading this. It is classified as a horror, but Iād say itās closer to a suspense novel. Thereās a sequel, but I probably wonāt read it. This could be a standalone novel if you donāt read the epilogue.Ā
Thanks for reading. I may do these monthly or bi-monthly, I havenāt decided yet.
Don't forget about the Palestinians.
Don't forget about them now.
Don't forget about them tomorrow.
Don't forget about them in a week from now.
Don't forget about them in a month.
Don't forget them next year.
Don't forget them in 5 years.
When the history books start to update, don't let them put lies in there.
When documentaries come out, boycott the ones who call this a victory for Israel.
When books release talking about soldier's personal experiences with Palestine, remember the victims. Remember the truth.
Don't forget about what we've seen.
Don't forget about what we've heard.
Don't let them tell lies about Palestine.
Don't forget about the Palestinians when the world tries to make this go away.
I'm Rick, and I write essays, rants, and reviews for movies, shows, books, and occasionally albums. Visit my website for reviews with spoilers.He/him pronouns.
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