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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Murder at an English Séance in Books

Jun 26, 2024 (Updated Jun 26, 2024)  
Murder at an English Séance
Murder at an English Séance
Jessica Ellicott | 2024 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I Foresee a Fun Book in Your Future
The biggest news in the village of Walmsley Parva (well, aside from Beryl’s latest stunt) is the arrival of the Dinsdales. Miss Dinsdale is a psychic, or so she claims. Beryl has had previous experiences with so called psychics, and she has her doubts right from the start. So she is fully on board when the two friends are hired to prove Miss Dinsdale is a fake.

Naturally, that means attending a séance or two to see Miss Dinsdale in action. What no one expects is for them to find a dead body at one of the sittings. Edwina and Beryl quickly change the focus of their investigation. Will they solve their latest case?

Since the last book took place mainly outside the village, I was thrilled to be back for this book. I enjoyed seeing the residents again, and see how Edwina and Beryl’s relationships with them continue to grow. The new characters are good, although there was one that seemed a little young for the age he had to be. I also enjoyed seeing how Edwina and Beryl continue to grow. The story was good with a couple of subplots that kept me engaged as I was reading. The time period came alive as I was reading as well. If you haven’t started this series, you are in for a treat. And if you are already a fan, you’ll be happy with the latest entry.
  
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The Marinated Meeple (1853 KP) rated Russian Railroads in Tabletop Games

Oct 18, 2018  
Russian Railroads
Russian Railroads
2013 | Business / Industrial, Transportation
8
7.8 (4 Ratings)
Tabletop Game Rating
Tough game (3 more)
Deep strategic options
Good Brain "Burn"
everything on the board is icons, there is no literacy needed, except for the rule book. (there are you tube videos)
frustrating not doing much at first. (3 more)
scoring is in the 3-400's feels like way too much.
currently out of print in USA
not for beginners, the game gets better the more you play and understand what's going on.
Really good game, tight choices, can't possibly do all that you want before the game ends.
Despite the slight drawbacks this is a great worker placement game. 4 players is definitely better than 2 players. There were many times I wanted a spot and someone took it before me, which is part of what makes a great worker placement game. The theme works, but isn't really important. There are many paths to victory, you just need to optimize the one you choose.
  
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ClareR (5879 KP) rated The Prophets in Books

Jan 5, 2021  
The Prophets
The Prophets
Robert Jones Jr. | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry, LGBTQ+
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I’ve agonised over writing something about this. How can whatever I write possibly do this book any justice? It’s beautiful, it’s haunting and it’s terrible. I don’t mean that it’s bad-terrible. I mean that it’s a book that I wish never had to be written. What is terrible, is mans inhumanity to man.
The story centres around the slaves on the Elizabeth Plantation (also known as ‘Empty’ to the slaves), and in particular, Samuel and Isaiah. They are betrayed by the other slaves, as if by revealing their love, it will make their lives safer. Of course this is not the case, as we see when we read the chapters centred around some of the other slaves. We learn about the inhumane treatment of the slaves by their immoral white owners (or toubabs, as they are called by their black slaves). I felt that the white people in this book had a mad, mentally unhinged quality about them: after all, how else could you reconcile treating human beings worse than animals?
I found the chapters written from the African people’s perspective, as they were free then captured and imprisoned, so interesting. It made them even more real to me. These were real people (as opposed to the animals that they were seen as by the slavers) with families, traditions, lives, loves and beliefs. The scenes on board the slave ships were harrowing.
It has taken me over a week to tackle this review. This book really affected me deeply, and there were many times that I had to put the book down and walk away. Then, I would feel guilty that I had the luxury of doing just that, unlike the slaves who lived every moment of their lives as some white mans possession to do with as he saw fit.
I can’t believe that this is a debut novel. The writing is beautiful, even in the most horrific moments. The magical elements add a suggestion of hope and the indomitable spirit of these people. And the ending is just perfection. I’m sure that this book will win awards - it SHOULD win - and I’m glad that I’ve had the opportunity to read it.
Many thanks to the publisher for granting me access to this book via NetGalley. It has been a privilege to read it.