Welcome to Wild-Card Wednesday where you never know what you’re going to get. Today, I’m sharing my new TV, book, and music discoveries. At the end of this post, I’ll invite you to share your new discoveries.
On my Kindle:
Cades Cove
If you’ve been reading my blog for long, you know I’m a sucker for ghost stories. The wonderfully fun and intelligent Rhonda Hopkins suggested I read Cades Cove by Aiden James. I downloaded a sample and got hooked.
Cades Cove appealed to me for the same reasons Celebrity Ghost Stories and My Ghost Story appeals to me. The haunting in the book had a history and a mystery behind it. The book featured a haunted and/or cursed object. It also appealed to me that Cades Cove is a real place.
The author’s knowledge both of paranormal phenomena and of the spiritual methods of ending a haunting impressed me. There was enough detail to know he’d done his homework, but not enough that it bogged down the story.
Mild spoiler: If you do read Cades Cove, don’t worry about Sadie the Yorkie falling victim to some gruesome fate. Usually, I don’t give out spoilers. I can’t stand any kind of animal cruelty, though, and I almost stopped reading a couple of times for fear of what would happen to Sadie the Yorkie. I’m a softie when it comes to little dogs.
As always, if there’s a way to save money, I’m out to find it. With Cades Cove, you can opt to purchase both Cades Cove and its sequel The Raven Mocker as a bundle for $4.99, which is a savings of $1.98. If you have Amazon Prime, you can borrow both books for free (right now—this may change).
On my iPod:
I discover a lot of music on TV shows. Surprise, surprise, surprise, right?
The Walking Dead
Sunday was the season premier of The Walking Dead. Between the good stuff—like Rick showing he hasn’t gone soft—I noticed “The Regulator” by Clutch.
Click here to listen or watch below:
The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries is a favorite of mine. I mean, Ian Somerhalder is in it. Do I need to say more?
In the latest episode, I heard “Short Change Hero” by The Heavy. Though I’m positive I’ve heard it on other shows, this was the first time I took notice of it. Great song.
Click here to listen or watch below:
On the Big Screen TV:
Justified
Somehow, we missed the first two seasons of Justified. I’m not sure why because it’s really my kind of thing.
Raylan Givens, the protagonist of Justified, is based on a character created by Elmore Leonard. Raylan Givens appears in Pronto, Riding the Rap, a short story titled “Fire in the Hole,” and, most recently, Raylan.
Raylan–a U. S. Marshall’s Deputy–is an old fashioned lawman trapped in the twenty-first century. He shoots first and asks questions later. This method turns his career into a hot mess. The series premiers with Raylan being transferred from Miami, Florida to Lexington, Kentucky over a controversial shooting.
Raylan, who grew up in Kentucky, is less than thrilled to be returning. When he joined the Marshall service and left his home state, Raylan hoped to never return. This sounded like a great conflict, and I was enthusiastic to see what Justified had to offer.
Several episodes into Season 1, I wondered what all the fuss was about. Sure, the characters were quirky and funny and fantastic, but I wasn’t dying for the next episode. This was like…a police procedural.
Mid-way through the first season, things changed for the better. The storyline got personal. Raylan Givens’s history with Harlan County began to matter more in the series story arc.
Raylan and his outlaw dad, Arlo
We learn Raylan has an outlaw father who introduced him to Harlan County’s criminal underworld. Raylan and his father have a fairly acrimonious relationship, which adds spice to the show.
Raylan’s connection to Boyd Crowder, with whom he worked in the mines as a teenager, is explored in the show’s first episode. Boyd’s father, Bo Crowder, is a criminal associate of Raylan’s father.
At the beginning of the show, Boyd is portrayed as a white supremacist who engages in criminal activity. He’s pretty unlikable. As his and Raylan’s paths continue to cross, Boyd becomes an interesting character in Justified. The skinhead angle is dropped as Boyd becomes self-proclaimed messiah and, later, drops that to return to just plain old criminal.
Though Timothy Olyphant as Marshall’s Deputy Raylan Givens is very good looking, my crush is on the born-again outlaw Boyd Crowder. He’s calculating, ruthless, and oddly loyal. I’d pick him over Raylan any day.
Floor is open. What new books, movies, TV shows, or music have you discovered? Please share.
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Debora Dale said:
You’ve got me hooked on Cades Cove, Catie! I’m definitely buying the bundle. After the ghost experiences I’ve had, I want to see how others deal with hauntings. Thanks for the tip about Sadie. I would have put the book down and done some online searching for clues before reading on, just in case.
And… Ian Somerhalder? OMG. Yum.
I’ve been swamped with work and chores so I’m sorry to say I don’t have anything new to share but I look forward to snatching a couple of ideas from others who’ll post here.
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Catie Rhodes said:
I hope you enjoy Cades Cove, Debbie. Let me know what you think if you get a chance. I enjoyed reading Mr. James’s research almost as much as I enjoyed the ghost story. The only thing better is a story about a haunted house. And you know I feel you on the dog thing. I just can’t handle seeing them hurt…even if it is fictional.
Ian Somehalder…I know! And he’s not as young as he looks. He’s not too far from our age. So I don’t feel so bad crushing on him. LOL
Good to see you, Debbie. I’ve missed our chats.
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Tim L O'Brien said:
I stumbled upon Justified two seasons late as well. I rushed to watch the first two seasons before season three started. Justified has become one of my favorite shows on TV. The writing is great, the characters are interesting to say the least (was sorry to see Mags go at the end of season two), and the intro music gets you fired up to watch some backwoods hillbilly drama. I think the FX channel is the best kept secret – until now. I don’t know how I missed the first two seasons.
Shameless and Homeland are two cable shows (Showtime) that somehow I missed the first seasons of and both have become favorites.
Cades Cove sounds really good and can’t wait to check it out!
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Catie Rhodes said:
Tim, I am with you on Justified. Once I got into it, I was hooked. The characters are so quirky. I love watching the way the writers do the character development. It’s a good writing lesson and a good excuse to be not, you know, actually putting words on paper. LOL
I was sorry to see Mags go, too. I couldn’t decide if that was really in character for her. I was surprised to see she’d rather commit suicide than go to jail.
FX is a great network. Did you ever get around to watching Sons of Anarchy? They have added Season 3 on Netflix Streaming. You know they’ll rerun Season 4 before Season 5 starts.
I have missed Shameless. It looks great, and I noticed Netflix streaming has it. I fully intend to watch it. Homeland looks like something my husband would enjoy. I need to DVR it when they’re having a rerun marathon.
Thanks for stopping by.
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Stacy Green said:
I’m totally going to read Cades Cove. You know how I am about ghost stories. And thank you for the mild spoiler – I probably wouldn’t have finished for fear of losing the little doggie.
Rob has been wanting to watch Justified, too, and it does look really good. I’m going to have to check it out. And now I’m totally swooning over Somerhalder. Damn.
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Catie Rhodes said:
You should totally read Cades Cove. That way, we can talk about all the paranormal research the author must have done to create the third and final act. LOL
The thing with the little doggie was really bothering me as I read. At times, I ended up skimming to make sure nothing bad happened to her. I kept telling myself, “She’s a fictional dog, Catie.” It didn’t work. She was so cute.
Justified is good, but be sure to stick with it past the first half of Season 1. As you watch those first five or so episodes, you will be wondering what the fuss is about. Once the show picks up, though, it is really good. The only drawback was that Netflix streaming did not have it. I had to subscribe to their DVD service for a couple of months while we caught up.
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Johannes Gouws said:
This review is from: Hot dogs under The Dakota (Paperback) Amazon.co.uk
The title of this first book by South African author, JJ Gouws, `Hotdogs under the Dakota,’ gives little hint of the story within. Told through the eyes of Petie, a young boy who has had to grow up quickly and fend for himself in the confusing world of adults caught up with their own problems, Petie learns to come to terms with his relationships with his unstable mother, who is trying to find happiness with a man, any man, his grandfather, strict and forbidding and his gentle grandmother, who loves him unconditionally but who doesn’t fully grasp the family’s deep dark secret.
Told with deep compassion and gentle humour, this book makes you think, and think again as the truth unfolds and the reader is forced to reassess the characters. I absolutely loved this book and felt compelled to write this review.
G. McLean-Anderson BA. English Lit.
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Catie Rhodes said:
Thanks for sharing, Johannes.
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S.K. Epperson said:
I’m a sucker for Downton Abbey and about twelve other things showing on Sunday nights so I missed the premiere of The Walking Dead and since it hasn’t shown up on On Demand yet will have to wait till Saturday to catch it. Love Raylan Givens and the whole clan on Justified! (Raylan is my favorite Timothy Olyphant character, right behind Seth Bullock on Deadwood.) Last season of Justified was excellent, I thought. Margo Martindale more than deserved the Emmy she won for her portrayal of Mags the matriarch.
And Short Change Hero really is a fantastic song, isn’t it?
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Catie Rhodes said:
I had never heard of Downtown Abbey, so you’ve given me something new to look into. The premier of The Walking Dead was not as…conflict filled (??) as I thought it would be. This season is apparently going to be a slow burn.
Timothy Olyphant does play an old west lawman with style. We were fans of Deadwood and were sorry to see it end. Mags was fantastic. I was sorry to see her character come to an end. She was one of the better villains on the show.
Yes, Short Change Hero is fantastic. Very hip.
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Gene Lempp said:
Cades Cove sounds like a fun ride. Adding it to my “to buy” list. Fun post, Catie
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Catie Rhodes said:
Good deal. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks for stopping by.
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Patricia Yager Delagrange said:
Hey, Catie, thanks for The Heavy music. I liked that a lot. I’ve found groups like this from reading blogs! New shows? I tried to like The River because I thought Spielberg would only make a great show. I was disappointed. I really love Alcatraz, maybe because it’s from the same people who did Lost.
Patti
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Catie Rhodes said:
Well, I don’t listen to the radio. I listen to the music on my iPod. As a result, I don’t hear much new stuff unless I hear it on TV, blogs, or movies. Which is really odd when you think about it. I remember having the radio on all the time when I was kid. Now I can’t stand the commercials and the talking. LOL
I am so disappointed you didn’t like The River. We haven’t yet tried it out. I wanted to watch both the premiere and episode 2 in one sitting, and we’ve just been too busy. Now, I’m wondering if it’s even worth it to bother.
We like Alcatraz, too. I am thinking once it gathers steam, it’s going to be fantastic.
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Tameri Etherton said:
Hmmm, Cades Cove sounds too scary for me. I’m such a wimp! But I love the music you chose. I have to download those songs. I’ve got The Heavy playing right now.
That Ian Somerhalder. Yum.
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Tiffany A White said:
Cades Cover sounds very interesting….I may have to add it to my list!
I’m so glad that you finally started Justified. We love Raylan and Boyd. L.O.V.E. And you know I am right there with you regarding The Vampire Diaries…
We checked out an episode of Dance Moms last night while we were eating our Valentine’s dessert. We’ve heard so much about it from the daily talk shows that I DVR and fast forward through, that when I saw it on we decided to watch. It’s horrible. Those dance moms are a Train Wreck – Capital “T” Capital “W”. I probably won’t watch anymore, but at least I now know that if I have any daughters, I don’t want them to take dance.
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Catie Rhodes said:
You know, we might need to do a team post on Raylan vs. Boyd. That might be kind of interesting. They both have a lot of the same core virtues.
I have never seen Dance Moms. However, I know the kind of mom you’re talking about. They get pretty ugly in the face of competition, don’t they? I don’t have daughters, but I’d be worried about them getting involved in beauty pageants, dance, and some sports. It’s a cut throat world, and the adults exacerbate it.
I hope you give Cades Cove a try. If you do, let me know what you think.
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Rhonda Hopkins said:
So glad you liked Cades Cove, Catie. And thanks for linking to my blog. You rock! I have really enjoyed Aiden James’ Books and just finished reading another ghostly/paranormal book, Deadly Night. Different feel (not as heavy) but every bit as good. Also had a lot of music industry and ghost hunting background in it.
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Catie Rhodes said:
I have been looking at Deadly Night, Rhonda. If you say it’s good, it’s going to be my next download. I’ll look forward to reading it. Thanks for stopping by and thanks again for the reading suggestions.
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Darlene Steelman said:
Nice! I am totally going to check out Cade’s Cove. And my “The Walking Dead Chow Down” segment tomorrow mentions Clutch’s “Regulator” ( I am a HUGE Clutch fan and screamed like a school girl as soon as I heard the first note!).
Great post, Catie. I love your Wild Card Wednesday.
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Catie Rhodes said:
I had never listened to the first song of theirs. I end up missing a lot of good music because I am always plugged into my iPod (and music I already own). I need to make a point to catch The Walking Dead Chow Down tomorrow. Thanks for the heads up.
Thanks so much for stopping by. Good to see you.
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Sandy Rowland said:
Great recommendations! But I’m bugged with Walking Dead.
There seems to be one moment in every episode where someone does something that’s convenient to the script but makes little sense.
Why the heck did she get in the car? Really.
For me it was a TDTL moment.
Thanks for the fun.
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Catie Rhodes said:
I get what you’re saying about TWD, Sandy. Rick’s Wife (can’t remember her name) seems to act first and think second. Remember the morning after pills? So it was in line with her character to do something rash and dangerous. I wonder how much of a bind it will put the rest of the group in to save her. Or if they can.
Thanks for stopping by. I love to dish about what happens on my favorite shows.
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Jess Witkins said:
I like this post! Fun to hear new favorites. And I totally get a lot of music finds from TV/movies too. I also checked out The Heavy after Vampire Diaries. I’ll have to check out the Walking Dead tune cause we tuned in to catch the midseason premier. That show took a darker turn, but I’m still digging it.
Truth: Did you want Elena to kiss Stefan at the end of the last Vampire Diaries episode? I know we’re both Damon women, but I mean really, didn’t you just a little bit?
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Catie Rhodes said:
Hmmm…interesting question about Elena and Stefan. It almost seemed like they were going to reconnect, didn’t it? My husband even said “Can’t that moron [Elena] see he’s [Stefan] is in love with her?” LOL
How funny that we were checking out the same music after watching TVD. I knew I’d heard the song somewhere, and I still can’t remember where. Anyway, it is a fantastic song.
I like the darker turn of The Walking Dead. I want to see the characters as uncomfortable as possible. LOL
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Kayelle Allen said:
Not into zombies, so the Walking Dead is out, but I liked the other suggestions. Ian Somerhalder is incredible. He can send you entire book’s worth of messages with a glance of those smoldering eyes. I’ll have to give Justified a try. Hadn’t looked at that before, but you’ve painted quite the picture. Thanks for an informative article!
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Catie Rhodes said:
Isn’t Ian gorgeous? And my favorite part is that I am not too many years older than he is. It is not as bad as when I thought that kid in Teen Wolf was cute…until I realized I could be his mother. LOL
Funny what you said about The Walking Dead. I avoided it for the same reason as you. After reading someone’s blog commentary, I got curious about the story. And a fan was born.
Thanks for stopping by.
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Patty Perkowski said:
I found your blog from a twitter notice and I am so glad I did! I don’t usually watch a lot of TV and when I do I want something that will hold my interest; I never had any interest in Justified, that is until I read your blog post. The way you described the show did two things for me: gave a concise plot analysis and very good understanding of the story so far. I became aware of Timothy Olyphant when he stared in Deadwood I show my hubby and I enjoyed very much. I found Mr. Olyphant’s acting to be quite enjoyable, he has an understated acting style that I like very much. He seems to assume whom ever he is playing as if they were a second skin, so I am sure I would his portrayal of Raylan Givens to be very human, very believable. Thank you for sparking my interested in Justified.
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Catie Rhodes said:
I agree. Timothy Olyphant is a neat actor. I enjoyed him quite a bit in Deadwood, and A Perfect Getaway is one of my favorite movies. Plus, he is pretty easy on the eyes.
Glad you enjoyed my synopsis of
Justified. I hope you end up giving it a try. Just remember to stick it out past the first half of Season 1. It gets a lot better as the plotlines develop.
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Lauralynn Elliott said:
Cades Cove looks great! And the actual place is not that far from where I live.
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Catie Rhodes said:
Oooh, really?! How very neat. I don’t know a lot about Tennessee, so I was totally ignorant that it was a real place until I had finished the book. Maybe someday I will make it that far east and see Cades Cove. Hope you check out the book.
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Donna Newton said:
Oh wow, where to start! Firstly, I will download Cades Cove right away
Secondly, The Walking Dead is brilliant! and, even though I am way too old to like The Vampire Diaries, I can’t stop watching it. The second part of the season is yet to resume here in the UK, but I am waiting patiently (love the some by the way).
Now we get to Justified. What on earth was you doing to miss the first two seasons. You must go buy, steal, or download them right away. Watch them before season three. It sets the characters and their relationships up wonderfully. The dialogue in this show is second to one. And Timmy Olyphant is just delicious. (I also admit the close up pic you have here is actually my desktop background
) I also have a wierd fasination with Boyd. I just adore him! Then again in TVD Episode one of season one, I fancied the pants off Damon while all my friends were swooning over Stefan. There is just something about a bad boy turned good.
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Catie Rhodes said:
Please don’t say you’re too old to like TVD…because I bet we’re close to the same age. If you’re too old, I’m too old. It’s addictive, though. It’s like a soap opera with a kick. I never swooned over Stefan…even though he is very good looking. From the second Damon waltzed across the screen, I was smitten.
I don’t know how I missed Seasons 1 & 2 of Justified. I ended up having to join Netflix’s DVD service to watch them. Luckily, we finished them and have moved on Season 3. Raylan is okay, but I’d run away with Boyd. LOL
What is it about us and bad boys? It’s sort of sad, really.
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Donna Newton said:
I think we have the same taste! And, I would sacrifice Boyd for you and just have Raylan. With TVD, Alaric isn’t bad as a plan B to Damon
Oh, and I think I am quite a few years older than you, and if you are my age I’d say your wearing blooming well, lol.
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