Search

Search only in certain items:

    Destinies

    Destinies

    10.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

    Tabletop Game

    Destinies is a competitive, story-driven, game of adventure and exploration, mixing an app and a...

40x40

Kristy H (1252 KP) rated After the End in Books

Jun 25, 2019  
After the End
After the End
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Max and Pip have a deep, untenable bond and a strong marriage that they feel is sealed by fate. But when their nearly three-year-old son, Dylan, gets sick, everything they know changes. Dylan has a brain tumor, and now Pip spends her days in the PICU, while Max tries to juggle work and being strong for his wife and child. Then, the couple receives the worst of all news: the chemo isn't helping Dylan's tumor, and the doctors feel Dylan's condition is terminal. Suddenly, Max and Pip find themselves on opposite sides--each wanting different medical treatment for their beloved boy.

Clare Mackintosh offers us a beautiful, poignant, and heartbreaking book based on her life experiences, having lost her own son. Knowing this makes the book even more tender and real, as each word is based on a kernel of truth. Reading this book isn't always easy--as a parent, my heart digested these words and put myself in the shoes of Max and Pip. This book makes you think, and it makes you so incredibly grateful for your own life, wanting to snuggle your own children and hold them dear.


"How can my son be a breath away from death, when evidence of his life is all around me? When I feel him in my heart, as surely as when I carried him in my womb?"


The story is one of loss, yes, but it's also a love story: Max and Pip, Dylan and his family, and more. We are introduced to Dylan's family and also to Dylan's doctor, Leila, whom I really liked. Leila has her own struggles. Her mom, Habibeh, is visiting, but won't leave the house, preferring to watch QVC and cook endlessly for her daughter. (Habibeh is a trip; she's awesome.) The decision of Dylan's fate falls on Leila's shoulders first: a lot for a young doctor to bear. We get the story through her eyes and then each of Dylan's parents. As a mom, I felt drawn to Pip, but I liked how we got both Pip and Max's perspectives. Each only wants what is best for their son--and, at first, each feels they are doing the right thing.


"However long you spend with someone, however well you think you know them, they can still be a stranger to you."


Mackintosh is best known for her thrillers, and, this book is just as well-written as those. And, interestingly enough, she throws in a bit of a twist here, too. I won't spoil it, per se, but will tell you that this book is a fascinating exploration of choices, allowing you to think about life and the various paths that everyone can take. It's a sad book, yes, but lovely too--a tribute to parents, medical professionals, and to the children we love so much. It's a reminder to cherish those we hold dear and that life can be short but beautiful, no matter which way it may turn out.

Overall, even though I found this difficult to read at times, I'm really glad I did. I was reminded, yet again, what a good writer Clare Mackintosh is. I'm so incredibly sorry she lost her son, and I'm in such awe that she could turn that loss into such a lovely book. I highly recommend this--it's a beautiful exploration of life's different paths and what fate can bring us.
  
Show all 3 comments.
40x40

Kristy H (1252 KP) Jul 1, 2019

@ClareR I hope you enjoy it! It's so sad at times but very good!

40x40

ClareR (5726 KP) Jul 1, 2019

@Kristy H I bought it at the weekend with my birthday book voucher! I just need to read it now! 😊

Agents of Mayhem Day One Edition
Agents of Mayhem Day One Edition
2017 | Action/Adventure
Characters are amazing! (0 more)
Sandbox is crap (0 more)
A fun short trip through crazy Seoul!
I saw this game advertised and was immediately in love with the concept. I loved the G.I. Joe aspect of the 12 characters and how each one felt different to control. The over the top antics and crazy fighting was fun, but got repetitive towards the end, I did appreciate the boss battles at least having some variety. The game is pretty short, and I felt like the sandbox of Seoul wasn't as big on exploration as I felt it should have been, also after taking 20 mins to win over an enemy base, they'd quickly take it back over, and it felt like there wasn't really a point. I feel like it is a solid concept and I hope if they expand on the franchise that we not only get more amazing characters, but maybe a longer story mode or side missions where you actually accomplish something on the map.

I feel all games should have a realistic price point, I paid $60 and feel like the game was really more of a $35 venture. Totally worth having around if you just want to get lost in some mindless fun for awhile.


Also while I am not the biggest proponent for all games having online features (as I'm old and from the NES era of gaming where it was a solo experience) I feel this game would have benefitted from having more online co-op features, but again, this would rely heavily on Seoul actively reflecting the time you've put into carving out a piece of the map.
  
Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery
Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery
Scott Kelly | 2017 | Biography
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I just finished reading Endurance by Scott Kelly and I have to say I really enjoyed the book. I ended up buying the audiobook after I received the physical book simply because I saw that the book was read by Scott Kelly. I always love listening to the person read their own life story.

I have to say that I was really impressed with this book. Scott Kelly really adds the human element to Space Exploration. It was motivating in a "I will never be that motivated" kind of way. Growing up, I never even thought of being an astronaut so reading about his experiences was truly one of a kind.

One thing when reading this book that I noticed is that Scott Kelly is a facts only kind of guy. He seems to almost lack emotions at certain pivotal parts in the book. He really just states the facts and moves on. That was something that I really had to accept because most of the biographies that I read have some sort of emotion placed in them. Even though the emotions was missing, I have to say I still really enjoyed learning about his journey and I'm sure it was better to not get lost in the details.

All in all, this book was fascinating. If anyone is wanting to learn more about the daily struggle that astronauts go through, this is a great book to read. I truly hope that this book speaks to many people and helps them realize their full potential. Scott Kelly just proved that picking up a book can truly change your life.