LAST DAY for our STORE sale + the DEBUT of 'What are WE consuming?'
Today's the last day to get 10% off STOREWIDE in our webstore, plus we DEBUT a column where we share some of the items that fill up our eyes and ears on a daily basis
Hey everyone! We hope you’re having a great week. Olympic trials are happening, the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup, we had a great presidential deba…, um… did we say that the Olympic trials are happening? That being said, we wanted to make sure you remember that today is the LAST DAY for our WEBSTORE-WIDE 10% off sale. That’s right, EVERYTHING in our store, INCLUDING BRAND NEW ITEMS, is 10% off through the end of tonight 6.28.24!
Missed out on one of our most recent campaigns for I AM QIDO, HEIRS OF ISILDUR, or TALES FROM NOCTURNIA? Maybe there’s a high-end collectible you just couldn’t pull the trigger on? Maybe you want to get a limited edition MISFITZ CLUBHOUSE variant, or even a brand new ANTHOLOGY? Maybe 10% off makes getting some GB Leatherworks goods more realistic? Or maybe you need some WEARABLES like SHIRTS or SOCKS? Whatever the reason, you don’t want to wait, because the sale ends TONIGHT! Just use code NEWSTORE10 at checkout to save some moolah!
VISIT OUR STORE HERE
THE DEBUT OF “WHAT ARE WE ‘CONSUMING’?”
Something we’ve wanted to do for a while is to let you all know the types of media that each of us ‘consumes’ (Sorry to disappoint those of you that thought this was gonna be a ‘food’ based section). Music streams, audio books, and late-night Netflix / HBOMax sessions are common occurrences for us. Periodically we intend on including this section in our BLOG OF DESTINY, when we have something we feel is worth sharing!
WHAT IS STEPH CONSUMING: AUDIO BOOKS
For those that don’t know, #TeamINSYM’s Steph is an avid runner, logging 100 miles per month / 1200 miles per year on average. That amount of time with soles pounding pavement opens up a great deal of time to consume audio books. Here are her thoughts on a few that she’s most recently listened to:
The Drowning Woman (Robyn Harding)
This will likely be in my top 5 books of the year, which is saying something considering we are only at the halfway point of 2024. It’s one of the rare times I went into a book knowing very little about the plot, and I’m thankful I did.
Lee has recently found herself homeless and living out of her car after her restaurant fails. Struggling to get her life back together, she moves to a new city, leaving every bit of her old life behind. While parked near a beach one morning, she witnesses a woman plunge into the ocean in an attempt to end her life. Lee manages to save her, discovering her name is Hazel, and the two form an unlikely friendship. As Lee and Hazel’s lives begin to intertwine, they realize that people can be very different than what they appear to be.
Read by Brittany Wilkerson and Henriette Zoutomou, both narrators do an excellent job of pulling you into the story and portraying believable characters.
The Mystery Guest (Nita Prose)
This was one of my most anticipated books of 2024, as it’s the follow up to Prose’s The Maid, which I adored. We again are transported into the world of Molly Gray, maid at the stately Regency Grand Hotel.
Similar to the events in The Maid, Molly finds herself entangled in the circumstances surrounding the death of a hotel guest, this time when renowned author J.D. Grimthorpe drops dead during a signing event. As Molly does her own investigating, we get glimpses into her childhood via flashbacks, and discover that she may be more involved in Grimthorpe’s life than we expected.
Narrator Lauren Ambrose returns as the voice of Molly, and is a big part of the charm of this audiobook, much like she was with the first. Molly doesn’t fit into any kind of social norm, and Ambrose does an amazing job making her feel like someone you wish you could know.
The September House (Carissa Orlando)
Another shoo in for my top 5 of the year, this book completely surprised me in the best of ways. I thought I knew how it was going to play out and feel, but it ended up being so much more.
Margaret and her husband, Hal move into what is supposed to be their dream home - a large VIctorian with an illustrious history. When they find that the ghosts of its past inhabitants have never left, Margaret starts to uncover what really has happened in her home for decades. Most people would just pick up and leave - but Margaret is different. Margaret is staying, no matter how dire the situation becomes.
Narrated by Kimberly Farr, this book bore a little hole in my heart as I found myself loving Margaret right from the get-go. Amongst a sea of haunted house stories, this one stands out as incredibly unique, funny, and heartfelt.
Pick up any of these books physically on Amazon or your local bookstore. You can check the Audio Book versions through AUDIBLE, or LIBBY (through your local library).
WHAT IS MATT CONSUMING: MUSIC
It should come as no surprise that #TeamINSYM’s Matt is throwing a bunch of METAL MUSIC into this section. There are TONS of great new songs that come out that, unless you’re intently looking, might fly right under your radar. It’s always an international experience, with four different countries in the mix this time out (Finland, Spain, the USA, and Japan). And for those of you not into metal, hang around until the bottom for a little bonus treat!
Here are some songs that are ‘New’ or ‘New to Me’ from Matt that are invading his headphones and car stereo:
VERIKALPA - Sammalsynti (Official Video) WATCH LISTEN HERE
I love me some good ol’ finnish melodic metal. That humppa (finnish polka) infused style just makes you smile. This hits the ol’ playlist on the daily at this point!
【HANABIE.】〜 OTAKU Lovely Densetsu〜 WATCH / LISTEN HERE
Not gonna call HANABIE a guilty pleasure, because I gladly am a fan. That’s being said, these four Japanese ladies put out some wild music. If you’re a fan of BABYMETAL, WAGAKKI BAND, and ANIME CONVENTIONS in general, then you’ll probably dig this.
Entheos - An End to Everything WATCH / LISTEN HERE
I include this one, mostly because this is one of the most intimidating vocalists I’ve ever heard. SHE’S so brutal that she gives ALEX TERRIBLE from Slaughter to Prevail nightmares I’m sure. You just gotta listen/watch to see what I’m talking about.
DARKUM - TROLLNADO LISTEN HERE
Discussion of trolls and troll based music is something common around these parts (with us having a friendship with Norway’s Trollfest). This time however, our TROLL discussion heads to SPAIN, with DRAKUM’S song TROLLNADO. This song came out last year, but it’s just came across my recommended songs recently. Absolutely love their take on the folk metal genre!
BONUS: Eldrvak | Moraharpa | New Song Teaser WATCH / LISTEN HERE
Cody Schaffer, the main man and multi-instrumentalist behind ELDRVAK, has blessed us with a little sample of his upcoming Moraharpa (pictured) song. The soundtrack-esque sound of this track evokes images straight out of the darkened folk forests of Europe where it was composed (*** mindfully checks bio ***) wait… IOWA… for real?! This man lives in IOWA?! Like in the USA?! (checks to make sure there isn’t some brand new country names IOWA that I’ve never previously heard of). Confirmed. Alright, this may just be the coolest music to ever come out of the US state of Iowa. WOW.
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That’s all for today. We hope you’ve enjoyed our little debut of ‘WHAT ARE WE CONSUMING?’ We’ll be back with it whenever we feel led. Might be music, books, comics, tv, movies, who knows. We hope you enjoyed it.
And don’t forget that store sale! 10% off everything. Ends TONIGHT!
CLICK HERE TO SAVE MONEY AT OUR STORE - USE CODE NEWSTORE10 AT CHECKOUT
See you next time!
Matt & Steph
#TeamINSYM
www.linktree.com/insymmetrycreations
