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The Marinated Meeple (1848 KP) created a post in Solo Gamers

May 9, 2019  
I don't really solo too much since I usually am attempting to design something when I have alone time.... but I love the idea of this group, so I thought I would join... have you tried Palm island Yet, I picked it up and it seems like a solo kind of playing game.
  
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Paul Kellett (118 KP) May 10, 2019

Cool, thanks for taking a look.
I've not played Palm Island yet but it does seem to be getting good reviews in the solo groups.

Definitely not my favourite cozy mystery series - there was a lot of internal dialogue that I did not enjoy. I did like her lists, I thought those were cute and funny - I thought some parts were funny and entertaining but a lot of it was just .. blah, like why is this necessary, why are we repeating this again, why is this happening - but the end was good and fun

I called a lot of the book but it was still fun toward the end to read and the very end - I also called but it was still absolutely joyful to read.

Reading the struggle of a new mother was fun too - it was an interesting take on a mystery trying to be a PI or solving a mystery while literally taking care of a brand spankin new baby and separation anxiety ..
  
Dark Tales
Dark Tales
Shirley Jackson | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
8
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a really generous collection of short stories. There are 17 in this book in total, with the longest being only 24 pages (which feels like loads after reading 10 page stories practically all the way through)!

<b><i>The Possibility of Evil - 3 stars</i></b>
I wasn’t all that interested in this short until right at the very end. The last line was fantastically horrible.

<b><i>Louisa, Please Come Home - 3 stars</i></b>
Hm. This one was good but not great. It was sad, more than anything.

<b><i>Paranoia - 5 stars</i></b>
This story was great! It gripped me right from the start and had my heart pounding as Mr Beresford was rushing to get home and away from “light hat”. Fantastically creepy ending too.

<b><i>The Honeymoon of Mrs Smith - 2 stars</i></b>
I liked the prose and everything but I didn’t get it? Probably me just being stupid but… yeah.

<b><i>The Story We Used to Tell - 3 stars</i></b>
There was certainly an eeriness about this story but I didn’t like how it took on a sort of paranormal turn, when the rest of the stories have been based on human nature.

<b><i>The Sorcerer's Apprentice - 2 stars </i></b>
This one was just really dull in comparison to the other ones.

<b><i>Jack the Ripper - 4 stars </i></b>
I liked this one because it was creepy and kind of left you to your own imagination. I love any kind of story that focuses on the Ripper because everyone makes him their own.

<b><i>The Beautiful Stranger - 3 stars </i></b>
If you can’t already tell from my previous mini reviews, I prefer the creepy stories, and this wasn’t that, but it was still an interesting story, just not my favourite.


<b><i>All She Said Was Yes - 4 stars</i></b>
I liked this story because it was a little bit different and the ending has you going “No! No! Don’t do it!”. I like it when a book conjures up that emotion from you.

<b><i>What a Thought - 4 stars</i></b>
Hasn’t just about everyone had a murderous thoughts before? This was a good story because I could relate to some of it. (That all sounds so bad, don’t worry, I’m not planning on ever killing anyone).

<b><i>The Bus - 4 stars</i></b>
I really liked this one! It got super creepy when she arrived at the old house and I loved the twist ending!

<b><i>Family Treasures - 3 stars</i></b>
I enjoyed this one all the way up to then end. Girls are so terribly bitchy, Jackson got the atmosphere in the house perfectly right!

<b><i>A Visit - 3 stars</i></b>
I liked how the mystery built in this story but I didn’t particularly like how to story ended. I also felt that the timings were a little all over the place, which confused me at some parts.

<b><i>The Good Wife - 3 stars</i></b>
I didn’t mind this story but it was very predictable. I was hoping the end wouldn’t be what I was expecting it to be, but alas.

<b><i>The Man in the Woods - 4 stars</i></b>
This story had a bit of a fairy tale feel to it, which made it a lot more enjoyable for me.

<b><i>Home - 4 stars</i></b>
OK, so I know I said earlier in this review that I didn’t like one of the stories taking on a paranormal element, but I liked it in this one! I kind of reminded me of Beetlejuice because of the bridge lol.

<b><i>The Summer People - 4 stars</i></b>
Eep, this one was creepy! I liked the whole creepy local community vibe it had to it and how the Allison’s were no longer welcome… Very good end to this collection of shorts.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books UK for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.</i>
  
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Sam (74 KP) rated The Scent of You in Books

Mar 27, 2019  
The Scent of You
The Scent of You
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
It was a bit daunting to begin with, knowing that I had to read this in less than 10 days to get my review posted within the deadline but I somehow managed it!

Polly is a yoga instructor and perfume blogger, with a chaotic life. Everything was fine until her husband left her out of the blue, with no explanation. Polly is left with the mystery of why he went – something that is always on her mind.

My initial impression was how much I love Polly. She runs a blog called Fragrant Cloud, and blogs about memories, places and events, linking them to different scents that remind her of them. I love this obsession with fragrances, and I can really relate to it, working in a candle shop my whole life revolves around them! I love how she can categorise any event by what fragrances it makes her think of. I just feel like this makes Alderson’s writing so unique and compelling.

About halfway through I found myself completely addicted! I needed to find out about the mysterious Guy and I loved Chum, but felt like there was definitely a lot hidden below the surface of his character. There definitely seemed to be a bit of a love triangle going off here, and I was curious as to what was going to happen with it.

Alderson’s writing really reminds me of Cecelia Ahern and Marian Keyes, and I think that’s why I found the book so easy to get into and enjoy. Her writing flows really nicely and freely, and the characterisations are natural and lifelike.

It actually surprised me that the book had a large sense of mystery to it surrounding the sudden disappearance of Polly’s husband. From the description, I didn’t realise it would take such a major role in the plot. This was quite a pleasant surprise and I actually really enjoyed the mystery aspect to it. I would normally avoid novels which have a large amount of mystery in the plot because I struggle with them, but this has made me a bit more open minded to the genre.

Overall, The Scent of You is a lovely novel, especially if you love romances with a little bit of mystery.
  
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Erika (17788 KP) rated Macbeth in Books

Apr 11, 2018  
Macbeth
Macbeth
Jo Nesbo | 2018 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
8
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I was psyched when I read that Jo Nesbo was doing a take on Macbeth for Hogarth. After reading this, I feel a little ambivalent. Normally, I love everything he writes, but this one was extremely slow. I think that a lot of my neither here nor there feeling has to do with the original source material, rather than Nesbo's take on it.
The setting of the 1970s really worked, and I did really like the characterization of Macbeth. I was glad that it was relatively true to the original play to the end.
I received an ARC from Penguin's First to Read in exchange for an unbiased review.
  
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Heathski (173 KP) rated The Hobbit in Books

Feb 13, 2019  
The Hobbit
The Hobbit
J.R.R. Tolkien | 1937 | Children
10
8.4 (144 Ratings)
Book Rating
Better than Lord of the Rings
I read this when I was a child. It was the first proper book I ever reviewed. I loved it. I listened to it on Audio which was ok. Ive seen the cartoon film and I loved the most recent films. The book is still the best. Reading it as a child, I could conjure up vivid images and hear them speak in my mind. I went adventuring along with them, and felt what they felt. It was written for children but still inspires me as an adult. It's a fantasy tale of heroism and hope against the odds. It's definately worth reading.
  
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
2017 | Action, Sci-Fi
Many people have been split over this movie. I am a fan of the original trilogy and I loved this one did I not understand why like was the way he was at first yes but I found I can understand why he is the way he was. It was sad to see carrie Fisher for the last time as princess Leia not sure how they are going to do the next movie without her. I have to say I wasn't sure about the porgs but going myself wanting everything that they made. The movie has a few issues but as a whole I really enjoyed it!
  
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
2018 | Biography, Drama, Music

"Another movie that I absolutely loved, and I am a massive Queen fan, was Bohemian Rhapsody. I watched it five times at the cinema, and I cried every time. I grew up on Queen; my mom fed me Alan Jackson, Queen, Roy Orbison – all these incredible artists – and that’s what I still listen too now. Rami Malek was incredible. Like, I know hard it is to talk with a mouth guard in my mouth trying to play sports, so trying to then talk with a mouth piece that he would have had to create the look of the big teeth. I was just blown away. It was pretty incredible."

Source
  
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
1975 | Comedy

"I saw it when I was 13 and it had an amazing impact on me, I couldn’t believe something was so funny and so smart. The level of writing is so crazy; it’s a continual inspiration. It blew my mind. I was at home babysitting my younger siblings. My parents were out dancing, and it came on at 1:30 AM. I would watch Saturday Night Live, and it was on after. I thought it was a horror film to start because it’s dark and there’s the pop-pop-pop and there’s smog. In the movie, that’s their preamble thing that I missed, so I didn’t know it was a comedy."

Source