The voyage that Pierre Gély-Fort invites us on has more in common with a nightmare than a pleasurable experience.On this bunker-like cruise liner, the passengers resemble convicts trapped in a fake environment, where boredom and satiety are rife.The travelers greedily give themselves over to selfies, blissfully unaware that the surrounding environment resembles a cardboard stage set, an opulent mirror that serves to reflect social success and material happiness.The ship is so immense that it completely occults the entire field of vision. We see nothing of the outside landscape, barely glimpsing a piece of sky or sea. Like Patrick McGoohan in The Prisoner, the prison island that is this ocean liner, is all that the occupants have the leisure of strolling, contemplating and consuming.For these travellers, dreams of any other kind appear not only as forbidden, but also futile. On this ship, where the sheer scale anesthetizes everything off-screen, the passengers seem to renounce their individuality upon embarking, in order to fit into the mould of a privileged class. The only condition is to be happy!Beyond their apparent innocuousness, Pierre Gély-Fort's photographs offer an uncompromising look at a world where everything contributes to reducing human beings to the rank of naïve, servile consumers.At the opposite extreme of a photo-journalistic report, and as if endowed with a scalpel, Pierre painstakingly dissects his very personal vision of an incandescent pallor. Abandoning the colour that characterized his earlier poetic journeys to distant lands, here, he has opted for a radical black and white that is highly contrasted, almost clinical.The aim here is not to magnify or humanize the story, but instead to demystify this cruise experience, enjoyable for some, undoubtedly, but evocative of fish trapped in a bowl. Paulo LoboJournalist and Photographer

This companion novel to Abigail Hing Wen’s New York Times bestselling debut Loveboat, Taipei and Loveboat Reunion will reunite readers with their favourite characters, in a glamorous and thrilling new journey of romance, self-discovery and empowerment. Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Mary H. K. Choi. Music prodigy Pearl Wong had planned to attend the ultra-exclusive New York Summer Symphony program. But a fall from grace means that she has to revamp her image. Where better than at the Taipei summer program that rocketed her older sister, Ever, on a path to romance and self-fulfilment years ago? There’s more awaiting Pearl at Loveboat than she could have imagined – a scandalous party, a romantic entanglement with a mysterious suitor... and a summer that will change her forever. Praise for New York Times bestseller Loveboat, Taipei: “A unique story from an exciting and authentic new voice.” —Sabaa Tahir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of An Ember in the Ashes “Equal parts surprising, original, and intelligent. An intense rush of rebellion and romance.” —Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Caraval “Fresh as a first kiss.” —Stacey Lee, award-winning author of Outrun the Moon "Fresh, fun, heartfelt, and totally addictive, a story about finding your place—and your people—where you least expected." —Kelly Loy Gilbert, author of the William C. Morris Award finalist Conviction

Miami Beach, with its port ... the world capital of cruise liners with over 5 million passengers a year. The city is the starting point of the story of one of the biggest liners in the world: Symphony of the Seas, which was built in France. When the Saint-Nazaire shipyard announced the putting into service of this monster of the seas in April 2018, with almost 9,000 passengers on board, I was ready for action! After a short trial run in the Mediterranean from April to October 2018, the giant cruise liner travelled to its new homeport, Miami Beach, to do Caribbean cruises. A parody of The LOVE BOAT, the cult American TV series with 270 episodes broadcast all over the world in the 1980s and late 1990s, this photo-book project is called The Dark LOVE BOAT, taking inspiration from the title of the original American programme.Consisting of 87 images, this photo book shows an artistic perspective of the cruise-liner experience, typically enjoyed by upper-middle-class Americans today. It explores and questions the existence or inexistence of the link between the passengers, their life on-board the ship and the sea. March 2019, wearing flip-flops and a swimsuit or a suit and tie, I shared in the daytime and nocturnal activities of these American cruise passengers. The result is this book, which offers a very personal vision, at a remove from a more traditional documentary-style or photo-journalistic narrative. The choice of black and white photography became an obvious one once shooting had started. The Dark LOVE BOAT: a fairy-tale, outside of time, where everyone can tell their own story...

An instant New York Times Bestseller and Indie Bestseller! Now adapted for the screen! Catch Love in Taipei, starring Ashley Liao (Physical, Fresh Off The Boat), Ross Butler (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before franchise, Shazam!), and Nico Hiraga (Booksmart) and Chelsea Zhang (Daybreak) on Paramount+! Don't miss Loveboat Reunion and Loveboat Forever, the next two companion novels in the Loveboat series! #1 Cosmopolitan Audiobook of the Year Featured in Entertainment Weekly, Seventeen, Boston Globe, South China Morning Post, World Journal, UK Evening Standard, Book Riot, Bustle, Nerd Daily, Forbes, Bloomberg, NBC Bay Area, ABC7 Barnes and Noble YA Book Club Pick Praised as “an intense rush of rebellion and romance” by #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Garber, this romantic and layered debut from Abigail Hing Wen is “a roller-coaster ride of romance and self-discovery.” (Kirkus) “Our cousins have done this program,” Sophie whispers. “Best kept secret. Zero supervision.” And just like that, Ever Wong’s summer takes an unexpected turn. Gone is Chien Tan, the strict educational program in Taiwan that Ever was expecting. In its place, she finds Loveboat: a summer-long free-for-all where hookups abound, adults turn a blind eye, snake-blood sake flows abundantly, and the nightlife runs nonstop. But not every student is quite what they seem: Ever is working toward becoming a doctor but nurses a secret passion for dance. Rick Woo is the Yale-bound child prodigy bane of Ever’s existence whose perfection hides a secret. Boy-crazy, fashion-obsessed Sophie Ha turns out to have more to her than meets the eye. And under sexy Xavier Yeh’s shell is buried a shameful truth he’ll never admit. When these students’ lives collide, it’s guaranteed to be a summer Ever will never forget. “A unique story from an exciting and authentic new voice.” —Sabaa Tahir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of An Ember in the Ashes “Equal parts surprising, original, and intelligent. An intense rush of rebellion and romance.” —Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Caraval “Fresh as a first kiss.” —Stacey Lee, award-winning author of Outrun the Moon "Fresh, fun, heartfelt, and totally addictive, a story about finding your place—and your people—where you least expected." —Kelly Loy Gilbert, author of the William C. Morris Award finalist Conviction

Chronicling the early musical film years from 1926 to 1934, A Song in the Dark offers a fascinating look at these innovative films, the product of much of the major experimentation that went on during the development of sound technology. The triumphs, disasters and offscreen intrigue of this era form a remarkable story of this vital and unique film history.

A forbidden gay cruise ship romance between a crew member and a passenger breaks all the rules. Sheldon: My billionaire father yanks the credit cards and spouts some nonsense about hard work. Suddenly, I'm a butler slaving away on the maiden voyage of the world's newest and most exclusive cruise ship. Work bites. Except I somehow don't mind serving under that one red-hot solo passenger... Kyler: My last chance to prove myself as a reporter? Take the stupid undercover assignment on the world's flashiest cruise ship. Now I'm posing as the multi-millionaire I'll never be-- and my hot butler has no idea I'm just a regular guy. Because Kyler and Sheldon's smoking hot steamy gay romance is too big to confine within the pages of one novel, The Loveboat Experience focuses on their first encounters and ends with a Happy for Now. The complete Dreamboat Experience trilogy is best read in this order: *The Loveboat Experience *The Dreamboat Experience *The Island Experience Keywords: gay romance, gay beach, cruise romance, cruise ship romance, vacation romance, contemporary romance, LGBT, gay contemporary romance, gay romantic suspense, secret identity, disguise, undercover, reporter, journalist, investigator, gay fiction, island, desert island, castaway, stranded together, island romance, sinister island, sail, sailing, cruising, cruise, sea adventure, gay sea adventure. Other books and series by Parker Avrile: Assured Elites, Assured Elites trilogy, Assured Elites celebrity matchmaker, Parker Avrile, Parker Avrile novel, Parker Avrile gay romance, Darke and Flare mystery, Darke and Flare trilogy, Married for the Millions, Tonight's Encore, Scripted, The Loveboat Experience, the Dreamboat Experience, The Island Experience, the Dreamboat Experience trilogy, Dreamboat Experience gay romance trilogy. Perfect for fans of Keira Andrews and Josh Lanyon.